Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 586 of 1503)

      Is it time for the Bears to show Lovie Smith the door?

      December 21, 2009 /

      To his credit, Lovie Smith has one Super Bowl appearance under his belt as a head coach. But how long should one Super Bowl appearance last someone if he fails to reach the playoffs the following three seasons?

      After losing to the Colts in the 2006 Super Bowl, the Bears have gone 7-9, 9-7 and are now currently 5-9. Despite trading for Jay Cutler in the offseason, Chicago is regressing and what’s worse is that it doesn’t have a first round pick in either of the next two drafts and also doesn’t have a second round pick next year.

      The Bears are floundering, not prospering. So where does that leave Smith?

      For all intents and purposes, Cutler’s turnover woes, the offensive lines’ blocking issues and all of the injuries on defense aren’t Smith’s fault. He can’t run, tackle and punt for his team, so maybe it’s not fair for him to be fired at the end of the season when it’s clear that the Bears’ problems run deeper than the head coach.

      The problem is that his players have given up. The 31-7 shellacking they took in Baltimore on Sunday was the fourth time that the Bears have been blown out this season. They’re just 1-6 on the road this year and the problems that haunted them in Week 1 are still haunting them in Week 15. That’s a problem – a coaching problem. Even the dreadful Browns and Redskins have cut down on the mistakes that cost them earlier in the season.

      The Bears finish the season at home against the Vikings in Week 16 and at Detroit in Week 17. If Chicago shows the same ineptitude over the next two weeks as it has over the past couple months, even a cheap ownership like the Bears might decide that enough is enough and hand Smith his pink slip at the end of the season.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Several people had long days in East Rutherford yesterday

      December 21, 2009 /

      There were so many fails in the Falcons-Jets game yesterday that I had to put them all into one collective post. So here it is!

      – After Matt Ryan found Tony Gonzalez in the end zone with just under two minutes remaining to give the Falcons a 9-7 lead, play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton immediately uttered, “And Atlanta comes within a point of tying the score with 1:38 in regulation.” Uh Dick, the Falcons are the ones that are up.

      – The best part is, Stockton’s partner Charles Davis never corrected him. Instead, he broke down the replay of the Gonzalez’s touchdown and never went back to Stockton’s gaff.

      – As kicker Matt Bryant lined up for the extra point, Stockton then said, “And this is a very important point after by Matt Ryan.” I know the Falcons have had kicking issues this season, but I didn’t realize things were so bad that they had Matt Ryan attempting extra points.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      Childress tried to pull Favre in the third quarter of loss to Panthers

      December 21, 2009 /

      According to Vikings beat writer Judd Zulgad, coach Brad Childress tried to pull Brett Favre in the third quarter of Minnesota’s 26-7 loss to the Panthers on Sunday night. Instead, the two got into a heated discussion and Favre wound up going back in.

      Childress apparently felt that Favre was taking too many hits and that’s why he wanted Brett to come out. According to Zulgad, Favre was still steamed about the situation after the game, so who knows if the situation will escalate.

      The Vikings had zero running game last night and Julius Peppers was treating Philip Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie like his personal dummy bags. I don’t fault Childress for wanting to pull Favre, even though at the time they were leading, 7-6. I realize Brett is a competitor and always wants to win, but this is the same man that derailed the Jets’ season last year after he tore his biceps.

      The goal is for the Vikings to reach the Super Bowl, not go one and done because Tarvaris Jackson has to start in the playoffs. I don’t blame Favre for being a little embarrassed because his head coach wanted to protect the old guy, but Minnesota has bigger things on the line than a win in Carolina.

      The situation will probably blow over soon, but it’s interesting to note that the Vikes have dropped two of their last three games and now the quarterback and head coach are arguing.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Chargers, Bengals heading in opposite directions

      December 20, 2009 /

      Two playoff AFC playoff teams clashed on Sunday, but only one of them is heading in the right direction.

      For the Bengals to have to deal with the death of Chris Henry and then have to travel cross-country to face a red-hot Chargers team was a tall task. But they did it, and they fought hard despite eventually falling 27-24 on Nate Kaeding’s last-second field goal.

      That said, the Bengals have now lost two in a row and three of their last five. They haven’t looked sharp since their win against the Steelers in mid November, which isn’t good considering the playoffs are coming up in two weeks. And since their loss on Sunday was against San Diego, they now won’t have a first round bye.

      San Diego, on the other hand, is scorching hot and has locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Vincent Jackson came up huge with five receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He routinely beat Cincinnati’s excellent cornerback duo of Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph and is really coming on of late as Philip River’s go to go on the outside.

      It’s interesting how this season has unfolded for the Bolts. They were a lot of people’s preseason favorite to make an outside run at the Super Bowl, but when they struggled early on, many started to hop off the bandwagon. But now that they’ve rattled off nine in a row, people are breaking their ankles climbing back on their bandwagon.

      Every team in the NFL has an opponent that is just a pain in the ass for them, and the Chargers are that team for the Colts. Indianapolis obviously looks incredible this year, but I wonder if Peyton Manning and company are getting a little uneasy with how good San Diego has looked over the past nine weeks.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Broncos allow Charlie Frye, JaMarcus Russell to beat them at home

      December 20, 2009 /

      I don’t want to take way anything the Denver Broncos and first year head coach Josh McDaniels have accomplished this season. But they might not be able to look at themselves in the minor tomorrow after allowing Charlie Frye and JaMarcus Russell combine to beat them 20-19 in Week 15. Did I mention Denver was at home, too?

      Actually, Michael Bush and the rest of Oakland’s was the reason the Raiders were able to pull off yet another surprising upset this season. Frye and Russell just made sure they stayed the hell out of the way. Bush rushed 18 times for 133 yards and a touchdown, while Darren McFadden chipped in 74 yards on 12 carries. On the day, Oakland rushed for 241 yards, which was huge because the team only had 102 passing yards on the day.

      This is a rather jarring loss for the Broncos, who now have an identical record as the Ravens at 8-6. They’re still in good shape in the AFC playoff race, but no team should lose at home to the Raiders when Charlie Frye is starting for Oakland and J. Russell McBust makes an appearance. There’s just no excuse for Denver to allow Russell to lead a game-winning touchdown drive. None.

      What an ugly loss for the Broncos.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑