Voici mon TOP 20, le TOP 20 des événements, idées, nouvelles, trucs qui me bousculent, m'intéressent, m'amusent, me mettent en colère, dans ma vie de tous les jours, les infos, le web, ce que j'entends à la radio, ce que je vois dans la rue, à la télé, l'art, le design, etc. Et puis du sport, beaucoup de foot quand même, de la part d'un fan de Liverpool FC. Le blog avec qui I'll Never Walk Alone.
Attention: ce blog est en français et en anglais.
Quarante-neuf pour cent des Américains sont satisfaits de la réforme de l'assurance maladie promulguée par le président Barack Obama, et 40% ne le sont pas, selon un sondage publié par l'institut Gallup. Selon cette enquête menée lundi auprès d'un millier de personnes, 49% des sondés considèrent comme "une bonne chose" l'adoption de la réforme la veille par le Congrès, contre 40% d'avis contraire.
Sans surprise, les sympathisants démocrates saluent à 79% l'adoption de cette réforme au coeur du programme électoral de M. Obama, tandis que 76% des républicains la regrettent. Quarante-et-un pour cent des républicains se disent même "en colère" à l'égard de cette réforme adoptée après près d'un an de difficiles tractations au Congrès. Elle vise à apporter une couverture maladie à quelque 32 millions d'Américains qui en sont dépourvus.
L'enquête a été menée par téléphone avec une marge d'erreur de plus ou moins quatre points.
NFL Replay: Aggressive tactics boost mighty Saints to first title By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
Alas, on the heels of the New Orleans Saints' 31-17 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, one more installment of our NFL Replay awards…
Stud of the week: Drew Brees. The Super Bowl MVP completed 82.1% of his passes, tying a Super Bowl record with 32 completions off his 39 throws, including two for touchdowns. The completion rate was second-best in Super Bowl history. That's the way to leave a mark in a big game. Again. During the Saints' three-game postseason run, Brees threw eight TD passes — and zero picks.
Defensive player of the week: Tracy Porter. The second-year cornerback iced the game with his 74-yard, pick-six of Peyton Manning late in the fourth quarter, squashing the Colts' hopes much like he put a dagger in Vikings' dreams with a clutch, final-minute interception of Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game. Talk about clutch.
Special teamer of the week: Garrett Hartley. The Saints rookie kicker followed up his clutch, game-winning field goal in overtime of the NFC title game by becoming the first player to boot three field goals of at least 40 yards in a Super Bowl — connecting on kicks of 46, 44 and 47 yards. And at least two of the kicks boomed through with such force that they might have been good from 60.
Rookie of the week: Jonathan Casillas. Rumor has it that the linebacker from Wisconsin recovered the onside kick at the start of the second half, while somehow at the bottom of the massive pile of bodies. Originally, it was announced that Chris Reis made the recovery for the Saints, but Casillas was subsequently credited for the clutch haul.
Comeback player of the week: Jeremy Shockey. When the Giants sprung the big upset that ruined the Patriots' chance for a perfect season a couple of years ago, Shockey was out of commission with a broken fibula. Sure, he received a ring. But he never played another game with the Giants. Now he'll get another ring — and the memory of snagging a 2-yard pass that was the game-winning touchdown.
Unsung hero of the week: Joseph Addai. The Colts running back had 135 yards from scrimmage, rushing 13 times for 77 yards and a touchdown, and tallying 58 yards on seven receptions. Addai's number, however, wasn't called on the pivotal third-and-one before halftime.
This week's genius: Sean Payton. The Saints' aggressive head coach didn't suddenly clam up while on the game's biggest stage, showing much courage with his gutsy calls. Payton is the only coach in Super Bowl history for call for an onside kick to open the second half … and it worked. It didn't matter that other gambles failed, such as a red-zone reverse and his decision to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. His decision to use a replay challenge to reverse the incompletion call on the 2-point conversion was another brilliant move that reflected his all-or-nothing mentality.
Second guess of the week: After its defense stuffed the Saints with a goal-line stand late in the second quarter, the Colts promptly lost momentum by going three-and-out. After getting the ball on the 1-yard line with 1:49, the Colts called three consecutive running plays to provide some room to operate. But after Mike Hart was stuffed on third-and-1, the Saints forced a punt that resulted in a short field that enabled a 44-yard field goal that cut the lead to 10-6 at halftime. In retrospect, the Colts — who stung the Jets and Ravens with TDs just before the half in their two playoff victories — might have been better off giving Peyton Manning a chance to fire away in a two-minute drill.
This week's surprise: Peyton Manning throwing a game-clinching, pick-six? The Colts, despite the presence of the NFL's first four-time MVP, scored just seven points after the first quarter. Did you notice? Several Saints coaches entered the playing field during the chaos that followed the onside kick, as officials tried to determine who recovered the fumble near the Saints bench. Some of the coaches hovered so close to the action that they were signaling the Saints had recovered. For a league that has fined players for removing their helmets on the field and docked some for excessive celebrations and uniform violations, that referee Scott Green's crew didn't flag the Saints bench is a contradiction.
Stat of the week: In marching to a Super Bowl crown, the Saints defeated five Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks: Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner during the postseason, and Tom Brady and Eli Manning in the regular season.
If you guys screw this up, we're going to make you tongue-clean the French Quarter streets after the New Orleans Saints' victory parade. Police horses included.
We're going to have you explain to each person inside and outside of Sun Life Stadium on Sunday evening why the Super Bowl might go away in 2012.
We're going to demand your resignations if you deprive us of this league, these Super Bowls and these kinds of moments. Can you imagine had a labor lockout cost us the football miracle known as the 2009 Saints?
Don't do it, fellas. Don't shut down the NFL because your greed glands became enlarged. If it's not broke -- and we know the owners' wallets are anything but broke -- don't fix it.
NFL commissioner Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director Smith saw what everyone saw Sunday night: a game, a Saints team and a history lesson to remember.
This was the Saints' first championship. It was their first anything involving the Lombardi Trophy.
Wait, that's not completely true. Less than four hours before kickoff, the Saints' Tracy Porter was sitting in a chair as his personal barber turned the cornerback's scalp into a work of art. He shaved out a Lombardi Trophy, the Superdome and SB 44 on Porter's head. A hair road ran from the Superdome to the trophy.
The whole thing cost Porter $40 "and a nice tip.'' So what if he missed the first team bus to the stadium. He was there in time to jump a Peyton Manning pass to Reggie Wayne, return it 74 yards for the game-clinching touchdown and instantly increase alcohol consumption in The Quarter tenfold.
"I have to say this team means more to the people of Louisiana than any team in the NFL,'' said Porter. "No one is behind this team as much as the people of New Orleans. They're just as much a part of this victory as we are.''
Hear that, Goodell and Smith? Your ridiculous posturing over revenue sharing threatens the very thing that helped sustain the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The Saints are partly responsible for New Orleans recovering its heart, its soul and its confidence. What Katrina took away, the Saints gave back.
"What can I say?'' said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the Super Bowl MVP. "We played for so much more than just ourselves. We played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat Nation who was behind us every step of the way.''
Silly as it might sound, football matters to people. Matters more than it should sometimes. Other times -- such as it does in New Orleans -- it matters just the right amount. It revives. It puts a smiley face on a community. It makes believers out of doubters.
"Absolutely,'' said Brees. "Are you kidding me? I mean, four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? … We just all looked at one another and said, 'We're going to rebuild together. We're going to lean on each other.'''
Brees was talking about the Saints, but he could have been talking about New Orleans, too.
Goodell, this is what your NFL owners need to understand.
Smith, this is what your player constituency needs to comprehend.
Had there been a lockout this season, the Saints' season would have never existed. Their 31-17 Super Bowl upset would have never happened.
Think about it.
No Brees completing a Super Bowl-tying 32 pass attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns. No poignant postgame moment of Brees holding his young son as the celebration unfolded.
No Jeremy Shockey TD moment. An injured (and soon-to-be ex-)New York Giant in 2007. A Super Bowl touchdown reception for the Saints in 2010.
No game-changing onside kick (and recovery) by the Saints to start the second half. So well-conceived was the play, that Thomas Morstead made sure that his last warm-up kick during halftime was a boomer toward the end zone. He wanted to lull the Colts into thinking an onside play was an impossibility.
No Sean Payton calling for the stunning onsider. No Payton going for it -- and missing -- on a fourth-and-goal at the Colts' 1 late in the first half.
No Porter interception return.
No Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney playing on one ankle.
No Colts running back Joseph Addai nearly breaking Saints safety Darren Sharper's ankle on a fake.
No Manning saying, "It's the Super Bowl. You never know how it's going to turn out.''
No Gregg Williams-conceived defense proving Manning right.
No upset.
No Colts center Jeff Saturday gracious in defeat. "Those guys played fantastic,'' said Saturday. "They deserved to be world champions.''
No Saints come marching home.
Think long and hard about what you do next, Goodell and Smith. What was here today -- a Super Bowl that meant something -- could be gone tomorrow.
MIAMI -- New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees won his first championship because of the things he didn't do in Super Bowl XLIV.
He didn't try to force passes into tight coverage in his team's 31-17 win over Indianapolis. He didn't make the kind of game-altering mistake that ultimately doomed Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Brees also didn't allow frustration to enter his mind when his offense was settling for field goals instead of touchdowns.
In the end, people will praise the numbers that led to Brees' being named Most Valuable Player of this contest (32-of-39 passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns). What many will underestimate, however, is how carefully Brees conducted the Saints' offense.
He built most of those statistics on short passes. Meanwhile, the big plays that had been a New Orleans trademark were as hard to find as a Saints fan who had never uttered the words "Who Dat?"
This was the beauty of Brees on Sunday. The popular notion was that this game would've been a shootout, especially given the potent passing attacks of the teams involved. Instead, Brees led his team to victory with an approach that was more dink-and-dunk than downfield artistry.
"The first thing we cared about coming into this game was taking care of the football," said Brees, whose efforts helped the Saints secure their first championship in team history. "And the second thing was to be patient. We did both those things and they resulted in a win."
This wasn't the first time Brees had to slow down his offense to achieve optimal results. He played a similar style in the Saints' NFC Championship Game win over Minnesota and his approach was just as noteworthy then. This is a man who led the NFL in passing and guided an offense that averaged a league-high 31.9 points a game. Common sense says he had to be getting a little trigger-happy at some point.
Instead, Brees kept making the plays that kept his team's possessions alive. He'd find rangy wide receiver Marques Colston on crossing patterns and curl routes. He checked the ball down to his running backs when deeper options didn't materialize. And when it came time to execute one of the many screen plays the Saints ran, Brees held on to the ball just long enough to let his receivers maximize their opportunities when the ball finally got in their hands.
The Colts' defense eventually felt the sting of those subtle blows over time.
"It was a combination of our pass rush and coverage [not doing the job]," said Colts safety Melvin Bullitt when asked about Brees' efficiency. "We normally don't have those problems, and I don't know what it was today. A lot of what he got were dump-off passes, but he did a good job. He knew we would be keying on the deep pass so he took the short passes more often."
"I thought Drew was magnificent," said Saints head coach Sean Payton. "We knew he would have to play well, and he handled a lot of our offense at the line of scrimmage. I thought he was fantastic and he's been that way all year."
Though the Saints had only two offensive touchdowns -- Brees was responsible for both -- the quarterback manufactured the kind of possessions that kept the Saints confident and focused. When New Orleans trailed 10-0 after the first quarter, it was Brees who led his team within range for a 46-yard Garrett Hartley field goal.
Brees' leadership was equally important after the Saints opened the second half with an onside kick. After recovering the ball, New Orleans later scored on a 16-yard screen pass to running back Pierre Thomas. By the time Brees hit tight end Jeremy Shockey for a 2-yard touchdown pass -- along with Lance Moore on the subsequent two-point conversion -- the Saints led 24-17 and the scent of an upset lingered in the air.
Then all hell broke loose when New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted Manning and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. That play didn't just clinch the game for the Saints. It also was a valuable reminder of how Brees had helped put the Colts in a position to press.
Every New Orleans fan in the country had to be celebrating at that point. Brees had spent most of the past four years talking about how much the Saints had been playing for a fan base still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now he had the chance to talk about giving those people a heartfelt gift.
"Four years ago, who would've thought that we'd be here?" said Brees in reference to his signing with the team in 2006, a couple months after Payton had taken the job. "Eighty-five percent of the city was underwater. People had been evacuated to other parts of the country. But the organization and the city decided to rebuild together and that's what we did. Today was the culmination of all that work."
Actually, it also was something else: validation of Brees' impact on this franchise. After producing gaudy numbers over the past four years, Brees helped deliver a title that will only enhance his legacy. He easily could've tried to win a championship by imposing his will on the Colts' defense. Instead, he did what all great quarterbacks do: He let his leadership be the deciding factor in the biggest game of his life.
U.S.A.: polémique autour du "Journal d'Anne Frank" jugé "pornographique" et retiré de l'œuvre du programme d'une école de Virginie aux U.S.A. parce que "la jeune Amstellodamoise juive a écrit des passages un peu trop explicites sur la sexualité au gout des parents d'élèves" selon le journal local Star-Exponent.
MIAMI -- In its new role as a warmup to the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl became a series of wind sprints. Long gains were the rule and hard hitting was the exception as the AFC beat the NFC 41-34 on Sunday night.
Here's a scary thought: Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha on the same team. The star corners have talked about making it a reality in the future, Tim Graham writes in his AFC Pro Bowl notes.
Light showers fell for much of the game, stirring memories of a rainy Super Bowl in Miami three years ago. But uniforms remained mostly spotless, with more pushing and shoving than tackling.
"It's different. It was like 7 on 7," NFC linebacker Brian Orakpo said. "Everybody came out here trying not to get hurt and give the fans a good show"
Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans threw for 189 yards and two AFC scores, and was chosen the most valuable player.
"It's a game you watch growing up as a kid and wonder if you could ever be in," Schaub said. "To actually be a part of it is incredible."
Aaron Rodgers also threw two touchdown passes, and NFC teammate DeSean Jackson had two scoring catches.
From the standpoint of ticket sales, this year's new venue and slot on the league calendar was a success. The crowd of 70,697 was the largest for a Pro Bowl since 1959 in Los Angeles.
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Fast Facts
• The NFC lost for the second time in the last five Pro Bowls.
• 34 players chosen for the Pro Bowl missed the game due to either injury or because they are scheduled to be in the Super Bowl.
• Matt Schaub threw two TDs in the first five minutes and was given the MVP award.
• Attendance for the game was 70,697, the second-largest crowd in Pro Bowl history (1959 Pro Bowl, 72,250).
-- ESPN Stats & Information
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Spectators included Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and other Pro Bowl players from the Super Bowl teams. Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will face Brees and the New Orleans Saints on the same field next Sunday in the biggest game of the season.
The NFL sought to transform the Pro Bowl into a bigger game by playing it before the Super Bowl for the first time. In a one-year experiment, the league also moved the game from Honolulu, its home since 1980.
The stadium was half empty by the third quarter, perhaps partly because of the rain and temperatures in the 60s. It was sunny and 82 in Honolulu at game time.
Did the weather dampen the players' enthusiasm for Miami?
"It's beautiful. It's paradise," NFC receiver Steve Smith said. "Too bad it's not Hawaii."
Eager to host more big events, the Dolphins have proposed adding a roof that would cover fans as part of stadium improvements that could cost $250 million or more. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the upgrades are needed if South Florida is to remain competitive in bidding for future Super Bowls.
Nearly 40 percent of the players originally selected for the game didn't play. One of the AFC replacements, David Garrard, threw for 183 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson.
"It's so awesome," Garrard said. "One of my goals coming into the game was to just be relevant and show all the people who said, `What is he doing in there? The Pro Bowl has dropped off a few pegs,' that I do belong."
Vincent Jackson made seven catches for 122 yards. Chad Ochocinco had a 40-yard reception but didn't do any kicking after practicing placements and punts for the AFC during the week.
"That's OK. It was fun anyway," Ochocinco said.
DeSean Jackson scored on a 7-yard pass from Rodgers and a 58-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, his regular quarterback with the Eagles.
"I'm just out here having a great time," Jackson said. "And at the same time I'm trying to put out a little effort."
There were plenty of other big plays. Josh Cribbs caught a punt at the goal line and returned it 65 yards. A penalty negated LaMarr Woodley's 64-interception return for a touchdown.
"I slowed up to get a little camera time," Woodley said.
The AFC totaled 517 yards and the NFC 470. Both teams threw for more than 400 yards.
Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, a 12-year veteran playing in his first Pro Bowl, found the AFC's offensive approach exhausting.
Andre Johnson 33 Yd Pass From Matt Schaub (Dan Carpenter Kick)
0
7
FG
09:29
David Akers 47 Yd
3
7
TD
06:59
Brandon Marshall 23 Yd Pass From Matt Schaub (Dan Carpenter Kick)
3
14
TD
03:27
Steve Smith 48 Yd Pass From Aaron Rodgers (David Akers Kick)
10
14
SECOND QUARTER
NFC
AFC
TD
11:23
DeSean Jackson 7 Yd Pass From Aaron Rodgers (David Akers Kick)
17
14
FG
05:26
Dan Carpenter 30 Yd
17
17
THIRD QUARTER
NFC
AFC
TD
14:10
DeSean Jackson 58 Yd Pass From Donovan McNabb (David Akers Kick)
24
17
TD
13:19
Vincent Jackson 48 Yd Pass From David Garrard (Dan Carpenter Kick)
24
24
TD
11:21
Maurice Jones-Drew 4 Yd Run (Dan Carpenter Kick)
24
31
FG
05:09
Dan Carpenter 26 Yd
24
34
TD
01:22
DeAngelo Williams 7 Yd Run (David Akers Kick)
31
34
FOURTH QUARTER
NFC
AFC
FG
11:43
David Akers 39 Yd
34
34
TD
05:59
Chris Johnson 2 Yd Run (Dan Carpenter Kick)
34
41
"They came out with a bunch of screens and had us running around," Fletcher said.
But there were no complaints from Fletcher's teammate on defense, first-time Pro Bowler Justin Smith of the 49ers.
"The pace is nice," Smith said. "You don't have to worry about working too hard."
The game will return to Honolulu in 2011 and 2012, but the league hasn't decided whether to hold those games before or after the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl site for 2013 and beyond hasn't been determined.
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It's by one of the smallest of margins (41-34) that the Americans win this very tight gala game just a week before the well-anticipated Super Bowl XLIV. The Colts and Saints arrive in Miami on Monday, when the hype for the Super Bowl will kick into high gear.
Eager to do our part, we locked NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, who analyzes the Saints for ESPN.com, and AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, who tracks the Colts, in a room and asked them to talk through several of the top issues.
We’re sure to revisit many of them in the week to come, so consider this a tasty platter or appetizers. Tuck a napkin in your collar and dive in.
How much of a factor is it that the Colts have a recent Super Bowl championship on their resume, while this is the first Super Bowl appearance in a not-so-glorious franchise history for the Saints?
Pat Yasinskas: I’m not going to even try to bluff my way through this one or downplay this aspect. This is a huge factor and the Saints are clearly at a disadvantage here. By my count, they’ve only got four players who have even appeared in a Super Bowl (with other teams, of course). That’s safety Darren Sharper, cornerback Randall Gay, fullback Kyle Eckel and long-snapper Jason Kyle. Gay is the only one of those guys with a Super Bowl ring.
If you really want to pad the list, I suppose we could throw in tight ends Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas, who were on the injured-reserve list when their teams went to Super Bowls, and fullback Heath Evans, who went to a Super Bowl with New England. But Evans won’t play in this one because he’s on injured reserve. That’s it. Not a long list of guys who have been there and done that.
The Saints haven’t been here before, but they have to act as if they have. They’ve got strong veteran leadership in players such as Sharper, Drew Brees and Jonathan Vilma. They’ll have to follow their lead. Just as important, the coaching staff has to set the tone that the Saints shouldn’t stroll into Miami with their eyes wide open. They need all eyes focused only on winning the game.
Paul Kuharsky: I’m not expecting the Saints to be overwhelmed or unfocused by the hype or events of Super Bowl week. They were smart to get their game plan drawn up and installed during the week after winning their conference, same as the Colts did.
It’s Super Bowl Sunday itself that can prove to be the big difference. It’s great to have people tell you about the unnatural start time, the long delay between warm-ups and pregame festivities and the extended halftime to make room for The Who. It’s another thing to go through it yourself. Edge: Colts. Not only have they done it, they’ve done it in this very venue.
I also think the adrenaline that shoots through guys when kickoff finally arrives can make it hard for them to settle down. Indianapolis will be better prepared for that, and if the Colts settle down more quickly than the Saints, New Orleans has to hope by the time its feet hit the ground it’s not facing a two-score deficit.
Understandably, the first thing people talk about with these two teams is the passing game. But both the Colts and the Saints can run the ball a little bit. Which team has the better running game?
[+] EnlargeSaints Running backs Scott Cunningham/Getty Images Mike Bell, left, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are part of a running game that balanced New Orleans' offense. PY: I’m going with the Saints. People tend to overlook their running game, but it’s a big reason why they’re in the Super Bowl. One of the best things Sean Payton did in the offseason was realize his running game was inconsistent and just plain bad last year. He made a conscious commitment to make the running game better this year and the most impressive thing might be that he and general manager Mickey Loomis were able to avoid the temptation to go out and sign Edgerrin James or draft Beanie Wells.
They realized they already had some good backs in the building with Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Mike Bell and they added Lynell Hamilton for a bit of depth. They had a good offensive line already in place, and Payton altered his play calling to have a more balanced offense that allowed the Saints to protect leads and run out the clock.
New Orleans doesn’t have one dominant back. Thomas can do a bit of everything, Bush provides speed and a receiver out of the backfield and Bell and Hamilton give the Saints some power. This makes for a very solid combination.
PK: I like the Saints' running game better as well, but as we’ve discussed thoroughly in the AFC South blog this season, the Colts aren’t looking for conventional production in this department. They need their runners to pick up blitzes, put together some efficient runs, work well in play-action, and not put the team in bad spots with runs for losses. The home run plays are far more likely to come out of the passing game.
It’s important to note that the Colts, the NFL’s lowest-rated running team in the regular season, just out-rushed the Jets, the league’s top ground game, in the AFC title game. Indy has survived a lot of quality running backs too, including the Titans' explosive 2,000-yard runner Chris Johnson. While he torched the rest of the league, averaging 5.8 yards a carry, he managed 4.1 and 147 total rushing yards against the Colts in two Tennessee losses.
The Colts may give up some yards, but overall they are more than capable of containing Thomas, Bush, Bell and Hamilton well enough to win.
The quarterbacks are obviously the marquee names in this game and they will be dissected all week.
PK: I have a great deal of appreciation for Drew Brees, but even if he wins this game, we’re not going to be calling him Peyton Manning’s equal. Both quarterbacks are excellent leaders. Both are supremely accurate. Both have a quality stable of weapons.
But things begin to stray from there. Manning has four MVPs, including this season’s, and he won it over Brees, who finished second. Manning has a lot more big-game experience and a title on his resume. And while he wasn’t always at his best on the playoff stage, he’s playing at a level right now where a lot of people feel, reasonably it seems, that he may just be unstoppable.
In the AFC Championship Game, against the Jets and the NFL’s top-rated defense, he needed some time to figure out what New York was trying to do. Once he did, he shredded the Jets with 377 yards and three touchdowns. His in-game adjustments, with help from coordinator Tom Moore, are unparalleled. And like a lot of defensive coaches before him, Gregg Williams is talking about sending people at Manning and hitting him. These days, it very rarely works out the way against Manning and the Colts, as it did against Brett Favre and the Vikings.
PY: Paul, let me start by saying I respect the heck out of Manning and all he has achieved. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and, quite possibly, the best quarterback ever. And I’ll gladly agree that he probably is playing at his highest level ever right now.
That said, why can’t we call Brees his equal if the Saints win this game? Seriously, I believe the only thing really separating Brees and Manning right now is a Super Bowl ring. Look at Brees’ numbers the past few years. He’s right there with Manning. I honestly remember watching him in training camp last year and thinking, “This guy is the closest thing to Peyton Manning I’ve ever seen’’ and Brees has only continued to improve since then. He has carried a franchise on his shoulders and that franchise is the New Orleans Saints -- enough said about that.
As for the MVPs, that’s a wonderful thing. But I think some of that is overrated and the Manning name carries a lot of weight in elections. I’m not trying to tear down Manning at all. But I think you have to at least let Brees in the same sentence if he can win this game. I’ll offer a compromise here. If the Saints win this game, can we at least say the two best quarterbacks in the league are from teams in the South?
PK: Well, beyond four MVPs to none, if the Colts win Manning will be up two Super Bowls to none, and while he’s only three NFL seasons ahead of Brees he has led his team to the postseason 10 times to Brees’ three. Lots of cushion there in my eyes. But I’ll go with you on the South divisions ranking one and two if Brees gets his hands on that Lombardi Trophy.
We talked quarterbacks, of course we have to talk pass rushes. How much will the guys chasing Manning and Brees influence this game?
PRESSURE PERCENTAGES
A comparison of the pass rushes both teams employed this postseason. Rushers Saints Colts Standard 4-man 58.5 66.7 5+ with LB 24.4 25.8 Blitzing DB 17.1 7.6 PK: For a long time the Colts' defense was at its best when the offense got a lead and made the opponent one-dimensional. That did a lot to get the run game out of the mix against a defense keyed around speed, not size, and put Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis in those maximal pass-rushing situations.
It doesn’t have to be that way now. This version of the Colts is still fast, but the defense is a bit bigger with Antonio Johnson and Daniel Muir manning the middle of the line. It has a second big-hitting linebacker in Clint Session to go with Gary Brackett and boasts defensive backs who can come up and hit as well as run and cover.
Jon Stinchcomb (against Mathis) and Jermon Bushrod (against Freeney) will be dealing with some serious speed. If Freeney's ankle injury holds him out or limits him, that will hurt. Raheem Brock is a quality third end, but he won't necessarily prompt the Saints to help Bushrod with a tight end or back, so the vaunted Saints passing attack may not have to sacrifice a weapon in protection. If the Colts bring a fifth rusher to help, as they have much more often in Larry Coyer’s first season as their defensive coordinator, the timing up front can get all out of whack no matter who's at end.
If either defense can prompt some happy feet, it could be an edge.
PY: Absolutely. The pass rush is going to be a deciding factor in this game for both teams. No doubt Indianapolis has a great pass rush and that’s a challenge for the entire New Orleans offense, particularly Bushrod. He is a backup who has been forced to play all season because of an injury to Jammal Brown.
Bushrod has his limitations. But he has held up all right against players such as Julius Peppers and John Abraham. DeMarcus Ware has been the only guy to really tear him apart. Admittedly, a lot of that has to do with the rest of this offense more than it does with Bushrod’s skills. The Saints account for him on every play and they’ve been able to cover him because the rest of their offensive line is so good. They’ve given him help from tight ends, fullbacks and running backs and the offense is designed so that Brees rarely takes deep drops and he gets rid of the ball very quickly. Plus, it’s tough to fluster Brees.
Sure, it’s tough to fluster Manning too, but that’s not going to stop the Saints from trying, and their pass rush is better than a lot of people think. Defensive end Will Smith is one of the most underrated players in this game and Bobby McCray’s a pretty good pass-rusher too. With Sedrick Ellis and Anthony Hargrove, the Saints are capable of getting a push in the middle and Gregg Williams is not afraid to bring the blitz -- although I don’t see him doing it a lot in this game. The Saints beat up Favre and Kurt Warner in their two playoff games. I know Manning is seen as sacred by a lot of people, but I don’t think Williams and the New Orleans defense view him that way.
PK: However it unfolds, I root for a classic. We should have good seats, I want the good storylines too.
PY: I’m with you my friend. Nothing better than the Super Bowl -- good football, good weather and good entertainment. Remember how great Bruce Springsteen’s show was at halftime last year? Oh, that’s right, you didn’t make it. Hope The Who helps make up for that.
PK: Could be another tricky day for you and the team you’re following. But it’ll be fun to join together to see how it unfolds.
Avatar en 4e vitesse 10 jan 2010 Par Thomas Messias
De semaine en semaine, rien ne change : après avoir réalisé les meilleurs deuxième et troisième week-ends de l'histoire, Avatar a remis ça concernant le quatrième week-end, ses 48,5 millions lui permettant de devancer - et de très loin - les 28,8 millions de Titanic, précédent détenteur du record. Résultat : le film de Cameron vient de devenir le plus gros succès de 2009 (devant Transformers 2), est entré dans le top 10 de tous les temps, et n'est plus qu'à 104 millions du deuxième, The dark knight, qui devrait être doublé tôt ou tard, sauf écroulement surprise. Titanic, lui, est 171 millions devant. Cameron devra donc encore cravacher s'il veut espérer rattraper... Cameron.
Le bilan mondial est encore plus claire : Avatar est d'ores et déjà deuxième avec 1,332 milliard récolté à ce jour sur la planète, encore assez loin du 1,843 milliard récolté par Titanic en son temps...
------------------------------------------ Avatar: Un milliard de dollars ! 04 jan 2010 Par Jean-Noël Nicolau
Avatar de James Cameron poursuit sur la route du succès historique et sur les traces de Titanic. Après avoir dépassé les 350 millions de dollars en 17 jours aux Etats-Unis, le film vient d'atteindre le milliard de dollars de recette dans le monde. Ceci s'ajoute au record du meilleur 1er janvier aux USA (avec 68,3 millions de dollars) et du meilleur troisième week-end (dépassant ainsi Spider-Man).
Le week-end prochain, Avatar atteindra les 400 millions de dollars aux USA et deviendra ainsi le plus gros succès de l'année 2009, devant Transformers 2 de Michael Bay. Il entrera par la même occasion dans le top 10 des plus grands triomphes de tous les temps aux Etats-Unis.
Dans les autres pays, Avatar a engrangé 670,2 millions de dollars, pour un total de 1,02 milliards en incluant les USA. En seulement 17 jours, le film devient le quatrième plus gros succès de tous les temps dans le monde ! Avatar a déjà dépassé The Dark Knight et n'a besoin que de 46 millions supplémentaires pour battre Pirates des Caraïbes 2.
Il faut à présent mentionner LE record à battre : celui de Titanic. Il s'élève à 1,84 milliards de recettes dans le monde entier en y incluant 600 millions de dollars aux Etats-Unis. James Cameron parviendra-t-il à doubler... James Cameron ?
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Avatar: un record pour la Fox dans le monde 28 déc 2009 Par Thomas Messias
S'il a brillé aux États-Unis en étant à un cheveu d'effectuer le meilleur deuxième week-end de l'histoire (voir notre box-office), Avatar cartonne aussi à l'international. À tel point que le film de James Cameron vient de permettre à la Fox de battre un record détenu jusqu'ici par Warner Bros.
Avec 145 millions récoltés ce week-end sur la totalité du globe, Avatar vient en effet de permettre à 20th Century Fox de totaliser 2,263 milliards de dollars sur l'année 2009, battant ainsi les 2,24 milliards de recettes effectués par la Warner en 2007. Des films comme L'âge de glace 3, X-men origins : Wolverine ou encore La nuit au musée 2 auront largement aidé la firme à battre cet impressionnant record.
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Avatar: 1er jour en France 18 déc 2009 Par Jean-Noël Nicolau
Avatar a assuré un très bon premier jour au box-office ce mercredi en France. Avec 390 934 entrées sur 726 salles, le film de James Cameron s'offre le cinquième meilleur démarrage de 2009. C'est malgré tout légèrement décevant pour un blockbuster de cet acabit. La moyenne par copie s'élevant à 442 spectateurs. Il est certain que le week-end à venir, puis les vacances scolaires, vont envoyer Avatar dans la stratosphère.
Rappelons que Titanic avait débuté bien plus bas, avec 206 174 spectateurs sur 564 copies le premier jour. C'est son incroyable longévité qui lui avait permis de dépasser les 20 millions d'entrées.
65% des entrées d'Avatar ont été effectuées dans les salles 3D, confirmant l'attrait du public pour cette technologie. A Paris, le film réalise 56 031 entrées ce mercredi, pour une moyenne de 849 spectateurs par copie.
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Avatar : Premiers chiffres en direct des Etats-Unis 20 déc 2009 Par David Da Silva
Avatar vient de sortir sur les écrans nord-américains et il a récolté 27 millions de dollars pour son premier jour dans les salles obscures. Pour un week-end de sortie en décembre, le record est détenu jusqu'ici par Je suis une légende avec Will Smith, qui avait récolté 77,2 millions de dollars. La durée longue (2h40, donc une séance qui saute) et la tempête de neige qui frappe actuellement la côte est des Etats-Unis risquent fort bien d'empêcher le film de James Cameron de battre ce record.
Il faut toutefois signaler qu'Avatar a quasiment réalisé autant de recettes en une journée que Titanic pour son premier week-end en 1997. Ce dernier avait recueilli 28,6 millions de dollars pour finalement atteindre un montant total record de 600 millions de dollars aux USA. Le "king of the world" sera t-il capable de doubler la mise ?
Ooups, le piège: la Chine demande à la France de prendre une position sur le Tibet. On va se terrer la tête dans le cul encore et s'ecraser comme des merdes ou prendre ENFIN une position humaine et respectable? A noter que cette mise en garde s'applique également aux Etats-Unis.
44% des americains rejettent la theorie de l'evolution. Mieux, 51% des americains croient que Dieu a cree l'homme. C'est ici. Et la. C'est partout.
Et moi qui y croyais encore betement, a la theorie de l'evolution. Mais non. Il semble que je sois bien depasse, une fois n'est pas coutume. Par ce peuple si brillant, si a la pointe de la connaissance, qui nous a apporte la television, le telephone, l'homme sur la lune ou plus recemment l'internet et les freedom fries. Imparable demonstration ici. Et j'en vois meme certains qui s'emeuvent de ne pouvoir defendre leur point de vue creationniste librement sans etre catalogues comme revisionnistes. Ce qu'ils ne sont pas, cela va sans dire. Au contraire, leur theorie serait devenue taboo. Le monde a l'envers...
Je vois quand meme quelques lueurs d'espoir ici ou la. Le combat n'est pas fini.
Entree en 15e position, une preuve supplementaire du grand n'importe quoi d'incompetence qui caracterise l'administration Bush a Washington.
Vous connaissez l'histoire? Elle sort directement d'un roman d'espionnage a deux balles pour vous etre delivree live sur CNN.
Lewis 'Scooter' Libbya été condamné au début du mois a 2 ans et demi de prison, une amende de $250,000 et 2 ans de controle judiciaire pour avoir menti a multiple reprises au FBI et avoir fait obstruction à l'enquête d'un grand jury dans l'affaire Valerie Plame, dont le nom avait ete revele en 2003 comme agent de la CIA. Devoiler le nom d'un agent est considéré comme un crime fédéral aux Etats-Unis. Mr Libby, tout comme M Cheney avaient choisi le silence, une defense toujours tres productive et qui a le merite d'eviter d'eclairer le juri, ce qui est bien pratique lorsque l'on est couplable et/ou a des choses a cacher et/ou des gens a proteger. Eh bien, M George W Bush a estime la sentence en prison trop severe et l'a commuee. Rappelons que M. Libby etait le bras droit de Dick Cheney (les Americains disent chief of staff), le vice-president des Etats-Unis et que Mme Plame etait la femme de l'ancien ambassadeur Joseph Wilson, qui avait ouvertement critiqué dans la presse la politique de Washington en Irak. Cette affaire avait bien evidemment torpille sa reputation. Meme Mme Clinton, qui fait tout pour ne pas faire de vagues durant sa campagne a elle pour la prochaine presidentielle, surtout pour une histoire de pardon apres le passe pour le moins houleux de son mari en la matiere, s'en est publiquement indignee, qualifiant la pratique de "meprisante". En attendant la grace, voila une decision qui est presque sure de mettre M Bush a pied egal avec Nixon.
NFC 34, 
AFC 41
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