Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 778 of 1503)

      Jared Allen: ‘Brett Favre situation is annoying.’

      July 18, 2009 /

      Count Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen in as someone who also finds Brett Favre’s dance with the Vikings annoying.

      But even the most patient of hunters has his limits, and Allen pretty much has reached his when it comes to the Vikings’ months-long pursuit of Brett Favre.

      “If we get Brett, then that’s a bonus,” the All-Pro defensive end said in a phone interview. “But let’s either get it done and get moving on with it or let it go.

      “It’s not so much that it’s a distraction because we’re professionals and don’t really buy into that. But it’s annoying.”

      “I say it all the time: If you can get a player of that caliber at any position, you take him,” Allen said. “If Lawrence Taylor came out of retirement, you take him just to see what he can do. … Brett absolutely has proven that he’s one of the best ever at what he does.

      “But our goals going into the off-season weren’t, let’s win a championship if we get Brett Favre. It’s, we’re going to win a championship. And I feel like we have two able quarterbacks to get that done.”

      One had to wonder what kind of an effect Favre’s song and dance with the Vikings would have on the players currently on Minnesota’s roster – and not just quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson. At some point, if you’re a player on the Vikings you get tired of trying to answer the same questions over and over again.

      This is something that seems to elude Favre. Never mind that an entire organization comprised of coaches, players and front office personnel has to wait for his decision – it’s all about Brett and what he wants to do. I don’t blame Allen, or anyone else for that matter, if they’re becoming a little annoyed about this pending marriage.

      NFL

      Shanahan to return to coaching in 2010?

      July 18, 2009 /

      Former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan recently indicated that he plans to coach again in the NFL, possibly even as soon as 2010.

      “It’s just something that my gut didn’t feel right,” the former Denver Broncos coach said after participating in the American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Club. “I probably needed a little time to get away, especially with the way the situation wound up in Denver. I’m glad I did.”

      The Broncos surprisingly fired Shanahan in December after the team failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Shanahan won two Super Bowls in 14 seasons as the Broncos’ coach and wielded significant power over most football decisions.

      Shanahan was replaced by first-time head coach Josh McDaniels, who was the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator. The stability that the Broncos had with Shanahan has been turned upside down by the new regime. There have been numerous changes, the most notable being the trade of Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Kyle Orton and draft picks.

      “I don’t think it’s my place to go into detail, but you’ve got to, like with Josh, he’s got to go with his gut feeling with what he thinks is best for the organization,” Shanahan said. “I’m a big Jay Cutler fan. I like Jay. He’s got the intangibles. He hasn’t gotten it done yet, but you’ve got to have a whole football team. It’s not just one position. Josh is probably biting at the bit to get started with Chris Simms and Kyle Orton. Hopefully they can go out and get the job done for Denver.”

      Even though “Skeletor” was public enemy No. 1 for fantasy football owners, Shanahan has always been incredibly classy and he deserves another shot to coach. Taking the year off to reflect is probably a good thing, but there is going to be job openings next year – there always are in the NFL.

      Too bad he wanted nothing to do with the Lions, because I could have seen him taking full control and turning that sinking franchise around. Even though he had his ups and downs as a GM, there’s no question Shanahan is an outstanding coach and would bring a lot to an organization. It’ll be interesting to see where he winds up.

      NFL

      Saturday MMA Review: 7/18

      July 18, 2009 /

      Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

      – Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre, and Dan Henderson were dominant at UFC 100 — but Lesnar’s post-fight antics made him a villain in the eyes of many fans.

      – The UFC’s new ring girl is hot, blonde, and all-natural.

      – Kimbo Slice’s “Ultimate Fighter” housemates should be thankful he wasn’t allowed to bring a gun on the set.

      – Fedor Emelianenko will probably never face Brock Lesnar in the UFC due to disagreements on contract terms. But that isn’t stopping some bookmakers from offering bets on the non-existant fight.

      – Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg visited New York to hype the biggest women’s MMA match of all time. Sounds like a perfect time for Carano’s scumbag ex-boyfriend to release that sex tape.

      – Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is not a fan of either Rashad Evans or Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

      – PRIDE legend Igor Vovchanchyn will return to action in September, while Jose Aldo and Mike Brown will get it on for the WEC featherweight belt in November.

      – Floyd Mayweather Jr. says white people invented MMA because they couldn’t compete in boxing. What a fascinating theory, Professor Money…

      Mixed Martial Arts

      Red Sox designate Julio Lugo for assignment

      July 17, 2009 /

      No matter where you are right now, if you listen close enough you’ll hear the faint chants of jubilation coming from the Boston, Massachusetts’s area.

      BoSox fans your wish has come true: Julio Lugo has officially been designated for assignment, which means he no longer will haunt your baseball dreams.

      The Red Sox now have 10 days to either trade Lugo, release him or re-assign him.
      The Red Sox have put feelers out for a potential trade partner for Lugo, though they’d likely be on the hook for the most — if not all — of the $13.5 million the shortstop is owed through the end of 2010.

      Such a situation would have seemed unthinkable in December 2006, when the Red Sox signed Lugo off the free-agent market for four years at $36 million.

      Originally signed to be the club’s leadoff hitter, Lugo struggled early in his first season and never fully rebounded to be the sparkplug the Red Sox remember playing against with the Tampa Bay Rays. Lugo has batted in the bottom portion of the order during most of his time in Boston. But the bigger issue was his defense.

      After making 16 errors in the first half of the 2008 season, Lugo tore his left quad and missed the entire second half.

      He came to Spring Training this season eager to try to reclaim his job in a position battle with Lowrie. But that plan ended when Lugo, 33, had to undergo right knee surgery in March.

      Though Lowrie had to undergo left wrist surgery in April, Lugo couldn’t capitalize on the opening once he returned to the roster on April 27. His range was seemingly limited from his leg woes, and he was supplanted by Green for good in late May.

      Playing in 37 games this season, Lugo hit .284 with one homer and eight RBIs. He made seven errors in 97 total chances.

      Lugo was brutal from the moment he signed and what made matters worse was that Boston had to hang onto him because of his inflated salary. There’s obviously no guarantee that a free agent signing will pan out and there have been hundreds of FA busts over the years.

      But Lugo will definitely go down as one of the worst free agent signings in some time, especially considering that Boston once had Hanley Ramirez in its farm system. Granted, the Red Sox got Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell out of that deal with Florida for Ramirez, but still, Lugo wouldn’t have been signed had Boston stuck with Hanley.

      MLB

      Which coach didn’t vote for Tim Tebow as All-SEC quarterback?

      July 17, 2009 /

      The SEC recently released its preseason coaches All-SEC team and unsurprisingly, Florida’s Tim Tebow was everyone’s choice as first team quarterback.

      Well, not everyone’s choice apparently.

      Only three players were unanimous choices on the first team: LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black, Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry and Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who led the Gators to a national championship in 2008, was not a unanimous choice.

      Coaches weren’t allowed to vote for their own players, so a unanimous pick got 11 of 12 votes. Tebow got 10 of 12 votes, which means one of the SEC coaches doesn’t think that he’ll be the best quarterback in the conference this season. But which coach that was is uncertain.

      Of all the quarterbacks in the SEC, the only one who might draw a vote away from Tebow is Ole Miss’ signal caller Jevan Snead. But if the Rebels’ Houston Nutt couldn’t vote for him, then who did?

      If we could hold a blame storming session for a second, I’d like to blame either Lane Kiffin or Bobby Petrino – Kiffin because he’s proven to be a pimple on every SEC coaches’ ass since becoming head coach at Tennessee, and Petrino because he’s essentially the Hans Gruber of the college football world.

      Not that this is a huge deal because after all, it’s just a preseason All-SEC team. But any time we get the opportunity to throw Petrino under the bus for something, it must be fully taken advantage of.

      College Football

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