Double Coverage's 'One to Watch' Update

by Tom Snee

It was another mixed week for our One To Watch hopefuls as we approach the end of 2012.

Brunel's Orion Modebe carried on his super form a with a 90 yard touchdown run against Solent, contributing on offence and Special Teams before being sidelined with an ankle injury in the third quarter.

Nottingham quarterback Luca Rossoni once again struggled, throwing for a touchdown but also giving up three turnovers as the Outlaws fell to a shock defeat against Northampton.

Hull's Will Hobbs is still struggling with an ankle injury picked up early in the season and missed the Sharks' impressive win over Leeds Carnegie, while Birmingham Lions' Tom Levick was rested for his side's destruction of Coventry. UCLAN Rams' game was postponed due to the icy conditions, meaning that we all miss our Sam Bloomfield fix for the week.

Leeds Carnegie vs. Hull Sharks - GOTW Reports

Penalties proved fatal for Leeds Carnegie as they went down to Hull Sharks 21-6 in a battle for supremacy in the North East conference.

Both teams entered the clash in Leeds undefeated, but it was Carnegie's lack of discipline that ultimately cost them a crucial and hard-fought game. Hull's dangerous quarterback Seb Gogerly scored three touchdown passes to knock the wind out of the game before Carnegie rallied for a late score.

Carnegie's coaching staff had warned the team about flags after their clash with Northumbria. But they fell into the trap as early as the first play. After a good kick by Matt Kinsey, the play was flagged for a personal foul on Hull’s kick returner as he went out of bounds. The Carnegie defence looked extremely strong against the run, and it was another penalty, this time for a facecage grab, that continued to move the Hull offense forward. Quarterback Seb Gogerly opened the scoring by finding rookie wide receiver Johnny Ley for the first touchdown of the afternoon. The 2PAT was not converted.

Manchester Titans announce new Head Coaches

The Manchester Titans are pleased to announce three new Head Coaches for the 2013 season.
For the Senior (Adult Contact) Team, Britball legend Nigel Dias will be taking charge, bringing with him a wealth of experience. 

One of the best British defensive backs of alltime, his trophy cabinet speaks for itself: two European Championship wins with the GB Lions, a Eurobowl win with Manchester Spartans and three national titles - twice with the Spartans and once with the Birmingham Bulls.  Nigel will not only be able to pass on his knowledge and drive to the playing staff but will also be able to provide mentorship for our coaching staff.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 14

1.       Houston Texans 11-1 (U1)
Another week another win for Houston, this time over the hapless Titans. Their season has been consistently excellent, but this Monday’s stellar game with the Pats is a potential play-off preview, and one that if they lose will place doubts in everyone’s minds as to whether they can launch a real Super Bowl challenge.

2.       Atlanta Falcons 11-1 (U3)
I definitely dropped the Falcons too soon last week, which was an error. They comfortably handled their rival Saints, and at 11-1 they deserve their place in the top two. The play-off concerns will remain until they win there, but I don’t believe they have some inherent post-season weakness. Next they face off with Carolina, which is not one they should be losing even with one foot in the door.

3.       Denver Broncos 9-3 (-)
Another win for Denver but no change (it’s tough at the top). Barring an injury to Peyton they will be a force in the post-season. Next they play Oakland on Thursday in a game where it would be shocking if they squandered the win.

4.       New England Patriots 9-3 (-)
The Pats sail past Miami and really nothing more needs to be said at this stage. No Gronk? No problem when Brady is at the reigns. Hosting Houston next will be as tough as they come at this late stage.

5.       San Francisco 49ers 8-3-1 (D4)

A surprise loss to the Rams, and for a minute there it almost looked like an unprecedented double draw! There’s still a lot of debate who should be starting for SF after Kaep gave up a costly TD to St. Louis late on, but to his credit helped tie the game up with an impressively long run. I don’t think there’s a clear cut answer as both have strengths and weaknesses, but with a play-off spot almost guaranteed at this stage (they could still lose out to Seattle for the NFC West title) they will be happy to give Colin the experience. Next up they have an easy match-up vs the visiting Dolphins.

NFL Predictions: Week 14

A very average week sees me enter the final leg about 65% accurate. Not quite as good as I'd have hoped for, but there are still 3 weeks left (and playoffs) to boost my results.

Week 13:

Outright = 9-7

Outright = 122-71

Thursday Night Football:

Broncos @ Raiders

We would obviously all expect the Broncos to win here and win comfortably. Denver will  be pushing to get a first round bye so every win counts at this stage, whereas Oakland will be firmly focused on building for next year. One pause for thought is that Raiders' HC Dennis Allen has suffered some personal tragedy this week, which as the Chiefs showed last week can often spur an underdog on to victory. In this case though I think the gap in quality is too great even for that.

DBL Coverage Prediction: Broncos by 10