Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 713 of 1503)

      NFL Picks & Predictions: Week 2

      September 18, 2009 /

      Throughout the NFL season, I’ll pick four games every week that I tab as my “plays of the week.” I’ll keep track so readers can either cheer my knowledge or hammer my incompetence. Either way, it should be fun.

      Gamblers: Proceed with caution and never be afraid to fade.

      Rams at Redskins, 1:00PM ET FOX
      St. Louis only won two games last year and finished the season on a 10-game losing streak. But they were never shut out – not once. In their opener last week, the Rams were blanked by Seattle 28-0 and the schedule makers were gracious enough to send them back on the road this week. Washington isn’t the most explosive team in the NFL, but the Redskins can methodically beat teams (especially bad teams) by moving the chains with their West Coast Offense. The Rams’ defense was shredded for 167 rushing yards last week, so Clinton Portis should have no problems finding room to run this Sunday. If Jim Zorn were ever going to allow quarterback Jason Campbell to throw the ball vertically more in the offense, this would be the game because St. Louis’ secondary is a mess. Look for Albert Haynesworth to help bottle up Steven Jackson and for the Redskins to cruise to their first victory of the year.
      Odds: Redskins –9.5.
      Predictions: Redskins 27, Rams 10.

      Cardinals at Jaguars, 1:00PM ET FOX
      The Cardinals have issues and their loss last week to the 49ers proves it. Losing offensive playcaller Todd Haley was a killer and it’s going to take some time for Kurt Warner and the rest of Arizona’s offense to get adjusted. Also, receiver Anquan Boldin is hurt and can’t create separation in his routes and although “Beanie” Wells showed flashes of his potential, the running game is still a major concern for this team. That said, we should see a more inspired and focused Cardinals team this weekend in Jacksonville. Ken Whisenhunt is a fine coach and is going to do everything in his power not to let ‘Zona fall to 0-2. Jacksonville played an inspired game in Indianapolis last week, but the Jags are still lacking playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and the new additions to the offensive line need time to gel. So while Jacksonville is much improved, they still have issues and I see Arizona’s defense keeping Maurice Jones-Drew somewhat in check. If this game comes down to the wire, I see the Cardinals’ offense coming through this Sunday, unlike last week when they became stagnant in the fourth quarter against the Niners.
      Odds: Jaguars –3.
      Prediction: Cardinals 16, Jaguars 13.

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      NFL

      Warning signs were there about Crabtree

      September 18, 2009 /

      In an article written by Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, several unnamed NFL front office people said that there were warning signs before the draft that receiver Michael Crabtree was going to be a problem to sign.

      He wasn’t alone in that cynicism. While public and media sentiment have been overwhelmingly against Crabtree and Parker, all seven executives agreed the impasse marks a significant failure by the 49ers, too. While second-guessing is easy in hindsight, it didn’t stop some from suggesting that they saw a nasty impasse coming as soon as Crabtree slipped out of the top five and then had Oakland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) selected in front of him at No. 7 – particularly considering Crabtree was represented by Parker, who has a history of holdouts with draft picks.

      “[Crabtree] didn’t even work out for teams, and he still had it in his mind that he was the best player in the draft,” the NFC North executive said. “People were in his ear telling him that from jump street. Honestly, I thought it could have been a problem if Seattle would have taken him [at No. 4]. Then they would have been asking for No. 1 money.”

      Added an NFC general manager: “He was represented by Eugene Parker. That was kind of a giveaway right there.”

      There was a report that surfaced before the draft that Eric Mangini of the Browns was so turned off by Crabtree’s attitude during a pre-draft visit that the Cleveland head coach said that he wouldn’t select the Texas Tech product at No. 5. So obviously there’s a lot of truth behind the notion that the 49ers should have known that Crabtree was going to be a problem.

      That said, what where they supposed to do? Nobody is arguing Crabtree’s athletic ability; he was a top 5 talent that slipped to No. 10 and San Fran had a major need for a receiver. Even if they did think he would holdout, I doubt they believed it would go into the season like it has.

      So yeah, there were warning signs. But I still don’t blame the 49ers for taking a shot on a dynamic playmaker that fell into their laps at No. 10. If they can get a deal worked out, then Mike Singletary can get his hands on Crabtree and hopefully straighten out his attitude. Of course, that’s a big “if” in terms of getting him signed.

      NFL

      Randy Shannon, Jacory Harris have made Miami relevant again

      September 18, 2009 /

      The last time the Miami Hurricanes started a season 2-0, they finished 9-3 and thumped Florida in the Peach Bowl.

      Thanks to a head coach who has brought swagger back to the program and a playmaker at quarterback, Miami has started 2-0 for the first time since 2004. With their 33-17 win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night, the Hurricanes have started their ’09 season by beating two ranked opponents. (The first was Florida State, whom Miami beat 38-34 on September 7.)

      Randy Shannon has made his mark on a Hurricane team that is playing more inspired and focused than in years past. And it’s clear that with Jacory Harris under center, Miami finally has a quarterback that can make plays in the passing game and keep the chains moving.

      In the victory over Tech last night, Harris completed 20 of his 25 pass attempts for 270 yards and three touchdowns. He’s just a sophomore, but he shows a calm, cool demeanor in the pocket and doesn’t appear to get rattled when a play breaks down. As long as he continues to mature as a passer, he’s going to be a Heisman candidate in the near future.

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      NFL

      Junior Seau chats with The Scores Report

      September 18, 2009 /

      What more can you say about Junior Seau that you can’t by listing his accomplishments? In his 19-year career, Seau was a seven-time first-team All-Pro, a 12-time Pro Bowler, the 1992 NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and the 1992 UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year. He’s amassed 1,826 tackles, 56.5 sacks and 18 interceptions over his career. He was also part of two Super Bowls, including the 16-0 New England Patriots squad.

      Recently, Junior teamed up with Combos to help them roll out their “Tackle Life” contest, which encourages people to finish projects that they’ve put on the backburner throughout the years. Head to www.COMBOS.com and in 10-100 words, describe a project you have always wanted to do and how $5,000 will help you do it. The contest is running from September 14 to October 31 and the grand prize is the $5,000 to help you cross that project off your to-do list.

      We were fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with Junior to talk about the contest, how he got involved and what project he’s currently had on the backburner. We also couldn’t let him get off the phone without answering some football related questions, which he was more than happy to do. He filled us in on which running back was the toughest to tackle, what current player he would pay the price of admission to watch play every week and what its like to play in Bill Belichick’s defensive scheme.

      Junior Seau: Anthony!

      The Scores Report: Hey Junior, how are you, man?

      JS: What’s happening, brother?

      TSR: We really appreciate your sitting down and talking with us today – it’s an honor.

      JS: No worries, no worries – let’s do it.

      TSR: Talk to me about this Combos “Tackle Life” contest that you’re partaking in.

      JS: Yeah, we’re pairing up with Combos’ “Tackle Life” contest and what we’re doing is trying to encourage everyone to get all of those daily duties out of the way. Pick one, visit Combos.com and submit 10 to 100 words on this dream project, which could be anything. It could be building a deck, or painting your house, or building a shed. Whatever it may be that you’ve been putting on the backburner, we’re asking you to write about it and you have a chance to win $5,000 through this program “Tackle Life.”

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      Interviews, NFL

      Ohio State loses starting left tackle for 3-4 weeks

      September 17, 2009 /

      Ohio State will be without their most experienced offensive linemen for the next three to four weeks as starting left tackle Jim Cordle nurses an ankle injury.

      From SI.com:

      Coach Jim Tressel disclosed the injury on Thursday. He said Cordle, a fifth-year senior who has started the last three seasons, had complained of pain in his ankle and it got steadily worse. Tests on Wednesday showed the severity of the injury. Tressel was unsure if Cordle was injured in the Buckeyes’ 18-15 loss to No. 3 Southern California on Saturday night.

      In his place in Saturday’s game against Toledo, the Buckeyes would most likely play J.B. Shugarts or Mike Adams, or could move others around on the front wall.

      Considering Cordle was in a walking boot on Sunday, this news isn’t surprising. Sophomore J.B. Shugarts has gotten most of the reps this week, although Mike Adams could see some time at left tackle too.

      Over the span that Cordle is expected to be out, the Buckeyes will face Toledo, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Outside of maybe the Illini, none of those four teams have a solid pass rush, but it’ll still be interesting to see whether or not OSU’s running game will struggle without Cordle.

      At least the Buckeyes can build some experienced depth behind Cordle while he’s out.

      College Football

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