Category: NFL (Page 708 of 1282)

      Ryan Leaf jersey only $445 at NFL.com

      June 21, 2009 /

      If ever there were an example of how NFL.com loves to bend fans over in terms of buying league merchandise, it’s this one:

      Mounted Memories Ryan Leaf Autographed Chargers Jersey

      Item no. 2460599

      $449.99

      NFL Savings Alert

      $4.99 Standard Ground Shipping Eligible! (See Promotion Details)

      You mean, for only $449.99 I could have something that’s worth about as much as what I leave in my toilet after a heavy night of drinking and eating chicken wings? NFL.com, you’re too kind!

      I think it’s amazing that the site had the audacity to put an “NFL Savings Alert” graphic under the price. What…a…joke.

      NFL

      Silver: T.O. was released so Romo could lead

      June 20, 2009 /

      According to a report by Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver, the real reason why Terrell Owens was jettison in Dallas was because the team didn’t think quarterback Tony Romo could be a leader with T.O. in the locker room.

      Yes, it has plenty to do with Tony Romo(notes). Absolutely, Owens’ penchant for being a major pain in the ass played a role. And, as most of us have suspected, this did come down to his effect on team chemistry. Oddly enough, however, T.O.’s popularity in the Cowboys’ locker room is precisely why he was asked to clear out his belongings.

      The bottom line, team executive vice president Stephen Jones said Thursday, is that he and his father came to this conclusion: For the team’s highly paid quarterback to become a truly influential leader, the big man on campus had to be jettisoned.

      “It’s hard to take over leadership when you’ve got a strong personality like Terrell,” Jones said.

      “If you look back at our old teams [from the 1990s], a lot of people would say maybe Michael [Irvin] was the leader. Then you might say, ‘He was a receiver. What about Troy [Aikman]? He was the quarterback. Wasn’t he the leader?’ And the answer is, yeah, Troy was a leader. But if Michael wasn’t supportive of him, Troy would’ve had problems.

      “A lot of our players thought the world of Terrell – they still do. They loved the way he prepared and how hard he played, and everybody respected his skills and what he’d done in the league. And with him here, I think he was always going to carry that kind of weight.”

      What must be frustrating for the Cowboys is that, as the article notes, T.O. is a hard worker. As a football player, it’s hard to find someone who works harder at the craft than Owens. Don’t forget, we’re not talking about a young player here – Owens is 35-years old. He’s at an age where most receivers are lucky to find a role as a slot receiver and T.O. is still a viable No. 1.

      But the problem is that when things go from great to bad, Owens turns into a cockroach and invests the locker room. He simply can’t lead when it matters most and worse yet, he creates a hurdle that his teammates must overcome. It would be one thing if he couldn’t lead. It’s quite another when he becomes a distraction for others like Romo, who eventually need to be leaders when things go bad.

      Either way, T.O. is gone and Romo is out of excuses. He’s already proven that he’s a good quarterback – now he has to show that he’s a great quarterback. It’s his team and he has to grasp the opportunity that’s in front of him.

      NFL

      2009 fantasy football is coming soon—a look back at 2008 tight ends and kickers

      June 20, 2009 /

      When you are drafting your fantasy football team, you’re picking running backs, receivers and quarterbacks first. Tight ends and kickers are usually taken in the mid-late rounds because their value isn’t as high, and, especially in the case of kickers, you can still get a decent one in the draft’s final round. Here is a look back at the 2008 leaders at the two positions and how we think those numbers will project to 2009:

      TIGHT ENDS

      1. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs—During a season in which he was kind of auditioning for other teams, Gonzalez had one of his best campaigns—96 catches for 1058 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those are, like, Torry Holt numbers. Gonzo is now with the Atlanta Falcons, where he should have the opportunity to put up similar numbers in 2009.

      2. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—Gates had a disappointing season overall, with zero 100 yard games. But he was hurt most of the year, so even when he played he was hobbling. Still, 704 yards and 8 scores is not too shabby. This season, Gates should top that by at least 50%.

      3. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts—Clark was injured to start the 2008 season, but he really came on strong toward the end of it, just like his Colts team did. Clark owners were treated to a 12-catch, 142-yard, 1 TD game in week 15, and overall he finished with 77 catches for 848 yards and 6 touchdowns. There is no good reason to expect any less in ’09.

      4. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings—Shiancoe made more headlines for inadvertently showing his bare ass on camera, but he finished the season with one huge game to pad his 2008 stats, too. That was in Week 16, known in the fantasy world as title week—so Shiancoe no doubt helped some of you win your league by catching 7 passes for 136 yards and 2 scores, giving him totals of 42-596-7 on the season. But dude is too streaky to consider drafting earlier than the 12th round or so.

      5. Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins—Fasano was streaky but, like Shiancoe, he had a 2-TD game in Week 16, which boosted his season value. Fasano finished with 34 catches for 454 yards and 7 TDs, but I’d be surprised if he’s even drafted by 50% of you. I mean, Jason Witten didn’t even make this list due to being hurt most of ’08.

      KICKERS

      1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots—The Patriots didn’t score as many TDs as they did in 2007 so Gostkowski only had 40 extra points as opposed to 74 the year before. That meant more field goal opps, and he converted 36 of 40 to lead all kickers with 148 points. He also had four field goals and five PATs in week 16 to help some win titles. With Tom Brady back, there is no reason to think Gostkowski’s numbers will dip much, but he may have more extra points in ’09.

      2. David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles—He’s had a history of injuries, but when he’s in the lineup, Akers is one of the game’s most accurate kickers. Last season he had two 4-field goal games and three 3-field goal games. The Eagles are going to put points on the board, so Akers is draft material for sure.

      3. John Carney, New York Giants—This was almost a fluke, as Carney had to fill in for the injured Lawrence Tynes. He did so well that he made the Pro Bowl, kicking 35 of 38 field goals and 38 of 38 on extra points. But with Tynes healthy, Carney is once again looking for work in ’09.

      4. Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay Bucs—Bryant had to endure the death of his infant son a few games in, but he battled admirably. However, this is the Bucs we’re talking about, and they only allowed Bryant 36 PAT chances. Overall he had 32 of 38 field goals and 35 of the 36 extra points. But guys like Bryant are valuable because they play on teams that don’t score a lot of TDs, giving them more field goal chances. He should have similar numbers this season.

      5. John Kasay, Carolina Panthers—Kasay had a 4-field goal game in week 1 and another in week 17, but only 20 field goals in the other 15 games. I’m just saying, I probably wouldn’t draft the guy.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, Happy Hour, NFL

      Palmer’s wife slams door on idea of Ochocinco moving in

      June 19, 2009 /

      Earlier this week, Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco said he was going to be staying with quarterback Carson Palmer in July in order to make up for lost time after the wideout skipped most of the team’s OTA sessions.

      But apparently Mrs. Palmer has nixed that idea:

      Carson said Shaelyn got either a text message or e-mail from a friend, saying Ochocinco planned to stay with the Palmers in the days leading up to training camp. Shaelyn gave birth to twins — a boy and a girl — on Jan. 20.

      “As soon as I walked in the door from work the other day, she just gave me that look,” Palmer said. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, calm down. It’s media stuff. It’s Chad being Chad.’

      “I told her, ‘Don’t worry. I haven’t made any commitments to having to clear out the boxes in the (spare) room to make a bed for him. Don’t worry about that. It’s not going to happen.’ ”
      Undeterred, Ochocinco keeps insisting he’s staying with the Palmers.

      “No,” Carson said. “I just told him that unless he’s picking up my mortgage for the month of July and August, he can’t stay. He’s not living for free. I don’t need another kid around the house.”

      I’ve been critical of Ochocinco this past offseason, stating that he’s been more of a distraction than a funnyman like most perceive him to be. And his face tattoo joke was flat out stupid.

      But I’ve got to admit, him telling the media that he’s staying over at the Palmer house is pretty damn funny. I can’t get the image of Chad showing up at Carson’s front door with an overnight bag and a big ass smile on his face out of my head. Or him knocking on the door of the master bedroom and asking to borrow a toothbrush because he forgot his.

      Hilarious.

      NFL

      Will Stallworth play this season?

      June 19, 2009 /

      In the wake of his decision to plead guilty to DUI manslaughter, Browns receiver Donte Stallworth was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Thursday and will now have to wait until commissioner Roger Goodell decides how long that suspension will last.

      An indefinite suspension could mean a lot of things. Michael Vick was suspended indefinitely for being imprisoned on federal dog-fighting charges and is still waiting to hear how long his suspension will actually last. Adam “Pacman” Jones was suspended indefinitely last October after fighting with a bodyguard in a hotel bathroom and only received four games.

      But chances are, indefinitely means at least one season for Stallworth. In Goodell’s written letter to Stallworth about the suspension the commish wrote, “Your conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable.”

      That doesn’t sound like a man who’s ready to suspend a player only four or six games. This is just speculation on my part, but I’m willing to bet that Stallworth serves at least a 16-game suspension and has to sit out the entire 2009 season.

      If he is out the entire season, the Browns did a nice job this offseason preparing for Stallworth’s absence. They drafted Ohio State wideout Brian Robiskie and Georgia receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in the second round of April’s draft and also signed free agent Mike Furrey. For now, everything also looks copacetic with Braylon Edwards, who at one point or another could have been traded this offseason.

      It’ll be interesting to see what kind of suspension Goodell hands down but either way, the Browns are prepared and they’ll be able to save a decent amount of money if he is suspended for a significant amount of time.

      NFL

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