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
16
Jan
2010
VIDEO: Reggie Bush leads Saints over Cardinals
Reggie Bush finally became the playmaker everyone expected him to be when he came to the NFL from USC today, scoring 2 TDs (1 rushing, 1 via punt return) and leading the New Orleans Saints to an impressive 45-14 playoff win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The first, and most impressive, of Bush’s scores came late in the 1st quarter, back when the game was actually still competitive. Watch as Reggie manages to break a tackle before putting on an amazing juke that sends defenders flying to break free for a 46-yd TD:
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR VIDEO OF REGGIE BUSH’S 86-YARD PUNT RETURN FOR TD
14
Jan
2010
VIDEO: Dom Capers caught napping in coaches’ box
The Green Bay Packers defense looked like they were sleepwalking on Sunday night, giving up 51 points and 531 yards to the Arizona Cardinals en route to an overtime loss and early exit from the playoffs. Receivers were running free all night long, and Kurt Warner had all sorts of time to sit back and pick apart the Green Bay defense, who looked lost out there at times. It was a far cry from the unit that ranked 2nd in the league in total defense during the regular season.
But as this video proves, it all starts at the top. Packers Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers was apparently knocking back the Ambien prior to the game, and was caught dozing off in the coaches box at the end of the third quarter. It’s kind of tough to call a defensive gameplan and instill fire in your players while drifting in and out of dreamland, huh?:
Fortunately we had that insanely witty narration, so I don’t have to even bother trying to say anything funny here. I mean, that guy nailed it!
10
Jan
2010
Cardinals survive shootout to defeat Packers in OT, 51-45
Aaron Rodgers fumbles the game away in OT (Photo: ESPN.com, AP/Matt York)
Wild finish in the desert tonight, as the Arizona Cardinals survived a furious comeback by the Green Bay Packers (and a potentially soul-crushing miss by K Neil Rackers), to win a 51-45 shootout in OT .
In the most entertaining game of the weekend (unless, of course, you like defense), both offenses ran wild, combining for 96 points, 13 TDs, over 1,000 yards and 62 first downs. Kurt Warner was nearly unstoppable, going 29-33 for 379 yards and 5 TDs. Think about that. Warner had more TDs than incomplete passes. Pretty impressive. But QB Aaron Rodgers (4 TDs passing, 1 TD rushing) wouldn’t go down with out a fight, leading the Packers back to tie the game at the end of regulation.
The Packers won the coin toss in overtime, but the Cardinals defense – who had been invisible in the 2nd half – came up with the game-winning TD on this sack by CB Michael Adams and 17-YD fumble return by LB Karlos Dansby:
Apparently the refs decided that in OT, you can rip the QBs facemask off without a penalty. NFL FanHouse has more on the resulting officiating controversy.
CONTINUE READING AND WATCH THE RACKERS MISS AFTER THE JUMP
29
Nov
2009
VIDEO: Vince Young defeats Matt Leinart once again
In the most exciting ball game of the afternoon, Vince Young delivered the Tennessee Titans a victory over Matt Leinart (starting in place of an injured Kurt Warner) and the Arizona Cardinals. Young led the Titans on an impressive 18-play, 99-yd drive to score the go-ahead TD. The drive ended with this last-second 10-yd strike to rookie Kenny Britt:
You may recall Young’s last-minute Rose Bowl-winning drive against Leinart when the two were in college at Texas and USC, respectively. That ending looked a little something like this:
So, I guess you could say that Jeff Fisher’s decision to bench Kerry Collins in favor of Vince Young was a good one, huh?
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR COMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GAME-WINNING DRIVE
13
Sep
2009
Week 1 NFL Live Blog: Late Games
A classic NFC East rivalry resumes this afternoon at the Meadowlands
The early round of games are just finishing up, where we saw Adrian Peterson run wild for 180 yards and 3 TDs, Drew Brees throw for 6 TDs, Donovan McNabb leaving the game with broken ribs, and an absolutely CRAZY finish in Cincinatti, with the Broncos beating the Bengals on a last second 87-yd tipped-ball TD by Brandon Stokley.
There are only 3 late games this afternoon, with the Giants/Redskins the clear marquee match-up. Let’s face it, the 2 lame NFC West showdowns – Cardinals/49ers and Seahawks/Rams - are background noise to this old-school rivalry. Everyone wonders if the Giants can replace Plaxico Burress, and the Redskins hope Albert Haynesworth can help them slow down the NY running game.
We’ll continue to follow the action, and post our wildly insightful/humorous thoughts in the comments.
9
Jun
2009
Mixed Martial Arts is the new Jazzercise
FoxSports.com has a nice feature on Matt Leinart’s off-season training regimen – and specifically, his recent Mixed Martial Arts training. Apparently Leinart is not interested in joining the UFC (like every other washed-up NFLer is doing these days), but rather he’s doing it to strengthen his mind and body, to give himself an edge in the NFL. Looks like he’s working hard … who knows, maybe he’ll even be able to beat out 38-year-old Kurt Warner someday.
The biggest revelation for me from this piece is that Jay Glazer is an MMA trainer, who also works with Jared Allen and other NFL players! That just blew me away. I thought he was just another out-of-shape shmuck reporter, but it turns out that not only does he train, but he regularly announces MMA matches, and has even fought himself! Wow. I’m genuinely impressed.
You think NFL Athletes are going to John Clayton and asking him for tips to increase their flexibility and quickness? Not likely, huh?
Your Tuesday Morning Links:
- Ex Giant Tiki Barber is a forgotten man at NBC [NY Daily News]. As a Giants fan, I can’t tell you how warm and fuzzy this story makes me feel
- Rodney Harrison just retired, and is already trying to make his mark as a broadcaster. Apparently Rodney thinks the game is turning into a “pansy sport” [Peter King's MMQB]:
“This is football in the National Football League. I hit a guy with my forearm in his throat or his chest area, and they’re trying to fine me. It’s football! [...] Football now is turning into a soft, pansy sport. This is not volleyball! This is not tennis! This is some of the biggest, fastest, strongest men in the world. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
