Category: NFL (Page 633 of 1282)

Report: Braylon Edwards didn’t throw punch

The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Braylon Edwards wasn’t the person who threw the punch at Cleveland nightclub promoter Edward Givens in an incident that occurred early Monday morning.

Edwards appeared to reach a breaking point under the first-year Browns coach Eric Mangini. He has been fined several times by Mangini and is one of several players to have filed a grievance with the league over the fines handed down to players, according to someone with knowledge of the situation but who is not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Also, there’s speculation that Edwards is the player who was fined $1,701 for drinking a bottle of water in his hotel room without paying for it.

As for the incident on Sunday, a member of Edwards’ entourage — not him — threw the punch, according to someone with knowledge of the situation but who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

Okay, so who’s lying then? Givens said it was Edwards that specifically punched him. So unless it was a scrum and multiple punches were being thrown (which doesn’t sound like it was the case), then it would have been easy for Givens to single out Edwards as the puncher.

That means either someone is covering up for Edwards or Givens is lying for whatever reason. (Maybe to make Edwards look bad since he’s a friend of LeBron?)

Where are the Hardy Boys? We need a mystery solved…

Tebow practices, but should he play?

ESPN.com is reporting that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since suffering a concussion two weeks ago in a win over Kentucky. But Tebow still hasn’t been medically cleared to play against LSU this Saturday night.

The question now becomes: If Tebow isn’t cleared to play against LSU until Saturday, should Urban Meyer still play him?

The obvious answer would be “hell yes – what are you an idiot?” But even though this is a SEC game for Florida, it doesn’t mean that the Gators absolutely need a win. They could still lose to Tigers (a West opponent), win the East, play for the SEC Championship and then make another appearance in the BSC title game. Remember, the BCS system rewards teams for getting their losses out of the way early.

I’m not saying that this isn’t a big game for Florida because it is. What I’m saying is that risking Tebow’s health for this particular game isn’t worth it because the Gators could still accomplish their goals of winning the SEC and playing for a national title if they lose to LSU. Believe it or not, the bigger game for Florida is coming up at the end of the month when they host Georgia, which is an East opponent.

If Tebow is medically cleared to play in the next day or two and he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, then the obvious decision is to start and play him against LSU. But if he isn’t ready to go until Saturday morning or afternoon, then Meyer should consider holding his best player out and giving him another week to rest. After all, the Gators can still play for a national title with one loss, but they can’t play for a national title without Tim Tebow.

Besides, Florida’s defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation and LSU’s offense has struggled mightily in the early going. The Gators could still beat the Tigers in Baton Rouge without Tebow, which is another reason why holding him back if he’s no 100% makes sense.

Crabtree, 49ers agree to deal

According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, the 49ers and Michael Crabtree have agreed to a six-year deal after his agent Eugene Parker had a face-to-face meeting with the team’s vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe on Wednesday morning.

Contract details weren’t immediately released, but Glazer reports that the deal can be voided after five years if Crabtree has “two very good years among his first four.” If he doesn’t, he’ll make $4 million in the sixth year.

If the final contract numbers are similar to the Niners’ first offer of five years, $20 million with $16 million guaranteed, then this was a massive fail by Parker. In the end, he essentially advised Crabtree to holdout for all of training camp and four weeks of the season only to receive the same contract that he would have had if he signed in the offseason. Only now, Crabtree gave up four-plus games of his career and is now behind the eight ball in trying to get that final year voided.

This will go down as one of the all-time agent blunders. The arrogance of Parker to think that he could command more money than the draft slot his client was taken in is outright laughable. And if other athletes were paying attention to how this all went down then Parker also cost himself future clients with his stupidity.

Moving forward, Crabtree probably won’t see the field for the next couple weeks as he attempts to get caught up on the playbook and back into playing shape. He probably won’t make an impact in his first year, which is another thing he can thank Parker for.

Eugene Parker cost Michel Crabtree, at the very least, half of his first season. The kid could have gotten better advice from a dead squirrel lying on the side of the highway.

Crabtree’s fantasy value? In most leagues, he doesn’t have much. Rookie wide receivers don’t usually make a splash their first year, and Crabtree has missed all of training camp and the first four games of the regular season, so he is WAY behind. That said, if you’re in a keeper league with big rosters, Crabtree does have some value. If you have a place to stash him and he becomes a decent threat for the 49ers late in the season, then he would be an asset heading into the summer. Obviously, Crabtree has a lot of value in dynasty leagues.

Browns trade Braylon Edwards to Jets

ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports that the Jets have acquired receiver Braylon Edwards in exchange for wideout Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnick and two draft picks believed to be third and fifth rounders.

This is an interesting move for both sides. Because of Edwards’ recent off-field incident, his trade value was never lower, so the Jets jumped on the opportunity to acquire him even though he could inevitably be suspended. If he isn’t suspended and he winds up turning his career around with a this fresh start in New York, then the Jets accomplish their goal of adding a No. 1 (caliber) receiver for rookie QB Mark Sanchez.

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2009 NFL Power Rankings Week 5

Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL after four weeks.

1. New York Giants (4-0)
The Giants have the deepest collection of depth in the entire league. GM Jerry Reese did an outstanding job adding defensive depth this offseason and it’s paying off following injuries to Kenny Phillips, Chris Canty and Michael Boley. Eli Manning’s foot injury is a concern, but the G-Men look as good as anyone in the league right now.

2. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
Thanks to Darren Sharper and new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Saints finally have the D to match their explosive offense. Teams are going to find it hard playing inside the Superdome all season.

3. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Peyton Manning is playing up to his Pro Bowl-caliber self and the defense looks faster and more aggressive under new coordinator Larry Coyer. Indy is currently the team to beat in the AFC.

4. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
The Vikings look great so far this season, but the theme all year is going to be whether or not Brett Favre can stay healthy. Last night the Packers took away Adrian Peterson and Favre beat them with some amazing throws. But he also faced zero rush and teams aren’t going to give him that kind of time every week.

5. New York Jets (3-1)
It’s not surprising that a team finally made Mark Sanchez look like a rookie because it was bound to happen. What he does next will determine how good this kid will be and whether or not he can lead the Jets to the playoffs.

6. New England Patriots (3-1)
Something still seems off with the Patriots, but they have a great opportunity over the next couple weeks to rack up three more wins before their bye. Their defense still has holes and they’ve benefited from some questionable calls, but give Bill Belichick and Tom Brady credit for finding a way to get to 3-1 after a lackluster start.

7. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
A couple of calls didn’t go their way on Sunday, but that’s no excuse for Baltimore’s receivers to drop two key passes in the red zone with the game on the line. This is still a very good football team, but the Ravens cost themselves an opportunity to stay undefeated last week.

8. Denver Broncos (4-0)
The Broncos’ offense is still a work in progress, but Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno are a form a nice duo in the running game, the offensive line is solid and Brandon Marshall is a weapon. As long as the defense continues to play as well as it has, the Broncos should overcome their limitations on offense.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Is Rashard Mendenhall the key to what ails the Pittsburgh running game? If he is, the defending champs are going to be tough to beat from here on out. The offensive line played great against San Diego on Sunday night.

10. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Hopefully over the bye, Mike Smith fixed some of the Falcons’ defensive issues that were on display in New England two weeks ago. This team needs to do a better job of applying pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run or else they’re going to continue to have problems against elite teams. Michael Turner and the running game need to get going as well so that Matt Ryan can benefit from a balanced attack.

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