Tag Archives: quarterback

NFL Trade Deadline: Uneventful to Say the Least

1 Nov

As usual the media was in a huff over the NFL Trade Deadline. The Deadline had been pushed to Thursday at 4:00pm due to Hurricane Sandy. There was a lot of speculation over who might go where especially surrounding New York Jets’ back-up quarterback and professional virgin, Tim Tebow. It is not secret that the Jets have been misusing Tebow. Not only has he not become the starting quarterback but he hasn’t even been utilized properly as a back-up. Many were hoping that the Jacksonville Jaguars would unleash Tebow from his Jets’ prison. But alas that didn’t happen. And it continues to look like the Jets are hopelessly going to continue this Mark Sanchez/Tim Tebow love triangle.

There was also talk of Kansas City Chief wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe, jumping ship. Of course all of this talk was generated by Bowe himself who increasingly unhappy with the direction the Chiefs are headed. But unfortunately for Bowe  he’ll be sinking with the ship.

Literally the only trade that happened was the New England Patriots acquiring Tampa Bay Buccaneer cornerback, Aqib Talib. Aside from his run ins with the law and earlier banning for doping, Talib, is a great addition to the Patriots who desperately need some help in the defense department. I’m sure he’ll get into less trouble up north . . . .

-M

 

 

 

Cam Newton Cry Baby

23 Oct

After a 1-5 start it is clear that something is off with the Carolina Panthers. In an effort to fix that they fired long time general manager Marty Hurney on Monday. But that’s not stopping people from pointing to Cam Newton. Newton has been less than positive during this losing streak. And can often be spotted towards the end of the games sitting on the sidelines with a towel draped over his head looking like he’s trapped in math class on the last day of school. After this weeks loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Newton literally told the media he had no idea why they were losing. Which doesn’t give much promise to the Panthers’ fans in them getting better.

It’s clear that the one thing that should change is Newton’s attitude. Instead of pouting about his sophomore slump he should be promising better results. And regardless of if it’s him or not he should take responsibility for his team. That’s the job of a quarterback.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton: ‘I’m gonna bring in a suggestion box’Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton talks to the media following a disappointing 19-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Embedly Powered

via Nfl

 

-M

 

 

NFL Rundown Week 6: Did Anyone See That Coming?

15 Oct

This week shit went crazy in the NFL and their were surprises everywhere. The Miami Dolphins refused to quit and beat the St. Louis Rams, 17-14. The Cleveland Browns climbed out of their hole to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 43-24. The Buffalo Bills managed to overtake the previously high-ranked Arizona Cardinals, 19-16. It was a weekend of crazy games.

Did the Jets Actually Win?

New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts, 35-9

We have all been watching the downward spiral that has been the Jets’ season but here is a glimmer of light. The Colts coming off a victorious win over the Green Bay Packers were taken down by the Jets. I think the chants of Tebow at last weeks game finally got to Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez ended the night with 11 of 18 passes complete for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck didn’t have such a stellar game he was 22 of 44 for 280 yards but he had two interceptions, a fumble, and lot of misfired balls. But the real star of the game was Jets’ Shonn Greene who ran for 161 yards, had three touchdowns on 32 carries. But Jets fans shouldn’t celebrate yet because next week they will face the New England Patriots and it’s not going to be pretty.

Everyone Hates Michael Vick . . . Again

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions, 26-23

I don’t think anyone saw this coming even Lions fans were surprised. The Eagles looked posed to win the game being up by 10 in the fourth. But then everything switched the Eagles gave up 250 yards and 17 points to the Lions. Quarterback Matt Stafford must have senses this was his chance because he threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score to push the game into overtime. Stafford ended the game with 22 of 45 for 311 yards. Which actually is the same number of yards Eagle’s quarterback Michael Vick had with a completion of 28 of 46 passes. Vick did a little better having an extra touchdown over Stafford. But fans are not happy with Vick. And you can’t blame them seeing as how they have 17 turnovers in 6 games and 13 of them came directly from Vick.  So this may signal it’s time for a change in the quarterback department.

Is That Big of A Spread Even Possible?

New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers, 26-3

As a Giants fan I am incredibly happy to see them take down the 49ers but I can’t say I saw it coming. I thought the Giants weak defensive would leave a lot of room for the 49ers to score. And despite some rough patches like losing to the Vikings, the 49ers were considered the top team in the NFL. So this big of gap is shocking. The most shocking thing was how effective the Giants’ defensive was against quarterback Alex Smith.  Smith had three interceptions and ended the night 19 of 30 for 200 yards. It was not a pretty game for Smith and he looked very out of sorts. Meanwhile on the Giants side there was salsa dancing from Victor Cruz, they even played in slow motion. And of course yelling from coach Tom Coughlin even when the Giants were winning by 20 points.

So Are the Seahawks Considered Good Now?

Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots, 24-23

Is is hard to know how to feel about the Seattle Seahawks and their legion of boom defense. On one hand you have to respect what they have done on the other you can’t help to forget the bad call that gave them a win over the Green Bay Packers. But it wasn’t the great defense that won the game for the Seahawks. It was actually rookie quarterback Russell Wilson whose passed the ball to Sidney Rice with 1:18 remaining for a 46-yard touchdown and the win. It was the best game yet for Wilson who finished 16 of 27 for 293 yards. While Wilson was having a great game the Seahawks defense was not giving up 475 yards, the most this season. But you can’t blame the legion of boom for lacking against one of the best offensives in the NFL led by Tom Brady. Brady finished 36 of 58 for 395 yards. If anything it proved the Patriots are going to need a stronger defense if they want to see the Super Bowl again.

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College Football Week 7 Rundown: Undefeated No More

15 Oct

It was another glorious week in college football. And while some teams maybe showing weakness Alabama continued to dominate and had not trouble handing Missouri a crushing loss, 42-10. Other tops teams didn’t have it so easy this week.

Notre Dame vs. Stanford, 20-13

I wasn’t the only one interested in this game, it garnered the highest ratings of the day. Notre Dame pulled out the win in overtime. Although no one would argue that Notre Dame is a strong team some would argue that they won the game based on a questionable call. Notre Dame had the lead in overtime 20-13 when Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor ran the ball and stopped at the goal line then turned and fell into the end zone. The refs said that Taylor stopped short but it appeared to be a touchdown. They did review the call and it stood as a stop short. So  I guess it pays to have the luck of the Irish.

Louisiana State University vs. South Carolina, 23-21

Louisiana seemed to be losing rank after last weeks loss to the Florida Gators but to prove everyone wrong they won a hard fought victory over undefeated South Carolina. The real star of the game was LSU’s Jeremy Hill who rushed for a career-best 124 yards and two TDs. This was really an offensive win for LSU who had 13 unanswered points in the second half. It also brought LSU back into the fold as being one of the teams to beat.

West Virginia vs. Texas Tech, 49-14

Just like South Carolina the undefeated rein of West Virginia came to end with their loss to Texas Tech. This was a shocking upset for West Virginia and star quarterback Geno Smith, seeing as how it’s been forever since Texas Tech was even ranked. But Texas Tech was a scoring machine scoring on the five of seven possessions in the first-half. It also proved that the bad defense on the side of West Virginia is going to be a real hurdle for the team. Smith usually scores so much that he saves the weak defense but this week it just wasn’t enough. Smith completed 29 of 55 passes for 295 yards and 1 touchdown. Smith just has to hope this trend doesn’t continue or he’ll be out of the running for the Heisman.

-M

 

 

 

 

 

Titans Barely Beat Steelers, 26-23

11 Oct

The Tennessee Titans desperately needed this win to breathe life into their struggling season. Their big star running back Chris Johnson has been way under performing. Than they lost their starting quarterback Jake Locker to a foot injury a week ago. So if there was ever a time for the Titans to get a win it was tonight. With veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck leading the way the Titans managed to over take the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hasselbeck proved he still has it in him to lead a team ending 25 of 44 with 290 yards. And Johnson showed another glimmer of light with 91 yards and 19 carries.

The game was more of a loss for the Steelers than a win for the Titans. Going into the game the Steelers were missing the key component to their defense safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker LaMarr Woodley. And things just kept getting worse. The injuries piled up faster than the points. In the first play center Maurkice Pouncey injured his right left and left the game. Than in the second quarter right tackle Marcus Gilbert hurt his right ankle. In the third quarter running back Ike Redman who had caught four passes for 105 yards injured his right ankle and had to leave the game. Oh yeah than running back Rashard Mendenhall was taken out by an Achilles injury. So despite quarterback Ben Roethlisberger having 363 yards, there was not much he could do. Especially when cornerback Ike Taylor passing penalty gave the Titans a tying touchdown.

With the game tied at 23 everything came down to a 40-yard field goal kick. Titan kicker, Rob Bironas, who had missed earlier in the evening, came through to win the game.

-M

 

Don’t Panic: RG3 Will Play Sunday

10 Oct

When I said, “Don’t panic,” I was really talking to myself. As everyone knows due to obsessive talking/blogging about fantasy football, Washington Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin III, is my top performer. On Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons Griffin was hit hard and left the game with a mild concussion. It was unclear how serious the injury was and Griffin has been monitored closely. Griffin reportedly feels fine but still has to monitored every day until Sunday to be cleared to play. But it’s pretty likely he’ll be starting.
-M

NFL Football Week 5 Rundown: And Then There Were Two

9 Oct

The best part about watching NFL Football is there’s never a dull moment unless you are watching the Bears/Jaguars game which was a snooze. Aside from that there was a lot of excitement in Week 6 of the NFL. Only two teams have kept their perfect records the Falcons and Texans.

The RG3 Machine Gets Knocked Down, Again, But Worse This Time

Washington Redskins vs. Atlanta Falcons, 24-17

There is always a risk when you are running quarterback that you are going to get hit. Redskin’s quarterback Robert Griffin III is no stranger to being sacked. Despite being sacked 6 times a game there’s no stopping RG3 from running the ball. It got so bad that his mother was calling up the coach because she was worried. We all knew there would be a day when he really got hurt. After a pretty intense hit from Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon with six minutes left in the third quarter, RG3 left the field with a mild concussion. The Redskins were forced to send in rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins to finish the game. And surprisingly the game went just as any Redskins game has gone very close but not able to seal the deal.

Brady vs. Manning(The Older Manning)

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos, 31-21

I absolutely love the marketing build-up to games with two elite quarterbacks. I always envision them butting heads on the field making intense kill faces. Then I realize this is football not basketball, they are never on the field at the same time. Instead the picture looks more like this: Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady making plays as Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning stands on the sidelines looking slightly bored.

And honestly the Patriots winning had little to do with the quarterback and more to do with the supporting cast. Manning had 31 of 44 passes complete for 345 yards and three touchdowns. Manning was sacked twice which was painful to watch knowing that he recently had his spine reattached. The Patriots set a new record with 35 first downs. Brady finished the game with 23 of 31 passes completed for 223 yards and a touchdown. So in the end Manning had a better game, he just didn’t have the better team.

Colts Win Game for Ailing Coach(Awww)

Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers, 30-27

It doesn’t get more heart warming than the story of the Colts win. Colts’ coach Chuck Pagano was in the hospital battling for his life against leukemia but he told his team to just focus on football. Well that was some great advice because the Colts, who have been so-so, came back for a win over the Packers. Colts’ rookie quarterback Andrew Luck had a good game with 31 of 55 passing, four touchdowns(two that he ran for) and one interception. He definitely proved he was worth his first round pick. Luck had some help from veteran receiver Reggie Wayne who  finished with 13 receptions for a career-high 212 yards.

The game was crazy close and the Packers might have just won if the game had gone into overtime but alas a missed 51-yard field goal by Packer Mason Crosby handed the Colts the win.

Saints Win a Game While Disgraced Coach Watches from the Wings

San Diego Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints, 31-24

So far this season the Saints have a been a team that has given other teams great games. The Saints have been challenging but just enough to push the other team to play better. Now that the Saints have won their first game of the season maybe the tides are changing. With special permission Saints’ coach Sean Payton was allowed to watch the game from the owners box. This was definitely a burst of support that helped quarterback Drew Brees who broke Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas’ record by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game.

The Chargers might have been able to secure a win if it weren’t for two turnovers in the 4th quarter. It was a burst of energy from the Saints defense that has been pretty lackluster up until now. The bright side for the Chargers is that their star running back Ryan Mathews seems to fully back. Mathews who struggled after running from an injury had a great game. Mathews had 139 yards and a touchdown.

Texans Still On Top/Jets Still Suck

Houston Texans vs. New York Jets, 23-17

I don’t think that anybody expect that the Jets would tarnish the Texans undefeated record so this game went as planned. On the bright side though the Jets didn’t suck as much as they could have. I read an article before the game that argued that the Jets should be shot like a lame horse and discontinue the season.

Shockingly unlike their game against the 49ers, the Jets managed to score. Soon to be ex-quarterback for the Jets, Mark Sanchez, fought off the Tebow chants for a sad 14-31 passes completed for 230 yards. In Sanchez’s defense even if he did throw better who would be there to catch it? He’s missing his targets to injury: Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller, and Stephen Hill. Back-up Jets’ quarterback Tim Tebow took the field but it seemed more like a move to appease the crowd than an offensive strategy.

If and when Tebow does take over as quarterback he is going to struggle with the same lack of support issues as Sanchez. Even against the Texans, Tebow threw a perfect pass only to have it dropped by wide receiver Jason Hill. On the side of the Texans running back Arian Foster proved he is the best in the league with 152 yards and a touchdown.

-M

 

 

 

 

 

 

College Football Rundown Week 6: Top Teams Go Down

8 Oct

It was another interesting week in college football. Let’s take a look at the most interesting games.

NC State vs. Florida State(3), 17-16

All I can say is WOW. As a North Carolina native I couldn’t be happier to see NC State rising up. It looked like in the first half that Florida State had this in the bag. But then at the very last moment, literally with 16 seconds on the clock, NC State’s quarterback Mike Glennon passed the ball to wide receiver Bryan Underwood for a 2-yard touchdown on the fourth down.  It’s leading a lot of people to question whether Florida State should have been ranked that highly in the first place?

It seems pretty obvious that the major problem with Florida State is in the coaching department. Coach Jimbo Fisher made the decision not to attempt a 51-yard field goal instead opting to punted the ball. If Florida had made the field goal they would have had a 9 point lead in the game instead they found themselves losing.

Louisiana State University(4) vs. Florida, 14-6

Most people’s money was on LSU winning this match-up. No one saw Florida quarterback Mike Gillislee coming. Gillislee ran for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns. This is the third game where Gillislee has run more than 100 yards. Florida came from being behind 6-0 after the first half to win. The physicality of Florida is what sealed the deal. It was a little unclear if Florida was so amazing or LSU was just that bad? There were a lot of fumbles, interceptions and drops on the LSU side. Time will if the Gators deserve a bump in the polls.

Duke University vs. Virginia, 42-17

It is pretty shocking to be actually talking about Duke football. When you want Duke tickets you usually can find football tickets because their team is notorious for sucking. What is even more shocking as Duke being good is that they did it without their starting quarterback, Sean Renfree, who is out with an injured elbow. Taking his place was Anthony Boone who in his first time starting threw 4 touchdowns. Who knows maybe Duke will become a football powerhouse but for now you can settle for them no longer being the butt of the joke.

-M

It Was Nice While It Lasted: Cardinals Winning Streak Over

5 Oct

The Arizona Cardinals against predictions started the season undefeated winning the first four games. I am by no means a Cardinals fan but it was nice to see an underdog team take such a commanding lead. Well that all ended last night when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Cardinals, 17-3. The defeat proved that the Cardinals close call with the Miami Dolphins was not a fluke but a preview of their future. The road is not going to get any easier for the Cardinals who will be facing the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in the coming weeks.

If the defenses get more tough I am not sure if Cardinals’ quarterback Kevin Kolb will survive. Kolb was sacked 9 times last night and at one point losing his helmet only to be knocked in the jaw. He will living in a ice bath for the next week. Aside from the lack of protection on Kolb the offense was terrible Thursday night. There was virtually no running game and Kolb made some very unadvised passes. One pass Kolb threw to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who was being heavily covered while stand-out rookie receiver Andre Roberts was wide open.

The other major problem for the Cardinals is their lack of running game. Despite their winning streak the Cardinals haven’t reached 300 yards of offense in a game this season. Part of this is due to injury they are missing key runners like Beanie Wells(toe injury), LaRod Stephens Howling(hip injury), and after Thursday night Ryan Williams(hip injury). Still without an drastic improvement it is hard to see the Cardinals winning again.

I would not take this win a sign that the Rams are going to be a dominant team. The Rams defense proved to be effective but there is still the unreliability of quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford finished the night making 7 of 21 attempted passes, had 141 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. Looking at these stats it’s a miracle the Rams actually scored. To make things harder on Bradford one of his favorite targets Danny Amendola injured his shoulder during the game and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back anytime soon.

-M

 

 

Michael Vick Broke?

4 Oct

For the life of me I will never understand how professional athletes go through so much money. TMZ reported Thursday that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has only $1.5 million left of the $31 million he earned over the last four years. Every time one of these stories comes out it, the media is called out for being racist. Black players make up 70% of the NBA and 80% of the NFL, just by pure numbers they are going to receive more coverage. As a side note I think that if people are really worried about racism in than they should try to figure out why 26 of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL are white.

Regardless TMZ mischaracterized where Vick’s money went. Here is the actual breakdown:

$31.9 million (this is what he received over 4 years)

-$10.9 million in taxes( we all know you can not pay taxes cough cough Wesley Snipes.)

-$9.2 million to pay of debt (not sure how he got this much debt but I guess it’s good he paid it off).

-$2.7 million to lawyers and accountants (yeah he had to pay for his court fees from all the dog fighting stuff)

-$6.8 million in child support and living expenses (at least he pays his unlike some other pro athletes)

= $1.5 million left

So you see there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. And it isn’t so bad Vick is still a millionaire and he’s got at least another 3-5 solid years in the NFL left.

-M

 

 

 

 

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