Sports Talk


Brett Keisel shaves his beard for charity, confuses at least one very important person

By Kevin Kaduk | Shutdown Corner – Fri, Feb 8, 2013 4:07 PM EST
(Getty Images/Pittsburgh Steelers)
The most famous beard in the NFL is again no more as Brett Keisel held his annual "Shear Da Beard" charity fundraiser on Thursday night. The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end has held the event for three years running and each has culminated with the shearing of a beard he's started and not touched since the start of the previous season.
But while Keisel's charitable cutting is almost becoming routine, there was at least one person in Thursday's crowd that was really taken aback by the dramatic change on the two-time Super Bowl champion's mug.
From Steelers.com:
A clean-shaven Keisel took the stage to "Sharp Dressed Man," unrecognizable to many, including his two-year old daughter Grace.
"My daughter came in the door and she was like who is that. I don't know him," said Keisel. "I had to get my voice out toher and make sure she realized it was me talking to her. She finally warmed up to me."
Shear Da Beard benefited the cancer programs at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at UPMC, with the money going towards the continued research the hospital does as well as various programs.
For more on Keisel's fundraiser, visit dabeard.com
h/t: Larry Brown Sports




 
Brother vs. brother: John Harbaugh's Ravens beat Pats for Super Bowl date vs. Jim Harbaugh's 49ers
John Harbaugh is moving on to the Super Bowl, much to Bill Belichick's chagrin on Sunday. (Reuters)


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – John and Jim Harbaugh grew up around coaching. Playing. Watching. Coaching, moving around America every few years as their father, Jack, picked up assistant coaching jobs. They learned to splice film early. Knew the importance of game plans and motivation. And, like so many sons and daughters, decided eventually to get into the family business.
Now here comes the first brother vs. brother coaching matchup in Super Bowl history.
John's Baltimore Ravens dismantled New England 28-13 here Sunday night. Just hours earlier, Jim's San Francisco 49ers outlasted Atlanta 28-24. Their two teams will meet Feb. 3 in New Orleans for the NFL championship.
[Slideshow: Ravens top Pats to set up Harbaugh Bowl]
It will be the pinnacle for America's first coaching family. John is 15 months the elder and is a coaching lifer. Jim enjoyed a 15-year NFL career as a quarterback before becoming a head coach in the college ranks at the University of San Diego and Stanford. Joe Flacco threw three touchdowns in the AFC title game to help the Ravens reach the Super Bowl. (AP)
"[I'm] overcome with extreme pride for both of them," younger sister Joani Crean told Yahoo! Sports. "[I] can't describe my feelings beyond that. I have two incredible brothers."
About the only downside for parents Jack and Jackie: one of their sons has to lose.
For at least one Raven, it was about vengeance. After the game linebacker Terrell Suggs pointed to the motivation of defeating the hated Patriots, who had won last year's AFC title game over Baltimore.
"Tell them to have fun at the Pro Bowl," Suggs said. "Shut them out in the second half. Arrogant [expletive]. These are the most arrogant pricks in the world starting with [coach Bill] Belichick on down."
Sunday was the ultimate for two coaches to reach the Super Bowl, two hard-fought road wins that required second-half comebacks, each shutting out the home team in the final two quarters.
[Related: Ray Lewis gets emotional during national anthem]
Here in New England, the Ravens' defense helped force Tom Brady (29-for-54 for 320 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) into a poor, by his standards, effort. The Pats watched drive after drive stall just outside field-goal range as Belichick went uncharacteristically conservative on fourth down.
It means that the emotional final playoff run of legendary linebacker Ray Lewis will continue as he returns to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2000, when he was the game's MVP. It is also the first appearance of fellow future Hall of Famer Ed Reed, the team's ball-hawk safety.
It was a defensive performance that will be hailed for decades in Maryland. Baltimore was able to mostly contain New England's offense, clearly missing injured tight end Rob Gronkowski, to short-yard plays. The Patriots showed little explosion.
[Related: NaVorro Bowman's defensive play sends 49ers to Super Bowl]
Meanwhile, oft-questioned quarterback Joe Flacco continued a strong playoff run by heating up and shredding the Patriots' secondary that was rattled by the early loss of shutdown cornerback Aqib Talib to a thigh injury. Flacco defeated not just Brady but Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck this postseason.
Flacco finished the game hitting 21 of 36 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He was particularly strong in the second half, leading three touchdown drives to overcome a 13-7 halftime deficit.
As for the hoopla over two brothers facing each other for the Super Bowl, John Harbaugh already wants no part of the storyline.
"Let's cut that out right now," Harbaugh said in the postgame media conference. "We did that last year. It got old last year, did it not?"


Dan Wetzel

 

 

ESPN’s Stuart Scott announces on Twitter that his cancer has returned
 
By Jay Busbee | The Turnstile – 14 hours ago


"Blessed by prayers..I'm back in the Fight. C reared its head again. Chemo evry 2 wks but I'll still work, still work out..still #LIVESTRONG"
Amid tweets of sympathy from followers, including Robert Griffin III and Jason Taylor, Scott remained upbeat. "Thanks for prayers..ill fight w ALL C survivors & loved ones. Cancer wants to re-appear..picked the right guy cuz I HIT HARD all day long!!" He gave his followers a look inside his routine: "Here's what I do right aftr chemo. Leave the infusion center & go STRAIGHT 2 either do a p90x wkout or train MMA..THATS how you #LIVESTRONG"
According to Touched By Cancer magazine, Scott first took ill in 2007 while at a Monday Night Football game. An emergency appendectomy revealed the presence of appendiceal cancer. After six months of chemo, Scott was cancer-free until early 2011. At that time, doctors discovered that malignant tumors had developed on his small intestine. More surgery and chemotherapy treated the cancer, but it has apparently returned again.
“Cancer sucks, and the effects of chemotherapy suck, and you’re going to feel like crap sometimes,” he said last year. “But you’re going to feel like that whether you’re lying in bed or going to work or working out, so you might as well go out there and live your life. If you believe you’re not being touched by this, then it’s much better."
He continued: “I love my job. Those of us who do what we do, we’re blessed. Being on when you don’t feel well is not the challenge. I love writing. I love creating our shows every night. And by the time it’s time to go on, you’re charged. And when you’re going through something like this, going to work helps. Having that energy helps. Having a positive mindset helps.”
Best wishes to Scott in his fight.



 

Business-as-usual attitude as Patriots take next step in playoffs without star TE Rob Gronkowski

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Aaron Hernandez made a beeline postgame across the New England Patriots' locker room toward where not just Tom Brady was straightening his shirt, but where a bottle of cologne sat on a shelf.
Hernandez snagged it, sprayed it on his hands and then rubbed it on his head. Brady noticed Hernandez's primping and decided to take a fragrant shot himself.
Rob Gronkowski, rear, reaches for a pass in front of Texans LB Barrett Ruud. (AP)And with that, the Pats' quarterback and once-again chief threat at tight end were in concert, at least aromatically. They better move symbiotically for the rest of these playoffs because now comes the test for Bill Belichick's machine, one that worships by the simple "next man, up" ethos – be it from competition, roster move or, in this case, ill-timed injury.
New England produced one painful victory Sunday, a 41-28 cruise over the Houston Texans to set up a home AFC championship game rematch next Sunday.
The major blow came with a season-ending injury to Rob Gronkowski when the star tight end fell in the first quarter on the left forearm that he broke during the regular season. He left the field in obvious pain and never returned. The original injury cost him five games, his return coming in Week 17. This one will sit him until next year.
A heavy brace and thick wrap did little to protect him Sunday on a relatively routine fall. Was the guy really ever healed up? Linebacker Jerod Mayo said Gronkowski practiced like normal all week.
"He wouldn't have played if he wasn't [ready]," Belichick said. "The doctors handle the medical decision."
Belichick wasn't going to spend a lot of time discussing any of it. Not Gronk and not an undisclosed ankle injury to rookie defensive end Chandler Jones, who never returned to the game and left Gillette Stadium with a heavy limp. Or what appeared to be a thumb injury to running back Danny Woodhead, who was done after just one carry.
"These kinds of games," Belichick said philosophically, "you never really know when the dial spins, where it's going to wind up, who it's going to end up on."
[More: This year's divisional round best weekend of NFL playoffs ever?]
The team released little information on the Jones/Woodhead injuries although other Patriots players believed both would be ready for the Ravens next week.
Gronk, however, is gone, a huge loss since the 6-foot-6, 240 pound tight end is among the most difficult matchups in the NFL. He fought through a seriously sprained ankle during last year's playoffs, an injury that limited his mobility in a Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. Now comes this.
"We have that next man-up mentality," said linebacker Jerod Mayo. "Whoever we call on to make big plays, hopefully they do it."
Tom Brady congratulates Shane Vereen after the RB's 8-yard TD grab. (AP)That was, essentially, the mood of everyone around the Patriots, which should surprise no one. Wasting time fretting over who can't play is how you get bounced out of the playoffs, a lesson pounded home to this franchise in 2009, when a Week 17 injury to Wes Welker left the team reeling. Baltimore showed up in the wild-card round and blasted the Pats 33-14.
New England isn't going to let that happen again.
So despite losing two stars in one early drive, the Patriots scored 41 points and gained 457 yards in a playoff game against a J.J. Watt-led defense. The strategy was shot, but the game went on.
"We had a whole plan built for [Gronkowski] and Woody," Brady said. "We run the first series of the game and all those plans change. I think a little of it was 'What are we going to do now? How are we going to adjust?' But we seemed to settle in there midway through the first quarter and put together a pretty good game.
"That's what [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] does best. He gets guys in the best position to make plays and always comes up with a way to adapt and scheme things up. There's no one better in the league."
Brady merely went for 344 yards and three touchdowns, including two to running back Shane Vereen, who was essentially subbing for Woodhead. Vereen also had a rushing touchdown. Wes Welker caught 13 passes for 131 yards.
And Hernandez grabbed six for 85.
"It's hard to replace a player like [Gronk] because he's a freak of nature," said Hernandez, who at 6-1, 245 isn't far behind him. "[He] definitely helps me out because so much attention is on him. Everyone has to step up. It's a big loss and you can't replace a player like him."
So they won't try, per se. They'll just go with what they've got and not worry about what ifs.
It's how it is with every winning team, although New England may do it better than anyone else. This is their seventh AFC title game in a dozen years, with the Belichick-Brady combo seeking a sixth Super Bowl appearance and a fourth Lombardi trophy. Brady meanwhile won his 17th postseason game [against just six defeats], passing Joe Montana for the most ever for a starting quarterback in NFL history.
Guys come. Guys go. The Pats win.
"My rookie year Tom [Brady] got hurt and we won 11 games," Mayo said. "That's the way it is around here."
[More: Falcons get over playoff hump but clearly lack 'killer mentality']
If anything, this puts Belichick's creation at full-test. He'd rather take on the surging Ravens with all his weapons at full-health but that's football. He's not afraid to release popular veteran stars, play backups that show they're ready or even cut a guy the night before the Super Bowl. Welker is still wondering if he'll get a rich contract next season. That's the deal.
"I'm really proud of my players," Belichick said.
It's rarely easy for the Patriots; they just make it look that way.
Fifty-three guys will convene in Foxborough this week to prepare for the Ravens, prepare for a shot at a Super Bowl. Bill Belichick will coach them.
If they win, maybe they'll all share the same cologne.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Message delivered loud and clear to Tim Tebow: QB's game is not suited for the NFL

1 hour 55 minutes ago
It may not seem logical, but newly hired Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell just did more to help Tim Tebow's career than anyone Tebow has been around in his three NFL seasons. Caldwell, in a few simple words, was completely forthright about Tebow's lack of quarterbacking skill.
On Thursday, when Caldwell was introduced to the Jacksonville media, he was asked the elephant-in-the-room question about Tebow, who currently is on the New York Jets' roster. Would Caldwell be willing to bring Tebow home to Jacksonville, where he starred in high school and then traveled just down the road to Gainesville to help the University of Florida win two national championships?
Tm Tebow has no chance in Jacksonville after the GM's blunt assessment. (AP)
"I can't imagine a scenario where he would be a Jacksonville Jaguar," Caldwell said. A reporter, apparently dumbfounded by the directness of the response, even asked Caldwell to repeat that quote and Caldwell did.
Boom.
Now all of this will lead to plenty of sarcastic responses from Tebow critics, including snarky remarks about how Tebow's career is over. It will get just as many responses from Tebowmaniacs who believe the NFL is somehow out to embarrass their hero because of his Christian values.
Fact is, Caldwell just did Tebow a favor by conveying what so many others – including Rex Ryan, most recently – have refused to say: the way Tebow plays quarterback right now doesn't work in the NFL.
Sure, Tebowmaniacs point to his record in 2011 and how he beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs and blah, blah, blah. What they ignore is that Denver's defense was really good last season, Tebow pulled out more improbable escapes than Criss Angel and that, when faced with good strategy by teams like New England and even Kansas City, Tebow was an unworkable mess as a quarterback.
[Related: Jaguars' new GM fires coach Mike Mularkey]
That's where Tebowmaniacs do him the most harm. Instead of understanding his faults – he's a horrible practice player with bad mechanics who can't read defenses – they say, "Just look at the record." In doing that, Tebow and his group of enablers (starting with his father and brother Rob) seem to think nothing is wrong, that he can go on playing the way he does until somebody in the NFL wises up and just gives Timmy a chance to start again.
Please, stop. Moreover, kudos to Caldwell for helping put a stop to the insanity.
Maybe, just maybe, other people in the NFL will have the guts to openly say that Tebow needs to change if he's going to make it as a quarterback. (Sadly, it's probably too late for that). Maybe instead of coddling Tebow by making him a co-No. 2 quarterback the way Ryan did when the Jets played Jacksonville in December, people who actually coach in the league will say openly, "You're not good enough."
And this is exactly what Tebow needs to hear.
[Rewind: Sporting goods store mocks Tim Tebow]
Tebow is a good kid and obviously well-meaning. He's the kind of person who may have been able to make the changes if he was told that this was the only way he could survive in the league. If a team would spend a couple of years with Tebow on the bench as a No. 3 quarterback and teach him simple things – such as the difference between two-deep and three-deep coverage – Tebow might be able to make it.
More than likely, though, it's probably too late and Tebow's only real hope of staying in the league is to shift to fullback or H-back or some other non-essential position.
That's because, starting with the absurdly bad decision by former Denver coach Josh McDaniels to draft him in the first round, Tebow has suffered through perhaps the most mismanaged career in the history of the NFL. It has been so bungled that Tebow could be out of football in a few months if he doesn't wise up.
One thing is for sure, he's not going to be in Jacksonville.
 
 
 
 

Exclusive: Seau Diagnosed With Disease Caused by Hits to Head

By JIM AVILA, LAUREN PEARLE and RUSSELL GOLDMAN | Good Morning America – 5 hours ago
 
 
 
A team of scientists who analyzed the brain tissue of renowned NFL linebacker Junior Seau after his suicide last year have concluded the football player suffered a debilitating brain disease likely caused by two decades worth of hits to the head, researchers and his family exclusively told ABC News and ESPN.

In May, Seau, 43 -- football's monster in the middle, a perennial all-star and defensive icon in the 1990s whose passionate hits made him a dominant figure in the NFL -- shot himself in the chest at his home in Oceanside, Calif., leaving behind four children and many unanswered questions.

Seau's family donated his brain to neuroscientists at the National Institutes for Health who are conducting ongoing research on traumatic brain injury and football players.

A team of independent researchers who did not know they were studying Seau's brain all concluded he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease typically caused by multiple hits to the head.

"What was found in Junior Seau's brain was cellular changes consistent with CTE," said Dr. Russell Lonser, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Ohio State University, who led the study of Seau's brain while he was at NIH.

Patients with CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, display symptoms "such as impulsivity, forgetfulness, depression, [and] sometimes suicidal ideation," Lonser said.

Seau's family described to ABC News and ESPN a long descent into depression in the years prior to his death.

Gina Seau, his ex-wife with whom he remained close following their divorce, said the linebacker had difficulty sleeping and became withdrawn and "detached emotionally" from his children. In one exchange, he described his mood as "low" and "dark."

"A lot of things, towards the end of his life, patterns that we saw and things that worried us, it makes sense now," she said of the diagnosis.

The night before his death, Seau sent a text message to his ex-wife and children in which he simply wrote, "I love you." They were the last words anyone would hear from him.

More than 30 NFL players have in recent years been diagnosed with CTE, a condition once known as "punch drunk" because it affected boxers who had taken multiple blows to the head. Last year, some 4,000 retired players filed lawsuits against the league over its alleged failure to protect players from brain injuries.

The NFL has said it did not intentionally hide the dangers of concussions from players and is doing everything it can now to protect them.

Gina Seau said she and her ex-husband expected physical injuries from playing professional football but never thought "you're putting your brain and your mental health at a greater risk."

Junior Seau, she said, was never formally diagnosed with a concussion but routinely complained of symptoms associated with concussions after receiving hits to the head during games and in practices in 20 seasons in the NFL.

"The head-to-head contact, the collisions are just, they're out of control," Gina Seau said.

"He was a warrior and he loved the game," she added. "But ... I know that he didn't love the end of his life."

For the Seaus, football gave them everything and, they believe, has now taken it all away. They understand its attraction and, all too well, its routine danger.
Courtesy Seau Family
"I think it's a gamble," Gina Seau said. "Just be extremely aware of what could potentially happen to your life."

None of the Seau children play football anymore and their mother is glad of that.

"It's not worth it for me to not have a dad," said one of the Seaus' sons, Tyler Seau, 23. "So, to me, it's not worth it."
Following the publication of this story, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued the following statement:
"We appreciate the Seau family's cooperation with the National Institutes of Health. The finding underscores the recognized need for additional research to accelerate a fuller understanding of CTE. The NFL, both directly and in partnership with the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations, is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address CTE and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels. The NFL clubs have already committed a $30 million research grant to the NIH, and we look forward to making decisions soon with the NFL Players Association on the investment of $100 million for medical research that is committed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We have work to do, and we're doing it."
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story identified the more than 4,000 lawsuits against the NFL as a "class action." The suits are not a singular class action case, but multiple complaints filed in numerous districts.
 
 
 
 
 
 

No one will be admitted to the Hall of Fame from the writer’s ballot this season

 Kevin Kaduk | Big League Stew – 51 minutes ago
No players were elected to the Hall of Fame from the BBWAA ballot, a first since 1996. (BLS Illustration)What previously looked like a strong possibility has become a confirmed and controversial certainty. Despite a field loaded with qualified candidates, no one will be elected to the Hall of Fame the writer's ballot this year. It's the first time that's happened since 1996 and the 16th overall since 1940, though none of those years featured such a deep crop of candidates nor such a divisive issue like PED abuse.
BBWAA.com has the full results of the voting and it's clear the writers were able to send the anti-drug message that they intended. Barry Bonds (36.2 percent) and Roger Clemens (37.6) didn't come close to getting the 75 percent of the vote necessary for election their first time on the ballot. Neither did Mike Piazza (57.8) or Sammy Sosa (12.5). Craig Biggio led all players with 68.2 percent of the vote and was just 39 votes short of election. He was followed by Jack Morris (67.7 percent), Jeff Bagwell (59.6), Piazza and Tim Raines (52.2).

But none of them will see their plaques hoisted alongside the plaques for the three dead inductees from the veteran's committee — Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, umpire Hank O'Day and deadball-era player Deacon White — in late July. That should make for a dreadfully boring induction weekend
Craig Biggio (Getty Images)A few thoughts, observations and notes:
• Bonds and Clemens being shutout despite being the all-time career home run leader and a seven-time Cy Young winner is the big headline, but the bigger question is how many years they'll have to serve in this purgatory. Both men received percentage totals in the 30s and it's hard to say how many who voted 'no' will treat future votes. How many plan to let this be just a one-year punishment? How many plan for it to be a two or more year statement? How many never plan to vote for Bonds or Clemens? With Curt Schilling garnering a higher vote total for both men, it seems likely we'll be going through this process for many more years before Bonds or Clemens ever see the inside of the hall.
• Though this summer will be a thin one in rural New York, we're looking at the chance of a nicely-populated class of 2014. Biggio will almost certainly make the jump to get voted in while Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas will be first-timers on the ballot. Piazza and Bagwell could also make decent jumps, though both will likely still fall inexcusably short.
• Jack Morris may not be as lucky as he enters his 15th and final year of the ballot. The pitcher received 66.7 percent of the vote in 2012 and it looked like he might be able to reach 75 percent in 2013. However, he only received a one percent increase to 67.2 and it's looking likely that his divisive candidacy could fall victim to a crowded ballot that limits each voter to only 10 picks.
• With only 12.5 percent of the vote, it looks like Sammy Sosa will never get into the Hall of Fame. Home run chase buddy Mark McGwire got 21.5 percent his first time on the ballot in 2009 and has fallen every year since, receiving only 16.9 percent of this year's vote.
• As long as we're talking about that happy band of buddies from Capitol Hill, Rafael Palmeiro received just 8.8 percent of the vote and was just 22 votes away from being dumped off the ballot. He'll face his fourth year of eligibility in 2014 and it could well be his last.
• Writers are only too happy to dock candidates on the character clause, but they won't bend the other way. All-time good guy Dale Murphy received just 18.6 percent of the vote and will fall off the ballot having now appeared for 15 years. His dominant peak didn't last very long, but it'll be interesting to see if the veterans' committee inducts Murphy in the future.
• The biggest names to fall off the ballot were Kenny Lofton (3.2 percent in his first year of eligibility) and Bernie Williams (3.3 in his second). Other notable players receiving the boot were David Wells (0.9), Julio Franco (1.1) and Shawn Green (0.4).
• Just asking: Who the heck was the one guy who voted for Aaron Sele?
Stay warm this winter!
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RG3 reportedly suffers torn LCL; surgeon says return for next season 'not the norm'

 
Robert Griffin III tweeted "See you guys next season" to his followers early Wednesday morning, and he certainly has a chance to return to play in the fall. But he may have to wait longer to take the field again, according to an orthopedic surgeon trained by Dr. James Andrews, the renowned specialist who examined Griffin on Tuesday.
Robert Griffin III twists his knees as he reaches for the loose ball in a loss to Seattle. (AP)Michael Jablonski, a former team physician for the Orlando Magic, said he tells patients who have injuries similar to Griffin's to expect eight to 12 months to return to play, and more than that to feel as strong and stable as before the injury.
Griffin's rehab could go well and he may be on the field for the Redskins' season-opener. But there is also a possibility the Washington Redskins star rookie quarterback may not regain the Olympic speed he has shown in his career so far.
It was reported Tuesday that Dr. Andrews will surgically repair Griffin's lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, which he tore in Sunday's wild-card loss against the Seattle Seahawks. During surgery to repair Griffin's torn LCL, Dr. Andrews reportedly determined that Griffin's anterior cruciate ligament needed to be repaired as well.
[Photos: RG3 injured]
Jablonski said it's unlikely that the LCL was torn in isolation – "I've seen like five isolated LCL tears [in 13 years]" – and it's the potential of multiple ligament damage that puts Griffin's short-term prognosis in the most peril. Jablonski said ACL injuries take six to eight months to heal and "a year to forget about it," meaning a year before the patient doesn't feel any after-effects. The LCL complicates the issue, because while an ACL regulates front-to-back motion, the LCL controls side-to-side movement.
"It makes it more difficult," said Jablonski, now the orthopedic doctor for the University of Central Florida athletic department. "You're trying to restore stability in more than one plane."
And because Griffin's mastery comes in both straight-ahead speed and lateral motion, his full recovery will be more tenuous than it would be for a more traditional drop-back passer.
"For that type of player to return to that same level of play, the chances are going to be lower than if it was a single-ligament injury," Jablonski said.
Asked if Griffin's Olympic-level speed is at risk, Jablonski said, "There's no question it's at risk. Not everybody regains full range of motion. It's still unstable and maybe can't get back to what it was."
This is not to be overly pessimistic. Adrian Peterson suffered a multiple-ligament injury in December 2011 and returned to have an MVP-caliber season in 2012. He did not miss a single game. Andrews performed Peterson's surgery and he is, in Jablonski's words, "by far the best sports medicine surgeon."
[Related: What was Mike Shanahan thinking playing RG3?]
But Jablonski feels the need to be straightforward with patients, and Peterson's expedited recovery is "very rare." Stiffness post-surgery is likely, and further procedures are not out of the question.
RG3 sits on the bench after injuring his knee. (AP)"When you have someone like RG3, you can use Adrian Peterson as a motivational tool," he said. "There's no question you can look at him and say it is possible. But on the other hand, there are certainly examples of athletes who didn't get back. You just have to be realistic with the patients. You might need more than one surgery."
Depending on the severity of the tear, an LCL can be sewn back together. An ACL, according to Jablonski, cannot. That ligament is repaired with material from another part of the body or even a cadaver. Griffin had reconstruction of his right ACL in 2009.
Asked if a return to play next season should be ruled out for Griffin, Jablonski said no.
"It certainly is possible," he said. “But it's not the norm."

 

Subpar performance in BCS title game raises serious questions about Manti Te’o's draft stock

By | Shutdown Corner – Tue, Jan 8, 2013 8:06 AM EST

Those who are interested in personal narratives may find the story of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o more compelling than do the scouts, coaches, and personnel executives who are now responsible for deciding where Te'o will go in the 2013 NFL Draft. Though he was thought by many to be a sure-fire top-5 pick -- there were even some who believed Te'o to be worthy of the first overall selection -- Te'o's flaws were exposed against Alabama's big-boy offense in the Crimson Tide's 42-14 beat down of the Fighting Irish in Monday's BCS Championship game.
Facing an offensive line that had poleaxed opponents all season, and a multi-headed run game that proved impossible to stop, Te'o looked very much like an NFL prospect with impressive range in space and coverage, but a real need for improved core and functional strength before he can truly take on what the NFL has to offer.
“This definitely sucks,” Te’o said after the game. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I wouldn’t trade this team for anything. I wouldn’t do anything differently. Obviously, we wish that the night could have ended in a different way, but the season, the year, my career here, I’ve been really blessed to be at Notre Dame and I’ll forever be proud to say that I’m a Notre Dame Fighting Irish.”
At 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, Te'o isn't set up to be one of the new wave of lighter, faster linebackers in the vein of Luke Kuechly, Lavonte David, or Bobby Wagner. That bigger kind of linebacker needs to hit run fits hard, and stop big plays from happening at or near the line of scrimmage. That did not happen in this game. Te'o was pushed back and out of gaps, he didn't close when he needed to with consistency, and his ability to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time was rendered relatively useless as Alabama simply punched Notre Dame in the mouth with alarming regularity.
[Related: Notre Dame's crushing loss offers more proof Alabama, SEC rule]
Where that leaves the winner of the Walter Camp, Bednarik, Lombardi, and Nagurski awards is open to debate, but in an NFL that does not value the traditional 4-3 inside linebacker as is once did, Te'o may find himself on the outside looking in unless he positions himself in pre-draft workouts as the kind nickel linebacker who can cover half a football field and deal with a multi-faceted NFL passing game. That's where he has more potential, because Te'o really does cover ground impressively. When it comes to hitting run gaps with authority, Te'o may need more help from defensive tackles than some people imagined.
His character is not in question -- the way Te'o was able to keep his season on track after the deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother in September speaks so very well of his determination and love of the game. By all accounts, Te'o is a great leader, and the kind of player you want on your defense to line other players up and get them rolling.
But when it comes to the NFL, and what the pro game requires, Te'o opened a Pandora's Box that the higher league will have to explore. He now has the scouting combine, and the rest of the pre-draft process, to put those concerns to rest.
“I just use it as fuel, I just use it as fuel to be better,” Te’o concluded. “That’s all you can use it for. Like I said, life goes on. What are you going to take from this? Are you just going to sulk and just sit back and feel sorry for yourself? Or are you going to get up and do something about it? I have an opportunity to do something about it. And one day, it’s going to make me better.”
The NFL would like that to be so.

 

Pac-12 study finds no abuse in WSU football

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated PressPublished: Jan 8, 2013 at 10:53 AM PSTLast Updated: Jan 8, 2013 at 11:29 AM PST

Pac-12 study finds no abuse in WSU football
Washington State head football coach Mike Leach
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A Pac-12 investigation found no evidence of physical or mental abuse of players in the Washington State football program under coach Mike Leach, the league said Tuesday

The findings of the independent review mirrored the findings of Washington State's own internal review of the allegations, which was released last month.
Former Washington State receiver Marquess Wilson contended near the end of last football season that players were suffering physical and mental abuse at the hands of coaches. Wilson, who quit the team, subsequently recanted his allegations.

But university President Elson Floyd asked the school and the Pac-12 to investigate the charges anyway.

"I am pleased with the outcome of both reviews," Floyd said in a press release Tuesday. "The well-being of all WSU students is our highest priority and it was important to take seriously allegations against the program."

The Pac-12 report was compiled after 20 interviews with coaches, players, parents of players and athletic department staff members.

Wilson contended in a memo sent to journalists on Nov. 10 that he quit the team prior to the UCLA game as a protest to "physical, emotional and verbal abuse" by the coaching staff. He complained that coaches would "belittle, intimidate and humiliate us." He did not provide any details.

The same night he sent the letter, Wilson sent a text message to athletic director Bill Moos in which he recanted those allegations.

Leach also denied the allegations of abuse.

Wilson, who was a junior this season, is the leading receiver in Washington State history.

Leach was fired from Texas Tech after the 2009 season after claims that he mistreated a player suffering from a concussion. Leach disputed the allegation and it was not proven. Leach has sued Texas Tech, contending he was fired so the school could avoid a large payment that was due to him at the end of that year.

 
 
 

Johnny Manziel posts a photo on Instagram and the college football world objects – again

By | Dr. Saturday – Sun, Jan 6, 2013 5:12 PM EST

(@jmanziel2)
Johnny Manziel is quickly becoming college football’s most eccentric quarterback – and he just finished his freshman season.
Manziel has become quite the Instagram maven and the pictures he’s posted have drawn criticism and questions about where he gets his money and whether he’s violating NCAA rules.
And he posted another one this weekend.
This time, the photo (above) showed him and two friends flashing fans of cash with the caption “casino ballin.”
The picture was deleted shortly after it appeared.
Now, before I go on, Manziel was in an Indian casino in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, patrons need to be 18 years old to play. Manziel is 20. There’s nothing wrong with him being that particular casino. Even the WinStar Casino put a shoutout to Manziel on its Twitter feed.
But the world of social media once again wanted to question the way Manziel has fun and he felt the need to defend himself.
If Manziel wasn’t the Heisman Trophy winner no one would care. But Manziel needs to realize that he is the face of college football right now and he can’t post tweets like a 17-year-old recruit or an overpaid professional athlete.He's already gotten a lot of criticism about his courtside seats at the Mavericks-Heat NBA game and this is just another thing for people to complain about.
He should have fun. He’s a college kid. But in the end, there’s a time and a place to share your business and sometimes flashing dalla-dolla bills after a great run at the casino isn’t that time or that place.
- - -
Got a tip for Dr. Saturday? Email us at dr.saturday@ymail.com . You can also connect with us via Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.

 
 
 
 

Brent Musburger, 73, livens up the first half of BCS title game with comments on AJ McCarron’s girlfriend (VIDEO)

By | Dr. Saturday – 15 hours ago

The first half of the BCS championship game needed something entertaining, so enter AJ McCarron's girlfriend Katherine Webb, and Brent Musburger's comments on her.
With the score already 14-0 in the first quarter, the ESPN cameras found Webb, who was sitting with McCarron's mom, Dee Dee Bonner, and this exchange took place with Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit:

After calling Webb, who is Miss Alabama, a "lovely lady," 73-year-old Musburger started to provide some analysis.
[Photos: Alabama QB AJ McCarron dating Miss Alabama]
"You quarterbacks, you get all the good looking women," Musburger said. "What a beautiful woman."
"Wow!" Herbstreit said.
"Whoa!" Musburger chimed in.
"AJ's doing some things right down in Tuscaloosa," Herbstreit said.
"If you're a youngster in Alabama, start getting the football out and throw it around the backyard with pop," Musburger said.

 

 

NHL says 48-game regular season is 'most likely'

By LARRY LAGE (AP Hockey Writer) | The Associated Press – 14 minutes ago

NHL says 48-game regular season is 'most likely'

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (87) begins a rush up ice behind teammate James Neal during an informal workout with a dozen of the NHL hockey team's players in Pittsburgh Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar)

 

The NHL appears headed toward a 48-game season for the second time in two decades.
''I think 48 is most likely at this point, unless the players can expedite their ratification process,'' NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email Monday to The Associated Press.
The NHL shortened its 82-game slate to 48 games during the 1994-95 season after a 103-day lockout. A 301-day lockout in 2004-05 made the NHL the first major North American professional sports league to lose an entire season.
When the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement was agreed to Sunday morning - after 16 hours of negotiations - there was some talk of having a 50-game season start later this month.
The NHL and the players' association are working on a memorandum of understanding, which could be completed soon then voted on by team owners and players. The league has circulated a memo to teams telling them to be ready to play by Jan. 19, the date the shortened season is expected to start.
''As we prepare for the season opener, I want to apologize to all Blues fans, especially our season ticket holders, suite holders, and sponsors,'' St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman said in a statement released by the team. ''We share in your disappointment and frustration about the lockout.''
Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Westgarth, who was a part of the union negotiating team for much of the more than 100-day lockout, expects the NHLPA to conduct a conference call to explain and answer questions about the new CBA before players vote on it online.
''Of course the league will say if the players hurry up, we can play more games, but there's a reality to consider as well,'' Westgarth said in a telephone interview Monday from Raleigh, N.C., where he skated informally with some Carolina Hurricanes. ''But the first step is for the people who are good with words to get on paper what both sides agreed to.
''Then, we have to get guys - who are scattered all over the world - to understand the agreement before we can start voting.''
Some NHL players - including Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin - went overseas during the lockout. Ovechkin has been playing for his hometown Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League, but plans to be back in the United States soon.
''Alex is returning early this week,'' Ovechkin's IMG agent, David Abrutyn, told AP.
Players - teammates and opponents - who stayed in North America have been getting together for months to skate, conduct on-ice drills and work out on their own to stay in relatively good shape.
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and nearly a dozen teammates worked out at a suburban Pittsburgh ice rink Monday.
For a change, Crosby and the rest of the NHL players knew games will be played after negotiators for both sides - and an outside mediator - found a way to revive a sport desperate to regain momentum and boost its prominence.
The league and its union agreed to the framework of a 10-year labor contract, ending a bitter dispute that wiped out a large part of the hockey season for the third time in less than two decades. On the 113th day of the lockout and five days before the league's deadline for a deal, the bleary-eyed sides held a 6 a.m. Sunday news conference to announce there would be a season after all.
The lockout could wipe out perhaps $1 billion in revenue this season because about 40 percent of the regular-season schedule won't be played.
The NHL's revenue of $3.3 billion last season lagged well behind the NFL ($9 billion), Major League Baseball ($7.5 billion) and the NBA ($5 billion). The new deal will lower the hockey players' percentage from 57 to 50 after owners originally had proposed the players get 46 percent.
This was the third lockout among the major U.S. sports in a period of just over a year. A four-month NFL lockout ended in July 2011 with the loss of only one exhibition game, and an NBA lockout caused each team's schedule to be cut from 82 games to 66 last season.
---
AP Sports Writers Ira Podell and Ronald Blum in New York and Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
---
Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylage

 

 

Seattle’s Richard Sherman sends the Redskins into the offseason with a scuffle and a wave















By | Shutdown Corner – 16 hours ago



There's nothing worse than losing a game that you know you could have won. Based on the early minutes of Sunday night's Seattle-Washington playoff, the Redskins could have won if RG3 hadn't slowly broken down to RG2, RG1 and RG0.5. So you can't really blame Washington for being a bit ticked off at how the evening ended out.
Then again, the scoreboard is the scoreboard. So when the Redskins' Trent Williams, apparently fed up with the yapping of Seattle's Richard Sherman, tried to get a little physical during the postgame handshakes, the Seahawks cornerback had the ultimate comeback. That bye-bye taunt is going to live in D.C. infamy forever.
(You may recall, of course, that the Redskins' Kedric Golston called Sherman a "cheater" just a few days ago. Perhaps that may have gotten under Sherman's skin a tad.)
Still, whatever bad blood may have boiled over between Sherman and Williams appears to have subsided. "Received a very classy text from @TrentW71," Sherman wrote on Twitter. "Great player! This is an emotional game no ill will either way. Have a great Pro Bowl! Well deserved."
So that's nice, the players getting along. The fans? They may not be so quick to forget. Oh, and guess what: Seattle visits Washington again later this year. How do you think that visit is going to go for Mr. Sherman?

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

Robert Griffin III's lies, Mike Shanahan's poor management doom Redskins in playoffs

16 hours ago



LANDOVER, Md. – Robert Griffin III couldn't run, at least not in any way resembling his usual sprints through the line and into open turf. Robert Griffin III couldn't throw, at least not the deep darts that move the chains and keep defenses honest.
Robert Griffin III couldn't lead the Washington Redskins' offense, not after his knee buckled in the first quarter of this NFC wild-card game against Seattle. A couple plays later Washington took a two-touchdown lead but the deal was done. It would gain just 41 yards over the next two and a half futile quarters with Griffin as quarterback, all but assuring Seattle's 24-14 victory.
Robert Griffin III couldn't do much of anything Sunday except lie, which is what he's been trained to do in situations like this.
Lie to himself that he can still deliver like no backup could. Lie to his coach that this was nothing big. Lie to the doctors who tried to assess him in the swirl of a playoff sideline.Robert Griffin was a shell of himself in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. (AP)
So Robert Griffin III lied, which is to be excused because this is a sport that rewards toughness in the face of common sense, a culture that celebrates the warrior who is willing to leave everything on the field, a business that believes such lies are part of the road to greatness.[Related: Twitter reaction to decision on RG3]
"I'm the quarterback, it doesn't matter what percentage I am," Griffin reasoned later. "If you can play, you play."
First off, that's a cliché. Second, he couldn't play. Not well enough to win the game anyway.
And with each snap there was the risk of not just further injuring that valuable knee, but of being injured in a different way because he was no longer capable of defending himself by avoiding a hit in the pocket or scrambling away from a linebacker.
"I did put myself at more risk being out there," Griffin said.
At least that was the truth, although he quickly reverted into more clichés.
"But every time you step on the football field between those lines you're putting your life, your career [and] every single ligament in your body in jeopardy," RG3 said.
[Related: Doctor disputes Mike Shanahan on RG3's knee]
Of course you can be injured at any moment. You can really get injured at any moment though when you can no longer move around and avoid hits.
It was all a lie and that's why rookie quarterbacks aren't supposed to make the call. Coaches are.
Griffin didn't have a coach Sunday.
He had Mike Shanahan, who looked at this mess, looked at each hapless Redskins drive, looked at every painful RG3 step, looked at every awkward, overthrown pass, and instead bought Griffin's weak arguments and then closed his eyes and lied to himself that it would all turn out OK.
Except it didn't. Not on the scoreboard. And not in Griffin's knee, which was eventually done in when he wasn't even capable of bending over and scooping up an errant snap in the fourth quarter. Instead a world-class athlete awkwardly reached until his right knee hyper-extended underneath him.
He wound up in a heap on the turf, clutching that knee while Seattle recovered a gift fumble that led to an easy, game-clinching field goal.
It was the final proof that he never should've been out there. And finally, too late, his day was done.
The NFL world is second-guessing Mike Shanahan. (USA Today)"If you don't pull him out then, you should get fired," Shanahan said.
Washington was in desperate need of such common sense long before that. It was desperate for Shanahan to pat this eager-to-please wunderkind on the back, show him the bench and insert the very capable backup, Kirk Cousins.
Not just for the future of the franchise, he probably picked up from a grainy NFL Films voiceover set to soaring symphonic music.
[Photos: Rough outing for RG3, Redskins]
Shanahan ackalthough that would be enough. The Redskins needed it for the present opportunity to win Sunday's game.
Instead it got silly discussions.
"I talked to Robert and he said to me, 'Coach, there's a difference between being injured and being hurt,' " Shanahan relayed later. "He said, 'I can guarantee I'm hurt right now but give me the chance to win this football game because I guarantee I'm not injured.'
"That," Shanahan said, "was enough for me."
That, Shanahan should've realized, was just a young player repeating another baseless cliché acknowledged later that, "I'll probably second-guess myself" and for that he deserves a measure of credit. He wasn't defiant about blowing it on Sunday.
Still, this wasn't some snap decision in the heat of the moment. This played out over hours, with a halftime even built in the middle. There were five consecutive series of futility for a 60-year-old coach to start trusting his own eyes rather buying the b.s. of a 22-year-old.
"He said to me, 'Trust me, I want to be in there and I deserve to be in there,'" Shanahan said. "And I couldn't disagree with him."
Shanahan is paid to disagree with him. That's his job.
At one point in the fourth quarter Shanahan decided he wanted to test if RG3 could still run, calling for a simple QB keeper. It was, on paper, effective, a 9-yard gain to the left. To see the play, however, was to see one of the greatest rushing machines in the league hobble to the outside, his knee practically wobbling on each step. It was strong blocking and the element of surprise that made it work.
"I asked him about it at that time," Shanahan said. "He said, 'Coach, I could've run faster. Nobody was there. I got [9] yards. That's not too bad. I promise if I have to do it again I could go faster.
"He gave me the right answer."
That's only because Shanahan was asking the wrong question. Which is to say he wasn't asking any questions at all.
On and on Shanahan's media conference went. The coach even unwittingly explained why he kept hearing the same answers from Griffin, when he took time to praise the very heart and fight of this prodigy and declared that a player who refuses to leave a game is "the type of player that you want." It's a circle of nonsense.
Shanahan was already hit with accusations Sunday from Dr. James Andrews, the famed sports surgeon, about Griffin's original injury against Baltimore on Dec. 9. Shanahan previously claimed that he put RG3 back in that game only because Andrews cleared the player. Andrews disputed that, saying the quarterback wouldn't even let the doctor examine him and he never
blessed the return. An MRI on Monday will determine the extent of Robert Griffin III's knee injury. (AP)
"It wasn't our opinion," Andrews told USA Today. "We didn't even get to touch him or talk to him. Scared the hell out of me."
Shanahan seemed to blame it all on miscommunication but it spoke to a sideline in disarray. The player is brushing off doctors? The coach is inventing conversations to the media? Who exactly is in charge around here?
As for the extent of Griffin's latest injury, who knows at this point? An MRI is scheduled Monday. At first Griffin said it didn't feel any worse than the December injury. Then after the game, as things stiffened, he admitted it might be worse.
"I don't know how bad it is," he said.
He didn't know after the game. He didn't know in the game. He isn't supposed to know. He is, as the football system taught him well, supposed to lie to his coach and prove to his teammates that he's indestructible and invincible.
So Robert Griffin III did his job Sunday, only to have Mike Shanahan not do his.
And now Washington can only hope a playoff loss was the worst thing that happened because of it.
 

Report: Chip Kelly will remain at Oregon, a huge win for the Ducks

By | Dr. Saturday – 16 hours ago

Forget about why Chip Kelly will stay at Oregon for a moment. Maybe he played the NFL interest into a substantial raise funded by booster and Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Maybe he didn't get quite the concessions he wanted from pro teams. Perhaps he didn't interview too well with pro teams. Those details will start to trickle in.
Here's the immediate, obvious impact: This is enormous for the Oregon football program.
ESPN reported that Kelly had turned down the Philadelphia Eagles and decided to return to the Ducks, and The Oregonian confirmed that report through a UO source. It seemed it would take a miracle for Oregon to keep Kelly again. He had an offer from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, and had multiple teams talk to him in the few days since the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon, aware of the possibility of Kelly leaving, had reportedly decided on a successor even before the Fiesta Bowl.
[Also: Everett Golson looks to follow AJ McCarron's path]
But then Oregon hit its Hail Mary. It kept its coach despite strong NFL interest. The Ducks, who have come so close to winning a national title under Kelly, are as schematically sound as any team in the nation, and its recruiting is at an elite level. Maybe that would have continued without Kelly, but Oregon doesn't have to worry about that hypothetical for the immediate future.
There is the matter of Oregon's probable upcoming meeting with the NCAA's committee on infractions regarding the football program's relationship with prep adviser Will Lyles, something that seemed like it might push Kelly into the pro realm. But apparently Kelly isn't worried. After the Fiesta Bowl he was asked about the possible NCAA punishment.
"We've cooperated fully with them," Kelly said. "If they want to talk to us again, we'll continue to cooperate fully. I feel confident in the situation."
[Also: Legendary high school football coach steps down with 399-25 record]
Kelly never said he would leave. He said he would listen. He said he would use the interviews as a fact-finding mission. It turns out, that's exactly what happened.
No matter what went on behind the scenes or what made up Kelly's mind to stay, Oregon fans are unlikely to care too much. The Ducks' brilliant coach will be back. Oregon can plan on remaining a national contender as long as he sticks around.

 
Andy Reid's challenge: find Chiefs a good QB

















Fri, Jan 4, 2013 2:34 PM EST

The Kansas City Chiefs played musical chairs on Friday with Andy Reid, who reportedly agreed to become their new head coach and beat Scott Pioli to the throne as the team's top football man.

But if you peel back the intrigue of how Reid got so much power in the face of his disappointing final two seasons in Philadelphia and look at how Pioli failed in his four years in Kansas City, there is a simple thread:
Neither man had a good handle on the quarterback position at a time when the position couldn't be more important. Andy Reid is reportedly joining the Chiefs after going 4-12 in his 14th and final season with the Eagles. (AP)
The difference is that Reid's history shows he has been willing to pull out every stop to find one. Pioli, by contrast, made a one-stop shop in his effort to find a passer.
The only significant move Pioli made in his four-year tenure with the Chiefs was to trade a second-round pick in 2009 to New England (Pioli's former team) for Matt Cassel. Pioli then stood pat year after year. He passed on guys like Josh Freeman in 2009 (the Chiefs instead took Tyson Jackson in the first round), and both Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick in 2011 (wide receiver Jon Baldwin was drafted nine picks before Dalton and Kaepernick went back-to-back in the second round).
In the 2012 draft, even as six of the top seven picks in the draft were traded and most people thought Cassel had proved his inability, Pioli again stood pat at No. 11. He took defensive lineman Dontari Poe rather than trade up for Ryan Tannehill, a guy Pioli liked and who looks like he has tremendous upside after the Dolphins took him at No. 8.
That's the main reason why Pioli is now out of work and why Miami general manager Jeff Ireland, a friend of Pioli's, is hanging on despite a similarly rough time.
If you want a recipe for how people survive in the NFL, just look at the quarterback ingredient. Reid made it 14 years in Philadelphia because he primarily had either Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick. Pioli lasted only four because he had Cassel.
The really odd part is that Pioli knew all of this going in. He had studied the Chiefs' history and knew that the team hadn't drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1983. He also came in knowing that a quarterback can change everything. Pioli's mentor, Bill Belichick, went from coaching pariah to paragon in 2001 by going with Tom Brady after Drew Bledsoe got hurt.
Now, after all those missed chances, here's the deeper problem for the Chiefs: How do they fix the most daunting position in football, if not all of sports? Despite having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft, this is considered an incredibly weak class for quarterbacks following 2012's banner crop.
[More: New college campus, football program at Colts' old stomping grounds]
Geno Smith of West Virginia scares people as a potential top pick. Matt Barkley of USC has gone from being compared to Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III a year ago to reminding people of former USC quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart.
The crop of potential veteran quarterbacks on the market isn't much better. There's Alex Smith in San Francisco, a guy who seemingly defines the term "game manager." Then there's Vick, who Reid just got done with in Philadelphia, so that seems to be problematic. Or maybe there's former Eagle Kevin Kolb, traded from Philly to Arizona in 2011.Former Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel and GM Scott Pioli. (Getty Images)
Perhaps Reid, who replaces deposed defensive-oriented coach Romeo Crennel, can swing a trade for a promising rookie, such as Nick Foles from his former team or Kirk Cousins from Washington. Those would likely be expensive transactions.
There are no simple solutions this year. There's no Luck or Griffin, no-brainer draft prospects who can be plugged in immediately. However, there are a lot of options.
Reid's history suggests that he's willing to look anywhere in search of a solution. He drafted Donovan McNabb in the first round in 1999, took Kolb in the second, was willing to sign Vick out of prison and helped develop sixth-round pick Matt Hasselbeck when he was an assistant coach in Green Bay. Former players such as A.J. Feeley and even Vick after this difficult season swear by Reid's disciplined approach to the position.
[More: Pete Carroll brings same approach to Seattle that made USC college champs]
Still, Reid is also the guy who vacillated on Vick this season, eventually keeping Foles in the job after early season problems. That disaster was created largely by a series of questionable coaching moves and failure to develop a consistent offensive line or running game.
If Reid can fix the recent issues (and Kansas City's solid offensive line and running game should be a perfect foundation for a solution), then solving the quarterback position may not be so hard.
For all of the questions about Reid (many people close to him have advised he take a year off to deal with family issues, such as the death of his son, and his health), the Chiefs may have found a guy who can solve the issue that hurts them the most.



 

If Lance Armstrong is coming clean, he owes hundreds of apologies to those he bullied

















Sat, Jan 5, 2013 12:11 AM EST

And this would be news to … um, anyone?
Certainly not the anti-doping officials and cycling administrators who the Times reports Armstrong has been working with to set up a potential deal that might allow him to return to competitive athletics, mostly ironman triathlons. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year. (AP)
Armstrong's lawyer would only cryptically tell the Times, "I do not know about [coming clean]. I suppose anything is possible, for sure."
Here's guessing this is less about the thrill of competition and more about Armstrong realizing that fewer and fewer people are paying attention to him, let alone believing his fable. Here's guessing he has come to the stark realization that there isn't any other way out of that sink hole. It's better to be a humble hypocrite than a nearly forgotten joke.
It's been painfully obvious that Lance Armstrong cheated for years and years now. There have been mountains of evidence, countless media investigations, a parade of former friends and teammates turned accusers and finally a USADA-produced 1,000 page report that is astounding in its detail.
And there's been, perhaps most damning of all, the fact that just about every other cyclist of note during Armstrong's generation was busted for doping. So to believe the Armstrong fairy tale is to believe that in a sport full of healthy cheats, it was the clean cancer survivor that was somehow the best.
It never made any sense.
There were plenty of people out there, myself included, who simply didn't care. Cycling is a dirty sport. He still had to beat the others. It wasn't clean, but it may have been a relatively even playing field. Besides, what he did off the bike was more important. He inspired so many people across the cancer wards of the world. He raised spirits. He raised money. He raised awareness.
[Related: Olympic cyclist killed in biking accident]
Of all the atrocities to get angry about, a guy who was less than honest so he could ride his bike real fast around France ranks pretty low.
The thing is, climbing up from the depths of chemotherapy to the point you could get back in a peloton racing up the Alps is a heck of a story. But Armstrong could never leave it at that, and that's why this has to be more than just an admission, it needs to be an apology. Hundreds of them, actually.
They say it's never too late for the truth, but this case may test that theory.
Throughout Armstrong's career, he hasn't just denied he doped, he's tried to destroy anyone who suggested otherwise. He and his henchmen have bullied, intimidated and threatened. They attacked reputations and fought dirty in ways that belied what he was supposed to be about. Everyone was just a jealous liar. Careers were ruined.
[Related: British paper sues Lance Armstrong]
There was ugliness like the time Betsy Andreu, wife of longtime Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu, got a voicemail declaring, "I hope somebody breaks a baseball bat over your head." That was after she'd already been dragged through the mud and declared a vindictive nut.
"A playground bully,'' one of Armstrong's old teammates, Jonathan Vaughters, once described him.
So now it's all forgiven? Now he just wants to say, OK, I did it?
Maybe this is a redemption story if he acted differently in the past. Maybe it would be easier to understand that this was a lie that got so big, with so many people counting on it to be true, that he couldn't get out from under it. Maybe this would be easy.
Lance Armstrong didn't hold back in going after his accusers. (AP) But after all the damage was done, after all the times his lawyers napalmed someone's reputation, after all the times Armstrong took the people closest to him, ones who understood the truth and tried to bury them, this can't be just admitting to something that any thinking person long ago was fairly certain he did.
Only his sizeable ego could think that's enough.
No, if this is a new day for Lance, then it needs to be about someone other than just Lance.
This needs to be about making amends, publicly and painfully, one by one, name by name, to all the people he and his machine tried to run over, all the people whose crime was merely wanting to acknowledge the truth long before the schoolyard bully ran so short of friends he too finally realized it was his only option.
 

FSU baseball player injured in skydiving accident


















Stephen Spradling. (FSU)
 
Awful injury that could have been so much worse: Florida State baseball player Stephen Spradling suffered multiple broken bones in a skydiving accident earlier this week.

According to FSU officials, Spradling has a broken pelvis, broken ribs, broken hips and a broken bone in his back. He'll be confined to a wheelchair for at least two to three months after he's released from the hospital.
“They think he’s going to be able to walk,” FSU assistant coach Mike Martin Jr. told Tallahassee.com. “They’re pretty confident as far as walking. He’ll probably never play baseball again, which is irrelevant right now.”
Spradling was apparently about 100 feet from the ground preparing to land when he spotted another skydiver coming straight at him. A collision likely would have killed both of them, so Spradling pulled hard on his chute but hit the ground extremely hard. He was hospitalized in Melbourne, Fla.
Martin said Spradling was an experienced skydiver and extreme sports enthusiast. He hit .262 in 42 at-bats last season for the Seminoles, and ranked second on the team with 12 hit-by-pitches.



 

Dr. James Andrews disputes Mike Shanahan’s assertions regarding RG3′s knee



















By | Shutdown Corner – 5 hours ago


(AP)
Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan would hardly be the first coach to bypass the recommendations of a doctor when it comes to the well-being of his players. For decades in the NFL, the diagnoses of team doctors were taken as seriously as it was convenient, and no more. The league's new concussion protocols should have teams looking more seriously at what medical specialists say, but that isn't always the case ... and it's possible that Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is right in the sights of this process.
According to Robert Klemko of USA Today Sports, Dr. James Andrews, the same knee specialist responsible for Adrian Peterson's miraculous return to health in 2012, is disputing Shanahan's insistence that he had Andrews' blessing to put Griffin back in the game after Griffin was injured against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 9. He missed the next game, a 38-21 win over the Cleveland Browns. Backup Kirk Cousins threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns.
"He's on the sidelines with Dr. Andrews. He had a chance to look at him and he said he could go back in," Shanahan said the day after the Ravens game. "(I said) 'Hey, Dr. Andrews, can Robert go back in?'
'Yeah, he can go back in.'
'Robert, go back in.'
"That was it," Shanahan said.
That's not how Andrews saw it at all.
"[Griffin] didn't even let us look at him," Andrews said. "He came off the field, walked through the sidelines, circled back through the players, and took off back to the field. It wasn't our opinion. We didn't even get to touch him or talk to him. Scared the hell out of me."
While Andrews eventually gave Griffin the green light to play in the Redskins' wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, and Griffin is closer to optimal health for Sunday afternoon's wild-cardgame against the Seattle Seahawks, Andrews is still uncomfortale with the way Griffin's injury was handled.
"He's doing a lot better this week, but he's still recovering and I'm holding my breath because of it," Andrews said. "He passed all the tests and all the functional things we do, but it's been a trying moment for me, to be honest with you."
This isn't the first time the Redskins have run afoul of those in the know when it comes to Griffin's health. When he suffered a concussion in a Week 5 game against the Atlanta Falcons, the team was fined $20,000 by the NFL for failing to properly notify the media of the severity of the injury. Instead, the team reported that Griffin was "shaken up." The team did pull Griffin from the game after the concussion.
 

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