Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 300 of 1503)

      The Panthers should rid themselves of Dwayne Jarrett

      October 5, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 03: Dwayne Jarrett #80 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates a first-half touchdown during the game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

      If Dwayne Jarrett was still at USC and he was arrested for driving while impaired, the tone of this article would be entirely different.

      But Jarrett isn’t a kid anymore and it’s high time he stops acting like one. Since coming into the league as a second round pick in 2007, he’s posted numbers similar to that of a seventh rounder that is primarily used on special teams.

      In three years and four games, he’s racked up 35 receptions for 428 yards and a whopping one touchdown. Many pundits projected him as a first round talent in ‘07, yet apparently the real surprise is not that he fell into the second round, but how he was drafted at all.

      If you remember correctly, this isn’t the first time Jarrett has been arrested for drunken driving. He was also hauled in for a DWI in March of 2008, so a suspension is likely forthcoming from the league.

      But the Panthers shouldn’t wait – just cut him and move on. If he were still at USC, I would implore Pete Carroll (or Lane Kiffin, or whomever) not to give up on him – to keep the structure of football in his life. But this is clearly someone who doesn’t have the focus, determination or decision-making to be a full-time player in the NFL. Only 35 receptions on the field and two DWIs off it prove that.

      Carolina is trying to rebuild on both sides of the ball and they don’t need distractions like this when they’re already 0-4. Not from a Pro Bowler, and certainly not from a player that hasn’t earned the right to be on a NFL roster.

      Maybe a wake up call is what he needs. Maybe Carroll could get through to him in Seattle. Either way, the Panthers should ensure he’s not their problem anymore and just move on.

      External Sports, NFL

      Tom Brady notches 100th win as Dolphins take the night off

      October 4, 2010 /
      New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (L) takes aim as Miami Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi (R) pursues in the first quarter during their NFL football game in Miami, Florida October 4, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      It’s rather amazing to think about how Tom Brady has evolved. He went from a nobody to an American underdog to, “Man I really hate that Tom Brady. Cut your hair, hippie.”

      But whether you love him or hate him, as a football fan you have to respect what the man has accomplished over the course of his career.

      Thanks to the Patriots’ 41-14 lambasting of the Dolphins on Monday night, Brady notched his 100th win to become the 11th NFL quarterback to reach the milestone. He also needed less starts to accomplish the feat than any other signal caller who has 100 wins in his career.

      Dan Marino and Jim Kelly needed 157 starts to reach 100 wins. Peyton Manning needed 154, Brett Favre needed 153 and Terry Bradshaw needed 147. The only QB to come close to Brady’s mark of 130 was Joe Montana, who needed just 139 starts to reach 100 career victories.

      Perhaps the best part for Brady tonight is that he didn’t even have to break a sweat to earn his 100th. With his team trailing 7-6 at halftime, Brandon Tate took the second half kickoff 103 yards to give the Pats a 13-7 lead. Then, after New England blocked a punt on Miami’s first possession of the second half, BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a 12-yard touchdown to put the Pats up 20-7.

      Adding insult to insult, the Pats then blocked a Dan Carpenter field goal attempt at the start of the fourth quarter. Kyle Arrington scooped up the loose ball and went 35 yards for the touchdown to essentially put the game away. A Patrick Chung 51-yard interception return for a touchdown capped the scoring at 41-14 and ended an embarrassing night for the Dolphins, who could do nothing right the entire night.

      Despite throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns, Chad Henne was picked off three times, including twice in New England territory. And the two touchdown passes were more a testament to Davone Bess and Ricky Williams work after the catch than Henne’s throws. (The screen to Williams was an outstanding play call and well executed on all fronts.)

      It’s easy to kick a team while it’s down, but how good does Miami’s two wins look now? They barely beat a horrendous Bills team 15-10 in the opener and then dropped a lifeless Vikings squad 14-10 in Week 2. The past two weeks, they struggled against divisional opponents and tonight they showed little fight after Williams’ touchdown early in the third quarter. There they were down three touchdowns and with over nine minutes left on the clock and they displayed zero sense of urgency.

      Enjoy the bye next week, Miami. Because after that you play at Green Bay, home against Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati, at Baltimore and home against the Titans. We’ll certainly find out what this Dolphins team is made of over the course of the next five weeks.

      External Sports, NFL

      Vick, McCoy injured as Eagles inquire about Marshawn Lynch

      October 4, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 03: LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball past Rocky McIntosh of the Washington Redskins on October 3, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, quarterback Michael Vick does not have broken ribs but he was diagnosed with a rib cartilage injury. The newspaper also reports that running back LeSean McCoy suffered a rib injury in Sunday’s loss to the Redskins.

      “We’ll see how he feels,” Reid said. “This is going to be one of those day-to-day, week-to-week things … Rick [Burkholder] and our docs will keep a close eye on it.”

      Reid said Vick is “sore” today.

      “We’ll see how Michael does here,” Reid said. “If he is as sore as he is today, then Kevin will take the snaps [Wednesday].”

      Vick at least was not grimacing as he walked from the NovaCare cafeteria to a meeting. Walking seemed painful for him yesterday. “Better,” Vick said when asked how he felt.

      Meanwhile, running back LeSean McCoy has a broken rib suffered in the second quarter. “He played through it,” Reid said. “He’s a pretty tough kid. We have to see. It’s a comfort thing. They are doing a couple of other things.”

      In related news, Reuben Frank of the Burlington County Times reports that the Eagles have inquired about the availability of Bills’ running back Marshawn Lynch. According to Frank, Philly contacted Buffalo after receiving word about McCoy’s injury.

      There’s no doubt that McCoy’s injury leaves the Eagles thin at running back. Mike Bell is listed behind McCoy on Philly’s depth chart and he didn’t play a down on Sunday against the Redskins. He has just 20 yards on 12 carries through four games and could struggle mightily against the 49ers next Sunday.

      Maybe Buffalo GM Buddy Nix will get that third rounder after all. It just depends on how desperate the Eagles are.

      External Sports, NFL

      For all intents and purposes, Sam Bradford has been perfect so far

      October 4, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 3: Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome on October 3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Seahawks 20-3. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      Outside of cutting down on his interceptions, if you’re the Rams what more could you ask for out of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford to this point?

      After completing 34 of 41 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Rams’ 20-3 blowout of the Seahawks on Sunday, Bradford is now 2-2 as a starter and has led St. Louis to back-to-back wins (for the first time since Regan was in office, I think). He’s also 28-of-49 for 350 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on third downs and has thrown five red zone touchdown passes in his first four games.

      Again, outside of his interception total (six), the Rams couldn’t have asked for a better start out of their No. 1 draft pick.

      Granted, he hasn’t faced the most prolific of defenses to this point, as most quarterbacks will rack up good numbers against the likes of Arizona, Oakland, Washington and Seattle. But Bradford is only playing who’s on the Rams’ schedule and thus far, he’s been impressive.

      And let’s give a little credit to his receivers, too. The Rams arguably have the worst collection of wideouts in the league and yet look at their average yards-per-catch from Sunday: Mark Clayton 14.4; Brandon Gibson 16.7, Danny Amendola 9.5; and Daniel Fells (who is a tight end, not a receiver) 11.7. Bradford obviously has a hand in those numbers, but he isn’t afraid to check the ball down and let his receivers pick up yardage after the catch (which they did plenty of yesterday).

      The Rams have a long ways to go, but they play in the worst division in football so who knows? Maybe they can continue to surprise. With teams like the Lions, Bucs, Panthers and 49ers coming up before their Week 9 bye, Bradford and Co. may continue to rack up victories.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is it time for the 49ers to bench Alex Smith?

      October 4, 2010 /
      San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Troy Smith (L), David Carr (C) and Alex Smith carry pink towels to promote the breast cancer awareness campaign during pre-game warmups before their NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Atlanta, Georgia, October 3, 2010. REUTERS/David Tulis (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL HEALTH)

      49er fans once again have had about all they can take when it comes to the play of Alex Smith.

      Following yet another rough performance by his starting quarterback in a 16-14 loss to the Falcons on Sunday, 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said that he never thought about pulling Smith during the game. Why would he? Smith killed two potential scoring drives with interceptions, but coaches don’t make it a habit to pull their starting quarterbacks when their team has the lead. And up until the final seven seconds, the Niners had the lead the entire time.

      But while the thought didn’t cross his mind on Sunday, I wonder if Singletary is considering making a quarterback change now. Smith hasn’t been dreadful, but the bottom line is that he isn’t making enough plays in the vertical passing game – or enough plays period. The situation in Atlanta was set up perfectly for him: he had a 14-0 lead, a solid game plan under new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson and a defense that was holding the Falcons to field goals instead of touchdowns. All Smith had to do was keep the chains moving, protect the football and allow the Falcons to kill themselves with dumb mistakes.

      But once again, he failed to do that and now San Fran is 0-4 after many pundits (this one included) projected them to win the NFC West. Given how bad the division is, that goal can still be attained but not if Smith continues to play as poorly as he has.

      The problem is that Singletary has options at quarterback, but they’re not very good. We’ve all witnessed David Carr’s handy work and Nate Davis is still incredibly raw. The wild card is Troy Smith, whom the Niners signed a month ago after the Ravens dumped him. But he’s coming off a brutal preseason and doesn’t have the accuracy or decision-making to be a starter at this juncture. Despite Smith’s play, he still gives the 49ers the best chance of winning at the moment (however long that is) and Singletary may have no choice but to stick with him.

      Then again, why continue to do something if it isn’t working? If Smith can’t produce under Johnson, then Carr, Troy Smith or Davis should get an opportunity. The Niners can’t continue to be derailed by inconsistency at the quarterback position or else this season is about to get longer than it already has been.

      It’s now or never, Alex Smith.

      External Sports, NFL

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