Month: November 2009 (Page 5 of 71)

      Hines Ward calls out Ben Roethlisberger for not playing

      November 29, 2009 /

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      I just watched Hines Ward on the NBC pregame show and was pretty shocked to hear him discuss the Ben Roethlisberger situation. Roethlisberger won’t play against the Ravens tonight due to a concussion that he suffered last week, leaving the Steelers with third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon, who will make his first NFL start.

      Hines was surprisingly candid, as he acknowledged that the Steeler locker room was basically split as to whether Roethlisberger should play. He never came out and clearly said he supported the decision to have Big Ben sit, and Bob Costas tried his best to get Ward to acknowledge that head injuries like concussions should be treated differently.

      In his defense, Ward was trying to explain the mentality of players who want to be on the field if they can walk. Frankly, it’s that mentality that necessitates a new policy on concussions, particularly in college and high school where this has become a real problem.

      NFL

      Tiger breaks silence on website

      November 29, 2009 /

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Tiger Woods’ late-night car accident and his (alleged) affair with Rachel Uchitel sadly continues to be the top story in the sports world. There are plenty of other places to get your fill of this sordid mess, but I’d rather just point you to what Tiger is currently acknowledging:

      Per his website:

      As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I’m pretty sore.

      This situation is my fault, and it’s obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I’m human and I’m not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn’t happen again.

      This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.

      The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.

      This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.

      I feel like this will evolve into a grueling ordeal, one in which Tiger will probably end up with a tarnished reputation. Regardless of what happens, at least he’s safe. Adulterer or not, the guy could have either been killed or injured in a way as to ruin his career.

      Golf

      Eagles benefit from non-call, Redskins’ conservative approach in victory

      November 29, 2009 /

      The Eagles kept their playoff aspirations very much alive with a 27-24 win over the Redskins in Week 12, but they were also fortunate that Juqua Parker wasn’t flagged for a 15-yard personal foul in the game’s waning moments.

      Trailing 27-24 with less than two minutes remaining, the Redskins faced a 4th and 1 at their own 25-yard line. On the play, Jason Campbell threw an incomplete pass but was slammed to the ground by Parker, who could have easily been flagged (defenders have certainly be flagged for less this season). Instead of having a chance to continue their drive and possibly get into field goal range to tie the game, the Redskins lost the ball on a change of possession and the Eagles held on for the win.

      Granted, there’s no guarantee that the Redskins would have gotten into field goal range even if a flag were thrown. Plus, if Washington didn’t get so conservative early in the fourth quarter when they had a 21-16 lead, then the Skins would have never been in that position to have to come back in the first place.

      But I digress.

      For the Eagles, this win allows them to stay in playoff contention in the NFC. Donovan McNabb completed 21-of-35 passes for 260 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also threw a two-point conversion on a shovel pass to LeSean McCoy and overcame multiple drops by tight end Brent Celek.

      On the injury front for Philadelphia, receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit by London Fletcher. The injury doesn’t appear to be too serious, but the Eagles will certainly take plenty of precaution with Jackson given Brian Westbrook’s history of concussions.

      NFL

      Larry Johnson rushes for 107 yards in Bengals’ win

      November 29, 2009 /

      It didn’t take long for Larry Johnson to make an impact for the Bengals.

      Just two weeks after Cincinnati signed the troubled running back, Johnson rushed for 107 yards on 22 carries to help the Bengals beat the Browns 16-7 in Week 12.

      Johnson started by splitting carries with Bernard Scott, but after rushing for 42 yards on his first four carries, Marvin Lewis gave him more opportunities throughout the game. Then after Scott was injured in the third quarter, Johnson took over as the team’s primary back and helped the Bengals earn an unimpressive win.

      Johnson won’t unseat Cedric Benson as Cincinnati’s top back, but it never hurts when a contender has two capable runners come playoff time. KC fans will want to throw up when they read this, but LJ gave his best effort of the year, which is huge given Benson’s injury.

      With this win, the Bengals completed a season sweep of the entire AFC North and at 8-3, Cincy is right in contention for a first round bye.

      NFL

      Falcons’ last-minute win over Bucs could be season defining

      November 29, 2009 /

      There are moments every NFL season that could be deemed as defining for playoff contenders.

      The Falcons had one of those moments in Week 12.

      Atlanta lost Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and two starting offensive linemen on Sunday, but found a way to come from behind in the closing minutes to knock off division rival Tampa Bay, 20-17. Chris Redman completed 23-of-41 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns while subbing for Ryan (who hurt his foot early in the first quarter and never returned), and also found Roddy White on a 4th and goal from the 5-yard line to lift Atlanta to victory.

      Outside of two separate 18-yard runs by Turner and Jerious Norwood, the Falcons had no running game, which made things tougher on Redman. It also didn’t help that starting left tackle Sam Baker and starting right guard Harvey Dahl left the game due to injuries and the Bucs revved up the pressure. Tampa produced six sacks on the day and harassed Redman for the majority of the game.

      But with the game on the line, Redman was excellent. With 2:30 left on the clock and zero timeouts, he led the Falcons 59 yards for the game-winning score by taking what the Bucs gave them and methodically marching down the field. On the crucial fourth down attempt, Redman threw a bullet to White, who made an incredible catch in between defenders to secure the catch.

      The Falcons have a ton of injuries, can’t defend the pass, need a new kicker (Jason Elam is horrible) and have two daunting home games against the Eagles and Saints over the next two weeks, but if they can build off the momentum they seized today, then they’ll make the playoffs. One could argue that they should have beaten a bad Tampa team by more than three points at home. But considering they were playing with several backups (including Redman), the only thing that matters is that they produced a victory. And with winnable games against the Jets, Bills and Bucs down the stretch, if they can find a way to beat either the Eagles or Saints over the next two weeks then a 10-win season is a possibility.

      Speaking of Tampa, Josh Freeman (20-of-29 for 250 yards, 2 TDs) played very well and the defense responded to Morris calling the plays for the first time this season. But Morris’ decision to attempt a long field goal late in the fourth quarter set the Falcons up with prime field position to mount their comeback. Had Morris decided to punt, the Falcons would have had to drive the length of the field with no timeouts. Hindsight is always 20/20, but the decision to attempt the field goal doomed the Bucs.

      NFL

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