ekansekans's blog: "df"

As EURO 2012 takes a day off, it gives a chance to look back on what weve seen in the Group Stage and look ahead to the matchups in the quarterfinals. The Group Stage of UEFA EURO 2012 was one of the most enjoyable at a major tournament in recent memory. The standard of play was good, there were many close encounters and every match mattered. In the final round of group matches, there wasnt a single game that didnt have some meaning with regards to quarterfinal qualification. Of course, the fact that there wasnt a scoreless draw also helped, but overall it was a great 12 days of action. Best Game: The match I enjoyed watching the most during the group stage was Spain against Italy. There were matches that had more goals, but this one stood out because of the quality of the two teams. Both sides played well and were full of top players who were on form. For me, the 1-1 tie was the highest quality of soccer that we have seen so far. Best Goal: There were some goals of very high quality during the group stage, but the best was saved for the final match in group play. My vote for best goal so far goes to Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his fantastic finish to give Sweden the lead against France. Jakub Blaszczykowskis strike for co-host Poland against Russia was a close second. Biggest Surprise: Expectations for England were so low heading into the tournament that I didnt even expect them to get out of the Group Stage. The fact they went through as group winners was a major surprise. They found a way to get the job done and the biggest positive is the way in which they seem to be together as a team. The spirit in the camp is strong and Roy Hodgson deserves big credit for what he has achieved in his early days as England manager. Golden Moment: Andriy Shevchenkos double against Sweden to seal victory in the co-hosts opening match is a moment that will never be forgotten in Ukraine. Seeing him celebrating with the Ukraine fans at Olympic Stadium in Kiev following the match was incredible, especially as it was his final major tournament. Biggest Disappointment: The Netherlands. They played as individuals not as a team and they got what they deserved. Nothing. The Ugly: Hopefully this is the last major tournament without goal-line technology. Its just not acceptable to have the ball cross the line and it not be given a goal. FIFA meets early next month and is expected to rubber stamp the use of technology, and it cant come soon enough. Predicting the Quarters Czech Republic v Portugal – Hopefully this will be quite an open match between two teams that like to get forward. If Cristiano Ronaldo performs as he did in Portugals last match of the group stage against the Netherlands, they should have too much for the Czechs. My prediction: Portugal win Germany v Greece – Greece deserve immense credit for managing to get to the knockout stage, but their chances of beating Germany are very slim. The Germans are the only team to win all three of their matches in the group stage. They seem to be gaining momentum as the tournament progresses, and should have enough to break down a resolute Greek team. My prediction: Germany win Spain v France – If France play as they did against Sweden in the final group match, they will get beaten. However, we have seen enough from France in the first two matches of the tournament to suggest that the Swedish match was a one off and that they can match up well with Spain. It took Spain a long time to break down Croatia in their final group match, and I think this one will be pretty close. It could even go down to a penalty shootout. My prediction: Spain win England v Italy – England will be defensive. They dont have as much quality within their lineup as the Italians, but they do have the ability to make it difficult for their opposition and grind out results. Whether England will have enough to break down a formidable Italy defence remains to be seen, but I think this one could go the distance with the score-line tied after 90 minutes. In the end, Italy will have too much in attack for England. Mario Balotelli to score the winner in extra time? My prediction: Italy win Cheap Jerseys USA . Neither has lived up to the billing. The Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers have been two of the most disappointing teams in the NBA thus far so the Five-Man Weave crew takes a look at some potential changes that could be coming down the pipeline for both clubs. Cheap Jerseys Sale . It took Teague much of the first quarter to find his momentum against Paul, a fellow Wake Forest point guard. Once he did, the Atlanta Hawks were making stops on defence and scoring in transition. http://facialhairstyleshq.info/cheapjerseys.html . The Rangers did it against the pesky eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators in the first round, giving them confidence they can pull it off again against the formidable New Jersey Devils and reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 18 years.TSN Football Analyst Chris Schultz takes a pre-season look at all eight divisions, with the AFC North on tap. Tomorrow - the AFC South. The AFC North had three playoff teams last year and may have three playoff teams again this year. Pittsburgh and Baltimore will compete for the division crown, with the wild card being the Bengals.  You could make the argument that they were the surprise of the NFL last year, but they were 0-4 against the Ravens and Steelers, and they must break that cycle this year if they want to reach the next level.  Its a tough and aggressive division, and to me, the Ravens are still the toughest and most aggressive team – they are a true Super Bowl contender. Baltimore Ravens:  One more completed pass or one more field goal and it would have been a Ravens-Giants Super Bowl in Lucas Oil Stadium last February. It will be hard for the Ravens to duplicate 12 wins again this year after the amazing string they put together in 2011 - winning all eight at home and all six in their division against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland. In order to come close, this has to be another year of improvement for Joe Flacco at QB. He has made four consecutive playoff appearances and has been to the AFC championship twice, which is pretty good for any QB, but the expectations are high in Baltimore that he will take the next step.  That means being a "winner" is not enough - he has to be the ultimate winner to receive the respect he deserves. Flacco will be running the same offense again with Cam Cameron, but his receivers have never been as good as they are now. Any QB would love to have Anquan Bolden, Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones . The big questions for the Ravens, for a change, are on defence.  How do you adapt to the absence of Terrell Suggs and his guaranteed pass rush production and intimidation? Can first round pick Courtney Upshaw be an impact player as an individual pass rush threat? And then there is Ray Lewis, with 16 years of experience, and Ed Reed with 10. Are they as good now as they once were?  The truth is, probably not, but their leadership and personal standards of excellence off-sets any issues of age. To me, Ray Lewis is the greatest leader in team sports as he takes responsibility for the emotional intensity of the entire team. But Ray is running out of time and everyone in the Ravens organization knows this might be his last kick at the can. They will kick hard.  I predict Baltimore will win the AFC North. Pittsburgh Steelers:  They are good, but there are some things that concern me about the Steelers. First, there is Troy Polamalus health. His ability is not in question, but the way he talked about concussions so openly in the off-season, saying he had many more than anyone would think possible to manage, has to create concern for his ability to stay on the field and compete at a high level.  Troy has made a ton of money and may be the nicest mean guy in all of sports, but his health is clearly on his mind, and thats not a good thing for any football player. Second, Ben Roethlisberger has already talked about a rotator cuff injury in his throwing shoulder. The Steelers say its nothing to worry about, but to me, this is BIG news. His durability and throwing ability will be challenged and evaluated like never before.  Especially behind a suspect line. And finally, seven of the 11 defensive starters are 30+ in age.  I know the Steelers were No. 1 in total defense and No. 1 in points allowed last year, so why is this an issue one season later? Well, age hits a football player fast and if even a few of the seven hit the wall together, the Steelers will have problems. Its unlikely, but certainly possible. The priority this year for Pittsburgh is to force turnovers. Nothing is more important in defensive football and the Steelers finished - 13 in the takeaway: giveaway ratio. The other priority, part B so to speak, is the health of the offensive line.  Not ability, but durability. The Steelers used 25 different offensive line combinations last year, an extremely high number. Perhaps that is why their first two draft picks were Stanford guard David DeCastro and Mike Adams, a tackle out of Ohio State. You add Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert, and what was old is brand new again. Buut the rookies have to play well and stay healthy.dddddddddddd Dick LeBeau will get the best out of his players on defence, but will Todd Haley get the best out of Ben Roethlisberger and the offence? The Steelers have won six Super Bowls - nobody has won more - but I am not sure they can even move past the Ravens for best in the AFC North this year.  I pick the Steelers to finish second. Cincinnati Bengals:  The 2012 Bengals could finish anywhere from first in the AFC North to fourth - it all depends on how they handle the success they had in 2011. Does it re-juvenate, regenerate and rekindle that desire to not only get back to the playoffs, but to get to the Super Bowl?  Or does it create an attitude of entitlement and dissolve the memory of the price required to achieve success? Teams that win one year are often not as good the next year for various hidden reasons. It happened to Atlanta Falcons, among others, in 2011. The fact is that it is harder to maintain success than to actually create it the first time. That is challenge number one in Cincinnati. Offensive co-ordinator Jay Gruden has done excellent work with Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. Now with a true training camp, both should play at the same high level all year long and take a step up. And defensive co-ordinator Mike Zimmer has a young defence that will continue to improve. Depth on defence is also a strength, as the Bengals use eight different defensive lineman throughout a game. But the Bengals were 0-4 against Pittsburgh and Balitmore and went 1-8 against winning teams last year. So they basically beat the teams they should have beaten, and lost the games they should have lost. To take the next step, they need to start beating the other good teams in the NFL. Maybe sticking with one head coach is finally paying off. Marvin Lewis has 69 wins, 74 losses and 1 tie, and he is 0-3 in the playoffs, but consistency at the top has its rewards. With the extra picks from the Carson Palmer deal with Oakland, the Bengals look good, but I just dont think they are as good as the Ravens or the Steelers – yet.  I see the Bengals finishing third. Cleveland Browns:  Over the last four years, it seemed that no matter who they drafted or who they signed in free agency, the Cleveland Browns just couldnt put a respectable NFL offence together. Over the last four years, their offence has ranked 29th, 29th, 31st and 32nd. Last year the Browns averaged 13.6 points per game, so the organization knows what needs to improve. Enter rookies Brandon Weeden (QB) Trent Richardson (RB) and Josh Gordon (WR).  Add rookie Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle to bookend with All Pro Joe Thomas, and maybe the Browns can move the ball as well as they did in 2007 when they won 10 games.  Maybe.  Run defence continues to be a problem the Browns have had for many years. Last year they allowed 147 yards per game, but did finish with the 10th best overall defence in the NFL. Losing DT Phil Taylor LB Chris Gocong to injury before the season even started will not help Cleveland improve this year.  Against St. Louis, at Cincinnati, and at Arizona, the Browns lost by three points or fewer, and they lost one game to the rival Steelers by four.  Instead of 4-12, Cleveland had a chance at 8-8 if only they could have scored a few more points. Which brings us back to Weeden, Richardson and Gordon. Last year Andy Dalton and A.J. Green came out of nowhere to dominate in the AFC North for the Bengals. The Browns are hoping that their trio of rookies can do the same. That might be a stretch, but it is their only hope for possible improvement and future playoff appearances. If Steven Jackson of the Rams is the best player on a bad team, then Josh Cribbs is next on the list with the Browns, but Cleveland plans on reducing his role on offence so he can concentrate on special teams. Good field position will help the young offence. Finally, it looks like the Cleveland Browns will be officially sold by October.  This can be good as a new owner can bring a new energy, but it can be bad in the short term if the new owner has a new vision and decides to tear everything down and start from scratch. Overall, the Browns should be better, but not good enough to escape fourth place in the AFC North. ' ' '