Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 634 of 1503)

      Lewis: Mangini is wearing Browns out

      November 12, 2009 /

      Running back Jamal Lewis suggested in a recent interview with the media that head coach Eric Mangini is wearing the 1-7 Browns out in practice.

      From ESPN.com:

      Lewis, who intends to retire after this season, said Thursday that he doesn’t want to be a “babysitter” to Cleveland’s younger players. He wants to win and expressed disappointment that two- and three-hour practices aren’t translating into wins for the team, which has a 1-7 record.

      “There’s talent all over this locker room, young and old,” he said before practice. “There’s talent everywhere, but that talent has got to be ready for Sunday, it’s got to be fresh for Sunday. You can work all day, but if you’re going to work like that, you’re probably not going to get what you want out of your players.”

      While Lewis doesn’t mind working hard, he said Mangini is wearing out his players. The team captain said he hasn’t approached his coach about making changes.

      “This is his show, not mine,” Lewis said. “You got to take care of your crop. If you don’t, when it comes time to harvest, you’re not going to make no money because the crop is no good. That’s that.”

      Is it just me or does it seem like the majority of players that complain about practices being too hard play on bad teams? I remember a few years back when some Lions players bitched that Rod Marinelli’s practices were too hard.

      Forget about Lewis’ crying, the real story here is that yet another Browns player is complaining about the way Mangini is running his team. When a coach acts like a hard ass, treats his players like crap and still finds ways to lose on Sundays, his players are going to quit on him. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Cleveland with Mangidiot.

      Mangini’s approach isn’t working and if he can’t adjust then he’s going to find his ass unemployed real soon. Nothing he’s doing or has done in Cleveland has worked.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Falcons’ coach, Redskins’ Haynesworth, Landry fined for sideline fight

      November 12, 2009 /

      According to ESPN.com, Falcons’ head coach Mike Smith was fined $15,000 for his part in Sunday’s sideline ruckus with his players in Atlanta’s 31-17 win over the Redskins last Sunday. Washington players Albert Haynesworth ($7,500) and LaRon Landry ($5,000) were fined, but DeAngelo Hall wasn’t despite being right in the middle of the melee.

      Here’s video of the altercation:

      Smith was in the wrong. He should have never touched a player on the opposing team and he should have concentrated on getting his own players under control.

      That said, how the frock was Hall not fined? He claims he was going to get Landry, but Landry is clearly walking away from the incident in the video, yet Hall stays to mix it up. Hall was looking for a fight all week (he ripped Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff in the days leading up to the game) and took advantage when Landry laid out Matt Ryan. Yet everyone involved was fined but him.

      Regardless, this incident may have hit Smith’s wallet but he no doubt earned the respect of his team for mixing it up with Hall. Again, he shouldn’t have touched a player from an opposing team. But he sent a message to his players that nobody (especially not an ass clown like DeAngelo Hall) is going to intimidate them.

      On the other side of the field you have Jim Zorn, who clearly has no control over his players and looked like a deer in the highlights while the incident was going on. No wonder the Redskins have given up.

      NFL

      Will Larry Johnson find a home?

      November 12, 2009 /

      The Steelers and Bears aren’t interested.

      The Texans have already said no.

      Even the Redskins shot down any potential rumors.

      So will Larry Johnson find a home this season?

      Johnson, cut by the Chiefs earlier in the week, is looking for a place – any place – to land for the rest of the season. He has already said that he’s willing to take a role as a backup, but even that hasn’t enticed teams to sign him.

      LJ picked a bad time to be a malcontent (not that any time is the right time to be a malcontent). We’re to the point in the NFL season where bad teams are playing younger players in order to get a feel for whether or not they have a long-term future with the club and where the good teams don’t want to disrupt the locker room by bringing in a bad seed like Johnson.

      LJ’s only shot is for a team to recognize that they’re on the bubble of making a second half push and would risk signing him to add some talent. The Bears, Jets, Dolphins, Texans, Jaguars, Ravens, 49ers, Giants, Packers and Panthers all fit into that category, but for one reason or another Johnson wouldn’t be a fit for any of them.

      If I were to take a stab at where Johnson might wind up, my best guess would be Seattle. The Seahawks’ season is hanging in the balance and they definitely need help at running back. But the problem is that Johnson hasn’t been very good this season and the Hawks just cut a veteran running back that wasn’t very good in Edgerrin James. So why add Johnson, a player just as unproductive as James was but with more baggage, to the roster?

      Given his history of off-field issues and his lack of emotion, desire and production, there’s a good chance that Larry Johnson won’t be playing for anyone this season.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      n

      Will any team sign Larry Johnson?
      Total Votes: 94 Started: November 12, 2009 Back to Vote Screen

      NFL

      Is Dan LeFevour a potential middle-round steal?

      November 12, 2009 /

      For those of you that partook in Wednesday night’s MAC football matchup between Toledo and Central Michigan, you had to be impressed from what you saw out of senior quarterback Dan LeFevour.

      LeFevour completed 29-of-36 pass attempts for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the Chippewas’ 56-28 rout of the Rockets. He also rushed 14 times for 19 yards with a whopping four touchdowns, which was rather Tim Tebow-esqe.

      LeFevour doesn’t get as much press as fellow quarterback prospects Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford because of the conference he plays in. Hell, he even takes a back seat to Cincinnati’s Tony Pike on Mel Kiper’s list of top senior prospects at the quarterback position.

      But the kid is good – real good.

      Now, I admit that I’m biased because I went to CMU. But it’s hard not to appreciate what LeFevour can do when you watch him. He has great size at 6-3, 238-pounds, can run, can throw with accuracy, and has demonstrated excellent leadership. He was the 2006 MAC Freshman of the Year, the MVP for the 2006 Motor City Bowl and the 2007 MAC Championship Game and was the 2007 MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

      You might be thinking, “MAC football? Wow, who cares…” But don’t forget that Ben Roethlisberger is a product of the MAC, as is Chad Pennington. While not quarterbacks, Randy Moss, Joshua Cribbs, Lance Moore and a host of others also played in the MAC, so it’s clear that the conference is harvesting talent.

      Granted, LeFevour does benefit from playing in a college-style offense that allows him to put up gaudy numbers and therefore it might take him awhile to learn a pro system. He also doesn’t throw the prettiest deep ball and his threat as a runner will be neutralized in the NFL because he doesn’t have great top-end speed. But he has the size, strength and durability to play at the next level, is a student of the game and is a winner. He could be a steal in the middle rounds in next April’s draft.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Bears won’t fire Lovie Smith

      November 12, 2009 /

      Following their embarrassing 41-21 loss to the Cardinals at Solider Field last Sunday (which came just three weeks after an embarrassing 45-10 loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati), many Chicago fans were screaming from their rooftops for the Bears to fire head coach Lovie Smith.

      But it isn’t going to happen – not this season, not next season.

      After taking the Bears to the Super Bowl three years ago, Chicago signed Smith to a contract extension through 2011. It made sense at the top because Smith was one of the lowest paid head coaches in the NFL and if a team has a coach that can get them to the Super Bowl, it’s wise to lock them up long-term.

      But three seasons later the Bears appear to be regressing and not progressing. The offseason acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler was supposed to get this team closer to the Super Bowl, not third place in the overrated NFC North.

      Granted, Smith has had to deal with injuries at the linebacker position and while the team has tried to motivate him, Tommie Harris almost looks like a lost cause right now. The newcomers on the offensive line haven’t gelled together either and Matt Forte has suffered because of it.

      Still, a couple more blowouts and those screams for Smith’s head will get louder. But the fact of the matter is that those screams will fall on deaf ears because Smith isn’t going anywhere. He’s a cheap option for a cheap organization and he’ll be in Chicago until his contract runs out and the Bears can find another head coach that they can throw pennies at.

      It certainly looks like a long shot at the moment, but maybe Smith can still get this thing turned around. Tonight would be a great starting point, as Chicago travels to San Francisco to take on a 49ers team that is reeling just as much as Da Bears are. A victory tonight and the Bears will have a winning record, while a loss might all but seal their fate.

      Notice how I said “their” fate and not Smith’s.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑