over the past six games. The receiving threats,

Posted in IYH Forums by fangxu0220 at 05:39, Jun 01 2015

I keep a folder on my computer entitled Crimes Against Defending. In this folder, I collect examples of poor defensive play, poor marking from set pieces and any other offence against the art of defending. Yes, good defending is an art form - and it is on the verge of becoming extinct. Every weekend – regardless of what league or international fixture I watch – I see more and more examples of awful defending that leave me shaking my head in disbelief. Some of the best players in the world, both male and female, are committing defensive errors that would give a U14 coach a heart attack. The first example came in the German women’s 3-0 win over England at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. After England made a bright start to the game, rattling a shot off the German crossbar in the opening minute, they were forced to defend a German corner kick. England’s defensive set up was baffling, to say the least. Time and time again – even at the highest levels of the game – I continue to see teams setting up to defend corner kicks without putting defensive players on either post. I cannot understand the logic of this approach, and in the case of England, it led to them conceding the first goal of the game. The German corner kick was delivered into the perfect area; head height, level with the six-yard box and the first post. This position is ideal because the goalkeeper cannot come out to challenge the cross and a header from this distance is very difficult for the goalkeeper to save. If the header is good, she can only reasonably be expected to make a reaction save within four feet either side of her set position. England’s decision not to put a player on either post meant that Karen Bardsley, England’s goalkeeper, had to defend the entire 24-foot width of her goal on her own – against a header from six yards out. The red shaded area in the picture below just highlights what a difficult task this is for Bardsley. (Click here for enlarged photo) In training, if uncontested crosses were whipped into this area for attackers to head home, goalkeepers the world over would be furious. They would be conceding goal after goal without much hope of making a save. In this example, the ball actually came off of England defender Alex Scott’s head before nestling into the bottom right corner of England’s goal – exactly the position where a defender should have been. Had there been a defender there, it would have only required a side-foot clearance and the goal would have been saved. How this would have affected the eventual outcome of the game is impossible to say – Germany were clinical and full value for their 3-0 win – but to concede a goal that early in a game against one of the best teams in the world is a recipe for disaster. One positive to come out of the game for England was that it was watched by a crowd of over 45,000 - a fantastic turnout for a women’s friendly. Another example that went into my Crimes Against Defending folder this weekend came in Crystal Palace’s 3-1 win over Liverpool. When did defending corner kicks become about turning your back on the ball and wrapping your arms around the attacker, rather than about heading the ball away from danger? Look at the foul being committed by Crystal Palace’s Brede Hangeland on Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel, pictured below: (Click here for enlarged photo) If this sort of defending occurred anywhere else on the pitch, it would immediately be called for a foul. Yet referees everywhere allow this to go unpunished in the penalty area. The only way to remedy this type of defending is for referees to award a penalty kick for this type of foul. A strong argument can be made that Hangeland is denying Skrtel an obvious goal-scoring opportunity – it is a header from eight yards out, after all. On the evidence of what I’m seeing every weekend, defending isn’t being taught to young players anymore, let alone to professional players. Awarding a penalty kick for clutching and grabbing in the penalty area will force players to do what they are supposed to do – play the ball rather than the man. Steve McNair Titans Jersey . Sumlin returns to the Roughriders after spending all of last season on the practice roster. The 24-year-old originally signed with the team in April, 2013 after playing four seasons at the University of Findlay. Thurman Thomas Bills Jersey .5 million viewers on TSN. 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The prosecutors office didnt release the players name, but said the alleged assault took place March 30 at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.(SportsNetwork.com) - Peyton Manning and the dark of night? Thats as scary as it gets for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals inched closer to what would be an ongoing franchise-record fourth consecutive postseason berth in Week 15 when plenty of money signs were flashed but none coming from the player most associated with the overbearing gesture, Johnny Manziel. The Cleveland rookie quarterbacks first career NFL start was as dismal as it gets and the Browns were whitewashed, 30-0, by the AFC North-leading Bengals. But if Jim Ross was getting ready to broadcast the Bengals next game, the famed wrestling announcer might say: Business is about to pick up. Cincinnati can clinch the playoff spot with a win over the AFC West champion Denver Broncos on Monday night, and it can earn the AFC North crown with a win coupled with losses by the Steelers, who play Kansas City on Sunday, and the Ravens, who are at Houston. Were still in control of everything, said Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. We know these next two games are going to be big. The way our division is going, everyone keeps winning. We know what were facing. What their facing is the Boogeyman on Monday Night Football, along with the stark realization that Manziel will be turning into Manning over a one-week span. Thats the equivalent of a basic arithmetic test followed up by one on advanced calculus. Its going to be a big shift, safe to say, Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis admitted. Its a challenge. (Manning) gets everyones attention in this building right away. The player he is, how he carries himself, how he runs things on the field -- its going to be a great challenge for us. Challenge may be an under statement because the Bengals have never beaten Manning whether he was in Indianapolis or Denver, compiling an 0-8 mark when the five-time MVP is lined up opposite them. If that wasnt daunting enough, the game is also going to be played after sundown and thats never a good thing for Cincinnati. The Bengals have played twice in primetime so far this season, getting blown out both times, a 43-17 setback at New England in a Sunday night game on Oct. 5, and a 24-3 drubbing at the hands of the Browns while Brian Hoyer was still in charge on Thursday, Nov. 6. Since Dalton took over the Bengals in the 2011 season Cincinnati is playing .250 football (2-6) under the national spotlight, a sharp contrast from its 37-16-1 mark over that same span during day games. I have no idea, defensive end Wallace Gilberry said when asked about the teams struggles at night. I guesss were afraid of the dark.dddddddddddd Add in the three playoff losses since 2011 and the Bengals are a downright dismal 2-9 when the spotlight is focused squarely on them and Lewis team is tired of hearing about it. It is annoying and its our job to make it unannoying, safety George Iloka said. If we lose this game, the talk will come back again. But thats (the medias) job to do. And if we want to silence the critics, weve got to put up or shut up. Thats how it goes. It might be annoying, but thats on us. Silencing anyone on Monday is going to be a daunting task. Manning and the Broncos offense have taken a step back from their historical 2013 performance, perhaps the best statistical season in NFL history. That said, when you look up, the numbers remain staggering as Manning is third in the AFC with 4,143 passing yards and even better with 37 TD passes (second in the NFL) and a 106.4 passer rating (tops in the conference). The veteran now has an NFL record 14 career 4,000-yard passing seasons and headlines an offense that is fifth in the NFL in both yards (400.7 yards per game) and points per game (29.1). If anything the group has become more well-rounded in recent weeks because of the emergence of the ground game and C.J. Anderson, who is averaging 135.3 scrimmage yards per game (812 total) with six total TDs (four rushing, two receiving) over the past six games. The receiving threats, meanwhile, remain as good as any in football led by Demaryius Thomas, who has 1,389 receiving yards and leads all AFC receivers with 41 TD catches since entering the league in 2010. His running mate, Emmanuel Sanders, has a career-high 1,261 yards and seven TD catches over his past nine games. The Cincinnati defense looked like world-beaters against Manziel but has taken a significant step back overall without Mike Zimmer, now the head coach in Minnesota. The Bengals D entered last weeks contest 25th in the league and are now 20th after dominating Manziel. The 25 number is probably more indicative of where Cincinnati belongs because facing a QB who isnt ready to play in the NFL is an anomaly and certainly not what the Bengals will be up against on Monday night. We have to get through this game before we have any opportunities at January, Lewis said. Its been (a playoff mentality) for the last seven weeks. Preparation and how you go about it, and the confidence of knowing what to do and how to do it allows you to play fast. Thats the most important thing, for us: to play fast, to play physical, to play smart. cheap nfl jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys ' ' '