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      Aaron Rodgers’ secret weapon vs. Steelers? Kurt Warner.

      January 27, 2011 /
      Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson (L) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers celebrate after the NFC Championship game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago on January 23, 2011. The Packers won 21-14. UPI/Brian Kersey

      Kurt Warner completed 72 percent of his passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII two years ago. So if there were anyone that could help Aaron Rodgers try and master the Steelers’ defense, it would be him.

      According to Rodgers, he’s already had at least one conversation with Warner and he hopes there are many more in the following week.

      From Packers.com:

      “I reached out to a couple of them. Kurt Warner’s been a great friend, really since I was drafted. And so I reached out to him about any advice he can give me this week, and the next week, it’s readily appreciated. I’m sure there will be more conversations with him. I talked to a number of buddies who played in the Super Bowl before, and I think it’s important to learn from their experiences and try and find ways to stay focused in the midst, I’m sure it’s going to be controlled chaos down there.”

      If you’re a Packers fan, this is what you want to see out of your starting quarterback. He wants to win and in preparing for the game, he’s going to reach out to players who have been there before. Rodgers doesn’t have any Super Bowl experience and instead of winging it, he appears humble enough to ask for advice on how to handle the situation. Of the many attributes that he possesses, his willingness to learn will make him great for a long time.

      On a related note, I’m highly intrigued to see what defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has in store for Rodgers next week. The Steelers’ secondary can be had, but they’re not going to allow the Packers’ receivers to have a free release off the ball like Atlanta and Chicago (at least in the first quarter) did. I expect Pittsburgh’s corners to try and jam Greg Jennings and Donald Driver at the line in effort to disrupt Rodgers’ rhythm. The Falcons’ defensive game plan was an absolute monstrosity and while the Bears learned from their early mistakes and corrected them, it’ll be interesting to see what LeBeau does from the start.

      Speaking of LeBeau, he announced on Wednesday night that he only wants to coach the Steelers. His contract is set to expire and there’s speculation about his retirement but if he does come back, he promised that if he’s coaching, “it will be the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

      External Sports, NFL, Super Bowl

      Former Packer Koch latest to rip Cutler, also takes swipes at Lovie Smith and Kyle Orton

      January 27, 2011 /
      Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler warms up before a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 21, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey

      Former Packers guard Greg Koch only missed two games in his 11 seasons in the NFL, so apparently he feels justified for being the latest athlete to call out Jay Cutler for not toughing out his knee injury in the NFC title game. What makes Koch extra special is that he also threw Bears coach Lovie Smith and former Chicago QB Kyle Orton shots as well.

      From the Chicago Tribune:

      “Nobody would’ve kept Tom Brady off the field if he wanted to play. Nobody would’ve kept Peyton Manning off the field. Then you don’t just sit on the sideline and ride a bike like a little girl. … I’ve never seen anything like it. If that’s the guy leading your team, you deserve a coach named Lovie.”

      “This isn’t a normal profession where you go, ‘I’ve got the flu and I’m not coming in today,’ ” Koch said. “There are times you just gotta gut it up, shoot it up and play. It’s the NFC Championship Game. … If it comes out that he needs surgery, then maybe I need to take some of this back. But right now, I’m seeing it as a strained ligament and I’ve seen a lot of guys play with a lot worse.”

      “If there’s two guys who do not look like an NFL quarterback, if you just look at their mug, it’s Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton, and they traded these two slobs for each other,” Koch said.

      For the millionth time, we don’t know the extent of Cutler’s injury. John Paulsen posted an interesting video this morning about when Cutler may have suffered the injury and there’s reason to believe it happened on the first play of the second quarter. If that’s the case, then Cutler did try to “tough it out” by playing an entire quarter with a MCL tear. Furthermore, he came back out in the second half and tried to play with the injury then, too.

      In the end, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t plant on his leg and he was highly inaccurate. I’m sure the layoff at halftime didn’t do him any favors, as his knee probably stiffened up.

      Out of all the idiots criticizing Cutler, Koch may be the biggest. What I would like to know from clowns like him is whether or not he really believes Cutler wanted out of the game. This is Jay freaking Cutler were talking about. The man threw four interceptions to DeAngelo Hall in one game and then said in his post-game presser that he would continue to throw at him the next time he faced him. He has an ego the size of Lake Michigan – he’s not going to want come out of the NFC title game unless he’s seriously hurt. He doesn’t care how poorly he was playing – he thinks he can beat anyone on any given Sunday. Isn’t that what we always say about Cutler? That he’s arrogant?

      People have the right to express their opinions but I don’t see what making fun of Lovie Smith’s name or Kyle Orton has to do with Jay Cutler’s injury. Koch seems like a former athlete who just wants to make headlines one last time. In reality, he sounds like a moron.

      External Sports, NFL

      Scouting Report: Jimmer Fredette

      January 27, 2011 /


      Photo: Justin M. Bowen

      With #9 BYU upending #4 (and undefeated) San Diego State last night, 71-58, I thought I’d take the opportunity to focus on BYU point guard Jimmer Fredette (43 points, 14-for-24 from the field) and look at him through an NBA lens. Everyone wonders what kind of professional player he’ll turn out to be, so read on to hear my take.

      OFFENSE

      On this end of the court, Fredette is clearly one of the most explosive scorers in the country. And it’s important to note, he’s a scorer, not just a shooter. He’s averaging 27.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. He shoots 48.2% from the field (which is outstanding for a guard who shoots so many threes) and 42.1% from long range. He shot 44.0% from 3PT last season, so these numbers are no fluke. He’s also outstanding from the free throw line, hitting 90.1% of his attempts this season. He was an 89.2% shooter last year.

      He can score from all areas on the floor. He already has NBA range, and doesn’t need to have his feet set to get a good shot at the basket. His pull up jumper is accurate and he can hit it fading away as well. His upper body and core are strong which makes it easy for him to get his shoulders square even if his feet aren’t. He likes to use a wicked crossover going right to left and you’ll see a great example in the highlight package below. His strength also allows him to have a very quick release.

      He has a good handle, but is sloppy with the ball at times even though he does a great job of splitting the double team on the pick-and-roll. With his upper body strength, he’s able to finish well at the hoop and is able to finish with either hand in a variety of ways. He also has an effective runner/floater which will be important at the next level where the defenders are going to be taller and more athletic. I’d definitely describe him as a “crafty” scorer.

      He is a good passer in transition and made all the right choices on the break against SDSU. However, he is not much of an assist man in the half court. When he drives, he is typically looking to score, which makes sense given the makeup of the BYU team. In the NBA he will have to get used to setting other people up in the half court — right now, it’s a weakness. (He had zero assists against SDSU, but had a couple of “secondary” assists that led to buckets.) He has a tendency to get caught in the air and bail on his shot when a defender is in his face. At this level it usually doesn’t cost him, but in the NBA it will.

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      College Basketball, External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft, Video

      Should the Phillies consider trading for Aaron Rowand?

      January 27, 2011 /
      San Francisco Giants Aaron Rowland (33) gets high fives at the dugout after scoring in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at the NLCS at AT&T Park in San Francisco on October 19, 2010. Rowland doubled and was batted in by Freddy Sanchez as the Giants defeated the Phillies 3-0. UPI/Terry Schmitt

      Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News has an idea on how the Phillies can fill the hole left by outfielder Jayson Werth, who signed with the Nationals this offseason. I’m just not sure it’s a good one.

      There are several outfielders who could be available before Opening Day, but it says here that the best option just might be a blast from the past: Aaron Rowand.

      The Phillies would want the Giants to pick up most of the $24 million he is owed the next 2 years, and that could be a sticking point. The Giants could reason that if they’re paying the money anyway, they might as well keep him around. They might not be impressed by what the Phillies could offer in return. Or they might be reluctant to help a team they had to beat in the National League Championship Series to get to the World Series in the first place.

      But if there’s a will and a way, Rowand might be a perfect low-risk, high-reward move. He’s coming off a terrible year but is a righthanded batter who hit .309 with 27 home runs, 45 doubles, 105 runs and 89 RBI the last time he played his home games at Citizens Bank Park. He’s still just 33. He’s a good clubhouse guy who would be an antidote to the complacency that manager Charlie Manuel sometimes worries about.

      The thing Hagen is overlooking is that Rowand isn’t just coming off a terrible year – he’s coming off of three terrible years. And when he was in Philadelphia, his .309-27-89-105 season came in a contract year. Once he got paid, AT&T Park swallowed him whole and nobody has heard from him since.

      Hagen’s right: Rowand is an excellent presence in the clubhouse. He’s also one of the few major leaguers that plays hard every day and his defense is still above average. But his offensive numbers have been declining since his magical ’07 campaign and there are no signs that he’ll regain form. A trade back to Philadelphia may rejuvenate him, but I highly doubt he’ll suddenly transform into a .300 hitter. He’ll hit more home runs at Citizens Bank Park than at AT&T, but that’ll be about it.

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      External Sports, MLB

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