Category: NFL (Page 563 of 1282)

      Seahawks GM Ruskell to resign – will Holmgren stay?

      December 3, 2009 /

      The Seattle Times is reporting that Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell will resign on Thursday.

      His departure creates an opening atop the Seahawks’ football operations, and speculation will turn immediately to Mike Holmgren, who coached the Seahawks for 10 years. He has expressed a desire to return to the NFL after taking this year off, and it is believed Seattle would be his first choice.

      Once Ruskell’s departure becomes official, it will become more clear where Holmgren fits into the franchise’s framework for the future, though it should be noted the league’s hiring protocol for a vacancy like this would require the franchise to interview at least one minority candidate.

      This will be an interesting story to follow, because Holmgren is coveted from other teams as well. The Browns have already shown interest and there are sure to be more openings that pop up in the offseason.

      My question is, does Holmgren want to be a GM and a head coach or just a GM? If he wants to do both, one would think that he would go outside the organization and start over. If he just wants to be a GM, then he’s likely to stay in Seattle and work with Jim Mora.

      One thing is for sure: Holmgren will have a variety of options this offseason.


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      NFL

      Jamal Lewis done for the season, and his career

      December 3, 2009 /

      The Browns placed running back Jamal Lewis on injured reserve on Wednesday night with post-concussion symptoms, effectively ending his season and his career.

      From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

      Lewis, who previously announced this would be his last NFL season, has played his last down of football. He will retire as the 21st leading NFL rusher with 10,607 yards in 131 career games.

      But Lewis’ place on the all-time rushing list is the furthest thing from his mind.

      A source said that Lewis was “pretty shaken up” when an MRI test showed “brain abnormalities.” They may be the result of excessive trauma triggered by a recent hit. More tests will be done to determine the extent of Lewis’ injury, the source said.

      The injuries to Lewis and Pool really bring home the wave of concussion awareness currently sweeping the NFL. Recent concussion injuries suffered by Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook, Washington running back Clinton Portis, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger accentuated national attention on the NFL’s need to deal better with head injuries.

      The NFL is trying to make head injuries more of a priority by making players wait longer after they suffer post-concussion symptoms. With the amount of head injuries that players have suffered this year, it’s a good thing that the league is being more proactive but it’s still up to the players to be honest when they’re suffering any symptoms.

      As for Lewis, his 2009 season will end with career lows in total yardage (588), touchdowns (0), catches (8) and rushing yards per game (55.6). He’ll mostly be remembered for his 2003 season with the Ravens when he rushed for 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns on 387 carries. He rushed for 5.3 yards per carry that season and had 16 runs of 20-plus yards.

      It’s unlikely that Lewis will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he put together a nice career for himself and he’ll retire with a Super Bowl ring.


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      NFL

      NFL changes rules on concussions

      December 3, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, NFL teams now have new, stricter instructions for when players should be allowed to return to games or practices after suffering head injuries.

      In the latest step by the league to address a hot-button issue, commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the 32 clubs Wednesday saying a player who gets a concussion should not return to action on the same day if he shows certain signs or symptoms.

      Those include an inability to remember assignments or plays, a gap in memory, persistent dizziness and persistent headaches.

      The old standard, established in 2007, said a player should not be allowed to return to the same game if he lost consciousness.
      Nearly one-fifth of 160 NFL players surveyed by The Associated Press from Nov. 2-15 replied that they have hidden or played down the effects of a concussion.

      The new policy states, in part: “Once removed for the duration of a practice or game, the player should not be considered for return-to-football activities until he is fully asymptomatic, both at rest and after exertion, has a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing and has been cleared to return by both his team physician(s) and the independent neurological consultant.”

      Teams were told this month they have to find an outside neurologist who can be consulted on concussions, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday all of those independent doctors have been approved and are in place.

      It’s good to see that the league can adjust when a rule or regulation needs to be changed. The NFL has a responsibility to its players to protect them from serious, long-term injuries the best it can.

      That said, players also need to admit when they’re suffering from symptoms, which will be hard because most players don’t want to show weakness. Hopefully the league and its players will take a more active role when it comes to head injuries.

      It’ll be interesting to see if Big Ben plays this weekend given these new rules. It sounds like he hasn’t suffered from any symptoms lately, but the league is going to start paying extra attention to head injuries and his concussion will become a focus.


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      NFL

      Michael Vick returns to Atlanta this week…not that anyone cares.

      December 3, 2009 /

      What’s great about the majority of sports fans (and maybe the American public in general) is that we have short attention spans. For weeks, a topic can be talked about and debated on sports blogs ad nauseum, then a few months later it’s almost like the situation never happened.

      Take Michael Vick for example. He’s making his first trip back to Atlanta this week since tap dancing on many Falcons fans’ hearts by throwing his career away for a sick hobby and yet more people are searching for Tigers Woods’ alleged mistress than Vick’s Georgia Dome re-appearance.

      This was someone who was talked about day in and day out over the offseason in regards to whether or not Roger Goodell would allow him back into the NFL. Then when he was reinstated, countless rumors circulated the web daily about where he’d end up.

      But now, he’s a nobody – a backup who won’t see much playing time barring an injury to Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb. Vick’s been out of the public eye for so long that people forget that he’s even in the league. Considering he almost single-handedly sunk an entire franchise and used to bring 80,000 people to their feet every time he left the pocket (and many more sick to their stomach when reading what he did to those dogs in his backyard), one would think that people would be interested in his return.

      But we’re not.

      Consider this: Chris Redman will be more significant in Atlanta this weekend than Michael Vick, proving that if enough time passes, we’ll make anyone irrelevant.


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      NFL

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 13

      December 3, 2009 /

      Every week, I will highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

      love-em

      Donovan McNabb is pretty much a must-start against a Falcons secondary that has given up an average of 253 yards and 1.6 TD per game this season…This probably goes without saying, but Brett Favre (ARI),Tom Brady (MIA), Peyton Manning (TEN), Philip Rivers (CLE) and Matt Schaub (JAX) all have great matchups this week…Carson Palmer is a very good start this week against a Lions defense that is ranked 32nd in the league against the pass…Tony Romo‘s back is feeling better and he has a nice matchup with a Giants defense that has given up the 8th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last six weeks…The Seahawks have been pretty bad against the pass lately, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line…Desperate? Kyle Orton is primed for a good game against a sketchy Chiefs secondary.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

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