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(2014-09-18 23:02:38) 下一个
After every game the players and coaches sit down and take a look at the video and evaluate the players, game plan, and execution. Buccaneers #30 Jersey . As analysts we do the same thing, so here are some observations from week one. First there were two major upsets. I should say, major upsets in the eyes of the fans and prognosticators. It is safe to say that the two winning teams involved were confident they were better than people said leading up to the first week of the regular season. The biggest of the two upsets was when the Bombers handed it to Ricky Ray and the Toronto Argonauts. The game kicked off Thursday a couple of days after TSNs top fifty players were announced, where Ray was named the best player in the CFL. However, Ray was not the best quarterback on Thursday night, Drew Willy, who was starting just his 5th game in the CFL, outplayed the Argo quarterback. Willy finished the night throwing for 308 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception, better numbers than any of the week one starters. Bo Levi Mitchell threw for five more yards in Calgarys game versus Montreal but finished with half the touchdown passes. Willy was the best of the young guns in week one, so much so fans in Winnipeg were calling it Willypeg. The second upset was when Edmonton went into BC Place and beat the Lions by seven points. Odds makers heading into the season had the Lions as the early favorites to win the Grey Cup, those odds may change after week one. Almost ever expert across the country was predicting that the West would be a three horse race between BC, Calgary and Saskatchewan, and that still may be the case. However, week one proved that the Bombers and Esks may have something to say about that and may just join that race. It looks like perennial all-star, Korey Banks days in Winnipeg are over. Sources said that Banks may have been sore from camp but wasnt hurt enough to keep him out of the line up. Therefore, the fact he didnt play was a coaches decision and because of that Banks has asked to be released. Ottawa may be a good fit for the veteran, and if he did end up in the Nations capitol it would mean he would be returning to where his career began back in 2004. He played two years in Ottawa and in 2005 recorded ten interceptions. Banks played linebacker his last five years in BC and during that time registered that same total of INTs. If Ottawa did want to kick the tires on Banks, Rick Campbell may want to look at him as a defensive back, possibly free safety. The new rule change where by defensive pass interference is now reviewable, was tested in week one, when Bomber head coach Michael OShea challenged a missed call in the game versus the Argos. Despite the fact that there are still a couple of coaches that are not completely convinced the change is a good idea, the challenge process was successful. There was no flag on the play and OShea challenged and won. It was a missed call that was corrected and a game changer, when the ball was placed on the one yard line and the Bombers scored on the next play. In the end the right call was made, and if hypothetically that was inside of a minute in the Grey Cup and the Bombers were down by four, a championship game would not be tainted by a controversial call. Case in point Montreal versus Hamilton in last years eastern semi final. Those coaches that are still not convinced have yet to give a solid argument as to why they dont like it. The current objections still include, it will slow the pace of the game, or "It just doesnt seem right." In Winnipeg the challenge wasnt longer than the average challenge and, with all due respect, because, "it doesnt seem right," really isnt an argument against this rule change. In Saskatchewan, the defending champions seem to have found a replacement for last years Grey Cup MVP Kory Sheets. It looks like Anthony Allen, who racked up 158 yards on 27 carries versus the Ti-Cats has won the audition to replace Sheets. The Riders are proving the old adage in football, that says games are won and lost in the trenches. It doesnt seem to matter who carries the ball behind that offensive line in Saskatchewan, and on the other side of the ball the defensive front dominated generating 10 sacks. Yes that is not a miss print, the Rider front seven got to Zach Collaros ten times. And finally, the hit by Montreals Kyries Hebert on Jon Cornish will certainly draw supplementary discipline from the league. Hebert is a hard hitting player, but does not have a history of crossing the line and playing dirty, so expect the linebacker/safety to be fined and not suspended. It wont be a complete shock however, if Hebert is suspended for one game, in that he clearly made a choice to hit Cornish high. The game is fast and both players were going full speed but when looking at the reply Hebert could have simply tackled Cornish so, therefore, it appears he made the choice to go high. Again he isnt a player with a track record of cheap shots so a fine from the league as a warning seems the right course of action. Most importantly, Jon Cornish, one of the games biggest stars appears to be ok. Ottawa will play its season opener in week two when they travel to Winnipeg. Drew Willy and the red hot Bombers will be a challenge, but wouldnt it be an interesting start to the season if Henry Burris led the Red Blacks to a win in their first game making Ottawa the first team from the east to win a game. Week two kicks off Thursday night. Buccaneers #12 Jersey . David Hunter and Nick Sorensen had a goal and an assist apiece for Quebec (34-15-9), Francois Godin, and Fabrice Herzog also scored, and Adam Chapman added an empty netter with two seconds left in the game. Adrian Clayborn Buccaneers Jersey . With friends and family in the gallery, Yang had six birdies, including five straight beginning at the fourth hole. She was tied with Katherine Hull-Kirk of Australia, South Korean compatriot Ju Young Pak and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden. TORONTO -- Four games into the MLS season, the Toronto FC training room is packed. And more worrying, it is filled with marquee talent. Toronto (3-1-0) could be without as many as five starters for Saturdays visit by the Colorado Rapids (2-1-1) including two designated players whose combined pay this season is close to US$13 million. Catch the game on TSN starting at 4pm et/1pm pt. England striker Jermain Defoe (hamstring) is out for the second straight week. American midfielder Michael Bradley missed another practice Friday, his body feeling the effects of games for both the U.S. and Toronto last week. "Were giving him every single chance ... well make a decision (Saturday)," manager Ryan Nelsen said of his teams midfield general. Centre back Doneil Henry (knee) will sit out a second straight game. Jonathan Osorio (hamstring) is "probably a no" for the third week in a row and fellow midfielder Alvaro Rey (hamstring) is "very very questionable." Because of injuries and suspensions, Toronto has only five players who have started every game so far: goalkeeper Julio Cesar, defenders Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow and midfielders Bradley and Rey. And that number could be down to three after this weekend. Defoe was sidelined by a hamstring injury at Spurs earlier this season. Nelsen has said the two injuries are not linked and repeated Friday that the England star was dealing with a mild strain. Hamstrings are tricky things, especially for elite soccer players. Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, for example, ran 12.2 kilometres in Wednesdays Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. Toronto, which has used 19 players to date, has had to put the brakes on Defoe, who has wanted to resume training. Nelsen, however, sees a bigger picture. "The one thing that we dont want is obviously him coming back and getting re-injured. And so if we have to sacrifice an extra week, we have to sacrifice an extra week." Nelsen said the team has been reviewing everything at its disposal -- from heart rate to distance travelled in training -- to see if things could be done differently. The club is also learning the ins and outs of the bodies of new players like Defoe, he added. The TFC manager says there are no alarm bells about the current spate of injuries. A challenging opening to the schedule and the long winter that has kept practices until this week to artificial turf under a bubble at the team training centre havent helped. Most top soccer pros would rather gargle cod liver oil than set foot on artificial turf. Nelsen believes that this is just the kind of injury run that all clubs go through at some point. "It happens at Chelsea, it happens at Man City, it happens at every single club. Hopefully were just getting all of them done now." Said captain Steven Caldwell: "Its disappointing that weve got a few injurries but a lot of them are nobodys fault. Buccaneers #20 Jersey. ." In the case of Toronto, this is a squad that brought in at least seven new starters this season. Time has been needed on the training ground to get everyone on the same page. Youre damned if you, damned if you dont, Nelsen said of practice regimens. "Because if you pull them out of training and just rest them, then theyre not ready for the demands of a game. Were sitting with three wins because the guys are fit and organized. But we couldnt have done that if we had all wrapped them up in cotton wool." Bradley presents an interesting case in point. Rested this week, he is probably the exception to the rule that starters need to practise. If he doesnt start, speculation will grow that he is dealing with more than the variety of strains the club has pointed to. The good news is the injuries have not slowed Toronto down so far. Missing Defoe, Osorio, Henry and the suspended Caldwell last week, it still managed to topple previously unbeaten Columbus away from home. Also on the plus side, squad players like rookie defender Nick Hagglund and second-year midfielder Kyle Bekker have stepped up. And veteran Bradley Orr showed his moxie in smoothly shifting over to centre back. Nelsen says his reserves have stepped up to the challenge during the current injury glut. But he is not about to say debate over his teams depth is over. "I always got told that anybody can play one, two, three games at any level," he said. "But its the ability to spit them out week in, week out ... thats the mark of what a really good player is." Orr will likely partner Caldwell in central defence with Bekker deputizing for Osorio in midfield again. Dwayne De Rosario could start on the flank for Rey with Issey Nakajima-Farran who scored off the bench last week, possibly partnering Gilberto up front. Jeremy Hall may get the nod if Bradley cant go. The pitch at BMO Field, poor for the home opener thanks to the brutal winter, should be better Saturday although the players know it will take time to return to top condition. "Its not going to be ideal," said Caldwell, who returns from his one-game suspension. Colorado, under new head coach Pablo Mastroeni, has already defeated Portland and Vancouver this season and tied the New York Red Bulls. The lone loss was a 3-2 decision to defending champion Sporting Kansas City. "Theyve got a really nice team thats been around together as well for a bit," said Nelsen. "Theyre a team, for me, that has no real weaknesses. Theyre just a lovely, solid MLS team thats going to be very difficult." Spanish midfielder Jose Mari -- real name Jose Maria Martin Bejarano-Serrano -- introduced himself last week with two goals against Vancouver. The first, a swerving left-footed rocket, was judged the leagues goal of the week. ' ' '
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