Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1135 of 1503)

      NFL News & Notes: Carson Palmer to play

      October 3, 2008 /

      Carson Palmer– Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis says that ‘All systems are go’ for quarterback Carson Palmer to play Sunday against the Cowboys. (Bengals.com)

      – Despite Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returning to practice on Friday, the team has listed him as questionable to face Jacksonville. Big Ben is dealing with a shoulder injury. (NFL.com)

      – Baltimore running back Willis McGahee was limited in Friday’s practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Titans. McGahee suffered a rib injury Monday night against the Steelers. (NFL.com)

      – Anquan Boldin underwent surgery to repair his sinus fracture and will not play in the Cardinals game Sunday against the Bills. Steve Breaston will start in Boldin’s place. (Arizona Republic)

      – The Eagles are reporting that RB Brian Westbrook should play this weekend against the Redskins despite being hobbled by an ankle injury. (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 5 Primer

      October 3, 2008 /

      Donovan McNabbSunday’s Best: Redskins (3-1) at Eagles (2-2) 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Who would have thought after four weeks that the Washington Redskins would be right in the thick of things in the NFC East? Especially after they bombed in the opener against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. But they are, and a big reason for that is the maturity of QB Jason Campbell, who has looked comfortable running Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense the past three weeks. But he’ll get a major test this weekend against Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense. The WCO is predicated on short timing routes and getting the ball into the hands of receivers so they can get yards after the catch. If Campbell can’t get the ball out of his hands quickly, Philly is sure to produce plenty of sacks and turnovers. Whether or not the Eagle offense converts those turnovers into points remains to be seen, however. In their loss last week to Chicago, Donovan McNabb struggled getting the Eagles into the end zone without the threat of Brian Westbrook in the backfield. Westbrook will be a game time decision, although he has seen a fair about of practice time this week, which might be a good sign that he’ll play. Expect another physical matchup between NFC East rivals.

      Upset Watch: Bills (4-0) at Cardinals (2-2), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      I’m not fooling oddsmakers by calling this a potential upset because they’ve already established the Cardinals as 1-point favorites. But considering how well the Bills have played this year and how Arizona surrendered 56 points in last weeks loss to the Jets, a Cardinal victory would be an upset. The fact of the matter is that the Cards just flat out play better in the desert than they do on the road. They’re a completely different team and while dynamic wide out Anquan Boldin is not expected to play after suffering a nasal injury last Sunday, the Cards have more than enough offensive weapons to pull out a win. The key will be Kurt Warner not turning the ball over and for the team to play all four quarters. Buffalo has trailed in the second half of three of their four victories this year, which means that they’ve been outstanding in the clutch. Arizona will have to play a complete game to earn a win, but an upset could be in the making.

      Ben RoethlisbergerIntriguing Matchup: Steelers (3-1) at Jaguars (2-2), 8:15 PM ET NBC
      The Steelers may be 3-1, but they can’t feel too good about the way things are unraveling as injuries continue to mount. Not only will Pittsburgh go into this game without their top two backs in Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, but Ben Roethlisberger is also dealing with shoulder and hand injuries and OT Kendall Simmons is now lost for the year. The Steelers had offensive line issues coming into the season with Simmons in their lineup. Now they have to play without him, which isn’t good news for Big Ben and the rest of the offense. The Jaguars started the year 0-2 but are now gaining confidence after beating the Colts and Texans in dramatic fashion over the past two weeks. The running game has opened up the passing attack for David Garrard, who is starting to play like the quarterback who led the Jags deep into the playoffs last season. We’re going to see what Pittsburgh is made of, because Jacksonville is starting to show signs of the Super Bowl contender that everyone that they’d be in preseason.

      Other Notable Games:
      Titans (4-0) at Ravens (2-1), 1:00 PM ET
      Tennessee is one of only two teams still undefeated and perhaps is playing the best defense in the AFC. Rookie Joe Flacco looked like he was starting to come into his home against the Steelers, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a tough Titans’ defense.

      Buccaneers (3-1) at Broncos (3-1), 4:05 PM ET
      This is one of the best matchups on the Week 5 schedule as it pits Monte Kiffin’s defense against the Broncos’ offense, which has been one of the best units in the league so far. Can Denver bounce back from its embarrassing loss to the Chiefs last week? Can the Bucs further convince people that they’re a contender with Brain Griese under center?

      Bengals (0-4) at Cowboys (3-1), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      Ocho Cinco vs. Grab Your Popcorn. Should be a good one.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      South Park meets the NFL

      October 3, 2008 /

      The World of Isaac spent some time comparing NFL players, coaches, officials and wives/girlfriends to their “South Park” counterparts. Fans of both the NFL and South Park will obviously get a kick out of this.

      KennyKenny/Brett Favre
      Every time you think these guys are dead, every time you think you’ve seen them for the last time, every time you think its their last hoorah, they keep showing back up.

      Towelie/Ricky Williams
      Towelie can’t last an episode without some weed and apparently Ricky Williams can’t even go a bye week without it.

      Cartman/Shaun Rogers
      Fat…check
      Lazy…check
      Huge Head…check

      Timmy/Terrell Owens
      One has special needs. The other one is just “special”. You tell me which ones which.

      Kyle/Joey Harrington
      Positive even when he doesn’t need to be but eventually his personality wears out on you.

      Their comparison to Harrington and Kyle is dead on. Hear or read any Joey Harrington quote after a game and you’ll know exactly what The World of Isaac is talking about.

      General Sports, Humor, NFL, Television

      Has their free-spending ways caught up with the Yankees?

      October 3, 2008 /

      Harvey Araton of The New York Times wrote an interesting piece about the current state of the New York Yankees and how their erratic spending has caught up to them. (Or will catch up to them in the near future.)

      Alex RodriguezThe most common contemporary take on the Yankees is that their deep pockets do not guarantee championship success, just the ability to withstand expensive mistakes (Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, Roger Clemens in 2007) that would level lesser-endowed clubs. But given higher stakes and increased risk, for how long?

      With a personnel infrastructure almost as old as the stadium they are vacating, with an overhyped or underachieving farm system, how do the Yankees meet the terms of their aforementioned deal with their fans without sending the newly re-signed general manager, Brian Cashman, on a pressurized spending spree that would compromise the financial restraint he preached in passing on Johan Santana last winter?

      “A $40 million mistake four years ago could be a $120 million mistake today, like Barry Zito and the Giants,” Ganis said. “And by the way, if you’re the Yankees and you’re paying the luxury tax, it’s $175 million.”

      Yankee tax dollars subsidize smaller markets. The more the Yankees spend without optimum return, the greater the odds of a Tampa Bay rising up against them. The richer and longer a contract the Yankees hand out, the more they are stuck with the status quo, for better or worse.

      Take A-Rod. He’s a force of nature now, but if his skills erode sooner than later, the Yankees may want to say, “Take him, please.” At the price they paid, good luck with that, and with selling those overpriced seats long term in their expensive new house if safer, smarter investments are not soon made.

      Excellent points all the way around. People want to bitch about how the Yankees can buy every player they want, but fail to see that it’s only hurting them in the end. The strategy of buying and trading for every All-Star on the market has worked for NY in the past, but they didn’t make the playoffs this year. What happens when they go hog wild in spending next offseason and miss the postseason yet again? They’re only digging themselves further and further in finical hell and not getting anything out of it.

      Here’s a shocker – maybe the Tampa Bay Rays had it right all along. Don’t overspend (not that they could anyway with the market they’re in, but that’s besides the point), harvest their young talent and build a winner for the future. Well guess what? The future is now for the Rays while the Yankees continue to get burned by the past.

      MLB

      MLB Playoffs Quick Reads

      October 3, 2008 /

      – Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Cubs are a tragedy of errors right now.

      – Chris DeLuca of the Times notes that the Cubs aren’t the only ones in a slump – manager Lou Piniella is, too.

      – Joey Johnston of the Tampa Tribune gushes over Rays’ rookie Evan Longoria’s cool after the third basemen hit two home runs in Game 1 of ALDS against the White Sox.

      – Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Phils manager Charlie Manuel has succeeded with juggling the club’s lineup so far against the Brewers in the NLDS.

      – John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times likes the fire that Rays’ RP Grant Balfour shows, but also writes how the young pitcher invites trouble along with his success.

      – Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer waxes poetically about Shane Victorino, the “little Philly” who came up with a huge grand slam against Brewers’ ace CC Sabathia in Game 2 of the NLDS.

      MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑