Category: External Sports (Page 428 of 821)

      Eagles to make Michael Vick the long-term fixture at quarterback?

      November 12, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 07: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts on November 7, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Colts 26-24. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Michael Vick currently leads all quarterbacks with a 105.3 rating. He has yet to throw an interception, his Eagles are undefeated when he plays the entire game, and he’s rushed for 7.3 yards per carry.

      It also appears that his current team is willing to commit to him long term.

      According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles want to keep Vick for “next season and beyond.” There have yet to be any contract discussions between the two sides, but the team will hold meetings in the next few weeks to talk about the future of Vick, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

      If Vick continues to play as well in the second half of the season as he has in the first, he’ll have suitors lined up for his services. But he’s already acknowledged that he favors the Eagles because they took a chance on him when he was released from prison last year. Chances are, he’ll stay put if Philly comes to the table with a nice offer.

      If the Eagles do sign Vick to a long-term contract, what happens to Kevin Kolb? He signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal in April and with Vick’s penchant for running, the Eagles may want to hang onto Kolb in case there’s an injury. On the flip side, they could almost certainly get a draft pick in a trade for the 26-year-old, so why not deal him and find a backup quarterback elsewhere?

      The Eagles have more important things to worry about right now (i.e. making the playoffs), but they’ll have some tough decisions coming up over the next couple of weeks.

      External Sports, NFL

      Ravens only have themselves to blame for loss to Falcons – not refs

      November 12, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 11: Roddy White of the Atlanta Falcons pulls in this reception against Lardarius Webb of the Baltimore Ravens at Georgia Dome on November 11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      Some will focus on Michael Jenkins’ catch on a 3rd and 10 that wasn’t overturned by replay. Others will talk about the pass interference call on Tavares Gooden.

      Most will fixate on Roddy White’s push-off.

      But they shouldn’t. The Ravens didn’t lose to the Falcons on Thursday night because of the refs. They lost because they were dominated for most of the night and couldn’t catch a break or two down the stretch.

      Here’s the way I would tally the final drive of Atlanta’s dramatic 26-21 win:

      Jenkins’ Reception: It was a catch. The second replay showed that Jenkins kept a kung fu grip on the ball with his fingers and secured it while getting both feet down.

      Pass Interference Call: I’m surprised Gooden didn’t get stopped at the Atlanta airport and picked up for the molestation of Tony Gonzalez. It was a good call – Gooden was draped all over him.

      White’s Push-Off: It was clear as day – the ref missed it. I think a stiff wind could have knocked Josh Wilson down, but nevertheless White pushed off and it was a bad no call. He should have been flagged, the Falcons should have been backed up and who knows – maybe Baltimore is 7-2 and Atlanta is 6-3.

      But you know what? The Ravens have nobody to blame but themselves and here’s why:

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Interview with WEC 52 Main Event Fighter Urijah Faber

      November 11, 2010 /

      Urijah Faber is mixing things up.

      The decorated former WEC featherweight champion is making the move down to bantamweight, beginning tonight with his main event bout at WEC 52 against Takeya Mizugaki from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

      I had a chance to catch up with the MMA legend as he gears up for Mizugaki.

      During the interview Faber discusses his change in weight, the WEC/UFC merger, and what’s in his future. Enjoy.

      The Scores Report: Well Urijah, it is fight week, how are you feeling?

      Urijah Faber: I feel great. I am just working on getting my weight down. I am within striking distance now. I am walking around about 7 or 8 pounds over. (Faber weighed in at 136 pounds for his 135-pound fight on Wednesday night).

      TSR: What has the weight cut been like? You have been fighting at featherweight for a while now and really haven’t had a strenuous cut as you have for this fight.

      UF: It’s going better. My body feels great. I have been doing the cut steadily over the last few months. It has kind of been the opposite for me because before I was doing what I could to keep food in and stay heavy and now I am trying to eat lighter and lose weight. Initially the weight was easy to lose but the closer you get to 135, the harder the pounds are to shed. When I went through the practice cut, the last few pounds were pretty tough.

      TSR: Do you notice anything different with your abilities at this lighter weight?

      UF: I feel like my grappling is at a whole new level. When I competed in wrestling I always competed at 133 pounds, so being at this weight to fight, I feel like my skills are where I need them to be. I feel like I have great conditioning already and I feel faster and even stronger.

      TSR: This fight with Mizugaki was originally scheduled for WEC 50 back in August but you had to pull out with a knee injury. Have you fully recovered from that injury?

      UF: Yeah. My health is great and I am 100 percent. I have made a full recovery. It took about six weeks and even when I was recovering, I could still train and just not use the injured leg, so I was able to stay in great shape.

      TSR: Give me your thoughts on your opponent. What do you feel he does well?

      UF: His strength is his stand up. He has good hands and he has god takedown defense and submission defense. He has a couple decent takedowns too. The guy has a ton of heart too and he is not an easy guy to get past, but I think I have better all-around skills and will be comfortable wherever the fight goes.

      TSR: The UFC recently announced it would be absorbing the WEC and its roster in 2011. What do you think of that decision and where were you when you heard the news?

      UF: I basically got a call from manager at MMA INC. Had all us guys from Team Alpha Male on a conference call and told us what was going on. We were all stoked. We all went to practice that day on cloud nine. The implications for exposure and notoriety and pay all go up so much by becoming part of the UFC.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Interviews, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC, WEC

      Jim Mora: Cowboys’ Jenkins committed “high treason”

      November 11, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - DECEMBER 24: Head coach Jim Mora Jr of the Atlanta Falcons greets John Abraham #55 during a game against the Carolina Panthers on December 24, 2006 at The Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

      How can you not love the Mora family? The elder gave us “Playoffs? Playoffs?” while the son used to sniff ammonia capsules with his players before games and went on a sports-talk show with a former teammate and said that he would take the Washington Huskies coaching job even if the Falcons “were in a playoff run.”

      Adorable – both of them.

      Never too shy to speak his mind, Jim Mora (the son) had an interesting take on Cowboys’ cornerback Mike Jenkins, who flat out avoided tackling Packers’ receiver James Jones on the way to the end zone during Green Bay’s 45-7 thrashing of Dallas last Sunday night.

      This is what Mora had to say on the NFL Network about Jenkins, uh, effort:

      “To me, this is high treason,” Mora said. “An NFL football player does not turn down a play like that. And if I’m Jason Garrett, the first thing that I’m doing when I take over as the head coach of this team, is I’m getting guys like that — number 21, who absolutely committed treason, let his team down by passing up a tackle and let the ball get in the end zone — I’m taking him and I’m getting him out of my locker room.”

      What he said was all well and good, even though he went overboard with the whole “high treason” remark. I don’t think a lazy, overpaid, selfish cornerback allowing a receiver a free pass at the end zone is similar to betraying one’s nation, but maybe that’s just me.

      That said, I find what Mora said to be a little hypocritical. After all, this was the same man who didn’t bench loudmouth DeAngelo Hall when the brash cornerback tried to pad his interception total at the conclusion of the second quarter in a game against the Saints a couple of years ago and allowed a New Orleans’ receiver to score a fluke touchdown. I also seem to remember Michael Vick starting his next game after giving Atlanta fans the bird while walking off the field during a game in ’06.

      But I guess Mora can’t draw any similarities between those instances and Jenkins’ “treason.”

      Apparently now that Mora is a member of the media he’s allowed to hold other coaches to a different standard than he did himself. Granted, I don’t disagree with anything he says and Jason Garrett should change the culture in Dallas. But with this coming form Mora, what he said carries as much weight as a feather in a windstorm.

      External Sports, NFL

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