Lamont Peterson agrees terms for Dec 10 fight with Amir Khan – venue to be decided

Amir Khan, the WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion could make the first defence of the IBF belt against mandatory challenger Lamont Peterson, who has agreed to terms, according to sources here in Las Vegas.

The sites being considered for the HBO televised bout include Detroit, Washington and Montreal on Dec 10.

Peterson would not confirm that the agreement has been reached, having yet to speak to his manager and trainer, Barry Hunter, who was unavailable last night.

"I haven't spoken to my manager and my trainer, and they haven't told me for certain yet, but I knew that we were very, very close. I knew that we were very close to finalizing the deal for the last week or so, but it's not signed yet," Peterson told Telegraph Sport.

"Yes, this is the fight that I want right now. It's the fight that I was looking for, and it's a strong fight for me. It's the best fight that I can get, because I'm fighting the No. 1 guy in the 140-pound weight class and I'm fighting for the title. It's a fight I know that I can win."

Khan, 24, defeated Zab Judah, then the IBF titleholder, in July in Las Vegas.

Peterson, 27, (record – 29-1-1, 15 KOs) from Washington D.C. won an IBF eliminator with a 12th-round stoppage of Victor Cayo in July, earning the organization's No. 1 contender status.

"Look, everybody has weaknesses or flaws. Call them whatever you want to. It's up to me now to come up with a game plan with my coach and to come up with a plan to defeat Amir Khan in the ring," added Peterson.

"Any time that you're in a fight of this magnitude, then it's only going to lead to much, much bigger fights. And the winner of this fight will go on to be in really, really big fights after this."

Sucker punch ? Bizarre picture of Floyd Mayweather with Victor Ortiz captured by photographer Stacey Verbeek

One of the more bizarre pictures to emerge from this week's proceedings in Las Vegas…

Floyd Mayweather appears to be sucking the life out of Victor Ortiz's nose at the Wednesday head to head

It was actually a depth of field illusion. Captions – Sucker punch ? "Leave me alone, Floyd, you're breaking my nose…" ?

Mayweather was actually shouting out to the side after the pair had been nose to nose.

Ortiz defends the WBC welterweight title against unbeaten Mayweather at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on Saturday night

For Lundqvist, a Summer of Joy and Sorrow

For Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist it was a busy summer, highlighted by his marriage in his hometown, Gothenburg, Sweden. But it was also a sad summer, marked by the death by overdose of his Rangers teammate Derek Boogaard, the apparent suicides of two other N.H.L. enforcers and the plane crash in Russia that killed the players and coaches of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Last week in a conversation with Jeff Z. Klein of The Times and Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail, Lundqvist talked about his career, his hopes for the Rangers, and the shock of a sobering off season.

Henk, after the Rangers were eliminated in the first round last season you said that you felt your chance to win a Stanley Cup had become limited.

Yes, you do start to realize that your time is limited. I try to enjoy it at the same time — I realize I’m very lucky to be playing, and to be here in New York. But I realize, “O.K., I don’t have that many chances.” When you’re young you don’t think about your future. As you get older you start to realize you have to make the best of it. I was real disappointed last year. I was excited to be in the playoffs, but then it felt like we could have done better, starting with me. You always feel like you can play better.

So this summer I was anxious to see what’s going on. We had a lot of guys to sign. So it was big to see that we got most of the guys back, and then we signed Brad Richards. That was very exciting to see. I’m very excited about this year. There are a lot of things — the Europe trip, the Winter Classic, HBO, the home arena is a little different now too — a lot of things going on.

You mention the HBO series the Rangers will be on leading up to Winter Classic game vs. Philadelphia. Did you watch the HBO series last year with Pittsburgh and Washington?

I watched a few episodes last year. I thought they did a pretty good job. I’m in the games, so I know what’s going on, but for a guy that hadn’t really paid attention to the game or hadn’t known what’s going on, I think it’d be interesting to see how things work.

I hope we handle it well, but I don’t know how much they’re going to be in our face. Mentally you just have to prepare for it, to be able to block it out. Have fun with it off the ice, see it as a great experience and a fun thing. But when it comes to practice and games, the focus needs to be there.

Do you think Torts will save a few choice rants for the HBO cameras?

(Laughs) It’s going to be exciting to see how things play out. But like I said, it’ll be a great experience to have them around.

The plane crash in Yaroslavl — you knew Lokomotiv’s Swedish goalie, no?

Yes, I knew Stefan Liv. It’s crazy — I can’t believe that it happened. I played with Stefan for a lot of years on the national team. We had a good relationship. I saw him this summer in Gothenburg. Just a great, great guy. I also knew Karel Rachunek — he was here with the Rangers. Those two guys.

Someone asked me if it felt weird, flying. When you’re in there you can’t really control anything — you’re in someone else’s hands. You just have to accept it. I’m usually pretty comfortable flying. You always think this will never happen to you, but when it does happen, or to someone close to you, it makes you think.

Have there been flights where you’ve been worried?

I’m not going to lie. I played with the junior national team in Russia probably 10 years ago or so, and the plane maybe wasn’t what I was used to. The seats were just folding like this (gestures to indicate a seat flopping back and forth). They didn’t really care if we had seat belts. It was just a really different style of flying. But I heard they have great pilots in Russia. You just never really know about security or safety.

Because we fly so much, you always have a couple of incidents here or there. The Rangers a couple of years ago, we came in two or three times and couldn’t land. It felt like we touched the first two times, but I guess it was just the air bumping the plane — we were really close. I guess we got the wrong information from the tower because we were coming in from the wrong side and had too much side wind. The third time it was, “O.K., now we’ve got the right information,” and we came in from the other side. That was a little scary. You just have to deal with it. I’m usually relaxed, but if something happens there’s really not much you can do, unfortunately.

Where were you last May when you heard about Derek Boogaard?

Actually I was in the British Virgin Islands, and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, got a text message saying he passed away. You get just a bad feeling in your stomach for hours, for days. It’s just a weird feeling. It’s hard to understand.

Did it come as a complete surprise to you?

Yeah, absolutely. It was a shock, definitely. Really sad, the way it happened.

You knew he was in substance abuse program and dealing with this?

Well, I knew he was in L.A. for a little bit. But he was just, you know, always when you saw him he was always such a nice person, and you felt like he was doing great. Then I didn’t see him for a couple months later in the season, he was gone. Then the season ended, and you think, ‘O.K., I’ll see him next season, and let’s start over after the concussion and have a great year.’

And then that happens, and it was shocking. It took me a couple days to realize it really happened. When someone passes away who’s close to you, it takes a while before you really realize he’s gone.

With Derek’s death and the deaths of Rick Rypien and Wade Belak this summer, will guys will look differently at enforcers now, maybe worry about them more?

Maybe it’ll be that guys make sure everybody’s feeling great, that if you see anything that doesn’t feel right with a guy, you’ll approach him. Doesn’t matter if you’re the goalie or the forward or the fighter or whatever, you just want to make sure that everyone’s having a great time. We play a great game and have a great life, and we’re lucky to do that. So hopefully it brings something good out of this bad stuff that happened, that we try to look after each other even more. Even now we try to be tight and look after each other, but obviously we can’t do it 24/7.

Danny Garcia: Floyd Mayweather is a sneaky dirty fighter, Victor Ortiz camp concerned by ref Joe Cortez

Danny Garcia made no bones about the concern held having Joe Cortez refereeing the contest between his charge, WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, and Floyd Mayweather here on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"Yes, Floyd is a sneaky, dirty fighter," Garcia concurred to Telegraph Sport. But then, many great boxing champions have been, right under referees noses. It just comes with the territory. Call it sleight of hand, or whatever… Muhammad Ali used to hold his opponents by the back of the head with one glove and let fly with the other.

Mayweather knows how to mix it. Sure, he is brilliantly defensively, but has the canny ability to look after himself in the ring. Par excellence. Garcia, as expected, believes his man has a method. He also believes that too many of Mayweather's opponents have fought him "in the same way".

"They show him respect. We are not going to fight him dirty, but we will put pressure on him, and Victor can box, too. The only thing I told Victor from studying Floyd is I see a lot of his elbow. That's illegal. The same as Victor kicking him. The elbow can cut, or break his nose. Floyd is a sneaky, dirty fighter."

"Using the shoulder is one thing; but when you use the elbow that's when you don't want to fight. That's what Floyd does. I like Joe Cortez, but I want a clean fight. We are here to beat Mayweather."

"Mayweather also turns his back, and if he does that, which you can't do in boxing, Victor will hit him in his back. We think Mayweather will run."

Garcia also believes that Ortiz's south paw stance may help him. Mayweather had problems early in his contest with ZAb Judah, also a southpaw. "I think Zab Judah was a better fighter than Floyd Mayweather back then." Yet the key to that is that Mayweather still found a way to win.

Garcia also studied Mayweather's contest with Ricky Hatton, who was knocked out by the American in the same ring here in 2008. "Hatton was putting pressure on him, but he had no defence, jumping in with his hands down, leaving his jaw up. Floyd waited for that and he got him good. Victor would have beaten Hatton, too. Hatton was too small, too open for Floyd Mayweather."

This fight has not ignited mainstream interest in the US, and is being seen as yet another semi-final for Mayweather, as many of the sports insiders – and fans – look to a contest against Manny Pacquiao as a fight that must be made. Indeed, it must. They are the world's two most accomplished fighters, Mayweather and Pacquiao. They are also in the same weight division. Imagine if Nadal and Federer never met on a tennis court. It just wouldn't make sense. But if Garcia pulls off a victory here in Sin City with his underdog fighter, Ortiz will become a major star overnight.

Kings, Ducks to open training camps Friday

The Kings and Ducks have announced their training camp schedules and rosters, and both teams will have plenty of sessions open to the public.

Players on each team will report for physicals and testing on Friday and will take to the ice on Saturday, with the Kings working out at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo and the Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Click the links for rosters and schedules for the Kings and the Ducks.

With the announcement Thursday that Teemu Selanne will return to the Ducks next season after agreeing to a one-year, $4-million deal, the biggest remaining question is whether unsigned restricted free agent Drew Doughty will agree with the Kings on a new contract in time to join his teammates Friday.

The answer should be be clear later Thursday or on Friday, so stay tuned.

RELATED:

Families perservere 10 years after 9/11 took Kings scouts

Local hockey community reeling after Russian plane crash

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Drew Doughty. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Gary Klein previews USC-Syracuse [Video]

The Times' Gary Klein talks about Marc Tyler's productivity and the Trojans' defense as the team heads into Saturday's game with Syracuse.

 

 

USC football: Who has better running back tradition, USC or Syracuse?

With Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush on its all-time roster, no one would argue that the Trojans have produced a long line of outstanding running backs.

But is it better than the running back tradition at Syracuse?

The Orange have produced Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Joe Morris.

With the Trojans set to host the Orange on Saturday at the Coliseum, the Post-Standard asked readers to weigh in on Who has the better all-time running backs.

You can vote in the Post-Standard's poll here.

--Gary Klein

Tailgating Recipe: Brat Stew

The Quad, the Times’s college sports blog, asked readers to submit recipes for football tailgating parties, and the response made us hungry for some football, but mostly just plain hungry. We’ll give you a dish or two to try each week, starting with On Wisconsin Six-Pack Brat Stew.

Teemu Selanne to return to Ducks under one-year, $4-million deal

Teemu Selanne will return to the Ducks for at least one more season.

The 41-year-old right wing, who had been unsure whether his surgically repaired knee would be strong enough for him to maintain a high level of play, on Thursday signed a one-year, $4-million contract and will report to camp on Friday. He was scheduled to speak with the media later Thursday but gave a video explanation on the Ducks' website.

Selanne scored 31 goals and 80 points in 73 games last season, impressive numbers at any age. He had surgery on his knee over the summer and was concerned that it might not hold up, but after skating on his own and with teammates the last few weeks he decided Thursday that he’s good to go.

Check back later for more coverage at www.latimes.com/sports.

ALSO:

Kings, Ducks to open training camps Friday

Local hockey community reeling after Russian plane crash

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Teemu Selanne. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Chris Foster previews UCLA-Texas [Video]

The Times' Chris Foster discusses how big a win over Texas would be for UCLA, progress in the QB battle, and an interesting kicker.

 

 

Which NFL team can least afford an 0-2 start?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss which 0-1 team most needs a win in Week 2 of the NFL season. Check for more responses throughout the day and weigh in with a comment of your own.

Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Can any 0-1 team be staring at more 0-2 issues than the Dolphins?

The New York Giants' season would be in trouble at 0-2. The Dallas fan base would be in an uproar at 0-2. Jacksonville or Denver might have coaching, quarterback or ownership questions at 0-2.

The Dolphins would have all those and more if they lose against Houston in a second home game. They told you this after losing to heavyweight New England by firing cornerback Benny Sapp. Anyone else get fired after the first week?

At 0-2, the Dolphins season wouldn't be over. It'd be staring at the third week in more trouble than any other team, though.

County Climax: reaction from around the grounds

At last: Lancashire celebrate on their way to Championship glory

All the made-up news and quotes from a thrilling final day in cricket’s County Championship

At a desolate Headingley, Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves is still enjoying a good rant against the club’s players. “… result pitches? Result pitches? When I were a lad, we played on a snooker table. With knifes in it. And we were never relegated – we’d never of dreamed of it. Brian Close shut his own head in the door of an Austin Allegro on the last day of one season and it came clean off, but he just got on wi’ it and stayed in t’division. Bloody relegation indeed…”

At Sky’s HQ in Isleworth, a mid-afternoon production meeting concludes: “We could cut to Taunton to see if Lancashire can chase 150-odd in 25 overs, but let’s stick with Neil McKenzie batting out a draw down in Southampton and then go to Somerset once it’s a done-deal. Anyway, how about FOOTBALL? Footy is COOL.”

In Southampton, Mark Nicholas is asked if relegation is evidence that Hampshire should relinquish their first class status. He remains cool. Very, very cool. Smooth, in fact. Like Roger Moore in a giant tub of liquidised fruit, smoking a cigar in a velvet robe.

At Leicester, Middlesex coach Angus Fraser celebrates promotion in style by doing some exercises for his bad back and smiling ever so slightly. “Hard work, that,” concludes the grumpy warhorse of seam.

With Lancashire needing one run off six overs and Warwickshire needing to take three wickets in three balls and then score 158 in 12 balls, Nick Knight is ready to go out on a limb “Ooh, you just feel, don’t you, that maybe, just maybe, this is edging towards Lancashire now.”

In Kensington, Kevin Pietersen calls for the resignation of Peter Moores.

From Dubai, Andrew Flintoff announces that he is “retiring from international television presenting” and that he has “got hold of some more nude photos of Scarlett Johnansson.” Flintoff stresses that he has in no way timed this announcement to steal attention from the dénouement of the County season.

Brian Urlacher returns to Chicago Bears practice

Brian Urlacher has returned to Chicago Bears headquarters Halas Hall, the Chicago Tribune's David Haugh tweeted citing two sources.

A source told the Chicago Tribune Wednesday night that Urlacher plans to play Sunday at New Orleans.

The veteran linebacker left the team Wednesday after the unexpected death of his mother, Lavoyda, at age 51. Coach Lovie Smith had said the team would let Urlacher have as much time as possible to grieve.

Meanwhile, fellow athletes, sports reporters and fans have been using Twitter to send out their condolences to Urlacher.

New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress tells Urlacher, "Stay Strong. Bless." Sports Illustrated's Peter King calls it a "tough blow for a very good man." Others sending out their thoughts and prayers include San Francisco 49ers' Braylon Edwards, New Orleans Saints' Mark Ingram, Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, Chicago Bulls' Carlos Boozer and ESPN's Adam Schefter and Linda Cohn.

ALSO:

Buccaneers' Brian Price is playing again after two radical surgeries

Bill Plaschke: Oakland Raiders could use some brains to go with their brawn

-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: Brian Urlacher. Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press

Week 2 in Fantasy Football: Favorable Matchups

Jason and Justin Sablich are here to help you with your fantasy football team. The Sablich brothers will provide fantasy football advice throughout the season on this blog and on Twitter (@5thDownFantasy).

Do you have a “start or sit” question? This season we will be taking questions on Twitter rather than in the comments section below. Follow us at @5thDownFantasy.

The biggest surprise of Week 1 had to be Cam Newton’s N.F.L. debut with the Carolina Panthers. There was no expert alive who expected him to put up 422 passing yards and 2 touchdowns on the board. And, not surprisingly, his ownership percentage shot into the 70s in many leagues. We won’t blame you for getting excited, especially if you have a need at the position, but please temper your expectations, for one game does not a fantasy stud make. He has a lot more to prove and is among our unfavorable matchups in Week 2

Favorable/Unfavorable Quarterback Matchups

Favorable

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) vs. Seattle – Despite losing his best offensive lineman for the season last week (Willie Colon), we fully expect Roethlisberger to bounce back big at home against a Seattle defense that looks nothing like the Ravens’.

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) vs. Jacksonville – He certainly wasn’t perfect against Dallas, but from a fantasy perspective, he was good enough to finish in the top 10 in standard scoring leagues at his position. The Jaguars, who have been extremely generous to quarterbacks over the years, gave up 22 points to a shaky Matt Hasselbeck last week.


Rex Grossman (WAS) vs. Arizona – We had him here last week against the Giants and he performed well (23 fantasy points), so there’s no reason not to list him here against an Arizona secondary that gave up 422 yards to the rookie quarterback Cam Newton in Week 1.

Matt Schaub (HOU) vs. Miami – After what Tom Brady did to this unit (517 yards and 4 TDs), it’s pretty clear the Dolphins have a lot of work to do in the secondary.

Unfavorable

Matt Hasselbeck (TEN) vs. Baltimore – There’s no good reason to mess with Hasselbeck seeing how the Ravens handled Roethlisberger in Week 1 (5 forced turnovers).

Cam Newton (CAR) vs. Green Bay – 422 passing yards and 2 TDs as a Week 1 rookie was truly remarkable, but that was against the Cardinals. Here come the defending Super Bowl champions.

Matt Ryan (ATL) vs. Philadelphia – Ryan and the Atlanta passing game struggled somewhat in Week 1 against Chicago, and things won’t get any easier here as the Eagles generated good pressure on Sam Bradford, limiting him to just 7 fantasy points while eventually knocking him out of the game.

Jay Cutler (CHI) vs. New Orleans – Cutler had a quality fantasy day (23 standard points) against an Atlanta defense that is expected to be even better this season, but take away 2 short passes that went for a combined 109 yards and 1 TD and you’re looking at 203 yards, 1 TD, 4 sacks and 1 INT. Sure, the Saints gave up 312 yards and 3 TDs to Aaron Rodgers last Thursday night, but most defenses are guilty of similar stat lines against him. We expect the Saints to play tough at home after a painful Week 1 loss.

Favorable/Unfavorable Running Back Matchups

Favorable

Peyton Hillis (CLE) vs. Indianapolis – The Colts’ shoddy run defense, with a little help from a Derrick Ward injury, made Ben Tate the sixth best standard scoring running back option last week, and will be in even more trouble if linebacker Gary Brackett can’t suit up.

Cedric Benson (CIN) vs. Denver – Benson is coming off 121 yards and a touchdown, and the Broncos’ run-stopping troubles from last season have not changed, considering how the Raiders racked up 190 yards on the ground Monday night.

Michael Turner (ATL) vs. Philadelphia – The Eagles’ run defense and its questionable linebacker corps had trouble stopping the Rams’ backs with Steven Jackson ripping off a 47-yard TD on his first carry, and Cadillac Williams totaling 140 yards after Jackson exited because of a quad injury (yes, the same Cadillac that averaged 3.5 yards a carry last season).

James Starks (GB) vs. Carolina – Starks is clearly the better back in Green Bay and should see even more carries this week against a Carolina defense that gave up 16 fantasy points to Beanie Wells in Week 1. The loss of Panthers linebacker John Beason for the season further weakens this flimsy unit.

Unfavorable

Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX) vs. Jets – Owners who took a chance on Jones-Drew are all smiles this week, considering he showed no ill effects from his off-season knee issues and had a productive fantasy day against the Titans. But the going will be much tougher against a stout Jets defensive front that held Felix Jones to 44 rushing yards Sunday night.

Chris Johnson (TEN) vs. Baltimore – Johnson is certain to see more carries in Week 2 as the Titans admittedly botched up the game plan with his limited workload against Jacksonville, but it might not make a big difference with the Ravens in town.

Jamaal Charles (KC) vs. Detroit – It’s a little concerning that Jamaal saw just 10 carries against one of the worst run defenses of 2010, but it’s more along the lines that the Chiefs fell way behind and abandoned the run than Coach Todd Haley being Coach Todd Haley. With the Lions’ high-powered offense on tap, that could very well be the case again this week, not to mention their nasty defensive front will make things extra difficult on the offense.

DeAngelo Williams (CAR) vs. Green Bay – Locked in a timeshare with Jonathan Stewart, Williams will need his team to play with a lead in order to get significant work, and that doesn’t figure to be the case this week against the Packers.

Favorable/Unfavorable Wide Receiver Matchups

Favorable

Santonio Holmes (NYJ) vs. Jacksonville – O.K., so the big game against the Cowboys didn’t come, but you should certainly keep him active against a Jacksonville secondary that was burned by Kenny Britt for 136 yards and 2 TDs.

Mike Sims Walker (STL) vs. Giants – The Rams’ loss of Danny Amendola for an extended period opens the door for more targets, and the thin Giants secondary looked predictably weak against the Redskins in Week 1.

Mario Manningham (NYG) vs. St. Louis – With Hakeem Nicks’s status in doubt for Monday night, Manningham could end up being Eli Manning’s No. 1 option against a Rams team with both of its starting cornerbacks looking like a scratch.

Jordy Nelson (GB) vs. Carolina – Six catches, 77 yards and a score in Week 1 aren’t too shabby considering he is supposed to be in a value-killing timeshare with James Jones. Carolina gave up 24 fantasy points to the position in Week 1, courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals, making Nelson a fine WR3 play in Week 2.

Unfavorable

Mike Williams (TB) vs. Minnesota – The Vikings did a good job limiting one of the hottest players this preseason (Vincent Jackson) to 31 yards on 2 receptions in Week 1. Williams’s stat line could suffer a similar fate if the Vikings can pressure Josh Freeman the way they did Philip Rivers.

Chad Ochocinco (NE) vs. San Diego – Playing behind Deion Branch, Ochocinco was in on just 18 of the Patriots’ 80 plays. He cannot be started until that number significantly increases, and the matchup here is not a good one anyway.

Steve Smith (CAR) vs. Green Bay – You can’t bench him after his 178-yard, 2-TD Week 1 performance, but certainly expect the going to be much tougher against a Packers defense with a lot more talent than the Cardinals’.

Julio Jones (ATL) vs. Philadelphia – Asomugha and Samuel front one of the toughest secondaries that the dynamic rookie is going to see all season.

Favorable/Unfavorable Tight End Matchups

Favorable

Owen Daniels (HOU) vs. Miami – The Dolphins were burned badly by the Patriots’ talented tight end duo (30 combined fantasy points), and the Kevin Walter injury could result in an even bigger role for Daniels in the Texans’ offense if he misses Week 2.

Lance Kendricks (STL) vs. Giants – He was a nonfactor in his N.F.L debut with two ugly drops, but the chance for redemption has arrived as the Giants had no answer for the Redskins’ tight ends (130 total yards on 7 receptions), and the Amendola injury makes him even more important to Sam Bradford, who is expected to play despite a banged up finger.

Unfavorable

Brent Celek (PHI) vs. Atlanta – Despite talk this off-season that Michael Vick would get his tight end more involved, Celek was mainly used as a blocker to slow the blitzing Rams on Sunday (2 targets, 1 reception, 13 yards). Expect more of the same until the Eagles’ offensive line can protect Vick better (3 sacks, 11 hits).

Marcedes Lewis (JAX) vs. Jets – Lewis is dealing with a calf strain and a new quarterback (McGown), and isn’t worth starting as a TE1 against the Jets.

Favorable/Unfavorable Defense/Special Teams Matchups

Favorable

Steelers vs. Seattle, Packers vs. Carolina, Lions vs. Kansas City, Jets vs. Jacksonville

Unfavorable

Falcons vs. Philadelphia, Dolphins vs. Houston, Patriots vs. San Diego, 49ers vs. Dallas

Do you have a “start or sit” question? This season we will be taking questions on Twitter rather than in the comments section below. Follow us at @5thDownFantasy.

London 2012 Olympics diary: high-risk teams like USA and Israel may not be allowed own security at Games

Extra security: wil Team USA and their president be allowed extra security? (Photo: AP)

New Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe put the London 2012 Olympics at the top of his agenda by appearing at a US Embassy Olympic reception two days into his new job.

Hogan-Howe was enthusiastic about the upcoming Games  and expressed confidence in the £600 million security plans that are already in place.

He mingled with the Minister of the Embassy of the USA, Barbara Stephenson, national Olympic security co-ordinator assistant police commissioner  Chris Allison, London Gold Commander Bob Broadhurst as well as security types from Locog and the US.

Telegraph Sport has learned that while national Olympic teams will be able to have their own security officials the big question mark about whether high-risk teams like the US, Israel and China, can be supported by their own armed personnel is still being discussed.

In the past Israel and the United States have managed to convince Olympic host governments that a small specialist armed presence is required.

Ms Stephenson joked that the US would not be bringing an aircraft carrier down the Thames.

Boris wades in over EastEnders row

The BBC has rejected plans to relocate the popular EastEnders show production to the Olympic Park international broadcast centre prompting the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to be "astonished" at the broadcasters' failure to commit to the East End.

The BBC was offered substantial rent reductions to anchor the £355 million Games media centre and move EastEnders from Borehamwood, Herfordshire.

But the BBC's rejection of the deal means the marketing pitch to turn the centre into a high-tech media hub may prompt the Olympic Park Legacy Company to shift to other ideas such as a fashion hub or sporting retail hub, the commercial property website CoStar has suggested. Other ideas previously floated included a theme park.

Johnson told the London Evening Standard: "This was an opportunity for the BBC to deliver better value for money for hard-pressed licence-fee payers and confront critics who say it's bureaucratic, wasteful and out of touch."

There was the chance for the BBC to show genuine commitment to the East End – an area it has harvested for audiences for decades. I'm astonished that the boss class don't see the obvious advantages of rooting a popular drama in an area it claims to portray.

"Perhaps if they seized this opportunity their plots and script lines would reflect the vibrancy and optimism of this critical part of the capital and not the relentless negativity that often comes across."

Visit Britain and Team USA link up for tourism push

US athletes have been somersaulting and wrestling their way around the UK this week as part of a tourism initiative with VisitBritain.

Beijing Olympic gymnastic champion Nastia Liukin cartwheeled in front of Big Ben while Beijing Paralympic cycling star Allison Jones got to peek inside Number 10 Downing Street.

The decathlon Olympic champion Brian Clay is going to try his hand at the caber toss and stone put at the Highland Games, and then enjoy afternoon tea aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.

It's part of the £100 million push to get international visitors to the country before the Olympics and comes as the government commits £3 million from the Olympic budget to promote domestic tourism within the UK.

Locog pins hopes on dogs

The opening of the entry to Olympic Park, also known as the Westfield Stratford City on Tuesday, saw mass crowds at the John Lewis store where Olympic memorabilia can be purchased.

It appears sales of the Team GB mascot, Pride the Lion are outselling the one-eyed beasts Wenlock and Mandeville.

But purchasing the mascots or other official merchandise is a problem for customers in the United States. As part of a marketing deal with the US Olympic Committee, the merchandise sales have to go through TeamUSA, where stock is heavily restricted.

While there are 187  different types of pins available for UK and most of the world- including popular dog varieties (the staffy and the corgi varieties are cute)  the US site has just one Wenlock one year to go pin available.

For customers in over 140 countries around the world the hefty postage charges might limit transactions – the mail cost is £34.95.

Why Rex Ryan and the Jets Run

For those who appreciate the technical side of the game, Andy Barall shared some thoughts on the Jets’ running game, and the brilliance of Dallas’s DeMarcus Ware, in a comment on an earlier post. It’s worth its own post here:

The Jets are a zone running team. They prefer the outside zone, to the 6 and 7 holes (6 to the right and 7 to the left). The aiming point for the running back is either the inside leg of the tight end to the strong side or the outside leg of the offensive tackle to the weak side.

In a zone scheme, the backs are usually coached to get to the break point quickly and make a decision. After that, it’s one cut and go. The Jets stress patience. They tell their backs “slow to and fast through”– slow to the aiming point but, after making the decision, fast through the hole.

On Sunday night, the Jets ran one tackle trap in the fourth quarter. All the rest were zone runs. One reason it’s tough running the outside zone against the Cowboys is their two outside linebacker/defensive ends, Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware, do a great job of holding the point of attack and turning the play back inside.

Ware is not just a great pass rusher. When he’s over the tight end, I believe he’s the only player who can line up in a loose 9-technique (a full body outside the tight end) and still effectively cover the C-gap (between the tackle and the tight end). When the play comes at him, he drives the tight end into the backfield so the runner can’t turn the corner. When the back cuts inside of him, Ware just falls off the tight end and makes the play.

On Sunday, Dallas’s interior defensive line and inside linebackers maintained their gap integrity and the Jets’ offensive line got little movement up front. As a result, the running backs didn’t have a cutback lane. Over all, the Cowboy defense played well, especially considering the injuries to their secondary.

The Jets are not a high-scoring team. Last year, their 34 offensive touchdowns tied them with the Bengals for 20th in the league. They want to play a certain way. Fifteen runs by Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson and 49 drop-backs by Mark Sanchez is not it.

Rex Ryan believes that rushing attempts are more important than rushing yards. They shoot for at least 31 rushing attempts per game. Those runs combined with the pass completions will keep the chains and the clock moving, and keep the defense off the field. That, when you include excellent special teams, gives the Jets the best chance for victory.

Winning can mask many deficiencies. The coaches, however, aren’t fooled. Ryan knows that for the Jets to get  where they want to go, they’re going to have to play a whole lot better than they did on Sunday night, on offense and on defense.

Extra point Walt Bennett, a regular Fifth Down commenter and Jets fan, differed: “I highly doubt that Rex cares more about rushing attempts than rushing yards. He cares about having a running game that dictates what the opposing defense does, but as he eloquently explained last week in a press conference, the Detroit game last year taught him to not be too set in his ways, to do what it takes to win the game.” As always, share your thoughts in the comments.

Belichick Series Begins on NFL Network

Who is Bill Belichick? (The Fifth Down explored that question in 2008, with readers’ help.)

We may get a better picture in a series that begins Thursday (tonight at 9 p.m.) on NFL Network.

Belichick agreed to be the only coach to be wired for sound for an entire N.F.L. season. He gave NFL Network that access in 2009. The Patriots were 10–6, won the A.F.C. East and lost to Baltimore in the playoffs. That was also the season when Belichick went for it on 4th-and-2 at Indianapolis at the Patriots’ 28 (he was criticized when the play failed and New England lost).

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com gave the series a thumbs up:

Unless you’ve been on an NFL coaching staff, you haven’t seen an NFL coach like this before. During the 2009 season Belichick gave NFL Films access to everything — the locker room, the sideline, team meetings, discussions with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, quiet moments with Belichick’s son, everything — and the resulting documentary is quite extraordinary.

The NFL Films producer Ken Rodgers, who spent most the 2009 season working with Belichick on the project, wrote:

I could list a hundred things that surprised me about Bill Belichick – his fishing ability, his golf putter, his sense of humor, his incredible knowledge of football history, his rapport with players, his care as a father, even his choice in Halloween costumes – but you’ll see all those things and more in the film.

The thing that surprised me the most, however, is something you won’t see much of at all: sideline reactions to what just happened on the football field.

I swear, if I showed you footage of Bill Belichick after a Patriots touchdown and Bill Belichick after an opponent’s touchdown, you’d never know which one is which. By the time the referee has signaled the score, Belichick is already on to the next play, the next drive, the next situation.

That uncanny ability to control his emotions may be the side of Bill Belichick people refer to when they throw around that word “enigma.”

Extra point A spoof of the trailer for the series is already up on YouTube:

Monitoring the Perils of Poor Scheduling in the N.F.L.

By any measure, Oakland’s Hue Jackson got what he wanted in his debut as an N.F.L. head coach on Monday night. The Raiders went to Denver and won against a division opponent. They  dominated the Broncos physically, and Denver fans were left calling for the backup quarterback Tim Tebow.

Now comes the hard part.

When the Raiders play their next game at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Buffalo, they will be on the negative side of the biggest discrepancy in recovery and preparation time for a game between two opponents, not including bye weeks, in the N.F.L. this season. The Bills defeated the Chiefs in Kansas City in a game that ended at just after 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. The Raiders’ game with Denver ended at at 1:46 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday.  Essentially, the Bills will have a 34-hour head start for their game against Oakland.

To make matters worse, the Raiders will be forced to travel across the country to Buffalo on Friday,  three days after they arrived home from their victory in Denver.

Every team has to deal with scheduling inconveniences. To Jackson’s credit, he has refused to use the schedule as an excuse (video above). But the league has a responsibility to make it fair. The Jets will be at the center of another scheduling challenge later this season.

After the Jets play New England at home on Sunday night, on Nov. 13., their next game will be at Denver on national television on Thursday, Nov. 17. The Broncos will play a 1 p.m. game in Kansas City on Nov. 13.

We will monitor the results of games this season when there are significant discrepancies in recovery and preparation time between opponents. For now, keep an eye on Oakland’s performance at Buffalo this Sunday.

Are you ready to talk some football? Join the discussion with George Bretherton and Bret Leuthner tonight from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. by clicking on the box below. Listen in or call us at 480-409-3547.

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