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Peyton Manning: Should the Redskins Go After Him?

by on March 10, 2012

Now that the Super Bowl has commenced, the off-season has officially started for NFL teams, which means it is time for my team, the Washington Redskins to shine. I read a report on ESPN the other day where Adam Schefter said this: if Peyton Manning is released, Redskins are expected to pursue him. Redskins also prepared to pursue free agents Matt Flynn and Kyle Orton. Which begs the million dollar question for Redskins fans: should the Redskins pursue Peyton Manning?

It’s a tough question to answer because nobody knows for sure yet if he is going to come back fully healthy or just a shell of his former self. But for this post, I am just going to assume that in the next couple months he proves that he is healthy and back to where he was pre neck surgery. with that in mind he is still about to turn 36 in a month and a half so you think he might have 3 more elite to good years in him. A lot of people forget how good this guy actually was when he was healthy, but I think the showing of this years’ Colts team tells you everything you need to know. so on the Peyton side of things what I am saying is that if he is healthy (big if) than I think he is a top 3 QB in the league and I am going to say he has 3 good years left in him.

Which leads us to the Redskins side of things. now to advocate the Skins going after Peyton Manning, I would have to believe that if we got him we would turn into a contender. While I understand the Redskins were 5-11 last year, I think that he would. I said all last year that I thought we were one good QB and WR away from being a playoff team and once you get into the playoffs anything can happen (see Giants). I am sure I come off as a delusional Redskins fan, but if you can win 5 games as a team with Rex Grossman to Santana Moss as your best option, I could definitely see us winning 9 or 10 games with Peyton Manning throwing to Justin Blackmon? (but that’s for another post) I say all this because if I did not believe he would turn us into a contender I would not go after him, because in professional sports to be successful, a team must be doing one of things: 1. Rebuilding and getting younger for the future. 2. Doing what they can to add the piece(s) that will get them over the top and be a contender. there is no point in being average in the NFL or any professional sports franchise because you still don’t make the playoffs and you get a worse draft pick. for the last 2 years under Mike Shanahan we have been rebuilding and getting younger, getting rid of a lot of the old Redskin standbys, and bringing in new blood. But in the NFL the shelf life of these players are very small and 2 years is enough time to rebuild and even though they have not been very successful these last 2 years (like most rebuilding teams), I think they set themselves up pretty well to be contenders by just adding a few pieces this offseason.

Before I totally commit to Manning (you see where I am going with this post), I wanted to go through some of the other Redskins options first. as you can see above they said they are going to for other veteran QB’s as well including Matt Flynn and Kyle Orton. These are two very interesting options as they both are still in the prime of their playing careers, ages 26 and 32 respectively, and both are thought fairly highly of. nobody is saying these guys are All-Pro or anything but Kyle Orton has a track record of at least being decent in Denver and Matt Flynn while not getting a lot of time behind Rodgers in Greenbay has gained a decent reputation over there for being pretty good as well. The last major option is through the draft and getting Robert Griffin III (probably by trading up, but he could potentially fall to 6). each of these guys has their pros and cons. Orton is the oldest of the 3 and has the longest track record, he is kind of the guy you know what you are going to get from, not a high ceiling, but not a low floor either. with Flynn he is the middle man in this group, you really haven’t seen much of him (other than his record-breaking performance against Detroit this year), but you still have seen more of him at the NFL level than Griffin. He has more potential than Orton but less than Griffin, but much like Griffin you don’t have much to go off of. and that brings me to the last candidate Robert Griffin III, the Heisman winner. He definitely has the highest potential of any of these 3 guys but also as a rookie you will have to expect him to go through his bumps and bruises and really can’t expect him to be at his best for another 5 years. to get Griffin you would also probably have to trade up to number 2 to get ahead of the Browns and probably lost your number 1 pick this year and next year for it.

So it all brings us back to the point of where the Redskins are as an organization now. are they good enough to go for a guy who will turn them into a title contender or are they in rebuilding mode. I said above that I think the Redskins are one QB and WR away from being a contender. saying that, I think the Redskins should go after Manning as he is easily the best QB of that group if healthy as presumed in this post. if you really think you are one or two good players away from being a contender, there is no point in going halfway and placing Orton or Flynn as your QB when you can have one of if not the best in the game in Peyton Manning. even if it is only for 3 years, windows for Super Bowl titles are small in the NFL and I think you need to go for it when you can. Here are how I would rank my priorities in terms of potential Redskins Quarterbacks this off-season:

1. Peyton Manning- if healthy, ultimate win now guy. top 3 QB in league. I believe with a good WR as well will turn Redskins into contender for next 3 years.

2. Matt Flynn- 26 years old, would be Redskins QB of the future but would be able to produce now as well, not as good as Manning but I believe he is the 2nd best QB on this list and could be our QB for the next 10 years as well.

3. Kyle Orton- 32 years old, not as old as Manning or as young as Flynn, consistent average QB, know what you will be getting with him. probably would be our QB for next 5 years but, don’t think he would be as good as Flynn or Manning for those years.

4. Robert Griffin III- I think he our last priority because he is the ultimate rebuilding guy. This year (and the next couple as well) he is going to through some bumps and bruises as all rookies do and wont be at his most productive for another 5 years. He could very well be a great QB someday but as of next season, I think he will be the worst QB on this list.

I am sure as a Redskin fan advocating Peyton Manning I will come off as the typical Redskin fan who wants Daniel Snyder to throw all his money at an aging big name guy just like he did with Haynesworth, Mcnabb, Deion, etc.. and that is fine and fair, but what I am saying with all of this is that I think the Redskins are ready to win now and Peyton Manning if healthy is a top 3 QB in this league and would be the best option to put them over the top. now whether Manning wants to come to the Redskins is for a whole nother post. (probably tomorrow).

Country Music Stars Big & Rich to Headline Professional Bull Rider’s Last Cowboy Standing March 10 Event in Detroit

by on February 25, 2012

DETROIT, Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –The Professional Bull Riders announced that Big & Rich with special guest Cowboy Troy have been added to the PBR Built Ford Tough Series last Cowboy Standing event at Ford Field on March 10, 2012.

Comprised of Big Kenny Alphin, and The Celebrity Apprentice winner John Rich, the duo has garnered multiple GRAMMY, ACM, CMA and CMT Music Award nominations. their hits include their infectious smash-hit singles, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” “Comin’ to Your City” for ESPN College Game Day, “8th of November” and “Lost in this Moment.”

Big & Rich with special guest Cowboy Troy will perform at 8 p.m., prior to the world’s top ranked bull riders, and the fiercest bucking bulls taking the field for an action-packed event. Together and separately, they have raised funds for many organizations and causes. Kenny has been part of efforts to combat mountaintop removal of coal mining and been part of relief efforts in Darfur. John was declared the 2011 winner of The Celebrity Apprentice and raised $1.4 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Tickets begin at $10, and include the concert at 8 p.m. and the PBR Built Ford Tough Series event at 9 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Ford Field box office, www.ticketmaster.com and by telephone at (800) 745-3000. The PBR and Ford are offering a limited number of Built Ford Tough all aXXess passes for $200. In addition to providing the best seats for the bull riding, the passes allow the bearer to go onto the dirt before the event, allowing them to meet PBR riders to get autographs and photographs.

The PBR Built Ford Tough Series event will be a progressive-elimination format with all of the top 35 bull riders in the world riding a bull in round 1. Riders who reach 8 seconds in round 1 will advance to the next round, where they will each ride another bull. The elimination format continues until there is only one cowboy left. There will be a maximum of five rounds. The event winner will receive a minimum of $100,000.

It is the first visit to Ford Field for the premier bull riding organization that features the world’s highest-paid best bull riders competing against the toughest bucking bulls on the planet. Riders scheduled to compete in Detroit include 2011 World Champion and 2010 Rookie of the Year Silvano Alves, who has earned almost $1.8 million in his first 18 months competing in the BFTS, and Luke Snyder, who won the inaugural last Cowboy Standing in front of a sellout crowd in Las Vegas in 2011, earning $216,500 – the highest one-day payout of the season, and the second-highest in history.

Detroit is the 10th stop of the 2012 BFTS season, which opened on Jan. 6-8 with capacity crowds at Madison Square Garden in new York.The BFTS will make 28 stops in 23 states before the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-28, 2012.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and YouTube. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.

SOURCE Professional Bull Riders

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. all rights reserved

Country Music Stars Big & Rich to Headline Professional Bull Rider’s Last Cowboy Standing March 10 Event in Detroit

Dealing on deals: ’08 draft extensions

by on February 20, 2012

The deadline for NBA teams to extend players selected in the 2008 draft expired at midnight ET on Thursday, leaving only five players who agreed to terms on a new deal before the buzzer: Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook (who signed max deals long before Thursday), and Kosta Koufos, Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari (who finalized their new contracts on Wednesday).

That means players like Nicolas Batum, Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert, to name a few, head into this summer’s pool of restricted free agents.

Who made the right moves? who didn’t? out team gives their takes:

1. too much, too little or just right: Kevin Love (four years, $60-$62M).

Danny Chau, Hardwood Paroxysm: too little. Love has expressed genuine excitement about the future of the Timberwolves. this is after several years of sitting on the bench on some of the worst teams of the past decade. Fully committing to your best player seems like an obvious decision for small-market teams. though I suppose it’s never that simple in Minnesota.

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: too little. Love was pushing for a full max deal, but when he couldn’t get it, he grabbed the next most valuable thing — an opt out after the third year. why? Love is still not sold on the direction of the Wolves. he could’ve been sold for a full max deal, but if he was going to take less money, he wanted the flexibility to get out in a few years. why the Wolves preferred that scenario to a five-year max deal is beyond me. Love was worth it.

Rob Mahoney, The Two-Man Game: Love could certainly command more money, but this deal is just right for the Wolves … so long as Love wasn’t unnerved by the negotiating process. There’s big incentive for teams not to tick off their best players during contract negotiations, but the aim of a rebuilding franchise is to acquire (or retain) talent while maintaining financial flexibility. If Love is peeved, the joke is on Minny. If not, then the Wolves saved some cash for a later move.

J.M. Poulard, Warriors World: just right. Kevin Love is a solid passer and a double-double machine with 3-point range. Indeed, his production has led many to argue that he is the best power forward in the game. it was never really a question on whether he would get a huge contract, just when he would sign it.

Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of Hell: too little. Love is an incredibly gifted basketball player, but I’ve never bought into the idea of him as a max player. In this respect, the money in this deal works. It’s the length of the contract that bothers me. Love has earned as many guaranteed years as the CBA allows.

2. too much, too little or just right: Danilo Gallinari (four years, $42M).

Danny Chau, Hardwood Paroxysm: just right. Gallinari surely could have seen inflated figures from potential suitors in the coming offseason considering how dynamic of an offensive player he’s proven to be. The Nuggets have shown a lot of promise. GM Masai Ujiri is doing a great job establishing the team’s foundation by locking up their talent early.

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: too much … by a little. I really like Gallo, but my philosophy on extensions is that you get a discount from a player or you wait them out in the summer. The only exceptions are for true greatness — like Derrick Rose — or in a situation like Kevin Love’s (see above). I think Gallo will be a very good player, but I don’t believe a team would’ve given him a larger qualifying offer this summer. Obviously the Nuggets disagreed. With that said, they didn’t wildly overpay him. But I was thinking more like four years, $35 million.

Rob Mahoney, The Two-Man Game: just right, I suppose. Gallinari is essential to the Nuggets’ offensive balance and defensive versatility, but the two parties struck a deal that seems very reasonable for both sides. Gallo’s market value would be hard to define, but it was certainly prudent for the Nuggets to maintain control of his contract terms by avoiding restricted free agency.

J.M. Poulard, Warriors World: just right. Although the comparison isn’t entirely on point, I see Gallo as a player similar to Danny Granger in terms of production. The Pacers’ forward is slated to make about the same amount as Gallinari in the next two seasons and thus it’s fair to say that given escalating salaries that the Nuggets negotiated a very good contract.

Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of Hell: just right. Credit George Karl for getting the most out of Gallinari. But the most of Gallinari translates into an exceptionally good complementary player. Gallo is a fine player, but the Nuggets were smart not to overpay for his services.

3. which eligible player that didn’t get extended should have?

Danny Chau, Hardwood Paroxysm: Ryan Anderson, who unfortunately is a victim of the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard. However, Anderson has proven to be the perfect complementary frontcourt partner for Howard this season. If keeping Dwight is still an option, the team has to keep its best pieces. Yet somehow, Jason Richardson and Glen Davis are long-term certainties and Anderson isn’t.

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: Eric Gordon. The Hornets traded away a franchise player to get him. It’s well known that he’d love to return to Indiana next summer and the Pacers have the money to pay him. Yes, the Hornets still have his restricted free agent rights and can match any offer. But I thought the Hornets would have and should have sealed the deal.

Rob Mahoney, The Two-Man Game: Eric Gordon. Teams building from the ground up need to preserve as much cap space as possible, and the Hornets blew a valuable opportunity to retain Gordon at a discount. They should still be able to keep him in New Orleans, but the Hornets are now at the mercy of the open market, and what’s sure to be a lofty offer sheet from one of Gordon’s suitors.

J.M. Poulard, Warriors World: Nicolas Batum probably could have been extended at a modest figure by Portland, but now some team will probably swoop in during the summer and overpay for his services. he is a starting-caliber small forward who happens to come off the bench for a deep Blazers team that probably will still want to hold onto him.

Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of Hell: Eric Gordon. By this time next year, Gordon could be one of the best five shooting guards in basketball. Keeping payroll low must be a matter of religion for the Hornets. New Orleans is playing easy to get, but they’re more concerned about attracting a new ownership group than a new All-Star.

4. which player that didn’t extend is most likely to leave this summer?

Danny Chau, Hardwood Paroxysm: O.J. Mayo. He’s finally playing well off the bench, which surely has wing-starved teams salivating at the thought of his production with increased minutes. A year ago, we were wondering if all potential had disappeared. Mayo’s resurgence is fantastic for the injury-plagued Grizzlies this season, but it could be his ticket out of Memphis in the offseason.

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: O.J. Mayo. The Grizzlies have flirted with trading him twice, can’t afford to pay him next summer and he believes he’d be a much better player in a different environment. Can’t see him sticking around Memphis.

Rob Mahoney, The Two-Man Game: O.J. Mayo. Mayo has lived on the trading block over the past few seasons, and this summer should finally mark the end of his stay in Memphis. considering how many times the Griz have tried to trade Mayo away, I’m going to guess that they’d opt not to pay more just to keep him around.

J.M. Poulard, Warriors World: Eric Gordon’s name keeps popping up in rumors involving the Indiana Pacers and it almost makes too much sense. Indiana will have the required cap room to overpay for the services of the former Hoosier and bring him home to play with an up-and-coming team in serious need of some scoring.

Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of Hell: Nico Batum. his negotiations with the Blazers went sour early, and one wonders if Batum’s relationship with the team isn’t permanently damaged. Batum’s agent is already warning that his client will make himself available to anyone other than the Blazers this offseason.

5. What was the best move before the extension deadline?

Danny Chau, Hardwood Paroxysm: oh, this one’s easy.

David Kahn didn’t extend Michael Beasley or Anthony Randolph. A remarkable decision, really.

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: David Kahn resisting the urge to give a fortune to either Michael Beasley or Anthony Randolph. Given his track record with Darko Milicic and Nikola Pekovic … you know he was tempted.

Rob Mahoney, The Two-Man Game: Russell Westbrook’s five-year, $80 million extension.

Sam Presti made it crystal clear that the Thunder consider Westbrook a star and a cornerstone as he locked up Oklahoma City’s core for the foreseeable future. The money is easily justifiable for a player of Westbrook’s talent and production, and this move had the added benefit of altering the NBA narrative; the annoying (and exaggerated) Westbrook vs. Durant subplot seemed to disappear overnight, as this extension quelled any lingering doubt over Westbrook’s future.

J.M. Poulard, Warriors World: Not extending Brook Lopez‘s contract. If the Nets still think they can bring in Dwight Howard this season or during the summer, it’s important that they do not commit to anything long term. Long contracts and big salaries have proven difficult to move over the years.

Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of Hell: Sometimes the obvious choice is the right one. Kevin Love is a nightly double-double, and, occasionally, he’s a monster double-double. Couple his production with his professionalism, and it’s obvious the Wolves got a good deal.

2012 NASCAR Daytona preview: Kurt Busch

by on February 19, 2012

The NASCAR season begins this Saturday with the non-points Budweiser Shootout ahead of next Sunday’s Super bowl of the sport, the season-opening . WagerWeb.com previews the prospects of No. 51 at Daytona.

After a major fall from grace, 2004 points champion Busch is starting over with a small, fledgling Cup team. perhaps no driver in NASCAR history has fallen as quickly as Busch has.

“What did I learn from it? I was doing a lot of things wrong,” he said.

Doing things wrong like berating his team through R-rated radio transmissions and contentious media sessions; threatening to fight a reporter and ripped a transcript out of the hands of another; then, firing through a verbal tirade of an ESPN personality caught on camera, igniting 700,000 views on YouTube and fan-triggered bans of former sponsor Shell Pennzoil. lIt was that behavior that served as the catalyst for Busch and Penske Racing to part ways at the end of 2011.

“At the end of the day, is it the money you’re putting in your pocket, or the fun you’re having while doing it?” Busch said. “There’s been a lot of advice I’ve been given this offseason and it’s been a great way to digest and now I’m excited to get to the track and put it into place.”

The place is now the small-funded, one-car team of Phoenix Racing. Driving the No. 51 car a full season has given life to the ashes of the 2004 champ. Busch knows life will be much different at Phoenix Racing, where there are 18 employees to support a single-car operation, than it was during the six years he was top dog at Penske Racing, which employs closer to 300 and ran multiple cars. While most NASCAR teams are based within 10 or 20 miles of the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., Phoenix Racing is located in Spartanburg, S.C., about 80 miles to the southwest.

“There are going to be little victories that we claim, even if it’s finishing 15th and putting the car back in hauler without a scratch on it,” Busch said. “Those are going to be big days because we have two really good bullets right now — our superspeedway car for Daytona and we have a car that came from Hendrick that’s got a ton of R&D stuff on it. so I need to protect that car when we go to Vegas [in the third week of the season] because you want that car again in a couple of weeks at California. so we need to take care of that baby right now, and then hopefully we’ll get a few more built like that.”

While Busch is having fun with his new team, he knows that racing can be a lot of fun when winning is involved. and he and Phoenix Racing should be contenders at Daytona. Phoenix Racing’s lone Sprint Cup victory came at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, in April 2009 with Brad Keselowski driving, while Busch has 12 top-10 finishes in 22 point-paying starts at Daytona, including runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 in 2003, 2005 and 2008. last year, he won the Budweiser Shootout and the first of the two 150-mile Gatorade Duel qualifying races.

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Sources: Bucs, Chip Kelly in talks

by on January 23, 2012

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have identified Oregon head coach Chip Kelly as the main target of their search for a new head coach and the two sides are involved in active contract discussions, multiple sources close to Kelly told ESPN.

Kelly interviewed with the Buccaneers last week and the two sides are aiming to work out a deal within the next 48 hours, according to one source.

The Bucs will resolve talks with Kelly either way before proceeding further with their search, the source said.

A source told KGW in Portland earlier Sunday that Kelly is close to a deal with Tampa Bay.

One source close to Kelly told ESPN’s Joe Schad that Kelly, a good friend of former Bucs coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden, has always had NFL in the back of his mind.

Kelly is intrigued by the challenge of coaching at the highest level and not having to deal with parents and the NCAA oversights that are inherent to coaching in college, the source told Schad.

While former USC coach Pete Carroll left the Trojans to coach the Seattle Seahawks in January 2010 shortly before an NCAA report for sanctions under Carroll’s watch, the source told Schad that Kelly and Oregon are not anticipating heavy sanctions from the NCAA’s inquiry into the school’s relationship with alleged street agent Willie Lyles.

A source told Schad that Oregon would have interest in Boise State coach Chris Petersen if Kelly departs and that Petersen may be willing to listen, as he once did with Stanford.

Adam Schefter is an NFL Insider for ESPN. Information from ESPN’s Joe Schad contributed to this report.

Sources: Bucs, Chip Kelly in talks

Broncos Vs. Patriots Final Score: New England Beats Down Tim Tebow And The Broncos, 45-10

by on January 15, 2012

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Report — Not all New York Jets love Mark Sanchez, eye Peyton Manning – ESPN New York

by on January 11, 2012

As the New York Jets gut their offensive coaching staff, some players are reportedly wondering whether they have the right field general in place in Mark Sanchez.

The New York Daily News reported on Wednesday that it had spoken to key Jets players and they anonymously questioned the young quarterback’s work ethic and said that the team might be better off with a QB like Peyton Manning, if the Colts made him available.

Kay: Nick Mangold – 12/11

Nick Mangold joined “The Michael Kay Show” to discuss the New York Daily News report of Jets players anonymously questioning Mark Sanchez’ work ethic.

“We have to bring in another quarterback that will make [Sanchez] work at practice,” said one player, according to the newspaper. “He’s lazy and content because he knows he’s not going to be benched.”

Sanchez had a career-high 26 touchdown passes this season, but he also committed a career-high 26 turnovers, including nine during the Jets’ season-ending three-game losing streak. He ended the season 23rd in quarterback rating and 28th in completion percentage.

According to ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating, which measures the QB’s total contribution on the field and not just passing efficiency, Sanchez went from 27th in the league in his rookie season to 18th his second year. but he regressed to 30th in 2011, obviously not progressing the way the team had hoped.

The Colts have the no. 1 pick in the draft and a shot at Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. the Daily News asked Jets players and members of the organization if the team should try to acquire Manning if Indianapolis does take Luck.

“Come on. That’s a no-brainer,” a Jets source said, according to the newspaper. “If you have a chance to get a healthy 36-year-old Peyton Manning and you don’t do it, then you’re stupid. If I could get a healthy 36-year-old Peyton Manning, then, hell yeah, I would trade Sanchez.”

One “well respected player,” according to the Daily News, pointed out that the Jets have already hired former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore.

“Plus, he’s a field general and will get everyone lined up,” the player said. “He will get his playmakers the ball. We can win a Super Bowl with Peyton.”

Manning missed the entire season after neck surgery, so the former MVP faces his own question marks.

Nonetheless, another anonymous Jets player didn’t think that Sanchez, who was the QB when the Jets made two AFC title games, could take the team all the way.

“How can we when he’s not improving at all?” the player said, according to the newspaper. “He thinks he is, but he’s not. He has shown us what he’s capable of.”

Showing just how fractured the Jets locker room might be, other Jets were incensed that anonymous teammates were ripping the quarterback.

Center Nick Mangold disputed that Sanchez is lazy.

“That’s just wrong,” he said on an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “I’ve never seen anybody work as hard as Mark has. I support him fully and I think the locker room does as well.”

Even if that means Manning is an option?

“Mark Sanchez is my guy,” Mangold said. “He’s the one I want to go to battle with. I wouldn’t be too keen to see that changed.”

Mangold really took issue with the anonymous attacks.

“If there’s really a problem, if there is something wrong, you should man up and own up to what you’re going to say,” he said. “When no one has their name attached to it, I think it’s kind of an easy way out to air your personal grievances that should be kept in the locker room.”

He vowed to take care of that problem.

“I’m going to fix these things,” Mangold said. “It’s disappointing that there’s somebody out there, but I don’t think this should be an issue for us, moving forward.”

Right tackle Wayne Hunter was even more supportive of Sanchez.

“I back Mark all the way like I always have,” he said to ESPNNewYork.com. “People need to realize that it is not all Mark. the whole offense is at fault. I need to get better at my craft and I will. Players need to be held accountable. Play calling can only go so far without execution. for our own teammates to call out Mark in the media is selfish and to remain unnamed is cowardly.”

Other members of the organization that the newspaper spoke to also didn’t want to pin all the blame for a disappointing 8-8 season on Sanchez. They said that as the season fell apart, Sanchez “lost confidence” and made “one stupid throw and one stupid mistake after another.”

“So many games, he looked defeated before he ever took the field,” a team source said, according to the newspaper. “He didn’t have much confidence in what he was about to go do. You could tell throughout the week in practice. He never felt comfortable with some of the things we were doing. It was too much for him.”

Jets coach Rex Ryan predicted that his team would win a Super Bowl this season, instead, the Jets have imploded in dramatic fashion.

The Jets announced late Tuesday night that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer won’t return in 2012 and quickly hired former Dolphins coach Tony Sparano to replace him.

On Tuesday, the Jets also parted ways with offensive line coach Bill Callahan and receivers coach Henry Ellard, both of whom had expiring contracts.

Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley was supposed to visit the Jets on Wednesday, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, and could be named the assistant head coach.

It remains to be seen how the new staff will deal with Sanchez, who completed just his third year in the league.

But former Jets QB Boomer Esiason also said recently that he doesn’t think the Jets can win a Super Bowl with Sanchez.

“If you watched Mark Sanchez the last month of the season, he was like a chihuahua standing on Madison Avenue and 36th Street entering the Midtown Tunnel, eyes bigger than you-know-what, and just so shaky,” said Esiason, according to quotes that appear on WEEI’s website.

Information from ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini and Jane McManus was used in this report.

Report — Not all New York Jets love Mark Sanchez, eye Peyton Manning – ESPN New York

Reports: McDaniels To Join Patriots In Time For Playoffs

by on January 7, 2012

FOXBORO (CBS/AP) – The new England Patriots are expected to hire St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

McDaniels will take a job as an offensive assistant coach and will begin immediately working for the team.

McDaniels will take over as offensive coordinator next season, a job he previously held.

The Patriots’ current offensive coordinator bill O’Brien has accepted the head coaching at Penn State.

O’Brien plans to remain on the Patriots staff through the end of the season.

McDaniels would go from near the bottom of the NFL after spending the season as offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, who were 2-14, to a shot at the Super Bowl with the Patriots with an AFC-best 13-3 record.

He was offensive coordinator with the Patriots from 2006 to 2008 before becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009. He was fired with a 3-9 record in 2010 after losing 17 of his last 22 games. The Patriots, who had a bye this weekend, go into the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak.

The 35-year-old McDaniels was the only Rams assistant under contract through next season when Steve Spagnuolo was fired on Jan. 2.

“I’m sure Josh will have opportunities around the NFL to possibly be a coordinator or better throughout this process,” Kevin Demoff, the Rams vice president and chief operating officer, said at the time. “It’s going to be fluid, but we’ll figure out what’s best for both parties.”

The Rams scored the fewest points per game in the league, 12.1, gained the second fewest yards, 283.6, and the third fewest yards passing, 179.4. Sam Bradford struggled at quarterback with just six touchdown passes and six interceptions in McDaniels’ system, which had many more longer developing pass plays than the Rams had in 2010 under Pat Shurmur.

That lack of production contrasts sharply with the Patriots offense under McDaniels, especially in 2007 when they went 16-0 then won two playoff games before losing the Super Bowl to the new York Giants 17-14.

In that season, Tom Brady set a single-season league record with 50 touchdown passes for an offense that averaged a league-best 411.2 yards. It also was first in yards passing, 295.7 and points per game, 36.8.

Now McDaniels is poised to be reunited with Brady and another prolific offense in time for the Patriots practices for their divisional playoff game next Saturday. as the top-seeded team in the AFC, they earned home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

The Patriots were second in the league in overall yards with 428 per game and yards passing with 317.8. Their average of 32.1 points was third.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting inc. used under license. all Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The associated Press contributed to this report.)

Reports: McDaniels To Join Patriots In Time For Playoffs

Bill O’Brien to coach Nittany Lions – ESPN

by on January 6, 2012

Globe and Ma

Globe and Mail Bill O'Brien to coach Nittany Lions ESPN New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has agreed to become Penn State's first new head football coach in nearly a half-century. the Nittany Lions plan to announce O'Brien's hiring Saturday, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris

Those coaches haven't done particularly well running their own programs — college or pro — since leaving the Patriots fold, a trend that O'Brien is obviously hoping he can change with the Nittany Lions. Jay Glazer of FOX reports Tice, …

Tom Bradley served as interim coach as the Nittany Lions dropped three of their final four games, including a 30-14 loss to Houston in the TicketCity Bowl on Monday. O'Brien joined the Patriots staff in 2007 and was promoted to his current position …

Should the Chicago Bulls Try to Trade for Joe Johnson?

by on January 6, 2012

It's been well documented that the Chicago Bulls need an upgrade at shooting guard. what general manager Gar Forman needs to decide is if he wants to sign one of the available free agents or perhaps try and swing a deal for a star. A drastic move Forman could look to make is a trade for Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson. ESPN's resident NBA experts Ric Bucher and Chris Broussard debate a possible deal that would bring Johnson to Chicago (ESPN Insider only).

BUCHER: A number of star-quality players could be available on the market once the NBA resolves its labor issues, providing a variety of teams the chance to elevate themselves with one bold move. for me, though, the Bulls are the team that most needs to add a piece to solidify itself as a threat to win the title. the guy they should go after is Joe Johnson. 

I have not heard Johnson's name in trade talks, nor have I heard that Atlanta is desperate to move someone, even though Josh Smith has made it known he'd love to have a new home. but after yet another disappointing finish, I have to believe the Hawks know that Johnson will never make the six-year, $129 million deal he signed a year ago work fiscally in Atlanta. 

So, with that in mind, I believe that not only could the Bulls tempt the Hawks to part with Johnson for some combination of Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Kyle Korver or Ronnie Brewer, but that they must if they have dreams of building off last year's conference finals appearance. 

First off, I don't think the Bulls MUST make a trade for Johnson in order to build off of last year. I think they could get over the hump without making such a bold move. 

This being said, Johnson would be a great fit on the Bulls. I don't think he can ever lead a team to a championship (as proven by his up-and-down play against the Bulls in the second round), but he would be a great Robin to Derrick Rose's Batman. I would salivate at watching those two in the backcourt together. 

Unfortunately, Johnson is saddled with that absurd contract and it would probably take Boozer and Deng to get him. if all it took was Boozer and either Brewer or Korver, I'd do it in a heartbeat. but Boozer and Deng makes it a pretty big risk. Johnson is good, but I don't know if he's THAT good. 

While Broussard also believes Johnson would be a good fit in Chicago, he doesn't think Atlanta would bite on the deal. 

BROUSSARD: I agree that putting Johnson in Chicago would make the Bulls a a full-fledged title contender, but I don't see why Atlanta would do such a deal. the size and length of the deals of Boozer (four years, $60 million) and Deng (three years, $40 million) are just as onerous as Johnson's, and neither player — or even both — would make Atlanta a contender. So I don't think that deal could happen. 

Here I think Broussard is overrating Johnson and underrating the combo of Boozer and Deng. There's little doubt that Johnson is a better player than Boozer and Deng individually. However, part of me thinks the Hawks would be a better team with Boozer and Deng than with Johnson. they probably wouldn't be title contenders, but they would still be a playoff team.

Bucher has some fight left in him in this debate, so please allow him to retort!

As for the Hawks' sending Johnson to the Bulls, Atlanta would have to deal a second contract (Marvin Williams?) to take both Deng and Boozer in a deal. Why would they do it? Because Joe for Booz and Deng alone would save them $17 million and Johnson's deal ramps up far more severely than the two they'd be getting, so if they don't move him soon, it's going to get infinitely harder. Throw in Williams — whom they've been shopping hard for two years — and they'd save more than $30 million. the Hawks are not a contender as is, yet they'd still be a playoff team with Boozer and Deng, so why not make that trade?  

The thought of Marvin Williams coming to the Bulls is gross. the guy is a bum and was completely worthless in the second round against the Bulls. He's also very oddly shaped, and that kind of freaks me out. 

But in all seriousness, as I mentioned before, I really don't know how I'd feel about this move. getting rid of Boozer's contract would be great, but losing Deng too would really hurt. with Johnson's contract on board, I don't know how much more Forman would be able to add to the team. I know you sometimes have to take risks to win a championship, but would the Bulls really be a better team after this deal? 

That's the tough question Forman has to ask himself, and that's why he makes the big bucks. I'm sure he'll look into every possible option, but in the end, I just hope he doesn't panic into a move. the Bulls are close enough where that's not necessary. 

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Carlos Boozer, Chicago, Chicago Bulls, Chris Broussard, ESPN, Joe Johnson, Kyle Korver, Luol Deng, Marvin Williams, NBA, Ric Bucher, Ronnie BrewerRelated Videos

Should the Chicago Bulls Try to Trade for Joe Johnson?

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