Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 250 of 1503)

      2010 NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

      November 16, 2010 /
      PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 14: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 14, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

      That No. 1 spot is a curse, I tell you – a curse.

      Got nasty?

      Check out Week 10’s Power Rankings

      1. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 1
      I’m well aware that the Cowboys blew the Giants back to the Stone Age last Sunday. But I don’t think the Giants got exposed – I think they just got caught flatfooted. They expected a bad Cowboys team to play dead like they had done in previous weeks and instead the Giants ran into an emotional buzz saw looking to prove a point under their new coach. I’ll give NY a mulligan, although a loss to the Eagles this Sunday and we will have a new No. 1 next week. And that’s a f*&king promise.

      2. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 9
      I don’t know what to do with this team. One week they’re losing to the Browns and the next they’re dismantling the Steelers. It’s early in the week so I have the right to change my mind, but I think New England beats Indy this Sunday and that’s why I have no choice but to move the Pats up to this spot. Do I feel good about the decision? Is Ed “Too Tall” Jones too tall? Wait…

      3. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 2
      If the Steelers had that much trouble with the Patriots, what will Peyton Manning do to them? The Colts can go up-tempo with the best of ‘em and that’s how New England completely dismantled Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Suddenly, this team looks awfully vulnerable.

      4. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 5
      The Jets are back to winning ugly again – just as they did last season. And we all know how last season turned out. (Uh, with a trip to the AFC Championship – not a loss to the Colts, although both occurred…on the same day.)

      5. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 7
      Michael Vick and the Eagles look like an unstoppable force right now. Forget the their complete and utter domination of the Redskins on Monday night: they’ve already crushed the Falcons (with Kevin Kolb starting, no less) and handled the Colts. Granted, both of those games were at home but guess where they play the Giants this Sunday? At home. If they light up their NFC East rivals this weekend, then maybe Philly is on a crash course with the No. 1 spot.

      6. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 8
      I’m being very cautious with the Falcons. That nasty loss to the Eagles is still fresh in my mind and this team loves to let opponents hang around. Still, beating Baltimore on Thursday night was impressive and despite the fact that I have the Giants and eagles ranked ahead of them, Atlanta holds the top seed in the NFC right now. Hopefully a letdown isn’t forthcoming in St. Louis this weekend.

      7. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 3
      Why the big drop following a win? It’s hard to explain. The Colts’ defense played well last week against the Bengals, but Cincinnati’s defense held Peyton Manning in check. It’s almost like this Indy team can’t play well on one side of the ball without looking suspect on the other. Not to get ahead of myself, but I also think the Colts will have a hard time beating the Patriots in New England this Sunday. But I’ll make them a deal: Win this Sunday and the No. 2 spot will be reserved for them for the next two weeks.

      8. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 6
      Poor Packers didn’t even play and they were dropped two spots. Sorry, but the Patriots, Eagles and Falcons’ wins were too impressive not to move them up.

      9. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 4
      The Ravens can bitch and moan all they want about Roddy White’s push-off but the bottom line is that they were dominated in the first half and had White caught a 3rd-and-4 pass with just over three minutes remaining, the final two drives don’t matter. Baltimore just needs to regroup.

      10. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 10
      Do the Saints play every game at home? I just looked at the schedule and they play in New Orleans again this week – for the sixth time in nine games. The schedule makers didn’t do the defending champs any favors in the second half though – four of their last six are on the road (which includes trips to Dallas, Baltimore and Atlanta).

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      If Vick stays healthy, sky’s the limit for Eagles

      November 16, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick throws against the Washington Redskins in the first half of their NFL football game in Landover, Maryland November 15, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Washington’s defense isn’t exactly the cream of the crop but that doesn’t change the fact that Michael Vick was simply amazing in the Eagles’ 59-28 victory on Monday Night Football.

      Vick completed 20-of-28 passes for 333 yards with four touchdowns and also added 80 rushing yards on eight carries with two more scores. He threw an 88-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson on the opening play of the game and then proceeded to lead the Eagles to a 35-0 lead early in the second quarter. While the Redskins scored a couple of times to show their fans that they were still breathing, Philly was in complete control.

      The law of averages will eventually catch up to Vick. It has to. No quarterback can sustain the performance that he’s turning in right now, but he can certainly continue to help the Eagles stockpile wins. When you look at the top six teams in the NFL, some are going to have Vick in the No. 1 slot given what he did on Monday night (coupled with how bad the Giants looked against the Cowboys on Sunday).

      But he has to stay healthy. He’s already missed several games this season because of a rib injury and he’s not going to change the way he plays. If he sees a lane, he’s going to take off and run – as he should. He has improved dramatically as a passer since his days in Atlanta, but he’s still going to pull the ball down and run 5-10 times a game and that opens him up to injury.

      That said, he’s been phenomenal and if he can stay consistent then the Eagles are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They have a huge game this Sunday against the Giants and an entire second half, but their victory in D.C. Monday night proved that this is a team to be reckoned with.

      External Sports, NFL

      Redskins shockingly give Donovan McNabb a $78 million extension

      November 15, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 03: Donovan McNabb of the Washington Redskins celebrates after throwing a first quater touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 3, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Leave it to the Redskins to make a decision that not only sends shockwaves through the NFL, but also leaves everyone questioning whether or not owner Daniel Snyder has a fully functioning brain.

      The Redskins agreed to terms with quarterback Donovan McNabb on a five-year, $78 million contract extension though 2015. This is the same McNabb that was benched for Rex Grossman two weeks ago in Detroit because Mike Shanahan believed he wasn’t physically fit enough to run the two-minute offense. This is the same McNabb that has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this year, has posted his lowest completion percentage since 2006 and who reportedly has been extremely slow to pick up Shanahan’s offense.

      Oh, and he’s also set to become 34 at the end of the month.

      Maybe the Redskins know something we don’t. Maybe McNabb drank from the fountain of youth recently and he’s about to lead the Redskins on a miracle second half run that nets them a playoff berth and a Super Bowl victory. Maybe people will look back at Washington’s decision and deem it the greatest personnel move in the history of football.

      Or maybe, and this seems more likely, McNabb will post very average numbers over the next couple of years and he’ll never see the end of this contract. Maybe Snyder (or Bruce Allen, or whoever is making the final decisions in D.C. now) once again overpaid a player and when the new CBA deal is signed, his team will permanently have a place reserved in cap hell.

      I’m a McNabb fan but he hasn’t earned this raise. He’s not working with much, but how can the Redskins build a decent core around him if they’re paying him $78 million over the next five years?

      And why now? Why not wait to see if McNabb starts to play better before you sign him to an enormous extension? He wasn’t good enough to beat out Rex Grossman for the opportunity to run your two-minute offense but he’s worth $78 million? I don’t get it.

      Again, this could all work well for the Redskins but I severely doubt it. And if McNabb is worth $78 million, what will Michael Vick or Peyton Manning command next March?

      External Sports, NFL

      Someone actually voted for candidates outside of Posey and Heyward for ROY

      November 15, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey looks on during workouts in preparation for their Major League Baseball (MLB)'s World Series in San Francisco October 26, 2010. The Giants will face the Texas Rangers in the series opening game on Wednesday. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Whether it was Giants’ 23-year-old backstop or the Braves’ 21-year-old right fielder, the only two candidates that deserved to be considered for the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award were Buster Posey and Jason Heyward.

      Yet three clowns actually voted for Jaime Garcia and Gaby Sanchez when it came down to handing out the award on Monday.

      When the voting was completed, Posey beat out Heyward to win this year’s ROY award. Heyward bested Posey in runs scored (83 to 58), hits (144 to 124) and walks (91 to 30), but he also played 34 more games as the Giants kept Posey in the minors because they wanted to slow his arbitration clock.

      Despite not playing a full year like Heyward, Posey hit just as many home runs (18) as the Atlanta outfielder and finished with a higher batting average (.305 to .277). He also caught a pitching staff that led the majors with a 3.36 ERA and helped San Francisco win its first ever World Series while batting cleanup for most of the postseason.

      Personally, I think Posey deserved the award based on the fact that he helped the Giants win playoff games while Hewyard struggled mightily in the NLDS. Posey also plays a more demanding position and may have doubled his output had he been given the opportunity to play a full year.

      But whether you thought it should have been Posey or Heyward, I think most of us would agree that the award didn’t belong to Garcia or Sanchez, who each received three first-place votes. (Posey finished with 20, Heyward had nine, Sanchez had two and Garcia had one.) That’s not to say that Garcia or Sanchez didn’t have good years because they did. But are you kidding me? Did the writers who voted for those two see Posey or Heyward play this season?

      Posey and Heyward played vital roles in the success that their teams had this year and put together some of the finest seasons of any rookies over the past couple decades. Garcia and Sanchez were nice players, but they didn’t hold a candle to what Posey and Heyward did for their teams. I would expect Cardinals and Marlins fans to argue that claim, but I would suggest they put on some tape to see what Posey and Heyward accomplished this year. Again, I’m not trying to take anything away from Garcia and Sanchez but come on. Two votes? Gabby Sanchez received two first-place votes? Over Buster Posey? Dear, Barbara.

      At the end of the day, who received first-place votes doesn’t matter. Posey won by a landslide and I think it was well deserved. All four of these players should go on to have solid careers, although I only see two potential superstars in the bunch and neither of them plays in St. Louis or Florida.

      External Sports, MLB

      Todd Haley refuses to shake Josh McDaniels’ hand following blowout

      November 15, 2010 /

      Following the Broncos’ 49-29 dismantling of the Chiefs on Sunday, Kansas City coach Todd Haley went to midfield and instead of shaking Josh McDaniels’ hand, he angrily pointed his figure at McDaniels and stormed off.

      Just so you know I didn’t concoct this story on my own, here’s the video:

      The Broncos led 35-10 at halftime and scored just once more in each of the final two quarters, but apparently Haley thought Denver should have taken a knee at the start of the third quarter.

      Some will say that it wasn’t very sportsmanlike of the Broncos to keep throwing in the fourth quarter, but it’s not like the Chiefs were completely inept offensively. Matt Cassel threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns, so clearly Kansas City wasn’t content to take a loss and get out of dodge as quickly as possible. Nor should they have been.

      Football games last 60 minutes. There was no give up in the Chiefs and Haley shouldn’t have expected his opponents to give up either. Just because Kansas City had the better record and was in first place at the start of the day doesn’t mean Denver should have laid down for them.

      There’s an unwritten rule in baseball that I absolutely loathe. Teams that are up “big” late in games aren’t supposed to steal as a courtesy to their opponent. But if a team doesn’t want to get run on when its getting its ass kicked, then it should try throwing runners out.

      I’ll offer the same advice to Haley. The last time I checked, the Chiefs were playing with 11 players on defense. They weren’t at a disadvantage so if they wanted McDaniels and company to stop scoring, then they should have stopped the Broncos. It’s that simple.

      External Sports, NFL, Video

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