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      Top 5 Storylines of Week 1 in the NFL

      September 10, 2010 /
      SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 17: Head coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets stands on the field during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on January 17, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

      It’s Week 1 in the NFL, so you know there are going to be some juicy headlines heading into this weekend’s action. Here are my top 5…

      1. What will Rex Ryan and the Jets do for an encore?
      We’ll have to wait until Monday before we see “Hard Knocks” play out on the field, but Ryan’s squad is going to get a stiff test right off the bat. The Ravens are loaded offensively and some believe could challenge for a Super Bowl berth this season. Meanwhile, Darrelle Revis is back at practice after holding out for 36 days, but is he ready to play after missing all of training camp? How will his chemistry be with a defense that he hasn’t played a live game situation with in over seven months? Can the Jets live up to their own Super Bowl expectations? Something tells me we’re going to find out a lot about both of these teams in four nights.

      2. How will the new-look Redskins fair?
      The Redskins were a disaster under Jim Zorn last year, so owner Daniel Snyder hired Mike Shanahan to help restore order and then signed off on a trade for Donovan McNabb. Now questions remain not only about McNabb’s health, but about whether or not he has enough help around him. The O-line is still a major question mark, as are the running back and receiver positions. On the other side of the ball, Shanahan has been feuding with Albert Haynesworth for the better part of a decade and rumors have started to circulate that he could be traded to Tennessee (uh, Haynesworth – not Shanahan. That would be ridiculous.). Kind of a bad time to be playing on national television against a divisional rival that is expected to be a Super Bowl contender, huh?

      3. Kevin Kolb gets stiff opening test
      All eyes will be on Kolb this week in the first game of the McNabb-less era in Philly. He won’t have time to get acclimated to the situation for very long, because the Super Bowl-hopeful Packers are coming to town with their top ranked defense from a year ago. It’ll be interesting to see what the backfield combination of Kolb and Shady McCoy will produce in their first live run of 2010. The offensive line is good and Kolb has plenty of weapons in the passing game thanks to DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin, but if McCoy can’t find running room then the Packers will certainly amp up the pressure. This could wind up being the best matchup on the Week 1 schedule next to Ravens-Jets’ bout on Monday night.

      4. Mike Martz’s Windy City Debut
      If you’re like me, I’m waiting for one of two things to happen in Chicago this year: Jay Cutler becoming the second-coming of Jeff George in Martz’s offense…or Jay Cutler becoming the second-coming of Jeff George in Martz’s offense. George, if you remember, could zip the ball around a football field as well as any quarterback in the league. Too bad he also forced passes into small windows instead of throwing it out of bounds or take sacks. He was also a pistol when it came to dealing with teammates and coaches, which is not unlike Cutler. It stands to reason that given Cutler’s skill set, he could wind up having a great season under Martz. But considering his offensive line still isn’t that good and he’ll be throwing the ball even more than he did last year, he could also wind up breaking the NFL record for interceptions in a single season. Either way, it should be fun.

      5. Welcome to the NFL, Sam Bradford
      Unlike some people, I don’t mind when teams start rookies at quarterback. The best way to learn the game is to play and while young signal callers are going to make plenty of mistakes, they’re also going to gain valuable experience as well. Bradford needs a better set of receivers than what the Rams currently have on their roster, but it’s not like the team is sending him into a firefight with a water gun and a shank. The offensive line is improving and having Steven Jackson in the same backfield will help take some of the pressure off of the rookie’s shoulders. He’s going to make some dumb mistakes and chances are, he’s also going to make some plays that make you say, “Hmm, nice throw kid.” Either way, Week 1 isn’t going to make or beak his future. It’ll be fun to see how he does in his first NFL test though.

      Just missing the cut…

      6. Is Maurice Jones-Drew healthy?
      7. Brady and Welker sans car accidents and knee injuries
      8. T.O. and Ocho Act I
      9. Can the Texans finally get the Colts monkey off their backs?
      10. How will the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers fair with Dennis Dixon under center?
      11. Pete Carroll makes his debut in Seattle
      12. Will we actually see Brandon Jacobs’ head explode if Bradshaw gets more opportunities in the Giants’ offense?

      External Sports, NFL

      Was Coach K out of line?

      September 10, 2010 /

      Adrian Wojnarowski thinks Mike Krzyzewski’s response to Russian coach Mike Blatt’s comments about the ’72 gold medal game was out of line.

      Long story short, Blatt (who holds dual citizenship in Israel and the United States) said that he thought the Russians deserved to win that controversial gold medal game 38 years ago. Coach K said that Blatt was a “Russian” (for coaching the Russian team) and that Blatt’s opinion was something of a “fairy tale.”

      Enter Wojnarowski and his soap box…

      To get past the dogged, undermanned Russians, Krzyzewski riled up that old Russian hate for his players and the public. It sniffed of desperation, but Duke’s coach isn’t taking the chance of becoming the first national coach in history to fail in winning consecutive world championships. Never mind the myth of sportsmanship in international basketball, Krzyzewski used up and spit out a most disposable Blatt.

      Krzyzewski played the patriotism card to his advantage with Team USA, and yet later didn’t want the accountability of its ownership.

      [Kryzewski] would get [the win], but not before sacrificing the good name of Blatt. When it was over, Krzyzewski gushed about Blatt’s genius, but that was easy at the game’s end. He had tagged him as a non-American for coaching those Russians, and labels are hard to shake when they come out of the mouth of a Hall of Fame coach. Yes, we’re friends, Coach K said. Friends, indeed. What a desperate, low-rent stunt.

      Count me among those that find it very odd when national teams are helmed by coaches not from the same country. I just don’t get it. So Blatt’s coaching the Russian team seems strange to me, and when I first heard Coach K’s comments, I didn’t have a problem with them. Of course Blatt is going to say that the Russians deserved to win that gold medal. He knows where his bread is buttered.

      Blatt, of course, says he came to this conclusion independently, after watching a documentary about the game. Fine. But he’s the one that brought the subject up and Krzyzewski responded. It’s still painful subject for USA Basketball and Blatt was the one who started the conversation.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Ron Artest to auction off championship ring

      September 10, 2010 /
      June 17, 2010 - Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - epa02208488 Los Angeles Lakers player Ron Artest (C) in the locker room after their win over the Boston Celtics in game seven of the NBA Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, 17 June 2010. Los Angeles leads the series 4-3 for the best of seven games. The Los Angeles Lakers won 83-79.

      And he’s doing it for a good cause: mental health.

      There’s no punchline here. Artest is simply doing an altruistic deed.

      Artest finally won a title in June after 11 regular seasons of trying … and now he’s planning to sell the championship ring as a fundraiser to put more psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists in schools.

      “I’m never going to put it on,” he said.

      Artest plans to soon announce details of what he hopes will become a worldwide auction, and he takes possession of the jewelry in an Oct. 26 pre-game ceremony before the Lakers open against the Rockets. It’s an incredible gesture. But it’s even more meaningful as a statement.

      “You work so hard to get a ring, and now you have a chance to help more people than just yourself, instead of just satisfying yourself,” he said. “What’s better than that? For me, this is very important.”

      Artest has long been considered crazy, and he probably is, but he thanked his therapist after Game 7 for helping him get his mind right for competition. Now he’s using his considerable celebrity to shine a light on a problem that is close to his heart.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News

      Hiring Kevin Towers as GM a great move by Diamondbacks

      September 10, 2010 /
      The Arizona Diamondbacks practice at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in this October 2, 2007 file photo. Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has to deal with a small but growing movement that wants to either boycott or move next year's All-Star game, in Phoenix. At issue is Arizona's pending immigration law, allowing police to check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons, if they are reasonably suspected of being in the country illegally. REUTERS/Jeff Topping/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY LAW SPORT BASEBALL)

      The deal isn’t completed yet, but once it is the Diamondbacks should reap the rewards of hiring a man that should still be employed by the Padres.

      Kevin Towers led the Padres to four division championships and an appearance in the 1998 World Series when he was their general manager from 1995 until he was fired in October of last year. He was let go after two losing seasons in 2008 and 2009, yet before he was canned he built the team that has shocked everyone in 2010. (As of this writing, the Padres are clinging to a one-game lead in the NL West.)

      Towers was the person that traded for Adrian Gonzalez following the 2004 season – the same deal that also brought starter Chris Young to San Diego. He also drafted Jake Peavy in the 15th round (472nd overall) of the 1999 MLB Draft and then traded him to the White Sox for, among others, starter Clayton Richard, who is now a valuable piece of the Padres’ future.

      San Diego is in first place right now largely because of the success of Richard and Mat Latos (another one of Towers’ draft picks), an outstanding bullpen, Gonzalez and Jon Garland.

      Outside of Garland, Towers had a hand in all of the above factors that have attributed to the Padres’ success in 2010. When he left, the San Diego front office did next to nothing to improve the team in the offseason and even thought about trading Gonzalez on several occasions last winter.

      Granted, Towers is just one man and it takes a team of scouts and personnel directors to run a baseball team. But given his track record, two losing seasons shouldn’t have cost him his job in San Diego.

      No matter – he’s going to be Arizona’s GM soon enough and considering the Diamondbacks are a team that has underachieved over the last couple of seasons, he’s the right man for the job. The club needs an experienced leader – someone that know how to build through the draft and with youth – and that’s what they’ll get out of Towers.

      It might take a year or two, but Arizona should be competing again soon.

      External Sports, MLB

      Family involved in Tom Brady car crash lashes out at media

      September 10, 2010 /
      August 19, 2010: New England's Tom Brady ( ) delivers a pass during the New England Patriots' pre-season game with the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Patriots defeated Atlanta, 28-10.

      The family that was directly or indirectly involved in Thursday’s car crash that also concerned Tom Brady is upset with the attention that the superstar quarterback is getting while one of their loved ones remains hospitalized.

      From the Boston Globe:

      “Why? Because we’re poor, we don’t have money, because Tom Brady is famous,” said the sister of Rogerio Rodrigues, the 49-year-old man who was injured in the accident. The sister asked that she not be identified to avoid publicizing the case any further.

      Rodrigues suffered critical injuries, including a broken back, she said, and is undergoing surgery today after a series of surgeries Thursday.

      Rodrigues’s 21-year-old son, Ludgero, was cited in the accident with running a red light and causing the crash. Ludgero Rodrigues has a lengthy driving record, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

      “His son was driving because he had a very bad back problem,” the sister said.

      She said Ludgero swears he did not run the red light. He told police he had a green light. The sister argued that the media and authorities sympathized with Brady.

      “Nobody talks about Tom Brady because he’s a rich guy, and we’re poor,” she said. “My brother is in very bad condition. We are upset. Leave the family alone because we are in pain.”

      I love how the sister mentions not once, but twice how their family is poor. In the grand scheme of things, what does that have to do with the situation? I would argue that it’s Brady’s fame that is garnering him more attention than the other victim in this situation – not his fortune. (Although one can make the argument that fame and fortunate run parallel to each other.)

      Either way, if the brother who was driving the vehicle a) was cited for running a red light and causing the accident and b) has a “lengthy driving record,” then I’m not quite sure what the sister is looking for here. Had Brady caused the accident and was getting sympathy from the media, then she would have a leg to stand on.

      But to play the we’re-getting-the-short-end-of-the-stick-because-we’re-poor card in this situation is weak. I feel bad that anyone suffered injuries, but get real. Don’t be mad at Brady because he’s a celebrity and receiving attention when it was your family member that was cited and that has the record.

      Besides, this was all about timing anyway after Brady signed his new $72 million deal (which included $48.5 million guaranteed). Of course he’s going to get attention – he’s Tom Brady and he’s now the highest-paid player in the NFL.

      External Sports, NFL

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