Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A fiery James takes the court with Heat
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AP)—On Day 1, LeBron James(notes) looked perfectly comfortable in new surroundings.
He pumped his fist after passing over a double-team and setting Joel Anthony(notes) up for a dunk. He got wide-eyed after breaking free in a defensive drill for a thunderous slam that left teammates more than impressed. He shouted instructions during drills, then got into an animated argument with Dwyane Wade(notes) over a scoring dispute as practice was ending.
“That’s just me,” James said
That’s who the Miami Heat wanted.
The NBA’s reigning two-time MVP went through his first full practice with the Heat on Tuesday, a workout so intense even coach Erik Spoelstra was dripping sweat when the first session of training camp was over at a U.S. Air Force installation on Florida’s Panhandle. A snaking line of reporters and camera crews surrounded nearly half the court, and James gave them a memorable show.
“It’s not normal,” James said. “It’s not normal just yet. It’s a new beginning for me. I don’t feel like a rookie but I feel like it’s a new start. I’ve been around training camps before, but it’s not normal. You guys know it’s not normal. But as the year goes on, with the team getting to know each other, I continue to get to know you … you get more comfortable with one another.”
He’d put on the Heat practice uniform before, doing so over the summer after joining Miami and spurning an offer to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers, essentially his hometown team and the place where he grew into a global icon over his first seven pro seasons.
And he wasn’t laid-back in his first formal Miami practice. Quite the contrary.
“That’s what we’re trying to get from everybody, no possessions off, to have that mentality,” Spoelstra said. “It was a good start.”
Miami arrived 12 hours before its first practice amid fanfare, a large crowd of military personnel packed into a hangar to greet the team that decided for many reasons to hold their weeklong camp about 650 miles from home. Col. Michael T. Plehn, commander of Hurlburt Field’s 1st Special Operations Wing, had a midcourt seat alongside Heat president Pat Riley for practice.
Players posed for pictures with some reporters after practice, a sight that rarely, if ever, happens in Miami.
“We can train here side by side with some of the best to do it,” Wade said, referring to the airmen stationed at Hurlburt and nearby Eglin Air Force Base. “So for us, it’s an honor and a privilege to be here.”
In Miami, interest has apparently never been higher. The Heat said more than 20,000 single-game tickets for home contests were sold Tuesday, the top one-day total in franchise history—and noted that none of the 41 regular-season matchups has even sold out yet.
There will be many non-traditional events on the Heat itinerary this week, including guest speakers, meet-and-greets with military members, even a chance for players to go through real training—doing things like loading (dummy) bombs and navigating through simulated battle situations—alongside airmen.
That being said, the trip is about basketball.
“It is, and it was very intense from start to finish,” Heat forward Udonis Haslem(notes) said. “The intensity was high. No one was slacking. We got our work done. Everything was good.”
Spoelstra said he isn’t changing much of the Heat structure for this camp. Nonetheless, given all the roster revamping—Mike Miller(notes), Eddie House(notes), Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) and other new faces joined the fray as well—the structure of things might change on its own.
There’s already clear competition for two starting spots, plus plenty of minutes in what’s likely to be a nine-man rotation when the season opens for real Oct. 26 against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.
In short, camp will be exactly the way James, Wade and Spoelstra would prefer: Tough.
“I think it pushes us,” said forward Chris Bosh(notes), Miami’s other marquee free-agent acquisition of the summer, whose decision helped pave the way for James to join the Heat. “The intensity stays up because there’s so much talent. These guys really want to win and we know what it takes to win. It’s not easy.”
Wade was guarding James at times during the first practice of the season, with the drills getting so heated that even Spoelstra was getting low into textbook defensive position. Bodies flew everywhere, like when Juwan Howard(notes) unintentionally leveled James Jones(notes) while trying to defend a 3-point attempt. And it was heated, especially when Wade and James were trying to persuade assistant coach Bob McAdoo—a Hall of Fame player—that he had the score wrong of a drill. After all, a down and back sprint was at stake.
James won the discussion, by the way, so off on a run Wade went.
“I was just trying to argue,” Wade said. “I just wanted to get in on the argument.”
James talked Tuesday of how much it means to him to train at a military installation, especially after having worn a Team USA uniform—Olympics style— of his own in the past. He talked again of how much he likes being around his new teammates. He also talked of how the Heat should have championship expectations.
He did a lot of talking on the court as well.
Clearly, fitting in to the Heat world won’t be an awkward process.
“I’ve always been vocal,” James said. “I’m always going to continue to be a leader, no matter what team I’m on.”
NFL rookie stuck with enormous dinner bill
Back in July, there was a big to-do about Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant(notes) refusing to carry pads for fellow wide receiver Roy Williams. It's tradition in the NFL that rookies perform menial chores for veteran teammates, so Bryant's refusal drew some attention and criticism.
The mini-controversy blew over quickly. Bryant apologized, Williams accepted and everyone moved on. Williams did mention, though, that Bryant would have to pick up a dinner tab, and at the instant that Bryant refused the pad-carrying, Williams suddenly got a little hungrier and a little thirstier.
After the Cowboys beat the Texans, it was finally time for that dinner. The end result? Bryant probably wishes he'd have carried those pads. From Calvin Watkins at ESPN:
Monday night at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Bryant took the offensive players out, then Williams invited the defensive players and when the night was over the bill came: $54,896.
"They got the young fella," said Bryant's adviser David Wells. "What could he say? He had to pay it unless he wanted to wash dishes for a month."
Players ordered basically everything on the menu and even took home bottles of wine.
Well played, Roy Williams. Not only was it a nice touch to invite the defense, but to also wait until everyone was in a celebratory and festive mood? That's a veteran move.
Even when you factor in the number of players who attended, it still comes out to a ridiculous amount of money spent on food and drink for each person. Active game-day rosters include 45 people. Figure that some people probably skipped the festivities, and some coaches and other personnel might have been there, and we'll guess it was around 50 people. That's still well over $1,000 per person.
Revenge must have been delicious
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Vick accounts for 4 TDs as Eagles rout Jags 28-3
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Michael Vick(notes) threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-3 Sunday.
Vick completed 17 of 31 passes for 291 yards, mostly staying in the pocket and picking apart Jacksonville’s beleaguered secondary. One of the few times he did run, he broke a tackle, juked another defender and scored from 17 yards out
He made coach Andy Reid’s quarterback decision look like the right one.
Vick found DeSean Jackson(notes) for a 61-yard touchdown and hooked up with Jeremy Maclin(notes) for two scores. Jackson finished with five catches for 153 yards, Maclin had four receptions for 83 yards, and the Eagles (2-1) improved to 2-0 with Vick as their starter.
Vick became the latest in a growing list of quarterbacks to torch the Jaguars (1-2).
David Garrard(notes) struggled again for Jacksonville, throwing for 83 yards and an interception
Dramatic finish to snoozefest of a fight (UFC)
Frank Mir knocked out Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic on Saturday in the main event of UFC 119 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, a knee to the chin in the final minute putting an end to what up until that point had been one of the worst main events in modern Ultimate Fighting Championship history.
Mir and Filipovic did next to-nothing for 14 minutes, drawing the ire of the large crowd, which booed lustily from the middle of the bout on. As the men grappled with their backs to the cage, Mir pulled Filipovic’s head down and kneed him on the chin. Filipovic went down hard and Mir finished him with a couple of hard shots from the top before referee Herb Dean stopped it with 58 seconds left
That was about the only action in an otherwise awful main event. Mir said his plan was to get the fight to the ground to use his jiu-jitsu, but they stayed standing almost the entire way to the finish.
“It looked kind of ugly, but I’d rather pull off an ugly win rather than get an ugly loss,” said Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion who improved to 14-5.
Filipovic didn’t know what had happened at the finish and came over and asked Mir what went on at the end.
Filipovic dropped to 27-8-2.
Ryan Bader, the winner of Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” moved toward a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. All three judges had it 30-27 for Bader, who is 12-0. Yahoo! Sports scored it 29-28 for Nogueira.
The win likely will lead to a match between two of the UFC’s top prospects, pitting Bader against highly touted Jon “Bones” Jones.
Bader’s wrestling was the difference in the fight, as he took down Nogueira several times and kept the Brazilian off-balance with the threat of the shot. In the first, Bader took down Nogueira and landed two huge rights from the top that had Nogueira in trouble.
“The good thing about being a wrestler is having him guess and being able to dictate where the fight goes,” Bader said.
Chris Lytle and Matt Serra each have black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but they stood and traded punches for the entire fight in an entertaining three-round welterweight battle. That style of fight, though, benefited Lytle, a former professional boxer, who pulled out a unanimous decision over the ex-champion.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Lytle. Yahoo! Sports had Lytle, 30-26.
“What kind of idiot wants to box with the Indiana state boxing champion?” Sherk asked following the fight, joking.
Lytle’s right hand consistently found a home. But in the second, he began mixing in hooks and uppercuts and tore apart Serra in a rematch of the finale from “The Ultimate Fighter 4,” which Serra won.
“I give Matt Serra all the credit in the world, because he could have come in here and tried to make it boring, but he was moving forward the whole time,” said Lytle, an Indianapolis fireman who was fighting in front of his hometown crowd.
Sean Sherk and Evan Dunham put on a mixed martial arts clinic in their lightweight fight, as Sherk survived several deep chokes to pull out a split decision victory. All three judges scored the bout 29-28, with Glenn Trowbridge and Cecil Peoples scoring it for Sherk and Kevin Caldwell seeing it for Dunham. Yahoo! Sports had it 29-28 for Dunham, giving Dunham the final two rounds.
UFC president Dana White clearly thought Dunham won. On his Twitter account, he wrote, “Robbed! Judging (expletive) sucks.” The crowd concurred, booing Sherk during his post-fight interview.
Dunham caught Sherk, a former UFC lightweight champion, with two very deep chokes in the first round, but Sherk managed to slip his neck out on each occasion. Sherk wound up in Dunham’s guard after escaping one and drilled Dunham with a big elbow that opened a nasty gash over Dunham’s right eye.
“I was breathing, but all the chokes were tight,” said Sherk, who fought for the first time since losing to Frankie Edgar 16 months ago. “You can ask any of my training partners; I’m hard to choke.”
The crowd booed lustily when the decision was announced, but Dunham accepted the first defeat of his career graciously.
“You can never tell what the judges are thinking,” said Dunham, now 11-1. “I was excited and having fun being in there and having the crowd join me in my fun.”
In the first bout of the pay-per-view portion of the card, Melvin Guillard outlasted bitter rival Jeremy Stephens, winning a split decision. Judges saw it 29-28 and 30-27 for Guillard and 29-28 for Stephens. Yahoo! Sports had Guillard 29-28.
The fight wasn’t nearly as heated as had been expected. Guillard circled most of the night and the men rarely traded, as they had promised to do
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Philadelphia newspaper's controversial Vick headline: 'TOP DOG'
Paper's provocative Michael Vick headline
In case you didn't remember that new Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick(notes) was once imprisoned for running a dogfighting ring, the city's tabloid newspaper would like to remind you. Here's the front page of Wednesday's edition of the Philadelphia Daily News
Subtle. I guess "PUPPY ELECTROCUTOR NAMED STARTING QUARTERBACK" wouldn't fit.
(Although note the not-at-all-accidental use of the word "shocking" in the subhead.)
If you think this is a low blow, you're right. If you think it's out of bounds, I'll respectfully disagree. Vick paid his debt to society and has been a model of behavior since getting released from prison. I'm happy for him and actually find myself rooting for him to redeem himself on the football field. But just because Vick served some time in prison doesn't mean we can't bring up his past. Prison doesn't wipe the slate clean. We shouldn't define Vick for his callous treatment of animals, but we shouldn't forget about it either
And lest we forget that the Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper. Provocative headlines are what tabloids do. They thrive on newsstand sales of papers and drawing readers into their websites with headlines like this. It clearly works, because even those appalled by the headline are talking about it today.
This isn't the first time the Daily News has made reference to Vick's criminal past in headline form. Here's a picture of the front page from Aug. 14, 2009, the day after Vick signed with thIt's anyone's guess how the paper will cover Vick's stint as the team's quarterback, but I expect that the paper's design editors have already made the template for the "PUT DOWN" headline whenever Vick should be benched, cut or traded Eagles
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fantasy & Reality
Fantasy: The Bears' offense will get smashed by the Cowboys. I don't know if a coach can win a comeback award, but Mike Martz has done a real good job in Chicago. What else can you say after Jay Cutler threw three touchdowns at Dallas and wasn't sacked once after the team's first series? The Bears adjusted their offensive line after an injury to left tackle Chris Williams and had everyone from the big guys up front to Greg Olsen and Matt Forte make incredible blocks (Forte took on defensive tackle Igor Olshansky on one play!) to help Cutler throw. Cutler also threw more short routes than expected. Really, the Dallas defense was shaken after giving up the touchdown to Greg Olsen and wasn't the same after that. This offense is for real; only Martz or mistakes by the players are going to slow them down.
Reality: Larry Fitzgerald isn't going to have a big year. Derek Anderson isn't the answer in Arizona; he's off target too often and has gotten beat up because he's holding the ball too long (stop me if you've heard that one before, Cleveland). Behind him on the depth chart are Max Hall and John Skelton, both rookies. Kurt Warner's dancing, Marc Bulger's peeking over Joe Flacco's shoulder and about the only decent names out there on the street are Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper (you're excused if you just vomited a little). Fitzgerald's a great receiver, and he's getting close to playing at 100 percent, but his quarterback will be the reason for his tepid stats this year. Oh, and Nnamdi Asomugha is coming to Glendale to check him out for 60 plays this Sunday.
Fantasy: The Broncos won't be able to pass without Brandon Marshall. Demaryius Thomas passed the eyeball test on Sunday, and as long as his foot doesn't fracture again, he's going to me a great addition. In college he played on a team that ran, ran, ran, ran and then threw deep to him. In the pros he's on a team that will run, then dink, then run, then dunk, then run and then throw deep to him. The Broncos are lulling defenses to sleep and then hitting them in the head Tom-and-Jerry style with a croquet mallet. Thomas should be at the top of your waiver wire moves this week, and he might wind up being better for the Broncos on and off the field than Marshall was -- and that's saying something.
Reality: The Panthers are in big trouble. When DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart can't put up huge numbers against a defense they've routinely steamrolled, red flags should go up. The biggest problem the Panthers have is that they're easy to prepare for: Stack the box to slow down the run, tilt a safety toward Steve Smith and go to town. With Jimmy Clausen taking over this week, I don't see how things will change. Taking on the Bengals in Week 3 won't help things.
Fantasy: Vince Young will be a good Fantasy option in Week 2. For the second time in three home games dating back to last season, Young was completely baffled by an aggressive 3-4 defense and threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball away (the other time being a playoff-run killing loss to the Chargers. The theory behind my pick for him to put up good numbers was correct, but the execution was flawed. He attempted 25 passes in three quarters, which for him is a lot -- proof that the Titans knew they were going to have to throw the ball.
Fantasy: Jerome Harrison will be a good Fantasy option in Week 2. See above. Harrison had twice as many carries as Peyton Hillis but ran like Betty White in a pickup game -- the real Betty White, not the guy who's so hungry he's playing like Betty White. Theory good, execution bad. Josh Cribbs is the future of the Browns' offense by the way.
Reality: Mark Clayton will do better than Randy Moss. Another brilliant call of mine from Week 2, though I'm disappointed in how Clayton got his numbers: Two catches, 12 yards, two touchdowns. So many times I have called a guy a bust and he pulls off a small amount of catches for maximum Fantasy value. I can't take credit for this one.
Parting shots
• Waiver-wire DSTs for Week 3: Cincinnati (at Carolina), Miami (vs. N.Y. Jets), San Diego (at Seattle), Washington (at St. Louis).
• Want to get a quarterback cheap via trade? Tony Romo has nothing but sour owners yet he's second in the league in passing, had both of his two interceptions come off tipped passes and had a third touchdown called off in Week 1 because of a holding penalty on his now-benched offensive lineman. He's going to get better. If there's a guy in your league with Romo and Charles, you should buy him or her lunch, then talk deal.
• This shouldn't come as a complete shocker, but after watching Michael Turner run against the Cardinals, I can safely say that there are offensive linemen with better acceleration. I was originally tipped off to this by our good friend Pete Prisco, and after watching him in Week 2, I was disappointed in how long it took him to turn a corner, or try and get into the second level of the defense. Maybe he hurt his groin earlier in the game and tried to play through it, and that's why he looked slow. Regardless, I'm not calling him "The Burner" again until he actually burns ... figuratively.
• Awesome road game, Mike Sims-Walker. Way to make up for your disappearing act in Week 1. Too bad nearly 60 percent of your Fantasy owners benched you. By the way, 38 of Sims-Walker's 105 yards and his touchdown came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. But that's something to keep in mind since the Jaguars are probably going to be way behind in several games this year.
• The difference between the Texans win over Indy and the Giants loss to Indy? O-line play. The Texans have a tremendous offensive line that contained the Colts' smallish front and led the way for Arian Foster. The Giants couldn't do the same. I like Knowshon Moreno's chances in Week 3.
• I'm buying it: Darren McFadden. The guy is playing great ball and is a part of the not-so-stiff AFC West. He's made it hard for the Raiders' coaching staff to give Michael Bush a big role when his thumb heals.
• I'm holding on it: Joe Flacco. Originally I was going to write a lot on him and the Ravens and what Fantasy owners should do. They should hold him on their rosters. I expect him to run a simple game plan that won't put him much at risk against the Browns, which is too bad since he should throttle them for two or three touchdowns and 250 yards in a perfect world. The Ravens are going to have to go back to basics and run the ball more, no matter what John Harbaugh barks at Gregg Doyel.
• I started picking football games at home with my family, which includes my wife, my six-year-old son and my two-year-old daughter. I'm winning our pool, but not by much. Let me say this: My daughter, who is more familiar with Zooboomafoo and Abby Cadabby than Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson, is on my heels. My little girl knows more than ... hey, that sounds like the start of some of the e-mails I get from you guys.
• Jahvid Best. Stud. But if you own him and expect him to score oodles of Fantasy points each week, go visit the guy who owns Arian Foster.
• A very slim minority of Drew Brees' Fantasy owners are worried about his production through two games. Keep in mind, the Saints have taken on two of the better defenses in the league in nationally televised games. He'll have a third when the Falcons march into New Orleans on Sunday. I promise, he's going to have some massive outings soon enough. Hey, you could always trade him if you're not happy -- I'm sure the folks in your league wouldn't mind that.
Last and certainly not least
• The world lost wide receiver Kenny McKinley this week. While he didn't register high on the Fantasy scale, he was a potential asset to the Broncos based primarily on his speed. He left South Carolina as the team's single-season receptions leader (77 in 2007) and averaged 13.4 yards per catch over his college career. While he wasn't expected to hold a major role for the Broncos in 2010, we did project him to be a mild contributor as a deep-ball receiver until he was put on IR in early August. So there was potential for him to help and be a factor in Fantasy leagues. Our hearts are broken for the Broncos' team and fans, who have dealt with so many awful incidents over the last several years, as well as fans of his in South Carolina
Chief concern
I don't get it. You don't get it. Jamaal Charles probably doesn't get it, either.
For whatever reason, championship-winning offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and Chiefs head coach and game-planner extraordinaire Todd Haley have given Charles the cold shoulder and opted to trust Thomas Jones with the primary rushing workload through two games.
Normally, we Fantasy owners have a relatively good idea of why one player is benched for another, but this time we're stumped. All Charles did last year was run for 1,120 yards and seven touchdowns, rack up another 297 yards receiving and another touchdown. He basically breathed life into a team that averaged less than 16 points per week during the 1-7 start they had without Charles playing regularly
His reward? Jones as a teammate, and it's been nothing but Fantasy headaches from there.
In Week 2, Fantasy owners saw Jones register twice as many carries as Charles and subsequently pushed the panic button. But a look inside the numbers suggests otherwise: The Chiefs used Jones over the final two drives, giving him six carries for 21 yards including a one-yard dive to seal the win. Eliminate those six reps -- reps that should go to a battering ram like Jones and not to a playmaker like Charles -- and he was as good as Charles was in standard-scoring leagues.
With the kind of "sky is falling" attitude Charles' Fantasy owners are having, you'd think that Jones was the Chiefs runner with 176 total yards, a 6.4 rushing average and a touchdown, but he's not. Those are Charles' numbers. Jones is averaging a svelte 3.7 yards per carry with 127 total yards and zero touchdowns. Charles has also recorded three plays for more than 20 yards already -- Jones has zero.
When asked about Charles' limited carries and if he was satisfied with the number of them, Haley cited the Chiefs' record and said he's "very comfortable" with how his team has performed. He also shut down talk about one running back versus another because he wants to focus on being a good team.
"At that particular position we happen to have a little bit more depth than other spots and we have to use them all," Haley said Monday. "That will come down to us as a coaching staff continuing to be creative in using guys that maybe aren't the guy playing the majority of the snaps or over half or half, whatever that number is. We have a clear-cut plan of how we are going to do that and we are continuing to grow and be creative in some other areas. ... All of those running backs are going to be a huge part of it, I can guarantee you that
Consider this: Kansas City has scored two offensive touchdowns. Charles has one, and the Chiefs' passing game mustered up the other score over 50 pass attempts.
Now is absolutely the perfect time to make a move for Charles on your Fantasy team. His value is low and his owner is probably unhappy that he hasn't gotten much out of him. Moreover, he probably fears that because Jones is the starter and he'll be the primary back. There's some truth to that, but there's also the reality that Jones is no spring chicken and backs with his age and wear-and-tear get hurt more easily than those who have, say, 279 career carries over three seasons. Plus, if the early part of the season is any indication, Jones is the one who isn't doing much with his added workload.
Lastly, if the Chiefs are going to keep winning games, it sure doesn't look like the passing game will be the catalyst. Ask any defensive coach in the league who they fear most on the Chiefs and they'll probably say Charles -- no one else there (including Dwayne Bowe) is as much of a threat to a defense.
It's only a matter of time before Charles gets more involved and reaps the rewards. See to it that you're the one who benefits
Reid: Vick, not Kolb, named Eagles starting quarterback
PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick has been named the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback, a day after coach Andy Reid said it was Kevin Kolb's job
It wasn't immediately known why Reid reversed his decision on Tuesday. The team announced the move in a text message, and Reid was to discuss it at a news conference later in the day.
Kolb missed the last six quarters because of a concussion, and Vick played well in his absence. Kolb was cleared to practice and was expected to run the first-team offense on Wednesday.
Vick threw for 175 yards and one touchdown and ran for 103 yards in a 27-20 season-opening loss to Green Bay. He had 284 yards passing and two TDs in a 35-32 win at Detroit on Sunday.
Kolb started two games in his first three seasons before he became the team's No. 1 quarterback after Donovan McNabb was traded to Washington. Kolb struggled in the first half against the Packers.
Vick's start against the Lions was his first in nearly four years. A three-time Pro Bowl pick during six seasons in Atlanta, Vick missed two seasons while serving an 18-month sentence in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting operation. He signed a two-year contract with the Eagles before last season, then played sparingly behind McNabb and Kolb.
Vick has completed 63.8 percent of his passes and has posted consecutive games with a passer rating above 100 for only the second time in his career.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sheriff: Broncos WR Kenny McKinley found dead
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP)—The Arapahoe County Sheriff says Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley(notes) has been found dead in his home.
Sheriff Grayson Robinson says detectives are investigating the death.
Authorities were called to McKinley’s home in Centennial on Monday afternoon and found his body.
McKinley was a second-year pro who was on the team’s injured reserve list. He played in eight games as a rookie in 2009 with seven kick returns for 158 yards.
The Broncos released a statement from coach Josh McDaniels, who called McKinley’s death “a tragic loss.”
Michael Vick sparkles again; promptly gets benched
It would've been difficult to imagine this back in 2007 when Michael Vick(notes) was being led around in handcuffs, but I'm about to argue that the man is being wronged.
It's not just Vick, either. It's all of his teammates, fans and pretty much anyone who wants the Philadelphia Eagles to win football games. They're all being done a disservice by Andy Reid's decision to go with Kevin Kolb as the starter in next week's game against the Jaguars.
Reid said it before and after Vick beat the Lions: Kolb has passed the necessary concussion tests, and he will start next week. Just like that. Kolb was going to be your starter, even if Vick threw for 600 yards and 11 touchdowns today.
I just wonder about Reid's motivation with this borderline-irrational devotion to Kolb. I see three possibilities for his unwavering Kolb love:
1) Training camp and practices have clearly demonstrated that Kolb is better than Vick, and Reid legitimately believes that Kolb gives the team the best chance to win;
2) After sticking his neck out for Kolb this offseason when he traded Donovan McNabb(notes), Reid really feels like he needs to prove he was right and justify that decision; or
3) The old unwritten rule about a how a player can't lose his job to injury.
The first possibility would be the only acceptable one. If Reid is thinking about the second or third, it's garbage. Giving the Philadelphia Eagles the best chance to win football games is the only acceptable motivation here.
I have never seen anything from Kevin Kolb(notes), in real, live game action, that can match what Michael Vick's done in the last two games. It's never happened. Of all the games in which Kolb's had significant playing time, he's been very good just once. Admittedly, it's not a large sample size, but there it is.
Vick, with the last two games being the only two in which he's had substantial playing time, has shined in both of them. In six quarters, he's thrown for 459 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and has rushed 18 times for 140 yards.
Those are Pro Bowl numbers. You don't bench Pro Bowl numbers, unless you have someone on the bench who can put up even better numbers, and if Kevin Kolb can do that, he's been hiding that ability pretty well.
The Jaguars and their not-so-stellar pass defense are next on the schedule for the Eagles, so any quarterback who faces them figures to have a decent day. Kyle Orton(notes) threw for 295 yards against them in Week One, and Philip Rivers(notes) just lit them up for 334. Opposing quarterbacks have a 103.5 passer rating against the Jags through two weeks.
So there's pressure on Kolb, not just to perform and win, but to do it rather impressively. If he struggles at all against the Jaguars, he and Andy Reid are going to have a lot of questions to answer.
Reid's been adamant all along that there's never been a Vick vs. Kolb quarterback controversy. By now, I agree with him -- Vick has clearly earned that job.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Brandon Jacobs better pray
Presumably there's a video of the incident's resolution somewhere and, if it surfaces, Brandon Jacobs better pray his story proves true. If not, he might not have a helmet to throw around for a very long time
Brandon Jacobs throws helmet into the stands in Indianapolis
New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs(notes) threw his helmet 10 rows deep into the stands at Lucas Oil Field on Sunday night during his team's blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The errant helmet didn't injure any fans, but did cause a commotion in the stands when the fans who retrieved it refused to hand it back to Colts officials. According to NBC's Cris Collinsworth, someone associated with the Colts eventually got it back by ripping the piece of equipment out of their hands.
NBC's Andrea Kremer reported that Giants officials said Jacobs had thrown the helmet in rage after getting pulled from the game but intended to hit the bench with it. It slipped out of his hand and landed almost 10 rows up into the stands.
Yelling ensued after the throw, first by angry and frightened Colts fans toward Jacobs, then by Jacobs toward them and finally from Tom Coughlin directed toward his running back. The Giants coach loudly chastised his player on the sideline and didn't put him back in the game following the incident. Jacobs, who lost his starting job to Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) this year, had four carries for nine yards in the game.
Kremer later said the NFL will investigate, but that Jacobs' actions already are considered to be an accident.
Accident or not, Jacobs put dozens of fans into harm's way by carelessly flinging his helmet and is fortunate nobody got hurt. That lucky break notwithstanding, he needs to be dealt with harshly by the league, likely in the form of a suspension. The NFL can't afford for fans paying hundreds of dollars for prime seats to feel that they're in danger. (Perhaps that's also why the league has been so quick to term this an accident. They don't need the media firestorm that surely would ensue if Jacobs did this on purpose.)
No video has surfaced yet of the throw or of the helmet being retrieved, but NBC's online Sunday Night Football Extra had a live feed of the altercation in the stands. Unfortunately, the camera panned away the instant a policeman became involved:
Chad Ochocinco's 'Batmobile-like' ride
The whole "Batman and Robin" thing with Terrell Owens(notes) and Chad Ochocinco(notes) didn't really fit on a number of levels:
1. Batman nor Robin liked to draw attention to themselves.
2. Batman wasn't afraid to go over the middle.
3. Robin never changed his name to some Robinuevo.
4. Batman and Robin played a role in some big victories in January.
5. Robin doesn't drive the Batmobile
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The NBA, A-through-Z: Energy guys
For the next few weeks, I'm going to pick an NBA-related subject, A-through-Z, and tell you why it's worth your time, and why it's one of the reasons I love covering this league. Because that's why I wanted to become a scribe who's paid to cover this league. Sharing the things I know and love with those of my kind. All that stuff.
Because I'm lucky enough to have your ear for however long, I don't care that this might come off as a bit twee. A little embarrassing. A little too forthright. I'm OK with that. Hopefully you are, as well.
"E" is for "energy guys."
The thing that gets me about energy guys is the way they're often described in the press. As guys that would play for next to nothing. A shining example of what this game is all about. The type of player that all players, from All-Stars on downward, should aspire to be.
The problem with that is the limitation of the pro game. If everyone played like a energy guy -- not caring about fouling, not caring about sustaining at peak performance for 30-plus minutes -- this really wouldn't be a game worth watching. Sure, there's something noble and fun about playing a game down at the Y, where a hack just leads to the hacked-off getting the ball again up top, but aesthetically it's nothing really worth paying attention to. Like a fantasy league, it's only fun if you're in it.
But we're still full of energy guys, at this level. Thank goodness for that. These guys would destroy you, one on one, but at the pro level you grit your teeth every time they attempt a layup. They're not good, by your usual NBA standards. But they'll change the course of a game. They'll spark that 12-to-4 run, late in the third quarter. They'll put you in the penalty, sure, but they'll also earn the penalty on your own end, with all those attempted put-backs.
They're not a center, and not a power forward. They're the energy guys. And they're still worth lauding.
I know they're millionaires. I know they're supposed to do that. But think about what it takes to get up for these sorts of things. You psych yourself into the game, pregame. You listen to the coach's speech. You hit the court, stretch, and run a layup drill. You listen to another speech, and then the annoyingly long introductions take place. Then another little speech. Then you sit down, and watch your teammates play.
You can pick out ways to contribute, from the bench. You can see where you'd be able to fit in, or prepare for what might leave you looking silly. The starting center could pick up two quick ones, or play the whole quarter. Coach can go small, when the big guy sits, or go with you. And immediately -- after a good hour's worth of nonsense following your preparations in the locker room -- you're asked to come in, and "bring the energy off the bench."
Somehow, you do it. Consistently. That's not a reservoir of Red Bull that set you off. You're not taking trucker pills. This is just something you pull out, sometimes a hundred times a year.
Then, as soon as the other team takes their center out, you have to sit. Until late in the third, usually. Another hour away. But be ready to bring that energy, energy guy.
So keep extolling them, play-by-play men. Keep talking them up. Because despite all the bluster, despite the tired "he does all the little things" (read: he doesn't score, rebound, or pass the ball) virtues, this is a role to admire. Something to think kindly about. Every game, often for a half-dozen teams in a 10-year run, through all sorts of cities, spread out over a usually dreary winter's climate. Bringing the energy, at around 9:30 at night on a Wednesday in Milwaukee, when everyone else is using their energy to tuck their kids into bed.
I'm not sure where the energy comes from, but I'm glad it's there
NFL on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games
NFL on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games: "Why did one of our experts take the Bucs for a second straight week"
Penguins offer freebie game with job-hunting twist
By JOE MANDAK Associated Press Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP)—When the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Columbus Blue Jackets next Saturday in the second hockey game ever at the brand-new Consol Energy Center, team CEO David Morehouse expects a full house of 18,000 and gate receipts of $0.
He couldn’t be happier about either number.
In what’s believed to be a first-of-its-kind promotion, the Penguins are staging a free preseason game billed as the “Ultimate Home Game.”
The team is forgoing more than $1 million in gate receipts by giving away tickets, including 8,000 to college and trade school students who will also attend an in-game job fair. The other 10,000 tickets are going to area youth hockey leagues, a charity that gives event tickets to underprivileged kids and members of the team’s Kids Club.
Where’s the catch?
“There’s no catch,” Morehouse told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. “Part of the reward of doing good things is that it makes you feel good.”
Earlier this year, the Penguins were ranked first in “fan relations” in an ESPN Magazine survey of all 122 North American major pro sports franchises, getting especially high marks for fan appreciation and player accessibility.
Mike Ozanian, a national editor and sports business expert at Forbes magazine, credits Hall of Fame player Mario Lemieux, who bought the team when it was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999.
“I think he’s been unrecognized nationally for the great job he’s done with the franchise,” Ozanian said.
Morehouse, a Pittsburgh-area guy, remembers sneaking into poorly attended games as a kid in the 1970s, when ushers would sometimes let fans in for free after the first period. That’s not a problem these days.
The Penguins have sold out more than 160 straight games and built a season ticket waiting list of 3,800 people. It doesn’t hurt that the team used several high draft picks from their lean years to build a core of young stars who won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
Though he’s loath to take credit for it, Morehouse came up with the idea of a free preseason game for young people. The Penguins added a third home preseason game so they could give away free tickets without slighting season ticket holders accustomed to attending two preseason games, Morehouse said.
When it became a question of how to attract a houseful of young fans - future ticket-buyers - the team turned to a business consortium that’s wrestling with how to bolster the region’s economic future: the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, which runs a website devoted to trying to keep students from leaving the region after they get their degrees.
The site, ImaginePittsburghJobs.com, lists about 22,000 jobs, more than half with salaries of at least $40,000, said Randy Dearth, CEO of Lanxess Corp., a chemical company spun off from Bayer. Dearth also chairs the conference’s workplace committee.
Since the beginning of September, 18,000 young job-hunters have registered at the site. Nearly 4,000 of them won two tickets each in a lottery for the Sept. 25 game, where local corporate sponsors, including Lanxess, Bayer, US Steel, Westinghouse, PNC Bank and health insurer Highmark will be showcasing jobs and networking with potential hires.
“The ‘help wanted’ sign is out, and we’re putting it out in a very big way,” Dearth said.
Brandon Landfried, a 20-year-old management information systems student at Penn State-Behrend near Erie, is a lifelong Penguins fan. Saturday’s game will be the first he’s ever attended.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a career fair, but figured it would be kind of boring walking around to tables,” Landfried said. “Adding the excitement of a hockey game makes it better, that and all the other young people there.”
Dearth said that’s why he’s “absolutely convinced it will be a success.”
The mass ticket giveaway is just the latest unique marketing idea to come from the Penguins. Under Lemieux’s watch, such promotions have turned into fan favorites.
Players take off their jerseys at the last regular season home game and autograph them for fans chosen at random. Sidney Crosby(notes) and other players deliver season tickets to select fans each year. A giant TV screen outside the arena lets thousands of fans watch home and away playoff games together. Leftover seats are sold at steep discounts to students who stand in a first-come-first-served line before games - and the team sometimes sends players out to deliver pizzas to the students.
Ozanian, the Forbes sports business expert, said Lemieux is sending a valuable message with the free game.
“He’s not saying, ‘I’m looking to get every nickel I can.’ He’s looking long-term,” Ozanian said.
Lemieux knows a thing or two about sacrificing $1 today to earn $2 - and untold goodwill - tomorrow.
The superstar was owed $32 million in deferred compensation when he first retired as a player in 1997, and took a lesser equity stake in the bankruptcy purchase. Years later, once the bills were paid and the team was again profitable, it was revealed that Lemieux was the only unsecured creditor who didn’t get all the money he was owed.
“That’s incredibly rare and I think it really signaled to a lot of people at the time that this is not just about the money; it’s about doing the right thing and long-term vision,” said Ann Dugan, a longtime season ticket-holder and executive director of The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business.
Morehouse said the Penguins likely will continue to offer a free preseason game each year.
Though the team CEO came up with the promotion, he credits Lemieux and co-owner Ron Burkle.
“The culture they’ve created is a culture of giving back to the community,” Morehouse told the AP. “If our ownership looked at this promotion and said, ‘This is a revenue opportunity that you guys are giving away,’ we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
Friday, September 17, 2010
Marquee matchups
To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor on a scale from 0-5 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a player or unit without any logos suggests you shouldn't start him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Get used to hearing about the Panthers running the ball, because it's going to apply every week. But this week they have plenty of reason for optimism because of their great history against Tampa Bay. You can't judge the Bucs by last week when the Browns sort of gave up on their run game; the Panthers will pound and pound with theirs until they absolutely have to give it up. DeAngelo Williams has at least 120 rush yards and two touchdowns in three of his last four against Tampa Bay. He should lead the way for the Panthers. Steve Smith used to have a brilliant track record against Tampa Bay but he had just four grabs for 82 yards in two games against them last year. If Tampa Bay hones in on the run, Smith could score in this matchup and buck the 2009 trend. The Bucs should get a pretty good effort out of Josh Freeman. Between the Panthers' weak pass rush and Tampa Bay's good enough receiving corps, Freeman should be alright. The only non-trustworthy Buc is Kellen Winslow, who has been slowed by the Panthers in the past and could struggle again here given the coverage that safety Charles Godfrey can provide. Mike Williams and Sammie Stroughter have the stuff to exploit the Panthers' secondary deep, and Freeman will have the time to do it.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Josh Freeman QB Matt Moore
Cadillac Williams RB DeAngelo Williams
Earnest Graham RB Jonathan Stewart
Mike Williams WR Steve Smith
Sammie Stroughter WR Dwayne Jarrett
Kellen Winslow TE Dante Rosario
Connor Barth K John Kasay
Buccaneers DST Panthers
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Ravens playing on a short week makes them vulnerable, especially against a team that had their way with them twice last season. But they should be able to duplicate what the Patriots did offensively to upend the Bengals and be successful. This includes a balanced attack, though Joe Flacco should find ways to test the Bengals safeties with T.J. Houshmandzadeh and tight end Todd Heap. Anquan Boldin clearly has gotten acclimated to Flacco as well; another 100-yard game isn't out of the question. The Bengals will give the Ravens something they didn't see a lot of last week: Offensive overload. We'll find out just how far Cincinnati has come. Last year Baltimore was trampled by Cedric Benson, and even though he enters this game with some good history against the Ravens, he's not a perfect play simply because he couldn't establish consistency last week. Cincinnati's O-line doesn't seem to have the same grit as last year. The Ravens have had Chad Ochocinco's number for years, but Terrell Owens' size could be a mismatch for their smallish corners. If T.O. or tight end Jermaine Gresham become problems for the Ravens' secondary, the Bengals could end up doing whatever they want. Expect Carson Palmer to shoulder the load for Cincy, especially if the Ravens put up points. He's a potential high-risk/high-reward Fantasy start.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Joe Flacco QB Carson Palmer
Ray Rice RB Cedric Benson
Willis McGahee RB Bernard Scott
Anquan Boldin WR Terrell Owens
T.J. Houshmandzadeh WR Chad Ochocinco
Todd Heap TE Jermaine Gresham
Billy Cundiff K Mike Nugent
Ravens DST Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The last time these teams met, Jerome Harrison totaled nearly 300 yards with three touchdowns, Jamaal Charles had 170 total yards and a touchdown, Chris Chambers had 114 yards and a score and Matt Cassel three for over 330 yards with two scores. Not much defense. Don't expect a complete repeat. The Chiefs are coming in on a short week on the road, not a good combination. They shouldn't abandon the run at any point in this game as it's clear Charles and Thomas Jones give them the best chance to control the game and win. Tack on Dwayne Bowe giving the Chiefs' passing game a chance as a red-zone target and Kansas City could come out of this at 2-0. Of course, Harrison might have something to say about that -- there's no doubt that Cleveland will give Harrison more of an opportunity to make some plays after limiting him and watching Peyton Hillis cough up the football last week. With the passing game a mess, look for Harrison to easily be the most productive Browns player available. Just don't expect 300 total yards.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Matt Cassel QB Seneca Wallace
Jamaal Charles RB Jerome Harrison
Thomas Jones RB Peyton Hillis
Dwayne Bowe WR Mohamed Massaquoi
Chris Chambers WR Josh Cribbs
Tony Moeaki TE Evan Moore
Ryan Succop K Phil Dawson
Chiefs DST Browns
Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Cardinals are coming across three time zones to play a game at 1 p.m. ET -- they have not had much success doing this in the past. Tim Hightower will be the primary rusher again this week, but the passing game will be under the spotlight here. Despite Rashard Mendenhall's 50-yard touchdown run last week in overtime, the Falcons run defense looked good and will be up to the challenge of what the Cardinals offer. If they couldn't pound the ball against the Rams, they're not expected to be very good here. That will force Derek Anderson to put the ball in the air, and he shouldn't exactly be expected to play well because Atlanta's secondary is talented. If there's a matchup to exploit, it's Falcons nickelback Christopher Owens vs. someone like Steve Breaston, who clearly has good chemistry with Anderson. The Falcons had to get away from using Michael Turner last week and it didn't work out. This week they should be able to ride Turner and mix in their passing game with his runs. Expect the Falcons to be methodical: Work the clock with Turner and take advantage of Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez's size.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Derek Anderson QB Matt Ryan
Tim Hightower RB Michael Turner
LaRod Stephens-Howling RB Jerious Norwood
Larry Fitzgerald WR Roddy White
Steve Breaston WR Harry Douglas
Stephen Spach TE Tony Gonzalez
Jay Feely K Matt Bryant
Cardinals DST Falcons
Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Bills have to find ways to get C.J. Spiller more involved. They really don't have a choice here -- he's the best weapon they have. The problem is that the Dolphins really exposed their offensive line last week and the Packers have even better linebackers to do the same thing. Maybe Spiller breaks a couple of decent runs, but it's hard to see their offense putting up many points against this defense. For the Packers, the loss of Ryan Grant shouldn't be felt this week since the Bills will enter the game missing several starting linebackers. Brandon Jackson is a good play here, and it's not silly to think that his backup, John Kuhn, sees a little work -- especially if this becomes a blowout. And a blowout is likely given the ability of the Green Bay offense. With Grant out, Aaron Rodgers could pass a little more than normal, which could be the case for the rest of the season.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Trent Edwards QB Aaron Rodgers
C.J. Spiller RB Brandon Jackson
Fred Jackson RB John Kuhn
Lee Evans WR Greg Jennings
Roscoe Parrish WR Donald Driver
Jonathan Stupar TE Jermichael Finley
Rian Lindell K Mason Crosby
Bills DST Packers
Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Bears are going to have their hands full here. Last week the Cowboys defense looked mortal thanks in part to a Redskins offensive line that played better than expected. The Bears will need a similar effort from their O-line and after watching the Lions get penetration last week the Cowboys could shred it. A strong pass rush and a quarterback taking seven-step drops typically leads to bad news. Throw in Matt Forte's suddenly sore knee and it could get messy. Forte's big Week 1 was thanks in part to some really awful play by the Lions defense -- this Cowboys defense is good and it would be a shock to see Forte produce half of what he did last week. The Cowboys will get back two starting offensive linemen, and do they need them. Alex Barron at right tackle was a big mistake last week and the team will be happy to have Marc Colombo back there. The Cowboys should be able to pull off whatever they'd like but they seem to be interested in getting Dez Bryant involved. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him play well against Chicago's secondary. The only Cowboy who is questionable is Jason Witten, who helped block last week and will probably be asked to do more of the same with Julius Peppers coming to town.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Jay Cutler QB Tony Romo
Matt Forte RB Marion Barber
Chester Taylor RB Felix Jones
Johnny Knox WR Miles Austin
Devin Aromashodu WR Dez Bryant
Devin Hester WR Roy E. Williams
Greg Olsen TE Jason Witten
Robbie Gould K David Buehler
Bears DST Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Just what we wanted to see: Shaun Hill vs. Michael Vick. The Lions are probably confident enough to trust Hill with a similar gameplan that they'd use if Matthew Stafford was healthy, but the reality is that Jahvid Best needs to do a better job reading defenses and making better runs. He'll have a chance in this matchup against the Eagles, who will likely be without their best run-stopping linebacker, Stewart Bradley. Hill also showed last week that he knows who to get the ball to -- Calvin Johnson. Expect the Eagles to double-cover Johnson (he can beat their smallish secondary) and otherwise blitz Hill hard and try to force him into mistakes. Meanwhile, Philly had to see what Matt Forte did last week as a receiver and salivate. They have several catch-and-run playmakers to give the Lions fits. With Vick under center, expect Philadelphia to keep it simple with short- and mid-range passing and just take advantage of their playmakers' speed. So long as Vick doesn't turn the ball over, he should be pretty solid and might even make a case to keep Kevin Kolb rested for another week.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Michael Vick QB Shaun Hill
LeSean McCoy RB Jahvid Best
Mike Bell RB Maurice Morris
DeSean Jackson WR Calvin Johnson
Jeremy Maclin WR Nate Burleson
Brent Celek TE Tony Scheffler
David Akers K Jason Hanson
Eagles DST Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
It doesn't get any easier for the Steelers, who may very well play this game with Flozell Adams and Jonathan Scott as their starting offensive tackles. The Titans' pass rush has been spotty, but it did account for four sacks last week vs. Oakland including one from rookie stud Derrick Morgan. They could easily harass Dennis Dixon and make moving the chains difficult for the Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall didn't do much until the final play of his overtime game last week, and the feeling here is that he'll struggle almost as much this week. He's not an optimal choice given the state of his O-line. For the Titans, the big question is whether or not Chris Johnson can make headway against this incredible run defense. In Week 1 last season the Steelers bottled him up, but he's a different back right now. He also didn't have Vince Young as his quarterback for that game, and Young's versatile play has made a difference in how defenses play the Titans. Jeff Fisher's staff has never been one to get creative offensively, but they could throw some curveballs here in the form of passing a bit more and rushing a bit less and finding ways to get Johnson (or Young) open in space. Johnson has to be considered a must-start and Young actually could find a way to be fairly productive. Toss in Nate Washington going up against his former team for the second year in a row and the Steelers will certainly have their hands full.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Dennis Dixon QB Vince Young
Rashard Mendenhall RB Chris Johnson
Mewelde Moore RB Javon Ringer
Hines Ward WR Nate Washington
Mike Wallace WR Kenny Britt
Heath Miller TE Bo Scaife
Jeff Reed K Rob Bironas
Steelers DST Titans
Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings -- Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Dolphins should be glad to have Brandon Marshall in this game since their run game could be in big trouble. It's clear they're going to lean on Marshall when they need to, and this matchup suggests that Marshall will be targeted heavily. Expect 100 yards out of him and maybe some decent production out of the rest of the Dolphins' receivers. Granted, they have the linemen to move some of the Vikings' front seven around, but not enough to really expect huge numbers from Ronnie Brown. He might be as effective as he was last week. The Vikings will have 10 days to get ready for Miami, and surely they'll find holes up front and in the back of the defense to try and exploit. The Fins did a nice job against the Bills' running game last week but the Vikings are an entirely different breed, and Adrian Peterson should do just fine against them. The Vikings should lean on A.P. and ease Brett Favre into action, meaning that the passing game should be improved from Week 1 but not on the pace we saw last season. One more nuance: New Vikings receiver Greg Camarillo is familiar with the Dolphins defense as he joined Minnesota after training with Miami all summer and playing with them for years. He's a sleeper for this week, and his information to the Vikings staff will be better than what third-string cornerback Benny Sapp can give the Dolphins on his former team. Expect big improvement from the Minnesota offense.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Chad Henne QB Brett Favre
Ronnie Brown RB Adrian Peterson
Ricky Williams RB Albert Young
Brandon Marshall WR Percy Harvin
Brian Hartline WR Greg Camarillo
Davone Bess WR Bernard Berrian
Anthony Fasano TE Visanthe Shiancoe
Dan Carpenter K Ryan Longwell
Dolphins DST Vikings
St. Louis Rams at Oakland Raiders -- Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
The Rams should ride Steven Jackson as much as his sore knee will let them as the matchup has potential for him. Still, the Raiders will probably fall into the same trap the Cardinals did in Week 1 and load up the box to force Sam Bradford to pass. Clearly, the Rams aren't afraid of that scenario. Mark Clayton can do damage so long as he's not lined up directly across from Nnamdi Asomugha, and look for Danny Amendola to continue playing a role as a short-area threat. Meanwhile, there's more coaching familiarity here as Jason Campbell will square off against a Steve Spagnuolo-led defense for the fourth time in three seasons. That's not good for Campbell as he's had two touchdowns, no interceptions and no more than 242 passing yards in any of those meetings. Considering the offense Campbell is in now, and realizing that Spagnuolo has a way of getting to him, there's not much of a chance for the Raiders' signal caller to put up serviceable stats. Even Darren McFadden's totals should be tempered with Michael Bush coming back; McFadden might still be the lead back but his reps will potentially be held down by Bush. He'd be in, lineman Robert Gallery might be out and the quarterback has a bad history. Just another bad day for The Black Hole.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Sam Bradford QB Jason Campbell
Steven Jackson RB Darren McFadden
Kenneth Darby RB Michael Bush
Mark Clayton WR Louis Murphy
Danny Amendola WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
Billy Bajema TE Zach Miller
Josh Brown K Sebastian Janikowski
Rams DST Raiders
Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos -- Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
There isn't a ton to like from the Seahawks here, but the same thing was uttered last week. For starters, they should be able to run the ball a little better. That's good for them but Fantasy owners should be bent by the fact that Pete Carroll is using three guys. Justin Forsett is still the safest bet because he's the one who is most versatile and the one with the most playing time. The passing game that opened some eyes last week could be a little more limited here as the Broncos' secondary is good at containing the opposition. They yielded three scores last week -- two to tight end Marcedes Lewis -- so it only makes sense that the Seahawks will try and utilize John Carlson in a similar fashion. The Broncos should also have a better chance running than passing, or at least a better shot at putting up yards on the ground vs. through the air. Knowshon Moreno looks pretty good this week, and while the Seahawks just might have as gritty of a secondary as the Broncos do, the short-area passing game Denver employs should be successful. Eventually, someone could break free for a long gain. Eddie Royal isn't starting material just yet but he's absolutely worth holding on to.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Matt Hasselbeck QB Kyle Orton
Justin Forsett RB Knowshon Moreno
Leon Washington RB Correll Buckhalter
Mike Williams WR Jabar Gaffney
Deion Branch WR Eddie Royal
John Carlson TE Daniel Graham
Olindo Mare K Matt Prater
Seahawks DST Broncos
Houston Texans at Washington Redskins -- Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
The Arian Foster show was nice while it lasted, but if you expect anything beyond 100 yards and a touchdown this week you'll be disappointed. The Redskins defense made a big statement in its debut and they're going to be tough against the run. The Texans have the guns to throw the ball, of course, but there's one big problem they'll run into: Ex-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is now with Washington, and he's sure to have a good grasp on how to cover the Texans offense. Not only should the Texans throw more than run, but they'll have a far tougher time moving the chains against Washington. This is dangerous for them as the Redskins could put out a blueprint for how to knock off Houston. This isn't an excuse to sit any of the prominent Texans players, but it could be a real shocker to see the Texans roll up more than 21 points. Therein lies the problem for the Redskins -- they're not exactly a lock to get to 21 points. But Shanahan knows this defensive personnel fairly well too, and chances are they'll test the Texans run defense with Clinton Portis and also look for Santana Moss deep. Moss actually has a nice matchup against the Texans' weak secondary and should be a strong consideration this week. Chris Cooley should also find a way to make an impact, and we feel that Donovan McNabb will find the end zone for the first time as a Redskin. This should be a fun game.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Matt Schaub QB Donovan McNabb
Arian Foster RB Clinton Portis
Steve Slaton RB Larry Johnson
Andre Johnson WR Santana Moss
Jacoby Jones WR Anthony Armstrong
Kevin Walter WR Joey Galloway
Owen Daniels TE Chris Cooley
Neil Rackers K Graham Gano
Texans DST Redskins
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers -- Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Despite David Garrard's three touchdowns last week, the Jaguars' offense will remain dedicated to Maurice Jones-Drew. The matchup isn't terrible for him and he'll be motivated to nail down a rare road win while playing back in his home state of California. The Chargers' secondary is pretty darn good (just 68 yards allowed through the air to the Chiefs) and they should match up well with Jacksonville's hodge-podge on the outside. Keep an eye on Mike Thomas, who could be Jacksonville's version of Wes Welker (inside seam receiver) as the weeks go on. The Chargers' passing game was for real in Week 1 and they should be strong again here. Love the matchup for Antonio Gates, and if the Jags defend him like the Chiefs did for the final three quarters of last week's contest, you can take Legedu Naanee and Malcom Floyd to the bank. Granted, the Chiefs double- and triple-teamed Gates and Rivers picked them apart. You can still expect the Chargers to do what they want here en route to a decent game for all parties involved. We could see Ryan Mathews' first touchdown and potentially 100 total yards since he'd get extended reps if the Chargers built a big lead.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
David Garrard QB Philip Rivers
Maurice Jones-Drew RB Ryan Mathews
Rashad Jennings RB Darren Sproles
Mike Thomas WR Legedu Naanee
Mike Sims-Walker WR Malcom Floyd
Marcedes Lewis TE Antonio Gates
Josh Scobee K Nate Kaeding
Jaguars DST Chargers
New England Patriots at N.Y. Jets -- Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
The Patriots will get it done here through the air, though the player most likely to lead the way is Wes Welker, not Randy Moss. The Jets have had problems with the Pats' short-area passing game in the past and chances are New England will focus on beating the Jets up the middle of the field with Welker and their rookie tight ends including Aaron Hernandez, who has sleeper written all over him this week. Randy Moss is a real question mark: His recent history against Darrelle Revis (who will be all over him) suggests he'll struggle, but a week after venting about his contract to the media could result in him letting off some steam with some impressive plays. There's risk and reward there, and with the Patriots possibly going away from Revis like most teams do, Moss could be an eyesore for Fantasy owners. The Jets are in trouble in this game as their offensive line clearly isn't as good as it was a year ago and the Patriots run defense isn't going to fear them one bit. Bill Belichick's big men up front opened eyes last week when they held Cedric Benson to roughly three yards per carry; tack on LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene splitting reps and it looks like they'll cannibalize each other's stats. Not good for Fantasy owners, and it's not good for anyone to expect the Jets to throw the ball well here as the Pats' secondary matches up well with Mark Sanchez. It was clear against Baltimore that Sanchez is still getting a feel for the game. If there's one perk he has, it's that the Patriots' pass rush still has some work to do, so he could get a little more time to throw compared to what he had last week.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Tom Brady QB Mark Sanchez
Fred Taylor RB Shonn Greene
Kevin Faulk RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Wes Welker WR Jerricho Cotchery
Randy Moss WR Braylon Edwards
Aaron Hernandez TE Dustin Keller
Stephen Gostkowski K Nick Folk
Patriots DST Jets
N.Y. Giants at Indianapolis Colts -- Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
Expect the Giants to try and run the ball here for obvious reasons. The Colts couldn't stop the ground game last week, and the more they run the ball, the less time Peyton Manning will have time to play. Controlling the clock and attempting to repeat what Houston did in Week 1 will go a long way. Both running backs should do well. The matchup isn't quite as good for Eli Manning as the Colts have the secondary to match up well with the Giants, especially with Kevin Boss a non-factor. Indianapolis should wind up running more than it did last week but not much more. There could be some allure to running when they see rookie defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul lined up as an inside rusher, and Peyton Manning might check out of passes for running plays there. Otherwise, the Colts will take to the air, especially in two areas: Deep passes and short inside routes. That's sort of par for the course for Peyton &Co., but they should be just as successful here as they were last week, statistically speaking.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Eli Manning QB Peyton Manning
Ahmad Bradshaw RB Joseph Addai
Brandon Jacobs RB Donald Brown
Hakeem Nicks WR Reggie Wayne
Steve Smith WR Pierre Garcon
Mario Manningham WR Austin Collie
Travis Beckum TE Dallas Clark
Lawrence Tynes K Adam Vinatieri
Giants DST Colts
New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers -- Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Do trap games exist in Week 2? We'll find out since the Saints have to be eying a matchup vs. the Falcons in Week 3. They cannot overlook a 49ers team that was completely embarrassed at Seattle last week in a nationally televised game. The Saints are going to have to lean on Drew Brees here, something the 49ers won't be able to entirely stop because they're not deep enough in the secondary. The matchup for Pierre Thomas doesn't look convincing -- he could score but his rushing yardage shouldn't be huge. You can find better this week. The Niners have to get Frank Gore going, though the Saints are sure to load up as best they can to slow him down and smack around the Niners' offensive line. Alex Smith turned to mush last week after starting fairly strong against the Seahawks, but he'll find good matchups for tight end Vernon Davis, and that should help him get comfortable. Bottling up Gore and Davis is a tall order for a Saints defense that had a hard time with Adrian Peterson and Visanthe Shiancoe 10 days ago, making this a tough matchup -- but a winnable one -- for the defending champs.
Name Rating Pos. Name Rating
Drew Brees QB Alex Smith
Pierre Thomas RB Frank Gore
Reggie Bush RB Anthony Dixon
Marques Colston WR Michael Crabtree
Robert Meachem WR Josh Morgan
Jeremy Shockey TE Vernon Davis
Garrett Hartley K Joe Nedney
Saints DST 49ers
College quarterback's strange ritual
The Denard Robinson 'Shoelace' thing is already going too far
Without a doubt, blazing Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is the star of the early college football season, thanks to ridiculous afternoons against UConn and Notre Dame that left Robinson with more total yards to his name than almost three-fourths of the offenses nationally have gained. And where there's a star, there's a trademark personal quirk to exploit in feature stories, pregame segments and idle in-game chatter until it's achieved the maximum possible saturation. At which point even the diehards want to start stabbing things every time it comes up. In Denard Robinson's case, he doesn't tie his shoes.
He's never tied them, apparently, at least since middle school. Maybe earlier. He's also very, very fast. So if Fast guy – Shoelaces = Most talked-about player in America, well, even teenagers can do that math. From AOL Fanhouse:
There's an epidemic quickly spreading throughout the Midwest and it's only a matter of time before it engulfs the entire nation.
Teenagers throughout the Midwest, especially in Michigan, are deliberately walking around with their shoelaces untied. Blame it on Denard Robinson.
"I've had a few (high school) coaches calling me lately," Michigan quarterbacks coach Rod Smith told FanHouse. "They're begging me to please tell Denard to tie his shoelaces, because all their kids are trying to emulate him by not tying their shoelaces." [...]
"Anyone that runs a 10.2 in the 100 meters, I'm not telling him to tie his shoes," Smith said. "But if the head man (Coach Rich Rodriguez) wants to, that's his call."
Midwestern teenagers! For heaven's sake, tie your shoelaces before somebody gets hurt, or at least before your mothers run out of bleach for your turf-stained socks after you keep coming out of the overpriced cleats you insisted she buy a size-and-a-half too big in the first place. Everybody knows that you're an eight. And please, if you must go untied, even Denard has the common sense to use Velcro.
[Related photos: Another graphically altered uniform]
Oh, and Michigan fans who'd had enough of this story a year ago, well, brace yourselves: The inevitable "College GameDay" featurette is coming, followed by at least one chuckling reference on every national broadcast for the next three years. It's a small price to pay
Without a doubt, blazing Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is the star of the early college football season, thanks to ridiculous afternoons against UConn and Notre Dame that left Robinson with more total yards to his name than almost three-fourths of the offenses nationally have gained. And where there's a star, there's a trademark personal quirk to exploit in feature stories, pregame segments and idle in-game chatter until it's achieved the maximum possible saturation. At which point even the diehards want to start stabbing things every time it comes up. In Denard Robinson's case, he doesn't tie his shoes.
He's never tied them, apparently, at least since middle school. Maybe earlier. He's also very, very fast. So if Fast guy – Shoelaces = Most talked-about player in America, well, even teenagers can do that math. From AOL Fanhouse:
There's an epidemic quickly spreading throughout the Midwest and it's only a matter of time before it engulfs the entire nation.
Teenagers throughout the Midwest, especially in Michigan, are deliberately walking around with their shoelaces untied. Blame it on Denard Robinson.
"I've had a few (high school) coaches calling me lately," Michigan quarterbacks coach Rod Smith told FanHouse. "They're begging me to please tell Denard to tie his shoelaces, because all their kids are trying to emulate him by not tying their shoelaces." [...]
"Anyone that runs a 10.2 in the 100 meters, I'm not telling him to tie his shoes," Smith said. "But if the head man (Coach Rich Rodriguez) wants to, that's his call."
Midwestern teenagers! For heaven's sake, tie your shoelaces before somebody gets hurt, or at least before your mothers run out of bleach for your turf-stained socks after you keep coming out of the overpriced cleats you insisted she buy a size-and-a-half too big in the first place. Everybody knows that you're an eight. And please, if you must go untied, even Denard has the common sense to use Velcro.
[Related photos: Another graphically altered uniform]
Oh, and Michigan fans who'd had enough of this story a year ago, well, brace yourselves: The inevitable "College GameDay" featurette is coming, followed by at least one chuckling reference on every national broadcast for the next three years. It's a small price to pay
Football blunder may be an all-time worst
Fumbles are always embarrassing, but few have ever been as bad as this one by Ronald Flemons of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts
Our friends at 55-Yard Line in Canada debated how the Flemons fumble compared to Lett's infamous Super Bowl blunder and we agree that putting aside the stage, the moment and the fact that this play took place in the CFL, Flemons' error was worse. Lett's play was the result of foolishness, arrogance and Don Beebe. The one in the CFL was just plain ol' incompetence.
Although, in his defense, Flemons may have been trying to complete the play by showing the ball to the officials
Jets CB Revis listed as probable, will play
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)—Cornerback Darrelle Revis(notes) is listed as probable and is expected to play in the New York Jets’ game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, despite tightness in his left hamstring.
“I thought he looked pretty good,” coach Rex Ryan said Friday. “We never did a whole lot with him, but when he was out there, he looked pretty good.”
Revis was limited for the second straight day of practice after participating in about half the session Thursday.
Revis wasn’t available to the media Friday. He said Thursday he expected to play, and appeared to be unhindered during the half-hour of practice the media watched Friday.
“I never saw him limping or anything else,” Ryan said. “When he was tight, his hamstring was tight, you’re not going to push him through it.”
Revis missed all of training camp while holding out for 36 days in a contract dispute. He has said he came into the season in great shape, but acknowledged that he’s a bit behind in his football conditioning.
“It can’t help,” Ryan said, adding that Revis played well in the opener against Baltimore.
“We probably played him too many snaps,” the coach said. “I think that was probably the biggest contributor to him tightening up. Like I said, I expect him to go and play great.”
The Jets will need him to since he’s expected to cover Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss(notes). Revis held Moss to nine catches for just 58 yards and a touchdown in two games last season.
Meanwhile, safety Brodney Pool(notes) was listed as questionable with a sprained right ankle. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Pool also missed the opener against Baltimore with the injury.
“I feel good about him,” an optimistic Ryan said. “Brodney did a lot of work today, more work today than he had done (Thursday) and the previous days. So, I feel pretty good that he’ll play.”
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