The Tillman Story Trailer
Back on January 26, we posted the news that A&E was making a Pat Tillman story in search for answers about his death. Now we have a date that it will hit the big screen, August 20th, and along with the official trailer.
Kansas City Chiefs Remain Silent Over Dwayne Bowe Claim Of Importing Women
Message!
Back on May 20, we posted the story of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe telling the world of how NFL players import women to their team hotels when they are on the road. Now his teammates who have gathered for OTA’s are asked for their response to his claim and one by one, from every corner of the locker room, the Chiefs players repeated the same line “No comment.”
Chiefs coach Todd Haley took a similar mum’s-the-word approach, calling his flamboyant receiver’s latest distraction an internal matter and Bowe wasn’t available.
“Dwayne and I did have a long conversation and from this point on, we’ll leave it that, that it was discussed, handled internally and we’re moving forward,” Haley said Monday. “We’re worried about making progress as a team as we go forward and that’s what’s really important to me now.”
Bowes latest digression isn’t something the Haley-Scott Pioli regime is going to tolerate not from a player who’s already been in the doghouse several times.
A year ago, the fourth-year receiver showed up to offseason workouts out of shape, was benched for part of the preseason for lack of focus, continued to drop passes during the season, then was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s ban on performance enhancing substances.
Given Haley’s history with wide receivers, Bowe’s sex-on-the-road tale isn’t likely to go over well. The in-your-face coach had a running feud with Terrell Owens in Dallas, and had a sideline confrontation with Anquan Boldin during the NFC Championship game with Arizona in 2008.
Madden NFL 11 Chooses New Orleans Saints Drew Brees For Cover
Get On Your Belly Avoid That Curse
EA Sports will announce later this week at the NFL Draft that New Orleans Saints Super Bowl quarterback Drew Brees will land on it’s on Madden NFL 11 cover.
Naturally, the conversation shifts to the Madden Curse and how that relates to the Super Bowl champ. Last year was a little different since for the first time in it’s history we saw two players grace the cover and the curse only really struck one them down. Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu battled injuries all season, but Larry Fitzgerald was pretty consistent with what you’d expect. His biggest dropoff came in the yards per catch and total yardage area. His number of receptions was almost identical to the previous season. The Cardinals even won a playoff game.
The best part of this year’s cover and the curse? Fans where given the opportunity this year to vote for the player to grace the Madden cover so if there is a curse did Saints fans bring it upon themselves?
Atlanta Falcons To Be 1st To Use MMA Training
Rudy J Is Also A Beast In The Octagon
The Atlanta Falcons have become the NFL’s first franchise to begin a team-sponsored MMA program for its players. The sessions are run by MMAthletics, a company formed by FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer and Ultimate Fighting Championship star Randy Couture.
A dozen Falcons players have volunteered for the innovative training done in conjunction with Atlanta’s traditional offseason workouts. Another four-to-eight players are expected to join.
“We’re always looking for new and progressive ideas as far as training and offering our team supplements to the athletic performance model we have in place here,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “This was something we were comfortable with as far as conditioning but even more importantly the idea of having MMA help the players with their leverage, hand quickness, and things that could help them within the trenches taking on blocks and battling inside.”
Glazer said that “fighter mentality” is what MMAthletics tries to instill in NFL participants like those of Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen,San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart who have been apart of his program.
Falcons coach Mike Smith became sold on the idea in February when meeting with Glazer and Couture at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. But unlike their UFC counterpart there isn’t sparring during these hour-long workouts just the physical and mental stress it endures
The Falcons will train with MMAthletics into May and possibly beyond. Glazer said another NFL team he refused to name will begin workouts in May.
Final Eight Plan Will Restrict Top NFL Teams From Pursuing Free Agents
Est. 1920
This year free agency for the top eight NFL teams will be a whole lot different from years past and may hinder those clubs in the pursuit of signings that would help them get over the hump. This is due to a deadline that passed in which no agreement was reached between the players and owners reps concerning labor negotiations thus making the upcoming season an uncapped season.
This year fans cannot assume that New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens or the San Diego Chargers can just sign whatever player they want in this years off-season. Because of the riff in the labor negotiations this has caused league-imposed financial restrictions on how those teams will be able to accomplish their off-season goals by limiting them in their pursuit of free agents. This more than likely will leave those executive vice presidents and general managers to be more stand offish come the opening of free agency March 5.
Here is the NFL’s explanation of the limitations the “Final Eight Plan” has on those teams that reached the divisional round of the playoffs and their restrictions in free agency.
During the Final League Year, the eight clubs that make the Divisional Playoffs in the previous season have additional restrictions that limit their ability to sign unrestricted free agents from other clubs. In general, the four clubs participating in the championship games are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. They cannot sign any UFAs unless one of theirs is signed by another team.
For the four clubs that lost in the Divisional Playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters. Those four only will be permitted to sign one unrestricted free agent for $5.5 million (estimated) or more in year one of the contract, plus the number of their UFAs who sign with another team. They also can sign any unrestricted free agents for less than $3.7 (estimated) million in year one of the contract with limitations on the per year increases.
In the case of all final eight teams, the first year salary of UFAs they sign to replace those lost cannot exceed the first year salary of the player lost with limitations on the per year increases.
A lockout may or may not happen but it’s effects will be felt in a playing season.
Super Bowl XLIV Most Watched TV Event EVER With 106.5 Milli
Surpasses "Goodbye & Amen" Episode
For 27 years M*A*S*H finale was the most watched TV event until last nights Super Bowl XLVI dethroned it. The previous record was of 106.0 million for the finale in 1983.
The Saints 31-17 win over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV drew a 45.0 national rating and 106.5 million viewers on CBS Sunday night, up 7% in ratings and 8% in viewership from Pittsburgh Steelers/Arizona Cardinals on NBC last year (42.0, 98.7 mil), and up 4% and 9%, respectively, from New York Giants/New England Patriots on FOX in ’08 (43.1, 97.4 mil).
Additionally, the 45.0 rating is the highest for any television program since Dallas Cowboys/Pittsburgh Steelers drew a 46.0 in 1996.
To put the numbers in perspective, the Super Bowl drew over 70 million more viewers than the top non-NFL sporting event of the past 12 months — the Texas/Alabama BCS National Championship Game (30.8 mil).
This is the third-straight year the Super Bowl has drawn record viewership, and the fifth-straight year that viewership for the game has increased. Just five years ago, Super Bowl XXXIX drew only 86.1 million viewers on FOX. From 1999-05, the Super Bowl drew less than 90 million viewers each year.
The record for the Super Bowl is the capper to a highly successful season for the NFL. The regular season was the most-viewed since 1990 (16.6 mil), the Wild Card round was the most-viewed since ’95 (29.9 mil), the Divisional Round was the most-viewed since ’94 (33.0 mil), and the Conference Championship games were the most-viewed since ’82 (52.9 mil).
Kurt Warner Retires From National Football League
Never Giving Up
Kurt Warner has called an end to one of the great storybook careers in NFL history. The 38-year-old quarterback announced his retirement from the game after a dozen years in a league that at first rejected him, then revered him as he came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls, winning the first of them. Written off as a has-been, he rose again to lead the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl a year ago.
Warner walked away with a year left on a two-year, $23 million contract, knowing he still had the skills to play at the highest level.He had one of the greatest postseason performances ever in Arizona’s 51-45 overtime wild card victory over Green Bay Packers on Jan. 10, but sustained a brutal hit in the Cardinals 45-14 divisional round loss to the New Orleans Saints six days later.
Warner leaves the game with a legacy that could land him in the Hall of Fame even though he didn’t start his first game until he was 28. In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and yards per game. Only Dan Marino had more career 300-yard passing games.
In 124 regular-season games, Warner completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. He and Fran Tarkenton are the only NFL quarterbacks to throw for 100 touchdowns and 14,000 yards for two teams.
He was also the fastest player in NFL history to 10,000 yards passing and tied Dan Marino as fastest to reach 30,000. He has the top three passing performances in Super Bowl history. His 1,156 yards passing in the 2008 playoffs broke the NFL record of 1,063 he set with St. Louis in 1999.
He played three seasons in the Arena Football League and one in NFL Europe, mixed in with a sting stocking grocery shelves back in Iowa. Warner made the Rams as a backup in 1998, then was thrust into the starting role in 1999 when Trent Green was injured.
What followed was a masterful and wholly unexpected season, when he led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record, then a Super Bowl triumph over Tennessee Titans. He was named the league and Super Bowl MVP. St. Louis was upset in the first round of the playoffs the following season, but Warner had them back in the big game in 2001, where “The Greatest Show on Turf” lost a squeaker to New England Patriots. The season earned him a second NFL MVP award.
But after an injury-plagued 2002 season, he was sacked six times and suffered a concussion in a 2003 season-opening loss to the New York Giants. He never started for St. Louis again. He signed a free agent contract with the Giants for 2004, but was replaced by rookie Eli Manning after nine games. Warner came to the Cardinals in 2005 and was an off-and-on starter before replacing the injured Matt Leinart part way through the 2007 season.
Warner had to beat out Leinart the following spring, then led the Cardinals to the NFC West crown and playoff victories over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia before the narrow loss to Pittsburgh Steelers in last year’s Super Bowl, where he threw for 377 yards.
Warner’s departure leaves Leinart the presumed replacement. The former Heisman Trophy winner has started 17 games for Arizona but only one in the last two years.
Former NFL Player Eric Green Sodomizes Transgender Woman
Yes Rudy J, He Did Call Atlanta Home At One Time
Former Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers NFL cornerback Eric Green, has been sued by Angelina Mavilia, a transgender New Yorker.
In Mavilia sex assault suit she accuses Green of sodomizing her in his Arizona condo last year, when Green was a Cardinal. Green was cut by the Dolphins last September and has not been in the NFL since. The New York Daily News has more info about the lawsuit.
They went back to his condo, where Green, 27, assaulted her, she charges. He got “extremely agitated and threatening,” according to court documents, and warned: “This never happened. You’d better not tell.”
Pat Tillman Film Chronicles The Search For Answers About His Death
An American Hero
A new film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday traces the search for answers about the death of former Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman.
The film, “The Tillman Story,” charts the truth about the U.S. Army Ranger’s journey and his mother’s attempts to discover what really happened to her son. After the army initially said Tillman died as a result of enemy combat in Afghanistan, an investigation revealed that Tillman’s death was by friendly fire.
“It’s the truth about his death and the truth about his life,” the film’s director Amir Bar-Lev says. “From a political point of view, there are some very strong indications that all the way up the chain of command, the truth about how Pat Tillman died was discussed and suppressed.”
The film goes beyond the incident that caused Tillman’s death and features interviews with his mother, Mary, his widow, his youngest brother and several soldiers in his platoon. To drive home the point, the film features footage of when Mary Tillman testified before a congressional panel in 2007.
“We have been asked over and over again, ‘Well, what can we do for your family? How can we appease you?’ And it makes me sick,” Mary Tillman told the panel. “It’s not about our family. Our family will never be satisfied. We’ll never have Pat back. But what is so outrageous is this isn’t about Pat. This is about what they did to a nation.”
Bar-Lev says the mainstream media helped push the image that Tillman didn’t have a sense of purpose until he joined the army in the days following the September 11, 2001 attacks. As well as crediting the Tillman family for being more interested in the truth than a heroic glorious story.
“I would just say that the biggest myth is about Pat’s character and who Pat actually was,” Bar-Lev says. “That message is at the heart of the film.”
The film will make it’s way onto A&E but no date has been set.
HUGE TV Numbers For AFC & NFC Championship Games
Est. 1920
The NFC Championship game on FOX was of blockbuster magnitude as the New Orleans Saints thrilling overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings drew a 33.3 overnight and approximately 57.9 million viewers, which would be the second best NFC Championship average viewership of all time, behind only 1982’s Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers (“The Catch”) matchup that produced a 68.7 million viewers.
The NFC Championship game on FOX Sunday night was well above last years Arizona Cardinals/Philadelphia Eagles game which only produced 38.4 million viewers and it 33 o.3 overnight is up 5% from New York Giants/Green Bay Packers on FOX in 2008 (31.7) and . Ratings peaked at a 39.4 from 10:00-10:30 PM.
The Vikings/Saints is the most-viewed television program of any kind, excluding Super Bowls, since the series finale of Seinfeld in 1998 which saw 76.3 million.
The game did not dominate in all markets though, in Buffalo the NFC Championship game was actually outdrawn head-to-head by Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC, with Extreme Makeover drawing a 35.8 and the game drawing a 32.1.
CBS on the other hand did not post as great as number compared to FOX however did draw the highest overnight rating for the AFC Championship game in 16 years and saw 46.9 million actual viewers.
The Indianapolis Colts come from behind win over the New York Jets drew a stellar 28.4 overnight rating on Sunday afternoon, up 4% from San Diego Chargers/New England Patriots on CBS in 2008 (27.4).
The 28.4 overnight is the highest for the AFC Championship Game since Buffalo Bills/Kansas City Chiefs in 1994 (29.5) on NBC. Additionally, the 28.4 is the highest overnight for any NFL telecast on CBS, excluding Super Bowls, since the network resumed airing NFL telecasts in 1998. Ratings peaked at a 32.0 from 5:30-6 PM.
Deuce McAllister Retires From National Football League
It Was Fun
It was fun while it lasted, you know all those FOX camera shots of New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister sitting on the bench in street clothes talking to quarterback Drew Brees after the 236 touchdowns they scored against the Arizona Cardinals, because he has decided to announce his retirement after 8 seasons in the NFL.
Robert Meachem was shaken up against the Cardinals, so the team is expected to sign a wide receiver and in need of a roster spot McAllister is expected to file the paper work. McAllister was released by the Saints last February the two reconstructive knee surgeries in 2007.
Though he only played 8 seasons, two of which were marred by injury, McAllister is the Saints all-time rushing and touchdown leader at 6,056 yards and his 55 total touchdowns and 49 rushing TDs also are club records.
The two-time Pro Bowler was named honorary captain for the Saints Divisional playoff game against the Cardinals last week, but has since been officially been added to the team’s reserve-retired list.
Cincinnati Bengals Marvin Lewis Wins NFL Coach Of The Year
2 Time Coach Of The Year
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis won the 2009 NFL Coach of the Year by leading the team to a 10-6 record and won the AFC North Division, just their second division title since 1990. Both division titles have been under Lewis and did so with the deaths of wide receiver Chris Henry and Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
The team rebounded from a 4-11-1 record and broke the curse of HBO’s Hard Knocks to help Lewis receive 20 1/2 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Lewis beat Sean Payton of New Orleans Saints who got 11 1/2, Norv Turner of San Diego Chargers 9 and Jim Caldwell of Indianapolis Colts 7. Andy Reid of Philadelphia Eagles and Ken Whisenhunt of Arizona Cardinals had a single vote each.
Lewis is the Bengals first Coach of the Year award winner since the team’s founder Paul Brown won the award in 1970.
Overtime Not Enough For Packers-Cardinals Fans
I should be slapped for posting this since that was one weak throw down.
Top 10 NFL Players Coached By Bobby Bowden
21–10 In Bowl Games
On yesterday’s show we discussed whether or not Florida State acted right in the handling of 2-time National Championship winner Bobby Bowden. Now that he has one game left to add to his 388-141 resume and decided to retire, it feels appropriate to honor one of college football’s best coaches by compiling a list of the 10 best NFL players that played under Bowden at Florida State. If you think I failed to mention a player feel free to let me know.
1. Deion Sanders, CB
Whether you liked his brash attitude or not, nobody can deny how good “Neon Deion” was as a player. He brought true meaning to the phrase “shutdown corner” while instilling excitement and thrill into the pro game. Nobody has ever blanketed one side of the field like Sanders could and perhaps nobody ever will. He was so good that quarterbacks avoided throwing to his side of the field not only in fear of being picked off by Sanders, but also in concern that he would return the gift for six points. And not only was he one of the greatest cover corners to ever don a pair of cleats, but he was also a phenomenal punt returner as well. When his career finally wrapped up, Deion had accumulated 53 interceptions, 8 Pro Bowl appearances, 2 Super Bowl victories, a 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was also an incredibly rare two-sport athlete and to this day, young corners still try to emulate the way he played the game.
2. Derrick Brooks, LB
When the Tampa 2 defense was implemented into the NFL by former Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, they must have had Derrick Brooks in mind when they envisioned its success. No linebacker was a better fit for that scheme than Brooks, who went on to appear in 11 Pro Bowls and was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. He finished with 1,698 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 25 interceptions and also helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl in 2002. Other linebackers may have been more feared, but not many covered a field like Brooks did. He was also a tremendous leader and played on some of the best defenses of the past decade.
3. Walter Jones, OT
Jones career is coming to an end, but he’ll be been known as the rock at the end of the Seahawks offensive line for years to come. Throughout his career, he was named to nine Pro Bowls, is a six-time All-NFC player, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection and a bona fide hall of famer. He and former Seattle offensive guard Steve Hutchinson formed one of the best left sides in the NFL and helped pave the way for Shaun Alexander’s great career. When he finally does retire, Jones will be mentioned with Anthony Munoz and Art Shell as one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the league.
4. Warrick Dunn, RB
I remember reading of the stories of how people told him he would never make it as a football player because of his small size (5’9”, 190 pounds). But that didn’t stop Dunn from racking up 10,967 yards and 49 touchdowns on his way to becoming a three-time Pro Bowl selection. One of the more remarkable things about Dunn was his longevity despite his size limitations. Despite the position he played, he rarely took a big hit and was great at using his pads to absorb contact. He was also one of the greatest NFL humanitarians, helping single mothers every Christmas through his “Home for the Holidays” program. For his gracious work with various charities, he received the 2009 Walter Payton Mann of the Year Award.
5. LeRoy Butler, S
Brett Favre and Reggie White are two names that pop into your head when reminiscing about the 1995 Packers team, but there’s no doubt that LeRoy Butler was one of the staples of that Super Bowl squad. Not only did Butler help Green Bay win a title that year, but he also was one of the more fundamentally sound safeties during his playing days. In his 12 seasons with the Packers, he recorded 953 tackles, 38 interceptions, 553 return yards, 12 fumble recoveries, three defensive touchdowns and 20.5 sacks. He led or tied for the team lead in interceptions in five different seasons and he was the first defensive back in NFL history to gain entrance into the 20 sack/20 interception club.
6. Peter Boulware, LB
Ray Lewis’s name is always mentioned first when people talk about the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, but Boulware was a key member of one of the best defenses in NFL history. Throughout his career, Boulware recorded 493 tackles, 70 sacks, 26.5 tackles for loss and 13 forced fumbles. He was a perfect fit as an edge rusher in Baltimore’s defense and went on to appear in four Pro Bowls, was named the 1997 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was also inducted into the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.
7. Brad Johnson, QB
Brad Johnson never had the strongest arm and rarely put up gaudy numbers, but he did orchestrate Jon Gruden’s offense to near perfection in 2002 when he helped guide the Buccaneers to their first ever Super Bowl title. That year, Johnson lead the NFC in passer rating at 92.9 and set new team records for touchdowns with 22, completion percentage at 62.3, consecutive passes without an interception with 187, and also had the lowest interception percentage with 1.3%. For his career, he appeared in two Pro Bowls, compiled 28,627 total passing yards and finished with 164 passing touchdowns.
8. Anquan Boldin, WR
Many people only know Boldin for his role in the Arizona’s Cardinals 2008 Super Bowl team. But many forget just how good Boldin was in his first year when he won the 2003 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. That year, Boldin had 101 catches and was the only rookie selected to the Pro Bowl. He also set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game (217), holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career (157), and was the fastest to record 300 career receptions (47 games). Boldin has hauled in 553 receptions for 7,108 yards and 42 touchdowns.
9. Laveranues Coles, WR
Teammate Peter Warrick received more attention because he was a top 5 pick in the 2000 draft, but Coles (a third rounder in ’00) has gone on to have the better career. To date, Coles has racked up 631 catches for 8,095 yards and 44 touchdowns. He never puts up out-of-this-world numbers, but Coles has always been dependable, durable and has never shied away from going over the middle.
10. Sebastian Janikowski, K
Janikowski is the Oakland Raiders franchise-leading scorer, he holds the longest field goal in Raiders’ history (57 yards) and has the most career points in team history with 865. He’s also a two-time Lou Groza Award winner, has made 77.2 percent of his field goal attempts and is often the only offense the Raiders generate these days.
Honorable Mentions: Alex Barron (OT), Lorenzo Booker (RB), Brodrick Bunkley (DT), Zack Crockett (FB), Antonio Cromartie (CB), Darnell Dockett (DT), Chris Hope (S), Dexter Jackson (S), Samari Rolle (CB), Corey Simon (DT), Ernie Sims (LB), Tra Thomas (OT), Javon Walker (WR), Leon Washington (RB)
FOX, CBS & NFL Network Give Thanks For The NFL
Est. 1920
I don’t know why the ratings for Thanksgiving to forever to get in but they finally are here and once again the Dallas Cowboys draw in the large numbers.
Overnight ratings were up double-digits for both Thanksgiving Day NFL games.
Thursday’s Green Bay Packers/Detroit Lions game on FOX drew a 12.1 overnight rating, up 11% from Tennessee Titans/Detroit Lions on CBS last year (10.9). They are however down 13% from the Green Bay Packers/Detroit Lions in 2007 (13.9).
The 12.1 overnight is tied as the second-lowest for the early Thanksgiving Day game since ’01.
Later in the day, Oakland Raiders/Dallas Cowboys drew a 12.6 overnight on CBS, up 11% from Seattle Seahawks/Dallas Cowboys on FOX last year (11.4), and up 2% from New York Jets/Dallas Cowboys in 2007 (12.4).
The 12.6 is the third-highest overnight for the late Thanksgiving Day game since ’01.
The NFL Network saw it’s second-most viewed game in it’s history with the New York Giants/Denver Broncos.
The New York Giants/Denver Broncos drew 6.1 million viewers on NFL Network Thursday night, up 61% from 3.8 million for Arizona Cardinals/Philadelphia Eagles last year.
Thursday’s game ranks as the second-most viewed NFL telecast ever on NFL Network, behind only Green Bay Packers/Dallas Cowboys in 2007 (10.1 mil).
In related ratings news the SportsBusiness Journal shows the Cowboys have been the NFL’s biggest draw in primetime over the past four seasons.
Since 2006, primetime regular season Cowboys games have averaged 19.2 million viewers putting the team comfortably ahead of the second-place Colts (16.7 mil) and the Giants (16.6 mil). The Bears (16.3 mil), Patriots (16.0 mil) and Eagles (16.0 mil) round out the top 6.
The 49ers averaged the fewest viewers of any NFL team with more than 1 primetime appearance, with just 9.9 million.
Vince Young Defeats Matt Leinart Again
One day the name Vince Young will bring respect to those outside of Texas and Sports Grind Entertainment. Vince, just keep doing Vince and oh one day it will happen.
Anquan Boldin Wants His Benching Told To Him Like A Man
Some R-E-S-P-E-C-T Please
Anquan Boldin was a late late scratch before the Cards’ 41-21 pounding of the Bears. Boldin had even been going through his game day routine as though he were going to play.
“When I came here all of my stuff was in my locker,” Boldin said afterward. “I went out and warmed up — felt great — and when I came back in, everything was gone. Nobody was man enough to come to me and tell me what the situation was. I probably would have felt better had somebody been man enough to walk up to me … but I had to walk back in the locker room and find all of my stuff gone.”
Ken Whisenhunt said he had concerns that playing on a soft field would aggravate the ankle injury that has dogged Boldin the entire season. Soft field? I hope these fields are plush and soft, will all the money forced into new stadiums and renovations, I shouldn’t expect to see teams playing on Ice Bowl looking fields. In addition Whisenhunt knew what to expect of Soldier Field long before they showed up and to suddenly claim the grass was a reason to leave Boldin’s locker empty is a flimsy excuse.
The guy broke his face for this organization and it’s amazing he continues to be disrespected from coaching staff to the general manager and his contract.
Recently Patrick Crayton of the Dallas Cowboys went through a similar cowardly act, however he found out of his demotion in practice not on game day.
They Are Who We Thought They Were 09 Version
In Version 2009 its the Arizona Cardinals fans and head coach Ken Whisenhunt who have the last laugh this time around.
At Least For One Night MLB Was A Winner
Est. 1869
The ratings are in and for one night at least Major League Baseball beat out the National Football League in a head to head ratings show down.
The New York Yankees’ series clinching win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim drew an 11.4 overnight on FOX, while Sunday’s Arizona Cardinals versus the New York Giants game drew a 10.4 overnight rating on NBC. The 10.4 is a season-low for Sunday Night Football.
The 11.4 overnight for Angels/Yankees Game 6 is the highest for any non-NFL sporting event since the North Carolina/Michigan State NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game (11.9). To put the numbers in perspective the highest overnight for the NBA Finals in June was a 10.9 (Game 4).
The Yankees clincher drew a 26.9, dwarfing a 9.3 for Cardinals/Giants in the New York market.
Ratings for the 2009 MLB postseason are up 15 percent compared to last year.
As an MLB fan it feels great that at least for one night it slayed Goliath head to head nationally and smashed it into the ground within the same market.
Marcus Fitzgerald Tweeting What Everyone’s Thinking
Being Honest
Personally I’m not going to rip Marcus Fitzgerald for tweeting what is going through the minds of Arizona Cardinal fans and fantasy football owners of star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
The younger brother who plays for the California Redwoods of the UFL, wasn’t happy to see big brother catch just four passes for 34 yards and a touchdown in the team’s 31-17 victory at Jacksonville.
Marcus referred to Kurt Warner as an “old ass man” in one tweet, and in another he wrote,
“Just got off the phone with my brother. he’s happy about the win. But PISSED he didn’t get the ball thrown 2 him much!”
Larry Fitzgerald has not been getting the ball. He has just 10 catches for 105 yards through two games but he has capitalized when he has gotten his touches scoring twice. He’s led the NFC in receptions and yards the past two seasons.
With Twitter being a relatively new mainstream media and what to make of social networking, Marcus did latter tweet that it his actions where of his saying,
“That was on me,I shoulda known better.Larry had nothing 2 do w/ ne thing.I apologize 4.”
Madden Jinx Is Back
Watch Out Larry
The first game of real football and down goes Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu with a sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee late in the first. Head coach Mike Tomlin said the injury usually sidelines a player from 3 to 6 weeks. Tomlin said there is a chance the injury could be worse once further tests are run.
“I’m sure there’s a possibility of it, but I don’t have any concrete evident that there is anything more than that,” Tomlin said.
Especially when you consider the Madden Jinx.
2001: Eddie George, Tennessee Titans
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: 1995 Heisman, 1996 Rookie of the Year, Led Titans to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV.
2001 Stats: 315 attempts, 939 rushing yards, 5 TDs (All were career lows while with the Titan franchise)
2002: Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota Vikings
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: 1998 Sammy Baugh Trophy (Nation’s Top QB), Led Vikings to 2000 NFC Championship Game
2002 Stats: 3,853 Passing Yards, 18 TD, 23 INT, 75.5 Passer Rating, 21 fumbles. Vikings were 6-10 under Culpepper.
2003: Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: 1994 Rookie of the Year, three-time Offensive Player of the Year, 2000 MVP, Super Bowl XXXIV Champion
2003 Stats: 209 Attempts, 818 Rushing Yards, 3.9 YPC, 10 TD. He saw his production drop every year until his retirement in 2006.
2004 Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: No. 1 Overall Pick in 2001 NFL Draft, 2 Pro Bowls.
2004 Stats: Vick broke his right fibula in pre-season, and didn’t play until Week 11. In 5 games, Vick had a complete 50% of his passes, with 585 passing yards, 4 TDs, and 3 INTs.
2005 Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: Two-time Defensive Player of the Year, six-time All-Pro, Super Bowl XXXV MVP, Only Defensive Player to be on Madden Cover. Member of the 20 INT/20 Sack Club
2005 Stats: Lewis was confined to six games due to injury. He tallied 46 tackles, one sack, and one interception. 2005 is the only season Lewis didn’t make the Pro Bowl in his career.
2006 Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: No. 2 Pick in 1999 Draft, five-time Pro Bowler, 2000 MVP Runner-Up (behind Faulk), holds every quarterback record at Syracuse University, 2004 NFC Offensive Player of the Year, Lead Eagles to appearance Super Bowl XXXIX.
2006 Stats: McNabb tore his ACL in Week 11, and has been relatively injury prone since. In 2006, McNabb played in 10 games, completing 180 of 316 passes for 2,646 yards, 18 TDs, and 6 INTs. Has not appeared in a Pro Bowl since being on the cover.
2007 Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: Three-time Pro Bowler, 2005 NFL MVP, scored a then-record 28 TDs in 2005, graced the cover of NCAA Football 2001. (The only player to be on NCAA and Madden Covers)
2007 Stats: After signing a eight-year contract with the ‘Hawks, Alexander fractured his toe, and had an injury plagued year, with only 896 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games. Alexander is currently a free agent.
2008 Vince Young, Tennessee Titans
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: Led Texas Longhorns to 2006 BCS Championship, 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
2008 Stats: Began season suspended for undisclosed reasons. Threw only 9 TDs and 17 interceptions.
2009 Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers/New York Jets
Accomplishments before Madden Cover: 3x MVP (95-97), led Packers to 7 consecutive division titles, and Super Bowl XXXI title. Holds records for most TD passes (442), passing yards (61,655), completions (5,377), attempts (8,758) consecutive starts (275), and most career victories for a QB (160).
2009 Stats: Led the Jets to be 9-7, but the team lost four of their last five games, missed the playoffs, and got Eric Mangini was fired.
Be careful Larry Fitzgerald.
Goodbye T.J. Duckett, Hello Edgerrin James
33 years gets you 257-276 All-Time
The Seattle Seahawks have parted ways with goal line bruiser T.J. Duckett and his 172 yards and 8 touchdowns in his only season in a Seahawks uniform, in exchange for veteran running back Edgerrin James to a one-year deal worth $2 million. James carried the ball 133 times for 514 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals last year.
Head coach Jim Mora still plans on leaving running back Julius Jones as the back to receive the majority of touches. James will provide depth to a group of running backs that have been injury prone. They could even add another running back like Warrick Dunn who had three of his best seasons under Mora if injuries become part of this teams equation. The Seahawks plan to rely heavily on its run game in its version of the West Coast offense and James could have an opportunity to play a vital role.
Fitzgerald A Team Player & Restructures Deal
Ultimate Team Player
Larry Fitzgerald made the ultimate sacrifice in professional sports especially the NFL by restructuring his contract to help the Arizona Cardinals create salary cap space. Its believed he did it to help the restructuring of fellow wide receiver Anquan Boldin contract and ease the friction between management and Boldin. Fitzgerald wants all the attention to be on getting back to the Super Bowl but winning this time around. According to Arizona’s Offical Website Fitzgerald was reluctant to talk much about it, he said he felt it was something he should do. He also mentioned Anquan Boldin’s situation.
“Guys that are elite players in the business, they have to sacrifice,” Fitzgerald said. “I know my fellow guy Q, he is in a position he doesn’t want to be in and I just want to see him happy. We talked about it when we moved into the new stadium, I remember in a preseason game talking with him about the Ring of Honor and how nice it would be to both have our names up there one day.”
“I volunteered,” Fitzgerald said. “I told them if they needed something I wouldn’t hesitate. They said they needed it.”
That is a major move by a franchise player and the should send messages through locker room that winning is the number one priority. These are not your fathers Cardinals anymore.
