Category: NFL (Page 1191 of 1282)

While much was made Wednesday about Tiki Barber’s possible retirement at the end of the 2006 season, nobody should be too shocked over Barber’s future plans.

Barber is 31 years old now, and despite his continuing success at his position, this is normally the time in a running back’s career when his stock dramatically plummets. Barber has been quoted several times in the past few months that he is considering hanging up his cleats no later than the conclusion of the 2007 season.

Personally, I think what Barber is doing is admirable. He knows that the end is coming and he has basically been planning this move his entire career. Barber has become a huge celebrity in New York and has been working on side projects like broadcasting and even Broadway acting to take the place of his football career. I applaud him for wanting to leave on a high note. Too many times as fans, we see stars like Jerry Rice and presently Brett Favre, hang around to the point that it’s uncomfortable watching these players struggle to get out of the league.

On the other hand, it has to be extremely difficult leaving the sport that you have loved since you were a child. And therefore, we as fans have no right to determine when a player wants to call it a career.

I just hope for future Hall of Fame player’s sake, that they follow Barber’s lead and leave a great lasting impression for us fans to remember them by.

In all of my years of watching football, I’ve never seen a guy’s hair get so much attention in the media.

Since RB Larry Johnson saved a touchdown by tackling Steelers safety Troy Polamalu by his hair last Sunday, the topic of Polamalu’s locks has gone widespread.

Personally, I don’t get all the hoopla. The NFL is very clear on the rule: The player’s hair is an extension of his body and the uniform – therefore making it fair game. If the athlete wants to grow his air out, by all means, go for it. Just understand that it can be used at any time during a game to take you straight to the ground.

In all fairness, the guy with the least amount of complaint on the subject is Polamalu. Even when Johnson yanked back up on his hair after the tackle was already made (which he was flagged for), Polamalu didn’t cause a scene and returned to his sidelines. And in a comment after the game, Polamalu said it best when asked if Johnson (or anybody for that matter) tackling him by his mane bothered him:

“I’m glad it happened,” Polamalu said. “It means I’ve got the ball in my hands.”

In honor of the 2006 NFL season, Bullz-Eye.com will take one contest off the schedule every week and break down each team’s strengths and weaknesses vs. its opponent. Plus, no preview would be complete without a forecasted score – you’ll find a prediction on the game at Bullz-Eye.com as well.

This week Tiki Barber, Eli Manning and the rest of the high-powered Giants offense will travel to Texas to take on loudmouth Terrell Owens and the Dallas Cowboys.

On tap for Week 4: Giants (3-2) at Cowboys (3-2).

Anybody with complaints that the NFL doesn’t suspend “good” players for substance abuse has just gotten their point squashed a bit.

On Tuesday, the NFL suspended Detroit Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers and Atlanta Falcons offensive guard Matt Lehr four games for violating the substance abuse policy. While it’s debatable if Lehr is any real loss for the Falcons, Rogers is undoubtedly a huge subtraction to the Lions d-line. Regarded as one of the best at his position, Rogers has recorded 314 tackles, 22 sacks, 18 pass deflections, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in his career and is often a force to deal with for offensive lines come Sundays.

While the NFL won’t release what substance any suspended player was caught with, Rogers’ agent Kennard McGuire confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that his client took an over-the-counter drug to help him lose weight (which isn’t a surprise considering how rookie head coach Rod Marinelli has reportedly come down hard on a lot of players – including WR Mike Williams – for weight issues).

Nobody knows what Lehr took, but after the offensive line gave up seven sacks in Atlanta’s 27-14 loss to the Giants last Sunday, I’m surprised whatever Lehr took didn’t actually make him better. I’d hate to see what the guy would play like without the substance.

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Baltimore head coach Brian Billick has decided to fire offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.

Billick will now take over the play calling duties for the Ravens on Sundays.

“Clearly, in order for us to expand on our 4-2 start, we have to have more offensive productivity,” Billick said in an 11-minute news conference. “It was my opinion going forward to bring about the level of production we needed offensively to go where need to go that I need to step back in on a day-to-day basis.”

Fassel wasn’t quoted in this article. But in a story posted on ESPN.com, Fassel told Chris Mortensen that he wasn’t in sole ownership of the offense while in Baltimore.

“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve gotten the offense up and running pretty fast,” Fassel told Mortensen. “It didn’t happen here and the reason I believe is that I wasn’t in full control.”

“Brian was very good about this. He told me, ‘You’re right. My job’s on the line and the only way I can deal with it is if I take control of the offense.'”

I always find it interesting when a head coach doesn’t allow his coordinators to do their jobs. It can be argued that Fassel wasn’t having sucess running the Ravens offense, but if Billick had a hand in the mess – what makes Billick think he is going to turn right this often-sinking ship?