Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1147 of 1503)

      Al Davis has lost his mind…

      September 25, 2008 /

      …or so Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says in a round-about way. On Monday, Kawakami had a run in with Raiders senior executive John Herrera about the state of Oakland Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin and his future employment.

      On Tuesday, Kawakami sat down with Deadspin to discuss, among other things, the mental state of Raiders’ owner Al Davis.

      Al DavisHas Davis lost it? Are we talking latter-day Howard Hughes?
      Al knows football. But he’s also paranoid; he’s into conspiracy theories about himself. He was that way when he was 40, but even more so now. And the ability to think around that gets harder as he gets older, so that effects his judgment. Also, he used to have people around him who were good at public relations. Guys like Bruce Allen, who were there during the Gruden years. Allen was a real people person and could help Al deal with the outside world. But Bruce is gone now. Al has absolutely no one around him who is good in dealing with people. It’s just Al in the darkness now.

      So, what’s the second-strangest thing that has happened to you since you began covering the Raiders?
      Do you know the Deng Xiaoping story? That’s the infamous one, I guess. It was at the press conference announcing the hiring of Kiffin. Afterwards I was talking to Al, and remarked that I thought it was a strange hire, given that Kiffin was so young and had no head coaching experience. Al didn’t like that, and said: ‘I’ll bet you don’t even know who Deng Xiaoping was.’ I was like, what? What does that have to do with anything? Al pressed it. ‘Who is Deng Xiaoping?’ So I thought for a minute, and said, ‘Well, if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t he the General Secretary of the Chinese government during the Tiananmen Square massacre?’ And Al repiles, ‘But what can you tell me about him other than that? See? You don’t even know anything about your own culture.’ I said, ‘Al, I’m Japanese-American, not Chinese.’ And Al said, ‘Ohh, geez. I bet you’re going to kill me on that now.’ It all happened in front of about 20 reporters, so I didn’t have to.

      In the interview, Kawakami notes that the only reason Kiffin still has a job right now is because Davis isn’t prepared for what happens next. Davis wants Kiffin gone, but isn’t prepared to go through the process of finding another coach.

      So in other words, things are about status quo at Oakland Raiders’ headquarters.

      NFL

      Top 10 Whiniest Coaches in College Football

      September 24, 2008 /

      FOXSports.com groups the top 10 whiniest coaches in college football.

      5. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
      Gundy must be thrilled he finally got some prime-time exposure. Too bad it was for his epic whining about some alleged inaccuracies printed by The Oklahoman. But Gundy’s wasn’t just any whine. It was a head-exploding mother of all tantrums. “I’m a man! I’m 40!” will forever go down as one of the whiniest rants of all time.

      3. Les Miles, LSU
      We love Les, king of the preemptive whines. Whine about your tough path for sympathy votes! “They (USC) have a much easier road to travel – I would like that path for us.” Whine about the two OT losses last season “If you just give us ties, like in the old system, we are undefeated with two ties. Maybe that adds up as one loss.” Leave it to Les to whine about how he wishes he had an easier path, then whine about how two ties equal one loss.

      2. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan
      “Being Rich Rod,” coming soon to a theater near you. Scream “excessive” about the $4 million buyout in your West Virginia contract clause, then later admit that your Michigan buyout is the same amount. Claim “coersion” after signing a contract when your lawyers and agents were at your beck and call. Whine about death threats, then fail to provide proof. Pat self on back for getting an entire state to light couches on fire.

      1. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
      Was there any doubt that the Ol’ Bawl Coach would be No. 1 on this list? It’s not just his railing against South Carolina’s student-athlete admissions requirements that caused him to threaten quitting. No, it’s his weekly wrath toward officials who make calls he disagrees with against his Gamecocks every dang play. Thank goodness his visor is made of kryptonite.

      Know how to stop Steve Spurrier from whinnying all the time? Threaten him with having to coach in the NFL again. Ha! Get it? Because he was one of the worst NFL head coaches in the history of the league? Yeah…yeah you get it…

      College Football, Video

      Week 5 College Football Primer

      September 24, 2008 /

      Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 5.

      Top 25 Action:
      Nick SabanNo. 8 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 3 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC), Saturday 7:45 PM ET ESPN
      In their 27-10 win over Arizona State last week, the Bulldogs were able to physically dominate ASU in the trenches, but questions still remain about their inexperienced offensive line. After having trouble with South Carolina’s front four two weeks ago, UGA head coach Mark Richt made some changes that at the very least, worked in the win over ASU. But the Bulldogs’ offensive line will get another stiff test this week against a physical defensive front of Alabama. Tide head coach Nick Saban has his team believing they can win and their 328-92 rushing dominance in a win at Arkansas last week was nothing short of impressive. Last year ‘Bama gave Georgia everything they could handle before finally losing 26-23 in overtime in Tuscaloosa. So it should be another great SEC battle “between the hedges” this Saturday. Georgia is currently a 6.5-point favorite.

      No. 24 TCU (4-0, 1-0 MWC) at No. 2 Oklahoma (3-0, 2-0 home), Saturday 7:00 PM ET
      The Sooners wrap up their non-conference schedule by hosting an undefeated TCU team that ranks 13th in the nation in points scored. Of course, Oklahoma is the top ranked program in that category, so lets not get ahead ourselves in predicting an upset. The Sooners have outscored opponents 164-42 and are second in the nation with a 40.7 average margin of victory. OU head coach Bob Stoops has been around the block more than enough to know his team can’t relax before conference play. Oklahoma is an 18.5-point home favorite.

      No. 22 Illinois (2-1, 0-1 away) at No. 12 Penn State (4-0, 3-0 home)
      Entering the season, Ohio State and Wisconsin were considered the class of the Big Ten. While that might still be the case, the conference produces an underrated matchup this Saturday in Happy Valley when the Nittany Lions host the Illini. So far this season, PSU has one of the best offenses in the nation, ranking sixth in total yards, 31st in passing yards, eighth in rushing yards and third in points scored. But the last time the Lions squared off against Illinois, they turned the ball over three times inside the Illini’ 30-yard line in a surprising 27-20 loss in Champaign. Film of that game will almost certainly be shown to PSU players leading up to Saturday’s game. Illinois is currently a 15-point road dog.

      Upset Watch:
      Chris ToddTennessee at No. 15 Auburn Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
      Considering they were crushed 30-6 by Florida last Saturday, not too many people will give the Vols a chance this weekend against the Tigers, who are coming off a narrow loss to No. 6 LSU. But Tennessee played better against the Gators than the final score indicated. The UT defense surrendered only 16 first downs and 243 yards against the high-powered Florida offense. That bodes well this week when they take on an Auburn offense that has only managed 17 points in their first eight quarters against SEC opponents and is largely still a work in progress. Oddsmakers have established Auburn as a 6.5-point favorite.

      Other notable games:
      No. 1 USC at Oregon State, Thursday 9:00 PM ET ESPN
      Remember the last time USC traveled to Corvallis? The Trojans certainly do.

      Mississippi State at No. 5 LSU Saturday 7:30 PM ESPN2
      The Tigers are coming off a huge win last week in Auburn. Will they have a letdown against unranked Mississippi State?

      Arkansas at No. 7 Texas Saturday 3:30 PM ET ABC
      Bobby Petrino’s bunch were hammered last week at home against Alabama. Petrino can probably count on similar results this week in Austin.

      College Football

      NFL News & Notes: Giants suspend WR Plaxico Burress

      September 24, 2008 /

      Plaxico Burress– The New York Giants have suspended WR Plaxico Burress one game because of insubordination. Burress didn’t show up for a team meeting on Monday and then wouldn’t answer his phone Tuesday. The Giants are on a bye this week and Burress will not play next Sunday in Seattle. (FoxSports.com)

      Update: Burress has filed a grievance against the Giants for docking him two weeks of pay.

      – The Rams released starting CB Fakhir Brown. Less than a week ago Brown had replaced Tye Hill in the starting lineup, so the news of his release is surprising. Although at this point, nothing should surprise any of us about the Rams. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

      – The Bears cut former second round draft pick, Mark Bradley. The former Oklahoma product was productive early in his career but after tearing his ACL, Bradley just never recovered. (ChicagoBears.com)

      – It’s official: Browns’ head coach Romeo Crennel will stick with QB Derek Anderson this week when the team travels to Cincinnati. Anderson lit up the Bengals last year, but he’ll be on a short leash this week. Brady Quinn is warming up as I type. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Matt Millen removed as Detroit Lions’ GM

      September 24, 2008 /

      Detroit Lion fans, your prayers have finally been answered. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.com, Matt Millen has been removed as President and GM of the Lions.

      Matt MillenMillen was informed of the move Tuesday night during a late-night high-level meeting. Wednesday morning several people within the building confirmed that he had large packing boxes in his office and he made his way around to different employees telling them of the move.

      It is unclear if Millen was fired or removed himself from the equation but the news comes just days after Bill Ford, Jr. publicly stated he would have fired the GM if it was his decision but he lacked the authority to do so.

      The Lions have started off horribly and the groundswell for Millen’s demise has once again been strong. Unfortunately, that’s nothing new as there have been events like the Millen Man March, an in-game walkout protest and calls for Millen’s firing for years.

      The Lions are an NFL-worst 31-84 since Millen took over in 2001. They have also been a model of futility on the road and Millen has gone through three head coaches, none of whom have been able to turn the Lions into a winner.

      You almost kind of feel for the guy. He wasn’t trying to drive an entire organization into the ground, but he was just so good at it. Truth be told, he was under qualified from the start. The idea that a former TV color commentator could come down from the broadcast booth and step into a GM role for an NFL team was a joke. Just because Mike Tirico makes good observations during games, doesn’t mean he can oversee an entire organization.

      Fans can take the entire week to celebrate (the Lions have a bye this week), but a daunting task still remains. The Lions now need to hire a competent GM to get this sinking ship upright. The Ford family can’t screw this one up or else there will be another decade of losing and embarrassment. Might I make one suggestion, Mr. William Clay Ford? Look at the organizations that have track records of winning (New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, etc.). Then go out and get a young, hungry person that has paid his dues in one of those organizations and is ready to run a team.

      One thing’s for sure, Detroit will burn at some point today, I can guarantee it.

      NFL

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