Category: NFL (Page 318 of 1282)

      For all intents and purposes, Sam Bradford has been perfect so far

      October 4, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 3: Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome on October 3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Seahawks 20-3. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      Outside of cutting down on his interceptions, if you’re the Rams what more could you ask for out of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford to this point?

      After completing 34 of 41 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Rams’ 20-3 blowout of the Seahawks on Sunday, Bradford is now 2-2 as a starter and has led St. Louis to back-to-back wins (for the first time since Regan was in office, I think). He’s also 28-of-49 for 350 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on third downs and has thrown five red zone touchdown passes in his first four games.

      Again, outside of his interception total (six), the Rams couldn’t have asked for a better start out of their No. 1 draft pick.

      Granted, he hasn’t faced the most prolific of defenses to this point, as most quarterbacks will rack up good numbers against the likes of Arizona, Oakland, Washington and Seattle. But Bradford is only playing who’s on the Rams’ schedule and thus far, he’s been impressive.

      And let’s give a little credit to his receivers, too. The Rams arguably have the worst collection of wideouts in the league and yet look at their average yards-per-catch from Sunday: Mark Clayton 14.4; Brandon Gibson 16.7, Danny Amendola 9.5; and Daniel Fells (who is a tight end, not a receiver) 11.7. Bradford obviously has a hand in those numbers, but he isn’t afraid to check the ball down and let his receivers pick up yardage after the catch (which they did plenty of yesterday).

      The Rams have a long ways to go, but they play in the worst division in football so who knows? Maybe they can continue to surprise. With teams like the Lions, Bucs, Panthers and 49ers coming up before their Week 9 bye, Bradford and Co. may continue to rack up victories.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is it time for the 49ers to bench Alex Smith?

      October 4, 2010 /
      San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Troy Smith (L), David Carr (C) and Alex Smith carry pink towels to promote the breast cancer awareness campaign during pre-game warmups before their NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Atlanta, Georgia, October 3, 2010. REUTERS/David Tulis (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL HEALTH)

      49er fans once again have had about all they can take when it comes to the play of Alex Smith.

      Following yet another rough performance by his starting quarterback in a 16-14 loss to the Falcons on Sunday, 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said that he never thought about pulling Smith during the game. Why would he? Smith killed two potential scoring drives with interceptions, but coaches don’t make it a habit to pull their starting quarterbacks when their team has the lead. And up until the final seven seconds, the Niners had the lead the entire time.

      But while the thought didn’t cross his mind on Sunday, I wonder if Singletary is considering making a quarterback change now. Smith hasn’t been dreadful, but the bottom line is that he isn’t making enough plays in the vertical passing game – or enough plays period. The situation in Atlanta was set up perfectly for him: he had a 14-0 lead, a solid game plan under new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson and a defense that was holding the Falcons to field goals instead of touchdowns. All Smith had to do was keep the chains moving, protect the football and allow the Falcons to kill themselves with dumb mistakes.

      But once again, he failed to do that and now San Fran is 0-4 after many pundits (this one included) projected them to win the NFC West. Given how bad the division is, that goal can still be attained but not if Smith continues to play as poorly as he has.

      The problem is that Singletary has options at quarterback, but they’re not very good. We’ve all witnessed David Carr’s handy work and Nate Davis is still incredibly raw. The wild card is Troy Smith, whom the Niners signed a month ago after the Ravens dumped him. But he’s coming off a brutal preseason and doesn’t have the accuracy or decision-making to be a starter at this juncture. Despite Smith’s play, he still gives the 49ers the best chance of winning at the moment (however long that is) and Singletary may have no choice but to stick with him.

      Then again, why continue to do something if it isn’t working? If Smith can’t produce under Johnson, then Carr, Troy Smith or Davis should get an opportunity. The Niners can’t continue to be derailed by inconsistency at the quarterback position or else this season is about to get longer than it already has been.

      It’s now or never, Alex Smith.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bills to keep Marshawn Lynch now?

      October 4, 2010 /
      Buffalo Bills' running back Marshawn Lynch runs for a 12-yard gain against Washington Redskins' safety Kareem Moore during the first quarter at FedEx Field in Washington on August 13, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      Either the Bills are playing a serious game of cat-and-mouse with other teams or they truly intend to keep three starting running backs on their roster this season.

      ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Bills are planning on keeping Marshawn Lynch past the NFL’s October 19 trade deadline. According to Schefter, the Bills contemplated trading the former first round pick last week but ultimately decided to hold off.

      Of course, this could just be GM Buddy Nix’s way of using the media as a tool to increase Lynch’s trade value. If it’s documented that the Bills plan on keeping Lynch, that may entice other teams to get more aggressive in their pursuit of him. Or again, Nix just really enjoys the company of Lynch, Fred Jackson and rookie C.J. Spiller.

      Given the way they played on Sunday against the Jets, it would behoove Nix to hang onto Lynch until he can get top value for him. A fourth or a fifth rounder next year isn’t going to help a team so desperately thin on talent. Maybe if Nix holds out long enough, he can trade Lynch for a third rounder next offseason, which could turn out to be a starter down the road. But he’s not going to get a third rounder right now, especially not after the Broncos acquired Laurence Maroney for a fourth.

      The Bills may just have to be patient here.

      External Sports, NFL

      Todd Collins was a tad rusty to his return to the field

      October 4, 2010 /
      EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Todd Collins of the Chicago Bears lays on the field after getting injured against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

      For much of the offseason, the Bears were actively pursuing a veteran quarterback to back up Jay Cutler and after Todd Collins’ performance last night in Chicago’s 17-3 loss to the Giants, they might want to keep searching.

      The Bears knew they weren’t getting much when they signed Collins two weeks before the season started. But they hoped that a) they would never have to play him and b) if they did, he would show some of the veteran poise that made him a reliable backup in other cities.

      Unfortunately the Bears did have to play Collins last night and even more unfortunate was how he fared. He completed just 4-of-11 passes for 36 yards and was intercepted once before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a shot from a defender.

      His performance was a painful reminder for the Bears about how unsettled the backup position is behind Cutler. They had drafted former Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour in April, but he failed to impress this spring and was eventually claimed off waivers by the Bengals. That leaves Chicago with Collins, who had to play last night because Jay Cutler was suffering from concussion-like symptoms at halftime, and No. 3 Caleb Hanie.

      At this point, the Bears don’t have many options (we’re talking the Brian St. Pierre’s of the world), which is troubling to say the least. Cutler’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, but with the new concussion rules that the NFL has, who knows if he’ll be medically cleared to play for Chicago’s next game. And if he can’t go, that means another four-plus quarters of Collins.

      Granted, the Giants’ pass rush is fierce and it was Collins’ first game in quite some time. But nobody wants to see that again. Not Bear fans. Not NFL fans. Not even Todd Collins fans.

      Suddenly Brian St. Pierre doesn’t sound that bad.

      External Sports, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: Where we party like it’s 2005

      October 4, 2010 /
      Cincinnati Bengals receiver Terrell Owens (R) catches a second quarter touchdown pass as Cleveland Browns defensive back Shledon Brown (L) falls to the turf during their NFL football game in Cleveland, Ohio October 3, 2010. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Early on, it was almost as we were living in the mid-’00s again, as Carson Palmer (371 yards, 2 TD), LaDainian Tomlinson (155 total yards, 2 TD) and Terrell Owens (10-222-1) led the early games in passing, rushing and receiving, respectively. LT2 and Shonn Greene had the same number of touches (22), but LT2 out-touched Green 16-to-8 in the first half, so Tomlinson has clearly moved ahead of Greene in terms of pecking order in the Jets’ backfield. Braylon Edwards (4-86-1) and Dustin Keller (4-28-2) starred for the Jets in the passing game. It seems like Edwards is focused and playing well after his off-the-field trouble a couple of weeks ago. (Hire a driver, Braylon. You have enough money.)

      There are a few things to take from the Falcons/49ers tilt in Atlanta. First, the change at OC for the 49ers looks like it will be a good thing for Michael Crabtree (5-58) who was targeted six times by Alex Smith (188 yards, TD, 2 INT). Secondly, the San Francisco DT is not dead yet. They held Atlanta to 16 points, sacked Matt Ryan (273 yards, TD) three times and picked him off twice. The 49er special teams also came up with a score when Taylor Mays recovered a blocked punt for a TD. Lastly, Harry Douglas (3-59-1) is making his case to be the Falcons’ WR2. He was targeted eight times by Ryan.

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      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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