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Imran Siddiqui
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The Potterverse
Jan 1970
time: 00:29
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Interesting article of what happened with West Ham goalkeeper, David James, came to the Miami Dolphins training camp just to play around:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/6162963.htm
quote:
`They're not the dinosaurs they seem on the telly. They're so much faster than they look.'
BRITISH SOCCER STAR DAVID JAMES, ON AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS
Turns out one of England's best footballers can't kick a football. At least not one with pointed ends.
England national goalkeeper David James, among the biggest soccer players in Europe at 6 feet 5 inches and 218 pounds, thought it would be fun to spend a day training with an NFL team. Frankly, he said, it didn't look all that hard.
The NFL, eager to heighten global exposure, was happy to grant James' wish. A dozen British journalists were on hand at Miami Dolphins camp Tuesday morning as James -- dressed in full pads and a No. 1 jersey -- spent nearly four hours working out with kicker Olindo Mare, quarterback Jay Fiedler, receiver James McKnight and defensive back Terrell Buckley.
So how did James do?
• He held his own as a receiver with his leaping ability and excellent hand-eye coordination.
• His passes had distance, but he had trouble throwing a spiral, despite Fiedler's reminders to ``hold it with your fingertips, not your palm.''
• Oddly, James had the most trouble kicking, saying it was ''completely foreign'' to him.
''It's not what I thought it was,'' James said of his NFL experience. ``It's a lot harder. When you see a 25-stone [350-pound] guy actually moving next to you, you realize they're not the dinosaurs they seem on the telly. They're so much faster than they look.''
He was particularly impressed with running back Ricky Williams.
`A TANK'
''The guy is a tank,'' he said. ``I saw him from the back first and he's as wide as he is tall. Nice bloke, as well. You can really see why he's able to do what he does on the field. He let loose on our last sprint and left me in his wake. Don't have anyone like that in England.''
Dolphins players were equally complimentary of James.
''He's a hell of an athlete,'' McKnight said. ``With a little fine-tuning, and some footwork, he could be a good wide receiver. His hand-eye coordination is superb. I could see him doing any sport, dunking a basketball, playing volleyball, long jumping, anything.''
James had looked up the NFL field goal record (63 yards) before his trip and thought ''no big deal''. He can crank a round ball the length of a soccer field, so how hard could a 63-yard field goal be?
Mare, an avid soccer fan and former soccer player, gave the goalkeeper precise instructions on how to strike the oblong ball. But James shanked right on most of his 30-yard field goal attempts, kickoffs and punts. When he finally split the uprights, he beamed.
The Dolphins, except for Mare, had never heard of James. They had no idea he makes $2 million a year. They didn't know he is in the news this summer because his club, West Ham, was relegated from Premiership to First Division and there was question whether that would hurt has status on the national team.
What they do know, after four hours with him, is that he is a world-class athlete. James has the strongest arms among English goalies and is known for preparation and fitness. His physique also caught the eye of Georgio Armani, for whom James has modeled on and off over the past seven years.
''I can't speak for other NFL players, but I have always respected soccer players,'' McKnight said. ``They must be the best conditioned athletes in the world with the amount of running they do. I've always been amazed at their endurance and precision and accuracy with the ball at their feet.''
Asked how he'd do at a West Ham practice, McKnight smiled and replied, ``I'd do fine for one day. It's the second day I'd be worried about.''
Buckley was not as gushing on soccer. Asked to name a soccer player, he thought for a moment and said, ''There's that dude who just signed for $41 million [David Beckham].'' That's where his list ended.
SOCCER EASY?
He suggested to Mare that soccer was easier than football, that ''most of the guys just stand around or jog.'' Mare shook his head and informed his teammate that the average NFL play lasts less than 10 seconds while soccer players are in motion for 45-minute halves with no timeouts or huddles.
Mare then grabbed a soccer ball, and challenged Buckley to defend him. Fat chance. Buckley might be able to tackle a 225-pound receiver on the move and pick off a spiraling football, but stealing a soccer ball from Mare's foot proved harder than he imagined.
Mare, who hasn't played soccer seriously in 14 years, dribbled past Buckley left, right, and center. Both players laughed as Mare made his point.
''These guys wouldn't last in a professional soccer game,'' said Mare, son of an Italian immigrant and huge Juventus fan. ``People here have no idea how hard it is.''
James said the feeling is mutual. ''Back home, there's a misconception that American footballers are really big guys who hurt people,'' he said. ``There isn't an appreciation for their athletic ability. I will set them straight.'' |
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Poogas
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quote:
Originally posted by Agathon
American Football is for girls.
Look at Rugby and Rugby League. No pads and these guys don't stop for "rests". |
quote:
Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Why some people seem to place these two sports in competition with one another, and argue about which is better, is beyond me. They're completely different games that happen to share the same name. Big ****ing deal. |
I agree with Frustratedpoet completely... Thought I would just put those two posts side by side.
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FredLC
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I myself had some misconceptions about american football before I got ESPN at my place. But when I actually saw the game, I noticed that it's a very strategical and interesting thing to see (I can't make myself like baseball, though  ).
Also, it's not really more violent than footb... - well, I'll refer to it as soccer for comprehension's sake - ... than soccer. Because in the american game, you expect to be knocked down. However in soccer, when a player comes sliding with his feet up high and hits the guy in the knee... well, it can cripple someone very easily.
So, the two excuses most people here in Brazil have NOT to like american football are, IMHO, pure BS. It's a very enjoyable sport.
As for soccer, well, I think USA is bound to develop a liking for it. I mean, it's happening already, there is a league and that only will make the number of fans grow. Also, there are so many foreigners living in there that it's impossible to imagine that this aspect of their culture won't come along.
Trust me, after you get a liking for it, there is no coming back. If you want to see what soccer can be like, try looking for:
- The 1970's Brazil national team in the World cup - Pele's primetime, and the man is the King;
- The 1974's Netherland's national team - the clockwork orange was a soccer machine;
- The 1982's Brazil - best national team we ever had IMHO, even better than the amazing 1970 team. It was soccer at it's best, but unfortunately it didn't win that year;
- The 1986's Argentina - Maradonna's prime. Now that was one little fella that could play ball.
Oh, only thing I want don't get and want to ask for USA citzens... why the heck you guys decided to name that sport "football"? The damn thing is not played with the feet 99% of the time, and that oval thing is hardly a ball...
Regards  .
Last edited by FredLC on 28-06-2003 at 03:51
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FredLC
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quote:
Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui WOW... better than the 70 team?! That must have been a sight to see then . |
Well, History is cruel to those who loose, and they lost that crucial semi-final to Italy.
A honest victory for the Azurra, if you ask me. All the goals they made were legit; and if in fact there was a penalty kick for Brazil that was ignored (the italian guy actually thorn Zico's shirt, and the referee acted as if he had faked it  ), there was also a legal goal for Italy that the referee didn't validate.
However, it was honest but not fair. I've seen that game many times (all sport channels use to replay old WC games here in Brazil when the next WC is near), and I can honestly say, Brazil kicked ass. It played much better than Italy, and the lost was a fatality of destiny. I use to joke with friends that if that Brazil and that Italy had played 40 times in a row, Brazil would have won 39 times and had lost only that game.
Anyway, it's all in the past, so let's focus on what that team could do. All players - no exception - were masters at dribble. If defenders had to face them one on one, they were in real trouble, because those frontman would win an unbelievable percentage of the disputes.
Also, very rarely a player would touch the ball twice. They would do mostly one-touch passes, keep the ball running one side to the other, and the adversaries running after it like crazy, untill they were too tired to even walk. An everlasting "Olé", as we like to put it.
Even the first line of defenders - and let alone the offensive mid-field -were great at passing, even long aereal passes. So, the foes never knew if we were to strike with a series of short passes or a surprise ball sent in the back of the defender for a sudden attack.
Last but not least, there were at least four players who were masters with free kicks. Zico, specially, was extraordinary. People say that he used to place a shirt in the top corner of the goal to use as target when he was training, and sometimes he, shooting from twice the distance of the goal area, have managed to hit it up to 10 times in a row.
Really, it was an honest defeat, but an highly unfair one. If we had one generation that really deserved being world champions, it was that one. Those guys really kicked ass.
Regards .
Last edited by FredLC on 28-06-2003 at 04:18
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Drogue
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Omnipresent conscience
Oct 2002
time: 05:29
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Well it is better for many. Basketball is just people dribbling up and scoring, and then dribbling back and scoring. Its too many, there is nothing special in it, except the *very* few times that someone scores from behind halfway, for example. Each goal in football is an event, and millions all around the world love it. I think the casual fan will think that American Football is all stop and start, almost like a more exiting version of cricket, and basketball is just going up and down and scoring, with a miss being an event that could decide a match, not a piece of brilliant skill. But this is all speculation. Millions watch each. Basketball mostly confined to the US, football mostly to everywhere but the US.
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lightblue
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L'Boro, UK
Oct 2001
time: 05:29
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To be honest I have to say that even as a basketball (or former now, rowing takes too much time) player myself, basketball is not the greatest spectator sport. Yes there's some spectacular actions (2-3 a game), but a lot of it ( about 3 quarters worth) is just fairly dull and meaningless.
As for American Football, it'd be better in my opinion if the breaks between plays wasn't that long. That and cut the commercial breaks, and just lengthen the break between halves to accomodate the commercials.
Soccer is more fun to watch (depending on the teams) as because of the low scoring the game is always on knife edge. One mistake, or one moment of brilliance, can cost you the game. That and it is a better drinking game in the pub.
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yavoon
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quote:
Originally posted by Drogue
Well it is better for many. Basketball is just people dribbling up and scoring, and then dribbling back and scoring. Its too many, there is nothing special in it, except the *very* few times that someone scores from behind halfway, for example. Each goal in football is an event, and millions all around the world love it. I think the casual fan will think that American Football is all stop and start, almost like a more exiting version of cricket, and basketball is just going up and down and scoring, with a miss being an event that could decide a match, not a piece of brilliant skill. But this is all speculation. Millions watch each. Basketball mostly confined to the US, football mostly to everywhere but the US. |
u can disagree w/ me, but no need to be so defensive. basketball actually can be picked up very quickly from a spectator's viewpoint cuz momentum is instantly translated into the score. 7-2 runs, 19-0 runs, 10 pts down, 2 pts up. all easy for a novice to interpret and get into throughout the game.
lots of ppl watch soccer and will continue to, but america is the most diverse sports culture and the concept of what casual spectators watch is a big deal here(money wise). lots of our sports have changed to be more casual spectator friendly. baseball lowered its mound, football tightened up calls on defense, etc. and now hockey is under a similar pressure.
in europe sports seem to be more sacred and changing them constitutes some sort of rewriting of the bible. so obviously u r not use to the competition
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27-06-2003 21:49
Attachment: 
) a chance here.
This without pads, without breaks, and without being able to pass forward, meaning you can't just sneak up to the touchdown area and catch the ball.
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