Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1130 of 1503)

      Thirty-Two reasons to love the 2008 NFL Season so far

      October 6, 2008 /

      The 2008 NFL Season is only a quarter of the way finished, but it already looks like it could be one of the craziest years in some time. And as if anyone needed a reason to tune in this year, I’ve gone ahead and listed 32 of them below.

      In no particular order:

      1. Parity still rules. Who would have thought that the Bills and Titans would have better records at this point than the Colts, Patriots and Jaguars?

      2. The Giants. The G-Men are the best team in the league and nobody is talking about them.

      3. Aaron Rodgers is holding his own. The Packers have dropped three straight after starting the year 2-0, but that’s hardly Rodgers’ fault. The young man has gone through a lot this year and he continues to impress, including playing with an injured shoulder and throwing nine touchdown passes in five games.

      4. The Colts 17-point fourth quarter comeback against the Texans in Week 5.

      5. Preseason predictions still mean nothing. There’s no greater feeling than checking out who the pundits predict will be the best teams in the NFL in preseason…then realizing how wrong they were after the first couple weeks of the season.

      6. Jason Campbell’s development. People in the know say that it usually takes a quarterback 2-3 years to fully learn the West Coast Offense but so far this year, Campbell has thrown for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. And oh-by-the-way, he also has the Redskins at 4-1. First-year head coach Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job in Washington so far.

      7. The Titans. There’s not a defense in the league that has been more clutch late in games than Tennessee has.

      8. Ronnie Brown. No offense to Ricky Williams, but it’s nice to see that the guy who didn’t quit on the game because he wanted more time to smoke weed is having more success than the guy who did.

      9. The balance of power is starting to shift between the two conferences. The AFC has long dominated the NFC in terms of teams and quality of play, but so far this year those roles have been reversed. Four of the top five or six teams in the league belong to the NFC.

      Brett Favre10. Brett Favre. Through five weeks, no signal caller in the league has a better QB rating than Favre. And his six-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4 was vintage Brett.

      11. Baltimore’s defense. They might be aging unit, but Ray Lewis and Co. can still lay the wood can’t they?

      12. Rookie quarterbacks playing well. Matt Ryan just went into Lambeau and knocked off the Packers, while Joe Flacco almost pulled off upsets against top defenses in Pittsburgh and against Tennessee. These first round signal callers have been impressive to say the least.

      13. Adrian Peterson. Forget the sophomore slump – the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year is proving that he’s no fluke.

      14. The Bears finally have a quarterback. Kyle Orton is nowhere close to being the best quarterback in the league, but watch him play – he has a little gunslinger mentality in him. And hey, he’s no Rex Grossman, which is a great thing (just ask Bear fans).

      15. Kurt Warner. Some groaned when the veteran unseated youngster Matt Leinart in preseason, but so far head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s decision to go with Warner has paid off.

      Miami Dolphins16. The Dolphins. They might be all hype right now, but who cares? The Fins’ fan base saw only one win last year – let them enjoy the ride.

      17. Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness. This is arguably the worst offensive line the Steelers have produced in years, yet Big Ben continues to show how underrated he really is. His performance against Jacksonville in Week 5 was simply amazing.

      18. The Bills. It’s easy to pull for a young team and most of their wins this year have been nail bitters. Hopefully QB Trent Edwards is okay from the hit he took against Arizona last Sunday and he’ll get back on the field soon.

      19. The young Titans’ secondary. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin share the league lead for interceptions. And they play in the same defensive backfield.

      20. Marty Booker’s catch against the Lions.

      21. Jay Cutler. The kid is cocky but it’s hard not to like his swagger.

      22. Michael Turner’s running style.

      23. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Packers’ wideouts are just two example of why teams don’t need to spend first round picks on receivers.

      24. Fresh starts in Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis. Yes these three franchises are a mess. But maybe there is a silver lining now that Lane Kiffin, Matt Millen and Scott Linehan all received their walking papers. Maybe…

      Eli Manning25. Eli Manning. The former first overall pick is proving that last year’s postseason performance wasn’t a fluke and he really has taken the next step as a NFL quarterback.

      26. The Panthers. Jake Delhomme is healthy and playing well again, rookie Jonathan Stewart has been a great complement to DeAngelo Williams and the run defense has been fantastic so far. Carolina is a legitimate contender in the NFC.

      27. Monte Kiffin’s defense. The Bucs don’t even rank in the top 10 in any major defensive category except for points allowed, but ask Matt Ryan, Kyle Orton and Aaron Rodgers if they would want to face Kiffin’s unit on a weekly basis.

      28. The Patriots are still finding ways to win. It hasn’t been pretty, but Bill Belichick and New England are still finding ways to win despite not having Tom Brady under center. Even after being blown out by Miami at home in Week 3, the Pats are still a team to watch out for in the AFC.

      29. Reggie Bush. He might not be able to run consistently between the tackles but he sure as hell can run outside of them.

      Tony Romo and Terrell Owens30. Terrell Owens…when he shuts up and just plays. And Tony Romo…when he can hang on to the football.

      31. The Bengals. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the field.

      32. Al Davis. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the filed.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Kimbo Slice: The charade is over

      October 6, 2008 /

      I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t really follow the MMA. But it’s hard not to know who Kimbo Slice is considering the YouTube.com star actually graced the cover of ESPN the Magazine a few months ago.

      I didn’t catch the fight (I was flipping between college football and the latest Cubs’ postseason collapse), but I had to chuckle when I read that Slice was knocked out in just 14 seconds Saturday night by some guy filling in for the inured Ken Shamrock. And as Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports writes, it looks like the Kimbo Slice Show has reached it’s finale.

      Kimbo SliceOne simple shot sent Slice to the canvas and from there some guy named Seth Petruzelli needed just 12 punches and 14 seconds to put an end (we hope) to one of the great sporting charades of all time.

      It was just a matter of time before Kimbo got exposed. He was little more than a character out of central casting, a bunch of addictive YouTube videos and a lot of insane hype by CBS, which made him a headliner before he made himself a fighter.

      He was the Kimbo the Cash Machine, everyone lining up to exploit the lie that this was the baddest man on earth as long as he could walk through hand-picked tomato cans.

      Kimbo was KTFO by a guy he absolutely towered over yet was willing to bang with him anyway. Not that Kimbo did any banging. Slice charged him (“He was like a truck,” Petruzelli said) but he never actually landed a punch.

      In the end, Kimbo’s hand speed, defense and chin proved incapable against even an average mixed martial artist. Which was pretty much what every hardcore fan had predicted.

      Not that CBS didn’t keep up with the Slice willing to fight, “anyone, anywhere, at anytime.” This was a 100 percent true statement if “anyone, anywhere, at anytime” means “no one any good, anywhere, ever.”

      Not that I would ever want to go toe to toe with Slice – but what a joke. And is that a M.I.L.F. Hunter T-shirt he’s wearing in that photo? Awesome.

      Mixed Martial Arts

      Same old question: Is Jerry Jones too involved?

      October 6, 2008 /

      Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News writes that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shouldn’t be the one pumping up his team on the sidelines during games. That job should fall on Wade Phillips and the rest of the Dallas coaching staff.

      Terrell OwensJerry shouldn’t be delivering pep talks to an overly sensitive Terrell Owens with 5:14 left in the third quarter because Owens needs a hug while sulking on the bench. Nor should Jerry be exhorting the first-team defense between series.

      The same goes for handing out high-fives to Courtney Brown and patting Zach Thomas on the back after Anthony Spencer’s fourth-quarter fumble recovery or congratulating each member of the extra-point unit following T.O.’s key touchdown in the fourth quarter.

      After the game, the sweat rapidly rolled down Jerry’s flushed cheeks, staining his snazzy navy and black tie and making his shirt damp.

      Jerry crosses a fine line when he’s that involved with the players during the game, because it goes way beyond his duties as owner or general manager.

      Blame Wade Phillips. Obviously, the owner thought he was giving the team something it needed.

      “It was my emotion,” Jerry said of heading to the field in the third quarter. “In my own way, I was reminding everyone how important – not that they needed reminding – this game was. I added an additional impetus to it. This game was every bit as big as it was against Washington last week.”

      I’ve always had mixed emotions regarding this topic. On one hand, it’s the owner’s team. If he wants to be on the sidelines at the end of games and slap high-fives with the players he’s paying millions of dollars to, than he should be able to do that. But where do you draw the line? The owners higher coaches to run the team and should rely on them to keep the players motivated. And besides, if the coaches can’t fire up the players, what makes the owner think he will?

      But in the specific case of Jerry Jones, I don’t think there’s anything new here. He’s always been on the sidelines and to me, he doesn’t seem to be a distraction. Do I think it’s ridiculous that he’s giving pep talks to T.O. during a game? Yeah. But that reflects more poorly on T.O. than Owens in my opinion.

      NFL

      Vanderbilt college football’s new Cinderella

      October 6, 2008 /

      After they beat Virginia Tech and West Virginia earlier in the year, many thought that East Carolina would be college football’s Cinderella team this season. But apparently the slipper fit better on Vanderbilt.

      Thanks to a huge win over conference rival Auburn on Saturday, the Commodores are 5-0 for the first time since World War II. And only are they ranked 14th in the nation now, but some even believe they can win the SEC this season.

      Vanderbilt1. That Vandy could win the SEC East.
      I know, I know. You’re going to say I’m getting “caught up in the hype,” perhaps hypnotized by what had to be the headiest set of signs in GameDay history (“What’s worse: Auburn’s offense or the economy?”). Yes, the Commodores barely squeaked by an Auburn squad with that aforementioned anemic offense. Yes, they only gained 263 yards of their own (albeit with their backup quarterback leading the way.) But have you seen the rest of Vandy’s schedule?

      The ‘Dores are 3-0 in the SEC and play at least two more teams — Mississippi State and Tennessee — they should beat (when’s the last time you could say that?) The other three are Georgia, Florida and Kentucky. Vandy’s probably not going to win in Athens — but Georgia’s probably going to lose another conference game. The Kentucky game is a toss-up. That leaves Florida in Nashville. The ‘Dores nearly beat the Gators in both 2005 and ’06, and this team, unlike those Vandy squads, doesn’t fold, outscoring foes 58-10 in the second half. Anything’s possible.

      It has been an amazing ride so far for Vandy and personally, I hope it continues. For years they’ve been the whipping boys in the SEC and finally they’ve given their fans a contender. Sure, a lot of their success has come because of a very opportunistic defense (they lead the nation in turnover margin), but good teams find ways to make their own breaks. They’re exciting to watch and it’ll be interesting to see if the Commodores are really this good or if it’s all hype.

      College Football

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