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GRID IRON…under the radar; Julius Peppers has the Chicago Bears dreaming of a return to the “Monsters of the Midway” days. Peppers could rejuvenate a defence that looked stale and uninspired last year…

…this is how Bears QB Jay Cutler sums up new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system, “You take your seven steps, you identify the coverage and you let it fly. The receiver is supposed to be there”…

…the New England Patriots can spin it anyway they want, but the bottom line is that they have not lived up to their commitment to extend Tom Brady’s contract. The situation is simmering but Brady is too classy to aggravate negotiations by holding out…

…I’m not a Cowboys fan yet can’t wait to see that platinum offence roll with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin manning the wideout roles. If Tony Romo can keep his mind off blondes and golf the dazzling array of talent assembled in Texas could take the Boys deep into the postseason. Concerns must revolve around firstly, coach Wade Phillips and his ability to manage a high pressure contest and, secondly, as stated previously, the use of a relatively untested left tackle…

…interesting; Peter King of S I offers the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals as two 2009 playoff teams that are going to struggle and regress in 2010…

PUG LIFE…the fallout from last week’s Danny Green - Paul Briggs fight continues (Briggs was knocked out 29 seconds into the fight by a soft left hand). The truth is best gleaned in a situation like this by following the money. A gambling site has reported they dropped the odds on a Green first round knockout from 7-1 to evens in the hours before the fight, so inundated were they by wagers on that specific eventuality. Centrebet stated flatly, “We’ve never in the history of boxing seen so much bet on a particular outcome”.  There can be little doubt that  members of the gambling community were given specific information indicating Briggs either could not, or would not, last a round with Green. Briggs reported he felt dizzy walking into the ring, but that could be a ruse to take attention off his blatant malfeasance.  Briggs should not be paid and he should be suspended indefinitely. The sport cannot tolerate this type of activity and authorities must act quickly and ruthlessly. A class action lawsuit on behalf of the fans in attendance should be designed to make Briggs bleed financially…

…I rue the day I began following Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The pair are a disgrace; one a drug cheat and the other allergic to meaningful and challenging contests…the pair have crippled boxing and brought the sport to its knees…

PONIES…very interesting post by Steve Haskin concerns the physical appearance of Rachel Alexandra in the post parade before Saturdays Lady’s Secret Stakes. Haskin notes her tail was between her legs, so tightly wound that it laid across her belly. He notes animal behaviourists regard this of a sign of a concerned or “fretting” horse. Rachel has been a shadow of herself this year, showing none of the epic brilliance which saturated her 2009 campaign…

RANDOM…Ginner was right, this one just gets funnier and funnier every time you watch it…best clip of the year so far…meet Double Rainbow Guy…”http://www.youtube.com/v/0BRZkupyURw&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1″></param><param 

…Chris Bosh will be on the Jimmy Fallon show tonight (12.35am NBC)…

…the per diems given to professional athletes (NBA $114 per day, NHL $85 per day, NFL $90 per day) makes you wonder why they feel the need to even touch their salaries…

…bizarrely, this actually works; Mary J Blige doing a cover of Stairway to Heaven…”http://www.youtube.com/v/Z8ZJVZ9eHNI&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1″></param><param