Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 243 of 1503)

      2010 NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

      November 23, 2010 /

      For about the 19th week in a row, we have a new No. 1.

      How is that possible when there have only been 11 weeks? I don’t know. Just check out the damn rankings, wise guy.

      Check out Week 11’s Power Rankings.

      1. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 2
      I would have felt much, much better about this ranking had the Patriots not allowed Peyton Manning and the Colts to come back in the fourth quarter. But nevertheless, they still won and now their loss to the Browns seems nothing like a fluketastic fading memory.

      2. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 3
      Nice bounce back win for the Steelers over the Raiders last week. It still doesn’t erase the painful memory of what Tom Brady and the Patriots did to them two weeks ago, but Pittsburgh needed one of those this-is-going-to-hurt games and they delivered.

      3. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 5
      The Falcons may have a better record but the Eagles beat them handily earlier in the season and that was when Kevin Kolb was starting for an injured Michael Vick. This is the team to beat in the NFC right now.

      4. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 4
      Lucky or good? Probably a little bit of both.

      5. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous week: 6
      It would be easy to brush off the Falcons’ win over the Rams last week because it was a game they should have won. But after beating the Ravens two weeks ago, Atlanta could have fallen into a trap against a competitive St. Louis team that has played well at home this year. But the Falcons didn’t, and they still maintain the best record in the NFC.

      6. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 8
      What a matchup we have in the Georgia Dome this Sunday. The Falcons can be had through the air, but Green Bay’s offensive line better figure out a way to protect Aaron Rodgers because Atlanta’s pass rush is vastly underrated. It’ll be interesting to see what Dom Capers’ stout defense has in store for Matt Ryan and Co.

      7. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 7
      It’s rare to see Peyton Manning put his team in a hole, rally them back and then throw an interception to lose the game. But he’s afforded a mulligan every now and again.

      8. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 10
      Nobody is talking about this team right now, which is pretty freaking scary. They’re starting to get healthy and their schedule is a cakewalk for the next three weeks (Cowboys, Bengals, Rams). That said, Dallas did smack Sean Payton’s team around last year so it’ll be interesting to see how New Orleans’ responds on Thanksgiving Day.

      9. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 9
      The Ravens scooped up an easy win against the Panthers last Sunday but reports state that Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason got into on the sidelines. It wasn’t the first time the two of them argued during a game this year, so the situation is something worth keeping an eye on.

      10. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 1
      That annual New York Giants funk is right on time this year.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Did Boras’ firm loan money to prospects in the Dominican Republic?

      November 23, 2010 /
      Aug 31, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Scott Boras attends the MLB game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Photo via Newscom

      According to a report by ESPN.com, baseball agent Scott Boras’ company supplied “tens of thousands of dollars in loans and payments” to the families of needy prospects in the Dominican Republic.

      The report cited people with ties to Boras. The Times said the loans and payments raise questions about whether his company broke Major League Baseball Players Association rules governing the conduct of agents.

      Domingo Ramos, a former big league player who works for Boras’ company, told The Times that the company typically represented a few top Dominican prospects each year and made loans to a majority of them. The money was usually used for food, housing and other needs, he said.

      “Sometimes we get it back, sometimes we don’t,” Ramos told The Times. “Sometimes, it’s tough to get it back. It’s as simple as that.”

      The Times said Boras’ company loaned teenage client Edward Salcedo and his family about $70,000 from 2007-09, according to the shortstop’s brother, Thommy, and Martiris Hanley, a former Boras employee. They said the money was to be repaid out of Salcedo’s future earnings.

      In a way, it’s nice to see that Boras’ company provided money for food, clothing and shelter. But the only reason they dished out money was so that these players would sign with Boras, so it’s not like he’s Mother Teresa here.

      If the report is true, this is just another example of how far agents will go to secure a client.

      External Sports, MLB

      If/when he’s healthy, should the Cowboys play Tony Romo?

      November 23, 2010 /
      Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo (R) is seen next to backup quarterback Jon Kitna (3) during warm-ups prior to the Cowboys' game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Arlington, Texas October 31, 2010. Romo broke his collar bone last week against the New York Giants and is not expected to return for 8 weeks. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      Even if the Cowboys were somehow able to get back into the NFC playoff picture, it appears as though Tony Romo wouldn’t be able help them until Week 16. And even that seems a little optimistic.

      According to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Cowboys aren’t expecting Romo to recover from his fractured collarbone until Week 16 at the earliest. He was able to throw Sunday for the first time since the injury, but an X-ray showed that the bone was still broken.

      Let’s play the “What If?” game for a second. If Romo were healthy by Week 16 and the ‘Boys needed two wins to have a chance to make the playoffs, should they play him? Or should they stick with Jon Kitna?

      Granted, the answer to that question seems obvious: There’s no way in Hades that the Cowboys are making the playoffs. The second obvious answer would be, “Absolutely you do – you have to play Romo.”

      But riddle me this, Batman: If the Cowboys were on the verge of making the postseason at the end of the year, a lot of that would have had to do with Kitna, no? There’s a stark difference between Romo and Kitna, but at that point I would think the Cowboys would have to ride the hot hand. Why insert Romo back into the starting lineup if he hadn’t played in two months?

      Again, this scenario is far-fetched and probably not even worth discussing. For the Cowboys to climb back into the playoff race, they’d also have to have a couple of teams (Falcons, Packers, Eagles, Giants, Bears, Bucs, etc.) collapse down the stretch. But it’s an interesting situation nonetheless.

      External Sports, NFL

      Titans to place Vince Young on injured reserve

      November 22, 2010 /
      JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 18: Quarterback Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans grimaces in pain during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the game at EverBank Field on October 18, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

      The first step in ensuring that quarterback Vince Young never takes another snap in Tennessee has just been taken.

      Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher told the media on Monday that the team will place Young on injured reserve. Young tore a tendon in his thumb in an overtime loss to the Redskins on Sunday and afterwards Fisher said that the quarterback wouldn’t retain his job whether he needed surgery or not. Rusty Smith, who replaced Young on Sunday, will remain the starter and Chris Simms was signed as his backup.

      Owner Bud Adams is still a VY fan but it’s apparent that Fisher is not. The two of them got into a “verbal confrontation” following the loss to Washington and Young apparently berated Fisher under his breath as the coach was trying to address the team in the locker room. Young also reportedly tossed his shoulder pads into the stands at LP Field.

      Adams has since stated that Young will definitely be a Titan in 2011, but that remains to be seen. He’s due a roster bonus of $4.25 million and if Fisher has no plans to start the 27-year-old next year, then the Titans could be forced to trade or waive him in the offseason. It doesn’t make sense to pay that much money (he’s also owed over $8 million in base salary next year) to a backup that’ll never see the field.

      Placing Young on I.R. is only the tip of the iceberg.

      External Sports, NFL

      If Childress wants another job, he’ll have to change his approach with players

      November 22, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Brad Childress and Ray Edwards #91 of the Minnesota Vikings against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 20, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      My guess is that it’ll be a while before Brad Childress finds another head coaching job in the NFL. And if he doesn’t change his philosophy on how to mange relationships with players, then he may never have another chance.

      One of the main reasons Vikings’ owner Zygi Wilf hired Childress in 2006 is because he thought Childress would help restore order off the field. The “Love Boat Scandal” was still fresh on everyone’s minds and Wilf fell for Childress’ harden approach with players.

      The problem is that Childress didn’t have much coaching experience at the time. He had never been a head coach at any level and while he was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles before arriving in Minnesota, head coach Andy Reid called most of Philadelphia’s plays over that span. Thus, Childress’ football resume was highly barren of legitimate experience.

      There were also warning signs about the way Childress handled players. It was highly reported that Terrell Owens had asked Childress not to speak to him during the 2005 season. When he did get to Minnesota, several veteran quarterbacks including Brad Johnson and Gus Frerotte didn’t see eye-to-eye with Childress because they weren’t allowed to go off-script during games.

      Childress also got into a spat with Brett Favre last year because he didn’t appreciate the veteran quarterback’s freelancing. More recently, he’s gotten into spats with receiver Percy Harvin and cornerback Antoine Winfield. Out of the handful of articles that I read so far on his firing, not one player has defended or stuck up for him. That says a lot.

      All of this leads to the obvious: Childress doesn’t know how to handle NFL personalities. He desperately wanted Favre to be his quarterback, but he didn’t know how to handle Brett’s massive ego. He wanted Randy Moss to save his fleeting passing game, but the first time the receiver gave him any guff he waived him on the spot.

      Some coaches can get away with being a disciplinary. Bill Cowher made his mark in Pittsburgh with that approach, although he also knew how to strike a rapport with players. He knew he couldn’t constantly belittle them or they’d eventually turn their backs on him, which is exactly what happened to Childress. Vikings players put up with him last year because they were winning. But now that this has become a lost season, they had no problem giving marginal effort for a guy whom they don’t respect.

      All this leads to is this: if Childress doesn’t change his ways then he might as well drop down to the college ranks where players are easier to mold. While he’s down there, he may want to learn how to maximize his players’ strengths, too. It never ceased to amaze me how much he misused Adrian Peterson throughout his years in Minnesota. But that’s a topic for another time.

      For now, “Chilly” might want to work on his people skills.

      External Sports, NFL

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