NFL – Divisional Round Preview: Part 1

So, the war in Cincinnati has left some considerable battle wounds. After last week’s thuggery from Vontaze Burfict and the subsequent reaction of his teammate Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, the Bengals, for so long lovable losers, have definitely climbed a few spots in the most hated team in the NFL.

Burfict caught Pittsburgh Steelers’, Antonio Brown, with a late, illegal hit which forced the NFL’s leading wide receiver to leave the game under the concussion protocol. The Bengals lost, thanks, almost exclusively to late penalties against Jones and Burfict.

In the aftermath of the game, Pacman Jones – he of the ‘makin’ it rain’ $14.7 million lawsuit – said Brown was over-exaggerating his injuries because obviously, a guy wants to leave the field in his team’s most important game of the season. However, if nothing else, Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones is a bastion of magnanimity and, he graciously offered that if Brown failed to clear concussion protocol for Sunday’s game in Denver, he would apologise.

Adam Jones, on that fateful night, when he went O.T.T. ‘makin-it-rain’

Lo and behold, Brown hasn’t recovered sufficiently to play tomorrow and Jones, the venerable gentleman that he is, kept his word and apologised. No doubt, the apology will subside Brown’s anger.

This week sees the top seeds in the AFC and NFC enter the fray after their bye-week last week. Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers are the number one seeds in their respective so, in a perfect world that follows seedings perfectly, these sides will enjoy home advantage all the way to San Francisco in February. Which, is certainly an advantage but, as last week proved, when all four visiting sides won, home advantage isn’t everything. That said, the seeding system in the NFL is extremely flawed with a divisional winner often finishing with a worse record than the teams in the wildcard positions. Anyway, that’s another day’s discussion.

Still, there are plenty of examples of Superbowl winners doing it the tough way: the 2008 Giants were the supreme road-warriors, ultimately ruining the New England Patriots unbeaten season with the most ridiculous catch in NFL history. Then, in 2012, Tom Coughlin’s side once more took to the road and again took down the Patriots in the Superbowl. So, being on the road is obviously disadvantageous but it’s certainly not fatal to a side’s chance of claiming the Lombardi Trophy.

Which, leads us to the AFC, and our favourite team remaining in this year’s playoffs. (It’s not the Patriots)

New England Patriots -v- Kansas City Chiefs, 16^th January (9:30 p.m.)

Kansas City Chiefs continue to roll. Last week’s demolition of the Houston Texans saw Andy Reid’s men register their 11^th straight victory, comfortably the longest winning streak of the sides remaining in the playoffs. Still, the Chiefs are garnering very little respect.

Tonight is the night when Alex Smith (r) can finally claim a playoff victory over a true superstar, in Tom Brady (l)

Perhaps, people are still refusing to believe in the tandem of coach, Andy Reid and quarterback, Alex Smith. Reid spent 14 years in Philadelphia, taking the Eagles to the playoffs nine times. However, in the eyes of people who measure success on Superbowl victories, Reid was perceived as a failure in the playoffs. We’re inclined to think that keeping a team at the top table for more than a decade represents unquestioned success, but Philadelphia’s sports fans are notoriously demanding and Reid was told to pack his bags after the 2012 season.

We already spoke about Smith’s relocation to Kansas City in 2012 and so it was that the unlikely duo set out on making the Chiefs a legitimate playoff team once more. And, the last three months have shown that this team are for real. Despite losing star running-back to a season-ending ACL injury, the Chiefs have perfected a game based on excellent pass-rush, a dual-threat running game and in Smith, a quarterback who knows how to protect the ball. Still, they enter Foxborough this evening as five-point underdogs.

This favouritism is hard to credit, particularly when the status of Rob Gronkowski is up in the air. ‘Gronk’ is absolutely vital if the Patriots are to make a deep run into the playoffs. It’s hard to describe him, beyond a 6ft 6in, 19st freak, with exceptional hands and a tendency to make opposing defenders look like flailing children. In effect, he is an auxiliary wide-receiver, which at that size is plain unfair.

Due to the carnage he causes on the field, Gronk can get away with outrageous photo shoots like this one.

However, it is reported that he got an injection in his knee on Thursday and even now, it’s unclear whether he’ll suit up. Returning from a broken foot tonight is Julian Edelman, Brady’s alternative to Gronkowski. At best, both will be banged up, while the worst-case scenario sees only one of Brady’s star catchers line up.

Brady is better than Alex Smith, of that there can be no question, but both show an equal regard for ball protection, the prevention of turnovers. That said, both men will be faced with exceptional pass rushes – K.C.’s Justin Houston will be a game time however – so the likelihood is that we’re going to see a lot of grinding three and four yard carries up the middle.

Brady does have that knack of making plays when it matters but his team has been extraordinarily vulnerable in recent weeks, losing four out of six, and the feeling is that Kansas City are playing at maximum efficiency at the moment.

Kansas City, a small sports market by U.S. standards, has already seen the Royals win the World Series in November. There hasn’t been this much excitement in Kansas since Dorothy Gale and her best buddy Toto got whipped off to Oz. OK, KC is in Missouri State but, anyway, we just get feeling that the Chiefs have grabbed that great intangible, momentum, and there is an unusual amount of uncertainty surrounding the Patriots.

Don’t forget y’all, Kansas City is in Missouri State, not Kansas.

It won’t be pretty by any stretch but that’s just how the Kansas City Chiefs will want it.

Kansas City Chiefs by 3

Arizona Cardinals -v- Green Bay Packers, 17^th January (1:00 a.m.)

We very stupidly fought with logic last week and went against Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs. Just the night before we noted that Houston had one a shitty division and that the visiting Chiefs were a superior side. The Washington Redskins won an equally awful, NFC East, and yet we chose them as the home side over the playoff veteran, Green Bay Packers.

After a dismal opening quarter, Rodgers dragged his side back into the game with a late flurry before half-time. The Packers cruised from there but it would be remiss to heap all the praise on Rodgers as the Packers defence was immense for the final three-quarters of the game. However, we’re still wondering whether Washington was an average side, which ran amok over its divisional rivals, or whether Green Bay just made a statement last week.

The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. Green Bay are badly hamstrung by Jordie Nelson’s absence and Eddie Lacy’s ridiculous lack of professionalism but they still have Rodgers and an underrated defence. Tonight, however, they head to the desert and a rematch with the team who gave them a good, old shellacking in Week 16, the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona overcame the Seattle Seahawks to win the NFC West, and are one of the surprise packages of this year’s regular season. They did lose 36-6 at home to Seattle on the final day of the season but it would dangerous to read too much into the result of a meaningless game.

Led by a resurgent Carson Palmer – who only a few years back was slipping into laughing stock territory – and a superb defence, Bruce Arians side silenced their critics with a game plan that combined explosive offence with an unrelenting defensive unit. Palmer’s go-to guy, the legendary Larry Fitzgerald has been joined by John Brown and Michael Floyd, to form one of the most underrated receiving corps in the NFL.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald is the antithesis of the brash, loud-mouth NFL player.

Meanwhile, in the defensive backfield, the Cardinals possess one of the best ball-hogs in America, in Patrick Peterson. Peterson has risen to the lofty heights of Richard Sherman and Josh Norman, where opposing quarterbacks simply avoid throwing to his side of the field. It makes for a boring night for Peterson but, more importantly, decommissions the opposing team’s number one receiver for the night.

Admittedly, this current Arizona roster lacks playoff experience, and Rodgers was born for nights like this, but, whatever way you look at it, Arizona are a superior team. The Cardinals will be smarting from that home defeat to Seattle, while the Packers rarely get shamed by the same team twice.

Asking Aaron Rodgers to pull his team through in the desert may be a bridge too far.

How fitting would it be to see a shootout in the desert from two of the game’s premier quarterbacks. History and intangibles say Green Bay but for us, the Cards are quite simply the better team, playing at home.

Arizona Cardinals by 4

S.U.S. Picks: Kansas City Chiefs to beat New England Patriots (2/1)

Green Bay Packers (+7.5) over Arizona Cardinals (5/6)

American Football

NFL Wildcard Round Preview – Part 2

Houston, you have a problem. Your quarterback is awful, probably way worse than we had considered. Brian Hoyer, for whom you’d have to feel sorry for after last night’s abomination, gave one of the worst performances in NFL playoff history.

Hoyer averaged four – yes FOUR – yards per attempt and also threw four interceptions. On the other side, Alex Smith was extremely composed, making some lovely throws, while even having a 65-yard rush ruled out for an illegal block in the back.

K.C. absolutely owned the Texans last night. No team should be beaten up that badly in their own house but the result probably goes to show how depressingly bad the standard has been in the AFC South this season.

The Chiefs are a bit like vintage-era Munster – not the depressingly shite Munster that got humiliated against 14 men last night – in that they do all the basics really well. Though largely unheralded, they will prove a very tough out in this postseason. In fact, we’ll go all out and predict that Any Reid’s men will be suiting up in Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco on 7^th February. This could yet prove to be the greatest year in Kansas City sports history.

Meanwhile, hostilities were resumed between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in a sodden Paul Brown Stadium. This was old-school, grindhouse playoff football between two rivals who have a refreshing sense of loathing for one another.

The Steelers appeared to have the game wrapped up before Ben Roethlisberger’s departure in the fourth quarter. Then, with 1:50 remaining in the game, AJ McCarron hooked up with AJ Green for what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown.

However, these are the Bengals and this is the playoffs. The Steelers picked up thirty yards in penalties as a result of Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones personal foul and this disgusting hit from the not particularly likeable, Vontaze Burfict. And, to be clear, Burfict has previous with both the Steelers and wide receivers in general, so there can be no doubt as to his intent.

Anyway, while he may have revelled in the fact that he concussed a blindsided Antonio Brown, the joke is completely on Burfict, as the Bengals yet again found a way to inspire themselves to a seemingly impossible defeat.

The Steelers will be sweating on ‘Big Ben’s’ fitness after falling heavily on his shoulder but unless his arm falls off during the week, expect the incredibly tough, Roethlisberger to suit up against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

The Steelers know that the journey to the Superbowl will have to be done entirely on the road. Don’t be surprised though if, in a fortnight’s time, the Chiefs and Steelers step to it in Kansas City to decide the AFC’s representative in Super Bowl 50.

The NFC takes centre stage tonight as two recent winners, the Seattle Seahawks (2014) and Green Bay Packers (2011) hit the road to the tundra region of Minnesota and Washington D.C., respectively. Incidentally, the Seahawks and Packers last year participated in one of the greatest playoff games of all time, which will unfortunately, be remembered for Mike McCarthy’s numbskull play-calling and Brandon Bostik, like John McClane, being the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ‘Hawks won in overtime but it will take a pair of road victories for both sides if they are to renew hostilities this winter.

First, to Minnesota……

Minnesota Vikings -v- Seattle Seahawks: 9^th January, 2016 (18:05)

On the face of it, this game should be a foregone conclusion. Just last month, the Seahawks destroyed the Vikings in Minneapolis, 38-7. However, scratch below the surface and the outcome becomes considerably less clear.

Now, to be clear, the Seahawks are rightly favoured, given their success over the past three years, including their demolition of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48, and their current form. But for some ridiculous play-calling last year, Pete Carroll’s side would be in the hunt for a hat-trick of Super Bowl victories. So, really, we don’t need to make the case for a Seattle victory.

Since that hiding, the Vikings went on a five-game winning streak, culminating in a road victory in Green Bay and a first NFC North title since 2009. The result of the sides earlier meeting can’t be ignored but, like anything else in life, football is fluid and things can change.

The Vikings were minus a number of their key defensive players last month – Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph – and the significance of their return cannot be underestimated. With their defence fully intact, the Vikings are an entirely different proposition. And, while offence is what many people come to see, Super Bowl winners with porous defences are few and far between.

Minnesota’s offence relies heavily on running-back, Adrian Peterson, and with good reason. Peterson, in the general news last year for the wrong reason, is the NFL’s finest running-back. Even at 30, traditionally the beginning of a running back’s decline, Peterson led the league in rushing this season.

He did have his feet up last year on the back of Roger Goodell’s characteristically badly-handled investigation, but Peterson’s achievement is something to truly marvel at. Every team knows that the ball is going to ‘All-Day’ but when his dander is up, teams have great difficulty slowing him down. Except, interestingly enough, the Seahawks.

Seattle’s famed ‘Legion of Boom’ are known mostly for the damage they inflict in the secondary but, in tandem with their defensive line, they are exceptionally effective at slowing the rush. Peterson’s impact was completely negated earlier in the season so he clearly has considerable motivation. The best running back in the league, versus the best run defence? Something has to give.

Perhaps the greatest factor, and the one that has garnered all the media attention this week is the fact that the landscape in Minneapolis has, as is customary at this time of year, transformed into the ice planet, Hoth.

Taking wind chill into account, temperatures will drop as low as -23 degrees in tonight’s game. Now, Seattle are no strangers to trying conditions but the Pacific Northwest deals almost exclusively in rain, not arctic cold.

The venue for tonight’s showdown between Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.

Further, the Vikings will line up on the north sideline, which probably has you thinking, “wow, this is probably the lowest ebb of your useless information.” Please, bear with us. The north sideline has the benefit of sunshine until deep into the game. This can actually mean a difference of 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, this may seem minimal but it surely gives the home side an advantage. The Seahawks can beat their chests all they want, but the majority of the team will never before have endured what awaits them tonight.

Seattle is further hampered by the fact that Marshawn Lynch, their incredibly explosive running back, has been ruled out by an ongoing abdominal issue. Still, while the ‘Hawks would unquestionably be boosted by Lynch’s presence, their superb run system means that they won’t suffer excessively by leaning on third-string, running-back – Thomas Rawls is also injured – Christine Michael.

The defences are very evenly matched and there may be very little to choose between either side’s run-game. Seattle do enjoy massive supremacy at quarterback, though, as Russell Wilson – a Super Bowl winner in his first season – comfortably trumps the home side’s second year, conductor, Teddy Bridgewater.

Russell Wilson’s experience could prove vital tonight in getting Seattle over the line in a tricky road game.

And yet….. given the temperature, the Seahawks might as well be playing in South Georgia. In keeping with the weekend’s other games, this one’s going to be a low-scoring slog. The Vikings have already achieved their goal for the season so, in a specific sense, they have little to lose. Still, experience is king in the playoffs.

Seahawks by a field goal.

Washington Redskins -v- Green Bay Packers: 10^th January 2016, 21:40

To the weekend’s final game, in the U.S. capital, where the Washington Racists entertain Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

If this game was played at start of the season, the Packers would have been eight point favourites. However, after a bizarrely topsy-turvy season, the hosts topped the NFC East, while the Packers found themselves in the unusual position of staring up at the Minnesota Vikings when the dust settled.

The bookies actually have Washington as marginal favourites, effectively making this game a coin toss. How did this happen? Well, the Redskins played in the unquestionably weak NFC East, while Aaron Rodgers lost his main target, superstar receiver, Jordy Nelson.

Nelson went down with an ACL injury during pre-season and ever since, Rodgers – arguably the best quarterback in the NFL – has struggled to find a go-to guy.

Their run game, which came on in leaps and bounds last season has been crippled by Eddie Lacy’s inability to stop eating. The second-year running back has shown glimpses of last year’s brilliant rookie season but has refused to approach anything resembling consistency.

Eddie Lacy in 2015

AND……..

Eddie Lacy now. See if you can spot the difference…..

With the RGIII disaster in the rear view, Washington have actually unearthed a half-decent quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Two year ago, it appeared that Cousins was on the brink of an imminent trade but the equal parts odd and sad deterioration of Griffin cast him into the starting role, almost by default.

Cousins thrived as the year progressed and it isn’t as if his coaching staff have tried to hide him. He has a legitimate end-zone target in Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson’s sprinter speed provides the ability to stretch defences and make game changing plays.

The defence has been quietly efficient all season, while a seemingly listless, Alfred Morris, at running back is slowly coming to life once more. Still, as last night’s cautionary tale in Houston proved, winning a weak division can often conceal a side’s deficiencies.

Green Bay’s deficiencies are clear. They have no reliable ten-catch, 100-yard receiver and Rodgers while a certainty to enter the Hall-of-Fame in Canton in the future, is having a down season, by his extraordinarily high standards.

Neither of these sides will be in the conversation come February and it’s difficult to take a good read on this game. Nonetheless, the home side has improved discernibly over the last two months, while the Packers look uncharacteristically toothless.

Cousins and Washington to sneak it in overtime.

S.U.S. Predictions

Minnesota Vikings + 4.0 (20/21)

Washington Redskins to beat Green Bay Packers (20/23)

American Football

NFL Wildcard Preview – Part 1

It seems that this year’s NFL playoff have arrived more quickly than usual. Ordinarily this is as a result of 17 weeks of thrilling football, in what by modern standards is a very short season. However, even the most ardent NFL fan would struggle to argue that this has been a good season.

The obsession with Deflategate carried into the first three weeks of the season and, as usual, the limelight shifted to the most over paid man in sport – apart from Winston Bogarde, of course – Roger Goodell. Goodell reportedly earned €44.2 million in 2015, a reward for his incomparable, gross incompetence.

Roger Goodell: At €44 million a year, this kind of arrogance and incompetence doesn’t come cheap.

We digress here but, for a bit of perspective here, the Deflategate witch-hunt, at 107 days, took longer than the following events: (courtesy of yourteamcheats.com)

The complete Boston Marathon Bomber trial, including jury selection (93 days)
The complete Aaron Hernandez murder trial (77 days)
Christopher Columbus’ first voyage across the Atlantic in 1492 (70 days)
Germany’s invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium and France in 1940 (36 days)
Apollo 11’s trip to and from the moon in 1969 (8 days)
The English Patient (3 mind-numbing hours)

Interestingly, it has recently come to light that the most perfect man in football, Peyton Manning, has been the subject of an Al-Jazeera investigation which suggests that Manning may have been taking HGH. But, the extraordinarily subjective US media has completely ignored the story. Except in Boston, unsurprisingly!

Now at this stage, it is merely a swirling investigation but proper journalism demands that these claims be examined at length. Manning may be completely innocent, but it is not the right of biased commentators to simply sweep the claim under the carpet. You can be sure Tom Brady wouldn’t be afforded the same luxury.

Anyway, the playoffs – broken down here – have arrived, and Week One means the Wildcard round. The regular season may have been instantly forgettable but this week promises perhaps the closest round of wildcard games in recent memory.

9th January 2016 – Houston Texans -v- Kansas City Chiefs (21:05)

Tonight’s game sees AFC South champions Houston Texans host Kansas City Chiefs, runners-up in the AFC West. The Texans’ JJ Watt is, without question, the most freakishly talented and destructive defensive player in the NFL. Watt has averaged 15 sacks a season since entering the league and while his stats are extremely impressive, metrics can’t take into account the sheer terror that he implants in opposing quarterbacks.

JJ Watt: One man wreckin’ crew

Watt forms part of an extremely impressive Houston defensive unit, which also includes linebacker, Brian Cushing, shutdown cornerback Jonathan Joseph, and, we have to include him because of his incredible name, Whitney Mercilus. It’s all about ground and pound in Houston.

The offense is marshalled by Brian Hoyer, a no-frills, journeyman quarterback. It would be remiss of us to describe Hoyer as anything other than solid. That said, he is fortunate enough to possess one of the most talented wide receivers in the league, in DeAndre Hopkins. Despite being hampered by a bog-standard, quarterback, Hopkins finished the season third in receiving yards this season, with 1521 yards.

Hopkins is without question the main threat but on the other side, Nate Washington offers a reasonable option in terms of a release valve. Star running back, Arian Foster has been lost for the season and that has really hampered the Texans running game.

On the other side are the Kansas City Chiefs, a side who, like the Texans rely on a dominant defense and a solid quarterback in Alex Smith. Smith has had a strange career to date. Picked first in the 2005 draft by the San Francisco 49ers – ahead of future hall-of-famer, Aaron Rodgers – Smith muddled through his first years in the Bay Area before the arrival of head coach, Jim Harbaugh, the NFL equivalent of Jose Mourinho.

Harbaugh tweaked Smith’s game, with the quarterback becoming the game-manager – talented quarterback who knows his limitations – for the 49ers. His greatest ever performance came in the 2011 playoffs when Smith led the ‘9ers to a dramatic victory over the highly fancied New Orleans Saints.

Harbaugh promptly dropped Smith the following season, replacing him with the second coming, Colin Kaepernick, the modern, prototype quarterback. Kaepernick is about to be cut by the atrocious 49ers, while Smith is once more in the playoffs. So, basically, Jim Harbaugh is a dickhead.

Alex Smith, one of the good guys, needs to make some deep throws tonight.

Smith is unquestionably superior to Hoyer. In fact, the best compliment we could pay the former is to say that he is the NFL equivalent of Danny Murphy. However, he doesn’t make enough big plays and the Texans are virtually impenetrable on deep plays.

This game is extraordinarily hard to call as the sides are very equally matched in most departments. Neither team scores heavily so expect a grim, old-fashioned slobberknocker. The Texans have home court but the Chiefs are on an NFL-best, ten-game winning streak.

Toss of a coin, and with zero confidence, Chiefs by 3.

10^th January 2016 – Cincinnati Bengals -v- Pittsburgh Steelers (1:05)

Since the death of the once-great Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh and Cincy’ has become the primary rivalry in the AFC North. The Bengals topped the division this year, with the Steelers securing the final wildcard spot after the New York Jets final day defeat.

The Steelers are NFL blue-bloods, having won six Superbowls – four in the 70s and two more recently – and until very recently held a complete stranglehold over the former laughing-stock, Bengals.

However, under head coach, Marvin Lewis, the Bengals have become a genuine force in the NFL. A genuine force during the regular season, that is. Cincinnati rips it up from September to December but, come playoff time they have been nothing short of atrocious with Lewis at the helm. Since 2009, he has led the side to the playoffs five times. In that time the Bengals are winless.

There are various reasons: inexperience, lack of composure and the ‘Red Rifle’, Andy Dalton. Now, Dalton is a fine, and admittedly ever-improving, quarterback but his performances in the playoffs have been less-than-zero. This year, however, a broken thumb means Dalton won’t start – at least this week – with the starting job going to second-year quarterback, AJ McCarron.

McCarron is good, not great, which can only be expected from a quarterback who, up until a few weeks ago probably thought he had as much chance of winning the starting job as lil’ Matt Saracen. Dalton has repeatedly failed in the sudden death games so while he’s clearly superior to McCarron on the basis of metrics, it’s hard to argue that his loss will be felt.

While we are being a little facetious it may the case that McCarron rises to the occasion on his home field tonight, as he has had a month to settle into not only his team’s system but the role of a QB1 in the NFL.

Further, in A.J. Green he has one of the greatest scoring threats in the NFL. Green can pull off some pretty amazing plays and if Pittsburgh goes for double-coverage, McCarron can look to red zone monster, Tyler Eifert and the back-up cast of Mohammed Sanu and Marvin Jones.

Bengals’ star wide-receiver, AJ Green, could well prove the difference maker against their divisional rival, Pittsburgh Steelers.

In addition, the Bengals have the enigmatic Giovanni Bernard and Jeremy Hill – whose 2015 has admittedly been disappointing – in the backfield to keep the Steelers defence on its toes, in the trenches.

The Steelers, so long famed for their intimidating defence have become the NFL’s must-watch team. Veteran shot-caller Ben Roethlisberger, already with two Superbowl rings to his name, has the most frighteningly talented receiving corps in the league. Antonio Brown is the best wideout in the league, while Martavis Bryant is arguably the best deep-threat in the playoffs.

However, the Steelers have a serious problem in the engine room. La’Veon Bell, their starting running-back was ruled out for the season months ago, while, it has been revealed that his replacement, DeAngelo Williams will not play tonight. Step forward, Fitzgerald Toussaint, he of the 54 career rushing yards.

No rational person could suggest that Toussaint is going to deliver on his first career start, in the playoffs, on the road to Pittsburgh’s biggest rivals. Roethlisberger is a wizened, badass but there’s very little he can do to protect his young running-back.

NFL commentators like to say that you’ve got to establish the run first before you go to your passing game. If you don’t run the ball, you’ll face longer passing plays, while the defence will drop more players back to defend against the opposing quarterback. Basically, if the Steelers run game fails to materialise, their season will be over.

It would be ludicrous to write off ‘Big Ben’ and his cohort of playmakers but the Bengals are no slouches in defending the pass, and if they get on top early, in front of a raucous home crowd, the game could get away from the Steelers.

Despite being favourite, the Pittsburgh Steelers will need ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger to call on all his big game experience in Cincinnati tonight.

Bookmakers have the home side as three-point underdogs which is understandable, given their history and the fact that McCarron is under centre but we feel the Bengals are being denied the respect they deserve.

All going well, this one should get pretty fiery so, expect both quarterbacks to get plenty of attention. We’re going against conventional wisdom and with our gut on this one.

The long-suffering Bengals to end their playoff misery.

S.U.S. Picks: (i) Kansas City to beat Houston Texans (8/13)

(ii) Cincinnati Bengals +3 over Pittsburgh Steelers (4/5)

Part 2 of NFL Wildcard predictions tomorrow.

#Boxing, Boxing, Football, Gaelic Games, Golf, Horse Racing, NFL/Rugby, Republic of Ireland/FIFA, Rugby Union, Soccer, UFC

Straight Up Sport Predictions 2016

2015 was, by any comparable standards, an excellent sporting year. In the murky world of sporting politics, there was also the welcome downfall of FIFA kingpin Sepp Blatter and the lurking snake Michel Platini. Meanwhile, we were treated to the rather unsurprising revelations that Russian athletics was involved in systematic doping and Lord Sebastian Coe is a bit of a dick.

The highlights included the New England Patriots winning their fourth Superbowl after a botched play call by Seattle Seahawks on the New England one-yard line. Almost one year later none of Pete Carroll, Darrell Blevins, Russell Wilson or the latter’s usual play-caller, God, have been willing to take responsibility for not giving the ball to this man (this clip comes with a Tipper Gore warning!)

Willie Mullins dominated Cheltenham and but for this fateful fall – horse and jockey will be back with a vengeance in 2016 – the punters, for once, would have had the bookies running for cover.

Ireland secured back-to-back Six Nations championships for the first time ever after the most dramatic day in tournament history, though the year ended on a diminuendo after an injury-depleted side, with the wrong man at out-half, fell to an inspired Argentina.

Meanwhile, Andy Lee dropped his WBO middleweight title in mildly controversial circumstances to Billy Joe Saunders. It was terribly disappointing that the champion did not get an opportunity to make either of his first two defences on Irish soil. Had Lee fought Saunders in Limerick the likelihood is that he would have retained his title, as boxing historically favours a hometown champion in a tight fight.

Carl Frampton twice retained his IBF super-bantamweight championship, while it would be remiss of us not to mention Conor McGregor’s stunning knockout of Jose Aldo in Las Vegas last month.

Whether you care to admit it or not, the country’s greatest success in 2015 was the qualification for Euro 2016. After the 1-1 draw at home to Scotland in June, dreams of a French summer lay in tatters. We remember agreeing as much with a few friends in a Cambridge pub on that dank afternoon.

But, then, along came Shane Long, Irish folk-hero Jon Walters and a few dollops of luck and qualification was realised after a relatively straightforward dispatching of Bosnia. A group comprising Belgium, Italy and Sweden looks ominous but that is June’s problem.

So, to 2016 and a combination of a few of our hopes and predictions for the sporting year ahead.

After much humming and hawing, Manchester United finally rid themselves of Louis van Gaal.

There can’t be a Manchester United fan out there who will miss the dull, turgid aimless crap that has cost the Dutchman £250 million to manufacture. Rumour has it that Ryan Giggs has been in cahoots with Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish to launch a coup, though, at this point, it seems another despot, Jose Mourinho, will take the reins of this great club. All the while, Sir Matt Busby turns in his grave.

The end is nigh for Louis van Gaal. (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Thanks to the incompetence of others, Arsenal win the Premier League and Arsene Wenger claims that he has been vindicated in investing in a series of shite strikers.

Arsenal definitely have previous when it comes to choking in the second half of the season but at present they appear to be the most error-free side, which by extension makes them the most likely to win the league.

Wenger, to his credit, has been arguably the second best manager of the Premier League era but his sometimes delusional stubbornness has cost the team in the past. Yes, the board love him because the club is in the black but, let’s be honest, the fans couldn’t give a shit about that. They want to win the Premier League.

If Arsenal don’t win this year’s league, then they could be facing a very lengthy drought. There would be a sense of irony as well as a perfect example of the farcical treatment of modern day managers if Manchester City regained the title before coldly sacking Manuel Pellegrini. However, we can see Arsenal just about falling over the line though North London rivals, Spurs, will pose a serious threat.

People accept that Irish club rugby had a great run, stop whining and focus on the international team.

The media of late have been lamenting the death of Irish rugby mainly due to the fact that the French and English look set to dominate the European game for the foreseeable future. Now, first of all, let’s accept that the provinces have seen their fair share of benefactors down the years while the Pro 12 was in an advantageous position regarding qualification to the old Heineken Cup.

We’re definitely not apologists for the European Champions Cup – for one thing, the BT Sport coverage is stomach-churningly ‘old-boy’ and elitist – and the chips are quite clearly stacked in favour of the shaky Anglo-French alliance. However, like many before them, the Irish provinces have been punching above their weight for years. And, rather than whinge, let’s celebrate this fact.

Many of our finest rugby journalists have gotten in a tizzy of late over the potential downfall of the national side given the perilous state of Irish sides in Europe.

Well, we give you Example A, Wales. Bar the odd good season for Ospreys, Scarlets or Cardiff, the Welsh have a dismal record in Europe. Their domestic game just about keeps its head above water and many of their finest players have departed for more rewarding, foreign bounties.

Yet, for the last eight years, Wales have been a major player, both in the Six Nations and the World Cup. They were probably screwed by Alain Rolland in 2011 and in October their injury-ravaged side came desperately close to toppling South Africa in London.

Ireland need to strike a balance – and lest we forget, Ulster still have a great chance of making this year’s Champions Cup quarter-finals – but Wales have proven that it is possible to produce a top-class national side even when the domestic game is not exactly flourishing.

The next two years should see something of a changing of the guard and there is an abundance of talent coming through; Tadhg Furlong, Stuart McCloskey, Jack McGrath, Kieran Marmion, Jack O’ Donoghue, Garry Ringrose and CJ Stander. Meanwhile, there are the resurgent Craig Gilroy, Paddy Jackson, Tommy O’ Donnell and Andrew Trimble. Not to mention, the currently sidelined Iain Henderson, Robbie Henshaw and Peter O’ Mahony. Little cause for worry, then.

With youngsters like Iain Henderson set to take on the mantle, Irish international rugby is in very safe hands.

The provinces may be entering a fallow period but the next four years appear genuinely promising for our international side.

The All-Ireland Football Championship is overshadowed by further ridiculous disciplinary hearings and successful appeals.

The important thing to remember as an inter-county Gaelic football player is that a red card is just a speed bump and a suspension can be overturned if you shout loud enough. One of the most irritating aspects of Gaelic football is that players, and by extension, their managers and county boards refuse to accept suspensions after clearly breaching on-field rules.

Remember, kids, you can’t get suspended for this. (Photo courtesy of sportsjoe.ie)

Last year’s clear examples were Mayo’s Kevin Keane and, of course, Diarmuid Connolly’s ridiculous, though successful, overnight appeal against his red card for punching Lee Keegan. The technicalities of that case are mind numbing but the lesson is clear: If you get sent off in the 2016 All-Ireland Football Championship, you’ll be the laughing stock of the summer if you can’t get your suspension overturned.

The Republic of Ireland escape the ‘Group of Death’

By our nature, we are strangely complex characters, in that we convey optimism and pessimism in equal measures, usually in the same conversation.

An example being:

“You see the draw for the Euros?”

“Yeah it’s a fucker of a group, couldn’t be tougher.”

“Do you reckon we’ll get out, though?”

“Ah yeah, don’t see why not. Sure, Sweden only have Zlatan. Belgium are a bunch of whinging bastards. And, to be fair, Italy must be getting old at this stage.”

“Yeah, fair point.”

And that is the logic that we will be applying this summer. Remember, Sweden are ranked below Ireland in the admittedly oft-maligned FIFA World Rankings, Belgium do not have tournament pedigree. And, Italy? Well, there’s always Ray Houghton’s roly-poly in Giant Stadium.

Gennady Golovkin gets a chance to decimate a middleweight world champion.

Broken record and all that, we know. Throughout 2015, GGG has grown exasperated as Golden Boy and Roc Nation protected their Latin-American cash-cows, for fear of them taking a beating that would see their market value plummet.

Not this year, though. Golovkin has relocated to Los Angeles and L.A.’s Central American fight community – the majority of the US boxing community – already love him. Golovkin fights in the tradition of the great Mexican boxers and the fans have warmed to this immediately.

To be clear, until his last few fights, GGG has only beaten what’s put in front of him and usually it’s been brave fodder who need a pay cheque. But it’s the way he’s beaten them. Toe-to-toe, stand and deliver. He may yet be found out by a younger, though more experienced in terms of quality of opponent, Saul Alvarez. Or by the erratic, though hugely talented, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. But, either way, let’s see it happen.

Say what you want about Andy Lee but, at least, he had shown his willingness to go straight for Golovkin had he beaten Saunders. Golovkin has been well handled by HBO and promoter, Tom Loeffler in 2015. The all-important US fan base has been carefully cultivated and for Alvarez, Saunders, Cotto and Chavez Jr., excuses are now thin on the ground.

The Four Kings never avoided each other and that’s what made the 80s the golden era of middleweight boxing. After the most overhyped, underwhelming fight of this or any other era took place between Mayweather and Pacquiao last summer, boxing fans deserve Golovkin and Alvarez in 2016.

People will finally realise that Roy Hodgson is a spoofer of Frank Abignale Jr. proportions.

Children of the 90s will recall the brilliant Stephen Spielberg produced cartoon sketch show, Animaniacs. Fronted by the Warner Brothers, Wakko, Yakko and their sweet little sister, Dot, the show also featured the wonderfully, simplistic Chicken Boo sketch.

Each week, the titular Boo would arrive into town, and, thanks to some excellent costumes and a propensity to stay silent, deceive people into thinking he was, for example, a spy or a sheriff. On each occasion, one apoplectic member of the group would plead, unsuccessfully, with his friends to recognise that this was a chicken in their midst, not a man. Eventually, in the last act, Boo’s costume would come off, his true identity would be revealed and he’d be run out of town.

Now, Roy Hodgson is obviously no chicken but he has provided a masterclass in deceiving people by basically saying nothing and being a gentleman throughout his reign as England football manager.

Remember, this is the man who said before the 2014 World Cup that he believed he had that could win the tournament. Of course, what followed was England’s worst World Cup performance since 1958, which for someone like Graham Taylor would have meant an immediate sacking.

That’s a man who knows he’s getting away with murder. Sorry, soon to be, Sir Roy!

Now, on one hand, you have to admire the F.A. for their trust in the manager, and invariably international managers get more time in the job due to the fact that they have a specific set of players from which to choose and no transfer window.

However, the odd aspect of Hodgson’s reign is that he is being hailed as this extraordinary motivator and tactician when, in reality, he has done very little with what is actually a very talented squad.

Hodgson, unsurprisingly, wanted his England contract extension to be finalised before Euro 2016 but FA Chief Executive, Martin Glenn has decided otherwise. Sorry Roy, but Chicken Boo always got found out.

Djakadam wins a first Cheltenham Gold Cup for Willie Mullins.

It would hardly be a shock to suggest that the Gold Cup will be one of the racing highlights of the year but we feel this year’s renewal will be one to capture the entire sporting public’s imagination.

Even in the unfortunate absence of last year’s brilliant winner Coneygree – we will forever be loyal followers of the gutsy, Mark Bradstock trained nine-year-old – this year’s renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup promises to be an absolutely thrilling contest.

The King George at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day revealed a couple of interesting pointers: Vautour is a classy horse but he may not have three miles in him; Don Cossack is probably the best of the lot but as his fall proved, you’ve got to jump them (see Annie Power); Cue Card is having a remarkable season but has question marks remaining over whether he can do it at Prestbury Park.

Djakadam and Ruby Walsh, seen here after winning last year’s Thyestes Chase in Gowran park. The pair may just finally end Willie Mullins’ wait for a maiden victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, last year’s second and this year’s favourite, the Willie Mullins trained, Djakadam, was merely an observer over Christmas. It appears at this stage he will take the route through the long grass via the Cotswold Chase, a route less popular for Gold Cup contenders in recent years.

Recent renewals have been hard to call perhaps because of a perceived dearth of quality. This year, however, there can be no question as to the depth in the field. And, it may finally see Willie Mullins win the one he so dearly desires.

Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will each win a major, while Tiger will, sadly, call it a day.

The depth of talent in golf is most probably at an all-time high. After his glorious 2014, it appeared that McIlroy would enjoy a reign something akin to Tiger but Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and an unfortunate game of five-a-side put paid to that.

It’s virtually impossible to separate the three, the Official World Rankings aside, so it would come as no great surprise if each of the big three took home a major this year. McIlroy is hurt by the fact that he still has not mastered Augusta but his form at the back end of the year was excellent and for the first time in a while, he may feel that he has something to prove to himself.

Rickie Fowler, Branden Grace, Shane Lowry and the rarely mentioned around here, Brooks Koepka, will have something to say but the battle between Day, McIlroy and Spieth will be the story of 2016.

In other news, Golfing Tiger is dead. Long live Golfing Tiger.

2016 may see the retirement of probably the greatest, and definitely the most influential golfer of all time, Tiger Woods. Vintage era Tiger was simply untouchable. (Photo By Jamie Squire/Getty Images for Golfweek)

Conor McGregor continues to dominate U.F.C.

Anyone who has visited these parts before will know how we feel about Conor McGregor. However, to ignore his spectacular 2015, which culminated with the outrageous 13-second knockout of U.F.C. legend, Jose Aldo would be plain ignorant.

Thus far, he has does everything he has promised inside the octagon, and is the unquestioned king of the U.F.C. featherweight division. The jump to lightweight looks likely as he has acknowledged the difficulty of making 145lb as a relatively big featherweight at 5ft 9″.

Conor McGregor delivered on his promise to dominate the UFC featherweight division, culminating in his 13 second K.O. of Jose Aldo. Now, in 2016, it’s up to the lightweight division. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Nonetheless, while U.F.C. fans and Dana White bow down to kiss McGregor’s feet, it will be interesting to see whether ‘the Notorious’ will have to join the queue before getting a shot at the lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos.

To McGregor’s credit, he lives and may someday die by the sword and, for this reason, all eyes will be on John Kavanagh’s star turn in 2016.

Boxing, Uncategorized

Boxing remains its own worst enemy

And so, we’ve made it to the end of the year. A year where boxing shamed itself by letting that thug, Mayweather dominate, while the man who has the potential to introduce those hair on the back of your neck moments to a new generation of sports fans, Gennady Golovkin -GGG- has been forced to endure the bullshit politicking of Golden Boy Promotions, amongst others.

Of course, it’s also been a year where Tyson Fury pissed of many a person while deposing the classy, though boring-as-hell Wladimir Klitschko. Meanwhile Andy Lee, our favourite Irish sportsperson, rather devastatingly dropped his WBO middleweight title, somewhat controversially, on his first defence to the talented Billy Joe Saunders. If Lee does not get a rematch, then boxing is no more credible than WWE. This article from Boxing News will explain the current nonsensical nature of boxing for you perfectly. It is almost unconscionable, in a sport built on almost reckless courage, that men are sidestepping Golovkin. All this, while the man who actually wants to fight him has been treated awfully.

Andy Lee is the only middleweight willing to go toe-to-toe with Gennady Golovkin. (Picture courtesy of RingTV)

The Marvin Hagler Tommy Hearns classic of 1985 was celebrated earlier this year but if you’ve never seen ‘The War’ and you want to see why the 80s were truly the heyday of boxing, then please indulge us. That fight, and the era of the Four King – Hagler, Hearns, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard – perfectly encapsulate the raw combination of savagery and beauty that only boxing can offer.

The phenomenal success of Conor McGregor this year should finally force boxing into accepting that UFC is not only a threat but also a genuine alternative for fans who are sick of watching overblown build ups to non-events. The 36 minutes of shit between two over-the-hill fighters in Pacquaio and Mayweather was an affront to the regular sagas of days gone by. We’re not champions of UFC and we’ll take boxing every day of the week but to Dana White’s credit he would have made Mayweather Pacquiao happen years ago.

Sorry to harp on about this but we can’t stress enough just how debilitating to boxing the treatment of GGG has been. This man is an incredibly gifted puncher -he was the highest knockout percentage in middleweight boxing history – learning his trade on the streets of the Kazakh, port town of Karaganda. Golovkin is almost an adopted son of Mexican fight fans, who have always loved the fact that their fighters come ready to bang, not to play some depressingly frustrating game of chess.

His critics, and to be fair there are very few at this stage, say that better opponents will take advantage of Golovkin’s overly aggressive style -despite the fact he’s never been knocked – but sadly Oscar De La Hoya won’t let us see if Canelo Alvarez can actually pose these problems. More frustratingly, Billy Joe Saunders, for all his talk won’t go toe-to-toe with Golovkin either.

Andy Lee is a boxer in the truest sense of the word. He has thread a path which may not have lead him to the financial rewards he deserves but he is the only man in world boxing who actively sought a contest with GGG this year. Hand on heart, we think the Kazakh would stop Lee but, it would proffer a rare glimpse into why the middleweight division was not only the most watched boxing division in the 80s but arguably the most popular of all sports.

If Frank Warren, the wily mainstay of boxing promotion, can’t facilitate the Lee-Saunders rematch in either the Point or Thomond Park, then boxing should hang its head in shame. Like Gotham City or electronic music in its current form, boxing has been denigrated and lost its true identity.

GGG: the man who could capture the public’s attention. (Photo courtesy of Bleacher Report)

Men like Andy Lee, up and coming British heavyweight, Anthony Joshua and the criminally underrated -to non-fight fans- Gennady Golovkin are what boxing is all about. Like the sadly departed Arturo Gatti and the abovementioned Four Kings these men just want to fight and put on a show for the fans. We’re not saying all boxers should be prizefighters, for in contrast there is beauty. And, indeed, Leonard’s career probably germinated the frustratingly brilliant tactics of Floyd Mayweather.

However, if Warren, De La Hoya, Eddie Hearns and the self-serving sycophants of boxing’s four -yes four! – main regulatory bodies want boxing to stay relevant to the wider sporting public, they need to step their game up in 2016 and give the people what they want.

Uncategorized

Why no fuss over Andy Lee?

Credit where credit is due, Conor McGregor cleaned out the reigning pound for pound, number one ranked UFC fighter, Jose Aldo. And, that was that.

However, for those who think boxing turgid or boring – because you’re prohibited from kicking and punching a prone person on the ground – watch this, please!

We’re putting our complete bias out there today. Tonight, what we can only describe as our favourite sportsperson in the whole of Ireland, Andy Lee, (given that Henry has retired) is taking on Billy-Joe Saunders, in what could well be the best sporting occasion of 2015.

This fight tonight, whether or not you give a shit, is a monumental duel, the first time two members of the Travelling Community have fought in a sanctioned world-title fight. Andy Lee, the resilient, southpaw fight-stopper goes against an extremely composed, technically gifted opponent in Billy-Joe Saunders. And, the beauty is, the man out of Limerick is a quietly spoken, gentleman with a right hook that can stop time. If Lee was an outspoken asshole – which, of course, we’re not suggesting any other Irish combatant is – this whole country would be on standby tonight, anticipating what is potentially the biggest fight for Irish boxing since the Collins-Eubank wars.

It’s bemusing for us that a lot of people in this country are completely non-plussed about tonight’s fight. Straight Up Sport and a very esteemed friend of ours were all set to go to Thomond in September when an injury – or something – waylaid what could have been greatest Irish sports night in 2015, bar Shane Long’s missile into the top left corner.

Tonight’s fight, shamefully underpromoted – and we mean by mass media, not the actual promoters – has the potential to be the fight of the year. And, one has to consider, in all honesty, whether there is a smell of racism to it all. We’ve spent an inordinate amount of time listening to people complain that Tyson Fury isn’t Boy Scout material. Boxers aren’t usually the reference point for humanitarianism and yet when someone like Fury or Saunders – both members of the Travelling Community – are outspoken, the ire escalates. Just, think about it.

When Bernard Dunne beat Ricardo Cordoba in 2009 we almost exploded, even accepting that it was also the day that Stephen Jones kick dropped short. Why then, no opprobrium in the build up to this fight? Irish boxing world champions aren’t ten-a-penny. And, Andy Lee is the type of person who the whole country should get behind. Yet, there seems to be no interest.

Saunders has already said that in the close-knit Travelling community, all that people will remember is the winner and the loser. There will be no in between. This is amazing, simple drama. Yet, how is this not creating more excitement in Irish sport?

With self-righteousness at all-time high, one would think this fight would be excessively promoted, not by people who care about sport but by annoying social-media crusaders. Yet, even for the perceived liberal-minded among us, a lot of our inherent prejudices remain.

Boxing, Uncategorized

Send your Fury elsewhere

RTE nailed it. Back in 1985, the national broadcaster devised an annual sports award, the RTE Sports Person of the Year Award to recognise the achievements of Ireland’s greatest sports person in any given year. In a moment of inspiration, somebody in the creative department decided to forego the moniker of Sports Personality of the Year.

If only the BBC had done the same. Then, perhaps they would have avoided the shit storm surrounding the nomination of the societal pillar, Tyson Fury, for 2015 Sports Personality of the Year.

Now, to be clear, Fury’s comments to the Mail on Sunday in November – wherein he bizarrely and misguidedly bracketed homosexuality and paedophilia together – were incredibly insulting and derogatory. He coupled these views with his pointedly misogynistic views about heptathlete Jessica Ennis, and, all women.

However, the problem here is that the SPOTY awards are intended to recognise the sporting achievements of any British man or woman in a given calendar year. The awards do not specify in their selection criteria, award-winning humanitarian or crusader for social justice.

Take the time to look through past winners and you’ll see some extremely talented sports people with highly questionable characters. Not naming names here but you have a philanderer here, a misogynist there and maybe a drug cheat in the middle, just for good measure.

There is clearly excessive focus on the ‘Personality’ aspect of the award. Even on a practical level, how could you give such an award to Andy Murray. Obviously, the Scotsman is a phenomenal tennis player but he’s not exactly a guy who’d light the room up when he walks in. This award, despite its title, is intended to honour the greatest British sporting success of the past year. Not their personality.

Occasionally the winner happens to be very personable and charming, like Jessica-Ennis Hill or David Beckham. Or, it’s been the archetypal larger-than-life character, like Sir Ian Botham or Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. Or sometimes, just to ratchet up the ire, the winner can even be Irish, like Barry McGuigan.

There have been some winners of the award who’ve managed to marry their incredible sporting success with their amazing personalities. However, in the truest sense of the word ‘personality’ is largely superfluous in the context of the award. For god’s sake, Nick Faldo! And, a fucking super injunction for the most Teflon coated man in the world.

Nick Faldo, good guy.

Tyson Fury has rightly been censured for his homophobic remarks but to counter-balance the brouhaha, one should consider the context in which the comments were made. As anyone who watches sport and actually admires Tyson Fury’s sporting achievements will know, the Mancunian has a proud heritage. Both his parents were born in Ireland and his family is steeped in the traditions of the Travelling community.

Fury himself has said that his was a strict Catholic upbringing, which appears to have been based largely on the fire and brimstone of the Old Testament. Now, as a caveat, please note that this is not nor will it ever be a forum for spouting religious views. If you have faith in a dancing snowman who rides around on a unicorn and this belief makes you a kinder, better person, then go for it. Similarly, Allah. Or God. Or Gautama Buddha.

But, in any event, this is what a young Tyson Fury was taught. He did try and explain his comments to a certain extent, saying “that’s what the Bible taught me.” However, it’s dangerous to invest too much faith in any one book or as with mass media, to believe everything you read.

Separately, Fury’s comments about Ennis-Hill were misogynistic but as Malachy Clerkin pointed out in an excellent article in this week’s Irish Times, sport is fraught with underlying misogyny. A lot of people are, by and large, full of sanctimonious, self-serving shit and will readily move from this week’s latest hot, social justice topic to the next. But, if women are largely ignored in sport, then as Mr Clerkin pointed out, a petition isn’t going to do much about it.

The gentleman from Manchester who reported Fury’s comments to the Manchester Metropolitan Police hit the nail on the head when he said that Fury is entitled to his comments, but, when they are vitriolic and ignorant, they should probably be kept himself. That, however, is a point to be made in relation to wider society in general.

Tyson Fury is a professional boxer, a profession where thoughtfulness and self-awareness are not exactly rife. He’s also a self-promoter who can’t keep his name out of the news.

To return to our original point, he recently became the eighth British Heavyweight World Champion of all time and that, in the singularity of sporting achievement, should be respected. He deposed one of the greatest and most achingly boring heavyweight champions of all time, Wladimir Klitschko. And, for the sentimentalists out there, remember that Muhammad Ali, as amazing a man as he is, made some reprehensible comments in his own time.

So, as some people remount their social media high-horse, remember that Tyson Fury is a professional boxer with misguided thoughts. And, when the ire recedes, remember that, in all likelihood, a racist asshole is about to win the Republican nomination for the American presidential race. Guide your anger where it actually matters.

Soccer

Life Must Go On

The expression of solidarity was there for all to see last Tuesday night at Wembley as England hosted France, the visitors thoughts surely elsewhere. The famous arch was illuminated with the French tricolour, while the home fans partook in a booming, heartfelt rendition of La Marseillaise.

Western society has been shaken to its very core in the last seven days after the heinous, contemporaneous attacks on Paris which left 129 dead and hundreds more injured. And, those nations both geographically and politically closest to the France have responded with touching displays of solidarity.

We are however somewhat perplexed by the Premier League’s decision to have La Marseillaise played before all ten English top-flight games this weekend. Mark Ogden was extremely critical of the idea in Friday’s Daily Telegraph and, frankly, we somewhat agree with his viewpoint. Now, we do our best to avoid political discourse at Straight Up Sport but the last week has made this unavoidable. We can’t help but feel, as Ogden, that this weekend’s gesture, though wonderfully touching, conveys the entirely subjective and selective viewpoint of that area largely bracketed as ‘the West’.

What happened on Tuesday was a perfect show of fraternity, conveying to the French nation that Britain was standing with them in their time of darkness. Was it necessary, however, to extend it the symbolic gesture to a round of domestic fixtures? We know that we are walking on eggshells here, or worse still making a mountain out of a molehill, but there is no harm in asking the question: is the weekend wide rendition of La Marseillaise at the Premier League appropriate?

In a utopian society, politics and sport would rarely, if ever, intermingle. However, we do not live in paradise. FIFA’s greasy paw marks are all over world soccer while the Russian government has recently been exposed for their own unique interest in Russian athletics. And, these are but a few examples.

Sporting success, particularly on a national scale, brings with it a wave of euphoria – witness Ireland’s qualification for Euro 2016 – and, for us, this is sport in its most perfect form. The mood of a nation almost irrationally lifted by on-field sporting success.

We are always told that soccer – in its on-field form – eschews politics but this weekend’s actions irrefutably suggest otherwise. We’ve lived our entire lives in the middle of the ‘Western world’ and are cognisant of the fact that western media drives our thinking.How many of us get up in the morning and tune in to Al-Jazeera news?

So, naturally our indignation towards atrocities close to home are generally encapsulated in pages one to four of domestic newspapers. News of a massacre in Maidiguri or Beirut may generate just a few column inches.

The problem, as has been widely highlighted in the last few days, is that Saturday’s gesture in effect means that if further tragedy befalls another country, then surely their national anthem should be played the following weekend at Premier League games. Why no rendition of ‘Arise, O Compatriots’, the national anthem of Nigeria, for the repeat atrocities carried out by the Boko Haram in Nigeria?

And, for the sake of balance, let’s take the proximity issue out of the equation. Belgium is currently on maximum alert for a potential terrorist attack. We’re not trying to go all Fox News here but what if an attack did occur there? Will the Belgian national anthem ‘La Brabanconne’ be heard from Newcastle to Bournemouth?

Look, we’re not naïve and we know that we have all developed prejudices based on what our media feed us on a daily basis. And we have no doubt that this is the case the world over. But why not be seen to take a global stance of solidarity? The Premier League’s gesture may be the start of something wonderful – remember 64 nations are represented in the 2015/2016 Premier League – or a well-meaning though unintentionally divisive act.

The recurring theme of the past seven days has been that life must go on, for to cower away into a shell of constant dread would be to bend toward and satisfy the will of a small number of sub-human misanthropes. The European Championships in France next summer will hopefully be a wonderful example of the restorative, uplifting effect that sport can have on entire nations. Without a doubt, fans will descend from Ireland, and we assume the rest of Europe, to collectively celebrate a joyous occasion. Our greatest response is to keep on living and try to keep on enjoying.

We’re inclined to agree with what Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino said on Saturday that, “the best way to pay a tribute to the families and people of Paris is to do our job and play.”

A perfect non-political approach conveying soccer’s desire to move on with life, which is the most important thing that any of us can do. Sometimes perspective can provide clarity. Pochettino’s reasoned sentiments do just that.

Rugby Union

The Curious Case of Sam Burgess

The IABA aren’t exactly in the good graces of the Irish public of late. And Jose Mourinho is in the midst of a highly entertaining egocentric, paranoid mess. But nobody in the international locality looks quite as foolish right now as the RFU, the ‘powers that be’ of English rugby. England’s shambolic performance in a home World Cup has been compounded by the return of Sam Burgess, as expected, to the National Rugby League and his former club, South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Yorkshireman did not perform well over the last three months, but there was a sense that he was hung out to dry, to a certain extent, by many in the rugby union fraternity. Now as the dust settles, the real criticisms are rightly being aimed at the incompetents who decided that a rugby league convert could fit seamlessly into an international midfield in the space of ten months. Oh, and all this, while he played at a different position for his club, Bath.

Surely more should have been made of the fact that Burgess was employed as a blindside flanker by Bath while being asked to flip over to inside-centre while on England duty? This is actually unheard of in modern rugby, except seemingly when a rugby league convert enters the fray.

There would be widespread condemnation of Joe Schmidt and his management team if, for example, Sean O’ Brien was asked to moonlight at first centre while in an Irish jersey. Or if Sam Warburton was chosen as Wales’ midfield linkman. Why, then, was it not considered extraordinary that an incredibly inexperienced player was being asked to man two hugely different positions for two different teams? That kind of thinking is completely and utterly, batshit crazy.

Burgess spent his time at Bath at flanker and with England at centre. What could possibly go wrong?

Bath were Burgess’ primary paymasters so it made complete sense that they would deploy him in a position that would benefit their style of play. And, unlike England, Bath are capable of some scintillating backline play. Thus, Mike Ford thought it wiser to use Burgess as a high volume carrier and tackler in the pack. The former Bradford Bull’s ball skills are far and beyond that of the usual forward so this ploy seemed to make complete sense.

However, and this is the point where conjecture enters the piece, it would seem that Burgess was sold on the idea of coming home and representing England at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Who filled his head with this nonsense? And, considering the situation at Bath who actually accepted the idea as being plausible? If England were so determined to have Burgess in their World Cup then why not bring him as a hybrid, one of a kind, centre-cum-flanker to use off the bench? It would have made about as much sense as what actually happened.

BBC Sport’s Ben Dirs asks the fair question as to whether some culpability in this whole saga lies at Burgess’ feet. Dirs does not point fingers, focusing more on the views of others and their reaction to the twenty-six-year-old returning ‘home’ to Sydney. The overwhelming feeling, however, is that the RFU, and perhaps Burgess’ advisors, were away with the fairies. Some, including dual international Henry Paul, believe Burgess should have given himself more time in rugby union but for us the situation was virtually untenable.

To be quite clear, we’re not Sam Burgess cheerleaders and we too saw that he was poor in the World Cup. And, there is no doubt that Burgess underestimated just how difficult the transition to rugby union would be. With that amount of talent, of course, you should back yourself but you don’t want to veer into Nicklas Bendtner territory.

Nonetheless, in the same way that the RFU were so quick to court Burgess, once the wheels came off in Twickenham, they wanted no part of him. Was Sam Burgess given an unconditional assurance of a World Cup spot? Based on his performances in the centres it seems very possible. He did nothing in the warmup games to suggest he deserved a place and it is beyond madness to expect a rookie, with less than a year’s experience, to suddenly find his feet on the most pressurised stage of them all.

There is a sense of irony or just plain absurdity to how this odd situation has concluded. Sam Burgess, born and bred in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, is returning home to the safety of Redfern, in Sydney’s south inner city. It must have felt so strange to feel homesick and lost in the country where you’ve spent the first twenty-one years of your life, especially after arriving back to such fanfare.

Burgess has a strong familial bond and it is understandable that he would seek his safe haven with those dearest to him. Younger, twin brothers George and Tom are his club mates at the South Sydney Rabbitohs while older brother Luke plies his trade up the coast on Manly’s northern shores. Add to this the facts that mother Judy has relocated to Australia and his fiancée is Australian and one can clearly see why he might return home. Oh, and Burgess is idolised by ‘Bunnies’ fans after leading them in 2014 to a first Grand Final victory in 43 years.

Burgess and South Sydney Rabbitohs teammate, the already legendary Greg Inglis, celebrate 2014’s Grand Final victory, the club’s first in 43 years. Burgess has re-signed with the Rabbitohs for 2016.

Yet, while the call of home-away-from-home may have played a major part in Sam Burgess’ departure from rugby union, one suspects he would have had little difficulty seeing out his Bath contract if things had been going more smoothly.

It’s worth noting that Sonny-Bill Williams spent two years at the Auckland Blues learning the fundamentals of rugby union before making his New Zealand debut. And, despite what people may think, Burgess is as talented an athlete as Williams, often getting the better of the New Zealander in their encounters down the years.

Mike Ford seems to be the only responsible adult to realise that patience was the key to developing Sam Burgess as a legitimate rugby union player. Nobody questioned his skill-set, potential or confidence, but these attributes combined do not guarantee immediate on-field competence.

The rugby world is, no doubt, in union in their views of the RFU as an organisation that exudes deluded arrogance. Sir Clive Woodward, has rightly derided them as, “the laughing stock of world rugby” and it would be interesting to see what the players think. Although, this doesn’t seem likely, given the squad’s fear that the findings of any post-World Cup internal investigation would be leaked. And, what of Luther Burrell, the man cast aside to make way for the unproven rookie, Burgess. We’re sure he’ll enjoy the grovelling phone call he receives prior to the Six Nations.

Centre Luther Burrell, having done very little wrong, was inexplicably cast aside for the rookie, Burgess

2014/2015 will surely go down in the interesting category as Sam Burgess looks back over his life. Now, however, he is set to carry on a career that will lead him into the pantheon of rugby league greats. For him, the brief, unsuccessful though not regrettable dalliance with rugby union is over.

For the RFU, the outlook is considerably bleaker. Player confidence must be at an all-time low while the management team -perhaps unsure of the chain of command- are in a virtually untenable position. It will be interesting to see how the situation unfurls. Mind you, those “old farts” in the RFU, as once described by Will Carling, aren’t ones for changing.

Rugby

Rugby World Cup 2015: Final Preview – Australia -v- New Zealand

Australia -v- New Zealand: Twickenham 31st October 2015, 4:00 p.m.

Two very different journeys to the same destination

At first glance, there is a sense of crushing inevitability to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final line-up. Six weeks down and here we are with the world’s number one and two sides set to thrash it out for what would be an unprecedented third William Webb Ellis trophy. Yet, while the destination is as many have expected, the journey has been anything but predictable. Japan and Argentina, in particular, lit the tournament up and all told the gap between the superpowers and the perceived minnows has unquestionably decreased. In fact, before we go any further, remind yourself that you bore witness to the greatest upset in test rugby history just five weeks ago.

In hindsight, while Saturday’s pairing now seems predictable it is, in fact, the first time the Trans-Tasman rivals have met in the Rugby World Cup final. Indeed by some strange quirk the sides have met only three times in World Cup history: 1991, 2003 and 2011. The Australians were victorious in the 1991 and 2003 meetings – the former including a David Campese masterclass in the once atmospheric stadium on Lansdowne Road while the All Blacks cruised to a facile victory in Eden park in 2011.

The bookies have New Zealand as fairly significant favourites, but there are several reasons to suggest that the game could swing either way, not the least the fact that New Zealand is not the same side in World Cups on foreign soil. This is not opinion, but plain, old fact. Meanwhile, the Australians have prevailed twice on northern shores –Twickenham in 1991 and Cardiff in 1999- while actually dropping the only final ever played in Australia in 2003 to the Jonny Wilkinson inspired English side. That they made the final in 2003 was largely thanks to Eddie Jones mining all the potential talent from a pretty underwhelming team.

Some will stay that statistics when combined with history, are largely irrelevant, but the obvious analytical take away from the above would be that Australia’s performances have actually been better in European World Cups with the All Blacks preferring and thriving on their own turf. This New Zealand side, though, has been a different type of beast to its predecessors and can boast a year-long global dominance, in 2013, where all-comers were vanquished. There is a Michael Jordan-like resolve to the side, never encapsulated better than during last weekend’s grind against South Africa or, as impressively, in the record making victory against Ireland in November 2013.

The All Blacks do not have bad years or particularly bad sides – like Tom Brady they’ve never had a losing season- but the current edition are possessed of the unwavering self-confidence usually reserved for all-time great sides. Which is precisely what the 2015 edition of New Zealand are. The Americans would be fawning over the statistics. A full calendar year unbeaten and a win ratio of almost 91% over their last 57 games (48:2:3). And yet many judgments of the side will be moulded on the outcome of Saturday’s game.

One result should not categorise or define a team, especially in the case of an All Black side which already has so many incredible achievements under its belt. Yet, to a certain extent it will. Win against the Australians and they will justifiably enter the debate for the arbitrary classification of the greatest international rugby side ever. Lose and they will be perceived, probably unfairly, as an excellent side who could not deliver on the biggest stage. Particularly away from home comforts.

Australia, on the other hand, seem to be entering this contest with something of a free pass, insofar as a two-time winner can be granted such when going into a decider with their greatest rivals. Where New Zealand have continuity -former coach Graham Henry seamlessly passed the reins to his assistant Steve Hansen after the 2011 World Cup victory- Australia were in seeming disarray only a year ago. Under-fire coach, Ewan McKenzie was left with little option but to retire after the Di Patson imbroglio, leaving a disparate, ill-disciplined group of players behind.

Unearthing talent has rarely been an issue for the Australians so their requirement was for a strict disciplinarian with winning credentials. How fortunate then that the well-travelled, hardnosed Michael Cheika was open to an upgrade from his role at the New South Wales Waratahs. Similar to the scenario that faced him in Leinster in 2005, Cheika knew that he would be given a richly talented squad with questionable character. This time, however, he would have eleven months to prepare an international team for the World Cup. The four-year cycle could not have gone any differently on either side of the Tasman. Serenity versus chaos. And yet, after a victory a piece this August, the sides meet in the most monumental rubber match one could imagine, a World Cup final.

It sounds lazy at this stage to say this, but the battle of the breakdown on Saturday will go a long way towards deciding the victor. It seems centres and latterly back rows have been the only point of conversation during this World Cup, but their influence on the game is undeniable. Dominate the breakdown and, for the most part, you dictate the pace of the game, controlling the flow of the ball in both directions. The duel is not dissimilar to that of half forward and half-back lines in hurling. True, there are mini-battles taking place all over the field but perhaps none more important than the one on the ground.

All eyes will be on man of the moment David Pocock and, in his last game, the legendary, Richie McCaw.

Ordinarily, one would cast the iconic Richie McCaw along with Kieran Reid and Jerome Kaino as the favourites to dominate this joust but Australia’s trio of David Pocock, Michael Hooper and the unheralded Scott Fardy are far closer to the extraordinary. We don’t have enough time to sing the praises of McCaw. Suffice to say he is the greatest forward that we and many others have ever had the privilege of watching. However, all recent talk has been dominated by the otherworldly David Pocock and his lieutenant Hooper.

Hooper and Pocock are both nominally open-side flankers, built in the mode of the traditional hunter-gatherer seven. So when Cheika decided to pick the duo with a view to subduing the Kiwi ball supply back in August more than a few eyebrows were raised. Unsurprisingly, questions were asked as to whether a back row could be balanced with two such similar players present. The answer was an unequivocal yes as the duo thrived at the breakdown, aided by the simple though incredibly effective tactic of picking apart the Kiwis around the edge of the ruck.

When Pocock has been available during this tournament, he and Hooper have been outstanding, never more obvious than in their rucking masterclass against the Argentinians. True, the South Americans played into their opponents hands by running at every opportunity even when tactical acuity required otherwise. Time and time again, though, the Argentinian ball carrier was engulfed by a gold shirt and then pounced on by the arriving groundhogs.

South Africa and particularly Francois Louw were successful in slowing down New Zealand’s ball last weekend and as Gordon D’Arcy already pointed out this week, Louw is not the ball-winner that Pocock is. The All Blacks historically have committed very few players to rucks so tomorrow poses somewhat of a conundrum.

New Zealand will probably kick the ball quite regularly, unlike Argentina, thus guaranteeing field position and only then will they commit heavily to contest the ball on the ground. The Australian back row is almost more dangerous without the ball than with it so New Zealand will want to avoid unnecessary traffic. At the first sight of a contest Australia will, as New Zealand always have, pounce at speed. The breakdown as a spectacle is going to be incredibly enthralling.

While we have for the most part lauded Australia we would do well to remember that the reigning champions themselves have one of the greatest backrows of all time. Richie McCaw’s value to New Zealand is like that of late career Brian O’ Driscoll or Paul O’ Connell. He was -as O’ Driscoll and O’ Connell were- probably a better player four years ago, in terms of measurable statistics, but his presence has never been more valued than now. Fans of sabermetrics are almost contemptuous toward anyone who values a player’s character or leadership but if McCaw was to go down this evening to be replaced by Sam Cane –as good a pure rugby player- the whole of New Zealand would be distraught. Morgan Parra might not, though.

If the back rows cancel each other out, insofar as they can, then New Zealand should win. And, believe it or not, it won’t come down to the titanic midfield battle. No, New Zealand hold the clear upper hand at half back where, in Aaron Smith and Dan Carter respectively, they possess the best scrum-half in the world and the best out half of all time. Not only that but Carter has returned to Lions 2005 form which in effect, makes him peerless.

Australia are hardly weak in this department but Will Genia, though certainly resurgent, is not the player of four years ago. Meanwhile, Bernard Foley is clearly possessed of an astounding skill-set but there are still question marks over his big game mentality. Though he nervelessly kicked the winning penalty against Scotland in the quarter-final, it seemed as if he zoned out for large parts of the second half. Smith and Carter beat Genia and Foley every single time. But rugby is not that simple.

Dan Carter, probably the greatest out half of all time, may well prove the difference in a tight affair.

Once their tails are up Australia are able to forget the bad times in an instant and right now they are playing their best rugby….. ever? And, they are the only team who, relatively speaking, have New Zealand’s number. Yet, tomorrow, we will be watching possibly the greatest All Black side to ever take the field. So, on which side do we fall?

This New Zealand team has shown the ability and composure to overcome all challenges presented to it thus far. Yet, in twelve months, Michael Cheika has quite phenomenally reorganised the listless Australians. Victory tomorrow would surely be the greatest achievement in Michael Cheika’s career and of the most impressive turnarounds in rugby history. Steve Hansen has the chance to helm the first back-to-back winner of the tournament. So hard to call, as it should be.

With little certainty, we’ll go with New Zealand to retain and take their place in history.

S.U.S. Prediction – New Zealand by 3

S.U.S. Tips: (i) Australia + 6 (Evens)

(ii) Handicap draw (22/1)

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No analytics or outrage, just sport from a fan's viewpoint.

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