Canada Curling 2014 Men's Team: What to Expect from Brad Jacobs and Company

With the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings (the Olympic curling trials for the Canadian team) over and the 2014 Canadian men's curling team set, there are a few things we can expect from Brad Jacobs and his team.

Jacobs will represent Canada at the Sochi Olympics after beating John Morris on Sunday, Dec. 8.  Jacobs and his team won 7-4 and were able to go up 2-0 early, but Morris and his team tied things at 3-3 later on.  After that, Jacobs went up 5-3 and made a big double to end things.

From what we've seen from this team so far, there are a number of things to expect.

In terms of performance, expectations are going to be very high for Jacobs.  He went 7-0 during the round-robin stage, and according to Jim Bender of the Winnipeg Sun, it was the first time that any Canadian team had gone through a trials week without a single loss.

This team continues to get better, which is a very good sign for Canada entering the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Jacobs had his best year ever in the 2012-13 season, going to the finals in the Canadian Open and semifinals in the Players' Championship.  Now, with that undefeated record in the trials, it's hard to not like this team's odds in Sochi.

A big reason for their success is likely because of the team's familiarity with one another.  Jacobs has worked with E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden since the 2008-09 season, when Jacobs officially moved to skip.  Ryan Fry is relatively new, coming in last season, but the team has been very successful since he joined.

There will likely be a number of gutsy shots from Jacobs during the Olympics, as that's what he's becoming known for.  He took a number of risky shots during the Roar of the Rings, including that huge big-weight double to end win the battle against Morris.  According to the Canadian Press via TSN, Jacobs had this to say about the decision:

"

"You're throwing that double to win the game," he said after beating John Morris 7-4.

He said his third, Ryan Fry, told him it was coming.

"Fry said it to me, 'You're going to have a double either way here and we're playing it.' So my mind was already wrapped around some big weight shot before I even threw it."

"

Coach Tom Coulterman must be doing something right, as this team is red hot right now and not afraid to take risky shots.  This is a very entertaining team to watch, and if Jacobs can keep up this level of play entering the Olympics, then his squad could very well be bringing back a gold medal to Canada after it's all over.