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      Florida, Ohio State could be down players for bowl games

      December 21, 2009 /

      According to a FOXSports.com report, Florida will be without Brandon James for the Sugar Bowl after the all-purpose player had surgery on his right foot.

      James, a senior from St. Augustine, broke a bone in foot against Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game and had surgery last week. Florida coach Urban Meyer says Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps and Joe Haden will take over James’ punt and kickoff return duties against No. 4 Cincinnati on New Year’s Day.

      James finished with 1,324 total yards and two touchdowns this season. He had 109 yards rushing, 215 yards receiving and a score, 756 yards and a touchdown on kickoff returns and 244 yards on punt returns.

      FOX is also reporting that three Ohio State players will likely be ineligible to play in the Rose Bowl.

      Seniors wide receiver Ray Small and defensive lineman Rob Rose and sophomore running back Bo DeLande are likely to miss the Jan. 1 bowl game against Oregon due to a violation of team rules, the Columbus Dispatch reported on its Web site.

      Freshman receiver Duron Carter was declared ineligible last week.

      As of Monday morning, the school had not issued a statement regarding the status of the three players, meaning the decision may not yet be final.

      Both Rose and Small had academic issues at the start of spring practice this season, although each player had talked about overcoming their problems to turn in successful seasons. Ohio State has officially confirmed that the players will be held out, but it doesn’t look good.

      Losing Rose would be a hit to the Buckeyes’ defensive line depth, while Small would sorely be missed in the return game and as the team’s No. 3 wideout. Taurian Washington would likely take over as OSU’s No. 3 receiver with Carter also being held out of the Rose Bowl with academic issues.


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      College Football

      Is it time for the Bears to show Lovie Smith the door?

      December 21, 2009 /

      To his credit, Lovie Smith has one Super Bowl appearance under his belt as a head coach. But how long should one Super Bowl appearance last someone if he fails to reach the playoffs the following three seasons?

      After losing to the Colts in the 2006 Super Bowl, the Bears have gone 7-9, 9-7 and are now currently 5-9. Despite trading for Jay Cutler in the offseason, Chicago is regressing and what’s worse is that it doesn’t have a first round pick in either of the next two drafts and also doesn’t have a second round pick next year.

      The Bears are floundering, not prospering. So where does that leave Smith?

      For all intents and purposes, Cutler’s turnover woes, the offensive lines’ blocking issues and all of the injuries on defense aren’t Smith’s fault. He can’t run, tackle and punt for his team, so maybe it’s not fair for him to be fired at the end of the season when it’s clear that the Bears’ problems run deeper than the head coach.

      The problem is that his players have given up. The 31-7 shellacking they took in Baltimore on Sunday was the fourth time that the Bears have been blown out this season. They’re just 1-6 on the road this year and the problems that haunted them in Week 1 are still haunting them in Week 15. That’s a problem – a coaching problem. Even the dreadful Browns and Redskins have cut down on the mistakes that cost them earlier in the season.

      The Bears finish the season at home against the Vikings in Week 16 and at Detroit in Week 17. If Chicago shows the same ineptitude over the next two weeks as it has over the past couple months, even a cheap ownership like the Bears might decide that enough is enough and hand Smith his pink slip at the end of the season.

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      NFL

      Nate Robinson on the move?

      December 21, 2009 /

      After a series of DNP-CDs, Nate Robinson wants out of New York, or so says Chris Sheridan…

      Robinson does want out, and a source close to the Robinson camp tells ESPN.com there’s one place the former slam-dunk champion would truly like to land if a trade can be worked out: Boston.

      If that can’t happen, Robinson wants a buyout, believing he will be able to sign with one of the top contending teams in the league, including the Lakers, Cleveland and Orlando — the thinking being that he can provide the instant offensive boost for any of those teams that he once provided for the Knicks.

      To illustrate just how far his stock has fallen in a few short months, here is what John Hollinger had to say about him before the season:

      2009-10 outlook: With few teams showing interest in him as a restricted free agent, Robinson re-signed with the Knicks on a one-year, $4 million deal — a below-market salary that he’ll seek to rectify as an unrestricted free agent next summer. He’ll move back into the same situation in New York as a sixth man who backs up both guard spots and will be one of the front-runners for the league’s Sixth Man award. Despite coming off the bench, he’ll likely average more than 30 minutes a game and could average as much as 20 points if everything breaks his way.

      Seemingly a fine fit (as a finisher, not a distributor–is there really that much difference between Robinson and Leandro Barbosa?) in Mike D’Antoni’s system, it’s odd that he’s not able to get any minutes. But the Knicks have been 6-3 since D’Antoni took Robinson out of the rotation, so the proverbial proof is in the pudding.

      It’s not likely that the Knicks will be willing to move Robinson, as they are unwilling to add any salary that would eat into their cap space next summer. Moreover, Robinson can veto any trade, so would he rather fight for minutes on a bottom feeder or sit on the end of the bench in New York? He wants to play for a contender, but everyone wants to play for a contender.


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      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Several people had long days in East Rutherford yesterday

      December 21, 2009 /

      There were so many fails in the Falcons-Jets game yesterday that I had to put them all into one collective post. So here it is!

      – After Matt Ryan found Tony Gonzalez in the end zone with just under two minutes remaining to give the Falcons a 9-7 lead, play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton immediately uttered, “And Atlanta comes within a point of tying the score with 1:38 in regulation.” Uh Dick, the Falcons are the ones that are up.

      – The best part is, Stockton’s partner Charles Davis never corrected him. Instead, he broke down the replay of the Gonzalez’s touchdown and never went back to Stockton’s gaff.

      – As kicker Matt Bryant lined up for the extra point, Stockton then said, “And this is a very important point after by Matt Ryan.” I know the Falcons have had kicking issues this season, but I didn’t realize things were so bad that they had Matt Ryan attempting extra points.

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      NFL

      Childress tried to pull Favre in the third quarter of loss to Panthers

      December 21, 2009 /

      According to Vikings beat writer Judd Zulgad, coach Brad Childress tried to pull Brett Favre in the third quarter of Minnesota’s 26-7 loss to the Panthers on Sunday night. Instead, the two got into a heated discussion and Favre wound up going back in.

      Childress apparently felt that Favre was taking too many hits and that’s why he wanted Brett to come out. According to Zulgad, Favre was still steamed about the situation after the game, so who knows if the situation will escalate.

      The Vikings had zero running game last night and Julius Peppers was treating Philip Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie like his personal dummy bags. I don’t fault Childress for wanting to pull Favre, even though at the time they were leading, 7-6. I realize Brett is a competitor and always wants to win, but this is the same man that derailed the Jets’ season last year after he tore his biceps.

      The goal is for the Vikings to reach the Super Bowl, not go one and done because Tarvaris Jackson has to start in the playoffs. I don’t blame Favre for being a little embarrassed because his head coach wanted to protect the old guy, but Minnesota has bigger things on the line than a win in Carolina.

      The situation will probably blow over soon, but it’s interesting to note that the Vikes have dropped two of their last three games and now the quarterback and head coach are arguing.


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      NFL

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