NFC West: David Tyree
Greg from Seattle thought Victor Cruz's first-quarter non-fumble in the Super Bowl, rendered irrelevant by a penalty for 12 men on the field, resembled the forward-progress call involving Ahmad Bradshaw that hurt San Francisco during the 49ers' game against the Giants two weeks ago.
"The only discernible difference I saw was that there were two men involved on Bradshaw's fumble two weeks ago," Greg wrote. "If this week's play had been ruled a fumble while the Niners were not permitted even to challenge, I would have been outraged. Curious to hear your perspective."
Mike Sando: I had the exact same thought, but it was a fleeting one because of the penalty. The 49ers weren't necessarily victimized by a horrible call, in my view. It seemed like one of those unlucky ones, along the lines of the chop-block call against Frank Gore in Baltimore. I disagreed with the call against Gore and thought the 49ers caught a bad break on the Bradshaw ruling. The Cruz play looked similar when watching the game live. (Update: Gore chop block was obviously at Baltimore; I mistakenly wrote Philadelphia originally).
Former NFL officiating boss Mike Pereira, now a Fox analyst, offered this take: "Without this penalty, fans would have been left wondering why the play in San Francisco was ruled forward progress and this one wasn’t. In my opinion, both plays should have been ruled forward progress and not fumbles."
I dislike the forward-progress ruling when it's close. Rules require players making receptions to hold onto the ball through the conclusion of the play. Why not enforce the same standard for players running with the ball? If officials think forward progress has been stopped, then they should blow the whistle. Had the whistle blown when Bradshaw lost the ball? How about when Cruz lost the ball? If not, the play was live, right?
I'm open-minded on this, but that's how it looks from this angle.
Bruce from Port Angeles, Wash., was among several writing to express satisfaction after seeing Cortez Kennedy become the second longtime Seattle Seahawks player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He appreciated whatever work was done in presenting Kennedy's credentials to the selectors.
Mike Sando: The Mount Rushmore of Seahawks history would include Steve Largent, Kenny Easley, Kennedy and Walter Jones, in my view. Shaun Alexander deserves consideration as well, but I think those other guys were the elite of the elite in the pure ability to dominate their opponents.
Easley, Kennedy and Jones played extremely physical positions, too, so their dominance was a cut above simply by the nature of their jobs. I tend to favor candidates who flat-out dominated even when two or three opponents at a time matched up against them. Kennedy fit that criteria.
Kennedy's candidacy suffered some from the Seahawks' struggles during the 1990s. The team kept hiring offensive-minded head coaches in an effort to fix that side of the ball, going from Chuck Knox to Tom Flores to Dennis Erickson to Mike Holmgren during Kennedy's tenure.
Holmgren's arrival in 1999 led to an 8-2 start and playoff appearance that season. Kennedy had 6.5 sacks and two interceptions that year, with three of those sacks during Holmgren's return to Green Bay on the Monday night stage. Overall, Kennedy appeared in prime time only five times during his career. For that reason, many of the selectors rarely saw him play.
One key to Kennedy's enshrinement was making sure the selectors had the relevant facts and testimonials before them. Presenting Kennedy was straightforward. His credentials made it so.
Ted from San Carlos thought Wes Welker was taking far too much criticism for the pass he failed to catch with four minutes remaining in Super Bowl XLVI. He questioned whether I had even watched the game. "How could you blame Welker for that 'drop' when the pass was terrible? Brady had a wide-open Welker and made a bad pass. It would have been a GREAT catch had he caught it. This is on Brady."
Mike Sando: Welker blamed Welker. He is a credible source on the subject. The ball hit both of his hands.
Suzy from Dallas says Welker "manned up" and took the blame for missing what would have been a "miracle" catch. "When you review the tape," she wrote, "please retract your entire story (like a man)."
Mike Sando: David Tyree made a miracle catch in Super Bowl XLII. Welker has a clear opportunity to make this catch. He is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Many sources, including the Boston Globe, have described this pass for what it was, a bit behind Welker, but catchable. If Welker had made that catch, people would not be talking about it in the vein they discuss Tyree's catch. Not even close.
Andy from Syracuse was among several fans asking whether the 49ers' move to Santa Clara on game days will result in a name change.
Mike Sando: They will still be the San Francisco 49ers. Their headquarters have been in Santa Clara for years. The team's history and heritage is very important to team persident Jed York. Santa Clara is not that far away.
Darren from Vacaville, Calif., did not like reading in our recent Super Bowl losers story the word "outclassed" to describe the Los Angeles Rams during their Super Bowl defeat to Pittsburgh following the 1979 season. "This team had the feared Steelers on the ropes," he wrote.
Mike Sando: I'm going to grant you this one. I actually did not write that part of the item. Jamison Hensley and I worked on that together. He wrote the part on the Rams. I saw it and did not disagree strongly enough to talk to him about adjusting it. It was a reasonable take given the Rams' status that season as a 9-7 team without its starting quarterback, Pat Haden.
Sorry, no Arizona Cardinals questions this time. There weren't any fresh ones atop the mailbag. My flight is making its way across the country. Figured I'd better file this while the laptop battery was strong, the wireless was working, etc.
"The only discernible difference I saw was that there were two men involved on Bradshaw's fumble two weeks ago," Greg wrote. "If this week's play had been ruled a fumble while the Niners were not permitted even to challenge, I would have been outraged. Curious to hear your perspective."
Mike Sando: I had the exact same thought, but it was a fleeting one because of the penalty. The 49ers weren't necessarily victimized by a horrible call, in my view. It seemed like one of those unlucky ones, along the lines of the chop-block call against Frank Gore in Baltimore. I disagreed with the call against Gore and thought the 49ers caught a bad break on the Bradshaw ruling. The Cruz play looked similar when watching the game live. (Update: Gore chop block was obviously at Baltimore; I mistakenly wrote Philadelphia originally).
Former NFL officiating boss Mike Pereira, now a Fox analyst, offered this take: "Without this penalty, fans would have been left wondering why the play in San Francisco was ruled forward progress and this one wasn’t. In my opinion, both plays should have been ruled forward progress and not fumbles."
I dislike the forward-progress ruling when it's close. Rules require players making receptions to hold onto the ball through the conclusion of the play. Why not enforce the same standard for players running with the ball? If officials think forward progress has been stopped, then they should blow the whistle. Had the whistle blown when Bradshaw lost the ball? How about when Cruz lost the ball? If not, the play was live, right?
I'm open-minded on this, but that's how it looks from this angle.
Bruce from Port Angeles, Wash., was among several writing to express satisfaction after seeing Cortez Kennedy become the second longtime Seattle Seahawks player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He appreciated whatever work was done in presenting Kennedy's credentials to the selectors.
Mike Sando: The Mount Rushmore of Seahawks history would include Steve Largent, Kenny Easley, Kennedy and Walter Jones, in my view. Shaun Alexander deserves consideration as well, but I think those other guys were the elite of the elite in the pure ability to dominate their opponents.
Easley, Kennedy and Jones played extremely physical positions, too, so their dominance was a cut above simply by the nature of their jobs. I tend to favor candidates who flat-out dominated even when two or three opponents at a time matched up against them. Kennedy fit that criteria.
Kennedy's candidacy suffered some from the Seahawks' struggles during the 1990s. The team kept hiring offensive-minded head coaches in an effort to fix that side of the ball, going from Chuck Knox to Tom Flores to Dennis Erickson to Mike Holmgren during Kennedy's tenure.
Holmgren's arrival in 1999 led to an 8-2 start and playoff appearance that season. Kennedy had 6.5 sacks and two interceptions that year, with three of those sacks during Holmgren's return to Green Bay on the Monday night stage. Overall, Kennedy appeared in prime time only five times during his career. For that reason, many of the selectors rarely saw him play.
One key to Kennedy's enshrinement was making sure the selectors had the relevant facts and testimonials before them. Presenting Kennedy was straightforward. His credentials made it so.
Ted from San Carlos thought Wes Welker was taking far too much criticism for the pass he failed to catch with four minutes remaining in Super Bowl XLVI. He questioned whether I had even watched the game. "How could you blame Welker for that 'drop' when the pass was terrible? Brady had a wide-open Welker and made a bad pass. It would have been a GREAT catch had he caught it. This is on Brady."
Mike Sando: Welker blamed Welker. He is a credible source on the subject. The ball hit both of his hands.
Suzy from Dallas says Welker "manned up" and took the blame for missing what would have been a "miracle" catch. "When you review the tape," she wrote, "please retract your entire story (like a man)."
Mike Sando: David Tyree made a miracle catch in Super Bowl XLII. Welker has a clear opportunity to make this catch. He is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Many sources, including the Boston Globe, have described this pass for what it was, a bit behind Welker, but catchable. If Welker had made that catch, people would not be talking about it in the vein they discuss Tyree's catch. Not even close.
Andy from Syracuse was among several fans asking whether the 49ers' move to Santa Clara on game days will result in a name change.
Mike Sando: They will still be the San Francisco 49ers. Their headquarters have been in Santa Clara for years. The team's history and heritage is very important to team persident Jed York. Santa Clara is not that far away.
Darren from Vacaville, Calif., did not like reading in our recent Super Bowl losers story the word "outclassed" to describe the Los Angeles Rams during their Super Bowl defeat to Pittsburgh following the 1979 season. "This team had the feared Steelers on the ropes," he wrote.
Mike Sando: I'm going to grant you this one. I actually did not write that part of the item. Jamison Hensley and I worked on that together. He wrote the part on the Rams. I saw it and did not disagree strongly enough to talk to him about adjusting it. It was a reasonable take given the Rams' status that season as a 9-7 team without its starting quarterback, Pat Haden.
Sorry, no Arizona Cardinals questions this time. There weren't any fresh ones atop the mailbag. My flight is making its way across the country. Figured I'd better file this while the laptop battery was strong, the wireless was working, etc.
Assessing Rams' situation at receiver
November, 16, 2009
11/16/09
6:17
PM ET
By
Mike Sando | ESPN.com
The Rams placed starting receiver Keenan Burton on injured reserve Monday, ending his season. The position has been hit incredibly hard by injuries this season, recalling what Seattle went through in 2008.
The Rams were already rebuilding at the position after releasing Torry Holt as part of a youth movement and salary-cap adjustment. General manager Billy Devaney made a solid move in acquiring Laurent Robinson from the Falcons before the season. Robinson was the Rams' best receiver through the first two games, but a season-ending injury landed him on injured reserve. Starter Donnie Avery has hit stride recently after battling injuries most of the season. Brandon Gibson, a rookie acquired from Philadelphia in the Will Witherspoon trade, made strong contributions Sunday.
Burton had shown significant improvement in recent weeks. He ranks second to Avery in receptions among St. Louis' wide receivers. Running back Steven Jackson leads the team overall.
The Rams have had nine receivers on their 53-man roster this season: Gibson, Avery, Burton, Robinson, Danny Amendola, Ruvell Martin, Tim Carter, Nate Jones and Derek Stanley. Fifth-round choice Brooks Foster landed on injured reserve before the season. Ronald Curry was with the team in camp.
Avery, Gibson, Amendola and Martin remain. Sean Walker is on the practice squad. Chris Davis, Skyler Green, David Tyree, Larry Beavers, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne and Jordan Kent have had tryouts with the team over the last two months.
Keeping Avery healthy is critical. Gibson will continue getting significant reps after catching seven passes for 93 yards against the Saints in Week 10.
The Rams were already rebuilding at the position after releasing Torry Holt as part of a youth movement and salary-cap adjustment. General manager Billy Devaney made a solid move in acquiring Laurent Robinson from the Falcons before the season. Robinson was the Rams' best receiver through the first two games, but a season-ending injury landed him on injured reserve. Starter Donnie Avery has hit stride recently after battling injuries most of the season. Brandon Gibson, a rookie acquired from Philadelphia in the Will Witherspoon trade, made strong contributions Sunday.
Burton had shown significant improvement in recent weeks. He ranks second to Avery in receptions among St. Louis' wide receivers. Running back Steven Jackson leads the team overall.
The Rams have had nine receivers on their 53-man roster this season: Gibson, Avery, Burton, Robinson, Danny Amendola, Ruvell Martin, Tim Carter, Nate Jones and Derek Stanley. Fifth-round choice Brooks Foster landed on injured reserve before the season. Ronald Curry was with the team in camp.
Avery, Gibson, Amendola and Martin remain. Sean Walker is on the practice squad. Chris Davis, Skyler Green, David Tyree, Larry Beavers, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne and Jordan Kent have had tryouts with the team over the last two months.
Keeping Avery healthy is critical. Gibson will continue getting significant reps after catching seven passes for 93 yards against the Saints in Week 10.
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The hits keep coming for the Rams at a position where quality depth was already a problem.
The team could lose leading receiver Laurent Robinson for the remainder of the season, Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Fellow receiver Donnie Avery also suffered an injury in Week 3, although I'm not sure of the severity.
If Robinson goes on injured reserve, the Rams would be left, for now, with Avery, Keenan Burton, Danny Amendola and Ruvell Martin as their only receivers. The team brought in Chris Davis, Skyler Green and David Tyree for tryouts last week.
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Steve Spagnuolo's handling of Richie Incognito shows how much the new coach values passion and intensity. Burwell: "It wasn't just Incognito. Marc Bulger bounced up off the ground after getting smashed by a couple of Seattle defenders and tried to take on three Seahawks when they got in his face and started woofin'. Yeah, that's right, the quarterback you love to hate, the QB you swear has all the emotion of a sun dial, the guy you all swear is too low-key, too emotionally detached, was ready to rumble."
Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details Incognito's penalties and the Rams' plans to bring in former Giants receiver David Tyree for a physical examination. Thomas: "Baltimore and Jacksonville also are showing interest in Tyree, who was one of the Super Bowl heroes for New York two seasons ago with his 'Helmet Catch' on the game-winning touchdown drive. Tyree also has a reputation as an excellent special teams player."
Also from Thomas: He lists some of the problems that dragged down the Rams in Seattle.
Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says C.J. Ah You was the 12th man on the field for the Rams when he blocked Olindo Mare's field goal try. Spagnuolo: "I'll take the blame for that. I'm sure guys will be accountable and tell you it was their fault, but I always put that on me. It's from the top down."
Also from Coats: a report card featuring a D-minus grade for Spagnuolo and the Rams' coaching staff. Coats: "There were problems getting personnel into the game, which cost the Rams a couple of timeouts. HC Steve Spagnuolo had a generally rough debut, but he earned points for temporarily benching, but not burying, Richie Incognito after his second personal foul. OC Pat Shurmur’s play-calling was timid and uninspired. The Rams failed to capitalize on the three early turnovers that DC Ken Flajole’s unit provided. The defense remains soft vs. the run, and there was little pressure on [Matt] Hasselbeck. Tom McMahon’s special teams committed a couple of major gaffes."
Jeff Gordon of stltoday.com says during a postgame chat that Bulger kept fighting.
Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com says penalties were largely responsible for the Rams' problems in Seattle. Spagnuolo: "I’m obviously disappointed in the result. I’m not disappointed in the effort. Sometimes it’s hard to see. But on the sideline, I could see it, the passion in those guys’ eyes. I told them in there, we have passionate football players on this team and that’s a good thing. We turn that passion into productive play and we’ll be OK."
Also from stlouisrams.com: Spagnuolo's postgame news conference.
Fewer receivers for the Rams to consider
September, 7, 2009
9/07/09
12:22
PM ET
By
Mike Sando | ESPN.com
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Giants and Eagles each kept seven wide receivers on their initial 53-man rosters. What does that have to do with the NFC West? It means the Rams, with only four receivers and a need for quality depth at the position, had fewer receivers to consider following the mandatory reduction to no more than 53 players.
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo spent two seasons with the Giants after eight with the Eagles. Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur spent the last 10 seasons with the Eagles. I figured the Rams might look at the Eagles' and Giants' cut lists when considering their options. The lists simply weren't very long.
Sinorice Moss stuck with the Giants, potentially a surprise even for him. The Giants did release David Tyree, a player reportedly drawing interest from a few teams, possibly the Rams. Trade rumors involving the Eagles' Reggie Brown also percolated before the reduction to 53 players.
Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Laurent Robinson and Derek Stanley were the Rams' only receivers after Sunday.
Giants GM on Cards: 'Almost isn't good enough'
April, 16, 2009
4/16/09
3:36
PM ET
By
Mike Sando | ESPN.com
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Giants general manager Jerry Reese went on record suggesting the proposed asking price for Boldin "could" be too high.
Reese's comments about Boldin were not specific enough to swerve into tampering, in my view, but his subsequent comments about Fitzgerald and Arizona will surely find their way into the Cardinals' locker room before the teams face one another Oct. 25 at Giants Stadium.
Reese: "I think people are panicked a little bit about receiver. We're not panicked about it. You'd like to have a big Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson ... you'd like to have those types of guys. But Larry Fitzgerald's team didn't win the Super Bowl. Almost is not good enough in this league. He was outstanding, but his team didn't win. There are other ways to do it."
The Giants won a championship after David Tyree made a circus catch off his helmet. That's one way to win a championship, but not as reliable as, say, targeting Fitzgerald over the middle with the game on the line, as Kurt Warner did in rallying Arizona into the lead during the final minutes of the most recent Super Bowl.
The Giants have a terrific organization and a very good team. But to link Fitzgerald's presence on the Cardinals' roster to Arizona's runner-up status in the Super Bowl? That's a stretch.
New York at St. Louis: Giants DNA profile
September, 14, 2008
9/14/08
11:15
AM ET
By
Mike Sando | ESPN.com
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The defending Super Bowl champion Giants feature only four current and former Pro Bowl players on their 53-man roster now that Jeremy Shockey has left, Michael Strahan has retired and Osi Umenyiora and David Tyree have landed on injured reserve.
What does it mean for the Giants? Not much, so far. The team proved its mettle last season by shrugging off Shockey's injury to win a Super Bowl. Now, the Giants, heavy favorites to defeat the Rams in St. Louis today, are looking for their 11th consecutive road victory.
I went through my roided-out Giants roster to make sure jersey numbers, heights and weights matched the latest information. But the fun resides in checking out some of the breakdowns.
We see 25 players drafted by the Giants, including 23 drafted under coach Tom Coughlin and one apiece under coaches Jim Fassel (David Diehl) and Dan Reeves (Amani Toomer). We see a team heavy on players from the ACC and Pac-10. Plus a look at every player who has spent time on the Giants' roster for the last year-plus. And lots, lots more.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
