Macca

SI.com have a story on it ... about the 5th story down. It sounds a bit dodgy but we are talking about the Pats - they've got a bit of history in bending the rules Regardless, it looks as though the Colts didn't bother to turn up today ... I've only caught a few highlights of the later game.

Perhaps Bostick could have done with some 'Blu-Tack' on his hands ... that's a costly missed chance. McCarthy let him have it but we lost the game in a few other areas (including not being able to convert enough red zone opportunities) In all honesty we've only got ourselves to blame ... all the way back to losing that game against the Bills (and thus losing home field advantage throughout the playoffs) To play that well and then hand it back to them is hard to cop. 5 field goals and only 1 TD was costly ... we're renowned for getting into the end zone and we just couldn't get it done. The better team won but the Packers were far from disgraced - I hope this loss steels us for next year. It should.

Disappointing we couldn't score at least ... still, it's not a disaster. We're now going to have to defeat China to make the semi's (where we'll probably have to face Japan) Ironically, Japan would probably not be very happy with their potential match-up in the semi final Lots of possession tonight but we didn't create enough real chances.

The Australian Open starts on Monday and here's how things would play out if all the highest ranked seeds survived to the quarter finals, semi finals & the final. Men's Quarter Finals 1. Novak Djokovic vs 8. Milos Raonic 4. Stan Wawrinka vs 5. Kei Nishikori 3. Rafael Nadal vs 7. Tomáš Berdych 2. Roger Federer vs 6. Andy Murray Men's Semi Finals 1. Novak Djokovic vs 4. Stan Wawrinka 2. Roger Federer vs 3. Rafael Nadal Men's Final 1. Novak Djokovic vs 2. Roger Federer Women's Quarter Finals 1. Serena Williams vs 8. Caroline Wozniacki 4. Petra Kvitová vs 6. Agnieszka Radwańska 3. Simona Halep vs 5. Ana Ivanovic 2. Maria Sharapova vs 7. Eugenie Bouchard Women's Semi Finals 1. Serena Williams vs 4. Petra Kvitová 2. Maria Sharapova vs 3. Simona Halep Women's Final 1. Serena Williams vs 2. Maria Sharapova All the Men's seeds All the Women's seeds

I'm struggling to see a Packers win but I have to pick them ... the other game could go either way but it's the Pats - just. Green Bay 30 Seattle 29 Colts 24 New England 26

Where there is a dollar to be made then there's a good chance that that dollar will almost certainly be made ... especially if this new version of tennis is appreciated by both males and females. We probably never had a need for t20 cricket either but that version of cricket is here to stay. Michael Vaughan said the other day that we might look back in 10-15 years time and note that t20 cricket "saved" cricket. A big statement but who's to say he's wrong? Back on the Fast4 Tennis ... I'm left wondering how much Federer & Nadal were paid for their time ... the old adage of "you've got to spend money to make money" might have been in operation. Apparently last night's matches were in aid of the Rafa Nadal Foundation (which assists socially disadvantaged youth) The other bit that I found interesting is that I believe that Tennis Australia (the organisers of this venture) have patented the whole concept. If they can lock in most of the current day big guns I can see it possibly working.

That's the angle ... time. And that time factor might prove to be a reason why it may become quite popular Only time will tell Gv :-)

KP has some strong opinions and that may rub people up the wrong way ... I like him and always have. He's a gun batsman and adds a lot of colour and personality to the sport. I only wish he could come to some sort of agreement with the ECB so he could still play international cricket again. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen.

A draw will secure top spot but Ange likes to play to win. In the crossover matches (in the QF's) we'd be up against the runners up in group B if we win our group and ... we'd play the winner of group B if we finish runners up in our group - hope that makes sense ... Group B In a nutshell we'll now avoid Japan until at least the SF's and we may well avoid them until the final (if both teams make it that far) if we win our group and Japan win their group.

You may or not be part of the target audience, TD. They would have done a few surveys you'd reckon - data bases of tennis goers and the like. There was a fair crowd there and they seemed quite enthused by the whole concept. It's on again tonight but ch9 got lucky on Monday night with the t20 game on ch10 being interrupted by rain. I've no idea whether it will work or not but I watched the last hour of the match and I didn't "dislike" it. The people launching this brand of tennis will probably see my attitude as a win. I much prefer traditional tennis with those 5 set marathons being favs of mine. One thing I do know is that a popular view is a popular view. If it finds an audience, so be it.

It's interesting that ch9 are the broadcast partners and they're showing the games in prime time ... if it was hidden away on one of the cable channels then one might not take much notice. The other thing to consider is the money on offer to the players ... they're going to need the big guns involved and the tournaments are going to need to have some meaning to the public & the players. Like anything new, it's a wait and see process and a lot will depend on ratings numbers - apparently the numbers were quite good (all things considered)

Peyton has been carrying a bad quad injury as well according to reports

It's becoming a long season for Peyton but I still believe he's got a fair bit to offer ... the alternative is who or what? Obviously he can't play forever but he might be able to be managed differently. Denver are still a probable playoff team if Peyton can be healthy most of the time ... for a lot of this season he's been very good. His numbers were right up there despite the way he finished off the season. I wouldn't be ruling a line through him just yet. The trouble is that the position of QB tends to be all or nothing ... how does Denver rest Peyton within games or rest him for complete games if indeed they even want to manage him that way? It may be possible to do so but I can't ever remember a veteran top line QB being used in this way before. As for next week, I reckon there's more chance of the Colts upsetting the Pats than the Packers beating Seattle. If Rodgers was 100% fit then we'd have a much better chance but even though he had a terrific game today, he was nowhere near full throttle. Seattle's offense isn't great so I guess if we can remain within striking distance then we're a sneaky chance. On the other hand it might just be the Colts time. After seeing how well the Ravens did in New England they'll believe they've got a real chance.

Ha! This version of the game is rapidly gaining acceptance ... I've found the whole concept to be quite fascinating with regards to how it all fits into our summer. It's not going away in a hurry. ... and just when you thought we'd exhausted all avenues for new sports we've now got another one to deal with ... 'Fast4 Tennis' ... Lleyton vs Roger on ch9 right now. The sporting purists will be beside themselves with grief

Playoff tipping comp leaderboard 6 - JV7, Go the Biff, Macca 5 - pantaloons, Georgiou R.R. Martin 4 - Gorgoroth (a clean sweep this week) 3 more games to go and don't forget that the SB is worth 3 points.

The ground caused the ball to move but in my opinion it should be ruled a catch unless the ball spills free. As it was, it was a spectacular play and those sort of highlights need to be kept in the game. I'm more thinking about future incidents like these. Not sure there's any grey area either - if the ball is being controlled and isn't moving before a player and the ball hits the surface then in my opinion it should be ruled a catch (unless the ball spills free) Edit: The other thing to consider is what if by 'reaching out', Bryant had have broken the plane of the goal line? (he was probably only about a foot short) Is that then ruled a TD? We've seen numerous examples of where a ball gets knocked free just after a player breaks the plane of the goal line (a TD is normally awarded in these instances)

I could hazard a guess on who that wouldn't have been

A Des Bryant catch or non catch on the goal line with under 5 minutes to go. In the end it wasn't paid NFL.com will probably have it highlighted if you can access it. A tense game and the commentators were calling it a good one. I was just hoping for a win :-)

Was it a catch or wasn't it? It seemed unfair not to pay it but normally it isn't paid under those sort of circumstances ... however, it could be argued he was making a football move after completing the catch. Again, they've probably ruled that the ground dislodged the ball and caused the bobble. Watching it live I thought I saw the ball move and once it moves, they'll often rule it to not be a catch. Murray also fumbled the ball in the 3rd quarter which helped turn the game. Rodgers finished strong after looking shaky in the first half ... happy to get the win but the Cowboys put up a terrific fight.

No doubt he'll play (or at least start) ... how well and for how long, that's the question. You just never know in this sport ... anything could happen including Rodgers not being incapacitated at all. I'm prepared for any outcome but obviously hoping for the best. Seattle in the end were just far too good and whoever is up against them next week is in for a torrid time. The crowd was seriously loud and I thought the Panthers did well to hang in for as long as they did. The Ravens had their chances and could have won ... credit to the Pats though - too good in the end. The match was not without it's controversy though ... Tom Brady: Study the rulebook

Dallas may not get a better chance to beat the Packers in Lambeau tomorrow ... a possibly banged up Rodgers with a questionable rush defense awaits. A torn calf muscle seems a lot to overcome but they might be able to get him right. It literally is going to be a wait and see situation ... if it was just a strain then he might be ok but when there's a tear involved it makes one think he could he could tear it even more so - especially in freezing cold weather and the nature of how he plays the position. I'd like to be more confident but I'm not sure he'll be able to get away with just throwing from the pocket without a lot of movement. The best protected QB in the sport seems to be Peyton and that's probably because he rarely ventures out of the pocket. The Denver O-line has to be absolutely first rate because of how Peyton plays the position. Rodgers likes to manoeuvre himself around as a general rule. He might have to adjust his game but then our O-line would then have to play out of their skin. We'll also need Lacy to have a big one and Starks would need to chip in as well. Denver should win the later game at home - might be close though.

I'd like to see Clarke get back ... there are going to be some games where we'll need his steadying influence and his unique batting skills. In the ODI's not every batsman needs to have the capabilities of hitting the ball out of the park ... mainstays are often required especially when it gets to the QF stage onwards. I like the look of the squad but I agree with TD about the reserve keeper ... of course, one of the 14 other players would then miss out but if it were a batsman or a bowler breaking down shortly before a game then at least that type of player can be replaced (apart from the spinner) The squads are too small anyway - 17 or 18 would be a better number. It's not as if it would be much of an added cost to the countries involved.

Good effort by the Ravens but the Edelman play turned the game As for this game, Carolina are hanging in there ... the scoreline at half time could have been worse for the Panthers. They probably need to score first in the 2nd half to have a chance - however, the Seahawks do get the first possession once play resumes.

That was one hell of a finish. Lots of highlights but the KP & Maxwell partnership was terrific to watch

I guess we all see things differently ... I thought our first 5-10 minutes was average and then I thought we played really well for the rest of the match. It was a terrific open game in fact and we created plenty of chances. Kuwait were no match for us in the end but they had a go. I'm quite happy with the 4-1 scoreline and if we win our group, we'll avoid Japan until at least the semi-finals. A good start and we've got plenty of scoring opportunities with Cahill & Luongo being quite dangerous up front. Oman & especially South Korea will be much tougher opposition but I'm expecting at least 4 points from those other 2 group games - it might come down to goal difference to decide our group.