Tag: Anthony Stalter (Page 65 of 133)

      LaDainain Tomlinson running like it’s 2006 again

      October 3, 2010 /
      ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 03: LaDainian Tomlinson of the New York Jets runs against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on October 3, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

      LaDainian Tomlinson was deemed washed up well before the Chargers finally dumped him in late February of this year. Despite his claims that he still had a lot to offer on the field, the Bolts wanted to move on – get younger.

      The Jets are glad they did.

      In New York’s 38-14 rout of the Bills on Sunday, Tomlinson rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He also had three catches for 22 yards and is now on pace to rack up 1,692 total yards this season.

      There’s a good chance that he’ll wear down at some point and never reach that yardage number, but then again he’s already made the Jets’ brass look wise for taking a flier on him this spring. There were reports that he looked “old” and “slow” in training camp, but nobody is saying that now.

      But while Tomlinson displayed outstanding vision, balance and quickness today in Buffalo, his rejuvenation is due in large part to the play of the Jets’ offensive line. One thing many of L.T.’s critics tend to overlook is the fact that San Diego’s offensive line was a poor run blocking unit. That’s not a problem for Tomlinson now, as the Jets’ O-line absolutely dominated an overmatched, undermanned Buffalo front seven on Sunday.

      It’s a long season and at some point, the Jets will need second-year back Shonn Greene to do exactly what he did today (22 carries, 117 yards) on a regular basis. But as of right now, they can continue to reap the rewards of their offseason investment and Tomlinson can continue repaying them for believing that he hadn’t lost a step.

      External Sports, NFL

      Roddy White makes play of the day (if not season) in Falcons’ win over 49ers

      October 3, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 29: Roddy White #84 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates his game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Eric Weems #14 and quarterback Chris Redman #8 at Georgia Dome on November 29, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The 49ers must feel a massive sense of déjà vu right now.

      In a Week 5 game in San Francisco last year, former 49er cornerback Dre Bly intercepted a Matt Ryan pass and had a clear beat on the end zone.

      The only problem is that he started high stepping around midfield and Falcons’ receiver Roddy White caught up to him and stripped him from behind. One of Atlanta’s offensive lineman was able to recover the loose ball and the Falcons went on to beat the Niners, 45-10.

      Fast-forward to today, where San Fran outplayed the Falcons in Atlanta for three and a half quarters and while nursing a 1-point lead with under two minutes remaining, Nate Clements intercepted Ryan and headed for the end zone.

      A touchdown would have likely sealed the win for the Niners, but White chased Clements down from behind, stripped the ball and one of the Falcons’ offensive lineman (I’m not making this up) recovered it at Atlanta’s 7-yard line. (The lineman’s name who recovered the ball was Harvey Dahl, who never gave up on the play either and made just as big of a play as White did.)

      With just over a minute remaining in the game, Ryan gathered himself and orchestrated an impressive drive to get the Falcons into field goal range at the San Francisco 25-yard line. After Mike Singletary tried icing the kicker (does that ever work?) by calling a timeout, Matt Brant kicked a 43-yard field goal to lift Atlanta to a 16-14 victory.

      The Niners did a lot of things right today and they seemed destined to earn their first victory of the year. Even though they only scored 14 points, new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson put together a sound game plan and if it weren’t for a couple of Alex Smith-drive-killing-interceptions, San Fran may have won easily.

      But the game essentially came down to White’s play late in the fourth quarter. At the risk of sounding like a motivational poster, the Falcons won today because of White’s hustle and determination. And considering he’s made a play like this before, it goes to show you that he’s much more than just a Pro Bowl receiver.

      It was one of the best plays you’ll see all season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Better off (with): Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick?

      October 1, 2010 /
      Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb waves a towel over his head as he runs off the field following his team's win against the Dallas Cowboys in their first NFL game of the regular season in Landover, Md, September 12, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      When you get right down to it, neither Donovan McNabb nor Michael Vick are in a bad place right now.

      McNabb certainly isn’t in the prime of his career, but at 33 he doesn’t have one foot in the proverbial NFL grave either. He’s working under a man in Mike Shanahan that has won three Super Bowls (two as a head coach, one as an offensive coordinator) and multiple conference championships, and is ready to face his old team this Sunday at his old stomping grounds.

      He’s also out of Philadelphia, where he couldn’t wake up in the morning without being booed for the way he poured his cereal. He’s now playing for a fan base that appreciates what he brings to the table because they realize what it’s like not to have a leader at the quarterback position. (No offense to Jason Campbell, who is an extremely hard worker and a likable guy, but considering Bruce Gradkowski is now starting over him in Oakland it’s apparent that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a quality starting quarterback in this league.)

      Vick has it good, too. After dazzling Andy Reid in the first two weeks of the season, he was named the full-time starter and he did well not to muck up the first opportunity he had to thank his head coach by lighting up the Jaguars last Sunday. Vick has been as good as any quarterback in the league this year, throwing for 750 yards and six touchdowns while compiling a QB rating of 110.2. He’s also rushed for 170 yards on 23 carries and best of all, he hasn’t turned the ball over despite fumbling twice.

      The Eagles are now Vick’s team and while he has yet to face a quality defense, the tape doesn’t lie: he’s been phenomenal so far. Whether or not his great play continues is uncertain, but as of right now there’s nothing negative anyone can say about Vick’s game.

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      Barstool Debates, External Sports, NFL

      Will the 49ers be more explosive under Mike Johnson?

      September 30, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - DECEMBER 20: Michael Crabtree #15 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes against the Philadelpia Eagles defense at Lincoln Financial Field on December 20, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

      It’s hard to argue that the 49ers aren’t the most disappointing team in the NFL thus far. While the Vikings, Giants and Chargers have played below expectations themselves, the Niners were supposed to be well on their way to winning the weak NFC West by now.

      Instead, they’re 0-3 and were the first team to make a major coaching change earlier this week when they fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye on Monday. Mike Johnson will take over the position and already he’s vowing to do things differently than his predecessor.

      Johnson wants to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers by spreading things out and giving defenses more looks. Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis have been underutilized so far and the hope is to confuse opponents with different packages.

      Of course, Raye wanted Crabtree and Davis to get their hands on the ball more too, but when Sundays came he would stick with a more conservative approach. Communication issues between Raye, head coach Mike Singletary and quarterback Alex Smith only complicated things and subsequently led to Raye’s firing earlier this week.

      The Niners take on a Falcon team this Sunday that ranks 21st in the league in total defense, but is only allowing 15.3 points per game. They’re prone to giving up the big play, so if Johnson is aggressive Smith may be able to connect with Crabtree and/or Davis in the vertical passing game. On the surface, this doesn’t appear to be a good matchup for the 49ers. But considering Atlanta is coming off an emotional victory over the Saints and could be due for a letdown, this is a situation San Fran may be able to take advantage of.

      But it’s up to Johnson to deliver on what he’s saying now. Plenty of coaches and coordinators talk a good game during the week but then when game time approaches, some of them lose their gumption. They call plays too close to the vest and before they know it, their team is down by two scores and they’re playing catchup.

      We’ll see how Johnson fares in his debut.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is Tamba Hali the next Elvis Dumervil?

      September 29, 2010 /
      KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 26: Tamba Hali of the Kansas City Chiefs sacks Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs won 31-10. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

      In 2006, Penn State’s Tamba Hali was the second rated defensive end behind NC State’s Mario Williams heading into the NFL Draft.

      While he was expected to go later than 20th overall, scouts were still enamored with Hali’s potential at the defensive end position. He made an impression on the Chiefs early in camp and went on to win the Mack Lee Hill award as the top Chiefs rookie in 2006. He would eventually move from left to right end in 2008 when Jared Allen was traded to the Vikings and was viewed as the team’s best pass rusher.

      But when the Chiefs hired Todd Haley in 2009, the defense switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4, meaning Hali was left without a position. He wasn’t a fit for end in the 3-4, so the team moved him to outside linebacker in hopes that he would be an effective edge rusher out of a two-point stance.

      Nice call, Chief.

      After recording three last week in the Chiefs’ win over the 49ers, Hali now has 8.5 sacks in his last eight games dating back to last season. There’s no doubt that he’s comfortable in his new position and he continues to be Kansas City’s best pass rusher week in and week out.

      If Hali’s story sounds familiar, it’s because Elvis Dumervil took a similar path to lead the NFL in sacks last season. Dumervil was also a defensive end in college (although he didn’t have as highly decorated career as Hali did) and was also forced into a new role when Mike Nolan was hired as Denver’s defensive coordinator last year. He too switched to outside linebacker in the Broncos’ new 3-4 scheme and racked up 17 sacks in the process.

      While Hali still has a long way to go to register as many QB takedowns as Dumervil did in ‘09, his effort over the past eight games has been noteworthy. A new pass-rushing star in the mold of Dumervil has started to sprout in KC.

      External Sports, NFL

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