| Weekly net post: Lessons from the majors ... It's the era of Rafa Another Grand Slam season is in the books, so what did we learn? Here are a few topics that stand out, starting with the incredible climb of ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Saints suffer first loss of season • Super Bowl champions defeated 27-24 by Falcons• Kansas City and Pittsburgh improve to 3-0Atlanta's Matt Bryant nailed a 46-yard overtime field goal that gave the Falcons a 27-24 win over the New Orleans Saints yesterday after the defending Super Bowl champions blew their chance to win the game and remain undefeated this season.The Saints forced overtime when Garrett Hartley booted a 32-yard field goal with four seconds left on the clock but squandered their chance to steal the victory when Hartley failed with his next attempt from 29 yards."It's a tough loss. It was a hard fought game," the New Orleans coach, Sean Payton, said. "When you turn it over like we did early on, we give up big plays and we fail to convert that kick in overtime like that, it's going to be tough to overcome those things."It was the second straight win for the Falcons and the first loss in three games this season for the Saints, who won the Super Bowl for the first time in February and were making a habit of winning tight games with last-minute kicks. Hartley put the Saints in last season's Super Bowl with an overtime winner against the Minnesota Vikings and kicked a late winner against the San Francisco 49ers last week but could not repeat the feat against the Falcons."It is easy to look at the kick and just point at that specific play in overtime, yet there was a reason we were in overtime," Payton said.While the Saints suffered their first loss, the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers kept their perfect records intact with a pair of blowout victories while the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys both chalked up their first wins.Quarterback Matt Cassel threw three touchdowns as the Chiefs overturned a half-time deficit to overcome the struggling San Francisco 49ers 31-10 and win their first three games of a season for the first time in seven years. "We're going to enjoy this one but as I've said before and as coach [Todd Haley] continues to tell us, 'Hey, we're not satisfied at 3-0 and there's a long season left to go and we have 13 more games,'" Cassel said.Charlie Batch, making his first start in three years, threw three touchdown passes in the first half as the Steelers handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first loss of the season, 38-13. "We came into a hostile environment versus an undefeated team and we did the job," the Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, said. "Hats off to a lot of people but you really got to tip a hat to Charlie Batch. What he was able to do for us today. He played like a veteran ... he didn't blink."The Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 24-10 on the back of two touchdowns from Adrian Peterson, including one 80-yard run, while receiver Roy Williams scored two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 27-13 win over the Houston Texans.Tom Brady and Peyton Manning also threw three touchdown passes each. Brady, coming off last week's loss to the New York Jets, led the New England Patriots to a 38-30 win over the Buffalo Bills, while Manning steered the Indianapolis Colts to a 27-13 win over the Denver Broncos.Another brilliant performance from Manning was dulled by a sombre atmosphere at Invesco Field where Broncos players and fans continued to come to grips with the death of wide receiver Kenny McKinley. A moment of silence was held prior to the game to honour the 23-year-old, who died of an apparent suicide, and it ended nearly as quiet with many of the 76,000 fans making their way to the exits before the final whistle.Week three resultsArizona Cardinals 24-23 Oakland Raiders; Baltimore Ravens 24-17 Cleveland Browns; Carolina Panthers 7-20 Cincinnati Bengals; Denver Broncos 13-27 Indianapolis Colts; Houston Texans 13-27 Dallas Cowboys; Jacksonville Jaguars 3-28 Philadelphia Eagles; Kansas City Chiefs 31-10 San Francisco 49ers; Miami Dolphins 23-31 New York Jets; Minnesota Vikings 24-10 Detroit Lions; New England Patriots 38-30 Buffalo Bills; New Orleans Saints 24-27 Atlanta Falcons; New York Giants 10-29 Tennessee Titans; Seattle Seahawks 27-20 San Diego Chargers; St Louis Rams 30-16 Washington Redskins; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-38 Pittsburgh SteelersNFLUS sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
In the loaded AFC East, is there room for the gritty Dolphins? The sign posted on the door leading to the Miami Dolphins training room says it all. No Egos Allowed." Accompanying the notice is a can't-miss ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Nadal ousted in Shanghai; first loss before quarterfinals in 2010 Rafael Nadal failed to reach a quarterfinal for the first time this year, upset 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 by Jurgen Melzer in the third round of the Shanghai ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Casamento wins Racing Post Trophy • Irish-trained colt lifts the season's final Group One prize• But Casamento will race in Godolphin colours next yearSheikh Mohammed is an infrequent visitor to British racecourses these days as he deals with affairs of state in Dubai, but not quite as rare a sight as his original maroon-and-white colours, which sent a ripple of nostalgia around Town Moor as they were led into the top enclosure aboard Casamento after the Racing Post Trophy here.It was the briefest of throwbacks, though, as Casamento, who gave the Irish trainer Michael Halford the first Group One winner of his career, will be carrying the royal blue of Godolphin when he is next seen in public, possibly in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in the spring. He is generally a 10-1 chance for the Classic, and a couple of points longer for the Derby, which seems to put Godolphin in a strong position for next year, since their filly White Moonstone is favourite for the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks.Casamento looked outstanding in the paddock before today's race, his gleaming coat a reminder of warmer summer days among racegoers, and opponents, who were snug in their winter coats. But there was also a physical presence about Casamento, too, that promised much for his three-year-old career, something that Frankie Dettori, his jockey, sensed immediately when he was legged up into his saddle for the first time."As soon I got on him I could feel that he had a good body and is a strong physical horse," Dettori said. "Watching on the television and getting on a horse are two different things, and he feels like quality. He's a three-year-old, and a lovely big‑striding horse."I knew from watching his videos that he would stay, so from two and a half out I thought: 'Let's get him going.' He was out in the middle of track on his own and he was idling on me, so when Seville [the runner-up] came at me, that was helping me."Halford must now say goodbye to Casamento, but knows that the son of Shamardal, who arrived at the yard almost out of the blue, has taken his training career to a new level."We just got a fax last year from the Darley office [Sheikh Mohammed's breeding operation] asking if we'd like to train two colts, and it didn't take too long to reply," Halford said. "It's been a pleasure and a privilege to have him, and we're more than happy. Who knows what else might be coming down the line."Casamento is now the second-favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, though to win that Classic it is likely he will need to beat Frankel, the Dewhurst Stakes winner, whose official status as the champion two-year-old now seems secure after Klammer, many lengths behind Frankel in the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot last month, took the Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury this afternoon.In terms of the Derby, meanwhile, Dettori would commit only to Casamento getting a mile and a quarter next season and while the colt's dam, Wedding Gift, was fifth in the French Oaks over 11 furlongs, she did not win at further than a mile. It must be at least possible that he will just lack the speed for the Guineas and want for stamina in the Derby.Clowance, second in the Irish St Leger last season, advertised Roger Charlton's abilities as a trainer when she took the St Simon Stakes at Newbury on her first start since a disappointing run in the spring. The victory was a reminder too that Richard Hughes has not abandoned his pursuit of Paul Hanagan in the race for the jockeys' championship, as he brought Clowance with a smooth, decisive run despite briefly struggling for room a quarter of a mile out.The most popular success of the day came at Aintree, where the frontrunning grey 12-year-old Monet's Garden held off every challenge to record his fifth win at the track, and 17th over jumps.The winner, a 4-1 chance, jumped superbly throughout while Tartak, the 15-8 favourite, made several mistakes. Monet's Garden was never clear of his pursuers, Poquelin in particular, but he rarely looked likely to concede the lead and he jumped the last with a flourish to secure victory.Silviniaco Conti, a recent import from France, maintained an unbeaten record for Paul Nicholls with a comfortable success in the Persian War Novice Hurdle at Chepstow.Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al MaktoumFrankie DettoriHorse racingGreg Woodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |