Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 434 of 1503)

      Should the Falcons sign T.O.?

      May 18, 2010 /

      D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posed the question of whether or not the Falcons should sign free agent wideout Terrell Owens.

      Here’s my answer: Why is this even a question?

      The Falcons’ receiving corps is somewhat a concern heading into the season. Roddy White is a stud, but Michael Jenkins has proven to be more of a blocker than a pass catcher and Harry Douglas is coming off major knee surgery. Behind them is the aging Brian Finneran, special teamer Eric Weams and fifth round pick Kerry Meier (who essentially is a younger Finneran in the making).

      On the surface, it might make sense to throw T.O. in the mix. On paper, giving Matt Ryan White, T.O. and Tony Gonzalez to play with might make sense. Besides, the Falcons would only sign Owens to a one-year deal, so if it didn’t work they could move on after the year and not think twice about it.

      But let’s not forget that the Falcons’ strength is actually running the ball with Michael Turner, Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood (for the 11 plays he gets a year). Adding T.O. doesn’t make much sense given Douglas’ potential, Ryan’s familiarity with White and Gonzalez, and yes, even Jenkins’ blocking ability. (Fans like to rag on Jenkins for not being much of a receiver, but he’s by far their best blocker and that holds value for a team that often likes to set the tone with their ground game.)

      While I applaud Ledbetter for trying to drum up conversation now that OTAs are underway, this topic should be put to rest immediately. T.O. won’t be a Falcon. It isn’t worth it for the team to sacrifice Douglas’ development in the offense and who knows what would happen if Ryan didn’t get Owens the ball enough. Atlanta just doesn’t need a potential distraction like that, especially with Ryan heading into his third year.


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      External Sports, NFL

      Colts face tough personnel decisions following 2010 season

      May 18, 2010 /

      Ever since Peyton Manning’s second year in the league, NFL fans have just grown accustomed to the Colts being in the playoffs every season. Manning is, and will be until he retires, the catalyst for the horseshoe helmet’s success.

      But as the Indianapolis Star points out, Jim Irsay and Bill Polian will be faced with several tough decisions after the 2010 season because the Colts will have 19 players seeking new contracts. There’s no doubt that the team will make sure Manning retires a Colt, but will his contract impede Irsay from signing other free agents?

      That might be a reference to the size of Manning’s signing bonus. It undoubtedly will surpass the $34.5 million bonus he received as part of his seven-year, $98 million contract in 2004.

      Funneling too much up-front money to Manning, though, could make retaining other critical players difficult.

      “We have to be wise in that we don’t corner ourselves and make sure we have room to keep some of the key guys,” Irsay said. “It’s a myth to say you can just have Peyton and you’re automatically 12-4.

      “Peyton gives you such an edge . . . but we need the supporting cast if we want to do what we really want to do, and that’s win another world championship.”

      As long as Manning remains under center, the Colts will always be competitive. But as Irsay points out, he needs to be able to field a competitive team around his quarterback if the franchise wants to win another Super Bowl before Manning hangs up his cleats. Aside from Peyton, several key starters including Joseph Addai, Antoine Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Clint Session and Adam Vinatieri (among others) will need new deals. The Colts can’t bring everyone back, especially after they get done paying Manning.

      It’s only May, so this is obviously not a problem that the Colts need to concern themselves with right now. But it’s worth noting that after this season, the Colts will have a ton of internal decisions to make – ones that will certainly affect the future success of the franchise.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Piniella on his way out? Not according to GM Hendry.

      May 18, 2010 /

      For those Cubs fans that have been clamoring for Ryne Sandberg to replace Lou Piniella as the club’s skipper, you’re going to have to wait much longer, I’m afraid.

      General manager Jim Hendry told the media on Monday that Piniella isn’t to blame for the team’s lackluster start (17-22 heading into Tuesday’s action, good for third place in the NL Central) and that the manager’s job is safe for the 2010 season.

      “We’re certainly not here to play the blame game,” Hendry said Monday. “We’re not here to put all the blame on the players that haven’t done as well as we’d like either. It’s been a good, collective rough start, but there has not been one thought in my mind of Lou Piniella not managing the team this year.”

      While many of the adjustments he has made with personnel certainly haven’t panned out this season, it’s hardly fair to blame all of the Cubs’ failures this season on Piniella. Two of his best hitters (Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez) have crapped the bed all season in RBI situations (and all situations for that matter) and he can’t find a reliable setup man to get to Carlos Marmol in the ninth. (He tried Carlos Zambrano there but much like his effort in 2010, Big Z was brutal in the role.) The bottom line is that the Cubs haven’t produced and a change in manager won’t magically remedy the situation.

      The good news is that Lee has started showing signs that he’s ready to break out of his funk, Alfonso Soriano has actually thrived batting sixth in the lineup and young phenom Starlin Castro (who struggled defensively when he was first called up last week but appears to be settling down) is spanking the ball. If A-Ram (who hit a walk off homer to beat the Rockies Monday night) can shake out of his slump and start producing, then the Cubs can easily turn things around.

      Things haven’t been pretty for the Cubs so far, but it’s early yet and the club’s issues aren’t un-fixable. Making a switch in managers would be premature and Hendry knows that. He just has to trust that Piniella can right the ship, just as Lou has to trust his players will snap out of it and start producing.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Are the Chargers taking the right approach with Shawne Merriman’s contract situation?

      May 18, 2010 /

      The NFL has always been a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league and Shawne Merriman is currently being reminded of that.

      In his first three seasons, Merriman posted 188 tackles, 39.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles. But after undergoing major knee surgery before the 2008 season, his numbers have expectedly dropped off. He essentially didn’t play in ’08 and then struggled last year while bouncing back from the injury.

      In his last six regular season games, plus his start against the Jets in the playoffs last year, Merriman has zero sacks. He has just one forced fumble in his last 28 starts and finished with only 36 tackles in 14 games last season. While two injury-plagued/unproductive seasons don’t erase three stellar years of service, it’s not unreasonable that the Bolts are holding off on giving Merriman a long-term deal.

      No one can fault Merriman for seeking a multi-year contract, especially considering his career has already been threatened once by an injury. Players want the comfort of knowing they’re set up long-term and you can’t hold it against Merriman that’s trying to parlay the success he had in his first three years into a new deal.

      That said, you can’t blame the Chargers for wanting to keep him hungry, either. If they paid him now, he may or may not strive to produce. But if they keep that long-term contract carrot dangling in front of him, they know they’re going to get his best effort next season. If he plays well and he moves on next year, then at least they got one last productive season out of him and they already drafted his potential replacement last year in Larry English. If he plays well and wants to stay, then they can feel better about investing in him long-term. If he struggles and has a down year, then they don’t have to commit to him. That might be an unfair scenario for Merriman, but the NFL has always been a business.

      Again, I don’t blame Merriman for being upset about his current situation. But what is he going to do? This is the spot he finds himself in and all that’s left is for him to prove that he deserves a long-term deal – whether that’s in San Diego or elsewhere.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Hanley Ramirez rips into manager Fredi Gonzalez following benching

      May 18, 2010 /

      There’s a problem brewing in South Florida these days and at least this time, it has nothing to do with the weather.

      Hanley Ramirez showed more than a little frustration on Tuesday morning when he was probed about being benched by manager Fredi Gonzalez for not hustling after a ball in the second inning of Florida’s 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday night.

      Here are some snippets from Ramirez’s interview with media from the Miami Herald this morning:

      What was reaction when he said he was taking you out of the game?
      Ramirez: I just said ‘I’m going to go home. I just wanted to go home. It’s brutal. It’s fine. It’s OK.

      Are you angry?
      Ramirez: It’s brutal like I said. I’m just going to play the game and he’s just going to have to leave me alone.

      Did you lose respect for Gonzalez?
      Ramirez: A little bit. We got 24 more guys out there, hopefully they can do the same things I do. That are wearing the Marlins uniform. There’s nothing I can say.

      Are you going to apologize to your team for dogging it?
      Ramirez: For what? Do what? We have a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They never pull guys.

      Do you want to play for Fredi?
      Ramirez: It’s over. I’m done. No more [questions].

      Do you hold yourself accountable for not running?
      Ramirez: That was as hard as I could go right there. I wasn’t trying like I gave up. That was the hardest I could go after the ball.

      Ramirez fouled a pitch off his shin in the bottom of the first inning, which happened before he booted the ball in the second inning and jogged after it. He can try to blame not hustling on the injury, but I implore anyone in their right mind to watch the replay and convince me that he didn’t dog it while running after the ball. I don’t know if he was trying to play it cool after he screwed up or what, but he was clearly not going 100%.

      This is one of those times when a star athlete needs to swallow his pride, choke back some of his ego and apologize to his manager, teammates and fans. Ramirez is a phenomenal player, but just because he’s an All-Star it doesn’t give him the right to take plays off. He says that other people dog it “after ground balls” but even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean he should do it. He’s paid a lot of money to do what he does and seeing as how he’s the Marlins’ best player, he should set the bar higher for himself. If he doesn’t, then every team he plays for will have a pretty low ceiling.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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