Macca

Dappa Dan has rejoined the leaders whilst I fluked a point in the comp Points tally ... 3 - JV7, Go the Biff, Georgiou R. R. Martin, Dappa Dan 2 - Macca 1 - cowboy_from_hell, pantaloons, Gorgoroth 0 - others Week 10 games

Maxwell was another surprise selection - he, like Mitchell Marsh & Watson should be vying for the one spot - the no.6 all rounders spot. Not sure there's room for 2 of these type of players in the test side unless both are exceptionally good. It's one of the reasons that I've picked Marsh over Watson. If both play then where do both bat if Clarke & Smith occupy the no.4 & no.5 spots? Considering that Hughes was in the squad I would have played him in the 2nd test against Pakistan instead of playing Maxwell - Maxwell is at best a no.6 and we already had Marsh batting in the no.6 spot (Maxwell didn't play in the first test whilst Marsh did) Maxwell batting in the 3 spot was quite a surprise. Again, the selectors will continue to make surprise moves and those moves don't always make a lot of sense. What many may not know is that the captain picks the batting order but what else was Clarke to do when considering the team he was handed? Hughes was next cab off the rank and he should have played if Doolan was going to be dropped. Horses for courses. Again, I would have taken another young top order player on the tour and blooded him if need be.

I like the idea of continually looking to improve the team with young talent - and that young talent doesn't necessarily need to be "beating the door down" to get into the team - for instance, picking Mitch Marsh is a step in the right direction in my opinion. We're not talking 18 year old rookies like we are in the AFL but 21-23 year old shield players who show something. Most of out players who ended up being top players were picked from relative obscurity. The history books tell us that - Border, S Waugh, Hayden, Langer, Martyn and many others hadn't really done much at shield level before getting the call up. Maddinson has previously shown a bit of promise and I like the look of him. Burns and Silk are another 2 top order players who have shown something. As much as Rogers* has done quite well, I would never have picked him when the selectors did so. Hughes has been found wanting previously because he doesn't have an all round game (strong through point but not strong with his other shots) I'd be looking for new blood and over the decades, the selectors have normally taken that path with fruitful results. That doesn't mean that Hughes won't make a success of himself if he gets another chance - it simply means I'd be looking elsewhere for the time being. *I've picked Rogers for the Brisbane Test because that's what I believe the selectors will do - my whole team is based on what I think "they" will do. If it was me picking the team I wouldn't be finding room for Rogers, Hughes or even Lyon. Replacing Haddin if he's injured is another tricky one - Wade & Paine may not be the next choices in the selectors eyes - again, the selectors might decide to pick someone else if Haddin doesn't come up - Hartley or Nevill might get a chance. One thing we do know is that the selectors normally spring a surprise or 2. Rogers himself was a surprise selection for the 2013 ashes campaign in England ... however, the biggest concern I have is the fitness & health of our fast bowlers. I like the idea of having a full squad to choose from.

The Rams have beaten the niners & the Seahawks ... that's the great bit about the divisions in the NFL - all the teams within those divisions know the games of their rivals so we therefore often get a lot of close divisional matches. Great D today by the Rams. Arizona is next for St Louis - the Cards had better be on their game for both their encounters. I fancy the Colts tomorrow but they'll need to jump out of the blocks against the Giants.

Their spinners wouldn't ordinarily be suited to our tracks but Ojha & Ashwin are both tallish spinners and might get a bit of bounce like Lyon does on our tracks and ... they've got a young batting line-up as opposed to the aging batting line-up that was here last time. We should win but I'm not sure we'll have it all our own way like we did the last time they were here. A lot will depend on how they handle Johnson and if Johnson continues on his great form ... I'd ideally like to see Harris back and firing too. A 3-1 series win beckons though, if we're on our game. Marsh deserves a go after his debut ... Maddinson or Silk might come in and bat at no.3 but it will probably be Hughes. I'm tipping there will be one surprise selection for the 1st test and also, Haddin will need to prove his fitness - I hope he comes up. My possible eleven for Brisbane ... Rogers Warner Maddinson or Hughes Clarke Smith Marsh (Mitch) Haddin Johnson Stark or Siddle Harris Lyon

I was being a little sarcastic, Smithy ... not sure there's too many t20 fans on this thread! I'm just a little stunned that the national team is now going to play the shortest form of the game just 2 days after finishing a test match .. do Warner, Smith, Maxwell, Johnson and Marsh play in these games? ... ordinarily, they might be selected to play. Haddin too, if he was fit.

... and this series was originally meant to be played over 3 tests Comprehensively beaten and I'm not sure we can take anything out of the series other than Mitch Marsh showed a bit. It's going to be interesting to see the make-up of the 11 for the first Test against India. Question marks surround the 2 seamers to support Johnson and ... the make up of the batting - who bats at no.3? Does Rogers stay as an opener? Marsh over Watson or maybe both play? I'd go with one of them only but we need to find a no.3. Not sure Doolan is the answer but he might be persevered with. Anyway, you'll all be "pleased" to see that the t20 internationals are next - in 2 days time!! Yep, that's right, we play South Africa on Wednesday night in the first of 3 x t20 games. Then it's 5 ODI's against the Proteas before India arrive for 4 Tests.

The Steelers & Ravens really don't like each other, do they? Stand out moments today ... 49ers losing - that's gotta hurt The Pats are right back in business and maybe Denver aren't that good The Eagles,KC, Cinci & Arizona all had vital wins Miami might be a good team and are the Vikes back in it? Seattle win in unimpressive fashion but Pittsburgh continue to impress. And Dappa, picking those division winners, Conference match-ups and wild-cards is going to be hard work - I'll have a go in a day or so.

Now Misbah has equalled the record for the fastest hundred - he now shares the record with Viv Richards ... 100 off 56 balls. It's all happening Chasing 603 to win are the Aussies

We can never get tired of this clip can we ...

Misbah just hit the fastest 50 in the history of test cricket - 52 off 21 balls in 24 minutes.

We've played poorly and the conditions whilst not in our favour, can't be the sole reason. A lack of concentration against good quality spinners stands out for a few of our blokes. Credit to Pakistan - they've completely outplayed us. They've always been a capable opponent who often haven't performed up to expectations but in this series, they've been very very good - I like their leggie (Yasir Shar) ... he looks to have a bright future.

I can't see him playing but they're saying he might - hasn't practiced all week so he'd have to be doubtful - you'd think. Romo Has Fractures In Back; Might Play Sunday

We look a completely different team, Smithy. The saving grace is we're not going to revisit these type of wickets for quite a while.

Tough, tough week to find 3 road winners ... a point gained this week will be invaluable Eagles Colts Arizona

Excellent array of TV games this week ... Friday 11.30am New Orleans at Carolina (ESPN) Monday 5.00am - 11.30am RedZone (ESPN) 5.00am Arizona at Dallas (7mate) 8.30am Denver at New England (7mate) 12.30pm Baltimore at Pittsburgh (7mate & ESPN) Tuesday 12.30pm Indianapolis at NY Giants (ESPN) All the week 9 games The BS Report NFL Week Elo Ratings & Playoff Odds

Might do the same ... can only find 3 locks for the division titles and they're all in the AFC. The NFC is a nightmare to figure out - especially in the West

Sounds good to me, Dappa I'll have a go in the next few days whilst it's on my mind. Maybe after Fridays game - that Saints @ Panthers game shapes up as a season definer for that division.

lol ... maybe like the tipping comp - bragging rights and kudos only I'll need a day or so to come up with my final 8 (or 12 if we want to add in the wild-card teams) This year is the most wide open for a long time - I'm not even convinced with Denver yet. There's literally about 20 teams that could make it ... the half way mark of the season seems the right time to have a go at it. Closest to the pin wins hey? If we do the whole 12, I'll be trying to fit Buffalo & Pittsburgh in the AFC & there's gonna be at least 2 decent sides miss out in the NFC.

In reference to Dilfer's "The Update League" I took him as meaning that things can change from week to week in the league (sometimes dramatically so) He was in a discussion surrounding the loss by Dallas and I'm supposing that he maybe now has doubts (again) about the Cowboys. Them losing does keep your blokes within striking distance and Dallas have 3 tough games in their next 4. Romo hurt his back again and may have done some damage - apparently the x-rays came back negative but he's had major back issues previously. Anyway, trying to come up with the AFC & NFC conference championship game contenders is a bit of a task ... I could only go with Denver right now and any number of teams could fill the other 3 spots. Tipping the last 8 for the divisional weekend is even tougher Should we have a dash at it at this early stage, Dappa?

I still wasn't game to pick 'em outright though JV Definite trap game wasn't it? Washington came to play and Dallas didn't deal with that very well. The doubts remain with the Cowboys - the big thing about this sport is the immediate exposed form. All the other teams would have been watching tonight, especially their upcoming opponents. Dallas are at the Jags in a fortnight but surrounding that game they are vs Arizona, @ Giants and then vs the Eagles. Trent Dilfer just described the league as the "Update league" and I reckon he's right on the money.

He's still quite young but you watch your games so I'm tempted to take your word for it. Interesting that Alex Smith went 24/28 with a total of 226 yards for KC - lots of short sharp throws and he plays within his limitations - or at least it seems Reid instructs him to do so.

Any team with a rash of injuries can create a lack of depth in various positions ... and, there are a stack of teams who have a rash of injuries. So, your issue is the same issue that many other teams have. Therefore, it goes without saying in my opinion. I could offer the same reasoning behind our loss to the Saints today but I don't see the point. All teams should be able to cover for injuries as a matter of course ... the difference being if a Brady or a Peyton goes down - these type of players in no way can be covered for. Foles should have been instructed to throw the ball in those last 3 plays so that the throws were well inbounds (say, a couple of yards in) ... he's not an elite QB so therefore he needs to play within his limitations (like Smith @ KC) I still maintain that none of those 3 throws could have been caught inbounds with a degree of certainty. The 'final drive' was excellent work by Foles but I was specifically referencing the last 13 seconds when I referred to "crunch time" ... I actually think he's got a bright future but even the best QB's have a degree of conservatism about themselves. It's one of the reasons why elite QB's generally have a low percentage of interceptions. Re the Saints game ... I'm looking at my team to blow the other mob out of the water and get the quick kill. We leak points as a matter of course so we nearly always need to score heavily in order to beat the better teams. Therefore, keeping pace or doing "ok" just isn't going to cut it. The expectations are to win and win well but I'm more annoyed than disappointed with today's result. We're a lot better than what we displayed today.

We have been through this before but I'm baffled why you even mention injuries when you must know that many other teams have the same issues or worse ... it kinda goes without saying. About the only time I've made mention of an injury on this thread is when Rodgers went down - mainly because without him, we're a 6/10 team at best. Other injuries to many other starters can be covered. If anyone has a right to moan it's probably me about the Packers injuries but ... I don't like making excuses as a general rule. Here's an interesting article ... Packers Injury Luck Among Worst in NFL In Recent Years ... scroll down to the NFC North section for some eye-opening details I disagree with you about the first half in the GB/NO game ... we had 3 rock solid chances for TD's in the first half and could only turn them into field goals ... our way of winning against good teams or on the road is to turn our redzone chances into TD's. The Saints had our measure from the early going and were far too good ... our run defense is woeful and again, I offer no excuses. New Orleans strength is their passing game game so they smashed us in both forms of offense. 44 points is just too many points to allow if we're going to contend. Re Foles ... go back (if you can) and have a look at those last 3 throws again ... not one of them could have been caught inbounds with both feet in. He was trying to thread the eye of the needle and was offline on each occasion. He should have been under instruction to at least make sure a TD could have occurred.

Tom Jackson & Trent Dilfer both reckon it was the correct call but I'm not sure they're able to get all those calls right anyway - it's such a grey area ... there were 13 penalties called in the whole game so maybe they were being consistent. Didn't see much in it to be perfectly honest. Dallas are 9.5 favourites tomorrow but I reckon that line is a little high considering it's (A) a divisional game and (B) this has 'trap' game written all over it for Dallas. Washington have been less than impressive though and it's hard to see them winning, all the same.