Gäste Forum » Brady became the dominant player

HIGHLIGHTS FROM ROUND 20 IN THE AFLTHEY SAID IT: Its boys against men. Half our team shouldnt be playing ... weve got young kids just looking for the finish line, Justin Leppitsch seems a coach looking for a finish line after a 138-point mauling by Adelaide. Two of Brisbanes worst-ever losses have come in the past fortnight.STATS THAT MATTER: Port Adelaides first scoreless opening quarter in their history led to a no-contest at the SCG. Sydneys 10-goal win has John Longmires side second on the ladder and in a fine position heading into the finals.MAN OF THE ROUND: A joint award to two long-serving AFL coaches - Paul Roos and Damien Hardwick. Roos shares the prize for Melbournes drought-breaking win over Hawthorn. Richmonds win at the MCG was less of a boilover but could prove more significant. After two bruising losses, it was clear the Tigers did it for their embattled coach.KEY MOMENT: Jed Andersons simple set shot could have put North Melbourne close to within a goal of Western Bulldogs in the third quarter of their Etihad Stadium clash. He missed, and less than a minute later Lachie Hunter had a major for the Dogs. In a low-scoring match, it was critical. The win could be the difference between a home final or a taxing away final.TALKING POINT: Who wants to win the minor premiership? Hawthorn let slip their iron-clad grasp on top spot by losing to Melbourne. The chasing pack didnt miss a beat - every other member of the top six won. With Sydney, Adelaide, Greater Western Sydney and Geelong a win away and above the Hawks percentage, Alastair Clarksons side need to keep winning.TRIBUNAL WATCH: Andersons crude tackle on Lin Jong might not be severe enough for a suspension. Two Cyril Rioli pressure efforts will be looked at - a bump on Clayton Oliver and a dumping tackle on Neville Jetta. Blake Acres tummy tap on Matthew Kreuzer will be scrutinised.KEY INJURIES: B Brown (North Melbourne, knee), S Thompson (North Melbourne, groin), S Pendlebury (Collingwood, ankle), G Rohan (Sydney, hip), B Stratton (Hawthorn, pectoral), A Sexton (Gold Coast, thigh), T Nicholls (Gold Coast, knee), C Smith (Western Bulldogs, concussion), B Goddard (Essendon, groin), L Dunstan (St Kilda, shoulder), D Menzel (Geelong, groin).WHATS NEXT: Hawthorn must rebound against North Melbourne or theyll cede top spot to Sydney or Adelaide, who have very winnable fixtures against St Kilda and Adelaide. GWS host West Coast in a key match for finals positions. The mathematical hopes of either Port Adelaide or Melbourne playing in the finals will end on Saturday night when they meet at Adelaide Oval. Scarpe Nike Tn Squalo In Vendita . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Air Max 97 Italia . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-max-720-outlet.html .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Nike Air Max Plus Italia . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Air Max 97 In Saldo .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. If Tom Brady woke up Saturday morning in desperate need of good news, this bulletin might qualify: His big-game loss to Roger Goodell wont dramatically impact his historical standing in pro football any more than his two big-game losses to Eli Manning did.Brady can still go down as the greatest quarterback -- maybe the greatest player -- in NFL history. His Deflategate sin belongs in the venial basket, at a safe distance from the mortal sports sins committed by the likes of Pete Rose, Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong.In other words, his Friday surrender wont make it into the first paragraph of his obituary decades down the road. That obit will surely include Bradys four-game suspension for his alleged involvement in the deflation of footballs the New England Patriots used in the AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts two seasons ago, but the misdemeanor crime and punishment wont shape the story of Bradys football life. This weekend, it only seems that way.Though coaches often say there are no losers in tight, hard-fought games, there were clearly no winners in this one, Goodell included. The commissioner mightve had his near-absolute authority notarized, but he cant possibly believe this 18-month debacle served what hes highly paid to protect -- the best interests of his league. Deflategate was a four-ring circus that effectively and mercifully ended when Brady decided his pursuit of a record fifth Super Bowl ring could be compromised if he won a temporary stay of his suspension while trying to take his case to the Supreme Court.The timing was too perilous to mess with. Understanding that his backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, can go 2-2 or 3-1 for a man, Bill Belichick, who once coached Matt Cassel to an 11-5 season, Brady made like Belichick at the coin toss and deferred. He was on to Cleveland, Week 5. Patriots owner Robert Kraft blasted the NFLs investigation, again, and those voices subscribing to the Ideal Gas Law reminded all that the leagues conclusions had crumbled under the weight of scientific scrutiny.But if the NFLs science really was junk, the circumstantial evidence was not. Most agenda-free observers thought it wouldve been wise long ago for Brady to make an admission of some kind and accept a lesser punishment, but the quarterback refused to take that snap and drop to a knee. He raged against Goodells system for as long as he could stomach the fight, then took the loss. Brady thanked every supporter in his Facebook concession speech except Richard M. Berman, the U.S. District Court judge who tried and failed to free him.The 2016 Patriots will be fine because the Patriots are always fine in the AFC East of the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills?and?New York Jets. Ever since Brady became a starter early in the 2001 sseason, one quarterback other than Brady -- one -- has managed to win an AFC East title (Chad Pennington did it for the 2002 Jets, and for the 2008 Dolphins, who won after Brady went down for the season in Week 1).dddddddddddd Go ahead and look around the division. Nothing much has changed. Ryan Tannehill, Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Fitzpatrick/Geno Smith for 16 games still isnt nearly as good as Tom Brady for 12.So the short-term damage will be minimal. Garoppolo looks pretty good for a backup, and now the Patriots will get a valuable four-game look at Bradys potential successor after the benched franchise player turns 39 (on Aug. 3).Long term? Now were talking about the L-word -- legacy -- and whether Deflategate will stick to Bradys. The quarterback didnt get caught using performance-enhancing drugs, and didnt get busted for gambling on his sport. He did allegedly know his equipment guys were tampering with those game balls, and he did ditch a cell phone that investigators wanted to view. One of the two 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges who would overturn Bermans ruling and uphold Bradys suspension, Denny Chin, said there was compelling evidence that the quarterback knew about [improper ball deflation], consented to it, encouraged it. The other judge, Barrington Parker, said Bradys explanation for why he destroyed his phone made no sense whatsoever.Brady badly hurt his own cause, and so this dark Deflategate comedy will forever remain a part of his career. But on truth serum, even the most narrow-minded Jets fans would admit that Brady became the dominant player of his generation by outplaying, outworking and outsmarting opponents, and not by cheating. Of course, the second half of that AFC Championship Game would be their Exhibit A.In the end, Brady can surpass Joe Montana (and Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning) as the presumed greatest quarterback ever, and compete with Jim Brown, Jerry Rice and Lawrence Taylor for the unofficial title of greatest all-time player. One more championship, as Brady closes hard on his 40th birthday, would make for a stronger oral argument than any made on his behalf in the courtroom.Meanwhile, as Goodell does his end zone dance, Brady can find some comfort in the notion that he will recover from Deflategate, just as he recovered from those deflating Super Bowl losses to Eli and the Giants. Hell just need a little time to heal, a little room to breathe. This surreal case hurt him, no question, but it didnt destroy him or severely diminish him.More than anything, it reminded starstruck fans that nobody is perfect, not even a dimpled four-time champ with a supermodel wife. ' ' '