Left field

NFL Superbowl live blog – New England Patriots against New York Giants

Click here to join our Superbowl liveblog where we will bring you all the latest from one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.

Whether you are a New England Patriots fan, a New York Giants supporter or a neutral, give us your views on the Indianapolis showpiece.

http://live.reuters.com/Event/NFL

Which quarterback would you want to be your president?

Feb 2011 Reuters Ipsos QB Poll Topline (020312)

Packers dilemma: To rest or not to rest?

You’re Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, it’s the final game of the regular season against the Detroit Lions, and you’ve got a dilemma: play your strongest team, a winning combination, or rest your stars fearing serious injuries to any of them.

What do you do? McCarthy said on Monday he wants veteran left tackle Chad Clifton to play the game, he wants Clifton’s experience for the playoffs so naturally he needs a run out against the Lions. Easy.

But what about MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers?

“There is something to be said about trying to finish the season well though…and it would be nice to finish out the season, the way we started with a strong showing in a home game,” said the quarterback. Easy then..or not so.

Injury to Rodgers could spell disaster, but you get the sense he wants to play instead of understudy Matt Flynn no matter what the situation.

However, with no real game for almost three weeks, would a win against the Lions with a full strength team really give the Superbowl holders any more momentum than they’ve already built up all season?

The Packers are clicking on all fronts, just ask Donald Driver, speaking at the start of the season. It’s hard to see McCarthy not resting his main players come the last game of the regular season in the new year.

NFL Week 16 Christmas Lineman picks

By Steve Keating

Well, after two weeks of 4-2 the Lineman is still searching for that perfect Christmas gift and hopes he has found it with this six-pack of holiday picks.

Keeping in the spirit of the holiday season, the Lineman offers you all the best and may all your picks be winners HO HO HO.

Record: 47-43. Last week 4-2; Pick of the Week: 13-2

PICK OF THE WEEK

Denver Broncos (8-6) at Buffalo Bills (5-9) (Line Broncos minus-2.5)

You do not need to be one of the Three Wise Men to know this has the look of a Christmas Special.

from Photographers Blog:

The Tebow phenom

By Rick Wilking

Do a Google search on this new celebrity and there are 299,000,000 results. Brad Pitt? No, he only has 187 million. I’m talking about the newest phenom in the world of sports – Tim Tebow.

Being a Denver-based photographer where Tebow plays starting quarterback for the Broncos has kept me in the vortex of the Tebow storm. Going back to his first start late last season and then training camp in August, we’ve been focusing on his young career. Would he start this year or would he not was the hot topic back in late summer. Kyle Orton was eventually chosen as starter but when the team went 1–4 Tebow got the nod and Orton was out. Then the fun really began.

Tebow was a superstar in college at the University of Florida (first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, won not one but two NCAA National Football Championships) but how would he do in the big leagues? He was a first round draft pick in the NFL meaning many had high hopes for him to succeed. But the NFL game is so much different than college there’s no guarantee a player will repeat. Scrambling around on the field can only go so far in the NFL before getting tackled repeatedly by much bigger and faster players will destroy you. Being a rookie in the league with a great pedigree means extra attention to start with but then add this element: religion. I don’t think a sports writer out there can remember any athlete starting most press conferences with “First and foremost I have to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”

Growing up the son of active Christian missionaries Tebow has always been devout, and very public about it. Now that he's on the biggest stage in American sports he’s not about to clam up. In fact he has said he uses the attention to spread his beliefs whenever he can.

from Mark Meadows:

NFL Week 15 Lineman picks

By Steve Keating

'Tebow Time' runs out this week when the Broncos host the Patriots but the Lineman's time has come. We've been close to a perfect week a few occasions this season but with time ticking down Week 15  looks like a promising bet.

Ok, the Eagles are at home, have Michael Vick back under centre and beat the Miami Dolphins last week to snap a two game losing skid and have never lost to the Jets (8-0).

But this is also an under-achieving team with a mopping star running back, a fragile quarterback and an erratic defence going up against a Jets team that is flying high on the wings of a three game winning streak.

Buffalo, Washington, and Kansas City may not exactly be the cream of the NFL but Rex Ryan's boys, unlike the Eagles, have delivered when they had to remain in the AFC wildcard chase.

The Jets offence and their quarterback Mark Sanchez remain an enigma.

They rank near the top of league in scoring (6th) averaging 25.2 points per game but near the bottom (25th) in total offence averaging 311-yards per game.

from Photographers Blog:

Inside an NFL Locker Room

By Jason Reed, Larry Downing and Molly Riley

Hey football fans… imagine walking past the solid steel doors guarding the locker room outside one of the National Football League’s most treasured teams and standing inside watching 60 professional athletes preparing to take the spotlight in front of 70,000 expecting Baltimore fans.

Talk about fantasy football coming true; that ultimate “back stage pass” was given to Reuters’ photographers Jason Reed, Larry Downing and Molly Riley from the Baltimore Ravens as an early Christmas present last December, extending them complete photographic access of their cheerleaders during the production of an in-depth multimedia project by Reuters entitled, “Ravens Rule the Skies.”

(Image courtesy of Shawn Hubbard)

Three unobstructed first class seats inside Cinderella’s wonderland watching “girly girls” primp and polish their image into higher splendor while transforming themselves into NFL cheerleaders. All with total access!

The Lineman: Week Nine NFL Picks

Week Eight was full of surprises, not many of them pleasant. The St. Louis Rams taking down the New Orleans Saints was the big shocker while the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens managed to escape with wins but were unimpressive failing to cover.

It all it added up to a disappointing 2-4 week but we bounce back in Week Nine.

Record: 25-23; Last week 2-4; Pick of the Week: 6-2

PICK OF THE WEEK Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-8) (Line Falcons minus-7.5)

You have to feel for Indy, no NBA and no NFL. It is apparent now that there will not be any meaningful football played at Lucas Oil Stadium until the Super Bowl hits town in February.

It has been a truly miserable season for Colts fans, who can’t even get excited about the possibility of landing superstar college quarterback Andrew Luck with injured Peyton Manning having just signed a ba-zillion dollar contract. After being pounded 62-7 by the Saints, the Colts bounced back last week and only lost by 17 to the Titans but now await the Falcons coming off a bye week, well rested and starting to take flight as they chase a third straight win.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, his superb pass-catching trio of Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones and the punishing running of Michael Turner are likely to heap more embarrassment on a Colts defence that is surrendering a league worst average of 31.5 points a game.

The Lineman: Week Eight NFL picks

Back on track with a combined 9-3 record over the past two weeks which means I head into Week Eight on Halloween weekend showing no fear for what lies ahead.

Yes, it’s Halloween and the Lineman would never let it go by without all kinds of frightening references. Record: 23-19; Last week 4-2; Pick of the Week: 5-2

PICK OF THE WEEK

Detroit Lions (5-2) at Denver Broncos (2-4) (Lions minus-0.5)

OK, you got what you wanted Mile High City, Tim Tebow is calling plays but be careful what you wish for Broncos fans. The Tebow love-in is in full bloom in Denver, Bronco faithful hailing Timmy Touchdown as the second coming of Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway after he pulled out an unlikely 18-15 win over the Dolphins last week. But a win, like a good Halloween costume, can hide many warts and Tebow was covered in them until his late game heroics.

For 55 minutes, the game featured “Tebow the Terrible” until “Tebow Terrific” arrived and I have to admit the guy finds a way to win. But sorry Tebow fans, there is no way this week as the ornery Lions are coming to town.

The Lineman: Week Seven NFL Picks

By Steve Keating

That was more like it, a very solid 5-1 effort in Week 6 after a very tough month of average results.

Could we be perfect in lucky Week 7? Feels good.

Record: 19-17. Last week 5-1

Pick of the Week: 5-1

PICK OF THE WEEK

Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5)