Tag: Anthony Stalter (Page 50 of 133)

      Is Fox trying to stick it to Panthers’ ownership by starting St. Pierre?

      November 18, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 31: Head coach John Fox of the Carolina Panthers looks on from the sidelines against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on October 31, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Panthers 20-10. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      The only reason to start 31-year-old Brian St. Pierre over a rookie in the middle of a losing season is to stick it to management. And that’s exactly what I think Panthers’ lameduck head coach John Fox is trying to do.

      Fox announced Thursday that it’ll be St. Pierre and not rookie Tony Pike starting this Sunday against the Ravens. There were probably many reasons not to start Pike (he’s not ready, he had a bad week in practice, the Ravens will literally eat him alive) but there is one very good reason to start him: Why the hell not?

      Nine years ago a sixth round pick by the name of Tom Brady became a full-time starter in just his second season when veteran Drew Bledsoe fell victim to an injury. I think we all know how that turned out.

      It’s very unlikely that Pike is the next Brady but how would anyone know unless he played? Had Fox elected to start the former Cincinnati product this Sunday, maybe Pike would have surprised and the Panthers could have the opportunity to see him play more this season.

      Or maybe he would have thrown four interceptions in the first half and St. Pierre would have played anyway. Who knows? The point is that the ever-conservative Fox decided against playing a rookie with upside so that he can start a guy that has bounced around the NFL for eight seasons. St. Pierre has thrown a total of five passes in just two games over his career and if any team thought he could be a starting quarterback, then he would have had an opportunity by now.

      Fox is on his way out of Carolina, so maybe he wants to ensure that his front office won’t have the opportunity to evaluate players that may beat him down the road. If that’s the case, then it’s a pretty unprofessional move by Fox, who has done some good things in Carolina but has mostly been a guy that has gotten by via smoke and mirrors.

      And actually, let’s hope Fox is trying to stick it to management. Because if he wants to land a head coaching job again someday, he’ll have to explain why he decided to start a quarterback with no future over a rookie draft pick in the middle of a youth movement.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is Michael Vick the NFL’s MVP to this point?

      November 17, 2010 /
      LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 15: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on while waiting for a review to be completed against the Washington Redskins on November 15, 2010 at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

      Michael Vick is the NFL MVP to this point – period. But that comes with a caveat.

      In five and a fraction of a game this season, Vick has thrown 11 touchdowns to no interceptions, has compiled a 115.1 QB Rating and is completing 62.7 percent of his passes. The clinic he put on in Washington on Monday night (six total touchdowns, including four through the air) was freaking unbelievable. (I should know, I was up 50 points in my fantasy league and my opponent beat me by one because Vick racked up 51 points. I’ve never seen 51 points scored in a fantasy game before.)

      Argue with those numbers and I’ll trump you with one: 0. That’s how many losses the Eagles have when Vick starts and finishes games this season. They’ve yet to lose when Kevin Kolb doesn’t set one foot on the field.

      That said, allow me to play devil’s advocate for a second. These are the teams that Vick has beaten this year: Detroit, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Washington. Not one of those teams has a defense ranked in the top 15 and Washington now has the worst defensive unit in the league thanks to that pitiful display it put on Monday night.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      If Vick stays healthy, sky’s the limit for Eagles

      November 16, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick throws against the Washington Redskins in the first half of their NFL football game in Landover, Maryland November 15, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Washington’s defense isn’t exactly the cream of the crop but that doesn’t change the fact that Michael Vick was simply amazing in the Eagles’ 59-28 victory on Monday Night Football.

      Vick completed 20-of-28 passes for 333 yards with four touchdowns and also added 80 rushing yards on eight carries with two more scores. He threw an 88-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson on the opening play of the game and then proceeded to lead the Eagles to a 35-0 lead early in the second quarter. While the Redskins scored a couple of times to show their fans that they were still breathing, Philly was in complete control.

      The law of averages will eventually catch up to Vick. It has to. No quarterback can sustain the performance that he’s turning in right now, but he can certainly continue to help the Eagles stockpile wins. When you look at the top six teams in the NFL, some are going to have Vick in the No. 1 slot given what he did on Monday night (coupled with how bad the Giants looked against the Cowboys on Sunday).

      But he has to stay healthy. He’s already missed several games this season because of a rib injury and he’s not going to change the way he plays. If he sees a lane, he’s going to take off and run – as he should. He has improved dramatically as a passer since his days in Atlanta, but he’s still going to pull the ball down and run 5-10 times a game and that opens him up to injury.

      That said, he’s been phenomenal and if he can stay consistent then the Eagles are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They have a huge game this Sunday against the Giants and an entire second half, but their victory in D.C. Monday night proved that this is a team to be reckoned with.

      External Sports, NFL

      Redskins shockingly give Donovan McNabb a $78 million extension

      November 15, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 03: Donovan McNabb of the Washington Redskins celebrates after throwing a first quater touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 3, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Leave it to the Redskins to make a decision that not only sends shockwaves through the NFL, but also leaves everyone questioning whether or not owner Daniel Snyder has a fully functioning brain.

      The Redskins agreed to terms with quarterback Donovan McNabb on a five-year, $78 million contract extension though 2015. This is the same McNabb that was benched for Rex Grossman two weeks ago in Detroit because Mike Shanahan believed he wasn’t physically fit enough to run the two-minute offense. This is the same McNabb that has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this year, has posted his lowest completion percentage since 2006 and who reportedly has been extremely slow to pick up Shanahan’s offense.

      Oh, and he’s also set to become 34 at the end of the month.

      Maybe the Redskins know something we don’t. Maybe McNabb drank from the fountain of youth recently and he’s about to lead the Redskins on a miracle second half run that nets them a playoff berth and a Super Bowl victory. Maybe people will look back at Washington’s decision and deem it the greatest personnel move in the history of football.

      Or maybe, and this seems more likely, McNabb will post very average numbers over the next couple of years and he’ll never see the end of this contract. Maybe Snyder (or Bruce Allen, or whoever is making the final decisions in D.C. now) once again overpaid a player and when the new CBA deal is signed, his team will permanently have a place reserved in cap hell.

      I’m a McNabb fan but he hasn’t earned this raise. He’s not working with much, but how can the Redskins build a decent core around him if they’re paying him $78 million over the next five years?

      And why now? Why not wait to see if McNabb starts to play better before you sign him to an enormous extension? He wasn’t good enough to beat out Rex Grossman for the opportunity to run your two-minute offense but he’s worth $78 million? I don’t get it.

      Again, this could all work well for the Redskins but I severely doubt it. And if McNabb is worth $78 million, what will Michael Vick or Peyton Manning command next March?

      External Sports, NFL

      Someone actually voted for candidates outside of Posey and Heyward for ROY

      November 15, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey looks on during workouts in preparation for their Major League Baseball (MLB)'s World Series in San Francisco October 26, 2010. The Giants will face the Texas Rangers in the series opening game on Wednesday. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Whether it was Giants’ 23-year-old backstop or the Braves’ 21-year-old right fielder, the only two candidates that deserved to be considered for the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award were Buster Posey and Jason Heyward.

      Yet three clowns actually voted for Jaime Garcia and Gaby Sanchez when it came down to handing out the award on Monday.

      When the voting was completed, Posey beat out Heyward to win this year’s ROY award. Heyward bested Posey in runs scored (83 to 58), hits (144 to 124) and walks (91 to 30), but he also played 34 more games as the Giants kept Posey in the minors because they wanted to slow his arbitration clock.

      Despite not playing a full year like Heyward, Posey hit just as many home runs (18) as the Atlanta outfielder and finished with a higher batting average (.305 to .277). He also caught a pitching staff that led the majors with a 3.36 ERA and helped San Francisco win its first ever World Series while batting cleanup for most of the postseason.

      Personally, I think Posey deserved the award based on the fact that he helped the Giants win playoff games while Hewyard struggled mightily in the NLDS. Posey also plays a more demanding position and may have doubled his output had he been given the opportunity to play a full year.

      But whether you thought it should have been Posey or Heyward, I think most of us would agree that the award didn’t belong to Garcia or Sanchez, who each received three first-place votes. (Posey finished with 20, Heyward had nine, Sanchez had two and Garcia had one.) That’s not to say that Garcia or Sanchez didn’t have good years because they did. But are you kidding me? Did the writers who voted for those two see Posey or Heyward play this season?

      Posey and Heyward played vital roles in the success that their teams had this year and put together some of the finest seasons of any rookies over the past couple decades. Garcia and Sanchez were nice players, but they didn’t hold a candle to what Posey and Heyward did for their teams. I would expect Cardinals and Marlins fans to argue that claim, but I would suggest they put on some tape to see what Posey and Heyward accomplished this year. Again, I’m not trying to take anything away from Garcia and Sanchez but come on. Two votes? Gabby Sanchez received two first-place votes? Over Buster Posey? Dear, Barbara.

      At the end of the day, who received first-place votes doesn’t matter. Posey won by a landslide and I think it was well deserved. All four of these players should go on to have solid careers, although I only see two potential superstars in the bunch and neither of them plays in St. Louis or Florida.

      External Sports, MLB

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