y difficult to operate as an offense and dictates the tempo.So far, that hasn

As much as I love my U.S sport, travelling to New York City offers more than enough activities and destinations before you even get to the sports.But, today (Sunday October 16) Hannah and I were lucky enough to sneak out to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the New York Giants clash against the Baltimore Ravens.MetLife lives across the river in the Meadowlands, home of the famous Meadowlands Harness Racing Club, one of my other sporting passions.Surprisingly - even to the locals - a beautiful sunny day awaited us for the game. Early on, the Ravens took a 10-0 lead and arguably the loudest cheer of the game was when the Giants finally made a first down midway through the second term. The emotion of fans at all NFL venues is always sky-high but few sports fans can rival the energy and passion of New Yorkers.The second half was far more entertaining than the first, although I made an inauspicious start to Q3... As Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr made a phenomenal catch, run and touchdown, I returned from the toilets to see the crowd - and Hannah - jumping for joy.I was not going to make the same mistake twice and Im glad I hung in there because with less than two minutes remaining, Beckham caught another pass from Eli Manning and took it 70 yards for the game-clinching score. The 78,487 Giants fans erupted and despite a couple of Hail Mary attempts from Ravens QB Joe Flacco, the G-Men held on and the party was just beginning for the fans.Tailgating is a huge part of American football - at NFL or NCAA level - and the New Yorkers headed straight for the parking lot and celebrated the big win. The traffic was reasonable as we made our way back to Manhattan, thanks largely to the Giants winning and a large portion of the almost 80k staying for a few beers in the car park.From here, our sporting journey really heats up with the NHL at Madison Square Garden this week followed by Thursday Night Football at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay.Stay tuned to my Twitter (@joshjenkins24), Instagram (@joshjenkins04) and ESPN Australia on Snapchat Discover to track my sporting adventures. Theyre sure to be amazing!#JJintheUSACustom Blue Jackets Jerseys . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Authentic Custom Blue Jackets Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. http://www.custombluejacketsjersey.com/ .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Wholesale Custom Blue Jackets Shirts . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Custom Seth Jones Jersey . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca.INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Ted Monachino has been diagnosing problems all season.After six troubling games, hes ready to start seeing real solutions when Indy visits Tennessee this weekend..Were nowhere near where we need to be. We havent played winning football often enough, Monachino said Thursday. Weve had flashes of really good play in several games. (Weve) gone stretches where weve played well. But the 60-minute idea is, you have to start fast, youve got to be able to maintain momentum throughout the course of a game and you have to finish like youve never finished and we havent been able to do that.His blunt assessment, of course, will be welcomed by weary fans, who have already become frustrated with a seemingly constant barrage of penalties, missed tackles and generally poor play that have plagued the Colts (2-4).It was never more evident than Sunday night, when Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans drove for back-to-back touchdowns in the final seven minutes of regulation to erase a 14-point deficit and then moved into position for the winning field on their first possession of overtime.Along the way, there were plenty of mistakes.Monachino blamed himself for not getting his four best pass rushers on the field immediately when the Texans drove for their first TD. The reason: Monachino thought Houston would still mix things up instead of going immediately to the hurry-up offense.But the bigger problem was all those missed tackles that couldnt be hidden on game tape.Every individual guy has to make up their mind that they are going to use what has happened in the past and learn from it and make it push them forward, cornerback Darius Butler said.Theres really no other choice.Only Jacksonville, Detroit and the New York Jets and Giants have fewer takeaways Indy (six).Only San Francisco, Carolina and Cleveland have allowed more points than the Colts (176).Only Oakland and New Orleans have allowed more yards per game than Indy (411.2), and only the Jets and Lions have allowed a higher completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks than the Colts (69.0).The gory details only tell part of the tale, though.Its disappointing and thats an understatement, inside linebacker DQwell Jackson said. It isnt effort, it isnt guys not being in the right placce, its technique and knowing all 11 are going to be on the same page.ddddddddddddSure, some stats could be explained by an injury rash that left the secondary and defensive line so depleted that the Colts spent some weeks playing almost exclusively with backups.But now, with most of those missing players back in action, the troubles have continued. After playing their best 3 1/2 quarters of the season Sunday night, the Colts couldnt close out the victory because Houston found ways to gash the defense.Perhaps the most frustrating part is that Monachino and Colts head coach Chuck Pagano were both hired in Indianapolis so they could put together a defense that emulated Baltimores aggressive, ball-hawking style.When Pagano was asked Wednesday to describe how he wants Indys defense to look, he responded: A defense that stops the run, is very, very aggressive and attacking. A defense that wreaks havoc and makes it very, very difficult to operate as an offense and dictates the tempo.So far, that hasnt come close to happening -- even though Monachino and his players will keep working toward that goal.You put it on the tape, Monachino said. Youre brutally honest and you make sure that everybody understands that this isnt how we win the game.Game notesQuarterback Andrew Luck (ankle and right shoulder) did limited work Thursday, his usual light day of practice, and Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton (hip) did not practice Thursday after doing limited work Wednesday. ... Other players who missed Thursdays practice were: Butler (calf and hamstring), Jackson (rest) tight end Dwayne Allen (sprained right ankle), defensive end Henry Anderson (knee), receiver Phillip Dorsett (foot and hamstring), defensive tackle Zach Kerr (ankle), outside linebacker Curt Maggitt (ankle), left guard Jack Mewhort (triceps) and receiver Donte Moncrief (fractured shoulder blade). ... Backup offensive lineman Jonotthan Harrison (appendectomy) did limited work for the second straight day. ... Indy has claimed outside linebacker Lavar Edwards off waivers from Carolina and has waived cornerback Darryl Morris.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '