Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 719 of 1503)

      Vick anyone? Eagles dominate Panters, but lose McNabb

      September 13, 2009 /

      The Eagles thumped the Panthers 38-10 on Sunday in Charlotte, but their mood went from jubilation to concern after quarterback Donovan McNabb suffered a rib injury after rushing for a touchdown in the third quarter.

      McNabb was able to walk off the field under his own power, but he was clearly in discomfort when he returned to the sidelines in the fourth quarter. The Eagles haven’t announced how long McNabb will be out for, or if he’ll be out at all.

      What’s interesting about this injury is that Philadelphia’s backup quarterback is Michael Vick, who won’t be available until Week 4 until after he’s done serving a three-game suspension. Kevin Kolb will start next week if McNabb can’t play.

      Even though Vick brings an added dimension to the field as a runner, him starting would be a worst-case scenario for the Eagles. Philadelphia is a serious Super Bowl contender and need McNabb (who is the far superior passer to Vick) under center. Outside of a couple of preseason games, Vick hasn’t played in two years and would need time to shake off the rust following his suspension.

      But maybe this is all a moot point. McNabb might not miss any time and even if he does, Kolb is going to get the chance to start while Vick is out. If he plays well, it’s highly doubtful that Andy Reid would turn the keys of the offense over to Vick.

      As for the Eagles’ opponents on Sunday, this was a worst-case scenario for a Panthers team that was hoping to put their disastrous performance against the Cardinals in last year’s divisional round of the playoffs behind them.

      Quarterback Jake Delhomme had another awful performance while completing just 7 of 17 pass attempts for 73 yards and four interceptions. Why Carolina refuses to develop a young signal caller behind Delhomme is beyond me. If his performance on Sunday was any indication of how he’ll do the rest of the year, then the Panthers are in serious trouble.

      Update: ESPN.com is reporting that McNabb fractured a rib, but Reid stated that the quarterback might still play next week.

      NFL

      Peterson, not Favre, key to Vikings’ win over Browns

      September 13, 2009 /

      When the Vikings signed Brett Favre this offseason, they only wanted him to do a handful of things: Instill life into the passing game, don’t make too many mistakes, and get the hell out of the way for Adrian Peterson.

      In the Vikings’ 34-20 win over the Browns on Sunday, Favre accomplished two of those things, namely getting the hell out of Peterson’s way.

      AP had a monster day on the ground, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns while Favre completed 14 of 21 passes for 110 yards and added a 6-yard touchdown pass to Percy Harvin in the third quarter. Perhaps most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over, although he looked like a player that missed all of training camp because he was awfully rusty in the first half.

      The score doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the Browns, but there were actually several positives that Cleveland can take from this game. The run defense wasn’t as bad as the box score indicates, but Peterson broke off a 64-yard touchdown scamper with just under six minutes remaining in the game, which contributed to his total of 180 yards.

      Linebacker Kameron Wimbley played well while running sideline-to-sideline, creating havoc in Minnesota’s backfield and sacking Favre once. But credit the Vikings’ coaching staff for making good halftime adjustments, because Wimbley wasn’t as effective in the second half as he was in the first. Still, for a team that wanted to get more defensive pressure under new head coach Eric Mangini, the Browns did that on Sunday. Mangini’s offseason additions of safety Abram Elam and linebacker Eric Barton played well, too.

      Offensively for the Browns, Braylon Edwards made some tough catches, although quarterback Brady Quinn struggled in the second half. He didn’t make good decisions after Minnesota adjusted at halftime and he had a costly fumble. But one thing to keep in mind is that Quinn doesn’t have a ton of starting experience, so a game like this is a perfect learning experience.

      The Browns are improved under Mangini, but it was clear on Sunday that the Vikings were the better team. The book is still out on whether or not Favre will breath some life into Minnesota’s passing game, but at least he showed today that he can successfully take a backseat to Peterson.

      NFL

      Jets back up Ryan’s talk by smacking lifeless Texans 24-7

      September 13, 2009 /

      When the Jets hired former Ravens’ defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as their new head coach, they hoped that he would bring a swagger to the club similar to the one he had instilled in Baltimore throughout the years.

      When Ryan arrived in New York, he took pot shots at other head coaches in the division (New England’s Bill Belichick) and tangled with linebackers that his team would have to face twice a year (Miami’s Channing Crowder). So when it came time for the Jets to play their season opener against the Texans in Houston, Ryan’s bunch need to back up his offseason talk.

      The Jets did just that on Sunday, blasting the Texans 24-7 in an absolutely dominating performance. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was excellent in his professional debut, finding a wide open Chansi Stucky for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which was Sanchez’s first career TD.

      The Jets’ defense was also outstanding, limiting Houston to only 183 total yards of offense and suffocating second-year running back Steve Slaton (he had just 17 yards on nine carries). If one didn’t know better, they would have thought that the Ravens’ players dressed in green and white for Sunday’s game.

      The Jets have a long way to go to become a serious contender, but this was an impressive debut for Sanchez and Ryan. Whether or not the Jets contend for the division or a playoff spot is irrelevant at this point, because they already backed up their head coach’s words.

      As for Houston, this was a pitiful performance for a team that thinks it’s a playoff contender. Their offense was stagnant, their defense played slow and on a whole, they put together a pretty flat performance. The Texans allowed 190 rushing yards on Sunday, which is inexcusable facing a rookie quarterback in his pro debut. Sanchez needed the Jets to establish the run and once they did, he took full advantage of it with a confident performance.

      There’s a long way to go, but this was about as bad of a start as Houston could have imagined. (And about the best the Jets could have hoped for.)

      NFL

      NFL Week 1 Snapshot Previews

      September 13, 2009 /

      Here are quick-hit previews for all of today’s action in the NFL.

      Dolphins at Falcons, 1:00PM
      The Falcons have issues in their secondary that Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington can exploit. Atlanta had trouble getting off the field on third downs in preseason and the Dolphins excel at moving the ball methodically down the field. Conversely, Miami must keep up with Atlanta’s high-powered offense, which could be tough given how potent Matt Ryan and company looked in preseason.

      Broncos at Bengals, 1:00PM
      This game features the highly anticipated return of quarterback Carson Palmer, who will be without receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh this year. It’ll be interesting to see if Chad Ochocinco can rebound from a poor ’08 campaign and re-establish a rhythm with Palmer. For Denver, new head coach Josh McDaniels gets to unveil his offense, which should include receiver Brandon Marshall, although his playing status is still somewhat up in the air. The player I’m keeping an eye on today is rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, who could excel in McDainels’ pass-happy offense as a receiver out of the backfield.

      Vikings at Browns, 1:00PM
      Even though this will be Brett Favre’s Vikings debut, Adrian Peterson will remain the focal point for Minnesota’s offense. Rookie Percy Harvin is expected to see a ton of playing time and could be used as Brad Childress’s X-factor. The Browns will find it tough to move the ball on the ground today, as Minnesota will have their Williams Wall intact. Quarterback Brady Quinn will be counted on to make plays in the passing game and it’ll be interesting to see if Braylon Edwards can put his tumultuous offseason behind him. One player to watch for the Browns is Joshua Cribbs, who is coming off a great preseason and could be used in a variety of ways today.

      Jaguars at Colts, 1:00PM
      Jacksonville is looking to bounce back from a disastrous ’08 season, one in which they were supposed to contend for the Super Bowl and instead found themselves at the bottom of the AFC South. Jack Del Rio’s Jags have always played the Colts tough and they could take advantage of Indy not having safety Bob Sanders in their secondary. The most intriguing matchup today will be Colts receiver Reggie Wayne against Jaguars corner Rashean Mathis. If the now-healthy Jags can keep Peyton Manning and company contained, Jacksonville could sneak away with a win.

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      NFL

      Tressel’s conservative approach once again dooms Ohio State

      September 13, 2009 /

      Over the last few seasons, Ohio State has gone into marquee matchups (whether it be the national championship or other wise) and the coaching staff has held back. For whatever reason, Jim Tressel succumbs to the pressure of big games and often plays not to lose.

      Entering their clash Saturday night against USC in Columbus, the Buckeyes had everything to gain and nothing to lose, or at least that’s how Tressel should have approached it. The Buckeyes were embarrassed last year at the Coliseum, but have a much better squad this season, especially at quarterback now that Terrelle Pryor is the full time starter.

      Tressel and his coaching staff would have benefited from staying aggressive for four quarters. Instead, Tressel once again played it close to the vest (no pun intended) and the end result was an 18-15 Trojans victory and yet another loss for the Buckeyes in a game big.

      Even though it was in the first quarter, one drive from this contest tonight painted a perfect picture of how Tressel game plans against opponents with equal or better talent.

      With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, Ohio State marched down the field methodically, keeping the ball on the ground until Pryor completed a 34-yard pass to DeVier Posey that got the Buckeyes to the USC 2-yard line.

      From there, Tressel attempted one pass (which fell incomplete), decided it was too dangerous to put the ball in the air again and then rushed Boom Herron consecutive times on 2nd and 3rd down, which resulted in a gain of just one yard. Facing a 4th and 1 from USC’s goal line, Tressel opted to kick the field goal instead of trying to punch it in and take a one-touchdown lead.

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      College Football

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