Category: NFL (Page 958 of 1282)

      Al Davis has lost his mind…

      September 25, 2008 /

      …or so Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says in a round-about way. On Monday, Kawakami had a run in with Raiders senior executive John Herrera about the state of Oakland Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin and his future employment.

      On Tuesday, Kawakami sat down with Deadspin to discuss, among other things, the mental state of Raiders’ owner Al Davis.

      Al DavisHas Davis lost it? Are we talking latter-day Howard Hughes?
      Al knows football. But he’s also paranoid; he’s into conspiracy theories about himself. He was that way when he was 40, but even more so now. And the ability to think around that gets harder as he gets older, so that effects his judgment. Also, he used to have people around him who were good at public relations. Guys like Bruce Allen, who were there during the Gruden years. Allen was a real people person and could help Al deal with the outside world. But Bruce is gone now. Al has absolutely no one around him who is good in dealing with people. It’s just Al in the darkness now.

      So, what’s the second-strangest thing that has happened to you since you began covering the Raiders?
      Do you know the Deng Xiaoping story? That’s the infamous one, I guess. It was at the press conference announcing the hiring of Kiffin. Afterwards I was talking to Al, and remarked that I thought it was a strange hire, given that Kiffin was so young and had no head coaching experience. Al didn’t like that, and said: ‘I’ll bet you don’t even know who Deng Xiaoping was.’ I was like, what? What does that have to do with anything? Al pressed it. ‘Who is Deng Xiaoping?’ So I thought for a minute, and said, ‘Well, if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t he the General Secretary of the Chinese government during the Tiananmen Square massacre?’ And Al repiles, ‘But what can you tell me about him other than that? See? You don’t even know anything about your own culture.’ I said, ‘Al, I’m Japanese-American, not Chinese.’ And Al said, ‘Ohh, geez. I bet you’re going to kill me on that now.’ It all happened in front of about 20 reporters, so I didn’t have to.

      In the interview, Kawakami notes that the only reason Kiffin still has a job right now is because Davis isn’t prepared for what happens next. Davis wants Kiffin gone, but isn’t prepared to go through the process of finding another coach.

      So in other words, things are about status quo at Oakland Raiders’ headquarters.

      NFL

      Fantasy Football Update: 9/25

      September 25, 2008 /

      Neither Brian Westbrook nor Donovan McNabb are expected to practice this week. McNabb is listed as probable and is likely to play, but Westy is listed as questionable and is trying to recover from a high ankle sprain in seven days. That doesn’t usually happen, so my gut says make other plans at RB, especially since the Eagles play on Sunday night. Correll Buckhalter is Westy’s backup (not Lorenzo Booker) but he’s not a great option against a tough Bears defense. Still, if you’re a desperate Westbrook owner, Buckhalter is a great pickup. You can stick him in your lineup and then sub Westy in if it looks like he’s going to play…Willie Parker is likely to miss the next two weeks with a knee sprain. This is an opportunity for Rashard Mendenhall to earn some playing time. Thus far, he’s been an afterthought in the Steelers’ running game. The bad news is that he has a rough matchup with the Ravens in Week 4, but things look much better against the Jaguars in Week 5…Damon Huard is going to start for the Chiefs, which is an upgrade for Dwayne Bowe, Tony Gonzalez and probably Larry Johnson as well. Bowe is off to a good start, but Gonzo and LJ have been a little spotty thus far. Huard isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he has played well in stretches before and since the Chiefs always seem to be trailing, all fantasy owners need right now is a guy who can complete passes against a prevent defense…In a mysterious move, Trent Green will replace Marc Bulger as QB1 in St. Louis. Green is old and fragile, so this looks like a downgrade for the entire St. Louis offense, including Torry Holt and Steven Jackson. Both players are still startable, but do so at your own peril…If you’re in need of a QB this week, Brian Griese isn’t a bad option. He threw the ball 67 times against the Bears and should find some success against a Green Bay secondary that will be without CB Al Harris. The Packers figure to put up some points, so the Bucs will likely have to throw to stay in the game.

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      NFL News & Notes: Giants suspend WR Plaxico Burress

      September 24, 2008 /

      Plaxico Burress– The New York Giants have suspended WR Plaxico Burress one game because of insubordination. Burress didn’t show up for a team meeting on Monday and then wouldn’t answer his phone Tuesday. The Giants are on a bye this week and Burress will not play next Sunday in Seattle. (FoxSports.com)

      Update: Burress has filed a grievance against the Giants for docking him two weeks of pay.

      – The Rams released starting CB Fakhir Brown. Less than a week ago Brown had replaced Tye Hill in the starting lineup, so the news of his release is surprising. Although at this point, nothing should surprise any of us about the Rams. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

      – The Bears cut former second round draft pick, Mark Bradley. The former Oklahoma product was productive early in his career but after tearing his ACL, Bradley just never recovered. (ChicagoBears.com)

      – It’s official: Browns’ head coach Romeo Crennel will stick with QB Derek Anderson this week when the team travels to Cincinnati. Anderson lit up the Bengals last year, but he’ll be on a short leash this week. Brady Quinn is warming up as I type. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Matt Millen removed as Detroit Lions’ GM

      September 24, 2008 /

      Detroit Lion fans, your prayers have finally been answered. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.com, Matt Millen has been removed as President and GM of the Lions.

      Matt MillenMillen was informed of the move Tuesday night during a late-night high-level meeting. Wednesday morning several people within the building confirmed that he had large packing boxes in his office and he made his way around to different employees telling them of the move.

      It is unclear if Millen was fired or removed himself from the equation but the news comes just days after Bill Ford, Jr. publicly stated he would have fired the GM if it was his decision but he lacked the authority to do so.

      The Lions have started off horribly and the groundswell for Millen’s demise has once again been strong. Unfortunately, that’s nothing new as there have been events like the Millen Man March, an in-game walkout protest and calls for Millen’s firing for years.

      The Lions are an NFL-worst 31-84 since Millen took over in 2001. They have also been a model of futility on the road and Millen has gone through three head coaches, none of whom have been able to turn the Lions into a winner.

      You almost kind of feel for the guy. He wasn’t trying to drive an entire organization into the ground, but he was just so good at it. Truth be told, he was under qualified from the start. The idea that a former TV color commentator could come down from the broadcast booth and step into a GM role for an NFL team was a joke. Just because Mike Tirico makes good observations during games, doesn’t mean he can oversee an entire organization.

      Fans can take the entire week to celebrate (the Lions have a bye this week), but a daunting task still remains. The Lions now need to hire a competent GM to get this sinking ship upright. The Ford family can’t screw this one up or else there will be another decade of losing and embarrassment. Might I make one suggestion, Mr. William Clay Ford? Look at the organizations that have track records of winning (New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, etc.). Then go out and get a young, hungry person that has paid his dues in one of those organizations and is ready to run a team.

      One thing’s for sure, Detroit will burn at some point today, I can guarantee it.

      NFL

      Are NFL teams becoming too dependent on replay and referees?

      September 23, 2008 /

      Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic has a beef with how fans and teams are becoming more and more dependent on instant replay (and technology in general) in sports.

      Watch a significant amount of football, and the sheer volume of penalties in today’s games is guaranteed to drive you nuts. There are penalties for illegal shifts, illegal formations and illegal motion.

      In 2007, there were 741 penalties called for a false start alone, and another 602 for holding.
      The game has become prisoner to hyperactive officials with a great command of the rule book and no sense of restraint.

      I believe the culture inside football is prompting officials to throw more and more flags. They are worried if they don’t catch every black-and-white infraction they will be downgraded. Additionally, the safety net of instant replay seems to make throwing the flag all that much easier. It has certainly made their walk to the parking lot a lot safer.

      But the technology is failing everyone. Already this season, two crucial replay challenges couldn’t award fumbles to the team that recovered because the whistle had blown. In other words, if you actually mess up twice on the same play – blowing the call and the whistle – it can nullify all attempts at justice.

      In another comical instance, Hochuli encountered a malfunctioning review booth. He couldn’t get any of the pictures within the allotted two minutes prescribed in the rule book, so he could not overturn the call.

      Imagine that. These games become pumped full of commercials, bloating barges of programming, and we can’t wait another minute for the right call?

      Bickley makes some solid points, but I’m going to go with the clichéd standby of, ‘it is what it is.’ As technology continues to grow, so does everyone’s desire to use it. And sports are no exception. If we have the technology to review a play to see if there was an infraction, then why shouldn’t we use it? Isn’t getting the calls right the most important thing at the end of the day? Sure, there are going to be times when technology fails us as it did in the Denver-San Diego game. But more times than not its going to be an aid.

      And I’m not worried about referees calling a lot of penalties. Yeah, it gets annoying (especially when you feel that your team is getting the brunt of the calls), but if a team or player commits an infraction, throw the flag. It’s that simple. (Or at least, it should be that simple.)

      NFL

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