Category: NFL (Page 871 of 1282)

      NFLPA to file lawsuit on behalf of suspended players

      December 4, 2008 /

      If you thought the suspensions issued to six NFL players on Tuesday would be carried out in a quiet, swift manner – think again. The NFLPA will file a lawsuit Thursday to overturn all of the suspensions in this case.

      The basis for the union’s action is founded on many of the same arguments that resulted in a temporary restraining order issued in a Minneapolis state district court on Wednesday that will allow Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams to return to the team after they were suspended for a mandatory four games in Tuesday’s action.

      The NFLPA’s suit may seek retroactive pay for any player who already as served a suspension in which StarCaps was the product in question. The union, as Williams’ legal team argued Wednesday in court, will cite that the NFL improperly administered the policy for steroids and performance-enhancing drugs by failing to notify players that it had specific knowledge since late 2006 that StarCaps contained the banned diuretic.

      The legal brief filed on behalf of Kevin and Pat Williams also claimed that a politically charged climate contributed to the league’s negligent action.

      This thing is about to get very messy and in the case of Kevin and Pat Williams, they might still be able to play if a judge rules in their favor.

      Related Articles:

      NFL suspends six, including Deuce McAllister, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 14

      December 3, 2008 /

      Every week, I 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 LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. 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

      QB: Matt Ryan is a nice start against a New Orleans defense that was already 24th against the pass even before the suspension of Will Smith, the team’s best pass rusher…Matt Cassel is worth starting against a league-worst Seahawks defense that has yielded 265 yards and 1.6 pass TD per game…Shaun Hill is startable this week against a Jets defense that is ranked 30th against he pass…For the desperate, Gus Frerotte has a tantalizing matchup against a bad Lions defense. The only question is will Detroit put up enough of a fight so that the Vikings will have to throw the ball? Last week against the Titans, the answer was “no,” and Kerry Collins finished with a poor fantasy line…For the REALLY desperate, Marc Bulger and JaMarcus Russell have good matchups against the Cardinals and Chargers, respectively.

      RB: Peyton Hillis is a great start against the Chiefs, who are next-to-last against the run…Steve Slaton has a tantalizing matchup with the Packers, who are awful against the run…Get Tim Hightower in your lineups this week. The Rams rush defense is ranked 30th in the league…Larry Johnson has a nice matchup with the Broncos, who are 28th in the league against the rush…It looks like Ryan Grant is going to play, and that makes him a solid start against a sketchy Texans rush defense…Given the Vikings’ defensive suspensions, Kevin Smith is suddenly an interesting start…If you have a big hole at RB, Cedric Benson is a sneaky good start against a Colts rush defense that has allowed 134 yards and 1.3 TD per game this season.

      WR: Roddy White is a must-start this week against a bad Saints pass defense…Unless the Lions completely fold, I’d expect Bernard Berrian to catch at least one deep pass en route to a good fantasy line…Unless he pulls one of his disappearing acts, Lee Evans should be able to take advantage of the Dolphins’ 26th-ranked pass defense…Reggie Wayne is a must-start, but Marvin Harrison is also startable against a Cincy pass defense that has allowed 218 yards and 1.5 TD per game this season…Matt Jones continues to play well in PPR leagues, so he’s a decent start against the Bears, who have the league’s 29th –ranked pass defense.

      LEAVE ‘EM

      QB: Joe Flacco has had a nice run (11 TD in his last six games), but this week he faces a stingy Washington defense. He’s still startable in some formats, but I wouldn’t expect more than one TD this week…After a brutal 1 TD/4 INT effort against Oakland in Week 10, Jake Delhomme has been decent, scoring four TD over the last three games. This week, the 3rd-ranked Bucs pass defense comes to town, so I’m not optimistic…Phillip Rivers (vs. OAK) and Tony Romo (@ PIT) are still startable, but you may want to look at other options…Leave Ryan Fitzpatrick (@IND) and whoever is QB’ng the Browns (@ TEN) on the bench – they have brutal matchups…Jeff Garcia should ride the pine as he faces the Panthers 12th-rated pass defense. Carolina has only given up 11 pass TD in 12 games…Jason Campbell isn’t playing particularly well right now and given his matchup – the Ravens’ 2nd-ranked pass defense – it would be wise to look elsewhere this week.

      RB: None of the Baltimore RBs look like great starts against a solid Washington rush defense. Besides, I wouldn’t feel confident predicting which one would get most of the touches…He’s still startable, but be wary with Marion Barber this week. He faces the #1 rush defense in the league and has a bum foot…The same goes for Clinton Portis, who can be started in a pinch, but don’t expect much from him against a great Ravens rush defense.

      WR: Derrick Mason is still startable, but despite Mark Clayton’s newfound fantasy success, I’d stay away from him this week against Washington…It’s always tough to bench Braylon Edwards, but given his current QB situation and his matchup against the stingy 4th-rated Tennessee pass defense, he’s not a good start this week…i wouldn’t feel comfortable starting Vincent Jackson or Chris Chambers this week. The Raiders pass defense is surprisingly good, and the Chargers are better off attacking with the ground game…Antonio Bryant is still startable in some formats, but I wouldn’t expect big numbers against a stingy Carolina pass defense.

      THINKING DEFENSIVELY (DTBWW)

      Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). Each week, you pick up a defense, usually playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. All teams are available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      This week’s picks:

      I love the Cardinals this week, but they are only available in 32% of ESPN fantasy leagues, so they are not eligible.

      IND (vs. CIN)
      SD (vs. OAK)

      Denver (vs. KC) is another option, but it’s tough to say which defense is going to show up.

      Last week’s picks:

      Bills: 10 PA + 3 SK + 1 FR = 10 fantasy points
      Raiders: 20 PA + 1 SK + 1 INT = 2 fantasy points

      Unsurprisingly, the Raiders let us down.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Top 20 NFL Quarterback Busts

      December 3, 2008 /

      The Love of Sports recently ranked the top 20 NFL quarterback busts of all-time:

      2. Ryan Leaf: (1998 San Diego Chargers 2nd Overall)
      He was almost as bad with the media as he was on the field. He didn’t set himself up to become a fan favorite or media darling. After signing, at the time, the largest signing bonus ($11.25 million) for a rookie, his performance didn’t match the compensation. He stated soon after he was drafted that he was looking forward to eventually having a parade through downtown San Diego. Through nine games he threw two touchdowns and thirteen interceptions. In one game that season he was one for fifteen for four yards and three fumbles. In his rookie year he had to be restrained by teammates from going after a reporter. Another time he let a fan that was razzing him get to his head and again had to be restrained by teammates. When his career was finished his statistics were putrid. He had 14 touchdowns against 36 picks. His career passer rating was 50.0. It seemed that he had found some stability recently as a quarterbacks coach for West Texas A&M. However, that was short lived after Leaf was let go for allegedly asking a player for some pain medication.

      1. Art Schlichter: (1982 Baltimore Colts 4th overall)
      The former Ohio State Buckeye was the last starting quarterback under legendary coach, Woody Hayes. Even though he was a bust from a statistical standpoint his legacy is tarnished for another reason. Like Alex Karras, Paul Hornung, Pete Rose and now Tim Donaghy, he was a sports figure that had a severe gambling problem. By mid-season of his first year, he had blown his whole signing bonus on gambling losses. During the 1982 NFL strike, he amassed at least a $700,000 debt in gambling. He ratted on his bookies to the feds after they threatened to expose his problematic vice. His career passer rating was an embarrassing 42.6. In 1987, he was arrested in a huge sports gambling (multi-million dollar) ring. Pete Rozelle essentially banished him from the league.

      Looking at some of these names from this list, it’s no wonder why so many people (myself included) are enamored with what Matt Ryan is doing in his first year. So many quarterbacks that were drafted high not only failed, but were so bad that teams had to cut bait after only two or three years. It’s amazing how bad teams can misjudge quarterbacks’ abilities but it just goes to show you that the draft is an art and not a science.

      College Football, NFL

      Ryan Leaf…the movie?

      December 3, 2008 /

      Some dude actually a made a film about Ryan Leaf…and is showing it for free in San Diego.

      We all have times in our lives we’d like to forget. But for San Diego Chargers fans who show up at the San Diego Library on Wednesday night, the Ryan Leaf era can be relived on the big screen — for free.

      “Leaf,” an 82-minute film about the former Chargers quarterback — a “can’t-miss” prospect whose short NFL career turned into a disaster — will be shown at a free screening on Wednesday night at the San Diego Library.

      “I insisted it be free for all the Chargers fans because it’s their story,” writer and director Tim Carr said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I was like, ‘Chargers fans have been through enough — let them have this.'”

      Carr, who plays Leaf in the film, appeared in “Rocky Balboa” and has written and directed two other films. He said he was interested in making a sports movie in the style of Woody Allen’s “Husbands and Wives” — a documentary within a movie — but “didn’t want to do a ‘Rudy’-type movie,” according to the report.

      Leaf does not appear in the film. Carr said he had a couple of phone conversations with Leaf about the movie and was hoping he would agree to a cameo appearance, but explained that their talks “got progressively less cordial,” according to the report.

      Their talks got “progressively less cordial”? Well now, doesn’t that sound like the Ryan Leaf we’ve all come to know and love.

      NFL

      NFL suspends six, including Deuce McAllister, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams

      December 3, 2008 /

      The NFL suspended six players for the final four games of the regular season for violating the league’s steroid and related substances policy.

      Pat Williams & Kevin WilliamsThe suspended players were running back Deuce McAllister and defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans; defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams of Minnesota; and long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston.

      The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense, which ranks second in the league.
      If a player’s team makes the playoffs, the player will be eligible to return to the active roster on Dec. 29.

      The suspension of Pat and Kevin Williams, who are not related, may prove to be the most critical.
      “In response to this afternoon’s ruling, the Minnesota Vikings are very disappointed in the National Football League’s suspension of Kevin and Pat Williams,” the team said in a statement. “At the appropriate time, we will have further comment.”

      First things first – don’t confuse what these players took as being steroids. The league likes to group all banned substances under one umbrella, but a diuretic isn’t the same thing as full-blown steroids. Granted, a diuretic can be used to mask the use of steroids, but in the cases of these six players it looks like the pills were used to cut weight.

      This is a massive blow to the Vikings, who just claimed a one game lead in the NFC North. It’s no secret their defense relies on stopping the run and now their two main pieces will miss the final four games. This is huge for the Bears and Packers, although both of those teams have their own issues to sort out.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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