One of the most fascinating events in the American sporting calendar is the annual begins at in New York later today.
And we'll be making history as we cover the opening round live for the first time from 0030 BST on Friday on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ 5 live sports extra. Darren Fletcher and I will handle proceedings from London while Greg Brady does all the donkey work from the Big Apple.
This year's draft takes place against t between the owners and the players that threatens to derail the 2011 season.
The two sides are struggling to find common ground when it comes to sharing revenue from their $9 billion-per-year business. There are, of course, many other issues being discussed, including player safety, player movement and benefits and health care for retired players, but it basically comes down to the share of the financial pie.
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The greatest show on earth is about to get even bigger as the Green Bay Packers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers live on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One in on Sunday night.
One of the biggest crowds in Super Bowl history will be on hand as more than 100,000 fans pack into Dallas Cowboys Stadium in chilly North Texas to witness what promises to be an exciting showdown between two quarterbacks keen to write their name in the record books.
While the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5 and Keith Urban provide the entertainment that will make for breathtaking viewing on the , Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers will take centre stage when it really matters.
Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to the Super Bowl for the third time in six seasons and he has the opportunity to join an elite group of quarterbacks who have won three Super Bowls.
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While the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are making the most of their weekend off in order to prepare for on Sunday, 6 February, the best of the rest in terms of NFL players are in Hawaii for the annual .
So rather than discussing the NFL's version of an all-star game, I'm going to name my team of the year: one player at quarterback, running back, offensive line, wide receiver, defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, and safety. If I have enough energy at the end, I will even throw in a head coach for my partial team.
Okay, here we go. Form an orderly queue at the bottom of this page to register your complaints. My first pick is bound to provoke a response or two.
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Hello, I'm Neil Reynolds. I commentate and write about the NFL. I've followed the NFL since 1983 and covered the league as a journalist and broadcaster since 1991. I also played for 10 years in the British American Football League.
