22
Nov
2011
LeGarrette Blount runs like Super Mario (VIDEO)
(Photo: Salon.com)
The Tampa Bay Bucs became the most recent to fail in attempting to slay the undefeated Green Bay Packers on Sunday, losing 35-26 … but it wasn’t because of lack of effort on the part of RB LeGarrette Blount.
Watch as Blount breaks no less than SIX tackles en route to this incredible 54-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, leaving Packers defenders in his wake. And fortunately for us, someone on the interwebs had the good sense to sync up this highlight with the music from Super Mario Brothers, which makes the play even more fantastical, with Blount treating Packers like Goombas on his way to the endzone.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
14
Mar
2011
TheDarkHorse’s 2011 Mock Draft – Picks 11-20
2015 just called to tell us that J.J. Watt is the steal of this draft. (Source: Madison.com)
For picks 1-5, go here.
For picks 6-10, go here.
11. Houston Texans — J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin: We get so many of these projections wrong. The “sure lock” winds up a flaming bust, and players we’re ignoring today — guys who won’t even be drafted — will light up the league. I believe we’ll look back on this 2011 NFL Draft five years from now and call J.J. Watt a top 5 pick. I loved his presence, intensity and motor at the combine. Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 defense is the perfect landing spot for Watt, and a good environment for this hard-working, self-made player. He worked himself onto Wisconsin’s roster, paying his own way at the start of his tenure — delivering Pizza Hut to save up dough. He’s no prima donna. He’s a coachable workhorse who did the requisite work at Wisconsin to make the switch from tight end to defensive lineman. Watt is the steal of this draft at No. 11. Sometime these midround picks are where you find the real gems — where less pressure is placed on the incoming player, as well. Houston and Watt are an excellent match.
12. Minnesota Vikings — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: The Vikings have been vocal about finding a quarterback in this draft. I see a potential trade up — or down — to get their guy. There was a time when it appeared Minnesota at No. 12 could snag Auburn’s Cam Newton, but the hype machine’s in full swing and I project him to go no less than No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers. He’s the type of passer that’s going to require time to develop, coming from a spread, and Leslie Frazier would love the challenge. There are other possibilities at quarterback for the Vikings — and all of them are better than Brett Favre right now, who’s back on his farm tilling soil. It’s time for a new start in Minnesota. In this mock, with no trades — and Jake Locker a reach — I project the Vikings to jump on Jones, who had an excellent combine and would be a good-value selection here. Sidney Rice could bolt via free agency, so Jones addresses a potential need as well. We all saw what happened to Percy Harvin when Rice was out of the offense — they need a No. 1 guy in there to give the passing game a shot.
Picks 13-20 after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
12
Dec
2010
VIDEO: Redskins blow extra point, lose to Bucs
Well, this pretty much sums up the Redskins season so far.
In cold & rainy Landover this afternoon, Washington led Tampa Bay at halftime but trailed late in the 4th quarter. The home team rallied for a last-minute drive, and Santana Moss caught a 6-yard score from Donovan McNabb to cut the Bucs’ lead to 17-16 with :09 remaining. As Redskins Kicker Graham Gano lined up to attempt the extra point that would tie the game and force things to overtime, you knew that this PAT would be anything-but-routine. The wet weather had made the ball slick all afternoon … heck, even Daryl Johnston knew not to take this one for granted.
That’s when this happened:
Nick Sundberg’s snap was a bit high, but it went right through holder Hunter Smith’s hands. Gano – and the Redskins special teams in general – had an awful day, but he never got a chance at this one.
With the win, the Bucs snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 8-5 on the season. Meanwhile, the Redskins fall further into the abyss at 5-8.
31
Oct
2010
LeGarrette Blount bursts onto NFL scene; no punches thrown (VIDEO)
(AP Photo via Univision)
Tampa Bay rookie RB LeGarrette Blount made his first impression on our national consciousness in September of 2009. While still a member of the Oregon Ducks, Blount punched a helmetless Boise State player during post-game handshakes and generally behaved like a lunatic in the aftermath. The talented Blount was suspended from the team, and his reputation as a hothead followed him to the NFL, where he went undrafted in April.
The Titans signed Blount as a free agent, but old habits die hard, and LeGarrette was seen unleashing a punch on his own teammate during training camp. Tennessee waived Blount after the pre-season, and he was scooped up by Tampa Bay where Head Coach Raheem Morris has been intrigued by his rare combination of size and speed. During the first half of the season, Blount has gradually earned a larger role in the Bucs offense, and today he was given center stage for the first time against Arizona.
Blount delivered in a big way, carrying 22 times for 120 yards and 2 TDs and helping Tampa Bay rally for 38-35 win over the Cardinals. And while no punches were thrown, his physical running style was consistently felt by the Arizona defense. Watch here as Blount hurdles a defender en route to a spectacular 48-yard gain in the 4th quarter, which sealed the win for the Bucs:
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
18
Jun
2009
Plaxico Burress Grand Jury to convene in July, not September
The New York Post reports that Plaxico Burress will be facing a grand jury on his felony gun possession charge in July. This is in stark contrast to reports earlier this week that the grand jury session would be pushed back to September – a scenario that would have made playing in the NFL this season a more realistic possibility for Burress.
Apparently responding to cries of “celebrity justice” over delays in the gun case against ex-Giant Plaxico Burress, Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said yesterday his office would convene a grand jury sometime next month.
So, while Plaxico seems to be fully intent on playing this season, and is even going around telling people he wants to play for Tampa Bay, this darned court case of his just won’t go away. And now teams are even less likely to roll the dice on Plaxico, since he could be indicted and going to trial as early as this year.
In other Plax news, former Giants QB and current ESPN commentator Tim Hasselbeck didn’t pull any punches in his opinion of Burress on NFL Live yesterday, going so far as to call him “a disaster“:
“When you’re looking at Plaxico Burress, there’s no doubt that he can be a dominant receiver at times on Sundays. We’ve seen it,” Hasselbeck said. “But with that being said, I played with the guy. I was in the locker room with him for two years. He’s a disaster as a teammate. He’s a disaster as a guy that you have to coach.
“And what do I mean by that? If you want to wait for a guy to show up to meetings, if you want to have to beg a guy to run full-speed in practice, if you want a guy that would disappear in games because he doesn’t get the ball early — then look, Plaxico Burress is your guy. But if you don’t want those distractions, and you don’t want to deal with the other headaches that come along with Plaxico Burress, then you better stay away from him.”
So there you have it NFL GM’s. Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s husband has spoken. End of subject.
12
Jun
2009
No Plea Deal in Burress case. Could Plax play in 2009?
Plaxico is just putting off the inevitable at this point
The New York Daily News reports that Plaxico Burress’ lawyers have not been able to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, and that his court case on Monday will be adjourned yet again. This time, until “sometime in September”.
Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, suggested that Burress would be able to play in the NFL this coming season, and also told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio that the case might not even see trial until 2010. From ESPN.com:
“As far as I’m concerned, if he wants to play this year, he’s able to play,” Brafman said, according to the New York Daily News. “We will be in and out of the court of Monday morning by 9:15.” Meanwhile, a date for the adjournment “has yet to be determined,” Brafman told Paolantonio. “If there is going to be a trial in this case, it will not be until 2010. That is my best guess.”
Plenty of teams have shown interest in signing Burress if he doesn’t go to jail (most notably the Jets, Bears and Bucs). But just because Burress won’t be in prison this Fall doesn’t mean he’ll be able to play in the NFL. Roger Goodell will have something to say about that first, since Burress violated the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy when he shot himself in the leg with an unlicensed gun, and all. So the soap opera continues.
His lawyers can put off the inevitable for as long as they want, but ultimately, Plaxico is going to serve some time.
13
May
2009
KWII working hard to turn things around in Tampa
Kellen Winslow Jr can't understand why nobody seems to like him
No, not really.
Kellen Winslow, Jr., the oft-maligned but physically gifted TE, missed the start of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) with the Bucs yesterday. Now, these OTAs are voluntary, and it’s generally not a big deal for veterans to miss a few of these sessions. But as the biggest off-season acquisition for Tampa, Winslow could have used this as an opportunity to get things off on the right foot with his teammates and coaches. Start learning the new system, build some camaraderie, etc.
Instead, he gave people yet another reason to think he’s still the same immature, loudmouth underachiever he was in Cleveland. And former Bucs star DT Warren Sapp personally took exception to Winslow’s absence:
“So when your team fires up OTA’s and you’re not here, I guess you’re being misunderstood again, right?” Sapp said. “Your past don’t equal your future, but it will damn sure give me some reflection of what you might do. I’ll leave it at that.”
Sapp is probably speaking for a lot of people there, but nobody in Tampa seems to be particularly concerned. Team officials said they were aware that Winslow had a conflict with a “personal matter”, and expect him to join the team soon.
In other training camp news, Terrell Owens is going to be bringing his own film crew to Bills camp. Yup. Owens’ VH-1 reality show will be shooting all the action. Yeah, he’s not a distraction at all.
25
Apr
2009
Aaaand I’m Spent!
As much as I hate to say it, the Eagles had a great 1st day. WR Jeremy Maclin was a steal Photo: SI.com
The first day of the 2009 NFL draft is over, and I can’t believe I survived the abominable coverage on ESPN. I can’t over-state how much I miss the NFL Network. ESPN makes my head hurt.
But moving on … it was a relatively uneventful 1st day, with only a handful of real surprises, and I need to step away from the computer and go outside for a while. I’ll post some recap links later, but here’s my early takeaway:
Raiders reach on Heyward Bey
Winners:
- Philadelphia Eagles (WR Jeremy Maclin, RB Lesean McCoy)
- New England Patriots (SS Patrick Chung, DT Ron Brace, CB Darius Butler, OL Sebastian Vollmer)
Honorable Mention: Buffalo Bills (DE Aarpon Maybin, OC Eric Wood, CB Jarius Byrd, OG ), Green Bay Packers (DT BJ Raji, LB Clay Matthews III)
Losers:
- Oakland Raiders (WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, S Michael Mitchell)
- Denver Broncos (RB Knowshon Moreno, LB Robert Ayers, and traded away 2010 1st round pick to take CB Alphonso Smith in the 2nd)
Honorable Loser Mention: Dallas Cowboys (no players selected), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (traded up to get QB Josh Freeman)
Check out NFL.com’s pick-by-pick analysis, and we’ve got Jeremy Maclin highlights after the jump.
