Tag: Anthony Stalter (Page 79 of 133)

Redskins still have plenty of concerns offensively

ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 08:  Clinton Portis #26 of the Washington Redskins watches from the sidelines after suffering a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on November 8, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Merry preseason, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the trio of issues the Redskins could face this season.

I always thought Jason Campbell got kind of a bad rap, although there’s no question that Donovan McNabb has better physical tools – even at this point in his career. Thanks to first round pick Trent Williams and former Saint Jammal Brown, the tackle positions got a much needed makeover in our nation’s capital as well.

So generally speaking, the Washington Redskins are an improved football team.

But it seems as though some pundits are going a tad overboard when predicting this team’s success this year. While they have made several upgrades on that side of the ball, the offense still has plenty of question marks as well.

Let’s start with the offensive line. Williams is a tremendous prospect, but he’s still a rookie and far from a guarantee. He also doesn’t have a ton of experience on the left side, which is where he’s expected to anchor this Washington O-line.

Brown is a massive upgrade over Stephon Heyer, but that’s like saying an authentic slice of New York pizza is an upgrade over Dominos. Heyer was one of the worst offensive linemen in all of football last year, so a broomstick cemented in a bucket would have been an upgrade.

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Why Roger Clemens would rather go to jail than admit guilt

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens leaves the U.S. District Court House after his arraignment hearing in Washington on August 30, 2010. Clemens is being charged with making false statements, perjury and obstructing Congress in his congressional testimony on his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.  UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

I don’t know Roger Clemens and despite the advances in modern technology, I still think we’re a couple of years away from being able to walk around in someone’s head to help understand what they’re thinking.

That means I can only speculate as to why Clemens decided to plead not guilty on Monday to charges of lying to Congress about whether he ever used steroids or human growth hormone. Or better yet, why he also decided not to accept a plea agreement in order to face a lighter sentence.

But the reason, I speculate (along with the fact that he could lose future earnings and the chance of being elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame), is rather simple. Had he accepted the plea deal, he would have admitted guilt to everything: taking steroids, for lying about taking steroids and for calling Brian McNamee a liar. (And there’s no doubt that Clemens wants to give into McNamee – even if it meant that he would stay out of prison.)

Even if Clemens has told a shred of truth over these past couple of years, it won’t matter. All people will care about is that he a) cheated the game and b) lied about cheating the game.

That’s why I think he’d rather go to jail maintaining his innocence than be deemed a liar. That may sound ridiculous to most people and it should, but we’re talking about someone facing hard evidence and yet he continues to deny that he used steroids. Keep in mind that even if he does get locked up, he can still say that the judicial system screwed him or he was wrongfully accused.

Here’s another thought: He has bought into his lie. There are some people in this world that tie a lie so many times that they start to believe it. They’ve repeated to themselves enough times that they’re 6’3” and 230 pounds of shredded muscle that when they look in the mirror, the person starring back at them is 6’3” and 220 pounds. (Now you know what I do before I got to bed each night…right before I cry myself to sleep.)

Either way, I think “Rocket” is lying. And either way, I think he’ll go down maintaining his innocence, even if he eventually winds up behind bars.

Will the safety position hold the Bengals back in 2010?

PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 15:  Chris Crocker #42 and Chinedum Ndukwe #41 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate in the bench area en route to an 18-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers during their game at Heinz Field on November 15, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Bengals defeated the Steelers 18-12. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Merry preseason, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be breaking down the Bengals’ safeties and why they could become a liability for the team this season.

Special teams is arguably the Bengals’ biggest weakness heading into the 2010 season, but I’ve avoided talking about kickers to this point and I’m not going to start now.

Pass protection, pass rush and quite frankly, even Carson Palmer are question marks for Cincinnati heading into the season. But the safety position may be the biggest concern the Bengals have in 2010.

Granted, this isn’t a huge issue because starters Roy Williams and Chris Crocker have loads of experience and Crocker has played very well in Cincinnati despite lackluster tenures in Cleveland and Atlanta earlier in his career. But both of these players have glaring weaknesses that can be exposed by opponents.

We’ll start with Williams, because his weakness is more widely known. The man is a force against the run but couldn’t cover his bed in new sheets. He has also played in just seven games the past two seasons because of nagging injuries. His backup, 25-year-old Chinedum Ndukwe, has failed to impress in his first couple of years despite having the opportunity to see live action when Williams was out.

As previously noted, Crocker has been a good Bengal over the years but he was assisted off the field in the first quarter of the Hall of Fame game earlier this month with a right ankle injury. He dealt with ankle issues late in the year in 2009 and had arthroscopic surgery on one of them in February so obviously that’s a concern.

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Quarterback could derail Cardinals’ season before it gets started

Merry training camp season, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the Cardinals massive issues at the quarterback position.

The Cardinals have a couple of weakness that could be discussed, including offensive tackle, cornerback and inside linebacker. But none of them will impact their chances this season like the quarterback position will.

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Dodgers should wait until after weekend before deciding on Manny, Lilly

June 27, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..Manny Ramirez of the Dodgers in action during the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, 8-6, in 10 innings..Josh Thompson/CSM.

I’ve got one two words of advice for the Los Angeles Dodgers right now: Have patience.

SI.com’s Jon Heyman is reporting that the White Sox have won the waiver claim on outfielder Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers now have until Tuesday to either trade him or pull him back. Ken Rosenthal is also reporting that L.A. has placed starter Ted Lilly on waivers, meaning a deal could also be forthcoming for him if he’s claimed.

The problem is that the Dodgers have won three in a row and are now only five games behind the Giants in the NL Wild Card race. Less than a week ago, it made sense to put players like Manny and Lilly on waivers seeing as how neither of them will be part of the team’s long-term plans. But today, things are much trickier.

Do the Dodgers keep Manny and Lilly in order to make a run at the playoffs or do they trade them and hope to get lucky over the next 30-plus games?

If they wait, that question could be answered for them over the next three days. The Dodgers are set to play the Rockies (who are four games back in the Wild Card chase) in Colorado for a three-game set starting tonight. If they take the series and the other Wild Card contenders (Giants, Phillies, Cardinals) struggle, then why not keep Manny and Lilly and try to make a run?

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