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      Bucs’ coach Morris strips Bates of defensive coordinator duties

      November 24, 2009 /

      Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris has relieved Jim Bates of his defensive coordinator duties and will take over the play-calling responsibilities for the remainder of the season.

      From the St. Petersburg Times:

      Under Bates, Tampa Bay’s defense is ranked 26th overall in the NFL and last against the run, allowing 168.9 yards per game. Only the Detroit Lions have given up more points than the 29.4 per game allowed by the Bucs this season.

      Bates becomes the second coordinator hired by Morris and Dominik to leave since the start of the season.

      The Bucs fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski 10 days before the start of the regular season, saying he had trouble calling plays and that his passing scheme wasn’t NFL quality. They replaced him with quarterbacks coach Greg Olson.

      I’m not criticizing the decision because at least now the Bucs will revert back to the Tampa 2, which is a scheme that better fits their personnel. But how could Morris and Dominik be so far off when they hired Jagodzinski and Bates this offseason? These were the guys that they hired, yet both coordinators couldn’t even make it through one season.

      That said – if someone isn’t getting the job done (and Bates clearly wasn’t), then why continue to let him fail? If Morris doesn’t think Bates is the right fit, then there isn’t any point in waiting until the end of the season to fire him. If Morris proves that he can be the defensive playcaller, then he might as well find that out now instead of waiting until next year.

      We’ll see if the move pays off. Morris certainly has his work cut out for him this Sunday, because the Bucs travel to Atlanta to take on an offensive that can put some points on the board.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Report: Notre Dame’s Clausen punched by fan

      November 24, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen was punched in the face by an irate fan outside a South Bend resturant early Sunday morning.

      The report states that Clausen has a swollen eye from the incident, although he’s still expected to play this weekend against Stanford.

      That person said Clausen was “sucker-punched” by a fan as he left an establishment after having dinner with his parents.
      The fan allegedly said something to Clausen and/or a female acquaintance.

      A South Bend police spokesman said that no police reports were filed over the weekend involving Clausen, according to the Chicago Tribune.

      The newspaper also reported that the name of the bar was CJ’s and that a bartender at the establishment said that Clausen had been there with family members and other Irish upperclassmen after Notre Dame’s loss to Connecticut on Senior Day.

      If you’re an Irish fan, why punch Clausen? Out of all the players and coaches that have under performed on that team this season, Clausen would be the last guy you would punch, right? (I’m being factious by the way – fans shouldn’t be touching any player or coach no matter how much Charlie Weis screws the pooch.)

      Either way, things are definitely getting a little testy in South Bend these days.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Waiver Wire Watch: Week 12

      November 24, 2009 /

      Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 50% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

      Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

      Alex Smith (12.8)
      Why Smith is still available in 87% of leagues is beyond me. Since taking over as the starter, he is averaging 207 pass yards and 1.8 pass TD. Moreover, he has three good matchups coming up — JAX, SEA, ARI — and another good matchup in Week 16 (DET).
      Mark Sanchez (43.5)
      He had a rough go of it against New England, but with a pair of nice matchups in Week 14 (TB) and Week 15 (ATL), he wouldn’t be a bad backup for the home stretch.
      Vince Young (9.4)
      Jason Campbell (19.5)
      Jake Delhomme (11.8)
      Matthew Stafford (6.8)
      He’d be higher on this list if not for the injury to his left shoulder that he suffered at the end of Sunday’s game.
      Josh Freeman (3.1)
      Ryan Fitzpatrick (0.6)

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Kris Brown blows another chance for Texans

      November 24, 2009 /

      For the second week in a row, Texans’ kicker Kris Brown blew an opportunity for his team to tie a game and force overtime. This time, Browns’ miss came in a 20-17 loss to the Titans on Monday night.

      Brown missed a 49-yard field goal with six seconds remaining, which would have tied the game and forced overtime. Granted, a 49-yard attempt is no chip shot but he also missed a 49-yarder early in the second half that could have given Houston the lead, not to mention he blew a 42-yarder last week against the Colts as time expired that could have forced overtime.

      Again, 49 and 42-yarders are no gimmies. But Matt Schaub and the offense put their team in position to at least force overtime the last two games and their kicker couldn’t convert. One could make the argument that Schaub and the offense should have done more before that point, but the bottom line is that Brown needs to be more clutch if Houston wants to reach the next level.

      As for the Titans, they’ve now won four in a row since Jeff Fisher made the switch from Kerry Collins to Vince Young. VY was once again far from explosive as a passer, but he kept drives alive with his legs (11 carries, 73 yards) and also did a fantastic job of getting the hell out of the way of Chris Johnson, who rushed for 151 yards on 29 carries.

      Tennessee’s defense also did a great job bottling up Steve Slaton and Houston’s running game, limiting the Texans to just 57 yards on the ground. The Titans also pressured Schaub throughout the night and forced him into some inaccurate throws.

      Tennessee held the Texans to only a field goal in the second half after allowing 14 points in the first two quarters. It was a complete effort from the Titans, who have damn near erased their 0-6 start.

      NFL

      Decade Debate: 6 Greatest Sports Rivalries

      November 23, 2009 /

      The word rivalry is defined as “competition for the same objective or superiority in the same field.” Rivalries exist in all facets of life, but they are no more apparent than in the world of sport. With the end of the decade looming, here are the six most intense rivalries of the last ten years.

      6. Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson

      Competition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson may not produce the mystique that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus once did, but their rivalry has been exciting nonetheless. Without Tiger Woods, professional golf’s popularity would be a mere morsel of what it is today. The man has won 14 majors, holds his own tournament (the AT&T National), designed two beautiful courses, is the only golfer with his own video game, and garners public intrigue on the same level as world leaders. Still, his status as figurehead of professional golf wouldn’t have any merit without some stiff competition. Enter Phil Mickelson, Tiger’s only adversary with any staying power. When Mickelson won the 2000 Buick Invitational, he also officially ended Tiger’s streak of consecutive tournament wins at six. Over the years, Mickelson would hire Butch Harmon, Tiger’s former coach, and joke about Tiger’s use of “inferior equipment.” Still, their rivalry always remained amicable, even as Phil won his first major in ’04 (The Masters), the PGA Championship in ’05 another Green Jacket in ’06. During this year’s Masters, Tiger and Mickelson were finally paired together in a major event. Trudging down the final back nine at Augusta, the two golfers put on a show that thankfully lived up to the hype. –- Christopher Glotfelty

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      Barstool Debates, College Basketball, Golf, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Tennis

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