Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1468 of 1503)

      Does Haynesworth deserve to be charged as a criminal?

      October 3, 2006 /

      Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was suspended for five games by the NFL Monday, for kicking Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode in the head during the Titans 45-14 on Sunday.

      The play occurred with 11:53 remaining in the third quarter when Haynesworth stomped on the head of Gurode, whose helmet had come off during or after a 5-yard touchdown run by Julius Jones.

      Gurode needed 30 stitches to seal up to cuts above and below his eye.

      Haynesworth apologized after the game and called his behavior “disgusting”, “embarrassing” and a disgrace to his name.

      My question is – does this situation deserve legal attention? If a fight breaks out on a street corner and a man gets kicked in the face – wouldn’t there be legal ramifications that the kicker would have to deal with?

      This question is probably a moot point since Gurode has already decided not to press any charges against Haynesworth, but it’s certainly an interesting debate.

      My opinion is that this guy should be suspended for the rest of the season – no questions asked. It’s a privilege to play in the NFL and Haynesworth voided that privilege when he decided to take the bottom of his shoe across a defenseless man’s face. I also believe that it’s up to the victim whether or not to press criminal charges and if Gurode doesn’t seem like that is necessary – than so be it.

      Anybody think that five games is too light of a suspension? Or is it too much?

      NFL

      Monday Night Wrap: Green Bay at Philadelphia

      October 2, 2006 /

      It’s amazing how a game can change on a drop of a dime.

      The Packers headed into halftime with a 9-7, felt good about possibly stealing one on the road against a solid team – only to lay an egg in the second half and get run over by Donovan McNabb and the Eagles 31-9.

      Nothing from the game was very pretty, but here are some random thoughts on all things Packers, Eagles and of course, Tony Kornheiser:

      – Does Joe Theisman have to remind the audience every time he does a broadcast that he was a quarterback in the National Football League? Some how, every single week he puts himself into a discussion about when he used to play.

      Now, I understand that it’s inevitable that a former player turned color commentator is going to talk about his playing days. But come on Joe, we don’t need to be reminded every week – and the bit about making fun of yourself in some capacity during the game is just getting old now.

      – Speaking of the broadcast team – is Kornheiser’s only role up in that booth to play a sideshow puppet to Theisman? Couldn’t they have gotten some guy off the street to do that? Why did they need a national figure to feed Theisman questions all night?

      I’m going to start calling them JoeJoe the Magic Clown and his sidekick Korny.

      – Brian Westbrook misses a game due to injury – never saw it coming. It’s not like BW has missed games before because of injuries or anything.

      – Actually, the real shock is that somehow, someway – Correll Buckhalter is still off the Eagles IR list one-fourth of a way into the season.

      – WR Greg Jennings out of Western Michigan is going to be a stud sometime real soon – like maybe throughout the rest of this entire season.

      – Peter King of SI.com had the Eagles rated at No. 4 overall in his “Fine Fifteen”. Number four in the entire NFL? I wouldn’t put them first in their own division right now (give me Dallas), nevertheless fourth in the entire league.

      – I gotta ask this: Do Green Bay fans ever get tired of the constant Brett Favre banter that’s heard during a national broadcast? Or is that just the rest of the NFL world?

      I love the guy. I think Favre has had an amazing career, I’ve enjoyed watching him accomplish many feats in the NFL and think he is one of the toughest guys every to play the game.

      He’s not retiring until he says he is, so please, forget that question and just watch the guy play while you still have a chance – even if it’s brutal at times.

      – What the hell was place kicker David Akers doing at the end of the first half by trying to fake a field goal by passing to a backup tight end? There were four seconds left on the clock and instead of just trying the 54 yard field goal, Akers decided that it was a better idea to throw for a touchdown…to the backup tight end…with about nine Packers on him…and no time left on the clock…

      – Packers’ cornerback Ahmad Carroll was beaten likes a piñata by McNabb tonight.

      – Speaking of McNabb – why would anybody criticize this guy? Mike Tirico, JoeJoe the Magic Clown and his sidekick puppet Korny announced during the game that McNabb called T.O. after he heard about his supposed suicide attempt and let him know that if he needed anything not to hesitate to call.

      Wasn’t this also the guy that once played virtually an entire game on a broken ankle, played with a sports hernia and about nine cracked ribs last season and oh yeah – had to put up with Owens’ shenanigans for about four months?

      Is there something I’m missing about McNabb? Maybe he punches babies or maybe doesn’t signal while crossing over lanes – or possibly doesn’t tip servers the recommended 15% – because the guy seems to be pretty stand up to me.

      – The Eagles fan faithful also wanted to make sure Owens’ was okay. One of the guys in the stands had a sign that read: HOPE YOU’RE FEELING BETTER T.O. SO WE CAN BEAT YOU.

      Ahh, Philly fans – are there any more decent people in the world but those fine folks?

      – I think the perfect way for the Packers to end the night was exactly the way they did. Four cracks at the end zone from the one yard line and Mike McCarthy and his staff call the same dive play to Vernand Morency who gets stuffed all four times. Amazing.

      NFL

      College Football Power Rankings

      October 2, 2006 /

      With the new AP and USA Today Top 25 polls posting over the weekend, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 in college football.

      As far as the two official polls, Virginia Tech and TCU took the two biggest hits (and rightfully so) after being upset victims to Georgia Tech and BYU, respectively. The Hokies dropped all the way out of the top 15 in both polls and the Horned Frogs got booted from the top 25 altogether.

      After four weeks in my poll, however, I think it’s time to shake up these Power Rankings a little bit in the top 10. After watching some dominating performances over the weekend, I’ve got a few teams on the move this week.

      Here is how I see the Top 10:

      1. Ohio State (5-0)
      Critics and upset enthusiast can sit down and shut up after the Buckeye’s 38-17 rout over the Hawkeyes – in Iowa City mind you. You look at QB Troy Smith’s yardage stats and they aren’t eye popping. However, you scroll your eyes over to his touchdown total (12) and you understand what this guy means to this team. The backbone of this offense is RB Antonio Pittman though. Pittman doesn’t get as much national recognition as Smith and WR Ted Ginn Jr., but is the reason why the Buckeyes can close out opponents early in the second half. WR Anthony Gonzalez is another guy that doesn’t get enough credit – he has one more reception than Ginn, more receiving yardage and only one less touchdown.

      2. USC (4-0)
      I’m bumping up the Trojans for the way they went into Washington State and beat a team without their number one offensive weapon. WR Dwayne Jarrett didn’t dress due to injury and USC responded by getting the ball to Steve Smith 11 times for 186 yards and two scores. QB John David Booty has been on fire this season and had another stellar game Saturday night in going 23 of 32 for 269 yards and three touchdowns. The defense is barely letting opponents score and doesn’t have one weakness like other top rated programs do.

      3. Michigan (5-0)
      That’s right, the Wolverines jumped up two spots in my Power Rankings to No. 3. Here’s why – they finally have a potent passing offense and they completely fixed the leaky run defense that doomed U of M all last year. Of course, two things have to happen for Michigan to stay this high. One, it can’t do the standard Michigan thing and somehow lose to an inferior Big Ten opponent like Michigan State or Northwestern or something. The reason why I mention this is because, well, the Wolverines always lose one or two of those games every season. The second thing is that they have to keep RB Mike Hart healthy because if not – they have no chance against Ohio State at the end of the year.

      4. Auburn (5-0)
      I’ll probably catch some hell for this one, but I don’t care because I’ve masked what I really think about Auburn for a couple weeks. LSU should have beat these guys and they almost lost to South Carolina over the weekend. The way Auburn beats you is the way NFL teams like to win – run the ball and play good defense. Which is totally fine, but Tommy Tuberville doesn’t ask QB Brandon Cox to really do too much and I think sometime soon that is going to burry the Tigers. What happens when they face another team that can stop the run like when the Tigers played LSU? Can the defense hold the opponent to only three points again? I guess we’ll find out when the Gators come to town in two weeks.

      5. Florida (5-0)
      Yeah, I know – the Gators almost lost to Alabama at home over the weekend. That however, should have been more of an indication of how tough the Crimson Tide actually are instead of a chink in the armor for Florida in my opinion. Here’s what I really like about the Gators and it’s painstakingly simply to grasp: they just find a way to win. They did it late in the game against Tennessee a few weeks ago on the road and did it again Saturday against ‘Bama. Here’s another thing – Florida is the only team I have in my top 10 that has both the offense and defense ranked in the top 15 in the nation (both units sit at No. 13 at the moment).

      6. Texas (4-1)
      Man, can the Long Horns put up points. Fourth behind only Louisville, Clemson and Nebraska, Texas is averaging just over 40 points a game and has the fourth rated defense in the nation. After the loss to Ohio State, media outlets have been mum about these guys, but I’d still watch out for the kids from Austin. Big test this weekend against Oklahoma, however.

      7. LSU (4-1)
      Why, why, why can’t you find a running game Tigers? I would love to put you higher, but you are so one dimensional that I can’t! QB JaMarcus Russell has been fantastic for this program this season and if it weren’t for one blemish against Auburn, LSU would be the second rated team in the nation. The Tigers can erase the loss to Auburn, however, with a huge win over Florida this Saturday in Gainesville. If not, LSU might be doomed to sit on the back of the bus for the rest of the season.

      8. West Virginia (4-0)
      Lets see, the Mountaineers don’t even play last weekend and they get bounced all the way to No. 8? Ouch, but that’s the way it goes in college football – out of sight, out of mind. Although, as SEC fan John posted last week – you don’t play anybody tough, you get bounced behind LSU who has the number one rated defense in the nation.

      9. Louisville (4-0)
      Off week for the Cardinals this past weekend and they’ll have another off week this Saturday against Middle Tennessee State.

      10. Oregon (4-0)
      I warned you last week Georgia – if you don’t step up to the plate with a strong showing against Mississippi you get booted. Although, I still feel dirty putting the Ducks up here so high with their cheat-win over Oklahoma. Ahh well, I think this No. 10 spot is going to be a revolving door for teams all season anyway.

      College Football, General Sports

      College Football Players of the Week

      October 2, 2006 /

      Here are your college football players of the week.

      Remember, if you feel that another player was worthy of higher honors than the two I chose, post the athlete and let me hear why you think he or they were more deserving.

      Remember though, the two athletes I pick are usually going to be on a team that played somebody other than St. Mary’s School of Art.

      That’s just how I roll – here are your top performers of the week:

      Offensive Player of the Week: There were a lot of deserving offensive players of the week in college football this past weekend. Ohio State QB Troy Smith threw for four touchdowns against Iowa, Michigan RB Mike Hart ran for 195 yards against the Golden Gophers and I really liked Tennessee QB Erik Ainge’s day against Memphis – 23 of 27 for 324 yards and four touchdowns. LSU QB JaMarcus Russell also had a marvelous day by throwing for 330 yards and three touchdowns. At one point during the Tigers win over Mississippi State, he connected on 14 straight passes.

      However, the guy I’m going to give the Offensive Player of the Week award to is BYU QB John Beck.

      Beck had didn’t have out of this world numbers like Russell or Ainge (23 of 37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns), but did lead his team to a huge upset over formerly No. #17 ranked TCU. All three of Beck’s touchdown passes came in the second half and most importantly – he never turned the ball over, which is huge while playing on the road.

      Defensive Player of the Week: Dexter Manley II, DE Oregon
      This was an easier choice than the offensive player of the week was. Manley registered three sacks in Oregon’s dismantling of Arizona State 48-13 on Saturday.

      The son of former Washington Redskins Pro Bowl linebacker under the same name, helped the undefeated Ducks defense keep the Sun Devils offense out end zone for the entire contest.

      College Football

      Weekend Wrap: NFL

      October 1, 2006 /

      Lets jump right into the Week 4 action:

      Baltimore 16, San Diego 13
      Well, I lost my first Bullz-Eye.com NFL Game of the Week prediction- thank you very much San Diego.

      This was an utter botchery by the Chargers and there isn’t any other way to put it. San Diego led in this contest the whole way, but once again the Ravens keep a game close enough to pull out a win in the end. That defense seems like it can suffocate an offense an time it feels like it doesn’t it? Oh, we’re losing and we need to hold the opponent to one yard the rest of the game? Done deal.

      That’s twice in two weeks that QB Steve McNair has looked like utter garbage until the final possession of the game. McNair hooked up with TE Todd Heap on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds left in the game after trailing the Chargers 13-7 all day.

      Once again, Phillip Rivers wasn’t asked to do too much, which is okay while you’re trying to build experience and confidence for a young quarterback. However, at some point during this season and in the future, the Chargers are going to need Rivers to strap on the big boy pants and win a game for them. Quite frankly, I don’t know if he can put an entire game on his shoulders right now.

      Most impressed with: Somehow RB Ladianian Tomlinson managed 98 yards on the ground against the Ravens defense. The guy is amazing and easily the best back in football.

      Least impressed with: The Chargers lack of discipline and the ability to not turn the ball over. San Diego was flagged 20 times, fumbled three times and threw one interception.

      Chicago 37, Seattle 6
      A lot of football media outlets dubbed this contest the game of the week – so much for that. I think it’s time for everybody (myself included) to start believing that this Bears offense is legit. It’s not like the Bears put up 37 points on Green Bay or Detroit’s defense – the Seahawks D is normally pretty stout.

      QB Rex Grossman is playing unbelievable football right now and finally got support from a Chicago run game that has been absent for the past three weeks. Grossman finished with 232 yards and two touchdowns – including another long heave to WR Bernard Berrian – while RB Thomas Jones racked up 98 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

      Most impressed with: Grossman, but you can’t talk about the Bears without mentioning the defense. Without RB Shaun Alexander, the Bears defense straight up harassed QB Matt Hasselback. Hasselback was sacked five times, picked off twice and was continuously pressured all game.

      Least impressed with: I thought that something looked funny with Seattle’s defense against the Giants last week and maybe I was on to something (surprised I might have stumbled on to something? Me too…). Coming into the game Seattle had one of the best run defenses in the NFL, but got tore up by Jones and to a lesser extent, Cedric Benson. Chicago racked up 362 yards of total offense and 37 points on what was a top ranked defense. Fluke? I don’t think so after two ugly performances against New York and Chicago.

      Quick Shots:
      New England is like the NFL equivalent to a freakin’ gnat, aren’t they? The Patriots never die, never go away and are always hanging around when you don’t want them to. There is no excuse in only putting up 13 points on a New England secondary that features a bunch of nobodies and Rodney Harrison. Losing 38-13 on your home field is just embarrassing for a Cincinnati team that just smacked around its arch rivals on the road last week…Don’t look now, but the Washington is starting to hit their groove on offense. WR Santana Moss showed glimpses of what he did in ’05 with four catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns – including the game winner in overtime – as the Redskins knocked off the Jaguars 36-30. What happened to that stellar Jacksonville defense? Washington finished a shade under 500 total yards on offense…Another team that is starting to revive its season is Carolina after the Panthers knocked off the Saints 21-18. Carolina isn’t crushing its competition, but obviously with WR Steve Smith back in the fold (10 catches, 87 yards and one TD), the Panthers must feel unstoppable again. New Orleans keeps proving how tough they are though, and hardly showed a letdown after its emotional Monday night victory…One team that is falling back down to earth in a hurry is Minnesota. With a 17-12 loss in Buffalo Sunday, the Vikings have lost back to back games after starting the season 2-0 and somehow let QB J.P. Losman throw for 222 yards against them. Buffalo has a very underrated defense by the way – as they held RB Chester Taylor to 23 total yards on the ground Sunday…I think the Atlanta Falcons are the No. 1 team in college football right now. About 85% of the Falcons running plays come out of the spread option, which is mainly used on the collegiate level. QB Michael Vick – 11 carries for 101 yards on the ground in Atlanta’s 32-10 win over the Cardinals – but his passing is abysmal. Kurt Warner fumbled twice more on the season and threw a pick that was returned for a touchdown. So, Arizona puts in rookie Matt Leinart who gets sacked on his second career snap and fumbles on his third…Julius Jones and Dallas dismantled Tennessee 45-14 in rookie Vince Young’s first start in the NFL. Young was 14 of 29 for 155 yards and threw a touchdown pass. He was also intercepted twice – one was returned for a Dallas touchdown. Jones finished with 122 yards on the ground and WR Terry Glenn caught two touchdown passes from QB Drew Bledsoe…Speaking of an utter beat down – Kansas City routed San Fran 41-0 at Arrowhead. QB Damon Huard threw two touchdown passes, but the real stud was RB Larry Johnson, who finally got his wheels rolling. Johnson finished with 30 carries for 101 yards and two scores…Close, but no cigar for the NY Jets again this weekend. The Jets battled the Colts all day, but eventually fell victim to Indianapolis 31-28. The best part for the Colts was having success on the ground (160 total yards) – something that has eluded Indianapolis so far for most of this season…Houston beat Miami 17-15 and about the only noteworthy thing from this contest is that Mario Williams finally registered his first sack of the season. Although, seriously, how hard is it to sack Daunte Culpepper? …A whole bunch of things happened in the Cleveland-Oakland game believe it or not. First off, the Browns got their first win – 24-21. QB Charlie Frye threw three touchdown passes, RB Lamont Jordan actually ran the ball hard (20 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown) and Randy Moss scored his first touchdown of the season! Moss – 1 catch, five yards, one touchdown. And that was against the most beat up secondary in the entire NFL. Don’t strain yourself Randy…What a day for the city of Detroit. First, its Tigers blow a 6-0 lead to the Kansas City Royals and lose an extra innings game to give the Minnesota Twins the AL Central division (after having a 10 game lead just a few weeks ago). Then, the Lions blow about 400 leads and fall to St. Louis 41-34. But hey, at least Detroit gets to watch the Tigers in the playoffs – albeit against the New York Yankees – something it will never get to see the Lions do again. Ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but Lions fans have to be wondering if its worth it anymore, right?

      Random Thoughts:

      – Seriously, if you were a gambler this weekend, was there any more solid lock than the New England Patriots getting points coming off of a loss? I know they were on the road and playing an undefeated Bengals team, but the Patriots haven’t lost back-to-back games now in 53 consecutive contests. That’s unbelievable.

      – Statement of the day by an announcer comes from Brian Baldinger, who did the color for the Cardinals-Falcons game. When asked why Atlanta was struggling to score in the red zone, Baldinger dropped this little ditty on America:

      “Well, the Falcons are red, the Cardinals are red – and there is a whole lot of red going on down there in the red zone. I’m sure what (Falcons head coach) Jim Mora told his team at halftime was that we have to convert while we’re done there (in the red zone).”

      Sweet Brian.

      – Runner up statement of the day by an announcer comes from Tim Green who did the color commentary for the Lions-Rams game:

      “What the Rams can’t afford to do here Sam (Rosen) is turn the ball over in the red zone, because that would give the Lions possession of the ball.”

      Oh, if only FOX could somehow get both Green and Baldinger in the same booth together, they’d have commentary gold for years to come.

      – There might not be a team in the NFL that deserves to be 4-0 as much as the New York Jets do. The Jets are 2-2, but New York has battled two superior opponents in New England and Indianapolis to the death. Eric Magini has his team ready to play every single week.

      – The leading scorer out of all kickers Sunday was 76-year-old Morten Anderson of the Falcons. Is there anybody in the entire league that is having more fun than that guy?

      – The Lions’ Roy Williams may be a big goof with all of his first down celebrations and guarantees, but that guy is a pure playmaker.

      – How about the ’06 running back class on Sunday? Laurence Marnoey – 15 carries, 125 yards and two touchdowns. Jerious Norwood – 6 carries, 106 yards and one touchdown. Joseph Addai – 20 carries 84 yards and a touchdown. Maurice Jones-Drew – 3 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. Reggie Bush – 11 carries for 22 yards and four receptions for 48 yards. Brian Calhon of the Lions – ahh, skip this one.

      – I’ve said this before, but I have to say it again: man did Sports Illustrated drink the cool aid on the Miami Dolphins. What a farce that team is.

      – Speaking of drinking the cool aid, how many people got fooled in to thinking that Ronnie Brown was going to be a top tier running back by the end of the season? I think WR Chris Chambers has more rushing yards than Brown does this season.

      General Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑