Tom, #21 Essex Spartans

Week 1 saw the Black Tide record a 71-8 victory against the Norwich Devils last weekend, a full match report is here and team photos are available on their Facebook page.

Well done to Tom and the team, and good luck for the coming season.

For more information about the British American Football Association, please visit their official page.

The top prospects have been tweeting all week about their time in NYC and all seem to be looking forward to it. Speculation has been as wild as it always is and I’m sure they’ll be a lot to second guess come tomorrow morning. All eyes are on the main QB targets like Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton and Jake Locker but expect to see linemen having their names called early and often.

In the UK hours, the Panthers are on the clock at 1am Friday morning. Video overage is on ESPN, radio on Radio 5 Live and text at nfl.com, Yahoo! Sports and several other places that I’m sure you can find.

Craig, Tom and I have completed our own personal draft boards and we’ll be seeing how we got on for the 1st round over the weekend and grading accordingly.

Enjoy the draft!

The Good

The Spectacle – Nobody does a show like the NFL and this was great. The stadium was fantastic, the pre-game was great, the presentation and ‘product’ was second-to-none.

Close Game – Although it looked like the Packers would run away with it, the Steelers battled hard to get back into the game with a strong second half showing. Ultimately they would come up short, but it made for an enthralling game.

Steelers’ Running Game – How many times did we see Rashad Mendenhall bump of the pack and then run to the outside for a nice gain? Too many. If the game situation would have allowed for them to keep running, it would have been a long day for the Packers’ front seven.

Packers Passing Defense – Not just the interceptions, but the play all game was – for the most part – excellent. Hines Ward got away in the endzone and there were some other blown coverages, but other than the touchdown Mike Wallace was kept firmly in check and all Ben Roethlisberger could complete were short passes, mainly over the middle.

Aaron Rodgers – He was, as most thought he would be, excellent. If it hadn’t been for some drops his numbers would look even better than they do, but he did more than enough. Most importantly, he protected the ball well and made good decisions. He’s a worthy MVP and can only go from strength to strength.

The Bad

There really isn’t much to call bad, but there were two things that I was disappointed in. Both are injury-related.

Troy Polamalu was well off his game – I know he’s got injury problems, but it’s a shame that one of the games biggest and best players couldn’t bring his A-game for us all to see. I hope he’ll be back strongly next season.

Charles Woodson couldn’t finish the game – That he could finish the game was a shame, as he’s such an important part of this team. There are great reports that at halftime he tried to speak to the team and simply broke down into  a crying wreck after just a few words. Knowing what it meant to one of their core players, one of their leaders, the Pack went out and got it done.

The Ugly

Black Eyed Peas – there was about 2 minutes in this car crash of a show that was decent. Half of that was Slash appearing and me thinking that we were about to hear Paradise City done like it is on his most recent album (with Fergie and Cypress Hill). That soured quickly and though he was fine, Fergie murdered Sweet Child Of Mine.

The second good bit was the short piece of “Pump It! which with the energy of the performers and Dick Dale’s guitar sound made for a great 1 minute or so.

I have to say that the amount of organisation, planning, rehearsals and logistics for a non-stop show like that is absolutely staggering. I can’t fathom it. But the overall result was pretty poor. The sound levels were off, and the energy the Peas were expending meant that none of them could sing properly. Fergie is the most guilty here.

So there we are, done for another season. It’s been a good one here at MacTalksNFL and your support is greatly appreciated. We’ll be taking some time out for a while, but will be paying attention and might comment on certain things that catch our interest.

Take care this off-season,
~~ Andrew, Graham and Craig
www.mactalksnfl.co.uk

Obviously tune in before that for anthems and pre-game shenanigans but at the very latest be settled in with supplies at 11:30.

Troy Polamalu, 2010 DPOTY

Both Polamalu and Matthews have been real game-changers. Matthews has got in the backfield a lot and caused troubles, as his 13.5 sacks shows. Both have made a lot of tackles, Polamalu doing so from deeper on the field with his aggressive yet intelligent play. He’s also a hightlight-reel favourite, frequently seen diving over the lines to make tackles and generally being a nuisance to the opposition offence.

It’s easy to concentrate on the offence of a team, and both the Steelers and the Packers are strong on that side of the ball too, but the old adage that “Defence wins Championships” may prove true this weekend. Either way, we’re looking forward to it.

Mike Singletary is the new Linebackers coach at the Minnesota Vikings and Josh McDaniels is the new OC for the St. Louis Rams. These are good moves for both players. Big Mike will be able to do what he does best; work with – and improve – the linebackers and McDaniels gets to concentrate on offensive play without that pesky defence or game management clouding his view. Here’s wishing them the best for 2011.

Although there are plenty of stories still to watch with these two teams (such as the quarterback position for both teams) this will probably close out our NFL International Series coverage for the 2010 season, it’s been a great season and despite the fate of these two teams (and their coaches!) we had a good game to remember. Here’s hoping 2011 sees a game coming our way too… in fact, here’s hoping 2011 sees any games.

Both Conference Championships are on Sunday and at different times to usual.

So at 8pm (UK time) the NFC will be settled : Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

And then at 11:30pm, it’s the AFC’s turn: New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers

We’ll be back later this week to take a look at these matchups and make our predictions.

With T-Rex “talking the talk” this week, you can’t help but think a massive portion of humble pie is due his way. And no, not the late 60s-early 70s outfit that are probably most famous today for winning Stillwater’s groupies in Almost Famous (though they are included here for your pleasure, Steve Marriott pictured courtesy of Dina Regime.)

With the bluster, trash-talking and attention that Ryan generates he reminds me very much of soccer manager Jose Mourinho. The manager (or coach in this instance) draws the attention away from his team and players and onto himself. It’s an admirable quality when he’s your manager but there’s no mistake that he’s a nuisance if he’s the opposition manager.

I like Rex Ryan, and I think the game is richer and certainly more entertaining for having him in it. But he’s heading for a fall this weekend.

Or if he’s not, then I’ll be the one eating up humble pie come Monday.

In the NFC

The Bears dismantling of the Vikings means that they’re confimred as division winners thanks to their 5-0 divisional record; the Packers cannot catch them.

The Saints loss to the Ravens, combined with the Falcons winning means that Atlanta has won the NFC South. They look very much the class of the NFC right now. The Saints, with their impressive 10-4 record, hold a wildcard spot.

In the East the Eagles’ stunning 4th quarter win against the Giants puts them a game above their rivals from New York but they need one more win to wrap things up. The Giants are still in prime position for a wildcard spot and this week they’re the 6th placed team.

And in the West… well. Worst Division Ever. The Rams are hanging onto 1st place with their 6-8 record. The could be overtaken by the 6-8 Seahawks or even the 5-9 49ers. It’s a bitterly disappointing division.

Bye week: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears

New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
New Orleans Saints @ St. Loius Rams

In the AFC

The Patriots found a way to win against the Packers and move to 12-4 and stay with a bye-week. For now they’re joined by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers book a post-season place despite a loss thanks to other results going their way.

The Colts beat the Jags to take first place in the AFC South thanks to the tie-breaker of common opponents. The Chiefs maintain a one game lead over the Chargers in the West.

The AFC sends two strong teams off strong victories (over the Saints and Steelers) into the playoffs. The 10-4 Jets and Ravens won’t fear travelling anywhere.

Bye week: New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts
New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs

There’s still a lot to play for. For a lot of teams.

In the AFC

That the New England Patriots are the number 1 team is in no doubt after successive thumpings of the Jets and the Bears. The Patriots are looking at home field advantage. The Steelers are also the proud owners of a bye-week, but have the Ravens one game back but behind on tie-breakers – they hold a wildcard spot.

The Jaguars are leading the AFC South, but are behind the West leadering Chiefs thanks to that week 7 loss in Kansas. The Chiefs are coming off a humbling loss to the Chargers this week and need to bounce back or the Chargers will hunt them down in the remaining weeks. In similar fashion the Colts are lurking right behind the Jags and next week’s match between those two teams is vital to both teams.

Despite two successive losses, the New York Jets hold onto a playoff spot. One more win will be enough to see them in (unless I’ve miscalculated).

This week’s AFC matches would be:

• Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars
• New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs

Bye: New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers

In the NFC

The Falcons have the best record at 11-2, but have the second best 10-3 Saints right behind them. They meet in week 16. One of these two teams will be a very dangerous wildcard.

The Eagles edge out the Giants in the East despite their 9-4 marks as they are 3-1 in-division. The Packers loss to the Lions at the weekend means that the Bears stay top despite also losing.

And in the West… well. The Rams are still leading, but the Seahawks are only 1/2 game behind and the 49ers are – at 5/8 – are one game from the lead thanks to their superior divisional record. This is a sad looking division.

This week’s NFC matches would be:

• New Orleans Saints @ St. Louis Rams
• New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles

Bye: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears