Various news outlets, including NFL.com, appear concerned that Peyton Manning & Tom Brady are seriously injured, and could miss a chunk of regular season playing time.
We at Wide-Right are not. Think about it for a second, would Peyton Manning, 2nd to Brett Favre in the QB consecutive starts race, QB for the Indianapolis Colts who are due to officially open their new stadium in their 1st regular season game, QB who makes the Colts special, contemplate missing any games? No; Manning will start (and continue) the opening game of the season, and be just fine with his recovery.
Brady on the other hand is a tricker situation to analyse, primarily because of the Patriots' 'honesty' in injury reports. Hands up who thinks the story will get bigger and bigger, that Brady's foot is going to need extensive surgery, miss the season, will he be the same, etc, only to start the opening day throwing a handful of TD's against the Chiefs?
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Browns Banged Up
A starting QB and the AFC's top punt returner going down in the same game? That's what happened in the Cleveland Browns' matchup with Super Bowl champion Giants late Monday night. After taking a big hit from Giants DE Osi Umenyiora, Derek Anderson was motionless for a few seconds before being helped from the field. Anderson suffered both a hand injury, which Head Coach Romeo Crennel doesn't appear to be too concerned about - he is more concerned with the severity of the concussion Anderson suffered.
He is already confirmed as being out of the Browns' third pre-season game, providing Brady Quinn with his first opportunity to show the Browns' Brass what he is capable of - leading your team on 69 and 63 yard scoring drives is a good way of starting this, and it will be interesting to see if this can continue; despite Crennel's protestations at the end of the season that there was a clear #1 in Cleveland, this situation could create another QB dilemma in the NFL, following Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Arizona and Atlanta.
He is already confirmed as being out of the Browns' third pre-season game, providing Brady Quinn with his first opportunity to show the Browns' Brass what he is capable of - leading your team on 69 and 63 yard scoring drives is a good way of starting this, and it will be interesting to see if this can continue; despite Crennel's protestations at the end of the season that there was a clear #1 in Cleveland, this situation could create another QB dilemma in the NFL, following Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Arizona and Atlanta.
Ronnie Brown rumours get blown out of all proportion
As Armando Salguero discusses here, There have been plenty of rumours that Ronnie Brown is done in Miami, and that the team will attempt to trade him, or release him, before the season begins.
There is an unprintable word for such rumours.
This reminds us of last season, when Jesse Chatman was supposed to run Brown out of town. Chatman was nothing more than a semi-decent backup, while Brown tore up the league in the 7 games that he played before a blown ACL ended his season prematurely. This year, Chatman's role is filled by the ageing Ricky Williams - who should still have gas in the tank after spending so long out of football - but we suspect a similiar ruse by the 'fins, if only to motivate Brown to recapture the form of last season.
Of course he could be completely done and his knee destroyed, but we'd imagine that would have been evident before now. Incidentally, should that be the case, the top 3 running backs from the vaunted 2005 draft class, Brown, Caddilac Williams, and Cedric Benson, will likely all not play in 2008 for varying reasons.
A stark reminder of the lottery that is the NFL draft.
There is an unprintable word for such rumours.
This reminds us of last season, when Jesse Chatman was supposed to run Brown out of town. Chatman was nothing more than a semi-decent backup, while Brown tore up the league in the 7 games that he played before a blown ACL ended his season prematurely. This year, Chatman's role is filled by the ageing Ricky Williams - who should still have gas in the tank after spending so long out of football - but we suspect a similiar ruse by the 'fins, if only to motivate Brown to recapture the form of last season.
Of course he could be completely done and his knee destroyed, but we'd imagine that would have been evident before now. Incidentally, should that be the case, the top 3 running backs from the vaunted 2005 draft class, Brown, Caddilac Williams, and Cedric Benson, will likely all not play in 2008 for varying reasons.
A stark reminder of the lottery that is the NFL draft.
Monday, 18 August 2008
Orton named Bears starting QB
The dangerous times are over in Chicago - for now anyway.
In a move that shocked exactly nobody, the Bears today annointed Kyle Orton, who led the team to a 10-5 record as a starter during Rex Grossman's injury hit 2005 season, as the team's starting Quarterback.
Grossman has looked like a liability at times this offseason, and has done little to repay the faith shown in him by coach Lovie Smith. Despite a rocket arm and solid mechanics, Grossman has never been able to shake off the tag of a 'boom or bust' guy. As a first round pick out of Florida in 2003, he bounced back from two injury plagued seasons to lead the team to the Superbowl in 2006. He shouldered most of the blame for the team's failure to defeat the Colts in that game, and was ousted at the start of last season in favour of the veteran Brian Griese. Grossman regained the job late in the season, only to go down with yet another injury, and allow Orton to start the last two games of the season.
While Orton is more of the 'Game Manager' type, he does possess enough talent to succeed in the league, and has a deceptively strong arm. It will certainly be interesting watching him if the team decide to give him a longer leash than during his first stint at the helm. Orton's passer rating during 15 games in 2005 was just 59.7 - the lowest among qualifying Quarterbacks that year.
As for Grossman, it would be easy to write him off now, but we think that may be premature. For one thing, his arm will always be a fascination to personel departments across the league, and his ability to make every throw is always going to keep him on a roster. Plenty of teams would consider Grossman an upgrade at the second QB position, and it is unlikely that the Bears would part ways until the end of this season at least, as Smith gives him an opportunity to perhaps jump in should Orton implode.
On the other hand, Grossman is unable to take care of the ball to any degree neccesary to start in the NFL right now. His decision making has looked shaky since Chicago's Monday Night Football game in Arizona two years ago, when the team miraculously overcame a 0-20 half time deficit to win by a single point 23-24.
Indeed, that game was a microcosm of the team's reliance on the Defensive unit to overcome the deficiencies of it's Offensive counterpart. If Grossman is ever to play a meaningful role for the Bears, he will need the durable Orton to suffer an injury, and more pertinently, he will need to convince the fickle Chicago media that the best way to watch him play is not through gaps in their fingers.
In a move that shocked exactly nobody, the Bears today annointed Kyle Orton, who led the team to a 10-5 record as a starter during Rex Grossman's injury hit 2005 season, as the team's starting Quarterback.
Grossman has looked like a liability at times this offseason, and has done little to repay the faith shown in him by coach Lovie Smith. Despite a rocket arm and solid mechanics, Grossman has never been able to shake off the tag of a 'boom or bust' guy. As a first round pick out of Florida in 2003, he bounced back from two injury plagued seasons to lead the team to the Superbowl in 2006. He shouldered most of the blame for the team's failure to defeat the Colts in that game, and was ousted at the start of last season in favour of the veteran Brian Griese. Grossman regained the job late in the season, only to go down with yet another injury, and allow Orton to start the last two games of the season.
While Orton is more of the 'Game Manager' type, he does possess enough talent to succeed in the league, and has a deceptively strong arm. It will certainly be interesting watching him if the team decide to give him a longer leash than during his first stint at the helm. Orton's passer rating during 15 games in 2005 was just 59.7 - the lowest among qualifying Quarterbacks that year.
As for Grossman, it would be easy to write him off now, but we think that may be premature. For one thing, his arm will always be a fascination to personel departments across the league, and his ability to make every throw is always going to keep him on a roster. Plenty of teams would consider Grossman an upgrade at the second QB position, and it is unlikely that the Bears would part ways until the end of this season at least, as Smith gives him an opportunity to perhaps jump in should Orton implode.
On the other hand, Grossman is unable to take care of the ball to any degree neccesary to start in the NFL right now. His decision making has looked shaky since Chicago's Monday Night Football game in Arizona two years ago, when the team miraculously overcame a 0-20 half time deficit to win by a single point 23-24.
Indeed, that game was a microcosm of the team's reliance on the Defensive unit to overcome the deficiencies of it's Offensive counterpart. If Grossman is ever to play a meaningful role for the Bears, he will need the durable Orton to suffer an injury, and more pertinently, he will need to convince the fickle Chicago media that the best way to watch him play is not through gaps in their fingers.
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Pre-Season: Houston 31 New Orleans 27
Houston 31 New Orleans 27
Drew Brees and Matt Schaub showed why you don't need to be a first round pick to become a franchise QB in the NFL. The pair combined for more than 300 passing yards in the first half of the Texans-Saints matchup, which Houston narrowly won thanks to rookie Steve Slaton's run late on. Indeed, great passing play was the order of the day here, with no interceptions thrown by either the starters or backups.
Kevin Walter showed why he could emerge as a breakout player for the Texans this year, catching 6 passes for 100yds and a TD, while Saints RB Reggie Bush took a back seat as Deuce McAllister made his long awaited return from injury. McAllister was greeted warmly by the Superdome crowd, and Bush did get on the scoreboard however, catching a 12yd pass from Drew Brees in the second quarter.
In a a pass-happy game, the real losers were the Secondaries. Both teams are struggling against the deep ball, and in New Orleans' case, it is a pretty damning indictment that this has been a gripe for two to three years now, with little progress made. The Texans will also be disappointed with receiver Jacoby Jones, who caught just one ball last night, and fumbled a punt return that gave the Saints a Field Goal.
Drew Brees and Matt Schaub showed why you don't need to be a first round pick to become a franchise QB in the NFL. The pair combined for more than 300 passing yards in the first half of the Texans-Saints matchup, which Houston narrowly won thanks to rookie Steve Slaton's run late on. Indeed, great passing play was the order of the day here, with no interceptions thrown by either the starters or backups.
Kevin Walter showed why he could emerge as a breakout player for the Texans this year, catching 6 passes for 100yds and a TD, while Saints RB Reggie Bush took a back seat as Deuce McAllister made his long awaited return from injury. McAllister was greeted warmly by the Superdome crowd, and Bush did get on the scoreboard however, catching a 12yd pass from Drew Brees in the second quarter.
In a a pass-happy game, the real losers were the Secondaries. Both teams are struggling against the deep ball, and in New Orleans' case, it is a pretty damning indictment that this has been a gripe for two to three years now, with little progress made. The Texans will also be disappointed with receiver Jacoby Jones, who caught just one ball last night, and fumbled a punt return that gave the Saints a Field Goal.
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Football in the Olympics
An interesting article by Mike Florio on Sportingnews.com, proposes that Football (we'll refer to it as American Football for the purposes of this article) be made part of the Olympics. After watching all of 15 minutes of some kind of Swimming, it's hard not to agree that it would be a hell of a lot more exciting than watching that, or Ludo, or Scrabble, whichever event will make it into the Olympics for 2012.
However, I (and I say I because it's only my view, not Wide-Right's) am 100% against any such move, and here's why:
1) There are 16 days to play the required amount of games. That doesn't work in American Football. At best, you could play 3-4 games. You'd need a minimum of 5 (3 group games, a semi final, and a final) to make it work. Until that is possible, keep dreaming.
2) That time frame would also preclude any Professional from taking part. The risk in sending a player over for 1-2 games every 4 years would make most coaches balk, so imagine what playing a dramatically increased schedule would do? No, you'd be looking at amateur/college players to make it work. Then once you say that, you'd be eliminating the top tier of players in the rest of the world. A Catch 22 situation and a half.
3) The Olympics should be the pinnacle of your sporting career - not a nice trip and a chance to add a gold medal to your millions of dollars. Football (the one with feet) is in the Olympics, and in truth nobody cares. People are excited that the new Premiership season starts today, but the Olympics generally passes by a lot of people - and that has pro's in it.
4) Fourthly - and most importantly - is that the competition factor would be zero. I'll dwell on that point in a second, after some choice words from the original article:
- Mike Florio, Sportingnews.com
That the NFL wants to expand is undoubted. However, the idea that this can be achieved via simply showing people the product on offer is laughable. Why do sales of Tennis Rackets pick up when Wimbledon is on? Why do people start playing Golf as soon as the Masters hits our screens every year? The answer is because the infrastructures are in place to allow young kids to play these sports both casually and competitively, regardless of age.
The NFL - and most commentators - seem to be missing the point completely. If I wanted to play American Football, even as a die hard fan who is obsessed, I'd have no way of doing so, and wouldn't really know where to begin. The sport is not available to schools, which limits the amount of players at it's most basic level. I played Basketball at school, and it generated both ability and interest in the sport.
The sport needs funding at the very fundamental level before this idea could even get past the 'Idiot with a soapbox' phase that it is in now. How about instead of putting money into trying to convince the IOC to accept the sport, give youngsters a chance to play football from the age of 7-8, like kids in America. The natural talent pool exists around the world, it's just that for most kids who grow up with a football at their feet rather than in their hands, their dreams lie in the back of the net, rather than the end zone.
Until that grass-roots funding and support is in place, you can forget about the idea of American Football as an Olympic sport.
However, I (and I say I because it's only my view, not Wide-Right's) am 100% against any such move, and here's why:
1) There are 16 days to play the required amount of games. That doesn't work in American Football. At best, you could play 3-4 games. You'd need a minimum of 5 (3 group games, a semi final, and a final) to make it work. Until that is possible, keep dreaming.
2) That time frame would also preclude any Professional from taking part. The risk in sending a player over for 1-2 games every 4 years would make most coaches balk, so imagine what playing a dramatically increased schedule would do? No, you'd be looking at amateur/college players to make it work. Then once you say that, you'd be eliminating the top tier of players in the rest of the world. A Catch 22 situation and a half.
3) The Olympics should be the pinnacle of your sporting career - not a nice trip and a chance to add a gold medal to your millions of dollars. Football (the one with feet) is in the Olympics, and in truth nobody cares. People are excited that the new Premiership season starts today, but the Olympics generally passes by a lot of people - and that has pro's in it.
4) Fourthly - and most importantly - is that the competition factor would be zero. I'll dwell on that point in a second, after some choice words from the original article:
The question becomes whether the sport can grow beyond our borders to the point that inclusion in the Olympics becomes a no-brainer proposition. Its ability to do so depends in large part on the ability of the NFL to export regular-season contests to other countries. Hopefully, the next collective bargaining agreement will expand the regular season to 17 or 18 games, creating ample opportunities to send games that count to other countries.
- Mike Florio, Sportingnews.com
That the NFL wants to expand is undoubted. However, the idea that this can be achieved via simply showing people the product on offer is laughable. Why do sales of Tennis Rackets pick up when Wimbledon is on? Why do people start playing Golf as soon as the Masters hits our screens every year? The answer is because the infrastructures are in place to allow young kids to play these sports both casually and competitively, regardless of age.
The NFL - and most commentators - seem to be missing the point completely. If I wanted to play American Football, even as a die hard fan who is obsessed, I'd have no way of doing so, and wouldn't really know where to begin. The sport is not available to schools, which limits the amount of players at it's most basic level. I played Basketball at school, and it generated both ability and interest in the sport.
The sport needs funding at the very fundamental level before this idea could even get past the 'Idiot with a soapbox' phase that it is in now. How about instead of putting money into trying to convince the IOC to accept the sport, give youngsters a chance to play football from the age of 7-8, like kids in America. The natural talent pool exists around the world, it's just that for most kids who grow up with a football at their feet rather than in their hands, their dreams lie in the back of the net, rather than the end zone.
Until that grass-roots funding and support is in place, you can forget about the idea of American Football as an Olympic sport.
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Lynch to the Pats?
What was it we said a couple of weeks ago about Lynch joining the Patriots?
ESPN have today reported that the Patriots are interested in signing John Lynch as long as he passes a physical.
We believe that Lynch would likely play in packages suited to his strengths, and be used as a role model to bring along the young defence. ESPN also point out that Belichick is "the best at figuring out ways to use veterans and not wear them out."
ESPN have today reported that the Patriots are interested in signing John Lynch as long as he passes a physical.
We believe that Lynch would likely play in packages suited to his strengths, and be used as a role model to bring along the young defence. ESPN also point out that Belichick is "the best at figuring out ways to use veterans and not wear them out."
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