Football
This year I’ve got into American Football even more. In football terms I’m generally a Rugby Union fan, I find Association Football (soccer) boring and Rugby League, well its a game played by northern pansies (just kidding - I just don’t find it so interesting to watch). Despite American Football’s relationship to League I find it to be a very interesting game. Tactics is very important and the more I watch it, the more I see going on. Take the Left Tackle, most of the focus is upon the Quarterback, but the Left Tackle is instrumental in protecting the Quarterback so he can make the pass. When you realise this it adds a bit more to your watching of the game.
The Superbowl was great. Well done to the Giants (for once I supported the winning team!). Fantastic defense work from the Giants, really locked down the Patriots offense (the best in the NFL) and some brilliant passes from Eli Manning (winning the Superbowl the year after his brother, also a quarterback, Peyton Manning won it with the Colts last year).
The Bears, who I support, did not do nearly so well this year as they did last year. Coming bottom of their group despite winning both their games against the Green Bay Packers who were narrowly defeat for the NFC championship by the Giants.
They have some excellent players, when I was last in the US, I saw Devin Heston first return a punt for a 75 yard touchdown and then return a kickoff for an 88 yard punt to clinch a very close game against the Broncos. That was amazing (my cousin-in-law was lucky enough to be at Soldiers Field that day and unlike many others he didn’t leave when the game seemed to be beyond the grasp of the Bears)
They improved a lot over the season, although it was too late to make the playoffs. Hopefully that sets them in good stead for the 2008 season.
The other team I support, in college football, is Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish (from South Bend, IN). Unfortunately, after a fantastic 2006 season they had one of the worst seasons ever in 2007. They were defeated by the Army and the Navy for the first time in many years. I suppose for them, things can only get better…
The season is mostly over now. There’s the Probowl on the 10th and then its the wait until the 2008 Draft, the intricacies of which elude me for the moment.
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February 5th, 2008 at 10:34 am
American football is pretty cool. I still don’t understand what the hell is going on most of the time but I still find it a mesmerizing game. No-one who saw Eli Manning struggle out of the tackle and then throw the ball 32 yards to David Tyree who then caught it one-handed with his helmet while falling backwards and managing to keep hold of it could say it is not a good game.
I support the Giants (purely due to the fact that I chose to support all New York teams in American sports a while ago as it was the only place I’d been to twice so now support the Giants, the Rangers (who I was luckily enough to see at Madison Square Gardens),the Knicks and the Yankees(although I don’t like Basketball or Baseball)) although I am supposed to be moving to the US soon to North Carolina so my affiliations may change!