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      Vikings’ pass rush key to beating Brees, Saints

      January 19, 2010 /

      How does a team beat an opponent that had not been beaten in its last 18 games, that had averaged over 36 points and over 410 yards of total offense a game?

      The quick answer to the proposed question above is a potent pass-rush. Along with the last-minute heroics of Eli Manning and David Tyree, that’s how the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. And that’s also how the Vikings can beat the Saints this Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.

      Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and the rest of the Minnesota offense will get a lot of attention heading into this weekend – and rightfully so. Led by Favre and AP, the Vikings have the fifth best overall and the second best scoring offense in the league. But it’ll be the play of Jared Allen and the rest of Minnesota’s pass rush that will be crucial to the Vikings’ Super Bowl hopes.

      The Vikings trail the Saints in terms of total offense and points scored. New Orleans has the best offense in the NFL, led by quarterback Drew Brees and a plethora of weapons ranging from Reggie Bush to Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey. There’s a reason why the Saints earned the No. 1 seed – they put points on the board, especially at home.

      But the Cowboys proved in Week 15 that Brees and the rest of the Saints’ offense could be neutralized by a defense that can pressure the quarterback. In that game, DeMarcus Ware treated Jermon Bushrod like a revolving door to Brees, while racking up two of the Cowboys’ four sacks that night. Brees had limited time to throw and was often swallowed up by Dallas’ pressure.

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      NFL

      Report: Wizards haven’t decided to void Arenas’s contract

      January 19, 2010 /

      Mike Jones (former Wizards beat writer for the “now defunct Washington Times sports department”) reports that the team hasn’t decided what to do with regard to Gilbert Arenas.

      It was believed that the Wizards would exercise their right to void the remaining four years and $80 million left on Arenas’ deal because of the felony conviction. This belief was further fueled by multiple media outlets outlining the Wizards’ options, and seemed to be further backed up by the TMZ report that Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld told Arenas he had the right to void the deal in a text message.

      But according to a source speaking on the condition of anonymity, the Wizards have not had any discussions or communications with Arenas in regards to voiding the deal, and haven’t decided what their course of action is in the situation because the legal process must play out, and then David Stern, who already has suspended Arenas indefinitely, must decide what – if any – additional punishment the player will receive before being reinstated into the league.

      If Arenas is able to avoid jail time, and is re-instate to the league by Stern, the Wizards are hopeful that they can mend what Arenas’ perceives as broken fences, and move forward with him as their franchise point guard.

      “The Wizards did give him that $111 million contract when everyone thought they shouldn’t, and this still is a player who was averaging 22 points and almost seven assists in his first season back from a two-year layoff,” the source said. “They know that, and would like this thing to work, but just have to see.”

      He’s also shooting a paltry 41% from the field and isn’t much of a defender. He wasn’t worth the contract even when he signed it, and he certainly isn’t worth it now. If the Wizards want to turn this thing around, hitching their wagon to an overpaid volume shooter with a long injury history and a tendency to bring guns into work isn’t the best way to do it.

      Jones’s source uses the pronoun “they” to describe the Wizards, so it doesn’t sound like he/she is actually with the team. It will be interesting to see how the team proceeds; this could just be a ruse (by the source or team) to lead the media to think that Arenas’s fate hasn’t already been sealed. We shall see.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Does Peyton Manning own Rex Ryan?

      January 19, 2010 /

      If previous history has anything to say, it’s Rex Ryan that should have a sleepless Saturday night leading up the AFC Championship Game, not Peyton Manning. Because for all intents and purposes, Manning has owned Ryan over the past five years.

      2005 was the first year Manning faced a Ryan-led defense, which he promptly shredded for 254 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-7 Colts’ victory. He completed 21-of-36 pass attempts against the Ravens that day, and didn’t throw a single interception.

      In the 2006 playoffs, Manning struggled while completing 15-of-30 pass attempts for 170 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. But his Colts still prevailed, beating the Ravens 15-6 to eventually advance to the Super Bowl.

      Manning would beat Ryan’s Ravens two more times in 2007 and 2008, combining to throw for 520 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Indy beat Baltimore 44-20 in 2007 and 31-3 in 2008 to give Manning a 4-0 record against Ryan-led defenses.

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      NFL

      Report: Chan Gailey to become Bills next coach

      January 19, 2010 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that the Bills could introduce Chan Gailey as their next head coach as soon as today.

      The Bills are said to be impressed with how Gailey has brought teams to the playoffs with quarterbacks such as Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart and Jay Fiedler. In fact, Bill Cowher — whom the Bills had been courting to replace the fired Dick Jauron — highly recommended Gailey to the Bills.

      Cowher planned to make Gailey his assistant head coach/offensive coordinator if he came back. Gailey has coached in four Super Bowls and has had his teams go to the playoffs in 11 of his 15 NFL seasons.

      If I were a Bills fan, this would be my concern. Gailey has a sharp, creative offensive mind and likes to mix things up to keep defenses guessing. But the reason he was fired in Dallas was because he failed to play to the strengths of his personnel (i.e. Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith). His play calling would either be too radical or too conservative, which doesn’t bode well for a Bills team that is short on talent and needs a disciplined approach on both sides of the ball.

      Of course throughout his career, none of his teams finished below .500 and most of his teams won 10-plus games. He’s a good football coach and knows what it takes to win, so maybe Buffalo did make the right choice. Time will tell obviously.

      NFL

      #9 KSU upends #1 Texas

      January 19, 2010 /

      It was an ugly game. Kansas State and Texas shot a combined 38% from the field, 17% from 3PT range and just 54% from the charity stripe, and committed a total of 36 turnovers. But the Wildcats prevailed, 71-62, behind some gritty defense, specifically on the Longhorns’ leading scorer, Damion James, who shot just 3 of 12 from the field and scored just nine points.

      KSU’s coach, Frank Martin, is a Bob Huggins disciple and it shows. Brent Musburger made a big deal about how “animated” and “intense” Martin was on the sideline, but really, when he wasn’t stomping around like a petulant toddler when things weren’t going his way, he was staring down or bitching out his players for one reason or another. I’ll never understand why some coaches lean on public humiliation as a motivational technique. They were players once upon a time…right?

      Anyway, Martin did have his kids playing defense, which led to a big home win. (But they looked wound tight as a knot at times offensively, which might explain the 8% shooting from long range and struggles at the free throw line.) With Bobby Knight doing the commentary, it was fitting that it was a defensive battle, but that didn’t stop Knight from belaboring the lack of movement in KSU’s offense or muttering under his breath every time a poor shot was taken. (“Oh, my…”) Knight is 69 years-old now, and while he has a ton of basketball knowledge to share, it’s like watching a game with grandpa — if you’re grandpa is Bobby Freaking Knight.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Basketball

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