Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 714 of 1503)

      Rhodes wants to embarrass the Patriots

      September 17, 2009 /

      Jets’ safety Kerry Rhodes is taking a page from his head coach in calling out the Patriots, saying that he wants to “embarrass” New England this Sunday when the two teams clash in New York on Sunday.

      From ESPN.com:

      “You go out from the first quarter on, from the first play on, and try to embarrass them,” Rhodes said, according to the New York Daily News. “Not just go out there and try to win, try to embarrass them. Try to make them feel bad when they leave here. We don’t want to just beat them. We want to send a message to them, ‘We’re not backing down from you and we expect to win this game, and it’s not going to be luck, it’s not going to be a mistake.’ ”

      Brady, returning from a knee injury that cost him almost the entire 2008 season, was hit only six times by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1’s comeback victory. Rhodes said Brady will be hit far more often by the Jets’ defense, which hit Texans quarterback Matt Schaub eight times in Week 1.

      “We will hit him more than six times. I promise you that,” Rhodes said, according to the Daily News.

      Rhodes insisted the Jets “won’t play dirty” but that Brady will be vulnerable.

      “I’m sure if somebody is around his leg, or he feels pressure below, he’s not going to step into his throw,” Rhodes said, according to the Daily News.

      As a writer, I love this kind of smack talk. But I don’t think it’s wise for Rhodes (or anyone else for that matter) to give the Patriots any extra motivation on game day. That said, New England is coming off a short week and its defense didn’t play well without Jerod Mayo on Monday against Buffalo. Mayo won’t play this week, so maybe the Pats are primed for the taking.

      The Jets backed up Rex Ryan’s offseason talk last week in Houston, so maybe they’ll do the same for Rhodes this Sunday against New England.

      NFL

      Marvez: Starcaps case a blow to NFL drug policy

      September 17, 2009 /

      Now that Charles Grant, Will Smith, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams all escaped suspensions, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.com writes that the Starcaps case is a blow to the integrity of the NFL drug policy.

      Not even the thousands of NFL steroid tests administered each year are enough to catch all the cheaters. For all we know, some players are taking “exotic” boosters either undetectable or unknown through testing. The steroid nicknamed “The Clear” was one of those once-untraceable designer drugs that surfaced earlier this decade in baseball and football.

      Human growth hormone use is an even bigger problem. The only reliable testing method involves the drawing of blood, which the NFLPA will not allow. A player hell-bent on using HGH for a physical edge despite potential long-term health effects can get away with it. You’d be naïve to think that isn’t happening.

      That’s the ultimate goal the NFL and NFLPA should share — catching the cheaters who threaten to undermine the game’s credibility like Barry Bonds and Co. did in Major League Baseball. Protecting athletes who want a level playing field is even more important. The NFLPA agreed to drug testing in the late 1980s after late union chief Gene Upshaw was approached by players who didn’t want to take the health risks inherent with steroid use to compete against their peers.

      Here’s hoping the NFL and NFLPA can compromise and work through their differences to achieve those ends. That would be the only positive result to come out of the Starcaps spectacle that has taken some of the shine off a once-respected NFL drug testing program.

      As the article suggests, if the NFL and NFLPA can’t work together, then the league will never be able to have a full chokehold on its drug testing policy. The NFLPA’s sole purpose is to protect the interest of the players. But in doing that, it sometimes impedes the progress the league is trying to make in keep performance-enhancing drugs out of the game.

      As the NFL heads for an un-capped 2010 season, it’s clear that the league and the NFLPA can’t get on the same page in regards to big issues like contracts and drugs. It’s too bad, because it’s the fans who suffer the most – not the players, owners or coaches.

      NFL

      Stoops won’t discuss Bradford’s return

      September 17, 2009 /

      When probed about the pending return of his Heisman-winner quarterback, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said he wouldn’t discuss the subject.

      From Tulsa World.com:

      During his press luncheon on Tuesday, Stoops was asked about Bradford’s progress coming back from a separated shoulder, and Stoops quickly replied, “I’m not even going to go there,” fearing that discussing Bradford’s rehab schedule would only fuel speculation.

      Instead, it was Stoops’ comments that fueled speculation on talk radio and message boards Wednesday — speculation that either Bradford is progressing faster than anticipated and may play against Tulsa, or that Bradford’s injury is worse than first feared and he may be out longer than the original prognosis of 2-4 weeks.

      After practice Wednesday, Stoops told reporters that Bradford won’t play against TU, but declined to discuss specifics of Bradford’s rehab or return schedule.

      Hopefully Bradford won’t be rushed back onto the field. As much as Oklahoma needs him (as well as college football fans looking forward to another tight race in the Big 12), Bradford has bright future ahead of him and can’t risk further injury.

      He should return when he’s at or near complete health.

      College Football

      Derrick Mason calls out Keyshawn Johnson

      September 17, 2009 /

      A season can’t go by in the NFL if Derrick Mason doesn’t bash loudmouth Keyshawn Johnson at least once.

      From the National Football Post:

      In the wake of Johnson’s recent harsh criticism of the Ravens’ wide receiving corps, Mason attacked Johnson immediately Wednesday before he could even be asked a question.

      “Damn Keyshawn Johnson, because I heard he said something else,” Mason said. “Keyshawn knows where I’m at. He knows where the Ravens’ facility is at. So, if he wants to hash this out man to man or you want to stack up numbers man to man and talk about it, we can do that.

      “Remember, Keyshawn, you were a number one pick in the draft and I was a fourth-rounder. And our numbers still pretty much stack up. Let’s go.”

      The reason behind this drama?

      During a conference call on Sept. 2, Johnson said, “You want a bum, you pay a bum,” in a reference to the Ravens’ receivers.

      Mason has to learn to take what Johnson says in stride. He should understand that as long as Keyshawn has a microphone in front of him, he’s liable to say something to try and garner some attention.

      The next time Johnson says something critical and Mason is asked about it, all he has to say is, “Who?” and be done with it. Besides, it’s not like Johnson is the only one saying critical things about Baltimore’s receiving corps. To me, there’s not much difference between Keyshawn referring to Baltimore’s wideouts as “bums” and someone from ESPN saying that the Ravens “have no receivers.”

      NFL

      NFL fines Jets, Mangini and Tannenbaum for Favre injury coverup

      September 16, 2009 /

      According to SI.com, the NFL has decided to fine the Jets and former head coach Eric Mangini for violating the league’s rules on injury reporting. The violation is in relation to former Jets quarterback Brett Favre not being listed on the team’s injury report last year, even though he was dealing with a biceps tear in his throwing arm.

      The Jets failed to place Favre on the injury report during the final month of last season even though he had a torn biceps tendon.

      The league announced Wednesday that it had fined the Jets $75,000, and Mangini and Jets president Mike Tannenbaum $25,000 apiece.

      Mangini now coaches the Cleveland Browns.

      Last week, Tannenbaum admitted the Jets should have listed Favre as “probable” on their injury reports.

      I find it interesting that the NFL can fine teams for not listing players on the injury report, yet truth be told, virtually every player could be listed on the injury report every week. Is any player 100% healthy all the time? Doubtful.

      That said, Favre’s situation was more extreme. Even though the Jets knew he was going to play, they should have at least listed him as “probable.” The Jets knew the rules and they should have followed them when it came to listing Favre’s health status.

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑