Tag: LaDainian Tomlinson (Page 10 of 15)

NFL Week 17 Primer Late Games

December 26, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Here are snapshot previews of the late games with playoff implications on Sunday.

Dolphins (10-5) at Jets (9-6), 4:15PM ET CBS
Things got hairy last week for the Dolphins in Kansas City, but their win over the Chiefs put them in position to make the playoffs (not to mention win the AFC East) with a win over the Jets. The problem is that they haven’t had much success in the Meadowlands this decade and the conditions are going to be cold and nasty. Still, they’re playing a Jets team that has lacked fire over the past couple of weeks, while quarterback Brett Favre has recently admitted that he’s at less than perfect health. A win would be the ultimate revenge for Chad Pennington, who has a bad taste in his mouth from the way the team pitched him in the dumpster right after they traded for Favre. Pennington felt that he gave a lot to a Jets’ fan base and organization that didn’t return the favor. So expect a very motivated Chad to show up in Jersey on Sunday and one with revenge on his mind. Miami’s offense got back on track last week in Kansas City, but their defense took a step back after allowing the Chiefs to rack up 31 points. Before last week, the Dolphins had limited their three previous opponents to 9, 3 and 12 points, respectively. Hurt or not, Favre is going to come out fired up considering this might be his final game. This should be a great battle.

Broncos (8-7) at Chargers (7-8), 8:15PM ET NBC
The Broncos have completely crapped the bed the past two weeks, losing to both Carolina and Buffalo to set up a must-win situation in San Diego to win the AFC West. The problem is that the Chargers have won three in a row to put themselves in position to win the division with a victory. San Diego’s offense is seemingly back on track, racking up 41, 22 and 34 points respectively in their last three games. Phillip Rivers is having an MVP-like season and should have no problem moving the ball against a Denver defense that has been shredded for most of the season. But the Chargers need LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles to be effective in order to keep the offense balanced. The defense, which has played dramatically better since Ron Rivera took over at coordinator, also needs to step up against a Broncos’ offense that is averaging almost 280 passing yards per game. Winner takes all in this matchup, although it appears that Denver has already blown its chance. A Charger win would be sweet justice after they lost to the Broncos earlier this season thanks in part to Ed Hochuli’s blown call.

Cowboys (9-6) at Eagles (8-6-1), 4:15PM ET FOX
There’s a bit of a stink surrendering this game because by kickoff, the Eagles will already know whether or not they’re playing for a playoff spot. Philly needs Tampa Bay, Chicago and Minnesota all to lose in order to have a shot at the postseason. Since it’s unlikely that all three teams lose, the Eagles will have to settle for the role of spoiler in this game. The Cowboys control their own destiny. If they win, they’ll clinch the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC. If they lose, they’re done. According to Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips’ job is not on the line this Sunday. But things could change if the Cowboys are embarrassed by a division rival with the postseason on the line. Despite what Jones says, Phillips better come up with a way to slow down Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook they way Washington did last Sunday, or else he could be heading to the unemployment line.

Jaguars (5-10) at Ravens (10-5), 4:15PM ET CBS
The Ravens need just one more victory to put a cap on an amazing year. They should get that victory, too, because they’re playing a Jacksonville Jaguars team that has lost four of their last five games. Although they showed spunk in almost beating the Colts last Thursday night, they won’t be able to move the ball on a motivated Baltimore defense. As long as rookie quarterback Joe Flacco doesn’t succumb to the pressures of facing a must-win situation, the Ravens should be fine. The Jaguars can’t run the ball behind a depleted offensive line and if Baltimore can beat the Cowboys on the road and in the final game at Texas Stadium, they should have no issues with a hapless Jacksonville squad.

NFL

Baltimore Ravens Brett Favre Brian Westbrook Chad Pennington Dallas Cowboys Darren Sproles Denver Broncos Donovan McNabb Fire Wade Phillips Jacksonville Jaguars Jay Cutler Joe Flacco LaDainian Tomlinson Miami Dolphins New York Jets NFL Playoff Picture Philadelphia Eagles Philip Rivers Wade Phillips

Ouch!

December 21, 2008 / Gerardo Orlando

Bill Simmons on Ladainian Tomlinson:

There are five open secrets in the NFL right now. The first is that LaDainian Tomlinson, for whatever reason, is washed up. (Running backs are like NBA big men, porn stars, singers, wrestlers and female sideline reporters in HD: When it goes, it goes. You can’t stop it.)

NFL

Bill Simmons Bill Simmons rips LaDainian Tomlinson Is LaDainian Tomlinson washed up?LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tomlinson decline LaDainian Tomlinson washed up San Diego San Diego Chargers

NFL Week 12 Primer

November 23, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Sunday’s Best: Giants (9-1) at Cardinals (7-3), 4:00 PM ET
It might not be the sexiest game of the year, but this is one of the best matchups of the 2008 season. The Giants have been one of the best road teams over the last couple years, and the Cardinals are a completely (better) different team in the comforts of their own home than on the road. Kurt Warner is playing like a league MVP and it’ll be interesting to see how the underrated New York secondary matches up with the explosive Arizona passing game. There haven’t been a lot of opponents have been able to get pressure on Warner this season, but the G-Men have one of the best front sevens in the league. All indications are that Brandon Jacobs will play, which should help New York keep Arizona’s potent offense off the field. Both teams have a commanding lead in their respective divisions, but a win for the Giants could go a long way in eventually securing home field advantage in the postseason.

Upset Watch: Buccaneers (7-3) at Lions (0-10), 1:00 PM ET
I’m sure I’ll get crap for this one, but give me credit for taking a shot with this upset. Outside of getting their ass handed to them by Jacksonville two weeks ago, the Lions have been inching closer and closer to their first victory. Jon Gruden’s offense is effective, but the Buccaneers have had issues once they get into the red zone this year. They settled for three field goals inside the red zone last week against Minnesota, which essentially kept the Vikings in the game. Not that Detroit’s defense will provide much of a challenge, but if the Lions can keep the game close throughout, they might have a shot at a late score. Every year it seems that the Lions manage to win a game they’re not supposed to and I’m calling my shot this weekend – it’ll be Tampa. It helps that the Lions beat the Bucs last season, too, although it’s safe to say that the 2007 Detroit team was a shade better this year’s version.

Intriguing Matchup: Colts (6-4) at Chargers (4-6), 8:15 PM ET
After getting embarrassed by the Titans on Monday Night Football in Week 8, the Colts have won three straight and beaten quality AFC teams like the Patriots and Steelers. Indy has jumped right back into the playoff race and are one of the more dangerous teams in the league. But without Bob Sanders (knee injury) in the lineup, the Colts are a completely different team defensively. And although LaDainian Tomlinson has been quiet this year, he’s still one of the most explosive backs in the league and does anyone believe he can’t still take over a game? The Chargers are always dangerous on national TV because they play with a chip on their shoulder. They’ve also shown improvements defensively under Ron Rivera, who took over for Ted Cotrell at coordinator. Even though San Diego has struggled this year and has stumbled to 4-6, this is going to be a dogfight.

Other Notable Games:
Jets (7-3) at Titans (10-0), 1:00 PM ET
Along with the Giants-Cardinals game, this could easily be the best matchup of the week. Pundits keep waiting for Tennessee to fall, but something tells me it won’t be this week. Brett Favre is susceptible to throwing an interception or two, which doesn’t bode well playing against a very opportunistic Titans’ defense. Some are smelling upset – I say the Titans remain undefeated after this week.

Panthers (8-2) at Falcons (6-4), 4:15 PM ET
The Falcons’ playoff hopes took a hit last week when they lost to Denver, but the Panthers have struggled with inferior opponents as of late. Jake Delhomme has not looked very sharp and Atlanta has been solid at home. This is a huge game for the NFC South.

Eagles (5-4-1) at Ravens (6-4), 1:00 PM ET
A loss for the Eagles and they can kiss their postseason hopes goodbye. The Ravens have a great chance to prove they’re for real after they were clowned by the Giants last week.

Patriots (6-4) at Dolphins (6-4), 1:00 PM ET
This is a massive game for the AFC East, especially with the Jets playing in Tennessee. A win for either one of these teams could mean a share for the AFC East Division lead and don’t forget the Dolphins absolutely crushed the Patriots in Foxboro earlier this season. The fireworks in this game have already started this week with Joey Porter.

NFL

Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Bob Sanders Brandon Jacobs Brett Favre Carolina Panthers Detroit Lions Indianapolis Colts Joey Porter Joey Porter comments Jon Gruden Kurt Warner LaDainian Tomlinson Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Ron Rivera San Diego Chargers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ted Cotrell Tennessee Titans

End of Chargers-Steelers game a black eye for NFL

November 17, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Forget for a moment that gambling even exists. Take it out of the equation and focus on the reality of what transpired at the end of the Chargers-Steelers game, because it was a serious black eye for the National Football League.

By now, most of us know what happened, but I’ll set the scene again for those who have missed out on all the hoopla.

Down 11-10 with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Chargers took possession at the 21-yard line. There, quarterback Philip Rivers threw a forward pass to LaDainian Tomlinson, who then flipped the ball backwards to teammate Chris Chambers, who then tossed the ball backwards to another teammate, but Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu intervened, knocked the ball out of the air and recovered it on the 11-yard line. From there, Polamalu returned the ball into the end zone, which referees signaled a touchdown. Pending review and an extra point, the Steelers should have won 18-10.

But that’s not what happened. Officials did review the play and determined that it was in fact a touchdown. However, after reconvening, they determined that one of the Chargers’ lateral passes (the one Tomlinson threw) was an illegal forward pass and therefore the touchdown didn’t count.

No harm no foul, right? The Steelers would have won the game regardless and everyone involved can rejoice at the fact that no game in the history of the NFL has ever ended with an 11-10 score.

But the call wasn’t right. Even if LT’s pass was deemed illegal, the ball never touched the ground and therefore the play continues. The result of the play was an illegal forward pass, which the Steelers would have declined, and the touchdown should have counted. Head official Scott Green even admitted after the game that he and his crew “misinterpreted” the rule and got it wrong.

People may disagree, but this blunder is just as bad as the Ed Hochuli game because it proves that the replay system in the NFL is broken. The most amazing thing about all of this is that the officials in the Chargers-Steelers game actually spent time getting the call wrong. What happened if the Steelers were down by one and something fluke like this happened and it cost them a win? Can we safely assume that the officials would have gotten the call right if a win was on the line? I can’t, certainly not after watching how the officials eventually handled the actual situation.

Now let’s reintroduce the gambling ramifications, because obviously that’s the main issue here.

An estimated $100 million was wagered worldwide on the game. And approximately 66% of those dollars were wagered on Steelers. Had the touchdown stood, bettors would have cashed in roughly $32 million, but because of the officials’ mistake, it turned out to be a $64 million swing in favor of the bookies.

Some people don’t like gambling because they think it’s stupid to wager your hard earned money on a game. That’s fair, but don’t forget that some people consider gambling as another form of entertainment, just like going to the movies. I might be comparing apples to oranges here, but if you took your family to the movies and only got to see half of it because the projector broke, then you’d want your money back right? The projector cost you your money and entertainment for the night and that’s not fair.

Well, a blown call cost people their money (and we’re talking about more dough than the average movie ticket) and entertainment and that’s not fair either. Again, that might not be the best example but you get the point.

Don’t expect anything to be done about this though. Roger Goodell isn’t going to reverse the call just like he didn’t reverse the outcome of the Broncos-Chargers game that Hochuli blew. It was a mistake by the officials and I wouldn’t hold your breath hoping to get your money back.

But this is going to be more damaging to Goodell’s league than people think. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but it’s certainly questionable that the Steelers were flagged 23 times to only twice for Chargers (one of those penalties was the infamous “illegal pass” call), and the end of the game resulted in a San Diego cover because they were 4 or 5-point underdogs at most major sports books.

People are justifiably outraged and calling for foul play. In the wake of what transpired in the NBA with Tim Donaghy, suspicions are being raised of the legitimacy of NFL officiating. With that much on the line, how can you blow a call after you first made the correct ruling, then reviewed it, then still made the correct ruling only to eventually make the incorrect ruling? It’s completely ridiculous and I don’t blame anybody if they think NFL games are fixed now.

For the record, I don’t think games are fixed and I certainly don’t think the end of the Chargers-Steelers game was some masterful plan to insure a San Diego cover. I think this was a massive mistake, but I highly doubt anyone got on the phone to the head ref to tell him to call the game a certain way. Too many jobs would be lost and I doubt it’s worth the risk.

But after watching everything play out, I can definitely see why people buy into conspiracy theories. And it’s too bad that this is mostly about gambling because the situation deserves to have some light shed on it. Instead, the mainstream media will bury the story because they want to remain hush-hush about the gambling world.

Even those who don’t bet and didn’t wager on the game witnessed an injustice. And maybe you didn’t lose money – maybe you lost a fantasy game or a football pool at work. Either way, what happened wasn’t right and the NFL is going to be the one that really pays in the end because it no doubt lost some fans due to this fiasco.

NFL

Ed Hochuli Ed Hochuli blown call LaDainian Tomlinson Philip Rivers Pittsburgh Steelers San Diego Chargers Troy Polamalu

Vegas must have decided the end of Steelers/Chargers game

November 16, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

I’m not one for conspiracy theories but what transpired at the end of the Chargers-Steelers game had to be a total fix by none other than Vegas itself.

With only seconds remaining in the game and Pittsburgh up 11-10, San Diego took over deep in their own territory hoping for one last miracle. Philip Rivers completed a pass to LaDainian Tomlinson, who then pitched it back to a teammate, who then tried to pitch it back to another teammate but the ball was fumbled and eventually scooped up by the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu. He then returned the fumble into the end zone for an apparent Pittsburgh touchdown.

But after a review, officials determined that it was an illegal forward pass and the touchdown was wiped out. Granted, the outcome of the game didn’t change – the Steelers would have won regardless – but the play did affect the point spread. Pittsburgh was a 5-point favorite and had Polamalu’s touchdown held up, the Steelers would have covered. But with the play overturned, the Chargers covered.

I’m only half serious when I suggest Vegas had anything to do with the outcome of the game, but it was interesting how that play affected so much (at least in the gambling world). Analysts said after the game that it was clearly an illegal pass by LT, so I’ll take their word for it, although it looked totally legal to me. Not only that, but how could officials signal that it was a touchdown only to take the points off the board minutes later?

It’s also crazy that this was the first game in the history of the NFL that ended in a 11-10 final, but I doubt people who wagered on the Steelers care about that useless fact.

Here’s the YouTube video of the play: