With his new coach Ivan Lendl being a two time winner of the French Open, this could be a huge help to Murray’s chances on clay and he kicked off his clay court season with a stunning straight-sets victory over Viktor Troicki to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Murray received a first round bye, and has now sealed his place in the last 16 of the ATP 1000 event and laid down an early marker in the process courtesy of a 6-0 6-3 triumph in only 67 minutes.

It is a perfect start to his French Open warm-up campaign, and he looked in full control from the first serve. He broke Troicki’s serve in the first game of the match after a cute drop-shot had helped open up three break points, of which he took the third when the Serb swatted a forehand wide and he never looked back!

Usually it takes Murray a couple of matches before he gets used to the surface but he moved well around the clay and looked like he had been playing on it all year. Regardless of how well he does in the tournament he will have at least 5 weeks in the run up to Roland Garros where he can work even more on fine-tuning his clay game. He is already looking very comfortable, which are promising signs for him for the rest of the summer!

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NFL spokesman Greg Aiello announced via Twitter – it seems that everything gets announced via that medium these days – that the roster limit will be officially expanded to that 90 strong number. What that means is that another 320 players will get a chance to win a place on an NFL 53-man roster via their efforts during the offseason programme or training camps. Of course it means that it gives all of those players a chance to turn down an NFL career – although we doubt that will happen.

The change was made rather quickly and it’s rather unclear how it was made away from the confines of an owners’ meeting, now approved the change will become a bylaw rather than a formal rule. The increase from 80 to 90 players allowed on the roster will result in a decrease in the number of players allowed after the third preseason game when the numbers will revert to the original 80 and then a drop will be made from 80 to the 53 man rosters after the final pre-season game, that will of course flood an already overcrowded market with 864 players a week before the start of the regular season.

Still the increased opportunities that this will bring may see some talents that were missed in the draft or free agency come to the fore, it has been known to happen.

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What will new general manager Rick Spielman do? – he could and this is probably the lesser option trade away that #3 pick in exchange for some attractive draft choices especially as the Vikings need more than one star to fix their woes but in reality who is going to offer those and can he make them work. What Spielman has to assess is the long game here and harsh as it may sound it’s going to take at least a couple of years to get Minnesota back on track after 6-10 and 3-13 seasons that have seen the talent and leadership ebb away from the Vikings.

It has to be faced that the NFC is competitive to say the least and you need to be able to dominate at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball – in the past the Vikings have been able to do this but they have regressed perhaps more on the “O” line than the “D” line, where offensively they have to block some of the top pass-rushers in the NFL and that probably makes it the main priority to fix on the team. This is why most people predict Minnesota will take USC left tackle Matt Kalil at #3.

But, wait, just wait, the Vikings are also in a hole with regard to their skill players with their two main assets Percy Harvin being extremely fragile and Adrian Peterson their star running-back having to start the season coming back from a torn ACL at the end of last season. The Vikings have many offensive issues to sort out this summer. The team can address some needs in the draft, but not all of them – it will take time.

Defensively there are also issues, especially in the secondary where if the capable pass rush doesn’t get to the quarterback the secondary is porous at best; they only intercepted eight balls all last year. The secondary lacks vision, pace and the ability to make a play and if they were to address that area of the team then they would be headed towards taking LSU CB Morris Claiborne with the third pick.

So you can see that the decision for Spielman is not an easy one – this one draft is not going to fix the woes of the Vikings and he has to look at the bigger and longer picture to assess the talent pool both of next year’s draft and free agency.

We don’t think that they (the Vikings) are going to get the necessary offer for their #3 pick and the choice will boil down to Claiborne or Kalil, with the latter getting our vote as going part of the way to fixing a Vikings franchise which needs some real TLC right now.

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So are there are Bradyesque characters in this year’s talent pool? Well we would have to say yes, so here’s our take on some of the players that may slip through the net but you will be hearing more of in the future.

In the pass orientated NFL, more and more emphasis is being placed on the secondary and their ability to cope with multiple receiver sets and an onslaught of strong arm quarterbacks. Teams are looking for cornerbacks and safeties who can make plays and DeQuan Menzie of Alabama certainly fits that bill. Menzie looks to be a pure corner who has quick feet and an ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and we are sure a few teams will be looking out for him in the 2012 draft. Continuing that theme how about taking a look at Brandon Taylor of LSU – he’s a hard hitting safety who can make plays in coverage and is also adept at breaking up and stopping the run – he also has that game-changing ability to separate players from the ball.

This list was based on the idea of Tom Brady as the ultimate sleeper so it wouldn’t be right to ignore or exclude quarterbacks from the list and here’s one for you – Austin Davis of Southern Miss. Solid would be the word to sum up Davis who looks to be a good athlete who can run and pass and puts pressure on defences with his mobility. There are things that he needs to work on but the base and raw ability is there and he would be a good project for a team that has time to mould someone into an NFL quarterback.

Unfashionable positions are never drafted that high and we could put the role of fullback into that category of unfashionable and draft position, but that doesn’t mean we can’t include one here and Wisconsin Badgers Bradie Ewing has the right sort of stuff to make a success of a career in the NFL. He’s certainly a versatile runner, showing power and some decent pace as well as being able to receive the ball out of the backfield. He may well not go until the fifth or sixth round but he will go and be a very useful addition to any team.

Luck, Griffen III, Kalil and Claiborne may be the names people will be focusing on in the 2012 draft but further down the list will be some players that will be stars of the future let’s hope a few of our four make the grade.

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2007 sees possibly the easiest example to illustrate our point. That year saw JaMarcus Russell taken as the overall first pick over Calvin Johnson and look where they are both now – Johnson is one of the outstanding wide receivers in the NFL averaging over 1100 receiving yards per year and a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Russell well he’s out of the game after a less than stellar career, one occasion when the No1 pick carried a heavy burden.

Another mismatch occurred in 2002 – David Carr vs. Julius Peppers. Carr carried the hopes and dreams of the new Houston Texans expansion franchise, but after five seasons and a record that read 22-53 the Texans finally gave up on Carr. Peppers on the other hand is one of the league’s premier defensive ends, averaging 10 sacks per season and having been selected to 6 Pro-Bowls in a 10-year career. On he retires Peppers looks sure to have a shot at the Hall of Fame.

Our last example comes from the 1994 draft when Dan Wilkinson was taken over Marshall Faulk. Wilkinson was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals at defensive tackle and while he had a long career it can only be described as average whereas Faulk had anything but an “average” career. After landing up with St. Louis Rams, Faulk became one of the most important pieces to “The Greatest Show on Turf.” His 12,279 yards rushing put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and showed another case when the number two pick in the draft is not necessarily the worst position to be in.

Andrew Luck and RG3 it’s over to you guys now.

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Picking at No.4 overall the Browns are in need of in no particular order a quarterback, running back and wide receiver – that makes their thought process one of the most difficult in the entire draft. Let’s start at QB where current starter Colt McCoy had question marks already hanging over him, certainly in terms of arm strength and size and maybe now durability also. But he has shown promise and to replace him now with someone like Ryan Tannehill who has the potential to be a major upgrade would be a step backwards for the team in terms of progression as they will have to wait for Tannehill to grow into the position. A quality quarterback is essential in today’s NFL and if you can find one then no one player on the field is in a better position to exploit the opposition’s weak points.

If the Browns don’t take a quarterback and stick with McCoy then they still need to upgrade the talent around him. That means either taking a running back or wide receiver and the choice there probably lies between Alabama’s Trent Richardson and Oklahoma State wideout Justin Blackmon. The majority of observers would make Richardson one of the most complete backs to enter the draft for several years but will Cleveland with their West Coast offence be tempted by his talents.

Blackmon probably makes it into the six elite prospects in the draft and is therefore obtainable by the Bengals, although of those six Luck and Griffin will be long gone by the time that the Bengals are on the clock.

Tannehill has great potential but the Bengals need something now and we think they’ll stick with McCoy and the choice will come down to Richardson and Blackmon, with the former being the likely pick in a team that needs upgrading in several positions to become a threat in the tough AFC North.

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So when do I raise as a bluff?

One perfect spot to raise is when a recreational player takes the betting lead (donk-bets) in a raised pot. This often signifies a weak made hand, which is often difficult to play against when you apply the pressure. If you raise in this spot your opponent is not only going to find it difficult to call, but how are they going to play future streets against your continued aggression?

So that example was an example based on your perception of your opponent’s range of hands. What about board types? The best types of boards to bluff raise on, are those types of boards you know your opponent will select to c-bet with a wide range of bluffs of their own. Single ace or Broadway card, boards, are likely candidates for your opponents to c-bet with air, and therefore make them excellent spots to bluff-raise with worse air.

Another great example of a board where you can profitably bluff-raise is a monotone board. If you raise in this spot your opponent is only going to continue with the made flush or a combination of cards containing the nut flush card – such as the ace of that particular suit.

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Floating is a play where you call a bet with a hand that is rarely good, with the intention of winning the hand on later streets. As poker evolved, especially with the onset of online poker, the act of continuation betting became more prevalent. To counter this strategy players introduced the float.

Floating is a very profitable weapon of choice if used against the right opponent. There are a multitude of player’s who will raise pre flop, c-bet an ace high flop and then check-fold the turn. These players are the ones you should be singling out to apply the float. With these types of players, that bet on the turn is a license to print money.

So we have given you a great example of when to float, but what about examples of when NOT to float?

If you are facing an opponent with a high turn barrel frequency then stay away from this player. Your float is rarely good here unless you plan to run an elaborate three-street bluff, rarely profitable in a game where simple strategy makes simple money.

When floating, it is always sensible to make sure that you have some form of equity in your hand such as over cards, straight or flush draws. By choosing hand combinations of this ilk you can actually walk into the best hand on the turn and start betting the pot for value. You will see world series of poker players using this technique.

The act of betting the flop and then following it up with a bet on the turn is known as double barreling. The problem that most of these lower limit and recreational players encounter is betting the flop without having a plan for the turn. It is often good advice to think about poker as you would a game of chess. Always make sure that your thinking is one or two streets ahead and not isolated street-by-street.

So when should you fire a double barrel?

1. You should fire a double barrel when you believe you have the best hand and also believe your opponent will call with a worse hand.
2. You should fire a double barrel when your equity improves when running a bluff and you think your opponent may fold a better hand.
3. You should fire a double barrel when you believe the turn card will scare your opponent into folding a better hand

A good example of point one would be where you have a pair of aces on a low board and believe your opponent will continue to call with an over pair of their own. A good example of point two is c-betting a flop with a backdoor flush draw and turning the flush draw. A good example of point three would be c-betting a low board and then following it up with a turn barrel when an ace appears.

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Second seed Mayer and of course defending Champion in Bucharest lost his second round 7-5 4-6 6-4 against Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse.

Watching the game, the world number 21 German earned plenty of chances against the 31-year-old, but converted just three of his ten break points while Malisse was ruthless in taking four of his five opportunities.

Mallise played very well and looks in good shape going into the French Open. He will have been very happy with the win against a solid opponent in Mayer. He has had a difficult year and it’s the first time that he will play a quarter-finals match this year. It looks like all of his hard work is paying off as he looked in physically good shape throughout the match, and that will give him confidence for the rest of the summer.

In all honesty it will be difficult for Mallise or Mayer for that matter to get anywhere close to winning the French Open. It is going to be a very competitive year with some excellent in form players, but it is going to be a very busy summer with plenty of opportunity to win titles elsewhere.

Elsewhere it was surprising to see Potito Starace lose to Hungarian qualifier Attila Balazs who is ranked at just 450th in the world. Balazs had already sprung a surprise by knocking Lukas Lacko out in the opening round, but this is some achievement and he will surely be quickly climbing those rankings if he continues his form.

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