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Joined September 2014
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NFL, NBA, NRL fan. Vikings, Bulls, Storm.
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I can think of no greater pressure placed on an athlete than being the No.1 overall pick in one of the four major US…
It has got to be the most pointless debate in NFL history. And yet here we are. A few days out from Super Bowl…
Two dominant defences, an ageing gunslinger saddling up for perhaps his last rodeo, and a brash, young quarterback. It's the old school versus the…
It must be difficult to make the decision to fire an NFL head coach. It doesn't look like it, from the outside. But it…
It's about to get wild. One of the best football weekends of the year is upon us. Soak it up. We've got four mouth-watering…
The year is 2006 and I'm at my friend's house playing Madden 2004 on Xbox. It's the one with Michael Vick on the cover.…
It's Christmas and the Carolina Panthers are still unbeaten. And by the New Year the Panthers will, almost certainly, still be perfect. What a…
Just when it looked like we had some clarity around the NFC East... The NFL's most confounding division reached new heights in Week 13…
So far this season the NFL MVP debate goes something like this. Tom Brady or Cam Newton? The best players and signal callers on…
What has been the major storyline this NFL season? The undefeated records of Carolina and New England? The regression of Peyton Manning? Old mate…
Never has a 7-2 team been surrounded by so much turmoil. The Denver Broncos will hand 6'8" quarterback Brock Osweiler his first career start…
"Just win, baby." You can almost see Al Davis, dressed in all black, a wide smile spreading across his face, as he urges his…
I remember a time before mid-season awards. Before pre-season awards and quarter-season awards (yes they exist). This was a time when analysts would let the…
While the fumbles and muffed catches on special teams no doubt raised eyebrows on the 49ers' sideline, there was another crucial error, made by…
Jarryd Hayne hysteria reached epic new heights this time last week when the 49ers rookie was a healthy scratch for the first time in…
I saw an interesting question posed on social media last week. “Do you think the Atlanta Falcons have a legit chance to go undefeated?”…
A little over nine months ago the Detroit Lions were one horrible pass-interference call away from winning their first playoff game since 1991. Today,…
Peyton Manning turned 39 this year. That is old. Even among NFL quarterbacks - a position where the mediocre can enjoy incredible longevity –…
Time moves slower in the NFL off-season. It's a theory I become more certain of every year. It meanders along almost aimlessly, one day…
I woke up on Sunday morning to discover two things. Firstly, Jarryd Hayne had made the San Francisco 49ers 53-man roster. And secondly, I…
Haha. Should I know what it’s like to be an Indian cricketer? A German footballer? Do you? Are you proposing some sort of brain switching technology where the user can put myself in the mind of a foreign athlete? It sounds intriguing.
Simmons to prove critics wrong
Yeah this article puts so much pressure on Ben Simmons. He will definitely read this article.
Simmons to prove critics wrong
Agreed. The burden for what constitutes “widespread criticism” is lower than ever.
The great hate debate has got to stop
God damn you Blair Walsh! God damn you to hell!
Let's get wild for the NFL's bumper weekend
2/2 so far. How ’bout them Chiefs! Dominant.
Let's get wild for the NFL's bumper weekend
Hey Dogs of War. Sorry to break it to you but the Bengals and Canterbury Bulldogs can not win their respective competitions. There. Now load up on ’em.
Four reasons the Panthers will stay undefeated
Good point, Kingcowboy. He definitely deserves some props. Winning starts at the top.
Raiders emerge from NFL black hole
Here is NFL.com’s awards. Notice the majority of analysts/experts have spread their vote around quarterbacks and skill players.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000572453/article/nfl-midseason-predictions-mvp-rookie-of-the-year-and-more
The Roar's NFL mid-season awards
No, not just for non-quarterbacks. Brady could go there too, he’s been excellent. But I thought given Freeman leads all running backs in touchdowns and yardage by a mile he was deserving.
The Roar's NFL mid-season awards
Some good comments here from the team’s play-by-play radio caller Ted Robinson – “The Voice of the 49ers” – who outlined some of the difficulties with the Aussie recruit. Comments can be found here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/us-sports/jarryd-hayne-nfl-australian-san-francisco-49ers-recruits-future-decided/story-fnp542pi-1227591803676?sv=1eca5597a4d86600e591024eaf88c4c4
“This is hard because there is an argument to be made that when you bring a guy on board like Jarryd Hayne – and there was a lot of ‘feel good’ to him with good reason in pre-season – you have to accept the back side of which is suddenly there is unreal expectation, especially from the Australian media,” Robinson told KNBR.
“I couldn’t help but cringe yesterday after another quite frankly non-competitive loss to a division team, the second or third question Jim Tomsula is asked by Australian media in a very belligerent manner is ‘What about Jarryd Hayne?’
“Jarryd Hayne has had zero impact on this team being 2-6. There’s a hope Jarryd Hayne can become a contributing player some day. But right now it’s such a surreal match because he’s not ready to be an NFL running back.”
Robinson said Hayne had still not shown he was up to the multi-faceted task of being an NFL running back and had also struggled on punt returns. Yet for all that, he may end up back on the Niners’ active roster due to the Bush and Davis injuries.
“It’s hard in this day and age to just stick to facts. Nobody wants to stick to facts, but if we try that Jarryd Hayne has fumbled three punts in his limited time. No other NFL player has had three fumbled punt returns in the first half of the season,” Robinson said.
“And as a running back in the Baltimore game, which I think was the tipping point, they put him on the field for a third down play, and he could not pass protect.
“Do you want your quarterback to have an injury because you’re playing a running back who really shouldn’t be playing in the situation? He doesn’t understand or is not able to employ the proper technique to pass protect and your quarterback is going to get hurt? What would be the outcry if that happened?
“Tom Rathman is as credible and terrific a coach as you could ask for at the running back position, especially with pass protection for running backs. That’s something Tom excelled at.
“Jarryd Hayne has a learning curve there ahead of him. And I really believe the 49ers do want him back and I think until maybe halftime yesterday the thought was to hope he clears waivers to get him on the practise squad. Now it could be clear waivers and he’s back on the active. That could well be because of the injuries.”
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
It’s not the fact he gave up a sack, it’s how. Looked completely lost out there. I do love the argument about never playing the game. Bravo! I need to play the game to understand blitzes work? Just sound logic, sir.
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
My favourite time the media embellished or sensationalised a story about Hayne, of course. Try to keep up.
According to ESPN stats, Kaepernick has been sacked 25 times this year. How many of those were on third down or the result of a missed blocking assignment by a running back? Couldn’t tell ya. But my point is the 49ers had no faith in Hayne at running back in pass blocking situations. The fumbles were bad, this was another problem altogether.
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
It’s funny I suggested those would be the things he would struggle with last year and then when he made the team I was hammered for it. Now it turns out to be true.
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
My fave was when a major Australian TV news station led with a story that the Denver Broncos were scared of Hayne’s abilities and were kicking away from him. In actuality they were just kicking the ball out on the full like they try and do every, single time.
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
Agree with you on just about all of that.
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
Blocking mate. He was on offense blocking defenders. He missed his blocking assignment and two Ravens sacked 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Hayne waived: The play that raised alarm bells
It is remarkable. It’s remarkable for a guy who grew up playing the game, let alone someone who grew up in Australia. I use this stat a lot but.
“There are 15,588 senior student athletes playing football. 256 of those athletes will be drafted into the NFL. That’s 1.6% of all NCAA seniors playing football that get drafted. . 008% of all high school athletes get drafted.”
Hayne Hysteria: What being inactive really means
There are a bunch of free agents (literally hundreds) that are looking for a spot on an NFL roster. There are also guys that just get a run in the pre-season. Hayne was better than most in the pre-season, but compared to full-strength rosters he is middle of the road.
Hayne Hysteria: What being inactive really means
Agreed. If they get Davante Adams back after the bye they could be really hard to beat. Interesting to see Starks getting more carries than Lacy in the game against the Chargers. McCarthy appears content to ride the hot hand.
Who will be the NFL's last undefeated team?
Levy was a beast last season. I always though the Lions had really good DT depth. Fairley was awesome at Auburn. What do you think about the ineffectiveness of Suh since he’s moved to Miami?
Who is to blame for Detroit's discouraging start?
Yeah I’ve got Ameer in a few fantasy teams so I saw that. He fumbled twice and fortunately for him only one was lost. You’re in trouble when an undrafted rookie Zach Zenner out of San Diego State is leading your team in carries. As someone clever pointed out on Twitter, the Lions have gone from Aa to Zz looking for answers.
Who is to blame for Detroit's discouraging start?
Appreciate your insight. I guess last year was the absolute best they could do with that roster and now the cracks are beginning to show.
Who is to blame for Detroit's discouraging start?
Yep Dan Bradman, he’s up there with Ron Laver and Daphne Fraser.
Simmons to prove critics wrong