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I often wonder why defensives don’t make tackles when they should. Then I watched this video and I knew that sometimes, offensives just make plays!

I give you Gavin Green and Layton Lancers.

Have you done better? And can you prove it?

Let me know.

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Should the Chargers have released LaDainian Tomlinson?


That is the question being asked around the league. Yes LT’s production has been falling away over the last couple of seasons, but he is 8th in the all-time rusher list.

What are LT’s options, well first he’ll have to understand that he is no longer a feature back. If he does that he could go anywhere for the 2010 season. I believe he should fight for a place on a Super Bowl calibre team.

San Francisco or Cincinnati could use LT’s smarts and legs to add to the muscle of their feature back.

Could he replace Chester Taylor at Minnesota or add to Tennessee and Vince Young?

LT has to be looking for a ring before he retires and if he does get to the big bash and score the winning touchdown, he’ll be able to retire with a smile on his face.

LT’s other option is to get more money at a weak team. The Raiders could use him to help Darren McFadden. The Browns need someone to market as they only have Josh Cribbs for the public to enjoy.

Or should LT look at the cold weather of Buffalo, who could be losing veteran T.O? What about backing up Jamaal Charles at Kansas City, where he’d also get a chance to face the Chargers twice a season.

One last option, the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick has a history of picking up players deemed past their best. The Patriots need experience and LT needs a job. Wherever he goes he will still always be remembered for his running ability and vision at the line of scrimmage in a Chargers shirt.

Long live the King!

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Written by John Hill, reporter on The Wharf.

John Hill grew up watching Joe Montana guide the 49ers to greatness. He’s too slow and weak to suit up, but he once sacked an inflatable clown at an children’s play centre. He will provide American Football punditry for food.

At 2.30am Greenwich Mean Time, an arena erupted.

A man in a Jets shirt hugged a fan in a Dolphins top. A guy in a Patriots jersey hollered into the rafters, and another in a Giants vest started dancing.


On the big screen, thousands of miles away, Tracy Porter had read the eyes of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, stepped in front of his throw, weaved and sprinted 74-yards into the endzone, and the New Orleans Saints had won the Super Bowl.

There was still time remaining, but with just over three minutes on the clock, London’s biggest Super Bowl gathering had switched from a muddled sea of green, red, purple and blue shirts to a huddle of black and gold.

Even as recently as four years ago, you wouldn’t have easily spotted a Saints top in the capital. 49ers? Check. Giants? Sure. Steelers? Just follow the yelling. But few Saints. Now you’ve got Harry from Essex, Dan from Oxford and Shaun from Cambridge, all clad in beads and Bush jerseys. That’s partly down to a visit they paid to an out-of-the-way stadium called Wembley back in 2008. It’s also got something to do with a big-yardage offense that one fan claimed was “a bit like watching Brazil”.

London-based Saints fan Alexi Tangey said: “Seeing as the Saints came over here two years ago for the NFL London game, a lot of people like them because they’ve seen them live. Then you’ve got the story of Hurricane Katrina, and how New Orleans has overcome adversity. Plus, most people just don’t like the Colts.”

That said, there were a few long-serving Saints in the wings. Milton Keynes-based Northern Irishman Kieran Duffy had been wooed from the Cincinnati Bengals 24 years ago, and was watching his team in its first ever Super Bowl.

He said: “I saw them during the highlights when they used to do the coverage on Channel 4. I realised they were the only team for me.”

The Colts looked like a solid bet for victory, especially with future hall-of-famer Peyton Manning under centre. But British fans are famous for backing the underdog. Of the 3,000 or so that wandered down to North Greenwich’s Indigo2 to watch the game on big screens in HD, most were determined to cheer for the Saints, even though not all of them were going so far as to actually bet on them to win. This was a team with the NFC’s best record, but some in the crowd were merely hoping to avoid one of those horrible blowouts in which the TV announcers start name-checking the camera crew a full half-hour before the final whistle. Especially when Manning put Indianapolis up 10-0 in the first quarter.

Colts fan Ben Scarisbrick said: “The Colts are one of the most exciting sides around right now. They’re a bums-on-seats team.”

Of course, the Saints are pretty exciting themselves. Head coach Sean Payton went for a fourth down from two yards out at 10-3, blew it, and then got the ball back in time to kick for 10-6 before half time. Then the former Leicester Panthers man called a short onside kick to start the second half, watched as his team took possession, and promptly sent them down the field to take the lead for the first time.

Arizona Cardinals fan Dan Smith had bought a Saints jersey especially for the game tonight, and was cheering from the bar.

He said: “I’m a big fan of Reggie Bush, so I thought I’d wear his shirt tonight. He’s a big playmaker. But after this game, the shirt comes off and I’m a Cardinals fan again.”

The Colts swung up the field and jumped ahead 17-13 on a four-yard run, but the Saints’ third long field goal of the night made it a one point game. Then Jeremy Shockey put New Orleans back on top with a short pass, and the two-point conversion was cleared after an official’s review. Seven points separated the two teams, before Tracy Porter read Peyton Manning’s eyes to make it 31-17.

The Saints are now the second team to go on to win the Super Bowl after playing a regular season game in London. The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos are up next in October, but can they follow in the footsteps of New York and New Orleans?

49ers fans Andrew Perkins and Mike Smith mulled over this all-important question, then said: “We don’t think it’s going to happen. But we can hope.”

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Super Bowl 44 didn’t finish with the same excitement as Super Bowl 43 but we did all see history.

The New Orleans Saints played in their first Super Bowl game and won it. For a city which four years ago was on its knees and people living in the Louisiana Superdome, this must feel like winning the lottery.

Lets not kid ourselves, New Orleans and Louisiana have still not completely recovered from Hurricane Katrina but this would have put a smile on the face of the city.

Here is Super Bowl 44 in pictures.

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2010 has already been very busy for the Coventry Jets Senior Flag team. Quite apart from their continuing recruitment drive, they travelled down to Bristol last month for a friendly with Filton College Pride and more recently entertained the Coventry University Jets. The trip to Bristol was not only about playing, Head Coach Andrew Gambrill was there to teach the newly formed Pride rules and techniques of UK flag football. Once the training session had finished it was time for Gambrill to take the field with his Senior squad. Both sides looked sharp offensively, Coventry, who unveiled their new offensive playbook, also found plenty of game time for their new personnel.

The Jets have two new quarterbacks to join Marcus Gambrill on the roster this year. Third year utility player Rob Coleman was very pleased with his first competitive outing under centre “offensively we settled down quite quickly, scoring on our first two drives which was pleasing”. Coleman delivered touchdown passes to Matt Consadine and Ant Martin, beating double coverage for the latter. “I’m very pleased with the effort the whole team put in today” continued Coleman whose sentiments were echoed by coach Gambrill “every player on the Jets squad is fully committed to the team this year and we hope to make it back to the playoffs this season. We were crippled by injuries last year but when we’re at full strength we are a very dangerous team”.

Consadine was delighted with his score “I don’t get to see many receptions in the end zone, so to have the ball thrown towards me was a surprise. With the chance to go in the record books as the first touchdown scorer against the Filton Pride up for grabs I wasn’t going to drop this one”. Player of the Year, Shadrach McCook, was once again on top form but not even his two touchdown returns could prevent the Pride from winning their flag debut by a score of 36-26. Jets kitted cornerback Adam Grindrod, who missed the entire 2009 season, made his debut for the flag team as he finds his way back to full fitness.

Solidifying his reputation as the Jet’s go to guy in the redzone, Consadine opened the sides scoring for the second successive time as the Jets beat Coventry University’s newly formed side. Luke Gambrill made a welcome return from injury and had several receptions but, being short of match fitness, was not able to hit full stride as the Jets ran mounted a memorable comeback to run out 38-29 victors.
Grindrod got his name on the stat sheet with an interception to halt a strong drive from the University side, finishing the job by hauling in a McCook pass in the endzone. However, the same defensive breakdown’s that plagued Coach Gambrill’s charges in Filton saw the University team end the half with a 23-12 lead over the heavily favoured flag team.

Bouncing back after the break the flag squad opened the second half with interceptions on each of their first 3 defensive series. Ant Martin, Sean Rice and MVP Adam Grindrod all took their picks to the endzone. Rice, one of Coventry’s newest recruits acknowledged that the interceptions were largely down to the constant pressure applied to the opposing quarterback by Lisa Eaton and Tikisha McCook who had three sacks between them to add to their already impressive preseason tally.
With only a few minutes left on the clock the flag team’s defence was breached again for a long range touchdown. Coach Gambrill made a big play on the conversion to stop the University side levelling the scores. McCook then iced the game by taking a straightforward pitch right and zig-zaging the length of the field with the games final play to make the result look a little more comfortable.

Coach Gambrill was pleased with his sides fighting spirit “when a team comes back like that, it can draw on that experience in future games. Hopefully we won’t get into a hole like that again, but it has done wonders for our self belief. We’re not overly worried about the defensive errors, as we know why they happened and how to fix them. However, the lack of extra point conversions is something we need to look at”. Coventry only managed to convert two of their six extra point attempts for Gambrill’s new look offence.

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You should remember this first video from the start of the NFL season.

This is the NFL fantasy football commercials which showcase skills of a number of players. Is it real, you’ll have to decide for yourself.

This is Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and former midfielder Xavi Alonso clay pigeon shooting for Adidas.

Which did you find better?

Maybe the big question is if either of these commercials are real, I’m not sure, what do you think?

I can’t wait until next year.

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Will the Jacksonville Jaguars draft Tim Tebow in the first round?

The Jaguars pick either tenth or eleventh in the 2010 draft and all the talk is that they are looking at University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow to bring back the fans who have not been filling the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Tebow has showed that he is not an NFL ready player however the Jaguars do have David Garrard under centre which would give Tebow a season or two to find his feet.

I believe that the Jaguars will take Tebow and he will take him in the first round. He is a great fit for the organisation because he went to high school in Florida and even lived in Jacksonville.

Taking the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, who lived in Jacksonville and is the star player for the University of Florida seems a no brainer. I do believe that taking Tebow in the first round is early but I don’t believe he will fall into round two.

I’ll leave you with this, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden said that Tebow could “revolutionize” the pro game.

Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy said he would pick Tebow with a top 10 pick and would take him over any quarterback in the 2010 draft.

But NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr believes Tebow does not have the intangibles to play quarterback in the NFL.

Who would you listen too? Two former Super Bowl winning head coaches or an analyst?

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