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      Cutler fined $20 K for abusing official

      November 13, 2009 /

      Per ESPN…

      Cutler was fined as a result of verbal abuse toward the back judge, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Bears’ 41-21 loss to the Cardinals. The Bears (4-5) have lost four of their past five games.

      Yep, this fine is from the Bears’ frustrating loss on Sunday, not the Bears’ frustrating loss last night. (You know, the one where Cutler threw five picks.)

      As a Green Bay fan, the only good thing about this season is that the Bears are struggling just as much as the Packers are. Cutler was supposed to lead Chicago to the promised land, but he’s led them to four losses in the last five games. With Philly and Minnesota up next, there’s a good chance the Bears will be 4-7 heading into Week 13.


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      NFL

      NFL Pick & Predictions Week 10

      November 13, 2009 /

      Thanks to Kyle Orton’s terrific Monday night performance against Pittsburgh and Green Bay’s outstanding effort in Tampa, I took one on the chin last week to go 2-3. Law of averages says I get things right this week, right? Right?!

      Here are my top four plays for Sunday.

      Bengals (6-2) at Steelers (6-2), 1:00PM ET
      I don’t see the Bengals sweeping the Steelers this season, but Cincinnati isn’t getting enough respect. Their defense is legit and they have the secondary to matchup with a team like the Steelers that likes to put the ball in the air. Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson and Chad Ochocinco have played well this season and should be able to keep the Bengals in the game. For as good as the Steelers are and as much as they’ll get up for a division rival like the Bengals who have already beaten them once this season, Pittsburgh is coming off a short week after earning an emotional win in Denver. In the end, I think the Steelers defense won’t wilt like they did in the fourth quarter of the first contest, but this game is going to be closer than the odds would indicate.
      Odds: Steelers –7.
      Prediction: Steelers 20, Bengals 16.

      Saints (8-0) at Rams (1-7), 1:00PM ET
      The Saints haven’t covered in two weeks as double-digit favorites and while some bettors might think now is the perfect time to back a Rams team coming off a bye and getting 13.5 points at home, I would caution them. The Falcons and Panthers played the Saints tough because they’re familiar with New Orleans and divisional games are always closer than people think. It’s about time Drew Brees touches another opponent up for three or four scores and this is the perfect weekend to do going against a suspect St. Louis secondary. Actually, the Rams defense isn’t as bad as many think and they might be able to hang with New Orleans in the first half. But the Rams’ offense is putrid and the Saints’ defense has preyed on their opponents’ mistakes all season. I fully expect Sean Payton’s team to romp and I’ll gladly eat the chalk.
      Odds: Saints –13.5.
      Prediction: Saints 37, Rams 10.

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      NFL

      No Fun League strikes again: Ocho fined for $1 bribe

      November 13, 2009 /

      Bengals’ receiver Chad Ochocinco has been fined $20,000 by the NFL for flashing a dollar bill at an official during a replay challenge in Cincinnati’s 17-7 win over the Ravens last Sunday.

      Per ESPN.com:

      In the third quarter of the Bengals’ eventual victory, Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 15-yard pass to Ochocinco. Baltimore challenged the call, contending that he was out of bounds, and the Ravens won the challenge.

      While the play was under review, Ochocinco held a $1 bill at his side. The official appeared aware of his antic and waved him off.
      “I was just being me,” Ochocinco told the NFL Network after the game. “I wasn’t going to do it for real.”

      According to a league spokesman, Ray Anderson, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, fined Ochocinco for violating a rule that “prohibits use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures toward game officials. He was also in violation of Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (f) of the Playing Rules which prohibits possession or use of extraneous objects that are not part of the uniform during the game on the field or sideline.”

      The NFL also cited Ochocinco using the word “bribe” in his postgame comments to reporters.

      “You don’t mess around with the integrity of the game,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Friday. “It’s not a matter for jokes. Chad crossed a line there, and I told him he has to understand that. I think he does now.”

      I don’t know; I’m not surprised that the NFL fined him because they don’t want him or anyone else to make a habit of pulling pranks while on the field, but to say that Chad crossed the line is a bit much. He was just trying to have some fun and never means any harm by his pranks.

      Again though, the NFL had to fine him or else players would be trying to outdo each other (or themselves in the case of Ochocinco) every week and while I don’t mind the occasional stunt, I wouldn’t want pranks to take away from the actual game itself.


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      NFL

      Ron Artest is bad in isolation…

      November 13, 2009 /

      …or so says Henry Abbott of TrueHoop.

      It doesn’t happen all that often — thanks to Synergy Sports I just watched all 23 instances from the season’s first eight games. It’s ugly. Watch Ron ignore Bynum in the post, Kobe at the shoulder, and shooters on the wings to … dribble into three defenders and turn the ball over. Watch Ron catch the ball at the elbow, blow off an easy swing pass to an open shooter and dribble three times in a power-hunch, then pull up for a contested 3. Watch Ron decide late into his drive that he’d like to pass, only to leave the ball a yard behind a cutting Derek Fisher.

      When he plays defense, he’s a force of nature built of size and strength. When he shoots open jumpers, he’s a professional built on long hours of practice. When he is isolated on the perimeter, he’s an adventurer built on hope.

      The Lakers need Artest to play defense, rebound and score with open jumpers or on the block. They don’t need him to iso.


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      NBA

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