Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 309 of 1503)

      Saints’ issues go beyond Garrett Hartley

      September 27, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints looks on against the Minnesota Vikings at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      When a kicker misses what would have been a game-winning field goal and sets up his opponent for victory instead, it’s not hard to figure out where to point blame.

      Garrett Hartley should have made the 29-yard field goal that cost the Saints a victory over the Falcons yesterday in overtime. But the defending champs have more than just kicking issues to worry about.

      Hartley’s kicking woes are obvious, which is why the Saints are set to work out veteran John Carney today. If they decide to make a change, then hopefully Carney will help bring some stability to the position.

      But John Carney isn’t going to solve the Saints’ inability to stop power running games or help generate a pass rush. He’s not going to fix Reggie Bush’s leg injury or help a suddenly struggling interior offensive line either.

      The Falcons have consistently proven that they can run the football. They rushed for 221 yards against the Cardinals, so for them to produce another 200-yard effort (201 to be exact) against the Saints wasn’t necessarily surprising. But it’s obviously still a concern.

      The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the Saints’ defense couldn’t stop Michael Turner and Jason Snelling on the Falcons’ game-winning drive in overtime. On that drive, Turner and Snelling combined for 46 yards on 10 carries and picked up three first downs by keeping the ball on the ground. (Although one of those runs by Turner was negated because of a penalty.)

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      External Sports, NFL

      The Bills continue to lack direction

      September 27, 2010 /
      TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 19: Trent Edwards of the Buffalo Bills looks on during a break in game action against the Indianapolis Colts on August 19, 2010 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Brad White/Getty Images)

      This was the first thing I wrote about the Bills in their 2010 team preview back in late August:

      There’s no doubt that the Bills are moving in the right direction now that Buddy Nix is their new general manager.

      One month later and I already feel myself searching for the delete button when it comes to the above statement.

      What was the Bills’ plan of attack here with quarterback Trent Edwards? Instead of signing a veteran in free agency or drafting a signal caller in April, they decided to stick by Edwards and give him all the first team snaps this offseason. Then they named him the regular season starter and after two bad games, they benched him in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick and then flat out released him on Monday.

      Benching Edwards for Fitzpatrick isn’t the problem. Fitzpatrick isn’t great, but he proved yesterday in New England that he can keep the Bills competitive and gives them a better chance to win than Edwards did.

      Releasing Edwards isn’t the problem either. He clearly lacks the physical and mental tools to be a starting quarterback in the NFL and he hasn’t played with any confidence in over a year and a half.

      The problem is the lack of direction that the Bills organization continues to display. They should have acquired a quarterback when they had the opportunity earlier this offeason, or at the very least made an attempt to acquire one. If you remember correctly, Buffalo was mentioned repeatedly as a possible landing spot for Michael Vick and had Nix gotten aggressive, maybe Vick would be running around making plays for the Bills instead of the Eagles right now. There’s no guarantee that he would have had the same success in Buffalo as he’s having now in Philadelphia, but the point is the Bills did nothing to address their quarterback situation when they had the chance five months ago.

      It’s staggering to think that Nix and Chan Gailey actually believed that Edwards was the answer at quarterback based on what he’s shown over the past two years. And even if they did truly believe he could run the offense, they still should have drafted a quarterback to develop just in case Edwards didn’t pan out (which was the more likely scenario all along).

      Now what? Is Fitzpatrick their long-term answer? Is Brian Brohm? If it’s Brohm, then they might as well play him now so he can get some experience. If neither of them are the answer, then the Bills are going to waste another year without having their quarterback of the future on their roster.

      This is how bad teams stay bad.

      External Sports, NFL

      49ers fire Jimmy Raye – could Mike Singletary next?

      September 27, 2010 /
      SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers watches his team during their game against the San Diego Chargers at Candlestick Park on September 2, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

      The problem with motivation is that when it comes from the wrong person, it carries as much weight as loose leaf paper.

      Mike Singletary is a great motivator, but it appears that nobody’s listening anymore. The 49ers nearly pulled off a great upset on Monday night against the Saints, but then followed it up with an uninspired 31-10 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

      Today, the first axe fell in San Francisco as offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was fired. The move was hardly shocking when you consider how inept the Niners have been on that side of the ball this year. They currently rank 20th in total offense but are averaging just 12.7 points-per-game, which ranks them 31st in the NFL. There have also been reports that Kansas City defenders were calling out San Francisco’s plays yesterday before the snap, which is troubling to say the least. Some offensive coordinators can be predictable in their playcalling, but there’s a much bigger problem at hand if your opponent knows what you’re going to do before the snap.

      But back to Singletary. The 49ers no longer seem to be responding with his methods and even appear to be tuning him out. Fans and the media like his post-game pressers and his intense persona, but if it doesn’t work with the players then none of it doesn’t matters.

      There haven’t been any reports to suggest that Singletary will lose his job, but it’s not like the 49ers have it any easier over the next two weeks. They’re in Atlanta this Sunday and then host the Eagles in Week 5. They catch a break with the Raiders, Panthers and Broncos in Weeks 6 through 8, but if they continue to play as poorly as they did in Kansas City yesterday then it won’t matter who they’re playing.

      Quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson will replace Raye as offensive coordinator, so maybe he’ll provide a spark. But even if he does, the players still have to believe in what Singletary is preaching because if not, then Raye won’t be the last to go.

      External Sports, NFL

      What’s the question? It doesn’t matter – Michael Vick is the answer.

      September 26, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid (L) talks with quarterback Michael Vick during the fourth quarter of their NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida September 26, 2010. REUTERS/Daron Dean (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      I have to admit – I thought Mikey would choke today. I really did.

      Michael Vick has a thing about him that if he gets too comfortable, he gets careless. When he was with the Falcons, there were plenty of times of when he would play down to his competition (he lost to the Lions twice, just to cite two examples) just to remind everyone that he wasn’t above taking games off. And after he was named the starting quarterback earlier this week over Kevin Kolb, I thought for sure this would be the game he would disappoint.

      But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

      Vick once again dazzled for the Eagles, who crushed the Jaguars 28-3 in Jacksonville on Sunday. He threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and also rushed four times for 30 yards and a score. It’s remarkable that he hasn’t thrown an interception yet and if he continues his hot play, there’s no reason that Philadelphia can’t challenge for one of the top spots in the NFC this year.

      Of course, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s just observe the fact that 1) Andy Reid made the right decision earlier this week to keep Kolb benched and 2) Vick didn’t blow another opportunity to impress as a starter. Vick says he’s changed (i.e. he’s become more mature and isn’t taking his time in the NFL for granted) and so far, I believe him. The guy is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

      External Sports, NFL

      Rams win a game at home, fire and brimstone now falling from the sky

      September 26, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) is chased by Washington Redskins Brian Orakpo in the second quarter at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on September 26, 2010. UPI/BIll Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      For only the second time in their last 29 games, the St. Louis Rams actually won a football game.

      With their 30-16 victory over the Redskins on Sunday, the Rams won a home game for the first time since 2006. Many factors went into the win, but the play of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford will be discussed above all else when the St. Louis faithful replay this game on the radio airwaves this week.

      Bradford was far from perfect (he threw his fifth interception of the season), but he completed 23-of-37 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown – mostly without the help of Steven Jackson, who pulled his groin midway through the game. Kenneth Darby racked up 49 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown in Jackson’s absence, but it would be a stretch to say he was “effective.”

      On the other side, this was an embarrassing loss for the Redskins, who have done nothing to build off their opening win against Dallas. They fell apart in the fourth quarter last week against Houston and never led at any point today in St. Louis. Donovan McNabb threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a pick late in the fourth and the Redskins just couldn’t put the ball in the end zone.

      Kudos to the Rams, who have been in every game so far this season. The defense has played decent the first three weeks and while Bradford has made his fair share of mistakes, he’s also making plays in his rookie year.

      External Sports, NFL

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