lucylily's blog: "ght"

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady and the New England Patriots made it to the AFC championship game with a high-powered offence that piled up points and yards. Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens got there with a hard-hitting defence that made it a major challenge for opponents to move the ball. On Sunday, one of those teams will advance to the Super Bowl because, most likely, of what they do best. "Weve got our hands full this week," Lewis said. "You watched what they did last week against Denver, just the way they came out and ran their offence, how efficient (Brady) was, how many different receivers he hit with the ball. I think their offence, period, is playing at a very high level." From start to finish, Brady picked apart the Denver defence in a 45-10 divisional playoff win. The Patriots (14-3) needed five plays to score on their first series on Bradys 7-yard pass to Wes Welker. It took them seven plays to reach the end zone on their second series on Bradys 10-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski. By halftime, Brady had thrown five of his six touchdown passes. He had plenty of time to survey the field as the Broncos put little pressure on him. The Ravens dont plan to let that happen. "You dont want him back there just like, Oh, were just going to play catch today," Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "You dont want him to zone in, get in his zone, so to say. So I think pressure is going to be crucial, but its always crucial. But, particularly when you are playing these type of quarterbacks, its pivotal." Bradys regular season was exceptional, even by his lofty standards. He threw for 5,235 yards, second most in NFL history, with 39 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and the leagues third best quarterback rating of 105.6, behind only Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. The Patriots, with Welker and Gronkowski doing most of the damage, were second in the NFL with 428 yards per game and third with an average of 32.1 points. "Its a very clever offence," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "Its well put together." Just like the Ravens defence. Baltimore (13-4) allowed the third fewest average yards, 288.9, and points, 16.6, this season. It had four takeaways in last Sundays 20-13 divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans, the last by Ed Reed with 1:51 left. Lewis had a team-high seven tackles. "Theyre great players. Ive played against both those guys quite a few times," Brady said. "You always enjoy going up against the best because you can really measure where youre at. You cant take plays off against those guys. You cant take things for granted when youre out there against them. You have to see where theyre at on every play because theyre guys who change the game." And dont forget Suggs. He led the AFC with 14 sacks, and, with Lewis and Reed were picked as Pro Bowl starters this season. The Ravens have a "very attacking type defence," Welker said. "Theyre very physical. They run to the football really well. They rush well, cover well, tackle well across the board. They have a lot of great players and a lot of playmakers." But they havent faced a passing attack with the weapons the Patriots have. Welker led the NFL with 122 catches and 1,569 yards receiving. Gronkowski was fifth with 90 catches and set an NFL record of 17 touchdown catches by a tight end. And Aaron Hernandez, a tight end who often lines up at wide receiver and had a 43-yard run out of the backfield against Denver, was 14th with 79 receptions. "They are not your typical offence," Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson said. "Theyll give you a personnel group and line up nowhere close to what you think they are going to do. You just have to roll with it and know whats coming and adapt to it. "Thats why communication in these games is so vital and not going crazy and overthinking things -- just getting lined up and playing -- because you can get anything. You dont know what youre going to get." The last playoff game between the teams two years ago was a huge surprise with the Ravens offence dominating. Ray Rice scored on an 83-yard run on the first offensive play and Brady threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the first quarter. The Ravens took a 24-0 lead into the second and won 33-14. "We dont really care too much about whats happened in the past. Weve won some, weve lost some, but right now this team is focused with the Ravens," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Thats really all that matters. I dont think some game that happened two years ago or five years ago or anything else, I dont think that really has an effect on this game." The home crowd could have a big effect. The fans were very loud last Saturday. And the Ravens are 4-4 on the road. "Anytime you go into a road playoff game, you know it is going to present its challenges in dealing with the crowd noise and things like that," Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco said. "We play a lot of good teams that have great crowds. It definitely prepares us for something like this. "You can let that have a positive effect for the home team. I think you have to do something mentally that was not very sharp in order to let that be a factor." There will be much bigger factors that determine the outcome of the game. The Big Two: the Ravens defence and the Patriots offence. "When you do watch how the games are played, nine times out of 10, I just truly believe defence is going to find a way to win the championship," Lewis said. "You can go back however many years you want to go back, and defences have a way to come out to make a play that changes the outcome of games." Unless, of course, youre facing Brady. "I try to be the best I can be every week," he said. "I dont think long-term too often, especially in weeks like this." Doug Martin Pink Jersey . -- Seattles Eddie Johnson and Los Angeles Juninho traded first-half goals and the Sounders and Galaxy settled for a 1-1 draw Saturday night. Dekoda Watson Jersey . -- While Kevin Durant couldnt help but joke a bit about Thunder teammate Russell Westbrooks outburst in the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers, putting away games is all part of Oklahoma Citys groundwork for the playoffs. http://www.officialbuccaneersnfl.com/authentic-dashon-goldson-jersey-womens.html . -- Wide receiver Donald Driver is hinting he has a deal in place to return to the Green Bay Packers. Womens Doug Martin Jersey . Rodney Stuckey scored 25 points and Greg Monroe added 18 points for the Pistons, who have not beaten Chicago since Dec. 23, 2008. The Bulls rallied from a 13-point deficit to tie the score 78-all with 9:27 remaining on Butlers dunk after a steal. Vincent Jackson Jersey . Chiarelli and Thomas confirmed last month that the Stanley Cup-winning netminder was not playing in 2012-13. Thomas has one year left on his current deal, which carries a $5 million cap hit for the 2012-13 season.TSN.cas MMA staff, including John Pollock - TSN Radio 1050 (@iamjohnpollock), James Lynch - TSN.ca (@lynchonsports), and Jordan Cieciwa - TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan), take a look at some of the hottest issues in the world of mixed martial arts. 1) Did Dan Henderson deserve a victory at UFC 157 against Lyoto Machida? JC - If you go by cage control and pushing the pace, Yes! Significant strikes were Machidas. The counter striker and the decision win is in my opinion one of the toughest debates. Dan Henderson pushed the pace, brought the fight and was penalized because he is the slower tougher fighter. He got punched in the head and lost points, but was never in danger. Machida never threatened, and he also never wobbled Henderson with any of his strikes. So here is my question: Why did he get the win? Cage control was Hendersons, and aggression was Hendersons. He had more strikes because he is faster. If it had not been for Hendo, the two would have stood there staring at each other. Good counter punchers are impressive to watch, but if the fight is as close as this one, they cant be given the win. In my opinion it takes way more skill to be a counter puncher, and I am not taking anything away from Machida, he is a dangerous fighter. However, he didnt win this fight, he just didnt lose. Dan Henderson should have been awarded for his aggressive fighting behavior. Pollock - I found all three rounds close enough that if you want to debate them that is fine but to go to the extreme that it was a “robbery” or that it was clearly Hendersons fight than I think youre stretching. I scored it 29-28 for Machida. I thought it was a terrible fight and a performance that didnt position Machida in a light where you can feel confident that he gets that next title shot if Alexander Gustafsson impresses on April 6th and wins in spectacular fashion. I can appreciate the speed and elusiveness of Machida, but you dont win rounds for avoidance and Machida did just enough to win. Some will applaud his ability to take the least amount of damage, but its not a pleasing style and has to digest criticism when you compromise action for results. Lynch - While I can agree Henderson made this a street fight and Machida turned it into a track meet, based on the current standard of MMA judging, the Team Quest captain didnt deserve the victory. Its unfortunate, because Im firm believer in points being awarded for the aggressor in the fight. Weve seen this scenario before at UFC 143 when Nick Diaz lost a decision to Carlos Condit. The Stockton native was pushing the pace and being the aggressor in the fight, but Condit won based off takedowns and less damage taken. Pundits argued that a defensive strategy is a factor when awarding a fighter points. Machidas elusiveness paid off once again and left many fans disappointed with the current rules in place. Im a huge Hendo fan (I even picked him to win this fight), but until athletic commissions come to their senses about a fighters willingness to engage (and push the fight), then Im going to continue to agree that a guy like Machida deserves the victory. 2) Biggest fall from grace recently - Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck or King (Muhammed) Lawal? Pollock - Easily Fitch, who goes from making a six-figure salary when you figure in a win bonus and fighting for the UFC to fighting in front of 200,000 people on NBC Sports Network for World Series of Fighting. In the case of Lawal, he got caught, but is still going to be promoted within Bellator as one of their marquee light heavyweights because he is a name people are familiar with. There are loads of examples of guys losing and even being knocked out in spectacular fashion, who havent suffered any losses as a draw. Whether it be Chuck Liddell, who was an attraction up until his final fight or extreme examples like Kimbo Slice being knocked out by Seth Petruzelli and parlaying that loss into a stint on TUF, which was the highest rated season in the shows history. Lawal will draw with the right opponents and you have an easy rematch if Newton doesnt win the tournament. Josh Koscheck is 35-years old and seems to be in the twilight stage as an effective welterweight, but as an alumni of TUF Season 1 I dont see him being released. Lynch - Despite the fact that Koscheck and King Mo were both recently upset in the first round, my pick is Fitch because hes currently unemployed (although it should be noted hell probably sign with WSOF soon). The AKA fighter was surprisingly released by the UFC and doesnt exactly have a fan friendly style that will make him marketable.dddddddddddd Bellator decided to take a pass on the former UFC title challenger mostly likely for this reason. Aside from an exciting win over Erik Silva at UFC 153, Fitch has delivered typical decision victories where fans have berated him for laying and praying on his opponents. Koscheck and King Mo still have the opportunity to rebound back to glory in their respective promotions. Even if Fitch signs with WSOF, he wont have the same platform and its much harder to move up in the ladder when youre fighting in the minor leagues, especially at his age. JC - My heart broke when I read the news that Fitch had been cut. I fully understand the decision from a fan favorite stand point, he isnt exactly entertaining. The fact still remains, he is a massive talent. My hope is Fitch doesnt remove himself from the sport. He has the ability to pass on one of the games best MMA wrestling strategies. If an athlete could learn from him, and add a more aggressive submission game, GSP could have a real rival. As for King Mo, its not as heart breaking. He tested positive for a banned substance, that means he cheated. I was always told cheaters never win, so I am happy when they get passed over by the big shows. From talking with referees in the sport, Koscheck isnt loved by them for his constant "diving" during fights. In a sport where serious injury can come from a "no call" its important that Refs know an athlete isnt trying to get a cheap win. Koscheck has slid way down the ranks and is now starting cards instead of headlining. At least he hasnt cheated or bored fans for years. He has the best chance to recover his former glory. Definately Fitch wins this, hes being punished for winning boring. He is the fall guy to make sure athletes keep it interesting. The only good to come from this, guys will get the message. No one is safe from the UFC axe, if you are boring, you are gone. 3) Should the UFC pursue Gina Carano? Pollock - If Carano were willing to fight again you would be a fool not to bring her back. In fact, Carano could serve as a catalyst for the UFC to start promoting 145-pound womens fighters. Obviously the dream match is Carano vs. Ronda Rousey, which is the fight I would work hardest to promote even in the case of a catch-weight bout because its a fight that eclipses a championship title and would be huge if promoted on the UFC platform. On the other side is Carano and I would see little incentive on her part in this stage of her life to want to go back and fight especially against someone the caliber of Rousey. Its not a career move Carano needs to make but the door is open and there is no way the UFC doesnt answer if she knocks on that door. Lynch - Absolutely! Dana White was coy at the UFC 157 presser saying “Im not going to pursue her” but I think hes missing out on a huge marketing opportunity by not doing so. Im not suggesting womens MMA (in the UFC) has to survive based on attractive women fighting, but it certainly would help. Without sounding sexist (beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course), but to the average fan there isnt a pool of attractive women fighting MMA at a high level. Carano fought at a high level in Strikeforce and obviously used that as a platform to get her current gig (of being a movie actress). There are obviously two big roadblocks from this happening of course. The first is that the money isnt comparable between acting and MMA. The second is that Carano fights at 145-pounds and the current champ Rousey fights at 135-pounds. The solution? White should court her like a scene from Sixteen Candles, with determination and persistence. Then throw “Alistair Overeem money” her way, make a catch-weight superfight against Rousey and air the event for free on FOX. It would be the biggest Womens fight in MMA history, mark my words! JC - Anyone seen a stellar performance from Rampage Jackson these days? No? Its because his heart is in Hollywood, and who can blame him. Gina is the same way. I am proud of Rampage, sort of. If he had stayed out of the cage once he went to Hollywood it would have been brilliant. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, leave your sport and pursue the limelight in tinsel town. If Carano, and the UFC are smart, Carano stays retired. Once you get soft from the bright lights, its hard to come back to be the best. Lets worry less about bringing Carano back, and worry more about whos coming up! ' ' '