6
Sep
2010
Jets agree to new deal with CB Darrelle Revis; return to Revis Island
That massive sigh of relief you heard from the east coast this morning was the collective of Jets nation reading the news that their superstar, CB Darrelle Revis has ended his holdout and agreed to terms on a new contract with the New York Jets. The deal is reportedly worth $46-million over four years, including $32 million guaranteed.
Revis broke the news oh his Twitter account early Monday, saying, “I’m comin home baby!!! Revis Island LET’S GO.” He followed that up a bit later, writing, “It not has only been hard on u guys, but it has for me too,” “I just want to tell yall that I’m sorry for this process and I can’t wait to get back on the field.”
Revis – who is widely regarded as the best shutdown corner in the NFL – was scheduled to make only $1 million this year, but was looking for a contract on par with the Raiders Nnamdi Asomugha, currently the highest paid CB in the league. The high-profile holdout and negotiations with Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum were seen up close on HBO’s Hard Knocks, and had seemingly reached a stalemate after countless meetings at the now-famed Roscoe Diner without making any progress.
But the turning point apparently came over the weekend when Jets owner Woody Johnson and head coach Rex Ryan flew to South Florida to meet with Revis and his family. They made a “significant breakthrough” at around 11pm Sunday night, and were able to quickly reach a deal thereafter, much to the relief of Tannenbaum:
“I think this is a great deal for Darrelle and I think it’s responsible for the club. From that standpoint, I think it’s a win-win,” Tannenbaum said. “I’m happy. I’m relieved. Obviously, Darrelle’s a great player. He’s our guy. He’s an important piece to what we’re trying to accomplish here.
4
Sep
2010
It’s final cutdown day in the NFL! Leinart, Houshmandzadeh among the casualties
"The Turk" is going to have a busy day
Yep, it’s cutdown day. For the uninitiated, today is the day that each NFL squad must trim their roster down to 53 players for the start of the season. Coaches and GMs around the league are faced with the difficult decision of which players to hang on to, and which to release. And those in the latter category will be getting a visit from the director of player personnel (aka “The Turk”), asking for their playbook and telling them they need to visit with the coach.
The deadline for roster cuts it 6pm ET today, so we’ll try to keep track of the most notable moves from across the league. And since a bunch of cuts were made yesterday, there are already some recognizable names on the casualty list. Undoubtedly some of these players will be targeted as free agent pick-ups before the season starts, so keep an eye out for guys who still may have some tread on their tires, or could potentially do better in a different situation.
UPDATE: So far the list of players now without a home includes Cardinals QB Matt Leinart, Seahawks WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, Redskins RB Willie Parker, Seahawks QB JP Losman, Bengals WR Matt Jones, Bucs WR Mark Clayton, Ravens QB Troy Smith, Titans QB Chris Simms and a former Rhodes Scholar, Titans S Myron Rolle.
The Matt Leinart era is over in the desert (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
END OF DAY UPDATE: NFL.com has the complete list of cuts, ESPN.com has team-by-team analysis, and CBS Sportsline’s Clark Judge has a good wrap-up of today’s winners & losers.
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOTABLE CUTS
3
Sep
2010
Shocker: Roethlisberger suspension reduced to 4 games
Ben Roelisberger will hopefully avoid the local nightlife during his suspension
Well, this isn’t really surprising, but today, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reduced Ben Roethlisberger’s six-game suspension to four games.
As we all know by now, Roethlisberger was suspended earlier this year after being accused of sexual assaulting a college student in Milledgeville, Georgia on March 5th. Although no charges were filed, Goodell elected to suspend Big Ben for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. But the Pittsburgh QB met with Goodell early this morning, when he learned he would be able to return to the team on October 17th, when the Steelers face the Cleveland Browns. During his suspension, Roethlisberger will not be allowed to visit the team facility or have any contact with Steelers coaches or personnel.
But don’t think Roethlisberger is completely off the hook. From NFL.com:
The league said the “reinstatement is contingent on Roethlisberger continuing to adhere to the program established by our advisors and avoiding any further violations of the personal conduct policy.”
“You have told me and the Steelers that you are committed to making better decisions,” Goodell said in a letter to Roethlisberger. “Your actions over the past several months have been consistent with that promise and you must continue to honor that commitment.
So that basically means Ben needs to stay away from bars, and keep it in his pants for the next six weeks. Let’s see if the big guy can make it happen!
1
Sep
2010
It’s just a Fantasy, It’s not the real thing
+10 points for anyone who got the Billy Joel reference in the post title
Along with the start of the NFL season, comes the beginning of Fantasy Football, giving millions of armchair GM’s an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and show off their football knowledge against their peers.
Admittedly, I’m a bit of a fantasy football geek. I’m currently in 2 leagues, which is down from the 3 I used to play in. With three leagues, it was just way too confusing knowing who to root for/against in any given game, and often times, you were rooting for/against the same guy! So I knocked it down to a much more manageable 2 fantasy teams, much to the delight of my fiancee, I’m sure.
At this point, if you haven’t done your homework and ranked your players, you’re kind of screwed. I mean, I’m sure plenty of guys fly by the seat of their pants, and they probably end up doing fine (which effing kills me) … but in general, you’re better off having a strategy going in. I’m the kind of guy who likes to hit a home run with every pick, though this has never happened. But after enough years doing this, I hope I’ve at least learned the kind of players to avoid, and which guys present the best value at each draft pick. That’s the key word – value. My strategy is to take the best player available – not entirely regardless of position – and stack your roster with people who will actually score points. You can always make trades later in the season. I’m done with rolling the dice on rookies until they show that their talents translate to the NFL. Skip the boom or bust guys … give me the guys I can count on for 10 points every week. Inevitably, quite a few of the players you draft won’t be on your roster come mid-season. But the draft is where you build your foundation, and determines how much you’ll have to scramble in free agency week in and out.
Reality check: Lest we forget, at the end of the day this is all really just for fun, so I try not to take it too seriously. First and foremost, I’m a football fan, and my real-world allegiances (and overall perspective) take precedence over my fantasy world. But you can’t help feel attached to anything you invest this much energy into, and you best believe my roster will be filled with players I like, and can cheer for on Sundays.
30
Aug
2010
VIDEO: Ndomukong Suh tries to decapitate Jake Delhomme
As the #2 overall pick in the draft, Detroit Lions rookie DT Ndomukong Suh is looking to make an impact early in the NFL … specifically, on opposing quarterbacks. And during Saturday’s pre-season tilt with the Cleveland Browns, QB Jake Delhomme was on the receiving end of this vicious facemask/decapitation attempt by Suh:
Yikes. Apparently Suh went to the Sayid Jarrah school of tackling, where the ol’ neck snap is a standard finishing move.
But that kind of stuff isn’t going to fly in the NFL, where Mr. Goodell protects quarterbacks like they’re virgin teenage girls at the Gathering of the Juggalos. So while the Lions can definitely use an injection of bad-assed-ness, they might need to take up a collection to pay Suh’ fines if he’s going to keep going after QB’s like that.
26
Aug
2010
VIDEO: Jets hogtie rookie Brian Jackson and shower him with love
This clip is from last night’s episode of Hard Knocks, where the Jets veterans decided that DB Brian Jackson needed an attitude adjustment, after mouthing off to coaches and not grasping the playbook. Watch as Kris Jenkins, Jason Taylor, Antonio Cromartie and others hogtie the undrafted rookie to a goalpoast and shower him with icy hot, gatorade, talc, and an assortment of other fluids, then leave him to rot in the sun for a while and think about what he did wrong:
At least Jackson seemed to be a good sport about it.
19
Aug
2010
VIDEO: LaGarrette Blount still punchy in the NFL
Falcon Punch!!! (Image: ESPN.com)
You probably remember Titants rookie RB LeGarrette Blount from the above image, when Blount punched a helmet-less Idaho State player after a game last season, resulting in his suspension from the team. Most NFL teams remembered it too, as Blount went undrafted out of Oregon due to attitude concerns. But Blount was signed as a FA by Tennessee, hoping that he would be able to put his troubled past behind him.
Well, it looks like you can take the kid out of Oregon, but you can’t take the fight out of the kid. At least, when the kid in question is LeGarrette Blount. On Wendesday, Blount took a swing at Titans defensive end Eric Bakhtiari at the end of practice, after having his own helmet ripped off by the defense and both units getting chippy with each other throughout the session.
Watch as Blount – who is ironically not wearing his own helmet this time around – unleashes his now patented Falcon Punch on Bahktiari, who was wearing a helmet (around the :20 mark):
Blount immediately apologized to head coach Jeff Fisher after the incident, saying he promised to “put it behind him”. He also claimed that the defense had been consistently egging him during practice on by pulling off his helmet before he snapped. Fisher not only accepted Blount’s apology, but went further in defending his rookie RB:
“I am not disappointed whatsoever,’’ Fisher said of Blount, who’d miss practices on Monday and Tuesday following the death of his grandmother. “His past is his past. Is that the first punch you’ve seen at camp this year? No. OK. I am not disappointed whatsoever. I have great confidence in the young man that he has learned from his mistake and is very competitive.’’
All I know is if Blount ever squares off against me, I’m covering up. This guy has a vicious right hand, and if Blount doesn’t make it in the NFL, I’m sure the MMA will have a home for him.
18
Aug
2010
VIDEO: New Dallas Cowboys fight song
This video comes to us from Mathias, a 50-year-old Dallas Cowboy fan from southern California, who decided it was time that the Cowboys got themselves a new fight song.
Apparently Mathias is not a fan of shirts, haircuts or melody, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s about the lyrics, and the sheer passion oozing from his pores:
WHOOOO!!! I am FIRED UP! Shoulder SMACK!!!
Note to Jerry Jones: pipe this song through the sound system at Cowboys Stadium, and you’re sure to go undefeated this year. No doubt about it.
17
Aug
2010
VIDEO: Vitamin Water gets weird with Gary Busey, Adrian Peterson & Shaq
Here’s the latest commercial from the ad wizards at Vitmain Water, featuring everyone’s favorite nutbar, Gary Busey, as Fantasy Football Attorney Norman Tugwater.
Adrian Peterson and Shaquille O’Neal are in there too … words don’t really do it justice, so just watch for yourselves:
I just can’t help but enjoy anything with Busey in it … he’s so fascinating to watch, and you know he could go postal at any moment. Fortunately, the director on this ad did a superb job of capturing Busey’s bubbling insanity in all it’s natural glory.
Of course, I’m not sure what any of this has to do with energy drinks, but its still good stuff.
16
Aug
2010
Live Game Blog: Giants vs Jets (pre-season)
Eli Manning is a bloody mess. Not what Giants fans wanted to see tonight (Photo: Tim Farrell, US Presswire via ESPN.com)
UPDATE: Eli Manning left the game in the 2nd quarter with a 3-inch laceration on his forehead, requiring 12 stitches.
Watch Eli get bloodied on NFL.com
With the Giants driving and inside the 15, Manning dropped back to pass and ran into Brandon Jacobs, knocking the ball out of his hands. When Manning grabbed for the ball, LB Calvin Pace drilled him from behind, knocking Eli’s helmet flying through the air. As he went down, sans helmet, Manning fell forward into S Jim Leonard, cutting his head on Leonard’s facemask. Eli walked to the sidelines and was replaced by backup QB Jim Sorgi.
From TheBlueScreen:
The Giants have sent Eli Manning home after he got 12 stitches in his forehead. The team says X-Rays were negative and there were no signs of a concussion.
“I feel fine,” Manning said. “I feel normal. … I’ll be back as soon as I can. It’s really not an injur. Nothing serious. I really feel like I could go back out and play right now if I had to.
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UPDATE #2: It’s the Victor Cruz show for the Giants in the 2nd half! Cruz, a rookie WR from Massachussets, has 6 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs in the 2nd half. The highlight of the night was undoubtedly this one-handed circus catch Cruz takes 64 yards for the score:
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The NFL is officially back after the first full week of pre-season games, culminating in tonight’s Monday Night Football match-up between the Giants and Jets. And we. are. fired. UP!!!
The New York Jets are the current darlings of the media after their AFC Championship appearance last season, and adding players like LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes. Meanwhile, the Giants – who have long held claim to the football throne in New York – have added lots of talent on the defensive side of the ball, and will look to rebound from a horrible finish to the 2009 campaign. Both teams will be looking to plant their flag in the New Meadowlands Stadium with a win tonight.
We’ll be following all the action and posting our running thoughts in the comments section … join us, won’t you?
