Category: NFL (Page 340 of 1282)

      Don’t bank on Vick replacing Kolb as Eagles’ full-time starter

      September 17, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers during the NFL season opener at Lincoln Financial Field on September 12, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

      I’m getting a big kick out of listening to all the chatter going on this week surrounding the Eagles’ starting quarterback job.

      Michael Vick plays like the 2002 version of himself for three quarters and now all of a sudden some are ready to anoint him mayor of Philadelphia.

      Relax.

      First and foremost, keep in mind that part of the reason Vick looked so good last week against the Packers is because Green Bay had game planned for Kolb. While they may have had a plan to defense Vick for the three or four times they should have seen him, they weren’t prepared to stop a mobile quarterback for three-fourths of the game. There’s no question that Vick looked good, but let’s see how he does when a defense has an entire week to game plan for him…

      …what? The Eagles play the Lions this Sunday? (Damn it…should have looked at the schedule before making that point.)

      Back to Kolb: not only did Andy Reid use a second round pick on the former Houston product in 2007, but he also signed off on the trade that sent his quarterback of the last decade (Donovan McNabb) to Washington in order to make way for Kolb to start. So it’s going to take a little more than one quarter of poor play (with a concussion, no less) for Kolb to lose his starting job.

      Even if Vick dazzles again on Sunday, don’t expect Kolb to ride the pine in Week 3 and beyond. When he’s healthy enough to play again, he’ll start. If he looks shaky again, then maybe the fine folks in Philly can start thinking about getting that mayor chair warmed up for Vick.

      External Sports, NFL

      Why is Marshawn Lynch still a Bill?

      September 16, 2010 /
      Aug. 06, 2010 - Pittsford, New York, United States of America - August 6, 2010: Buffalo Bills running back MARSHAWN LYNCH.

      Does anyone else find it interesting that the Bills have three starting running backs on their roster and no starting quarterbacks?

      I get C.J. Spiller’s role – he was the team’s No. 1 draft pick in April that the Bills have high hopes for.

      I get Fred Jackson’s role – he rushed for 1,062 yards last year while averaging 4.5 yards per carry behind an inexperienced offensive line.

      I get Marshawn Lynch’s role – he…

      Actually, I don’t get what Lynch’s role is in Buffalo. Why is he still on the Bills’ roster? Furthermore, why wasn’t he traded a millisecond after Spiller’s name was called in April?

      I’m a little confused as to what Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey’s game plan is here. Having two running backs is the norm now in the NFL. But the No. 3 back on the depth chart is usually a change-of-pace option or a developmental project for down the road. He’s not a former No. 1 pick that has embarrassed the franchise on several occasions by running into trouble with the law and whose trade value is dwindling by the day.

      I could see if Gailey was going to use all three backs in some hybrid triple-option attack. But he called only 17 running plays in the team’s 15-10 loss to the Dolphins last Sunday and I highly doubt we’re going to see much variation off that in the upcoming weeks.

      Why pay Lynch first round money to only carry the ball three times when Jackson has earned the right for more carries (he only received four carries last week) and Spiller is the future? It makes zero sense.

      The Packers just lost Ryan Grant for the season. Nix should pick up the phone and get Ted Thompson on the line immediately. If Thompson is willing to part with a fifth or sixth round pick for Lynch, then the former Cal product should be on a one-way trip to Green Bay tonight.

      If the Packers aren’t interested, then Nix needs to find a team that is. It makes you scratch your head when the Patriots were able to ship Laurence Maroney (another former first round running back) to Denver in exchange for a fourth round pick, while Lynch continues to rot in Buffalo for no reason.

      External Sports, NFL

      Black Eyed Peas to play at halftime of 2011 Super Bowl

      September 16, 2010 /
      BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 03: Fergie and Apl.De.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas perform on stage at the RCD Espanyol Stadium on July 3, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Javier Fernandez Del Corral/Getty Images)

      SPORTSbyBROOKS is reporting that the Black Eyed Peas will be the featured act at halftime of Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium.

      The choice makes a lot of sense, actually. After Janet Jackson’s ‘wardrobe malfunction,’ the Super Bowl has gotten more conservative in recent years, tapping such acts as Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen and the Who. (Only Prince in 2007 would be described as somewhat ‘edgy.’) The Black Eyed Peas are more relevant, but they’re mainstream enough to entertain a wide variety of people.

      Predicted Setlist: 1. Let’s Get It Started, 2. Where’s the Love, 3. Boom Boom Pow, 4. I Got a Feeling

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL

      War of words continues between Darrelle Revis and Randy Moss

      September 16, 2010 /
      FOXBORO, MA - NOVEMBER 22: Darrelle Revis #24 of the New York Jets defends against Randy Moss #81 of the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on November 22, 2009 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

      Back in January, Darrelle Revis was all like, “Randy Moss is a slouch.”

      Then Randy Moss was all like, “He can say whatever he wants to, but we’re coming to burn house this Sunday.”

      And now Revis is all like:

      “If that’s what he said, I guess that’s what he’s been preparing for all offseason,” Revis said. “He said it with a laugh, but it’s been on his mind for the whole offseason. Randy speaks the truth. He speaks how he feels. Obviously, if he said that, it was on his mind in the offseason.

      “I called him a slouch because I felt he played like a slouch (in the first game). They tried to come after me in the second game. He wasn’t a slouch in the second game, (but) . . . if I said it in January, whenever I said it, you guys know I said it. That’s how I felt at that particular time.”

      Whatever. If you really care about the full story, then the Boston Herald has the whole thing here. But if Mark Sanchez can’t figure out how to throw a ball further than three and a half yards, then it won’t matter who wins the Revis v. Moss matchup. It’ll be irrelevant.

      Last year, Rex Ryan and the Jets were refreshing (uh, to non-Patriot and non-Giant fans). This year, the media has taken even more of a liking to them and they’re starting to become annoying. And if they continue to lose, then all of their “Hard Knocks” fans are going to start throwing metaphorical stones at them, too.

      This is a big game for the Jets. Even if Revis and the defense shuts down Moss and Tom Brady, Sanchez is still going to have to make plays at some point – especially if New England takes away the Jets’ run game.

      How Sanchez performs is the true storyline here, although what Moss and Revis say to each other through the media will continue to get most of the attention, I’m sure.

      External Sports, NFL

      Warren Sapp rips Bears’ Tommie Harris for not playing with more awareness

      September 16, 2010 /
      CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 12: Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears pressures Shaun Hill of the Detroit Lions during the NFL season opening game at Soldier Field on September 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Lions 19-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

      Warren Sapp made his money playing in the “Tampa 2” defense that the Chicago Bears currently employ under head coach Lovie Smith (a disciple of Tony Dungy). And considering how successful he was in that system, it was interesting to hear his thoughts on Bears’ defensive tackle Tommie Harris in an appearance on WSCR-AM 670 Wednesday evening.

      Here are Sapp’s comments about Harris, courtesy from the Chicago Tribune:

      “You can’t do that as an under tackle in that defense,” Sapp said. “He needs to set the table and have a quarterback sitting right there on the stage for Julius to come around the corner. He doesn’t have a problem with getting up the middle. It was just the awareness of the game that really eluded it for me. From what I know about the position, it just looked bad.”

      “I never got in his corner, that’s the whole point of it,” said Sapp, who had 96 1/2 sacks in 13 seasons. “He was never my guy. It was always he was supposed to be this and … that. Now he says he’s healthy again so let’s see.

      “There has only been one of me. He plays the game with no awareness. If you’re talking about a three-technique in that system, you can’t play like that.”

      Harris went to three straight Pro Bowls from 2005 to 2007, but his production fell off a cliff after he signed a $40 million contract extension in June of ’08. Some of that has to do with injuries, but some feel that his work ethic and desire have also been lacking.

      While Sapp may have been harsh in his criticisms, he probably echoed what some have already been thinking about Harris – that he’s just going through the motions or is playing selfish football. Granted, Harris did have two quarterback hits and a fumble recovery in last week’s win over the Lions, so maybe he’s starting to get back to being the player he was earlier in this career. (Keep in mind that this was the first offseason that he’s been completely healthy since 2006, so injuries have played a role in him underachieving over the last couple of years.)

      Regardless of what Sapp said (or if he’s right or not), it’s time for Harris to step up. If the Bears are going to keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North, they’ll need a dominant effort from their defensive line week in and week out.

      External Sports, NFL

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