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November 15th NFL news ... Bet Rose Bowl at bet-rosebowl.com
Adrian Peterson's potential exit plans from Vikings took hit in losing appeal
2014-12-13
Sharper, a five-time Pro Bowler, was indicted on two counts of aggravated rape and one count of simple rape.
He is accused of sexually assaulting two women at his New Orleans apartment on Sept. 23, 2013.
Sharper, 39, is charged in Los Angeles and Arizona with rape and has been jailed in California since Feb. 27.
During a 14-year NFL career, Sharper played for three teams - the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans - and was part of the Saints' Super Bowl championship team for the 2009 season.
Sharper could face a life sentence without the possibility of parole if convicted of the charges.
Erik Nunez and Brandon Licciardi, alleged accomplices of Sharper, were also indicted by the grand jury.
NFL Preview - NY Jets (1-0) at New England (1-0) (ET)
2013-09-12
Muhammad Wilkerson, the New York NFL Betting Lines Jets' emerging third-year defensive end, showed more than a bit of swagger by telling Newsday that he believes his team will knock off Tom Brady and the New England Patriots when the AFC East rivals kick off Week 2 of the NFL season at Gillette Stadium on Thursday.
"If our game plan is as good as it was (in the season-opening win against Tampa Bay), I don't see why we won't be 2-0," Wilkerson said. "I'm confident in our coaching staff to have a great game plan and us being 2-0."
The Temple product didn't back down on WFAN Radio when pressed about his Joe Namath-like prognostication: "We're going to go to Foxboro and get this win. We're going to be 2-0."
Bluster isn't going to have much of an effect on Brady or New England coach Bill Belichick but injuries could.
The Pats, of course, are coming off a tumultuous offseason during which Brady lost several key offensive weapons, including tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was released following his stunning June arrest on a murder charge. Meanwhile, security blanket Wes Welker bolted to Denver as a free agent, running back Danny Woodhead picked San Diego as his new home, receiver Brandon Lloyd remains unemployed, and All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski remains on the shelf as he continues to recover from offseason forearm and back surgeries.
Despite all that New England persevered in Buffalo last weekend thanks in large part to the gritty play of Welker's replacement, Danny Amendola. The receiver aggravated a groin injury late in the second quarter but returned to play a key role in the Pats' season-opening 23-21 come-from-behind win over the Bills.
Trailing by a point, the New England defense forced a three-and-out against the aggressive play-calling of rookie Bills coach Doug Marrone. Instead of relying on the running game to eat up more of the clock, Buffalo opted to pass and rookie EJ Manuel, the first quarterback chosen in April's draft at No. 16, picked up only four yards on 3rd-and-10.
"It wasn't a situation we felt we needed to milk the clock," Marrone said. "We felt that we still needed to score to win the game."
The Patriots got the ball back with 4:31 to play in the fourth quarter, and Brady went to work, twice hooking up with Amendola to convert third downs, the latter a 10-yard gain on 3rd-and-8 from the Buffalo 39.
Shane Vereen followed with a 15-yard run around left tackle on the next play, setting up Stephen Gostkowski's game-winning 35-yard field goal with five seconds left.
"I was proud of our team today. They made the plays they needed to make at the end to win," said Belichick.
Brady finished with 288 yards, two touchdown passes to Julian Edelman and one interception while completing 29-of-52 throws.
Vereen totaled 101 yards on 14 carries and added 58 yards on seven receptions for the Patriots, who have won 10 consecutive season openers, the longest current streak in the NFL. Amendola made 10 grabs for 104 yards.
However, Vereen broke a small bone in his wrist on his first play of Sunday's game and was placed on the injured reserve/designated for return list earlier this week, which means at least an eight-week absence for the running back.
Amendola, meanwhile, wasn't able to practice much during the short week due to his groin and is unlikely to play on Thursday.
As for the Jets, Rex Ryan isn't dead yet thanks to play of people like Wilkerson and rookie QB Geno Smith.
The presumptive lame duck coach has New York at "1-and-Geno" thanks to a little help from Tampa Bay's Lavonte David.
Smith played well in his NFL debut last week, changing the outcome of a seemingly decided game when it seemed most improbable. At the conclusion of a 10-yard scramble with seven seconds remaining, the former West Virginia star drew a personal foul penalty from David which set up Nick Folk for a game- winning 48-yard field goal, lifting Gang Green to a thrilling 18-17 win over the Buccaneers.
The Jets defense, which was solid for most of the day, made a critical mistake moments earlier when it left Vincent Jackson uncovered on the prior possession. The receiver's 37-yard catch allowed Rian Lindell to kick a go- ahead 37-yard field goal with just 34 seconds left.
With time winding down, Smith first fired a 25-yard pass to Kellen Winslow and spiked the ball to stop the clock before the fateful play that set New York's winning score.
"I stay focused on the game, whatever the situation is," said Smith. "You've got to think positive and try and figure out a way to pull it out."
Smith ended 24-of-38 for 256 yards through the air, tossing a touchdown and an interception in his NFL debut. He also led the Jets rushing attack with 47 yards on six carries.
"I thought Geno did a really nice job for a lot of it. I'll tell you where he really helped us, he ran," said Ryan. "He made some big plays running."
The Patriots and Jets will be meeting for the 109th time Thursday -- including three postseason matchups -- since the series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960.
Last season, the Patriots swept the series for the fifth time in team history and for the second straight season after a 29-26 overtime win at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 21 and a 49-19 win at MetLife Stadium on Thanksgiving night.
The 2012 victories put the Patriots in front in the series, 55-52-1 overall. New England is 29-25-1 all-time in home games against the Jets, including 25-19 overall in Foxborough and 9-4 at Gillette Stadium.
The Pats, though, have spiked in the series (26-14) since Robert Kraft purchased the franchise in 1994.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Smith faces a much tougher task this week when he makes his first road start against the Patriots. The former West Virginia star may make his share of rookie mistakes but offers the run-pass, dual option that is en vogue in today's NFL.
And forget all the criticism regarding Smith's work ethic. He has taken to the film room and already understands what he is up against, showing off an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the Pats' defense and reeling off a bit of a scouting report.
"They obviously present mismatches for anybody, so it's going to be tough for us," Smith said. "We just have to continue to stay smart. They are, a very well coached defense.
"Up front they are very strong. They have (Rob) Ninkovich, who is one of the smartest players I have seen on tape. He constantly makes plays; he is always around the ball. Vince Wilfork, I mean his name speaks for itself and he can be a guy who can change the game at any moment. They have Chandler (Jones) who is one of the up-and-coming defensive ends/outside linebackers in the league. He presents mismatches for tackles and he is constantly around the ball making plays, constantly getting to the quarterback.
"The linebackers, led by (Jerod) Mayo, and they have (Brandon) Spikes; (Dont'a) Hightower from Alabama. All of those guys, they run well, they hit, they come downhill hard and they can stop an offense.
"Their back end I think is pretty strong. They have Alfonzo Dennard, they have Aqib Talib, who they got last year. Then you move in (Devin) McCourty the safety and they picked up (Steve) Gregory from the Chargers, so all of those guys are veterans. They know the game, they've been around for a while now and I think they play well together."
Belichick is already impressed.
"I thought he played very well against Tampa last week," the coach said when asked about Smith. "He ran well, he threw well, he made good decisions, moved the team at critical points in the game. That's the most important thing -- he made the plays he needed to make to win."
Injuries are the big story in New England this week as Vereen and probably Amendola won't be available in the short week.
"We'll see how that all sorts itself out," Brady said. "There's a lot to prepare for in a very short amount of time. We're cramming a lot in but that's what we have to do."
Amendola was the hero last week and the combination routes he ran with Edelman are now off the table because the Pats' young receivers like Kenbrell Thompkins, Josh Boyce and Aaron Dobson are just not up to speed at this point.
Stevan Ridley, meanwhile, was supposed to be the guy at running back but he is coming off a two-fumble game at Buffalo. He's the first option with Vereen sidelined but will have a short leash and LeGarrette Blount, a former 1,000- yard rusher in Tampa, as well as former Jet Leon Washington could be in play for New England.
"That's why you have a deep roster," Brady said. "We have a lot of good running backs, a lot of good receivers."
The Jets front seven is better than people think with Wilkerson on the verge of developing into one of the better lineman in all of football. The back end is a little shakier and rookie corner Dee Milliner struggled a bit against Tampa Bay and Jackson but he and veteran Antonio Cromartie have the physical skills to make things tough on a Pats receiving corps minus Amendola.
Look for Edelman, who had seven receptions for 79 yards and two TDs against the Bills, to be Brady's go-to-guy on Thursday.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
You have to think the short week favors the home team with the veteran quarterback over the visitors and the rookie but Belichick is wary.
"I think this is a big challenge for us this week with the limited amount of preparation time and the amount of things the Jets do," the coach said. "They have a real good scheme."
That good scheme and the fact that Brady is going to run out of offensive options soon will make this one closer than people think. That said, expect Ridley to return to form this week at home and "Tom Terrific," who owns a 17-4 record against the Jets as a starting quarterback, will likely cobble out enough plays with his undermanned receiving unit to send Smith packing in his first try away from North Jersey.
"We're just going to have to have a quick turnaround here and get in-tune with what the Jets do," Belichick said.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Patriots 21, Jets 17
CFN Preview 2013 - Navy Midshipmen
2013-05-29
The consistent success is starting to pay off, and the winning seasons are starting to pile up. So now what?
Navys production since 2003 has become so routing, so expected and so commonplace that a 5-7 2011 was cause for fire alarms to go off and a reassessment of how things were supposed to be done. Head coach Ken Niumatalolo demanded a more physical, tougher team, and while thats not exactly what came through last season with a porous run defense and the typical big plays on the outside from the running game, at least the production and the wins came back. Now the program has the fun of knowing its off to the Big East or the American Athletic, to you in 2015 and it knows that the machine is going to keep on rolling.
As always, the offense has speedy runners in the backfield and an option wizard at quarterback to conduct it all. As always, the receivers will get deep once or twice a game and hit on the big play, and as always, the offensive line is quick, efficient and effective.
As always, the defense is going to make plenty of big hits and will always keep the motor running, but, as always, the production isnt going to be there against the better offensive teams. And, as always, the coaching will be top-notch and there will be a trip to a bowl game, making it ten in 11 years.
Navy is already locked in to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl if it gets to six wins, and it has an 11-game winning streak over Army whats there to shoot for now?
Another bowl and another win over Army.
Consistency isnt a problem for Navy, and complacency isnt a problem, either. It might not seem exciting to go into a season knowing that 6-to-9 wins are coming, along with a bowl trip to Fort Worth, but keep in mind that football isnt exactly Priority One at a place like the Naval Academy. These players arent necessarily FBS-caliber across the board, and on talent, no one is doing more with less.
And considering the program had just two winning seasons from 1983 to 1996, bowl games and winning seasons and beating Army are never boring.
What to watch for on offense: Using the receivers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Navy should probably throw more, but it wont. Neither will Georgia Tech and neither will Army, but the Midshipmen manage to get the ball down the field efficiently and effectively more than most teams. In receivers Casey Bolena, Shawn Lynch and Matt Aiken, there are some decent receivers in place to try cranking up some big plays down the field on a regular basis. Leading receiver Brandon Turner is gone, but as long as the veteran targets can rise up and produce once or twice a game, everything else will fall into place.
What to watch for on defense: The rotation up front. Unlike Air Force and Army, Navy actually has a little bit of bulk on the depth chart three-deep and can rotate players around a little bit more and actually have a little size in the interior. It didnt matter much last year with little to no pass rush theres always little to no pass rush at Navy and the run defense wasnt exactly a rock and didnt hold up well. The linebacking corps will clean up most of the messes, but more than anything else, if the front three can stay fresh against the weaker teams and hold its own, the defense will be far better.
The team will be far better if The defense came up with more big stops. The D isnt going to stuff anyones running game and its almost never going to be a rock against the high-octane passers, so this needs to be a group that bends, but finishes with a takeaway. While the 11 recovered fumbles on the season were nice, six of them came against the other two service academies when they kept screwing up on their own. The three against Air Force were the only ones over the first seven games, and while there was a fumble recovery in each of the last seven games, the interceptions didnt come with just one over the final five.
The schedule: Its not too bad with just four games at Indiana, at Duke, Pitt and at Notre Dame against BCS-caliber opponents. However, even with a week off to prepare, the road date at Western Kentucky wont be a picnic and going to Toledo will be tough. The midsection is rough with three road games in four weeks going to Duke and Toledo before hosting Pitt and going to Notre Dame, but the finishing kick isnt bad with Hawaii, South Alabama, at San Jose State and the annual date with Army to close out strong.
Best offensive player: Sophomore QB Keenan Reynolds. He took over early on last season and turned into an immediate star. Hes not going to become Tom Brady and wing it all around the yard, but he can hit the deep ball just enough to stretch a defense and keep the pressure off the ground game. Ultra-quick, he fits the Navy quarterback mold and should lead the team in rushing touchdowns, but with a year under his belt, he should also do a strong job making sure everyone in the option gets the ball in their hands on the move.
Best defensive player: Junior CB Parrish Gaines. The secondary should be a positive, and it all starts with him. At 6-2 and 196 pounds, hes built like a free safety with great range and nice tackling ability. However, hes just quick enough to handle himself at corner and lock down the right side of the field. While he only came up with two picks and two broken up passes, he also made 69 stops and proved to be a key last line of defense in the open field.
Key player to a successful season: Junior NG Danny Ring. Theres no real pass rush and holding up against the power teams is a problem, but the 6-2, 260-pound Ring is quick off the ball and has proven to be a nice, solid all-around interior presence. Undersized, he needs the help of 303-pound Bernard Sarra and 302-pound Barry Dabney to fill the middle, but hes a leader and a productive player to work around.
The season will be a success if Navy wins nine games, and one of them is against Army. Eight regular season wins isnt asking for the world with the road game at Notre Dame the only certain loss and road games at Indiana and Duke both winnable. If the Midshipmen lose at IU, at Toledo and to Pitt and Notre Dame, the can still be good enough to win the rest of the games and go on to come up with a bowl victory for a nice step forward from last seasons 8-5 campaign.
Key game: Sept. 7 at Indiana. The Hoosiers should be improved and wont just roll over against decent non-conference opponents anymore, but theyre still not going to be able to play a lick of run defense. If Navy can come out hot and come up with the win in the opener, it should be relatively smooth sailing for a while with Duke the next BCS team up in mid-October and Pitt and Notre Dame the only other big leaguers left to play