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      Broncos’ Marshall seeking a pay raise

      May 30, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Denver Post, Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall has asked the team for a pay raise.

      In Marshall’s defense, his salary request is affordable for a receiver who averaged 103 catches and 1,295 receiving yards the past two years. Larry Fitzgerald averages $10 million a year, Randy Moss $9 million, Andre Johnson has an eight-year deal at $7.5 million per and Anquan Boldin is holding out in Arizona trying to get a deal worth at least $9 million per.

      Even if Marshall is another big season away from gaining inclusion in the elite receiver group, he believes he is considered close enough to the neighborhood to seek greater compensation.

      The timing of Marshall’s contract request, however, is peculiar given so many other issues that could negatively affect his immediate future. Begin with the arthroscopic hip surgery March 31. Although Marshall started running last week and is expected to be fully healthy by training camp, an injured hip can be a delicate injury for a receiver.

      There also is the matter of Marshall’s ongoing legal trouble that could draw a second NFL suspension in two years. ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” will air a story Sunday that rehashes Marshall’s past troubles with former girlfriend Rasheeda Watley.

      Marshall’s on-field production certainly garners a pay raise, but his off-field issues will keep the Broncos from giving him one. Why would Denver risk giving him more money and/or more years when he can’t keep his act together off the field? No matter how much money he brings in, it wouldn’t be wise for a fortune 500 company to give its top salesman a raise when he goes out drinking all the time, beats women and winds up in trouble with the law, so why would the Broncos cater to Marshall? It’s a similar situation in that it’s just not a smart business move.

      Marshall needs to concentrate on being productive on the field, flying right off it and then the money will come. His past actions are hurting his future financial gain and he should learn from the mistakes he’s made.

      NFL

      Falcons player arrested after fighting with wife about Facebook

      May 30, 2009 /

      Couples that don’t have Facebook accounts stay together. And this story proves it:

      An Atlanta Falcons player is out on bond following his arrest earlier this week, reportedly after a fight with his wife over a Facebook friend.

      Offensive tackle Quinn Ojinnaka, 25, was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery, according to jail records. He was released about four hours later after posting a $2,400 bond.

      Ojinnaka was arrested at his home in Suwanee after he fought with his wife and spat at her during an argument over a female friend of his on the social networking Web site, Facebook, according to a police report.

      The altercation happened as Ojinnaka was preparing to watch a basketball game Tuesday night, the police report said.

      Ojinnaka told police his wife tried to stab him with a pen, and she said he threw her on some stairs before tossing her out of the house, the police report said.

      Neither Ojinnaka nor his wife complained of injuries and declined medical assistance, police said. Had Ojinnaka not had a Facebook account, he wouldn’t have been Face-flirting with another woman, his wife wouldn’t have tried to stab him with a pen and he wouldn’t have been arrested for throwing her on (on?) some stairs.

      Facebook claims it reunites friends and is a great promotional tool. But what it really does is destroys families. I just don’t know how much more proof you need of that than the above story.

      NFL

      Rockies fire manager Hurdle

      May 30, 2009 /

      As many expected, the Rockies have decided to fire manager Clint Hurdle. Bench coach Jim Tracy will replace him.

      The last straw for the Rockies was being swept at home in a three-game series this week by the Dodgers, with the Rockies being outscored by a combined 31-13. At 18-28, the club is a season-worst 10 games below .500, last in the NL West, and trailing the first-place Dodgers by 14 games.

      Hurdle, 51, went 534-625 (.461) as Rockies manager after taking over for Buddy Bell on April 26, 2002. His high point was leading the Rockies to the 2007 National League pennant before they were swept by the Red Sox in the World Series.

      Hurdle managed only one good season in Colorado and some have stated that the Rockies actually one that year despite his flaws as a manager. Of course, the Monforts didn’t give him much to work with this year, trading his best player (Matt Holliday) in the offseason and not giving him a very competitive roster. Still, it was time for a change in Colorado and Hurdle’s days were numbered a long time ago.

      Tracy might not be much better (he was brutal in Pittsburgh), but he probably won’t be the long-term answer anyway.

      MLB

      2009 fantasy football is coming soon—a look back at 2008 QBs

      May 30, 2009 /

      Remember when we were instructed to draft running backs with our first two, and in some cases, our first four, fantasy football picks? Yeah, that was so 1999. Heck, that was so 2004 or 2005 when LT and Shaun Alexander were dominating the gridiron. But a funny thing has happened. Running backs by committee are not only keeping legs fresh, they are wreaking havoc on fantasy rosters. Also, a recent trend toward pass-happy offenses is making quarterbacks and receivers more valuable. Last season, QBs were dominating — here is how the Top 10 QBs finished fantasy-wise in 2008 (your league may have scored differently than mine) and what you can expect from them in 2009:

      1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Brees fell 15 yards short of Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record, finishing with 5069 yards, along with 34 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Is he going to match that? There’s no reason to believe he won’t.

      2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—I had LT last year and one of the reasons his stats suffered was because this guy kept throwing the damn ball. Rivers threw for 4009 yards with 34 TDs and just 11 picks. This year, will they go back to more of a run-first offense? Probably not — not with LT a year older.

      3. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals—Ah, the Fountain of Youth is a beautiful thing. Warner drank from it often, and of course when you have guys named Boldin and Fitzgerald to throw to, it can make you look good and feel ten years younger. Still, who expected 4582 yards and 30 touchdowns with 14 picks and a trip to the Super Bowl? Not me. This year, Warner may not have Boldin, who just keeps whining about his contract, but don’t think the QB’s numbers will suffer all that much.

      4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—Brett who? You certainly won’t hear anyone blaming the Packers’ 6-10 season on Rodgers. It was in fact their defense that failed them, because Rodgers passed for 4038 yards with 28 TDs and 13 interceptions. And just for kicks, Favre’s numbers with the Jets were 3472 yards, but 22 TDs and league leading 22 picks. Going into 2009, Rodgers’ stock has to be even higher.

      5. Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos—On what planet does 4526 yards and 25 touchdown passes get you run out of town? In Denver, where new coach Josh McDaniel screwed up and tried to trade for Matt Cassel. Oops. Cutler is now in Chicago, so that means his fantasy stock automatically drops a few notches.

      6. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—The Colts got off to a horrible start and in fact didn’t win the division for the first time in years. But Manning finished strong, with 4002 yards, 27 TDs and just 12 picks. Marvin Harrison is no longer catching his passes, but that doesn’t mean Manning doesn’t have weapons.

      7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles—It was a roller coaster season in 2008, but the Eagles came within about a quarter of reaching the Super Bowl. Somehow McNabb held it together (what, they have ties in the NFL?) and wound up having a great season, passing for 3916 yards with 23 TD passes and 11 picks. He only had 147 rushing yards and 2 rushing scores, but that’s what Philly has Brian Westbrook for. McNabb is getting long in the tooth, but he’s smarter and as accurate as ever.

      8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys—Okay, so there may be trouble in paradise and there is no T.O. anymore, but Romo is still a very good fantasy QB. His 3448 yards and 26 TDs were a bit off his 2007 pace (4211, 36 TDs), but part of that is because he missed a few games with a thumb injury.

      9. Matt Cassel, New England Patriots—With zero pro experience and almost zero college experience, who would have thought Matt Cassel could come in for Tom Brady and have the season he did? Okay, so he is no Brady, but Brady is in a class of his own anyway. Cassel’s 3490 yards with 21 TD passes and just 10 interceptions were good enough to land him the starting job in Kansas City. How that will affect his fantasy stats remains to be seen, but don’t expect too much of a drop-off on an improved Chiefs’ team.

      10. Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins—You know Chad is still gloating after being pushed out of New York by Brett Favre, and then leading his Dolphins to the division title. Pennington is always risky as a fantasy QB because of injuries and inconsistency, but 3653 yards and 19 TDs is not shabby, nor was his microscopic total of 7 picks. If he stays healthy, Chad should have another good season.

      The other name you’ll have to consider in 2009 is Brady. He missed the final 15 ¾ of the season after getting knocked out of the opener against Kansas City, but early reports are that Brady is looking and feeling great and will be at full strength in 2009. Randy Moss is salivating, and so will fantasy owners, though they will do so skeptically.

      Are you ready for some football? I know I am and feel great just talking about it!

      (Next week: Wide Receivers)

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Lakers dominate, on to the Finals

      May 29, 2009 /

      Every so often, a good team will have a game where things don’t just bounce the right way. Usually, this happens on the offensive end of the court. The team seems to press; they’re working hard, but the shots are rattling out, the passes aren’t getting through and the rebounds are bouncing just out of reach. Everything’s a struggle, and nothing comes easy. It can be quite frustrating.

      This was one of those nights for the Denver Nuggets. They just didn’t have it.

      Championship-caliber teams are able to offset these types of games by playing great defense. While the Nuggets are improved on that end of the court, they still don’t focus and execute on every possession defensively. The Lakers shot 57% from the field, and while Kobe Bryant led the way with 35 points (along with 10 assists), Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Luke Walton and Lamar Odom combined to shoot 27 for 40 from the field (68%). From the Nuggets point of view, it’s inexcusable to allow that kind of shooting in an elimination game.

      Conversely, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups combined to shoot 8 for 24 from the field (33%). The Lakers didn’t have a great series defensively, but they did a nice job tonight of making things tough on the Nuggets. They recognized their opponent was pressing and they never allowed Denver to get in synch.

      The Nuggets had a nice season, and they have something to build on. Had they executed better at certain points earlier in the series, they would have been in a position to close out of the Lakers tonight instead of being closed out themselves. What’s worrisome is the lack of intensity and focus that Denver showed tonight. To lose by 27 in a Game 6 on your home court is nothing short of embarrassing. But sometimes when the game gets out of hand and it’s clear that the season is about to be over, the wheels come off. And they most definitely came off tonight.

      NBA, NBA Finals

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