Category: NFL (Page 966 of 1282)

      Tony Kornheiser isn’t racist, he’s just not as funny as he thinks he is

      September 18, 2008 /

      I don’t know how many people caught this in the age of TiVo, but Tony Kornheiser gave a generic apology for something he said earlier during the Eagles/Cowboys Monday night broadcast.

      ESPN was celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and Kornheiser, Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski were listening to a replay of the ESPN Deportes announcer Alvaro Martin’s description of Felix Jones’s 98-yard kickoff return that put the Cowboys ahead, 13-6.

      “I took high school Spanish,” Kornheiser said, “and that either means ‘nobody is going to touch him’ or ‘could you pick up my dry cleaning in the morning?’ ”

      After Kornheiser conferred with the ESPN production team later in the game, he told viewers in the fourth quarter: “I said something before I shouldn’t have said. I apologize for it. Not my first mistake, undoubtedly won’t be my last, but a 100-percent apology.”

      You can hear the original comment and the apology in the following video:

      SportsByBrooks is confused.

      So, is he saying the Latino announcer is picking up dry cleaning? Or doing the dry cleaning? Or is he just insinuating that the guy has dry cleaning that needs to be picked up by someone? But why would it be weird for a guy who speaks Spanish to be asking for that to be done in Spanish? And isn’t dry cleaning more stereotypically associated with a different ethnicity? Is there something wrong about a Latino guy saying this while watching an African-American guy run?

      Whatever it was, Kornheiser felt it was necessary (or was told it was necessary) to apologize for it. Maybe he’s just sorry for his dreadful shtick that’s continually weighing down the broadcast.

      I have a theory. Kornheiser was obviously trying to make a joke, and I believe it was supposed to be at his own expense (at his inability to speak Spanish). He was saying that he took high school Spanish and then he offered two translations to the Spanish broadcast. His joke probably wouldn’t have fell flat had he said the following:

      “I took high school Spanish and that either meant ‘Nobody is going to catch him’ or ‘The bathroom is in the back of the library.’ “

      Anyone who actually took high school Spanish (and there are a lot of us) probably would have found that funny since much of first- and second-year Spanish involves conversation about bathrooms (banos) and/or libraries (bibliotecas).

      The fact that he threw ‘dry cleaning’ into his spiel turned it into a possible joke on a stereotype, though no stereotype involving Latinos and dry cleaning exists (to my knowledge).

      NFL, Television, Video

      Why doesn’t Troy Brown have a job?

      September 18, 2008 /

      The NFL heads into Week 3 with, as usual, more questions raised than answers provided.

      Why aren’t the Chargers 2-0?

      Can the Patriots make a Super Bowl run without Brady? Will they even make the playoffs?

      Is Aaron Rodgers really this good?

      Was Brandon Marshall serious when he said in the preseason that he was going to catch 140 passes this year? Does he know he’s got 14 more games to get there?

      Did Tatum Bell actually think he would get away with it?

      Who killed Marc Bulger and Larry Johnson?

      Did DeSean Jackson do it on purpose? No, seriously. The guy has a monster ego, so maybe he figured that dropping the ball before he crossed the goalline would make for a bigger story than a rookie simply snagging his first TD pass. …Okay, maybe not; but still….

      Who put a voodoo hex on Seattle’s receivers?

      But one of the more interesting questions floating out there is, why doesn’t Troy Brown have a job? He’s not a game changer by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s dependable. He’s also versatile, being able to play receiver or defensive back; battle-tested, having spent nine years in New England; and, of course, he’s a proven winner, playing a key role on three championship teams.

      True, Brown is 37 and has a sketchy injury history, but wouldn’t he make sense to a lot of teams as added depth at receiver and in the secondary? Aren’t the Seahawks down three or 12 receivers? The Saints seem to make some sense, considering the Marques Colston injury and their leaky defense. As a Browns fan, I can personally vouch for Cleveland’s crummy play on each side of the ball, and with Donte Stallworth and Joe Jurivicius both down, there’s a need at receiver.

      Of course, this all goes out the window if Brown simply isn’t healthy, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Earlier this week, a Boston Herald report said that Brown was set to retire today, but now the Boston Globe says Brown is still on the fence.

      “We’ll see,” [Brown] responded. “There’s always a chance [of playing].”

      When guys like Koren Robinson are getting plucked off the scrapheap, how is it that Troy Brown is still unemployed?

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      You could have had this fantasy team…

      September 18, 2008 /

      We’re only two weeks into the NFL season and some fantasy owners are already lamenting their teams. Nobody – not a NFL team and certainly not a fantasy team – likes to start 0-2, and while some owners are furiously trying to improve their teams, others are no doubt wondering, what if?

      As always, I’m here to help. Below you’ll find the team you could have had. The rules? Pretty simple. To ensure the player is available, we have to draft him a round early. That is, if the player has an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 3.02, we have to take him in the second round. The plan is to start one QB, two RB, two WR and a TE, and I’ll leave the K and DT to your imagination. I’ll mow through the first twelve rounds so that we have a starter and a sub at each position.

      Keep in mind, this draft is for a 12-team, Points Per Reception (PPR) league, with the Antsports’ High Performance Scoring System.

      Off we go…

      Round 1 – Reggie Bush (2.07)
      Drafted: RB12
      Actual: RB3
      Someone actually gave me grief about considering Bush in the second round of my Industry Insiders league, and while there are a lot of (Reggie) Bush haters out there, the fact of the matter is that in a PPR league, the guy produces. Through two games, he’s averaging 127 total yards, 7.5 receptions, and 0.5 TD per game. He’s on pace for a 120-catch, 2000-yard season.
      Alternate: Tony Romo (2.09)

      Round 2 – Jason Witten (3.11)
      Drafted: TE1
      Actual: TE1
      I know, it seems way too early for a TE, but Witten is as solid as they come and gives this team an advantage just about every week he plays. He has 13 catches for 206 yards, so he’s on pace for 104-catch, 1648-yard season. He hasn’t even caught a TD yet, but with numbers like that, who cares?

      Round 3 – Willie Parker (4.08)
      Drafted: RB20
      Actual: RB5
      A lot of people (myself included) were down on “Fast” Willie this offseason after the Steelers used a first round pick on Rashard Mendenhall. It’s not often that a team burns a first round pick on a RB and doesn’t at least utilize him in a RBBC approach, but the Steelers have given Parker the vast majority of the workload, and he’s responded with 122 rushing yards and 1.5 TD per game.

      Round 4 – Dwayne Bowe (5.06)
      Drafted: WR 23
      Actual: WR15
      No sophomore slump thus far for the talented Kansas City wideout. Even with the likes of Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard and now Tyler Thigpen throwing to him, Bowe has still racked up an average of 5.5 catches, 70 yards and 0.5 TD per game. The Chiefs look like they’ll be trailing for the rest of the season, so Bowe should get plenty of work against loose secondaries in garbage time.

      Round 5 – Santana Moss (7.03)
      Drafted: WR29
      Actual: WR4
      There isn’t a player with an ADP in the sixth round that is playing better than Santana is and, besides, we need to keep our Round 6 pick open for a certain QB. Moss hasn’t been hurt by the Redskins’ move to the West Coast Offense. He has posted an average of 6.0 catches for 100 yards and 1.0 TD per game. He looks like the Santana of old.

      Round 6 – Jay Cutler (7.04)
      Drafted: QB9
      Actual: QB1
      I advocated drafting Cutler in the sixth or seventh for those owners that missed out on one of the top six QBs – Brady, Peyton, Romo, Brees, Big Ben and Palmer. Brady is out for the count, Palmer is struggling big time and Roethlisberger looks a little iffy (though I think he’ll finish with great numbers). Back to Cutler, who is not only the top fantasy QB, he’s also the top fantasy player. In short, Cutler is off to an awesome start and I’d be happy as hell to have him on my roster right now.
      Alternate: Matt Forte (7.08)

      Round 7 – Chris Johnson (8.11)
      Drafted: RB36
      Actual: RB9
      The Chris Johnson hype started sometime in the middle of the preseason. The table was set for the young speedster. He was joining an offense that featured a great running game and a veteran back (LenDale White) who had taken up residence in the head coach’s doghouse. Throw in a lack of talent at receiver and you have the makings of a very nice fantasy season. Thus far, Johnson has racked up an average of 124 total yards, 2.5 catches and 0.5 TD. He makes a heckuva RB3.

      Round 8 – Tony Scheffler (9.11)
      Drafted: TE11
      Actual: TE2
      Since we have the Denver QB, we might as well draft the Denver TE. The sure-handed Scheffler is averaging 3.5 catches for 68 yards and a TD through two games. And with the receiving corps surrounding him, there’s no worry that he’ll be double-teamed.

      Round 9 – Aaron Rodgers (10.05)
      Drafted: QB19
      Actual: QB3
      Thus far, this kid has succeeded under enormous pressure. How would you like to spend your first offseason as the presumed starter answering countless questions about Brett Favre and his on-again/off-again retirement? You take the field on Monday night, knowing full well that half your fan base is wishing #4 was still under center. Then, over two games, you average 253 yards and 2.0 TD, while rushing for another 30 yards and 0.5 TD. I drafted Brady in one league and was fortunate enough to have Rodgers on my bench to step in. Whew!

      Round 10 – Chris Perry (11.09)
      Drafted: RB44
      Actual: RB33
      Granted, the Bengals offense is really struggling, but Perry averaged 50 yards and 0.5 TD per game versus the Ravens and the Titans, two very tough defenses. Those are adequate numbers for our RB4. Plus, he has some upside.

      Round 11 – DeSean Jackson (13.04)
      Drafted: WR51
      Actual: WR12
      It’s tough to count on rookie WRs, but the writing was on the wall in the preseason. Always keep your eye on a talented rookie wideout headed to a team with a good QB that is desperate for playmakers in the passing game. Jackson surely benefited from injuries to Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown, and now that he’s started his career with consecutive 100+ yard games, it doesn’t look like he’s giving up his starting spot anytime soon. (By the way, had he not made the bonehead fumble play against the Cowboys, he’d be WR9 right now.)

      Round 12 – Eddie Royal (15.01)
      Drafted: WR58
      Actual: WR3
      Not to toot my own horn (which inevitably leads to someone tooting their own horn), but I had Royal ranked as my #1 Impact Rookie WR back in late August. (I had DeSean Jackson ranked #3. Who was #2, you might ask? Josh Morgan. Hey, they can’t all be winners.) Royal had a great preseason and he carried it over to the regular season, posting nine catches for 146 yards and a TD, making DeAngelo Hall look foolish in the process. In his encore, even though running mate Brandon Marshall almost set a record for catches in a game, Royal still caught the go-ahead TD and 2-point conversion against the Chargers.

      So after 12 rounds, here’s our squad:

      QB: Cutler (QB1), Rodgers (QB3)
      RB: Bush (RB3), Parker (RB5), C. Johnson (RB9), C. Perry (RB33)
      WR: Bowe (WR15), S. Moss (WR4), De. Jackson (WR12), Royal (WR3)
      TE: Witten (TE1), Scheffler (TE2)

      Alternatively, if we had taken Romo instead of Bush in the first and Forte instead of Cutler in the sixth, this would have been our squad:

      QB: Romo (QB5), Rodgers
      RB: Parker, Forte (RB8), C. Johnson, C. Perry
      WR: Bowe, S. Moss, De. Jackson, Royal
      TE: Witten, Scheffler

      Obviously, either squad would be the favorite to win a title at this point in the season, but I prefer the first team.

      Feel bad? Don’t fret, you could have this team:

      QB: Brady, Bulger
      RB: Maroney, R. Brown, R. Johnson, McAllister
      WR: Colston, Ocho Cinco, Walker, Ginn
      TE: Da. Clark, Crumpler

      Is there a more motley crew of fantasy football n’er-do-wells?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Ed Hochuli received hate mail over blown Chargers-Broncos call

      September 18, 2008 /

      Ed Hochuli, the referee that blew the call in last Sunday’s Chargers-Broncos game, is receiving hate mail from angry San Diego fans.

      Ed Hochuli“I’m getting hundreds of e-mails — hate mail — but I’m responding to it all,” Hochuli wrote to several Chargers fans, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. “People deserve a response. You can rest assured that nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already feel about my mistake on the fumble play. You have no idea … Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection — I failed miserably. Although it does no good to say it, I am very, very sorry.”

      It’s not surprising that Hochuli is receiving hate mail, but that doesn’t mean it makes it any less ridiculous. It’s a freaking football game. He made a mistake and yes he’s a profession who blew what should have been an easy call, but everyone makes mistakes. This guy doesn’t make enough money referring games to receive (presumably) personal attacks on his character. Charger fans have every right to be upset, but maybe they should focus their energy on why San Diego’s defense allowed Jay Cutler to throw for 350 yards and four touchdowns. Or why Brandon Marshall was able to catch 18 passes on what was supposed to be a solid secondary.

      For Hochuli’s sake, I hope the Chargers rebound and cruise to a playoff berth. Because if San Diego fans are anything like Cubs fans are, they’ll turn Hochuli into the next Steve Bartman.

      General Sports, NFL

      Did the Cowboys play dirty on Monday night?

      September 18, 2008 /

      Dan Daly of the Washington Times is convinced that the Dallas Cowboys purposely played dirty against the Philadelphia Eagles in their 41-37 win on Monday night. More specifically, Daly talks about the three times Dallas defenders grabbed Eagles’ RB Brian Westbrook’s facemask and it was never called.

      Brian WestbrookWhat a coincidence, too, that he’s the Eagles’ best offensive player, a back who led the league in yards from scrimmage last season (2,104) and gained 299 of those yards in two games against Dallas. It couldn’t possibly be that the Cowboys’ defensive coaches spent the week telling their players, “We have to be physical with this guy if we’re going stop him. [Wink, wink.]” I mean, when has a football coach ever suggested that?

      If you ask me, the Cowboys are taking this “Hard Knocks” business a little too literally. Football is a nasty game, sure, and people are going to get hurt, but there’s never been any place for trying to yank a guy’s head off.

      And make no mistake, there was nothing inadvertent about any of the episodes, nothing incidental; if there had been, the defenders (Jason Hatcher, Pat Watkins, Jay Ratliff) would have released the mask sooner. No, this was just good, old fashioned Street Ball – Oakland Raiders, circa 1976.

      The no-calls Daly is talking about definitely should have been penalties. The first time Westbrook got his facemask tugged, his helmet almost spun around to where he would be looking out his ear hole.

      I think part of the problem is that the league did away with the 5-yard incidental facemask penalty. Now they’re all 15-yard penalties, so refs are gun shy to blow their whistle because they want to make absolutely sure that the guy had malice while grabbing the facemask. Thus, more facemask penalties are being missed this year than in previous seasons. (And the calls haven’t just missed in the Dallas-Philadelphia game; missed facemask calls are happening all around the league.)

      Or maybe Daly is right and the Cowboys are just plain ol’ dirty.

      General Sports, NFL

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