Category: NFL (Page 988 of 1282)

One tired debate: College vs. Pro Football

In a recent column for FOX Sports.com, Michael Rosenberg writes that the NFL can’t compete with college football.

From now until the end of the season, I’ll write about college football every Monday here on FOXsports.com. College football is 300 times more interesting, 600 times more controversial and 900 times more fun. It is also 1,700 times more prone to hyperbole. This is part of its charm.

College football teams are a reflection of universities, fan bases, even entire states. NFL teams are a reflection of … the billionaire who owns the team. The only real difference between a Vikings fan and a Dolphins fan is that the Dolphins fan has a year-round tan. But Wisconsin fans see themselves in their Badgers.

Critics say that college football is rife with hypocrisy, cheating and dishonesty. This is also part of its charm.

This debate is tired and old. College football fans down the NFL because the athletes “only play for money.” While NFL enthusiasts crap on college football because it doesn’t have a defined playoff system.

Know what? It’s football – they’re both great. College football rivalries are fantastic, while parity makes the NFL exciting every week. I wouldn’t want to cut either to save the other; football fans need college and pro games to fill up their fall weekends and I for one am happy as hell to have both in my life.

Jaguars tackle Richard Collier shot, faces life-threatening injuries

The Florida Times-Union reports that Jacksonville Jaguars backup offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot early Tuesday morning and faces life-threatening injuries.

Jefferson said Collier and former Jaguars player Kenneth Pettway had been out clubbing in the San Marco area when they met two women. The two men followed the women to Riverside near St. Vincent’s Medical Center, police said, with the plan to drop the females’ vehicle off and continue socializing in one vehicle.

While waiting outside the Riverside apartment, Jefferson said, someone walked up to the Cadillac Escalade and fired off a number of shots striking Collier, who was behind the wheel. Pettway was not injured in the attack.

Jefferson said the two women “appeared shocked” by the shooting. He said authorities did not know if the two men were involved in any altercation or incident earlier in the night or if the shooting was random and not connected to the two players personally.

A man interviewed outside the apartment Tuesday morning said one of the women is his fiancee. They’re 22 and 26 years old, but the Times-Union is not identifying them because the shooter or shooters remain at large. The man, who was at work overnight, said he wasn’t certain what club the women visited. He said they know someone involved with promoting events involving Jaguars players and speculated that they might have gone clubbing at such an event.

The shooting comes after veteran running back Fred Taylor addressed the team about his disorderly conduct charge Friday night when he cursed an officer outside a nightclub. Following several arrests of Jaguars players over the last couple of years, Taylor had recently spoke about the importance of players not partying too much.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Collier and his family.

2008 NFL Season Preview

Brett FavreThe 2008 NFL Season is ready to kick off Thursday night in New York as the defending champion Giants take on division rival Washington at 7:00pm on NBC. With another year of football upon us, Bullz-Eye.com has released their 2008 NFL Season Preview.

All 32 teams have been placed into five tiers: Super Bowl Contenders, Playoff Bound, Heading Forward (teams that should improve in ’08), Heading Backward (teams that will take a step back in ’08) and Spinning Their Wheels (teams that will roughly stay the same). For each team, BE also takes a look at one key offseason addition and loss while also throwing out a question mark that may keep each team from reaching their ultimate goal. A record projection and team outlook is also provided.

To view Bullz-Eye.com’s 2008 NFL Season Preview, click here.

Joe Flacco to start for Ravens

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that rookie Joe Flacco will start for the Ravens this Sunday in their season opener.

Medical issues to the Ravens’ other quarterbacks — Troy Smith (tonsil infection) and Kyle Boller (shoulder) — vaulted Flacco from last in the quarterback race to the uncontested winner.

“If anyone wrote this in a movie script, no one would believe it,” John Harbaugh said. “The thing that is kind of exciting is that you couldn’t envision this scenario. It wasn’t one that we planned.”

That forced the Ravens to scrap any plans of bringing their first-round pick along slowly. When the Ravens play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, Flacco will join Atlanta’s Matt Ryan as the NFL’s only rookie starting quarterbacks to open this season.

“This is what I wanted all along,” Flacco said. “Things happen funny. I’ve gotten my opportunity, and now it’s up to me to go out there and play.”

Just like Matt Ryan’s situation in Atlanta, the Ravens know this is a risk. Rookie quarterbacks who start in the NFL don’t have a high success rate, but the team will see right away what the young man can and cannot handle.

It’ll be interesting to see how both Flacco and Ryan do in their respective openers.

Detroit Lions sign Rudi Johnson

The Detroit Lions improved their backfield situation by signing former Bengal Rudi Johnson to a one-year contract. Tatum Bell is expected to be released.

After practice on Monday, Lions head coach Rod Marinelli said, “I just had a chance to watch him in some drills (during a workout) and he’s impressive. He’s a big, thick guy who has great feet. I played against him over the years so I know he’s a very physical back. He’s a guy with a lot of talent and a lot of experience.”

I can’t believe the Cincinnati Bengals let Johnson go without getting anything in return. He had a bad hamstring last year and again this year in training camp, but he came to camp in shape and he’s a proven back. Frankly, it looks like the Bengals are returning to their penny-pinching ways. Mike Brown is proving once again that he’s one of the worst owners in professional sports.

From a fantasy football perspective, anyone who drafted Kevin Smith has to be a little disappointed, as Rudi Johnson might steal plenty of carries as the year goes on.

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