Category: NFL (Page 194 of 1282)

      Bengals: We’re not trading Carson Palmer

      January 24, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer scrambles against Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on January 2, 2011. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      While everyone was focusing on the two conference championship games this weekend, there was a report out of Cincinnati on Sunday that quarterback Carson Palmer will demand a trade from the Bengals. But owner Mike Brown has final say in the matter and he told the media on Monday that the team will not trade Palmer.

      Brown admitted that Palmer did meet with the Bengals last week about a possible trade, which gives merit to Chris Mortensen’s report that the quarterback wants out of Cincinnati. Mort even said that Palmer is willing to “play the retirement” card if he doesn’t get his wish, although that would mean he would leave $50 million on the table over the next four seasons.

      But Brown has no plans to trade Palmer, who probably wouldn’t fetch much in return anyway. He hasn’t been the same player since the knee injury he suffered against Pittsburgh in the ’04 playoffs and his arm strength has been repeatedly questioned. He played well in the final two weeks of the 2010 regular season but that won’t be enough to entice a team to trade draft picks and fork over $50 million in order to acquire him. Even if the Bengals did agree to trade him, he would have to restructure his current deal.

      For now, it looks like Palmer is stuck in the ‘Natti for the time being.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is the criticism of Cutler valid or is everyone just piling on because he’s Jay Cutler?

      January 24, 2011 /
      Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler stands on the field before game against the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field in Chicago on October 24, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey

      Jay Cutler has an MCL tear in his left knee, although the severity of the injury is still unknown. In other words, we still don’t have enough information on whether or not he could have played in the second half against Green Bay.

      But unless he’s having his leg amputated later this afternoon, he’ll still have plenty of folks questioning his toughness. People know what they saw on Sunday: A disinterested Cutler not fighting to get back into the biggest game of his life. He just stood or sat there, almost looking bored and/or annoyed that he had to watch the rest of the game from underneath his parka.

      Former and current players have taken to Twitter to blast the Chicago QB. Maurice Jones-Drew pointed out that he played on a bad knee all season. Former Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks tweeted that he would have to be crawling and unable to get up to come off the field. Eagles’ corner Asante Samuel wrote that the Bears players should look at Cutler “sideways” from now on.

      Fans have been even more demonstrative with their criticism. One group decided to burn his jersey after the game and I’m sure there were many others to curse his name and trash his memorabilia as well. If I were Cutler, I’d be looking up vacation spots right about now. (I hear South Dakota is nice this time of year.)

      But is everyone being rational with his or her criticism? After all, he has only missed one start in his career and that came earlier this season when he suffered a concussion. Team trainers did check him out at halftime and he did try to go back into the game in the third quarter. He also has a torn MCL, so clearly he wasn’t faking the injury unless the Bears made up the results of his MRI (which is a stretch, but I also wouldn’t put anything past teams these days).

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      External Sports, NFL

      Could the Steelers be without Pouncey for the Super Bowl?

      January 24, 2011 /

      He still has two weeks to receive treatment but Steelers’ center Maurkice Pouncey may not play in the Super Bowl after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Jets on Sunday.

      Pouncey is having a tremendous rookie season and has been the rock in the middle of Pittsburgh’s offensive line. Doug Legursky came in and played very well in the AFC title game, but Pouncey is one of the main reasons the Steelers’ offense has been clicking over the past month or so.

      If Pouncey can’t play, his injury could potentially open things up for Packers’ nose tackle B.J. Raji to have a big game. He’s been a dominant force in the postseason thus far and although his main responsibility is to absorb extra blockers in run defense, he’s shown a great burst as a pass-rusher as well. He also dropped back into coverage on Sunday and took a Caleb Hanie pass back to the house for a pick-six in the fourth quarter against Chicago.

      The Steelers need Pouncey in uniform in two weeks and while he says he’s “definitely” playing in the title game, we’ll have to wait and see how his ankle responds to treatment.

      External Sports, NFL, Super Bowl

      Former and current NFL players blast Jay Cutler via Twitter

      January 23, 2011 /
      Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) walks off the field after failing to get a first down against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of the NFL NFC Championship football game in Chicago, January 23, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Apparently Jay Cutler is about as popular as a rectal exam when it comes to both former and current NFL players.

      After leaving the NFC Championship Game early in the third quarter on Sunday, Cutler is being called out for not playing on a hurt knee. Everyone from Maurice Jones Drew to former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brooks took to Twitter to blast the Chicago signal caller for his perceived lack of toughness.

      From NFL Fanhouse:

      “Hey, I think the urban meyer rule is effect right now… When the going gets tough……..QUIT.” Maurice Jones-Drew tweeted during the game. “All I’m saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee…I played the whole season on one.”

      “FOX HAVEN’T SHOWED ANY TRAINERS LOOKING AT CUTLER, UMMM,” tweeted Derrick Brooks, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

      The rest of us can only make educated guesses. Back to Twitter, this time from Arizona’s Darnell Dockett:

      “If I’m on Chicago team jay cutler has to wait till me and the team shower get dressed and leave before he comes in the locker room!”

      I’m willing to give Cutler the benefit of the doubt for now. If the guy was hurt and couldn’t play, then he was hurt and couldn’t play. He has taken quite a beating the past two years and his teammates aren’t questioning his toughness, so why should fans at home? He showed a lot of guts last week on his first touchdown run against the Seahawks last weekend and he even had a run against the Packers on Sunday that showed some toughness.

      That said, I honestly don’t blame anyone for calling him out. He flat out looked disinterested during the second half and if the MRI that he’s scheduled for on Monday comes back negative, then he won’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to everyone’s criticism of his toughness. The image of Kellen Winslow being helped off the field by two teammates in “The Epic in Miami” is forever burned into our memory. So when a guy leaves a championship game and doesn’t have a torn knee, a concussion or internal bleeding, we’re going to question whether or not he has any stones.

      Again, I’m willing to give Cutler the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that a million dollar athlete wouldn’t voluntarily leave a game when a chance to play in the Super Bowl is on the line. I also don’t think it’s wise to draw conclusions based on assumptions. Some are only assuming that Cutler was healthy enough to play when the only person that knows whether or not he could have stayed in is Jay Cutler.

      But for Cutler’s sake, I’m hoping his MCL is torn because if it isn’t, his reputation will suffer much greater damage than his knee ever will.

      External Sports, NFL

      Mendenhall powers the Steelers back to the Super Bowl

      January 23, 2011 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall (L) embraces New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (R) after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Jets 24-19 in the AFC Championship game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 23 January 2011. The Steelers will go on to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV on 06 February 2011 in Arlington, Texas. EPA/JUSTIN LANE fotoglif933714

      Here are five quick-hit observations on the Steelers’ 24-19 win over the Jets in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

      1. Mendenhall ran like he was mad at the ground.
      I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Rashard Mendenhall run with more determination than he did Sunday night. He shredded the Jets for 95 rushing yards in the first half and finished with 121 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown. He also caught two passes for 32 yards and would have scored on one of those receptions had he stayed on his feet. He now has three touchdowns this postseason and has provided the Steelers’ offense with balance. Against the Jets, he rarely went down on first contact and he flashed terrific speed on a 35-yard jaunt in the first half. No running back has ever rushed for more yards against the Jets since Rex Ryan took over as head coach in 2009. Mendenhall set the tone for Pittsburgh’s win.

      2. Bruce Arians shows some stones.
      Pittsburgh fans have had a roller coaster relationship with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians over the years, but they had to have loved his gutsy 3rd and 6 pass call with less than two minutes remaining. How many times do teams run the ball in that situation, get stopped, punt and then have to rely on their defense to close out the game? Arians knows he has a great defense so if the clock is stopped because of an incompletion, so what? But thanks to Ben Roethlisberger’s 14-yard competition to Antonio Brown (how big has this kid been the last two weeks?), the Steelers were able to pick up a first down and run the rest of the clock out. They didn’t even give the Jets an opportunity to win. Great call.

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      External Sports, NFL

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