Tag: Anthony Stalter (Page 92 of 133)

      This is why the Bengals should wait to give Benson a new contract

      June 29, 2010 /

      A week ago, word out of Cincinnati was that Cedric Benson wanted a new contract and the Bengals were entertaining the thought of granting his wish. But Benson’s latest misstep with the law might have cost him the opportunity to earn a little financial security from his current employer.

      From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

      The Austin American Statesmen is reporting that Bengals running back Cedric Benson was arrested and charged with assault with injury early Tuesday after an incident last month at an Austin bar where witnesses said he punched a bar employee in the face.

      Benson was booked into the Travis County jail where he later posted bail and was released, authorities said.

      According to the Austin police arrest affidavit, Benson was at Annie’s West bar in the Sixth Street entertainment district on May 30 when he got into an altercation with another patron that left him spitting blood from a cut lip.

      After staff intervened, witnesses told police Benson shoved a bar worker and was verbally abusive. After being asked to leave, Benson was escorted to the door.

      Bar employee Bryan White told police that once outside, Benson complained that “all these white boys are ganging up on me and kicking me out,” then punched White in the face.

      After signing with the Bengals, he said of his legal trouble: “Just, it’s a humbling experience. It keeps you grounded. It will bring your feet back to the ground if your feet weren’t grounded. Just kind of bring you home, (an) opportunity to look in the mirror, re-evaluate yourself and change yourself for the better. I just had to make a better decision, a few better decisions.”

      This is exactly why I wrote last week that the Bengals should wait to give Benson a new deal. He had gotten into trouble multiple times with the Bears before arriving to Cincinnati and he’s under contract for the 2010 season. Thus, there’s no reason for the Bengals to give him a new deal before he proves that he can produce again on the field and stay out of trouble.

      If the NFL suspends him, chances are he can kiss a long-term deal goodbye. The Bengals have proven time after time that they don’t make wise decisions when it comes to signing troubled players, but even they aren’t stupid enough to give Benson a new contract after this. In fact, he could be looking at nothing but one or two-year deals from here on out because no team is going to trust him.

      He potentially cost himself millions of dollars because he had to be an idiot in a bar. Talk about bad timing.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Chris Henry’s death should motivate the NFL to be more proactive when it comes to the long-term health of players

      June 29, 2010 /

      I’m not a doctor and therefore, I’m not qualified to draw conclusions about what eventually happens to people’s brains after years of playing contact sports – most notably football.

      But the latest news involving Chris Henry’s death has sprouted a discussion that everyone can be a part of because it strips away the football aspect of the game and reminds us that athletes’ long-term health is at risk.

      Henry died last December when he fell out of the back of a truck and suffered serious head trauma. Despite the fact that he had no documented instances of concussions while at West Virginia or with the Bengals, recent reports state that he had suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, before his death. (In layman’s terms, he was dealing with brain damage even before he met his tragic end.)

      According to doctors, symptoms of CTE can include failure at personal and business relationships, use of drugs and alcohol, depression and even suicide. Henry’s legal troubles over the years have been well documented and just recently, his mother claims that he suffered two concussions while playing high school football, which resulted in headaches. She also states that he started smoking marijuana right around the same time.

      But just because Henry smoked pot doesn’t mean that it was because he had brain damage from playing football. He could have made a conscious decision to toke up, just as he could have made a conscious decision to conceal a firearm in January of 2006 (which led to an arrest), assault a valet attendant in Kentucky in 2007, as well as punch an 18-year-old boy while throwing a beer bottle through the window of his car in 2008.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Are the Bucs moving in the right direction?

      June 28, 2010 /

      Two years ago, the Buccaneers appeared destined for another playoff run after amassing a 9-3 record behind veteran players like Derrick Brooks, Jeff Garcia, Stylez G. White, Barrett Ruud, Kevin Carter and Antonio Bryant.

      But the team faded down the stretch, losing all four of its remaining games (including an embarrassing defeat to the hapless Raiders in the final week of the year) to miss the playoffs entirely. Following the season, both head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired and replaced by the experienced Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik, respectively.

      Last year was a disaster for Morris and the Bucs, who finished 3-13 and statistically had one of the worst offenses in the league. Until Morris took over the play calling duties midway through the season, the once proud Tampa Bay defense also took a significant step back from what it was earlier in the decade under former coordinator Monte Kiffin (who left the team following the ’08 season to coach with his son at the University of Tennessee).

      But one of the main reasons the Glazers fired Gruden and Allen was because of the pair’s desire to rely mostly on veteran players. There was a lot of turnover from year to year under Gruden and Allen and the Glazers felt as though the two weren’t building a young core that could compete for many years, not just one.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Goodell needs to act in latest embarrassment for Lions

      June 28, 2010 /

      If a player is arrested for driving under the influence, he’s subjected to a suspension. Often times he’s also ridiculed by the media and has his decision-making come into question in the process.

      But what happens when someone from a team’s front office commits the same crime? What’s the punishment for them?

      Over the weekend, Lions president Tom Lewand was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. His job with the team appears safe and he’s already released a contrite statement about how he will take responsibility for his actions, but at what point does Roger Goodell and the league get involved?

      If Goodell wants to hold players to a higher standard, he should do the same with front office personnel and anyone that falls under the NFL shield for that matter. It’s fine if he wants to rule with an iron fist, but he can’t be strict with the players and not with anyone else.

      Lewand made a mistake – he’s human. But when players make mistakes, they don’t escape punishment and neither should he. Whether he’s fined or suspended for several games, Goodell must seek punishment for Lewand. If he does, then he’ll avoid looking like a hypocrite and more importantly, he’ll show the players that he’s fair.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Looking back on Joe Horn’s career

      June 25, 2010 /

      As a fan, there was always something that drove me absolutely nuts about Joe Horn. I couldn’t figure out why until later in his career, but looking back I think the answer was simple: He always made plays when they mattered most.

      According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Horn will retire after signing a contract with the Saints, who elected him into their Hall of Fame earlier this spring. He’ll hang ‘em up with 603 receptions, 8,744 receiving yards, 58 touchdowns and four Pro Bowl appearances to his credit.

      Compared to other receiving greats, there wasn’t anything uniquely special about Horn, although he certainly had enough speed, intelligence and playmaking ability to torch defensive backs every Sunday. He also had incredibly soft hands, which is something that is often overlooked in today’s day and age, where 40 times for receivers often carry more importance to scouts.

      Granted, even some Saint fans won’t miss him. He was a controversial player at times, always ready to speak his mind and his attitude rubbed some the wrong way. He’ll also probably be more remembered for his cell phone touchdown celebration than for his play on the field. But in the end, his contributions (especially during the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged season of 2005 when he became the unofficial spokesperson for the team) to the Saints far outweigh whatever negative attention he may have brought to himself throughout his career. He was a leader on a team that desperately lacked that trait for many years and he’ll always have a place in Saints history.

      In the end, Horn won’t be remembered as a great receiver. But for those that watched him play (whether you rooted for him or hoped he would trip over a pylon and be swallowed whole by the turf), he left an impression.

      External Sports, NFL

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