Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 547 of 1503)

      Bears suffer another blow in search for OC

      January 25, 2010 /

      According to the Chicago Tribune, Chargers’ assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski has dropped out of the running for the Bears’ offensive coordinator job.

      As the article notes, Chud’s contract is expiring and word has it that San Diego wants to retain him. There’s a possibility that other teams may be pursuing him as well, so maybe he wants to keep his options open.

      Whatever the situation is, this isn’t good news for the Bears. Jeremy Bates was GM Jerry Angelo’s first choice to replace Ron Turner as the offensive coordinator, but Bates is heading to Seattle to run the Seahawks’ offense under Pete Carroll. Angelo also missed out on Charlie Weis, who signed with the Chiefs, and Chudzinski becomes the latest assistant to steer clear of the “Windy City.”

      The one logical candidate remaining is Mike Martz, who was linked to the Bears’ OC job a couple weeks ago. With Angelo running out of options, the mad scientist might be his last opportunity to hire a coordinator with experience. And with Chicago getting away from the running game now that Jay Cutler is under center, Martz might not be a bad fit.


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      Colts early Super Bowl favorites over Saints

      January 25, 2010 /

      With this being the Saints’ first ever trip to the Super Bowl, odds makers have made the Colts a 5-point opening favorite for Super Bowl XLIV according to theSpread.com. The over/under total has been set at 55.5.

      Both of these teams have been a public favorite this year because they can score points. But given how good New Orleans was all season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that point spread come down over the next two weeks with people betting on the Saints.

      The total is intriguing because it’s the second time in three years that the over/under has been set over 50 points. Even though both teams can light up a scoreboard, 55.5 is a ton of points for any NFL game. The last time a Super Bowl total was set that high was in 2008 when the over/under for the Patriots-Giants title game was 55. Everyone thought that game would sail over too and the final was 17-14, well under the 55 points obviously.

      It’ll be interesting to see how the line moves over the next two weeks. I imagine even money will come in on both sides.


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      Here we go again: Teammates believe Favre will retire

      January 25, 2010 /

      Not eight seconds after the Saints beat the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that “every player” in Minnesota’s locker room believes that Brett Favre will retire this offseason.

      After the game, however, Favre was non-committal about his future plans (from USA Today):

      “I know people are rolling their eyes or will roll their eyes,” he said. “In a situation like this, I really don’t want to make a decision right now based solely on what happened (Sunday).”

      Favre’s last pass was an interception with seven seconds left in regulation that doomed the Vikings’ chances as girding for a potential game-winning field goal attempt. The Saints won the coin toss in overtime, and Favre never had a chance to run a play in the extra frame.

      “It’s disappointing,” Favre said. “And that’s an understatement.”

      I’ve taken on the mindset that Favre wants to win the Super Bowl again before he retires. With how close he got this season, I doubt he’ll hang ’em up in the next couple months.

      After figuring out a way to get out of training camp, he’ll return to lead Minnesota next season.


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      Turnovers kill Vikings as Saints advance to Miami

      January 24, 2010 /

      Excuse the borrowed analogy, but there’s no other way to describe what the Vikings did on Sunday night then to say that they shot themselves in the foot. (And repeatedly, might I add.)

      The media is going to concentrate on Brett Favre’s interception in New Orleans territory with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings turned the ball over five times in their 31-28 loss to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. Favre’s interception was a horrid mistake that only most rookies make, but the fact of the matter is that the blame cannot be pinned on just one person. And truth be told, even if Favre threw that pass 12 rows deep into the stands, there’s no guarantee that Ryan Longwell would have made a 50-plus yard attempt on the next play.

      The Vikings screwed the pooch tonight – plain and simple. That’s not to take anything away from the Saints because Drew Brees and company deserve the right to play in Miami in two weeks, but Minnesota blew several golden opportunities to put more points on the board. A team can’t turn the ball over five times (it could have been seven had they not recovered two Adrian Peterson fumbles) and expect to win. They just can’t.

      But what doomed the Vikings more than anything tonight was when they were flagged for having too many men in the huddle on that third and 10 play from the Saints’ 33-yard line. Had they not gotten that penalty, there’s a good chance that Brad Childress would have called something safer (even if it were a pass play) and therefore Favre probably wouldn’t have gotten picked off while trying to make a play. For all their mistakes on the night, that 5-yard penalty may have been the reason they’re not heading to Miami in two weeks.

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      NFL

      In the end, defense fails Jets – not Sanchez

      January 24, 2010 /

      All week, the game plan for the Jets was simple: Run the football, play good defense, and keep the game out of Mark Sanchez’s hands. In fact, that has been New York’s mantra all season.

      But on Sunday, it was the defense that failed the Jets in their 30-17 loss to the Colts in the 2010 AFC Championship Game. They gave up a whopping 461 total yards, including 101 rushing yards to a team that can’t run the football. Peyton Manning threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing, while Pierre Garcon (11 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD) and rookie Austin Collie (7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) shredded New York’s secondary for big plays in the second half.

      Outside of throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in garbage time, Sanchez was pretty damn good. And not pretty damn good for a rookie – pretty damn good for any quarterback. He completed 17-of-30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard bomb to Braylon Edwards early in the second quarter to give the Jets a 7-3 lead.

      Sanchez was impressive. Several times throughout the game he used his feet to buy more time, threw the ball with confidence and took shots vertically instead of settling for the underneath pass. He played like a seasoned vet and although he couldn’t lead the Jets to a victory, he was also at disadvantage after rookie running back Shonn Greene left the game early in the third quarter with a rib injury.

      Everyone knew that Sanchez wasn’t going to be able to beat the Colts with his arm. But the bottom line is that he wasn’t the problem – Manning shredded the Jets’ defense, which couldn’t limit the big play and didn’t make one clutch stop in the second half.

      The one person everyone was worried about actually played pretty well. And had the Jets not gone with an ultraconservative to open the second half, then maybe Sanchez would have been able to lead them to Miami. Either way, at least this is a performance that Sanchez can build on heading into a promising second year.


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