Tag: Anthony Stalter (Page 46 of 133)

      The Eagles better figure out a way to protect Michael Vick

      December 3, 2010 /
      Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing brings Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick down on the Houston 18-yard line after a 6-yard gain during second quarter Philadelphia Eagles-Houston Texans game action in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field December 2, 2010. UPI/Eileen Angelino Photo via Newscom

      How many times can Michael Vick take a big hit, stumble to his feet and limp back to the huddle before Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg figure out a way to protect him?

      Vick was once again impressive in the Eagles’ 34-24 win over the Texans on Sunday night. He completed 22-of-33 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 48 yards and another score. He still doesn’t see the whole field well (late in the second quarter he missed a wide open DeSean Jackson in the red zone after the receiver made a great move on the defender) and he did throw his second interception in as many weeks, but he’s light years ahead of where he was in Atlanta in terms of a passer.

      That said, he also takes too many hits. He’s a running quarterback so to some degree, he’ll always be pulling himself off the ground. The Eagles don’t want to take that part of his game away because that’s what makes him so dangerous, but if you combine what the Bears and Texans did over the last two weeks they’ve laid out a blue print on how to stop Vick.

      Not every team has a defensive line like the Bears do, so not every team will be able to rush four, drop their linebackers and safeties into coverage and still get pressure on Vick. But even the Texans, whose D-line is good but not to the level of the Bears, were effective because they were able to hit him throughout the game. After the third time Vick got up gingerly on Thursday night, Reid and Mornhinweg should have started calling more run plays. It’s not like “Shady” McCoy wasn’t doing just as much damage as Vick was to the Texans’ lousy defense, so he should have been more involved.

      I know the Eagles won and I know I may be nitpicking, but they’re an incredibly dangerous team that nobody will want to face in the playoffs. But what makes them so dangerous is Vick and if he’s on the sidelines come January, then obviously they take on a much-different look as a team. Reid and Mornhinweg have to figure out a way to minimize the blows their quarterback is taking right now or we’ll be seeing Kevin Kolb again at some point.

      External Sports, NFL

      The NCAA is playing with fire in Cam Newton ruling

      December 2, 2010 /
      TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 26: Quarterback Cam Newton of the Auburn Tigers celebrates their 28-27 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 26, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      If Cam Newton had nothing to do with his father shopping him around as if he were an item on eBay, then he shouldn’t be punished. That’s only fair. But what exactly is the NCAA saying when it deems Newton eligible and slaps his father on the wrist despite coming to a conclusion that rules had been broken?

      In case you haven’t heard, Auburn will have its starting quarterback this Saturday for the SEC title game. And when/if the Tigers beat South Carolina, they’ll have him for the national championship as well.

      This was all made possible by the NCAA, which ruled that a violation of Newton’s amateur status had occurred but he had nothing to do with it. He is now cleared to play and more than likely, he’ll win the Heisman because of the NCAA’s “findings.”

      Newton’s father, Cecil, got the worst of it from the NCAA. He now only has “limited” access to Auburn’s football program during his son’s stay there. That’s right: he shops his son’s athletic skills to the highest bidder and then is told to lay low when he’s caught. When Reggie Bush and his family got caught accepting free housing, suits and cars, the USC program was dealt a two-year bowl ban and the loss of scholarships. When Dez Bryant had dinner with Deion Sanders (and subsequently lied to the NCAA about it), he was deemed ineligible for the rest of the 2009 season.

      But Newton’s father tries to cash in on his son’s athletic talents and the only thing that happens to him is that someone will have to let him in the side door when he goes to the Georgia Dome this Saturday.

      Again, I don’t think Cam should be punished if Cecil committed the wrongdoing. But what happens the next time a situation like this occurs? What’s stopping another father from shopping his son to two schools? After all, if he gets caught, he just has to make sure that his son had nothing to do with it and he’ll essentially get off without punishment.

      The NCAA botched this one. If it wants to play tough with programs like USC and players like Bush and Bryant, then it should have played tough with the Newton’s, too. If Cam were made ineligible for the SEC title game and Auburn were to have been stripped of all its wins this year, then maybe the next father who tried to cash in would think twice about his actions. Maybe he would consider how Newton lost his chance to play for a national championship and win a Heisman and not taken the risk.

      Instead, the NCAA just created a huge loophole for the next father with a gifted son.

      College Football, External Sports

      Would Jon Gruden be a good fit at Miami?

      December 1, 2010 /
      BRIAN CASSELLA | Times Photo via Newscom

      Two days ago, Jon Gruden issued a statement that said he was committed to Monday Night Football and to ESPN. But that was before he had to endure the 49ers-Cardinals matchup, so maybe a couple of hours of watching Derek Anderson play has changed his mind.

      Several sources, including ESPN.com, are reporting that Gruden is the University of Miami’s top choice to replace Randy Shannon, who was fired on Saturday following the Canes’ loss to South Florida. Oregon wanted Gruden to become their offensive coordinator in 2009, but he declined their offer and stayed in the booth. But will he be lured back to the sidelines now that a major university wants him to be their head coach?

      It’s easy to see why Miami would want Gruden. First and foremost he’s a Super Bowl-winning head coach, which are hard to come by. He’s also a big name (someone college players would respect, or so you would think), a tireless worker and a great offensive mind. He also knows how to work with quarterbacks, which is obviously important at all levels.

      But would it work? Would Gruden be a good fit for the college ranks?

      While he cut his teeth in college football before moving up to the NFL, he has never been a college head coach. The X’s and O’s may be similar, but college coaches have to know how to recruit. For as much success as Gruden had at the pro level, he often preferred to work with veteran players like Rich Gannon, Brad Johnson and Jeff Garcia. That’s not to say he couldn’t mold young minds, but he seemingly likes to work with players that already know the game – not ones that have to be taught it.

      Either way, it’s an interesting concept. Miami is tired of losing and wants someone that can come in right away and win. Is that person Gruden? Maybe, but there are a lot of things to consider. Just because he’s a big name doesn’t mean he’s the right person for the job. Besides, he may have several options in the NFL once the season is over. Who knows if he even wants to coach at the college level?

      College Football, External Sports

      NFL investigating whether or not Bucs’ corner Talib threatened official

      November 30, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - DECEMBER 14: Cornerback Aqib Talib #25 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches play against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on December 14, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

      Cornerback Aqib Talib is one of the many bright young stars on the Buccaneers’ roster. His six interceptions tie him for second in the league behind the Eagles’ Asante Samuel (who has seven), and Talib continues to play at a Pro Bowl level this season.

      But he can’t help the Bucs if he’s suspended, which may be the result of his actions following last Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

      The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that the NFL is looking into a run-in that Talib had with a game official following Tampa’s 17-10 loss at Baltimore. Talib was furious with field judge Boris Cheek during the game about a pass-interference call on teammate Myron Lewis. Per the report, Talib lobbed a couple of expletives at Cheek as he left the field.

      As the story goes, a member of the officiating crew told Talib, “You play like a (expletive).” To which Talib intelligently replied: “I’ll (hit) you in your (expletive) mouth.”

      This isn’t the first time that the young corner has been in trouble. He’s already hit a teammate with a helmet in practice and he also punched a taxi driver in August of this year (which earned him a one-game suspension earlier this season). One more strike against him and it’s not unrealistic to think that he could be suspended for multiple games.

      Of course, the league can’t have officials taunting and cursing at players. Talib was wrong to say what he did, but part of an official’s job is to keep the peace. How can a referee be trusted not to be biased if he’s verbally fighting with players after a game?

      However the situation turns out, Bucs coach Raheem Morris would be wise to sit Talib down and express to him how much Tampa needs him on the field. I don’t see how this (below) helps Talib grasp the situation:

      “He didn’t do anything wrong,” said Morris. “He was just in conversation, so I’m not going to sit here and act like Aqib did anything wrong toward the official because I’m not into that. That’s between those two men, and whatever happened happened.”

      Morris has done a great job in his second year and who am I to tell him how to run his team? That said, I’ve seen coaches play the role of friend with players before and it never works out. Teams can fracture when it’s perceived that one player is getting special treatment, especially when he acts like an idiot.

      The Bucs have a good young team and it would be unfortunate if things were to unravel for Morris, who has transformed the Bucs into a competitor in only his second year. He has to find a way to get through to Talib so that these types of issues don’t keep surfacing.

      External Sports, NFL

      Why people have a hard time believing that the Falcons are the best team in the NFC

      November 30, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 11: Quarterback Matt Ryan and Roddy White of the Atlanta Falcons react after White's touchdown reception in the final seconds against the Baltimore Ravens at Georgia Dome on November 11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The 2010 Atlanta Falcons can thank the 2009 New Orleans Saints for why people aren’t completely sold on their status as best team in the NFC, even though they currently own the best record in the conference.

      Fans like it when one team blows its opponents out every week. The Saints led the league and/or NFC last year in passing yards, passing yards per game, rushing yards, rushing yards per game and points scored. It was easy to make claims that they were the best in the NFC (if not the league) when they were routing teams 38-7.

      Points and big win margins make people feel all warm inside. But the Falcons don’t win big. In fact, three of their games came down to the final seconds and countless others came down to the fourth quarter before they were able to secure victory.

      The Falcons aren’t the 2009 Saints. They don’t put up absurd offensive numbers and their only win by more than 10 points came in a 41-7 rout of the hapless Cardinals in Week 2. They lost to the Big Ben-less Steelers in the opening week of the season and were crushed by the Michael Vick-less Eagles in Week 6. They also were incredibly fortunate to beat the Saints in Week 3 after Garrett Hartley missed a field goal in overtime that would have won the game, as well as when Roddy White stripped Nate Clements when the cornerback was heading for the end zone after picking off Matt Ryan in the closing minutes of a Week 4 game against the 49ers. (In both cases, the Falcons took the gifts and drove down the field to win both games.)

      But how many times do you hear someone ask, “Who have they beaten?” Well, the Falcons have already beaten playoff contenders like the Saints (on the road), Bucs, Ravens, Rams (on the road) and Packers, as well as everyone’s underdog of the year, the Browns (also on the road). They didn’t blow any of those teams out and they’re certainly not the most talented squad in the league, but they know how to win.

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      External Sports, NFL

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