Month: January 2010 (Page 7 of 65)

      Is Mark Sanchez’s knee injury serious?

      January 28, 2010 /

      According to a report by the Newark Star-Ledger, Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez made a precautionary visit with the acclaimed Dr. James Andrews to have his right knee examined.

      Sanchez suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in a 19-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills in a Week 13 game in Toronto when he made an ill-advised head-first slide. The exam is a precaution as Sanchez finished the season strong and showed no ill-effects of the injury.

      Sanchez will likely have his left knee examined as well. He injured that knee in college. The trip to Birmingham, Ala., to see Andrews was first reported by The New York Post.

      This offseason is vital for Sanchez because the Jets are expected to throw more of the playbook at him in his second year. The reason why some quarterbacks struggle in their second season is because more is expected of them, they have to learn more of the system and because defensive coordinators figure out more ways to defense them. So if Sanchez has to spend most of his offseason rehabbing from knee surgery, that would likely sidetrack his development.

      Hopefully the injury is nothing serious though, and Sanchez can put in a ton of work this offseason. He’s going to need it before the season starts again.


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      NFL

      Quinn or Anderson to be gone this summer?

      January 28, 2010 /

      As Mike Holmgren enters his first offseason with the Browns, one of his biggest question marks is what to do at quarterback. With the way head coach Eric Mangini couldn’t make a decision regarding the position last year, Holmgren will have to decide whether or not to get rid of Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, if not both and completely start over under center next year.

      Holmgren recently spoke about the topic on WKNR earlier this week:

      “Right now, I don’t know the situation quite well enough. I’ve been busy doing other things. Everyone knows that position is the most important position on a team. Is the quarterback of the Browns here already? Maybe. If not, then we’ll have to go free agency or draft. We’ll see.”

      That doesn’t sound like a man that’s settled on any decision, making the quarterback position an interesting dilemma this offseason for Holmgren and the Browns.

      Quinn was an utter disaster earlier in the year before Mangini replaced him with Anderson. But the unthinkable happened and Anderson was actually worse than Quinn was, forcing Mangini to once again start the first round pick.

      Much like the entire team, Quinn played better down the stretch and actually looked like he started to gain confidence. But for the second time in two years, Quinn finished the season on IR after he suffered a season-ending foot injury in a win over the Chiefs late in the year.

      Holmgren is making a wise decision by not committing to either quarterback, seeing as how neither of them have stepped up and grabbed the reins of the position. Chances are that Holmgren doesn’t view either of them as the long-term answer at quarterback and therefore, he might look to draft or acquire a signal caller this offseason. If he drafts a QB, he could part with either Quinn or Anderson and have the other one start until the rookie is ready to play.

      We’ll see how Holmgren approaches this topic over the next couple months.


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      NFL

      Vince Wilfork preparing for contract battle

      January 28, 2010 /

      One name to keep an eye on this offseason in the NFL is Patriots’ defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this spring. Wilfork has already stated that he either wants a long-term deal or to be set free.

      The problem is that the Patriots have no desire to let him walk. If they can’t reach a long-term deal, they would apply the franchise tag on him, which Wilfork has referred to as being a “slap in the face.”

      The Patriots are facing quite a dilemma because they’re not a franchise known for giving players huge contracts when they become free agents, but they also know that Wilfork is a unique athlete. Anyone they would get to replace him would be a downgrade, whether it’s Ron Brace or a rookie like Alabama’s Shaun Cody. So they’ll either have to step up and meet Wilfork’s demands or risk alienating him with a franchise tag.

      It might be time for the Patriots to finally step up and pay.


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      NFL

      Who will the Dodgers start at second base?

      January 28, 2010 /

      With the Dodgers re-signing of Ronnie Belliard the team might have found their starting second baseman. The contract, for one year and $875,000, is a steal of a deal for the Dodgers considering Belliard’s unexpected success with the team. Still, that money is only guaranteed if he hits 209 pounds or less during spring training.

      Before being acquired by the Dodgers in August of last year, Belliard was going nowhere in Washington. When he landed in Los Angeles, he took over for eventual Gold Glover Orlando Hudson. If Belliard had fallen on his face, the signing would have looked terrible. Instead, he was a pleasant surprise. He quickly won over the fans, posting a .351 average with 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. Remaining a starter in the playoffs, Belliard hit .300 and played strong defensively.

      But do the Dodgers stick with Belliard over the ever-patient Blake DeWitt? Manager Joe Torre has alluded to starting DeWitt, but that now remains uncertain given Belliard’s return. Also, DeWitt has never really made a splash on the big stage. Over the past couple years, DeWitt has been sent back and down to the minors a ridiculous amount of times. It’s just hard to believe the organization has confidence in the guy. While he is probably a better at second than Belliard, I think it comes down to their bats in this situation.

      As for Jamey Carroll, his signing just makes things worse for DeWitt. I think Carroll will end up spelling Belliard, further decreasing DeWitt’s role.


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      MLB

      Nuggets’ Smith makes good with former lawyer

      January 27, 2010 /

      In 2006, J.R. Smith broke someone’s jaw during a pick-up basketball game in Houston. Charges were filed and Smith hired Houston lawyer Rusty Hardin, known for representing Roger Clemens’ in his case involving Brian McNamee. After Smith’s case, Hardin claimed he never received $22,753.51 in legal fees. Well, Smith decided to pay him just before things got ugly.

      From NBA.com:

      Dale Jefferson, Hardin’s attorney, had threatened to serve Smith with legal papers before Wednesday’s game at the Toyota Center. Smith paid a chunk of the fees less than two hours before tipoff, prompting Hardin to call off the process server. Smith has 30 days to pay the rest.

      “Mr. Smith has owned up to his obligations, and agreed to pay them in full,” Jefferson said, before he and Hardin settled into front-row seats. “When he does that, we will dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice. It has not been accomplished yet, but he did make a good-faith wire transfer prior to the start of the game.”

      The 24-year-old Smith called the dispute “a miscommunication.” He said before the game that he wasn’t aware that the bills had not been paid and had to “talk to my financial people about that.”

      Jefferson set a 6 p.m. deadline for Smith to start paying the fees, and Smith’s wire transfer on Wednesday was received with eight minutes to spare.

      “It was like a 3-pointer at the buzzer,” Jefferson said.

      I know professional athletes in general aren’t the smartest of people, but NBA players seem to find themselves in the stupidest situations. I have a feeling Smith just forgot that he owed Hardin the cash. If not, then he would have done this earlier in his career when his team was visiting Houston. Nevertheless, given Hardin’s profession, I’m surprised it took him this long to act. It’s not like Smith doesn’t have the money.


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      NBA

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