Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 186 of 1503)

      Mendenhall powers the Steelers back to the Super Bowl

      January 23, 2011 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall (L) embraces New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (R) after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Jets 24-19 in the AFC Championship game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 23 January 2011. The Steelers will go on to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV on 06 February 2011 in Arlington, Texas. EPA/JUSTIN LANE fotoglif933714

      Here are five quick-hit observations on the Steelers’ 24-19 win over the Jets in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

      1. Mendenhall ran like he was mad at the ground.
      I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Rashard Mendenhall run with more determination than he did Sunday night. He shredded the Jets for 95 rushing yards in the first half and finished with 121 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown. He also caught two passes for 32 yards and would have scored on one of those receptions had he stayed on his feet. He now has three touchdowns this postseason and has provided the Steelers’ offense with balance. Against the Jets, he rarely went down on first contact and he flashed terrific speed on a 35-yard jaunt in the first half. No running back has ever rushed for more yards against the Jets since Rex Ryan took over as head coach in 2009. Mendenhall set the tone for Pittsburgh’s win.

      2. Bruce Arians shows some stones.
      Pittsburgh fans have had a roller coaster relationship with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians over the years, but they had to have loved his gutsy 3rd and 6 pass call with less than two minutes remaining. How many times do teams run the ball in that situation, get stopped, punt and then have to rely on their defense to close out the game? Arians knows he has a great defense so if the clock is stopped because of an incompletion, so what? But thanks to Ben Roethlisberger’s 14-yard competition to Antonio Brown (how big has this kid been the last two weeks?), the Steelers were able to pick up a first down and run the rest of the clock out. They didn’t even give the Jets an opportunity to win. Great call.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Packers beat offensively challenged Bears, become second No. 6 seed to make Super Bowl

      January 23, 2011 /
      Green Bay Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji (Left-Center) celebrates with teammates after intercepting and scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter of their NFC Championship game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA 23 January 2011. The Packers defeated the Bears 21-14 and will play the AFC Champion in Super Bowl XLV 06 February in Dallas, Texas, USA. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO fotoglif933236

      Here are five quick-hit thoughts about the Packers’ 21-14 win over the Bears in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

      1. The Packers’ improbable run continues.
      Let’s take a moment to appreciate what the 2010 Green Bay Packers have been able to do. They entered the season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, only to see their hopes seemingly wash away because of injuries. Needing two wins in the final two weeks just to qualify for the postseason, they crushed the Giants and edged out the Bears to clinch the No. 6 seed in the NFC. Against long odds, the Packers then go on the road and knock off the Eagles, the No. 1-seeded Falcons and the No. 2-seeded Bears to reach the Super Bowl. It’s hard enough to win on the road, nevertheless do so in the postseason when home field advantage is so paramount. The Packers are red-hot and match up well with either the Jets or Steelers.

      2. Capers deserves a lot of praise for the play of his defense.
      Rex Ryan has earned a lot of attention this postseason for his defensive game plans, but Dom Capers deserves some of the spotlight after what Green Bay did on Sunday. His defense is the main reason the Packers won today – not Aaron Rodgers. The Bears made things interesting in the fourth quarter and the Packers did catch a break when Jay Cutler left the game with a knee injury, but let’s not take anything away from Capers’ game plan. The Bears could do nothing offensively for the first three quarters and their offensive line couldn’t stop Green Bay’s pass rush. Matt Forte had a couple of nice runs and Caleb Hanie made some clutch throws in the fourth quarter but again, domination was on display. The Packers held the Bears to 218 passing yards and 83 rushing, all while forcing three turnovers. On a day when Rodgers wasn’t at his best, the Packers needed a strong defensive effort and that’s exactly what they got.

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      External Sports, NFL

      How does Cromartie plan to deal with Ward? Well choke him, of course.

      January 23, 2011 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward (86) catches this second quarter pass and runs it in for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on October 24, 2010. UPI/Michael Bush

      I thought the Jets were being rather quiet this week. Turns out they were just waiting for Sunday to talk a little trash.

      The Jets’ defensive backs are well aware of Hines Ward’s reputation of throwing blindside blocks and will apparently look to deliver a message to him early.

      From ESPN.com:

      “We’re going to deal with him early so he knows what type of game it’s going to be, and that none of that stuff is being tolerated,” Jets safety James Ihedigbo said.

      Like a tone-setting hit?

      “Hell yeah,” the safety said.

      Safety Eric Smith hesitated to say what would happen if Ward serves up any cheap shots on Sunday. Why? Because Smith is worried such words might incur a fine from the league.

      “If I finish what I said and then do what I planned on doing, I’m going to get fined,” Smith said.

      Cromartie said that he doesn’t really care if Ward hits opponents with blindside blocks — as long as he can hit back.

      “I really don’t care. You smash him in the mouth, he’s going to smash back, whatever,” Cromartie said. “Does he do it while you’re not looking? Yeah, he does. But who doesn’t?”

      The Jets corner allowed that Ward’s hits “can be” dirty. When such hits occur, Cromartie suggests that players “grab [him] by the throat and choke [him].”

      Only the Jets could make a conference championship game even more interesting than it already is.

      External Sports, NFL

      Tony Gonzalez to make one last run?

      January 22, 2011 /

      Tony Gonzalez will go down as one of the best pass-catching tight ends to ever play the game but the man has never won a playoff game, not to mention a Super Bowl. It appears as though he’s ready to take one more crack at winning a championship before hanging ‘em up for good.

      According to his publicist, Gonzo will definitely return next season. He also confirmed his intent the Jim Rome Show, so he’ll play out the final year of his contract at $5.75 million. But considering he was 50/50 on whether or not he would play past 2010, it’s probably not a stretch to think that 2011 will be his final season.

      There’s no doubt that Gonzalez has lost some speed over the years, but he takes great care of his body and is always in tremendous shape. Thanks to his strict eating habits, the Falcons don’t have to worry about him wearing down throughout the course of the season. He finished with his fewest receptions (70) and yards (656) since 1998, but he still managed to haul in six touchdowns and was often Matt Ryan’s second read after Roddy White.

      That said, the Packers proved that the Falcons have a long way to go in order to compete for a Super Bowl. Gonzalez was a non-factor last week, catching just one pass before suffering an injury in the second half. He can still be productive, but he’s obviously not the same player he was in Kansas City.

      And while Michael Jenkins always seems to come up with a couple of big catches throughout the year and is an underrated blocker, he can’t stretch a defense. Atlanta won’t dramatically change its offense because of the Green Bay rout, but there’s no doubt that the Falcons need to add another playmaker. When teams contained White and slowed Michael Turner, they dared Jenkins to beat them one-on-one and he couldn’t. Thus, it’ll be interesting to see if Atlanta targets a free agent such as Malcolm Floyd or even Vincent Jackson now that Gonzalez is set to return.

      External Sports, NFL

      What was Angels’ GM Reagins thinking?

      January 22, 2011 /
      Toronto Blue Jays Vernon Wells backs off a pitch during an American League MLB baseball game in Toronto in this September 6, 2010 file photo. The Blue Jays have traded the three times All-Star outfielder to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera, the MLB teams said on Friday. Wells has spent his entire 14-year career with the Blue Jays who made him the fifth selection overall in the 1997 draft. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill/Files (CANADA – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      In a stunning move, the Angels traded Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera to the Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Vernon Wells, who is due a whopping $86 million over the next four seasons. The deal frees the Jays of one of the worst contracts in baseball.

      For Toronto, this trade gives the Jays financial flexibility for years to come. What’s shocking is that the Halos got almost no cash in return. There have been reports that Toronto will send L.A. $5 million, but that’s nothing when you consider what Wells will receive over the next four years. This was basically a get-out-of-jail free card for Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos.

      I guess the hope is that Wells, Torrii Hunter and Peter Bourjos will give the Jays a solid outfield to go with their strong starting pitching. But not only is that asking a lot, even if Wells puts up good offensive numbers over these next couple of years, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which he lives up to his contract (nevertheless outperforms it). Chances are he will decline and then what? The Halos are still left holding the bill.

      As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote, most teams are trying to get younger, cheaper and better. The Angels just got older, more expensive and possibly even worse. It’s almost like GM Tony Reagins hit the panic button as soon as Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox and Adrian Beltre agreed to terms with the Rangers. I can see him sitting in his office saying, “We’ve got to do something! We’ve got to do something!!”

      External Sports, MLB

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