October 2008 Archives

Chicago Bears legendary linebacker Mike Singletary is taking over the coaching job in San Francisco:

click here for Singletary story

It looks like Coach Mike Nolan's time with the 49ers may be over:

link to story on Nolan

 

This list is from Yahoo! Sports "Big Board" If you're starting one of these ten, You're probably doing all right in league play:

1	Frank Gore, SF, RB	Martz's new "Marshall" plan has been top 13 RB each week	3
2	LaDainian Tomlinson, SD, RB	After 5th sub-100-yd game WK 6, calling for team to improve run	1
3	Adrian Peterson, Min, RB	AP owners lamenting missed opportunities past 2 weeks (NO, DET)	2
4	Marion Barber, Dal, RB	Major workload ahead with rookie Jones, Romo out	4
5	Clinton Portis, Was, RB	No. 1 fantasy back has been matchup indifferent this season	9
6	Brian Westbrook, Phi, RB	Week 7 bye won't come soon enough (ankle, broken ribs)	5
7	Steven Jackson, StL, RB	Power/versatilty skills on display past 3 (142 yfs average)	8
8	Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR	Has 70+ yards and/or a TD in 20 straight games	10
9	Brandon Marshall, Den, WR	No WR getting the kind of love Baby TO is (14 looks per)	7
10	Ronnie Brown, Mia, RB	Guy gone wild(cat): 6 TDs, 1 TD pass, 116 yfs avg in past 3	12

is Pacman Jones finally getting a little help?

link to Pacman story

Dallas' Tony Romo, ruled out for four weeks two ago, may now play on Sunday.

All it took was one call from Brett Favre.
Tony Romo, after speaking with the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who is known for gutting it out, may play this weekend, despite breaking the pinkie finger on his throwing hand.
Here's the Associated Press story of Romo practicing on Thursday.

Roy Williams should fit nicely in the Cowboys offensive attack.

You have to hand it to Jerry Jones, after losing Tony Romo and Adam Jones on back-to-back days, he continues to wheel and deal, acquiring receiver Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions in exchange for three draft picks.
Here's the Associated Press story on the trade.

Comments: Can you imagine an offense led by Tony Romo, once he returns, that features the power running of Marion Barber, the reliability of tight end Jason Witten and a receiving corps that will have  Terrell Owens on one side and Roy Williams on the other? This could be the best attack since, well last season's New England Patriots. As far as the Lions are concerned, with three high draft picks, including a first-round selection, it will give the Motor City team a chance to rebuild, and in this case, the right way now that the horror of Detroit - Matt Millen - is gone. I see it as win-win for both teams.

Six weeks into the season, NFL clubs are successfully running the ball.  The NFL per-game rushing average at this point in the season is among the highest in the league in 20 seasons, and rushing touchdowns are at a 24-year high. 

Adam "Pacman" Jones will be doing a lot of watching in the next few weeks after being suspended by the NFL Tuesday.

NFL chief Roger Goodell was numb on the Adam "Pacman" Jones situation last week, but today he laid down the law, suspending the Dallas Cowboys' defensive back, who was involved in a scuffle with his bodyguard at a Dallas hotel last week.
Here's the story that says Jones will be suspended at least four games.

The debate in Walnut about a proposed NFL stadium in Industry has turned nasty, with residents harassing each other at City Council meetings. The city is staffing the meetings with cops. Here's the story.

link to Walnut NFL story

 

Ed Roski Jr. and John Semcken want to move an NFL team to Industry. This article has a few NFL teams that might relocate.

 

link to forbes article

Life without Rome may be difficult for the Dallas Cowboys.

When it rains, it pours. The Associated Press is reporting that Dallas quarterback Tony Romo suffered a broken finger on his throwing hand in Sunday's 30-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and that he could miss as many as four weeks, including a key match against the New York Giants on Nov. 2.
This loss hurts on two fronts -- I'm a Cowboy fan, so surviving with Brad Johnson under center is going to be tough. This is also a big hit on the fantasy front, since Romo is my starter, meaning I will have to make do with the Broncos' Jay Cutler, or Cleveland's Derek Anderson, who I just picked up tonight.

If I were a gambler I'd take a serious look at these games.

NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell interviewed on ESPN Radio this morning covered a wide range of topics including Pacman's problems, Crazy Al's feud with Lane Kiffin, and the economy. He wasn't asked about Majestic's promise to bring a team to LA by next season. Here's some excerpts from a transcript provided by the NFL:

On the latest with Adam Jones and if the league has started an investigation:

 

The answer is yes.  We're trying to determine all the facts.  It's clear there was some type of incident.  We want to understand all the facts. At this point right now, it's about making sure we understand exactly what did happen.

 

On the Raiders' press conference last week:

 

I watched the press conference like everyone else.  It was unfortunate that the circumstances had gotten to that point.  Both parties have moved on.  Hopefully, the Raiders can focus on winning football games going forward, and coach Kiffin can pursue whatever he decides to do.

 

I have not interjected myself.  There has been a lot of misinformation about a letter that I supposedly sent to the Raiders threatening them.  That is not the case.  During the press conference, Mr. Davis had made a point of a potential tampering case involving Randy Moss.  I take that seriously.  I asked if there were any facts that I should be made aware so we can pursue it as we do with any charge that's in violation of our rules.  That was the extent of my letter.  There's really no further statement from our standpoint at this juncture.

 

On any possible changes made by the NFL immediately due to the economy:

 

I have put it on three different levels.  How can we be impacted directly by the lack of credit in the market place, and does it affect instruments like stadium financing?  Secondly, does it affect our business partners that are so important to us like ESPN?  Thirdly, how does it affect our consumers? They are being impacted directly with this.  How will it impact their relationship with the NFL, whether it's in ticket buying or merchandise? There are so many ways our fans interact with us, and we want to see how the economy is affecting our fans.

 

 

This from an AP sports budget:

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones wasn't in the
locker room Thursday to answer questions about a scuffle with his bodyguard at
a hotel that Dallas police called a "private matter" that will not lead to any
charges. It was still unclear how the incident would affect Jones' standing
with the NFL.

Here's the latest story on the wires: Pacman will play according to Wade Phillips.

Former Baldwin Park High School standout Lawrence Phillips recently received a 10-year prison sentence for an assault he committed after a pick-up football game in Los Angeles. The National Ledger's Cathy Beers says Phillips along with Michael Vick and O.J. Simpson is part of a trifecta of criminal NFL players doing time.

How many former NFL players can you shove into a jail cell?  Or better yet a prison cell.  Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick is locked away in jail and things have gotten so bad for Vick that he now wants bankruptcy protection form creditors.  O.J. Simpson is back in jail, this time in Las Vegas.  Also leading the charge to jail for the National Football League trifecta is Lawrence Phillips.

Frank Nevarez at the Fourth Down thinks Al Davis should have his own reality show.

If it happens, I'm going to call it Crazy re-Al-ity. Here's 

some of Nevarez's thoughts:

In the vein of ABC's "The Bachelor" prospective head coaches will vie for Al's attention and hope to land the head coaching job for the Oakland franchise. The first set of contestants will be a special all-star cast meant to kick off the series with a big bang. Past Raider coaches Mike Shanahan, Bill Callahan and Art Shell will all be on the premiere episode trying to get their old job back! Apparently, feeling very magnanimous Al Davis is even allowing just-fired Kiffin to fight for the job he just got canned from. Davis explained himself, "I'm willing to do anything to entice viewers. I think this action provides intriguing possibilities."

Future competitors are said to include has-beens, also-rans, and retreads. Untested leaders are also high on the most-wanted list.

One of the first competitions will involve being able to take Al Davis' play-calling instructions while on the sideline during an actual game. Who can be quicker in breaking away from a well thought out game plan to institute a play on the whim of Davis?

This piece appeared in Newsday Sunday morning. It's a sort of follow up on the bizarre press conference Al Davis held denouncing coach Lane Kifin and proclaiming he won't pay the balance of Kifin's contract:

On Jan. 22, 2009, Al Davis will celebrate a dubious anniversary, one that says all you need to know about how out of touch the Raiders' managing general partner has become.

On that day, it will have been 25 years since the Raiders last won the Super Bowl. On Jan. 22, 1984, Davis' Raiders routed the Redskins, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII.

Since then, Davis' franchise has wallowed mostly in misery, with the owner himself the root cause of all that has afflicted the team he affectionately refers to as the Raiduhs.

There is little hope of a turnaround anytime soon. In fact, Davis, 79, sunk to a new low Tuesday when he held a news conference announcing the firing of yet another head coach - Lane Kiffin - after only 20 games. 

Here's the NFL's Week 5 Press Notes:

Three teams seek to remain spotless...two keep a division steaming...and one finally returns home.
 
It all adds up to one thing:  a lot is happening in the NFL this week.  A few examples: 
 

• Two teams - the Buffalo Bills (4-0 for the first time in 16 years) and Tennessee Titans (4-0 for the first time in their history) will go for 5-0 records.  But it's only Week 5, they both say.  "We still have a chance to go 4-12," says Titans linebacker KEITH BULLUCK.    

• Another team - that other club in New York, the Super Bowl champion Giants who were quiet in their bye week while BRETT FAVRE was throwing six touchdown passes -- will look to up their record to 4-0 for the first time since 1990.   

• One game features a team (Tampa Bay) that has won its last three games after losing its first vs. a club (Denver) that won its first three and lost its last.  But "there's a lot of football left," says Broncos quarterback JAY CUTLER. "We can't go in a panic here."    

• Another game - the Indianapolis Colts at the Houston Texans - will be the first home game of the season for the Texans and signal some return of normalcy to Houstonians after the devastation of Hurricane Ike.

All that - and a whole lot more - is in store for Week 5.  As NFL teams either conclude the first quarter of their season, or start the second, who knows what's in store?  "That's the NFL," says Pittsburgh Steelers head coach MIKE TOMLIN, fresh off a thrilling Monday night win over Baltimore.  "That's what makes this thing so awesome.  You can't blink."

Here's my "take it to the bank" picks:

BALTIMORE over Tennesse - I'm not yet a believer
CAROLINA over Kansas City - Chiefs can't do it two weeks in a row
DETROIT over Chicago - Take the home dog, even if its the Lions
GREEN BAY over Atlanta - Pack is tough at home
Indianapolis over HOUSTON - Houston will be the problem
San Diego over MIAMI - It will be close, but the Chargers have too much
NY GIANTS over Seattle - Another win for the champs
PHILADELPHIA over Washington - Wild, wild East says go with the flyboys
DENVER over Tampa Bay - Broncos should rebound against the Bucs
ARIZONA over Buffalo - Air Cardinals should prevail
DALLAS over Cincinnati - TO all the time (LOCK OF THE WEEK)
SAN FRANCISCO over New England - Cassell is not Brady
JACKSONVILLE over Pittsburgh - Del Rio has Steelers' number
NEW ORLEANS over Minnesota - Saints just keep on marchin'

This from ESPN. It's a review of Warren Sapp's appearance on Showtime's "Inside the NFL." Here's the opener:

"Nobody tells you how bad it is," the former defensive tackle said on Showtime's "Inside the NFL." " ... any person that calls me on the telephone, [I tell them] do not go anywhere near Oakland."

Sapp, who retired after the 2007 season -- his fourth with the Raiders -- said that Lane Kiffin, fired this week by owner Al Davis, never got a fair chance in Oakland.

"He came in there with a change of mentality. The whole system," Sapp said on "Inside the NFL." "He changed how the locker room looked because it was going to take that kind of overhaul for Oakland to become the proud franchise we all knew it was."

Going against the spread this week. Here's my choices (Home team bold):

Indianapolis -3 1/2 over Houston

Baltimore +3 over Tennessee

San Diego -6 1/2 over Miami

Kansas City + 9 1/2 over Carolina

Philadelphia -6 over Washington

Detroit +3 1/2 over Chicago

Green Bay OFF Atlanta

NY Giants -7 over Seattle

Tampa Bay +3 over Denver

San Francisco +3 over New England

Buffalo +1 over Arizona

Cincinnati +17 over Dallas

Jacksonville -3 over Pittsburgh

MONDAY NIGHT:

Minnesota +3 over New Orleans (LOCK OF THE WEEK)

 

 

 

 

 

The Associated Press is reporting that former Baldwin Park High School standout Lawrence Phillips was sentenced to 10 years in prison this afternoon on a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon. Phillips was convicted in the case two years ago and teh sentencing had been delayed several times. Here's the AP top:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Former football star Lawrence Phillips was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, two years after he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon.

The sentencing was repeatedly delayed while Phillips fought to withdraw a guilty plea in a domestic abuse case that could have led to a stiffer sentence.

Phillips was convicted in 2006 of seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

The 31-year-old former Nebraska running back has been jailed since August 2005, when he drove onto a field near Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and his car struck two boys, ages 14 and 15, and a 19-year-old man, who suffered cuts and bruises. The car narrowly missed four other people.

He was upset over losing a pickup football game to the youths, prosecutors said.

In court, Phillips tearfully apologized to one of the victims.

"I'm sorry that your leg is messed up," Phillips told Rodney Flores, after hearing the young man tell the court that he was unable to pursue his dream of playing high school sports as a result of being hit when he was 16.