1- I played both hockey and football in the top minor leagues growing up. Hockey is much rougher than football. Hitting a guy who's 6 inches in front of you once every 2 minutes from a stand still position versus getting checked (or having to check) 3 to 5 times at high speeds in a 45 second shift is much less physically demanding. Also, football was 1 game a week, Regular season had us on ice 3 to 4 games a week. Sometimes up to 10 games a week during tournaments. 2- CFL and NFL are much different. I've seen a few University games where Canadian teams played US teams with NFL rules and then CFL rules. Canadian teams were killed with NFL rules, just on size difference. However, when both teams played with CFL rules, it was the completly different game. Although the Canadian teams did win, it was by much smaller margins. The US teams lacked stamina and latteral speed.
Hey, enough bashing of the Canadian Football League! It is hardly a "minor" league game. Three downs instead of four, longer field and more brutal weather to play in -- and making significantly less money. To me, CFL players are in it for the love of the game more than anything. Many CFL stars have become NFL stars - Doug Flutie and Warren Moon to name but two - but those that remain "true north strong and free" deserve more respect. Our university system does not rival the US college system when it comes to football fever. Same for basketball and baseball. The winners of any NCAA championship would embarass the CIS equivalent, but when you are drawing from a population of 30 million compared to 300 million, this is not suprising. Canada is not a football, baseball or basketball mecca. We do not dominate any sport. Close with hockey, but Europe and Russia are just as good at producing world-class players. When we produce the odd world renowned athlete in any sport we hold them in high esteem. Look at Mike Weir, Steve Nash, Cindy Klassen and, from the Super Bowl, Israel (Izzie) Idjoine). Izzie started playing football here in grade 12, 9-man team, for only six games! Find me a US football player who started the game that old! But with that said, let me say that our small university of 3,000 students has the number one ranked men's basketball team in the country. Go Bobcats!!! and there is my two cents for the day ...
mr. biggs- i've been on both ends of that shot- i put one past a keeper about 3 years ago- i was just trying to get it inside the 6, and it went in; we lost the game anyway- i was in the DR for the world cup last year- met some fantastic people, and still keep in touch with a couple and their daughter from Glascow. it was an embarrassment that the US players were talking about how good they were going to do (donovan, beasley) and then i'm watching the games, and who do i see WALKING around the pitch? donovan, and beasley- who i think is highly overrated. oh- not to mention the jack@#% coach, when we needed a WIN against Ghana, and he plays a 4-5-1. what a freakin' genius... :!:
Ricky Williams was really never a premier player in the NFL. He played his best football at the University of Texas. I think the weed got the best of him.
Mr Scott Sorry about delay...had to run out to meet my lady..it's 100am here.Must've been awesome to be at the World Cup.Yeah Really thought US would show at the last tournament...Is Bruce Arena still runnin the show? Thought he should've taken Adu and blooded him.He came over last month for a trial with Man Utd but Fergie still thinks he needs to develop.My bud Tony in Kentucky (Notts Forest fan) says he thinks Freddie Adu has reached "development block";he may join United in the summer but didn't do himself any favors in saying he like to join United or Chelsea!!! Doesn't inspire confidence in his loyalty!!! A lot of the papers here are already off-loading Henry to Barcelona again this summer..and Christiano Ronaldo;it's the goddamn agents who sell these stories to get their stock up.I doubt we'll hold on to Ronaldo but he may surprise me, though I doubt he plays for the shirt. 4-5-1 against ghana? Sounds so bloody negative dude...there's nothing like a spirit of adventure...and that is nothing like a spirit of adventure!!! You get what you deserve if you play to avoid defeat rather than go for victory;what a waste of a golden opportunity;bit like England;they had the players to do really well, but a hesitant twat of a coach!!! He left the top scoring Englishman at home (Darren Bent) and took Theo Walcott;even you as an Arsenal fan would have been mystified by that one;even arsenal fans hadn't seen him play!!! They got all of their tactics wrong due to the manager being terrified to leave out one of Beckham,Gerrard and Lampard (it should have been Lampard); so he ended up playing people out of position to accomodate them all!!!
hey no problem with the time thing- i've seen adu play several times; he's good, but i honestly don't think he will make it in the premiership- for one thing, he's such a crybaby- always "me me me" and is not a great team player. the other big thing is that he is a small dude- you know the physical aspect of our game. and especially in the premiership- he's gonna get bounced around good... i agree about your england comment- they definitely had the talent to go deep into the WC, but like US, the coaching killed them. arena is not around as the US coach anymore- thank god. what i forgot to mention in that ghana game was that the US was technically not even eliminated yet- but they needed to win, not tie to stay alive- and so they play a defensive 4-5-1? i just didn't get it- and the few commentators here that know the game and used to play pro said the same thing- "what the hell is arena doing"?
Speaking of. Now you behave yourself about U.S. sports or I’ll post a picture of you at a baseball game. And ENJOYING it!! Would agree 100% with soccerscott115, Arena was over his head and had no business coaching an international side. Never more apparent than the Ghana game for the exact reasons he stated. I was pumped big time when the post World Cup rumors had Beckenbaur headed to the states to take over the national team. My only co-worker that really enjoys “futball” hails from Stuttgart and evidently it took the nation of Germany a while to warm up to Bechenbaur’s “offensive” style. But that’s exactly what we needed (and still need) as our tactics from the mid field to the closing third of the pitch are horrendous. And one for Steve: Come on you REDSSSSSSS!
Hey Klaw! Rivers flowing backwards, cats sleeping with dogs, run now, get out while you can! MrB sent me the same “Super Bowl sucks” wind up, just had to remind him he actually enjoyed one of our favorite pastimes when he visited. btw: like the pic in your sig!
