Category: NFL (Page 1010 of 1282)

      Brett Favre to compete for job?

      August 3, 2008 /

      Wow. A source close to the Packers has revealed that the team is going to allow Favre to compete for the starting job.

      Another source close to the club, said that the Packers have agreed to allow Favre to compete with Aaron Rodgers for the starting job and he won’t necessarily be the backup this season. Trade talks with Favre have not advanced and coach Mike McCarthy is expected to come up with a plan that will split the practice repetitions with Rodgers.

      This is a huge shift from the Packers’ perspective. All along, they’ve been saying that they were going to move on with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, but evidently Favre’s (understandable) stubbornness, along with the prospect of the media circus that would ensue once he got to camp, has convinced the team to allow him to try to win his job back.

      Regular readers know I am a die-hard Packers fan, and this shift in policy only seems fair. Other than having to deal with the uncertainty each offseason, the Packers’ resistance to Favre’s return never made a whole lot of sense. Cutting him wasn’t an option, as he could go and play for the Vikings. Trading him turned out not to be an option, because Favre wouldn’t meet with the Bucs or the Jets. This is the only fair and equitable course of action.

      So now we’ll have a camp battle between a future Hall of Famer (and runner-up in the 2007 MVP voting) versus… Aaron Rodgers. I wonder who is going to win…

      By all accounts, Rodgers has looked pretty sharp in camp, though one has to wonder how he’s going to play under this kind of pressure. Favre, assuming he hasn’t lost “it,” should be able to seize his old job back.

      Unless, of course, this whole competition is just a farce and the team is planning on giving the job to Rodgers regardless of how either QB plays. Obviously, the preseason games will be vitally important to the public’s perception of the QB battle.

      From the POV of a Packer fan, this situation just went from frustrating to interesting in the blink of an eye.

      Monday morning update (8/4): The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel is reporting that the Packers have contacted the Vikings about a potential trade. Just when I thought this was over…

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Worst sports trades of all time

      August 2, 2008 /

      Lang Whitaker of SI.com compiled the five worst sports trades of all time.

      1. Cowboys trade Herschel Walker and 4 draft picks to Vikings for 5 players and 8 draft picks — Seriously, this really happened, back in 1989. You can read about the particulars here.

      2. Falcons trade Brett Favre to Packers for a first round pick — Of course, the Falcons had no need for Favre, what with Chris Miller dominating the NFL at the time. With the first round pick they received as compensation, Atlanta selected RB Tony Smith, who didn’t do much at all. Meanwhile, who’d have thought 15 years later that Favre would still arguably be worth a first-round draft pick in a trade?

      3. Mavericks trade Robert “Tractor” Traylor to Milwaukee for Dirk Nowitzki — This was actually a swap of several draft picks, so the two teams selected for each other. But still, must be haunting for Bucks fans to know that for a few brief moments, they actually had the future MVP instead of a guy called “Tractor.”

      Favre was doomed in Atlanta no matter what. Favre spent most of his free time partying and didn’t take the game seriously then. And even if he did, Jerry Glanville wasn’t going to allow Favre to see the field anyway because he never wanted to draft him the first place. (It was Falcons’ GM Ken Herock’s decision to take Favre.)

      And both the Walker and Nowitzki trades were flat out brutal.

      General Sports, MLB, NBA, NFL

      Legend Jim Brown suing EA Sports, Sony

      August 2, 2008 /

      Former NFL legend Jim Brown is suing EA Sports and Sony for the use of his likeliness in the popular video game “Madden.”

      According to Bloomberg, Brown has filed suit against Sony Computer Entertainment America and Electronic Arts over using his likeness in the popular Madden football series. He seeks a court order preventing either company from continuing to use his likeness in the franchise as well as damages stemming from trademark violation.

      At issue is the starting running back on Madden’s “All Browns Team.” The character is African-American and bears the same jersey number Brown made famous — number 32. In the suit, Brown claims that he “never signed away any rights that would allow his likeness to be used.”

      He also mentions that unlike today’s players, he was not given the option to negotiate terms during his NFL heyday.

      “The NFL had league wide policy that players shall have no lawyers or agents when negotiating compensation,” he said in the complaint. “Video games were not invented yet and no union to obtain rights from existed.”

      EA and Sony have yet to comment on the matter.

      Don’t let O.J. read this. You know his ass is praying for the opportunity at some easy money.

      General Sports, NFL

      Steve Smith suspended two games

      August 2, 2008 /

      According to the Charlotte Observer, Carolina Panthers’ head coach John Fox has suspended wide receiver Steve Smith for the first two games of the season after punching teammate Ken Lucas in a recent practice. Smith broke Lucas’s nose.

      “What he did was wrong,” Fox said of Smith. “We take it very serious. He’s being punished severely. … It’s an act that’s inexcusable and it can’t happen.”

      “The suspension includes regular season games,” said Fox. “Those are the ones they get paid in. That’s the way we’ll operate and that’s the way the landscape is.”

      Lucas was later taken to a tent and an ice pack was placed on the left side of his face and left eye. Smith walked over, accompanied by Muhsin Muhammad, to apologize, but the damage was done.
      “He knows he made a mistake,” said Fox. “Yet, he has to pay for it.”

      Great move by Fox. Even though Smith is the Panthers offense, Fox had to send a message that no player is bigger than the team. Plus, this is the third such incident Smith has been involved in and his behavior seems to be out of line. Scuffles happen, but essentially sucker punching a teammate when he was on a knee is out of line.

      NFL

      Top 10 Active Yards Per Game Leaders

      August 2, 2008 /

      You fantasy geeks have got to be salivating right about now, with some drafts and many mock drafts underway, and with the NFL season only a few weeks from now. So I figured I’d offer you a bit of assistance in the form of a Top 10 active rushing yards-per-game leaders. Though it doesn’t take touchdowns or receiving statistics into consideration, this is still a great tool to show who consistently produces the most ground yardage. My source did not include 2007 rookies, but I’ve added the two guys who made this list based on last year’s numbers alone. Good luck!

      1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers (95.9)—Likely to go number one in just about everyone’s fantasy draft, LT is just LT—consistently puttting up huge numbers in every category. If you think about it, 95.9 yards per game in 111 career contests is just sick. Also, LT is already third on the career rushing TD list with 115, and should eventually shatter Emmitt Smith’s leading mark of 164.

      2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (95.8)—AP was an injury risk coming out of college, but if you’re like me and took a chance on him in your draft, you reaped the rewards of an incredible rookie season. Peterson’s average is no doubt helped by the fact that he rushed for an NFL record 296 yards against LT’s Chargers in week 9. If he stays healthy, we expect another big year.

      3. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins (91.8)—Now that Portis has been away from Mike Shanahan’s offensive scheme for four full seasons, the truth has emerged that he’s pretty dependable, and scores a fair amount of TDs as well.

      4. Edgerrin James, Arizona Cardinals (90.7)—Okay, well here is where we start using the term “trending down.” James averaged 97.0 yards per game in his seven seasons in Indianapolis, and 74.4 the last two years with Arizona.

      5. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns (85.9)—Maybe he won’t rush for 2000 yards again like he did in 2003 with the Ravens, but Jamal Lewis is a bull and on the front side of the age curve at 29.

      6. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills (85.8)—In just thirteen games last season, Lynch rushed for 1115 yards and 7 TDs in his rookie season with Buffalo. Not too shabby, and we all expect him to continue to improve.

      7. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (85.1)—Injuries and a crumbling offensive line in 2007 caused LJ’s numbers to drop from 111.8 yards per game in 2006 to 69.9 in 2007. Who really knows what to expect in 2008?

      8. Fred Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars (84.4)—Okay, so maybe Taylor won’t reach 107.6 yards per game like he did in 2000, but despite sharing carries with Maurice Jones-Drew, Taylor was still very effective at age 31 in 2007. There’s no reason to doubt that he can still get it done.

      9. Shaun Alexander, free agent (79.2)—Alexander peaked in 2005 and then injuries took their toll the last two seasons. He’s currently without a team and even if he lands somewhere, you have to believe he won’t come close to matching his average yards per game again.

      10. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers (77.7)—In 2006, Parker scored 14 touchdowns, since “The Bus” was no longer a factor in Pittsburgh. He also has been very steady when healthy with his 77.7 yards per game average. But now with rookie Rashard Mendenhall in the mix, you can expect that number to start dropping.

      Source: Pro Football Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, NFL, NFL Draft

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