Archive for the ‘NFL’ Category
Is Wade Phillips On His Way Out?
Photo from AP Photo
It was right there in front of Jerry Jones‘ eyes. And he missed it.
There is no more shining example of how the radical move of an in-season head coaching change can work than the one being offered by the St. Louis Rams. Dead in the water at 0-4, the Rams fired Scott Linehan during their bye week and promoted Jim Haslett.
Last week’s two-point win over Washington seemed a bit of a fluke, predicated as it was on gathering in three Redskins fumbles. There was nothing remotely lucky about the Rams’ thorough 34-14 destruction of the Cowboys at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.
What has been gathering steam for a month reached something of a crescendo as the Cowboys played by far their worst game of the Wade Phillips era. And frankly, it should be the last game of the Phillips era, but Jones made it clear afterward that there will be no coaching changes made.
“It really isn’t about changes people-wise as much as it is changes within the people, within the coaches and players,” Jones said.
No, Jerry, it really is about changing the people. This team is 1-3 over the last four weeks, a win over winless Cincinnati the only highlight.
Full Story: Dallas Morning News
Pacman Speechless After Suspension
Adam Jones, who got into a fight at The Joule with a team-issued bodyguard, was at his Prosper home when he was notified of the indefinite suspension. In a letter sent to the player, Goodell said the “alcohol-related physical altercation” was part of “a disturbing pattern of behavior and clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL.”
The suspension will cost Adam Jones $41,176 a week.
“He was certainly disappointed,” said his Nashville-based agent, Warrick Robinson. “He was in a very somber mood about the commissioner’s decision. In a lot of ways, he was a lot more speechless than at any time I’ve ever seen him.”
Jerry Jones and Goodell met privately after a break at the NFL owners’ fall meetings in St. Petersburg, Fla., before the suspension was announced.
Full Story: Dallas Morning News
Is This the Real Tony Romo?
Photo from Getty Images
His right hand packed in ice afterward, Tony Romo hid the famous dimples behind a mask. Nothing to smile about anyway, right? Not after you lose a sloppy overtime game to the Cardinals, 30-24, in front of a schizoid crowd of 64,389, half Cards, half Cowboys, polar opposites forced by wayward allegiances to sit side by side, cheek to cheek.
And if that scene wasn’t weird enough, you witnessed the Cowboys quarterback’s continued retreat into a shell.
The numbers say he completed 61 percent of his passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns. The body language? This is not the quarterback we thought we knew.
Full Story: Dallas Morning News
The Cowboys Should Never Have Signed Pacman
What actually happened in the bathroom at the trendy Joule Hotel between Adam Jones and a member of his four-man security team doesn’t really matter. Whether he was involved in a fight, a skirmish or horseplay, any doubt about whether Jones is a fool has been removed. He must be.
There’s no other rational explanation for why Jones would put his career in jeopardy. After all, he has been told by commissioner Roger Goodell that any involvement in another off-field incident that brings shame to himself or the league could result in a lifetime ban. How stupid can you be? We’re talking about a guy who served a one-year suspension and didn’t get reinstated until last month, wrote Dallas Morning News columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
It’s really dumb when you consider Jones arrived in Dallas with the equivalent of bus fare in his pockets, having partied away much of the $11.7 million he received in signing and roster bonuses in his two seasons in Tennessee. With a base salary of $700,000, he’s earning $41,176.47 per week for the 17-week regular season. Most of us could figure out a way to live on that. Now, he’s put all that in jeopardy.
This is why the Cowboys never should’ve signed him. The problem with adding Jones to the roster, as I’ve written before, is he’s such an immense talent that he eventually becomes an important part of the team. His ability makes you trust him; then he betrays that trust.
Of course, the Cowboys need him more than ever, because Terence Newman will miss at least the next few weeks with a sports hernia. If Jones gets suspended - I expect him to get at least one game - it forces rookie Mike Jenkins into the starting lineup.
Jones always says the right things. And he’ll even do the right things from time to time, but he obviously has no self-control.
Full Story: Dallas Morning News
Chiefs Gonzalez, Rams Holt Could be Traded
Photo from Getty Images
The two most interesting names to track as the trade deadline approaches both come from the state of Missouri — St. Louis wide receiver Torry Holt and Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Chiefs president Carl Peterson insisted this week he will not trade Gonzalez, and cannot be persuaded to make any such type of deal.
And his loyalty to Gonzalez, and keeping the face of the franchise in Kansas City is admirable. But with the Chiefs having lost 12 straight games, and with Gonzalez intending to conclude his career after next season, it might be in the Chiefs’ best interest to get compensation now to help the self-professed rebuilding program they’re on.
At least three teams have internally debated the merits of Gonzalez and what he would be worth to their offense. Peterson can continue insisting he will not deal, but other teams are going to try to entice him to budge.
But just as the Chiefs are going to be hesitant to deal Gonzalez, the same is true of the Rams with Holt. Next season, the Rams are expected to part ways with wide receivers Dante Hall, Dane Looker and Drew Bennett, leaving them with a need at the position and a strong desire to hold on to Holt.
Full Story: NFL Network
Bucs Will be Without Galloway Again
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely to line up without WR Joey Galloway for the second week in a row, with coach Jon Gruden admitting today the veteran is a long shot to play against the Packers on Sunday. Galloway missed last week’s game at Chicago, too, with a foot sprain.
Also, fullback B.J. Askew (hamstring) appears unlikely to play this week. In fact, the Bucs are concerned about the injury lingering for a while. They have not moved to acquire another fullback but expect to see Byron Storer on Sunday.
The prognosis on guard Davin Joseph is a bit trickier. He returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since breaking his foot last month. But after testing it during that workout, Joseph was more limited in practice the following day, seemingly having a setback. As of now, Gruden hasn’t said whether Joseph is a go or not, but he certainly seems to have doubts.
“He’s on the way to recovery,” Gruden said of Joseph. “I don’t know that he’s totally there yet. . . Right now, his status is still up in the air.”
Full Story: St. Petersburg Times
The Time is Now for Al Davis
Photo from AP Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez
Regrets? Lane Kiffin has a few, like consecutive come-from-ahead losses. But…
“Can’t look back now,” Kiffin said Sunday after the Raiders won the first three quarters against the Chargers 15-3, then lost the fourth quarter 25-3. Kiffin can’t look back because, to paraphrase Satchel Paige, Al Davis might be gaining on him. And might catch him today.
Today, Davis must either fire Kiffin or grit his teeth and announce his unqualified support for the head coach he can’t stand to talk to. Failure to act decisively by Davis, today, at the start of the bye week, would be a sucker-punch to his players, his front office, his coaching staff, his fans and his own legacy.
One more day of sitting on his hands and Davis convinces the world that he has lost not only his fastball, but also his curve, slider, change-up, spitball and eephus pitch. It’s been kinda fun so far, but how many more episodes of “The Three Stooges in a Submarine” can the players take before they demand some kind of leadership from Davis?
The team isn’t hopeless or hapless. There are 12 games remaining. Plenty of time to get some stuff going, with an interesting new quarterback, a peppy (for three quarters) defense and a loyal-beyond-sanity (no offense, Black Holers) fan base.
But Davis must act. Enough, already, of Al as drama queen.
Full Story: San Francisco Chronicle
Plaxico Burress Gets a Rebate
Photo from Reuters Pictures
After making the difficult decision to suspend Plaxico Burress for two weeks and one game for violating team rules, there was no way the Giants New York Giants were going to cave in and allow Burress to suit up for their Oct. 5 game against the Seahawks. Burress will sit, but he likely will recoup some of the money the Giants wanted to dock from his paycheck.
The two-game suspension would have cost Burress $235,294, but if this had not been a bye week, the Giants probably would have suspended their star receiver for one week. According to sources, an agreement is in place to take just one game check away from Burress, meaning he’ll be $117,647 lighter in the wallet.
Burress could have opted for no settlement and had his case heard by an arbitrator, but he undoubtedly would not have liked what was ultimately decided. The Giants have a long list of past transgressions against Burress - his no-show for work last Monday was simply the latest problem he’s encountered with the team. Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Burress missed a film session and weight-lifting session because of a “family issue” that Burress “felt was an emergency.” The Giants were angered that Burress not only failed to ever make it to Giants Stadium but that he never bothered to call or return repeated messages left by the team to determine his whereabouts.
Full Story: New York Post
