Giteau contemplates French move

Australian playmaker Matt Giteau is on the verge of a big-money move to a French side, according to his club.

The Brumbies are resigned to losing their captain after approaches by two teams, believed to be Toulon and Bayonne, to sign the 28-year-old.

The highest paid player in Australia indicated his willingness to move after the 2011 World Cup last year and Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan has suggested the move is imminent.

He said: “I think [Giteau signing] will happen sooner rather than later and that’s a good thing from our perspective….Not for my own peace of mind, but for the Brumbies so it’s not a distraction and we can just concentrate on this 2011 season.”

Giteau rose to prominence after making his debut for the Wallabies in 2002 and was named as the replacement for Stephen Larkham for Australia at fly-half when he retired in 2008.

The Brumbies captain has more recently been deployed at centre for the national side but lost his shirt to Berrick Barnes and will hope a move will help him regain the position.

The Brumbies have indicated the Predator RX TRX wearer will remain captain for the pre-season trial games games ahead of the Super Rugby competition which begins in February.

Wilkinson’s new deal puts England future in doubt

England’s new dawn, the phoenix from the ashes of the 2003 World Cup victory to the promising results and performances of the Autumn Internationals has been compromised from within – and put’s the future of the golden boy of that World Cup victory in doubt.

Jonny Wilkinson’s signing of a new two year extension to his contract with French club Toulon puts the fly-half at odds with the RFU’s newly adopted policy of only selecting domestic based players, meaning he is unlikely to be wearing a Rugby World Cup Shirt next year.

James Haskell and Tom Palmer are also squarely in the sights of the RFU’s new selection policy, but it’s Jonny Wilkinson who will prove to be the acid test of the RFU’s Chief Executive John Steele new and controversial approach.

Steele’s letter to players and their representatives proposes that from the 2011 World Cup onwards, any England player would be jeopardising their future careers by playing abroad. The divisive move has already prompted questions over legality from the Rugby Players’ Association chief executive Damian Hopley, but also leaves Martin Johnson and his team under serious scrutiny. The central contract system, and the elite player program muddies the water further, and the RFU’s action has now threatened the future careers of several English players.

The national side’s domestic-only policy has been an issue since releasing players from their French clubs coincided with England Training sessions – James Haskell’s club Stade Francais refused to allow him to play in the the crucial 6 Nations game against France in March before a compromise was reached. Wilkinson’s move to Toulon in 2009 revitalised the former Newcastle star, and after recovering from a spate of well publicised injuries following the 2003 World Cup, has forced himself back into contention with Martin Johnson’s resurgent England team.

Other forays abroad from fellow internationals such as Andy Goode have proved relatively unsuccessful, and although the age of Haskell and Palmer all but rule them out of selection for the 2015 World Cup, it is Wilkinson’s form and past record  which could prove to be the undoing of the RFU’s self-imposed rule. The French leagues offer an attractive proposal of higher wages without a cap and sunnier climes to England’s young stars, and with the likes of prop Andrew Sheridan already being courted by French Top-14 clubs the problem could soon reach boiling point. The caveat of “exceptional circumstances “ is  included in the statement, but any selection of an overseas player after the 2011 World Cup would seriously undermine the authority of the RFU and compromise their position.

The RFU have laid their cards on the table, and squared up to some of England’s top players. Although Steele is trying to protect the national side, the damage it may be doing could do the exact opposite. With the potential of more of England’s top stars moving abroad to join the French rugby revolution, Wilkinson’s decision to sign a new contract has called Steele and the RFU to back up their words with actions, and who blinks first is anyone’s guess.

McGeechan backs Gatland for Wales

Former British and Irish Lions coach Ian McGeechan has shown his support to Wales boss Warren Gatland and backed the decision for him to remain in the role until at least the 2015 World Cup.

Gatland’s deal was extended by four years not so long ago, but since then, the team has gone on a winless streak during the autumn internationals and some have questioned the future of the Wales boss.

McGeechan  – who had Gatland as his assistant in the 2009 Lions tour – is convinced that Wales aren’t too far behind the top nations though and believes that stability should be shown in order for Wales to be one of the front runners come the 2015 World Cup.

He said: “The teams that are most effective are the ones with the stable management and stable coach. So I think going forward with that management team and what the players want and the direction, I think it makes huge sense.”

As for the performances shown by the team of late, McGeechan says he has seen more than enough to suggest good times are ahead for Gatland and all of those in a Welsh Rugby Shirt.

Referring to one game in particular, he said: “I think particularly against the All Blacks, I thought that was the outstanding Welsh performance. The defence, the commitment and the rugby was, I would think, very encouraging from a Welsh point of view.”

There does need to be improvements though and Wales need to turn encouraging performances into victories should they want to succeed in the Six Nations or the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

WEEK 12 NFL PICKS

by Darren Walsh

All sixteen teams played last week, and I achieved a decent 11-5 record; not really an improvement from before but still better than most of the other NFL experts. Once again, all sixteen are on, no bye weeks for anyone anymore.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh played Thursday, with the Steelers winning 27-10. Since I was favouring the Steelers, it’s a 1-0 start to the week.

Onto Sunday’s games, and while they may have been a surprise team last year, everyone was ready for the Cleveland Browns this season. Their Pro Bowl quarterback was benched for the last two games, but now Derek Anderson is back due to an injured Brady Quinn. I’d like to think Anderson was involved somehow; maybe running him over or taking a bat to his legs. Anyway, they’re at home to the Houston Texans, who also had high expectations but have fallen short, mainly due to horrendous mistakes in the fourth quarter. Sage Rosenfals; I’m looking at you. Looking at the records, the Browns have only one win at home, surprisingly against the Giants, while the Texans are winless away. I’ll take the Browns to win, but only just, and relying on poor Texans play.

So the Dallas Cowboys got back on track last week, and with a few injuries clearing up should make a push in the NFC. They have a traditional match up this week against the San Francisco 49ers, who may have won last week but it’ll take something special to win this time. Coach Mike Singeltary seems an interesting character; after him being miked up during a previous game I can safely say he’s not a man you want to cross. But all the angry in the world won’t be enough here.

When can a team be 7-3 and still be considered a seven point favourite on the road? When the playing the Detroit Lions of course. Tampa Bay are looking pretty good in their division, tucked in between the 8-2 Panthers and the 6-4 Falcons. They did a good job against the Vikings last week; their defense will have a field day in Ford Field.

The New York Jets are a team I have derided for being too inconsistent, but they look to be curing that now. After a very impressive win in New England, they now have a shot at the unbeaten Tennessee Titans. 10-0 is a pretty good record for a team that was unsettled at QB, no decent wide receivers and no established running back. As for the game, either Brett Favre dons his Superman cape and wills the Jets to victory, or he throws the ball everywhere and ends up with three interceptions. I’ll take the latter and the Titans keep on truckin’.

I’ll admit that I believed in the Buffalo Bills at the start of the season, and sure enough they were proving me right for a while. Now they’re falling further by the week, and while it’s still not too late to make another push, the three other teams in the AFC East have hit form. Surely they can beat the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been playing better in the last few weeks but still have only one win. Strange to think the Bills can be 6-5 after this and be at the bottom of the division.

The Chicago Bears were embarrassed last week against the Packers, and should have a reaction when playing the St Louis Rams. I thought the Rams might be good enough to beat the 49ers; I was wrong. While the Bears are a shadow of two years ago, they have enough in them to beat the 2-8 Rams.

The New England were 16-0 at the end of the 2007 regular season, the Miami Dolphins were 1-15. At the moment they’re both 6-4. Only in the NFL could this happen. And the Dolphins are favourites for this, amazing. Not that I’m picking them, as the Pats are the best in the league at recovering from a loss.

I believe some pundits predicted this as a possible Superbowl match up; instead the Minnesota Vikings are hanging in at 5-5, while the Jacksonville Jaguars are 4-6. Expect a lot of rushing attempts from both teams, and maybe each defense to let them. The Jags keep letting my predictions down, so I’m taking Adrian Peterson to knock them out.

Talking of Superbowl picks, the Philadelphia Eagles were talked about; now they’re looking at the bottom of the NFC East. A measly thirteen points were scored against the Bengals; now we’re facing the Baltimore Ravens who were ran over against the Giants. Obviously the Eagles can’t do the same gameplan, so I’m breaking my own rule and going for the Ravens. I can’t see how we stop the run or manage to score without at least a couple of turnovers.

Just as the Denver Broncos look to be falling away, they have managed to right themselves with two away wins. Now they have it easy against the Oakland Raiders. It’s a sure-fire win for the Broncos, as they set themselves up for tougher tests.

All divisional games are important, but this one can shape a season, as the leading Carolina Panthers go to Atlanta. If the Falcons win, they’ll close the gap and leave the division a three horse race, as Tampa Bay can level it with a win. As much as I like the Panthers, I think the Falcons will pull it out. The NFC South aint a joke. Only the Saints are.

The 9-1 New York Giants are generally regarded as the best team around right now, but I think they face a stern test against the Arizona Cardinals. That would have been a joke for the last 20 years, but now the Cards have just about won the NFC West. It’s surprising that the Giants are seven point favourites against a 7-3 team that are unbeaten at home; I’ll still take them to win but it won’t be easy.

As the Cardinals have risen, the Seattle Seahawks have collapsed. Of course it’s mainly due to injuries, but they should still have more than two wins. The Washington Redskins are trying to stay in contention in the NFC East; a safe mistake free game will see them through here.

The final game of Sunday is a rematch of last years playoff game, as the Indianapolis Colts are in San Diego. The Colts are slowly getting back to form; they should continue that here, as the Chargers have disappointed all season. They do seem to step up against the best teams, but I don’t see it happening here.

Finally, Monday night sees the Green Bay Packers against the New Orleans Saints; both 5-5 and desperate for a win. The difference is that the Packers have an easier division, while the Saints are bringing up the rear in theirs. I expect a high scoring, back and forth game, with the Saints improving their 4-1 home record.

WEEK 11 NFL PICKS

By Darren Walsh

Once again, I make the 10-win mark, with only four predictions going awry.  Obviously I got the Eagles wrong, while the Colts won in Heinz Field for the first time in 40 years.  Hopefully I can get over the 10-win hump this week.

 

We’ll start with a game already played, as the New York Jets marched into New England and beat the Patriots in overtime, 34-31.  A huge win, which puts them at the top of the AFC East.  Maybe they’re hitting form at the right time, as the slumping Buffalo Bills have relinquished their once sizable lead.  All I know is I wouldn’t have picked them to win; this goes down as a failed prediction on the official register.

 

So onto Sunday’s games, and we’ll start with Denver at Atlanta.  The Broncos got a much-needed win in Cleveland last week, but their defense is still doing their darndest to lose the games for them.  Luckily QB Jay Cutler is playing out of his mind, as he broke the single game record for most passing yards in team history, a whopping 447.  However, while only half the team playing well was enough last week, it’s fairly likely it won’t be this time, as they’re playing the Falcons, who are unbeaten at home.  All the parts are clicking for them, and they’ll get to seven wins this week.  Honestly, at the start of the season, I didn’t think they’d get seven wins within two years.

 

An old saying is that football is a game of inches, and that is being proved in Philadelphia right now.  At least two of our games have been lost because of the inability to move the ball six inches, most recently against the Giants last week.  That is why the Eagles are 5-4, and have lost hope of top spot in the division.  The best they can now hope for is second, and while it remains to be seen whether we’ll do it, a win in Cincinnati is a must.  The Bengals have one win all season, and are a total train wreck.  The Eagles should win easily, and need a run of wins after this.

 

The Chicago Bears are in much the same situation as the Eagles, but they’ve got it tougher this week as they head to hallowed Lambeau Field.  The Green Bay Packers are waiting for them, and are only one game behind them in the standings.  While the Bears showed how good they are at stopping the run last week, they’re the worst in the league against the pass; Aaron Rodgers will carve them up, and the Packers will get back to .500.

 

Another divisional game is the Houston Texans at Indianapolis, where the Colts seem to be hitting form.  They had a mighty impressive win in Pittsburgh, and should roll over the Texans, who are missing their starting QB and are winless on the road.  It’s too late for the Colts to win the division, but they should take second spot with a few more wins.

 

The New Orleans Saints are such an up and down team, as evidenced by their winless away record.  They collapsed last week and while they’re playing the one win Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, it’s hard to back them with any confidence.  They’ve got the offense, but their defense is horrific and leaking points from everywhere.  On the other hand, who’s backing the Chiefs?  I’ll take the Saints to scrape a win, probably high scoring too.

 

Maybe the second most surprising team after the Falcons are the Miami Dolphins, who are 5-4 and right in their division mix.  Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are piling up rushing yards, and even Chad Pennington, he of the weak arm, is throwing flea flickers.  They should make it six wins against the Oakland Raiders, who everyone has given up on.

 

A team quietly moving up the standings are the Baltimore Ravens, with unheralded rookie QB Joe Flacco doing a decent job for them.  They’re now level with the division leading Steelers, but I think they’re going to have to wait to overtake them, because they’re playing the best team around in the New York Giants.  It seems the G-Men have the NFC East all tied up, they’ll emphasise it with a win here.

 

A match I’m intrigued by is the Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay, where the Vikes are coming off a rousing win over the Packers, and the Bucs are still unbeaten at home.  It’ll be tight, but I reckon the Bucs may just neutralize Adrian Petersen enough to get the win, and just about generate enough offense themselves to win; the usual Tampa Bay formula.

 

So the Detroit Lions are still winless, and now they play the 7-2 Carolina Panthers, who are also unbeaten at home.  Show those stats to any person and there’s only one team they’ll pick.  From looking at the remaining schedule, I don’t see where a Lions win is coming from.

 

While picking a team with a record that is twice better tan their opponent is easy, who do you pick when both teams only have two wins each?  The St Louis Rams showed a flicker of light a few weeks ago, but since then it’s gone back to the norm, culminating in a 47-3 decapitation last week.  The only reason I’m picking them to win is that they may be embarrassed enough to play better this week, and also that at least they’ve shown they can be competent playing football; the San Francisco 49ers haven’t even done that.

 

What a difference a year or two can make; now the Arizona Cardinals are out on their own at the top of the NFC West, and are surely heading for the playoffs.  This week, they in Seattle, against the team that made the division title their own for three years in a row.  However, injuries have put paid to that, and the Cards have stepped in.  They’ll reinforce their superiority here, even with QB Matt Hasselbeck returning for the Seahawks.

 

Talking of differences, the Tennessee Titans have spent the last few years looking up at the Colts, and also the Jacksonville Jaguars who normally take second spot in the AFC South.  Now the Titans are looking down on all of them, and all of the NFL as the only unbeaten team.  How the Jags have gone from contenders to also-rans is beyond me, but only winning one game out of four at home never helps.  The Titans will be tested here, but they’ll crawl past; it’s what they do.

 

Talking of teams that were considered Superbowl contenders, the San Diego Chargers are stumbling around, just about keeping themselves in range.  They even had trouble with the Chiefs last week, and I fully expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to deal with them here.  They’ll be stung after losing at home, and will get back on track with a win here.

 

The final game of Sunday is an NFC East battle, with the Dallas Cowboys looking for revenge against the Washington Redskins.  QB Tony Romo is coming back from injury to bolster the troops, and they most certainly need him if they are going to move level with the Redskins in the standings and avenge the Redskins win in Texas Stadium a few weeks ago.  If the Cowboys win along with the Eagles this week, there’ll be a three-way tie in the division; let’s go for that.

 

Finally, Monday night sees the Cleveland Browns in Buffalo to play the Bills.  To be honest, the Browns are now out of contention, while this game is a must win for the Bills.  If they don’t, their rivals will move further away from them and what looked like a promising season a few weeks ago will go down the shoot.  I have to back them though; Browns QB Brady Quinn is only playing his second game and the Bills have only lost one game at home.

 

NFL PREVIEW WEEK 10

As the saying goes, I’m nothing if not consistent; with a 9-5 record from last weeks games. Of those five losses, I don’t think anyone would have predicted a Cincinnati win, and Miami winning in Denver was quite a surprise too. So onwards we go….

The reason this is posted so early in the week is because of tonight’s game, where the Denver Broncos say “HELLO CLEVELAND!!” as they take on the Browns. The Broncos started off the season pretty well, especially on offense, but it’s all starting to fall apart now. Their defense is porous and the offense has slowed down considerably. At least QB Jay Cutler can feel safe in his job; the Browns have grown tired of Derek Anderson’s inconsistency and handed the reins to greenhorn QB Brady Quinn. This’ll be his first start since being drafted, and to be fair, it’s not a bad team to start against. It could have been the Ravens or Steelers defense, but instead, he should settle in comfortably and I reckon steer the Browns to a win.

So onto Sunday’s games, and the divisional games this week really stand out, none more so than New Orleans at the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints saved their season with a win against the Chargers and rested during their bye week. Now they’ve got to make a push, because their division may be the toughest in football. One reason for that is the unheralded play of the Falcons. Thought of as a team before the season that might win only two games, they’re now 5-3, and their rookie quarterback is being mentioned as a possible MVP. God, I love football. Falcons fans will love it even more when they win this and put the pressure on the Panther and Buccaneers.

We still have one unbeaten team left this season, and while the 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2007 New England Patriots won’t feel threatened yet, the Tennessee Titans are knocking down each challenge put in front of them. Their winning of the division is just about wrapped up, but one week after winning at Lambeau Field, they now have to go to Chicago and face a top defense. The Titans may have had a lot taken out of them last week, but with Bears QB Kyle Orton on a dodgy ankle, I think the Titans defense won’t be tested and their offense will get just enough points to win.

Oh Jacksonville, what are you doing?? They played so well last year and looked like a contender for the Superbowl. Instead they can’t string two wins together and even lost to the winless Bengals last week. If that doesn’t give them a wake up call, I don’t know what will. They can still drop even further however, as they play the only team left without a win; the Detroit Lions. Surely they can’t mess up here as well? Can they?? You made me look stupid last week lads, don’t do it again.

Talking about bad teams, the Miami Dolphins won one game last year. They’ve already quadrupled that this year, and find themselves still in the race in their division. I have to admit they’re not a team I often pick to win a match, but against the injury riddled Seattle Seahawks, they should control the game.

Here’s another of those divisional games, and there’s a healthy dislike in the air as Green Bay are in Minnesota. They’ve never been the best of friends, but after the Vikings tried to steal away Brett Favre, even the executives want to beat each other about the head. However they’ll have to leave it to the players to do the hitting, and I think the Vikings do more and get the win.

Continuing on the same theme, the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots meet in a vital divisional scrap. While the Bills have had a good start to the season, they played their first two division games in the last two weeks, and lost them both. That just won’t do, and now they meet the traditional powerhouse of the four team, the Pats. Even without Tom Brady, they stand at 5-4 and should be 6-3 after letting the Colts off the hook last week. If the Bills wanted to win this division, they really needed to stamp their authority on the Jets and Dolphins; they haven’t and I think the Pats win this to move closer to the top.

The conquerors of the Bills last week; the New York Jets look to shake off the inconsistent tag and win a few games in a row. They’re up against another team that’s difficult to predict in the St Louis Rams. I don’t really have much confidence in the Jets, but as it’s a home game I’ll pick them. It’s no surefire win though.

Talking of unpredictable, the Baltimore Ravens seem to just put on a sprint when people are writing them off. They’re now at 5-3 and well in the playoff race. As for their opponents the Houston Texans, they’ve been good and bad in equal measure, but now QB Matt Schaub is out for a few weeks; I don’t think they can recover from that. The Ravens can continue their good form and put the pressure on the Steelers in their division.

I’m still picking the Carolina Panthers to win their division, even with the Bucs and Falcons tearing the NFL up, and they should record an easy win against the Oakland Raiders. If the Falcons can shut the Raiders out, I’d imagine the Panthers to do much of the same.

Now this may be the best non-divisional game of the weekend, as the Indianapolis Colts try to stay in contention and play one of the best in the AFC; the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts can move to 5-4 here, but Peyton Manning has always had trouble with the Steeler’s blitzes. On the other side, if Byron Leftwich plays, the Colts know all about him from his Jaguar’s days. Yes, the Colts are improving, but they’re up against an in form team here. Whether it counts as an upset I don’t know, but the Steelers win.

The San Diego Chargers have had two weeks to recover from their London trip, now it’s back to business. It’s not looking good for them overall in the standings, but they should surely win against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers have also brought in a new defensive coordinator, and they need it. If he can make at least a marginal improvement over the remaining games, the offense should take care of the rest.

The final game of Sunday should be a classic, as the consensus best team in the league march into Philadelphia. The New York Giants just haven’t let up like most championship winning teams, with only one loss so far. This is a big test though, with the Eagles on a three game win streak and trying to stay in touch in the division. The Eagles will give it everything, and I think they’ll win in a close one. Who wins the overall war remains to be seen.

Finally, what looked like a possible top of the division clash at the beginning of the season, with the San Francisco 49ers at the Arizona Cardinals. Only one team has delivered on their promise, as the Cards are well in front and surely will be NFC West champion. The 49er have changed coaches but nothing changed in Mike Singeltary’s first game. It won’t change here either; the Cardinals continue their march towards the top.

WEEK 9 NFL PICKS

by Darren Walsh

Every week on www.walshsportsblog.com , I predict the winner of each NFL game. With a 63% success rate from last season, I’d like to think I have a decent knowledge of the game, although if I could reach anywhere near 70% I think I’d be a confirmed genius:)

After a midseason lull, I’m back on form with a 10-4 record from last week’s games. We’re now moving into the second half of the season, so this is when the best teams/analysts step up.

We’ll start with the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, where the Jets continue to confound. They’ve already won as many games as they did all last year, but with QB Brett Favre joining the team, expectations became much higher than pootling along with a 4-3 record. They just about managed to overcome a poor Kansas City Chiefs team last week, they’ll have to step it up this week and the division leading Bills. The Bills lost against the Miami Dolphins to go to 5-2. With the Patriots starting to find form, they need to win this and stave off the threat. Which I think they will, the Jets are just too inconsistent for me to back them.

Another divisional battle is the winless (still saying that after 8 weeks) Detroit Lions at the Chicago Bears. Of course this year is now a wash for the Lions, with nothing to do but look to next year and the hope that comes with the annual college draft. As for the Bears, they’re doing better than anyone thought thy would, mainly due to QB Kyle Orten taking over for Rex Grossman and doing a bang-up job. They’re 4-3, which is good enough to contend in the NFC North, imagine the ignominy if they lose this. Frankly I don’t know where the first win is coming from for the Lions; the Bears defence might even hold them to zero points.

The only other winless team; the Cincinnati Bengals, are at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals have a lot more talent than the Lions, but ill disciplined and injured players have been the cause of this nightmare of a season. Meanwhile, the Jaguars were a consensus pick to be in the Superbowl mix this year; instead they’ve been inconsistent and lost at home to the Cleveland Browns last week. I expect them to play with a sense of urgency this time and get the win. Much like the Lions, who will predict a Bengals win?

A pivotal match-up in the AFC North here, as the Baltimore Ravens travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns, who are just trying to stay alive. The Ravens are also just treading water at 4-3; they can improve on that, while simultaneously dropping the Browns to 3-5. Neither team stands out as a favourite, but I’ll take the Browns because I think they’ll have the desperation to win and save their season.

On the other side of the winless spectrum, the Tennessee Titans are the only unbeaten team, and they take that record into a match with the Green Bay Packers. I think I can safely say that no one predicted the Titans to be anywhere 7-0, but here we are. The Packers have also been better than people thought they’d be, standing at 4-3. Can the Titans keep it up? Well, I was seriously impressed with their display against the Colts, I think they’ll win this and move to 8-0.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have also been a bit of a surprise, coach Jon Gruden possibly saving his job by rallying the troops since last years poor showing. They should improve their record against the one win Kansas City Chiefs, who will be without their best player; HB Larry Johnson. A sure-fire Bucs win here.

Another difficult one to predict here, as the Arizona Cardinals go back to their former home to play the St Louis Rams. The Cards have improved this season after being one of the Leagues doormats for almost forever, but if they want to be a power in their division, they need to beat the St Louis. The Rams started off terribly, but with a new coach, they’ve stepped up their games and beaten some big teams. Whether they can keep it up, I’m not sure. This is a great opportunity for the Cardinals to take control of the division, they’ll win on the road.

Two teams with identical records but differing expectations meet in Minnesota, with the Vikings hosting the Houston Texans. They’re both 3-4, but the Vikes were supposed to be a Superbowl contender. Now they’re just trying to scrape into the playoffs, while the Texans seem to be improving after a poor start. I think the difference in this game will be Vikings HB Adrian Peterson, who will win the game for Minnesota.

The Miami Dolphins are another improving team, and seem to have their best days when the league’s elite are in town. Now they have to go to Denver to play the Broncos, another highly thought of team, but have faltered in the last few weeks. The Broncos should get back on track here and move two games above .500.

Probably the biggest surprise of the season has been the Atlanta Falcons, as they stand at 4-3 and are a real contender in their division. They can enhance that chance with a win against the Oakland Raiders; a once proud franchise but now in the dreaded rebuilding phrase. Unfortunately they don’t seem to know how to do it, so if the Falcons are to make the playoffs, a win here is compulsory. They surely will, and get to 5-3.

As divisional games go, the Dallas Cowboys meeting the New York Giants is a fairly iconic one. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they are severely under strength with several players missing. Meanwhile the Giants are trying to prove winning the Superbowl wasn’t a fluke and they are 4-0 at home, 6-1 overall. It’ll take a stronger team than what the Cowboys have at the moment to end that home streak.

The Philadelphia Eagles seem to be back on track with two wins in a row, and now we’ve got the undermanned Seattle Seahawks. They’ve probably got the worst injury list in the NFL, so as long as the Eagles are professional and take care of the ball, it’s hard to see anything but a Philadelphia win.

The final game of Sunday is what is normally one of the great rivalries in the NFL, as the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts have been the two best teams in the league and their playoff battles have been some of the best games in recent years. That’s why it’s a shame that Pats QB Tom Brady is injured for the season, along with numerous other players central to the cast are missing. Even Payton Manning is having a down year. So the shine has been taken off this match-up, but it is still a vitally important game. The Colts need to get back to 4-4, and while the Pats are 5-3, many are wondering if they can keep it up. Even with the Colts struggling, I’ve got to back them to get a huge win and stay in the playoff race.

Finally, Monday Night Football sees two traditional powerhouses that are enjoying a renaissance this year; the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. Both are fairly even, with the records to prove it, but I’m not liking the Steelers offensive line, which sees QB Ben Roethlisberger knocked down regularly. Apart from that, there’s not much between them, but the Redskins have only lost one game at home and a fired up crowd should see them through.

Madrid Final:Maestro Murray claims second Masters title

The British number one was victorious in straight sets against Gilles Simon

DESPITE Frenchman Gilles Simon brave attempt to put a halt to Andy Murray’s brilliant run of form the Brit proved too strong as he won another Masters shield, writes Martin Wakinshaw.

World number four Murray claimed his second consecutive ATP Masters Series by ending the impressive run of Simon 6-4, 7-6(6) in the Madrid Masters Final on Sunday.

The Scot was playing in his third final in four tournaments, having won his debut ATP Masters Series cup at Cincinnati where he beat Novak Djokovic and got to his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

He has already qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai for the first occasion, and holds the number four spot in the ATP 2008 Race.

This week has also witnessed Simon raise his chances for a position at the season-ending championships. The 23-year-old from Nice went into Madrid at number twelve in the ATP 2008 Race. He will now climb to number nine in the ATP 2008 Race, just six points behind number eight Juan Martin del Potro, and become the highest ranked French player.

Murray from Dunblane becomes the first British player to capture two ATP Masters Series titles, as Tim Henman in Paris, 2003 and Greg Rusedski in the same venue five years earlier both won one each. The right-hander is also the first player to win successive trophies at ATP Masters Series Cincinnati and Madrid since 2002.

Murray now joins an rare list of players to have won at least two ATP Masters Series titles in a season during the past five years.

It is the Scot’s seventh overall ATP title and fourth of the season. Murray, who also had success at Doha, Marseille and Cincinnati, becomes only the third player this season together with Juan Martin del Potro (4) and Rafael Nadal (8) to win four ATP titles. He is the first British player to win four titles in a season, moving ahead of Mark Cox who won three in 1975.

Not for the first time this week, Simon, who has played a crucial third set tie-break four times in this competition, made a poor start to the match. He gave up his serve in the fifth game as a lob from Murray caught him off guard and the Scot hit a strong backhand up the line to force the mistake.

Simon came through a break point against him early in the second set prior to settling into his game and forcing the tie-break. He looked set to take the match into a final set when he held two set points at 6-4, but he didn’t convert either and Murray then stepped up a gear.

The Scot hit a backhand return winner to get to a 7-6 advantage and scored on his first match point as Simon missed a difficult backhand volley after the gripping 1 hour, 35 minutes clash. Throughout the meeting Murray served 11 aces and did not come up against one break point.

In the last four Murray had came out on top versus Roger Federer, while Simon had edged past home favourite and World number one Rafael Nadal. The Frenchman who lives in Switzerland had rescued six match points and spent a total of 11 hours, 47 minutes, on court as he made his way to the final.

Simon, was aiming for his fourth ATP title of the season, having captured his first three at Casablanca, his first title on U.S. soil at Indianapolis and last month at Bucharest.

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