SportsNation Blog Archives
San Francisco 49ers
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Brad Childress gets Brett Favre and quickly ends up with a hefty contract extension. Lovie Smith gets Jay Cutler and finds people wondering if he'll soon be unemployed. Some guys have all the luck. Nevertheless, the Bears enter Sunday's showdown against the Eagles just one game off the wild-card pace, despite losing their past two. And Cutler's old team in Denver has lost three in a row and may be without Kyle Orton against the Chargers this week. One SportsNation blogger thinks Cutler is still the right guy for the Bears, but does his new team or his old team need a win more this week?
- "Cutler has the ability to win games for his team; an ability that was overly praised when Brett Favre was in Green Bay but is now largely overlooked in evaluating today's quarterbacks (for some reason, people have fallen in love with "guys who just know how to win," forgetting that those guys have either rock solid defenses or unstoppable running games). But don't ask me, ask any of the many quarterback-starved teams in the league if they would give up exactly what the Bears gave up to get Cutler to begin with right now." Read afjumpfan23's full post.
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SportsNation would rather have Peyton Manning than Tom Brady dating their sister, but the roles are reversed if a wingman is called for. Maybe it's time to have the quarterback beauty contest settled on the field.
In the other big rivalry game of the week (no, not Chiefs-Raiders), Chad Ochocinco is winning the PR war (and food fight) for the Bengals, but fans favor the Steelers.
- Vote: Pick winners | Vs. spread | Cowboys-Eagles | Ravens-Bengals | Steelers-Broncos
- Your rankings: Power Rankings | MVP Watch | Quarterbacks | Coaches
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- Weekly chatters: Chris Mortensen | Matt Williamson | Jeremy Green | KC Joyner
- Special guests: Jets LB Bart Scott | "First Take" analyst Drew Bennett | Len Pasquarelli
- Local team chats: ESPN Boston | ESPN Chicago | ESPN Dallas
What does Tony Romo have to do to catch a break? Wait, poor choice of words. Romo should be breathing easy these days. Criticized heavily during the Cowboys' slow start -- he had slipped all the way to No. 17 in SportsNation's quarterback rankings as recently as Oct. 12 -- Romo bounced back with three great games in a row. By Monday, he was back up to the cusp of the top 10 at the position in SportsNation's eyes. Enter Roy Williams, who managed the seemingly impossible feat of handing a popularity contest to Terrell Owens.
SportsNation says Romo isn't a leader, but one blogger is ready to follow him to a win against the Eagles.
- "I will believe, for now, that 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the last 3 games is not coincidence or a streak. I will believe that the stench of the T.O. signing and leaving has finally left us. Romo is reaching more receivers -- to include the backs. Romo is tucking and running more than I've probably ever seen him do, and I'll take that & Just don't get hurt & Because our back-up QB is [Jon] Kitna. Why is all of this happening? Because T.O. is not crying for the ball. Because the show that is T.O. is not the looming and ominous cloud hanging over Romo anymore." Read MoAz2213's full post.
- Vote: Pick winners | Against spread | Vikings-Packers | Broncos-Ravens | Vince Young
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- Special guests: Former Packers FB William Henderson | ESPN Boston's Tedy Bruschi
- Local team chats: ESPN Boston | ESPN Chicago | ESPN Dallas
Hidden beneath the layers of Shakespearean drama involved in Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field to face the boos and settle scores with Ted Thompson, there's a reasonably important division game on tap Sunday in Green Bay. With the Bears skidding and the Lions, well, still the Lions, the Vikings could put the kind of distance normally reserved for month-old Limburger between themselves and the Cheeseheads. SportsNation is picking the visitors to get it done, and one blogger thinks this could be the beginning of the end.
- "The Packers are above average on both sides of the ball. They are a solid team. The defense is giving up only 16 PPG, and only 96 total this season. They're in the top ten in most offensive and defensive categories. Their only losses? Cincinnati and Minnesota. Sounds legit right? Unfortunately not. 3 of 4 wins have come against bottom tier opponents and based on the look of the rest of the schedule, which consists of Minnesota again this week, Dallas, San Francisco, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, another trip to Chicago, and Arizona, doesn't look good. Final Prediction: 7-9 Verdict: Pretender " Read Feldman9000's full post.
- Your Rankings: In its fifth season, how does the QB class of 2005 look?
- Your Power Rankings: Where do you have the 49ers this week?
- Blogger Chats: NFC North's Kevin Seifert, 2 ET | AFC North's James Walker, 4 ET
It's always easier to solve a problem if you start with what you know. And we know Adrian McPherson and Stefan LeFors are not the best quarterbacks selected in the 2005 draft. They may be better options at the position than JaMarcus Russell, but that's an entirely different problem.
Alex Smith's return to the starting lineup, on the heels of a quality relief appearance against the Texans, brings the class of 2005 back into focus. From surprise MVP candidates (Kyle Orton), big-money acquisitions (Matt Cassel) and the guy who pushed Brett Favre out of Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers) to a couple of guys fighting for starting snaps (Derek Anderson and Jason Campbell), it's not quite the class of 1983 but it's an interesting bunch.
After Smith lost out to Shaun Hill in the preseason, only 19 percent of SportsNation thought he would ever be a full-time NFL starter.
Sam (San Francisco, CA)
Thoughts on Alex Smith being named the Niners starter?
Gary Horton
I was really happy yesterday to see Smith get another chance. I really like him. Not only as a player, but people around him think highly of him and how he's handled the situation. The 49ers are last in the NFL for throwing to their WRs. For the most part, this passing game has been to RBs and TEs. That makes it easy to defend. Smith has the bigger arm than Shaun Hill. They now have Crabtree on the perimeter and they have the ability to really stretch the defense with Smith's arm strength and that opens up the run game. He's had a lot of time to study defenses and work on his weaknesses and I would like to think that this is not only a real positive for Smith but that it really opens up the 49ers offense. Full transcript.
Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd don't need a marker to hit long "SportsNation" TV field goals.
Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.
Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).
How has the umpiring affected your opinion of instant replay?
Dale Scott and Tim McClelland made calls Tuesday that clearly were wrong in television replay. They aren't the first or only mistakes this postseason.
Do you have a problem with Manny showering as the Dodgers lost?
Ramirez told reporters he went into the clubhouse after he was pulled from the lineup and did not see the play that ended Game 4 of the NLCS.
Should Titans fans be offended by Jeff Fisher wearing a Manning jersey?
Fisher wore the Peyton jersey at a charity event for Rocketown at Lipscomb University in Nashville with former Colts coach Tony Dungy.
Which WR will have the better season?
Rookie Michael Crabtree could get his first start with the 49ers this week. Veteran T.O. hasn't been getting many touches in Buffalo's anemic offense.
What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.
It only took a couple of wins for fans like MSJC36 to accept Josh McDaniels. The other fan bloggers (if you ignore the Broncos' true rivals) are grudgingly coming around, too.
On the spectrum opposite the undefeated, 0-5 despair translated to draft dreams.
Rush Limbaugh's role in a bid for the Rams drew spirited response (click through below if you think there's still something to add to this debate), Terrell Owens trade rumors involved multiple teams and the UFL even got a cursory look from fans.
These are the best NFL fan blogs posted on ESPN.com this week. Click through to respond to win-starved fans or a post about your favorite team.
Week 6 predictions: Jbreaux2 | Feldman9000
“Break up the Broncos. Who would have thought that Josh McDaniels would have the Denver Broncos with a 5-0 record? With all the offseason and preseason drama, it seemed at first that McDaniels was doing a good job at alienating his team.
” -- Goldbrick4
“Don't come in here with your 'we're 5-0, WHHEEEEE, WHHHHOOOOO" record trying to impress. You're 5-0. Good job. The season is still early.
” -- Jack London220
“I understand that Tennessee is 0-5, but putting in Vince Young at this point is more than just hitting the panic button; it's the equivalent of initiating a self-destruct sequence.
” -- afjumpman23
“Of all the undefeated teams, if the Bears were forced to play one of them, I'd hate for them to play the Colts right now. That team is almost impossible to stop.
” -- The Mini Ditkas
Despite the quarterback mystery, quarterback changes, wide receiver moves and lack of wins, there are still Browns fans. GoBrowns29 and our bloggers provide the evidence.
Like fans of the Chiefs, Titans, Panthers, Rams and Buccaneers, they're not happy, but they still love their team (just not the coach, players, GM, owner or other scapegoat).
These are the best NFL fan blogs posted on ESPN.com this week. Click through to respond to win-starved fans or a post about your favorite team.
Week 5 predictions: Venture99 | phyhtheaux | brijay103099
Week 17 predictions: AniD89
“And both axles just broke off of Derek Anderson's bandwagon because the population on it increased by 800 percent.
” -- flight23_14
“At this point I can't help but wonder if there are any of the teams left on the schedule that the Buccaneers can actually beat.
” -- BucsgirlDK
“Then it hit me, like the Jerry Jones scoreboard crashing down on top of me. We (the Chiefs) have become the Raiders.
” -- Sports Page Network
“The Browns have scored 49 points and they have ONLY been outscored by 69 points, while the Rams have been outscored by, a humiliating, 84 points. Wow.
” -- Godlike_82
- Your Rankings: Who do you have as the best wide receivers in the NFL?
- Vote: Is Braylon Edwards a better addition for Jets or subtraction for Browns?
- Chats: NFC West blogger Mike Sando, 1 ET | Football Scientist KC Joyner, 4 ET
Braylon Edwards allegedly decks one of LeBron James' friends and gets traded to the Jets. Michael Crabtree, with Hammer along for the ride, finally signs with the 49ers a month into the regular season. Likely first-round pick Dez Bryant is ruled ineligible for the rest of the season at Oklahoma State for violating NCAA bylaws.
And all of this in a week when Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens have been quiet.
The point? It's not difficult to find wide receivers capable of making headlines. Getting the guys who make plays consistently is a bit more challenging.
Scouts Inc. has put together a list of the best wide receivers in the game, but with Owens fading and Marvin Harrison gone, what are we to make of the current crop of receivers? Have Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson taken over at the top?
Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd are prepared to pitch on three days' rest for "SportsNation" TV.
Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.
Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).
Would you perform better at work if Michael Jordan were around?
His Airness is an inspirational, honorary assistant to U.S. captain Fred Couples during the Presidents Cup in San Francisco. He's also smoking cigars.
Is Brett Favre the most overrated player in the NFL?
He owns many quarterback records but only one Super Bowl ring. No other quarterback gets more media love and mixed reaction from fans.
Is Lance Armstrong's endorsing beer a good or bad idea?
The seven-time Tour de France winner, who spends much of his time advocating for cancer research, will be the spokesman for Michelob Ultra.
Which fan base made out better with its team's WR addition?
On the same morning the 49ers finally signed first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree, the Browns traded Braylon Edwards to the Jets.
How will Alex Rodriguez fare in the first round?
A-Rod's reputation in the postseason isn't positive in New York, but a 27th title would change everything. He hit 30 homers and drove in 100 runs this season.
What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.
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SPORTSNATION GRIDIRON CENTRAL
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