Sunday, September 27, 2009

Superman Gets a Concussion


Tim Tebow is back in Gainesville after being released from University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center on Sunday morning. Tebow suffered a concussion on Saturday night during the third quarter of the Gators' 41-7 win against the Kentucky Wildcats. He was taken to the hospital during the fourth quarter and was monitored throughout the night. Tebow flew back to Gainesville on the University Athletic Association's private jet. "Tim is doing fine this morning," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "His CT scans came back and indicated that Tim suffered a concussion. Our medical and athletic training staff will continue to monitor him to determine how much rest and recovery he needs. We will have additional information and updates this week." No.1 Florida is off this week. And in case you have been living under a rock:


Heisman Hopeful


Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has a key factor going for him in the chase for the Heisman Trophy: He's injury-free through four games. Sam Bradford, last season's Heisman winner, hasn't played since injuring his shoulder in the first game. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the 2007 trophy winner, spent Saturday night in a hospital after a third-quarter concussion in the top-ranked Gators' win over Kentucky. Other contenders such as California tailback Jahvid Best have been knocked down by a poor game. He had just 55 yards in a 42-3 loss to Oregon. Even when he struggled with that two weeks ago, a halftime snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grape Pedialyte, a children's hydration drink, helped him recover well enough to throw the game-clinching touchdown pass in a nationally-televised win over Texas Tech. How Tebow's injury will effect the Heisman chase is yet to be seen. Released from the hospital on Sunday, he'll be evaluated in the coming days to see if he can return for the Gators' next game Oct. 10 against LSU.

Looking to Get Healthy


It is good to see Sam B trying to come back for they play Texas. Sam Bradford spent the day in Birmingham, Alabama getting his shoulder checked out by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, according to multiple reports. It was widely reported on Saturday that Bradford sought additional evaluation from one of the nation's foremost authorities on sports injuries because Bradford wants to be medically cleared to play against the Hurricanes. I am sure they will need him because even though the U lost, they are still a good team. ESPN reported that Bradford had experienced soreness in his shoulder, but that it was not unexpected, and that Bradford's visit to Birmingham was part of a standard procedure for the insurance policy he purchased in the offseason.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Missing LT


LaDainian Tomlinson still hasn't returned to practice since spraining an ankle in the regular-season opener at Oakland, but he did work out on the side Thursday afternoon while the team practiced. Tomlinson performed several running drills with head trainer James Collins, testing his ankle through cuts, back-pedalling and longer runs. But that doesn't mean Tomlinson will make an appearance Sunday against the Dolphins. The side session was rehab work, not something to be considered when evaluating game readiness. In fact, it seems unlikely that Tomlinson will play this week. Head coach Norv Turner prefers his players go through a full practice before being cleared to play, and that's something Tomlinson hasn't done yet and won't do Friday. Tomlinson himself has no interest in rushing back to action with capable backups on the roster, especially after being criticized last season for decreased production while fighting through injuries. "I'm not going to go through what I went through last year, playing at 70 percent," Tomlinson said. "I'm not going to do that. I'm going to make sure it's healthy and where I need it to be in order to help this team. We have great depth right now. We're in good shape."

Time of Being Humble Over




Eagles quarterback Mike Vick prepares to make his official return to the NFL on Sunday as a Wildcat change-of-pace option, we're now getting a taste of the full extent of the humble pie on which he has been forced to dine. Vick thought he'd be welcomed back into the NFL as a starting quarterback, despite more than two years away from the game and a felony criminal conviction and incarceration for gambling and dogfighting. "This is not the exact scenario I thought would play out," Vick tells CBS in an interview to be aired Sunday. "I know I can play this game," Vick said. "I know I can play it for a long time. I still have the speed, the quickness, and the mind to run an NFL offense." His first chance to prove the Eagles that he can be the long-term answer will come Sunday against the Chiefs.

UFL Chances


Dexter Jackson [Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson from the Bucs' 2002 championship season] is a new addition to the Florida Tuskers. They are one of four franchises in the upstart league (along with the California Redwoods, Las Vegas Locomotives and New York Sentinels) that will play a six-game regular season from Oct. 8 to Nov. 20 with the title game Nov. 27. He's like many of the 62 players in Tuskers camp hoping to make the 50-man roster, play well enough to get a new reel of highlights and impress an NFL general manager looking to fill a late-season hole. The league is hoping televised games on Versus with on-air talent including former NFL quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Kordell Stewart, will help stir interest along with former NFL coaches Dennis Green (California), Jim Fassel (Las Vegas) and Haslett. "A lot of guys in the league said they wanted to go with young players who never played in the NFL. I wanted to get some good players. And for whatever reason, they're out of football and deserve another opportunity. So we have guys who were suspended from the league, guys who were hurt and out a year. We had guys come out of NFL training camp. We just tried to get as many good players as we could." So you'll find 34-year-old tight end Jerome Wiggins (who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots), running back Tatum Bell (four seasons with the Broncos) and quarterback Brooks Bollinger (a brief starter with the Jets). Another player, guard Zach Piller (a Florida Gator who spent eight seasons with the Titans), joined the team with no desire to return to the NFL. The UFL is home to many players who never latched on in the NFL. Yet there are also familiar names such as former Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice and former Seahawks wideout Koren Robinson (both playing in New York for Ted Cottrell, a longtime NFL defensive coordinator).

Dancing w|the Stars


Chad Ochocinco loves dancing in the end zone, could he be on TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” next spring? Video director Matthew “Mac” Cherry, a former football player who was cut by the Bengals during training camp four years ago, says the show wants the wide receiver next season. The owner of Cherry Entertainment in Los Angeles says a producer talked to him about Ochocinco when Cherry attended ABC’s live “Dancing” results telecast Wednesday night in Hollywood. Cherry's post on Twitter: “I used to warm the bench for (Ochocinco) back in training camp of ’05 w/the Bengals. I guess that’s why they asked me about him for DTWS … I hope it works out. If Jason Taylor (Akron U alumni by the way) can be on it, why can’t Chad.” Ochocinco should be available for the next “Dancing” cycle, which starts in February after the Super Bowl. The show’s new celebrities usually are announced in January. “We don’t comment on casting rumors,” says Amy Astley, an ABC-TV publicist. Vicki Dummer, ABC vice president over reality programming, says the new “Dancing” cycle has “no confirmed bookings.”

Payback


Adrian Peterson remembers the other time he faced the 49ers defense. It is not a pleasant memory. "I felt like I was getting attacked by bees," he recalled. He managed only 3 yards in 14 carries that day. By the time Peterson staggered back toward the locker room on Dec. 9, 2007, feeling frustrated and dazed, he was already plotting his revenge. "As I was walking off the field, I'm like, 'I can't wait until we play the 49ers again," Peterson said. He gets his wish Sunday when the 49ers visit the Metrodome, the weekend's only matchup of 2-0 teams. Peterson will be looking for a more typical performance. In 32 career games, he has 17 100-yard rushing efforts, which means he reaches the century mark 53.1 percent of the time.That's the highest percentage in NFL history. Barry Sanders rushed for 100 yards in 49.7 percent of his games, and Jim Brown did it 49.2 percent of the time. Against the 49ers, though, Peterson couldn't manage 10 feet let alone 100 yards. Peterson gave a tip of his helmet to the 49ers defensive players, saying they "play football like it should be played." Peterson was especially differential to Willis, the busiest bee back in 2007. "He's got that deadly stinger," he said, chuckling. "I love Patrick Willis, man. He plays ball just like me. In my opinion, he's the best defensive player in the league, at least at his position, and that's not to take anything away from Ray Lewis." Still, Peterson said key to his low rushing total that day was Peterson himself. He was a rookie in 2007 and was so accustomed to success that he freaked at the first hint of failure. when Peterson went back to look at the game film, he discovered, to his horror, that his offensive line actually did a great job. He just chose the wrong holes to run through. On Sunday, all the 49ers have to do is stop him again.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Going to be Missed


Timberwolves are that Rubio will be staying in Spain for at least the next two seasons, Flynn had to be pleased with the side benefits, right? Not so fast. "Especially for a guy like me, he can make me so much better," Flynn told The Associated Press. "I would have sat here and learned from him. I would have taken things out of his game and put them into my game. "You definitely lose something that could have made our team better. But that's the decision he made and I guess we're just going to have to wait for maybe two years until he comes over here." Flynn has insisted from the start that he wants Rubio here as soon as possible. "I just look forward to coming in and contributing," Flynn said. "Even if Ricky was here, we both would have been playing a lot of minutes together." Rather than viewing Rubio as competition, Flynn said he sees Rubio's four years of playing in the top pro league in Europe, along with his experience in the Olympics with the Spanish national team, as resources to be tapped.




--via ESPN

Wait til Next Year


After discussing a long-term deal last week, talks between Felton and Charlotte have broken down, and multiple sources now say that rather than continuing negotiations, Felton will simply sign the one-year, $5.5 million qualifying offer put forth by the Bobcats. That will allow Felton to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, putting another name into the already deep pool of 2010 free-agent players. In the meantime, Felton will look to boost his value with a good season. the one advantage that Felton has is that he is a point guard, and for all the talent available next summer, there won’t be many point guards. Until Felton’s addition to the class, Steve Blake might be the best of next year’s free-agent point men.