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GRIDIRON..Friday night the Denver Broncos had quarterback Kyle Orton play three series against the San Francisco 49ers. Orton threw an interception to end every sequence. The Broncos had the 29^th ranked defence in football last season; it appears the offense may be on the verge of sinking to similar levels…the most interesting thing about the Sixty Minutes interview with Michael Vick Sunday night centred on his discussion of his playing days. “Last in, first out”, is how Vick described his approach to practice. The Philadelphia Eagle is probably the most overrated player in football at the moment. It is debatable if he can arrest the steady decline in play that characterized his tenure with the Atlanta Falcons. As a back-up to Donovan McNabb he allows the Eagles the option of resting the complicated McNabb in high stress situations. Vick will present different challenges to a defence and can act as a spark to his teammates. This approach represents the best possible employment of Vick. A capable back-up until he demonstrates both the maturity and requisite talent to make the transition to starter…Carson Palmer returns; Carson Palmer is hurt. The Cincinnati Bengal pivot was injured during a loss to the New Orleans Saints. A high ankle sprain has Palmer cooling his jets at the moment though he should be recovered in time to take snaps in the final preseason game. He’ll need the work…if the Cleveland Browns can’t morph into a playoff contender this year, then a move to Brady Quinn at QB could at least provide moments of high entertainment for members of the Dawg Pound. Quinn has extraordinary arm strength and his deep ball poses a threat that the more polished Derek Anderson simply can’t match…believe me, the biggest shock in football thus far has been the play of Matt Cassells in K. C. The Chiefs must be wondering if they received the right player. Cassells is imploding…Trent Edwards went 10 for 10 for the Buffalo Bills Saturday against Chicago…ICE..it’s always exciting when the Hockey News Yearbook arrives. Some impressions from a weekend spent poring over its minutiae; firstly, it’s no joke, the Toronto Maple Leaf defence is, one through seven, as solid as all but a few (Calgary, Philly and Detroit come to mind).  Punishing and physical, the Buds also have the “character” guys on the blueline necessary to form the foundation of a playoff contender. It’s a good start. Secondly, Saku Koivu slips into the Anaheim Duck line-up like a glove. Centring the second line, and away from the pressure cooker of Montreal, look for Koivu to thrive on the coast. Thirdly, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Hockey News pick as the 2010 Stanley Cup winner, have blown it again with their reckless goaltending manoeuvres. No matter how solid the team looks, especially with the addition of Chris Pronger, the venture is crippled by the inclusion of the moody, disruptive and inconsistent Ray Emery. Fourth, the best young prospects in hockey reside with, wait for it, the Phoenix Coyotes. Jim Balsillie could turn the Hamilton Steel Monkeys, or whatever, into Cup contenders in a couple of years with the right hockey men in charge. It makes the battle for the team all the more interesting. Fifth, Ryan Smyth is going to have an impact while paired with emerging star Anze Kopitar on the Los Angeles Kings top line. Smyth is another who will thrive when handed a prominent role but not asked to be the team’s saviour. And, finally, the surprise team of the upcoming season could well be the Carolina Hurricanes. Buoyed by Eric Staal and Cam Ward’s march to elite status, the ‘Canes are rock solid and tough…FOOTIE..Wayne Rooney was everything I believed he would be in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Birmingham at Old Trafford Sunday. Rooney was sublime galloping through the midfield and is clearly poised to thrive while filling the gap left by departed Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been groomed by Alex Ferguson for this prominent role for years now. His selfless play on the wing with Ronaldo last year has been supplanted by the need for Rooney to emerge as the leader and standard bearer of the famous Red Devils…TURN LEFT..with yesterdays 23^rd place finish at Michigan, Kyle Busch finds himself in fifteenth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and out of the Chase. Though Dale Earnhardt’s lack of success has attracted the bulk of the attention, Busch’s poor season is far more startling. Good guy Mark Martin is clinging to the twelfth and final spot with a mere three races remaining before Chase placings are finalized. The top four consist of Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, aka the “usual suspects”…PUG LIFE..Roy Jones battered Jeff Lacy on Saturday night. The forty year old Jones now moves on to Australia to fight Danny Green, a winner on the weekend undercard, in what will apparently be a mega fight down under. While the champ, and in his prime, Jones refused to fight anywhere but America…Thomas Hauser’s concluding piece on Sugar Ray Robinson is available now on Seconds Out. It’s the finest summary of Ray’s career I’ve ever read. Hauser makes one stunning point; virtually all of the footage available of Ray Robinson is from the fifties, when he had moved to middleweight. The Sugar Ray of the forties, the welterweight who was never defeated by a 147 pounder, has vanished in the fog of history, existing only in the memory of those who saw him fight…I recommend the St Valentines Day Massacre, his final fight with Jake LaMotta, as the best place to start if you’d like to watch the greatest fighter of all time. The fight is available on You Tube…