Category: NFL (Page 528 of 1282)

      Don’t fall asleep on the Bengals

      January 7, 2010 /

      Let’s face it: The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t exactly storming into the playoffs looking for blood and ready to run over their competition as soon as the whistle blows.

      The Bengals lost three of their last four games to wrap up the regular season and haven’t beaten an opponent of significance since they produced back-to-back wins over the Ravens and Steelers in mid-November. Their passing game is severely limited, they have injury concerns and they seem to lack big play potential on both sides of the ball.

      In steps in the New York Jets, who might as well be the ’68-69 Jets compared to the Bengals. Led by Rex Ryan, New York has the No. 1 defense in the league, can run the ball behind their solid offensive line and is virtually impossible to pass on.

      And-oh-by-the-way, they also just crushed the Bengals 37-0 last week at the Meadowlands. So why should anyone like Cincinnati to beat New York this Saturday?

      Here’s why: The Bengals team that played on Sunday night won’t be the same squad that shows up this Saturday in Cincinnati.

      Anyone that thinks that the Bengals will play as bad as they did last Sunday is dreaming. They couldn’t tackle, they were unmotivated and they were depleted on both sides of the ball. And if that was Cincinnati’s full complement of offensive plays, then Marvin Lewis and his entire coaching staff should be fired immediately.

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      NFL

      Charlie Weis to run Chiefs offense

      January 7, 2010 /

      It appears that Charlie Weis is heading back to the NFL, as ESPN.com is reporting that he has agreed to be the Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator.

      Weis will be reunited with head coach Todd Haley, with whom he shared an office when both were young assistants with the New York Jets. Weis also will be reunited with Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who was Patriots vice president of player personnel when Weis was the offensive coordinator for three Super Bowl championships before going to coach at Notre Dame.

      The Bears had also been in the mix to hire Weis as offensive coordinator but the Chiefs won out.

      Haley ran the offense in his first year with the Chiefs after dismissing offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Haley had expressed a desire to find a coordinator so he could better manage his head-coaching responsibilities.

      This is a good move for the Chiefs. Weis failed as a head coach at Notre Dame, but don’t forget he was successful as an offensive coordinator with the Patriots before he arrived in South Bend. Plus, ND’s offense was rarely the problem under Weis’ direction and was actually quite potent last year with Jimmy Clausen under center.

      With Matt Cassel’s experience running New England’s offense, this should be a perfect match. Plus, Haley can now concentrate on being a head coach and not having to worry about running the offense too.


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      NFL

      Boldin doubtful for Packers game?

      January 6, 2010 /

      The Arizona Republic is reporting that Anquan Boldin has a sprained left MCL, as well as a high left ankle sprain.

      Receiver Anquan Boldin — He told me he has a high left ankle sprain and a sprained left medial collateral ligament. He worked with a trainer during practice but it’s questionable if he’ll play Sunday against the Packers.

      Even though the Arizona Republic reports that it’s “questionable” that he’ll play, sprains of that nature can take players weeks to recover from. That said, Boldin is extremely tough and will likely suit up. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, even if he does play, he probably won’t be close to 100%.

      This bodes well for a hot Packers team that already matches up well with Arizona’s passing attack.


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      NFL

      Did Russell ditch Raiders for Las Vegas?

      January 6, 2010 /

      Beat writer David White of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting “someone using the name JaMarcus Russell checked into The Palms in Las Vegas” the day after Russell was excused from a team meeting for “personal reasons.”

      White notes that this could potentially save Tom Cable’s job in Oakland.

      Russell is believed to be the major sticking point between Cable, who benched Russell after nine games, and Davis, who preaches patience for his prized No. 1 overall draft pick.

      Russell has been criticized by Cable publicly, and teammates privately, for not working hard enough off the field. The reason reporters knew about Russell’s absence Monday was because of a tip from a teammate in the locker room who couldn’t hide his disgust.

      Cable can take Russell’s Vegas-over-team trip to show Davis the extent of his disconnect from the rest of the team. Maybe Davis will see Cable handled Russell the right way all along, that his struggles were about more than Xs and Os.

      That, or Davis says about Russell what he said about Randy Moss in September — that the Raiders failed him. If that’s his stance, then yeah, Cable is gone.

      If Davis choices Russell over Cable it would be a colossal mistake. Russell will never live up to his lofty expectations because he’s not prepared to put in the work. Furthermore, he doesn’t have the overall talent. (It takes more than a strong arm to be a quarterback in the NFL, which he has proven time and time again.)

      If this rumor/report (not sure what to call it) is true, then Russell should be released immediately. I don’t know how much proof Davis needs to unload that gigantic bust. That said, maybe Russell really did have a “personal” issue to attend to, so we’ll just have to wait and see if more details emerge.

      I don’t want to make Cable out to be Vince Lombardi, but he proved this season that he’s capable of winning games. With Russell on the bench, the Raiders showed promise down the stretch and actually fought hard under Cable. He wasn’t Oakland’s biggest problem this season and deserves a shot to see what he can do without worrying about Russell infecting the team with his horrible play.


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      NFL

      Top 10 reasons why it’s okay that fantasy football season is over

      January 6, 2010 /

      Originally published 12/28/07. Updated 1/6/10.

      It’s that time of year again. Much like the post-draft letdown all fantasy owners go through in August or September, the end of the fantasy football season can be a depressing time indeed. I know a lot of baseball fans are already looking forward to spring training and their fantasy baseball drafts, but I’m not a baseball guy, so I need to look elsewhere for comfort. Here are 10 reasons why it’s good that the fantasy football season is finally over. (Seriously, guys, it’s not that bad.)

      1. Your busted picks won’t haunt you anymore.
      Just think about it: you don’t have to set your lineup for another nine months. No more looking at the injured Michael Turner or the disappointing Brian Westbrook wasting away on your bench. You can add Larry Johnson, Terrell Owens, Marshawn Lynch, Ronnie Brown, Steve Slaton and Matt Forte to that list. All of these guys were early picks that managed to sabotage fantasy seasons to one degree or another. If you only had one of these guys on your team, count yourself lucky. Two or more and your season was probably over before it started.

      2. You can start (truly) rooting for your favorite team.
      No more fragmented alliances. If you have a favorite team (and who doesn’t?), chances are that at one point or another, you were rooting against them this year. Either your favorite team was playing against a particular player on your fantasy team, or you needed a field goal instead of an extra point from your favorite team’s kicker. At some point, you wanted your team – whose colors you claim to bleed – to fail, somehow or someway. The best thing to do is fess up, ask forgiveness, and cheer as loudly as you can if your team was fortunate enough to make the playoffs.

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