1. “The idea was to go where even the RedZone channel would rather not go, to check in on the dregs of the league, and to find the players and coaches who could prove that the NFL is not always, in fact, the greatest show in sports.
“Because if you look in the right places, you’ll find an endless loop of formation penalties and missed tackles and attempts by Henne to complete forward passes.”
‘Are you into punting?’ Grantland sent Jordan Conn along to watch Jaguars v Raiders… against his wishes.
2. “San Mamés was Athletic Club’s home for 99 years and 11 months and it was unique, the oldest ground in the league.
“They called it the Cathedral, a place of worship and liturgy like no other; a place that drew you in along Licenciado Poza, straight and narrow and lined with bars, red and white flags hanging from their doorways, black and white photos hanging from their walls. At the end of the road stood the side of the stadium painted with the Athletic badge, bold against the white wall. It is not there now.”
Sid Lowe visits the new home of Athletic Bilbao and finds the spirit still alive and well.
3. “For much of my playing career, most parents with young children who played football were most interested in my workout regimen and what supplements I was taking. Those conversations have shifted significantly in the last few years. Now the most common question, by far, is, “Would you let your son play football?”
“My response was usually a resounding “No.”
Former New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita asks himself the question again for the New York Times.
4. “I’m not going to delve into the respective campaigns and what went right and what went wrong. On the field my reflections are that he undoubtedly got us more organised and hard to beat. He did this by invoking a kick and rush style but was quite happy not to implement the rush element of this strategy.”Damage Limitation looks at the tenure of ‘Yesterday’s man’, Giovanni Trapattoni. The work was republished with some snazzy artwork on PogMoGoal.com
5. “Horner is in fact named in the USADA Report. In Christian Vande Velde’s affidavit, a document Vande Velde signed under threat of perjury if he lied.
“In his statement, Vande Velde recalls that during the World Championships in Valkenburg, Holland, he was handed cortisone by Armstrong’s ex-wife before the start of the men’s road race.”
Daniel Benson of CyclingNews trawls through USADA’s reports to attempt to shed some light of La Vuelta champion, Chris Horner.
6. “Last week it was refreshing to see Greg Dyke, the chairman of the English FA, come out with a state of the nation speech about the crisis in the game in that country.
“The English have often been rightly accused of ignoring the issues and exaggerating the quality of their players. Like so much else in soccer, we ape them in this regard. We also overhype the few talented kids we produce and we fail to take drastic action to improve standards when required.”
Dave Hannigan laments the lack of input called for in the FAI’s selection process.
7. “Who are we? We’re the woman serving the meal at a wedding in the Castlecourt. We’re the kid playing in the schoolyard. We’re the girls on the B shift in Baxter. The exiles in London or Long Island. The five Ballinrobe lads who took off one morning for Australia.”The Mayo News’ Willie McHugh penned an open letter to the county’s senior footballers this week and it was epic.
8. “When [Sky Sports] were signing left, right and centre, I said, ‘I wouldn’t do that’. Sky have done their money. They’ve done their money on [Gary] Neville and [Jamie] Carragher and [Graeme] Souness and they haven’t got the money to pay anyone else. And with the regularity of those three, the novelty will wear off.”
The Independent’s Jack Pitt-Brooke speaks with that man Richard Keys about his replacements at Sky Sports and his ‘outrageous‘ exit from the broadcast giant.
