Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 230 of 1503)

Sterger may go public with photos of Favre’s junk

FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 31: Brett Favre  of the Minnesota Vikings walks off the field after a missed opportunity against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Straight out of the “Does anyone really care anymore?” files, the Huffington Post is reporting that Jenn Sterger might reveal the photos that Brett Favre sent her of his junk if the NFL does not punish the Vikings’ quarterback.

TMZ reported on Monday that Sterger’s manager, Phil Reese, said his client provided enough evidence to prove there was harassment.

“No matter what happens Jenn has all legal remedies, including going public … if the NFL doesn’t clear her name,” Reese reportedly said.

The NFL started its investigation of the alleged sexting scandal in October. Favre admitted to sending voicemails to the former TV host, but denied sending inappropriate photos.

Allison Torres, a friend of Sterger, reportedly said she was there when Sterger received the pictures.

Couple of things here:

1. Nobody wants to see Favre’s wrinkled junk mail.

2. Didn’t Deadspin already show the photos? Unless she has photos of him smiling and giving the camera a thumbs-up while holding his crotchel region, then what more is there to show?

And whom does she think she is trying to press the NFL into a corner? They’re not going to bow to her whims and do whatever she asks. They’re the NFL for cryin’ out loud.

She’s got four weeks to try and further her career with this story before Favre retires and then nobody officially cares anymore.

2010 NFL Week 14 Power Rankings

FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: (L-R) Jermaine Cunningham  and Jarrad Page  of the New England Patriots celebrate a defensive stop in the second quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

In what is often viewed as the most exciting time of year, I just realized that there’s only four weeks left in the regular season.

Is it really almost over? Where did the time go? The Kansas City Chiefs are what?!

Check out Week 13’s Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots
Previous Week: 1
Many people believe the Jets aren’t as good as their record indicates and honestly, I don’t have a problem with that logic. I predicted in preseason that the Jets wouldn’t make the playoffs, so I’m well aware of their potential fluke-e-ness. That said, to insinuate that the only reason the Patriots dominated on Monday night was because the Jets aren’t that good would be an insult to New England. The Jets may be overrated, but they’re not 45-3 in what was supposed to be a matchup of the two best teams in the AFC overrated.

2. Atlanta Falcons
Previous Week: 2
We knew the Falcons were going to have issues with the Bucs last week. They were coming off a four-game stretch have playing playoff contenders, had won five in a row and hadn’t turned the ball over in four-straight games. They were due to have a letdown and seeing as how competitive Tampa has been this season, it wasn’t shocking that Atlanta needed all 60 minutes to win last Sunday. But it was impressive that they were able to pull off yet another fourth quarter comeback. All this team does is win.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers
Previous Week: 3
Ben Roethlisberger was playing on a broken foot, suffered a broken nose in the first quarter, had little protection and no running game Sunday night in Baltimore and he still found a way to lead the Steelers to victory (albeit with a huge assist from Troy Polamalu). What a gritty performance.

4. New Orleans Saints
Previous Week: 5
I’m a little shocked that the Saints’ defense allowed Carson Palmer and the inconsistent Cincinnati offense to march up and down the field on them, but winning on the road is never easy and that’s exactly what New Orleans did. That Monday Night Football game between the Saints and Falcons in two weeks is shaping up to be the game of the year.

5. New York Jets
Previous Week: 4
I have all kinds of issues ranking the Jets in the top 5 after the Patriots dismantled them on Monday night, but I’ve given other teams in the top 10 mulligans so this will be New York’s. That said, you’ve got issues, Rex Ryan.

6. Baltimore Ravens
Previous Week: 6
I don’t take issue with John Harbaugh’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-two and not attempt a 48-yard field goal into the swirling wind on Sunday night. Had Joe Flacco not short-armed the throw to Ed Dickson, the drive would have continued and maybe the Ravens would have pulled out a victory in overtime. That said, I do have issue with Flacco not making an adjustment when he saw Troy Polamalu was about to blitz on the Ravens’ previous possession. Flacco has to audible in that situation to avoid disaster, which is exactly what occurred when Polamalu stripped him from behind.

7. Chicago Bears
Previous Week: 7
That was a pretty uninspiring win for the Bears in Detroit on Sunday. But after beating the Eagles the week prior and everyone jumping on their bandwagon, I guess it was inevitable. The key is that they won and they completely shut the Lions down in the second half.

8. Philadelphia Eagles
Previous Week: 8
The Eagles’ defense looks awfully vulnerable the past two weeks, although not having Asante Samuel in their secondary doesn’t help. Michael Vick and Co. better not overlook a revitalized Cowboys team this weekend.

9. Green Bay Packers
Previous Week: 7
There’s an argument to be made that the Packers should be ranked ahead of the Bears, but given that a) the teams are even, b) the Bears are playing incredibly well right now and c) they’ve already beaten Green Bay once this season, the Pack will have to settle for the No. 9 spot for now. But they’ll have their chance over the next four weeks to prove that they should be hire. It’s going to be a wild stretch-run in the NFC North.

10. New York Giants
Previous Week: 11
I fully admit that I thought the Redskins would give the Giants trouble last week. Now I fully admit that I didn’t grasp how bad the Redskins really are, which is saying something seeing as how bad the Eagles beat them on Monday night a couple of weeks ago, I know.

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Kudos to the Redskins for suspending Albert Haynesworth

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 02: Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth  of the Washington Redskins stands on the sidelines during preseason NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 2, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Redskins 20-10. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

When it comes to the ongoing battle between Albert Haynesworth and the Redskins (especially head coach Mike Shanahan), I often feel as though the team should just cut its losses and move on. After all, Haynesworth doesn’t want to play for Shanahan, he doesn’t want to play in a 3-4 and obviously he’ll continue to be a distraction until he gets out of D.C.

But after giving it more thought, I actually like how the Redskins are handling the situation. Haynesworth reportedly showed up hungover to Friday’s practice and he also missed a team meeting. He apparently told GM Bruce Allen on Monday that he’s no longer speaking to Shanahan, who issued a statement saying that Haynesworth “refused to play in our base defense or on first-down or second-down nickel situations” and “refused to follow the instructions of our coaches both during weekly practices and during actual games.”

So the Redskins suspended him the final four games of the season without pay. Haynesworth will no doubt appeal the suspension and he may win after the NFLPA makes a case that the Redskins have no basis to stop paying him. But no matter how this situation ends (his tenure in Washington is almost surely over), kudus to the Skins for not giving in to what Haynesworth ultimately wants (i.e. to be released).

Shanahan has a massive ego and he is partly to blame for the way things turned out. Could he have handled the situation better and maybe turned a negative into a positive? Yes, but that ship has sailed now. It’s time for the Skins to put up a collective front.

They’ve already paid Haynesworth $36.5 million for two seasons and he’s done very little to earn that money. So why reward him by cutting him and giving him the opportunity to play elsewhere? If the Redskins aren’t getting what they want (i.e. a productive defensive tackle who doesn’t moonlight as a pain in the ass), why should he get what he wants?

Chances are this situation won’t go down smoothly but I applaud the Redskins for digging in their heels and not releasing him. Granted, it may be a stubborn move and let’s not overlook the fact that this is all Daniel Snyder’s fault for paying this guy millions of dollars upfront when Haynesworth had a history of being a malcontent. But at this point, I like what the Skins are doing.

I thought the Jets and Patriots were supposed to be equals?

FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady  of the New England Patriots reacts after BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

I guess I didn’t realize how much Jim Leonhard meant to the Jets.

Apparently he’s worth about 45 points.

If the Patriots were trying to make a statement on Monday night in their 45-3 lambasting of the Jets, then statement effectively made. There wasn’t much doubt about who the better team was and I won’t insult the Patriots by saying something like, “the Jets just weren’t prepared.”

They probably were prepared. And they promptly got their asses handed to them by a team that nobody in the AFC wants to face in Foxboro come postseason time.

What had to be most concerning to Rex Ryan was that his defense didn’t have the faintest idea of how to stop Tom Brady and New England’s offense. The Jets probably expect Mark Sanchez to look completely useless from time to time (even though he’s been good for most of the season), but I’m willing to bet that one of his defenses never looked like that before. It was like watching Brady and Co. work against the scout team on Wednesday – not a Monday night showdown between two of the best teams in the AFC. I know New York had some injuries on that side of the ball and that Leonhard is a key piece to their defense, but he’s not the difference between the Jets holding opponents to 17.0 points per game and 45 PPG.

The Patriots still have a lot of issues defensively and the MNF broadcast team pointed out several times during the game that New England struggles on third down offensively. But if last night was any indication, Belichick is starting to iron those issues out. And if the Pats are peaking at the right time, then look out.

Broncos fire Josh McDaniels – too soon or not soon enough?

ENGLEWOOD, CO - SEPTEMBER 21: Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniel addresses the media during a press conference to discuss the death of Bronco wide receiver Kenny McKinley at the Denver Broncos Headquarters at Dove Valley on September 21, 2010 in Englewood, Colorado. McKinley, 23, was found dead in his home on September 20, 2010 in Arapahoe County, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

That was quick.

It hasn’t even been two full years since the Denver Broncos hired Josh McDaniels and now he’s unemployed and they’re searching for a new head coach. Following the team’s 3-9 start, the Broncos fired McDaniels on Monday after he led them to losses in 17 of their last 22 games.

Looking at his brief track record, it’s hard to argue with the decision. Immediately upon arriving to Denver, McDaniels started a feud with then-starter Jay Cutler, who was eventually traded to Chicago for a first round pick and parts (uh, Kyle Orton). Then McDaniels led the Broncos to a 6-0 start in 2009, only to collapse down the stretch to finish 2-8. In the offseason, he was part of the contingent that sent No. 1 receiver Brandon Marshall to Miami.

He also had a hand in dealing Peyton Hillis to the Browns in exchange for Brady Quinn, who is now third on the Broncos’ depth chart behind Orton and rookie Tim Tebow. Hillis, meanwhile, hasn’t stopped bowling over defenders since he arrived in Cleveland and has established himself as a feature back.

McDaniels also had a hand in trading away multiple draft picks in order to select Tebow in the first round of April’s draft despite the warning signs that he was a massive project as a passer. Not lost on anybody was his inability to retain Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator following the ’09 season or how he was recently fined because a member of his video department was caught taping one of the 49ers’ walk-through practices in London earlier this year. Spygate 2, anyone?

But even considering all of that, was it enough to fire McDaniels right now? You can’t even properly grade his first draft class yet and nobody has the faintest idea what will become of Tebow. The Broncos didn’t have to commit to him through 2011 but what about through the rest of 2010? And who are you going to replace him with right now? “Wink” Martindale?

McDaniels’ short tenure in Denver was obviously filled with way more misses than hits, but it’s not like the Broncos improved their situation by firing him now. If anything it was a lateral move but then again, sometimes what’s best is to cut your losses and start anew.

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