Archive for the ‘NFL News’ Category
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15
Mar
2010
Jets land Tomlinson; Browns ship Quinn to Denver
It was a busy Sunday in the NFL, with the New York Jets signing RB LaDanian Tomlinson, and the Cleveland Browns sending QB Brady Quinn to the Broncos for FB Peyton Hillis, 2 picks and a $5 footlong.
Tomlinson – the eighth leading rusher in NFL history – chose New York and Rex Ryan over joining Brett Favre in Minnesota, and believes that the Jets will give him a chance to contribute and win a championship. LDT (sorry, there’s only one LT in New York sports lore) will replace the recently-released Thomas Jones, and will back-up Shonne Green on the Jets depth chart.
Meanwhile, Mike Holmgren continues to clean house in Cleveland, trading former 1st round pick Quinn to Denver for a fullback and two late round picks. Ouch. In addition, the Browns traded another former 1st round pick – LB Kamerion Wembley – to the Raiders. Apparently Holmgren wants to start fresh, and thinks the duo of Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace are an improvement over the tag team of Quinn & Derek Anderson … we shall see. In the mean time, it’s back to the drawing board once again for Browns fans.
6
Mar
2010
Giants Sign Antrel Rolle to 5-year, $37 million deal
Antrel Rolle is a Giant
The New York Football Giants made an aggressive entry into free agency on Friday with the signing of Cardinals S Antrel Rolle, making him the highest-paid safety in the game.
The 27-year-old Rolle fills a HUGE position of need for the Giants, who lost Kenny Phillips to injury last season and were abused in the defensive secondary down the stretch. Rolle – who had 4 interceptions last year – was widely regarded as the best available safety in FA, and GM Jerry Reese wasn’t going to let him leave the Meadowlands with out a deal. Even if it meant overpaying a bit. The Giants are hopeful that Rolle will team with Phillips (his fellow U of Miami alum) to make one of the best safety tandems in the league.
“The best in the league, hands down,” Rolle said on a conference call with reporters this morning. “Without a doubt. … I mean, The sky’s the limit for us. We’re definitely going to go out and make things happen.”
“I was extremely excited when this opportunity presented itself,” Rolle said. “Being back there with a fellow University of Miami guy, and a guy I know that his potential going to be maximized. My potential is going to be maximized with him. We’re going to be a dynamic duo.”
Of course, that largely depends on how well Phillips recovers from his knee injury. Even though the Giants say KP is ahead of schedule, his status for 2010 is still unclear, making the Rolle signing even more crucial for the Giants.
Rolle, who started his career at CB, is a bona fide play maker with 4 career TDs and a knack for gaining big yardage once he gets his hands on the ball … something the Giants secondary is desperately in need of.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF ANTREL ROLLE AFTER THE JUMP
7
Feb
2010
Saints defeat Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV; Tracy Porter intercepts Manning to seal victory (video)
A picture says 1000 words (Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images via ESPN.com)
The New Orleans Saints shocked the world and defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Super Bowl XLIV, and bring the Lombardi Trophy home to the city of New Orleans.
Trailing 10-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, head coach Sean Payton made a series of gutsy calls – including a failed 4th and goal attempt in the 2nd quarter and successful onside kick to start the 2nd half – that helped the Saints chip away at the lead and put themselves in a position to win.
Drew Brees went 32-39 for 288 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions to collect the MVP award, and the Saints defense came up big when it mattered to preserve the lead. The game winning-play came when Tracy Porter picked off Peyton Manning and brought it 74 yards to the house with 3:12 remaining.
WATCH VIDEO OF PORTER’S INTERCEPTION AFTER THE JUMP
7
Feb
2010
ReadAndReact’s Super Bowl XLIV Picks & Live Game Blog
The big day is upon us. The most holy day of the NFL season: Super Bowl Sunday.
As we proved with our horrendous 2009-2010 playoff pick performance, game prognostication is not exactly our forte here at ReadAndReact. But when you fall off the horse, you get right back on and try again … and we would be remiss if we didn’t at least join the rest of the blogosphere and make our picks for Super Bowl XLIV. Sadly, only one member of our staff – steverodgers – has a chance for his original SB pick to come through, if the Colts end up winning tonight in Miami.
The overwhelming emotional favorite in today’s game is the Saints, with most of the country rallying behind the “Who Dat Nation” and the city of New Orleans. But the Indianapolis Colts – with their far superior defense and Peyton Manning at the helm – remains the rational favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. And everyone loves themselves a Pierre!
We’ll be checking in throughout the day, and posting our thoughts in the comments section. Feel free to join in, and enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday!
1
Feb
2010
Good Morning Miami from Rex Ryan!
Rex Ryan displaying the type of devil-may-care attitude we've come to expect
The awesome picture above comes from Miami, where the NFL’s elite have gathered for the pre-Super Bowl festivities. It’s also where our favorite rabble-rousing head coach, Rex Ryan, decided to take in a MMA Strikeforce event on Saturday night … where he was inevitably surrounded by Dolphins fans, eager to express their distaste their AFC Rival Jets. You can see where this is going.
Our friends at SportsByBrooks has the whole story, including video of the interview Rex gave over the jumbotron that might have ruffled some feathers in Miami. If you need even more coverage, The Miami Herald has the first-hand story from the photographer, along with Ryan’s clearly forced apology.
Does anyone else notice that Rex’s shirt says “Wide Guy” on it? Is this a brand for big & talls, or a cautionary sign for whenever he’s transported on the freeway?
24
Jan
2010
VIDEO: Brett Favre picked off by Tracy Porter; Saints win NFC Championship
Garrett Hartley kicks a 40-yard, game-winning FG in overtime of the NFC Championship(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images via ESPN.com)
The New Orleans Saints eked out a 31-28 OT victory over the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Championship in a thriller tonight. It was a back and forth contest, with both offenses taking shots at one another, until time finally ran out for one of them. But in the end, it came down to turnovers – Minnesota had 5, New Orleans just 1. Time and time again, despite moving the ball almost at will, the Vikings put the ball on the ground and threw away scoring opportunities when it mattered most.
At the end of regulation, with the ball in Saints territory, the Vikings needed only to run the clock out and attempt a last-second (albeit long), game-winning FG. Instead, on 3rd down, Brett Favre was intercepted by Tracy Porter on and ill-advised pass, saving the game for New Orleans.
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR VIDEO OF PORTER’S INT
24
Jan
2010
General Larry Platt sings “Pants on the Ground” for Vikings (video)
Vikings TE Vishante Shiancoe with General Larry Platt (Image via Twitter)
In case you were worried that the whole American Idol “Pants on the Ground” meme would go away too quickly, rest assured that the Minnesota Vikings are doing their part to give General Larry Platt his full 15 minutes of fame. Brett Favre sang Platt’s song in the Vikings’ locker room after last week’s win, and this afternoon, HC Brad Childress brought in the General himself to inspire the team prior to today’s NFC Championship game.
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR VIDEO OF PLATT’S PERFORMANCE
22
Jan
2010
Rex Ryan Invited to Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest … IF Jets win
I mean, just look at that gullet! (Image via Boston.com)
Well this is just fantastic. Word from Deadspin is that Major League Eating is offering Rex Ryan a seat in the 2010 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest … if the Jets beat the Colts this weekend. That’s right, if the Jets win, Rex will go stomach to stomach with the likes of Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut for global eating supremacy.
If I were the Colts I’d be worried right now. If Rex Ryan ever needed any more motivation to win on Sunday (more than, ya know, going to the Super Bowl), I’d say a tray filled with Nathan’s famous franks is probably his definition of heaven.
And if I were Kobayashi and Chestnut, I’d be worried too … it’s like they just invited Jabba the Hut to compete against them.
VIEW THE INVITATION FROM NATHAN’S AFTER THE JUMP
22
Jan
2010
Prince’s new Vikings Fight Song = Worst. Song. Ever.
Prince is clearly inspired by his favorite NFL club. Just look at that passion!
I gotta admit, when I first saw the headline that Prince had written a new song for the Minnesota Vikings, I got pretty excited. We know that Prince – being from Minneapolis – is a real Vikings fan, so I figured this was a perfect fit. As a child of the 80’s, I had visions of a funky-ass track, featuring Prince’s signature guitar and vocal stylings, with Sheila E on the backbeat and a hyped-up, synth-driven chorus. Maybe throw in some Vanity and Appolonia dancing side stage, and I am there!
Ummm … not so much. Instead, apparently Prince “saw the future” during last weekend’s blowout win over the Cowboys and, clearly inspired by the religious implications of Brett Favre’s third coming, wrote a Vikings-themed gospel song later that night. That’s right. It’s a gospel song. And a half-assed one at that. Prince doesn’t sing on it, opting instead for a local Minneapolis youth choir, and he seems to have used a busted Casio synth to lay down the track, recording directly to a cassette deck.
But don’t let me influence your opinion. Here is a clip of the song, so you can judge for yourself:
If you’re so inclined, you can hear the full version of the song here – Audio player at the right of the page.
LYRICS AFTER THE JUMP
20
Jan
2010
Jets fan arrested for chanting “JETS JETS JETS”
By now you may have seen this video from Sunday’s Chargers/Jets playoff game in San Diego, in which a Jets fan is taken down by police and arrested, seemingly just for cheering on his favorite team:
Now, we don’t get to see exactly what happens right before the cops get there, but it doesn’t seem like he did anything to warrant getting tackled like that. Hell, even the Chargers fans sitting in the area are defending the guy!
I was waiting for some more of the actual story to come out before posting this clip, and in today’s NY Post, the Jets fan in the video, Bill Carroll, finally speaks up.
