Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 161 of 1503)

      Lendale White slams Pete Carroll

      February 21, 2011 /

      Well, it’s nice to see that Lendale White has matured over the years.

      A clearly inebriated White made some derogatory comments about his former coach Pete Carroll over the weekend and thanks to TMZ, it was all caught on camera. If you want to watch the video, head over to SPORTSbyBROOKS.com, but the text of what he said is below.

      White, who was with former USC teammate Dominique Byrd (off-camera), apparently hasn’t gotten over being cut by his former college coach Pete Carroll when White was briefly with the Seattle Seahawks last season. After a somewhat unintelligible question by the TMZ cameraman, White said:

      “If it ain’t Chauncey Billups or Kobe Bryant … f— ‘em. Or if it ain’t the Denver Broncos or Chris Johnson … f— ‘em. Or D-Byrd … or the Trojans … minus Pete Carroll — f— you.” “Except for Pete Carroll, he … minus Pete Carroll I have Trojans love.”

      Maybe I should cut White some slack because he was drunk and clearly his inner-filter was down, but this is the exact response I would expect out of someone who clearly doesn’t get it.

      Carroll traded for his former player in April of last year and probably fully intended on using him in his running back-by-committee offense. But shortly after acquiring him, word leaked out that White had failed a drug test and would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season. Not wanting to put up with any B.S. from a backup running back in his first year with the Seahawks, Carroll released White at the end of May.

      This is the second time since he’s been cut that White has sounded off about Carroll, so clearly he hasn’t learned a thing. Many people have wanted to send Carroll a nice F-You, but White was the one who screwed himself. The reason he isn’t in Seattle anymore was because he made a bad decision before arriving to the Seahawks and he put Carroll in a bad spot. Most coaches around the league would have dumped him immediately, too.

      White only has himself to blame for the way his career has turned out to this point.

      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Draft Needs: NFC South

      February 21, 2011 /
      New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton talks to his players as they play the Carolina Panthers in the first half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7, 2010. UPI/Nell Redmond .

      No. 1 Carolina Panthers
      Team Needs: DT, QB, TE, CB, G, WR
      I feel like I say this every year about the team with the top pick, but when you have the No. 1 pick in the draft, you don’t have just one need – you have several. With how poorly Jimmy Clausen played in his first year, quarterback is the most obvious choice for the Panthers at No. 1. But if the new coaching staff feels like he’ll make strides (uh, really big strides) in his second year, then I wouldn’t rule out Nick Fairley at No. 1. The team has had a steady rotation at the defensive tackle spot but they need to find more disruptive players and Fairley certainly fits the bill. If the Panthers manage to trade out of the top spot (which is unlikely), they could move down and target someone like Patrick Peterson seeing as how Richard Marshall may not be back next year and Captain Munnerlyn is better suited for the nickel. But unless they can trade out of the top spot, the Panthers won’t be filling their need at cornerback, tight end, guard or receiver in the first round.
      First Round Possibilities: Blaine Gabbert (Missouri), Cam Newton (Auburn), Nick Fairley (Auburn), Jake Locker (Washington), Patrick Peterson (LSU).

      No. 20 Tampa Bay Bucs
      Team Needs: DE, CB, OT, LB
      The one glaring need for the Bucs is pass rush. Stylz G. White is the team’s best pass-rusher, but he’s not consistent and he’s a free agent so the Bucs may let him walk. Tim Crowder is a free agent as well and seeing as how he was exposed as a starter last year, he may only be brought back in a rotation next year. With how deep the talent pool is at defensive end, the Bucs may choose to wait and grab a pass rusher later in the draft. If that’s the case, they may target a cornerback or linebacker with their top pick, seeing as how Barrett Ruud and Ronde Barber are free agents.
      First Round Possibilities: Akeem Ayers (UCLA), Adrian Clayborn (Iowa), J.J. Watt (Wisconsin), Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue), Brandon Harris (Miami), Jimmy Smith (Colorado), Aaron Williams (Texas).

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Nnamdi Asomugha a long shot to join the Packers?

      February 21, 2011 /
      Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award finalist Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders speaks at a press conference during the week of Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas on February 4, 2011. UPI/John Angelillo

      The moment it was announced that Nnamdi Asomugha was likely to become a free agent this offseason, two potential landing spots emerged right away: Green Bay and Philadelphia.

      Asomugha has a close relationship with Packers’ corner Charles Woodson, making Green Bay an obvious choice. Philadelphia is in need of a defensive back and there have been whispers that they’re willing to pay to pair Asomugha up with Asante Samuel.

      But as Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com writes, the odds of Asomugha landing in Green Bay might be lower than people think.

      I’ve tended to shy away from any anticipation of this move, knowing that Packers general manager Ted Thompson strongly prefers developing his own starters and depth through the draft. The Packers also are relatively well-stacked at cornerback with Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. Williams is 27 and Shields is 23, and there is a strong possibility all NFL teams will be back to dealing with a salary cap when a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.

      But don’t take it from me. Woodson himself downplayed the possibility during an interview with Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. While he would be willing to move to safety to make the arrangement work, Woodson said he wasn’t sure if it would come to that.

      Woodson: “I’m not doing any recruiting. We’ve texted a few times about winning a Super Bowl. Nothing really about his future I don’t know what’s going on about him and Oakland or anything else. When I look at our team and I look at young Sam and Tramon, (I think), ‘Where’s he going to fit? How is that possibly going to work out?’ I think that would be the first question you have to ask.”

      As Seifert points out, even though Thompson did pluck Woodson off the free agent market a couple of years ago, he prefers to build his roster through the draft. The team is also very high on Shields, who is expected to take over for Woodson one day.

      Simply put, the Packers don’t need to spend big on Asomugha. Would Thompson love to have a talent such as Asomugha in his defensive backfield? Sure, just as any GM would. But it seems unlikely at this point that the Packers would pull the trigger on a move like that and have Woodson move to safety when he’s still playing corner at a Pro Bowl-level.

      Philadelphia would seemingly be the front-runners at this point to land Asomugha’s services.

      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Draft Needs: AFC South

      February 20, 2011 /
      Indianpolis Colts tight end Jacob Tamme (L) and quarterback Peyton Manning (18) celebrate with teammate Austin Collie after he scored in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 26, 2010 in Denver. The Colts (2-1) defeated the Broncos (1-2) 27-13. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      No. 8 Tennessee Titans
      Team Needs: QB, G, CB, LB, DT
      The team has already announced that Vince Young won’t return, meaning there’s a good chance that the Titans will target their future signal caller at No. 8. Kerry Collins is a free agent, but the team could bring him back on a cheap, one-year contract so he can help groom a rookie. The interior of the offensive line must be addressed, so the Titans could (and probably should) look to add a guard in one of the first three rounds. Defensively, Alterraun Verner was one of the best rookies in the league last season and the team is high on Jason McCourty, but Cortland Finnegan struggled and is heading into a contract year. A team can never have too many corners when they play in the same division as the Colts and Texans, so don’t rule out Tennessee nabbing a CB in the first round. Jason Babin, Jacob Ford and Dave Ball are all free agents, so defensive end could be a need if the Titans decide not to bring at least two of them back. The same can be said at linebacker, where top tackler Stephen Tulloch and outside LB David Thornton are free agents. But Tulloch should be brought back and Gerald McRath is emerging as Thornton’s replacement, so I doubt the team will draft a linebacker at No. 8. But again, it all depends on how they handle their free agents though. Also, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Titans nabbed a DT in the first round, especially if Nick Fairley slips. But I just can’t see them pulling the trigger on Marcell Dareus that high.
      First Round Possibilities: Nick Fairley (Auburn), Cam Newton (Auburn), Jake Locker (Washington), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Patrick Peterson (LSU), Prince Amukamura (Nebraska), Von Miller (Texas A&M), Marcell Dareus (Alabama).

      No. 11 Houston Texans
      Team Needs: CB, S, LB, DT, WR
      When your team gets torched through the air on a weekly basis like the Texans were last year, the defensive backfield must be addressed. Kareem Jackson was a major disappointment in his first year, but he’s only a rookie and needs time to develop. Glover Quinn is a suitable No. 2 but he’s not a playmaker and he can’t matchup with the better receivers in the league, so adding a corner this offseason is a must (although the Texans may choose to go with a veteran over another rookie). Safety is the bigger concern. The team just released Eugene Wilson and while Bernard Pollard was excellent two years ago, he struggled last season. They need to add a ballhawk at some point, but maybe signing someone like O.J. Atowge makes more sense than drafting a safety in the second or third round, because there isn’t a prospect worth taking at No. 11. Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the loss of DeMeco Ryans hurt and it could be up to 18 months before he fully recovers from the Achilles injury he suffered last season. Brian Cushing can play either inside or outside, but right now this team is seriously lacking pass-rushers on the outside. With the switch to a 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the defensive tackle position must be addressed as well. Phillips has found success with lighter nose tackles in previous stops, but Amobi Okoye has just six sacks in 53 games since recording five sacks in his first nine games as a rookie. He just hasn’t been the player the team expected him to be when they drafted him in the first round a couple of years ago and I can’t envision Houston going into next season without adding a piece to the interior of their D-line.
      First Round Possibilities: Aldon Smith (Missouri), Prince Amukamara (Nebraska), Marcell Dareus (Alabama), Cameron Jordan (Cal), Julio Jones (Alabama), Patrick Peterson (LSU), Nick Fairley (Auburn), Von Miller (Texas A&M), A.J. Green (Georgia), Da’Quan Bowers (Clemson), Robert Quinn (North Carolina), Akeem Ayers (UCLA).

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      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Former Bear Dave Duerson takes his own life, still finds a way to help others

      February 20, 2011 /

      Dave Duerson, a key member of the Super Bowl-winning 1985 Bears team, committed suicide on Thursday by shooting himself in the chest. As NFL Fanhouse wrote, it was a sad end to a life of a man who was troubled after leaving football.

      But while this story has a tragic ending, Duerson managed to leave a generous gift before leaving this world.

      In a suicide note he sent to friends, Duerson asked that his brain be donated to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine. The Center has been leading the way in research into how brain damage — including injuries suffered in collisions on the football field — can lead to health problems later in life. One theory is that people who have a history of repetitive brain trauma are more likely to experience depression, and studying Duerson’s brain may help researchers determine whether brain damage suffered on the football field led to the depression that ultimately caused him to take his life.

      Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player turned professional wrestler turned co-director of Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, said Duerson had indicated he wanted to be studied in the hopes that some day, we’ll know more about how to protect football players from suffering brain damage on the field.

      These are the stories that many fans acknowledge but quickly forget because we don’t want anything bad to be associated with a game that is so cherished. But Duerson’s story is just one of many involving former football players that have been affected by a sickness after their playing days are over. Whether it’s depression, addiction to painkillers or serious brain trauma, there are many, many examples of former players that are dealing with serious health problems.

      Football is a nasty sport. It always has been and probably always will be. The game has come a long way since leather helmets and no shoulder pads, but more research must be done. These players are human beings first and foremost and it’s difficult to hear stories like Duerson’s. Hopefully his final gift can provide researchers insight about what can be done to protect current and future players.

      External Sports, NFL

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