Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1028 of 1503)

      Saints could start living up to expectations Thursday in Chicago

      December 11, 2008 /

      Sean PaytonIt’s essentially now or never for the New Orleans Saints. After a season in which some thought they would make a deep postseason run, the Saints need a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the NFC.

      Tonight the holy men are in Chicago to do battle with a Bears team that is in desperate need of a win themselves. The Bears remain one game behind the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North and considering the Vikes are likely to start backup Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback on Sunday against Arizona, a win over New Orleans could leave Chicago tied for first in the division by Sunday evening.

      But nobody outside of Chicago expected too much from the Bears this year. The same cannot be said for the Saints.

      In the offseason, New Orleans made a great effort to rebuild their beleaguered defense by adding LB Jonathan Vilma (trade/Jets), DT Sedrick Ellis (draft/first round) and CB Randall Gay (free agent/Patriots). The moves were supposed to be enough to keep opponents in check while the explosive Saints’ offense put up 30 points a game. But while the offense has done its part (No. 1 in the NFL in total yards), the defense has yielded just over 25 points a game and ranks in the bottom half of the league in stopping the run (20th) and pass (26th).

      Part of the issue this year has been injuries as both Mike McKenzie and Charles Grant, two starters, have missed more than half the season. But the main issue for the Saints has been a lack of consistency – on both sides of the ball. The defense has done a decent job of loading the box and taking away the run at times, but then leaves itself vulnerable to opponents’ passing attacks. And up until last week when they beat the Falcons, head coach Sean Payton has been publicly criticized for abandoning the run and not having enough offensive balance.

      A win tonight in Chicago would go a long way in saving the Saints’ season. It won’t be easy – Solider Field is a tough environment to play in December – but the Bears have only beaten one quality opponent in their last seven games (Week 7 vs. the Vikings) and have struggled mightily with consistency themselves. The key will be weather or not Payton will show the patience to stick with the run against a Bears’ defense that has been solid in taking away opponents’ rushing games. If they can, Chicago has proven that its not afraid to give up the sideline route and has had issues all season putting opponents away when they have a lead. And can the New Orleans defense force Kyle Orton to make mistakes? If they load up to stop Mike Forte, they better get pressure on Orton because he’s had success throwing vertically this season.

      Should be a good one.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Red Sox, Mark Teixeira getting closer to a deal?

      December 11, 2008 /

      According to FOX Sports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Boston Red Sox are inching closer to signing free agent Mark Teixeira.

      The Red Sox are making progress in their quest to sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, according to a major-league source.

      “Headway was being made earlier today,” one source said.

      A rival general manager whose plans could be affected by the Red Sox’s addition of Teixeira also indicated that a deal was getting closer.

      Teixeira is the Red Sox’s No. 1 offseason target. They view him as the perfect fit for the middle of their order.

      Teixeira is seeking a 10-year contract for at least $20 million per season. The Red Sox preference would be to sign him to a deal between six and eight years.

      With CC Sabathia taken, Teixeira is now the biggest prize on the free-agent market. He hit 33 home runs and had 121 RBIs as a member of the Braves and Angels last season. Teixeira has never hit less than 26 homers in his six major-league seasons.

      This would be a fantastic move for the Red Sox because they not only get a quality hitter, but a young quality hitter for the middle of their lineup. He might not have Manny Ramirez’s pop, but again, he’s younger and comes with less baggage.

      Conversely, this would be a huge blow for the Angels, who have made Teixeira their number one offseason target. The Orioles and Nationals have also shown interest in the first basemen, although it appears that the only real suitors for his services are the BoSox and Halos.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Dodgers offer Furcal 2-year deal to stay

      December 11, 2008 /

      The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially offered shortstop Rafael Furcal an incentive-laden two-year contract. Furcal, however, is seeking a four-year deal.

      Rafael FurcalThe Dodgers have offered the 31-year-old shortstop an incentive-laden contract that is guaranteed for two years and includes a vesting option for a third, according to sources familiar with the negotiations who were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter. Furcal is asking for a four-year deal.

      Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said Wednesday that the Dodgers are one of four finalists to sign his client. Kinzer said the other three — Oakland, Toronto and Kansas City — also have offers on the table and that Oakland’s is for four years.

      Kinzer says he expects Furcal to be signed by Christmas.

      Furcal can guarantee the third year of the contract with the Dodgers by accumulating a certain number of at-bats in the first two years, sources said.

      Considering Furcal is coming off an injury-riddled season, the Dodgers were wise to protect themselves with an incentive-laden deal. This is the second time L.A. has offered a quality free agent just a two-year deal (the first was Manny Ramirez), which again, is smart. They might not land either player because other teams will come to the table with more years, but at least they’re trying to protect themselves from getting burned on ridiculous guaranteed contracts that could kill their spending in the future.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Yankees get older in the outfield by trading Cabrera to Brewers for Cameron

      December 11, 2008 /

      After signing CC Sabathia to a mega deal worth an estimated $161 million earlier in the day, the New York Yankees weren’t done on Wednesday as they traded youngster Melky Cabrera to the Milwaukee Brewers for 35-year old Mike Cameron.

      Melky CabreraThe Yankees have been saying that Cabrera and Brett Gardner would compete for the center field job, but the acquisition of Cameron gives them a veteran presence at the position.

      Many believed Cabrera would be the center fielder of the future entering the 2008 campaign, but a disappointing season, in which he hit .249 with eight homeruns and 37 RBIs in 129 games, led many to believe he was destined for a future as a utility outfielder. Yankees blue-chip prospect Austin Jackson is not expected to be ready for big league action until at least 2010, making Cameron the ideal one-year stopgap in center field.

      Cameron, a former Met, hit .243 with 25 HRs and 70 RBIs in 120 games last season. He will earn $10 million in 2009.

      Cameron has always been a fine ball player and it never hurts to add leadership to the clubhouse. But Cabrera is only 24, which means he still has roughly three years before he hits his prime so one would have thought that the Yankees would take their time to develop his talents.

      This was a nice trade for Brewers as they cut salary and get a solid young player, but one that will need time to develop.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Shaw criticizes the idea of Browns hiring Schottenheimer

      December 10, 2008 /

      Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the Browns would only essentially be applying a band-aid fix to their soon-to-be head coaching vacancy by hiring Marty Schottenheimer.

      Romeo CrennelIn fact, it sounds exactly like something Lerner would do if he can’t land Cowher and that’s what should concern you. It would be taking the easy way out. Hire a coach with experience primarily because the last one you hired had never been a head coach and it showed.

      But with Schottenheimer, all you’d be doing is rinsing and repeating two or three years from now.

      Maybe Lerner wants a quick turnaround so he can sell. But that kind of short-term thinking doesn’t do Browns fans any good.

      If you make the right choice based on a wide knowledge of the coaching talent around the league, it makes it easier to ride out the bumps. In picking Crennel from New England and Savage from Baltimore, Lerner was intent on borrowing from successful organizations. But within a year he was ready to fire Savage and had serious concerns about Crennel.

      Getting the right people is what’s most important, not taking one from Column A and one from Column B as if you’re ordering in Chinese.

      This next hire demands foresight. Sorry, that’s not Marty Schottenheimer, whose time here came and went 20 years ago.

      What’s ironic about Shaw’s criticisms of Lerner “borrowing from successful organizations” is that Shaw goes on to note that the Ravens were wise in taking a chance on John Harbaugh, who came from Philadelphia…a successful organization.

      As I wrote when the news first broke, the Browns could do a lot worse than Marty Schottenheimer – a lot worse. Would he be a band-aid fix? Yeah, probably. It’s Lerner and Savage’s responsibility then to make sure that Schottenheimer’s eventual replacement is already on staff so when it’s time to move on, you already have someone familiar with the organization and the direction it wants to go in. Don’t just write off Schottenheimer because he’s not a long-term answer. Bring him in to establish structure and to get his players to believe in a system and then make a transition to one of his coordinators that could be a long-term solution.

      I say this assuming the Browns can’t land Cowher. Because if they can, than clearly he’s the ideal choice.

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑