Category: NFL (Page 213 of 1282)

      Dolphins the new front-runners for Harbaugh?

      January 6, 2011 /
      Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Soprano works the sidelines against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on November 28, 2010. The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 33-17. UPI/Terry Schmitt

      Just when it appeared that the 49ers were the front-runners in the Jim Harbaugh derby, the Dolphins have pulled ahead according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

      It’s believed that Miami offered Harbaugh $7-8 million and San Francisco is unwilling to go that high. The 49ers don’t want to get into a bidding war for Harbaugh’s services, so they may drop out of the race entirely.

      If the reports are true and the Dolphins have offered Harbaugh $7-8 million a year, it would make him the richest head coach in the NFL. Considering he has zero head coaching experience in the pros, that would make the Miami Dolphins’ brass legally insane.

      It appears that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross would rather not breathe than bring Tony Sparano back as his head coach. He’s already traveled cross-country to pitch the job to Harbaugh and according to the NFL Network, he offered Jon Gruden $7 million a year as well. (Gruden turned down the offer.)

      If these reports are true, then Ross should do the respectable thing and fire Sparano immediately. If he’s going through all of this trouble to replace him, then obviously he doesn’t believe that Sparano is the right fit for the Dolphins. It’s not fair for Sparano or his staff to stay in limbo while Ross runs around the country trying to find their replacements. (Then again, that’s the business, right?)

      If Miami does wind up with Harbaugh, Ross better hope that he can work with GM Jeff Ireland. How many times do we see a hotshot college head coach fail in the NFL because he’s overwhelmed from the start? The first-year head coaches who have had success always have two things: a good quarterback and a GM that knows what he’s doing. Recent examples include Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, Atlanta’s Mike Smith and St. Louis’ Steve Spagnuolo. I guarantee you Harbaugh and Smith wouldn’t have had the success they’ve had the past three years if it weren’t for Joe Flacco and Ozzie Newsome, and Matt Ryan and Thomas Dimitroff. And where would Spagnuolo be if it weren’t for Sam Bradford (who was chosen by GM Bill Devaney)?

      Granted, it helps that Harbaugh and Smith were NFL assistants at some point too, but Jimmy Johnson did just fine in Dallas and he was a “college coach.” He couldn’t work with Jerry Jones but at the very least, he had Troy Aikman. Jim Harbaugh won’t succeed with Chad Henne, I don’t care how much money the Dolphins throw at him to fix their situation.

      External Sports, NFL

      Touching story about Mark Sanchez and 11-year-old cancer victim

      January 5, 2011 /
      New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez reacts with fans after the game against the Buffalo Bills in week 17 of the NFL season at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on January 2, 2011. The Jets defeated the Bills 38-7 and advance to the playoffs. UPI /John Angelillo

      I don’t know how many times I’ve sat with a group of people and someone starts complaining about how the media doesn’t focus on the positive stories in sports. It’s always about arrests, sex scandals and contract holdouts.

      If you’re in the mood for a positive sports story, I stumbled upon this one at ESPN.com about Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez. A couple of weeks ago he struck up a relationship with an 11-year-old boy named Aidan Binkley, who was suffering from a rare form of cancer. Aidan only had two wishes: for his two brothers to stay healthy and to meet Sanchez.

      Here’s the story:

      Aidan visited the Jets’ training facility Dec. 15, and he received the VIP treatment, as if he were a big-name player making a free-agent visit. He watched practice and was escorted to owner Woody Johnson’s second-floor office, where he met Antonio Cromartie, Dustin Keller, Mike Devito and others.

      And, finally, Sanchez. The people who were there say Aidan’s face lit up like Broadway at night.

      Sanchez was deeply touched by Aidan, who battled rhabdomayosarcoma, according to a 2008 New York Daily News article. There was a lemon-sized tumor that spread from his pelvis to his lungs, and he required 60 weeks of chemotherapy.

      The celebrity quarterback and his new friend became texting buddies and, one day, he surprised Aidan by showing up at his house. The boy was sleeping when Sanchez arrived, but Sanchez stuck around until he woke up. They ended up having a long conversation, like a couple of old friends. To this day, Sanchez still wears a wristband that Aidan gave him.

      “My man, Aidan … breaks my heart,” Sanchez said Tuesday during his weekly spot on “The Michael Kay Show” on 1050 ESPN Radio. “He’s so tough.”

      Sanchez, choked with emotion, paused several times as he talked about Aidan, whom he met through the Teddy Atlas Foundation. Atlas, the boxing trainer and ESPN analyst, was a Jets special assistant under former coach Eric Mangini.

      “He brought me so much inspiration. … It’s hard to talk about him,” Sanchez said. “He meant the world to me. I felt like I’ve known him forever. … I saw his personality. I saw his competitive spirit. I saw him fighting every day.

      Read the rest of the story.

      As the article points out, Aidan lost his battle with cancer and passed away last Thursday. Being such a huge football fan, all I can think about is the playoffs coming up this weekend. But after reading a story like this, it reminds you that there are much, much bigger things in life than sports.

      Well done Mark, and RIP Aidan.

      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Playoffs Power Rankings: Wildcard Round

      January 5, 2011 /
      New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady lines up in the inflatable tunnel with teammates before the start of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on November 21, 2010. The Patriots defeated the Colts 31-28. UPI/Matthew Healey

      Here’s how I would rank the 12 playoff teams heading into the Wildcard Round. If you disagree, then f*#k you.

      No wait, that wasn’t very nice. I’m sorry. Merry NFL Postseason to all of you. It’s the best time of year…

      1. New England Patriots
      Thanks to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the Pats look indestructible and bound for Dallas. But the one concern I have is whether or not this team will start reading its own press clippings again. It happened earlier in the year when they lost to the Browns and then again late in the season when they took on the Matt Flynn-led Packers and were almost beaten at home. It’s the playoffs, so I don’t think Belichick has to worry about his team getting a big head but you never know. Other than that, yeah…Patriots for world domination.

      2. Atlanta Falcons
      I don’t fault anyone who thinks the Falcons will go down in flames over the next two weeks. Their defense is still a question mark, their offense looked putrid against the Saints last Monday night and they rarely blow anybody out. But one thing this team has going for itself is that it’s been in a ton of close games this year and is battle tested. They also have home field advantage (Matt Ryan is 20-2 as a starter in the Georgia Dome) and will be well rested. They also kept things vanilla offensively last week against the Saints, which I think was smart given how New Orleans may very well wind up being their first postseason opponent.

      3. Pittsburgh Steelers
      With Troy Polamalu in the lineup, the Steelers own the best defense in the playoffs (with Green Bay and Chicago being right behind them). The offensive line is still a concern, but this team scored 68 points the past two weeks (albeit against Carolina and Cleveland) so things can’t be that bad. The Steelers aren’t flawless by any means, but teams shouldn’t fall asleep on them either.

      4. Baltimore Ravens
      There are some pretty damn good wildcard teams in this year’s playoffs, headlined by the Ravens. They’re currently on a four-game winning streak and thanks to the outcomes last week, they’ll be making a trip to Kansas City this weekend instead of Indianapolis (where they’ve struggled mightily). Baltimore proved last year in Foxboro that it doesn’t mind playing on the road and as long as their secondary holds up, don’t count the Ravens out for making a Super Bowl run.

      5. New Orleans Saints
      Even with their Week 17 loss to the Bucs at home, this is still a dangerous team. They know what it takes to win a Super Bowl and they employ one of the best offensive minds in football in head coach Sean Payton. Injuries and Drew Brees’ interceptions are two major concerns, but playing on the road throughout the postseason should keep the Saints sharp and focused.

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      External Sports, NFL

      My interview with FantasyPros

      January 5, 2011 /

      Late last week, FantasyPros announced that I was 2010’s Most Accurate Expert, and as a part of the competition’s post-mortem, I was asked to answer a few questions for the site’s founder, Dave Kim.

      Q: Can you tell us a little about your site, The Scores Report, and how you got started in the fantasy business?

      John: The Scores Report is a national sports blog. We cover all the major sports, but my focus is on fantasy football during the NFL season, and then my focus turns to the NBA and college basketball once the season is over. I started writing for Bullz-Eye in 2005 and shortly thereafter began covering fantasy football on BE and then on The Scores Report.

      Q: Can you briefly describe your process for coming up with your player projections/rankings?

      John: I have an engineering background, so statistics play a big role in my rankings. I calculate strength of schedule each week, and use matchups to put my rankings together. I don’t do player-specific projections, at least not yet, so my rankings probably have more “feel” than some of the more math-driven rankings that are out there. This allows me to create rankings that reflect my own opinion on each player, including the level of trust that each player has earned. In other words, if a player is a risky start but has considerable upside, I generally won’t rank them ahead of a solid start with little upside. If I have one player ranked ahead of another, it almost always means that I would personally start them in that order as well. I wouldn’t want to advise my readers to start someone that I wouldn’t start myself under the same circumstances.

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      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      What’s gone wrong for Vick and the Eagles?

      January 5, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 15 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 19, 2010. The Eagles defeated the Giants 38-31. UPI /John Angelillo

      Three weeks ago the football world was buzzing about the electrifying Eagles, who are led by their electrifying quarterback, who pumps more electricity into a stadium than an electric generator.

      But lately the high-flying Eagles have been grounded. After scoring 28 points in 7:28 to shock the Giants in Week 15, they’ve managed just 27 points in the past eight quarters against doormats like the Vikings and Cowboys.

      Suddenly, Andy Reid’s squad looks rather vulnerable.

      What happened? For starters, Michael Vick traded in his Superman cape for one of Batman’s yellow Speedos. (What?) After not throwing an interception in over 200 attempts, he’s thrown at least one pick in his last five starts and six in total. Granted, the Eagles still went 3-2 over that span and he has thrown 10 touchdowns to go along with those six picks, but he clearly isn’t the same invincible player he was earlier this season.

      And really, that was to be expected. Nobody outside of Tom Brady could sustain the numbers that Vick was putting up earlier in the year. The law of averages were bound to catch up with him, which they eventually did. The bigger problem is that he’s taking too many hits and he’s failing to diagnose where opponents are blitzing.

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      External Sports, NFL

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