Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 708 of 1503)

      Jets accused of tampering with Crabtree

      September 21, 2009 /

      According to a report by the New York Daily News, the 49ers have filed tampering charges against the Jets for contacting Michael Crabtree’s agent.

      Although the specifics aren’t known, it’s not hard to connect the dots. Crabtree, the 10th overall pick in the draft, is threatening to sit out the season and reenter the draft in 2010. The 49ers may believe the Jets contacted Crabtree’s agent, Eugene Parker, to let him know they’d be interested in trading for his rights, or in drafting him in 2010 with a better salary than the 49ers are offering. The NFL’s trade deadline is Oct.20, while the 49ers must either sign Crabtree by Nov.19, or surrender his rights, putting him back into the draft pool for 2010.

      Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, approached after yesterday’s 16-9 win over the Patriots, declined to comment. Tannenbaum has a good relationship with Parker. In 1998, they collaborated on a complicated offer sheet that helped pry Curtis Martin, then a restricted free agent, away from the Patriots.

      Teams can be fined money and/or docked draft picks if found guilty of tampering.

      If the report is true, how could the Jets be so stupid? They know that in tampering, they stand to lose a draft pick and for a team that is on the rise, that could obviously be damaging. I know they need a receiver, but going about it this way is a risky endeavor.

      That said, we’d all be naïve to think that general managers don’t talk to agents about players that are on other teams. Most agents represent multiple players, so if a player is set to become a free agent or is unhappy with his current situation, the agent is likely to talk to other general managers in order to gauge their interest. So I don’t doubt that Eugene Parker and Mike Tannenbaum had a discussion about Crabtree, although it might be hard for the 49ers to prove that there was any tampering going on.

      Nevertheless, this is an interesting situation and I’m sure one that will pick up steam over the next couple weeks. What a mess this has been for the 49ers.

      NFL

      King: Hasselbeck expected to play, McNabb doubtful for Week 3

      September 21, 2009 /

      According to SI.com’s Peter King, Matt Hasselbeck is expected to play this week against the Bears despite suffering a rib injury in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.

      From King’s Twitter page:

      Re injuries: Am told Westbrook not bad, should play this week. Ditto Hasselbeck. McNabb? Still very sore. But Vick will only play spot duty.

      King also reiterated on NBC last night that McNabb was doubtful to play in Week 3 as he continues to battle a rib injury himself. As King noted, the Eagles will continue to start Kevin Kolb (or get Jeff Garcia ready?) and ease Vick into games in sub packages.

      Kolb threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns on 31 of 51 passing, although he did throw three interceptions. I know Andy Reid likes to throw the ball, but it’s probably never a good sign if Kolb is attempting 51 passes. Fortunately for the Eagles, they host Kansas City this Sunday and have their bye in Week 4.

      Talk about a great time for the bye.

      NFL

      What has happened to the Cowboys’ defense?

      September 20, 2009 /

      Through all of the criticism that Wade Phillips has received while he’s been the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he’s always been reprieved in one area: His defense.

      Even though the Cowboys faded down the stretch last year, they still owned the eighth best defense in the NFL thanks in large part to Phillips. Dallas ranked fifth in passing yards allowed and 12th in rushing yards allowed, which helped Phillips retain his job over the offseason.

      But in two games so far this season, Dallas has surrendered 54 points. In their 33-31 loss to the Giants on Sunday night, the Cowboys were routinely beat through the air as Eli Manning threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns on 25 of 38 passing. And in case you’ve forgotten, he doesn’t have Plaxico Burress at his disposal anymore, nor has Amani Toomer found the fountain of youth and returned to New York to give Eli a solid possession receiver.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      This just in: Ray Lewis can still play.

      September 20, 2009 /

      Remember this offseason when Ray Lewis put up a small stink about being disrespected as he attempted to coax a long-term deal out the Ravens? Due to his age (34), Lewis was criticized for demanding too much money and not settling for his market value.

      When the dust settled, Lewis agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract that was incentive laden. He then reportedly lost 15 pounds from his last season’s playing weight and looked leaner and quicker in preseason.

      In the Ravens’ 31-26 win over the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday, Lewis once again proved that he could still play at an elite level in the NFL. He racked up 12 tackles (10 solo), one QB hit and three tackles for loss. He also saved his best play for his last.

      With the Ravens nursing a 31-26 lead with 37 seconds remaining, the Chargers faced a 4th and 2 from Baltimore’s 15-yard line. If they picked up the first down, they would have four cracks at the end zone and have the opportunity to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.

      With a hand injury limiting Philip Rivers’ passing ability, San Diego decided to pull its guards and run to the right side with Darren Sproles in efforts to pick up the first down. But Lewis blitzed on the play, slid past the Chargers’ guards and dropped Sproles for a five-yard loss. The San Diego offensive linemen must have figured that Lewis would be chasing Sproles on the play as they moved past him. But he damn near took the handoff for Sproles in the backfield as he read the play perfectly from the start.

      This isn’t the same Baltimore defense without Rex Ryan and Bart Scott. But you’d be insane to think that Lewis will allow his team to take a step back now that Ryan is in New York.

      NFL

      Warner sets record as Cardinals rebound

      September 20, 2009 /

      Kurt Warner set the single-game mark for completion percentage in the Cardinals’ defeated the Jaguars 31-17 on Sunday. Warner completed 24 of his 26 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, breaking Vinny Testaverde’s completion rating of 91.30, which he set with the Browns in 1993.

      Warner was excellent on Sunday, throwing passes to nine different passes and finding Jason Wright and Larry Fitzgerald on touchdown passes of 5-and 22-yards, respectively. Warner also set a team record by completing his first 15 passes in a row, which was set by Jake Plummer on November 8 of 1998.

      I hate to crap on Warner’s day but I’m going to do it anyway because I’m a jerk. While his completion percentage of 92% was impressive, he was facing one of the worst defensive backfields in the AFC. The Jaguars couldn’t generate any kind of a pass rush and Warner had a day and a half to throw the ball every time he dropped back.

      Remember when the Jaguars used to give teams fits by living in the opponents’ backfields? What happened to Jacksonville’s defense? Oh yeah, it’s in Atlanta with Mike Smith and Mike Peterson…and Buffalo with Marcus Stroud…

      Even though Jacksonville’s defense isn’t what it used to be, the record set by Warner couldn’t have happened to a better person. Warner remains one of the classiest players in the league and he needed this performance after last week’s disappointing loss to San Francisco. In fact, the entire Arizona team did.

      NFL

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