As with my previous post there have been a fair number of pleasant surprises in the first eight weeks of the NFL season. Teams which many thought would pose little challenge to their opponents have demonstrated that they are a more then legitimate threat and have proven the old adage that on any given Sunday anyone can win. Once again I’d like to note that this list is in no particular order.
1. The Miami Dolphins:
Chad Pennington leading the Dolphins to a surprising first half record.
The Dolphins may be the biggest surprise of the first half of the NFL season. The team has already tripled their win total from all of last season and has done so in surprising fashion with wins over San Diego, Buffalo, and New England. In fact the way Brett Favre has played of late the Jets might be regretting letting him go, especially to a division rival. The Dolphins have definitely surprised a few people in the NFL and though they may not make the playoffs this season, Parcells and company seem to have things headed in the right direction.
2. The Atlanta Falcons:
After losing franchise player Mike Vick to a prison sentence the Falcons were a franchise in complete disarray. They seem to have found their answer though in QB Matt Ryan who has exceeded everyone’s expectations in his rookie campaign, and who along with free agent signee Michael Turner has led the Falcons to a surprising 4-3 record. The Falcons face a tough second half schedule, but if Matt Ryan and Roddy White continue to develop their chemistry, and if Michael Turner continues his own success then the Falcons could continue to surprise in the final 8 weeks of the season.
3. The Tennessee Titans:
Titans dynamic rookie Chris Johnson.
At 7-0 the Titans stand alone as the only undefeated team in the NFL and have done so in convincing fashion. The Titans have a stout defense that has surrendered just 88 points so far this year, by far the fewest in the NFL. They also have the NFL’s fourth ranked rushing attack with dynamic rookie Chris Johnson and goal line beast Lendale White. Yet, perhaps the most surprising thing about the Titans season to date is that they have done all this without the services of Vince Young, who has been supplanted by the steady if unspectacular hand of Kerry Collins at QB position. It unlikely that the Titans will run the table, but they have almost gauranteed themselves a spot in the postseason and could be primed for a deep run if everyone stays healthy.
4. Kyle Orton and the Chicago Bears:
Until Orton sustained a high ankle sprain while playing against the woeful Detroit Lions he had looked nothing like the quarterback that many remembered. To date Orton had the 10th best QB rating in the league at 90.8, he had also thrown for 1777 yards with 10 TD and just 4 INT. Meanwhile, the Bears a team who many thought would struggle mightily on offense, have scored the 5th most points in the NFL and lead the NFC North division at 5-3. If Orton can return from his injury in due time look for the Bears to capture the NFC North crown, and be a legitimate threat in the postseason.
5. Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers has finally stepped out from Favre's shadow.
After riding the pine for years behind legendary quarterback Brett Favre, Rodgers finally got his chance to emerge from the “gunslingers” shadow. And emerge he has. Rodgers’ play thus far has given a reprieve to everyone in the Green Bay front office who wanted to start him over Favre, a move which incurred the ire of many a Green Bay fan and was one of the most heavily covered media frenzies since Brett Favre’s last retirement extravaganza. Rodgers ranks 5th in the league with a QB rating of 95.3, he has thrown for 1982 yards with 13 touchdwons against just 5 interception. Though the Packers are just 4-4 they are easily the best 4-4 team in the league right now and could make a nice run to the playoffs in the second half especially if Rodgers continues to play at this high level.
U.S.A Captures 4×100 Meter Relay Gold in Dramatic Fashion
Aug 11
Posted by admin in 2008 Olympics, Gold Medal, Michael Phelps, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, fresstyle, online sports community, relay, relays, swimming | No Comments
It’s being touted as the greatest relay race in Olympic history and if you stayed up late enough to watch there is no doubt that you would feel the same way.
It was the exact type of event that makes the Olympics so compelling to watch. There was drama, there was thrash talking, and eventually there was a Gold medal.
The drama in this instance was three fold. First, there was the French telling all who would listen that thy would “smash” the Americans in their upcoming relay heat and capture the Gold. Then there was Michael Phelps, whose quest for 8 Olympic Gold’s could have been halted before it ever even got off the ground. Lastly, there was the drama of the event itself and a finish that will go down as one of the greatest of all time in Olympic swimming competition.
Take these other factors as well, not only was the World Record broken by an astonishing 4 seconds by the Americans, but it was broken by five teams total….a time that just four years ago would have insured Olympic Gold wouldn’t even have gotten you on the medal stand last night.
The drama came to a thundering conclusion in the epic final 100 meters. With American Jason Lezak- the anchor on America’s disappointing 2000 and 2004 4×100 meter4 freestyle relay teams facing off against France’s Alain Bernard, the world-record holder in the 100-meter freestyle going into the event, and the very man who had boasted of the inevitability of a French victory. Perhaps in a moment of foreshadowing Bernard had actually lost his world-record to Australia’s Eamon Sullivan just moments earlier when he opened the relay with a 47.24 leg capturing the world record.
Phelps lead off the first leg for the Americans and established an excellent pace. Weber-Gale followed and the Americans came away from his leg with the lead. Cullen Jones was the next man in the pool for the Americans and as predicted swam the slowest leg, relinquishing the American lead and giving France a six-tenths of a second advantage entering the final leg. By the time Lezak got into the pool and made his final turn that gap had grown to .82 seconds, and the Americans were declared dead by NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines. Yet, thankfully no one told that to Jason Lezak who pulled off the fastest 100-meter split in the history of the games: 46.06 second catching Bernard in the final meters and beating him to the wall, erasing every bad memory from Olympic relays past and sealing the first Gold medal for the United States in the event since 1996.
Lezak trying to surpass French swimmer Bernard
Until 2000, the U.S. had never lost a 4×100 meter freestyle. Then came the Sydney Games, when another man, Gary Hall Jr. of Australia, made a bold proclamation saying of his Australian team, “We’ll smash them like guitars.” Hall and the Australians stayed true to their word beating the Americans by .19 seconds, mockingly playing air guitars atop the medal stand while waiting for the medals to be handed out.
Then came 2004, the lowest point for the American relay team. Not only did they not capture the gold, but finished behind both South Africa and Netherlands taking home a disappointing bronze medal.
Lezak was the anchor on both teams and turned in what many classified as sub par performances. Well, redemption thy name is gold and the U.S. has one man to thank.
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