Tag Archives: Michael Vick

Nov 16 2011

NFL Week 11 – News and Notes

What's going on with the so called, "dream team?"

By NoontimeSports.com 

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s officially time to unveil our weekly “NFL News and Notes” post for Week 11. Here are some of the biggest news, and tidbits from around the league, enjoy!

* According to ProFootballTalk.com — Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid is quite irritated with the media asking him about Michael Vick‘s ribs. He is also annoyed with various members of the press asking about when the left-handed gunslinger broke his ribs too.

* After attempting to throw the ball 63 times through the air last weekend, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is determined to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers.

* Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is no long on the injury report, and is expected to keep his “November hot streak” going on Sunday against Washington.

* The New York Jets will look to rebound on Thursday, as they travel to Denver for a must-win contest against Tim Tebow. Here’s the breakdown of Gang Green’s schedule going forward via the Washington Post.

* San Francisco will host the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, but according to sources from the desert, they strongly believe head coach Jim Harbaugh has done quite well with the 49ers.

Nov 15 2011

Daily Noontime – November 15, 2011

Don't expect anything drastic to occur for the NBA anytime soon!


Alright, it’s Tuesday, which means the current week is motoring along, right? Here’s the latest news, headlines and more! 

Headlines: 

* In case you haven’t heard, the NBA Players Association rejected the Owners proposal on Monday, which means the Lockout has shifted to a “nuclear winter,” according to commissioner David Stern.

* The Green Bay Packers pulverized the Minnesota Vikings on Monday evening, as well as earned their ninth win in a row.

* According to multiple sources, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel have suffered serious injuries, and will most likely miss the remainder of the season.

* On Monday, the Philadelphia media confirmed that Eagles quarterback Michael Vick played Sunday with two broken ribs, and also hurt two more too.

* Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky proclaimed on a recent NBC interview that he is innocent.

* Apparently Aaron Rodgers is on target to shatter Tom Brady‘s 50 TD record this season. Rodgers currently has 28 TDs, and certainly is on par to tie the record.

Games to Watch: 

* New Jersey at Boston (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Ottawa at Calgary (NHL) – 9:00pm eastern 

* No. 2 Kentucky at No. 11 Kansas (NCAA Basketball) – 9:00pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

Wow! Here’s Aaron Rodgers talking after a community college football game! 

Nov 8 2011

Daily Noontime – November 8, 2011

The Chicago Bears defense held Michael Vick in check on Monday quite well!

It’s Tuesday, which means, we should all breakout into song and dance, right? OK – in all seriousness, here’s the latest edition of the Daily Noontime, enjoy! 

Headlines: 

* The Chicago Bears defense somehow slowed down Michael Vick en route a 30-24 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

* After his team’s fifth loss of the season, Eagles head coach Andy Reid explained why he elected to attempt a fake punt, which wasn’t successful.

* The Kansas City Royals acquired former San Francisco Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez in exchange for Melky Cabrera.

* Early Tuesday morning, sources confirmed that former boxer Joe Frazier passed away after his battle with lung cancer.

* Apparently Yahoo! Sports confirmed that the University of Notre Dame’s football program wants to change their helmets.

* In the Golf World — Tiger Wood‘s former caddy Steve Williams recently apologized for an inappropriate racial slur he said last week.

Games to Watch: 

* Dallas at Washington (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Minnesota at Calgary (NHL) – 9:30pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

Listen to the fans in this video – did they care about that touchdown? 

Oct 31 2011

NFL Week Eight – Rapid Reactions/Thoughts

Ray Rice rushed for three scores against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and helped his team rally to score 24-points in the second half!

By Matt Noonan 

It’s been a rather interesting season.

No one would have imagined that after roughly eight weeks, (excluding Monday’s game between Kansas City and San Diego), Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Detroit would be in contention for playoff spots.

Did anyone expect the Indianapolis Colts or Miami Dolphins to be winless, especially after eight weeks of the regular season?

Finally, who truly believed that Matt Hasselbeck and the Tennessee Titans were going to be a good team?

Again, it’s been quite an up-and-down season, but here are some rapid reactions and thoughts from Sunday’s slate, enjoy.

Philadelphia Runs Past Dallas’s Defense: Against the Cowboys defense, which was ranked first in the league against the run, the Eagles rushed for 239-yards and two scores thanks to LeSean McCoy, who finished the game with 185 yards on 30 carries, and quarterback Michael Vick, who added 50 yards on seven carries.

Indeed, Rob Ryan’s defense has experienced a great deal of success this season against the run, but perhaps a game like Sunday’s against the Eagles might help sure up the front seven for the remainder of the season.

Both squads are currently in a three-way tie for second place with Washington, and two games behind New York.

Blame Game – Bill Belichick:Against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick once again proved that he’s human.

In the fourth quarter, Belichick chose not to challenge a Rob Gronkowski catch, which appeared to be a touchdown. He also elected to attempt an onside-kick that completely failed.

In some ways, many fans might consider this the second coming of 4th-and-2 from ’09 against the Colts, but all in all, there’ll certainly be a lot of questions directed toward the field general on Monday at Gillette Stadium when he meets with the media.

Great Endings: Sunday featured some bizarre, yet interesting endings.

In Baltimore, running back Ray Rice finished the game with three touchdowns, and 63 yards on 18 carries, as the Ravens beat the Arizona Cardinals, 30-27. Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 31-of-51 passes for 336 yards, but didn’t toss a single touchdown.

In Carolina, Christian Ponder led the Minnesota Vikings down the field, and set up a Ryan Longwell field goal, which helped the “Purple People Eaters” defeat the Panthers, 24-21, as well as end snap a two-game losing streak.

In New Jersey, the New York Giants rallied to score 10-points during the final quarter to beat Miami, 20-17. Quarterback Eli Manning connected with wide receiver Victor Cruz on a 25-yard pass late in the final quarter, which secured the win for Big Blue.

Finally, in St. Louis, the Rams snapped their six-game losing streak by upsetting the New Orleans Saints, 31-21. Running back Steven Jackson rushed for 159 yards and two scores, while quarterback A.J. Feeley completed 20-of-37 passes for 175 yards and tossed one touchdown too. Saints quarterback Drew Brees finished the game with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Oct 31 2011

Daily Noontime – October 31, 2011

Vick looked pretty darn impressive on Sunday, as well as led his Eagles to an important win against the Cowboys!

Happy Monday to everyone, and of course, Happy Halloween too! Here’s our Trick or Treat edition of the Daily Noontime, enjoy! 

Headlines: 

* The Philadelphia Eagles looked like a true “dream team” on Sunday evening, as they steamrolled the Dallas Cowboys in the city of “Brotherly Love.”

* After Sunday’s win against the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have proved that they’re indeed the best team in the AFC.

* Eli Manning lifted the New York Giants to their fifth victory of the season, as a late touchdown pass to Victor Cruz seemed to be the difference in a 20-17 decision against the winless Miami Dolphins.

* After losing to the Eagles, Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan told reporters that he was “out-coached.”

* According to a recent report, CC Sabathia plans to opt out of his New York Yankees contract.

* Against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow appeared human, as his team lost 45-10.

Games to Watch: 

* San Jose at New York Rangers (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* San Diego at Kansas City (8:30PM eastern) 

Video of the Day: 

How about that touchdown? Woo! 

Oct 27 2011

Daily Noontime – Oct. 27, 2011

Game 6 of the World Series was post-poned to Thursday, and now, Texas is a few hours away from having the chance to win their first Fall Classic!

It’s Thursday, which means the weekend is almost here, wahoo! Also – snow in the forecast too? It hasn’t been Halloween! Oh well… here’s the day’s headlines and news, enjoy! 

Headlines: 

* Due to inclement weather on Wednesday, Game 6 of the MLB World Series was pushed to Thursday, which might help the St. Louis Cardinals tie the series against the Texas Rangers, and force a Game 7.

* The NBA Lockout continues, yet some reports have stated that both the players and owners are optimistic that a deal will be done soon, so they can salvage the upcoming season.

* While no NFL team has expressed interest in Terrell Owens‘s services, the Arena Football League has apparently reached out to pro-bowl bound receiver, and has offered him a contract for the 2012 season.

* According to reports, Josh Hamilton became “surely” about his postseason surgery with reporters on Wednesday – this is a good read, I promise!

* Apparently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the process of working on quarterback Josh Freeman‘s game, which might help the young 23-year-old for the rest of the season.

* It’s Cowboys-Eagles week in Philadelphia, but quarterback Michael Vick apparently has decided to ignore Rob Ryan‘s “dream team” trash talk.

Games to Watch: 

* Montreal at Boston (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Toronto at New York Rangers (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Virginia at Miami (NCAA Football) – 8:00pm eastern 

* Texas at St. Louis (MLB/World Series/ Game 6) – 8:05pm eastern 

* Los Angles at Dallas (NHL) – 8:30pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

Here’s what the President of the United States of America had to say recently on the NBA Lockout!

Oct 20 2011

Noonan: Six Weeks Of The NFL Is In The Books

Have you been impressed by the Buffalo Bills this season? (Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bills website)

By Matt Noonan 

After six weeks of the NFL’s current season, we’ve learned a lot, and witnessed some amazing moments. However, we’re far from over or throwing in the towel, especially since we have another 10-weeks remaining of the regular season.

Yet, I do wonder if anyone imagined that after six weeks, the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers would be a combined, [10-2]?

Here’s another question – who truly believed that the Cincinnati Bengals would eventually trade quarterback Carson Palmer?

Finally, did anyone expect the Philadelphia Eagles “dream-team” to implode after six weeks?

Overall, there’s been a bunch of surprises, but in this particular column, it’ll be my duty to breakdown some teams that have raised some eyebrows, as well as look ahead to the remainder of the season.

Biggest Surprise Team: I certainly have enjoyed watching Detroit and San Francisco, but the team I am going to select for this particular category is the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo has been dreadful over the past few years and yes, they’ve had some fast starts, but between quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and running back Fred Jackson, as well as a defense that’s forced numerous turnovers against Tom Brady and Michael Vick, I’d say, they’re cooking and onto something.

Yet, despite their two recent losses against Cincinnati and New York, the Bills will certainly want to regroup quickly, especially since their remaining schedule features a variety of playoff bound teams, such as Dallas, New England, New York, San Diego, and Tennessee. They should certainly pick up a few more wins against Denver, Miami and Washington, and will most likely compete for an AFC Wild-Card spot too.

All in all, the Bills have been a lot of fun to watch, but we’ll have to wait and see if this is yet again another year of a “fast start” or possibly the start of something new.

Biggest Flop Team: Hands down, this award goes to Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Backup quarterback Vince Young should have bit his tongue this past summer when he told reporters that Philadelphia was “the dream team.” The Eagles have played horrendous on both sides of the ball, but managed to pick up an important win last weekend against Washington. Philadelphia certainly is a talented group, but if they keep playing haphazard football, don’t expect a championship to be delivered anytime soon.

Vick and his receivers need to get on the same page, while the defense has to figure out ways to stop their opponents. Expect the Eagles to pick up the slack in the coming weeks, but overall, they have a lot of ground to make-up.

Who’s more likely to clinch a postseason birth? Buffalo, Detroit, San Francisco or Tennessee?

Again, I have enjoyed Buffalo’s wild ride, but my best guess is the San Francisco 49ers, who practically have the NFC West locked up. Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis have been complete flops, which have allowed the 49ers the opportunity to distance themselves from the pack. San Francisco has been quite impressive this year, especially against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few weeks ago, (sorry, Brian Willwerth) and should certainly hang onto win their division, especially since they have five divisional contests remaining, which include two against the winless Rams.

Expect Aaron Hernandez to continue being one of Tom Brady's go-to guys for the rest of the season!

Best AFC Team: As much as I want to pick the Baltimore Ravens, who have demolished their opponents thus far, I am going to pick the New England Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Wes Welker have been a deadly one-two punch, while second year tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have helped with the run game.

As far as their defense, well… it’s getting better. Against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets, the secondary, which is one the worst in the NFL played quite well, while the front seven pressures both quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez and Tony Romo.

This week, the Patriots will enjoy a much needed bye week before they travel to Pittsburgh. If New England can keep grinding out wins, expect this team to finally end their recent playoff drought.

Best NFC Team: This is an easy one – the Green Bay Packers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pack have been on a roll this season, and are certainly on pace to return to the Super Bowl. Yet, it’s only been six games, so I think we need a few more weeks to decide how good this Packers team is, but as of Oct. 20, 2011, I’m going to say, they’re the best the NFC has to offer this season.

Possible Super Bowl Prediction: Earlier this summer, I didn’t have a chance to predict a possible Super Bowl matchup, but now, I am going to say it’ll be between the Packers and Patriots. Both teams are committed to winning, as well as have two of the best quarterbacks in the game that are completely clutch in the fourth quarter. Green Bay’s defense might be a tad bit better than New England’s, but all in all, I’m anticipating a Super Bowl XXXI rematch in Indianapolis, Indiana this February.

Oct 11 2011

NFL Surprises and Disappointments Through Week Five

Did anyone really expect the Lions to be this good?

By Brian Willwerth 

We are just over a month into the 2011 NFL season. Most teams have played five games, while a few have played four due to byes.

Here’s a look at the biggest surprises – and disappointments – through the first month:

PLEASANT SURPRISES

DETROIT LIONS [5-0] – The Lions are THE story of the league right now. A lot of the so-called experts thought they’d be improved over last year, but this?  They’ve averaging over 31 points per game. Matthew Stafford has thrown 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions, while nine of those strikes have gone to Calvin Johnson. Their defense is middle-of-the-pack (12th), but the offense has more than made up for it. Detroit and Green Bay are the only two unbeatens remaining. Guess who the Lions host for their annual Thanksgiving game? Could both teams still be perfect on November 24th?

BUFFALO BILLS [4-1] – The AFC East is not a New England Patriots or New York Jets division anymore, at least for the moment. Buffalo is averaging over 32 points a game. The Bills have come back from huge second-half deficits twice to win, against Oakland and New England. Running back Fred Jackson is almost halfway to 1,000 yards already. This is a fun team to watch, but the question is can the Bills keep it up? We shall see.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS [4-1] – How about the job head coach Jim Harbaugh is doing out west? Behind a strong running attack led by Frank Gore, and a solid defense, San Francisco has an early two-game advantage in the NFC West. And based on how the competition has looked so far, the ‘Niners definitely have to be considered the favorites in that division right now. Next week, they go to Detroit.  Before the season began, who thought that would be the marquee game on the Week 6 schedule?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES [1-4] – We can only imagine what sports radio must be like In Philly these days. The Phillies get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, and now the Eagles have lost four straight after a season-opening win against the winless St. Louis Rams. There is a lot of talent on this team, but they’ve been doomed by mistakes. Quarterback Michael Vick has been picked off seven times and lost three fumbles, while head coach Andy Reid remains on the hot seat. He’s turned seasons around before, but this may be his biggest challenge yet.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS [1-4] – They finally broke into the win column last Sunday against Arizona, but it’s a rough opening act for the Vikes. They blew a 17-0 lead and lost to Tampa Bay. Then the next week, they blew a 20-0 lead against the Lions. Both of those games were at home. Adrian Peterson is just about halfway to 1,000 yards and has found the end zone six times, three of them coming against the Cardinals. Maybe he should be getting the ball more?

Oct 5 2011

NFL Week 5 – News and Notes

Do you think it's right for Chris Cooley to call out Tony Romo?

By NoontimeSports.com 

The fifth week of the NFL season is upon us and yes, there’s certainly been a great deal of surprises. Here’s some of the biggest headlines and news from Wednesday, enjoy.

* If hypothetically, Tony Romo and Chris Cooley fought one another, who do you think would win? Well, apparently the Washington Redskins tight end  has taken some verbal shots at the Dallas Cowboys gunslinger for his late-game meltdowns, but again, why does he feel a need to talk or yap about Romo?

* Rex Ryan‘s New York Jets are currently sporting a gaudy [2-2] record. However, the rather large head coach isn’t exactly pleased with his bunch of “bullies,” and hopes their next opponent – the New England Patriots will change their losing culture.

* The Miami Dolphins might need a new quarterback, as sources confirmed that Chad Henne has a “potentially serious left shoulder injury.” The team has worked-out Trent Edwards and Brodie Croyle, but no decision has been made according to one source.

* Apparently, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie was quite vocal about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady according to ProFootballTalk.com. Brady told the Boston/New England media that he didn’t care about Cromartie’s words, which makes you wonder, what will he and the Patriots offense do on against New York on Sunday?

* According to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, the “dream team” is officially over and now, it’s time for him and his teammates to start playing football.

Sep 29 2011

Daily Noontime – September 29, 2011

Well... that wasn't supposed to happen, right?

Happy Thursday to everyone and welcome into another wonderful edition of the Daily Noontime! Here’s some headlines and news to kick-start your day! 

Headlines: 

* It’s hard to believe, but the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox blew their Wild Card leads on Wednesday and allowed the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals the opportunity to snag the final playoff spots in the American and National League.

* According to the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn - the Red Sox should blame themselves for their epic collapse, not anyone else.

* After losing to the Baltimore Orioles, Jonathan Papelbon told the Boston media that he doesn’t have any excuses for blowing his final save of the season.

* The Rays enjoyed an exciting Wednesday evening, as they rallied to score eight runs against the New York Yankees.

* According to reports, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick participated in a practice on Wednesday and certainly hopes to be on the field Sunday.

* The Dallas Cowboys have won their last two games and certainly hope to make it three in a row, yet their biggest challenge on Sunday will be defending Detroit’s Calvin Johnson.

Games to Watch: 

* #16 South Florida at Pittsburgh (NCAA Football) – 8:00pm eastern 

* Houston at UTEP (NCAA Football) – 8:00pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

In case you missed this music video after the Red Sox game on Wednesday – here it is … again!