Month: January 2010 (Page 58 of 65)

      Report: Cowher unlikely to coach in 2010

      January 4, 2010 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, former Steelers’ head coach Bill Cowher is unlikely to return to the sidelines in 2010.

      Despite being part of a meeting with the Buffalo Bills last week, it does not appear as if Bill Cowher will coach in the NFL next season, a source close to the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

      Sources recently told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen it is believed that owner Ralph Wilson Jr. and team president Russ Brandon met last week with Cowher to gauge his potential interest in returning to coaching.

      Cowher reiterated on CBS’ “The NFL Today” on Sunday that he is “not going to talk about any jobs during the regular season.”

      The Bills also met with Mike Shanahan after Dick Jauron was fired in November.

      I wonder how much this has to do with the job openings that are immediately available to Cowher. It appears that Mike Shanahan is headed for Washington, so with that job off the market Cowher is left with Buffalo and maybe Tampa Bay as choices. He’s been linked to the Panthers in years past, but Carolina has already publicly stated that John Fox and his staff will be back in 2010.

      Who knows though – things could change quickly. It’s the first day after the regular season, so more firings could be coming soon. I wonder if the Bears’ job could entice Cowher if Chicago decides to part ways with Lovie Smith (and the McCaskeys open up their wallets, of course).

      NFL

      Butler to the Bulls?

      January 4, 2010 /

      That’s the rumor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times…

      Rumors were circulating Sunday that the Washington Wizards, in an attempt to shake things up, are shopping swingman Caron Butler, with the Bulls and the Miami Heat being the likely trading partners.

      From the Bulls, the Wizards reportedly would seek guard Kirk Hinrich to provide some stability. The rumors also had the expiring contracts of Jerome James and Mike James being included, although the contracts of Butler ($9.78 million) and Hinrich ($9.5 million) are close enough to do the deal straight up.

      Once thought untouchable due to his skill level and affordable contract, the Wizards are actually thinking about trading the 29-year-old Butler away. Next season, he is set to make $10.6 million in the final year of his contract. That’s not bad for a guy who has proven that he can score like Butler has. (He posted back-to-back 20+ point seasons with Gilbert Arenas sidelined.)

      While I like Kirk Hinrich’s defensive mentality and willingness to share the ball, a straight up trade would be a coup for the Bulls if they can retain enough cap space to sign a big-name free agent (Dwyane Wade?) next summer. Butler’s salary next season is $1.6 million more than Hinrich’s, so assuming a cap of $50 million in 2010-2011, that would trim the Bulls’ cap space from around $12.5 million to less than $11 million. Of course, these figures assume that John Salmons does not terminate the final year of his deal (~$5.8 million).

      With a core of Rose, Butler, Deng and Noah, the Bulls would be a very attractive place for Wade to land. The post mentioned that the Heat are also interested in Butler, which is interesting considering the Butler-to-Chicago rumors.

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      The extraordinary depth of the TE position

      January 4, 2010 /

      By the time the fantasy football season is over, I usually want to crawl into a hole and forget about the topic for a few weeks. But one thing occurred to me as I watched the Week 17 games — there really are a lot of quality TEs out there.

      Take a look at 2009’s scoring breakdown for TE1 through TE12, for a high-performance, PPR league compared to the five previous years:

      In short, nine slots (TE3, and TE5-TE12) set six-year records. There was unprecedented depth at TE in 2009.

      What does this mean for 2010?

      Well, there are no fewer than eleven players that I’d feel very comfortable with heading into next season: Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Brent Celek, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow, Heath Miller, Owen Daniels and Chris Cooley (provided they look strong in training camp), and star-in-the-making Jermichael Finley.

      Moreover, there are a few more guys whose stock could rise (or stay high) if their environment improves (or stays consistent). For example, Zach Miller (6.2-63-0.3 over the last six games) emerged as the Raiders’ most consistent receiver after JaMarcus Russell was benched. Visanthe Shiancoe should have another top 10 year if Brett Favre plays another season. Greg Olsen (TE10, ranked 8th in targets amongst TEs) should have a better year with another offseason to work with Jay Cutler. John Carlson (TE13, 10th in TE targets) played a lot better with Matt Hasselbeck under center than without. Dustin Keller should improve alongside Matt Sanchez. Even Kevin Boss showed starter potential once he finally got healthy.

      That’s 17 players, and I haven’t even yet mentioned grizzled vets Jeremy Shockey or Todd Heap, who each showed flashes of their old selves and different points in the season.

      Throw in the fact that Dallas Clark’s stock may slide due to the return of Anthony Gonzalez, and 2010 is shaping up to be a year when fantasy owners would be wise to wait on the TE position. It will obviously still pay to have a stud TE, but with this many quality players, there’s no telling who those studs will be. Would you be shocked if Brent Celek or Vernon Davis outscored Dallas Clark and/or Antonio Gates next season? Me either.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Ochocinco to have MRI on his injured knee

      January 4, 2010 /

      Chad Ochocinco couldn’t extend his knee this morning after suffering an injury before the Bengals’ game against the Jets on Sunday night. He’s scheduled to have an MRI today, but is still expected to play against the Jets this Sunday in Cincinnati’s Wild Card game against the Jets.

      Via his Twitter account, Ochocinco blamed Giants Stadium for his injury:

      @Lizz_Lockeroom-its fat, it was a mini ice skiating rink outside the hashes during warm ups-I bust my ass-MRI at noon-can’t extend my knee

      It sounds like Ochocinco will play, but who knows how the injury will respond throughout the week. If for some reason he can’t go, the Bengals would be without their top receiver for their most important game of the year. That said, the Jets have the best secondary in the league and Ochocinco would likely be shutdown by Darrelle Revis anyway.

      Would Cincinnati be better off with Ochocinco in the lineup? Of course, but they’ll have to beat the Jets by establishing the run and playing good defense. Ochocinco won’t/isn’t going to be the X-factor come Sunday.

      NFL

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