Month: September 2006 (Page 14 of 30)

Bush to have Heisman revoked?

September 15, 2006 / Anthony Stalter

YAHOO! Sports is reporting that former USC and current Saints running back Reggie Bush could stand to lose his Heisman Trophy. Allegedly Bush and his family accepted financial benefits from a marketing agency while Bush attended USC.

Here is a list of the benefits that Bush and his family allegedly received:

· $595.20 in round-trip airfare from San Diego to Oakland in November 2005 for Bush’s stepfather, LaMar Griffin, his mother, Denise Griffin and younger brother to attend the USC-California game at Berkeley.
· $250.65 for limousine transportation from the Oakland airport to the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco that November weekend for the Bush family, charged to Fritz, according to a document. Ornstein acknowledged both he and Bush’s family stayed at the luxury hotel.
Additionally, New Jersey memorabilia dealer Bob DeMartino alleges that Ornstein provided:
· Suits for Bush’s stepfather and brother to wear during the Dec. 10, 2005 Heisman ceremony in New York, a makeover for his mother for the event and limousine transportation;
· Weekly payments of at least $1,500 to the Bush family.
Documents and multiple sources also link Bush and his family to receiving benefits from New Era’s financial backers, including:
· $623.63 for a hotel stay by Bush at the Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from March 11-13, 2005, charged to Michaels, according to a document signed by Bush.
· $1,574.86 for a stay by Bush at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego from March 4-6, 2005, paid for by Michaels, according to a hotel document, a hotel employee and a source.
· Approximately $13,000 to Bush from New Era to purchase and modify a car, three sources said.
· As reported by Yahoo! Sports in April, $54,000 in rent-free living for a year at Michaels’ $757,500 home in Spring Valley, Calif., according to Michaels and San Diego attorney Brian Watkins.
· Also from previous Yahoo! reports, $28,000 from Michaels to help Bush’s family settle pre-existing debt, according to Michaels and Watkins.
· Thousands of dollars in spending money to both Bush and his family from the prospective agents, according to multiple sources.

If the allegations prove true, the NCAA has the right to revoke Bush’s Heisman – it would be the first time that a player would ever have the trophy revoked.

For as big of an issue as steroids are in the pros, there is just as large of an issue in the collegiate world with players getting rewarded for their play on the field. I hope for Bush’s sake, his trophy isn’t stripped from him, because he won that award on the field – not off it.

However, how many stories does the media break with these players getting special attention from boosters, marketing agencies or whoever else gets a hold of these athletes? Bush seems like a likeable kid and someone that has his head on straight, but if he thinks that he has escaped his problems now that he’s in the NFL, he better wake up.

I think the only people who are safe from this whole mess are the New Orleans Saints who have already come out and said this is a NCAA and USC issue.

There will be more to follow once this story unfolds.

College Football

NCAA Preview: (#11) Michigan at (#2) Notre Dame

September 15, 2006 / Anthony Stalter

Date: Sept. 13
Time: 3:30pm ET NBC

Why to tune in:
Why? It’s Michigan-Notre Dame, that’s why. Two of the most storied franchises in NCAA history will square off again in one of the most heated rivalries. Here’s a bit of a history lesson on this series: Michigan and Notre Dame once had a gentlemen’s agreement a few decades ago that the schools would play each other in its first game every season. After a few battles, the Fighting Irish started to sneak teams onto their schedule before playing U of M so that they would have a tune-up game (much like today’s college programs have) in order to be sharper for the Wolverines. Needless to say, Michigan didn’t appreciate what ND was doing and called off the agreement. That’s why every time these two schools play each other it’s usually the third game of the season. These programs, coaches and players hate each other and that usually leads to one heck of a battle.

When Michigan has the ball:
In last season’s defeat at the hands of Notre Dame in Ann Arbor, Michigan was without one of its best linemen in Jake Long. The Wolverines also didn’t have All-Pro running back Mike Hart for more than three plays and that left too much pressure on then-sophomore quarterback Chad Henne and freshmen Kevin Grady. Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and the Wolverines offense love to play smash mouth football and rely on their defense late in games. When Michigan has a lead, it will run in between the tackles and lean on the offensive line to get the job done. One weakness ND has on defense is that so far in two games, the Irish have allowed an average of 138.5 yards on the ground. Notre Dame has faired much better in pass defense, but don’t expect with Hart fully healthy that the Irish are going to be dropping into coverage all day.

When Notre Dame has the ball:
Quarterback Brady Quinn looked much more comfortable in the pocket throwing for three touchdowns and 287 yards against Penn State last week than he did in the opener. Running back Darius Walker has had a lot of success running in this series, but Michigan has also made marked improvements in its run defense. As much as Charlie Weis might want to open up the passing game in this contest, the Wolverines are third in the nation in sacks and can put a lot of pressure on Quinn. If the Irish do deciede to throw the ball often, the best match up to watch of the day will be ND receivers Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight vs. cornerbacks Leon Hall and Morgan Trent for Michigan.

Prediction:
Even though I like Michigan’s team a lot better than the two previous seasons, Notre Dame has already played two decent opponents (including Georgia Tech on the road) where as the Wolverines are coming off of two cupcakes. I just don’t see U of M as mentally prepared as ND is right now. Quinn won’t be the difference maker against Michigan this week – Walker will be. As a nobody underclassmen two years ago, Walker tore up the Wolverines for 115 yards on the ground. Last year, Walker rushed for 104 yards and also caught five passes out of the backfield. Although Michigan has shored up its run defense this season, Walker is still going to get going and the Irish won’t have to rely on Quinn to get pummeled by the Wolverines pass rush. Even though I think both teams will try to establish the run early and often, I still expect a high scoring affair.

It will be close, but I like the Irish to make it three in a row: Notre Dame 30, Michigan 24.

College Football, General Sports

The Pregame: Week 2

September 15, 2006 / John Paulsen

Every week in the Pregame, I’ll provide a few players to start and a few to bench. These recommendations are based on that player’s strength of schedule (SOS) for that particular week or that player’s specific situation.

I’m a strong advocate of always starting your studs, so I won’t be telling you about Shaun Alexander’s tough matchup or how Peyton Manning and company will light it up against a bad defense. Anyone can make those calls. I’ll be discussing marginal fantasy starters – guys that can start for you, but only under certain circumstances.

START

This is a great week to start MARK BULGER, who faces a San Francisco defense that gave up 301 yards and 3 TDs to the Cardinals last week…PHILLIP RIVERS also has a great matchup against Tennessee, but the Chargers are going to have to let him put up more than the 11 passes he threw against Oakland if he’s going to be a productive fantasy quarterback…Expect a better game from BRETT FAVRE, who plays the Saints at home. He played well through three quarters against one of the best defenses in the league last week, so his final numbers were a bit misleading…It goes without saying that after last week’s performance, you should start FRANK GORE this week against the Rams, who yielded 161 yards on the ground to the Broncos. But I’ll say it anyway, just to be sure…JAMAL LEWIS should be able to find running room against an Oakland defense that let the Chargers run for 194 yards on Monday night…I’m not so sure that Steve Smith will make it back this week, so KEYSHAWN JOHNSON should be a good start against Minnesota, even though the Vikings’ pass defense is improved. Somebody has to catch passes for the Panthers…ANDRE JOHNSON should receive plenty of targets in his matchup with the Colts. Indy is a little suspect against the pass and Houston will probably be playing from behind most of the game.

BENCH

Don’t expect AARON BROOKS and the rest of the Oakland offense to look as bad as they did Monday night, but they probably won’t do very well against a Baltimore defense that blanked the Bucs last week…LAMONT JORDAN couldn’t run against the Chargers, and he’s not going have an easy time against the Ravens, either…If you have a guy like Reggie Bush or Frank Gore on the bench, it might be a good time to bench EDGERRIN JAMES, but only if you have another good option…Unless you’re desperate, MICHAEL CLAYTON should probably ride the pine until the Bucs’ offense shows us something.

INJURY UPDATE

CLINTON PORTIS, TODD HEAP, JAMAL LEWIS didn’t practice on Thursday, but all are expected to play on Sunday…CARNELL WILLIAMS missed practice as well. Be sure he practices on Friday before setting your lineup…BRIAN WESTBROOK left practice on Thursday with a knee injury and was added to the injury report as “probable.” Mid-week downgrades should raise red flags, so keep an eye on this one…T.J. HOUSHMANDZADEH also missed practice, but is expected to play…TRAVIS HENRY “looked much better” to Jeff Fisher, and should play this weekend…STEVE SMITH missed practice again, and it’s looking more and more like he won’t be back until Week 3. DREW CARTER would start in his place, but KEARY COLBERT would also get some action.

Fantasy Football, NFL

Traveling around the NFL: 9/14

September 14, 2006 / Anthony Stalter

Lets take a trip around the NFL to look at some key situations that may help or hurt teams come Sunday:

Carolina at Minnesota, 1pm ET Sunday
The Panthers are in a heap of trouble on both sides of the ball due to injuries. Receiver Steve Smith is listed as questionable again for Sunday, but Carolina also lost left tackle Travelle Wharton for the season.

Middle linebacker Dan Morgan missed most of the second half last week against Atlanta and will not play. Adam Seward will replace Morgan in the lineup.

With Morgan out, Minnesota will likely try to accomplish what the Falcons did last week by trying to run misdirection plays to get the Panthers defense to over pursue. The Vikings gave the ball to running back Chester Taylor 31 times against the Redskins Monday night and I can’t see them getting away from that approach with Morgan not in the lineup this Sunday.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 1pm ET Sunday
Bucs head coach Jon Gruden wants his quarterback, Chris Simms, to change his arm motion so defensive lineman don’t bat down his passes as much as Baltimore was able to last week. The issue is a focal point for Gruden to iron out because of the pressure the Falcons defensive line can put on a quarterback.

With that said, however, Atlanta has injury concerns among its defensive line. John Abraham (groin) and Patrick Kerney (triceps) both have been limited in practice this week and Abraham might not even play come Sunday.

Arizona at. Seattle, 4:00pm ET Sunday
ESPN.com posted an interesting article about Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby. Dansby has been regarded as one of the best defenders on Arizona’s squad since he entered the NFL three years ago, but injuries have forced him off the field – the latest bump in the road was Dansby suffering ligament damage to his right pinkie finger and left thumb that caused him to miss most of the preseason.

Dansby is now healthy, but it appears that the Cardinals have nowhere to put him with the defense playing well without him. The team had been talking about re-upping his contract at the end of the year, but now it seems that Dansby will have to earn more playing time by beating out either strongside backer Calvin Pace or weakside man Orlando Huff.

On Seattle’s side of things, newly acquired wide receiver Deion Branch will not see action Sunday, but head coach Mike Holmgren is thinking about using more three or four-receiver sets now that he has Branch, Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson.

Pittsburgh at. Jacksonville, 8:30pm ET Monday
As I noted in my NFL Game of the Week posted on Bullz-Eye.com, the Steelers are likely to give quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the nod this Monday night in Jacksonville. As John Paulsen noted in his latest fantasy update, Roethlisberger is coming off an emergency appendectomy, but says he is ready to go for Bill Cowher.

Possibly a more pressing issue than Roethlisberger’s potential comeback is the shoulder injury that safety Troy Polamalu suffered against Miami last Thursday in the opener. Polamalu is a gamer, but he’s listed as questionable and the way he gives up his body on plays may lead to more damage if he forces the injury.

I imagine Fred Taylor is going to have a tough time running in between the tackles against the Steelers defense much like Ronnie Brown did last week. So, look for the Jaguars to take a couple of shots downfield to receiver Matt Jones if either Polamalu can’t play or is limited, to try and back up that stout Pittsburgh front seven.

Got a fantasy question? Don’t forget to ask John Paulsen before you set your lineup for Sunday.

Got a comment or question about your favorite teams game plan heading into Sunday? Post it right here and we’ll get it answered for you.

NFL

The Update (9/14)

September 14, 2006 / John Paulsen

Ben Roethlisberger practiced on Wednesday and looked pretty good, according to reports. Keep an eye on how his body reacts over the next couple of days, but it looks like he will play this week…John Gruden said that the back spasms that Cadillac Williams experienced in the game against Baltimore affected his play, and that he’s expected to be ready for Week 2. If I’m a Williams owner, I’m starting to get worried about this recurring injury. Michael Pittman is quickly becoming a must-handcuff for Caddy…Steve Smith missed practice on Wednesday and is still only nine days out from the hamstring injury he suffered on September 5. He’ll need to practice before he plays, but it’s quite possible that he’s going to sit out another week and let it heal. Since Carolina lost to Atlanta last week, I’m sure there is a sense of urgency to get him back on the field…Joe Jurevicius did not break any ribs but will be out at least this week…Roy Williams said that he wants Mike Williams to start opposite of him. I’m sure the current starter, Corey Bradford, is happy to hear that…Mike Holmgren doesn’t think Deion Branch will be ready to play this week, so he is expected to sit out until Week 3 or 4 so that he can learn the offense…Jake Plummer and Drew Bledsoe got votes of confidence from their coaches, and are still the starters for their respective teams. However, Skeletor’s quote was more encouraging than Parcells’, so keep an eye on Tony Romo. With a solid group of receivers, he could be a productive QB…T.J. Houshmandzadeh is listed as probable, but missed a portion of practice Wednesday. We’ll have more for you later in the week…Vernand Morency will play on third downs for the Packers, which is going to hurt the value of Ahman Green in most leagues. Green used to be the best receiving RB on the team, but with Morency’s arrival, he won’t see many third down targets as the team will try to keep him as fresh as possible.

Remember, if you have any fantasy-related questions, be sure to post them on the Q&A.