Category: External Sports (Page 547 of 821)

      Singletary calls out Smith and Crabtree for Week 1 performance

      September 13, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - DECEMBER 20: Michael Crabtree #15 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes against the Philadelpia Eagles defense at Lincoln Financial Field on December 20, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

      Following the 49ers’ 31-6 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, head coach Mike Singletary reportedly “called out” quarterback Alex Smith and receiver Michael Crabtree for their performances according to CSN Bay Area News.

      “Alex (Smith) is our quarterback,” Singletary declared. “At no time did I think about putting David Carr into the football game.”

      That is what Singletary said in his remarks to the media. But in the 49ers’ locker room, Singletary “called out” Smith, receiver Michael Crabtree and the offensive line, a team source told Comcast SportsNet after the game.

      By all accounts, Smith had a very good offseason. He demonstrated a greater knowledge of the 49ers’ offense and earned his status as a team captain. But there was no carryover into the regular-season opener.
      Smith and Crabtree certainly did not grow as a tandem during training camp. Their work together was limited, as Crabtree never stepped onto the field during the exhibition season because of a neck strain.

      Crabtree was called out by teammate Vernon Davis for his perceived lack of effort during the offseason, so it’s not a total surprise to see everything come to a head on Sunday. Smith’s work ethic hasn’t been questioned, but the bottom line is that if he and his top receiver aren’t on the same page then that’s a problem. Obviously Singletary went to lengths to talk to both players following the game, so hopefully the team’s issues will be ironed out by Week 2.

      Either way, it wasn’t a very pretty start to the season for a team that is expected to challenge for the NFC West crown this year.

      External Sports, NFL

      Randy Moss vents frustrations again about contract

      September 13, 2010 /
      EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 02: Randy Moss of the New England Patriots looks on against the New York Giants on September 2, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Patriots 20-17. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Following the Patriots’ 38-24 win over the Bengals on Sunday, Randy Moss took the time to once again express his frustrations over not receiving a contract extension offer from New England.

      From the Boston Herald:

      “If you got a boss, you would like to feel appreciated,” Moss said. “This is the last year of my contract, and there hasn’t been anything discussed, there has not been anything said, not a letter, not nothing. I’m not saying that I want to stay here, but I love playing here. If the future of my job lets me go to another team, then that’s what it’s gonna be. Right now I have a contract with the New England Patriots [team stats], I’m going to play my last year out and do it to the best of my ability.

      “I don’t want anything negative to come out of this, like it usually does. It’s not that I’m mad or trying to be disgruntled. I’m not here to disrespect the organization. I’m not disrespecting my teammates, but this is my first time talking and I wanted to get that out there.

      “If the opportunity presented itself later in the season for me to be a New England Patriot, I would accept that, but if it doesn’t, I must leave. I’ve already shown that I can play at a high level at age 33. For me to be offered a contract after the season is over, I think that would be a smack in my face, and I don’t even want to get into that.

      “It’s like if you work for somebody, sometimes you want your boss to tell you that you’re doing a good job. You want to be appreciated, and me personally, I don’t think I’m being appreciated. I take my job very seriously and I want to let the fans, the real fans of the New England Patriots, know that I’m not here to start any trouble, I’m here to play my last year out of my contract.”

      If I were in Moss’s shoes, I would probably feel frustrated about the situation, too. He’s been a great Patriot over the years and his numbers certainly warrant him receiving a new contract. He’s also been on his best behavior since arriving to New England and has become one of the team’s most viable offensive pieces.

      That said, I just can’t shake the fact that he basically stole money from Oakland for two years before the Patriots rescued him. So does New England owe him or does he owe New England? In other words, is he justified for venting because of what he’s done for the Pats or should he just be quiet, honor the rest of his contract and hope for an extension in the offseason?

      I could go either way, although at this point I would advise Moss to temporarily move on. He’s said his peace on the matter and now the Patriots know how he feels. There’s no sense bringing it up again, although I understand it’s tough sometimes with the media always poking and prodding for a headline.

      External Sports, NFL

      Ryan Grant has a ‘pretty good sprain’ — pick up Brandon Jackson

      September 13, 2010 /
      Green Bay Packers runningback Brandon Jackson (32) is tackled after a gain by the Philadelphia Eagles Trevor Laws (93) and Trent Cole (58) during the first quarter of their NFL football game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 12, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Greg A. Bedard describes the injury:

      RB Ryan Grant was wearing a boot on his right foot and has a pretty good sprain. Could not have gone back in.

      We won’t know the extent of the injury until later today or tomorrow, but we do know that Brandon Jackson looked pretty good as Grant’s replacement, rushing for 63 yards on 18 tough carries and catching two passes for 12 yards. The yards-per-carry (3.5) numbers aren’t the best, but they don’t tell the whole story. The Eagles defense came to play and the Packers leaned on the former second round pick in both the running game and the passing game to pick up key first downs.

      If Grant is on the shelf for any length of time, Jackson will become a RB2-caliber fantasy back, especially in PPR leagues where his pass-catching ability will maximize his value.

      Afternoon Update: Grant has already been ruled out for Week 2. Jackson will likely be the top WW pickup of the week.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 1: Where undrafted Arian Foster is the top RB of the week

      September 13, 2010 /
      HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Arian Foster of the Houston Texans rushes past defensive tackle Daniel Muir of the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter during the NFL season opener at Reliant Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

      This season in Fantasy Fallout I’m going to get away from a position-by-position rundown of the studs/duds and do more of a free-wheeling, stream-of-consciousness column that will go up every Monday morning (just in time for you to waste a few minutes at work while you sip your coffee).

      Let’s start with arguably the biggest performance of the week. If your fantasy team ran into the one-man buzzsaw otherwise known as Arian Foster (238 total yards, 3 TD), I intimately feel your pain. After touting him all August, I failed to get Foster in any of my six leagues, probably because I was expecting to get him in the 4th or 5th round on draft day. As some sort of punishment, I faced him in two leagues this week. Ouch. In August, his ADP was sitting in the 8th round before Ben Tate‘s injury and skyrocketed into the 3rd, which I thought was a bit early, but his Week 1 performance totally justified that rise. As a direct result, the Texans didn’t need Andre Johnson (3-33) or Owen Daniels (1-9). Hopefully, owners stayed away from Daniels this week (I started Todd Heap — fingers crossed — over him in my auction league), and hopefully his knee reacts well to his first game action.

      In that same game, Peyton Manning completed 40 of 57 passes for 443 yards and three TD, and probably won a few fantasy games himself. With that many attempts, Manning was able to target Reggie Wayne (7-99-1), Pierre Garcon (4-74), Austin Collie (10-131-1) and Dallas Clark (11-80-1) at least 10 times each. Anthony Gonzalez (1-12, three targets) was the odd man out. The Matthew Berry-led talk of Wayne’s demise seems a little premature, at least at this point. It’s tough to tell how the Colts’ targets are going to shake out when Manning throws this many time, so we’ll just kick that can down the road. One thing seems certain: Austin Collie is the Colts’ WR3, not Anthony Gonzalez.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Barron, Cowboys might as well return game checks after loss to Skins

      September 12, 2010 /
      Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo passes during their NFL game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, September 12, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      I think it was rather fitting that the Cowboys scored what would have been the game-tying touchdown tonight, only to have the play negated by a holding penalty.

      There are some people that believe the Cowboys could be the first team that plays in their host city for the Super Bowl. So naturally, they come out in Week 1 and throw up a dud performance against a team that won only four games last year.

      Everyone has seen the Cowboys play uninspired football before, but their 13-7 loss Sunday night to the Redskins was extra special. Every time they did something positive, they negated it by doing something stupid. They committed 12 penalties for 91 yards tonight and most of them came after they had either picked up a first down or converted a big play opportunity. Of course, the biggest blow came when Alex Barron was flagged for holding (his 17th penalty on the night) on the final play of the game, which nixed what could have been a game-winning touchdown.

      And what was that at the end of the half? Tony Romo either has to chuck that down field or run forward three yards and fall down. OR Tashard Choice either has to run out of bounds or run forward three yards and fall down. What did Choice expect to happen on that play? All the Redskin defenders to trip over themselves and he was going to have a clear, 69-yard path to the end zone? That play was a massive punch to the gut right before halftime.

      I know the ‘Boys made it interesting in the end, but if it weren’t for the Redskins being so inept offensively, this would have been a blowout. Its understandable to look a little stagnant because of injuries, but it’s inexcusable to only score 7 points when you rack up over 350 yards of total offense.

      On a more positive note, what a great win by Mike Shanahan to start his tenure in Washington. Obviously this wasn’t a sharp performance by his offense, but Jim Haslett’s defense played its ass off.

      External Sports, NFL

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