Friday, October 21, 2011

Jets organization apologizes for pulling the plug on the Revis interview


Posted by Mike Florio on October 21, 2011, 4:50 PM EDT
FrancesaGettyGetty Images
Earlier today, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis was being interviewed by Mike Francesa of WFAN.  Francesa was pushing Revis on the question of whether he committed pass interference on the pass he intercepted and returned 100 yards for a touchdown against the Dolphins on Monday night.
Eventually, Jets P.R. intervened and advised Revis to hang up.
Jets director of public relations Jared Winley has issued the following statement on the matter, a copy of which was forwarded to PFT:  “In my judgment, given the tone of the interview, I should have asked Mike to move on to another topic, instead of instructing Darrelle to hang up the phone. That was an error on my part. I’ve called Mike’s producer and I apologized.”
We respect the Jets for taking this position, even though plenty of people have opined via Twitter and elsewhere that the move was justified.




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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 5:38 PM

League fines Brandon Pettigrew but not Chris Houston


Posted by Michael David Smith on October 21, 2011, 4:07 PM EDT
San Francisco 49ers v Detroit LionsGetty Images
Lions fans were upset about a couple of personal foul calls that went against their team in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers. Now the league office has weighed in, fining one Lion but clearing the other.
The NFL fined Detroit tight end Brandon Pettigrew$7,500 for a chop block. The penalty on that play was extremely costly for the Lions, wiping out a long pass that set them up with first-and-goal, and it was a close call that the Lions (and the FOX announcers working the game) thought the officials should have let go. But the league office apparently disagreed.
However, the league office has essentially confirmed that another call that went against the Lions, a horse collar tackle on defensive back Chris Houston, should not have been a penalty. Houston was not fined for his alleged horse collar tackle onFrank Gore, which gave the 49ers 15 yards and helped to set up a field goal.
No word on whether the officials have been fined for spotting the ball in the wrong place on the 49ers’ game-winning drive.
Personally this is absolutely garbage.  The league was right not to fine Houston for the bad horse collar call, but they missed big time on the Pettigrew "chop block".  It is bad enough that the call was made to wipe out a huge play that put the Lions at first and goal, but to then fine him on top of it is a joke.  I wish I had a video clip to post to show it, but I couldn't find one.


To explain the play, Pettigrew was lined up on the right end of the line and performed a block going low on the defender in a one on one situation.  On the same play Gosder Cherilus at RT was helping block a player to his inside.  As the defender on Pettigrew was getting away from the initial cut block,  Gosder stuck his right arm out and gave the defender a shove on his shoulder.  At this point the defender had already separated from Pettigrew  and was on his way to the QB.    This rule was designed and implemented to protect players from having their knees and ankles destroyed.  This rule was not executed in this game within the spirit of the rule.  The League office should have understood that and at least not fined Brandon.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 5:31 PM

Video: Best Bets of Week 7

Here is the Week 7 Handicapping Segment by Pro Football Weekly, enjoy.







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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 3:29 PM

The Minnesota Vikings do not want the Metrodome


Posted by Mike Florio on October 21, 2011, 2:16 PM EDT
Vikings Back Home FootballAP
A pair of Minnesota legislators have an idea for solving the stadium situation.  They want to give the Metrodome to the Vikings.
The only problem?  The Vikings aren’t interested.
In a statement released by the team, the Vikings called the proposal a “non-starter.”
“This isn’t the first time the idea has been discussed, but even stadium opponents understand the facility no longer works for the team, our fans or the State,” the team said.  “These unrealistic ideas prevent serious discussion about the only viable stadium plan in Arden Hills.”
The fact that two legislators would offer such an unworkable solution reconfirms that the calling of a special session for November doesn’t mean a deal to build a new stadium will be worked out.  Plenty of lawmakers will oppose the proposal, and the ultimate challenge remains coming up with a way to finance the state’s contribution of $300 million.
“While we certainly believe the Vikings are a cultural asset to the State, ultimately State leaders need to determine the State’s source of funding for this project,” the team said.
And that’s the core of the problem in Minnesota.  The team and the league are ready to pony up more than $400 million, Ramsey County is ready to raise their share via a sales tax.  All that’s left is for the state of Minnesota to pony up the cash to keep the Minnesota Vikings from leaving.  Or not.
One way or the other, we’ll know the answer soon.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 3:00 PM

Little to no impact from too many players in Arizona


Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 21, 2011, 12:58 PM EDT
Arizona Cardinals v Washington RedskinsGetty Images
Kevin Kolb has taken a lot of the heat for his struggles in Arizona, but there are plenty of holes on the Cardinals roster.
The offensive tackles are struggling.  The defense is well below average.  Some snap count numbers from Mike Sando of ESPN.com helps point out why they are struggling.
Arizona just isn’t getting enough from too many young players.
Linebacker Stewart Bradley sticks out the most. The Cardinals gave him a big contract to start, including a $10 million signing bonus. He’s only on the field of 19.5% of the snaps.  That number might be even lower if Darryl Washington wasn’t hurt earlier in the year. The team is playing Paris Lenon over Bradley.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Bradley is among the most disappointing free agent pickups in the league.
Young outside linebackers O’Brien Schofield and Sam Acho also haven’t made much of an impact.  Schofield is playing 19% of the team’s snaps and Acho is at 9.9%.  The aging Joey Porter and Clark Haggans combination is getting almost all the work.
Last year’s first-round pick Dan Williams isn’t playing that much at nose tackle either, splitting time on running downs.
Add it all up, and the Cardinals are relying on too many “get by” guys that aren’t doing a good job of helping the Cardinals get by with a respectable record.

I haven't watched the Cards much this season, but based on reading the above article one has to wonder if maybe a lot of these players just don't fit the scheme.  Bradley was an under rated player in the middle of the Eagles defense, but maybe the 3-4 doesn't fit his skill set.  The same can be asked about any of the other named players in this article.




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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 2:39 PM

Raiders and Carson Palmer play Jedi mind trick on everyone


Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 21, 2011, 2:24 PM EDT
Carson Palmer, Kyle BollerAP
If nothing else, Hue Jackson and the Raiders have successfully made their starting quarterback a mystery for this Sunday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that it now appears Kyle Boller will likely get the start against the Chiefs, not Carson Palmer as previous reports indicated.
Boller took the first team snaps to open practice Friday, according to Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune. Schefter notes that the Raiders and Palmer have realized the mental and physical hurdles involved in getting him ready so quickly.
“I’m 95 percent sure he is not going to play,” a source “close to the situation” told Schefter. “Practicing Wednesday and Thursday, he felt he’s not ready to make those high-velocity throws yet.”
Palmer is also just picking up the offense and it makes sense for him to learn and get ready during the team’s bye. Jackson indicated he won’t make a decision about his quarterback until he had his weekly Irish Coffee Friday night.
Sometimes, Hue Jackson is pretty awesome.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 2:35 PM

Reports: Carson Palmer's arm strength returned during his time away


Reports: Palmer's arm strength has returned
According to NFL Network's Albert Breer, those close to Carson Palmer believe his lengthy layoff has indeed strengthened a throwing arm that was noticeably flailing over the past two seasons.
"He's healthy as a horse," said ex-Jets QB Ken O'Brien, who has been working with Palmer the past few months. O'Brien concedes that Palmer came back from his elbow injury too quickly, "wasn't 100 percent natural" and "didn't look like his old self" from 2008-2010. After watching Palmer throw Thursday, Raiders beat writer Steve Corkran advised crossing "arm strength" off the list of concerns. The true test will be whether the arm wavers in December and perhaps January after 8-10 games.
Source: NFL.com













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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 1:35 PM

As expected, Whitehurst will start for Seattle


Whitehurst will start at Cleveland on Sunday
Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged Friday that Charlie Whitehurst will start against the Browns this week.
Carroll hasn't ruled out Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral), but it sounds like he'd only be active in a backup role if he suits up. Whitehurst has taken all of the first-team reps this week, so it's no surprise that he's getting the call. It's an upgrade for rookie slot receiver Doug Baldwin, who was Whitehurst's favorite target in relief two weeks ago. Rotoworld ranks Whitehurst 26th among fantasy QBs for Week 7.
Source: ESPN 710 Seattle
Oct 21 - 12:26 PM











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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 1:31 PM

DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice to split carries


Posted by Michael David Smith on October 21, 2011, 1:10 PM EDT
NFL Labor FootballAP
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed today that running backs DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice will split the playing time on Sunday against the Rams, with starterFelix Jones sidelined by a high ankle sprain.
Jones indicated that the Cowboys want Murray to be the man most of the time on first and second downs, and that Choice will be used on third downs largely because he’s better at pass blocking.
“We’ve shown that we’ve split the carries and in this circumstance that’s very appropriate since DeMarco is still very early on in his repetitions, his time that he’s sorted through the blocking,” Jerry Jones said on his radio show.
The Cowboys struggled in the running game last week against the Patriots, with Murray, Choice and Felix Jones combining for just 60 yards on 23 carries. Jerry Jones said he thinks this week the Cowboys’ offensive game plan will open up the running game.
“What happened to us last week is we did get, what I call big-boyed, and [the Patriots] really did put a lot of pressure on the interior of our line and when they saw it working they kept it coming and we had to really adjust for that, and we got a lot of plays that were behind the line of scrimmage,” Jerry Jones said. “But I do expect us to adjust for that.”
So in the days following Jones’ criticism of coach Jason Garrett’s run-first approach late in the loss to the Patriots, the owner has more thoughts about what the coaching staff’s approach to running the ball should be. We’ll see on Sunday how well Garrett’s play-calling meshes with Jones’s plans.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 1:30 PM

Olin Kreutz leaves Saints


Posted by Mike Florio on October 21, 2011, 12:00 PM EDT
New Orleans Saints v Green Bay PackersGetty Images
Yes, PFT Live starts in mere minutes.  But I needed to post this one before the show begins.
Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that center Olin Kreutz has left the Saints.
Kreutz’s agent told Triplett that the veteran center “no longer feels passion and doesn’t want to just collect paycheck.”
Kreutz appeared in, and started, four games for the Saints this season.  He was not re-signed by the Bears during free agency, after 13 years with the team.
And the Bears’ decision to dump Kreutz arguably has been vindicated.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 12:40 PM

Clay Matthews fined for wearing yellow cleats


Posted by Michael David Smith on October 21, 2011, 11:24 AM EDT
Clay MatthewsAP
Green Bay players were required to wear throwback uniforms consisting of blue jerseys with the numbers in a gold circle, brown helmets and tan pants on Sunday. That color scheme isn’t the most attractive mix you’re ever going to see, but the NFL likes to be able to feature throwbacks so that it can sell throwbacks, and so that’s what the Packers wore.
But Packers linebacker Clay Matthewsdecided to add yellow shoes to the mix, and the NFL said that was a no-no.
Matthews revealed that the NFL informed him of a $5,000 fine for yellow shoes this week. Packers cornerback Tramon Williams also wore yellow shoes, so he was also presumably fined $5,000.
Because in a league where players have been adding pink to their uniforms all month, making for some truly bizarre color schemes, the line has to be drawn somewhere. And that somewhere is yellow shoes.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 11:47 AM

Harrison's season over, Lions sign Buckley


Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 21, 2011, 11:13 AM EDT
Detroit Lions v Minnesota VikingsGetty Images
The early word about Lions running back Jerome Harrison’s brain tumor is that doctors caught it early. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has indicated that Harrison’s long-term prognosis is good.
In the short term, Harrison obviously won’t be playing football. The Lions officially played him on the non-football injury list Friday.
They signed former Eagles running back Eldra Buckley to take his place on the roster.  Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams should split the Lions workload Sunday.
The NFI designation gives the Lions the discretion not to pay Harrison, but there is no reason to think they would do that. It would be an extremely unpopular decision in the locker room and throughout the league.
We wish Harrison all the best in his treatment and recovery.



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 11:39 AM

Pro Football Focus' in depth analysis on the Deep Ball


October 21st, 2011 | Author:  - Pro Football Focus
One of the things we track here at Pro Football Focus is where passes find receivers; the air yards of throws. Thanks to that, we are able to take a look at how successful passers are when they are targeting specific areas of the field, and one of our newer Signature Stats focuses on exactly one of those areas: Deep Passing.
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You can draw some sketchy conclusions using conventional stats like yards per attempt, plays over 20 yards, and others, but none of those are able to filter out the short passes that go for big gains after the catch. This one does.
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In our deep passing Signature Stat, we look only at passes that travel 20+ yards in the air before meeting their intended target.
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So what do we find? The first thing of note is that a rookie, Cam Newton, leads the league by some distance in terms of the number of attempts over 20 yards. Many rookies shy away from the big play, preferring to play the high percentage game underneath and intermediate. Not Newton. Cam has thrown 43 passes this year already for 20+ yards and completed 18 of them for a pretty impressive 623 yards. That’s over seven times per game Newton is going deep. Only 13 other passers in the league have attempted even half as many and only Eli Manning (38) is within a dozen of Newton’s league-leading mark.
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At the other end of the scale, Kevin Kolb has attempted just 11 deep passes on the season and completed only five of them. Those are not the figures you would hope to see as a Cardinals fan, given that Kolb was supposed to be the tonic that would fix their floundering passing attack. Kolb is also at the bottom in terms of the percentage of attempts, with just 6.4% of his drop-backs resulting in deep shots. Newton 18.8% nearly tops the league in this regard too, currently sitting second only to Manning’s 19.4%. That is a pretty remarkable figure when you think about it – just under one in every five drop-backs Manning takes results in a pass traveling 20+ yards down field. That’s some serious aggression and has resulted in a league-leading six touchdowns coming from those long balls.
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Two other passers have matched those six touchdowns, despite far fewer attempts. One is Aaron Rodgers, who seems to possess the quarterbacking version of the Midas Touch at the moment, and the other is Matthew Stafford, no doubt aided by some serious assistance from Megatron down the field.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly the player with the highest number of interceptions on his deep attempts is none other than Rex Grossman. Grossman leads Kyle Orton (also benched) and Kevin Kolb by a single pick, which will be yet another ominous figure for Cardinals fans on two counts. Firstly, Kolb is the only one of those three not to have yet lost his job, and secondly, Kolb has racked up those deep ball interceptions despite attempting fewer than any other quarterback.
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But what about the interesting part of the study – accuracy?
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Filtering out quarterbacks with fewer than 10 attempts leaves us with a nice round figure of 32 passers. Those 32 span a variance of 40% in their accuracy. Matt Ryan is at the foot of the table, completing just four of his 25 attempts over 20 yards. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown and has been picked off once. He has also had one pass dropped on him. At the opposite end, the lead in deep pass accuracy is shared by a pair of quarterbacks, both from the NFC East. Tony Romo and Michael Vick have both completed 60% of their deep shots. Romo has thrown three touchdowns on his 12 completions, but he has also been picked off twice. Vick has thrown a touchdown and a pick on his 12 completions, but has also had three passes dropped … all from DeSean Jackson, proving yet again why he is one of the most frustrating talents in the league.
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Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers rather predictably are not far off the lead, both completing 50%+ of their deep attempts, each with just a single interception and five or more touchdowns.
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There are a couple of interesting names at the wrong end of the statistics. Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to be an intriguing story for the Bills, but he has completed just four of the 17 deep shots he has attempted this season and has gone deep on just 8.4% of his drop-backs. Ben Roethligberger is also at the tail end of the league, despite having arguably the league’s best deep threat in Mike Wallace to throw to. Big Ben has completed eight deep passes, but missed on another 18 with just one of those being a drop. His three touchdowns are nearly matched by a pair of picks and you really expect better for a player of his ability and arm.
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Deep Passing as of Week 6

#PlayerTeamAtt.CompDropsYardsTDsINTsAtt. %Acc. %
1tTony RomoDAL201204073210.460.0
1tMichael VickPHI251233901112.560.0
3Chad HenneMIA17912630115.258.8
4Drew BreesNO291705725111.058.6
5Sam BradfordSL20832782110.355.0
6Aaron RodgersGB241124926111.554.2
7tEli ManningNYG381816106219.450.0
7tPhilip RiversSD1872262319.750.0
7tAlex D. SmithSF1260170217.650.0
10Matt SchaubHST271213854013.448.1
11Cam NewtonCAR431826233218.846.5
12Matthew StaffordDET281033556111.846.4
13Matt HasselbeckTEN241013281213.345.8
14Kevin KolbARZ1150205136.445.5
15Andy DaltonCIN20902792210.645.0
16tJay CutlerCHI21722171210.542.9
16tTom BradyNE28932942211.842.9
16tJosh FreemanTB1442156216.442.9
16tRex GrossmanWAS21812331412.742.9
20Kyle OrtonDEN1241152237.741.7
21Mark SanchezNYJ22811953211.140.9
22Matt CasselKC18702421112.938.9
23Joe FlaccoBLT30833175117.336.7
24Matt MooreMIA1113460218.336.4
25Colt McCoyCLV2070211319.235.0
26Ben RoethlisbergerPIT26813433213.334.6
27Tarvaris JacksonSEA18511531211.533.3
28Blaine GabbertJAX17501733113.829.4
29Donovan McNabbMIN1440105109.028.6
30Jason CampbellOAK24602221214.525.0
31Ryan FitzpatrickBUF1740137118.423.5
32Matt RyanATL25411560111.520.0

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We’ll continue to keep the signature stats churning throughout the season and look forward to checking out the trends as and when they change.
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Follow Sam on Twitter: @SamMonson … and give our main Twitter feed a follow too: @ProFootbalFocus



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Posted by Tiger Hebert at 10:58 AM
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