Who remembers the last week of the 2009 season? In a matchup against the Texans in Houston, Wes Welker tore his MCL and ACL on a non-contact play, missing the playoffs that season. That’s the kind of injury the Patriots will have to consider going into a Week 17 game against the Dolphins. Though New England is assured of a playoff spot, they could still earn a Round 1 bye or a No. 1 seed, so there’s still a lot to play for. But that being said, there’s always the threat of injury with the playoffs in the bag. Whether the Pats will rest anyone on Sunday was just one of several subjects touched on by Matt Chatham, Kevin Faulk and Dale
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Terry: I don’t think I’m the boss
Chelsea captain John Terry has responded to criticism that he took charge of the team from the sidelines during the Blues' 4-1 win over Napoli in the Champions League last week. GettyImagesRoberto Di Matteo is not looking over his shoulder just yet • Preview: Chelsea v Tottenham Terry, 31, was spotted shouting instructions to team-mates from behind interim manager Roberto Di Matteo and was criticised in the media. The defender missed Wednesday night's defeat at Manchester City with a calf strain but trained fully on Thursday and is expected to return to the side for Saturday's game with Tottenham, but played down any suggestions he was looking to move into management. "In response to comments suggesting that I think I'm the manager, I'd like to say
O’Connell and Murray injury blows for Ireland
by Brendan Cole Ireland captain Paul O'Connell and scrum-half Conor Murray have both been ruled out of the rest of the RBS 6 Nations Championship after suffering injuries in the 17-17 draw with France on Sunday. Ireland captain O'Connell played the full 80 minutes against France but underwent a scan on his left knee after twisting it during the match. That revealed damage to his medial collateral ligament and the injury will rule him out of the next two Ireland games, which are against Scotland this weekend and England on 17 March. In total, the injury is expected to require a 3-6 week recovery period, meaning that O'Connell could be a doubt for Munster's Heineken Cup quarter-final with Ulster at the beginning of April. Scrum-half
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: I turned down Arsenal trial
Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he turned down the chance to move to Arsenal when he was a teenager because boss Arsene Wenger wanted him to go through a trial. Zlatan's 13-minute hat-trick v Palermo Ibrahimovic, 30, met up with Wenger in 2000 to discuss a possible move to north London, but was not impressed when asked to prove himself. The AC Milan striker told The Sun: ''Arsene gave me the famous red and white jersey - the No. 9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it and I was so pleased I even posed for a picture wearing it. ''It was a fantastic moment for me. Arsenal had a great team then and here was an Arsenal shirt made just for me. So then I waited for
Gilroy not surprised by O’Gara contribution
Eoghan O'Gara impressed for Dublin on Saturday night Dublin manager Pat Gilroy has said he was not surprised by Eoghan O'Gara's match-winning knock of 1-05 in the clash with Laois in the Allianz Football League on Saturday. O'Gara helped Dublin to a 1-14 to 1-09 victory in the Division 1 game in Portlaoise, with Diarmuid Connolly also amongst the scores. Gilroy told RTÉ: "The two of them did well. Eoghan is a guy that we have a lot faith in. We always respect the contribution he makes because he always gives 100%. He has a lot of football in him and it's the first time in the two years that we have been involved with him that he's been clear of injury. We
Kuszczak slams double standards at United
Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak has criticised the club for accepting the goalkeeping mistakes of David De Gea while he was hung out to dry. GettyImagesTomasz Kuszczak third choice at Old Trafford Kuszczak, who recently moved on loan to Championship side Watford for the remainder of the season, started only 30 Premier League games in five-and-a-half years at United. He feels that he was never given the opportunity to make up for errors during his time at Old Trafford. The Poland international is out of contract at United at the end of the season and is sure to move on. Talking about his time at the club, Kuszczak was quoted as saying by The Sun: "It is five [years at the club], to be
Brooking: England in no rush for new boss
England's new manager may not be appointed until a few days before Euro 2012, according to Sir Trevor Brooking. GettyImagesSir Trevor Brooking: On the hunt for the next England boss • International gallery • Brewin: Robben plays party pooper• England 2-3 Netherlands• Pearce blames naivety• International friendlies wrap Caretaker boss Stuart Pearce on Wednesday oversaw a 3-2 friendly defeat by Holland in the first game since former manager Fabio Capello resigned. Pearce has made it clear he would be happy to stay in charge for the European Championship this summer. Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp remains favourite for the position as Spurs battle for a Champions League place, and it therefore seems likely the Three Lions will not know who will be at the helm for some time. Brooking, one of