Category: External Sports (Page 326 of 821)

      Five Questions: Packers vs. Falcons

      January 12, 2011 /

      Matchup: Packers (11-6) @ Falcons (13-3)
      Kickoff: 8:00PM ET, Saturday

      1. Can the Falcons deal with the Packers’ newfound offensive balance?
      In the first game between these two teams, the Falcons did a nice job of forcing Aaron Rodgers to throw underneath. On the three plays that went for 30 yards or more, two of them happened because Atlanta defensive backs failed to wrap up Green Bay receivers. (The other play was a great flea-flicker play call by Mike McCarthy on a 3rd and 1.) But in that first meeting, the Falcons also didn’t have to game plan for running back James Starks, who shredded Philadelphia for 123 yards on 23 carries. Atlanta knew it didn’t have to worry about stopping the run and therefore could commit extra defenders into coverage. The Falcons won’t be able to do that again this time if Starks gets going, so they’ll have to deal with both him and Rodgers (one of the most effective quarterbacks in the league). The Packers definitely have the upper hand when it comes to showing the Falcons different looks because Starks didn’t play in the first game.

      2. Can the Packers slow the Falcons’ running game?
      Green Bay’s front seven needs to attack Atlanta’s running game like New Orleans did in Week 16. The Saints didn’t do anything special in that game to slow Michael Turner. They simply attacked the line of scrimmage and forcefully filled Turner’s running lanes. One thing the Falcons had success with in the first meeting with the Packers was running the ball downhill. They didn’t try to go north south with Green Bay; they attacked the outside linebacker position opposite Clay Matthews by moving their lineman downhill. Then fullback Ovie Mughelli did a great job of blocking the first defender in the hole and Turner was patient before heading up field. The Packers can’t allow the Falcons front five and Mughelli to dictate where they the play to go. They must attack and play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Could Blake Griffin eventually become a Laker?

      January 12, 2011 /

      J.A. Adande of ESPN.com suggests the Lakers as a possible destination for Griffin when he becomes a free agent in 2014.

      From 1994 to 2004, the Clippers had 10 picks in the first 10 selections of the draft. The only one to stay with the team for more than five seasons is Chris Kaman, the center selected sixth overall in 2003.

      Griffin could become an unrestricted free agent in 2014, which coincides with the expiration of Kobe Bryant’s and Pau Gasol’s contracts with the Lakers. Now that’s a franchise with a history of attracting and retaining star players, one with a low tolerance for down time. If the Lakers have to reset in 2014, who better for them to do it with than Griffin?

      For his part, Griffin seems to be focused on the right thing — making the Clippers better.

      “I would love to do that,” Griffin said. “I would love to be a part of it. I don’t think there’s a greater feeling than helping something, being a part of something bigger than yourself, being a part of something that changes the culture. If we’re really committed to winning, we’re committed to being better, I would love to be here. But there’s a lot of years, a lot of games to be played before any of that’s going to be decided.”

      The phrase that caught my eye was “if we’re really committed to winning…”

      That’s the rub with the Clippers, isn’t it? There have been a lot of good players come through the franchise and they hardly ever stay. Can Griffin and Eric Gordon turn this thing around quickly enough to convince themselves to stay? Can Clippers management surround them with enough talent to make the playoffs? If Gordon doesn’t re-sign in 2013, I doubt Griffin will re-up the following summer, but that’s just speculation.

      The key is Donald Sterling. Widely regarded as one of the worst owners in sports, the Clippers’ bubble always seems to burst, and some have suggested that Sterling’s stink is the reason.

      In Griffin they have a bubble. A very, very big bubble. Is it going to burst?

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Les Miles receives seven-year contract extension from LSU

      January 12, 2011 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that LSU and head coach Les Miles have agreed in principle to a new contract that will run through the 2017 season.

      LSU athletic director Joe Alleva says Miles’ annual pay of a little more than $3.75 million will remain the same.

      Miles has won 62 games and five bowls, including a 2007 national title in his first six years with the Tigers. Alleva says the university wants to maintain stability at the top of a winning program.

      Miles, who met with Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon Monday about the coaching vacancy the Wolverines had at the time, says Baton Rouge is home to his family now and that staying at LSU is “the right thing to do.”

      I think it says something that Miles (presumably) had two opportunities over the past four years to leave Baton Rouge and coach at his alma mater and he chose to stay. He has shown loyalty to the LSU program and in turn, the Tigers have given it right back.

      I still think the guy is bat sh*t crazy though. He obviously knows how to win but I wonder if he goes home sometimes and thinks to himself, “How the hell did I pull that one out of my ass?”

      Only Miles could get called for a delay of game penalty on fourth-and-nine and then call a timeout. And only he could then get bailed out when his opponent (Tennessee) had 12 men on the field during the final play and therefore found a way to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat.

      Oh, Les Miles.

      College Football, External Sports

      Five Questions Ravens vs. Steelers

      January 12, 2011 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talks to Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco after the Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-10 at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 5, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      Matchup: Ravens (13-4) @ Steelers (12-4)
      Kickoff: 4:30PM ET, Saturday

      1. Can Polamalu stay healthy?
      When Troy Polamalu intercepted at least one pass during a game this year, the Steelers were 6-0. I could go on about how important he is to Pittsburgh’s defense but I don’t need to – everyone knows how vital he is to the Steelers’ success. He’s been battling an Achilles/ankle injury for the past month and he didn’t practice all last week. He’ll be held out of early practices this week too, as the Steelers want to limit the risk of further injury. He’s not going to miss a playoff game, but can he make it all four quarters of what should be the most physical battle of the year?

      2. Can the Steelers’ O-Line hold up?
      Just because Pittsburgh scored 68 points in its final two games doesn’t mean that its concerns along the offensive line have disappeared. (Plus, those 68 points were collectively scored on Carolina and Cleveland.) Baltimore has a superior defensive line, led by tackle Haloti Ngata and while Ben Roethlisberger usually does a great job of holding up against pressure, no quarterback wants to throw with defenders in his face. The Steelers’ O-line will be tested this Saturday.

      3. Can the Ravens slow Mike Wallace?
      The Ravens have allowed an average of 10.2 yards per competition through the air this season, which ranks them eighth in the league. They generally don’t give up big plays but if there were ever a homerun threat they needed to be weary of this weekend, it’s Mike Wallace. The second-year pro is averaging 21.0 yards per catch this season, so he’s doing most of his damage downfield. In the season finale against Cleveland, Wallace only caught three passes but they went for 105 yards and one touchdown (off a 56-yard bomb from Big Ben). The Ravens held Kansas City wideout Dwayne Bowe to zero catches last weekend, but can they have similar success against Wallace?

      4. Can the Steelers protect the ball?
      Pittsburgh hasn’t turned the ball over much this season. In fact, the Steelers are second to only the Patriots in turnovers per game at +1.1. But the Ravens defense is playing at a Super Bowl level right now and in the past two games, they’ve forced 10 turnovers (five fumbles and five interceptions) and have held their opponents to 14 total points. It goes without saying that teams usually don’t win when they lose the turnover battle, but it may be especially true this Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Steelers can’t give Baltimore extra opportunities.

      5. Can the Ravens avoid a collapse?
      In back to back games in early December, the Ravens had dominated this same Steelers team for three quarters before Pittsburgh mounted a comeback in the fourth. A week later in Houston, the Ravens needed a Josh Wilson pick-six in overtime to beat the Texans after they coughed up a three-touchdown lead early in the third quarter. The Ravens also blew a lead in Atlanta when they were up with 22 seconds remaining and gave up a late Roddy White touchdown to lose. Baltimore is one of the hottest teams in the league and a legit Super Bowl contender but neither side of the ball can get complacent this Saturday. Given what’s at stake and whom they’re playing, chances are they won’t but they can’t forget what happened last time these two teams met.

      External Sports, NFL

      Carmelo not interested in signing with the Nets?

      January 12, 2011 /
      Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony warms up at the Pepsi Center in Denver on November 16, 2010. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      Per Chris Broussard of ESPN…

      According to several league sources, Anthony has not told anyone, not even his representatives, that he will sign a contract extension with the Nets.

      One source who has spoken with Anthony since trade talks between Denver, New Jersey and Detroit became public last weekend said the Nuggets forward has never even hinted at signing with New Jersey.

      “He has not agreed to go to New Jersey,” said the source, who speaks regularly with Anthony. “I have never heard him, in all the times we’ve talked, say he’s willing to go to New Jersey. Not once. Personally, I would be stunned if he went there and signed an extension.”

      Whaa?

      This wouldn’t be a surprise if it were only the Nets and Nuggets talking, but all along Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose, has reportedly been the catalyst behind this trade talk between the two teams. Why would he work so hard to put together a trade if Carmelo isn’t interested in re-upping with the Nets in the first place?

      The natural assumption is that Rose is pushing for a deal with New Jersey because Anthony is amenable to it. But sources say that’s not the case.

      “He [Rose] may want him to go there,” one source said. “But Melo doesn’t want to be in Jersey. He wants to play in New York.”

      I don’t buy it. If Rose and Anthony are on the same page, and one would think they are, then he has to be amenable to playing for the Nets. If Carmelo is so determined to play for the Knicks, then he should just play out the year in Denver and sign with the Knicks during the summer.

      Of course, he’s trying to get his extension and a trade to the Knicks, so if that’s the case, he should tell the Nuggets that the Knicks are the only team that he’ll re-sign with, and that would put the pressure on Denver to get the best deal they can from Knicks GM Donnie Walsh. That would put him in the role of spoiled superstar, which is something he has been trying to avoid by being so tight-lipped about his future.

      But Leon Rose has to know what Carmelo is willing (and not willing) to do, right?

      Right?

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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