Category: External Sports (Page 332 of 821)

      Chiefs’ playoff woes continue as Ravens advance to Pittsburgh

      January 9, 2011 /
      Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (R) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Kelly Gregg during the second half of their AFC Wild Card NFL playoff football game in Kansas City, Missouri January 9, 2011. REUTERS/Dave Kaup (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Here are six quick-hit observations from the Ravens’ 30-7 trouncing of the Chiefs in Sunday’s Wildcard Round.

      1. Baltimore’s defense once again comes to play.
      What’s the quickest way to quiet a hostile crowd? How about giving them nothing to celebrate. Outside of Jamaal Charles’ 41-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, the Chiefs could do nothing offensively. The talk coming into this game was how KC could take advantage of Baltimore’s secondary but all the Ravens did was shut down the Chiefs’ vertical passing game (did anyone tell Dwayne Bowe what time the game started?) and force five turnovers. Matt Cassel’s protection wasn’t great but it’s not like he had anywhere to go with the ball either. Every time he looked downfield, a Baltimore defender was blanketing one of his outside receivers. How dominant was the Ravens defense on Sunday? They held the Chiefs to eight first downs and only 53 yards passing. Unreal.

      Bonus observations:

      – What a hit by Ed Reed on Dexter McCluster in the second quarter to force a punt after the Chiefs had reached midfield. That hurt me on my couch.

      – The Ravens’ defenders have to stop trying to lateral the ball back to teammates after interceptions. I know sometimes they wind up getting more yards and it makes for a nice highlight, but Haruki Nakamura almost cost his team points by foolishly trying to flip the ball back to a teammate after a pick on the first drive of the second half. Talk about a momentum killer.

      2. This loss isn’t on the Chiefs’ defense.
      Kansas City may have given up 30 points but it’s hard for a defense to stop any offense when it’s on the field for the entire game. By the time the Ravens put together that 10-minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs’ defense was gassed. KC’s offense couldn’t sustain drives and even worse, they turned the ball over five times. In the second quarter, the Chiefs did a nice job by forcing a three-and-out following a turnover. In the first half, they also did well taking away the Ravens’ vertical passing game because Joe Flacco really didn’t have anyone to throw to down field. But as the game wore on and as they got more tired, the Ravens were able to methodically drive up the field and take time off the clock. Romeo Crennel’s unit did all it could but in the end, it needed more help from Charlie Weis’ offense.

      3. Speaking of which…Weis’ announcement hurt the Chiefs offensively.
      In two games since news broke that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was leaving Kansas City for the same position at the University of Florida, the Chiefs scored a total of 17 points in back-to-back home losses. Even though Todd Haley and the players said otherwise, the news proved to be a distraction. It had to be. No matter if your team won the Super Bowl or lost in the first round, your playcaller was gone. All the credit in the world goes to the Ravens for completely taking away the Chiefs’ vertical passing game and forcing five turnovers. But it makes you wonder whether or not Kansas City’s offense would have had more success had everything been status quo with their offense heading into the playoffs. Obviously Weis isn’t the reason the Chiefs lost, but his offense certainly didn’t help their cause.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Elway says Tebow “not a good NFL quarterback,” then backpedals

      January 9, 2011 /
      Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) throws against the Houston Texans during his home debut as a starter at Invesco Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      John Elway hasn’t held a position in the Broncos’ front office for very long but already he’s backpedaling after making some newsworthy comments.

      While speaking recently to SI.com’s Peter King, Elway said: “I don’t think Tim Tebow is a good NFL quarterback at this time.” This propelled King to write that the Broncos may look to trade Tebow in the offseason.

      On Sunday, Elway was already looking to douse water on the fire.

      “To clarify my thoughts on Tim Tebow … I think he’s a very good football player, and if anyone can turn themselves into a great quarterback, Tim can,” Elway wrote.

      “Myself and our entire organization think very highly of him. We are pleased with his first year as a Bronco.

      “Any speculation that the Denver Broncos are considering moving Tim is completely false.”

      I bet Elway meant what he said the first time about Tebow. He doesn’t think he’s a good NFL quarterback yet and he probably has doubts that he’ll ever be a quality starter in the league. I think he realized how far his words could spread in a short matter of time, which is why he quickly clarified what he said after he saw how things started to unravel.

      That said, that doesn’t mean that the Broncos are going to trade Tebow or that Elway believes that the former first round pick can’t develop. But Elway probably has the same thoughts that a lot of people do: Tebow is one massive project as a quarterback and winning a couple of meaningless games at the end of the year doesn’t change that.

      External Sports, NFL

      Caldwell’s curious time out decision allows Jets to upset Colts

      January 9, 2011 /
      New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (R) hugs Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell (L) after the Jets defeated the Colts in their AFC Wild Card playoff football game in Indianapolis, January 8, 2011. REUTERS/Brent Smith (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      “Thanks for calling that time out, Mr. Caldwell. You really saved us. I owe you one, big cat.”

      Here are six quick-hit thoughts on the Jets’ 17-16 upset of the Colts on Saturday night.

      1. Caldwell blew it by calling that time out.
      There’s no doubt that Jim Caldwell should not have called a time out with 29 seconds remaining in the game. The Jets were down to their final time out and were on the 32-yard line. Had Caldwell let the clock continue to run, the Jets would have likely only ran one more play before using their final time out and kicking a longish field goal. Instead, Caldwell used the Colts’ last TO (presumably to leave time for Peyton Manning) and Mark Sanchez completed an 18-yard pass to Braylon Edwards (who made a heck of grab) on the next play. After burning their final TO, the Jets won the game on a 32-yard Nick Folk field goal as time expired. Caldwell’s blunder was three-fold: 1) It stopped the clock, 2) it allowed Sanchez and his coaching staff to calmly gather their thoughts and choose their final offensive play and 3) it ultimately made Folk’s field goal attempt 18 yards shorter. I guarantee you Sanchez doesn’t even look Edwards way if his coaches didn’t tell him that play was open during the time out. And I can almost guarantee you that Folk doesn’t make a game-winning field goal on the road from 40-50 yards out instead of 32. One play or coaching decision never decides the outcome of a game. But this is one Caldwell we think about all offseason.

      2) That said…
      If Manning completes that 3rd-and-6 pass to Blair White on the prior possession, then the Colts would have ran the clock down and kicked the game-winner themselves. But because the pass fell incomplete, the Colts left time on the clock. And because there was time on the clock, Antonio Cromartie’s ability to bring the ensuing kickoff back to the 46-yard-line was huge. Does anyone believe that Sanchez would have marched his team into field goal range if he had to go 80 yards to do it? I was waiting for a pick-six myself. Caldwell’s decision to call a time out was bad. But the game would have never reached that point if one of the aforementioned situations doesn’t happen.

      3) Sanchez finally makes a play when he has to.
      Sanchez’s performance on the Jets’ final drive before halftime was brutal. He had zero touch on the pass that went over Dustin Keller in the end zone and the pass that Justin Tryon intercepted reeked of desperation. But give Sanchez credit: the throw he made to Edwards to set up Folk’s game-winner was right where it needed to be. Edwards made the play by going up and catching the ball at its highest point, then making sure he got both feet down and inbounds (where was that effort in Cleveland all those years?). But the throw was there. After he spent most of the game failing to make plays, Sanchez finally delivered when it mattered most.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Saints crush Seahawks, advance to next round…wait, what?

      January 8, 2011 /
      Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck throws a second quarter touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Stokley as New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (R) pursues him during their NFC Wildcard playoff NFL football game in Seattle, January 8, 2011. REUTERS/Anthony Bolante (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      On any given Saturday right? Here are six quick-hit thoughts on the Seahawks’ shocking 41-36 win over the Saints on Saturday.

      1. That’s why they play the game.
      Gregg Williams said it perfectly this week when he told the media that if the playoffs were about predictions, the Saints would have advanced to the second round already. Everyone was so sure that the Saints would beat the Seahawks that this upset was almost set up perfectly. I don’t buy that New Orleans took Seattle for granted because there’s too much veteran know-how on that Saints’ sidelines for them to look past any opponent. But a game like this is proof that we as fans get caught up too much in records. The Seahawks only won seven of their 16 games this year but they were the ones that created momentum last week with their win over the Rams, they were the ones that had home field advantage and they were the ones that played with an emotional edge. In the end, those three factors play a bigger role in the outcome of a football game than records do (especially in the playoffs).

      2. Matt Hasselbeck can still be a difference maker.
      Hasselbeck had some rough games this year but when his team needed him the most, he completed 22-of-35 pass attempts for 272 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted once but that came off a deflection and had his receivers not dropped a few passes, his numbers would have been even better than they were. This was by far his best game in years and without his performance, Seattle doesn’t pull off this shocking upset.

      3. Roman Harper, Darren Shaper, Gregg Williams, Julius Jones and Devery Henderson.
      Fail, fail, fail, fail and fail. That was one of the worst performances I have ever seen out of a safety tandem in any game, not to mention in the postseason. Safeties are supposed to act as a team’s last line of defense, yet Sharper and Harper routinely allowed Seattle receivers to get past them deep coverage. I know the Saints were hurt by Malcolm Jenkins’ injury but Sharper has to play better than that. He looked like he had never played a professional game before and retirement is calling his name. And how about Williams? This was the best he could come up with after a week of preparation? The Seahawks’ offense is the epitome of mediocre and yet they hung 41 points on a unit that was supposed to be one of the best in the NFC. Holy terrible, Batman. Offensively for the Saints, Jones cost his team three points by fumbling the ball deep in his own territory in the first quarter and Henderson couldn’t catch a cold. He dropped at least two potential first downs, including an alligator-armed attempt late in the game when the Saints only needed a touchdown to re-claim the lead.

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      External Sports, NFL

      What is Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross thinking?

      January 8, 2011 /

      After the events of this past week, there’s reason to believe that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing.

      He started the week by flying himself, GM Jeff Ireland and new football “czar” Carl Peterson cross-country to meet with then-Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh about a position that was already being filled by Tony Sparano. In doing so, Ross left Sparano and his entire staff to believe that once he returned, they would no longer be employed by the Dolphins. (The coaching staff even began cleaning out their offices on Wednesday.)

      But on Thursday, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that the Dolphins had “bowed out” of the Harbaugh race and would retain Sparano as head coach. Harbaugh reportedly didn’t want to go to Miami (he signed with the 49ers on Friday), which meant Ross had to tuck his tail between his legs and try to mend fences with Sparano.

      Late Friday night, Ross extended Sparano’s contract through 2013 as sort of an apology for what had transpired throughout the week. Sparano will also have an “expanded role in personnel decisions.”

      The new contract and expanded role are nice coups for Sparano. But what does it say about Ross’ decision-making if he was ready to drop his current head coach as soon as Harbaugh signed on the dotted line, yet, was so quick to extend Sparano’s contract once Harbaugh told him to buzz off? Does Ross want Sparano to be his head coach or not? And will Sparano forever have this incident to hang over Ross’ head whenever the owner gets an itchy trigger finger in the future?

      As an owner, you either believe in your head coach or not. I get that owners may like another head coach’s work, but when you invest millions of dollars in a guy you better have confidence that he can get the job done. And not being able to sign the guy you wanted isn’t a good enough reason to extend your current head coach. Clearly Ross doesn’t have complete confidence in Sparano or else he wouldn’t have tried so hard to bring Harbaugh to Miami.

      What a weird situation.

      External Sports, NFL

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