After getting 75% of my predictions for Week 1 correct, I’m feeling pretty confident. Today, I’ll release my newest power ranking, as well as release the usual 4 weekly predictions. Firstly, here is the update power ranking – note that I’m testing some new team categories, this week I will name one ‘pretender‘ team that is overrated or will be sooner rather than later (I’ve overrated them, accordingly):
Seattle Seahawks ↔
Denver Broncos ↔
San Francisco 49ers ↔
Cincinnati Bengals ↑
Indianapolis Colts ↑
Atlanta Falcons ↑
Miami Dolphins ↑
New England Patriots ↓
Carolina Panthers ↓
Philadelphia Eagles ↓
Minnesota Vikings ↑
New Orleans Saints ↓
Green Bay Packers ↔
Pittsburgh Steelers ↑
Arizona Cardinals ↑
Chicago Bears ↓
Baltimore Ravens ↓
Buffalo Bills ↑
Detroit Lions ↔
Washington Redskins ↓
San Diego Chargers ↓
St. Louis Rams ↓
Kansas City Chiefs ↓
Tennessee Titans ↑
Houston Texans ↑
Tampa Bay Buccaneers ↓
Cleveland Browns ↔
New York Giants ↓
Jacksonville Jaguars ↓
Dallas Cowboys ↑
New York Jets ↓
Oakland Raiders ↓
Week 2 Predictions
Nevermore: In what will be a tough matchup between the Ravens and the Steelers, the Ravens will ultimately beat the Steelers in Maryland. But as we now know, they shall see Rice play… Nevermore.
Kuechly Takes Over: Regardless of the starting quarterback, the Carolina Panthers will beat the Detroit Lions – due, in part, to a commanding defensive performance.
Titanium: In Tennessee, the Dallas Cowboys will once again look into the abyss – as they lose to Jake Locker’s Titans.
Melted Matty Ice: The cool Atlanta QB, Matt Ryan, will melt in Cincinnati as the Red Rifle will turn into the Red Hot Rifle, and liquify the Falcons’ QB. Bengals beat the Falcons.
In this ‘essay-like’ series under the name ‘Foreign Perspective’ – I’m trying to elaborate on views of a European, when seeing traditional American news or results. This includes, but is not limited to, potential political topics. My main focus, however, is the Chicago Bears – an American Football team that I love. How do I see the recent news and results lining up? Do I even understand this sporting mentality? Find out in the Essay Series ‘Foreign Perspective – Chicago Bears’.
On Sunday September 7th, the Chicago Bears opened their NFL Regular Season (2014/2015) against the AFC East Buffalo Bills. At Soldier Field, expectations were big – seeing as the Bears have been stellar against the Bills at home, and generally in the opening game. However, the Bears proved that this year won’t be as good as most people expected. I, perhaps infamously, predicted a 12-4 season – I drank the kool-aid, and believed the hype. But the Bears ultimately fell to the Buffalo Bills 23-20. Now, I have a couple of notes and views on the game. This week’s Bears Essay is entitled: The Good, The Bad and The Inexcusable.
Most of the things we saw at Soldier Field were bad, but it’s important to remember that it didn’t start that way. The Bears opened the season by forcing the Buffalo Bills 3-and-out. The Defense we wanted to see. When the Bears got the ball, they were fast and furious – an on-point Jay Cutler led the Bears down the field, and finished it off with a Touchdown to Martellus Bennett – a Tight End who had a big role to play in the opening week. It all went downhill from there.
Did the Bears think it was an easy win? Well, the game proved to be a trap-game. E.J. Manuel took his team down the field, by exploiting the Bears’ defensive holes – using Robert Woods to perfection, for one. The Bears let the Bills take an easy Touchdown. Tied at 7-7, I wasn’t panicking – not at all. But then the Bears offense made the same mistake that the defense did – thinking it was too easy? Sure, maybe. Hubris? Definitely. Trying that flea-flicker was obnoxious – and the playcalling was essentially terrible following the opening Touchdown-drive.
The Bills quickly went up 17-7, and the Bears were booed going into the half. And Cutler’s first interception of the season, directly led to a C.J. Spiller Touchdown. What happened during that play? I think Martellus Bennett was running a hitch-route, but failed to turn around and catch the ball Cutler was throwing – a missed play by Bennett. These missed plays continued, as Cutler was unable to lead the Bears back to a win. It wasn’t made easy for him, though – as Garza, Slauson, Morgan, Jeffery and Marshall all had injuries during the game.
Now, Martellus Bennett is not the bad, the good or the inexcusable. He had an average day, and his performance had both plusses and minusses at the end of the day. The Good was Matt Forte. He ended up with a total yardage of 169 yards – and was the one positive aspect of a game, wherein I expected very little from Forte following a mixed pre-season.
I label Jared Allen as ‘the bad’. But in reality, the defensive line should be labeled so. Jared Allen was particularly disappointing – and maybe both Allen and, the new Packer, Peppers are over-the-hill. As for the inexcusable? Jay Cutler. He did okay early in the game, and I don’t blame him for the first interception. But he did hold onto the ball too long, he did make two throws that easily could’ve been picked. And his second interception forced me to label him as inexcusable.He’s got his big deal, he’s got the big receivers – his type of coach. He didn’t take home the win – and he has no excuses when he throws directly to Kyle Williams. Throw it away, Jay.
Next week the Bears face the San Francisco 49ers, and they look good – like I expected – but it’s probably the best chance the Bears have had of pulling off an upset in San Francisco in a long time – with the defensive lack of health and new stadium in mind.
This year I’ll be trying to release a preview of each Regular Season week – and in these previews I’ll have a Power Ranking & a few predictions each week. Without further ado…
Power Ranking Pre-Week 1
Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos
San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis Colts
Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
Chicago Bears
St. Louis Rams
Green Bay Packers
Baltimore Ravens
Atlanta Falcons
San Diego Chargers
Arizona Cardinals
Pittsburgh Steelers
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars
Cleveland Browns
Oakland Raiders
New York Jets
Tennessee Titans
Dallas Cowboys
Houston Texans
Week 1 Predictions
Student Becomes The Master: I predict that Ron Rivera will outshine and beat Lovie Smith’s Tampa Bay team.
Home Field Advantage: I predict that the Seattle Seahawks will defend their turf, and beat the Green Bay Packers in the opening round of the 2014 season.
Bad News Bears: I predict that while the Bears beat the Bills, Matt Forte will underperform severely.
Good Start: I predict that Bill O’Brien will lead his new Houston Texans team to a week 1 win against the Gruden-led Redskins.
Last season went by super fast, and now we only have a few days until we’re really back in action. Before the greatest sport in the world begins again. Everyone should know by now that I’m a Bears fan, and at times my bias may show – but I’ve always felt I’m fair in the playoff predictions. Now, just like last year, my prediction process functions like this: I start by writing down every game, every week. Then I go over each and every game, and pick a winner for the game in question. That leaves me with a record for every team, following that I predict the playoffs, as it would play out with my predictions in mind. That is how I give you my complete predictions for this NFL Season. Final note before we begin, I’ve added a section for some specific awards I’ve tried to predict already – enjoy.
◊American Football Conference
Can Brady Pick The Broncos Apart?
Going over this division by Division, and I’m leading with the AFC North. I’m really starting to like what Coach Lewis is building in Cincinnati, and I’m stating that truthfully, well knowing that Andy Dalton got a deal that was.. Uhm.. Too big. I like what he has to work with though, and the Red Rifle HAS to start delivering big time. I think he will this year. I have him winning this division at 12-4 – and heading into the playoffs with the Baltimore Ravens (wildcard) at 9-7. These two teams beat out a lackluster Steelers team (7-9), and an overrated Cleveland Browns (3-13) team.
Now, going into the south we spot my division winners, the Indianapolis Colts (9-7). This division is not very good, frankly. The Colts are rather good, and limp into the playoffs with the defensively led Texans (9-7), through to the promised land through a wildcard. The Titans are irregular (4-12), and I don’t feel they have much to offer this year. I really like what Khan’s Jaguars are doing, building an interesting team – hopefully with Blake Bortles this year – however, I don’t see them getting more than 5 wins.
In the AFC Wild Wild West, the Denver Broncos are kings. And that does NOT change this year. I have them finishing 14-2, and they’re going straight into the AFC Playoffs with the no. 1 seed. The Chargers (7-9), Raiders (5-11) and Chiefs (6-10) all miss the playoffs – they’re just not that good… Yet. I see something in the Chargers; however, I don’t think they’re ready.
Finally, the AFC East features only one playoff contender – seeing as the wildcard spots have already been taken by the Ravens and the Texans. Here in the eastern division, I see the Patriots slowly, but surely, becoming very strong and very confident. They’re much better than the rest of their division I’m afraid. The Jets (3-13), Bills (4-12) & Dolphins (5-11) will have a tough year, and they could end up losing some coaches at the end of the year. Take all of this with a grain of salt though, as I’m primarily an ‘expert’ in the NFC North. If you can even say that.
◊National Football Conference
Go Deep…
Beginning with the NFC North, my Bears will have an interesting season. Going up against a tough division with a new-look defense, after an abysmal season. However, Cutler has got an amazing offense to work with, and if the defense is league average – they can go far. I have them winning the division and going 12-4. Now, I have a few surprises in the NFC predictions – and the first one is that the Green Bay Packers won’t go to the Playoffs this year. I have them finishing 2nd in the division at 11-5, but you’re going to see better 2nd ranking records than that. To finish off the division I have the Lions (6-10) and Vikings (5-11) finishing 3rd and 4th.
This year I have high expectations for the NFC South. To me, it is one of the toughest years for the division contenders in a long time. Some things don’t change however, and the New Orleans Saints take the division at 14-2; Drew Brees is becoming the best quarterback in the league. I have the Panthers as a top team this year, and rank them at 12-4, and taking a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Finally, Lovie Smith’s Bucs (6-10) and Mike Smith’s Falcons (9-7) finish 4th and 3rd.
The strongest division in the NFL, the NFC West, will once again have participation in the playoffs from Seattle (13-3) and San Francisco (12-4) – but don’t count out the rest. I have a very strong Cardinals team finishing 7-9, and that’s not their season ceiling at all – while the Rams finish 10-6. If the 49’ers perform worse than 12-4, the Packers/Bears or Rams will take their wildcard spot.
Finally, the NFC East features a battle-hardened Washington squad, get ready to see RGIII take the division title. I have them finishing 10-6, beating out the 7-9 Eagles, who fall to the floor after a great rookie HC season for Chip Kelly. The Giants and Cowboys are not ready yet, at all, and both finish 4-12. However, the Giants could surprise some people if they get their quarterback some confidence.
♥Championships
Who Will Play At The University of Phoenix Stadium?
In the AFC Wildcard Round, the Ravens faces off with the Indianapolis Colts – and Joe Flacco’s experience and proven playoff success will lead them past Luck’s Colts. Meanwhile, the Patriots take a win, by beating the Houston Texans – who can only perform defensively against the NE-units. In the NFC Wildcard Round, the 49ers and Bears beat the Redskins and Panthers respectively.
The real competition begins in the divisional round, as I have the Broncos and Patriots knocking the Ravens and Bengals out, respectively. In the NFC, I have to make some tough decisions as my Bears face the New Orleans Saints and the defending Super Bowl champions face the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers will fall to the Seahawks, due to home-field-advantage – but it shouldn’t be the most entertaining game this round. The Bears offense will be doing everything possible to keep up with the Saints offense, but in the end will fall short…
For the AFC and NFC Championships, the matchups are as follows: The Patriots vs. the Broncos & the Saints vs. the Seahawks. All four quarterbacks has at least one Super Bowl ring, but it won’t be the offensive talents that decide these games. The defensive units in Denver and Seattle, will give us a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.
This is what Peyton Manning needs, another try at another Super Bowl ring – trying to solidify his place in NFL history as the best ever. But it won’t be easy. The Seattle defense has NOT gotten worse, and they will have to do something special to keep up. In what I predict to be a very tight game, I have the Seattle Seahawks defending their Super Bowl title from last season – not due to Sherman, necessarily. But this team is set-up to win; and they will.
♣Awards
This year I’ve written a list of players that will be viewed as award-material. On the following list you’ll probably see some surprises that will shock you, or maybe you’re still infuriated at my Playoff Prediction – sound off in the comments. Some of the names have notes added to them, just in case you were wondering where I’m coming from when making these predictions.
Most Valuable Player – Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints. For me, Drew is becoming the best quarterback in the NFL – I only see one guy better than him – Peyton. This year will be big for Brees – future Hall of Famer.
Offensive Player of the Year – Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints.
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Kelvin Benjamin, Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers. Now, I almost picked Blake Bortles here in stead – a great young QB, but I’ve been liking what I’ve seen from Benjamin, and I cannot wait to see him in the regular season.
Defensive Player of the Year – Luke Kuechly, Linebacker, Carolina Panthers. The best middle linebacker in the NFL.
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End, Houston Texans. They may have some trouble offensively, but defensively they’re rock solid. This pick will go over well in Houston. Star.
Coach of the Year – Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints.
Comeback Player of the Year – Jay Cutler, Quarterback, Chicago Bears. Cutler’s last full season was in 2009 – and he only played 11 games in the regular season last year. Jay Cutler will return with a bang – with the best receiving duo in the NFL, Bennett & Forte. This unit has to succeed. Quick stat prediction? 25 Touchdowns, 16 Interceptions – 4.500 yards.
Just a few days ago, the Chicago Bears concluded their Pre-Season with a loss to the Cleveland Browns – who were fielding starters against the 3rd string Bears. The Bears dropped to 2-2 overall, but who cares about the Pre-Season record? No one, exactly. Today I’ll hand out the final standout notes, for the game against the Browns – note the final scores for the players I’ve followed – and, give out awards for the best rookie of the Bears Pre-Season, and the best overall player of the Bears Pre-Season.
I wrote down a few standouts, and even crossed out the name of one (Demontre Hurst). Defensively, I liked what I saw from defensive end David Bass, and cornerback C.J. Wilson. The former made it to the team, and the latter did not even make it to the Practice Squad. Good luck young man. Offensively, I loved what I saw from Santonio Holmes, Shaun Draughn and Josh Bellamy. Santonio and Shaun both made it to the 53-man roster, and Josh made it to the Practice Squad. Below are the final overall scores for the players I’ve followed.
#25 – Ka’Deem Carey: 3 pts.
#12 – David Fales: 1 pt.
#36 – Jordan Lynch: 2 pts.
#23 – Kyle Fuller: 4 pts.
#95 – Ego Ferguson: 0 pts.
#45 – Brock Vereen: -1 pt.
#93 – Will Sutton: 0 pts.
#16 – Pat O’Donnell: 3 pts.
#57 – Jon Bostic: -1 pt.
#50 – Shea McClellin: -4 pts.
Overall Player of the Pre-Season:David Bass, #91, Defensive End.
Overall Rookie of the Pre-Season: Kyle Fuller, #23, Cornerback.
Well, that didn’t go according to plan. In what was supposed to be a game about new beginnings, the Bears did little to fix their defensive reputation from last season. In fairness, though, these were the World Champions. Friday the Bears dropped to 2-1 in their Pre-Season schedule – which really isn’t all that important. Today, I’ve decided that the result itself did not warrant standouts to be mentioned. Firstly, there weren’t many – secondly, we had no chance to make anything standout really. David Fales, Jordan Lynch and Kyle Fuller did not appear, and their respective overall scores of -1, +2 & +4 do not change. The less said about this game, the better – so let’s get the scores out and over with.
In continuing with the tradition mentioned last week, today I will give out scores for specific performances and note standouts. Yesterday the Bears hosted a Pre-Season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars [which resulted in a 20-19 Bears win] – and that’s the focus of today’s post. First of all, here are the scores for the specific players I’m watching this year [note the overall score for the player in brackets].
#45 – Brock Vereen: 1+ point, 1- point; Average Performance – [0 points].
#93 – Will Sutton: 0+ points, 1- point; Below Average Performance – [0 points].
#23 – Kyle Fuller: Early Injury, no notes – [4 points].
#16 – Pat O’Donnell: 3+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance – [3 points].
#36 – Jordan Lynch: No Participation notes – [2 points].
#57 – Jon Bostic: 2+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance – [-2 points].
#50 – Shea McClellin: 1+ point, 0- point; Average Performance – [-4 points].
Moving on now to standouts. Onca again our Special Teams performed poorly, and actually I only saw Pat O’Donnell as a positive experience. Offensively, though, we saw some nice things on the field. Jay Cutler, and his O-Line, was amazing – and he felt so comfortable. Honestly, if he performs like this in the regular season, we’ll have a great season. As for the 2nd and 3rd strings? Well, I soured somewhat on Jimmy Clausen – but not due to him performing badly; actually, Jordan Palmer was just that good. Defensively, I loved what I saw from Stephen Paea and ‘Peanut’. For the second week in a row, I loved what I saw from Trevor Scott – he’s a lock for the 53 man squad. Finally, the interception from C.J. Wilson needs to be noticed. Nice job, young man.
Quite possibly the biggest sporting national football/soccer league is about to begin in twenty different Premiership stadiums. Three newcomers await their chances to prove their talent, two experienced managers are ready for their revenge and one new coach looks out at the league unimpressed – ready to unveil his revamped Manchester United squad. This is the English Premier League – we’re back folks. In this article I’ll look at the four biggest teams challenging last year’s winners Manchester City – as well as give several predictions for the season, including a predicted league table. I’ll be starting off with a look at this year’s Community Shield winners – Arsenal.
♦Wenger’s Revenge
His game 1000 will never be forgotten…
Last season felt disastrous for Arsenal, especially with Wenger’s 1000th game (the 6-0 loss to Chelsea, in case you’ve forgotten) – but it was actually a pleasant surprise for Arsenal fans, who got in a comfortable position in the league, while taking their first trophy in a very long time. They capped it off last weekend by winning the Community Shield against Manchester City. They’re extremely happy at the Emirates – but they need to remember that Manchester City didn’t have the likes of Zabaleta, Agüero, Negredo, Lampard and Joe Hart in their squad – while Arsenal really only missed Mertesacker and Özil.
Now, Arsenal did win 3-0 against Man City – and they do have a very good squad in place; especially now that they’ve added the likes of Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez to the squad. However, with last year’s league results in mind – they’ve not improved more than their rivals have. Now even Tottenham and Everton could be vying for their spot in the top.
♦Is It Over For Gerrard?
Dropped the title…
Last season was heartbreaking for The Reds – and though they never walked alone, their tears were plentiful. They let it slip out of their hands, and now the title seems farther away from them with Luis Suarez gone to Barcelona. Will this then be the swift return out of the top 4? Or can they fight back, and retain a fine placement in the top? Personally, I would feel very happy with the moves they’ve made if I were a fan of the Merseyside Reds – and the fact that they’ve tapped most of the talent out of Southampton is both scary and fascinating. I have the Reds finishing in the top yet again, and that’s due to a great coach that is still controlling the Kop through his personally-designed system, first unveiled to the Premiership during his stint at Swansea. This will probably be a very good season for the former top team.
♦United Back On Top?
The Man With The Plan…
Look at his grin. While I may not be a fan of his new team, or the man himself, one has to respect his managerial talent and his mind. This man fooled everyone when he subbed in his reserve goalkeeper in the World Cup in Brazil – only to have him ready for the Penalty Shootout. It worked, and he skillfully became the envy of most clubs. Now he will begin his adventure in the best league in the world – taking hold of the Manchester United squad. A team in need of a fresh feeling. He’s brought in a lot of people to help the team succeed. Personally, I feel that he’s rushing things by bringing in these new players in new surroundings without knowing the team himself. He’s changing the formation as well, thus making limited strides with the in-house players. He needs to work with players like Kagawa and Mata, not bring in a ton of his own players – for this team was set-up right with Sir Alex Ferguson.I feel that the team will improve from last year, but that it still won’t be enough of an improvement to push off the top teams. They’re still a step behind the two oil-clubs, and don’t have the player-for-player advantage in surroundings that Merseyside does. However, they’ve improved much more than Arsenal has – and they should finish higher than them.
♥Mourinho’s Finally Ready
Can Diego Costa Fire Chelsea To The Top?
José Mourinho said goodbye to Chelsea Legends like Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, and is ushering in Atletico players left and right. This means that they know eachother, and will have an easier way of adapting to their surroundings. Adding to that, Chelsea has gotten younger – and added two huge stars in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.
Having seen all of their Pre-Season games, I can tell that they’ve improved their ball-pressure; and have reworked their possession tactics. However, some things just don’t work – including their 3-man defense when attempting to play an offensive 3-6-1. Their main formations are still 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, but they work with more fluidity now. Their team has improved.
♦Bold Predictions
Here we go…
The following is a list of bold predictions I’ve thought long and hard about. The list of predictions includes a league table I’ve tried to think out, along with projected points for each team.
Arsenal Sacks Wenger – My first bold prediction is that Arsenal will finally fire their legendary manager Arsène Wenger during their season, or as a result at the end of the year.
Liverpool Won’t Miss Suarez – I predict that Daniel Sturridge and Coutinho will score and assist at a higher number than that of the total of Suarez last year.
Left Back Will Be The Weak Link For Van Gaal – I predict that Luke Shaw will fail in his first year at Manchester United, and it will lead to problems on the left flank for the red side of Manchester.
Blue Topscorer – I predict that Diego Costa from Chelsea will become the topscorer for the Premier League.
Predicted League Table: 1. Chelsea Football Club – 103pts. 2. Manchester City – 97pts. 3. Liverpool Football Club – 85pts. 4. Manchester United – 77pts. 5. Tottenham Hotspur – 75pts. 6. Everton – 72pts. 7. Arsenal – 70pts. 8. Newcastle – 54pts. 9. Stoke City – 49pts. 10. West Ham Utd – 43pts. 11. West Bromwich Albion – 40pts. 12. Aston Villa – 33pts. 13. Swansea City – 32pts. 14. Sunderland – 30pts. 15. Leicester City – 29pts. 16. Southampton – 20pts. 17. Queens Park Rangers – 19pts. 18. Crystal Palace – 18pts. 19. Hull City – 17pts. 20. Burnley – 16pts.
Last year I made it a tradition for me to watch the Chicago Bears Pre-Season games in their entirety, compile notes – note standouts and specific performances. I’m not too certain, though, whether I’ve ever released those notes. This year I am releasing them, though, and it all began yesterday when the Philadelphia Eagles took on my Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for the opening Pre-Season Game.
For this year’s Pre-Season I’ve chosen to keep an eye on the following list of players; and each player will score points based on his performances each week:
#25 – Running Back – Ka’Deem Carey – Rookie.
#12 – Quarterback – David Fales – Rookie.
#95 – Defensive Tackle – Ego Ferguson – Rookie.
#45 – Safety – Brock Vereen – Rookie.
#93 – Defensive Tackle – Will Sutton – Rookie.
#23 – Cornerback – Kyle Fuller – Rookie.
#16 – Punter/Holder – Pat O’Donnell – Rookie.
#36 – Running Back/Quarterback – Jordan Lynch – Rookie.
#57 – Linebacker – Jon Bostic – Second Year.
#50 – Linebacker/Defensive End – Shea McClellin – Third Year.
Before rating these specific performances of note, I’ve compiled a list of standouts from the game – which cannot include the players above. In a game where very few Special Team highlights for the Bears were noted, I’ve decided to gloss over that section – and in stead, first look at the defensive standouts. Safety Ryan Mundy and cornerback Sherrick McManis both picked off Nick Foles, and are obvious standouts defensively. Second year Linebacker Khaseem Greene outplayed every 2nd & 3rd string linebacker in the game, and hopefully he can continue to get better – and maybe even battle for a spot with the 1st string. Undrafted rookie cornerback Al Louis-Jean also managed to get a pick, and showed solid movement on the interception itself. Jeremy ‘Jay’ Ratliff also performed well in the game, provided good pressure. My premier defensive standout, however, was defensive end Trevor Scott. He showed an ability to pressure the Quarterback, and was solid on all the snaps he played.
Offensively we have a lot of people to note as well, first and foremost we have our Franchise Quarterback – Jay Cutler. After a poor opening drive, he came back on his second and final – and led his team back in the redzone, and then to the endzone. Cutler managed to find Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Dante Rosario andZach Miller – the latter two being premier offensive standouts. Look out Martellus Bennett. I also have two standouts for the 3rd stringers. First and foremost, former CFL Wide Receiver and Punt Returner Chris Williams performed well, and even had a 70+ yards Touchdown to cap off his night. Finally, I must congratulate 3rd string Quarterback Jimmy Clausen – he’s managed to perform at a level that exceeded that of 2nd stringer Jordan Palmer.
Now we move on to the specific ratings.
#25 – Ka’Deem Carey: 2+ points, 1- point; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 1 point.
#12 – David Fales: 1+ point, 2- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 1 point.
#95 – Ego Ferguson: 3+ points, 2- points; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 1 point.
#45 – Brock Vereen: 2+ points, 2-points; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 0 points.
#93 – Will Sutton:1+ point, 1- point; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: o points.
#23 – Kyle Fuller: 4+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 4 points.
#16 – Pat O’Donnell: 1+ point, 1- point; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 0 points.
#36 – Jordan Lynch: 3+ points, 1- point; Above Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 2 points.
#57 – Jon Bostic: 0+ points, 4- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 4 points.
#50 – Shea McClellin: 1+ point, 5- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 4 points.
Today’s date will forever feel sad to me. June 2nd 2014. It is the day that Frank James Lampard has confirmed that he is leaving Chelsea Football Club. I started watching football in the early 2000s, and became a fan of hometown heroes FC Copenhagen. But it felt more like a local team than my team. You have to understand that I was not a football fan per se, seeing as my father never watched sports – it was all up to me to find something to care about, as my father was constantly working or spending his free time enjoying film after film – the birth of my cinematic interest.
Along came Frank Lampard. I had always loved the English culture, and had been raised somewhat as if I was English – ‘Mary had a little lamb’ etc. was what my parents gave me and my sister – not something Danish. An English team seemed natural. In that time Peter Schmeichel was still supported heavily in Denmark, and therefore people always wanted me to support Manchester United. I did not. Neither did I note that Chelsea Football Club had signed Danish winger, Jesper Grønkjær – a man who, undoubtedly, is to blame for early coverage of Chelsea in the media.
Frank Lampard was signed by Chelsea Football Club in June 2001, 13 years ago, and his resemblance to Lee Ryan of the Pop Group ‘Blue’ intrigued me. That was when I fell in love with how he played. Suddenly, almost over night, I had been turned into a Chelsea Football Club Fan solely because of Lampard. I even remember buying his autobiography ‘Totally Frank’ in the original language, even though I had little real English teaching. It strengthened my language skills, and thus has a major impact on my current study – English at the University of Copenhagen.
Since then he has become the best player in Chelsea Football Club history, the most scoring player for Chelsea, as well as a stellar example of intelligence and respect on the pitch. My faith in ‘super’ Frank Lampard was never lost, and thus my relationship with Chelsea grew. I became a fan, I fell in love with the team by proxy.
Today broadcaster Kay Burley tweeted the following statement from Frank Lampard, following rumours of him signing with New York City Football Club, a new Major League Soccer Team created by the owners of Manchester City:
“This club has become part of my life and I have so many to thank for the opportunity. Ken Bates who put his neck on the line to sign me as young player. Abramovich, the man who saved our club and took us to a new level. Special mention to all the staff and people behind the scenes who do not receive the glory. Finally and most importantly I would like to thank the Chelsea FC fans. I believe they are the greatest fans in world football. Whatever the next challenge I will always be among you and have Chelsea in my heart. Thank you for the memories Chelsea Football Club and keep making history!” – Frank Lampard statement, through Kay Burley.
I am forever grateful to Frank Lampard, and I wish him all the best in the future – I will always follow his career as a fan. The greatest footballer I have ever seen play – and I am truly thankful to have attended games in which he played – versus Copenhagen, Brøndby and Nordsjælland.
Thank you for everything Frank Lampard. A True Chelsea Legend – Forever and Always.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 