Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 210 of 1503)

      Texans fans want Kubiak fired, are planning protest

      December 28, 2010 /

      Texans fans are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore.

      According to the Houston Chronicle and ESPN.com, fans who believe coach Gary Kubiak should be fired are organizing a rally for Sunday’s game to make their point.

      Fans Brad White and Scott Carter are hoping the demonstration before Sunday’s season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars will help convince team owner Bob McNair to change coaches, according to the report.

      “I want to stress that I don’t want people to come out to bash Kubiak,” White told the Chronicle. “We don’t want vulgar signs out there. We’re not there to bash him. We’re there to say that we want a change.”

      “Five years has been enough,” White said of Kubiak’s coaching tenure in Houston, according to the report. “We’ve regressed this year. Minus a couple players, we believe the players aren’t responding to [the coaching staff] anymore.”

      I don’t disagree that Kubiak should be fired – his record (36-43) through five seasons speaks for itself. Many people believe that this team has had enough talent to at least make one playoff appearance in the past few years but it just hasn’t happened.

      That said, the Texans had issues coming into the season that people wanted to look past because of their explosive offense. Everyone knew the secondary was highly inexperienced as a whole and would need time to gel. So it shouldn’t be surprising that opposing teams were able to shred Houston through the air on a weekly basis.

      Everyone got excited when the Texans started 4-2, as well they should have. That win against the Colts in Week 1 was impressive and they showed some grit on the road in Week 2 against the Redskins.

      But when a team has issues, they eventually come to the surface and that’s what happened in Houston. It didn’t help that Andre Johnson was banged up for most of the year, or that Owen Daniels was still recovering from knee surgery, or that Matt Schaub showed an inability to finish games strong. The wheels came off and unfortunately for Kubiak, he’ll be the one that has to pay for that.

      But just because the Texans make a coaching change doesn’t mean that all of their problems will vanish. This isn’t a team that’s one missing piece away, which has to be disheartening to fans.

      External Sports, NFL

      Seahawks’ playoff hopes rest on Charlie Whitehurst

      December 28, 2010 /

      The Seattle Seahawks’ season comes down to Sunday’s game against the Rams. Beat St. Louis at home and win the worst division in football. Lose and watch the Rams get destroyed by the Saints or Falcons next weekend.

      The choice is yours, Seahawks.

      With Matt Hasselbeck dealing with a hip injury, coach Pete Carroll told the media on Monday that the Hawks are planning to start backup Charlie Whitehurst. Hasselbeck won’t practice and would be a game-time decision, so it makes sense for Carroll just to get Whitehurst ready and to start him. (If Hasselbeck is deemed healthy enough to play, he can still suit up and be Whitehurst’s backup.)

      Given how poorly Hasselbeck has played of late, the Seahawks may benefit from playing Whitehurst, even though the former Chargers’ signal caller hasn’t been very productive himself this season. He’s completed just 55% of his passes (35-of-63) on the year for 315 yards and one touchdown. He’s also thrown three interceptions and despite giving the Seahawks a shot of life off the bench against the Falcons two weeks ago, he was horrendous in his only start versus the Giants earlier in the season.

      The good news is that Whitehurst is more mobile than Hasselbeck and therefore can buy himself extra time by moving around in the pocket. The bad news is that he isn’t accurate and can kill drives with the best of ‘em. He’ll face the 20th ranked pass defense in the NFL on Sunday, but any secondary can look good when the opposing quarterback only completes 55% of his passes. But at least he’ll be at home.

      Whether or not the Seahawks win on Sunday, at least Carroll will have the opportunity to evaluate his quarterback position. If Whitehurst is a disaster again, the Hawks may need to draft a quarterback next year or retain Hasselbeck for at least another season. If he plays well on Sunday and again next week in the playoffs (assuming Seattle beats the Rams), then maybe Carroll will feel comfortable turning the offense over to Whitehurst in 2011.

      This will be a huge week for Whitehurst.

      External Sports, NFL

      Pennsylvania Governor: We’ve become a nation of wusses, Chinese much better than us

      December 28, 2010 /

      Following the NFL’s decision to move the Vikings-Eagles game from Sunday night to Tuesday because of bad weather in the Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) said that we’ve become a nation of wusses.

      From ESPN.com:

      “It goes against everything that football is all about,” Rendell said Monday on radio station 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.

      “My biggest beef is that this is part of what’s happened in this country,” Rendell said. “I think we’ve become wussies.”

      “We’ve become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything,” Rendell added. “If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down.”

      Trick question, because China doesn’t have football. So take that, Governor.

      While I agree the game should have never been rescheduled, Rendell is going a tad overboard here. The game wasn’t moved because the league doesn’t want its players playing in snow. It was moved because there was some concern for the fans either driving or leaving the game in a blizzard.

      The NFL made a quick decision regarding fans’ safety and therefore the game was shifted to Tuesday. I don’t think we need to turn this into a political discussion about how the Chinese are so much far advanced than we are based on this. (After all, there are better examples of that fact – zing!)

      I’ve lived in the Midwest my entire life. I’ve seen snow, I’ve driven in blizzards and I’ve had to deal with some horrendous weather. I do agree that many people freak out for no reason as soon as bad weather hits. But maybe shifting the game to Tuesday will cause fewer incidents and hopefully avoid accidents. I get that accidents happen in all weather, but maybe the NFL avoided an unnecessary risk by playing the game tonight.

      Are we a nation of wusses because of that? I don’t think so.

      External Sports, NFL

      Will Auburn have all its players eligible for the title game?

      December 28, 2010 /

      SPORTSbyBROOKS has news that will make many Auburn Tiger fans spit up their Cheerios this morning.

      All indications are that Heisman winner Cam Newton will be eligible to play Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game in two weeks. But there have been reports that indicate that some Tigers could be facing academic issues for the game.

      But just when Auburn fans thought they could relax, a cryptic comment by head coach Gene Chizik last week indicated the barn door on eligibility issues for the Tigers hasn’t swung shut just yet.

      The MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER reported last week:

      Chizik said Auburn is “still getting some things cleared up academically” and isn’t yet sure if all players are in good academic standing.

      Jay Coulter at the Auburn website Track ‘Em Tigers reiterated the lingering concern today in a blog entry:

      There’s still no word on whether Auburn had any academic casualties that could cause some players to miss the championship game. Auburn coach Gene Chizik has been mum on the subject for the past month. You can bet the rumor mill will be in overdrive this week if Chizik doesn’t address the issue. Keep your fingers crossed…

      It’s not fair to speculate at this point which players may be ineligible because none of them may be. If you read between Chizik’s comments it certainly seems that he could be without some of his players, but maybe he’s misleading the media. Or maybe the issues will be cleared up by January 10th (whatever that means).

      Of course, if Auburn is without Newton then it changes the entire landscape of the game. But as of right now, Tiger fans seemingly have nothing to worry about.

      College Football, External Sports

      Saints’ defense comes alive, shuts down Falcons

      December 28, 2010 /

      Here are five quick-hit thoughts on the Saints’ 17-14 win over the Falcons on Monday Night Football.

      1. Gregg Williams’ defense steps up big-time.
      On a night when the offense largely sputtered, Williams’ defense stepped up and won a game for the Saints. Outside of one 27-yard run by Michael Turner in the first half, the run defense was outstanding. This was a unit that has largely been gashed on the ground, which includes giving up over 100 yards last week to Ray Rice. Jonathan Vilma and Co. didn’t do anything special Monday night to shut down a potent Falcons’ rushing attack. They simply filled gaps, won in the trenches and got pressure up field. They dared the Falcons to beat them with the pass and while Matt Ryan was able to hit a few plays to Michael Jenkins throughout the game, this contest was largely won on the strength of New Orleans’ run defense (something that has often cost the Saints games this season).

      2. The Falcons offense owes its defense an apology.
      The reason I mentioned the Saints’ defensive effort first was because I didn’t want to take anything away from their effort. And I still don’t. That said, what a putrid effort by Mike Mularkey’s offense. They got zero push up front in the running game, center Todd McClure cost his team seven points with one of the worst snaps you’ll ever see and Turner put the ball on the ground at the goal line when the Falcons had seized momentum. And this came on a night when Atlanta’s defense held one of the most explosive offenses in the league to just 17 points. The effort that Jonathan Babineaux and John Abraham gave up front along the defensive line was outstanding. Yes, they missed Drew Brees on a handful of plays but they largely dominated the Saints’ offense with their aggressive play. Defensive coordinator Brian Van Gorder deserves high praise for putting together a game plan that should have won the Falcons the game. How frustrating.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

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