Category: External Sports (Page 322 of 821)

Ravens’ second half collapse leads to Steelers’ victory

January 15, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Here are five quick-hit thoughts on the Steelers’ 31-24 victory over the Ravens in the NFL Divisional Round.

1. Ravens pick a horrible time to play their worst football.
Baltimore’s second half collapse in this game was one of the worst I have ever seen. They did such a great job building all of this momentum in the first half only to give it right back on their first offensive possession in the third quarter. The Ravens took a two-touchdown lead into the second half but quickly allowed Pittsburgh back into the game with sloppy play. From Ray Rice and Joe Flacco’s fumbles to two huge drops by Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh at the end of the game, the Ravens saved their worst for the most important game of the year. That said…

2. …what a great job by the Steelers to capitalize on Baltimore’s mistakes.
You have to hand it to the Steelers: they always seem to make plays when it matters most. When Rice fumbled at the start of the third quarter, they turned the gift into seven points. When the defense picked off Flacco, they again put the ball into the end zone. When Boldin dropped that key pass on third down late in the game, Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown on an improbable 58-yard pass to set up the eventual game-winning touchdown. Pittsburgh played a horrible first half, but it didn’t matter in the end. Because when the other shoe eventually dropped, the Steelers took full advantage.

3. Flacco must elevate his game in the playoffs.
In his third year, Joe Flacco has done some great things. You can tell he “gets it” and that he’s going to be a very good player for a long time. But if the Ravens want to win anything of any substance, he has to elevate his game when they get to the playoffs. He only threw for 125 yards and while he did have one touchdown, his fumble and interception in the second half proved costly. Granted, if Boldin catches that ball at the goal line on third down or Houshmandzadeh doesn’t drop that fourth down pass, maybe I’m signing Flacco’s praises right now. But those two drops don’t excuse Flacco’s lackluster play in the second half.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL Divisional Round Playoffs 2011 NFL Playoffs Anquan Boldin Anthony Stalter Antonio Brown Baltimore Ravens Ben Roethlisberger Joe Flacco Pittsburgh Steelers T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Rotoworld’s Dynasty RB Rankings

January 15, 2011 / John Paulsen

Chris Wesseling of Rotoworld ranks the RB position in dynasty format. Here are his top two tiers:

Tier One
1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
2. Chris Johnson, Titans
3. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs
The three most uniquely talented backs in the NFL. All three of them can produce RB1 fantasy numbers regardless of coaches, scheme, or even supporting cast. CJ2K is a fantastic buy this offseason. … Charles proved to be the best player on the field against the Ravens in the Wild Card round loss. That comes as no surprise to anybody who has watched him play on a regular basis the past two seasons.
Tier Two
4. Arian Foster, Texans
5. Ray Rice, Ravens
6. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars
7. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
8. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
9. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers
10. Darren McFadden, Raiders
Foster emerged as one of the premier all-around tailback talents in the league. Though his success is not merely a byproduct of Houston’s zone-blocking scheme, there’s no question that he’s ideally suited to Gary Kubiak’s offense. … Like Chris Johnson, Rice is an outstanding buy this offseason. Despite a dramatic dropoff in run blocking (and a heavy dose of bad luck), Rice still finished third in the league in total yards. The touchdowns are coming.
Jones-Drew belongs in the top tier on talent alone, but the knee is cause for pause. Meniscus surgery isn’t automatic. Just ask Antonio Bryant and Torry Holt. … Stewart is one of the handful of most talented backs in the NFL, and we’ll see that on a regular basis if the Panthers move on from free agent DeAngelo Williams. … McCoy benefits from playing with Michael Vick. He also proved more than capable of filling the Brian Westbrook role. … Mendenhall doesn’t wow onlookers, but he does everything well as the workhorse for one of the league’s steadiest franchises. … McFadden would be at least three spots higher if we could count on him to play 16 games a year.

I’d probably have the same Top 10, though I think I’d have McCoy ahead of MJD and Stewart. That may be because I play in mostly PPR leagues and his value is enhanced in that format. We’re equally high on Jonathan Stewart, assuming DeAngelo Williams moves on. Ron Rivera is a great defensive mind, and that generally lends itself to a run-oriented, ball control offense.

See the rest of his rankings here.

External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

Wes Welker stirs up war of words between Jets

January 15, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Bill Belichick had asked his players not to respond to the verbal jabs that Jets head coach Rex Ryan and his players were taking at the Patriots. But apparently Wes Welker couldn’t help himself.

Welker was obviously poking fun at the Rex Ryan foot-fetish story with his barrage of foot references in the above press conference. I thought it was rather humorous, although you knew the Jets weren’t going to stand idle and not respond.

Ryan’s response (from the New York Daily News):

“With Wes Welker, well, I think this is a huge rivalry type game and anything goes. I can take it,” Ryan said Friday. “I’m not going to discuss it, but I can take it.”

Bart Scott’s response (from FOX Boston):

“Be very careful what you say about our coach. His days in a uniform will be numbered. Put it like that.” Scott’s ties to Rex Ryan go beyond New York. The two were part of the Baltimore Ravens organization previously.

Nick Mangold’s response (also from FOX Boston):

Offensive lineman Nick Mangold took a different approach to responding to Welker’s press conference, trying to fight humor with humor. Mangold Tweeted , “Wes Welker is a great player. He’s really taken advantage of watching film. If we don’t keep a Spy on him, he could really open the Gate.”

This is exactly why Belichick didn’t want any of his players to respond to the Jets’ antics.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL Playoffs Bart Scott Bart Scott Wes Welker Nick Mangold Rex Ryan Wes Welker Wes Welker foot Wes Welker foot video

Barstool Debate: Who is going to win — the Packers or the Falcons?

January 14, 2011 / John Paulsen

Saturday marks a special day in my relationship with my co-worker Anthony Stalter. No, it’s not our anniversary or anything – my favorite team is the Green Bay Packers and he’s an Atlanta Falcons fan, so the fact that the two teams are squaring off in the playoffs is a pretty big deal in our world. In fact, since he lives in St. Louis and I live in Southern California, we’ve both agreed to purchase a 12-pack of Bud Select 55 (not a plug, but it could be!) and pretend that we’re splitting a case while watching the game together.

As I just tweeted, everything that happens today is just a preamble to Saturday’s game, so let’s talk a little trash as we try to run the clock out on the work week.

JP: First of all, let’s see who’s the bigger fan. I was born outside of Milwaukee and grew up loving the Packers, even when players like Lynn Dickey, Eddie Lee Ivory and Paul Ott Carruth were the big names (and an 8-8 record was a successful season). Then came Brett Favre (ironically via a trade with the Falcons) who was my favorite player for 16 freaking years before he retired his way to our arch-rival. Blood had been spilled. My autographed photo of Favre is sitting, face-down, in the garage, waiting for his inevitable “mea culpa” visit to Lambeau in a couple of years. What’s my point? I’m a fan of the Packers, not of any one player. Now, tell us how you became a fan of the Falcons…

AS: I grew up in Chicago so many people assume that I’m a Bears fan (why they would think that, I have no idea). But my folks are from New York so they had no loyalty to the home team. To my family’s disappointment, I didn’t become a Jets fan. When I was real young, I liked certain players instead of teams. But when I was 9, the first playoff game I remember watching from start to finish was the 1991 Wildcard matchup between the Saints and Falcons. When you’re a kid, you usually don’t focus on defensive players, but I was enamored with Deion Sanders. He was the most athletic player I had ever watched. Chris Miller also hit Michael Haynes on a 61-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, so that particular game was thrilling. I’ve been hooked on the Falcons ever since, even though it hasn’t been easy being a fan of theirs over the years. Up until last year, they never had back-to-back winning seasons so I’ve endured a lot of losing. From Jeff George to Jamal Anderson to Michael Vick (ugh, talk about highs and lows), they’ve put me through a lot. But just like you when it comes to the Packers JP, the Falcons will forever be my team. Since I have never lived in Atlanta, DirecTV’s “Sunday Ticket” is the world’s greatest invention. I never miss a snap of the Falcons’ games, even when I have to watch them again later so I can fulfill my responsibilities to TSR.

External Sports, Fantasy Football, Humor, NFL

2011 NFL Divisional Round Playoffs 2011 NFL Playoffs Atlanta Falcons Barstool Debates Green Bay Packers

Reggie Jackson wants the Jets to “shut up, play football”

January 14, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Former Yankee great Reggie Jackson doesn’t want to hear any more squawking from Jets players this week. He just wants them to shut up and play some damn football already.

From NESN.com:

“Shut up, play football,” Jackson said on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio. “What are you talking about Bill Belichick and these people for? Spend your time looking at film, spend your time knocking down a pass. What are you doing? You’re not affecting [Tom] Brady. You’re wasting time.”
Jackson, who said he’s hoping the Jets win, said he also wasn’t a fan of Rex Ryan’s jab at Brady, specifically the coach’s joke that Brady should have been watching football rather than a Broadway show last Saturday.
“This guy is an automatic Hall of Famer,” Jackson said of Brady. “Making fun of him is like making fun of Mariano Rivera. What are you doing? What are you doing?”
Jackson’s parting words for Cromartie were rather emotional.
“Go look at the hardware, dude,” Jackson said. “Walk through the lobby [in New England] and look at the stuff that’s there. You don’t have that — you don’t have anything close to that. You might want to shut up, you might learn something. Read, you might figure something out. Watch film, you might get educated. If not, you have a chance to get embarrassed on Sunday.”

I don’t disagree with anything Mr. October had to say, but I also think all of this is being a tad overblown.

Look, this is what the Jets do under Ryan. They psyche themselves up before a big game by talking trash and making it an “us vs. the world” thing. Ryan does this because his players usually respond by playing hard for him on Sundays, so it’s worth it to him to stir the pot from time to time.

Let’s not forget that Tom Brady was the first person this year to say that he hates the Jets. Granted, he didn’t follow that up by calling Antonio Cromartie an a-hole, but Brady is on record as saying that he hates them, too. Big whoop.

As far as Cromartie is concerned, he has a track record for losing focus during games so if talking trash gets him angry and propels him to play at the top of his game, then that’s good for New York. Besides, what’s the worse that could happen for the Jets? They lose 46-3 this time? Who cares.

That said, as Reggie Jackson alluded to in his comments: Let’s play some damn football already.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL Divisional Round Playoffs 2011 NFL Playoffs New York Jets Reggie Jackson

Category: External Sports (Page 322 of 821)

Ravens’ second half collapse leads to Steelers’ victory

Rotoworld’s Dynasty RB Rankings

Wes Welker stirs up war of words between Jets

Barstool Debate: Who is going to win — the Packers or the Falcons?

Reggie Jackson wants the Jets to “shut up, play football”

FOLLOW US!

CATEGORIES

Pages