Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 155 of 1503)

      Is there a tape that implicates Cam Newton?

      March 1, 2011 /

      Dave Miller of the National Football Post is reporting that a host of a Huntsville, Alabama sports talk radio show says he has heard audio tapes that implicate Cam Newton and his father in a pay-for-play scheme.

      Heisman trophy winner and Auburn Tigers quarterback reacts with fans before the BCS Championship game at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 10, 2011. Auburn beat the Oregon Ducks 22-19. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      Scott Moore, an Alabama fan and a college football speaker, said Friday during a radio interview with WNSP in Mobile, Ala., that he heard tapes of Cecil Newton selling his son’s services to Mississippi State while Cam was in the room. Moore also claimed that Cecil Newton said he had received an offer from Tennessee for $200,000, but that he’d give Mississippi State a $20,000 discount.

      If it’s proven that Cam Newton knew about being shopped around, he would be retroactively ruled ineligible for the 2010 season and all hell would break loose. And you’d have millions of college football fans saying, “I told you so.” But why would either Bond or Bell sit on the tape(s) without turning the evidence over to the NCAA? The evidence can’t really exist, right? Or, perhaps the audio does exist but it was deemed inconclusive, whether by the NCAA, Bond or Bell.

      Whether there’s an audio tape or not, this story hasn’t given its last breath. The smoking gun has yet to come out and while Newton jets off to the NFL to make millions, Auburn has to hold onto its seat and hope that incriminating evidence isn’t released to the NCAA.

      Of course, if the program is clean then nothing will come out and the situation will eventually die out. That’s the nice thing about being innocent.

      College Football, External Sports

      Francisco Liriano-to-Yankees talk heating up

      February 28, 2011 /

      Over the weekend, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Yankees were keeping a close eye on Twins’ starter Francisco Liriano. On Monday, Nightengale told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that he thinks Liriano will be traded to New York sometime in the next two weeks.

      From Rotoworld:

      Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Francisco Liriano throws against the Chicago White Sox in the third inning at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago on August 12, 2010. UPI /Mark Cowan

      We’ve heard discussion about the Twins possibly trading Liriano from a variety of sources, so it appears this rumor has legs. The Yankees have an obvious need in their rotation, but the Twins would be trading away the closest thing they have to an ace at the moment. According to Nightengale, the Twins would acquire either Ivan Nova or Joba Chamberlain, in addition to other pieces. Stay tuned, because it sounds like things are about to get very interesting.

      If the Twins acquire Chamberlain, I wonder if they’ll consider him a starter or a reliever. Because obviously the Yankees’ brass doesn’t feel that he’s a starter or else he would be mentioned along with the other 25 candidates that are trying out for the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in New York’s rotation.

      If they do wind up trading Liriano, it’s hard to like Minnesota’s chances in the AL Central this year. The White Sox and Tigers have retooled and the Twins’ bullpen took some big hits in the offseason. Getting healthy seasons out of Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer would become even more vital given the losses the Twins have (or will) absorbed in their pitching staff.

      Assuming Liriano could handle pitching in the Bronx, he would give immediate hope to the Yankees’ pitching situation. Now all of a sudden, less would be expected of A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes, which is huge in the case of Burnett (who succumbed to the pressure last season after pitching well in 2009).

      External Sports, MLB

      Will the Bears target a DT in the first round after releasing Tommie Harris?

      February 28, 2011 /

      Tommie Harris told the media in early February that he wouldn’t be a distraction like Albert Haynesworth has been with the Redskins when it came to the uncertainty of his future with the Bears. Of course, he wasn’t around long enough to be a distraction because the team cut him on Monday.

      Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris walks off the field after warmups before a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 21, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey

      The Bears apparently had some interest in bringing the former Pro Bowler back next season, but only if he were willing to take a sizable paycut. He wasn’t, and the Bears had little choice but to release him seeing as how he was owed a $2.3 million roster bonus. His play has declined over the last several years and despite the addition of Julius Peppers to the defensive line last season, Harris finished with just 13 tackles and two sacks in 15 games.

      There is no shortage of teams looking for defensive tackle help, so Harris will certainly resurface somewhere. Seeing as how he was just released, it’s difficult to narrow down a list of potential suitors for him, so the more intriguing question at this point is how this move could affect the Bears’ draft plans.

      Chicago holds the No. 29 overall pick and it must upgrade its offensive line. Depending on how the first round plays out, Wisconsin’s Gabe Carimi, Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod, Boston College’s Anthony Castonzo, Colorado’s Nate Solder and Villanova’s Benjamin Ijalana are all possibilities for the Bears at No. 29. But what if the decision to release Harris prompts GM Jerry Angelo to go in another direction?

      Angelo has had a difficult time building an offensive line over the years and struggles to draft in the first round. He has an eye for defensive talent, however, so maybe he’ll stick with what he knows best. Releasing Harris opens a hole at defensive tackle and Chicago Sun-Times writer Neil Hayes recently suggested that Illinois’ Corey Liuget could be the Bears’ top pick.

      Liuget’s stock appears to be on the rise the closer we get to April’s draft. Behind Nick Fairley and Marcell Dareus, Liuget is the best three-technique tackle in the draft. (Temple’s Muhammad Wilkerson is somewhere in the mix, too.) Liuget, who isn’t even 21 yet, racked up 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a third-year junior in 2010, leading the Illini in QB pressures as well. He’s quite the talent, although I’m not sure if he’ll fall to the Bears at No. 29. He’s expected to go somewhere late in the first, but I have the Rams taking him at No. 14 (which seems high now, but if Liuget’s stock continues to climb then maybe No. 14 won’t seem like such a reach come April).

      Either way, the Bears’ draft plans just got a little more interesting.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Bengals to now listen to offers for Carson Palmer?

      February 28, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer is seen as the Bengals play the Baltimore Ravens’ at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on January 2, 2011. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      A week after the team’s official website reported that the Bengals would “kick the tires” on possible quarterback options this offseason, Peter King writes that Cincinnati will listen to offers for Carson Palmer once the CBA is finalized.

      It’s looking more and more that the Bengals will draft their future quarterback in April, maybe even in the first round (they hold the No. 4 overall pick). Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett are all viewed as potential first rounders, but don’t rule out the possibility of Cincinnati taking someone like Christian Ponder seeing as how Jay Gruden has been hired as offensive coordinator. (Ponder’s best attribute is that he’s an accurate passer and Gruden will implement his version of the West Coast Offense, which requires a quarterback that’s accurate.)

      The question I keep bringing up in regards to trading Palmer is what team will be willing to take on his salary and give up a draft pick(s) in order to acquire him? He’s still a serviceable starter but he’s 31 and his best days are clearly behind him. He may have performed well in the final two weeks of the 2010 regular season, but on a whole he wasn’t very good last season. Considering he’s owed $11.5 million in each of the next two years, plus $13 million in 2013 and $14 million in 2014, would teams rather wait to see if he’s released and then sign him to a more reasonable contract?

      Rotoworld mentions the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks as possibilities for Palmer. All of those teams are logical choices, but I still have a hard time believing that any one of them would fight for a declining quarterback that they’d have to pay $11.5 million next season.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      NFL Scouting Combine Thoughts: Quarterbacks

      February 27, 2011 /

      The quarterbacks performed throwing drills at the NFL scouting combine on Sunday and below are some quick-hit thoughts on how each of them fared. (Thank you NFL Network for broadcasting the scouting combine for those of us who are unable to go to Indianapolis, or have a restraining order that mandates we stay 500 yards away from Rich Eisen, whom all I wanted to do was party with.)

      – For those that were concerned with the way the ball comes out of Cam Newton’s hand, there’s no need. Unlike Tim Tebow last year, Newton doesn’t have a flaw that needs to be fixed when it comes to his delivery, which is important seeing as how he played in the spread option under Gus Malzahn at Auburn.

      – That said, Newton was awfully inconsistent on Sunday. His passes on the out route sailed on him and he also overthrew his receiver on one of his post-corner throws. His footwork is still a work in progress but hey, he’s learning. He has to transition from being a spread quarterback to a conventional drop back passer in the NFL, so it’s going to take time. At least at this point he has better mechanics than Tebow and Vince Young when they were preparing for the draft.

      – Ryan Mallett was really impressive. He has a cannon attached to his right shoulder and the ball comes out of his hand rather effortlessly. He has the best physical tools of any quarterback in the draft and at 6’6” and 238 pounds, he has the size that scouts drool over. Of course, his physical tools have never been in question. His attitude and character are what some are concerned about. Personally, I think he has Oakland Raiders written all over him. He could thrive in a vertical offense and Al Davis can’t even spell character.

      – Christian Ponder had himself a great day as well. He outshined Newton and all other quarterbacks in the second group, displaying very good accuracy and decent arm strength. I can’t see him going any higher than the third round, but he looked healthy and confident on Sunday. Depending on what team he winds up with, he could be a player to watch in a couple of years.

      – For those who followed him at Washington, it’s not surprising that Jake Locker ran one of the fastest 40 times (4.52 seconds) of any quarterback in combine history. The guy was blessed with a ton of athleticism and he looked good throwing the ball, which had been a concern heading into the combine. He was a little inconsistent with his accuracy when throwing the dig route, but it’s hard to complain about his performance. Of course, most quarterbacks perform well when there are no defenders in their face. When teams watch film of him from last year, there will be plenty to pick apart.

      – Ricky Stanzi, Jerrod Johnson and Andy Dalton all struggled with their accuracy. I don’t think anyone is surprised with Johnson, but I thought Dalton would put on a better performance. Of course, where he wins teams over is with his leadership, his football IQ and his instincts. You can’t measure those things in throwing drills. I will say this about Stanzi though: the kid throws a nice deep ball (at least when he’s not facing any DBs).

      College Football, External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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