Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 978 of 1503)

      LeBron James chooses Browns uniform in commercial – is he staying in Cleveland?

      January 18, 2009 /

      Cleveland Cavs’ star LeBrown James recently donned a Browns uniform in a State Farm commercial that will air during the NFC and AFC Championship Games on Sunday. And actually, chose to wear a Browns uniform might be more appropriate wording.

      At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, James often describes himself as a football player. He was an All-Ohio selection at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and still plays flag football at the school during the offseason.

      James said he had input into the commercial, which shows using some of his basketball skills to help the Browns on the football field.

      “I chose what team I wanted to wear, what I wanted to do and which routes I wanted to run,” he said.

      James has been criticized by Cleveland fans for supporting the Cowboys and New York Yankees. He triggered a public outcry when he wore a Yankees cap to an Indians playoff game two years ago and again to a Browns home game against Dallas last season .

      So was it tough pulling on an orange Browns helmet and not one with a star on it?

      “No,” James said with a wink. “I love the Browns.”

      Hmm. Depending on how far Cavs fans want to take LeBron’s comments, maybe the superstar is leaning towards staying in Cleveland instead of bolting for the Big Apple like many expect? Hey, Cavs fans can hope anyways, right?

      NBA, NFL

      Julius Peppers wants to play for another team next season…as a linebacker.

      January 17, 2009 /

      According to his agent Carl Carey, Julius Peppers is not only ready to play for another team, but he also wants to stand up and play as an outside linebacker.

      Julius Peppers“Julius is ready to move on and play for another team,” agent Carl Carey said Saturday morning. “Julius has given a huge portion of his career and his time to the Carolina Panthers and he feels that he has done what he can do there. So this is more about him trying it another way. For him that means trying it outside of the Carolina Panthers.”

      When asked if that means Peppers doesn’t want to play for the Panthers again under any circumstance, Carey responded flatly, “That’s right. He’s ready to move on.”

      Carey said ideally Peppers wants to play in a 3-4 defensive system where he can stand up and roam the field as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker, similar to how the Dallas Cowboys use DeMarcus Ware and how the San Diego Chargers have used Shawne Merriman in the past before his injury.

      So basically he doesn’t want to have a lot of run responsibility, he just wants to rush the quarterback and compile as many sacks as he possibly can. At 6’7”, 283 pounds, Peppers would easily be the biggest linebacker in the NFL.

      It’s highly likely that the Panthers will franchise tag him and then attempt to trade him. Of course with his wish to play as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 system, Peppers just limited Carolina’s trading partners dramatically.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Rams hire former Giants’ defensive coordinator Spagnuolo as head coach

      January 17, 2009 /

      One day after VP of Personnel Billy Devaney said that Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was the Rams’ “leading guy” to replace Scott Linehan/Jim Haslett, the team hired former Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as their next head coach.

      Steve SpagnuoloUPDATE: The NFL Network is reporting that Spagnuolo and the Rams have agreed on a four-year contract worth $11.5 million. I was unable to independently verify this information and have no idea if it’s accurate.

      Spagnuolo, 49, was the Giants defensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008 and came up with the game plan that resulted in five sacks of Tom Brady and a shocking upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

      Before that, Spagnuolo learned his trade under acclaimed Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, working as an Eagles defensive assistant from 1999-2006. Spagnuolo came out of the Philadelphia experience with a variety of multiple defensive formations and blitz packages that he put to great use with the Giants.

      Rams GM Billy and Spagnuolo have been friends for many years and that relationship obviously created a trust factor that helped Spagnuolo feel comfortable about taking the Rams job.

      After devising a defensive scheme to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl last year, Spags became one of the hottest names in the coaching ranks. The Rams are definitely getting a quality coach and one that understands what it takes to reach the Super Bowl. Given the team’s struggles over the years on defense, it’s not a big surprise that the Rams went with a defensive-minded coach, but one has to wonder if they gave up on the next great offensive mind in Garrett.

      Still, defense wins championship so it’ll be interesting to see what Spags can do for a player like Chris Long.

      NFL

      MMA Fighter Profile: Frank Mir

      January 17, 2009 /

      Frank Mir
      Nickname: N/A
      Height: 6’ 3”
      Weight: 250
      MMA Record: 12-3
      UFC Record: 10-3
      Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Kickboxing

      Frank Mir was certainly given the pedigree to fight. His parents run a Kenpo Karate school, he is a former Nevada state-wrestling champion, and he just happens to have a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
      Growing up he sparred with his father and other students in order to get him ready for a martial arts career and after seeing the Gracies and their jiu jitsu destroy people in the original UFCs, he took up wrestling and jiu jitsu.

      Mir met UFC’s Joe Silva, and talks began about starting to take on local MMA fighters at smaller promotions to see how he’d fair. After going 2-0 he was invited to fight at UFC 34, which he won by submission via armbar. He went on to go 7-1 and fight Tim Silvia for the UFC heavyweight title, which once again he would win by armbar, only this time snapping Silvia’s forearm. This earned him his black belt in jiu jitsu.

      Everything looked to be going well for Mir. He got married, was a champion, and was making a career out of what he loved. Then in September 2004 he was in a tragic motorcycle accident, one in which shattered his leg.

      After finally recovering from the leg injury and getting his mind right again, he finally came back to the UFC.

      He had a shaky start, going 1-2 until he decided to dedicate himself to his fighting career once again. Mir has since gone 3-0 and just won the UFC Interim Heavyweight championship by TKO over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who had never been stopped. He is set to face Heavyweight champ and former WWE star Brock Lesnar, which would unite the two titles. Mir already owns a victory over Lesnar.

      –Written By TSR Contributor John Duke

      Mixed Martial Arts

      Jason Garrett leading candidate for Rams job

      January 16, 2009 /

      Jason Garrett flew into St. Louis Friday evening to meet for the second time with Rams’ VP of Personnel Billy Devaney, who said the current Cowboys’ offensive coordinator is “the leading guy” for the team’s head coaching vacancy.

      Jason Garrett landed in St. Louis early Friday evening with his wife Brill, and told the Post-Dispatch that he was just here for a second interview and that no job had been offered.

      Minutes earlier, en route to the airport, Devaney was singing the same tune.

      “It’s part of the interview process,” Devaney insisted. “He wanted to look at the facility. We’re not close to moving on Jason Garrett. I’m not even going to say he’s the leading guy.”

      Take that for what it’s worth, but Garrett is the only finalist to visit St. Louis. And he did have his wife with him. Devaney also said that he’d already made his recommendation to owner Chip Rosenbloom on who he wanted to hire as the next Rams head coach.

      Devaney said he hoped to reach a decision by Monday on the next Rams head coach.

      Garrett and Devaney have a lot in common. They’re both from New Jersey. They’re both big Bruce Springsteen fans, and they’re both represented by the same agent _ David Dunn.

      Garrett would be a solid choice for the Rams. I’ve recently taken on the mindset that dome teams are at a disadvantage defensively (you can find my explanation for it here), so it’s wise for them to load up on offense and take advantage of playing on a fast surface eight-plus times a year.

      Garrett is one of the bright young offensive minds in the NFL, although his credibility certainly took a hit with how bad the Cowboys struggled down the stretch. Still, the guy has some innovative offenses and if the Rams can rebuild their offensive line, Garrett’s schemes might flourish.

      What’ll be interesting to see is if the Rams take a flier on Jon Gruden, who was just fired in Tampa. Gruden is another solid offensive coach and obviously has more experience than Garrett and the other head-coaching candidates linked to the St. Louis job (i.e. Leslie Frazier, Steve Spagnuolo and Rex Ryan).

      NFL

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