November 2010

Arizona Cardinals: Loss to San Francisco 49ers All But Ends Their Season

Published on: 30th November, 2010

The Arizona Cardinals season ended last night, at home to San Francisco.

The 49ers, who were shut out by Tampa Bay just over a week ago, rebounded against the Cardinals to secure a valuable 27-6 win against Arizona.

It had been called a must–win game for both teams, and following a loss by Seattle, saw the winner draw within one game of first place in the division.

The Cardinals, however, never looked like contenders in this game.

A missed field goal at the end of the 49ers opening drive gave Arizona a ray of hope, but their opening offensive play saw Beanie Wells and Derek Anderson combine to put the ball on the ground.

Though the post-game statistics credit Anderson, not Wells with the fumble, it’s hard to place the blame solely on either man. The handoff by Anderson was appalling, and the ball was in a terrible position, but poor arm positioning by Wells did not make Anderson’s job any easier.

The fumble was recovered by San Francisco, effectively restarting their drive where they left off. Moments later, a picture-perfect pass to Michael Crabtree from third-string QB Troy Smith, and ensuing extra point saw the 49ers take a seven-point lead, which never really looked in jeopardy.

This set the tempo for the game. Arizona seemed unable to stop San Francisco on the ground, and on the rare occasions where they did throw the ball, the Cardinals all too often allowed them to complete those too. 

In spite of loosing star running back Frank Gore to a hip injury, which looks set to keep him inactive for the remainder of the season, the 49ers, with resurgent running back Brian Westbrook, dictated the pace of the game throughout. 

The Cardinals had more than a few breaks, Michael Adams intercepting a tipped pass, and the Cardinals successfully blocked the Niners second field goal attempt, but Arizona’s struggling offense never looked able to capitalize on these.

The closest the Cardinals came was three minutes before the close of the half, when Larry Fitzgerald appeared to have caught a touchdown pass, however closer inspection revealed that Fitzgerald was unable to maintain control of the ball throughout the process of the catch, and even if he had, there was suggestion that his elbow had come down out of bounds.

For the remainder of the game, San Francisco dominated offensively and defensively, showing little evidence of the stuttering team who had lost seven of their previous 10 games.

In spite of the on-field drubbing the Cardinals received, Arizona’s lowest moment came when the Monday Night Football crew caught quarterback Anderson and guard Deuce Lutui sharing a private joke on the sidelines, with Anderson clearly laughing and smiling in spite of his teams humiliating loss.

During the postgame interviews, Anderson was questioned about the incident. 

He initially denied the incident, telling reporter Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic:

“It wasn’t funny—I wasn’t laughing about anything.”

When Somers pointed out that he was caught on by the TV crew clearly laughing, he cut off the reporter and added 

“Okay, that’s fine. That’s fine, that’s fine, that’s fine. That’s fine. I’m not laughing about it. You think this is funny? I take this [bleep] serious! Real serious! I put my heart and soul into this [bleep] every single week!”

He went on to add, “I’m’ just telling you right now what I do every single week! Every single week! I put my freakin’ heart and soul into this, I study my ass off! I don’t go out there and laugh! It’s not funny! Nothing’s funny to me! I don’t want to go out there and get embarrassed on Monday Night Football in front of everybody!” Before storming out of the press conference.

When asked about the incident, Coach Whisenhunt admitted that he hadn’t seen the incident, but would be disappointed if he found out it was true. He added that the mood on the sideline was not jovial, and that in his own conversations with Anderson, he had not given him any feeling that his quarterback was not serious about the situation.

It’s hard to know for sure what went down on the sidelines, and how seriously Anderson does take his role—we saw a single moment with no context. Sure it looked bad, but his refusal to acknowledge the problem, or give us any kind of context, and the lack of respect shown for the reporter, and indeed the fans, must surely be the final nail in Anderson’s career as a Cardinals starter.

It is hard to put all of the blame for the Cardinals loss on the players.

Coach Whisenhunt has been questionable as the play-caller for the Cardinals.

He has regularly spoken of the fact that Anderson is not Kurt Warner, and that they can’t continue to call plays as if he is, and about the strength of their running game. However, he continues to call passing plays over two-thirds of the time, more than any team in the league, even though they have a QB amongst the worst passing stats in the league. 

What’s more is that his play-calling duties clearly affect his ability to carry out the other roles a head coach must complete, as evidenced by the fact that he was unaware of anything going down on the sidelines between Anderson and Lutui.

It is impossible to discount the affect that Whisenhunt has had on this team, and his job should not be in jeopardy over this, but to put all of the blame on the players is to discount the amount of influence and affect a head coach really has on the outcome of a game.

Offensively and defensively, improvements must be made in the offseason, but this must not just come on the field; Whisenhunt must find coaches who he can trust to call good offensive and defensive plays. He must not continue to try and do everything himself, because it is clearly not working at this point.

It is important to remember that the Cardinals, on paper at least, are, in spite of the odds, not completely out of contention in the NFC West. They are still only two games back and have five games remaining, three of them at home, two of them against divisional rivals, all of them against teams with loosing records. Three of them which are worse, or equally as bad as their own, and one of them against a team who will almost certainly end the year with the worst overall record.

Of the five remaining teams the Cardinals will play, they have combined to win only 16 games between them, and more than a few of those have come against each other.

None of our divisional rivals boast such a simple run to the playoffs, however, on the evidence of current form, there is little or no evidence to suggest that the Cardinals have any real chance of winning the division, or, if on the outside chance that they do, doing any kind of damage in the post season.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Do Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons Rise to the Top?

Published on: 30th November, 2010

The landscape of the NFL is always changing. This season we have more parity than ever and the distinction between the elite teams and the not-so-elite teams is even harder to make. 

One thing’s is for sure though, the Carolina Panthers are definitely earning a place at the bottom. 

Who though, will rise to the top? 

We currently have three 9-2 teams in the NFL: the New England Patriots, the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons. 

Will it be one of them? Or will a surprise team be number one?

Read on to find out. 

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Arizona Cardinals: In Defense of Derek Anderson, Jon Gruden Is an Asshole

Published on: 30th November, 2010

During last night’s embarrassingly bad Monday Night Football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers, our favorite trio of “bottle is half full” commentators needed something to fill the airwaves.  The game was very bad and not even remotely entertaining.  I can’t remember the last time I had almost no interest in a football game, even though I was betting on it.

So Jon Gruden, he of the “this is the greatest [insert something] you’ll ever see” Gruden’s, found something appalling on the sidelines.  Derek Anderson was laughing.  Not knee slapping, fall over laughing, but chuckling.  Gruden couldn’t believe it.  To paraphrase, he alerted Jaws (Ron Jaworski) of said infraction and felt that if you were getting your butt kicked, it should bother you. It should matter to you. 

My biggest problem with this is that we don’t know the context.  For all we know, Deuce Lutui made a joke about how bad they were playing and Derek Anderson chuckled.  Like the way you chuckle when your politically incorrect family member mockingly jokes about our President, and everyone just kindly laughs it off instead of getting into a heated political debate when all you want to do is eat and get the hell out of there.

Derek Anderson probably wanted to get the hell out of there.

And is laughing during a bad game really that bad?  I imagine some infantrymen while storming the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 might have commented on how the weather was kind of chilly for a June morning or how they should’ve joined the Air Corps, or the Navy.  What I’m getting at here is: Joking during something horrendous doesn’t mean you don’t take it seriously, it means you need to think about something other than how horrible said event is.

Which leads me back to Jon Gruden.

On November 8, the Pittsburgh Steelers were hosted by the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Pittsburgh is led by resident douche bag and serial alleged rapist Ben Roethlisberger.  Jon Gruden commented on how Ben Roethlisberger has overcome so much adversity and how he’s managed to come out of it and still play so well.

Adversity is taking the baseball field as the first black man to do so and perform while racial epithets are slung at you from the stands.  Adversity is becoming a major league pitcher with only one hand.  Adversity is being down 3-0 in a best of seven series and coming back to win it.  It is not asking for your six game suspension to be reduced to four because no one has accused you of raping them recently.

Perhaps if Jon Gruden had a daughter, or a niece or a soul—he might see things differently.  Perhaps he misspoke and realized how stupid he sounded while speaking of Ben overcoming said obstacles—obstacles Ben willingly threw in front of himself and now claims redemption by not throwing more obstacles in his way.

Let’s just be glad that Jon didn’t spot Ben laughing on the sidelines during a bad game, or when an accusation was leveled, because that’s just unacceptable.

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Fantasy Football Week 12 Aftermath: Gut Checks, Lineup Fun and Waiver Wire Picks

Published on: 30th November, 2010

The playoffs are approaching quickly and we’re getting into some must-win weeks for many dynasty league owners. In a year full of surprises, Week 12 didn’t disappoint.

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Week Twelve Fantasy MVP

Once is a fluke. Twice is a coincidence. Fourteen is ridiculous. Yet, that’s exactly the number of touchdowns Dwayne Bowe has after his 13-catch, 170 yard, three touchdown performance this week against Seattle.

Say what you want, but there may be no other wide receiver I’d want for the stretch run this season.

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Week Nine Fantasy LVP

Dez Bryant was a chic pick as a potential No.1 wide receiver this week. You must have thought it was Easter instead of Thanksgiving as he laid an egg.  No catches? Ouch.

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Lineup Fun

You probably won if your lineup looked like this…

QB Tom Brady = 341 passing yards, four touchdown passes
RB Peyton Hillis = 131 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards, three touchdowns
RB Fred Jackson = 59 rushing yards, 104 receiving yards. one touchdown
RB Jamaal Charles = 173 rushing yards, one touchdown
WR Dwayne Bowe = 13 catches, 170 receiving yards, three touchdowns
WR Deion Branch = three catches, 113 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Jacoby Ford = four catches, 108 receiving yards, one touchdown, one KO return TD
TE Billy Bajema = three catches, 32 receiving yards, two touchdowns

You probably lost if your lineup looked like this…

QB Carson Palmer = 135 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions
RB Brandon Jackson = 26 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards
RB Cedric Benson = 41 rushing yards
RB LeGarrette Blount = 55 rushing yards
WR Dez Bryant = No catches
WR Terrell Owens = three catches, 17 yards
WR DeSean Jackson = two catches, 26 yards
TE Aaron Hernandez = one catch, 17 yards

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Gut Checks

I’d be worried if…

I’m running to the waiver wire to pick up Billy Bajema.

I have Montario Hardesty in a dynasty league.  It’s looking more and more like Peyton Hillis has more long-term potential than we thought.

I’m relying on Dez Bryant to be a No.1 receiver this season. While he’ll surely get there eventually, he’s still a rookie.

I own any Lions player outside of Calvin Johnson.

I own any Cardinals player, including Larry Fitzgerald.

I have Frank Gore in a dynasty league. This latest injury really puts into question how many productive years he has left. He could be a “sell medium” candidate.

I expect Jonathan Stewart to be the bellcow for the Panthers anytime soon. Mike Goodson has shown the ability to at least be a steady compliment to Stewart.

I need Ahmad Bradshaw to carry my team into the playoffs. While he’ll surely regain his starting job at some point, his production is likely to dip here in the next few weeks.

I didn’t buy low on Josh Freeman this offseason. We really pushed him this summer as a candidate to add and he’s doing nothing to show he can’t be a productive NFL or fantasy quarterback.

I have Anquan Boldin as a No.2 receiver. There are just too many weapons in Baltimore for him to be relied on heavily.

I’m hoping for Pierre Garcon to come out of his funk. His timing with Manning is just off.

I didn’t handcuff Clinton Portis to Ryan Torain, Keiland Williams AND James Davis. Boy, nobody saw this coming with Shanahan, right!?!

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A Look Ahead to the Hot Name on the Week 13 Waiver Wire

1. Brian Westbrook, RB, SF

I’d expect Anthony Dixon to be more involved than he was last night, but Westy proved he could still play, though I could have probably run for 100 yards against the Cardinals. Regardless, Westbrook has major value right now with Gore likely done for the year.

2. Joel Dreessen, TE, HOU

Owen Daniels can’t stay healthy and Dreessen has flashed some ability. You could do worse if you’re in need of a tight end.

3. Toby Gerhart, RB, MIN

He’s certainly already owned in most dynasty leagues, but he could prove to be valuable in yearly formats if Peterson’s ankle acts up again.

Keep in mind the names found on this list are added to ones from previous weeks. That’s why you don’t see a player like Ben Obomanu…we recommended him in our lineup advice column WEEKS AGO.

Good luck this week!

To have your personalized lineup questions answered for free on DLF, click here.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Bears Lumber Near Top, Colts Tumble

Published on: 30th November, 2010

The NFL power rankings in Week 13 are hardly recognizable from last week.

There are tons of changes thanks to some impressive victories (or troubling defeats, depending on which team we’re talking about) which led to major changes from a week ago.

The Bears are once again the “it” team for defeating Philadelphia pretty handily. And the Colts are now officially “reeling” after a third loss in four weeks.

So where do these teams fall and rise?

Check out our power rankings.

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Ralph Friedgen of Maryland Named ACC Coach of the Year

Published on: 30th November, 2010

According to a tweet by CSN Washington contributor Chick Hernandez, Maryland football head coach Ralph Friedgen has been named ACC Coach of the Year.

This announcement comes as no surprise, as the Terps went from a dreadful 2-10 last year to 8-4 this year and tied for third in the ACC.

The Terps were just a game away from going to the ACC Championship Game with a potential trip to a BCS bowl on the line.

Arguments had been made for other candidates, including North Carolina’s Butch Davis, who managed to lead the Tar Heels to a 7-5 season amid allegations and suspensions.

Friedgen and the Terps will be headed to a bowl game this year, but which specific bowl will probably not be determined until after the ACC Championship Game is played on Saturday.

Comment and let me know if you think he deserved it.

As more information is made available, I will post it here.

Follow me on Twitter for updated Terps news @cleyden.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

TCU: Random Thoughts on Them Joining the Big East

Published on: 30th November, 2010

Yesterday the Big East became a better football conference when it was announced TCU would be joining the conference.

Get news on TCU’s move at our Big East home page.

While the change won’t occur until 2012, fans of Big East football can breathe easier knowing a team that currently has a lofty national ranking is coming their way.

TCU can feel good knowing that in the future a perfect season will mean a chance to play in a BCS bowl no matter what.

Visit our TCU home page for the latest on TCU’s move east.

Here are some other quick thoughts to think about:

• The largest football-playing school in the Big East is South Florida with an enrollment of approximately 35,000. The smallest is Louisville with 14,962 students. TCU has about 9,000 students.

• What was the Big 12 thinking? TCU was good enough the last few years to be an upper-tier team in the Big 12. Colorado and Nebraska are gone next year, and the league is in need of two more teams to be able to host a conference championship game. TCU was the most logical addition out there.

• Who will the Big 12 eventually add? There is not a conference out there that is not looking for more revenue, and a conference championship game is a significant opportunity to create cash. Would Arkansas leave the SEC? Could the raid by the Pac-10 still possibly take place? Is LSU an option? Will the Big 12 have to raid Conference USA? Will teams defect from the Big 12 for greener grass in other places?

• Here is the scoop: Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas Tech did not want to face the Horned Frogs on a consistent basis. Right now TCU is the best football school in Texas.

• So long Mountain West. Utah is heading to the Pac-10. BYU will be going independent, and now TCU is out of there. These departures leave the league lacking a certain panache.

• Boise State can’t seem to get a break. Obviously the move to the Mountain West by Boise State was meant to enhance their opportunities, but take courage, Bronco fans. Even with what is left of the Mountain West, the Broncos are still going to be in a better conference when they leave the WAC in 2011.

• What if Gary Patterson leaves? Can the Horned Frogs keep playing at such a high level if Patterson takes a job with a school that can pay him considerably more than TCU?

• Notre Dame…can you hear the creeping sounds of becoming more and more an afterthought in college football? When the BCS takes a look at how a school receives a bid to its bowl games, there needs to be serious discussion about how the Irish fit in.

• Does the NCAA let student-athletes keep their frequent flyer miles?

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Chicago Bears Roar Toward the Front of the NFC

Published on: 30th November, 2010

Julius Peppers and the Chicago Bears found the antivenom to the lethal Michael Vick and beat the Philadelphia Eagles handily on Sunday, straining the eyes of fortune-tellers even further when it comes to the NFC playoff picture.

Even as some teams find solid footholds and begin posturing for top seeds, others (like the Eagles and Green Bay Packers) who had looked comfortable just a week ago suddenly find their playoff lives in danger.

Who are the real class teams of the NFC? Which contenders are only pretending? Who wins the race (a highly competitive one) for worst team in football?

Read on for the answers to these questions and more, and be sure to check out the AFC power rankings too.

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Big Ten Football: A Championship Game Would Not Have Helped This Year

Published on: 30th November, 2010

A lot of people have been talking about a Big Ten Championship Game solving the three-way tie in the Big Ten.

While it would decide an outright champion, it is not the solution this year.

Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State all finished 11-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan State beat Wisconsin, Wisconsin beat Ohio State and Michigan State and Ohio State did not play each other.

First of all, you cannot split 11 teams into two divisions. If they did use the divisions that will start once Nebraska joins, Michigan State would have won their division and Wisconsin would have won theirs.

Michigan State and Wisconsin would play in the Big Ten Championship at a neutral site. Whoever won would go to the Rose Bowl. Whoever lost would have two losses.

Unfortunately, this would cause some problems with the BCS.

OSU would be sitting at 11-1 and sixth in the BCS. They would probably still get in to the BCS. The loser of the championship game would have an argument that it would be better to finish third in the Big Ten and not play than to play and lose a Rose Bowl berth.

If they did not have divisions, how would they choose two teams to play for the Big Ten title this year?

Everyone’s mad about using the BCS. MSU would be mad about using common opponents because they lost to Iowa. Wisconsin would be mad about strength of schedule.

No matter who played in the Big Ten Championship Game this year, the other team would be slighted. This is the same problem you have now. And again, the third place team left out of the game would be in a prime spot for a BCS berth, just not the Rose Bowl.

There is no easy way to break three-way ties, especially when all the teams do not play each other. The only solution this year would have been a 10-game Big Ten schedule. That way, OSU and MSU would have played each other.

Everyone could have dropped Notre Dame from their schedules, played two “cupcake” games and a 10-game regular Big Ten season. This way, either OSU or MSU would have two losses. The winner of that game would have head-to-head against Wisconsin.

Any way you slice it, someone is going to feel slighted.

Wisconsin looks like they are headed to the Rose Bowl. Yes, they lost to MSU, but they beat OSU. They were the only team to play both other title contenders. They also did host a Pacific-10 Arizona State team and travel to Las Vegas to face UNLV.

OSU will probably get the other BCS bid. They hosted Atlantic Coast Conference’s Miami (FL) and did not play an FCS team. Plus, OSU has some crazy fans that will go anywhere in the country to watch their team. They usually sell out their allotment.

MSU did beat Wisconsin, but who else? They beat eight bowl-bound teams. Besides Wisconsin, the best team is 7-5. They also played nine games in the state of Michigan. When they left the state, they struggled and barely won or lost (Iowa).

In any situation, championship game or not, one team that deserves to go to a BCS is not going. This is not the year that a Big Ten Championship Game would have helped.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the NFL: Week 12

Published on: 30th November, 2010

Week 12 in the NFL saw a bunch of former Rutgers Scarlet Knights return to the area. None performed better than Jacksonville Jaguars safety Courtney Greene. With his 11-tackle effort, Greene is our well-deserving Knight of the Week.

He also recorded a pass deflection in Jacksonville’s 24-20 loss to the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium. Greene, who was making his sixth straight start, now has 62 tackles this year.

Greene’s teammate Tiquan Underwood was inactive for Jacksonville, but offensive lineman Kevin Haslam did play. Across the field, New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara was once again inactive due to a foot injury.

Brian Leonard and Clark Harris also returned to the area as the Cincinnati Bengals traveled to East Rutherford to take on the New York Jets on Thanksgiving. Leonard did not have a rushing attempt but caught two passes for a total of three yards. Harris handled the long-snapping duties for Cincinnati.

New York Jets linebacker Jamaal Westerman was inactive this week. The Jets won the game, 26-10.

The New England Patriots also had a Thanksgiving Day game, which means Devin McCourty was in action. The rookie cornerback recorded seven tackles, two pass deflections and grabbed two interceptions in New England’s 45-24 win over the Detroit Lions.

McCourty returned one of his interceptions back 50 yards. He now has 61 tackles this season.

Kenny Britt missed Tennessee’s 20-0 loss to the Houston Texans as he remains inactive due to a hamstring injury. Britt’s teammate, Jason McCourty, recorded five tackles for the Titans.

Offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their 17-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Zuttah watched the back he used to block for in this contest.

Ray Rice carried the ball 20 times for Baltimore and gained 85 yards. He also caught seven passes for 47 yards in the Ravens’ win.

Long-snapper Ryan Neill is on injured reserve for the San Diego Chargers, but his team defeated the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night by a score of 36-14.

Part of the Colts struggles are due to defensive captain Gary Brackett remaining inactive due to a toe injury. Defensive lineman Eric Foster did play for the Colts and recorded two tackles and a sack in the loss.

Nate Jones recorded six tackles, but the Denver Broncos fell to the St. Louis Rams by a score of 36-33.  Gary Gibson made the start on the Rams defensive line but did not record any stats. Gibson has started all 11 games this season.

On Monday Night Football, rookie offensive lineman Anthony Davis and the San Francisco 49ers topped the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 27-6. Davis has started every game this season for the 49ers.

This article is also featured on StateOfRutgers.com.

For more Rutgers football coverage, visit Double G Sports.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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