NFL The Power 5:- teams to keep a close eye on this season

Football season is almost upon us with pre-season games hitting their fourth and final week. Now Pre-Season isn't a fully accurate representation of what we could see in the NFL but there are some encouraging signs and some teams who will most definitely be on the hunt for the Lombardi trophy this season.

 5) Miami Dolphins 
 Like many in their debut season, Ryan Tannehill showed glimpses of greatness. In week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, Tannehill threw for a very impressive 431 yards whilst in others he simply could not deliver. But overall, the rookie out of Texas also became the fifth quarterback in team history to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season. Couple that with the addition of receiver Mike Wallace and there is no reason why the Dolphins can't be one of the most intimidating offences in the NFL and challenging for a play off spot at the end of the season.


4) Detroit Lions
The Lions have had a great pre season so far including a demolishing victory over the Patriots. Matt Stafford has been on unrelenting form as of late and is going to be one of the most powerful quarterbacks in the NFL this season. Calvin Johnson has the potential as he always does to make some of the most important catches a receiver can make a long with some of the most impressive. If LeShoure can avoid injury and Reggie Bush can chip in where needed, this could be the balance the offence so desperately craved last year.
     The team suffered a horrible record last season but with the NFC West becoming one of the most unpredictable divisions in the league, this could be the year they return to the top.

3)San Fransisco                
  So close yet so far, the 49ers will be looking to come back with a vengance this season as they look to return to the Superbowl for the second year running. You could argue that out of the big 4 Quarterbacks going into this season, (Kaepernick, RGIII, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson) that The Nevada star comes the most equipped. With a Bazooka for an arm and the agility of a Moto GP rider, Colin is always going to be a threat no matter what defensive line you put in front of him. 
   The defense is also going to be extremely fired up. For the third year running the line will compete as one of the best in the league, not just the division or the conference, the league. Eric Reid will start as free safety in week 1, and for the LSU rookie this could be the opportunity he needs. With one of the best defensive units in the league, he can learn so much and really take the first step on the road to greatness. 
    There are not many teams in the NFL where you look at them and expect them to make the play offs year upon year yet the 49ers constantly exceed our expectations with demolishing defeats and sheer fire to make the play offs and ultimately lift the Lombardi trophy.

2) Seattle
If there really is a war forming between the Seahawks and the 49ers in the NFC West then Two words are going to turn it into a nuclear battle, Russell Wilson. He was absolutely sensational last year, completing 64 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns against 10 interceptions for a 100 passer rating. Now THAT does not come easy in your first season as a QB. So just how much of an impact did he make? The Seahawks posted an 11-5 record in 2012, the third most wins in franchise history and went undefeated at home for only the third time in franchise history.
     It isn't all down to Wilson however, the defense who started with a 4-4 record helped turn the season around to lose just one more game of the remaining 8. With the signing of nickel corner Antoine Winfield as well, the Seahawks are entering 2013 with VERY few weaknesses.

1) Philadelphia
Okay so the Eagles may not be Superbowl material just year but with the departure of head coach Andy Reid and the arrival of ex Oregon coach Chip Kelly, it's clear to see in the pre season alone that the Eagles offence has been completely reformed. Every play has the ability to turn into the pace seen in a 2 minute offence with a consistent run of first downs and the defense are no longer left picking up pieces but in face helping to lead the charge to restore the Eagles to their former glory.
     Kelly named Vick as the starting QB this season and Mike himself has said all pre season long that he has nothing but praise for the new playing style and you can see this in his opening pre season games. Vicks accuracy and ability to out run most defensive players helps to slot him in perfectly to this new playbook.
   Nick Foles the man who replaced the injured Vick last season will sit in at number two but it seems he reacted to the news of not getting the number one spot just as Chip intended as he completed 10/11 throws against the Jaguars helping the Eagles reach a 31-24 victory.
    McCoy is also looking as dangerous as ever along with tight end Celek and the ever impressive DeSean Jackson, this could be the year the Eagles look competitive again. But to do that they need to overthrow the highly rated Redskins in week one of the regular season in the NFC East rivalry game. 
  

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Philadelphia Eagles 2013 season preview

Two years since the so called superteam shook up the NFL and a year since the Eagles went a disappointing  4-12, they come back with a new play style, new lineup and a new head coach. But are these changes going to help restore the team to their former glory and maybe to a championship?

Chip off the old block-

After having the worst season in the Andy Reid era, the Eagles have found themselves a new head coach who is ready to completely revamp the team. Ex Oregon coach Chip Kelly is the man in charge, a man who won 46 games in 4 seasons with Oregon including three championships and two BCS bowl games. Chip is expected to bring his uptempo style to the team and increase the amount of running plays used per game. He has already altered the training programs with different workouts and even involving music. Some teams would react horribly to a drastic change but the players have nothing but praise and respect for their new coach. With fans worldwide eager to see how the new Eagles lineup fair in the pre-season, Chip could be the change the team so desperately needed.

Vicktorious- the battle of the quarterbacks.

Michael Vick had a somewhat disappointing season in the six games he played prior to injury. Completing under 60% of his passes and throwing interceptions far to often meant the Eagles were relying on their defence to get them out of sticky situations. However not all of the blame can be placed on the pride of Virginia Tech, the offensive line were not helping and receivers simply could not find the space for the ball to be thrown to them. 

    The second half of he season saw rookie Nick Foles fill the injured Vicks shoes and they were big shoes to fill. Throwing 1699 yards and 6 touchdowns is a fairly respectable statistic for the number 88 draft pick of 2012. What Foles lacks in mobility and agility he makes up for in decision making. Nick is very good ad getting the ball out of trouble, making short passes and throwing it out of bounds if needed. 

  The attention has been on Nick this pre-season as he has seemingly shifted the gaze of head coach Kelly back to him after a very successful training day completing 15 out of 18 passes with 2 long touchdowns. Now this is either a blessing or a curse for Vick. Kelly wants competition he wants to see raw determination to earn your spot in the team, it won't be gifted to you on a plate or perhaps as easy as it has been in previous years. Vick has already been working overdrive to prove his worth and there is nothing like a threat from an underdog to spur you on to work harder. We won't know for sure who will be the starting QB until after the pre-season which makes the next few weeks crucial for both Foles and Vick.

      The Eagles have also signed Matt Barkley in the draft, a QB who helped to beat Oregon in the past. Chip saw his potential first hand and signed him up. With a style very similar to Foles he is probably going to spend his first season as a third string QB but may make the odd appearance to see just what talent the kid has. He isn't expected to shake up the league but saying that neither was a certain Tom Brady when he was drafted.

    The bottom line is the race for the first string QB spot is hotter than ever which is exactly what the new coach wants. The only question left is who will be the man leading the offence this season?

Time is running out-

Every coach has their own style but Chip will be bringing a more aggressive college style play book to the field this season which theoretically means the running game will prove to be more of a factor, something that the Eagles lacked last season having failed to utilise the full potential of LeSean McCoy. It has been speculated that the running game could be used up to 60% of the time. If you have the pace of McCoy with the unpredictability of Vick this again could be a huge improvement for the team.

Maclin out-

With so much momentum going into this season it was almost too good to be true, and that it was. Jeremy Maclin, the top receiver for the team last season is out for the entire year with an injury. This means that Cooper is going to have to step up much like Foles did at the QB last season and again they are big boots to fill. Cooper is a solid receiver but does not have that creativity and outside the box mentality that Jeremy had. With Jackson's pace and all the focus being shifted to him it allowed Maclin to find holes in the defence and sneak through. 

  But with the new college style playbook the team have to keep moving forward. They need to not let this dampen the spirits and keep the chemistry high. It also means that the players like Celek have to slightly change their style with the new rotation system. Every position is being contested so players have to show now more than ever that they can play well in numerous positions but only time will tell how much of a hole Maclin's injury has left.

Overall the team has been completely reshaped and will go into this season with the hopes of making the playoffs. There is still much to be decided but the Eagles have to make an impact this season or the next few years could be very difficult.

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My Top 5 Monaco Moments

Monaco, the jewel in the crown for the Formula One season. A race which every driver wants to win. It carries such a reputation with it when legends such as Senna and Graham Hill dominated the track year after year. But the streets of Monte Carlo can often show another side to a driver. A side which provokes hatred or love from the spectators and a side which can earn you a place in the hall of fame, or the hall of shame.
These are my personal top 5 Monaco moments.

Number 5:- Triumphant Trulli (2004)
Jarno Trulli had always shown that he had a considerable amount of pace inside his Renault R24 but could never tick that final box of winning a Grand Prix. So, how do you go about winning your first Formula One Race? The answer, at the streets of Monaco in 2004. The Italian took a mighty pole position from Jenson Button and was looking to make it a perfect weekend in one of the most eventful races of the season. With only 9 drivers finishing it almost became like a last man standing event! Alonso, Michael Schumacher and both Mclarens had all retired along with the other 9 drivers who couldn't make it to the end. But it was the patience and the perfect strategy that saw Jarno Trulli break the spell of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher and show the world that they can be beaten. It was to be his only ever victory in Formula One, but he did it on the grandest stage of them all.


Number 4:- Schumacher's true colors shine through (2006)

A race dominated by spaniard Fernando Alonso and the news dominated by the antics of 7 time World Champion Michael Schumacher. At the end of qualifying Michael had pole position within reach, but Fernando was flying around the streets of Monte Carlo and in the final minute of the session, the German parked his car into the penultimate corner, stopping the session and seeing him keep his pole position. 
   After the session he claimed that he simply locked his brakes and almost hit the barrier, but the onboard footage was enough to see that this was no accident. This effort to keep his pole position had the reverse effect. Michael started from the very back of the grid
 Alonso was able to keep his lead during the race and cross the line  to win his first of two Monaco Grand Prix's to date. Michael still defied the odds and from 22nd on the grid brought his Ferrari home in 5th place at least getting some points for the team. But this impressive drive has been still over shadowed to this day by his actions at Rascasse.

Number 3:- A Fairytale ending (2008)

One of the most eventful races in recent memory saw Lewis Hamilton take his first ever Monaco win.
After Massa dominated qualifying in a dry session, the heavens opened the next day, meaning drivers would start the race on Wet tyres. The first pit stop came on lap 6. No this was not down to a Pirelli tyre wear pit stop, but for Lewis Hamilton who had touched the wall on the exit of Tabac picking up a puncture. The Mclaren team tried something extremely risky and fitted the Intermediates on the car. He came out in fifth due to the field being spread out all over the circuit and fate played into his hands nicely. Massa was running away with the race until Coulthard and Bourdais collided on lap 8. The safety car was brought out and all of his hard work was lost.

    Later on saw Nico Rosbergs massive incident at the swimming pool again bringing out the safety car. But just as the fans thought the action was coming to a close, Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari exiting the tunnel and hitting the back of Sutil who was up until that point having a sensational race.

 But at the end of the race it was Lewis Hamilton who at one point looked like he stood no chance of finishing in the top 5, came through and won the race. His first Monaco GP win was delivered in style.

Number 2:- "Sennasational" (1992)

Nigel Mansell in 1992 was tipped to win the championship. His Williams-Renault was the fastest car on the grid and his driving was relentless. But none of that mattered at Monaco. Mansell was dominating the race until the final stint. A loose wheel nut forced him to pit in, bringing him out behind one of the only men to give him the race of a lifetime– Ayrton Senna. It took just two laps of Mansell coming out behind Ayrton for the lead to be crushed from six seconds to two. He then spent the last five laps desperately trying to get past, ducking and diving at every possible opportunity. Corner after corner Nigel tried his absolute best to push past the young charger but Senna was too smart that day. He took the chequered flag for the fifth time as a winner in Monaco and his fifth Monaco win, equalling the record of British racing icon Graham Hill. One he would beat year later.

Number 1:- An underdog story (1996)

My personal favorite moment in all of Monaco's exciting history has to be the year where Olivier Panis took his first and only Grand Prix win. In  races which see the attrition rate sky rocket, the winner is normally the man that keeps his nose clean, his head down and drives his own race. This was proven once again at the Monaco Grand Prix, 1996.
 The race started on a drying track and the odds favored the Pole sitter Michael Schumacher and his rival Damon Hill who was keen to win at Monaco like his father before him.The two sat on the front row but the Germans race ended much quicker than he imagined as he crashed heavily in the opening stint. Hill realised the opportunity he had  and continued to lead through the race until his engine suffered a failure which was rare for the team.
  Jean Alesi was granted the lead but it was almost like every driver in the lead was cursed as Jean later retied with a suspension failure.
  Panis was now in the lead in his Ligier and all he had to do was stay in front of David Coulthard. In a dash to the line Panis took the chequered flag and won his only ever Grand prix race, and Ligiers first in 15 years. Only 4 cars finished out of 22 starters making it one of the most exciting races in Monaco history.

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