* Albert Pujols has yet to make a decision about joining the Florida Marlins. However, as of recently, the St. Louis Cardinals have offered their former slugger $220 million for 10 seasons.
* According to MLB.com — Sources have confirmed that the Seattle Mariners are downplaying their chatter about acquiring Prince Fielder.
With Matt Leinart sidelined with an injury, who'll the Texans sign to play quarterback?
By Matt Noonan
After defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans learned after the team’s eighth victory of the season that back-up quarterback Matt Leinart would most likely miss the remainder of the season after suffering a collarbone injury on Sunday.
With Leinart sidelined, the Texans were forced to play T.J. Yates, who finished the game completing 8-of-15 passes for 70 yards.
However, if the Texans want to continue their winning ways, they’ll most likely want to acquire a veteran quarterback with experience. NFL.com compiled a list of possible quarterbacks that Houston could sign, and yes, Brett Favrewas one of the names mentioned.
Here’s the article, along with a list of quarterbacks that Texans might consider signing prior to next Sunday’s affair against Atlanta.
Romo has done well under pressure, yet can he lead Dallas to their third win against New England on Sunday?
By Matt Noonan
Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys will invade Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday and certainly, they’d like to walk off the field with their third win of the season in their back pocket.
In some ways, this is a “must win” for the Boys; yet, it’s also an important game for Romo, who has been Jekyll and Hyde all season. However, Dallas’s gunslinger has won some “big games” and certainly, I think he’d like to add this one to his heroic resume.
Here are some games that Romo has helped Dallas prevail with an important win.
Dallas 21 – Indianapolis 14 (Nov. 19, 2006) – Against the Colts, Romo completed 19-of-23 passes for 226 yards, and tossed one interception, but received some additional help from running back Mario Barber, who rushed for two fourth quarter scores. This game was a significant stepping-stone for Romo, as he and his team handed the Colts their first loss of the season and ended their nine-game winning streak.
Dallas 37 – Green Bay 27 (Nov. 29, 2007) – In a game that decided the top seed in the NFC conference, Romo led Dallas to an impressive 11th win, as well as tossed four touchdown passes too. Besides completing 19-of-30 passes and finishing with 309 yards through the air, Romo also relied on his running game, and wide receiver Terrell Owens, who led the Cowboys receiving core with seven catches for 156 yards and one touchdown.
Dallas 24 – New Orleans 17 (Dec. 19, 2009) – In a critical “must win” contest, Dallas yet again handed another undefeated squad their first loss of the season, as well as watched Romo tear apart the Saints secondary for one touchdown and 22 completions. Yet, besides Romo’s ability to remain comfortable in the pocket and make smart reads, linebacker DeMarcus Warerecorded two sacks and two forced fumbles, which helped Dallas earn their ninth win of the ’09 season.
Dallas 34 – Philadelphia 14 (Jan. 9, 2010) – Despite losing two playoff games against New York and Seattle, Romo finally won his first postseason contest, as well as tossed two touchdowns in the win. Yet, despite their exciting victory against the Eagles on this particular day, Dallas’s playoff run ended in Minnesota a week later, as Brett Favreand the Vikings pulverized the Cowboys in the NFC Divisional round by a score of 34-3.
It's official - Bledsoe is now a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame!
By Matt Noonan
It’s been an exciting past few days for the former New England Patriots quarterback, Drew Bledsoe who was recently enshrined in the team’s Hall of Fame on Saturday. Bledsoe was greeted by hundreds of fans that came to celebrate his nine-year career with the team, as well as the special moment too.
Yet, what do we remember most about Bledsoe? When we think of his name, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Well for starters, here’s a few talking points to jumpstart this conversation.
– Bledsoe is a guy that all Patriots fans will never forget. He was a tall, lengthy quarterback that made die-hards cringe. He often overthrew receivers, but when he was “on fire,” he was magical. Yet, he didn’t have the magic or power that Doug Flutiedid.
– He butted heads with former head coach Bill Parcells, but somehow managed to lead the ’96 Patriots to the Super Bowl, which they lost. He was also a member of the AFC Pro-Bowl team that season, and led the league with 373 passes completed.
– He started in 123-of-124 games with the Patriots, as well as tossed 166 touchdowns and 138 interceptions. He also completed 2,544 passes for 29,657 yards.
– Bledsoe was the first pick in the ’93 NFL Draft and was selected to four Pro-Bowls too.
– In his nine seasons with the team, Bledsoe led the Patriots to three playoff appearances, as well as one AFC Championship game. Although, while he didn’t win a ring under center, he finally snagged one in ’01 when New England upset St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI, (thanks, Tom Brady).
– One of his finest games came against the Minnesota Vikings in ’94, where he helped the Patriots rally to beat the “Purple People Eaters,” 26-20 in overtime. On that particular day, Bledsoe completed 45-of-70 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns.
So, what do you have to say, fans? Was Bledsoe a valuable member of the Patriots?
Absolutely!
He may have not been Brett Favre, John Elway, Steve Young or Troy Aikman, but he was a solid quarterback that loved the game of football. In fact, I think it’s also fair to state that he was one of the main reasons the Patriots became a contender. Bledsoe will always be considered a valuable component of the Patriots modern day success, as well as their franchise, but in the end, he’ll always be remembered for his gutsy performances and efforts.
Bledsoe may not be headed to Canton, Ohio anytime soon, but that doesn’t matter because as of today, he’ll always be remembered as of the great Patriots players who sported the red, white and blue.
Hmm… Again, I can’t seem to wrap my head around this, but then again, does anyone have an idea about why “the freak” decided to hang up his cleats for good?
If you have an answer, please speak now or forever hold your peace.
When news broke Monday about Moss’s retirement, I was stunned, especially after his agent, Joel Segal announced to the world that his client was in the best shape of his career. Although, I do wonder, did I miss something? He did state those exact words, right?
Randy Moss shocked the sports world on Monday, as he announced his retirement from the NFL, but really, should we expect him to return this season?
OK, what exactly was Moss considering or pondering the past few weeks or months? Did he truly think that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was going to call or text him?
Perhaps, Brett Favrewas going to consider asking him if he’d like to play catch with him and his friends from high school?
Again, what exactly was Moss thinking these past few weeks? I’m not quite sure, but do have a hunch that he was hoping the Minnesota Vikings would contact him and say, “Hey, Randy, come back and play with our new quarterback, Donovan McNabb!” Yet, that didn’t happen.
Although, speaking of the Vikings, there was a rather interesting report on Monday from TwinCities.com (Pioneer Press), as players and coaches expressed their true feelings toward Moss’s decision and yes, they were all rather kind and wonderful words. In fact, first-year head coach Leslie Frazier compared Moss to Michael Jordan, but that’s a little bizarre, right? I mean, hey, Jordan might indeed be the greatest athlete of all time, but that’s a debate for another day.
So, where does Moss go from here? Perhaps, he’ll join FOX Sports, CBS or ESPN? Maybe he’ll do some male modeling? Should he become the next great movie star? Might he consider writing a book like New York Jets head coach, Rex Ryan?
Hmm… once again, I ask that you keep your wild, strange and outrageous fantasies to yourself, OK?
Moss is certainly a legend. Seriously, the man finished his 13-year career with 954 receptions, 14,858 receiving yards and 153 touchdown catches, so I guess it’s an obvious that he’ll join the true legends and hero’s of the game in Canton, Ohio, (NFL Hall of Fame) right? Again, he’s a legend and one of the best receivers, but sadly, he’ll also be remembered as the guy who didn’t win the “big one.”
All right, enough rambling, it’s time to bring my Randy Moss rant to an end, so, I’ll go out with a bold prediction and state, he’ll be back this season and yes, there’s a little bit of Michael Strahanin him because seriously, he’s a 34-year-old man who doesn’t want to practice or commit himself to two-a-days, but instead, just the game of football.
* The Denver Broncos have made it clear that they’ll be putting quarterback Kyle Orton on the trading block, which might mean that Tim Tebow will be the starter.
The NFL Lockout is officially over and yes, it's time for some football!
By Dan Rubin
Well it’s about time. The NFL Lockout is roughly over, done, yet, after a long few months of ongoing negotiations, as well as finger-pointing and name calling, America’s true pastime should be back in business as soon as later this week.
I can’t even begin to understand the legal speak of the new NFL collective bargaining agreement, but I can say this – there will be a $120 million salary cap this year, rookies won’t make nearly as much as they used to and the league is expected to sign the agreement for the next 10-years, meaning there won’t be another potential labor battle until most of today’s players are retired.
So what does this mean for the players of today? Undrafted free agents can finally start readying their NFL prospects, free agents can start checking in with agents to determine interested teams, and, most importantly, contracted players will by Wednesday, appear at stadiums and training camps to get ready for the 2011 season.
Various thoughts have been heard and voiced about what life will be like after the lockout and here are some of those thoughts.
