Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 368 of 1503)

      2010 NFL Question Marks: Baltimore Ravens

      July 28, 2010 /
      Baltimore Ravens' Ed Reed warms-up prior to his game against the Washington Redskins at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on August 13, 2009. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      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. First up is the Baltimore Ravens and their question marks surrounding their secondary.

      After dismantling the Patriots in the postseason last year, Raven fans are more excited about the team’s Super Bowl hopes this season than I am about “Shark Week” every year. (I think it goes without saying that sharks are the greatest fish, human and/or breathing organism on the planet. I mean, they’re sharks.)

      And who could blame the Baltimore faithful? Joe Flacco is heading into his third season (which is the year when things are supposed to really “click” for players), Ray Rice is on the verge of superstardom and the passing game added a legitimate No. 1 wideout this offseason thanks to Ozzie Newsome’s trade for Anquan Boldin.

      But just like all 32 teams at this time of year, the Ravens have some concerns and most of theirs lie within the secondary.

      First and foremost, Ed Reed isn’t healthy and that’s a huge problem. At 31, some note that he isn’t as physical as he was earlier in his career, but the guy can still cover ground with the best of them. His ability to read what formation an offense comes out in, bait the quarterback into making a poor throw and then actually make a play on the ball is unrivaled. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say he was the best coverage safety in the league last year, along with Arizona’s Adrian Wilson.

      But again, he’s also hurt. The Ravens recently placed him on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list and he’s a candidate to miss the first six weeks of the season as he continues to battle a hip injury. He missed four games last year and the Ravens still made the playoffs, but playing without him isn’t something the team wants to make a habit of.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Just who does Aaron Schobel think he is?

      July 28, 2010 /
      ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 17: Aaron Schobel #94 of the Buffalo Bills gets ready at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Miami Dolphins on December 17, 2006 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Buffalo won 21-0. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

      Look, there’s only one person that can be Brett Favre and that’s Brett Favre. There’s only one person that can do the retirement dance like Brett Favre and that’s Brett Favre. And there’s only one player that can drive their fan base and the media up the wall like Brett Favre and that’s, well, I’ll stop myself before I get to be too annoying.

      There’s only one person that can be as annoying as Brett Favre and I sir, am no Brett Favre.

      With that in mind, where Does Aaron Schobel get off thinking that he can be Brett-like in his version of will-he-or-won’t-he this offseason? In early June he told the Buffalo News that he didn’t he think he was going to play in 2010. Now Schobel is saying that he’s leaning towards coming back.

      “I would say I’m leaning more towards doing it (playing) then I was a month ago”, Schobel said on Tuesday. “At this point I’m thinking about it. At that point (a month ago) I didn’t want to even consider it. I wanted to enjoy my life like I was done with football. Lately both me and my wife have decided we have to do something.”

      So what’s changed? It was just over a month ago that Schobel told BuffaloBills.com that he didn’t think he was going to play in 2010. “I don’t know why.. I just started thinking I need to do something”, said Schobel. “I don’t want it to be January and say I wish I would have tried.”

      I’ll tell you what’s changed: it starts with ‘training’ and ends in ‘camp.’ Players hate grueling training camp sessions and if they can avoid them by holding out or acting like they’re pondering retirement, then they’ll do so in order to skip as many practices as they can. It appears as though Schobel has pulled a page out of Favre’s playbook in order to work his way out of training camp. The audacity!

      On a less sarcastic note, only those who are close to Schobel know why he’s considering retirement. It might be his desire to spend more time with his family or skip training camp, or it could be some other personal reason that we would never understand. The bottom line is that the Bills have stood firm in their position in stating that they’d like him to play but would understand if he chooses not to. So essentially it’s Schobel’s decision to come back or not and given how young the Bills’ defense is, they could use his veteran presence once again in their front seven.

      Schobel has always been a blue-collar player and a hard worker. Both the NFL and the Bills need him to play, so here’s hoping he does.

      External Sports, NFL

      There’s still time for Albert Haynesworth to turn things around in D.C.

      July 28, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 11: Albert Haynesworth #92 of Washington Redskins looks at the scoreboard against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 11, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Chris Russell of 980 ESPN reports via his Twitter page that Redskins’ defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth will arrive early for training camp on Wednesday in an effort to reach out to head coach Mike Shanahan.

      That’s good news, but it’s only a start.

      Although they were few and far between, some believed that Haynesworth was within his rights to complain about his situation in Washington. They said that because the Redskins switched their defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and wanted Haynesworth to play defensive end that he should have begged his way out of Washington.

      But while that argument made sense on the surface, it completely ignored the fact that Haynesworth questioned the Redskins’ scheme last year as well – when he was playing in a 4-3. Following a 45-12 loss to the Giants on MNF, Haynesworth stated that he couldn’t survive another season in Greg Blache’s system.

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      External Sports, NFL

      The Bengals, T.O. and Antonio Bryant’s knee

      July 27, 2010 /
      EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 18: Terrell Owens #81 of the Buffalo Bills stands on the sideline during the game against the New York Jets on October 18, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

      The Bengals signed Terrell Owens to a one-year, $2 million contract on Tuesday according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In other news, Marvin Lewis also became the spokesperson for Excedrin Migraine.

      I like the signing. Actually to be more specific, I like the fit. T.O. could have been toxic to Sam Bradford or Mark Sanchez’s development had the Rams or Jets (two teams that had shown interest in the receiver over the last couple of days) signed him. But in Cincinnati he’ll play for a veteran quarterback in Carson Palmer who won’t take his guff and with Pacman Jones, Matt Jones and Tank Johnson already on the roster, there’s no way Owens could pollute the Bengals’ locker room more than it has been over the last couple of years.

      But the biggest issue stemming from this signing is what it means to Antonio Bryant. Obviously the knee injury that slowed him in spring practices is still a major concern or else they wouldn’t have signed T.O. Think about it, if they were seriously interested in Owens then why didn’t they sign him before now? What has changed since March (or April, or June, or the first 26 days in July) other than Bryant’s injury worsening?

      The other issue is that the Bengals signed Bryant to a four-year, $28 million contract despite there being concerns about his health. He underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee last August and it continued to bother him throughout the season. Yet Cincinnati still gave him a multi-year deal and he’s likely to slide to No. 3 on their depth chart with the signing of Owens.

      Considering the Bengals will pound the ball on the ground again this year, they should be fine with Chad Ochocinco, T.O. and a hobbled Bryant in the passing game. (I’m also high on rookie Jordan Shipley, who was nothing short of outstanding as Colt McCoy’s top target at Texas.) But the signing of Owens raises major questions about why the Bengals decided to pay Bryant $7 million a year without being more cautious about his knee injury.

      External Sports, NFL

      Patriots make wise decision to place Wes Welker on PUP list

      July 27, 2010 /
      HOUSTON - JANUARY 03: Wide receiver Wes Welker #83 of the New England Patriots is tended to by medical personnel after injuring his leg against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

      When fantasy football owners woke up this morning and saw the news that the Patriots had placed receiver Wes Welker on the Physically Unable to Perform list, their first reaction was likely to adjust their draft boards. (Actually, their first reaction was probably to crap themselves and then adjust their draft boards, but that’s gross so just forget I wrote it. For realsies – just put it out of your mind.)

      But the Welker decision was like most decisions Bill Belichick and the Patriots have made throughout the years: smart.

      Welker knows how to catch a screen pass in Belichick’s offense. He’s been doing it since 2007 and he’s quite good at it, might I add. So there’s no reason to rush him back for the start of training camp, even if he’s medically cleared to start practicing.

      Training camp is mostly beneficial for three kinds of players: Rookies, veterans who are unfamiliar with the offense or defense, and players who are out of shape. Welker isn’t a rookie, he knows Belichick’s offense like the back of his hand and even though he might not be in game shape, he’s been working out for months and probably isn’t the second coming of Terrence Cody.

      Seven months ago he shredded his knee, which some in the medical field (dentist, I believe) claim takes time to heal. Welker can come off the PUP list at any point over the next couple of weeks, so if the Patriots deem him ready to go, then they can active him and get him ready for season.

      Assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks in his rehabilitation, then there should be no panic in Beantown.

      External Sports, NFL

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