Category: NFL (Page 581 of 1282)

      Bills interested in Mike Shanahan

      November 18, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the Bills are interested in hiring former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan to replace the recently fired Dick Jauron.

      Buffalo has contacted and is in the process of arranging a meeting with former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, according to two NFL sources.

      Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Broncos, is said to be willing to listen to the Bills. He has said in the past that he is determined to return to the NFL next season.

      While Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Broncos, is viewed within the Bills organization as a desired candidate, there are other names at or near the top of the team’s wish list.

      For now, the Bills have appointed defensive coordinator Perry Fewell as interim head coach. Fewell is well-respected within the organization and will be given every opportunity to earn the full-time job.

      The Bills also will investigate options expected to include Florida Tuskers coach Jim Haslett and New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, both of whom has ties to the Bills.

      Hiring Haslett would be a lateral move for the Bills. They need someone that will scout the players and coach them on the field; they don’t need another person like Haslett or Jauron that would be better suited for a coordinator role.

      But someone like Shanahan is exactly the type of person the Bills should be thinking about because the team needs to be blown up from the coaching staff down to the players. They need to bring a bulldozer to that place and start over from scratch and Shanahan is the type of guy who could build a team from the ground up. If Shanahan wanted complete control, then the Bills should have no problem giving it to him.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Brad Childress near an extension with Vikings?

      November 18, 2009 /

      CBS Sports.com reports that the Vikings are on the verge of signing head coach Brad Childress to a contract extension.

      And one should because Childress deserves to be rewarded. His job was on the line this season, his fourth with the Vikings, and it was common knowledge that he had to win to be retained. So Childress did what he could, sticking out his neck for Brett Favre when there was a question within the organization whether adding him was the right move. Childress argued that Favre would make the Vikings a Super Bowl threat, and at 8-1, they are. The move paid off for the Vikings and, now, it will pay off for Brad Childress.

      Childress sold his dignity to get Brett Favre to come to Minnesota, but he is the lowest paid coach in the NFC North and is currently 32-25 with one playoff appearance in three and a half years as the coach of the Vikings. Considering he’s on the verge of bringing the Vikings another NFC North division title and playoff appearance, it makes sense that the team would want to show its gratitude and lock him into an extension.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Browns considering signing LeBron James

      November 18, 2009 /

      …okay, not really. But LeBron did say recently that he could succeed in NFL if he put in the time and Browns head coach Eric Mangini has a helmet waiting for him if he ever wants to give it a try.

      From ESPN.com:

      “If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good,” he said Tuesday night, “no matter what team I was on.”

      Mangini agreed, calling James “a freak athletically” and said the 6-foot-8, 260-pounder could be dangerous at tight end, wide receiver or even outside linebacker.

      Quarterback Brady Quinn also heard about James’ football fetish. He would love to have a target to throw to like James in the red zone.
      “That’d be great,” Quinn said. “Tell him to suit up and let us know, we’ll get him working. Obviously he’s an incredibly talented athlete. If he wants to try to play a little bit now, we’d be more than willing to pick him up.”

      Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers isn’t convinced James, as great as he is, could step into the NFL and be able to handle the pounding.
      “I heard that comment,” Rogers said. “I have mixed emotions about that. A great athlete? Yes. A football player? No.”

      Rogers then looked into TV cameras.

      “Yeah LeBron, I said it,” he said. “It’s a punishing game. I just don’t think you can step off the basketball court after not going through this year in and year out and just play football. From that standpoint, I just don’t think it’s possible. You have to weather and condition your body to take this punishment.”

      That’s all the Cavs and the city of Cleveland needs: For LeBron hurt playing for a 1-8 Browns team going nowhere fast.

      Given how gifted an athlete James is, I could see him succeeding in the NFL if he put in the time. But I agree with Rogers in that he couldn’t just step onto the field this Sunday and have an impact. For starters, he’s never run a pro route and he’s never read a defense. If he was told to just run straight down the field and then look for the ball, I could see him making a play or two. But he’d be lost if he were to start a game without practicing and I could only imagine him getting laid out going across the middle.

      The front office for the Cavs would rather die than see this come to fruition, but I would love to see LeBron play for just one game to see how he’d do – even if it were just for a couple of plays.

      Of course, that would require Brady Quinn to throw a pass longer than three yards in bounds, which is something I seriously doubt he could handle.

      NBA, NFL

      Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 11

      November 18, 2009 /

      The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week, you pick up a defense, preferably one playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. To see how this approach performed last season, click here.

      Last week, I recommended three DTBWW picks. Let’s see how they fared…

      #1 Dolphins: 23 PA (0) + 3 SK + 1 INT + 1 FR = 5 fantasy points
      #2 Titans: 17 PA (2) + 2 SK + 2 INT + 2 RET TD = 18 fp
      #3 Cardinals: 20 PA (0) + 4 SK + 2 INT = 6 fp

      The Dolphins were a little disappointing considering their opponent (TB), but they put up a serviceable point total. The Titans were excellent — TEN is averaging 14.0 fp over the last three weeks (in three very good matchups). Arizona was mediocre, but at least they didn’t put up a goose egg like my bonus pick (ATL).

      On the season, my #1 pick is averaging 10.1 fantasy points, my #2 pick is averaging 10.7 fp and my #3 pick is averaging 6.8 fp. As a whole, DTBWW is averaging 9.2 fp, which are DT3 numbers. Not bad.

      Let’s take a look at this week’s picks. Keep in mind that to be eligible for DTBWW, a defense must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      2009 NFL Week 11 Point Spreads & Odds

      November 18, 2009 /

      Along with a complete list of point spreads for this weekend, here is a quick-hit look at some of the marquee matchups in Week 11 of the NFL.

      Colts (9-0) at Ravens (5-4), 1:00PM ET
      After earning a win Sunday night thanks in large part to Bill Belichick’s decision to go for it on 4th and 2 on his own 28-yard line, the Colts head to Baltimore to take on a Ravens team brimming with confidence after shutting out Cleveland (not like that’s hard to do) on Monday night. The Ravens’ offense hasn’t been as good over the past month as it was earlier in the season and they might have trouble moving the ball against a stout (although injury-plagued) Indy defense. Last time the Colts traveled to Baltimore was during the postseason three years ago when Indy eventually went on to win the Super Bowl. The Colts beat the Ravens 15-6 that day, but Peyton Manning was picked off twice and finished with just 170 yards and no touchdowns.

      Chargers (6-3) at Broncos (6-3), 4:15PM ET
      Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and Knowshon Moreno weren’t around last year when Denver coughed up the AFC West title to San Diego after taking a decent lead late in the season. But that has to be on the minds of the Broncos who did play in the Denver last season. The Broncos already went into San Diego and beat the Chargers earlier this season on Monday night, but that was before the Bolts’ defense started playing better and Philip Rivers wasn’t winning games on his own. Rivers has been outstanding over the past couple of weeks and the running game finally showed a pulse in last week’s win over the Eagles. The Chargers are playing with a ton of confidence right now, while the Broncos have lost three in a row. A loss this weekend and the Denver faithful will start thinking, “Here we go ago.”

      Falcons (5-4) at Giants (5-4), 1:00PM ET
      Something has to give between these two teams; the Falcons have lost three of their last four, while the Giants have lost four in a row. Atlanta will be at a major disadvantage without running back Michael Turner (high ankle sprain), plus New York is coming off its bye so it had two weeks to prepare for this matchup. Both Matt Ryan and Eli Manning have struggled over the past month with poor decision-making, interceptions and inaccuracy. Both of these teams are desperate for a win to stay within the NFC Wild Card hunt.

      Jets (4-5) at Patriots (6-3), 4:15PM ET
      A lot has changed since Week 2 when the Jets upset the Patriots in East Rutherford: Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez isn’t playing with as much confidence as he had been and now there are cracks in Rex Ryan’s vaunted defense. Bill Belichick and the Pats are angry after giving a win away in Indianapolis last Sunday night and will certainly look to bury a New York team that was so boastful about wanting to beat the New England earlier in the season. This game could get ugly in a hurry.

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      NFL

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