Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 361 of 1503)

      Preseason Coaches Poll out: Alabama No. 1

      August 6, 2010 /
      TUSCALOOSA, AL - APRIL 17: Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram #22 warms up prior to the start of the Alabama spring game at Bryant Denny Stadium on April 17, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Dave Martin/Getty Images)

      No surprise here: Defending champs Alabama has the No. 1 ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll.

      From FOX Sports.com:

      Boise State will begin the season ranked No. 5. The Broncos, like Alabama, finished last season 14-0. They beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

      The Crimson Tide got 55 of 59 possible first-place votes. The other four went to Ohio State, which is No. 2 in the newspaper’s ranking.

      Florida is third, followed by Texas, which lost to Alabama in the BCS title game in January.

      Virginia Tech is sixth, followed by TCU, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa to round out the top 10.

      Nos. 11 through 15 are Oregon, Wisconsin, Miami, Penn State and Pittsburgh. They are followed by LSU, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Arkansas and Florida State, which will be without Bobby Bowden as coach for the first time in 35 years.

      With all that has happened in college football over the past couple of months, it’s hard to fathom that actual games will be starting in a few weeks. Football is almost upon us!

      Couple things that I’m interested in seeing:

      – How TCU bounces back from its dud in the Fiesta Bowl.

      – How Texas QB Garrett Gilbert fairs in his first full season after getting thrown to the wolves in the BCS title game.

      – What the Tim Tebow-less Gators will look like (it’s felt like an eternity since Tebow wasn’t the one taking snaps from under center).

      – What Mark Ingram has in store for an encore performance.

      – What Nebraska’s defense looks like without Ndamukong Suh, who was perhaps the most dominant defensive player in college football last year.

      What has your attention heading into the new college season?

      College Football, External Sports

      2010 NFL Question Marks: New York Jets

      August 6, 2010 /
      Jan 17, 2010; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) takes the snap during the 2010 AFC Divisional playoff game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. The Jets defeated the Chargers 17-14.

      Merry training camp season, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing everybody’s chic pick for 2010, the Jets.

      Ah, the New York Jets – the media darlings of 2010.

      How can you not like the Jets this year? The players have taken on the swagger and confidence of their head coach, their defense is among the top-3 in the league, they’ve upgraded their roster thanks to a couple of shrewd offseason moves (i.e. trading for Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie), and they have a young running back (Shonn Greene) who might be knocking on the door of stardom this season.

      But alas, there is one chink in the armor and he goes by the name of Mark Sanchez.

      When you think about it, it’s rather amazing that a team coming off a 9-7 season that barely made the playoffs is garnering so much Super Bowl attention this offseason. Not to mention, they also have a quarterback who is a) coming off surgery and b) hasn’t proven that he can carry a team on his own yet.

      Granted, it’s not fair to criticize Sanchez for not having a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco-like rookie year. Most first-year quarterbacks struggle and seeing as how Sanchez was able to lead his team to the AFC Championship Game last year despite his rookie struggles speaks for his potential.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Rich Rodriguez era still haunts West Virginia

      August 5, 2010 /
      CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 17: Head Coach Rich Rodriguez of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on during the Big East Conference game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium November 17, 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      West Virginia has become the latest football program to be accused of violating NCAA rules, according to ESPN.com. The violations (five major and one secondary) occurred from 2005 to 2009, which includes the time span that former head coach Rich Rodriguez was there.

      Among the NCAA’s allegations involving West Virginia:

      • Between the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons, non-coaching staff members monitored and/or conducted skill-development activities with football players at least two days a week in the spring and summer.

      • Between the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons, non-coaching staff members sometimes analyzed video with football players.

      • From 2005-06 to 2007-08, non-coaching staff members sat in on coaches’ meetings that they were not allowed to attend.

      • From 2007-08 to 2009-10, non-coaching staff members did the above and also provided advice and/or corrections to players pertaining to technique and plays.

      The NCAA also wants to know if West Virginia believes Rodriguez and/or Stewart knew or should have known of the violations and/or that they were violations of NCAA rules.

      The good news for WVU is that AD Oliver Luck is cooperating with the NCAA and seems to be taking a proactive approach with dealing with these allegations. But seeing as how current head coach Bill Stewart is also being accused of “failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance,” this obviously isn’t good news for the current state of the Mountaineer football program. (Not in terms of wins and losses, but more so image.)

      When will West Virginia ever be rid of Rich Rod?

      College Football, External Sports, News

      Roberto Alomar served with injunction after threatening wife with a knife

      August 5, 2010 /
      Former major league ballplayer Roberto Alomar signs autographs on his arrival to the ballpark to watch the last MLB National League baseball game of the San Juan Series of the New York Mets against the Florida Marlins in San Juan, June 30, 2010. REUTERS/Ana Martinez (PUERTO RICO - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Former MLB star Roberto Alomar is in trouble with the law after he was served a domestic violence injunction for threatening his wife with a knife.

      The Tampa Tribune has the details:

      On Monday, he allegedly got into an argument with his wife, Maria Del Pilar Alomar. He approached her and with his bodyweight pushed her several feet back, according to court documents.

      At their home in June, Alomar yelled at her and pushed her with his chest. While being pushed back she fell to the floor, according to court records. Alomar called his family and his father called 911. Deputies were dispatched to the home, but a report wasn’t filed.

      In April, Alomar threatened her with a knife, according to court records. She feared for her life and called her father on the phone. She told him what was occurring and wanted to let him know in case she was hurt or killed, according to court records.

      When Alomar heard the phone conversation, he dropped the knife.

      You stay classy, Roberto Alomar.

      External Sports, General Sports, MLB

      Dumervil tears pec muscle as Broncos off to a horrific start in 2010

      August 5, 2010 /
      DENVER - SEPTEMBER 16: Defensive end Elvis Dumervil #92 of the Denver Broncos leaves the line of scrimmage as the Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 23-20 in overtime during week two NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 16, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

      If this past week offers any indication of how the Broncos will fair in 2010, then Josh McDaniels and company are in for a long season.

      Just days after the Broncos lost starting running back Knowshown Moreno for 2-3 weeks because of a torn right hamstring, Elvis Dumervil suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will be out for up to five months.

      Fans have the right to remain hopeful that Dumervil will return at some point this season, but the math suggests otherwise. If he’s out for five months, that makes his return December and at that point, Denver might as well keep him out the rest of the year.

      The real kick to the stones for the Broncos is that they just signed Dumervil to a six-year, $61.5 million contract three weeks ago. And this was after they deliberated about whether or not to just let the linebacker play on the one-year tender they signed him to in June.

      But you can’t blame the Broncos for shelling out big bucks to their best pass-rusher. Dumervil led the league in sacks last year and had become a vital component to the team’s defense. Injuries obviously can’t be predicted and there was no way of knowing that Dumervil was going to rip a chest muscle less than a month after the Broncos broke out their checkbook. Despite their incredibly bad timing and luck, it was still the right decision for Denver at the time.

      So what now? The Broncos have a couple of options available on the free agent market, including the recently released Aaron Schobel and former Patriot Adiliuas Thomas. But who knows whether or not Schobel would want to play in Denver’s 3-4 and given the lack of interest in Thomas this offseason (and his poor production in ’09 for Bill Belichick), maybe the Broncos will pass on signing a veteran. Of course, the team also has some internal options, as Robert Ayers could switch sides or Jarvis Moss could actually cash in on some of his first round potential. (That later idea is far-fetched, I know.)

      Either way, the Broncos couldn’t be off to a worse start in 2010. Moreno should be back in a couple of weeks, but no team wants to see their best pass-rusher go down a month before the season. That’s not to say that other players can’t and/or won’t step up, but this isn’t the most talented team in the league as it is.

      External Sports, NFL

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