Ss. PorTs.

NFL MVP debate

foot Brady and Michael Vick
By David Hollinshead

 

race for the Most Valuable

Player this season in the NFL
has come down to a more contained
two-man race between Tom Brady
and Michael Vick. Brady, winner of
three Super Bowls, twice previously
being the MVP, and a third helping
receiver Deion Branch win it, one
time league MVP, being the first
quarterback to lead his team to a 16-0
record, setting the record for most
touchdown passes in a year with 50,
and more recently, setting the record
for most consecutive passes without
an interception with 319, against
Michael Vick.

Vick, who has started a new
chapter in his life after being in
prison for two years for dog fighting,
has returned to the exciting player
he was for the Atlanta Falcons, and
has led the Philadelphia Eagles to a
division title. Brady this season has
thrown a 66% completion percentage
for 3,701 yards and 34 touchdowns,
and only four interceptions with a
109.8 passer rating by week 16, with
one game left against Miami, where
it’s debatable how much he will play,
making this one of his best statistical
season of his career. In addition to
putting up excellent numbers, Brady
had led his team to a 13-2 record,
winning the AFC East division,
clinching home-field advantage in
the playoffs, having one of the most
difficult schedules in the league,
and helping revitalize WR Branch’s
career.

The Patriots traded for Branch
after the falling out of WR Randy
Moss, who they dealt to the
Minnesota Vikings a week before.
Branch, after leaving the Patriots to
play for the Seattle Seahawks, had a
statistical downward spiral and fell

I: has become obvious that the

18

off most defence’s radar, came back
to being one of Brady’s favourite
targets, and the QB helped him to his
best season in years, almost reaching
1,000 yards for the first time in his
career, which he might have reached
if the Patriots traded for Branch
sooner.

Brady also has re-elevated his
team to elite status, making them as
dominant as they were in their three
Super Bowl championship days. In a
press conference where he was asked
about potentially winning the MVP,
Brady said, “The only award I ever
cared about is a Super Bowl ring.”

Michael Vick is having a rebound
season. The Philadelphia Eagles
signed him once he was released
from prison to be a role player in
their Wildcat formations, giving him
a second chance in the NFL, and in
life. After the Eagles traded stalwart
quarterback Donovan McNabb to the
Washington Redskins, they gave the
starting job to Kevin Kolb, who most
of Philadelphia thought was going to
inherit the job when they drafted him
in 2005, but was replaced by Vick
after injuries and ineffectiveness.
Since then, Vick has thrown for 3,018
yards, 21 touchdowns, and only six
interceptions, with a quarterback
rating of 100.2, also providing a dual-
threat with his mobility.

The Eagles have a respectable
record of 10-5, and clinched the NFC
East division. Vick though, may be
at a disadvantage in this MVP race.
He hasn’t played the entire season,
Philadelphia has a less dominant
record, and in the 24-14 loss to
Minnesota, Vick was held ineffeetive
for most of the game, despite having
decent stats, the offence just didn’t
get it done. Whoever wins it though,
both quarterbacks would rather have
a Super Bow! ring.

 

 

An NHL Winter Classic

 

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

at can get any better
than a match-up between
rival teams, the Pittsburgh

Penguins and the Washington Capitals
in a winter classic out in the cold in
front of 68,111 cheering fans? Pretty
much nothing. The NHL Bridgestone
Winter Classic was in full flight

on Saturday night at Heinz Field

in Pittsburgh after heavy rainfall
postponed the game time to commence
at Spm instead of lpm.

The game was regarded as one
of the most anticipated contests of
the 2010-11 season, with the likes
of superstars Sidney Crosby and
Alexander Ovechkin dawning the
classic jerseys and squaring it off
on the ice in just the fourth annual
winter classic game in NHL history.
However, despite the hype, both
superstars didn’t have a large presence
on the ice and were held off the score
sheet.

Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin
opened the scoring in the second
period on a partial break to make it
1-0 with a shot that went between
goaltender Fluery’s legs. Shortly
after, Mike Knuble then tied it up on
a scramble play on the man advantage
for Washington. Capitals winger Eric
Fehr put in a couple of goals himself,
including a beautiful give-and-go play
in the third period which he snapped
home glove side to make it 3-1 which

ended up being the final score in
favour of Washington.

Throughout the game there was
heavy rainfall periodically every so
often that would drench the entire
stadium. The ice shimmered, the wind
picked up and the fans cheered even
louder...a classic to say the least. The
Penguins record of 25-12-3 is good for
first in the Eastern Conference and 53
points. However, it’s pretty tight in the
East and even though the Pens are on
top in that conference there are several
teams that are right on their tail.

The Capitals are currently on a three
game winning streak and in the midst
of turning things around from their
previous struggles earlier in the month
of December. They are only two
points behind the first placed Penguins
and sit at fifth place in the East with

a 23-12-5 record. It seems that finally
perhaps the Caps are out of their funk.

Ovechkin on the other hand hasn’t
had the most productive season thus
far with just 42 points in 40 games.
For any other player in the league
those are some good numbers but
not Alexander Ovechkin standards,
especially when he’s used to 100 plus
seasons every year. Arch-rival Sidney
Crosby on the other hand has had the
complete opposite year recently going
on a 25 game point streak where he
collected 50 points. He has a league
leading 65 points and 32 goals on the
year in just 40 games.