Thursday, August 26, 2010
Goodell, owners support 18-game season; players concerned
ATLANTA -- NFL owners are eager to increase the regular season from 16 to 18 games. The players aren't so sure. During a five-hour meeting at a posh hotel in downtown Atlanta, the push to add two more games to the regular season picked up steam Wednesday -- at least among those who sign the checks. "I think it's a win-win all around," said Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. The owners also unanimously approved Stan Kroenke's proposal to purchase majority ownership of the St. Louis Rams, assuming he turns over control of two other teams he owns -- the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche -- to his son. Kroenke owns 40 percent of the downtrodden Rams and exercised his right to purchase the rest of the team from the Rosenbloom family for a reported $750 million. "Obviously, all of us know and respect Stan," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "He's been a terrific owner in the NFL, and we're confident he will continue to be a great owner." Kroenke must turn over operational and financial control of the Nuggets and Avalanche to his 30-year-old son, Josh, by the end of the year. He must give up his majority stake in the teams by December 2014 to meet NFL rules against cross-ownership of franchises in other NFL cities. But talks on the expanded season dominated most of the meeting. Goodell pointed out that the league already has the right to impose an 18-game schedule -- and keep four preseason games for each team -- under the current labor agreement with the players. But that contract expires after this season, and it's clear the expanded schedule will be a central issue in talks on a new collective bargaining agreement. The owners would like to keep the season at 20 weeks, reducing the number of preseason games from four to two. "We want to do it the right way for everyone, including the players, the fans and the game in general," Goodell said. "There's a tremendous amount of momentum for it. We think it's the right step." The owners held off on voting on a specific proposal that could be presented to the NFL Players Association. Among the issues that still must be resolved: when to start the expanded regular season, possible roster expansion to cope with more games, and changes in training camp and offseason routines to come up with ways for evaluating younger players who wouldn't have as many preseason games to make an impression. "We want to continue to address a variety of issues before putting together a specific proposal, which our negotiating team will provide to the union's negotiating team," Goodell said. "There's tremendous support for it. Almost all the questions, all the discussions, are how to do it in a way that's fan friendly." Around the NFL, however, many players questioned the wisdom of making an already grueling season even longer. At the very least, they want more money -- and several proposed changes in the rules governing injured players, or adding an extra bye week to deal with the grind. "With 16 games, every game is important and therefore the fans are very into it, the stadiums are packed because they know if their team loses, it pushes them further and further away from making the playoffs," Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "I think if you go to 18, each game kind of loses a little bit of its significance."
The players clearly expect to be receive a bigger chunk of the multi-billion-dollar NFL pie if they're going to be putting their bodies on the line in two more games that count. "Obviously the players want to be compensated for two more games," San Francisco 49ers linebacker Matt Wilhelm said. "That's the one thing the players have to get met." They also are concerned about an increased risk of injuries and fret that it could shorten their careers or increase the number of health problems they endure after retirement. "I would vote to eliminate two preseason games and then keep it at a 16-game season because the longer you're out there playing, the more your body breaks down," Chicago Bears tight end Desmond Clark said. "When you get into December, you're like walking zombies. You can't feel your joints." Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita said the timing of the proposal is odd, considering the owners want the players to accept a smaller share of the revenue in the next labor agreement. "They are asking you to play more games and put yourself at more risk, and they are also asking us to take a pay cut," Fujita said. "That's a lot to ask. All those things don't make a whole lot of sense. We need to sit down and talk through it all and find out what it is they're really trying to do and see if it makes sense or not." But Kraft said the expanded season is the most obvious step to bring in more money while the economy is struggling. "I really think going to an 18-game season is critical to us getting a labor deal," he said. "There's not a lot of ways in this economic environment we can generate incremental revenues. That's the best way. "The other thing," he added, "our fans have said pretty loud and clear they'd like us to have fewer preseason games." Several players and coaches have pointed out that having just two preseason games likely would make it more difficult for fringe players to get enough of a look to make the team. Already, teams have been experimenting with joint workouts in training camp, believing those sessions could help replace the shorter preseason. This year, for instance, the Atlanta Falcons worked out with both the Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. "If it was a two-game preseason, then the starters are going to see most of that time because they've got to get ready for the season, so if you're third string, good luck," said Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett, the team's defensive captain. "When I was a rookie, I needed every bit of those four games." But some figure it's a foregone conclusion that the owners will get their way. "Personally, I don't see how it helps the game, or the quality of the game," said Barry Cofield, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants. "But if they demand it, they will probably get it." Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Vince Young, Titans Receivers Ready to Take Next Steps
Filed under: Titans, NFL Training Camp, NFL QuarterbacksNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- His quarterback is completing more tasks in practices, commanding more in preseason games and is looking fit and aware. But Jeff Fisher, the Tennessee Titans coach, always keeps this in mind.
"He's young," Fisher said.
Excuse him, he asks, for the unintended play on words.
Fisher's message is honest and resolute about Vince Young.
"He's young in this league," said Fisher of Vince Young, who is 27 and enters his fifth NFL season. It seems, though, like he has been around longer. Big plays mixed with big troubles and a spotlight that has caught him in charitable ways but also in unsuitable incidents have made Young more familiar, more public, more prone to be kicked around.
But Young looks ready now. He looks primed for something big, something distinguishing this season. You could see it here on Monday night in his preseason game work against the Arizona Cardinals. It was evident here on Wednesday as the Cardinals stuck around for a joint practice.
Fisher says: "We have the best group around him we have ever had. And they're all coming on, just like he is."
"He's young," Fisher said.
Excuse him, he asks, for the unintended play on words.
Fisher's message is honest and resolute about Vince Young.
"He's young in this league," said Fisher of Vince Young, who is 27 and enters his fifth NFL season. It seems, though, like he has been around longer. Big plays mixed with big troubles and a spotlight that has caught him in charitable ways but also in unsuitable incidents have made Young more familiar, more public, more prone to be kicked around.
But Young looks ready now. He looks primed for something big, something distinguishing this season. You could see it here on Monday night in his preseason game work against the Arizona Cardinals. It was evident here on Wednesday as the Cardinals stuck around for a joint practice.
Fisher says: "We have the best group around him we have ever had. And they're all coming on, just like he is."
Dodgers Put Manny Ramirez on Waivers
Filed under: Dodgers, White SoxIt looks like we'll finally get a chance to find out if all there's fire behind all the smoke when it comes to interest in Manny Ramirez.
A baseball source confirmed to FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher that the Dodgers have placed the outfielder on waivers on Wednesday, which means teams have until Friday to put in a claim. If someone does claim Manny, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to decide whether to let him walk, pull him back or work out a trade with the claiming team.
With the Dodgers now well out of the race in the NL West, you can expect that they'll be seriously looking at that final option. Picking up even a low-level prospect for Manny makes sense for a team that has an uncertain financial future. Failing that, they may just let him walk away to save a little bit of money now.
A baseball source confirmed to FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher that the Dodgers have placed the outfielder on waivers on Wednesday, which means teams have until Friday to put in a claim. If someone does claim Manny, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to decide whether to let him walk, pull him back or work out a trade with the claiming team.
With the Dodgers now well out of the race in the NL West, you can expect that they'll be seriously looking at that final option. Picking up even a low-level prospect for Manny makes sense for a team that has an uncertain financial future. Failing that, they may just let him walk away to save a little bit of money now.
Young bests Leinart again to help Titans take out Cardinals
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- National championship, regular season or simply a preseason game. The setting doesn't seem to matter, not when Vince Young is playing Matt Leinart. Young outdueled Leinart yet again, Chris Johnson ran for a touchdown and Tennessee beat the Arizona Cardinals, 24-10, Monday night in the Titans' preseason home opener. The Titans (1-1) never trailed as Johnson scored on his sixth carry, an 8-yard TD that capped an 85-yard drive. The All-Pro watched from the bench the rest of the night. The top two quarterbacks taken in the 2006 draft didn't play very much in the preseason matchup. At least Leinart didn't have to watch Young drive his team down the field late for the win like he did in the 2006 BCS national championship or on this very field last Nov. 29 with a 99-yard drive for a 20-17 win. "He felt excited about playing," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said of Young. "He was prepared, focused and made plays with his legs, made plays with his arm and was really good on the line of scrimmage as well." Young has no competition for his starting job these days, and he was 9 of 13 for 128 yards. The former Texas star left after four series with a 10-0 lead, and he said the offense feels like it's coming together. "We've got to ... keep working," Young said. "Don't get happy with ourselves right now because we still have a long ways to go. But I feel the confidence in myself as well as the receivers is very good right now." Leinart is trying to hold off Derek Anderson for the starting job in Arizona. Leinart, who starred for Southern California in college, was 4 of 6 for 28 yards but produced no points for a second consecutive preseason game. The Cardinals (1-1) went three-and-out on each of his three series with the Titans blitzing and showing different looks on defense. "I'm trying to work to get better," Leinart said. "Guys are counting on me, and I'm confident that we're going to get the job done and I'm going to get the job done. And that's the bottom line." Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn't happy that the offense couldn't take advantage of the Titans' pressure, especially on third-and-1 on Leinart's final series with a ball down the sideline to rookie Stephen Williams. "That's disappointing," Whisenhunt said. "It is a preseason game where we didn't prepare against those kind of blitzes, but we've seen looks like that from our defense so I expect us to handle it better than we did tonight." Young struggled a bit early but completed three of four passes for 67 yards to set up Johnson's TD run. On his fourth drive, Young fumbled the ball off his chest while scrambling only to see the ball bounce right back to him as he finished off an 8-yard gain for a first down. Three plays later, Nate Washington got his hands underneath a low throw initially ruled incomplete. Fisher challenged and the replay showed he made the catch. Young drove the Titans to first-and-goal before they stalled. He tried to scramble up the middle on third down and was sacked by Paris Lenon and Adrian Wilson. Still, Rob Bironas' 29-yard field goal capped the clock-consuming drive. Anderson replaced Leinart and gave the Cardinals a brief spark against the Titans' first-team defense. He completed a 13-yarder to Steve Breaston for Arizona's first first down of the game. He also found Williams, starting in place of Larry Fitzgerald (sprained knee), on a 37-yard pass. Working from the Tennessee 6, Anderson overthrew Breaston in the end zone and couldn't connect with Williams before the Cardinals settled for a 19-yard field goal from Jay Feely in the second quarter. The Titans certainly looked energized playing under the lights in the first game at LP Field since a May flood covered the field and parking lot with water. The Cardinals looked a bit tired from the trip east in the preseason game preceding a joint practice between the teams Wednesday at the Titans' headquarters. The flood was remembered with a moment of silence before the national anthem. "We were very, very fortunate here," Fisher said of minor damage to the stadium. "This was the last of Nashville's worries, and we were just very fortunate." Samkon Gado, signed when rookie Stafon Johnson dislocated his right ankle in the Titans' preseason-opening loss at Seattle, scored on a pair of 4-yard TD runs in the third quarter. Max Hall was intercepted in his brief duty behind Anderson, but he did find Max Komar for a 22-yard TD midway through the fourth. Notes: Titans CB Pete Ittersagan suffered a concussion on the team's second punt of the game. He laid on the field for a few minutes before walking off. ... Titans rookie WR Marc Mariani had a 60-yard kickoff return as the seventh-round pick out of Montana competes for a roster spot. Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Dodgers Put Manny Ramirez on Waivers
Filed under: Dodgers, White SoxIt looks like we'll finally get a chance to find out if all there's fire behind all the smoke when it comes to interest in Manny Ramirez.
A baseball source confirmed to FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher that the Dodgers have placed the outfielder on waivers on Wednesday, which means teams have until Friday to put in a claim. If someone does claim Manny, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to decide whether to let him walk, pull him back or work out a trade with the claiming team.
With the Dodgers now well out of the race in the NL West, you can expect that they'll be seriously looking at that final option. Picking up even a low-level prospect for Manny makes sense for a team that has an uncertain financial future. Failing that, they may just let him walk away to save a little bit of money now.
A baseball source confirmed to FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher that the Dodgers have placed the outfielder on waivers on Wednesday, which means teams have until Friday to put in a claim. If someone does claim Manny, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to decide whether to let him walk, pull him back or work out a trade with the claiming team.
With the Dodgers now well out of the race in the NL West, you can expect that they'll be seriously looking at that final option. Picking up even a low-level prospect for Manny makes sense for a team that has an uncertain financial future. Failing that, they may just let him walk away to save a little bit of money now.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tiger Issues Statement in Response to Elin's 'People' Interview
Filed under: GolfTiger Woods and Elin Nordegren were officially divorced Monday, and Wednesday morning People magazine landed the first and only interview with Elin. Not long after excerpts of the interview were posted on People.com, Woods released a statement to the magazine which was included as an addendum to the piece, reports Radaronline.com.
"This is a very painful, personal and private time for our family," Woods writes, according to Radaronline.com. "Throughout this entire time, Elin has shown unwavering concern and support for our children. She is a wonderful mother. I know that the two of us will do everything we can to help our children adjust to this new family situation.
"We both cherish the time we can spend with Sam and Charlie. Whether it's taking Sam to school or hitting balls with Charlie on the range, nothing gives me more enjoyment than these simple pleasures. We have two special kids, and I'm going to enjoy every minute with them.
"Personally, I am learning to balance family and golf. My children come first and always will, but I also appreciate golf more than ever. I understand how important the fans and the game are to me. I know how lucky I am to do what I do for a living, and I am deeply grateful for everyone who has supported me."
Woods, in New Jersey this week for The Barclays, spoke of his divorce after his Wednesday pro-am round. Via the New York Daily News:
"Well, you know, it's one of those things where it's a sad time, what we're going through right now," Woods said. "And as far as my game and practicing, that's been secondary. We're trying to get our kids situated to our new living conditions and how that's going to be. That's where our focus is going to be right now."
Woods added: "I certainly understand that she is sad," and "... I feel the same way." He also conceded that, "My actions certainly led us to this decision," Tiger offered when asked about regrets. "And I've certainly made a lot of errors in my life and that's something I'm going to have to live with."
The divorce closes the darkest chapter in Woods' life, one that started last Thanksgiving when he crashed his SUV into a tree. In the months since, the world's top golfer has been guilty of adultery, spent time in rehab, was abandoned by his longtime swing coach, seen his game falter, and worst of all: lost his family.
"This is a very painful, personal and private time for our family," Woods writes, according to Radaronline.com. "Throughout this entire time, Elin has shown unwavering concern and support for our children. She is a wonderful mother. I know that the two of us will do everything we can to help our children adjust to this new family situation.
"We both cherish the time we can spend with Sam and Charlie. Whether it's taking Sam to school or hitting balls with Charlie on the range, nothing gives me more enjoyment than these simple pleasures. We have two special kids, and I'm going to enjoy every minute with them.
"Personally, I am learning to balance family and golf. My children come first and always will, but I also appreciate golf more than ever. I understand how important the fans and the game are to me. I know how lucky I am to do what I do for a living, and I am deeply grateful for everyone who has supported me."
Woods, in New Jersey this week for The Barclays, spoke of his divorce after his Wednesday pro-am round. Via the New York Daily News:
"Well, you know, it's one of those things where it's a sad time, what we're going through right now," Woods said. "And as far as my game and practicing, that's been secondary. We're trying to get our kids situated to our new living conditions and how that's going to be. That's where our focus is going to be right now."
Woods added: "I certainly understand that she is sad," and "... I feel the same way." He also conceded that, "My actions certainly led us to this decision," Tiger offered when asked about regrets. "And I've certainly made a lot of errors in my life and that's something I'm going to have to live with."
The divorce closes the darkest chapter in Woods' life, one that started last Thanksgiving when he crashed his SUV into a tree. In the months since, the world's top golfer has been guilty of adultery, spent time in rehab, was abandoned by his longtime swing coach, seen his game falter, and worst of all: lost his family.
Young bests Leinart again to help Titans take out Cardinals
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- National championship, regular season or simply a preseason game. The setting doesn't seem to matter, not when Vince Young is playing Matt Leinart. Young outdueled Leinart yet again, Chris Johnson ran for a touchdown and Tennessee beat the Arizona Cardinals, 24-10, Monday night in the Titans' preseason home opener. The Titans (1-1) never trailed as Johnson scored on his sixth carry, an 8-yard TD that capped an 85-yard drive. The All-Pro watched from the bench the rest of the night. The top two quarterbacks taken in the 2006 draft didn't play very much in the preseason matchup. At least Leinart didn't have to watch Young drive his team down the field late for the win like he did in the 2006 BCS national championship or on this very field last Nov. 29 with a 99-yard drive for a 20-17 win. "He felt excited about playing," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said of Young. "He was prepared, focused and made plays with his legs, made plays with his arm and was really good on the line of scrimmage as well." Young has no competition for his starting job these days, and he was 9 of 13 for 128 yards. The former Texas star left after four series with a 10-0 lead, and he said the offense feels like it's coming together. "We've got to ... keep working," Young said. "Don't get happy with ourselves right now because we still have a long ways to go. But I feel the confidence in myself as well as the receivers is very good right now." Leinart is trying to hold off Derek Anderson for the starting job in Arizona. Leinart, who starred for Southern California in college, was 4 of 6 for 28 yards but produced no points for a second consecutive preseason game. The Cardinals (1-1) went three-and-out on each of his three series with the Titans blitzing and showing different looks on defense. "I'm trying to work to get better," Leinart said. "Guys are counting on me, and I'm confident that we're going to get the job done and I'm going to get the job done. And that's the bottom line." Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn't happy that the offense couldn't take advantage of the Titans' pressure, especially on third-and-1 on Leinart's final series with a ball down the sideline to rookie Stephen Williams. "That's disappointing," Whisenhunt said. "It is a preseason game where we didn't prepare against those kind of blitzes, but we've seen looks like that from our defense so I expect us to handle it better than we did tonight." Young struggled a bit early but completed three of four passes for 67 yards to set up Johnson's TD run. On his fourth drive, Young fumbled the ball off his chest while scrambling only to see the ball bounce right back to him as he finished off an 8-yard gain for a first down. Three plays later, Nate Washington got his hands underneath a low throw initially ruled incomplete. Fisher challenged and the replay showed he made the catch. Young drove the Titans to first-and-goal before they stalled. He tried to scramble up the middle on third down and was sacked by Paris Lenon and Adrian Wilson. Still, Rob Bironas' 29-yard field goal capped the clock-consuming drive. Anderson replaced Leinart and gave the Cardinals a brief spark against the Titans' first-team defense. He completed a 13-yarder to Steve Breaston for Arizona's first first down of the game. He also found Williams, starting in place of Larry Fitzgerald (sprained knee), on a 37-yard pass. Working from the Tennessee 6, Anderson overthrew Breaston in the end zone and couldn't connect with Williams before the Cardinals settled for a 19-yard field goal from Jay Feely in the second quarter. The Titans certainly looked energized playing under the lights in the first game at LP Field since a May flood covered the field and parking lot with water. The Cardinals looked a bit tired from the trip east in the preseason game preceding a joint practice between the teams Wednesday at the Titans' headquarters. The flood was remembered with a moment of silence before the national anthem. "We were very, very fortunate here," Fisher said of minor damage to the stadium. "This was the last of Nashville's worries, and we were just very fortunate." Samkon Gado, signed when rookie Stafon Johnson dislocated his right ankle in the Titans' preseason-opening loss at Seattle, scored on a pair of 4-yard TD runs in the third quarter. Max Hall was intercepted in his brief duty behind Anderson, but he did find Max Komar for a 22-yard TD midway through the fourth. Notes: Titans CB Pete Ittersagan suffered a concussion on the team's second punt of the game. He laid on the field for a few minutes before walking off. ... Titans rookie WR Marc Mariani had a 60-yard kickoff return as the seventh-round pick out of Montana competes for a roster spot. Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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