Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1193 of 1503)

      Best and worst college football coaches for the buck

      August 14, 2008 /

      FORBES.com put together a collection of the best and worst college football coaches for the money.

      Jim Tressel
      No. 1 Most Underpaid
      Ohio State University, Buckeyes
      Conference: Big Ten
      Score: 122
      Record since 2005: 33-5 (1-2 in BCS bowl games)
      His teams have finished ranked in the top five in five of the past six years, while his $2.6 million salary was lower than eight of his peers last season.

      Pete Carroll
      No. 4 Most Underpaid
      University of Southern California, Trojans
      Conference: Pac-10
      Score: 114
      Record since 2005: 34-5 (2-1 in BCS bowl games)
      Carroll has led the Trojans to unmatched success this decade, including two national championships, yet he is 14% underpaid despite being college football’s highest earning coach at $4.4 million.

      Kirk Ferentz
      No. 1 Most Overpaid
      University of Iowa, Hawkeyes
      Conference: Big Ten
      Score: 71
      Record since 2005: 19-18 (1-2 in bowl games)
      Ferentz has posted a mediocre record over the last three seasons but still pocketed $3.4 million last year.

      Charlie Weis
      No. 3 Most Overpaid
      University of Notre Dame, Fighting Irish
      Conference: none
      Score: 84
      Record since 2005: 22-15 (0-2 in BCS bowl games)
      Last year’s three-win season–the worst for the Fighting Irish in 44 years–was the second in a 10-year contract extension for Weis, reportedly worth between $30 and $40 million over the length of the deal.

      Interesting figures. It’s hard to blame a university like Notre Dame for doling out big bucks to try and turn around the football program. At the same time, ND’s season last year was a joke and Weis had more than a few boneheaded calls.

      One thing Forbes forgot to mention about Tressel is that he’s absolutely owned Michigan during his tenure – something that means even more to Buckeye fans than finishing in the top 5 every year.

      College Football

      Falcons to name Matt Ryan Week 1 starter?

      August 13, 2008 /

      SI.com columnist Don Banks believes the idea of the Atlanta Falcons easing third overall pick Matt Ryan into their starting quarterback role has become a “long shot.” Bank fully believes that the Falcons are grooming Ryan as their Week 1 starter.

      The rebuilding Falcons could still opt to play it safe with the No. 3 overall pick and go with veteran Chris Redman as their starter for the first few weeks of the season, but I think that’s becoming more of a long shot by the day. The key factor will be Atlanta’s offensive line as Week 1 looms. If the Falcons feel they can properly protect Ryan, I get the sense they’ll be hard-pressed to find a reason to keep him off the field.

      Standing alongside new Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff during a morning practice, I heard him detail just how many things he already likes about Ryan’s still-formulating NFL game. Namely, how the ex-Boston College star already has a good sense for where to go with the football on most plays, and how his command of both Atlanta’s offense and the Falcons huddle has grown by leaps and bounds since the team’s offseason mini-camp.

      A bad team rushing a rookie quarterback onto the field often spells disaster. There are just too many past examples of what could go wrong.

      But Ryan might be the exception to the rule.

      As I wrote following his impressive preseason debut last week in Jacksonville, Ryan was arguably the most NFL-ready quarterback in last April’s draft. He’s not going to wow anybody by his physical tools, but what make him stand above the rest are his head and his command of a huddle. The Falcons are incredibly young after turning over half their roster in the offseason. Why not allow Ryan to grow with the team on the field as opposed to have him hold a clipboard on the sidelines? As Banks noted in his article, maybe both Ryan and the Falcons will grow together.

      He’s going to take his bumps and bruises and there’s always a risk of ruining a quarterback too early in his development. But considering his college resume and the short time he’s been in the NFL, it looks like this kid has a good grasp of what’s ahead of him and quite frankly, can take what’s about to be dished out.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Red Sox in trouble: Mike Lowell likely heading to DL

      August 13, 2008 /

      The Red Sox suffered another blow to their postseason chances when third basemen Mike Lowell suffered a strained right oblique in Boston’s wild 19-17 victory over the Texas Rangers Tuesday night at Fenway. The BoSox are likely to place Lowell on the disabled list as soon as today.

      Lowell suffered the injury on a pair of swings in a seventh-inning at-bat and was removed from the game after striking out. He was moving gingerly after the game and was due to undergo an MRI this morning. Oblique injuries are generally slow to heal, and the fact that Lowell also has been slowed by a sore right hip probably clinches a two-week layoff on the DL.
      “It’s frustrating because I’ve never had this happen before,” Lowell said. “I’d like to avoid (the DL), but the doc said it’s a possibility. I think right now it’s probably too early. (Today) after the MRI, they’ll have a lot more information.”

      If Lowell lands on the disabled list, the Sox may opt to shift Kevin Youkilis [stats] over to third base and have Sean Casey take over at first. Then they probably would call up utility man Joe Thurston from Pawtucket or make a waiver-wire trade for a veteran infielder.

      Losing Lowell hurts, but the Sox could be worse off than Youkilis and Casey at the corners. Casey has been known to turn up his game heading into the postseason and he’s not terrible defensively. Boston can thank the baseball gods for depth.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Joe Torre to Manny Ramirez: Lose the dreadlocks

      August 13, 2008 /

      Since he was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers at the July 31st MLB trade deadline, L.A. manager Joe Torre has asked outfielder Manny Ramirez to cut his dreadlocks.

      Manny said yes, but he apparently is taking his sweet ass time and now people are starting to wonder if Ramirez is testing the manager’s authority.

      “I’m not negotiating anything,” Torre said, not laughing, when the conversation was recounted to him a few minutes later in the Dodgers’ dugout. “He’ll do it. He told me he’ll do it. When he first got here, I asked him, ‘How important is the hair to you?’ And he asked me, ‘Do you want me to cut it?’ So I said, ‘I want you to clean it up a little.”‘

      “We’re going to talk again later,” Torre said yesterday. And yet the manager was adamant when asked if maybe Ramirez was using his distinctive hairdo — which last night was adorned with a single green, yellow and red Rastafarian dread right in the middle — to test the new manager’s authority by continuing to stonewall the request.

      “No, he isn’t,” Torre said. “He is not. I didn’t tell him he had to do it by a certain date. He acknowledged he’s gonna do something and I believe he will do it.” …
      Torre acknowledges he has no idea what that something might be. “What am I going to do, tell him if you don’t do this, Santa Claus isn’t coming? Try to make that one stick.”

      Manny does what he wants – plain and simple. If he wants to drag this thing out until September, he will. For the record, I don’t think Ramirez is destructive, he’s just goofy and likes to play head games. He’ll probably wind up cutting his hair, but he’ll figure out a way to do it on his terms – not Joe Torre’s.

      MLB

      Will the offensive line be the demise of the Steelers in ’08?

      August 13, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Wednesday I take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their potential offensive line woes.

      I read a stat the other day that was shocking. Apparently Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 93 times in the past two seasons, second to only Jon Kitna of the Detroit Lions.

      Granted, part of the reason why Roethlisberger has been dropped so many times is simply because he holds on to the ball too long. In fact, it has been noted that Roethlisberger has been working with QB coach Ken Anderson this offseason on making quicker reads and getting the ball out of his hands faster.

      But the reason for the high sacks hasn’t been entirely Big Ben’s fault. After years of solid production, the Steelers’ offensive line has actually become a significant weakness, and something that could potentially kill Pittsburgh’s playoff aspirations this year.

      When guard Alan Faneca signed with the Jets in the offseason, he took his five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro-Bowl résumé with him. Even though the Steelers didn’t want to financially bend over backwards for an aging guard, Faneca was one of the best offensive linemen in team history. Chris Kemoeatu, a 2005 sixth-round pick with only three NFL starts under his belt, has been summed to replace Faneca. His lack of experience is a concern, but even more troublesome is that he missed the first eight days of training game due to a triceps injury.

      The only holdovers from the 2007 season are guard Kendall Simmons and left tackle Marvel Smith. There’s an open competition at center between Justin Hartwig and Sean Mahan, who had a sub par 2007 season while trying to replace former Pro Bowler Jeff Hartings. Willie Colon and Max Starks are currently competing for the starting right tackle job.

      One of the reasons why the Steelers have been solid offensively through the years is because Hartings, Faneca and Starks brought cohesion and continuity to the offensive line. But those days appear to be long gone and outside of Simmons and Smith, there remains a ton of uncertainty on the o-line. Head coach Mike Tomlin and the players say there’s no need for concern, but the fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as a productive offense with a poor offensive line. And even if Hartwig, Kemoeatu and Colon overachieve, the line on a whole is still going to need time to gel.

      A team doesn’t replace a combined nine Pro Bowls (Hartings/Faneca) overnight, especially not with a player who was released from another team this offseason (Hartwig) and a former second day pick with only three NFL starts (Kemoeatu).

      The attention in Pittsburgh seems to be on Willie Parker’s recovery and rookie runner Rashard Mendenhall’s development. But a bigger problem is brewing in the trenches and it could damage the Steelers’ postseason hopes.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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