Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson(notes) dropped an easy, game-winning touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
After the game, Johnson placed the blame for the flub not on himself nor the pass nor the lights nor the defender nor the pressure of the situation. Nope; he blamed it on the big guy upstairs
"I praise you 24/7!!!!!!And this how you do me!!!!!You expect me to learn from this???How???!!!Ill never forget this!!Ever!!Thx Tho..."
Monday, November 29, 2010
Texans' coach gives Andre Johnson a game ball despite ejection
Andre Johnson(notes) did enough with the football in his hands to deserve a game ball on Sunday. It was what else he did with those hands that will make his post-game reward controversial.
The Houston Texans receiver was awarded a game ball from coach Gary Kubiak despite getting ejected during the game for engaging in a vicious fistfight with Tennesee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan(notes). [Watch the clip and read about the incident.] Kubiak insists he gave Johnson the ball because his nine catches for 56 yards and a touchdown put him over 60 catches for the eighth-straight season, but the coach also led with a joke about the fight and appeared to relish in his star receiver's scrape.
Texans owner Bob McNair said afterward that he awarded the fight to Johnson "on points" and the team's website even boasted about Johnson's exploits on Twitter
But though his team delighted in the fight with Finnegan, Johnson was apologetic about it after the game:
"I really don't have anything to say about Cortland. I would like to apologize to the organization, our owner, and my teammates. What happened out there today was not me. I just lost my cool and I wish that I could take back what happened, but I can't. It's over and done with now. I'm pretty sure that I'll be disciplined for it. When that time comes, I'll find out what it is and have to deal with it from there ... I hope that I'm not suspended for the next game."
That's a man's apology right there. No qualifiers, no "if I offended anyone" caveats: Johnson knew he was wrong, took responsibility for it and will accept his punishment without complaint. He'll doubtlessly be fined and will be hoping to avoid a suspension that would cause him to miss Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
I don't blame Johnson for fighting Finnegan. As I wrote in Sunday's post about the fight, Finnegan prides himself on dishonorable play and is a bully on the field. He instigated the fight and got the result he deserved. Everyone knows that, even the Titans
So there's no need for Kubiak to draw attention to it. It's a classless move made more for the press than for his locker room. Praise Johnson behind closed doors for getting the best of a bully, give him a pat on the back and take the high road in public. Save the game balls for one of those games when Johnson earns it both with and without the football. Given that Johnson is one of the top receivers in football, there are plenty of opportunities to do that. For his sake, let's hope that includes this Thursday night.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Video: Broderick Brown's sideline tip drill may be physically impossible
With all the top-shelf playmakers Oklahoma State has populating the nation's No. 1 offense, the odds of the play of the year coming from the middling Cowboy defense are long, to say the least. But Broderick Brown and freshman Shaun Lewis are here tonight to mock your probabilities – as well as a Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones' pass efficiency rating and the general concept of gravity
The gravity-defying tip drill is what we refer to in the industry as "Pulling a Dansby," although in this case, the vaunted OSU offense wasn't able to capitalize on the turnover. In fact, it's not capitalizing on much of anything: Through eight first half possessions, the Cowboys have been forced to punt four times and turned it over twice. Without Lewis' first interception, a 52-yard pick-six for Oklahoma State's first touchdown, the Sooners' halftime lead would be even more ominous than it is at the moment, at 24-17.
But it still wouldn't overshadow Brown's sideline acrobatics, already well on their way to the finals for the defensive play of the year.
[Update, 11:25 p.m. ET] The final score is in: Oklahoma escapes with the wild road win, 47-41, thrusting the Big 12 South race into a three-way tie between Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, a deadlock that will almost certainly be decided in the Sooners' favor when the BCS standings are released Sunday night. The highest-ranked of the three in the BCS will go on to face North Division champ Nebraska next week in Dallas in the final Big 12 Championship Game before the conference is slashed to 10 teams and no title game next year
The gravity-defying tip drill is what we refer to in the industry as "Pulling a Dansby," although in this case, the vaunted OSU offense wasn't able to capitalize on the turnover. In fact, it's not capitalizing on much of anything: Through eight first half possessions, the Cowboys have been forced to punt four times and turned it over twice. Without Lewis' first interception, a 52-yard pick-six for Oklahoma State's first touchdown, the Sooners' halftime lead would be even more ominous than it is at the moment, at 24-17.
But it still wouldn't overshadow Brown's sideline acrobatics, already well on their way to the finals for the defensive play of the year.
[Update, 11:25 p.m. ET] The final score is in: Oklahoma escapes with the wild road win, 47-41, thrusting the Big 12 South race into a three-way tie between Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, a deadlock that will almost certainly be decided in the Sooners' favor when the BCS standings are released Sunday night. The highest-ranked of the three in the BCS will go on to face North Division champ Nebraska next week in Dallas in the final Big 12 Championship Game before the conference is slashed to 10 teams and no title game next year
Friday, November 26, 2010
Quinton Jackson humble in victory, irks his boss Dana White
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Dana White have some personality similarities. It's probably why the fighter and UFC owner bicker quite often. They both say what they feel and there isn't much of a filter.
Jackson won a narrow decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123, but was stunned when the announcement was made. Just seconds earlier, he was getting punched in the grill and losing the third round. His reaction added to the controversial nature of the decision and it didn't please his boss.
"Me and Rampage are getting along OK, but he pisses me off again," White said at the UFC 123 postfight press conference (2:15 mark -- video). "I had Rampage winning that fight two rounds to one. I scored that fight for Rampage. Rampage is slumping down and raising the other guy's hand and acting like he lost. I thought he won the fight."
It didn't seem like Jackson did anything wrong. After escaping with a tight decision win, it's pretty rare for a fighter to show that kind of honesty and class.
Forty-five minutes later, when Jackson entered the presser, he was in apology mode.
"I'm sorry man. I had just gotten done getting punched in the face a couple times," Jackson said (7:52 mark). "Don't pay me no mind.
"When I was in the fight I had a one-track mind, you know knockin' him out. In the third round, when he dominated me so much, I forgot what happened in the first two rounds. ... It's one of those things, at the time I thought I got my ass whooped because I was just getting up off the ground and he [just] ran a flurry up on my face."
That seems plausible. Jackson was probably a little stunned. With all the adrenaline flowing right after a match, fighters are speaking with raw emotion.
White looked at the entirety of the fight and liked what Rampage did over 15 minutes.
"That's not the fight I saw. He definitely put on that burst where he landed five or six punches and definitely rocked him. You don't win a fight off four or five punches," said White
Scoring is very subjective. Some judges, media members and fans like Octagon control and counterstriking. Others favor the man pushing the action. Compustrike backed the judges and White. Jackson outlanded Machida 59-38 in a fight that spent 12:28 of 15 minutes on the feet.
"Rampage was the aggressor. He moved forward the entire fight. Everytime Lyoto would go with that leg kick, he'd fire and go after him," said White. "I 100 percent had Rampage winning the first two rounds and had the third round going to Machida. Again, nobody gives a [expletive] what I think, but I'm not a judge. But that's how I scored the fight."
In the seconds following the fight, Jackson said several times that Machida deserved a rematch. White emphatically shot down that idea (6:10 mark).
"No, no," said White when asked about Rampage-Machida II. "As far as I'm concerned, and apparently as far as the judges are concerned, Rampage won that fight."
White then repeated his displeasure of Jackson's postfight behavior.
"Rampage is in there raising [Machida's] hand, slumping down, acting bummed out, acting surprised when he won," White said. "He won two rounds. It's a three-round fight. He won two of them."
With White in his presence during the presser, Jackson made sure not to repeat the rematch offer.
"This ain't my show. I don't own UFC homey. I just fight here," said Jackson (8:30).
Jackson also revealed that he almost had to back out of the fight after coming down with a stomach ailment he'd caught from his kids.
"Dana's always been there for me. Even if we don't see eye to eye all the time," Jackson said (9:40 mark). "I just couldn't tell Dana 'I cant make this fight because I'm sick.' He probably would've cussed me the [expletive] out."
Jackson comes out a big winner from this fight. He didn't complain about Machida's counterstriking style, as so many others have done. Fans who thought it was a boring fight should listen to Jackson when he says Machida is a beast. Jackson's reaction probably saved the Brazilian's reputation a bit too.
12 stitches for Obama after errant elbow in hoops
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama needed 12 stitches in his lip after taking an errant elbow during a pickup basketball game Friday with a group of family and friends visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday, the White House said.
Press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement that Obama was inadvertently struck by an elbow. The elbow's owner wasn't identified.
Obama received the stitches under local anesthesia in the doctor's office on the ground floor White House after he returned home.
The president had traveled to nearby Fort McNair to indulge in one of his favorite athletic pursuits, basketball. It was a five-on-five contest involving family and friends and including Reggie Love, Obama's personal assistant who played at Duke University.
Obama emerged from the building after about 90 minutes of play, wearing short-sleeve T-shirt and gym pants, and was seen dabbing at his mouth with what appeared to be a wad of gauze. A few hours later, reporters who had gathered on the White House driveway for the arrival of the Christmas Tree saw the president in an upstairs window, pressing something white against his mouth.
"After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the president received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit," Gibbs said.
Buy ... this? LeBron James' new Nike logo?
We're as LeBron'd out as the rest of you, believe me, but people keep buying his wares and spinning his tales, so we feel it a capitalistic duty on this Black Friday to inform you that LeBron James(notes) has a new Nike logo.
And, yes, he's sticking with that "King James" thing. This is the part where you roll your eyes, and then look at the picture CNBC's Darren Rovell took yesterday
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
'Rampage' reborn
DETROIT – Quinton “Rampage” Jackson left a Memphis-area junior college in 1999 and began fighting for his supper. He starred as a mixed martial artist in low-level leagues in America, headed to Japan for five years before, in 2006, returning to become a star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
It’s a tough, unforgiving life. So when Hollywood called offering a staring role as “B.A. Baracus” in 2010 movie “The A-Team,” Jackson took it. Not surprisingly, it changed his life. There were months of filming, months of publicity, endless distractions.
Jackson isn’t one to make excuses, but after he looked uninspired in a loss to Rashad Evans in May – just before the movie released – the question became: Did the movie affect his day job?
“How couldn’t it?” said Dana White, president of the UFC.
Jackson returns to the Octagon for Saturday’s UFC 123, where he’ll take on light heavyweight Lyoto Machida in a battle of former champions. He looks in great shape, says he’s focused and really just wants to return to fighting the way he usually does – all out.
“I feel my last performance wasn’t exciting,” Jackson said Wednesday. “And anyone that really understands me and the way I like to fight, I like to put on a great show. That is one of the main reasons I decided (to become) a fighter. I like to entertain people and (make) exciting fights.”
This is why everyone – fan or foe – should at least appreciate Rampage Jackson. As the sport has changed and, in many ways, begun to favor multi-disciplined fighters, there is a question about whether guys such as Rampage can last. He’s a wrestler first and then a brawler. He has knockout power in both hands and is willing to take a shot to deliver one. He isn’t a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt though.
He still enters the Octagon wearing a heavy chain around his neck, howling to get the crowd going. His goal is to make sure the judges have nothing to do. He’s only 32 years old yet has a 30-8 record, 21 of them by knockout or submission.
He always wants to know what White is offering as a bonus for fight, knockout or submission of the night.
“I like a little extra cheese,” he said with a laugh.
He’s one of those rollicking showmen that helped make MMA what it is. Whatever he lacks in polish, he makes up for in action.
“I feel that boxing has become very boring,” Jackson said. “And (now) too many (MMA) fighters (are) coming up with these crazy game plans and just fighting for points. I hate to see this sport turn itself into boxing. No one is even hitting the canvass these days. (Guys are) just trying to win by points.
“I just feel like, I like to have fights.”
I like to have fights. What’s not to like about that?
And so there was a sense of sheepishness on Wednesday as he discussed his performance against Evans. The two were bitter rivals for years, exchanging endless trash talk and expressing genuine disdain. Jackson isn’t always easy to like and watching the two personalities work as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter” made many fans favor Evans.
And then Rampage went out and fought poorly. Evans won the decision in a fight that didn’t live up to the hype. The two had nearly come to blows multiple times through the years and when they finally got inside the cage it was sort of a dud.
Just over two years ago, Rampage was the UFC light heavyweight champion and a huge star for the promotion. Then he lost a close, controversial decision to Forrest Griffin. He came back and won twice before getting decisioned by Evans. Now he’s staring at the crossroads. He knows careers can slide as fast as they can climb in this sport. A two-fight losing streak is not something he wants to consider.
He refuses to blame the movie. He won’t blame anything, really. He just promises to do better Saturday.
Still, the distractions over the last year were there. He spent months out of the country filming. Then they shot the season of TUF in Las Vegas. Then he had to prep for A-Team publicity even as he was trying to train for Evans from the Wolf’s Lair facility in England. Then it was immediately back to work.
“The same night as my fight I was on a private jet to promote the movie and I did that for three months,” Rampage said.
Whatever it all was – and it’s fair to say the dangerous Evans had plenty to do with it also – that wasn’t the Rampage Jackson fans are used to seeing.
The Orange County, Calif. resident returned home this fall and set up camp locally. He said he’d been away from his kids for almost a year. He was finally able to combine intense training with the mental ease of spending time with his family.
Machida is a difficult opponent, a guy with a style that’s tough to crack. Yet after watching Mauricio “Shogun” Rua break his defense and knock him out, Rampage has to think there is a chance for a big-punching brawler. Maybe the days of the brawler aren’t over.
“When Rampage is on 100 percent, his timing is there and he’s in great shape, (then) he’s very aggressive,” White said. “He moves forward, he hits hard, he has great takedowns. Which Rampage shows up? If that’s the Rampage (that) shows up … it should be a fun fight.”
If nothing else, it should be a fight. And that, at the very least, is what “Rampage” Jackson wants to bring back
Roy’s knee is the one that scares Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been playing without center Greg Oden(notes) for three years now, pushing past 50 victories and reaching relevance again. They stopped counting on him. The regime responsible for drafting Oden over Kevin Durant(notes) has been pushed out, and a fresh front office bears no burden for a broken No. 1 pick.
Another microfracture surgery for Oden, as the team announced Wednesday, is just another step closer to the Blazers letting him leave this summer.
As much as the training staff likes Oden, it will have to take into account the mental toll that four years of flailing has taken on him. The issues which have surrounded him – his drinking, his deep emotional lows – play into the uncertainty around his future as much as the two microfracture surgeries on his knees.
The Blazers could survive without Oden, but their true star – Brandon Roy(notes) – has the knees which truly frighten the franchise.
The guard will miss the next two games with soreness in his left knee – a knee that has grown worse and worse. There’s damage and deterioration, and two league sources with direct knowledge of the medical prognosis on Roy say his days as an NBA All-Star, a franchise player, are probably over.
“There’s no real hope of it improving,” one league source with direct knowledge of the medical prognosis told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday. “It’s just about trying to manage it now. He’s not going to be the franchise superstar that [Portland] thought he would be. This isn’t something they consider ‘fixable.’ ”
The Blazers have gathered multiple medical opinions on Roy, but there’s been no clear consensus, no course of action. The scenarios are still wide open. The team could try another surgery. They could limit his minutes, his games, his back-to-back appearances. All of those things are being discussed and likely will be implemented sooner than later. They keep taking Roy to more doctors, but there remains one thing that no one can offer for the beleaguered left knee: a solution.
Another source privy to the discussions between Blazers management, Roy and the doctors, simply says: “It’s bad and it’s not getting better.”
Before the season, general manager Rich Cho and his staff were so concerned about Roy’s knee that they conducted internal discussions to weigh the possibility of including him in trade proposals, sources said. Only, they never did. The most serious talks the Blazers had were with the New Orleans Hornets about Chris Paul(notes), sources said, and Cho never raised the possibility of including Roy in a trade. Cho understood that he couldn’t walk into a new job and immediately trade one of the most popular players in franchise history.
Privately, Roy is deeply troubled over the perception that he had to ask for his minutes to be reduced, that he isn’t willing to play through the pain. He’s been playing with two troubling knees for years now and understands that he’s lost his explosiveness, his quickness, and that he must search for solutions to save his career. For too long, he pushed too hard with the knee. He cares deeply, and everyone surrounding him is truly worried about his future with the Blazers.
When the Blazers started talks on Roy’s contract extension in the summer of 2009, franchise owner Paul Allen pushed for multiple contingencies to protect the organization. Nevertheless, then-GM Kevin Pritchard couldn’t handle the criticism in the Portland public and media, and eventually caved with an $82 million extension with only limited non-guaranteed money in the contract’s final year. The Blazers should’ve challenged Roy to try restricted free agency, but they didn’t have the stomach to fight that PR battle.
The beginning of the end for Pritchard came during Roy talks, sources say. Ownership felt he had undermined them with Roy and his reps, and that Pritchard didn’t back up their tough initial starting point in the talks. Before Roy’s extension was done, Pritchard was largely taken out of the discussions, and Blazers president Larry Miller started to gain control of basketball operations. Pritchard never recovered within the organization.
So much has started to unravel for a franchise with so much promise three years ago. Oden may never play another game for the Blazers. Roy may never be the same. And one of the NBA’s most respected coaches, Nate McMillan, could leave as a free agent this summer. Slowly, surely, the Blazers try to hold tight to something that’s slipping away.
Ultimately, Portland can live without the franchise player they never had in Greg Oden. Brandon Roy is something else, something special. He is the franchise player, the All-Star guard, and every day the fears that he’ll never be the same again grow worse and worse.
Oden’s plight breaks everyone’s heart, but Roy’s? This one could break the Blazers
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
UFC boss says he’ll rethink Lesnar vs. Mir III
OBERHAUSEN, Germany – Brock Lesnar (5-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Frank Mir (14-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) may not be completing their trilogy just yet.
Just one day after suggesting Lesnar vs. Mir III is a fight that "kind of makes sense" in the heavyweight division, UFC president Dana White now admits feedback received on his Twitter account is leading him away from arranging the matchup.
"People have been saying on my Twitter that they're not happy with that fight," White told MMAjunkie.com. "It's something I need to rethink."
Following Lesnar's heavyweight title loss to Cain Velasquez in October, reports began to surface in a number of locations that Lesnar vs. Mir III was in the works.
At a Friday Q&A session with the UFC Fight Club, White said those reports were a bit premature as he had not spoken to Lesnar since the former champion's UFC 121 defeat. However, he did seem intrigued with the notion.
"That fight kind of makes sense," White said on Friday. "So, we'll see."
But since White made that statement, fans have taken to the Internet to express their displeasure in the potential fight. While the UFC president believes it's unwise to pay too much attention to Internet message boards, White says those that took the time to address him on his official Twitter account have made their feelings known loud and clear.
"I usually don't gauge things by the Internet; the internet is [expletive] stupid," White said. "My Twitter I do.
"On my Twitter, there are 1.2 million people that care about this thing and everything else, and you don't get the goofy [expletive] that you get on the Internet."
Lesnar's October loss snapped a four-fight win streak that instantly catapulted him to the pinnacle of the sport's heavyweight division. Before meeting Velasquez, he earned victories over Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Mir and Shane Carwin.
Lesnar and Mir have shared a sometimes intense rivalry since they first met at UFC 81. Mir won that bout by first-round submission, and the two sniped at each other in the press after Lesnar became heavyweight champion by defeating Couture at UFC 91.
The two then met at UFC 100, and Lesnar avenged the loss when he knocked out Mir in the second round. In subsequent interviews, Mir pined for a rubber match, though he went silent after he gave an interview in which he wished death on Lesnar. White publicly chastised Mir and said it wouldn't happen again.
Mir most recently defeated Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the main event of UFC 119 a bout that largely was panned for its lack of action.
Carmelo Anthony: 'I'm not Chris Bosh'
It has become the season to pick on Chris Bosh(notes), apparently.
Sure, Chris doesn't make it any easier on himself by looking like the third wheel in the LeBron James(notes)/Dwyane Wade triptych, or by complaining about how his building in Canada wasn't equipped to receive NBA League Pass, or with a rebound rate (the percentage of all available rebounds you pull in) that rivals that of the ancient Grant Hill's(notes) this season ... but this statement from Carmelo Anthony(notes) seems a little low.
And a little accurate.
In speaking (on record!) with Peter Vecsey of the New York Post recently, Anthony wants you to know that he will not be emulating Bosh's final few months with the Toronto Raptors:
The lines of communication already had been connected almost immediately after the exaggerated trade report surfaced. Ever since the "news" hit the doorstep, [personnel bosses Josh] Kroenke and [Masai] Ujiri have sought out Anthony for opinions on team matters, just as he's gone to them with suggestions.
Both sides now know exactly what must be done. He wants to see the team improved within the next three months, or shown a plausible plan to get better this summer. He promises not to leave his team hanging.
"I'm not Chris Bosh," Anthony declared. "We're not the same person. What I do will be straight up. Management knows that."
Ouch. And you can't blame him for that. While speaking candidly about trying to find a reasonable end to this semi-trade demand may possibly net Anthony a fine, he is being honest about giving the Nuggets a few months to get their affairs in order while working with them (should he decide to leave) in an open and up-front manner.
Instead of, as Bosh did, deciding to break it to Raptors fans and employees alike that he was gonzo, via Twitter, on an early Friday evening during the first round of the playoffs.
Of course, elsewhere in the piece, Anthony does say this:
"I'm just like LeBron," Anthony emphasized in the Nuggets' locker room following Saturday's practice. "It's all about winning. That's all I care about. I want the chance to compete at the championship level. All the other stuff is irrelevant."
DeSean Jackson's unfortunate word choice: Eagles 'like pit bulls'
The Philadelphia Eagles came out in the first quarter Monday night and rained furious hell upon the hapless Redskins.
Led by a historically great performance by Michael Vick(notes), the offense ran up 28 points and cruised for 328 yards of offense in the first quarter. The defense allowed the Redskins nothing
How do you describe a tenacious, overwhelming performance like that? Well, DeSean Jackson found one interesting way, referencing a pregame shoving match with several Redskins (from USA Today):
"The pregame altercation got us going. It had us ready. We came back into the locker room pumped," Jackson said, via the AP.
"We were like pit bulls, ready to get out of the cage."
Please pause right here to approximate the awkward silence that must have followed Jackson's last sentence.
There is, of course, no reason to hold anything against DeSean Jackson(notes) here. People compare fights and fighters to pit bulls all the time, because when provoked to fight, the breed often shows a natural tenacity and stubborn refusal to quit fighting
Vick & Eagles embarrass McNabb & Redskins 59-28
LANDOVER, Md. (AP)—Forget about the contract: The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t happy with Donovan McNabb’s(notes) words. And they were thoroughly upset with LaRon Landry’s(notes) alleged dirty deeds, both before and during the game.
The best way to handle it? Have Michael Vick(notes) and the offense run up the score
On a day the Washington Redskins hoped to celebrate McNabb’s new contract and set aside the swirl of distractions from his benching two weeks earlier, Vick put up some gaudy numbers of his own and the Eagles stormed the party and embarrassed their NFC East rivals 59-28 Monday night
It was Vick, not McNabb, who played like a $78 million quarterback, accounting for six touchdowns. The Eagles marched down the field in one big chunk after another, putting new entries in the various record books along the way.
Vick became the first player in NFL history with at least 300 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a game. He hasn’t thrown an interception or lost a fumble this season.
“I’ve had some great games in my day,” Vick said. “But I don’t think I’ve had one quite like this one.”
Philadelphia center Mike McGlynn(notes) said the team was motivated by McNabb’s dig after the Redskins beat Philadelphia 17-12 last month. McNabb, speaking of the offseason trade that sent him to Washington, said at the time: “Everybody makes mistakes in their lifetime, and they made one last year.”
“Donovan had said some things after they beat us that fired us up, saying how they made a terrible decision and everybody makes mistakes,” McGlynn said. “I think we’re happy with where we are right now.”
Then there was a pregame skirmish between the teams on the field, forcing officials to step in and restore peace. McGlynn said Redskins safety Landry started it by saying something to receiver DeSean Jackson(notes). Notably, it was Landry who was beaten by Jackson on the first play from scrimmage, an 88-yard pass from Vick for the first of many scores.
[Rewind: Spotlight on Vick’s late arrival to game]
“Basically a guy tried to come over and intimidate us,” McGlynn said. “It was (No.) 30 again. He said some things to our star player he shouldn’t have said, and he got his. You can see on that first play. He got his.”
McGlynn also said he was spit on by Landry twice during extra points.
“That really fired us all up, and we really put the afterburners on,” McGlynn said. “It’s good to come out and score 60 points almost. We all want to play the game with all the respect in the world. When people come out and disrespect it like that, I think you’ve got to be more respectful of the game. That’s just a terrible thing. I think we just looked at it as ‘Hey, let’s keep pouring it on.”’
Landry denied spitting at McGlynn, saying: “I’m aggressive. I’m not that type of player.”
As far as the pregame confrontation, Landry described it as “typical talk.”
“Me and DeSean was talking, and they took it to another level,” Landry said.
Jackson’s take? He said there were “some disrespectful things” said by players who “take this football a little bit too serious.” But then he uttered what would appear to be an unintentionally insensitive remark, given Vick’s recent jail time on a dogfighting conviction.
“The pregame altercation got us going. It had us ready. We came back into the locker room pumped,” Jackson said. “We were like pit bulls, ready to get out of the cage.”
The Eagles led 35-0 after the first play of the second quarter. Vick completed his first 10 passes and finished 20 for 28 for 333 yards with four touchdowns. He also ran eight times for 80 yards and two scores, moving past Steve Young and into second place in NFL history for yards rushing by a quarterback.
The Eagles set team records for total yards in a game (592), points in a half (45) and had the biggest lead after the first quarter for any NFL road team (28-0) since at least 1950.
The win moved Philadelphia (6-3) into a first-place tie with the New York Giants in the division, with both teams two games ahead of the Redskins (4-5). The Eagles are 4-0 when Vick starts and finishes the game.
A few hours before kickoff, the Redskins signed McNabb to a five-year, $78 million contract extension with $40 million guaranteed, putting to rest any doubts as to whether he would remain the centerpiece of coach Mike Shanahan’s rebuilding effort. It was Washington’s first game since Shanahan benched McNabb in the final two minutes of a loss to Detroit, when the coach cited McNabb’s less-than-full grasp of the two-minute offense and later the quarterback’s lack of “cardiovascular endurance” stemming from sore hamstrings.
McNabb received a standing ovation and applauded the fans in return when he was introduced with the starting lineups, but most of those fans had left by halftime on a rainy night in which they heartily booed offense and defense alike.
“We just got embarrassed, from start to finish,” Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall(notes) said. “It’s frustrating to go out there on national TV and play the way we played. … Anybody that was watching that game thought it was a joke.”
McNabb finished 17 for 31 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, nearly all of the yards coming after the Redskins had dug themselves a five-touchdown hole. Dimitri Patterson(notes) intercepted McNabb twice, returning one of them 40 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Interestingly, Shanahan made McNabb finish the entire game this time, even with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. McNabb said the news of the contract didn’t help in dealing with the loss.
“At this point, I’m angry,” he said.
The 45 first-half points allowed by the Redskins tied a franchise record, and the 59 total points were the most allowed by a team coached by Shanahan. It was almost as if the players had decided there was no incentive to play well, given that a teammate who got benched in the last game had just received a mega contract.
“We got outcoached. We got outplayed. They did everything right,” Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth(notes) said.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Vick will remember Eagles’ loyalty in 2011
Talk already has turned to the potential free agency of Michael Vick(notes) next season, and though Vick said his agents have not spoken to the Eagles about a new deal yet, the QB will remember who helped him return to prominence. "When nobody else wanted me, they did and I'll definitely have to take that into
consideration when it's time to make a decision," Vick told the media this week. And the Eagles clearly have a tough choice of their own, with backup Kevin Kolb(notes) the assumed quarterback of the future. But Vick said he has not let his contract situation affect the way he has played. One interesting factor that could sway his decision after the season is whether Marty Mornhinweg gets a head-coaching job, perhaps with the 49ers if Mike Singletary is not retained. Our sources have raved about the work Mornhinweg has done on a daily basis with Vick, and the QB could follow the coach if the right situation comes up somewhere else.
Todd Haley will not play nice with Josh McDaniels
That fantastic photograph by Justin Edmonds for Getty Images pretty much tells the story. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley didn't offer a handshake to Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels after the game. Instead, he appeared to offer a stern mini lecture.
About what? Well, that's not entirely clear. Haley, on the wrong end of a 49-29 stomping that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate, talked a little bit about it after the game, but didn't go into specifics.
"That's a private time between head coaches that has become not so private, but the key I would say, probably the thing that you're asking about, is that I've been in this enough as an assistant coach, as a head coach now, to be in some of these games. And the important thing for me as a head coach is that our team continue to just play hard and play our hearts out and keep fighting until the end.
"Sometimes, you see indicators on the other side of where that team thinks the game is. We've been on the other side of this and we've been on this side of it and we've been ... again, let's just keep it at that."
[Photos: More intense moments for Todd Haley]
That's pretty vague, but Dennis J. Georgatos of the FanHouse speculates that Haley might feel like some of the Broncos were a little too jovial on the sidelines after the game was well in hand for the Broncos. Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated says it might have been because the Broncos, with their starters still in the game, were going deep with a 32-point fourth-quarter lead.
Vic Lombardi of The Denver Sports Insiders asked McDaniels about the snub, and his reply was, "Ask him. I'm going to focus on my team."
I think it's great. Not running up the score -- that's a chump move to try to humiliate a beaten opponent. But a little bit of conflict and discord have never failed to enhance an intradivisional rivalry, and if McDaniels and Haley don't care for each other, that's just a little bonus spice twice a year for Chiefs vs. Broncos games.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Pennington becomes Miami’s starting QB
DAVIE, Fla. (AP)—A text message Chad Pennington(notes) received at home provided the first hint of a promotion.
“Can you stop by please,” read the message from Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano.
“That ‘please’ kind of threw me,” Pennington said later.
Starting quarterbacks enjoy deferential treatment, and Sparano announced the change Wednesday, pulling the plug on the Chad Henne(notes) experiment in favor of a 34-year-old coming off the latest operation on his right shoulder.
“They both have strengths, and certainly weaknesses,” Sparano said. “At this particular time, my decision is Chad Pennington’s strengths might be suited a little bit more for where we need to be.”
The Dolphins (4-4) play host to Tennessee on Sunday, when Pennington will make his first start since his season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3 last year. He contemplated retirement but re-signed with Miami, where he has won praise as Henne’s mentor.
The two are good friends, and they met for an hour Tuesday after being informed of the lineup change.
“We got teary-eyed, because we have a really good relationship,” Pennington said. “The good thing about this situation is he’s on the front end of his career, and I’m on the back end of mine. So we’re not two dogs fighting over the same piece of meat.”
Henne agreed that his bond with Pennington remains strong.
“I’m going to stick by him and help him out as much as I can, and we’re in it together,” Henne said. “We’re in it to win a championship.”
The Dolphins began the season believing they were set for years to come with Henne. He became the starter in his second NFL season last year and threw for 2,878 yards, and he was on pace for 3,800 this year.
But the offense has scored only 11 touchdowns, which ties for second-worst in the NFL.
“The quarterbacks a lot of times are the ones put on the cross if things aren’t going well,” running back Ronnie Brown(notes) said. “They get the brunt of the backlash. But we’re all responsible for what we’re supposed to do.”
In 21 career starts, Henne has topped 300 yards five times, which is more than any passer in the Dolphins’ 45-year history except Dan Marino. But Henne threw 23 interceptions and only 20 touchdown passes while leading Miami to a record of 11-10.
“There are obviously things that I can want back,” Henne said. “Turnovers glare at you, and some of the decision-making.”
The offseason addition of Brandon Marshall(notes) gave Henne a Pro Bowl target, but they hooked up for only one score. Henne has 10 interceptions this year, including three in Sunday’s loss at Baltimore, and only eight scoring passes.
The switch caught Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher by surprise. Henne threw for 349 yards but also had three interceptions in an overtime loss against Tennessee last year.
“We’ll have to shift gears a little bit,” Fisher said. “I personally didn’t feel like Chad Henne was playing that bad. I’ve always been a Henne fan.”
If Miami’s productivity fails to improve under Pennington, Henne might be back in the lineup soon. Asked if the quarterback situation is now a week-to-week decision, Sparano said: “Chad Pennington is the quarterback right now.”
The coach made the change mindful of the need for a surge in the standings. The Dolphins trail New England and the New York Jets by two games in the AFC East and lost to both teams at home, but their schedule eases in the second half of the season.
“It is time to move,” Sparano said. “If you don’t move during this month, you’re going to be in the also-rans.”
He said he remains optimistic about the young quarterback’s future.
“This is not an indictment on Chad Henne at all,” Sparano said. “It’s not an indictment on his future. This player has gotten an awful lot better. But at this particular time, it’s something I believe I need to do for our team.”
Pennington, an 11th year pro, came to the Dolphins in 2008 and won the league’s comeback player of the year award for the second time. He earned the affectionate nickname “Coach Pennington” from teammates because of his take-charge personality, and threw for 3,653 yards to help transform the Dolphins into AFC East champions one year after a 1-15 season.
Arm strength has never been Pennington’s forte, and he has said his right shoulder probably won’t be 100 percent this season. He has dealt with soreness at times, but Wednesday’s practice left him encouraged.
“Things went really smooth,” he said. “I felt really good throwing the ball. I felt like today was my best day throwing since I’ve been here.”
“Can you stop by please,” read the message from Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano.
“That ‘please’ kind of threw me,” Pennington said later.
Starting quarterbacks enjoy deferential treatment, and Sparano announced the change Wednesday, pulling the plug on the Chad Henne(notes) experiment in favor of a 34-year-old coming off the latest operation on his right shoulder.
“They both have strengths, and certainly weaknesses,” Sparano said. “At this particular time, my decision is Chad Pennington’s strengths might be suited a little bit more for where we need to be.”
The Dolphins (4-4) play host to Tennessee on Sunday, when Pennington will make his first start since his season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3 last year. He contemplated retirement but re-signed with Miami, where he has won praise as Henne’s mentor.
The two are good friends, and they met for an hour Tuesday after being informed of the lineup change.
“We got teary-eyed, because we have a really good relationship,” Pennington said. “The good thing about this situation is he’s on the front end of his career, and I’m on the back end of mine. So we’re not two dogs fighting over the same piece of meat.”
Henne agreed that his bond with Pennington remains strong.
“I’m going to stick by him and help him out as much as I can, and we’re in it together,” Henne said. “We’re in it to win a championship.”
The Dolphins began the season believing they were set for years to come with Henne. He became the starter in his second NFL season last year and threw for 2,878 yards, and he was on pace for 3,800 this year.
But the offense has scored only 11 touchdowns, which ties for second-worst in the NFL.
“The quarterbacks a lot of times are the ones put on the cross if things aren’t going well,” running back Ronnie Brown(notes) said. “They get the brunt of the backlash. But we’re all responsible for what we’re supposed to do.”
In 21 career starts, Henne has topped 300 yards five times, which is more than any passer in the Dolphins’ 45-year history except Dan Marino. But Henne threw 23 interceptions and only 20 touchdown passes while leading Miami to a record of 11-10.
“There are obviously things that I can want back,” Henne said. “Turnovers glare at you, and some of the decision-making.”
The offseason addition of Brandon Marshall(notes) gave Henne a Pro Bowl target, but they hooked up for only one score. Henne has 10 interceptions this year, including three in Sunday’s loss at Baltimore, and only eight scoring passes.
The switch caught Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher by surprise. Henne threw for 349 yards but also had three interceptions in an overtime loss against Tennessee last year.
“We’ll have to shift gears a little bit,” Fisher said. “I personally didn’t feel like Chad Henne was playing that bad. I’ve always been a Henne fan.”
If Miami’s productivity fails to improve under Pennington, Henne might be back in the lineup soon. Asked if the quarterback situation is now a week-to-week decision, Sparano said: “Chad Pennington is the quarterback right now.”
The coach made the change mindful of the need for a surge in the standings. The Dolphins trail New England and the New York Jets by two games in the AFC East and lost to both teams at home, but their schedule eases in the second half of the season.
“It is time to move,” Sparano said. “If you don’t move during this month, you’re going to be in the also-rans.”
He said he remains optimistic about the young quarterback’s future.
“This is not an indictment on Chad Henne at all,” Sparano said. “It’s not an indictment on his future. This player has gotten an awful lot better. But at this particular time, it’s something I believe I need to do for our team.”
Pennington, an 11th year pro, came to the Dolphins in 2008 and won the league’s comeback player of the year award for the second time. He earned the affectionate nickname “Coach Pennington” from teammates because of his take-charge personality, and threw for 3,653 yards to help transform the Dolphins into AFC East champions one year after a 1-15 season.
Arm strength has never been Pennington’s forte, and he has said his right shoulder probably won’t be 100 percent this season. He has dealt with soreness at times, but Wednesday’s practice left him encouraged.
“Things went really smooth,” he said. “I felt really good throwing the ball. I felt like today was my best day throwing since I’ve been here.”
Monday, November 8, 2010
Spike TV exec says “The Ultimate Fighter” still fresh, seeking fighters over feuds
Part fight tournament, part male soap opera, Spike TV's long-running series "The Ultimate Fighter" has launched the career of dozens of UFC fighters.
But critics of the show point to the sometimes outlandish behavior of the fighters residing in the "TUF" house as a potential black-eye on the still-growing sport of mixed martial arts.
While the antics began in season one with Chris Leben and reached a fever pitch on the eighth edition with Junie Browning, Spike TV senior vice president Brian Diamond insists his network isn't actively seeking miscreants for the sake of ratings.
"There's a couple of things that are just taking place naturally in society and pop culture," Diamond told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Anybody who's between the ages 21 and 34 most of the guys are probably in their 20s that come here they're living in a society where reality television is around them all the time. They're vlogging. They're blogging. They're on websites and Tweeting. The idea of having a sense of personality and being visual, it's something that's part of their normal lives.
"We're finding it, I wouldn't say easier, but less of a challenge for guys to come in with some level of personality."
Each season, hundreds of hopefuls show up to open tryouts around the globe hoping to get picked for the show based on their grappling and striking prowess. But the final stage of approval is an interview process where television executives try to determine who will provide a personality suitable for Spike TV airwaves.
But Diamond insists the company isn't actively seeking potential train wrecks.
"The reality is, with Junie, he came to us," Diamond said. "It wasn't like we said, 'Let's go find us a Junie Browning.' That guy was in casting two other times before he actually got cast on the show.
"The tough part with him is like anything else. You see a guy who's got raw talent and abilities, it's just his demons got in the way. You really wanted to give him an opportunity to see if he could weed those demons out. Unfortunately, it didn't necessarily happen, but it's like an MMA fight: you don't know how it's going to end until it ends because anything can happen in the last five seconds of the third round."
Diamond points to a particular member of the current 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," featuring UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Josh Koscheck in coaching roles, as the perfect example of how personalities can prove interesting without being destructive.
"[Fighters] know; they see the show," Diamond said. "They know that they have to be interesting. They don't have to be crazy, necessarily, but they just have to be interesting personalities.
"You watch Jonathan Brookins this season, and compared to 'Bruce Leeroy' (Alex Caceres), he's more low-key, but he's just as interesting. People want to get in his head and know who he is. There's almost an aura and a mystery around him. He's not boring. That's the difference."
Some critics suggest "The Ultimate Fighter" has run its course. Designed as a means to introduce the public to MMA, the show follows a similar format from season to season. Some suggest that format is stale, but Diamond disagrees.
"We challenge ourselves," Diamond said. "The fights to get into the house, adding the wild card, trying to find a unique combination of coaches whether it's Tito (Ortiz) and Chuck (Liddell), Rashad (Evans) and 'Rampage' (Jackson) or when Kimbo Slice came into the mix, those are things that we try to challenge ourselves on. But the reality is, people are still watching it.
"That would be like saying, I'm not going to watch the Daytona 500 because it's the same race ever year. Well, there are different drivers. We don't know what's going to happen. That's the reality, and in those things, they don't even tweak anything. They don't go like, 'Oh, the top three seeds have to be 50 yards back in the pack.' It's the same race.
"Super Bowl. World Series. The designated hitter was the last real big thing that entered baseball years ago. We always challenger ourselves to try and come up with something interesting and different, but we don't want to do anything contrived. We don't want to make it feel unorganic to the process."
Diamond points to UFC matchmaker Joe Silva's involvement in the selection process as proof of the value of the show. And while the Spike TV executive believes the show is still viable as entertaining programming, he believes there is also a real demand for "The Ultimate Fighter" by the mixed martial arts community.
"You see the change in the quality of the guys who come through here," Diamond said. "Used to be, you'd see guys who are really skilled in one set or another, or guys who were real novices who were just coming here for the fun of it. Now you see guys who are really dead serious and are more four- or five-tool players.
"We've also changed the qualifications a little bit. You have to have three pro fights. We were starting to get a lot of guys that would walk up to the table that had amateur records or no records at all. The skill-level is such that you've got to really know what you're doing to be on the show and get into the UFC. To that extent, it's really good because the quality of the guys is great, and I think there's even more of them out there that are even better."
Cowboys’ Jones forced to audition Garrett
Interim Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has the derisive nickname of “Redheaded Jesus” among many members of the Big D media. It’s a reference to how, after the 2007 season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave Garrett a $3 million per year contract to keep the then-assistant from pursuing head-coaching opportunities with the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons
Jones also made it clear that Garrett was the coach-in-waiting once the team was done with Wade Phillips, a coincidental twist considering the current situation. Finally, when the Cowboys spent the 2008 training camp with HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” Garrett got so much face time that he appeared to be more in charge than Phillips.
Garrett seemed to walk on water in the eyes of Jones and the rest of Cowboys management.
Now, Jones hopes Garrett can maneuver the Cowboys out of the mud and muck of a 1-7 disaster. The situation can’t get much worse after the Cowboys lost 45-7 to Green Bay on Sunday night – and the game wasn’t as close as that lopsided score. The situation was so bad that Jones, who has never fired a coach at midseason and at least five times said Phillips would finish, was left with nothing to do but make a change.
A big part of the motivation is that Jones still hopes to salvage Garrett. The only way to do that was to give Garrett a chance now.
“Could you imagine trying to sell [Garrett] to the fans [in the offseason] if they kept playing like this and he was the offensive coordinator?” a source close to Garrett said, rhetorically. “That wasn’t going to work. Jerry has to sell the fans for next year that something is going to turn this around. Jason has eight games to show something.”
With the team playing as if it hadn’t practiced at all (rather than the fact that the Cowboys had the longest training camp of any squad in the league), the perception is that no one involved with the coaching of this franchise is qualified to be part of the solution.
Thus, Garrett had to be put in a position of control now to get a start on cleansing the stench of this season from his skin. On Monday, Jones even started to lay some groundwork (some may call it wishful thinking) for Garrett to be the next permanent head coach.
“Jason certainly has been a part of long-term thinking for the Dallas Cowboys, for me,” Jones said during Monday’s media address. “I do believe Jason has the temperament, the disposition to affect a coach change. I think this is important. … His style is one that I think can be real effective. … He does have the opportunity to get the job long term. That opportunity would be obvious if we would do outstanding as a team.”
Fair enough, but really selling Garrett later on required that he get that chance now. Otherwise, Jones would be cornered into making another high-profile hire along the lines of Bill Parcells. Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher are the obvious names that carry weight to get fans excited.
Garrett, though, can influence Jones’ decision-making by showing him something in the season’s final two months. And realistically, the situation can’t get any worse. Before this season, the Cowboys were talking about becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. That talk wasn’t unrealistic at the time
Now, some of the current Cowboys will be lucky to be parking cars at Cowboys Stadium come the first Sunday in February.
What has happened to the Cowboys is preposterous. While the team has lost quarterback Tony Romo(notes) to injury (fractured left clavicle), that only partially explains the past three losses. It doesn’t explain the collapse of the defense, which Phillips ran. That group, which includes Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Ware(notes), Jay Ratliff(notes) and Terence Newman(notes) has been a joke. Nothing demonstrates how little respect the team had for Phillips than the incompetence of the defense this season.
In that regard, just firing Phillips will be enough of a shot across the bow. The only way Jones could have been more direct with the message Monday is if it had been delivered by Ted Allen, the host of Food Network’s “Chopped.”
But even this eight-game tryout for Garrett may not be enough to make him marketable to the public. Really, Garrett has been as much of the problem as Phillips. Since a strong first season as offensive coordinator in 2007, Dallas’ offense has been inconsistent. Spectacular at times? Sure. Awful at times? Yep.
Jones talked about how Garrett has managed the offense to the three most productive statistical seasons in team history. That’s true, but don’t confuse statistics with winning.
The Cowboys have an offense that’s great when it’s playing with a lead because it has the personnel to milk the clock. However, one of Dallas’ issues this season is that it’s second to last in rushing (75.6 yards per game). While the running backs can be blamed for failing to produce, Garrett’s heavy reliance on passing has to be questioned. The play-calling deserves further scrutiny when you consider that the lumbering offensive line isn’t good at pass blocking. It is fair to say that Garrett hasn’t found a solution to that problem during his three-and-a-half seasons as the coordinator.
Garrett has been unable to do that despite having great talent at his disposal. Romo may have his faults, but he’s clearly an above-average player. The other skill positions have consistently been loaded with the likes of Jason Witten(notes), Miles Austin(notes), Felix Jones(notes), Marion Barber(notes), Terrell Owens(notes), Roy Williams and now rookie Dez Bryant(notes).
Winning with backup quarterback Jon Kitna(notes) shouldn’t have been so difficult. Instead, the Cowboys have turned into quitters. That’s harsh, but it’s true. This team quit on Phillips and on themselves. They have already reached the lowest point possible for a team.
Garrett can only make it better. The question is: How much better is enough for him to be the long-term solution?
Browns, Hillis capitalize on terrible Broncos trade
Maybe the hooded sweatshirt was hanging over Josh McDaniels’ eyes the entire 2009 season. Or maybe he never took the time to watch all of the Denver Broncos’ game film from 2008. Or maybe Mike Holmgren and the Cleveland Browns’ new front office is a whole lot smarter than we realized.
Or maybe there’s no reasonable explanation for how Peyton Hillis(notes) ended up where he is – sparking the suddenly feisty Browns, and leaving Broncos fans writhing in agony over the worst trade of last offseason.
Where is Brady Quinn(notes) these days? You’ll find him scraping barnacles off the bottom of the depth chart, languishing behind Tim Tebow(notes). Yes, that’s the guy whom McDaniels traded Hillis for – he of the career 66.8 quarterback rating and 52 percent completion rate. And it wasn’t even a straight up player-for-player deal. Denver kicked in a sixth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012 to sweeten the pot. Nothing like a couple of bamboo shoots under the fingernails on draft day to remind fans of a team’s brain-searing roster machinations
Of course, you could give Hoodie Jr. a pass and say that there was no way McDaniels could have known Hillis would be a player who almost singlehandedly destroyed Hoodie Sr. (Bill Belichick) and the Patriots, en route to 220 yards from scrimmage (including 184 yards rushing) and two touchdowns – a guy who through eight games is on pace to rush for 1,288 yards and score 16 total touchdowns.
You could say McDaniels couldn’t have known, and you’d be right. He couldn’t, because McDaniels never took the time to try and know what Hillis was capable of accomplishing. Despite Hillis’ five yards per carry average and five TDs in a meager 68 rushing attempts in 2008, he didn’t get a sniff when McDaniels took over. Instead, the new regime, in its infinite wisdom, went out of its way to try almost anyone at running back other than Hillis. They drafted Knowshon Moreno(notes), signed J.J. Arrington(notes) (then cut him and signed him again), and scooped up injury-addled veterans Correll Buckhalter(notes) and LaMont Jordan(notes). And into the abyss Hillis went, never to be heard from again in 2009, save for 13 meaningless carries in 14 games.
The truth is, McDaniels never believed in Hillis, and the running back said as much when he joined Cleveland this offseason. Maybe only Hillis believed in himself, since nobody in the media (including me) was shooting a thumbs-up in Cleveland’s direction at the time of the deal. Just like nobody talked about Hillis when they lauded the sick talent in the University of Arkansas’ backfield in 2007, yammering non-stop about Darren McFadden(notes) and Felix Jones(notes), and almost never saying a word about Hillis.
Hindsight is cruel in the NFL, and Hillis’ success is downright merciless for a Broncos team that can’t run the football (last in the NFL heading into this weekend) and has watched Moreno struggle to stay on the field.
So Hillis delivers the two-pronged entry this week, making Denver’s shortsightedness a loser, and Cleveland’s sheer luck a winner. I have a feeling both cities will be talking about this trade for years to come
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wildcat vanishing from Dolphins’ offense
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Wildcat offense has undergone a vanishing act this season.
The Miami Dolphins have only run the unorthodox formation 20 times this season. During the past two seasons, the Dolphins ran it over 170 times.
“The Wildcat hasn’t had much success,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I haven’t seen people do it with too much success this year, so it’s like anything else in this league.
“It kind of revolves around back and forth. We could see it on Sunday. If we see it, we’re going to have to defend it.”
When the Dolphins first started using the Wildcat years ago, it was extremely difficult to stop as running back Ronnie Brown(notes) ran and threw out of the shotgun formation after taking direct snaps.
Now, the Dolphins are running a more conventional offense with Brown and running back Ricky Williams(notes) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall(notes) catching passes from quarterback Chad Henne(notes).
"I think two seasons ago when we started this thing, it was largely due to the fact that we needed to get our playmakers on the field at the same time," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. “That was Ricky and Ronnie and trying to get them involved together. Right now, we feel like there's other people that can make plays on this team rather than having to go to that package.
"We use it more right now as something that if we've seen it on film and it's really clear to us we'll do it. If not, there's really no need."
Things have definitely changed for the Dolphins in terms of strategy.
Now, the Wildcat is a change of pace and no longer a staple of their attack.
"It's just another one of those formations that is an opportunity for our football team, and we're able to jump into it like jumping into a no-huddle situation," Brown said. "Unfortunately we haven't used it a lot, but at that same time we still have it there every week."
The Ravens are still preparing for the Wildcat just in case they decide to roll it out again.
Practice squad running back Curtis Steele(notes) runs the Wildcat offense for the Ravens’ scout team offense.
"You definitely do, because Ronnie Brown is dangerous with it, and when you've got Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams running it, it's pretty crazy," outside linebacker Terrell Suggs(notes) said. "It's intense, and Ronnie, he can throw the ball, so you definitely have to prepare for it.
"They're still very effective at it, if you ask me. As long as you've got those two in the game, it can pop at any minute, and we just don't want to be the team that it pops on."
All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis(notes) said he’ll remain wary of the Wildcat and expects the Dolphins to utilize the offense against Baltimore.
“They started it, so why wouldn't you see it?” Lewis said. “I think you've seen it in every game that they've played in," he said. "You just have to stay in your gaps. Just play disciplined. Nobody try to do something that they shouldn't be doing because if you do, you never know if a pass is going to come out of it or if Ronnie Brown is throwing the ball out of it and things like that.
“So, you have to be conscious of what's going on. Just hit your gaps and keep the ball funneled inside, and that's pretty much one way to kind of slow it down."
Paul, Okafor, help Hornets upset Heat, 96-93
NEW ORLEANS (AP)—If all Chris Paul(notes) and the New Orleans Hornets had done was race to a franchise-best 5-0 start, that would be surprising enough.
Doing it with a rookie coach one season after missing the playoffs, and beating the Miami Heat’s All-Star trio in the process adds a little more sizzle to their hot start.
“We just got to keep playing, man. I’m not surprised just because we’re all professionals,” Paul said. “It doesn’t matter what it looks like on paper, you just have to go out and play the game and that’s what we’re doing.”
Emeka Okafor(notes) evoked memories of his dominant college days at Connecticut with a season-high 26 points and 13 rebounds, Paul had 13 points, 19 assists and five steals, and New Orleans held on for a 96-93 victory over Miami on Friday night.
“Mek was outstanding tonight,” Paul said. “Every time he stepped out on the court, he played with a lot of passion and I think when he gets going, we all feed off of him. He just played a great game.”
Paul’s ability to dribble through traffic and distract defenders helped him get the ball to Okafor for a couple dunks, one on an alley-oop. But Okafor did a lot of his own work while going 12 of 13 from the field, spinning into the lane for a jump hook and tipping in one of Paul’s misses.
Okafor credited teammates for getting him involved in the offense early.
“That’s important. It gets you going, gives you energy,” Okafor said. “When you’re involved in the offense and you’re getting that ball, you just feel more engaged and all of a sudden your rhythm’s up, your legs have more spring.”
David West(notes) added 15 points, including crucial free throws with 7.2 seconds to go after Chris Bosh’s(notes) 3 had pulled Miami within 94-93. Dwyane Wade(notes) then gave up a potential tying 3-point attempt and passed to Eddie House(notes), whose shot rimmed out in the final seconds.
“He got a great look,” Wade said of House, a 3-point specialist. “We’d live with that shot every game if we had to. He’s a great shooter. Unfortunately it just didn’t go in.”
Miami did not take its first lead until LeBron James’(notes) free throws made it 90-89 with 59.8 seconds left, but the Hornets responded with Marco Belinelli’s(notes) free throws, and then Trevor Ariza’s(notes) 3.
“One thing we have to continue to learn, that every time we step out on the basketball court, no matter who we’re going against, we can’t just show up, you know, because we have this uniform on, because we have who we have on the court,” James said. “We have to play and it’s not about Xs and Os, it’s about the energy level.
“We know we can still make a comeback because of the talent that we have, but teams are always going to be excited to play us,” James continued. “If we don’t match that effort early, then it’s always an uphill battle throughout the whole game and that’s what it was.”
Wade led all scorers with 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, and went 13 of 13 from the foul line.
New Orleans led 86-79 inside the final five minutes when Wade ignited Miami’s late surge with a 3. He then drew Belinelli into a foul on another 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to cut it to 86-85
Paul set up Okafor for a basket inside, and the Hornets appeared ready to put it away when Paul used a crossover dribble to create space and drove in for an apparent floater off the glass. However, officials called Paul for a charge and then Paul’s animated response drew a technical foul.
Soon after, James, who had 20 points and 10 assists, finally put Miami in the lead, and it appeared that the dream start of first-year Hornets coach Monty Williams was about to end.
Paul and Co. had other ideas.
“It’s nice to be part of a group who plays hard every night,” Williams said. “Different guys are stepping up. … The start is great, but we are going to win a lot of games if we play defense like that.”
New Orleans shot 49 percent while holding Miami to 42 percent. Ariza finished with 13 points for New Orleans and reserve Jason Smith(notes) had 12.
Bosh had 15 points for Miami and Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) scored 10. The loss meant James played more than 41 fruitless minutes and Wade 40, one night before they were scheduled to play again at home against New Jersey.
Notes: James said before the game that he had seen Cleveland’s mock version of his Nike “What should I do” ad campaign. He offered only a brief, unemotional assessment: “It was all right. They could have done a better job.” … The Hornets also mocked James’ made-for-TV “Decision” segment, only with the decision being made by mascot Hugo the Hornet. With the Fletcher Mackel, sports anchor for NBC affiliate WDSU-TV, handling the interview, it played on the arena’s large video board to mild laughter. … Attendance was announced as an overflow sellout of 17,988, and the crowd included Saints players Drew Brees, Darren Sharper and Tracy Porter, as well as rap artist Lil Wayne, who was released from jail this week
NFL quarterback fined over body language
Mark Sanchez's(notes) negative body language is going to cost him some money. New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer announced Thursday that the team would be issuing light fines to the quarterback every time he slumped his shoulders, put down his head or trudged off the field during practice.
As reported by The Star-Ledger, the whole, light-hearted system was created by Sanchez himself, who has made it his goal this season to eliminate the bad body language that was so prevalent during his rookie campaign. Had the fines been in effect then, Schottenheimer says the quarterback would have gone broke.
Backup quarterback Mark Brunell(notes) collects the small fines (Schottenheimer wouldn't say how much Sanchez pays, lest it cause a "salary cap infraction"), which can come from any number of actions. On Thursday, for instance, Schottenheimer said Sanchez screwed up a play but gave a look that suggested somebody else was at fault. "That's a fine," Schottenheimer announced to reporters.
Fines will only be given for violations in practice.
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