Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 369 of 1503)

Dez Bryant says he was unaware of shoulder pads tradition

ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 9: Roy E. Williams #11 of the Dallas Cowboys is tackled by Sheldon Brown #24 of the Philadelphia Eagles after gaining 17-yards on a second quarter catch during the 2010 NFC wild-card playoff game at Cowboys Stadium on January 9, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

After being scrutinized for refusing to carry teammate Roy Williams’ shoulder pads following a recent training camp practice, Cowboys’ rookie Dez Bryant says he didn’t know that the gesture was a tradition in the NFL.

“I didn’t know nothing about no tradition,” Bryant said. “The only thing about me … when I try to do something right, ya’ll try and turn it negative and I don’t feel like that’s right. I’m trying my best to do the right thing but it seems like I can’t do the right thing because every little thing that I do ya’ll watching it and try to make a big deal out of it.”

Some are trying to make a bigger deal out of this situation than it really is, but Bryant says that everything between him and Williams is fine now, so the issue should be dead. Bryant wasn’t aware of the tradition and now he is. Griping.

Like I wrote yesterday, I think Williams should carry his own pads seeing as how he’s stealing from the Cowboys with that ridiculous salary of his. In fact, I think both Williams should have to carry Drew Pearson’s shoulder pads.

Terrell Owens to the Jets? Pass.

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 27: Terrell Owens #81 of the Buffalo Bills against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on December 27, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

T.O. to NY? It kind of has a nice ring to it, but that’s about all it has.

With Santonio Holmes set to miss the first four weeks of the season due to a suspension, signing Owens seems like a logical move for the Jets on paper. But in reality, what happens after Holmes returns? Owens goes home?

The pecking order in the Jets’ passing game this year will go a little something like this: Holmes (once he returns), Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, Al Toon. As you can see, there aren’t enough passes to go around if T.O. were thrown into the mix, especially when you consider that Mark Sanchez is still trying to develop as a passer.

Which is another thing: T.O. must be avoided so that Sanchez has room to grow. The Jets’ passing game is a work in progress and Owens would have plenty to groan about if a) he wasn’t getting enough touches and b) Sanchez started to struggle.

The fastest way to stunt a quarterback’s development is to play him before he’s ready. The second fastest is having Terrell Owens on the roster.

Kudos to Mike Tannenbaum for considering all of his options (the Jets were the same team that showed a small interest in JaMarcus Russell before he was busted sippin’ the syruuuup), but in the end there just isn’t enough room for T.O. in the Big Apple.

In a shocking development, the Rays are involved in a no-hitter

Tampa Bay Rays Matt Garza watches from the dug out in the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 17, 2010.   UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

After being on the bitter end of three no-hitters since July of last year, the Rays finally flipped the script on Monday night.

Matt Garza threw the first no-no in Rays history last night as Tampa Bay beat the Tigers 5-0. Garza allowed only one base runner, which came in the form of a walk to Brennan Boesch, but thanks to a double play he only faced the minimum. He threw 80 out of 120 pitches for strikes and K’d six batters, including three in the final two innings.

While David Price receives more attention for his upside, Garza arguably has the best “stuff” of anyone on the Rays’ pitching staff. So it’s only appropriate that he wound up tossing the first no-hitter in club history. There’s no doubt he’s had some mental hurdles to overcome throughout his career, so to see him put it all together was impressive.

In related news, the baseball gods clearly hate the Detroit Tigers. To make them victims to a no-hitter in the same season that a perfect game was taken away from Armando Galarraga (on the final out in the ninth inning, mind you) is just cruel. If I were a Tiger fan, I’d be thinking to myself, “Really? Really, baseball gods? Was that necessary?”

Hang in there, Tiger fans. I’m sure Magglio Ordonez will hit a walk-off for you guys sometime soon…….

………no f&^ing way – really? Six to eight weeks? Jimmy Cricket.

Congrats to Matt Garza on his no-hitter.

Rams wise to pass on Terrell Owens – will Bengals pursue him?

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 25:  Terrell Owens #81 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 25, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson and Jason Smith are still largely inexperienced.

Sam Bradford, Mardy Gilyard and Rodger Saffold are really inexperienced.

That’s why the Rams’ decision to pass on Terrell Owens today was the correct one. This is a team in rebuilding mode and adding a 37-year-old receiver coming off a bad year and who has a history of criticizing quarterbacks isn’t ideal. Can T.O. still contribute in the right situation? Yes, but not in St. Louis.

Some are quick to point out that T.O. wasn’t a distraction last year in Buffalo. That’s because he couldn’t have been a distraction – the team was awful and so was he. Does anyone really think that he would have kept his mouth shut if he had posted solid numbers week in and week out and the Bills still lost? Not a chance.

The Rams are better off in the long run. Avery, Robinson and Gilyard all of upside – Owens doesn’t. Besides, what’s the best case scenario if the Rams sign T.O.? He plays well and they go 4-12 instead of 2-14? It’s saying a lot that Owens would even be worth two wins, so signing him would almost seem unnecessary for St. Louis.

Cincinnati, however, is a different story. They made the playoffs last year, have a veteran quarterback at the helm and in their offense, they have enough playmakers so that T.O. wouldn’t be the focal point (unlike if he landed in St. Louis). Not to mention, their locker room isn’t as inexperienced as the Rams’ is and one would think that Chad Ochocinco would nullify anything Owens brought to the table in terms of personality. Carson Palmer wouldn’t stand for being treated like a 2-year-old either.

The Bengals are a decent fit for T.O. – the Rams are not. We’ll see if Cincinnati eventually pulls the trigger on a contract for Owens. My guess is they will.

In other Rams-related news, FOX Sports is reporting that the team is close to signing No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford.

Rashard Mendenhall chats with The Scores Report

DETROIT , MI - OCTOBER 11:  Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs for a first quarter touchdown while playing the Detroit Lions on October 11, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Pittsburgh won the game 28-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 draft, third-year running back Rashard Mendenhall will be counted on to anchor the Steelers’ rushing attack heading into the 2010 NFL season. He also does his part to spread the message of the “Athletes’ Creed.”

Here’s some more information about what the Creed is:

– 86% of young athletes confirm they’ve seen trash talking during games increase as they’ve gotten older

– 79% say showing good sportsmanship doesn’t seem to be as important as it used to be

– 81% agree that athletes today would rather win the game then play completely fairly

– 73% admit their athletic peers believe it’s cheating only if they’re caught

With the Champion Gridiron Kings (follow Champion at Facebook) seven-on-seven competition serving as his backdrop, we recently had the opportunity to talk to Rashard about the “Athletes’ Creed,” as well as his expectations for himself and the Steelers in 2010. Check out the video interview below.


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