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Jaguar offensive lineman Nwaneri blasts Tebow

February 4, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

In a recent posting on the Jaguars’ official web site, offensive lineman Uche Nwaneri lambasted NFL draft prospect Tim Tebow.

From the Florida Times Union:

So Nwaneri posted his five points on Tebow, with capital letters:
“1. He can’t throw, PERIOD.
2. He can’t read any coverage other than probably cover 2 or man.
3. The QB Wildcat WILL NOT WORK IN THIS LEAGUE. PERIOD.
4. He doesn’t know how to take a snap from center.
5. HE CAN’T THROW, and that’s really something you either have or not.”
Nwaneri then urged fans to buy tickets because he doesn’t want to come out “for pregame warmups to a COMPLETELY EMPTY STADIUM ANYMORE.’’

I realize that Nwaneri has some upside and is a starter on Jacksonville’s O-line (plus, I don’t necessarily disagree with what he said), but if I were Tebow the only thing I’d respond with is: Who the hell is Uche Nwaneri?

Of course, Tebow would never say that in response because he’s all class. He has more important things to worry about at this time of year than what some no-name Jaguar offensive lineman has to say about his talent.

And somebody inform Nwaneri that the stadium (any stadium) is never full when the players come out for warm-ups.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

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T.O. to wind up in Cincinnati with Ochocinco?

February 4, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

Chad Ochocinco shared an interesting nugget with FOX’s Jay Glazer down in Miami this week.

From Glazer’s Twitter page:

chad ochocinco just told me on The Jay Glazer Pre-Party on FSN that he thinks T.O. will be a Bengal next year. he said he’s sure of it

Owens is an unrestricted free agent and after spending one aggravating year in Buffalo, the chances of him re-signing with the Bills are slim to none. (Not that the Bills would want him back anyway.)

At least on paper, a T.O.-Bengals marriage works. Cincy needs to boost their passing game in the offseason and could stand to add a receiver opposite Ochocinco. That said, at 36, Owens isn’t exactly the playmaker he used to be. He’s slow getting off the line of scrimmage and doesn’t always work back to the ball, although he still uses his size and speed to his advantage in one-on-one match ups and he’s still an excellent all-around athlete. And it’s not like the Bengals have to worry about him destroying a locker room that has already been destroyed countless times before.

Granted, I think Marvin Lewis’ head just exploded thinking about the possibility of having to deal with the Ocho and T.O. in the same locker room.

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NFL

Chad Ochocinco Cincinnati Bengals Marvin Lewis Terrell Owens

Andre Iguodala’s potential impact on the Cavs

February 4, 2010 / John Paulsen

John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog posted a detailed analysis of Andre Iguodala’s potential impact on the Cavaliers.

Danny Ferry has done an absolutely masterful job of surrounding LeBron James with high-quality role players during his tenure as GM. That being said, thanks to LeBron getting too good too fast, Luke Jackson’s back, DaJuan Wagner’s intestines, Ricky Davis’ head, Larry Hughes’ everything, and the sins of Jim Paxson, LeBron’s never gotten a young potential superstar to grow with. (Mo Williams is great for what he is, but he’s no superstar.) This might be the Cavs’ chance to get LeBron a true running mate.
There’s also something else. Iguodala’s a lock-down perimeter defender, both on the ball and providing weak-side help. He’s got off-the-charts athleticism and a Gumby wingspan. He’s not a natural shooter, but he can make shots when they’re open. He’s a good decision-maker and can make plays. This is borderline heresy, but it’s hard not to see more than a little bit of Scottie Pippen in Iguodala.

I’m sure that the Pippen comparison is going to raise more than a few eyebrows, but Krolik isn’t saying that Iggy is as good as Pippen or really even in the same league, but the potential is there. His numbers are comparable and Pippen had the luxury of playing with an alpha dog from day one. Iguodala played with Allen Iverson for a couple of seasons (posting 50% shooting from the field and 35% from long range in 2005-06) but has otherwise been the offensive focal point of a pretty mediocre Sixers squad. If he were to join the Cavs, there is reason to believe that he would become a far more efficient player since he could exercise much better shot selection.

Krolik goes on to discuss Iggy’s defense:

NBA, NBA Finals, Rumors & Gossip

2009-10 NBA season Andre Iguodala Andre Iguodala rumors Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron LeBron James NBA rumors

Super Bowl XLIV Preview: 5 Factors the Colts must overcome

February 4, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

As part of the ongoing coverage leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, here are five factors the Colts must overcome to beat the Saints.

1. The potential loss of Freeney.
Come kickoff on Sunday, there will be no bigger hurdle for the Colts to overcome than if defensive end Dwight Freeney can’t play, or is limited due to an ankle injury. He’s undoubtedly Indy’s best defender and is a game-changer in every sense of the word. If he can’t play, the Saints don’t have to worry about keeping extra blockers in to protect Drew Brees and can focus most of their attention on slowing down Robert Mathis. Pressure is the key to disrupting any offense and the same can be said for the Saints’ high-powered attack. As it stands now, Freeney wants to play and should dress. But considering he’s a speed rusher and has a tear in his ankle, how effective does anyone think he’ll actually be? Barring the ankle being completely healed, the Colts have a serious problem on their hand.

2. Slowing down Brees.
For all that is said about Drew Brees, he still doesn’t get enough credit for being able to read a defense and deliver timely, accurate passes. What makes him unique is that he has accuracy on all three levels, in that he can complete the short to intermediate route with as much ease as he can the deep pass. Another thing Brees does well is scanning the field and throwing away from the coverage. Over the last half of the season, nine quarterbacks threw for two or more touchdowns against the Colts, who gave up big plays in the AFC Championship Game to the usually offensively challenged Jets. Brees has a plethora of weapons to use at his disposal and Indy doesn’t have the personnel to go toe-to-toe with all the Saints’ receivers. The best way to slow down Brees is to pressure him, but as was noted above, that could be a problem for the Colts if Freeney is limited.

NFL, Super Bowl

2010 Super Bowl 2010 Super Bowl Preview Antonie Bethea Drew Brees Dwight Freeney Indianapolis Colts Jeremy Shockey Melvin Bullitt New Orleans Saints Peyton Manning Sean Payton Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV Preview