Tuesday 6 December 2011

The Green Bay Packers - Perfect season or Playoff success?

The undefeated Green Bay Packers, currently having a 12-0 season, are the first team in the NFL to qualify for the playoffs, but now there is a question that needs to be answered. Should they risk going for a perfect season? Or should they play it safe and aim for playoff success?
It's coming to the stage of the season where the top teams of each of the eight divisions in the NFL are starting to qualify for playoff positions.
The Green Bay Packers, currently sitting top of the NFC North Division, the NFC Conference and the top of in the NFL, kept their perfect season intact and qualified for the playoffs in their last game, when they defeated the New York Giants at the MetLife stadium in a close game, 38-35, thanks to a last minute Matt Crosby field goal last Sunday.
With their current run of form, home field advantage is looking a certainty, so the Packers must be considering resting some of their key top players in order for playoff success, right?
Well, if you watch the Packers regularly, or even if you watch or read any NFL news, you should know that first-string Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been a key player towards their success, with 37 passing touchdowns for over 3,844 yards and a QB rating of 125.3 this season.
Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers Quarterback
Now with a place in the playoffs guaranteed should he be rest and replaced by second-string Quarterback Matt Flynn till the end of the regular season in order to guarantee that he is injury-free for the post season?
Achieving a perfect season won't be an easy task either. With four games left against the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears, who are all still with a shot of reaching the playoffs, it won't be a walk in the park.
However, three out of the four games the Packers have remaining will be played at Lambeau Field, the home stadium of the Packers, which they have made into a fortress this season, winning all of their five games there, scoring 195 points and conceding only 93 points.
So if the Packers decide to stay with Rodgers and he was to get injured in some way, could the Packers be reliant on their defence if Flynn isn’t up to scratch?
The Packers defence has had 23 interceptions this year with four of them being returned for touchdowns. They have also had 26 sacks and forced eight fumbles this season.
But, these defensive statistics aren’t competing with other teams’ defensive statistics in the NFL such as the Baltimore Ravens, currently with 41 sacks and 16 forced fumbles this season.
To conclude, should the Packers go for a perfect season or playoff success? Well, if I was Mike McCarthy, the current Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers, I would play Rodgers and go for a perfect season because the possibility of achieving such an achievement is too good to be missed. It’s something this team has never achieved before and the opportunity may never come round again.


twitter - @ConorJPorter

Thursday 10 February 2011

The Worlds Leading Sports Star In 2010 Was Carlos Tevez And Here's Why


Carlos Tevez - Manchester City Striker
Carlos Tevez, 27, is no doubt one of the best, if not, the best footballer in the Premier League and the world’s leading sports star in 2010. 


Since signing for Manchester City in July 2009 from local rivals Manchester United, he has been recognised as a player with great importance to the City squad in every game which they play. His contribution towards Manchester City throughout the 2009/2010 Premier League season can only be graded as phenomenal scoring a total of 23 goals, the 4th highest goal scorer in the Premier League, and helping Manchester City finish 5th place. 


This was Manchester City’s highest finishing position in the Premier league since the competition began in 1992 and only just missing them out on a Champions League spot. Carlos Tevez always steps up to the mark and sets an example to the rest of the team whether Manchester City is playing against their local rivals Manchester United, or against any other club in the Premier League. 


A key game which he contributed in the 2009/2010 Premier League season was against Chelsea on the 27th February 2010 when he scored two goals to help Manchester City win 4-2, adding more pressure onto Tottenham Hotspur for 4th place. 


However, this wasn’t enough as Tottenham Hotspur won the vital match against Manchester City by 1-0 on 5th May 2010 giving them 4th place and a Champions League spot. 


His overall fantastic performance for his first season at Manchester City earned him the ‘Player’s Player of the Year’ award and the ‘Etihad Player of the Year’ award.  Carlos Tevez was selected for the Argentina 2010 FIFA World Cup squad taking place in South Africa. He scored two goals for Argentina in the competition, both against Mexico in the Round of 16. 


There was though a lot of controversy over the first goal because Carlos Tevez was a couple of yards offside when he headed the ball into the back of the net. It was only because the goal was shown on the big screen in the Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg that the Mexican players surrounded the linesman and started to complain as everybody could see that Carlos Tevez was offside, causing it to be one of the most memorable events of the competition. 


After the World Cup, Carlos Tevez was awarded the captain arm band for Manchester City in replace for Kolo Toure. He continued his scoring form from 2009/2010 into the 2010/2011 Premier League season kicking off his scoring against Liverpool with two great goals helping Manchester City to their first win of the season. 


He then continued his goal scoring form against Chelsea with a 1-0 victory taking his tally to six goals in five games. Now in 2011, we can already see that Carlos Tevez is continuing his fantastic goal scoring form and earning his status of a world-class footballer. For as long as he doesn’t pick up any injuries, I see no reason as to why Carlos Tevez can’t continue to play football at a elite level, and help Manchester City continue to reach for the highest honours possible in football. 


The future is bright for Carlos Tevez. The future is bright for Manchester City for obtaining such a great player.


twitter - @ConorJPorter