6-10), New Orleans Saints (2006) and Green Bay Packers (2004-06

The weekends football action featured a couple of eventful debuts. Claudio Bravo almost gifted Manchester United a route back into the Manchester derby on Saturday, a day before the man he replaced between the sticks, Joe Hart, made a losing start to life with Torino.But Bravo and Hart are by no means the first sportsmen to announce themselves to their new fans in less-than-impressive fashion. ESPN rounds up five other debutants who wished they could have made a second first impression.Jonathan WoodgateReal Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao, Sept. 22, 2005England defender Woodgate was forced to sit on the sidelines for more than a year -- 561 days to be precise -- after signing for Real Madrid from Newcastle in 2004. But when he finally made it on the pitch in a white shirt he made sure his bow was worth the wait. For all the wrong reasons. With just 25 minutes gone Woodgate marked his first La Liga appearance with a bullet header, into his own net. And while Madrid recovered, running out comfortable 3-1 winners, the nervous energy coursing through their defenders veins ensured that he would play only 66 minutes. A second booking meant that his night ended prematurely, and the calamitous evening summed up what was a largely forgettable three years in Madrid.Jason CroweArsenal vs. Birmingham, Oct. 14, 1997Millions of children around the world dream of pulling on the jersey of their favourite team. For the lucky few who are picked up by academies and development squads it takes years of hard work, dedication and a little luck to make that wish a reality. Crowes moment arrived on an unremarkable October evening as Arsenal hosted Birmingham in the third round of the League Cup. Having started the match on the bench, the then 19-year-old right-back was summoned to make his debut in extra time. However, it would not last long. Crowe was walking back over to the bench and down the old Highbury tunnel just 33 seconds later, the recipient of a red card following a reckless challenge on Martin OConnor. Crowe would make only two further appearances for the Gunners, but his brief cameo assured his place in Arsenal folklore.Mathew TaitWales vs. England, Feb. 5, 2005England went into the 2005 Six Nations in a state of transition under Andy Robinson. Gone were many of the star names who had delivered the World Cup less than 18 months earlier, while Jonny Wilkinson remained injured. Robinson must have hoped that Mathew Tait would take to Test rugby as his then club-mate Wilkinson had, but on the eve of his 19th birthday the centre was given a torrid time by his opposite number, Gavin Henson. The Welshmans 16th-minute tackle on his young opponent set the tone, not only for the match but the championship as a whole. Henson would fire Wales to an 11-9 victory in Cardiff en route to a Grand Slam. Tait, meanwhile, would not be seen in Test rugby for more than a year and in truth his international career never fully recovered.Darren PattinsonEngland vs. South Africa, July 18-21, 2008Pattinson did not follow the established path towards Test cricket. Born in England but raised in Australia, the fast bowler did not win a professional contract until he was 27. However, less than two years later -- and having played only 11 first-class matches -- an injury to Ryan Sidebottom presented him with a chance at the highest level. Plucked from obscurity to face South Africa primarily because of his height and ability to swing the new ball, Pattinson took two wickets in the Proteas first innings. However, the manner of Englands 10-wicket defeat ensured that he would never be seen in Test cricket again.Vanessa-MaeWomens giant slalom, Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2014Violinist Vanessa-Mae transformed into Olympic Skier Vanessa Vanakorm in 2014, when she became only the third athlete to compete for Thailand at the Winter Olympics. The British citizen had relocated to Switzerland in 2009 in order to chase her dream, having decided to compete for the country of her fathers birth as it represented an easier route to the Sochi Games. Qualification in the womens giant slalom secured, the musician found life on the Russian slopes tough as she trailed in 67th, more than 50 seconds behind gold medallist Tina Maze. That put her in last place of the skiers who completed the competition but was not the end of her Olympic journey. Question marks were raised about the validity of her qualification results, and Mae was initially handed a four-year ban from skiing. She vowed to fight that decision and CAS has since overturned it, leading the IOC to confirm it will allow her classification to stand.But some debutants impress only for it to all come crashing down...Massimo TaibiLiverpool vs. Manchester United, Sept. 11, 1999Manchester Uniteds treble victory in 1999 ushered in the end of an era as goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel left the club after eight years and 10 major trophies. Sir Alex Ferguson reacted to his departure by signing Mark Bosnich on a free transfer, but doubts over his former trainee led the Scot to dip back into the transfer market for Massimo Taibi. The Italian keeper made an instant impression, recovering from an early flap to pick up the man of the match award as United beat Liverpool 3-2 at Anfield on his debut. That would be as good as it got for Taibi in Manchester though. Just three games later, and following an infamous howler against Southampton at Old Trafford and a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he was back in Italy. Proof that an impressive debut is no guarantee of a long or successful career. Nike Vapormax Italia . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Nike Vapormax Ingrosso . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.vapormaxscontateoutlet.it/vapormax-flyknit-scontate-outlet.html . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Nike Vapormax In Offerta . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Vapormax Plus Saldi . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta.OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Vonta Leach was released Tuesday by the Baltimore Ravens, who failed to agree on a restructured contract with the three-time All-Pro fullback. Leach was an integral part of a running game that helped the Ravens become champions last season. Paving the way for standout halfback Ray Rice, Leach made the Pro Bowl in each of his two seasons with Baltimore and was a key figure in the locker room. "He played a significant role in helping us get to the AFC Championship game in 2011 and win the Super Bowl last season," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "He added to our toughness and will to win. Plus, he provided leadership." After negotiations between Newsome, Leach and the players agent reached a standstill, both sides agreed it would be best to terminate Leachs contract. But Newsome left open the possibility that Leach could return if he fails to find an adequate suitor in the free agent market. "We could revisit this before or during training camp," Newsome said. Baltimore began a three-day mandatory minicamp Tuesday without Leach, who ran 21 times for 67 yards and one touchdown while with the Ravens. He also had 36 catches for 212 yards. "Vontas been as much the heart and soul of this team as anybody since hes been here," coach John Harbaugh said. "Hes been a great leader. Hes been a tremendous performer. Ive never had more fun with a player since hes been there. "Hes just a great guy, and he established us in a lot of ways. He established the personality of our offence as a physical, hard-nosed unit over the last couple years. I wish him nothing but the best, and Im sure hell do really well. Im sorry to see him go." Leachs departure was a hot topic following tthe late afternoon practice.dddddddddddd "Were going to miss him on the football field, but I think the tough thing is that you lose out on a friend, a great teammate," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "Im just going to miss him being around the locker room." Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said, "That was weird when I heard about it. Hes a monster. Hes a great blocker. And its just going to weird without him. He was definitely a character on our team, and he was a good teammate." Leach, a 6-foot, 260-pounder, played previously for the Houston Texans (2006-10), New Orleans Saints (2006) and Green Bay Packers (2004-06). His next destination should be decided in the weeks ahead. His agent, Ralph Vitolo, told Houston television station KRIV: "Hes probably a fit for four or five teams. Denver, Dallas, Houston, people like that, Cincinnati." Leach is the latest in a long line of players cut loose or traded by the Super Bowl champs this off-season. The list includes wide receiver Anquan Boldin, safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard, and linebackers Darnell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger. "Its just part of the business," Leach said of his release. "I have no animosity against the Ravens. They are a first-class organization. They cant pay everybody." In another move Tuesday, the Ravens re-signed tight end Billy Bajema, who played in eight regular season games and four playoff contests for Baltimore last season. Used primarily as a blocking tight end in run situations, Bajema did not have a catch in 2012. Meanwhile, Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda was a non-participant in the minicamp practice due to an unspecified injury. Yanda dealt with shoulder and knee injuries last season. ' ' '