Month: February 2008 (Page 20 of 30)

Think Parcells has arrived in Miami yet? Fins release nine

The Miami Dolphins released nine players Monday, including quarterback Trent Green, receiver Marty Booker and defensive tackle Keith Traylor.

The Miami Dolphins today terminated the contracts of wide receiver Marty Booker, quarterback Trent Green, tackle L.J. Shelton and defensive tackle Keith Traylor, the team announced. In addition, the team waived tackle Anthony Alabi, defensive tackle Anthony Bryant, tackle Marion Dukes, defensive tackle Marquay Love and tackle Joe Toledo.

Ain’t nobody’s job safe when Duane Charles Parcells is in town.

No more March Madness blackouts

CBSSports.com has decided to broadcast ALL March Madness games – including games on local TV and the Final Four games – as a part of its March Madness On Demand online product.

Until now, the network has protected its affiliates by maintaining roughly the same blackout rules online as it has on air and in its DirectTV out-of-market package, essentially keeping the “local” games TV only. It also has stopped coverage after the first 56 games. Both decisions were meant to protect the TV franchise.

The changes show some growth in the thinking of CBS (NYSE: CBS) Sports, the NCAA and the affiliates, aided by the success of previous years and some proof that most people who have a choice between watching March Madness on TV versus a computer will pick the former. (Then there are those of us who use a combination to watch multiple games at once.) Jason Kint, SVP and GM of CBSSports.com told me: ”It’s an across-the-board decision by all the partners that this is additive—not cannibalistic.” Kint said affiliates were part of the discussions. “I think they appreciate that the main consumers watching MMOD are doing it at work.”

If I’m not at a bar watching multiple games with friends, I utilize the MMOD to watch a game that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to see on local TV. Also, it’s nice to be able to switch over to a close game with ease. This is the kind of forward thinking that the NFL should try next time DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket monopoly expires.

Little more football, little less Kolber and Tafoya

ESPN.com is announcing that sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will see less camera time for Monday Night Football broadcasts starting next season.

MNF needs to rein in the chat. It had Kolber and Tafoya getting about as much air time as any sideline reporters in TV sports, as well as an outgoing three-man booth —Tony Kornheiser, Ron Jaworski and Mike Tirico — plus celebs dropping by to add to the chorus.

Although their roles will be greatly reduced, Kolber and Tafoya could pop up on ESPN and espn.com pregame and postgame shows — or even on TV during games if there is news to report. Said ESPN’s Mike Soltys Sunday: “Their precise roles are currently being determined.”

Somewhere, Joe Namath sheds a tear.

Players honor Taylor at Pro Bowl

Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson rushed for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 16 carries as the NFC topped the AFC 42-30 at the Pro Bowl Sunday.

Three Redskins players – tackle Chris Samuels, long snapper Ethan Albright and tight end Chris Cooley – all wore No. 21 in honor of slain teammate Sean Taylor.

R.I.P. Sean:

Wilbon loves Skins’ choice of Zorn

The Redskins recently hired Mike Zorn to be their next head coach and Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post lauded the hire in one of his recent columns.

Virtually every big-splash acquisition over the last seven years, whether it was a player or a coach, has turned out to be, well, overstated. A great many times Snyder has gone out and gotten exactly the guy he had in his sights, from Deion Sanders to Al Saunders, and watched it fall somewhere between disappointing and disaster. You cannot fault Snyder one bit for effort.

And that brings me to Jim Zorn, newly and somewhat surprisingly now the head coach of the Redskins. Nothing the Redskins have done in Snyder’s tenure has had less fanfare than the announcement of Zorn as coach.

It might be the best thing that’s happened to the franchise in a long time. If any franchise could benefit from a hire with no hype, with no fanfare, with no overstatement about what he’s going to do and how he’s going to do it, it’s the Washington Redskins.

The hiring of Zorn was a head scratchier to many, but as Wilbon points out, there’s no sense making a big splash-hire if it’s only going to backfire three years later. The Ravens, Falcons and now, the Redskins, have all made hires that have been less about style and more about substance. Obviously only time will tell if these teams made the right decisions, but it’s nice to see organizations get back to hiring good football people instead of good headline material.

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