Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 431 of 1503)

      On surface, 49ers’ power structure is sound

      May 21, 2010 /

      The 49ers have announced that interim general manager Trent Baalke, who oversaw the team’s draft last month, has been named vice president of player personnel. Joel Patten, who was with the Rams and worked with Baalke in the Redskins’ organization, is now the new director of college scouting.

      Team president and CEO Jed York has made it clear that Baalke won’t have as much control over budget matters as former GM Scot McCloughan did, but that might be a good thing in the end.

      On paper, this is a structure that should work. Patten will have the opportunity to concentrate on the scouting, while Baalke can focus on draft day decisions and Singletary can control the roster. With notable exceptions like the Cowboys, Redskins and Bengals, most teams’ front offices are set up this way and it’s a system that seems to have success.

      That said, Baalke and Singletary have to constantly be on the same page in terms of personnel decisions or else the entire structure will fall apart. Everyone saw what happened in Oakland when Lane Kiffin couldn’t get along with Al Davis (or more specially, the decisions Al made on draft day) and while the 49ers aren’t the circus that the Raiders are, they could be if the marriage between Baalke and Singletary doesn’t pan out. Hopefully San Fran never has to worry about that though.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Reds’ outfielder Nix helps Braves complete amazing comeback

      May 21, 2010 /

      Usually when a club is down seven runs in the ninth, fans are busy making their way out of the stadium. But those that stayed to watch the end of the Reds-Braves game yesterday afternoon were treated to a thriller. (Unless they were Cincinnati fans, who were treated to heartburn.)

      The ball was heading for the yellow stripe before Nix intervened, so even if he didn’t get his glove on it, the ball would have probably been ruled a homer anyway. Still, to come thisclose to robbing a potential game-winning dinger only to have it go off your glove and over the wall must be excruciating.

      What’s even more excruciating is thinking about how the Reds’ pen gave up that big of a lead in the ninth. Come on, fellas – close the door!

      What a cool moment for Conrad, though. He’s a 30-year-old journeyman who had played just 36 games in the majors before this season and who has largely been a pinch-hitter.

      External Sports, MLB, Video

      Progress shown in Merriman contract talks?

      May 21, 2010 /

      According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Shawne Merriman’s new agent met for two hours on Thursday with Charger GM A.J. Smith and chief negotiator Ed McGuire. Given Tom Condon’s (Merriman’s former agent) poor relationship with Smith, this is a good sign for the linebacker as he pursues a long-term deal.

      “We had a meeting with David that was very productive and enlightening on a number of fronts,” Smith said. “Regarding Shawne, I told him we are open-minded regarding his situation. We have many other player situations to ponder in the year ahead.”

      It is all but certain that in Thursday’s meeting the parties addressed the Chargers’ attempts to trade Merriman and the likelihood of a contract extension now and in the future.

      Merriman, like many restricted free agents caught in the NFL’s labor strife, is unhappy with the fact he received a one-year tender offer.

      Additionally, the three-time Pro Bowler is disenchanted with the fact Smith has no plans to give him a long-term contract.

      If it were up to the Chargers, they would love to see Merriman play on his one-year tender and then reassess the situation after the 2010 season. A serious knee injury limited him in 2008 and when he returned last year, he struggled while only posting four sacks.

      It doesn’t make sense for the Bolts to sign Merriman to a long-term deal not knowing how productive he’s going to be in the future – especially considering they drafted his eventual replacement in Larry English last year. That said, if Merriman turns out to be the player he was in his first three years, then the team risks upsetting him and him moving on after the season.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Mike Shanahan needs talking about Albert Haynesworth like he needs another hole in his…

      May 20, 2010 /

      Mike Shanahan seems to be at his wits end talking about defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who continues to be a ghost while the rest of his teammates work out at the Redskins’ OTAs.

      From the Washington Post:

      Shanahan took questions from the audience and was asked this question about his plans for defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth: “With all the money we gave Albert Haynesworth, what do you plan on doing with him?”

      Shanahan replied: “I really believe this: You’re either in or you’re out. I don’t like to give people any attention that’s not with us. As far as I’m concerned if you want to talk about the people that work every day, that do the little things the right way, I’ll talk forever. I’m not going to talk about people that aren’t with us.”

      I know it’s the media’s job to keep probing Shanahan about his feelings towards Haynesworth, but what do they want him to say at this point? He hasn’t shown up, so there’s nothing Shanahan can do or say about it.

      “Hey, Mike. I know we’ve asked you this every day for the past three weeks, but what are your feelings about Albert Haynesworth?”

      “Wait here – I’m going to go blow my brains out and when I come back, I’ll tell you.”


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Urlacher rips Sayers for criticism of Bears

      May 20, 2010 /

      Brian Urlacher wasn’t amused by the way former Bears’ great Gale Sayers laid into the team a couple of weeks ago and the linebacker decided to return the favor by levying a few parting shots of his own.

      From the Chicago Tribune:

      “Let me ask you a question: ‘How many championships did Gale Sayers win?”’ Urlacher told the Tribune. “How many playoff games did he win when he played? None. None. None.

      “Does it bother me? There are enough people throwing daggers at us right now, why does one of our ex-players have to jump in? There are enough experts talking (crap) about us, so why does a Bear, an all-time great, have to jump in? I just don’t like that.”

      “… Does (Sayers) know how to win football games? Does he? No. How are you going to criticize someone else when you haven’t done it yourself? He’s one of our own, so that’s why it’s so frustrating.”

      What’s ironic is that Urlacher was the same person that criticized the Bears last season while he was injured for “changing their identity.” (He was talking about how the Bears transformed into more of a passing team, instead of one that relied solely on its defense.) Now he’s upset because Sayers is giving his opinion (the same opinion shared by many Chicago fans) about the state of the franchise? Yikes.

      There are many Bear fans that have been long fed up with Urlacher’s attitude and I can guarantee you that this won’t go over well with them. It doesn’t matter who you are – you don’t criticize former Chicago greats. You just don’t; it’s the ultimate sin in the “Windy City.”

      Urlacher is no stranger to controversy and chances are, he couldn’t care less about what people think about him. But he certainly didn’t make any friends with these comments, especially considering he criticized the team last year from the sidelines. He can expect backlash from this and that’s not a threat – it’s a statement of fact.

      External Sports, NFL

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