The American Bald Eagle has officially been taken off the Endangered Species List by our U.S. Government. Back in 1963 there was only 417 nesting pairs left in the United States, today there is well over 10,000 nesting pairs. Just wanted to educate you folks this morning and as you well know, its the ???-??????!!!!
I am not referring to the ominous fact of never returning a kickoff for a touchdown. The Bucs have never had the same starting offensive line two years in a row.
That makes Trent Dilfer’s string of consecutive starts from 1996-1999 a little amazing when you consider the revolving door on the Bucs front five. Garcia may not be “winning” much and Simms could come out the true winner as the latest patchwork OL is assembled. The starting QB at the beginning of the season may not be the starter at the end of the season. Moreover, if the former starting QB is highly paid… he may be looking for a new employer in the spring.
Read the rest of this story »The Indianapolis Colts peaked at the right time last season and enter training camp as clear favorites in the division. The passing game remains deep and dangerous. Tom Moore has the ability to create a lot of mismatches with various multiple receiver or tight end sets. Joseph Addai is the perfect fit for Moore’s scheme at running back. He displays excellent quickness and possesses a natural feel for the passing game. But what happens if Addai goes down? The Colts lack experienced depth. The front four is very active. Anthony McFarland looks re-energized with the Colts. Bob Sanders must stay healthy. Not only does he fill gaps against the run, but his presence takes this defense to another level. They lose experience at cornerback with the departures of Nick Harper and Jason David, but Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden possess more upside.
Read the rest of this story »Twice in less than one year, quarterback Chris Simms made a contract decision that may come back to haunt him.
In the spring of 2006, he chose not to sign a fairly lucrative contract offer from Tampa Bay (believed to be in the $10-million range) in favor of signing a one-year deal as a restricted free agent, the idea being that a solid season as the starter would allow him to cash in after 2006. Well, we all know what followed: a season-ending injury that involved the removal of his spleen.
Read the rest of this story »The NBA Draft is tonight at 7 PM ET on ESPN.
It's a shame that we already know the Trailblazers will Draft Ohio State's Greg Oden with the #1 Pick. Where's the fun in that? Ah, well. Word on the street is that my Bobcats are trying to get in the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes, which along with the 8th Pick (and an undisclosed player) could net them Amare Stoudemire. I know, I know, dreaming the impossible dream. With my Luck the undisclosed player would be Raymond Felton (Oh NO!) and Amare's knees would deteriorate before he ever stepped in Charlotte's Arena. Anyway tune in or go to ESPN.com later on and see who took who. Maybe my Magic will make up for the Billy Donovan fiasco, eh, maybe not.
Read the rest of this story »Ok, boys and broads, I'm taking a long weekend. And by "long", I mean about ten days. But I leave you in the hands of a couple talented and well-respected guest authors who will surely put me to shame on my brief hiatus. Or maybe they'll forget to post. I dunno, I'll have limited internet access and, for that matter, limited outdoor plumbing, so we'll all be surprised together.
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For those of you that aren't aware. In 2005 a High School teacher, Gordon Johnston, challenged the use of Pat-Downs as a preventive measure to enter Raymond James Stadium, stating that the pat-downs are unconstitutional and unreasonable. He took his quest to the three lower courts and won, thus the ban of pat-downs at Raymond James Stadium last season. This past week however, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned those rulings, thus bringing pat-downs back to Raymond James Stadium for the 2007 season (its unknown whether they will be administered at the Bucs Two Pre-Season games this year). The court decided that Johnston forfeited his right to challenge the constitutionality of the pat-downs when he consented to them. The court also said Johnston doesn't have a constitutional right to watch a football game, that he was aware of the search policy before entering the stadium and that the Bucs can revoke game tickets for any reason. My take on the situation:
Shelton Quarles commented briefly on the future of his career:
Quarles also has been weighing his options since the Bucs released him in April. He said he has received calls from several teams, but they are "too far away." He will decide in the next couple of weeks whether he will retire.Read the rest of this story »
Stephen Holder echoes the sentiment around league circles that rookie contract negotiations, and specifically Gaines Adams's, will be necessarily adversarial in his blog entry, "Let the standoff begin".
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