In Arizona, the Cardinals lose Tyrann Mathieu for the year with a ACL and LCL knee injury. In Carolina, the Panthers lose Jonathan Stewart with an MCL knee injury. But the most devastating season-ender was Rob Gronkowski and his ACL and MCL knee injury with the New England Patriots. The Patriots will rebound somehow to remain competitive but being competitive and winning in the playoffs are two different tests. Players get injured but for Gronkowski, this is difficult to comprehend and accept. On the positive side, he is a young, fourth-year player and youth and the ability to heal effectively do go together. On the negative, for a young player, Gronkowski has an old body of football battles. Two back surgeries at the University of Arizona, missing his senior year, three arm surgeries over three years with New England and now a major knee surgery that, as we have learned by watching RG3, takes more than six months to recover from. His biggest battle to get back will be that he has to do this on his own and often all alone. Football rehabilitation is not a team sport, it is an individual challenge that you have to look at as a job at which to excel and a time commitment that ends an off-season of enjoyment. Every now and then, I get a streak of jealousy over the amount of money pro football players make and how fast, but then I lose that when I consider how short of a career it is and how fast the injuries can compound. In Cleveland, the most talked about player this week will be Browns defensive back TJ Ward because he is the weapon that took out Gronkowski. Yes, he could have make the tackle higher around the hips but would have probably bounced off the hips and Gronkowski would have made another five yards. Or he could tackled him around the shoulders and been taken for 10 yards trying to wrestle the 66" 260 lbs tight end to the ground. Ward is listed at 510" and 200lbs so it was his only choice to take the legs. If he didnt, he would have been criticized and graded down the next morning in the review of the game. The more negative grades you have, the less significance you have in value. No choice for Ward at that moment in time. Pivotal Discussion I dont know who the best quarterback is in NFL football but of the top four that have won Super Bowls, here is what I think. Tom Brady is the best pressure quarterback in football and has exceptional leadership qualities. What he has been able to do with extreme limitations of time is second to none. With two minutes to go on your own 20-yard line and needing a touchdown, Tom Brady is the best. Peyton Manning is #1 in terms of preparation and in-game adjustment. So many times the best offensive possession for Denver is the first one as that becomes the first points scored in the game. Then as the game moves on, Manning figures it out. What he figures out I am not sure but so many times, the second half is dominated by Denver no matter what has happened in the first half. Nobody can run their offence like Manning. Drew Brees has the best footwork and awareness. Cris Collinsworth showed on Sunday Night Football how Brees goes from one opportunity to another downfield, not only in the game but in the pre-game. Later, it was visually demonstrated how polished and precise his footwork and throwing motion work together. Pocket awareness is having the ability to feel a pass rush but not see it. Some quarterbacks never get it; Brees has mastered it. No one has a better arm or a more relaxed demeanor on the field than Aaron Rodgers. If there is anxiety inside Rodgers in the middle of a game, I dont see it. It amazes me how composed and relaxed he remains from play to play. Confidence yes, ability yes but also a gift of knowing or having the skill to focus on what is important and dismiss what is not in any given moment. And with that gift, he has the most accurate and velocity intense arm. If ARodgers comes back for the Dallas game, everything will change for the Packers. Overall, I pick Aaron Rodgers as my number 1 quarterback. Capital Demise In Washington, you can see the end coming. I dont think players give up on a team, coach or year. The competition for an NFL job is too heavy and everything is on video to be re-evaluated all off-season over and over and over. But I do think players play with different intensity levels depending on weather, opposition, one-on-one competition and free agency. When you give up a run for a touchdown, a pass for a touchdown, a punt for a touchdown and a kick return for a touchdown, there is something deeply wrong. The value of a coach is how the players respond and the Washington Redskins did not. You cant fire 53 players, only the boss. Time To Sit In Denver, I hope the Broncos sit Wes Welker until the playoffs. Within one month, he has been diagnosed with two concussions and both on the same type of pattern, a crossing route in between the hash marks about 10 yards downfield. Thats linebacker territory. Also, I guess the conversation about Peyton Mannings ability to play effectively is cold weather is over. Four touchdowns and 397 yards answered that question against Tennessee . Tough To Watch Finally, the Monday Night Football game was painful to watch for two reasons. First, it was brutally cold and by the fourth quarter, everybody was ready to go home; in the stands, on the field, everybody. Secondly, it was tough to watch the slow but consistent disintegration of the Dallas defence. Salary cap limitations have been a good thing for football as it forces competitive balance but when mismanaged, you see weakness in personnel that is normally depth players who will never be starters. That has caught up to the Cowboys. They can still win the NFC East when they face the Eagles in Philadelphia on December 29, but by no means is it a sure thing based on Monday night. Tanner Rainey Nationals Jersey . 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams cruised into the semifinals, while last years runner-up Vera Zvonareva succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in Thursdays womens quarterfinal action at the U. Fernando Rodney Jersey . -- C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall. https://www.cheapnationals.com/637r-spen...ationals.html.Y. -- Defenceman Ryan Murphy had a goal and an assist and Drew MacIntyre made 24 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 4-2 in an exhibition game Wednesday night. Patrick Corbin Jersey .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. Yan Gomes Nationals Jersey . -- Conner Bleackley got it done in regulation time and in the shootout.On all levels the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian Skating Championships was an overwhelming success. In honour of the anniversary, over 80 Canadian champions of the past were in attendance to witness one of the best Canadian Championships in many years. What made this championships so successful was first and foremost the inspired and at times heart wrenching performances of Canadas best as they tried to validate four long years of effort in a few short minutes of competition. What we saw was strength in all of the disciplines. Strength across the board, which reminds me of the good old days - the 1988 Calgary Olympics when Canada had its biggest medal haul in skating at the Games, winning medals in three of the four disciplines. Its interesting to note that this will be the biggest Olympic skating team from this country since those 1988 Games and with the addition of the team event it looks likely that Canada will equal or top that medal total from 26 years ago. The audiences were terrific in Ottawa. They were loud, enthusiastic and large in numbers. The packed house on Saturday got their moneys worth and gave numerous standing ovations in return. Highlights for me were plentiful. The womens competition, which in the past has often been the least hotly contested title, was instead more competitive and intriguing that it has ever been. Kaetlyn Osmond showed her trademark composure and charisma after coming back from a season of injuries to defend her title and to prove that her breakout season last year was no fluke. She has a presence that fills the arena and an elusive blend of raw talent and solid technique which is mixed with the soul of an artist. What I find most appealing in Kaetlyns character is the refusal to take herself or the magnitude of the moment too seriously. Each moment is met with a smile, a giggle or a shrug, and with eyes sparkling. This is supposed to be fun, right? To watch her compete is to believe just that. That it is fun. Gabby Daleman at only 15 years of age showed a feisty competitiveness and raw athleticism on her way to winning silver and a ticket to Sochi. Her triple lutz-triple toe, the most difficult triple-triple combination being executed in the world of womens skating, was as good as they come. This kid can fly and showed a focus and nerve quite remarkable for her age. As good as the two at the top are, the rest of the field showed us that they will continue to be pushed, as the final flight was filled with youth, triple jumps and engaging personalities. This bodes well for the seasons to come. Speaking of youth, in the mens event it was 14-year-old Roman Sadovsky and 15-year-old Nam Nguyen who brought the housee to its feet and the scores to new heights in the penultimate flight.dddddddddddd These are the numbers that the final group of men were challenged to beat. What we saw was a glimpse of where the next Patrick or Jeffery or Kurt might come from. They were back-to-back exceptional scores, for remarkable performances by young teenagers and once again the future looks bright. Patrick Chan, who came in without challengers due to the fact that Kevin Reynolds was not in peak competition form because of skate malfunctions, was not as sharp as usual and showed signs of his focus being a little split between the here and now, and the larger challenge looming that is the Olympics. But, "not his best" is still world class, and it was the kind of performance that will keep him on his toes without chipping away at his confidence. A rock solid foundation to build on for the games. The drama came in the pairs competition with the intense rivalry building once again between Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch the worlds fourth-ranked pair and world bronze medalists and defending Canadian champions, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. Like last year the teams were separated by less than a point after the short program with Kirsten and Dylan just behind. That meant that they were the first of the two teams to skate in the free program showdown. About the performance in the free, Meagan said "We didnt know what they did before us, but we did hear a New Canadian Record!" and so they knew that the bar had been raised yet again. Both teams set Canadian records that night and both teams brought the fans to their feet in appreciation of the pairs finesse and fearlessness. The evening wound up with the Ice Dance event which was a "something for everyone" type of affair. It was filled with a variety of genres, an abundance of athleticism and dramatic and emotional musical interpretations. The final flight of dance was of such a high standard that the teams fighting for the third Olympic spot knew that only "their very best" and "not a step wrong" would get them there. In the end it was Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam after two seasons of mishaps and heartaches who nailed the Olympic spot. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won silver, wowed the crowd and showed with their fluid and refined Tango that they are absolutely Olympic podium worthy. The final skate of an awesome day fell into the capable hands of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. They closed the show and the final chapter of their competitive life at Canadians with their Olympic free dance, a standing ovation and a final good bye. A fitting end to a fabulous day. ' ' '