Category: NFL (Page 1233 of 1282)

In an interview soon to be aired by HBO, Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens puts the blame on the media for pegging him as a selfish individual.

Owens said he doesn’t think reporters are necessarily conspiring against him as much as using him “to gain viewers’ attention.” As a result, he believes that he is “misunderstood.” He said other players have been, too, “but I feel like I have been one of the main guys who’ve been vilified.”

Why?

“That’s the million-dollar question,” he said. “Why me? … At some point it does get to me. And I can’t say it enough. Dude, I’m human and that’s what I’m trying to get people to understand.”

Hmm, let’s see. T.O spent an entire spring whining about his contract and felt like he was being underpaid. He called out his star quarterback and his antics arguably ruined the Eagles’ 2005 season. I don’t know who the bigger baby is: T.O or Barry Bonds?

ESPN.com is reporting that Dallas Cowboys’ safety Keith Davis is in stable condition after the 27-year old was shot twice while driving on a Dallas highway Sunday.

Davis was reportedly struck in the back of the head and in the right thigh by an unknown driver at around 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

Apparently, this wasn’t the first time that Davis has been shot.

This is the second time in three years that Davis has been shot. He was an innocent bystander last time, and this time Stephens said the player was driving home from a family vacation.

In June 2003, Davis was shot in the hip and elbow while picking up a friend at a topless club. Coach Bill Parcells released Davis about a month later, on the first day of the coach’s first training camp with the Cowboys. Davis did not play football that season, but rejoined the club in 2004 and became a full-time starter last season.

How in God’s green earth can a guy be shot two times in three years and not be involved in any trouble to warrant the bullets? That has got to be as hard to do as getting struck by lightening doesn’t it?

One of the other amazing things from this story is that Davis’ agent said that if the Cowboys’ training camp started tomorrow, his client would be there. I don’t know how you rebound from being shot in the back of the head, but hey, I guess Davis is experienced in this sort of injury.

Hopefully Davis recovers without any serious damage.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger conducted his first interview since his motorcycle accident nearly a month ago and is more than lucky to be alive. According to onlookers at the scene of the accident, Big Ben was very close to dying.

“They told me that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach,” he told ESPN’s Jim Rome in Los Angeles, where he was for the taping of the ESPYS.

Roethlisberger went on to say that he forgot his helmet in the basement that day. Even though he isn’t thinking about riding anytime soon, Big Ben didn’t completely rule out the possibility of riding a motorcycle again. If I were him and were involved in a near deadly motorcycle accident, there’s absolutely no way I would ever sit on a motorcyle again. Kellen Winslow, Jr. has already gone on record stating he would never ride again after his mishap. If Roethlisberger values his career and, more importantly, his life, he should rid himself of any thoughts of motorcycle riding for the rest of his life. Note to Ben: Just say no!

It has been a long offseason for the Denver Broncos and their disgruntled wide receiver Ashley Lelie. Lelie has been unhappy about his playing time and production in Denver and has been demanding a trade since the Broncos were eliminated from the playoffs last January.

Now the wide receiver is not even showing up to work.

ESPN.com is reporting that Lelie has decided to skip the Broncos mandatory minicamp session on Thursday and is expected to miss the entire three-day camp as well.

On top of his role in Denver’s offense, Lelie has also been irked by the team’s trading for former Packers wide receiver Javon Walker. But with Lelie’s trade demands and his production last year, the Broncos had no choice but to trade for Walker on draft day.

A longstrider and deep threat, Lelie has 53 catches for 20 yards or more and 18 receptions of 40-plus yards in his career, but is prone to lapses in concentration and to bouts of inconsistency. Although the Broncos have attempted to deal him during the offseason, they have found no one willing to meet their asking price.

It is rumored that Lelie wants to be a number one wide receiver for a team, but who would want to make this kid their No. 1? Honestly, he has nice speed and can create separation, but what team would want to take someone who is ‘prone to lapses in concentration and to bouts of inconsistency’? And to only have one touchdown being the second WR on a team that went to the AFC Championship is behind unthinkable.

Don’t get me wrong, some team is going to trade for him if Denver’s asking price comes down, but not going to minicamp on top of an offseason of griping is just making matters worse for Lelie.

Shut your mouth, play out the rest of your contract and hope some team decides to pay you even half of what you think your worth.

ESPN writer John Clayton offers his 10 truths about the upcoming NFL season, including Big Ben growing up after his motorcycle accident and becoming a Pro-Bowler, Randy Moss having a successful second season with the Raiders, and the Panthers being the most talented team in the NFC. Some truths, however, I have a difficult time believing in.

Peyton Manning will have his best postseason thanks to the league’s recent rule change that allows quarterbacks to handle the balls prior to games. This is huge. Quarterbacks won’t be able to practice with them, but they’ll be given game balls early enough during the week that they’ll be able to rub them down and make them easier to grip. The process will continue through the conference championship games.

Slick footballs? One minor rule change will not put Manning and the Colts over the hump in the playoffs. They lost one of their stars in Edgerrin James, who has also proven to be a good pass-catcher out of the backfield. The Colts’ best shot at the Super Bowl came last season and they blew it. No matter what type of football Peyton uses, it’s hard to say he’ll automatically have his best postseason ever.

Brian Billick is on the hot seat, but his Ravens won’t fail this year. They should make the playoffs. The addition of Steve McNair gives Billick the quarterback credibility he’s needed for years. The Ravens have talent. McNair can throw to Todd Heap, Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton. Jamal Lewis is perhaps the league’s most talented big back, and he’s had a healthy, calm offseason. The defense is one of the best in the conference. The only question facing the Ravens is the play of the offensive line, and that’s where Billick will step up. He’ll introduce better offensive plays to protect the line and to protect McNair.

I’m having trouble buying into this Ravens hype. In my opinion, the addition of McNair doesn’t make them a shoe-in for the playoffs. McNair is definitely an upgrade over Boller (although who isn’t?) but he isn’t getting any younger and has had an iffy couple of years since his 2003 campaign. Add that to his injury history and the Ravens’ poor offensive line and you get question marks. It doesn’t matter how good their defense is if McNair goes down at some point in the season. They may very well push for a wild card spot in the AFC, but it’ll be tough with the Chiefs, Jags, Bengals, and Dolphins most likely fighting for the same thing.