CHICAGO (AP)Its his job to find holes, so no one needs to remind MattForte(notes) that the Chicago Bears are in a big one five games into the season.The defending NFC North champions are off to their worst start since 2007 at2-3 after a 24-13 loss at Detroit on Monday night. They are already three gamesbehind the Lions and Green Bay, the last two unbeaten teams in the NFL, and theway they are playing, its not easy to envision a breather this weekend againstMinnesota.Chicago continues to have trouble blocking, and a defense that was expectedto be its strength is coming off another rough outing. After a game that theBears were viewing as a defining moment, they look like the definition ofmediocrity. There is never a time for panic but we need to have a sense of urgency,Forte said. If you panic, you get out of your regular rhythm.The Bears have struggled to find the right balance on offense, withquarterback Jay Cutler(notes) again absorbing regular beatings and the run game gettingignored at times. One week the pass protection is there, but Forte has no roomto room. The next, there are enough holes but Cutler is running for dear life.A defense led by Pro Bowlers Julius Peppers(notes), Brian Urlacher(notes) and Lance Briggs(notes)isnt holding up its end, either, and thats maybe the biggest head-scratcherwith the Bears.Yes, Cutler was on the run again Monday even though he only got sacked threetimes. The line got rattled into nine false startssix in the first halfalone. Chicago wound up wasting a solid effort by Forte, who ran for 116 yards,and a big part of the blame goes to the defense.Peppers has been mostly quiet after delivering in a big way in his firstyear with the Bears, but the problems go beyond the pressure up front. There areissues in the secondary, too.I dont think anyone (foresaw this); I dont even know what were ranked,31, 32, somewhere up there, cornerback Charles Tillman(notes) said. I dont thinkanyone could foresee us being ranked that high. Its time to do some soulsearching and see what each of us is really made of. We can either tuck ourtails between our legs and go run away or man up and fight and get this thingturned around.Only three teams are allowing more yards per game than the Bears. Theyre27th against the pass and 28th against the run, and have already given up asmany combined runs and passes for 40 or more yards (six) as they did all lastseason.They had trouble containing Drew Brees(notes) and Aaron Rodgers(notes) in losses to NewOrleans and Green Bay, then got shredded by Cam Newton(notes) while allowing 543 yardsin a win over Carolina. It was more of the same against the Lions.They gave up 395 yards on 47 plays8.4 on average. That included a 73-yardtouchdown catch by Calvin Johnson(notes) in which Tillman failed to jam him and ChrisHarris got beaten, and they watched as Jahvid Best(notes) went 88 yards untouched tothe end zone on a run that might have left Minnesotas Adrian Peterson champingat the bit. After all, he ran for 224 yards against Chicago in 2007the mostever by a Bears opponentand he is coming off a 122-yard performance againstArizona that included three statement-making touchdowns in the first quarter.Defensively we stink, Urlacher said. We cant stop the run, we cantstop the pass; we cant stop the pass, we cant stop the run. Were all over theplace.Tillman said the players are to blame.I feel like our scheme is not difficult, he said. We are doing thesame thing we did last year. Its the same defense, same players. I respectCoach (Lovie) Smith and (defensive coordinator Rod) Marinelli. They will be menand blame themselves, but, it really falls on the players. Theyre doingeverything in their power and I think we, as players, we can definitely man upand make the plays. Devin McCourty Jersey, Devin McCourty Jersey Authentic , Philadelphia Eagles Nnamdi Asomugha Authentic Jersey, Nnamdi Asomugha Jersey, Greg Jennings Jersey, Nnamdi Asomugha Jersey Authentic , New England Patriots Devin McCourty Authentic Jersey, Greg Jennings Jersey Authentic , Green Bay Packers Greg Jennings Authentic Jersey, New England Patriots Shop
Troy Polamalu Comes to Life, Scares Tourists at Hollywood Wax Museum (Video)
Troy Polamalu is scary on the football field. Hes even scarier in a wax museum. Polamalu stopped by Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Hollywood recently, where he decided to play quite the prank on some unsuspecting tourists. The Pro Bowl safety posed as a wax figure before scaring the pants -- not literally -- off the tourists. The prank was part of a commercial shoot for Polamalu with Head & Shoulders. Check it out in the video below.
Michael Vick Needs To Improve His Play
It is a harsh headline, right?? No.? Michael Vick needs to play more consistently if the Eagles are to have a chance of winning any games.? At times, Vick looks spectacular.? Other times, not so good.Vick has been responsible for 10 turnovers (seven interceptions and three lost fumbles) in the first five games of the young season.? That is an incredible amount of turnovers that no one seems to be writing about.? Vick holds the ball like a loaf of bread.? It is a terrible habit that needs to be broken immediately.Many?of Vicks interceptions are not his fault.? There have been some tip balls.? My problem is how Michael Vick is playing the position during the course of an entire game.? There are ebbs and flows; ups and downs.? This Eagles team cannot have that if they are to play winning football.It is clear to me that Vick is not going through his progressions.? Granted, the protection is not the best, however, there are plays that he is missing.? Take for instance Brent Cel...
Cowboys¡¯ Secondary in Full Force Just in Time to Face Patriots
There will be no easing back into things for Dallas slot cornerback, Orlando Scandrick.As the Dallas Cowboys face off with the New England Patriots, it will be Scandrick’s first game back after suffering an ankle sprain in the season opener vs. the Jets.His first job back will certainly not be an easy one. He will be asked to cover the elusive New England wide reciever, Wes Welker.So far this season, Welker has caught a league-high 45 passes for 740 yards. He also leads the NFL in yards per game (148) and first downs. He is tied for 2nd with 5 receiving touchdowns.It’s not just Scandrick that’s looking at a daunting task, however. The Cowboy secondary as a whole will certainly have their hands full with the Patriots’ juggernaut of a passing game. Luckily for Dallas, it will be the first time all season that their top 3 cornerbacks are all healthy.In addition to Scandrick missing some games, Mike Jenkins has been battling injuries all season, and Te...
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The St. Louis Rams bye week is over. Practice resumed yesterday as they get ready to take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. It's a tall order, but it would be a great way for the Rams to turn their season around after a very disappointing start.Rod Hood Will Play This Week-The Rams' depth at cornerback is a little frightening. Rod Hood is probably the best of the bunch, and he has not played since 2009. He and Justin King will most likely be the starters this week. Hopefully, one of the younger, less experienced corners, culled from the ranks of undrafted rookies, can step up this season, but I think those are unreasonable expectations.How can Rams slow down Packers QB Aaron Rodgers?-Um...uh...well...it's not going to be easy. The prescription calls for zone defense to limit the yards after catch and an aggressive front four. Offensively, the Rams will need to stay on the field and score points. This is really all about limiting damage and not getting embarrassed.Roski retools Los Angeles NFL site plan-An interesting turn in the LA stadium race, this time from Ed Roski, who is developing a stadium outside of LA in the City of Industry. Roski is offering to hand over the property he owns to a team that relocates there. The team would finance the stadium construction, likely owning it, and then sell Roski a share of the team at market value. That plan is far more in line with something that Kroenke might be more inclined to look at with the potential to own a stadium and retain majority interest in the team.Ranking the NFC West quarterbacks-Who is the best quarterback in the division right now? Why, it's Alex Smith, playing in the last year of his contract with the 49ers. The worst quarterback play, statistically speaking, in the division is Sam Bradford. That was supposed to be reversed.Red Means Go-Rams Herd takes a look at the Rams' red zone struggles through the first four games of the season.This Week’s Matchups in The Rams Secondary-Rams Gab takes a look at the matchups in the secondary against the Packers.
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The Denver Broncos made Tim Tebow their starting quarterback. Tebow replaced Kyle Orton at half time this week, after Orton continued to struggle. Today,John Fox made it official. What exactly does this have to do with the St. Louis Rams? Nothing specific, but history has saddled these Rams with Tebow, for the time being at least.Tebow owes his NFL career to none other than Josh McDaniels, then the head coach of the Broncos and Tebow's biggest advocate. It's fair to wonder whether or not Tebow would have been a first-round pick without McDaniels, who convinced the team to trade a second-, third- and fourth-round pick for Baltimore's 25th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Tebow would have been drafted, but it might have been by a team who fancied him as a tight end/H-back type. Hell, when it looked like Tebow was the odd man out in Denver back in August, I openly wondered aboutthe possibility of a potential reunion with McDaniels.Sam Bradford is forever tied to Tebow thanks to the 2010 NFL Draft. Bradford and Tebow were the only quarterbacks selected in the first round. Just out of curiosity, let's look at the performance of those two quarterbacks. Tebow started the last three games of the season last year, after McDaniels had been canned by the Broncos ironically enough. Here's a chart comparing the rookie quarterbacks who started over the last three weeks of the season, with at least two starts. PassingRk Player Tm G W L T Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD Int Rate Y/A AY/A 1Stephen McGeeDAL2110224450.0%2382081.45.416.322Tim TebowDEN3120408149.4%6514377.88.047.363Jimmy ClausenCAR3120427556.0%3952268.55.274.604John SkeltonCRD3120428350.6%4712265.95.675.075Sam BradfordRAM31206811658.6%6281365.65.414.426Joe WebbMIN3120528461.9%4690362.15.583.987Colt McCoyCLE3030549556.8%6013660.06.334.12Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 10/11/2011.It's sorted by default QB rating, which I mostly ignore. Bradford and the Rams played pretty poorly in those last three games of the season, except for a week 16 win over the 49ers. The Rams' rookie's accuracy was much better than his first-round counterpart, but notice the difference in yards per attempt. Tebow also had more touchdowns than Bradford. Tebow also rushed for 199 yards on 31 attempts in those three games, scoring one rushing touchdown in each of them. One thing to note is that Tebow did have better receivers than the Rams; beyond that, his stats look pretty good compared to Bradford's.And what about this year? Obviously, has only had two quarters of play and a handful of rushing attempts so far, so there isn't much to compare. The following chart is for all second-year quarterbacks that have seen playing time this season. Games PassingRk Player Year Tm G GS Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD Int Rate Sk Y/A SkYds AY/A ANY/A Y/G 1Colt McCoy2011CLE4410017258.1%9846378.765.72365.635.24246.02Curtis Painter2011IND33336848.5%61840100.059.093410.269.10206.03Sam Bradford2011STL447515149.7%8493170.8185.621165.724.43212.34Tim Tebow2011DEN3041040.0%7910101.707.9009.909.9026.3Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 10/11/2011.Colt McCoy is the best of the bunch right now. He's learning a somewhat new offensive system, but one more geared to his strengths. What stands out the most about Bradford's performance are the sacks. That's a brutal number, both in the sacks total and the yards lost. Notice his yards per attempt number hasn't changed much from those last three games, partly the result of the talent around him. More than anything, this an indictment of the Rams rather than Bradford. The decision to eschew free agent wide receiver Sidney Rice seems like a big whiff in hindsight.Tebow comparisons get back into the picture starting in week seven, after Denver's bye. Hopefully, the Rams can take steps to improve, and Bradford can shake off some of his own rust. It'll be interesting to watch quarterbacks from the 2010 rookie class, with an eye toward those two first rounders.
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Chargers fortunate to have 2-1 record
The Chargers are feeling giddy, right? It seems they have avoided their traditional slow start after winning two of their first three games and looking ahead to Sunday with the winless and visiting Dolphins on tap.Funny, but the Chargers would probably admit off-the-record that everything doesn't seem right in their NFL world.The Chargers might be 2-1, but they have already been hit by the injury bug hard.The Pro Bowl quarterback, Philip Rivers, has been in a season-long slump. Their mantra of wanting to be more aggressive and take the ball away has been a bust.And they are minus someone they thought would change the Chargers' persona as a finesse team. Safety Bob Sanders went on injured reserve Wednesday, which robs the team of a hard-hitter and someone able to give the defense some swagger.Still, it's all the scoreboard in this league and on that count, 2-1 is 2-1 and the Chargers are thankful for that.Still, something doesn't quite feel right. In their two victories, they played with little passion, allowing two inferior teams, the Vikings and Chiefs, to deliver a big-time scare of upsetting the Chargers at home.Then in the loss at New England despite coach Norv Turner saying how excited he was about the team afterward - they gave up more than 500 yards and committed four turnovers.Strangely it was after a win, the one which came Sunday, where Turner said the offense was out-of-synch. That assessment brought a strong rebuttal for the team's out-of-sync quarterback.I don't think we are going to be putting any games away in the second quarter, Rivers said. The next 13, I don't know if we'll put any away in the second quarter. It's a four-quarter game, it's the NFL.I know you get tired of hearing it but that's what it is. It's week-to-week, game-to-game, there is no bad team.Even the winless Dolphins, Philip?There is no bad team, Rivers shot back. Sure, by the end of the year, there are team records that aren't very good but you go and suit up and play for four quarters and anybody can win.That is what makes Sunday's game so dangerous. The Chargers, under Turner, have proved time and again they often play down to the competition. They did just that in just getting past the Vikings and Chiefs.Then there are those December disasters from last year, when they fell to the Raiders and the Bengals in the closing month.The Chargers close out their home schedule for a month in taking on the Dolphins. This is a game the Chargers should win going away, but the way Rivers explains it, there are no gimmies in the NFL.SERIES HISTORY 24th regular-season meeting. Dolphins lead series, 12-11. When the Chargers defeated the visiting Dolphins in 2009, that ended a seven-game Dolphins winning streak. These teams have split two playoff games, with the most famous being one of the greatest games in NFL history, the 1981 AFC Divisional Game won by the Chargers in overtime, 41-28. The Chargers broke 15 Divisional Game records that day and tied two other. The picture of a depleted Kellen Winslow being assisted off the field after that draining wins remains among the most iconic in NFL history.Copyright C 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved. PrintEmail a FriendFacebookTwitterStumbleUponGoogle BuzzYahoo!DiggDeliciousShare
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Hank Williams Jr. out for Monday Night Football intro: A Seattle fan's take
ESPN announced October 6 that they had decided to permanently sever ties with country singer Hank Williams, Jr. over remarks he made on Fox & Friends that compared President Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler. Williams said that President Obama playing golf with House Majority Leader John Boehner was like "Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu."Williams made the comment October 3, then followed them up the next day with a milk-toast apology that didnt disavow what he said, but stated he was "sorry if it offended anyone." Apologizing for other peoples sensibilities is a far cry from taking back what was said, Mr. Williams. ESPN indicated that any reinstatement of Williams song for the intro to MNF would be contingent upon his response, and apparently they werent impressed with what Hank Jr. had to say."We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams, Jr," the ESPN statement said. "We appreciate his contribution over the years. The success of Monday Night Football has always been about the games and that will continue."Should be about the gameFor me as a fan, that sums it up. I could care less how incoherent Williams speaks when showing up on Fox News. No one is surprised where he stands if he is willing to appear as a friendly guest on Fox & Friends. What I dont want is to have his views in my face every time I watch a MNF game, which they would be if he was allowed to continue with the opening.Williams response"After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," Williams said on his website. "By pulling my opening Oct. 3, You (ESPN) Stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment, Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. Its been a great run." (Caps emphasis Williams)That indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the First Amendment to the Constitution. It wasnt about that at all, it was about a company not wanting to take flak for continuing a relationship they deemed non-productive.As a fan of football, I hope ESPN picks a fun song with no political ramifications. Our country is divided on politics, and thats all fine. Sports is another issue, and if me, as a liberal, cant root for the same team as a conservative and give each other a high-five without knowing who the other voted for, weve gone too far.Jeff Musall has been a fan of the Seattle Seahawks since he was a kid living in a small Idaho town, watching Jim Zorn move the team down the field.Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. Updated 3 hours, 24 minutes ago
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Monroe, Kampman ready to return for Jags
The Jacksonville Jaguars may be about to get a couple of key players back from injuries, as tackle Eugene Monroe(notes) and defensive end Aaron Kampman(notes) were both on the practice field Wednesday. Monroe played only on place-kicks for field goals and extra points against the New Orleans Saints due to a shoulder and neck injury, but was a full participant on Wednesday and will see how he feels after todays padded practice, according to the Jacksonville Times-Union.Kampman is making his way back from a second torn ACL in his career, one suffered last year af the seasons midway point. "I still think its one of those things that Im trying to earn my way back," Kampman said. "It doesnt guarantee me anything. I have to continue to make strides, but Im definitely closer now than I was a couple of weeks ago."Follow me on Twitter @TitanInsider247 and @terrymc13Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com Updated 8 hours, 34 minutes ago
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)Brad Meester(notes) hopes to be at midfield for Sundayscoin toss.The Jacksonville Jaguars center wants a close-up view of whats sure to be amemorable moment.Meesters buddy, 6-year-old Luke Akerstrom, will walkmaybe even runtothe middle of the field and serve as an honorary captain against the CincinnatiBengals. No matter how he gets there, it will be the latest step in a journeythat has been far from ordinary.Luke suffered a 35-minute seizure on Dec. 31, 2010, and was diagnosed with arare form of encephalitis. He lost important cells that control motor functionand didnt move his legs for six months. He spent four months in the hospital, where Meester, his wife and their fourdaughters became some of Lukes regular visitors. General manager Gene Smith,head athletic trainer Mike Ryan, communications manager Ryan Robinson, twocheerleaders and the team mascot also stopped by. So did Denver Broncosquarterback Tim Tebow(notes) and former President George W. Bush.With constant therapy and around-the-clock care, Luke slowly got better. Hiscommunication skills improved dramatically and he managed to take several stepsby himself when he visited the teams training camp in August. He got a rousingovation, then walked off the field with Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) as the star runningback held back tears.Luke is nearly running now, which is more than doctors expected but exactlywhat Luke envisioned when he told his mother he needed to be able to walk againbecause Jaguars dont roll, they run.Meester expects teammates to be stunned by Lukes progress.Its going to be huge for him to be out there, Meester said. I knowhes very excited. Hes always excited to come to the game, but to get a chanceto be out there for the coin toss, its going to be huge. It really hasnt beenthat long ago and hes come a long way. I think theyll be amazed.Luke gave his family and friends a big scare a couple of weeks ago when hefell at school. Luke didnt talk for 36 hours, prompting fear that he had asignificant setback.Numerous tests were done, but no cause could be found. Luke eventuallystarted talking and walking again, then returned to school. He even attendedlast weeks game against New Orleans.This one will be considerably different, though.Meester bought 11 tickets for Lukes family to attend the game and see theirboy take center stage for a brief moment. His paternal grandmother is comingfrom Sweden, and his maternal grandparents are traveling from Louisiana alongwith his uncle.Meester doesnt know exactly what to expect, but he knows it will bespecial.Just seeing him out there like that, it just shows how unbelievable hesdoing, Meester said. Its amazing how far hes come.On the Web: www.prayforluke.com Updated 9 hours, 4 minutes agoAuthentic Drew Brees Jersey, Premier Brandon Jacobs Jersey, Premier Drew Brees Jersey, Brandon Jacobs Replica Jersey, Brandon Jacobs Authentic Jersey, Drew Brees Authentic Jersey, Jason Witten Premier Jersey, Authentic Richard Seymour Jersey, Brandon Jacobs Jersey Replica, Replica Jason Witten Jersey, Jason Witten Jersey Premier, Drew Brees Premier Jersey, Jason Witten Jersey Authentic, Richard Seymour Replica Jersey, Drew Brees Jersey Replica, Jason Witten Jersey Replica, Jason Witten Authentic Jersey, Replica Brandon Jacobs Jersey, Richard Seymour Jersey Premier, Drew Brees Jersey Authentic, Premier Jason Witten Jersey, Replica Drew Brees Jersey, Richard Seymour Jersey Authentic, Replica Richard Seymour Jersey, Richard Seymour Authentic Jersey, Brandon Jacobs Jersey Authentic, Brandon Jacobs Premier Jersey, Richard Seymour Jersey Replica, Premier Richard Seymour Jersey, Brandon Jacobs Jersey Premier, Authentic Brandon Jacobs Jersey, Authentic Jason Witten Jersey, Drew Brees Jersey Premier, Drew Brees Replica Jersey, Jason Witten Replica Jersey, Richard Seymour Premier Jersey
The Buc stops here? The Bye-Week Conundrum Ah, so this is why sites like National Football Post, Yahoo!, ESPN, CBSSports, Rotoworld and Rotowire had omnipresent listings for bye weeks on draft day so fantasy owners wouldnt make the tragic mistake of selecting multiple quarterbacks or tight ends with the same bye, or aces like Ray Rice(notes), Tony Romo(notes), Steven Jackson, Santana Moss(notes) and Brandon Marshall(notes) (all on byes) could not devastate a teams starting lineup in Week 5. In other words, balance must be the key to championship success, huh? Eh, maybe.Actually, there are different schools of thought as to which seasonal "bye-week strategy" is more effective in the long run: 1) Spreading out your stars byes, proffering the opportunity to be competitive for Weeks 5-9 and 11 or 2) Intentionally constructing a roster thats certain to fail for a particular weekend, but one thatll be fully loaded in the other five bye weeks. For example, owners could conceivably boast a regular combination of Larry Fitzgerald(notes), Beanie Wells(notes), Willis McGahee(notes), Dwayne Bowe(notes), Vincent Jackson(notes), Philip Rivers(notes) and Ryan Mathews(notes)all Week 6 byesthat has the potential for domination in Weeks 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11. Bottom line: Would you be willing to sacrifice one wretched Sunday for a chance at posting the leagues highest score the rest of the time?Week 5 Trade Rules To Live By 1. Never let a 1-3 or 0-4 owner control the tone of trade negotiations, especially when dealing with superstars. Before the downtrodden, perhaps desperate owner submits a blockbuster offer, let them know which star player(s) absolutely must be included in their proposal. Rule of thumb: A team not destined for the playoffs should never hold the hammer when haggling and dont be afraid to use your hammer when things get sticky. 2. Its never too early to start planning for the playoffs. No one likes to lose at any point during the season, but if youre sitting at 4-0, it might behoove you to sacrifice Week 5 or 6 for the sake of landing stud running backs or receivers on their bye week, via trade. Simply put, 1-3 owners can no longer assume the risk of getting killed from byes; in turn, they might consider forsaking a quality player on a bye for the chance to post serviceable lineups until Week 11.3. Before trading superstars like Adrian Peterson, Darren McFadden(notes) or Aaron Rodgers(notes), make sure there are no other studs in the blockbuster. The value of D-Mac, Rodgers or AP alone is enough to tilt a seismic deal in Owner Bs favor, so dont fall for some sob story of how theyll need a top-12 quarterback, top-15 wideout or top-25 tailback to balance out the transaction. Bottom line: Any Peterson/Rodgers/McFadden-centric trades must essentially be a 3-for-1 swap, with two throw-ins to consummate the deal, when applicable.Passing Fancy Heres a revised listing of my always-fluid rankings for starting QBs, 1 through 32: 1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (fresh off the greatest QB fantasy outing in Lambeau history) 2. Tom Brady(notes), Patriots 3. Drew Brees(notes), Saints 4. Michael Vick(notes), Eagles 5. Philip Rivers, Chargers (on pace for more passing yards than last season) 6. Tony Romo, Cowboys (pick-six warts and all) 7. Matt Ryan(notes), Falcons 8. Matthew Stafford(notes), Lions (should be a notch higherconservative thinking) 9. Cam Newton(notes), Panthers (Yahoos Andy Behrens says hell win the fantasy-points title) 10. Eli Manning(notes), Giants 11. Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes), Bills 12. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), Steelers 13. Josh Freeman(notes), Buccaneers 14. Joe Flacco(notes), Ravens (lets not overreact to one gawd-awful game against the Jets) 15. Matt Schaub(notes), Texans (should rise when A-Johnson returns) 16. Matt Hasselbeck(notes), Titans 17. Mark Sanchez(notes), Jets 18. Jay Cutler(notes), Bears 19. Kyle Orton(notes), Broncos (might be higher if the Sword of Damocles, er Tebow, didnt hang over him) 20. Kevin Kolb(notes), Cardinals 21. Sam Bradford(notes), Rams 22. Matt Cassel(notes), Chiefs (could re-enter the top 20 if K.C.s running game goes kaput) 23. Colt McCoy(notes), Browns (needs Mohammed Massaquoi/Greg Little(notes) to come alive) 24. Alex Smith, 49ers 25. Andy Dalton(notes), Bengals 26. Rex Grossman(notes), Redskins (recently passed the Torch Of Bold Proclamations to Tim Hightower(notes)) 27. Jason Campbell(notes), Raiders 28. Tarvaris Jackson(notes), Seahawks (can he build off a stellar Week 4?) 29. Donovan McNabb(notes), Vikings 30. Curtis Painter(notes), Colts 31. Blaine Gabbert(notes), Jaguars (great arm but simply not ready for prime time) 32. Matt Moore(notes), Dolphins (left to anchor a no-win situation in Miami)Week 5: QB Locks For 275 Yards and/or 3 TDs 1. Michael Vick @ Buffalo 2. Matthew Stafford vs. Chicago 3. Aaron Rodgers @ Atlanta 4. Matt Ryan vs. Green Bay 5. Eli Manning vs. Seattle 6. Drew Brees @ Carolina 7. Cam Newton vs. New OrleansRB Locks For 120 Total Yards and/or 2 TDs 1. Ryan Mathews @ Denver 2. Fred Jackson(notes) vs. Philadelphia 3. Matt Forte(notes) @ Detroit 4. Joseph Addai(notes) vs. Kansas City 5. Adrian Peterson vs. Arizona 6. LeSean McCoy(notes) @ Buffalo 7. Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) vs. Cincinnati 8. Michael Turner(notes) vs. Green Bay 9. Darren McFadden @ Houston 10. Arian Foster(notes) vs. Oakland 11. LeGarrette Blount(notes) @ San Francisco (bold prediction on our part)Talking Points 1. Darren McFadden and Arian Foster are primed for a supreme battle in Houston. Im pumped about the seasons first hyped clash of elite tailbacks, pitting two playoff hopefuls from pedestrian passing offenses (Andre Johnson(notes)s absence hinders the Texans) and two clubs shamelessly built around the notion of feeding their stars early and often and milking the clock with defense-deflating drives. 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Johnson happy to have FB Hall back from suspension
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)Chris Johnson is happy to have fullback Ahmard Hall(notes)back, and the former Marine is eager to push the Tennessee running back as muchas possible.That means the Titans are about to find out just how much they missed Hall.Tennessee (3-1) ranks last in the NFL in yards rushing per game, even afterJohnson notched his first 100-yard performance this season. Johnson held out forhis new $53 million contract, while Hall worked through the preseason. Johnsonsigned his extension a day before Hall learned the NFL rejected his appeal,forcing him to leave during practice and sit out the first four games. You see hes out there, hes been in shape, Johnson said. Hes movingaround very quick, very fast. Just excited to see what we can do on Sunday.The Titans now must decide whether to keep two fullbacks after swapping adraft pick for a fill-in, but Hall is expecting to play Sunday when they visitPittsburgh (2-2). That means a roster move must be made because Tennessee has anexemption for Hall until Monday. Coach Mike Munchak said they would make adecision by the end of the week.Quinn Johnson(notes) has filled in nicely with three catches for 30 yards. Hall, acouple inches shorter at 5-foot-11 and 22 pounds lighter at 241, has worked withmost of the current offensive linemen the past few seasons. He also gives theTitans more options offensively because he can catch the ball very well and canfill in at running back in a pinch.Making the decision whether to keep two fullbacks is tough because safetyChris Hope(notes) is recovering from surgery to fix his broken left forearm. If theTitans feel they need an extra safety, keeping two fullbacks along with threerunning backs could be too much at the position. But the Titans invested anundisclosed future draft pick to grab Johnson away from Green Bay the same dayHalls suspension was announced Sept. 3 for violating the NFLs policy onperformance-enhancing substances.Hall is the fullback who went from being undrafted out of Texas to helpingblock for 1,000-yard rushers like Travis Henry(notes), LenDale White(notes) and then Johnsonwho rushed for more yards than any other back in the NFL over the previous threeseasons.And Hall is ready to push Johnson and challenge the running back.Im not afraid to push him if thats what itll take to get him to go alittle bit harder than he might go, liven him up or give him a boost ofconfidence, Hall said. If I see where the lines pushing the guys a certainway and he has to cut back and Ill take a cut and he continues to go outsideand gets tackled, Im like, `C, youve got to follow me. Youve got to readthat.Hall said he thinks hes seen Johnson, the best back hes ever played with,being just a bit off in his reads. Johnson just had his longest run this seasonin last weeks 31-13 win over Cleveland on a 25-yarder, and he totaled only 98yards in the first three games.Just my opinion, but like I said, Im not afraid to challenge him if I seesome things that we mightve done in the past better thats not getting donenow, Hall said. Im not afraid to challenge him and try to get thatstraight.Hall also has the comfort level with the offense because he was in trainingcamp and played all four preseason games. He said that allowed him to becomefamiliar with Matt Hasselbecks(notes) cadence and the offensive line along with thechanges by coordinator Chris Palmer. Hall also feels ready to hit the groundrunning in Pittsburgh because he worked hard through the past month to stay inshape.The only exception was a couple weeks ago when his mother-in-law died of ananeurysm in Texas, but Hall said he kept working out while on the road.The veteran had never watched games from his couch, not since joining theNFL. He said that experience have left him even hungrier to go out and perform.You learn how expendable you are in this league, Hall said. Nothingstops.Notes: TE Craig Stevens(notes) (ribs) missed a second straight practice Thursday,and S Michael Griffin(notes) (illness) did not practice. LB Gerald McRath(notes) (left knee)and WR Marc Mariani(notes) (hip) practiced fully. Munchak said he expects about 100family and friends in the stands Sunday at Pittsburgh. The native of Scranton,Pa., said those getting tickets through his father and uncle must be Titansfans for 24 hours. Since theyll be sitting together, anyone not in Titans bluewill be seen. Updated 2 hours, 13 minutes ago
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Jets LB Thomas out for season with torn Achilles
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)New York Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas(notes) is out forthe season with a torn left Achilles tendon after suffering the injury in theteams 34-17 loss at Baltimore on Sunday.Thomas is in his 10th season with the Jets and their longest-tenured player,but is due to become a free agent after this season. While never a flashy playerduring his career, Thomas has been a key part of the defense and led Rex Ryanssquad with six sacks last season. The 32-year-old Thomas was hurt in the first quarter Sunday, and was oncrutches and in a walking boot when he left the stadium. An MRI on Mondaymorning confirmed the severity of the injury.Thats going to be a huge loss to us, obviously, Ryan said Monday.Jamaal Westerman(notes), Josh Mauga(notes) and the newly signed Aaron Maybin(notes), who had hisfirst NFL sack Sunday after two unproductive years in Buffalo, are candidates toreplace Thomas. But Ryan also wouldnt rule out the team looking for helpelsewhere. In fact, the Jets had former Patriots outside linebacker TullyBanta-Cain(notes) in for a workout a few weeks ago, and New York just so happens toplay New England next Sunday.Im not ready to anoint anyone as the starter there, Ryan said.Thomas had 12 tackles this season and has 31 careers sacks, seven forcedfumbles and six fumble recoveries. He was the Jets first-round pick out ofAlabama-Birmingham in 2002, and saw his career begin to thrive when he was movedfrom defensive end to outside linebacker four years later.Its tough when you lose a guy that is a true Jet, a guy thats played alot of snaps for us, safety Jim Leonhard(notes) said.Linebacker Garrett McIntyre(notes) suffered a concussion in the game at Baltimore,and will be day to day.Ryan and the Jets are hoping center Nick Mangold(notes), who missed his secondstraight game because of a high ankle sprain, will be able to practice at leaston a limited basis Wednesday. Mangold tested his right ankle out before the gameand felt goodHe had no issues, Ryan saidbut wasnt ready to play. Updated 27 minutes ago
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More balanced than you think
Let¡¯s get to it . . .Shane from Callahan, FL:To your question yesterday from Jeff, "Jeff from Wherever: Is our receiving corps really that bad? How would we know? In three games, we have 70 pass attempts and 40 completions. Most teams had over 70 attempts their first two games. Obviously, the dropped balls are the receivers' fault but, given the lack of passes thrown, I think the sample size is too small to judge our receivers as poorly as many have. John: You have been heard." Well, we got a good sample. Gabbert overthrew some, yes, but in the ¡°much-need¡± plays, and fourth downs, and red zones, the ball was there, the receivers didn¡¯t catch the ball....Have I been heard?John: You have. Over the course of the season, there have been too many drops. No question.Aaron from Chehalis, WA:Sixteen for 42!?!? I didn't actually get to see the game, but you did. So tell me... was it as bad as it sounds?John: No. Very good first half. Very rough second half. He looked very good early and was more inaccurate in the second. It¡¯s growth. It¡¯s a process. It just is.Harry from Jonesboro, AR:I know as a journalist you understand the meaning of "If it bleeds, it leads." Is that why all the negativity in the letters these days? Or is there really no positive thinking left in Jags fans? My position is that with Garrard playing well below expectations and hence being released, and a rookie quarterback with no OTAs to develop him, this is the wrong year to evaluate Coach Del Rio, and to criticize GM Gene. Your thoughts? By the way, Garrard to the Colts would make some sense, but I contend they have written this season off, and now they're "playing" for the rights to draft Andrew Luck. What do you think, as a former Colts insider?John: You can still evaluate coaches and personnel people in these circumstances, but you may evaluate each differently ¨C and in this situation, that evaluation may not be all based on victories and losses. And to answer your question: no, I do not believe the Colts have not written off the season. NFL teams rarely do that, hard as it may be to believe.Rob from London, UK:This may sound sycophantic, but John, you're doing a fantastic job. Two things: one positive, one negative. The huge positive is that our defense is performing at a top 10 level. Hard to describe how much better than last year. The negative is that I feel Jack has taken us as far as he can, and it may be time for a change. Go Jags, go Gabbert, in Gene we trust.John: I don¡¯t know what sycophantic means, but I think ¡°you¡¯re doing a fantastic job¡± sounds very, very brilliant.Dean from Rochester, NY:A couple of things. I'm usually never one to question the play calling as I assume the people involved know a lot more than I do about these things, but instead of two failed fourth downs there could have been six points on field goals, and the final drive could have been for the tie. Also, why were the arrows by the yard markings pointing the wrong way on one side of the field?John: You¡¯re right about the field goals, but at the time the Jaguars were being aggressive and going for the victory. And at the time of the first field goal, it did not appear overly likely the Jaguars would get in a position for three more scores. As for the errors, well, not everybody¡¯s perfect ¨C as it turned out, even arrow-painters.Paul from Rockledge, FL:I loved the game plan today. Let¡¯s get in a shootout with a rookie QB against Drew Brees, and give the best player on our team minimal touches. Jags will never win with this brilliance.John: The Jaguars were most imbalanced in the first half, and at halftime, they were within four points. In the second half, as they became more balanced, the offense actually seemed to get more inefficient. I absolutely believe you need balance, but in this case, I don¡¯t think the imbalance was quite the problem a lot of readers seem to believe.Biff from Jacksonville:Koetter was not pass-happy, as some radio callers noted. The Saints were begging the Jaguars to throw. The offense failed to execute when given opportunities. My question is whether it was the wide receivers, the quarterback or the offensive line that was the weakest link? From my seat in the stadium it was the receivers. Gabbert got progressively worse accuracy wise but the receivers seemed incapable of either getting open or making the catch. Did you see a different game?John: I¡¯d say you had a pretty good seat.John from Elizabeth City:Sometimes I hate being right. As a question why is it we can't seem to find balance I know the numbers say we ran and passed pretty even, but it doesn't seem fluid it seems the mix of pass and run is forced. We threw the ball a ton in the first half out of the shotgun. Then the second half we tried to run, run, run. Why can't we mix it up during a drive not by the half or quarter?John: Balance is the goal and I think you¡¯ll see more balance as the coaches get more familiar with Gabbert¡¯s comfort level. It¡¯s also important to remember that sometimes play-calling is dictated by defenses.Taylor from Ellicott City, FL:To be straightforward, I think your analysis of the Jaguars¡¯ defense is slightly off, in that they are actually better than you give them credit for. From what I saw, between this game and Jets game the offense's inefficiency has consistently given the opposition short fields, which the Jags D has quite often limited to field goals. What do you think?John: I stand by my analysis of the defense. I think it is better than last season, and think it gives the Jaguars a chance to be competitive against most offenses. I don¡¯t think it is elite, because I haven¡¯t seen that big-time disruptive pass rusher that can take control of a game at the absolute must-pressure moments. Also, it allowed more than 500 yards Sunday, so let¡¯s just say it's improved for now and leave it at that.Jerell from Orangeburg , SC:In your blog you said the Jags had a couple of chances in the red zone and didn¡¯t capitalize on them and that¡¯s the difference between a veteran and a rookie quarterback. I think you are completely wrong. The difference I saw was a team with superior offensive talent versus a team with a good young QB, RB, TE, suspect offensive line and no, no WRs. That¡¯s the difference in the red zone. The WR position is holding this team and play-calling back has nothing to do with Blaine.John: You missed my point ¨C and I¡¯m not completely wrong. I said efficiency in the red zone was the difference between a rookie and a veteran. I was discussing rookie and veterans in general and not breaking down the Jaguars and Saints. Obviously, there were more differences between the teams than simply a veteran and rookie quarterback ¨C if that was your point.Rob from Mukwonago, WI:What happened to playing the best 11 players on the roster? This team is built on MJD and Mr. Lewis yet we are lining up five wide receivers. I thought you could still throw the ball out of the I-form or single back formation?John: You can, but I have no problem with multiple formations and personnel packages. Every player can¡¯t play every play and trying to best utilize talent isn¡¯t a bad thing.Nick from Jacksonville:Hey John can we fire our fan base and get some more rational fans who know more about football other than what happens in Gainesville, Athens, Tallahassee and Miami? I like what I am seeing overall from my team, our defense is keeping us in games against quality opponents, Gabbert is showing immense promise for a rookie quarterback who didn't have OTAs and mini camp to learn the playbook or practice anything. Sure we need some help with wide receivers and offensive line, they will get better as the season goes on and they all have time to gel. To me our fan base is more frustrating than the team or the coaches...... Like your predecessor used to say, Players not plays.John: I was pleasantly surprised at the tone of the readers Monday. I got a lot of emails like this, and they actually outnumbered the angry, fire-everyone-cut-all-the-receivers emails. This isn¡¯t an easy process and fans are tired of mediocre seasons, but the signs Gabbert is showing is the overriding storyline this season. It¡¯s by far the most important happening of the season and if we¡¯re sitting here in December saying, ¡°This Gabbert guy is the real deal,¡± then the future is very, very bright.
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Its a disaster here, one player told me after the Eagles blew a 20-point lead at home to the 49ers and lost their third consecutive game, meaning Philly will take a 1-3 record into Sundays meeting with the Bills in Buffalo. Yep, despite a career-high 416 passing yards and 75 rushing yards from Michael Vick, 171 receiving yards by DeSean Jackson(notes) and three sacks from defensive end Jason Babin(notes), one of the teams key offseason pickups, the Eagles let a San Francisco team that came into the game with the NFLs lowest-ranked offense ride Alex Smiths arm to a 24-23 victory. Among the Philly atrocities: halfback Ronnie Browns(notes) ridiculous shovel-pass-attempt-turned-fumble near the goal line; fourth-quarter misses from 39 and 33 yards by rookie kicker Alex Henery(notes); and Jeremy Maclins(notes) fumble as the Eagles were driving into range for a potential game-winning field goal. Last-place Philadelphia is now two games behind the Redskins (3-1) and Giants (3-1) in the NFC East and faces a sure-to-be-surly Bills team coming off a blown lead in Cincinnati that resulted in its first loss of the season. If the Eagles cant get it together in Buffalo, itll be time to start pondering whether theyre the 2011 version of last years Cowboys. Some of us – ahem, ahem – are feeling a bit duped at this particular moment.[ Related: Frustrated Michael Vick: Over my dead body ] OVER-THE-TOP, EPHEDRINE-LACED DIATRIBE BEFORE DAWNWhat is it with the NFL and ridiculous rules (and/or interpretations thereof) that make sense only on a theoretical level but have no intuitive resonance with fans or people who actually play the sport? Ive written an entire column on this previously and Im ranting again after a Sunday which featured another confusing application of the dreaded Tuck Rule (nullifying a Bills defensive TD against the Bengals) and a dubious officiating decision that likely cost the Arizona Cardinals a victory over the Giants.[ Related: Controversial ruling helps Giants pull off comeback win ]With a little more than three minutes to play and Arizona up 27-24, Eli Manning(notes) connected with wideout Victor Cruz(notes) on a 19-yard pass. After slipping by one Cardinals defender, Cruz spun around and saw three others descending, flopped on his stomach and, without being touched, got up without the ball. Arizonas Richard Marshall(notes) recovered and started running toward the end zone, but an official had already whistled the play dead. The explanation: Cruz had given himself up, which by rule is supposed to kill the play. (Specifically, a play ends when a ballcarrier declares himself down by falling to the ground, or kneeling, and makes no effort to advance.) Some thoughts? 1) Really? This isnt college football, and theres no logical reason that Cruzs abrupt dive should fall under this particular category of legislation. If the fear is that a player in such a situation would subject himself to a dangerous hit while prone, I think thats ridiculous – the way rules are currently interpreted, any sort of spearing or violent pile-on by a defender would likely have triggered a personal-foul penalty. 2) If something like that happened in a pickup game (with pro rules and a two-hand touch requirement), 99 percent of the people would say its a fumble. In other words, its a bad rule. 3) As awful as the rule is in the first place – it should be tailored specifically to clock-killing or ball-downing situations – Im not sure it was interpreted correctly in this case. Its a judgment call which, by the way, means it cant be subject to replay review, meaning the Cardinals were out of luck. 4) Oh, by the way, Manning went up top to Hakeem Nicks(notes) for a 29-yard touchdown on the next play and won 31-27, pushing the Giants record to 3-1 and dropping the Cards to 1-3. Peoples jobs are on the line. Can we try to make rules that are logical and which comply with the general spirit of the sport – and stop deciding games on interpretations of overly judicious exceptions to simple concepts, i.e. when you cough up the ball without being tackled, its live? Thank you.TEXT/TWITTER/EMAIL/VOICEMAIL OF THE WEEKTime to turn this ship around. We r going the wrong damn way– Text Sunday evening from Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe(notes).Anytime tommys name is mentioned in the same sentence as JM, its an awesome day!!! – Text Sunday night from Nancy Brady, Toms sister and fellow Montana fan.Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:• Rain, Tigers Valverde make for great theater in New York• Has Phillies Lee lost his postseason magic?• NASCAR Power Rankings: J.J. terrifies Chase field Michael Silver covers the NFL for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Mogotxt, Twitter and Facebook. Also check out ridewithsilver.com. Send Michael a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast. Updated 12 hours, 30 minutes ago
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Ive tried to defend Donovan McNabb(notes) in the past as a guy whos play hasnt gotten enough respect over the years. However, McNabb continues to do things guys his age shouldnt do. The latest example was the interception he threw in the second quarter against Kansas City. McNabb tried to hit running back Toby Gerhart(notes) underneath and fired a pass high off Gerharts shoulder pads. The carom was subsequently intercepted. This kind of play is like something from Quarterbacking 101: Dont throw high to a running back if hes underneath the defense. First, running backs dont have a chance to adjust their hands quickly to high throws. Second, most running backs arent great receivers. They might be good, but theyre rarely great.[Yahoo! Sports Radio: Santana Moss on 3-1 Redskins]• Philadelphia running back Ronnie Brown(notes) is a really good dude, but that move to try to attempt a pass after he got stopped at the goal line in the first half was odd. Thats the kind of panic play, which resulted in a drive-ending turnover, youd expect from a much younger player.(FIVE THINGS I LOVED AND FIVE THINGS I LOATHED) Loved: That a week after using Gerhart on a fourth-and-1 run, the Vikings used running back Adrian Peterson on a short-yardage play at a critical point midway through the fourth quarter at Kansas City. Even though Minnesota lost, Peterson picked up the first down and the Vikings scored a touchdown to pull within five points. As stated before, in critical moments, coaches need to stop being cute and let their best players do the work.Loathed: The interception that Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell(notes) threw early in the second half against New England. Seriously, what was that throw? There wasnt a Raiders receiver within five yards of that throw. There wasnt even a Raiders receiver who was supposed to be within five yards of that throw. Loved: Back to the Vikings for one second, but I have to give wide receiver Michael Jenkins(notes) credit for his touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Jenkins made a tough grab in traffic. Sure, he was in his usual spot by the sideline, but Jenkins battled for the ball in a more physical way than you might expect given his history. Michael Vick scrambles and is hit by the 49ers linebacker Navorro Bowman.(Getty Images) Loathed: Again, tip your cap to the play of Vick this week even if the Eagles lost, but I still hate watching the Eagles offensive line. This group is tragic and all you had to see was one play where the 49ers ran a simple weakside blitz and Navorro Bowman(notes), who recovered the aforementioned Ronnie Brown fumble, came clean for a hit on Vick as he tried to get rid of the ball. Eagles left guard Evan Mathis(notes) whiffed on the play, missing the blitz as he helped with a double-team block on an interior defensive lineman.[ Related: Joe Buck lost at end of Cowboys-Lions ] Loved: That San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith started to show a little composure this week after a grueling start to the season. Yeah, the 49ers got a lot of help to win that game at Philadelphia, but give Smith credit for helping guide the comeback with one of the better games of his career.Loathed: Seeing Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson(notes) go down with a hamstring injury without getting hit. Johnson is as classy a player as it gets and he just happens to be one of the two or three best receivers in the game. Hopefully that injury isnt too serious. Loved: Matthew Staffords first of two touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson in the fourth quarter. Despite playing poorly for most of the game, Stafford still trusted his best weapon at a critical point, throwing the ball up high and letting Johnson do the rest. Even with three defenders in the area, Johnson is a beast.Loathed: The ongoing love of going for it on fourth-and-long situations. Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio was the latest to fall prey to this as he went on fourth-and-6 from New Orleans 38-yard line in the first quarter at home. The thinking was obvious: Del Rio anticipated a high-scoring game and felt he had to go for it. This is the kind of play that a team with little hope makes. Del Rio is basically telling his players that theyre not good enough to compete. Worse, this ended up being a low-scoring game. Instead of giving the Saints a short field (they only had to drive 62 yards for their first TD), play the percentages a little more. Loved: The fact that the Jacksonville grounds crew painted the arrows going the wrong way at Ever Bank Stadium. Instead of pointing toward the end zone, they were pointed toward midfield. It made for all sorts of great jokes about the wrong-way Jaguars.[ Image: Yard markers point wrong way in Jacksonville ]Loathed: I have made no secret of my appreciation for Buffalo coach Chan Gaileys ability to call plays. But I have to say that I hated his decision to run on second-and-1 in the early moments of the fourth quarter. Yeah, this was a time to run clock, but second-and-1 is still an attack down, not a short-yardage play. Play more aggressively.Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:• What did we learn in Week 5 of the college football season?• Diamondbacks manager admits to costly Game 1 mistake• Fantasy Football video: Advice for Monday nights matchup Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast. Updated Oct 2, 11:54 pm EDT
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Tate is good, but Foster is special with his ability to catch the ball and his ability to accelerate after a cut. Tate is really good when he powers into the middle and hits a crease. If he has to stop and start, Tate is not nearly as effective. Thats why the Texans offense is better in the red zone.• Speaking of the Texans, the pass rush continued to make progress as Houston sacked Pittsburghs Ben Roethlisberger(notes) five times, including two by former No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams(notes). Some of this euphoria has to be tempered by the fact that Pittsburgh cant block the Golden Girls right now. But if Houstons defense is going to do anything, the line is going to have to generate the improvement. That secondary is still questionable.• While Detroits Johnson gets his deserved respect, give credit to Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant(notes) as well. Bryant showed up with two TD catches in the first half as the Cowboys built their big lead. While Johnson is a better player than Bryant right now, it might not be long before Bryant closes that gap. After Bryants big third-down catch against Washington on Monday night and his Sunday performance, Bryant took huge steps forward this week to capitalize on his immense talent.• Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton(notes) lost again, but he continues to make every game interesting, as he did against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Right now, there is something mesmerizing about Newton and the way he plays. Its not always pretty, but its always interesting. The Texans Connor Barwin sacks Ben Roethlisberger. (Getty Images) • Having mentioned Vicks change of style, the same suggestion needs to go out to Roethlisberger, who is playing some of the worst football of his career right now. Through four games, Roethlisberger has nine turnovers, including four lost fumbles, and is on pace to throw more interceptions than touchdown passes for only the second time in his eight-year career. As mentioned before, the offensive line is awful right now. Roethlisberger is on pace to be sacked a career-high 56 times this season. But if thats the situation, he needs to do something to fix it. Getting rid of the ball sooner is the best answer.[ Related: Big Ben spotted on crutches after Steelers loss ]• As noted last week, there is something seriously wrong with St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford(notes), who is not making progress. The Rams offensive line is atrocious, but its more than that. Bradford looks jittery and indecisive, even when he has time. While the Redskins defense is better than most people thought it would be going into this season, it shouldnt be good enough to shut down the Rams in St. Louis. The Rams had running back Steven Jackson back for this game, which should have taken a little pressure off the passing game. This is a better offensive team than it has shown, even without wide receiver Danny Amendola(notes).• Memo to Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley: The screaming at players on the sideline has to stop – now. It was interesting when you were a rookie head coach. Then you found out that it just caused resentment between you and players who knew you had never played in the NFL. While things calmed down last season with the playoff run, the edginess from this season is not good. Things go bad in a season, but dont make them worse by yelling when your people are already upset. That accomplishes nothing. Thankfully for Haley, quarterback Matt Cassel(notes) and the Chiefs, they rallied to beat the more woeful Vikings.• OK, its hard to get on a guy when he has a huge interception return for a touchdown, as Detroit cornerback Chris Houston(notes) did in the second half of the Lions comeback win. However, Houston also had some of the softest coverage ever in the second quarter when he was burned for a 44-yard completion from Romo to Laurent Robinson(notes). That play, which set up a touchdown, was obvious and it was coming right at Houston. He made up for it, but you cant have mistakes like that. Donovan McNabb was sacked twice and intercepted once vs. the Chiefs.(Getty Images) • Ive tried to defend Donovan McNabb(notes) in the past as a guy whos play hasnt gotten enough respect over the years. However, McNabb continues to do things guys his age shouldnt do. The latest example was the interception he threw in the second quarter against Kansas City. McNabb tried to hit running back Toby Gerhart(notes) underneath and fired a pass high off Gerharts shoulder pads. The carom was subsequently intercepted. This kind of play is like something from Quarterbacking 101: Dont throw high to a running back if hes underneath the defense. First, running backs dont have a chance to adjust their hands quickly to high throws. Second, most running backs arent great receivers. They might be good, but theyre rarely great.[Yahoo! Sports Radio: Santana Moss on 3-1 Redskins]• Philadelphia running back Ronnie Brown(notes) is a really good dude, but that move to try to attempt a pass after he got stopped at the goal line in the first half was odd. 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content: Got something to say?The lead for this piece: ¡°Uh oh.¡± Multiply that couple of monosyllables by a few million strong to approximate the sound you hear emanating from the Raider Nation this morning as the news slowly circulates about Javon Walker¡¯s recent run of Bacchanalia and subsequent blow to the skull.Serious trouble, that is, for Walker and the Raiders¡¯ hopes.Few details exist at present, though through top-notch muckrakers TMZ.com (remember them breaking the Tom Brady booted footsie story?) as of just before midnight ET, we learn that Las Vegas ¨C yes, that Las Vegas ¨C police ¡°found¡± Walker unconscious at approximately 7 a.m. on Monday with a fracture to the eye socket; Walker was reportedly ¡°the victim of an apparent early morning robbery.¡± The Vegas hospital is reporting Walker as in fair condition.You may recall (though Walker¡¯s own remembrance of his weekend is a bit fuzzy right about now, to be sure) that the new high-profile Raider blew some $1,000 per bottle on Dom Perignon champagne at a bar Saturday night, with which he proceeded to spray fellow partiers. (A bit early for a championship celebration, isn't it, Javon ...?) And that was just the beginning of the revelry, as Walker was later observed capping his long weekend with a slap-up at the ¡°Body English at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino until 6:30 a.m. Monday.¡±What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas? Al Davis wishes! Without too many details released, the damning orbital fracture may soon be hurting his team more than it hurts him. While the nice folks over at the University of Virginia inform that double vision is among the most common side effects of an orbital fracture (essentially, the breaking of bones in the skull around the eye socket) are double vision and decreased movement of the eye. While the doctors there do state that ¡°Usually the double vision will resolve without treatment in three to four days,¡± cause for concern has to remain.Assuming, however, that the blow Walker took the eye was delivered with a bit more force than such a strike might have been by accident (or even ¨C gasp ¨C on the football field), the injury may require addressing some issues past the three or four days given a relatively minor orbital fracture injury.Experts at Richmond Eye Associates (what¡¯s going on down there in Virginia, anyway? Are assaults on the eye that common?) kick some facts about the darker end of the spectrum:Anyone with such injury should seek out a complete eye examination to rule out any other eye injury promptly. The floor and inside wall of the orbit are especially thin, and sinuses are on the other side of the bone. ...If the fracture of large enough, the contents of the orbit can start to slip into the sinus, and the eye will appear to sink backwards. Sometimes an eye muscle can get trapped in an orbital fracture and become stuck. This leads to double vision especially if looking up, with pain. ... Entrapped muscles often have to be released surgically. Yeesh.Analysis? Permanence of this injury aside, this is not what Raider backers needed to hear on what should have been a silent football news day. For all the smack the reportedly overweight $55 million man has been talking about his own expectations for the upcoming season, Walker may have just single-handedly set back the cause of JaMarcus Russell¡¯s passing game another year. Figuring in Walker¡¯s reported weight problems combined with the typical doctor¡¯s advice to stay away from heavy lifting for 'X' number of weeks after any sort of eye surgery, how in Lombardi¡¯s name is Walker supposed to get in shape in time?Heck, even if Walker does completely recover within the next six weeks while trimming that poundage (certainly on the increase, too, what with the lack of activity and champagne/party-food diet), surely the commissioner¡¯s office will have something to say about the man¡¯s orgiastic extracurricular activities. Reckon a suspension is in the works; Ronald Curry may yet end up Russell¡¯s go-to guy in an all-important September which sees Oakland vs. Denver, at Kansas City and vs. San Diego. Double yeesh.So opener,¡±"]¡°That team is going to see me in the [regular season] opener,¡± eh, Javon? ¡°They are going to see me, I¡¯ll tell you that. They¡¯ll see what they are missing.¡±Yeah, except that now Bronco backers are guffawing about ¡°what they are missing¡±: A probably overpaid, overweight discipline problem that ¡°That team is going to see¡± collecting splinters on the bench or possibly Medicare checks come September.As for catching passes from Russell someday, well, we¡¯ll see. So to speak.Eyewitness to all things gridiron throughout the year at RealFootball365.com
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content: Got something to say?As a junior, 23-year-old Trevor Scott convinced coaches at the University at Buffalo that making a transition from tight end to defensive end would be no problem. After spending his entire sophomore campaign as a reserve tight end, the Potsdam, N.Y., native recorded the most sacks by a Bull defender since Buffalo became a Division 1-A team in 1999.Now, the Oakland Raiders are hoping the young defensive end can make as smooth of a transition to the NFL as he did from offense to defense in college.In April, the franchise¡¯s owner -- 78-year-old Al Davis -- took the speedy DE with the team¡¯s second-to-last pick in the ¡®08 draft, calling Scott¡¯s name in the sixth round (169th overall). Scott was just the fourth player chosen by Oakland in the draft and only one of two defensive players selected by the team.In his first season on the defensive side of the ball with Buffalo, Scott racked up eight sacks, 45 tackles and 13? stops for a loss. Last season, as a senior, he started all 12 games at left end for the Bulls and added another 10 sacks, 46 tackles and 15 stops for a loss to his brief college resume.¡°It¡¯s interesting. They moved him from tight end, where he¡¯s obviously a good player for two years, but really took off for two years of pretty good production as a defensive end,¡± Raiders D-coordinator Rob Ryan told the Contra Costa Times in April.Despite being a late-round draft choice, Scott has a tremendous opportunity to continue on with his newfound success. Not only does he have a great chance to make the team this offseason, but he could also see a significant amount of playing time in 2008.The former Mid-American Conference standout has every measurable Davis looks for in a player. In fact, he practically put on a clinic at the Buffalo pro day just prior to the draft, running the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds, recording a 33.5-inch vertical and running the short shuttle in 4.19 seconds.In comparison, second overall pick Chris Long, a fellow DE, ran the 40 in 4.75 seconds and the sixth player taken, DE/LB Vernon Gholston, ran it in 4.65 seconds -- both slower than Scott.And he stands 6-foot-5, 256 pounds.¡°When you see that young man, you do see potential,¡± Ryan added. ¡°To me, he¡¯s getting stronger every day. You can see even his weight¡¯s going up, his strength¡¯s going up, every day.¡±For the rest of the defensive ends on Oakland¡¯s roster -- with the exception of veteran Derrick Burgess -- Scott has to be something to worry about.The short list of ends all competing for the same spot opposite Burgess this season includes second-year defender Jay Richardson, 33-year-old Greg Spires, ex-Detroit Lions project Kalimba Edwards and Scott.Richardson has played in just 16 career games with one sack; Spires is heading into his 11th NFL season; and Edwards is a former second-rounder who hasn¡¯t registered more than seven sacks since being drafted six years ago. It¡¯s not an overly impressive list of possible future starters.¡°Hopefully he¡¯ll be the next Gerry Philbin,¡± Ryan said.Ryan wasn¡¯t even two years old when Philbin was drafted. Yet the two-time AFL All-Pro D-lineman for the New York Jets clearly left a mark in the coordinator¡¯s mind.Like Scott, Philbin was a 23-year-old defensive end drafted out of the University at Buffalo. To say the least, that story ended well.Anthony Carroll can be contacted at
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content: Got something to say?It¡¯s time once again for RealFootball365.com to riffle through the pages of the sportsbook (or, truth be told, to write one ourselves) to bring our readers a few ways on which to ... um ... speculate financially. Yeah, that's the ticket ...In tribute to the NBA championship-winning Boston Celtics and simply because we¡¯re sure you can never get enough on the self-assumed Sports Capital Of This And All Alternate Universes In Which This Sector Of The Galaxy Exists, ¡°Odds on the odd¡± takes a look at a few lines related to New England Patriots football and those other oh-so-lovable Boston sports franchises.As always, these lines are for amusement purposes only. RealFootball365.com does not condone gambling of any sort, except for harmless legal forms such as lottery tickets, office pools, stock market speculation, casino blackjack, etc. Next Boston/New England-based franchise to win a championship titleNew England Patriots: 1/1Boston Red Sox: 2/1Boston Celtics: 15/1Boston Bruins: 400/1New England Revolution: Yeah, like you care2008 Democratic Party vice presidential nomineeThe Field: 4/1Hillary Clinton: 3/2Paul Pierce, plus Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will be getting nice cabinet positions as well: 1/9New England Patriots MVP, 2008 seasonJerod Mayo: 1,000/1Ellis Hobbs: 40/1Matt Light: 28/1Wes Welker: 20/1Laurence Maroney: 18/1Richard Seymour: 15/2Matt Vrabel: 5/1Randy Moss: 4/1Tom Brady: 1/5Paul Pierce: 1/9The employee who figures out how to intercept radio signals sent to opposing MLBs: 1/100New England Patriots-related quote of the year, 2008¡°[Tom Brady] doesn¡¯t have a bad bone in his body": 1/1,000The Field: OFFParlay betsRed Sox win 2008 World Series and Patriots win Super Bowl XLIII: 5/1Patriots win Super Bowl XLIII and Celtics win 2008-2009 NBA championship: 20/1Red Sox win 2008 World Series and Patriots win Super Bowl XLIII and Celtics win 2008-2009 NBA championship: 75/1All three happening, plus an epidemic-level outbreak of Bostophobia, a rare condition characterized by spontaneous homicidal impulse directed at anyone refusing to correctly pronounce the ¡°ar¡± sound: OFFImmediate reaction of this writer¡¯s Manchester, N.H.,-born and -raised father upon reading this column¡°Boy, this is great¡±: 10/1¡°Boy, this is great, but why aren¡¯t the Bruins mentioned more often?¡±: 17/2¡°Boy, this is great. By the way, have I told you about how I won the poker tournament last weekend?¡±: 3/1¡°Who is Os Davis?¡±: 1/1Happy gambling all, and until next time, go Riptide!
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content: Got something to say?The defending Super Bowl champion Giants came to terms with three of their seven draft picks Tuesday, giving them four rookies under contract. Signing deals Tuesday were fourth-round linebacker Bryan Kehl (BYU), fifth-round LB Jonathan Goff (Vanderbilt) and sixth-round picks Andre' Woodson (QB, Kentucky) and Robert Henderson (DE, Southern Mississippi). First-round safety Kenny Phillips, second-round cornerback Terrell Thomas and third-round receiver Mario Manningham remain unsigned. Giants rookie contract status as of June 251 (31). FS Kenny Phillips, Miami ¨C Unsigned2 (63). CB Terrell Thomas, USC ¨C Unsigned3 (95). WR Mario Manningham, Michigan ¨C Unsigned4 (123). OLB Bryan Kehl, BYU - Signed (four years, no financial terms disclosed)5 (165). LB Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt - Signed (four years, no financial terms disclosed)6 (198). QB Andre' Woodson, Kentucky - Signed (four years, no financial terms disclosed)6 (199). DE Robert Henderson, Southern Mississippi - Signed (four years, no financial terms disclosed)
content: Got something to say?When a team wins one game and loses 15, there¡¯s little question that a dearth of talent is likely to be a contributing factor. Such other reasons as a difficult schedule and untimely injuries play into an epically dismal season of that magnitude, but teams with talented and deep rosters tend to rise above bad breaks and find ways to win.Needless to say, that¡¯s not what happened with the Miami Dolphins in 2007.So when executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells installed Jeff Ireland as the team¡¯s general manager in January, his first order of business was to improve the franchise's talent. Ireland stated early on that the way to improve a team is to improve its talent from the bottom up. The theory goes that if players 45 through 53 on the 53-man roster are better this year than last, then new head coach Tony Sparano will have a more talented roster with which to work than did his predecessor.Of course, the team also improved at the top of the roster, too. Through free agency -- where the Dolphins shopped for need -- and the first draft of the Parcells/Ireland/Sparano era -- in which the team shopped for talent -- the Dolphins filled key positions with significant player upgrades.At this point of the offseason, the majority of the grocery shopping has been done (though the front office will continue to keep its eye open for better talent at certain positions). When Miami heads into training camp in July, it will bear little resemblance to last year¡¯s moribund crew.With all the questions surrounding the Dolphins, perhaps the biggest is: What will the new roster look like?Every NFL team must cut its roster to 80 players heading into training camp. Once the season starts, teams will have 53-man rosters, with 45 players suiting up each week. With so few players, there is a small margin for error in putting the roster together. And, for the hungry players battling for a chance to wear the aqua and orange this fall, there will be a small number of roster spots to fight over.Below is a quick look at how many players at each position the team is likely to keep going into the season; and over the next couple of weeks, we¡¯ll examine the offensive and defensive units to see which spots are settled and which are going to be up for grabs.Special teams: Not much intrigue here. The team will carry one kicker, one punter and a long snapper; those spots are probably already filled, despite Parcells¡¯ pointed comments for Jay Feely to keep his kicking mouth shut. Feely or rookie Dan Carpenter will kick, second-year punter Brandon Fields will be back, and John Denney will return as the long snapper.That leaves a combined 50 slots for the offensive and defensive rosters. These other two units are obviously not as set as special teams, which is why RF365 will take a more detailed look at both in the coming weeks.On offense, the Dolphins will probably carry 23 to 28 players, including three quarterbacks, four or five running backs, one fullback, five to six wide receivers, two to three tight ends, three or four tackles, three or four guards, and two centers. On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins¡¯ roster will list 22 to 27 defenders, including two to three tackles, four or five ends, four to five outside linebackers, four or five inside linebackers, four or five cornerbacks and four safeties.As things stand now, at least half (14) of the offensive roster spots are locked up. Next week, we¡¯ll examine those 14 players, another six who are probably going to be on the 53-man roster come Sept. 7, and who has the best chance of winning the fierce competition for the remaining offensive roster positions.
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content: Got something to say?Counting tackles is tough. It¡¯s an unintended but still telling slight toward defenders, like how the Heisman Trophy guy insults them by carrying a ball: The imprecise nature of ending a play makes it tricky. Should tagging a wideout who dove to make a catch really count as a tackle? Who gets credit, the defensive end who grabbed a piece of the running back to hinder his speed or the linebacker who actually takes him to the turf? And would Deion Sanders have ever racked up a single tackle if pushing a receiver out of bounds didn¡¯t qualify?There are a plethora of factors for anyone trying to figure out who should be credited for what successful attack on the football¡¯s possessor, just as there are numerous restrictions on using the stat as the primary method for measuring defenders such as the quality of each player¡¯s 10 coworkers. Still, a look at the Buffalo Bills¡¯ tackle ranking in 2007 provides a fair picture of what the defense accomplished plus where it needs to improve.For example, their best linebacker unsurprisingly got the biggest total: Angelo Crowell led the Bills tackling brigade, finishing with 126 bring downs, in part a testament to his instinct for devastation. John DiGiorgio came in second with 113; that stands as an impressive accrual for a player who only started 13 games and played for part of a 14th, even for a middle linebacker who is naturally going to be near most action. Donte Whitner came in next, as he was credited with 89 total tackles; in some cases, a safety finishing third in the category would provide evidence of an overall weak defense, as it might reflect an excessive quantity of instances whereby ball carriers made their way deep into the secondary.That said, the Ohio State product is an instinctual player who enjoys cheating as close as he can to the line of scrimmage and aggressively pouncing despite the inherently conservative nature of this defense. Whitner is a linebacker who was issued a body that¡¯s just a bit too small.Also, factoring in the Bills¡¯ Tampa 2-centric attack, safeties will achieve a good portion of their tackles as part of pass coverage, so it wasn¡¯t as if most of the Whitner¡¯s play-ending maneuvers were desperate touchdown-saving interruptions of rushers who broke through every other level of Buffalo¡¯s defense.As for up front, it¡¯s usually not reasonable to hope that defensive tackles accumulate impressive stats. In a sport where success at one position helps directly or indirectly every other spot, tackles are theoretically the ultimate selfless players, attracting opponents into their gravitational pull so other defenders can get to the ball.But it still would have been nice if the interior linemen had amassed a collectively higher total, especially because they¡¯re supposed to be nimble players who do much on their own. Kyle Williams¡¯ 41 led the pack, with regularly used reserve John McCargo ending up getting 29; huge free agent zero Larry Tripplett, now Seattle¡¯s problem, only managed 35.It would be one thing if a 3-4 monster like Ted Washington or Fred Smerlas had low tackle numbers: Their primary task is to squash two or three blockers at a time. But Buffalo¡¯s current DTs are a different breed, namely players who are supposed to elude the offense¡¯s linemen and get to the ball themselves.By comparison, Tampa¡¯s starting tackles, Jovan Haye and Chris Hovan, got 68 and 48, respectively. Every defense¡¯s situation is different, but the team that created the blueprint for the style continues to set the gold, or at least pewter, standard for how interior linemen operate.As with hopes for more sacks, the biggest help to beef up the stop numbers is better players: New nose tackle Marcus Stroud got 22 in nine 2007 games for Jacksonville, while ex-Viking Spencer Johnson made 24 tackles without making a start. They should make life easier for their edge-aligned teammates, even though one of their new colleagues held his own last season.Namely, Aaron Schobel tallied 57, which compares favorably to other prominent 4-3 ends such as Trent Cole of the Eagles (70) and New Orleans¡¯ Will Smith (66); Jared Allen got 64 in his last year as a Chief, while emerging Houston force Mario Williams had two more than Schobel. Perpetually maligned for his alleged weak run support, the former TCU standout did fairly well in terms of cold numbers, especially without much help at his side.On the other end, Chris Kelsay had 43 while sitting out two contests, while Ryan Denney got 27 in a mere seven games; on top of that, rookie third-round pick Chris Ellis was credited with 53 total stops in his final season as a Virginia Tech Hokie, which brings hope on its own that he could find success this year when he¡¯s stirred into the rotation. It shows that he was actively involved in games beyond the pass rush.While his senior year can¡¯t be defined entirely by that one stat, it¡¯s a decent barometer just as it is for the pros. A collectively higher talent level should help the established Bills defenders, a hope that would be not entirely but partially reflected with slightly better numbers from a fairly revealing defensive statistic.
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Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars is one of the youngest football teams of the National Football League. They call Jacksonville, Florida their home and play in the updated and renovated former Gator Bowl. They came about in 1995 and have pretty much been a fair football powerhouse since their first season. The stadium that they play in is an historic landmark. Built in the Great Depression out of steel trusses, the mammoth Stadium is now called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium but most people around the Northeast Florida area still call it the Gator Bowl.Florida had not seen any new NFL teams since the Tampa Bay Bucs were added in the 1976 season. Even though the state of Florida already had 2 pro football teams, the state was and still is such a football-crazy area of the USA, adding a third team to the state's NFL roster posed no problem. Jacksonville, Florida is the largest land-area city in the US and the fan base for the Jaguars is spread out over about 1000 square miles of territory. It includes all of Northeast Florida and a large part of Southeast Georgia.Jax was in the running in the 1990s for their team against North Carolina, Missouri, Maryland, and Tennessee. Many thought that since Florida already had 2 pro teams that is really was not fair that the state should get a third pro football team. But a group was formed in Jacksonville to bring a team to town and in 1991 they placed a formal application with the NFL. Governor Jeb Bush was included in the original ownership group along with Tom Petway. They had already named the team the Jacksonville Jaguars and with the leadership of Wayne Weaver, the founder of shoe company Nine West, the city of Jacksonville was destined to get their pro football team.A few hurtles had to be overcome in the beginning with the renovation of the Gator Bowl being one and the selling of the first season's tickets being the other one. A first drive to sell the not-so-cheap season tickets resulted in over 10,000 seats being sold in 10 days. On November 31, 1993, the day after Jax was announced as the 30th winning NFL franchise; there were 25,000 fans on hand at the Gator Bowl to celebrate the official announcement. That day, official season ticket sales were a kick off and within ten days, sales for season tickets had passed the 55,000 mark.The Gator Bowl game at the end of 1993 was the last game in the old stadium. The revered Bowl was pretty much demolished and replaced. The replacement consisted of reinforced concrete superstructure status and all that really remained of the old stadium was the West upper deck and a small portion of the ramping system. The first game played in the new stadium happened in the 1995 season with a preseason game of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the St. Louis Rams.Jacksonville's first 1996 season was a big success. They were winners of 6 of their final seven games in the season and ended up with a 9-7 record. This got them the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs where they would face off with the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo. They beat the Bills 30-27. Then they faced the Denver Broncos who had a 13-3 record for that year and were the powerhouse of the AFC. Even though Denver was a super team that year, the Jags, lead by mark Brunell, beat the Broncos 30-27 in Denver. When the team returned home, they were greeted by over 40,000 devoted fans at their home stadium.The Jacksonville Jaguars are set up to have a very illustrious future and if the fan base around Northeast Florida has anything to say about it, Jacksonville will have a pro football team for a long time to come.
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Philadelphia Eagles 2010 Strength of Schedule, Futures, Odds and Predictions
A new era is definitely under way in Philly as the Eagles will be without long-time stars Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook when they open the 2010 season.McNabb helped lead the Eagles to a 11-5 regular-season record last season, but back-to-back poor performance by the quarterback in the season finale and Wild-Card playoff game against Dallas led to his shocking trade to the rival Washington Redskins. It wasn't really a huge shock that McNabb was dealt, as that had been rumored, but that the Eagles dared trade him in division. The six-time Pro Bowler led the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl in 11 seasons in Philadelphia. He is the franchise leader in yards passing (32,873), completions (2,801), attempts (4,746), completion percentage (59.0) and touchdown passes (216). He also rushed for 3,249 yards and 28 TDs.For all his criticisms, McNabb didn't turn the ball over much, as in the past four seasons the only QB with at least 1,000 attempts and a lower interception percentage is Aaron Rodgers. McNabb has thrown 683 more passes than Rodgers in that time period.Now it's Kevin Kolb's team and he showed some glimpses of stardom in his two starts for an injured McNabb in Weeks 2 and 3 last year. Kolb threw for 391 yards in a loss to the Saints and 327 in a win over the Chiefs to become the first player ever to throw for at least 300 yards in his first two starts. And now Michael Vick, assuming he isn't released or suspended after a shooting at a party he was at, is now one injury away from starting again.As for Westbrook, it was probably time for him to go as he couldn't stay healthy any more so the team cut him. He had an MVP-caliber season in 2007 with a league-leading 2,104 yards from scrimmage and accounted for 12 touchdowns that season. That season he accounted for 36.7 percent of the team's offense. Last season he missed eight games with concussions and an ankle injury. He scored only two touchdowns in 2009 and managed 455 yards from scrimmage. Now second-year player LeSean McCoy is the featured back and the Eagles also signed Mike Bell from the Saints to back him up.With McCoy, receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and tight end Brent Celek, the Eagles have tons of potential, but it all rests on Kolb. The defense does have a few questions as in defensive coordinator Sean McDermott's first season running that unit it allowed 21 points per game, ranking 19th in the NFL. The linebacking corps should be better as Stewart Bradley returns to the middle after a preseason knee injury cost him all of 2009, and Ernie Sims was acquired from the Detroit Lions to man the weak side.Here's the 2010 Philadelphia Eagles schedule (all times Eastern):Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 12, Green Bay, 4:15 PMWeek 2: Sunday, Sep. 19, at Detroit, 1:00 PMWeek 3: Sunday, Sep. 26, at Jacksonville, 4:05 PMWeek 4: Sunday, Oct. 3, Washington, 4:15 PMWeek 5: Sunday, Oct. 10, at San Francisco, 8:20 PMWeek 6: Sunday, Oct. 17, Atlanta, 1:00 PMWeek 7: Sunday, Oct. 24, at Tennessee, 1:00 PMWeek 8: BYEWeek 9: Sunday, Nov. 7, Indianapolis, 4:15 PMWeek 10: Monday, Nov. 15, at Washington, 8:30 PMWeek 11: Sunday, Nov. 21, NY Giants, 8:20 PMWeek 12: Sunday, Nov. 28, at Chicago, 1:00 PMWeek 13: Thursday, Dec. 2, Houston, 8:20 PMWeek 14: Sunday, Dec. 12, at Dallas, 8:20 PMWeek 15: Sunday, Dec. 19, at NY Giants, 1:00 PMWeek 16: Sunday, Dec. 26, Minnesota, 1:00 PMWeek 17: Sunday, Jan. 2, Dallas, 1:00 PMPhilly's schedule ranks as the ninth-toughest in the NFL, with an opponents' 2009 winning percentage of.520 (133-123). And the networks love the Eagles as they will be on national TV at least eight times.The Eagles better start fast because their schedule after the bye week is a monster. Things didn't go too well the last time they opened against Green Bay as the Packers won 16-13 in 2007. This game for Week 1 is currently a 'pick'em' on BetUS. The following week, at Detroit, looks like a major trap game even though the Eagles put up 56 on the improving Lions last year. And then Philly has a tough one in the likely heat and humidity in Jacksonville, which is the only active NFL franchise that the Eagles have yet to defeat (0-3). It's Philly's first visit there since its last Super Bowl.But then comes what probably will be the most hyped game of the season when McNabb returns to Philadelphia with the Skins. Strangely, Washington is the only NFC East opponent the Eagles face until Week 10, when they will travel to play the Redskins on "Monday Night Football." That 49ers game looks like a loss, as it's never easy to travel across country to play, especially after the no-doubt emotional Washington game (even though the Eagles beat the Niners, 27-13, last year). Philly was 0-2 on the West Coast last year. Overall, the NFL point spreads like a 4-3 team heading into the bye week.If there's ever a time for Philly to play the Colts, it's after the bye because Andy Reid has never lost following the bye week. Both the Colts and Texans visit Lincoln Financial Field for the first time. After visiting Washington, the Eagles see only playoff-caliber teams the rest of the way. It's the fourth year in a row that Philly has played Chicago (third straight there) and the past three have been decided by four points or less. Good luck getting through those final four games without at least two losses. It's the third year in a row that Philly closes with Dallas, and the first two had playoff implications. This one probably will as well.The Eagles' 'over/under' for NFL season win totals is 8.5 wins and they are +275 to win the NFC East (second behind Dallas). This one is tough to predict because who knows what Kolb really is, but Philly should be able to get to nine wins yet seems unlikely to beat out Dallas or the Giants for the division title. We are looking at a second half football picks and a wild-card spot is a possibility but will be tough.
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The History of the Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have been in existence since the nineteen-thirties. They won three NFL championships before the NFL merged with the AFL, so those were not Super Bowl winning teams. The team has played in two Super Bowls. In 1980 they lost to the Oakland Raiders and in 2004 they lost to the New England Patriots. Despite the Super Bowl losses the Eagles have been one of the top teams in the NFL for the past ten years. Quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Michael Westbrook lead one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL year in and year out.The Eagles play their home games at Veterans Stadium from 1971-2002 before moving to the new, state of the art, Lincoln Financial Field. They play in front of 69.032 fans each Sunday. The notorious Eagles fans support their team in good times and bad, but they do not hesitate to let the Eagles know when they are not happy. This is a crowd who once booed Santa Claus at a game at the old Veterans Stadium and they haven't become any more easygoing since they moved to their new home. One feature that was removed from the new field was the four cell jail that was a holdover needed for the rowdy crowds at the old Vet.The Eagles were named in honor of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal which is also why their helmets are adorned with a silver eagle. One of the more interesting facts in team history is that in 1941 they briefly merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was because during World War II the two teams were unable to fill their rosters. The team was known as the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh "Steagles" and the merger was broken up after the 1943 season when the two franchises were again able to field a full roster.Over the years Eagles fans have been lucky enough to see many NFL greats play for their team. There are eighteen players in the pro football Hall of Fame that played or coached for the Eagles. There are also seven former Eagles players that have had their numbers retired. In addition to the retired numbers there are twenty-eight former players, coaches, or executives who are honored in the Eagle Honor Roll.In 2008 Forbes magazine ranked Eagles fans as the most diehard fans in America which anyone on the more than forty-thousand person waiting list can attest. Season tickets are renewed at more than a 99.7% rate so the people who are at the bottom of the waiting list are going to be there for quite a few years. Of course, being the most diehard fans in America this doesn't discourage many of them from waiting.The Philadelphia Eagles have made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years and this trend looks as though it will continue well into the next decade. When Philadelphia fans booed the draft day selection of superstar quarterback Donovan McNabb they had no idea he would become the face of one of the winningest franchises in the National Football League. In this era many people only judge success by Super Bowl wins, but the Philadelphia Eagles are a franchise that plays the right way and has won an awful lot of football games along the way.
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College Football is the Most Passionate Sport - 17 Reasons Why
College football creates and instills more passion out of players, coaches, and most definitely fans than any other American sport. I'm not making an argument for the popularity of college football compared to the NFL - because I do think on a national scale the NFL does get more viewers in a season. What I am saying - is that the passion surrounding a college football Saturday simply is on another level and cannot be matched by any other sport in our country. Why is this? Am I just completely biased because I have been a Michigan Wolverine fan my entire life? Yes, to some degree I am. Let's get a solid list going of why college football instills more passion and - yes I am going here - is better than the NFL or any other professional sport for that matter.EVERY game matters. You simply cannot afford to lose a single game or else your national championship hopes take a serious hit. I've seen plenty of playoff bound NFL teams sleepwalk through games. You simply will not see this type of play in the college ranks. The NBA, please, unless you are loyal to a specific team it's almost not worth watching until the playoffs start.The rivalries. You can't tell there are more rivalries in any other sport besides college football. Let's face it - Michigan and Ohio State might be the best rivalry that exists in all of sports. For every loss that takes place, in the back of the losing team's mind, they know that they have to wait for an entire year to avenge that loss. And it stings, pisses people off, you're walking down your street naked after losing a bet, fights break out, friends become enemies, and it goes on and on and on - for 365 days until it's time to suit up for the next game in the series.The emotion. Walk a college campus the week before a huge game. It's what everybody is talking about. There is a certain tension in the air - as each fan knows they are about to pour so much of their own energy into Saturday's festivities.The rankings. Let's face it. When your team is returning 17 starters and last year you finished up at 10-2 coming off a big bowl win - you are scouring the internet in early April for some obscure preseason rankings just to find out what website or magazine has your squad ranked the highest.The tradition. Tradition is littered across the college football landscape. It loiters on the street corners, in pre-game festivities, in half-time marching band performances, in post-game rituals, each big rivalry game brings countless traditions.The loyalty. Loyalty to a certain team may run for generations in a family. I will forever have a place in my heart for the University of Dayton - where I spent 4 great years of my life. Whether you move far far away or stay in your hometown - you have deep-rooted passion and care for your team. Absolute loyalty to your Alma Matter or that team that your family has rooted on for generations is not subject to change and becomes a part of your lifestyle every fall.Money money money! Not here! No 23 year old millionaires with bling bling on these teams. These players aren't making a dime out there. So it's only natural for us fans to have more of an emotional connection with these youngsters laying it on the line each week for the love of the sport and their school.The college atmosphere. It's freakin' outstanding. Let's do some quick phrase association - crisp fall Saturday:college football; tailgating on campus:college football; over 110,000 fans:Michigan Stadium; marching band traditions:college football. This could go on for hours - I'll spare you.The stadiums. Think about all the great NFL stadiums out there - Yeah a bit difficult because there are very few! The Big House, The Horseshoe, Touchdown Jesus, The Swamp, Death Valley, Beaver Stadium at Happy Valley, Rocky Top, The Rose Bowl, The Orange Bowl, etc.More games. This is simple math. There are 32 NFL teams. When you count all NCAA divisions there are almost 1,000 teams!Live mascots. Unfortunately, Michigan doesn't boast a live wolverine on gameday. However, back in 1927 Fielding Yost had brought in 10 wolverines from Alaska and would bring out two of them in cages on big gamedays. Apparently, the animals grew larger and more ferocious, and as Yost states, "It was obvious that the Michigan mascots had designs on the Michigan men toting them, and those designs were by no means friendly." Therefore, the practice of bringing wolverines into the stadium had to be discontinued after only one year. The practice continues on for many schools around the country - some notable gameday mascots are Uga - the Georgia Bulldog; Ralphie - the Colorado Buffalo; Bevo - the Texas Longhorn; Tiger - Auburn's golden eagle; and lastly the buckeye - it's a scary nut Ohio State fans wear around their neck that imposes fear at anyone who makes eye-contact with the ferocious nut. I hear that if you see a stray buckeye lying there on the ground - the safest thing to do is run in the opposite direction screaming obscenities.More creativity. When is the last time a Hook and Ladder play won a game in the NFL? I know it's not a weekly occurrence in the college ranks, but you get the plethora of offensive and defensive play calling in college. Coaches have more room to experiment with their athletes and their playbook.Walk-ons. One of the best stories of the 2008 college football season was when Matt Williams, an average college student, came out of the stands during halftime and put home a 30 yard field goal in a kicking contest. In desperate need of a kicker, the Texas Tech coaching staff set their eyes on the halftime star. Matt Williams ended up kicking nine extra points in his debut.Game Trophies. The Little Brown Jug - Michigan vs. Minnesota; The Paul Bunyan Axe - Michigan vs. Michigan State; are two to name a few. Teams all over college football each Saturday often play for a trophy that oozes tradition in that particular series. Here are a few more noteworthy trophies - The Golden Boot - Arkansas vs. LSU; the Peace Pipe - Toledo vs. Bowling Green; the Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana vs. Purdue.More affordable and accessible. I live in Dayton, OH and I am in one of the better locations relative to NFL teams as I have the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions all in under about 4 hours of driving distance. That's when I'm in the mood to fork out $75 for a ticket and $8 for a beer. Now, living in Dayton, OH - on any given Saturday I could spend less than $40 and go to any of these campuses: Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Indiana, any one of ten MAC teams, Notre Dame, Purdue, Louisville, Kentucky, Penn State, etc. I could make that list rather lengthy if I continued. The point is, there is an abundance of college football at my fingertips for less dollar than that of the NFL.For argument's sake! Everything about the infrastructure of college football sets up a season full of justifying your team's record, ranking, or bowl matchup. Heck, even coaches are found at the end of the season lobbying and stating their case for their team's right to play for a national championship. This is not found in any other sport! Many people hate this part of college football and feel their should be a playoff - and I think there are pros and cons to the existing solution and any alternative. So, as most of us have no control over the situation, we might as well join in on the fun and start arguing! What it also does, it maintains the relevance of the college football season in December when teams are preparing for their bowl games.The Heisman Trophy. Perhaps the most revered award in all of sports. Each year, the best player in the game gets this award - there is no money involved, no free cars, nothing but a name etched in history.
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College Football is the Most Passionate Sport - 17 Reasons Why
College football creates and instills more passion out of players, coaches, and most definitely fans than any other American sport. I'm not making an argument for the popularity of college football compared to the NFL - because I do think on a national scale the NFL does get more viewers in a season. What I am saying - is that the passion surrounding a college football Saturday simply is on another level and cannot be matched by any other sport in our country. Why is this? Am I just completely biased because I have been a Michigan Wolverine fan my entire life? Yes, to some degree I am. Let's get a solid list going of why college football instills more passion and - yes I am going here - is better than the NFL or any other professional sport for that matter.EVERY game matters. You simply cannot afford to lose a single game or else your national championship hopes take a serious hit. I've seen plenty of playoff bound NFL teams sleepwalk through games. You simply will not see this type of play in the college ranks. The NBA, please, unless you are loyal to a specific team it's almost not worth watching until the playoffs start.The rivalries. You can't tell there are more rivalries in any other sport besides college football. Let's face it - Michigan and Ohio State might be the best rivalry that exists in all of sports. For every loss that takes place, in the back of the losing team's mind, they know that they have to wait for an entire year to avenge that loss. And it stings, pisses people off, you're walking down your street naked after losing a bet, fights break out, friends become enemies, and it goes on and on and on - for 365 days until it's time to suit up for the next game in the series.The emotion. Walk a college campus the week before a huge game. It's what everybody is talking about. There is a certain tension in the air - as each fan knows they are about to pour so much of their own energy into Saturday's festivities.The rankings. Let's face it. When your team is returning 17 starters and last year you finished up at 10-2 coming off a big bowl win - you are scouring the internet in early April for some obscure preseason rankings just to find out what website or magazine has your squad ranked the highest.The tradition. Tradition is littered across the college football landscape. It loiters on the street corners, in pre-game festivities, in half-time marching band performances, in post-game rituals, each big rivalry game brings countless traditions.The loyalty. Loyalty to a certain team may run for generations in a family. I will forever have a place in my heart for the University of Dayton - where I spent 4 great years of my life. Whether you move far far away or stay in your hometown - you have deep-rooted passion and care for your team. Absolute loyalty to your Alma Matter or that team that your family has rooted on for generations is not subject to change and becomes a part of your lifestyle every fall.Money money money! Not here! No 23 year old millionaires with bling bling on these teams. These players aren't making a dime out there. So it's only natural for us fans to have more of an emotional connection with these youngsters laying it on the line each week for the love of the sport and their school.The college atmosphere. It's freakin' outstanding. Let's do some quick phrase association - crisp fall Saturday:college football; tailgating on campus:college football; over 110,000 fans:Michigan Stadium; marching band traditions:college football. This could go on for hours - I'll spare you.The stadiums. Think about all the great NFL stadiums out there - Yeah a bit difficult because there are very few! The Big House, The Horseshoe, Touchdown Jesus, The Swamp, Death Valley, Beaver Stadium at Happy Valley, Rocky Top, The Rose Bowl, The Orange Bowl, etc.More games. This is simple math. There are 32 NFL teams. When you count all NCAA divisions there are almost 1,000 teams!Live mascots. Unfortunately, Michigan doesn't boast a live wolverine on gameday. However, back in 1927 Fielding Yost had brought in 10 wolverines from Alaska and would bring out two of them in cages on big gamedays. Apparently, the animals grew larger and more ferocious, and as Yost states, "It was obvious that the Michigan mascots had designs on the Michigan men toting them, and those designs were by no means friendly." Therefore, the practice of bringing wolverines into the stadium had to be discontinued after only one year. The practice continues on for many schools around the country - some notable gameday mascots are Uga - the Georgia Bulldog; Ralphie - the Colorado Buffalo; Bevo - the Texas Longhorn; Tiger - Auburn's golden eagle; and lastly the buckeye - it's a scary nut Ohio State fans wear around their neck that imposes fear at anyone who makes eye-contact with the ferocious nut. I hear that if you see a stray buckeye lying there on the ground - the safest thing to do is run in the opposite direction screaming obscenities.More creativity. When is the last time a Hook and Ladder play won a game in the NFL? I know it's not a weekly occurrence in the college ranks, but you get the plethora of offensive and defensive play calling in college. Coaches have more room to experiment with their athletes and their playbook.Walk-ons. One of the best stories of the 2008 college football season was when Matt Williams, an average college student, came out of the stands during halftime and put home a 30 yard field goal in a kicking contest. In desperate need of a kicker, the Texas Tech coaching staff set their eyes on the halftime star. Matt Williams ended up kicking nine extra points in his debut.Game Trophies. The Little Brown Jug - Michigan vs. Minnesota; The Paul Bunyan Axe - Michigan vs. Michigan State; are two to name a few. Teams all over college football each Saturday often play for a trophy that oozes tradition in that particular series. Here are a few more noteworthy trophies - The Golden Boot - Arkansas vs. LSU; the Peace Pipe - Toledo vs. Bowling Green; the Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana vs. Purdue.More affordable and accessible. I live in Dayton, OH and I am in one of the better locations relative to NFL teams as I have the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions all in under about 4 hours of driving distance. That's when I'm in the mood to fork out $75 for a ticket and $8 for a beer. Now, living in Dayton, OH - on any given Saturday I could spend less than $40 and go to any of these campuses: Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Indiana, any one of ten MAC teams, Notre Dame, Purdue, Louisville, Kentucky, Penn State, etc. I could make that list rather lengthy if I continued. The point is, there is an abundance of college football at my fingertips for less dollar than that of the NFL.For argument's sake! Everything about the infrastructure of college football sets up a season full of justifying your team's record, ranking, or bowl matchup. Heck, even coaches are found at the end of the season lobbying and stating their case for their team's right to play for a national championship. This is not found in any other sport! Many people hate this part of college football and feel their should be a playoff - and I think there are pros and cons to the existing solution and any alternative. So, as most of us have no control over the situation, we might as well join in on the fun and start arguing! What it also does, it maintains the relevance of the college football season in December when teams are preparing for their bowl games.The Heisman Trophy. Perhaps the most revered award in all of sports. Each year, the best player in the game gets this award - there is no money involved, no free cars, nothing but a name etched in history.
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Seattle Seahawks 2010 Strength of Schedule, Futures Odds and Predictions
At least in regard to the front office and on the coaching staff, it's hard to argue any team underwent a bigger facelift in the offseason than the Seattle Seahawks.It was definitely time for a change, since following a 2007 record of 10-6 and a division title, the Seahawks have won just nine games, including a 5-11 record last season that was full of injuries all over the field. Of course, the big move this offseason was hiring Pete Carroll from USC, and he was happy to come take Paul Allen's money and full control of the team ahead of those sanctions at USC.The problems were many last season, but nowhere more so than the offensive line. Seattle played four different left tackles, three different left guards and centers and six different offensive line combinations in 2009. That unit allowed 14 sacks and QB Matt Hasselbeck couldn't stay healthy yet again. Thus, the Seahawks averaged just 17.5 points per game. To boost the O-Line, Seattle brought in noted line coach Alex Gibbs and drafted Oklahoma State All-American Russell Okung with its first first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft. And Seattle also added a weapon for Hasselbeck in Notre Dame WR Golden Tate in the second round. Receiver has been a problem on this team for a while, and the Seahawks lost their best guy from last year in Nate Burleson.The Seahawks are going with a new offensive system for the third consecutive season, this time under new coordinator Jeremy Bates. The team wants a strong running game but doesn't seem settled on any one back among Julius Jones, who began last year as the starter, Justin Forsett, who emerged late last year, and Leon Washington, who was acquired from the Jets but is still recovering from a season-ending injury. Thus, Carroll traded for LenDale White but cut him quickly. There is still talk the Seahawks might try to trade for Buffalo RB Marshawn Lynch.Hasselbeck enters camp as the starter but Carroll also traded for former Chargers backup Charlie Whitehurst to push the veteran, and don't be surprised to see the untested Whitehurst take over early in the season if the Seahawks start slow.The Seattle defense may not look a lot different this season because coordinator Casey Bradley is one of the few coaches that was retained from Jim Mora Jr.'s staff. The return to health of middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu and top cornerback Marcus Trufant will help. Second 2010 first-round pick Earl Thomas could start right away at safety and 2009 first-rounder Aaron Curry will move to the strong side as he played at Wake Forest and then to defensive end to help an anemic pass rush.This team should at least be more competitive if not necessarily better. The experts list Seattle's 'over/under' NFL season win total at 7.5. Here is the 2010 Seattle Seahawks schedule (all times Eastern):Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 12, San Francisco, 4:15 PMWeek 2: Sunday, Sep. 19, at Denver, 4:05 PMWeek 3: Sunday, Sep. 26, San Diego, 4:15 PMWeek 4: Sunday, Oct. 3, at St. Louis, 1:00 PMWeek 5: BYEWeek 6: Sunday, Oct. 17, at Chicago, 1:00 PMWeek 7: Sunday, Oct. 24, Arizona, 4:05 PMWeek 8: Sunday, Oct. 31, at Oakland, 4:15 PMWeek 9: Sunday, Nov. 7, NY Giants, 4:05 PMWeek 10: Sunday, Nov. 14, at Arizona, 4:15 PMWeek 11: Sunday, Nov. 21, at New Orleans, 4:05 PMWeek 12: Sunday, Nov. 28, Kansas City, 4:05 PMWeek 13: Sunday, Dec. 5, Carolina, 4:15 PMWeek 14: Sunday, Dec. 12, at San Francisco, 4:05 PMWeek 15: Sunday, Dec. 19, Atlanta, 4:05 PMWeek 16: Sunday, Dec. 26, at Tampa Bay, 1:00 PMWeek 17: Sunday, Jan. 2, St. Louis, 4:15 PMIn the NFL betting lines, this rates as the third-easiest schedule in the NFC West and NFL with an opponents' 2009 winning percentage of.453 (116-140). For the Seahawks to sniff .500 they must be better on the road. They were 1-7 away from home last year and are 10-22 since their run to the Super Bowl in 2005.And you can tell the TV networks don't expect much because the Seahawks will go without a prime-time game in consecutive seasons for the first time since the early 1980s. Carroll's return to the NFL begins against his hometown team of San Francisco, a club that once tried to lure him. The Seahawks and Niners split last year, with each winning at home.The schedule is filled with reunions of Carroll and his former USC players, including Weeks 7 and 10 with likely Cards starting QB Matt Leinart, Week 11 with Saints running back Reggie Bush and even Week 12 with Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, who never got on the field while with the Trojans.The Seahawks did catch a bit of a break in that they play only one game in the Eastern time zone, Dec. 26 at Tampa Bay. That is one of only three games scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Pacific. In 2009, Seattle played six road games that began at 10 a.m. Pacific.Frankly, as an NFL handicapper, I can only see three 'lock' home games in which Seattle will for sure be favored: Arizona, Kansas City and St. Louis. The Seahawks already have opened as two-point dogs on WagerWeb to the Niners in Week 1 and certainly will be an underdog to San Diego while those lines against the Giants, Panthers and Falcons could go either way. As for road wins, St. Louis, Oakland and Arizona would be possibilities. Tampa Bay may be, but that's a lot of travel and you have the holiday distraction. I see no way this team exceeds seven wins, so I would jump all over the 'under'
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Fareed leaves Hampton Roads for MLB Network | The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
Ahmed Fareed, Marc Savard Jersey who Rays Matt Joyce Jersey blossomed as a sportscaster at WAVY and Fox 43 in his five years in Hampton Roads, recently took a job as a studio host with MLB Network in Secaucus, N.J.
In only a couple of years of existence, MLB Network has attracted Bob Costas and Peter Gammons to go along with a bullpen of former big league players led by Harold Reynolds.
In 2009, MLB Network had the largest cable launch in history in 50 million homes. During the season, the network provides nightly live updates, highlights and look-ins at games in progress.
Fareed, 31, is getting his feet wet with top-of-the-hour news breaks and contributions to the nightly "Hot Stove" show. Talking baseball and nothing but baseball is a welcome change for this Tigers fan from Michigan.
"I really liked it at WAVY," he said Thursday. "But it's difficult speaking to an audience that's so fragmented. You don't know what they're interested in - the Redskins, ODU, Virginia Tech. It's nice being here. You know your audience. They like baseball. It's enjoyable to speak to that viewer."
Fareed said he'll always David Krejci Jersey be grateful for his time at WAVY.
"Growing up in Michigan," he said, "I never would have thought this place in Hampton Roads would be so important to my life. But without that job, I'm not where I am today."
At first glance, the decision announced Thursday by CBS and Turner Sports that will allow basketball fans to see all the NCAA men's tournament games in their entirety appears to be a good idea, but is "nonstop basketball from noon to midnight" - the words of CBS executive vice president Mike Aresco Rays David Price Jersey - really what most people want?
Or is this just another case of more not being more?
College-booster guy and Sam Fuld Jersey dorm-room guy will appreciate the Authentic David Krejci Jersey staggered tip-off times and expanded early-round national coverage, but the changes probably won't even be noticed by a lot of the people in the office-pool crowd, the people who give the tournament its unique, party atmosphere.
Sure, they enjoy the action and camaraderie that goes with filling out bracket sheets, and Authentic Sam Fuld Jersey in the case of some women, they look forward to the opportunity of looking smarter than their husbands.
But actually watch the games? From noon to midnight? The old way of doing things was just fine with them.
Something else that gets lost in the blizzard of hype: On the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament, there Authentic David Price Jersey are some games that don't deserve the special treatment TV will now be giving them. The audience just isn't there. The popularity of mid-majors and hyphenated schools is overrated. People want to watch the marquee programs. For the others, regional exposure is appropriate.
During past tournaments, CBS didn't Austin Jackson Jersey satisfy everyone and its cutaways often angered fans, but people knew where to tune for March Madness action.
With staggered starting times and CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV - what's that? - sharing the coverage, going to the trouble of deciphering the broadcast schedule won't be a priority for people whose involvement in the tournament doesn't extend much beyond hanging a Matt Joyce Jersey bracket sheet on the refrigerator door.
Speaking of Authentic Austin Jackson Jersey hoops, you had better check the warranty on your mute button - ESPN recently signed Dick Vitale to a new contract running until 2015 ... Turner's coverage of the NCAAs includes studio appearances by Charles Barkley. That could be interesting. Will Charles pull punches with the undergrads and exalted coaches or can we expect a few inappropriate comments? Here's hoping ... At the Super Bowl, Rays Evan Longoria Jersey more than 1,500 people paid $200 to sit in the cold outside Cowboys Stadium and watch the game on TV. What's disconcerting about this is that these people get to vote and sit on juries.
Locally speaking: At Authentic Matt Joyce Jersey ESPN 94.1 FM, Tony Mercurio has gradually beefed up the lineup of Authentic Evan Longoria Jersey weekly guests for his afternoon Bruins David Krejci Jersey talk show. One of the newest regulars is ODU athletics director Wood Selig. The most notable addition this year was Michael Vick, who spoke with Mercurio for a few minutes each Monday during the NFL season. Among Mercurio's old standbys, though, it's hard to beat Tides general manager Dave Rosenfield. Man's got a gift for gab.
At "The Game" 102.1 FM, Greg Bicouvaris' "Sports Scene" will feature an interview with former CNN talk show host Larry King between 3-4 p.m. Monday. ... "The Game" recently added a talk show Rays Sam Fuld Jersey featuring Lefty Driesell. He's on for an hour each Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Hoops du jour: Tigers Austin Jackson Jersey The chronic overuse of instant replay by officials continues to create annoying stoppages in play. During a prolonged interruption of the Pitt-West Virginia game on Monday , ESPN play- David Price Jersey by-play man Sean McDonough spoke for a lot of us when he wryly observed, "And what would college basketball be without shots of the officials at the monitor?"
Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com
March Madness on the tube
For the first time, all games will be shown live nationally on either CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV, and start times will Evan Longoria Jersey be more staggered. Page 4
Tamaqua's DeWire Looks To Continue Super Senior Season With 4th | Republican & Herald; Pottsville, Pa. | Find Articles at BNET
TAMAQUA
Dane DeWire climbs atop the diving board, a perfect statue of focus and determination.
With four long strides, DeWire rhythmically glides toward the end of the board, thrusting his 6-foot, 160-pound frame high into the air.
After a series of twists, turns, somersaults and flips, the Tamaqua senior knifes into the water, barely Authentic Torii Hunter Jersey making a ripple in the surface.
The crowd, quiet through the entire process, roars its approval.
There Authentic Zack Greinke Jersey are several majestic things about high school sports that fans enjoy watching, like the crisp, cutting moves of a running back in football, a silky smooth jump shot in basketball, or the sweet swing of a home-run hitter in baseball.
None may be more graceful and acrobatic than DeWire completing a dive.
The Tamaqua senior will cement his legacy as arguably the best boys' diver in Schuylkill League history tonight when the annual Schuylkill League Diving Championships are held at Tamaqua Area High School.
DeWire enters the competition as a heavy Angels of Anaheim Jered Weaver Jersey favorite in the three- person field, looking to win his fourth straight league championship.
He also has his sights set on shattering a trio of records - the Schuylkill League 11-dive record of 413.20 Angels of Anaheim Kendry Morales Jersey set by Pottsville's Ryan Feeney in 2003, the Tamaqua boys' mark of 402.45 by Dan McDonald in 2001, and the Tamaqua school record of 431.35 set by state medalist Angels of Anaheim Torii Hunter Jersey Amanda Sandlin in 2007.
"It's not always about doing the difficult dives, it's just being comfortable on the board and having a comfortable sense of what you can do with your body, and he really understands that," Tamaqua coach Eric Lech said.
"It took him some years to really get the feel for what it's supposed to feel like, how tight I should be,
what do I need to do. He's really gotten to that point where he is there. He understands what it takes to do the dives and how to make the dives right."
Instant Success
DeWire burst onto the scene as a freshman by winning the Schuylkill League title with a score of 324.55, and followed that with winning totals of 310.85 as a sophomore and 401.50 last season.
This season, DeWire has made a "quantum leap," breaking the Tamaqua pool record twice in compiling six-dive scores in the 300s.
He broke McDonald's school and pool record of 258.50 set in 2001 by scoring 261.10 in the Blue Raiders' dual meet Dec. 13 against Allentown Central Catholic.
DeWire shattered his own mark by 61 points Jan. 14 against Schuylkill Haven, wowing the crowd with three 9s in compiling 322.30, and has scored 307.4 against Panther Kendry Morales Jersey Valley and 307.65 Wednesday against Saucon Valley.
In the meet against Panther Valley, Authentic Kendry Morales Jersey DeWire received a 9.5 on one of his dives.
"The first time I got a 9, I didn't believe it. It felt like an out-of-body experience," DeWire said. "I was diving well the past week and a half in practice, but I didn't think my dives were 9- worthy. That means a lot to me. It was a big deal.
"Now I'm getting them all the time. I never thought I'd consistently go over 300 points. It's just because of working on those minor details."
The Perfectionist
Lech calls DeWire a "perfectionist," constantly critiquing every details of his dives to get them as perfect as possible. The two work together daily to improve the little things of each dive, with DeWire putting in extra time Sundays at Blue Mountain's pool during open swims.
That "perfection," and DeWire's ability to launch himself incredibly high off the board, are what separate DeWire from other divers and generates high scores.
"The thing that separates him from the other people is that when he takes his approach and he reaches the end of the board, he extends his dive up very high and he finishes that dive before he then crosses that plane of the board again. And then he Authentic Jered Weaver Jersey rips the entry. He has all the components together," said Rochelle Evanousky, a 19-year PIAA swimming and diving official.
Evanousky coached the Tamaqua swim team seven years (1991-92, 1994-2000) and has officiated local swim meets since. She called DeWire "the best I've seen."
"If you watch a lot of the divers, they'll do their dive, it looks like a nice dive, people think, 'Oh, that's a pretty dive' and they enter (the water) cleanly," Evanousky said. "But they don't get the height in the dive and they don't finish all the components of the dive before they pass by that plane of the board again.
"Divers are judged from the time they step onto the board. Their approach, the walking on the board, the whole nine yards. It's everything. There's a lot of things that have deductions involved.
"Dane is a larger body, more athletic. He really gets that height and gets all those components. To me, he's the best I've seen."
DeWire has enhanced his chances at postseason success by cranking up the degree of difficulty of the dives he attempts during Torii Hunter Jersey dual meets.
Against Pottsville, one of his dives had a difficulty of 2.8. Against Panther Valley, he scored 5, 6 and 5 on Dive No. 405C, an inward 2[1/2] somersault from the tuck position with a degree of difficulty of 3.1.
"That's only good if I can land the dives," DeWire said. "If I can get my 3.1 degree of difficulty dive down to 8s and 9s, that will be easily 60-70 points on one dive. That's phenomenal."
Shooting for states
In addition to a fourth straight Schuylkill League title, DeWire has his sights set on winning a District 11 Class AA crown and reaching the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships for the first time.
DeWire has finished fourth, fourth and third at districts, each time placing behind Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg's David Principato and Salisbury's Peter Cialkowski.
Last year, Principato won districts with a score of 457.20; Cialkowski scored 444.85. The duo was third and fourth at states, respectively, scoring 434.90 and 425.05. Jordan Harris of Philipsburg-Osceola captured the state crown with a score of 462.70.
"That is my first goal, to get out of districts. It's the first real competition I'll face," DeWire said. "Two kids from our district last year went to states and placed third and fourth. Multiple years they've placed.
"Every year I've always been second string, getting third place or fourth place, and never making it to states because of those two phenomenal divers.
"Now that they've both graduated, it opens the door for me. At the same time, they had multiple chances to go to states and see what it's like. I'm going into this with nothing under my belt. Keeping my head cool at that meet Brewers Zack Greinke Jersey will be the key. It's a new experience for me Mavericks Shawn Marion Jersey and I don't know what to expect."
Tamaqua has a rich diving history, sending divers like Erin Lehatto, Arlene DeCindio, Adam Jones, Jimmy Gurcsik, McDonald, and Sandlin to states.
Being able to handle the pressure of performing in big meets like districts and states will be the key to whether DeWire Jered Weaver Jersey can add more district and state medals to Tamaqua's rich diving history and cap his legacy in style.
"My freshman year, I'd look up at the (record) board, I'd see that 258 ... I was happy to go over 200," DeWire said. "I honestly don't know where the quantum leap came from, but I'm glad it came. Authentic Shawn Marion Jersey I'm in a zone the past few meets, and I hope it stays that way the rest of the season."
rec calendar | The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
tell us!
Send items to Sports Recreation Calendars, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, VA 23510, or e-mail listings@pilotonline.com. Information Authentic Evan Longoria Jersey not taken by phone. This free list runs Sundays as space permits. Deadline is two weeks Evan Longoria Jersey before the publication date.
BASEBALL
11U Select/AAU Team seeks players. Based out of Great Bridge/ Greenbrier. 574-2790.
12U/16U Azalea Rattlers seeks players. 392-5785, azalearattlers@yahoo.com.
9U Virginia Buccaneers Austin Jackson Jersey seeks players. 449-8777, Authentic Austin Jackson Jersey href=\"mailto:glminson@1800skilled.com\">glminson@1800skilled.com.
9U/10U Team Elite seeks players. 739-4567.
Challenger Division of Chesapeake Little League Online Registration, for children with David Price Jersey physical or mental disabilities, ages 5-21. 646-2024, jeffp@almarine.com. www.chesapeakelittleleague.org.
Chesapeake Little League Registration, for ages 4-18. 1-4 p.m. Saturday at River Crest Community Center, 1001 River Walk Pkwy., Chesapeake. Also 1-4 p.m. Feb. Sam Fuld Jersey 26 at Bruins David Krejci Jersey Central Library, 298 Cedar Road, Chesapeake. 558-8751. www.chesapeakelittleleague.org.
Cradock Little League Registration, seeks players age 4-18. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. through March 5 at St. Juliens Creek Annex, Authentic Sam Fuld Jersey Portsmouth. 487-7242, Authentic David Krejci Jersey cradockbball@aol.com. www.eteamz.com/cradocklittleleague. DCBA PONY T-Ball and Baseball Registrations, ages 4-19. Open until Saturday. Matt Joyce Jersey www.deepcreekbaseball.com.
Great Neck Walk-In Registrations, 1-4 p.m. Feb. 20. Great Neck Community Recreation Rays Sam Fuld Jersey Center, 2521 Shorehaven Drive, Virginia Beach. 496-6766.
Kempsville Pony Registration, Providence Park, Reon Drive, Virginia Beach. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. www.kpb.org.
Rays Matt Joyce Jersey /> Little Tigers Austin Jackson Jersey Creek American Pony Registration, Lincoln Military Housing Clubhouse, 2156 Wellings Court, Virginia Beach. 10 a.m. Saturday. www.littlecreekamerican.com.
Lynnhaven Registration, 586 N. Lynnhaven Road, Virginia Beach. 10 a.m. Saturday. www.lynnhavenbaseball.org.
Olive Branch Little League Baseball/Softball/T-ball Signups, at the pavilion. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 and March 1; 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 and March 5. Portsmouth City Park, 140 City Park Ave. 405- 3869.
Plaza Little League Baseball/Softball Registration, 1-4 p.m. today and Feb. 20; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Plaza Little League, Chantry Drive, Virginia Beach. 340-3420.
Western Branch Registration, ages 4 and up. kenw@gowbac.com. www.gowbac.com.
BASKETBALL
Hampton David Krejci Jersey Roads Hurricanes Tryouts, seeks boys and girls in 7th- 10th grades. 515-7028. www.ballcharts.com/vbhurricanes. GOLF
Cabin Fever Tournament, 9 a.m. Feb. 27. Ocean View Golf Course, 9610 Norfolk Ave., Norfolk. $50 per player. 480-3215. lhussey@oceanviewgc.com.
Oceana Ladies Association, "Welcome Coffee and Membership Drive." 9 a.m. Feb. 24. Aeropines Golf Club, Oceana Naval Air Station, 1001 G. Ave. Building 581, Virginia Beach. 363-8019.
OTHER
Chuckatuck Turkey Rays Evan Longoria Jersey Shoot, The Old Bobby Byrum Farm, 1146 Audubon Road, Suffolk. Paper targets and prizes from meats to gift certificates. Benefits area fire departments and future Olympic athletes. Noon Saturday and Feb. 26. 288-6167.
Virginia Beach Tennis Patron's USTA Spring Adult League Captain's Meeting, men's and women's levels 2.5-5.0. 7 p.m. Wednesday. Great Neck Community Recreation Center, 2521 Shorehaven Drive, Virginia Beach. 499-2180, karen10s@msn.com.
RUNNING/TRACK & FIELD
Tidewater Striders New Energy Youth Running Club First Spring Practice, distance training for all levels ages 6-16. 5 p.m. March 3. Sleepy Hole Park, Suffolk. newenergysuffolk@gmail.com. www.tidewaterstriders.com.
Tidewater Striders New Energy Youth Running Club First Spring Practice, distance training for all levels ages 6-16. 5 p.m. March 3. Mount Trashmore Park, 310 Edwin Drive, Virginia Beach. 288-7715. www.tidewaterstriders.com.
TRACK 757 Track and Field Club Interest Meeting, seeks members ages 5-17. 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23. Indian River Library, 2320 Old Greenbrier Road, Chesapeake. 636-8532.
SOCCER
Tidewater Women's League Indoor Registration, today-Feb. 25. www.twslva.org.
U4-U19 Chesapeake United Club, online registration. 271-8619, www.chesapeakeunited.org">clubadmin@chesapeakeunited.orgwww.chesapeakeunited.org.
SOFTBALL
16U Virginia Neptunes, seeks players. 644-8995, anthony7596@cox.net.
Chesapeake Fastpitch Association, registration online for girls ages 6-16. 354-CFSA. www.chesapeakefastpitch.teamopolis.com.
Chesapeake Little League Registration, for Rays David Price Jersey ages 8-18. 1-4 p.m. Saturday at River Crest Community Center, 1001 River Walk Pkwy., Chesapeake. Also 1-4 p.m. Feb. 26 at Central Library, 298 Cedar Road, Chesapeake. 404-9138. www.chesapeakelittleleague.org.
Cradock Little League Authentic Matt Joyce Jersey Registration, seeks players age 4-18. Tuesdays Marc Savard Jersey and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 through March 5 at St. Juliens Creek Annex, Portsmouth. 487-7242, cradockbball@aol.com. Authentic David Price Jersey href=\"http://www.eteamz.com/cradocklittleleague\">www.eteamz.com/cradocklittleleague. Galaxy 18U Fastpitch, seeks players. 581-0674, twheeler9697@charter.net.
GNAA Recreation Registration, 644-8995, anthony7596@cox.net.
Western Branch Little League Registration, open to girls ages 4- 18 by Dec. 31, 2010, living in Chesapeake 23321 ZIP code. Western Branch Little League field house, 4222 Terry Drive, Chesapeake. Forms also online at www.wbll.org. 6-8 p.m. Tuesday. 483-0234.
Trump wants to discuss interest in buying share of New York Mets | The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
NEW YORK | Donald Trump is thinking about investing in the Mets.
Trump said Tuesday he wants to help Mets owner Fred Wilpon, who is under pressure from a lawsuit from the trustee trying to recover money for the victims of the Bernard Madoff swindle.
Wilpon is exploring a sale of a share of up to 25 percent, and would not sell a controlling stake. Asked whether he would consider investing without gaining control, Trump responded: "I haven't thought that far down the line. We'll see what happens."
Trump is no stranger to sports. He owned the New Jersey Generals of the U.S. Football League during the 1984 and 1985 seasons. However, Major League Baseball has rules Evan Longoria Jersey against casino Rays Sam Fuld Jersey ownership by its team owners, and Trump has connections to the gaming industry.
baseball
Braves' Jones fields grounders
KISSIMMEE, Fla. | Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones took grounders and got in swings Tuesday, a significant step in his Rays Evan Longoria Jersey recovery from major knee surgery.
Jones reported no major problems after fielding about 40 grounders and taking around the same number of swings.
"The knee is not 100 percent," Jones said. "There's no way around that. I don't know when it's going to be. But if I'm 80 to 90 percent, I still think I can go out there and play good third base and still be a factor at the plate."
OTHER BASEBALL NEWS
Reliever Jason Isringhausen, who hasn't pitched in the majors since June 2009, agreed to a minor league contract with the Mets after a brief bullpen session Tuesday.
Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson agreed to a $5.85 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration.
Padres closer Heath Bell missed Tuesday's bullpen session with a strained left calf.
Ken David Price Jersey Griffey Jr. is returning to the Authentic Matt Joyce Jersey Mariners as a special consultant.
hockey
Devils goalie able to skate Rays Matt Joyce Jersey again
NEWARK, N.J. | A little more than a week after spraining his right knee, New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur started skating again Tuesday.
Brodeur, 38, hopes to skate again today, if his knee feels OK. The Devils have not announced a timetable for his return.
Johan Hedberg has replaced him the past three games, giving up four goals in winning all three games.
OTHER HOCKEY NEWS
Thrashers defenseman Dustin Byfuglien signed a five-year, $26 million contract extension.
golf
Molinari entering Match play event
MARINA, Ariz. | Francesco Molinari has changed his mind and says he Bruins David Krejci Jersey will play in the Match Play Championship.
Molinari, ranked No. Tigers Austin Jackson Jersey 17 in the Authentic David Price Jersey world, had planned to skip the event because his wife was expecting their first child. She gave birth to a boy Feb. 6.
Molinari's decision means the 64 highest-ranked players intend to play in the tournament, which begins Feb. 23.
pro football
Colts place tag on star quarterback
INDIANAPOLIS | The Colts have given four-time league MVP Peyton Manning the exclusive franchise tag, meaning the star quarterback will not become a free agent.
If Manning plays under the tag, Marc Savard Jersey he will be paid $23 million next season and the Colts will have exclusive rights to negotiate a new deal with him.
Banks has tube inserted into chest
WASHINGTON | Redskins kick returner Brandon Banks has had a tube inserted in his chest and remains hospitalized following a stabbing.
Banks' agent, James Rays David Price Jersey Gould, said Tuesday that Banks is still expected to have a 100 percent recovery from the stabbing that occurred early Saturday. Gould also said he's not certain Matt Joyce Jersey when Banks will be discharged.
OTHER NFL NEWS
The league increased its offer to the 400 fans displaced by problems with temporary seats at the Super Bowl, offering either $5,000 or Authentic Austin Jackson Jersey reimbursement for "actual documented" Super Bowl expenses, whichever figure is higher.
Former Redskins coach Jim Zorn signed a contract Sam Fuld Jersey to become the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach.
The San Diego Chargers placed the non-exclusive Authentic David Krejci Jersey franchise tag on wide receiver Vincent Jackson.
The David Krejci Jersey Baltimore Ravens designated defensive tackle Haloti Ngata as their franchise player.
The New York Jets placed the franchise tag on linebacker David Authentic Sam Fuld Jersey Harris.
basketball
Magic executive battling cancer
ORLANDO, Fla. | Orlando Magic senior vice president and longtime NBA executive Pat Williams has been Authentic Evan Longoria Jersey diagnosed with a form of blood cancer.
Williams, 70, has a condition known as multiple myeloma. Doctors say they are optimistic that they caught the disease in the early stages.
soccer
elbow injury sidelines bunbury
PHOENIX | Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury is expected Austin Jackson Jersey to be sidelined 2-4 weeks after dislocating his right elbow during a preseason exhibition against Houston.
Tests at a hospital showed there were no broken bones or nerve damage, team spokesman Dave Borchardt said.
Defense starts to pick at government's claims | The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
By Ronald Blum
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO
With prosecutors saying Barry Bonds lied about using steroids, Bruins Marc Savard Jersey the home run king's lead attorney started picking at the government's case Ubaldo Jimenez Jersey Tuesday, attacking witnesses expected to accuse Bonds of willfully taking drugs to make him hit the ball harder and farther.
Defense lawyer Allen Ruby said in his Athletics Kurt Suzuki Jersey opening statement that a former Troy Tulowitzki Jersey Bonds Rockies Ubaldo Jimenez Jersey girlfriend, a former business partner and a former personal shopper only came forward against his client after the baseball star broke off relationships Authentic Todd Helton Jersey with them.
He also insisted Bonds testified truthfully before a grand jury in December 2003 when he said he did not know he was using two designer steroids. Bonds claims his trainer told him that he was taking "flaxseed oil" and "arthritic cream."
"I know it doesn't make a great story. Barry Bonds went to the grand jury and told the truth and did his best," Ruby said.
Rockies Todd Helton Jersey /> On a day when federal agent Jeff Novitzky became the first witness to testify, saying Bonds' grand jury account differed with other facts in the case, the contrast in stories could not have been greater.
While Ruby, a high-priced, Kurt SuzukiJersey high-profile defense lawyer, painted Bonds as a victim over the course of an hour, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Parrella gave his 46-minute statement Authentic Marc Savard Jersey in a workmanlike monotone that had some jurors struggling to keep their heads up.
After Athletics Trevor Cahill Jersey the opening statements, and with the jury out of the court room, Bonds' trainer, Carlos Gonzalez Jersey Greg Anderson, walked in past Bonds, who turned his head away.
Anderson repeated his refusal to testify against his childhood friend, was held in civil contempt and taken into custody by U.S. Marshals. He likely will be held until the end of the trial. The case is expected to last about a month.
Because Anderson isn't testifying, Milan Lucic Jersey the government Authentic Milan Lucic Jersey will have a harder time proving the charges in Bonds' Rockies Troy Tulowitzki Jersey indictment, which includes four counts of making false statements to the grand jury and one count of obstruction.
Each count carries a penalty of up to 10 years, but federal guidelines recommend a sentence of 15-to-21 months.
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Cavs stung, but plan to respond | Maryland Gazette | Find Todd Helton Jersey Articles at BNET
Austin Neary isn't worried about an early-season baseball loss to Calvert Hall.
Returning all of its starters - and all but one player - from last year's team, Archbishop Spalding can afford the occasional loss. Seasoning does that.
"Experienced talent is dangerous," said Neary, an All-County selection last year and a Western Carolina recruit. "Talent is dangerous, and experience is dangerous. We have experience and talent."
Despite the 11-8 loss to the Cardinals Monday, the Cavaliers (1- 1) received offensive production. Neary singled three times at the No. 3 spot, while Ryan Metzler and Sean Miller - the area's finest double-play combination - scored four runs. Cleanup hitter Tim Breiner pushed in three runs - the same number Jamal Clarke added on a go-ahead, three-run in the fifth inning.
Spalding, which scored in four of the seven Trevor Cahill Jersey innings and put 18 runners on base, struggled to get through Calvert Hall's lineup.
Thanks to Matt Bosse, Alex Murphy and Spencer Sutton - who combined to hit four home runs - Ryan Wagner walked off the mound with a loss.
"I told the guys Rockies Carlos Gonzalez Jersey in this league, it's going to be like real baseball," said Cavaliers' first-year coach Jeff Palumbo, who inherited the team from Steve Miller over the summer. "You're not going to win every time. You're not going to out-talent teams. It'll be the team that's best that day."
And it wasn't Spalding yesterday.
Alex Barclay, Ben Smallenbrook and Derek Wells - the bottom of the order - combined to go 0 for 9 with two walks and five strikeouts - and the Cavaliers stranded at least one runner in every inning but the second.
The Cardinals received three walks, three hit-by-pitches and an inopportune error on a fly ball to left field with two outs in a Authentic Carlos Gonzalez Jersey four-run fifth to take back the lead and put the Cavaliers behind.
But they don't plan on staying that way for long.
"I Authentic Ubaldo Jimenez Jersey don't see any reason why we can't win a championship," Clarke said. "We know we have Authentic Kurt Suzuki Jersey some more work to do at the plate. We've got a lot to work on at the plate and shoring up some things on defense. We'll come back."
Authentic Troy Tulowitzki Jersey /> DESTINATIONS: South River's Jared Lamb and Authentic Trevor Cahill Jersey Kent Island's Ryan Earls committed to play football next season for Shepherd, a Division II school in West Virginia.
Lamb, a three-year varsity member, paired with David Coffin to form an offensive line that cleared the paths for two of Anne Arundel County's best running backs, Blane Kleinrichert and Levon Chaney, who combined to rush for 1,699 yards and 21 touchdowns.
A three-sport athlete at Kent Island, Earls earned a spot on the 2010 AP Maryland Consensus and Maryland Small School All-State teams after connecting for all 10 of his field-goal attempts and going 43 for 47 on extra points.
CAPITAL STATS: Coaches can email individual season-long player statistics to sports@capitalgazette.com by 10 a.m. Monday.
mpeters@capitalgazette.com.
Spalding can't get past Hall | Maryland Gazette | Find Articles at BNET
Cardinals cue up
victory over Cavs
Even with all the home runs Calvert Hall hit, it was Dustin Rothschild's cue shot over first base that hurt Archbishop Spalding the most.
Rothschild followed the first of Matt Rays Sam Fuld Jersey Bosse's two homers with a two-run, fifth-inning single off Ryan Wagner to guide the Cardinals to an 11-8 MIAA A Conference baseball victory Monday.
"He was pretty much just throwing Rays Evan Longoria Jersey me fastballs all day," said Rothschild, who doubled off the wall in left an inning earlier. "He's a good pitcher. ... I just happened to get lucky and dropped one in."
Bosse hit solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and Spencer Sutton and Alex Murphy took Wagner deep earlier to give Calvert Hall (5-2) a 6-1 lead by the third.
Jamal Clarke lifted a changeup for a three-run homer to left to give Spalding a 7-6 lead in the fifth, but Bosse countered it with his first and added another in the next inning.
"Our 3-4-5 hitters combined for four Marc Savard Jersey home runs," said Bosse, who David Krejci Jersey doubled in the third and scored three runs. "It doesn't really get better than that."
Kevin Baron (1-0) gave up a run and Authentic David Krejci Jersey struck out four in 22/3 innings of relief to collect the win and end the Cardinals' two- game slide.
Tim Breiner drove in three runs - one off a double-play grounder in the third - and Sean Miller tripled and scored twice for the Cavaliers (1-1), who batted around in the fifth, but stranded eight runners - five in scoring Austin Jackson Jersey position.
"We're not going to give up," Clarke said. "We know it's a marathon and not Authentic Sam Fuld Jersey a sprint. We'll keep going out there and keep getting after it."
The winning pitcher against Good Counsel a week ago, Wagner (1- 1) gave up eight runs - all earned - in 41/3 innings, while striking out one batter and hitting two for the loss.
Authentic Evan Longoria Jersey The Cardinals only managed seven hits off Wagner, but six of them went for extra bases - including three home runs.
"It's early, and they're a good hitting team," Spalding coach Jeff Palumbo said. "If you get the ball up and make a mistake, they're going to hit it."
Wagner hit Murphy and walked Bosse before giving up a 400-foot home run to Sutton to put Calvert Hall ahead, Authentic David Price Jersey 3-1. Wagner retired the next six hitters, but Murphy put a stop to that with a shot to left-center.
Baron and Rothschild - the No. David Price Jersey 9 hitter - doubled off the wall in the fourth inning, and Alex Pastorius' single to center made it 6- 2.
"I think this is the best hitting team I've ever seen here at Calvert Hall," Cardinals coach Lou Eckerl said. "There's no weak spot in our Bruins David Krejci Jersey lineup."
Tigers Austin Jackson Jersey After scoring on a sacrifice fly and a double play off Breiner's bat through the first four innings, Archbishop Spalding's offense found a spark in the fifth.
Ryan Metzler and Austin Neary singled before Breiner Evan Longoria Jersey walked to force Garrett Walther out of the game. Phil Kreis welcomed reliever Lee Lipinski with a two-run single to right, and Clarke sent a 2-0 changeup out of the park for a 7-6 lead.
"We've never had an attitude where we give up," said Neary, who singled Matt Joyce Jersey three times. "We push through everything. It's like we expected it. ... We're never out of the game."
Baron took over for Lipinski after three batters and allowed only Miller's sixth-inning triple and Breiner's RBI single to keep the Cavaliers quiet.
Bosse and Rothschild made sure to do their parts, too. They combined to go 5 for 6 with five Rays Matt Joyce Jersey RBIs and accounted for all six of the Cardinals' final runs.
"When we're in the game in the last few innings," Rothschild said, "I have enough confidence in our Authentic Austin Jackson Jersey pitching and our lineup that we're going to win."
Spalding (1-1) 101 051 0 - 8 9 1
Calvert Hall (5-2) 301 241 0 - 11 9 2
WP: Baron (1-0). LP: Wagner (1-1). 2B: CH - Bosse, Baron, Rothschild; 3B: AS - Miller. HR: AS - Clarke; CH - Bosse 2, Murphy, Sam Fuld Jersey Spencer. RBI: Clarke 3, Breiner 2, Kreis 2; CH - Sutton 3, Rothschild 3, Bosse 2, Murphy, Pastorius.
GLEN BURNIE 9, HOWARD 8: Jamar Kane doubled and drove in two runs, and Ryan Deller scattered Rays David Price Jersey four hits over four innings as the Gophers won their season opener. Troy Davis doubled, while Deller and Tyler Gilbert had RBIs for Authentic Matt Joyce Jersey Glen Burnie.
Deller struck out six and walked four, while allowing three earned runs for the victory.
Howard 310 004 0 - 8 9 3
Glen Burnie (1-0) 033 300 x - 9 7 3
WP: Deller (1-0). LP: Galasso. 2B: HOW - Dyer; GB - Davis, Kane. 3B: HOW - Toland. RBI: HOW - Reagan 2, Dyer 2, Toland, Wade; GB - Kane 2, Deller, T. Gilbert.
Work not all done yet | Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass. Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
Shape of the 2011 Red Sox
Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein must be feeling like a kid in a candy store along about now. He has restocked his club with some of the finest talent available and now can sit back and dream about all the good things that surely will happen once the regular season opens on April 1, right?
If only it were that simple. While other MLB general managers must surely be looking at the Sox with Miguel Cabrera Jersey envy thanks to their seeming embarrassment of riches, it's not that easy for the GM of "the best team in baseball." Or his manager.
The Sox have roster decisions to make, and this time around there are tons of not-so-cut-and-dried issues with which to deal. Let's qualify that by saying that Authentic Brandon Inge Jersey the position players Tigers Miguel Cabrera Jersey and starting rotation seem to be set. The real problems arise in trying to assemble an effective bullpen.
First, the position players: The only possible issue would be in the outfield. Manager Terry Francona will surely carry five outfielders, including starters Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and J.D. Drew. There's no doubt that a healthy Mike Cameron is his top backup and little doubt that Authentic Cam Neely Jersey Darnell McDonald, who performed so well last season and is out of options, will also stick. McDonald is the perfect fit because he's relatively old (32) and won't benefit from further minor league time. With no long-term future remaining, he can Authentic Brennan Boesch Jersey be a backup while young Ryan Kalish bides his time at Pawtucket and gains more experience before ascending to Drew's position next season.
The one thing that Francona doesn't have this season that was a luxury last season: there's no Bill Hall Tigers Brennan Boesch Jersey and/or Eric Patterson - players who could play both infield and outfield. That might not be an issue, though, because behind Kevin Youkilis, Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez in the infield is a healthy Jed Lowrie, who under the right circumstances might be Justin Verlander Jersey a starter, anyway.
The Sox Tigers Justin Verlander Jersey likewise have no questions at catcher, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia regaining the starting role he once had in Texas, and under much more favorable circumstances. He's not being counted upon to be an ironman. Francona said veteran Jason Varitek will likely see more than the normal time as a backup. It should serve everyone well, allowing Varitek plenty of rest while allowing the Sox to use his experience more than they might have with a Bruins Bobby Orr Jersey less experienced backup catcher.
So if you throw in David Ortiz as the designated hitter and Magglio Ordonez Jersey backup first baseman for interleague games, the Sox have 13 solid position players. There really aren't any question marks. Ditto for the starting pitchers. There's no doubt that Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey are your starters.
The bullpen - that's another story.
This is a real problem for Francona. The manager has to go through his list every year, and the relievers who are eliminated are rarely very surprised, nor is there often very much debate about the subject.
This year is different. Tim Wakefield is almost 45 years old and slated to be one of the Sox relievers. But should he? Wakefield's not suited for relieving, but the Sox will probably keep him around for his versatility. If nothing else, he's a decent long-distance man who can "eat innings." The problem is his Authentic Justin Verlander Jersey effectiveness. Given the vagaries of the knuckleball, Francona never knows what he's getting.
The other part of the equation is the spring. Now, everyone knows that springtime results can't always Authentic Miguel Cabrera Jersey be read with the same seriousness as, say, stats from the month of August, but at some point the manager has to start interpreting what he's Tigers Magglio Ordonez Jersey seeing, and Wakefield has given up 16 hits and 11 runs in four spring appearances. Still, out of anguish or loyalty, he's likely to stay.
The bottom end of the Sox relief rotation is essentially secured, with Bobby Jenks, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon. Whether Francona can trust Papelbon to remain his closer is another story. He is on the roster, though. It's the middle relief staff that presents a problem. This could be the end of the line for Hideki Okajima, a valuable lefty in his first two seasons with the Sox. But Okajima's effectiveness has been undermined by injuries and familiarity by opposing batters. There doesn't seem to be room for the onetime Tigers Brandon Inge Jersey All-Star this season, meaning a demotion to Triple-A Cam Neely Jersey Pawtucket.
His fate may have been sealed by the acquisitions of proven veterans Dan Wheeler and especially Dennys Reyes, Brennan Boesch Jersey a solid and Authentic Magglio Ordonez Jersey useful left-hander with a long history of success. Reyes, who has an opt- out decision due by Friday, has been given a good look this spring, throwing seven games with a 1.29 ERA.
Brandon Inge Jersey /> That leaves one relief spot available. The Sox like Rich Hill, another lefty who has the ability to confound batters with a sweet breaking ball, but with former Orioles reliever Matt Albers out of options and looking strong (1.80 ERA, 11 strikeouts, no walks), he could easily Bruins Cam Neely Jersey sew up the last pitching position.
Reach Mike Fine at mikefine@ledger.com. Read more of his Red Sox coverage in his Dirty Water blog at PatriotLedger.com/sports
Bloomberg Sports Selected for 10 Most Innovative Companies List | Wireless News Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
Fast Company Magazine has named Bloomberg Sports as one of the "10 Most Innovative Companies in Authentic Bruins Jersey Sports," honoring the company for its innovation in "crunching the numbers."
Reds Jay Bruce Jersey The Fast Company list includes hallmark brands like ESPN and Turner Sports, as well as relative newcomers like the athlete preparation company Athletes Performance, and dynamic pricing company Qcue.
The Company said Bloomberg Sports launched in December 2009, and has created a way of analyzing statistics for fans with their "Baseball Front Office" tools for fantasy baseball and their "Decision Maker" tool for fantasy football. Front Office 2011, with a number of new features, recently launched for mobile devices as well as for online use, and is available at Bloombergsports.com, along with apps for the iPhone and iPad platforms. In addition to their fantasy products, Bloomberg Sports provides professional data analytics, scouting and video tools to more than half the Major League Baseball clubs.
"We are very pleased to have been honored by Fast Company for the innovative work our team has done in building the best analytic products available for MLB clubs, the media, and for fantasy baseball and football fans," said Bill Squadron, head of Bloomberg Sports. "In just a year, our sports division has risen to the top of the pack in creating groundbreaking tools for the sports community that are both valuable and fun, and the Joey Votto Jersey best is yet to come."
The top 10 list included: ESPN, Turner Sports, Livestrong, Fenway Sports Group, Qcue, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Athletes Performance, the Philadelphia Eagles and the equipment manufacturer Bite Tech.
According to a release, the Bloomberg Sports Front Office 2011 product suite focuses on translating detailed, data driven calculations into tools. Their newest mobile product, Front Office 2011 - Draft Kit, is a dynamic fantasy draft kit which updates throughout spring training making sure users are always on top of the latest injuries, news, roster moves and player projections which ensures they have the most decisions right through the start of baseball season. Traditionally draft preparation has required in- depth research across multiple sources, and is often based more on opinion rather than fact. The Front Office product suite however creates its recommendations and rankings based on Aroldis Chapman Jersey the Francisco Cordero Jersey user's fantasy settings tied to their own league, which means tailored advice that will help them win!
The Company noted that Bloomberg and their partner Roundarch will also Reds Brandon Phillips Jersey introduce additional mobile applications for in-season use such as Front Office Brandon Phillips Jersey 2011 - Trade Analyzer.
Bloomberg Sports takes the technology developed by Bloomberg, a global provider in data and analytics, Reds Aroldis Chapman Jersey and applies them to the data analysis opportunities in sports.
Bloomberg is a trusted source of information for financial professionals and businesses.
More information:
/www.bloombergsports.com
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
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Quincy's Bruins Jersey Cavanagh named week's best player | Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass. Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET
LOCAL COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
After an outstanding week in Florida with the Lasell College baseball team, Conor Cavanagh of Quincy was honored by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference as the baseball player of the week.
Cavanagh hit .414, going 12-for-29 at the plate with nine runs, 16 RBI, five doubles, one triple, and a home run in seven games last week. He lit it up for the Newton school in the second game against Bethel University, leading the Lasers to a 12-10 win by going 4-for- 5 with two doubles, a triple and a home run, just one base Authentic Joey Votto Jersey hit shy of hitting for the cycle, while knocking in nine runs in the game, which set a Lasell single game record.
This season, Cavanagh currently has 15 hits, 11 runs, 23 RBI and seven doubles. The senior outfielder also has made 34 putouts in the field and has a .971 fielding percentage.
Scituate's Gray tops
United States Merchant Marine Academy senior attacker Zach Gray of Scituate has been named the ECAC Division 3 Metro/South co- offensive player of the week in men's lacrosse.
Gray produced Reds Joey Votto Jersey 21 points in three games, starting with an eight- goal performance in a win over Mount Ida. He followed that by having a hand in 11 of his team's 19 goals as he scored five times and had a game-high six assists in a victory over SUNY-Maritime. He closed last week with an assist in a loss to Denison.
Stille shines in lacrosse
Franklin Pierce University senior attacker Lauren Stille of North Authentic Francisco Cordero Jersey Quincy has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week in women's lacrosse for the week ending on March 20.
The Ravens won both games they played last week and, along the way, Stille piled up 14 points on 11 goals and three Authentic Jay Bruce Jersey assists. She scored on each of the 11 shots she attempted last week.
Around the campuses
Curry senior Ashley Hansbury scored the game-winning goal with five seconds remaining, leading Curry College women's lacrosse to a 13-12 victory over host Roger Williams University Tuesday in Bristol, R.I.
Roger Williams sophomore goalkeeper Justine Sullivan of Norwell had 15 saves.
Senior Andrew Eriksen netted a hat trick and two assists in leading Plymouth State to an 11-7 non-league college men's lacrosse victory over Massachusetts Maritime Tuesday in Bourne.
Senior Chris Davis of Cohasset notched Reds Francisco Cordero Jersey a pair of goals and two assists in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received a pair of goals and Authentic Aroldis Chapman Jersey an assist from sophomore James Burns of Duxbury.
Sophomore Tyler Genereux of Bobby Orr Jersey Duxbury went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in sparking Massachusetts Maritime to an 8-1 non-league baseball victory over Gordon Tuesday in Bourne.
Genereux has also been named the Mass. State College Athletic Conference co-pitcher of the week. He posted a 1-0 mark last week with a 2.70 ERA and 15 strikeouts, including a complete-game five- hitter with a career-high 12 strikeouts in Authentic Brandon Phillips Jersey a 3-1 victory over Rivier.
Senior John Leonard of Hanover allowed only an unearned run through eight innings in pitching the Boston College baseball team to a 4-1 win against Authentic Bobby Orr Jersey Maryland Sunday in College Park.
Leonard began his outing against the Terrapins by throwing 5 1 / 3 no-hit innings. He finished the day by giving up three hits and walking two while striking out five.
Brandeis softball sophomore pitcher Casey Ducinski of Duxbury threw a five-inning no-hitter Sunday, helping the Judges earn a split in a non-conference doubleheader at Emerson College. The Lions took the first game, 5-3, before the Judges posted an 8-0 victory in the second game.
Tops in Tennis
Bridgewater State University freshman Cody Farrell of Scituate has been selected as the Little East Conference men's tennis rookie of the week.
In the Bears' season-opening 8-1 road win over Anna Maria College last week, Farrell made his collegiate debut by posting a 6-0, 6-0 win over Jack Jay Bruce Jersey Donaldson at No. 5 singles. Farrell also teamed with senior Nicholas Amrose for an 8-6 triumph over Jesus Torres and Haakim Ferguson at second doubles.
Eastern Nazarene College freshman Eric Johnson of Kingston has been named the The Commonwealth Coast Conference rookie of the week in men's tennis.
Johnson played an instrumental role in leading the Lions to a 7- 2 victory over defending TCCC champion Salve Regina. He coasted to a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles and teamed with Tim Luz to win a 9- 8 (9-7) decision at No. 2 doubles.
The team victory marked Eastern Nazarene's first triumph over its TCCC rival in more than 25 years.