Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 689 of 1503)

      Is it time for the Titans to go back to Young?

      October 4, 2009 /

      If the Tennessee Titans were to make a list of the problems they’ve had this year, Kerry Collins wouldn’t be in the top 5. A horrid pass defense, the inability to convert third downs, and turnovers would be near the top. (All three were on full display on Sunday as the Jaguars crushed the Titans 37-17.)

      But the Titans need a spark and at 0-4, it might be time for Jeff Fisher to go back to Vince Young, who played himself out of the starting lineup following a mental breakdown in the opening week of 2008.

      Young won’t solve all of the Titans’ issues, if any of them. Even if he did play well, the secondary still has massive issues and Tennessee would have to cut down on the turnovers. But he might be able to keep the chains moving with his legs and give the Titans an opportunity to sustain drives.

      Collins has proven in the early going that he can’t keep the offense on the field, particularly in the first half. That has allowed opponents to get their offenses on the field and take advantage of Tennessee’s problems in the secondary. In the last two weeks, the Titans have found themselves down by 10 or more points in the first quarter because of turnovers or the offense’s inability to pick up first downs.

      Again, Young won’t be a cure-all, but Fisher has to do something because the players look like they’re quitting on the season. And for a team that started ’08 10-0, there’s just no excuse for that.

      NFL

      Ravens’ Gaither taken off on a stretcher

      October 4, 2009 /

      Ravens offensive lineman Jared Gaither left Baltimore’s game against New England on Sunday after suffering an apparent head or neck injury. He was taken off the field on a stretcher.

      Gaither laid on the ground for several minutes as trainers attended to him, but he never got up and had to be carted off. He did show movement in his arms and legs, but the severity of the injury is unknown at this point.

      Michael Oher shifted from to left tackle, while Marshal Yanda replaced Oher on the right side.

      NFL

      NFL Week 4 Snapshot Previews

      October 4, 2009 /

      Here are quick-hit previews for all the games in Week 4 of the NFL.

      Ravens (3-0) at Patriots (2-1), 1:00PM ET
      Baltimore must pressure Tom Brady more than Atlanta did last week if it wants to leave Foxboro with a victory today. It would be wise for the Ravens to stay balanced offensively and grind down a New England defense that looked good for the first time last week. The Pats did a great job establishing the run in their win over the Falcons. If they can do that again, things will open in the passing game and Brady can take advantage of a Baltimore secondary that has not played well so far.

      Lions (1-2) at Bears (2-1), 1:00PM ET
      Fresh off their first victory in nearly 20 tries, the Lions look to pull off an upset in Solider Field. Detroit could be without running back Kevin Smith, so look for the Lions to throw early and often to take advantage of a suspect Chicago secondary. The Bears will look to establish the ground game with Matt Forte, although Jay Cutler should make more than enough plays in the passing game against a brutal Detroit defense.

      Bucs (0-3) at Redskins (1-2), 1:00PM ET
      Jim Zorn’s team has a lot to prove this week after losing to the Lions last Sunday. They’ll take on a Bucs team that they can dominate as long as Zorn doesn’t get conservative with his play calling. Washington needs to throw the ball vertically against a brutal Tampa secondary or else they’ll once again give an inferior opponent a chance to win. The Bucs will start Josh Johnson at quarterback and the O-line must give him time to throw or else his inexperience will shine through. It would be nice if Kellen Winslow and Antonio Bryant (who is questionable to play) could step up and help the young man out.

      Titans (0-3) at Jaguars (1-2), 1:00PM ET
      Will Jeff Fisher’s team fall to 0-4 a year after they started 10-0 and had the best record in the AFC? Keys to victory for the Titans are to run the ball offensively, stuff the box with eight defenders to stop Maurice Jones-Drew, and to get better in a hurry in pass coverage. If they can force David Garrard to beat them throwing the ball, they should be fine. Offensively, however, they need to get Chris Johnson and the running game going to take pressure off Kerry Collins.

      Raiders (1-2) at Texans (1-2), 1:00PM ET
      Will the real Texans please stand up? Houston has enough talent to make the playoffs, but their inconsistent play so far this season is maddening. They have a prime opportunity to earn another win today, as Oakland continues to struggle moving the ball offensively. The Texans can’t allow Darren McFadden to run wild because that will take pressure off quarterback JaMarcus Russell and the passing game. If Houston can establish its run game early, take shots down field in the passing game with Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, then they should control this contest from the onset and take home a victory.

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      NFL

      Miami upsets Oklahoma to end daunting stretch

      October 3, 2009 /

      Jacory Harris is special.

      A week after completing just nine of 25 passes for 150 yards and an interception in a loss to Virginia Tech, Harris bounced back to lead Miami to a 21-20 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night.

      Harris was far from perfect as he threw two interceptions and took four sacks. But he also threw three touchdown passes while completing 19 of his 28 pass attempts for 202 yards.

      How the Canes won this game is a bit of a shock. They were penalized 12 times for 115 yards, turned the ball over twice and trailed 10-7 at halftime.

      But Miami opened the second half by marching down the field and capping the drive off with a Dedrick Epps’ 11-yard touchdown pass from Harris. Midway through the third quarter, Harris struck again, this time on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin.

      The Sooners railed with 10 points of their own, but the Canes managed to play keep-a-way for the final four minutes and 18 seconds to secure the win. In a murderers’ row of games, Miami was able to knock off ranked opponents Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma, with its only loss coming against Virginia Tech last week. The Canes will gladly welcome Florida A&M next week.

      OU freshman quarterback Landry Jones didn’t make many mistakes, but he didn’t do enough in the second half to lift the Sooners to a victory. He finished 18-of-30 for 188 yards and a touchdown, but his average pass went for just 6.3 yards and he only had three completions for over 20 yards. (Miami also sacked him three times.)

      It’ll be interesting to see what Bob Stoops and Oklahoma plan to do with Sam Bradford. The season certainly isn’t over, but with two losses already on their belt, it’s highly unlikely that the Sooners will be playing for a national championship again. So is there any rush to bring Bradford back? With a home game next week against Baylor coming up, it might be wise to give Bradford another week off.

      Then again, with Texas coming up on October 24, Bradford might need to face Baylor to shake off the rust. It’s an interesting dilemma for Stoops and the Sooners.

      College Football

      Auburn deserves to be ranked

      October 3, 2009 /

      Raise your hand if you think it’s a small travesty that Michigan and Nebraska are ranked in the top 25, but Auburn isn’t. (My hand raised…yes, even while I’m typing.)

      I’m well aware that the Tigers’ wins this year have come against Louisiana Tech (which is actually a better WAC team than most realize), Mississippi State, West Virginia, Ball State and most recently, Tennessee. But this is a good Tigers team that deserves some attention, especially after their 26-22 win over the Vols on Saturday night in Knoxville.

      Auburn got a fair amount of help from another poor outing by Jonathan Crompton and his drop-prone receiving corps, but the Tigers dominated more than the final score would indicate. Ben Tate rushed for 128 yards, Chris Todd was efficient in the passing game and Auburn held onto the ball almost 10 minutes more than Tennessee. It was an impressive victory, even though the Vols made things somewhat close in the end.

      With Michigan, Georgia and Cal all losing on Saturday, there’s little doubt that Auburn will be ranked come Monday morning. And with that, it’ll be interesting to see if they can make some noise with two winnable games against Arkansas and Kentucky coming up in next couple weeks. What will be even more interesting is how they fair in their final five games, which includes trips to LSU and Georgia, as well as home games against Ole’ Miss and Alabama.

      This Auburn team plays with a lot of confidence, doesn’t get rattled when things don’t go its way, and has played hard so far this season. Can they be a potential sleeper team in the SEC?

      NFL

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