Westbrook, who missed eight games in 2009 due to suffering multiple concussions, admitted on WGFX radio in Nashville yesterday that he wasn't fully healed from his first concussion despite missing all of the medical tests.
"I don't think a lot of people are taking [concussions] as serious as they should be because really it is a life or death thing," Westbrook said (via the Philadelphia Daily News). "The one thing that people have to know about concussions is that if you continue to play with a concussion and you continue to play without being completely healed then you run the risk of not being able to walk and talk and communicate and remember and of course early onset of Alzheimer's . . . as well as dementia."
Despite the concussions, Westbrook said in the interview that he is "trying to get ready for this next upcoming season."
That said, he is owed $7.25 million next season and rookie LeSean McCoy, the team's second-round pick in 2009, is Philadelphia's running back of the future.
So, even if Westbrook decides not to retire, do the Eagles want to pay that much money to a thirty-something running back coming off multiple concussions? I highly doubt it.
Whether or not Westbrook is back in Philadelphia in 2010, one thing is certain. His days as an elite running back (in real life or fantasy football) are over.
]]>Stallworth plead guilty to (and served 24 days in jail for) DUI manslaughter after hitting and killing a pedestrian in Miami in March 2009.
In fact, Stallworth, who signed a seven-year, $35 million contract in 2008, received a $4.5 million bonus from the Browns the day before the accident.
From 2006 to 2008, Stallworth's production declined each season: 725 to 697 to 170 receiving yards and five to three to one receiving touchdown(s).
In the last six games Stallworth played, he has had a catch in every game. The operative phrase is "a catch."
Considering the decline in his production prior to the suspension and an entire season off to get out of shape and become rusty, Stallworth will come cheap to any team willing to sign him. From a fantasy football standpoint, Stallworth has no value heading into the 2010 season.
]]>Aside from the use of concussion instead of conclusion, his tweet was unambiguous, "I have came to the concussion it is time for me to retire from football."
However, ESPN blogger Mike Sando does not believe Jones, who had previously joked via Twitter about a "decision" coming, which happened to be which movie to see.
And, of course, Brett Favre's annual ritual of retirement-unretirement adds to the skepticism.
Maybe Sando is right as new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently said on the radio (KJR-AM) that Jones told him that he intends to come back, per Danny O'Neill of The Seattle Times.
Whether or not Jones returns to collect his $7.3 million salary for 2010, the nine-time Pro Bowler is likely to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in five (or six plus if he comes back) years.
]]>There is no word on whether he will suffer a suspension as he met with league officials on Wednesday.
Last month's DUI wasn't the first alcohol-related Maualuga has had. And before he checks into rehab, he will take a previously planned vacation to Samoa to visit family.
“I’m looking forward to reconnecting with my father’s side of the family,” Maualuga said Saturday night, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “A lot has changed in four years, but family is something that doesn’t change and I know I have a lot of cousins there.”
The Bengals begin their off-season workout program on March 29th, but Hobson believes that Maualuga will be back from rehab in time to begin team workouts.
Maualuga was projected as one of three USC linebackers to be drafted in the first-round of the 2009 NFL draft. Instead, teammates Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews were drafted by the Texans and Packers, respectively, in the first-round. Maualuga slipped to the second round.
"Unfortunately, I had to screw it up and not have three linebackers go in the first round," said Maualuga after the draft. "But everything happens for a reason. . . . I'll be out to prove everybody wrong."
Fortunately for Maualuga, he hit two parked cars and a parking meter and did damage to property -- not people. While I'm skeptical of the rehab treatment's success, at least he's attempting to do something to make up for his mistake.
But it'll it up to him (after he's out of rehab) to make sure he doesn't "screw it up" again.
]]>“He is under the care of our athletic training staff,” [Colts spokesman Craig] Kelley said. “Nothing we have seen changes our diagnosis that he is questionable. He has a third-degree, low basketball sprain.”
Freeney has been in South Florida since Friday to start treatments on his ankle and he has been using a hyperbaric chamber.
"Dwight is one of our best players, we know that," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said from the Pro Bowl. "But all season long Coach Caldwell has talked about picking up the bayonet. Someone's got to step up. If Dwight were not to be able to go that would be tough, but somebody else will step up and we'll feel confident in whoever that is."
If Freeney can't play, that would likely mean a larger role for Raheem Brock.
“I’m sure he’ll give it a go,’’ a source of Mike Chappell from the Indianapolis Star said of Freeney.
One of the keys for both teams in Super Bowl XLIV will be to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback as both Manning and Drew Brees of New Orleans are as deadly accurate as any quarterback in the league. With completion percentages of 70.6 and 68.8 percent, Brees and Manning finished first and second in the NFL, respectively.
Earlier in the week, Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said of Manning, “This guy’s got a great clock in his head. The big thing is that he throws the ball so early that we’re going to have to do a good job of finding ways to get to him and when we do get to him we’re going to have to make sure he gets a couple ‘remember me’ shots when we get there ...”
Brees and Manning have been sacked only 20 and 10 times this season, respectively.
Freeney led the Colts and finished third in the league in sacks this season with 13.5 while teammate Robert Mathis finished with 9.5 sacks this year.
]]>As Schefter points out, it's unlikely that a player who schedules a press conference only a few weeks after the season ends will announce that he's going to play the next season.
Many believe that he's a borderline Hall-of-Famer, but his statistics and his groceries-to-MVP story make him a HoFer to me. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV in addition to being named league MVP during the 1999 and 2001 seasons.
Warner compiled career stats of 32,344 passing yards, 208 passing touchdowns and 128 interceptions in addition to winning Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams. He ranks 26th all-time in passing yards and touchdowns.
So assuming that Warner won't be under center in 2010, that means the Cardinals' starting quarterback will be Matt Leinart, their former first-round pick, or they will trade for or draft another quarterback this off-season.
In the past three seasons as Warner's back-up, Leinart has completed 57.8 percent of the 218 passes he's thrown. During that span, he has thrown only three touchdowns and eight interceptions.
With Leinart under center, the fantasy value of the Cardinals' wide receivers including Larry Fitzgerald takes a hit.
In either case, I would rate Houston's Andre Johnson ahead of Larry Fitzgerald. If (when) Warner retires, I would then move Fitzgerald down a couple of spots in the receiver rankings to fourth or fifth.
]]>In the first matchup, the Colts pulled their starters in the third quarter and Wayne finished with three catches for 33 yards.
"It was an adventure on Revis Island, I guess," Wayne said, per the Indianapolis Star. "It was fun. One thing about Revis is he's going to challenge you. He's going to make you play your best. That's all you can ask for. I accept that challenge."
With no disrespect intended for Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award, I believe Revis is the league's best "shutdown corner" (even if New England's Randy Moss takes exception to that phrase).
Revis, who called Moss a "slouch," said: "You got to play 60 minutes if you are going to play against us. You can't sit here and play 45. It doesn't happen like that. You got to compete. That's is what it's about. When you're not competing - come on now. Let's compete. If they score five touchdowns on me, I'm going to give him his respect."
In addition to shutting down Moss (nine catches for 58 yards in two games), Revis shut down several other elite receivers this season.
Revis shut down Houston's Andre Johnson (four catches for 35 yards), Buffalo's Terrell Owens (six catches for 44 yards in two games), Carolina's Steve Smith (one catch for five yards) and Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco (two catches for 28 yards in two games).
Wayne is one of my favorite receivers in the league. He's as talented of a receiver as there is in the league but he's not a trash-talker and perhaps doesn't get the credit he deserves because of his quiet demeanor.
This season, Wayne finished with 100 receptions for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns.
While Revis wasn't exclusively on San Diego's Vincent Jackson last week, he may not cover Wayne exclusively this week.
Earlier in the week, Revis said, "Yeah, my job is going to be tough once again. I'll be moving around on Reggie Wayne and (Pierre) Garcon, and probably a couple other receivers as well."
That said, as Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star points out, Revis covered Wayne on all 39 plays in their first matchup.
For the Colts to beat the Jets today, they will likely need for receivers not named Reggie to have solid games today as it's unlikely that Wayne gets much more than 50 yards against Revis.
]]>And as Ohm Youngmisuk of the NY Daily News points out, it's his personality that keeps the team confident and prevents them from getting too tight.
"I always say this, 'Whatever you guys do, just do-do-do-don't panic,'" Ryan stammered (via the NY Daily News). "We are not going to panic. No, never. There might be some concerns. But I never feel like that. I mean, I'm excited."
"Oh, go have fun, let's go, play the position, have some fun," Ryan said (about what he told rookie QB Mark Sanchez). "Just because every kid in the world dreams to be in this spot, don't let it affect you."
And while Rex Ryan is brash and a trash-talker, the other rookie coach in tomorrow's game (Jim Caldwell) is the complete opposite.
“He works with a lot of class,” Colts linebacker Clint Session said. “He doesn’t need to talk about it. He is about it. That’s what’s rubbed off on all his players. We go about it the same way.”
While the Colts are accustomed to post-season appearances and have a coach on the field at QB in Peyton Manning, they need a steady hand to run the show. For the Jets, on the other hand, they have limited to no playoff experience and a rookie quarterback, who will be expected to manage the game.
That said, Ryan and Caldwell may be polar opposites, but they are the same in that both of their styles are perfect for their respective teams.
]]>But that isn't stopping Raiders owner Al Davis from interviewing candidates for the Raiders head coaching job. Then again, not much has stopped Davis from doing things his way.
The Raiders are the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL and arguably in all of major sports. And as Monte Poole of the Oakland Tribune points out, the first part of the solution is the acknowledgment of the problem, which Poole believes Davis has done.
Either way, the Raiders hold the record for consecutive seasons of losing 11+ games (seven years) and finished last in NFL attendance (44,284) and percentage of tickets sold (70.3) in 2009.
Davis has interviewed Jim Fassel, who won the UFL championship last season, and Marc Trestman, who won the CFL championship last year, for head coach. Meanwhile, the Raiders will interview Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson for an undisclosed position.
In addition, David White of the San Francisco Chronicle believes Davis may interview Kevin Gilbride, the Giants offensive coordinator, and Winston Moss, who is an assistant coach in Green Bay.
Stay tuned...
]]>In addition to Gailey, the only other candidates who had a formal interview were Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and interim Bills coach Perry Fewell, according to Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News.
Sullivan gives Gailey "a 20 percent chance of succeeding."
“Anybody we stand up here and present, there will be some negative things (said),” [Bills GM Buddy] Nix said. “We know that. But I want you to know, with all due respect, that I don’t care. That don’t bother me. I mean, everybody’s got an opinion."
Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News likes the decision considering the youth in Buffalo (fifth-youngest team) and Gailey's college coaching experience as well as his ability to develop quarterbacks.
In two seasons as head coach of the Cowboys, Gailey finished with a combined record of 18-14 and two playoff appearances (and losses).
]]>"I can't say anything other than [coach] Josh [McDaniels] and I mutually agreed to part ways," [Mike] Nolan said, per Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
Meanwhile ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted, "Broncos already are discussing former Patriots DC Dean Pees, who worked with Denver head coach Josh McDaniels in New England."
Pees was defensive coordinator in New England from 2006 to 2009.
According to Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald, Nolan is expected to interview with the Dolphins by no later than Wednesday.
The Broncos finished seventh in total defense (315 yards allowed per game).
But the Broncos allowed a stingy 11 points per game in their first six games while allowing a generous 25.8 points per game in their final ten contests.
]]>“I’m extremely proud of the job Norv has done with this team,” team president Dean Spanos said (via the Union-Tribune). “In three seasons he’s led the team to three division titles. I’m confident that if we strengthen our roster and continue to provide Norv the assets he needs, this team will have continued success.”
During his three seasons as Chargers coach, Turner has a 32-16 record in the regular season and 3-3 in the post-season.
In 2009, the Chargers ranked fourth in scoring offense (28.4 points per game) and tenth in total offense (360.1 yards per game) and finished with a 13-3 record and the number two seed in the AFC.
During his three seasons as coach, the Chargers have ranked in the top five in offensive scoring every year.
]]>In fact, he continued to play on third downs against the Chargers after he had broken it. Mike Ellis played on first and second downs.
Ellis will have surgery after this week's game since he says that "the skin would burst back open" [if he had surgery this week] "so I have to suck it up, cast it up again and just go out there and play."
If the Jets beat the Colts, Ellis will be able to play in the Super Bowl with two weeks rest.
Ellis finished second on the team in sacks (six) in 2009.
]]>He also has a chipped bone in his tibia. According to Somers, DRC will undergo tests this week to determine if surgery is needed.
Considering that Rodgers-Cromartie thought he tore ligaments in his knee, this comes as good news for a defense that allowed 45 points in back-to-back playoff games.
On the season, DRC led the team with six interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. He also forced three fumbles in 2009.
Only four defensive backs (Philadelphia's Asante Samuel, New Orleans' Darren Sharper, Green Bay's Charles Woodson and Buffalo's Jairus Byrd) had more picks than DRC in 2009.
]]>Studesville has coached the Giants' running backs from 2001-2003 and the Bills' running backs since 2004.
The Bills ranked 16th in the league in offensive rushing (116.7 yards per game) in 2009. Bills RB Fred Jackson finished 15th in the NFL in rushing (1,062 yards).
The Broncos finished 17th in rushing (114.8 ypg) and Broncos rookie RB Knowshon Moreno finished 16th in the NFL in rushing with 947 yards.
]]>