Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 487 of 1503)

      Battery charges against Sapp dropped

      March 24, 2010 /

      Former NFL player Warren Sapp will not face misdemeanor domestic battery charges despite being accused in February of choking a woman and throwing her down on a couch in a Miami Beach hotel.

      From ESPN.com:

      Sapp was arrested the day before Super Bowl XLIV for allegedly choking a woman in his Florida hotel room. At the time, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Oakland Raider was working as an analyst for the NFL Network’s game coverage, but was pulled off the air when his arrest came to light.

      A female acquaintance of Sapp alleged that she had an altercation with him around 6 a.m. on Feb. 6 at the Shore Club Hotel in Miami Beach, where Sapp was staying while working for the NFL Network. The accuser told police detectives that she and her friends were partying with Sapp at the hotel when she grew tired and asked Sapp for his room key.

      The woman said Sapp came to the room a few hours later, woke her up and they began to argue. According to the arrest affidavit, the woman claimed Sapp choked her, pushed her down on a couch, grabbed her by her shirt and neck and threw her down again. The affidavit also stated the accuser had a swollen knee and bruises on her neck.

      Sapp had told investigators that he let the woman stay in his room but asked her to leave a few hours later. Sapp said she fell on her leg when he tried to help her get off a couch.

      Sapp hasn’t appeared on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” or the NFL Network since the altercation and I wonder whether or not either network would allow him to come back. Legally he did nothing wrong, but this is something that could potentially ruin his television career if the networks feel as though he’s too much of a risk to keep on their payroll.

      NFL

      2010 MLB Preview: AL Central

      March 23, 2010 /

      In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

      All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

      Next up is the AL Central.

      1. Chicago White Sox (9)
      Some folks will think that this is too high for the White Sox – that they should be behind the Twins and out of the top 10 in terms of the overall power rankings. Some folks will say that Jake Peavy won’t be healthy all season and that the Chi Sox will once again falter as they try to live station to station on offense. Well, I say the folks that disagree with my opinion are friggin idiots. Harsh? Yeah, but it also needed to be said. I realize that I’m taking a risk by moving the Sox to the head of the AL Central, but really, it’s hard to argue that this division isn’t a crapshoot anyway. Every team has question marks heading into the season but at the end of the day, pitching makes or breaks a team. I realize Peavy missed all of last year due to injury, but the Sox were second in the AL in pitching last season with a 4.14 ERA without him. If he stays healthy, Peavy will only add to Chicago’s solid rotation (which also features Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Freddy Garcia) and the addition of J.J. Putz should bolster the bullpen as well. Outside of injuries, the only thing that could potentially hold Chicago back this year is its offense. What do you mean that’s kind of a big deal? I’m banking that youngster Gordon Beckham develops quickly and that Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios return to form. I also think the Sox will get key contributions from the additions GM Kenny Williams made this offseason in Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen. I’m not expecting the Sox to magically transform into the Yankees of the AL Central, but I do believe they have enough offense to get by while their pitching carries them to a playoff berth.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      NFL owners pass playoff OT rules change

      March 23, 2010 /

      The NFL owners voted today to change the overtime rules in the playoffs. Per the new rules, the team that lost the coin toss will get a possession if their opponents (the team that won the coin toss) don’t score a touchdown on their first possession.

      From ESPN.com:

      The proposal passed 28-4. As it is written, the rules change applies just for the postseason, but the owners also decided to discuss adopting the changes for the regular season at their next meeting, in May in Dallas.

      “We’ve had this discussion for a number of years,” competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said. “We feel this year’s proposal gave us the opportunity to [install] a pretty good rule. Statistically we felt it needed to be changed. It wasn’t creating the fairest result as far as field goal accuracy, field goal distance and drive starts.”

      McKay said one of the selling points was it maintained the sudden death aspect of overtime.

      As a fan, I really don’t know how to feel about this. Truth be told, I was fine with the coin toss as is, but I also don’t fault those that wanted to see the rule changed because games were being decided on the first possession (and by a coin toss, no less). So I guess I’m intrigued with how this could affect playoff games.

      That said, whether you like the change or not, this new rule could breathe even more excitement into playoff games. Now, even if a team marches up the field and winds up kicking a field goal, they still have to play defense in order to win. I like the idea of adding more possessions in overtime, providing that the team that won the coin toss doesn’t score a touchdown of course. I think the rule is still a little janky (why not give the opposing team a chance to have a possession, regardless of whether or not the winners of the coin toss score a TD), but again, I’m intriguing by how this will all play out.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Report: Browns interested in Colt McCoy

      March 23, 2010 /

      ESPN’s Chris Mortesen is reporting that the Browns have genuine interest in quarterback Colt McCoy and could use their second round pick on the Texas product, or even package picks to move into the bottom of the first round.

      So far this offseason, GM Mike Holmgren has done some major reconstructive surgery on Cleveland’s quarterback position. He released Derek Anderson, traded for Seneca Wallace, signed Jake Delhomme and dealt Brady Quinn to the Broncos. But anyone with 20/20 vision or a strong pair of prescription eyeglasses can see that Wallace and Delhomme aren’t the answer. Wallace is fine in small doses, but struggles to carry a team on a full-time basis and Delhomme has been a disaster since the 2008 Divisional Round playoffs. I know that some Browns fans are optimistic that Delhomme will return to his 2007 form, but watch him orchestrate an offense without Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart at his disposal – and then evaluate how optimistic you are.

      That said, I don’t think McCoy is the answer for the Browns. He’s a class act all the way and he did some tremendous things at UT, but there’s no telling what kind of shape his shoulder is in. He recently told NFL.com’s Gil Brandt that he’s 100% and will be able to throw at the Longhorns’ Pro Day on March 29, but that will be the first time he throws since the BCS title game. Even if he does throw well and his shoulder has healed, there are still question marks surrounding his arm strength and his unfamiliarity with a pro style offense.

      Of course, the one thing McCoy has never been criticized about is his accuracy, which is vital for quarterbacks running the West Coast Offense. Maybe Holmgren believes McCoy is the right fit for his system and also likes the QB’s athleticism. Still, McCoy succumbed to Nebraska’s immense defensive line pressure in the Big 12 title game last season, raising questions about whether or not he could survive in the NFL.

      I guess what I’m ultimately saying is that I’m not completely sold on McCoy as a prospect. I loved watching him play at Texas and I think he can be successful because he’s an incredibly hard worker with a great head on his shoulders. But will he be successful? As a starter, I’m not entirely sure.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Will Braylon Edwards ever live up to his draft status?

      March 23, 2010 /

      It’s essentially now or never for receiver Braylon Edwards.

      The Jets re-signed the former first round pick to a one-year, $6.1 million contract extension on Monday. The tender is a 20% raise on the receiver’s 2009 salary, which is hefty price considering that he finished with only 45 catches for 680 yards and four touchdowns.

      There are several receivers that would kill to be in the spot Edwards is in now. In fact, up until he was traded to Baltimore this past offseason, Anquan Boldin was the poster child for receivers that want their own spotlight. He wanted to be paid and treated like a No. 1 in some team’s offense and now he finally has the opportunity. Edwards was given the opportunity to be the guy as soon as he was drafted in Cleveland and has yet to make the most of it.

      Edwards essentially has one year to prove that he can be Mark Sanchez’s go-to or else the Jets will probably allow the receiver walk in 2011. The team showed some faith in him by signing him to the $6 million tender, so now it’s up to him to finally prove to himself and those around him that he isn’t just an overpaid route runner.

      Personally, I think we’ve already seen the best that Edwards has to offer. He had one great year in Cleveland and I’m willing to bet that he spends his remaining years in the league never coming close to those 2007 numbers again. Does he have the talent? Absolutely. He has the size and speed to be an elite receiver in the league, but he has never learned to catch the ball with his hands. More times than not, he lets the ball get into his body, which is why he has so many drops. That’s been his biggest problem since his days in Ann Arbor and outside of the one year, he has never overcome that.

      Maybe he’ll prove me wrong, but something tells me he won’t.

      While it’s true that Edwards only posted 45-680-4 last year, 35-541-4 came with the Jets. Throw in the 6-156-1 that Edwards produced in the postseason, he averaged 2.7-46-0.33 in 15 games with the Jets. That translates to about 43-736-5 over the course of a full season. Last year, those would have been WR36-type numbers.

      What does this mean for 2010? Well, there are a few factors working in Edwards’ favor: 1) he’ll has almost a full year under his belt in the Jets’ offense, 2) Mark Sanchez is one year wiser, and 3) he’s in a contract year again. I would never expect Edwards to have another top 5 season like he did in 2007, but with all of these factors to consider, a top 20 finish certainly isn’t out of reach. He would only need to score an additional 50 points to reach that goal, and 15 catches for 250 yards and two more TD would get him there. I’d consider drafting Edwards after 25 or 30 WRs are off the board.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

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