Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 721 of 1503)

      Are Notre Dame and Michigan back?

      September 11, 2009 /

      Like every other college football game on this weekend’s schedule, the Notre Dame-Michigan contest will take a back seat to the USC-Ohio State battle on Saturday night. But after convincing wins over Nevada and Western Michigan, respectively, some fans want to know whether or not the Irish and Wolverines are getting back to their winning ways.

      Scout.com’s Richard Cirminiello answers the very question:

      Hey, I was as impressed as anyone with the Wolverines’ opening day performance, but back? Not quite. As long as the two quarterbacks, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, are true freshmen, the program is going to be vulnerable to some un-Michigan-like performances, especially when the schedule toughens and the team ventures outside the campus. That said, it’s clear that Rich Rodriguez has his kids in a far better position to compete for a postseason game than he did in his debut season. And that’s still a reason to celebrate around Ann Arbor after last year’s implosion.

      Notre Dame is closer to being back than Michigan, largely because the coaching staff has been in place for longer and the quarterback is on the brink of a Brady Quinn-like ascent. I’m not interested that Jimmy Clausen’s last two monster games were against WAC defenses. The strikes he’s thrown would beat Big Ten defenses as well. Just go back and check the film. He’s always had the talent, but his confidence took a beating in 2007 and 2008. That’s no longer a problem. A third year with Charlie Weis and a dynamite ensemble of receivers could be just what the junior needs to get on the tarmac. Plus, if the effort from the young Irish defense in Saturday’s shutout of Nevada is a harbinger of things to come, the program has the potential to win double-digit games and bowl in January.

      I couldn’t agree more. While it was encouraging that they didn’t allow another MAC opponent to beat them on their home turf last Saturday, Michigan is still going to experience plenty of rocky moments this year. It’s just something a team deals with when its starting two freshmen under center. The Wolverines will be better, but as Cirminiello points out, they’re still going to have their bad moments this season.

      The key for Notre Dame this year is whether or not they can employ a consistent running game. With Clausen and Golden Tate, the passing game is going to be pretty good. But the offensive line has to make room for ND’s backs to have success or else Charlie Weis’ offense is going to be one-dimensional and even though the Irish defense is solid, it can win games on its own.

      College Football

      Seymour has five days to report to Raiders

      September 11, 2009 /

      The Raiders have sent defensive end Richard Seymour (whom they acquired from the Patriots last week in exchange for a 2011 first round pick) a letter notifying him that he has five days to report to the team or else he’ll be suspended.

      From ESPN.com:

      Once the Raiders sent the letter, it imposed a deadline on both sides, with plenty to lose for each. Oakland could lose the player it covets, and Seymour could lose a season of earning $3.685 million.

      “I don’t have any knowledge of that right now,” Cable told the Associated Press when asked about the letter. “I’ve heard something about that, but I have no knowledge of that right now. It has been nothing more than just trying to get some of these details worked out, that’s it.”

      The Raiders didn’t even call Seymour to make sure that if they did follow through with a trade that he would report. And now they’re threatening him with a letter? Wow.

      Al Davis is out a 2011 first round pick and the player he acquired is AWOL two days before the first game. Typical Raiders.

      NFL

      Polamalu out 3-6 weeks?

      September 11, 2009 /

      Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that the initial diagnosis of safety Troy Polamalu is that he has a sprained MCL and will likely be out for the next three to six weeks.

      From the Washington Post:

      “It’s an MCL sprain,” Tomlin said during his postgame news conference. “They are reading the scans and so forth. Those things have a range of three to six [weeks]. It’s speculation at this point.”

      Tomlin was asked if the injury possibly could be worse, and said: “I’m sure there is a possibility of it. But I don’t have any concrete evidence that there is anything more than that.”

      Polamalu suffered the injury when the Titans’ Alge Crumpler landed on his knee after a blocked field goal attempt by Tennessee in the first half. Polamalu had an interception and was credited with six tackles before leaving the game.

      It looks like the “Madden Curse” claimed another victim. Losing Polamalu for three to six weeks would be tough. Losing him for anything longer than that would be devastating for the defending champs.

      The Steelers have a star-studded defense and everyone does their jobs to perfection. But they’re a different squad when they don’t have Polamalu freelancing and making big plays. He’s a missile in run support and blankets the entire field in coverage. They need him healthy and an injury lasting longer than six weeks would take its toll on Pittsburgh’s vaunted defense.

      Don’t forget that the Steelers are already without linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who didn’t play last night because of an ankle injury. Depending on his status for next week, the Steelers could be down two key defensive starters and Week 1 still hasn’t wrapped up yet.

      NFL

      Steelers need to develop a running game

      September 11, 2009 /

      Entering the 2008 NFL season, the Steelers offensive line was supposed to be the one thing that would hold Pittsburgh back from being a Super Bowl contender.

      But towards the end of the year the line gelled and while it still had issues run-blocking, the five starters became a cohesive unit and that became one of the big reasons the Steelers won their second title in four years.

      Coming into this season, the offensive line wasn’t viewed as a strength, but it certainly wasn’t a weakness after the unit came together last year. Also, with former first round pick Rashard Mendenhall coming back, he would help keep Willie Parker fresh and the pair would form a nice 1-2 punch in Pittsburgh’s backfield.

      But after watching the Steelers struggle once again to run the football in their 13-10 overtime win over the Titans on Thursday night, it appears that Pittsburgh still has issues moving the ball on the ground.

      The Steelers’ running game ranked 23rd last year and Pittsburgh did nothing on Thursday night to quiet the concern that it will be more efficient in that area this season. Tennessee’s run defense is good (even without Albert Haynesworth commanding double-teams from his DT position), but Pittsburgh managed just 36 yards on the ground for a paltry 1.6 YPC-average. That’s brutal – I don’t care if they were playing against a concrete wall on every play.

      The Steelers running game was non-existent and even when they would break off a decent run, one of the linemen would get a penalty to kill the play. And when the Steelers needed to pick up a huge third down inside Tennessee’s 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Mewelde Moore found zero running room and was shut down for no gain.

      The Steelers wound up winning the Super Bowl last year without a running game, but that was an aberration. Teams usually have to run the ball to have success and while Pittsburgh’s passing game looked great at times again on Thursday night, one would think that their lack of a running game will eventually cost them.

      The Steelers used to run the ball at will – now they rely on the pass to get them out of jams. How long can they keep winning that way, great defense or not?

      Quick-Hitters:

      – Even great veterans make mistakes from time to time. Hines Ward knows better – he never saw Michael Griffin and he’s lucky his fumble didn’t wind up costing the Steelers a win. (Although his hit on the Tennessee DB in overtime was nasty.)

      – The Steelers’ defense did a great job of not giving in during the second half without safety Troy Polamalu, who hurt his knee in the second quarter and didn’t return. Hopefully Polamalu’s injury isn’t serious – fans deserve to see that guy play every week. (How amazing was his one-handed interception in the first quarter?)

      NFL

      Rohde: Bradford should sit out entire season

      September 10, 2009 /

      John Rohde of the Oklahoman writes that Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford should sit out the rest of the season after injuring his throwing shoulder in OU’s loss to BYU last Saturday.

      By sitting out this year, Bradford would be free to rehab at his own pace with far less risk of re-injury.
      It would give Bradford a few months to clear his head and thoroughly examine his future plans.

      A redshirt junior, Bradford could enter the 2010 NFL draft, or return as a senior if he felt he had something to prove because of the injury.

      Bordering on the absurd, Bradford eventually would be eligible to petition for a sixth season at OU, a la Jason White. (If Bradford plays again later this season, he would have no sixth-year option.)

      If Bradford has recovered enough to play in 2-4 weeks, by all means, come on back
      If Bradford’s recovery falls behind schedule, I say sit this one out.

      Rohde brings up good points and the smart thing probably is for Bradford to sit out the rest of the season. As Rohde’s points out, he could come back for his senior season fully healthy and then enter the NFL draft the following year.

      Then again, telling a competitor like Sam Bradford to sit out the season following a year in which he won the Heisman and led the Sooners to the national title game is like telling a kid not to write on the wall after getting his new box of Crayolas. He’s just going to tune you out.

      This has nothing to do with Bradford making the smart decision and everything to do with wanting to play football. He wants to be out there with his teammates and it’s going to be extremely difficult to get him to sit out when he knows his team needs him more than ever. I just hope for his sake that he doesn’t injury himself more when he does come back, because the young man has a bright future ahead of him in the NFL.

      NFL

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