Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 46-14 London Broncos

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats completely outclassed London Broncos 46-14 in a very one-sided match on Sunday afternoon at a packed Rapid Solicitors Stadium.

A hat trick of tries from Wildcats captain Danny Kirmond, aided by Lee Smith’s almost perfect kicking performance, gave Wakefield a much deserved victory.

Hat trick hero Danny Kirmond

It took just four minutes for the rout to begin, with winger Peter Fox going over in the corner after a superb team move by the West Yorkshire side. Poor defending by London then allowed full back Richie Mathers to waltz in to make it 12-0.

Wakefield, in total control by now, scored two more tries in a devastating five minute spell, with Kirmond scoring his first of the afternoon and then stand-off Paul Sykes ran in another to make it 24-0 after just 23 minutes.

The Broncos, fielding three debutants, could not get in the game and were defending woefully. Unsurprisingly, they soon allowed Kirmond his second of the game, with Lee Smith, having recently taken over kicking duties from Paul Sykes, adding the extras.

The Broncos finally made a breakthrough two minutes before half time, with winger Harry Colbon diving in to the corner in what was London’s first meaningful attack. However Shane Grady could not add the extras and the teams went in to half time with the home side leading 30-4.

The first half intensity that had been present had somewhat disappeared in the first 20 minutes of the second half, with Wakefield seemingly coasting to victory. However lively Broncos winger Keiran Dixon scored twice in a matter of six minutes, the second thanks to a wonderful run from Michael Robertson, to give the travelling faithful something to cheer.

This proved to be the turning point for Wakefield, and soon Kirmond had completed his hat trick in delightful style, piercing the London defence superbly. Wildcats then finished the game brilliantly, scoring two tries in three minutes from Frankie Mariano and Kyle Wood, respectively.

After the game, Wildcats head coach Richard Agar said about the first half: “It's definitely a case of job done. The first-half performance set up the win nicely.”

Broncos head coach Tony Rea said: “Once we found some rhythm as a team I thought the guys really stood up for each other and worked their way through the game okay.”

The Curious Case of the Cleveland Cavaliers

July 8th 2010: LeBron James' infamous "Decision" to take his talents to South Beach leaves the entire organisation, nay the entire City, in a state of shock.

2010-2011 season: Cleveland finish with the second worst record in the league, edging out the 17-65 Timberwolves with a 19-63 record. The season also included the longest losing streak in the NBA's history, and the joint-longest in any of the "Big 4" sports (NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB), with a 26-game losing run beginning on Decmber 20th and ending with an overtime victory against Los Angeles Clippers on February 11th.

The drop in win percentage from 2009-10 season was the largest in NBA history since the merger.

Cleveland also traded Mo Williams to LA Clippers for Baron Davis and an unprotected first round draft pick.

April 2011: Cavs win the NBA Draft lottery through LA Clippers' pick, and also get 4th pick through their own.

June 2011: Cavs select former Duke University Point Guard Kyrie Irving as the Number 1 draft pick, and also surprise a few faces by selecting Power Forward Tristan Thompson with the 4th pick.

2011-2012 season: Cavs improve slightly from the previous season, finishing 21-45 in a lockout-effected season. Kyrie Irving takes the league by storm, averaging 18.5 points per game, including game winners against OKC Thunder and Boston Celtics, and shoots .469% from the field. Safe to say he strolled his way to the Rookie of the Year crown.

But this was expected as Varejao was injured after 20 games, and Cavs had no backup C, eventually playing Thompson there. The serious lack of depth in this Cavs side was brought to light here.

June 2012: Cavs get 4th pick in the draft, and select a much-needed Shooting Guard in Dion Waiters. Cavs also trade 3 picks to Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Center Tyler Zeller.

Now we have a basic timeline of the post-LeBron era, I can go ahead and review this season so far.

In terms of transactions pre-season, Cavs were quite active. Veteran forward Antawn Jamison left as a free agent and joined a new-look Los Angeles Lakers. Manny Harris was waived.
Cavs went ahead an re-signed forwards Luke Harangody and Alonzo Gee, and also signed guards CJ Miles and Jeremy Pargo, and forward Jon Leuer, as free agents.

So by the start of the season, Cavs had put together a good, young starting line up (age in brackets):
PG - Irving (20)
SG - Waiters (20)

SF - Gee (25)

PF - Thompson (21)

C - Varejao (29)

2012-13 season so far: Cavs opened with a convincing win over Wizards, Varejao standing out with 23 rebounds, 9 assists and 9 points. This gave Cavs the best record in the NBA for about an hour. However things soon unravelled. 

Cavs went just 3-16 in November, but Thompson and Varejao dominating the boards was enouraging. They continued to do that throughout December as well, but still Cavs went just 3-13.

January was better. Cavs went 6-8, but disaster struck when it was announced Varejao, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game, had a blood clot in his lung and would be out for the rest of the season. Coach Scott quickly announced Tyler Zeller would be his replacement. Zeller fitted in well, and in his first 3 starts, Cavs went 3-0.

January 22nd, just one day after Varejao was officially out for the season, and Cavs pulled off an outstanding trade, giving Memphis Grizzlies Jon Leuer in exchange for Wayne Ellington, Marreese Speights, Josh Selby and a future draft pick.

Ellington and Speights fit in immediately, and Cavs beat Thunder to kick off another 3 game winning streak. Cavs were 16-37 at the all star break, and 11-12 in 2013. Cavs are 3-1 since then, giving them an 19-38 record.

With 25 games left, Cavs' realistic aim would probably be to win approximately half of them and get to around 28-54.

So despite having an all-star guard in Irving, an almost "walking double-double" in Thompson and an efficient shooter in Gee, Cavs are still struggling. It's no secret that the signings of Ellington and Speights, who despite being in their early-20s, add some experience to a side that very much needs some.

It's a very odd scenario. The team should be performing better, and on paper would beat a lot of teams they've lost to. But a game was never played on paper. Hopefully another experienced addition in summer, along with a high draft pick (despite what is looking like being an awful draft) will give them that firepower they need to get back into the playoffs.

8th seed, maybe even 6th with it being the East, is definitely within the sights of this young team next season, and barring injuries, I think everyone involved in the organisation, professionally or as a fan, would feel disappointed if they weren't playing in the post-season in 2014.

Occupational Hazards: Who is in the wrong?

78th minute of a Capital One Cup Semi-Final. Swansea 0-0 Chelsea. Swansea lead on aggregate after winning 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Belgian starlet Eden Hazard tries to play a one-two with Chelsea right back César Azpilicueta, but the ball runs out of play. The Swansea ballboy lets the ball hit the hoardings, and walks towards it to pick it up. As he bends down, an impatient Hazard tries to pick it up also, and it ends with the ball boy on the floor, smothering the ball. A moment of madness ensues, with Hazard kicking the ball out from under the ball boy, but also catching him in the ribs.

The ball boy naturally clutches his ribs, and a mass fracas starts, with Swansea captain Ashley Williams leaping to the defence of the boy. After a lengthy talk between referee Chris Foy, Chelsea captain Frank Lampard and offender Eden Hazard, the red card is shown to the Belgian.

The incident basically scuppers any chance Chelsea had of getting back into the game and the match peters out.

(GIF courtesy of www.sbnation.com)

Now we've got the facts, let's examine what actually happened.

Obviously Eden Hazard has no right to get involved. It was a stupid thing to do and it was not his place to do so. He is completely in the wrong and no amount of defending him will make it right. A professional should be a role model for budding footballers, and he certainly did not act like one last night.

Now we move on to the ball boy. A 17 year old lad, Charlie Morgan, son of Swansea shareholder Martin Morgan, has taken his time over retrieving the ball and felt a push from Eden Hazard, so he hits the deck. Obviously, he shouldn't have gone down. He should have just picked the ball up, and slowly rolled it towards Swansea's goalkeeper, Gerhard Tremmel. It would still have wasted time, Morgan's clear aim, but would have worked out better for all parties involved. 

As soon as Hazard confronted him, something was going to happen. He should have realised that there was no scenario where he won't be viewed as the villain, and there was no scenario where he wasn't going to kick the ball boy as well as the ball.

Eden Hazard is 22 years old. Charlie Morgan is 17. 5 years isn't too big a difference, right? Wrong. It's not the age gap that makes this an issue, it's the fact that Hazard is a professional. My reaction would still have been the same, whether it be someone as young as Raheem Sterling, 18, or Eden Hazard, 22, or someone double the ball boy's age, like Frank Lampard, 34.

A professional, earning silly (or what I consider silly) money, has a duty to act like one and by kicking out simply because the game isn't going his way is entirely unprofessional. Most professionals keep their emotions in check, at least their physical ones anyway. I have no problem with players shouting at the ref in this situation, or shouting at Swansea players, or even shouting at the ball boy, but to then go and act on those emotions is wrong. Plain wrong.

This is what separates the professionals from the unprofessionals. The majority of players would have got annoyed, sure, but they would also not have confronted the ball boy. However Hazard is not in that majority, and he needs to learn to keep his physical emotions concealed whilst he's playing. Hopefully this should help him learn and grow as a footballer, as he is supremely talented and has a huge future head of him. This should not cast a shadow over his career, but if he fails to learn from what he has done, it will.

Quite frankly, the whole situation is very bizarre indeed, and I have never, nor will I ever again hopefully, seen anything like it. The only thing I will say, which is not defending Hazard's actions, is that Morgan should not have gone to ground. It was a silly thing to do and he should have, like I said earlier, just slowly rolled it back to Tremmel. 

Referee Chris Foy was excellent in all of this, it should be noted. He stayed professional and didn't get involved until he had to. By the time it had calmed down the ball boy had been lead off the pitch, he called over Lampard and Hazard to explain the situation. Lampard knew what was going to happen, and despite his weak protests, he could have no complaints when Foy correctly brandished the red card. Hazard, on the other hand, looked to be taken aback but accepted what he had done and disappeared down the tunnel.

So Hazard was 100% in the wrong. Charlie Morgan was also in the wrong, but he was also pushed to the ground, so he was about 50% in the wrong. Chris Foy was 0% in the wrong, and did excellently to keep the match under his control.

Can Atlanta Falcons win the Super Bowl?

Well, can they? They certainly seem well on their way; 8-1, dominating the NFC South, the entire NFC and the NFL as whole. But how challenging has it actually been for the Georgians?

Quarterback Matt Ryan has really upped his game this season, throwing a career-best 411 yard game in the Falcons' first loss of the season vs division rivals New Orleans Saints, and also throwing 300 yards+ in 4 games has firmly put him in the running to be one of the season's best quarterbacks.

The Falcon's running game does need some work if they are to become serious Super Bowl contenders, as top rusher Michael Turner has only rushed for over 100 yards once this season, against Carolina Panthers.

So they're playing well, but do they have what it takes to go all the way and win their first championship?

Their schedule has so far been kind to them, playing teams that, in most cases, Falcons will have been firm favourites for. They started with a convincing 40-24 win at Kansas City Chiefs, and followed that up with an impressive 27-21 victory over Peyton Manning's new side, Denver Broncos, at the Georgia Dome.

Falcons then continued their good start by destroying the Chargers 27-3 in San Diego, then sneaked past Carolina Panthers 30-28, thanks to a last-gasp field goal by Matt Bryant, their first real scare.

Atlanta moved to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 24-17 victory over Robert Griffin III's Washington Redskins, then another game-winning field goal by Bryant gave them a 23-20 win over Oakland Raiders at home.

Former Falcon favourite Michael Vick could not stop Atlanta on their visit to Philadelphia as they comfortably beat the Eagles 30-17, and then a 19-13 win at home to Dallas Cowboys gave them a perfect record for the first half of the season.

Their streak had largely gone unnoticed until they reached 6-0, largely because of the seasons of other big teams, such as New Orleans Saints poor start and the Seattle Seahawks controversial win over Green Bay Packers.

Falcons finally lost last Sunday when they travelled to New Orleans for their game against the rejuvenated Saints, still suffering from the effects of Head Coach Sean Payton's season ban for his part in the Saints' bounty scandal in 2009. However Saints were improving, and despite some shocking losses in their 0-4 start, namely to Panthers and Chiefs, had gone 4-1 before Sunday, losing only to Broncos away in that streak.

Falcons raced into a 10-0 lead, their touchdown being tight end Tony Gonzalez's record-breaking 100th of his illustrious career, and looked favourites to grab their first win in the Big Easy since 2010. But Saints hit back to lead 21-17 after an entertaining first half, with Saints quarterback Drew Brees extending his record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 52. 

In the second half, Marques Colston tied Deuce McAllister's record for most touchdowns in Saints colours, 55, to extend Saints' lead to 11. Falcons brought it back to 1 point with a touchdown and field goal, but Saints hit a field goal of their own to ensure Atlanta needed a touchdown to win the game. Falcons drove down to Saints' 1 yard line, but the NFL's worst defence held firm to deny Falcons a chance to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins' undefeated season.

It was this loss that showed the NFL the Falcons are not as good as they are made out to be, and that whilst they have put in some top-class performances this season, they are definitely not unbeatable.

Also when the playoffs come around and they are inevitably qualified for them, history suggests they are likely to struggle to get past their first game. In the last 3 seasons they have made the postseason (2008, 2010, 2011), they have lost in their first game. Interestingly, in the last 2 seasons, they have lost to the Super Bowl champions (Green Bay Packers and New York Giants), and in 2008 they lost to defeated finalists Arizona Cardinals.

So in conclusion it seems that Atlanta can defeat the smaller teams, but when it comes to the bigger teams, Saints, Packers, Bears, they will struggle and thus have a hard time if they want to win the Super Bowl for the first time in their history.

NFL Championship Games

The Championship games went pretty much as expected, I reckon. Patriots were run a bit closer by Ravens than I and most had thought they would be, but they still came out on top.

Patriots vs Ravens
It was a poor offensive start to the game, with the first 6 non-punting plays of the game combining for 11 yards. It took another 3-and-out, with no yards gained, before anyone established any real momentum. Brady managed to settle down and get down the field into the Red Zone, but Ravens defence held strong to restrict Patriots to a field goal.

Baltimore punted again after losing 15 yards on their 3-play drive. Brady then threw his first interception of the game, and then Flacco managed to get some yardage as he marched his team down the field in just over 4 minutes and got to the Patriots 3. However, much like Baltimore, New England held firm to restrict Flacco and co. to a field goal. Patriots then took a 10-3 lead through a 7-yard rush from Green-Ellis, who was holding the offense together. Brady only passed 4 times on the 10-play drive, including a 20 yarder to Tight End extraordinaire Rob Gronkowski.

Just a few plays later however, Ravens were back on level terms when a 37-yarder from Flacco to Boldin put them in the Red Zone on Patriots 18. 4 consecutive rushes for 12 total yards from Ray Rice edged them even closer to even things up, and then Pitta was found in the end zone to level the game at 10.

Brady was beginning to find some rhythm and made 5 consecutive passes to get New England into Field Goal range, but 3 incompletions in a row meant they had to settle for 3. This ensured they had a 13-10 lead going into half time.

Patriots went downfield on the opening drive of the 2nd half, but once again had to settle for 3 more after they could not find a way past Ravens superb defence. Ravens then took the lead for the first time 6 minutes later thanks to some steady play,  which was topped off by Torrey Smith getting into the end zone for a TD.

Ravens steady offense and fantastic defence had given them belief that they could cause an upset. The pressure got to Patriots kick off returner Danny Woodhead, who fumbled the ball on his own 28 to set up Ravens in an excellent position. A touchdown here would have made it an 8 point game, but defence once again came out on top and Ravens kicked a field goal to go ahead by 4.

Just one drive later, Ravens were made to pay for that missed chance when Brady decided he'd had enough of field goals and dived in himself on 4th & 1 at the Ravens 1 yard line.

Defence once again prevailed for the rest of the quarter when first Flacco was intercepted by Spikes, and then on the next play Smith returned the favour to intercept Brady. Flacco was on the Patriots 33 on the resulting drive, and he went for it on 4th & 6. The pass was broken up by some more good defence, but Patriots could not take advantage of this and went 3-and-out to give Ravens the ball back on their own 17.

Step up Joe Flacco. Starting on his own 21, he had the chance to do an Alex Smith and win the game. Patriots defence forced a couple of 3rd downs, but Flac held his nerve to convert them, and with 22 seconds left, Ravens were on Patriots 14. Flacco did not convert the 3rd & 1, so the Field Goal unit came on for a routine 32 yarder and 3 points that would have taken the game into OT. Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff stepped up and everyone was expecting OT. But the set wasn't great and Cundiff shanked it horribly wide left to give Patriots the game and a trip to the Lucas Oil stadium.

49ers vs Giants
A cautious start by both teams resulted in neither team getting a big play for the opening couple of drives, with the longest passing play being 12 yards. But then on the second play of 49ers 2nd drive, Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis, the hero of the Divisional win vs Saints, for a 73 yard touchdown play that gave 49ers the first points of the game.

Manning looked more settled, making some big plays, but neither team could establish some rhythm. A turnover on downs from New York gave the ball back to San Francisco, but they had to punt after some good defencive work. Eli then built a good drive, combining long and short passes to get to the 49ers 6 yard line. There Manning found Pascoe for the tying touchdown. The final 11 minutes of the quarter passed by, with most of the drives resulting in a punt. However Eli managed to string some more passes together and got down the field in 90 seconds to set up a field goal, which was duly converted by Tynes.

Defence dominated the start of the 2nd half, with 3 punts being forced in the opening 9 minutes. The final punt, from Giants punter Steve Weatherford, was returned for 24 yards by Williams to give 49ers good position on their own 46. Here, Alex Smith took just 3 plays to get the ball into the end zone, with Davis once again on the receiving end of his pass to make it 14-10.

Defence soon took over again, with 4 more punts being forced in the 11 minutes or so that sandwiched the 3rd and 4th quarters. The final punt however, was so crucial. It was a routine catch, but Williams fumbled the ball and it was recovered by new York to give them an excellent chance to take the lead on the 49ers 29. They did just that when a few plays and a 10-yard penalty later, Manningham caught the ball in the end zone to give the advantage back to the visitors.

A superb 40-yard kickoff return from Williams meant that Smith and co. started the drive on their own 45, and a couple of big rushes later, first from Smith himself, and then from Hunter, 49ers found themselves on the Giants 10. A touchdown here would have made it a 4-point game, but San Francisco could not find a way past the excellent  New York defence and they had to settle for 3.

The game looked destined for overtime as neither defence looked like crumbling under the pressure. More punts were forced, and before we knew it, overtime was upon us.

More punts followed, and another fumbled return by Williams (again), gave the Giants a fantastic chance to get to  the Superbowl when they lined up on the 49ers 24. In the next 5 plays, Giants made 11 yards to make it slightly easier for Tynes. He did not replicate what Billy Cundiff had done just a few hours earlier, and Giants were going to Indianapolis.

NFL Divisional Games

Could anyone have predicted what would happen in the NFC? It was all pretty smooth to start with, seeds 3 (Saints) and 4 (Giants) winning in the Wildcard rounds. Then came the Divisional championships, and one of the greatest playoff games of all time.

After destroying Detroit Lions at home, Saints had to to travel to Candlestick Park to face San Francisco 49ers for a place in the Conference championship game. It was a pretty average game initially; 49ers scored a pair of touchdowns and a field goal before Saints were on the board, but New Orleans hit back with 2 touchdowns of their own to cut the gap to 3 halftime at 17-14. The 3rd quarter consisted of interceptions, punts and fumbles, with a 41 yard field goal from David Akers being the only score in the quarter.

Then the game came alive.

The teams traded field goals to make the score 23-17, and then Saints took the lead for the first time in the game after a good run-and-catch from Darren Sproles. 49ers soon hit back after a gutsy play call on 3rd and 8 resulted in Alex Smith running the ball into the end zone for a 29-24 lead after the 2-point conversion failed.

Saints had 2:11 to score a touchdown, and score they did. A 4-play drive resulted in a 66-yard Jimmy Graham touchdown, and then Sproles held on to Brees' pass for a successful 2-point conversion to make it 32-29 Saints with 92 seconds left on the clock. All Saints had to do was stop Smith marching downfield from their own 15 after a poor return from Williams, but Smith and Davis had other ideas. After a 47 yard catch from Davis set up some good field position on the Saints 20, Gore made 6 yards and Smith spiked the ball with 14 seconds left. Smith then proved his doubters wrong by hitting Vernon Davis with an inch-perfect pass, as he was getting smashed by Saints Safety Roman Harper, and into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Saints tried to comeback with a touchdown with a lateral play on the final play on their own 16, but Meachem was tackled 1 yard ahead of the line of scrimmage after Sproles lateraled the ball to him via Brees. Just like that, Saints' record-breaking season had come to an abrupt end.

There was another great game the day after, this time the New York Giants travelled to 15-1 Green Bay Packers, who beat Giants 38-35 earlier on in the season. Giants were the brighter of the 2 teams, taking a 10-3 advantage in to the 2nd quarter. Giants added a field goal and Packers got their first touchdown of the game, but then with time expiring in the first half, Eli Hail Mary-ed it into the end zone. Hakeem Nicks then proceeded to make a fantastic catch with defenders draped around him to make it 20-10. 


Based on that play and that play alone, Giants deserved to win this game. How many teams would have either taken a knee to run out the clock? Obviously a 56 yard FG is a bit far, but barely any teams would have done what Eli did. Only Packers themselves or Saints probably would have attempted it. It's that type of balls you need to win in the playoffs. Anyway, back to the game.


A slow 3rd quarter meant the only points were a Packers field goal with 3:55 left, and then the game picked up once more in the 4th quarter with the score at 20-13 Giants. Rodgers went for it on 4th down on the Giants 45, but was sacked, meaning New York got the ball back on the Packers 49, setting themselves up for a potential play that could all but eliminate the reigning champs. Giants strolled down the field in 5 minutes and hit a field goal to give them a 10 point lead. 


Surely this would be where Packers showed why they're the best? It was perfectly set up: 10 points down, 7:40 on the clock. The stage was set. 


But! Green Bay had not banked on Giants ruthless defence. Grant fumbled the ball on his own 44, and the fumble was subsequently returned just short of a TD for 40 yards. But it didn't matter as one play later, Manning hit Manningham to extend their lead to 30-13 and surely put the game out of reach. Never rule out a team that's gone 15-1 though. Just 2 minutes later, Rodgers found Driver to bring the deficit back to 10. Packers obviously had to go for the onside kick with just 4:46 left, but Victor Cruz recovered it. Another touchdown a couple of minutes later ensured Giants were heading to the Championship game. Rodgers had a chance to add another TD to his collection, but his pass was intercepted, thus ending the game.


Packers didn't lose this game. Giants didn't win this game. Giants defence won this game. They worked like Trojans to ensure passes didn't get to their intended receivers, and their linemen were brilliant at getting to Rodgers and putting the pressure on him.


To the AFC!


After the heroics of Tim Tebow last week (how many times did we hear that this season?), could he do it again against #1 seed New England Patriots? The answer to that question, was no. Not by a long shot. (This review will be a lot shorter than the previous 2. Sorry). 


The opening quarter was dominated by Patriots, with the score being at 14-0 at the end of it. McGahee scored the Broncos only TD on a 5-yard run to half the deficit, but Brady took over once again. He dominated the rest of the quarter, throwing 3 touchdowns to pretty much end the game as a contest at 35-7. 


The scoreline looked even worse for Denver when Hernandez was found by Brady early on in the 3rd, but a field goal from Splitter gave Broncos a morsel of hope. I know I said that I would never rule Tebow out, but surely even he could not come back from a 32 point deficit? Of course he couldn't. The 4th quarter passed by with barely a whimper, the only score coming from a New England field goal.


And so ended Tebowmania.


The final conference game came in Baltimore, between Ravens and Texans. This was the dullest of the games, with the game being dominated by defence and the score ending up 20-13 in the hosts' favour.


It was a promising start to the game, with Ravens taking a 17-3 lead to demoralise Texans. But Houston clawed their way back into the game with a touchdown and a field goal to get back within 4.


A dull 3rd quarter ended in 0-0, and the 4th quarter was a lot of Arian Foster running the ball and the Ravens defence playing superbly to keep him out. Yates was intercepted by Reed on the Baltimore 29 to set up Ravens for a score to put the game out of reach. But they had to settle for a field goal when Cundiff scored to make the lead a touchdown. 


This gave Texans some hope, but Yates was intercepted Reed again with 2 minutes left to all but end the game. Ravens had to punt with 53 seconds left, but Yates got little-to-nowhere and Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game.


Look out for my NFL Championship post coming very soon. Definitely before the Superbowl. There may also be a Superbowl preview and review in the next few days

Sorry Tim

So apparently I decided to write the following lines in my previous post: "Broncos don't stand a chance in their game, even though they are at home. Sorry Tim and co. Steelers will dominate from start to finish. Tebow won't be ready for the playoffs mentally, and even if he does mount a 4th quarter comeback for a change, Steelers will be too far ahead by then."

I apologise for this. Tebow and the Broncos proved me wrong. They were brilliant throughout, and that final play was just the icing on the proverbial cake (Did anyone else start Tebowing after it happened?)

On a stats note, Tebow completed 10 of 21 passes for 316 yards. 31.6 yards per completion. And Demaryius Thomas had 4 receptions for 204 yards, 51 yards per reception. Incredible.
I promise I won't rule out Tebow for a win ever again. Ever.