NFL Summer Fun posted by Brady Fredericksen

Long time no see! While this 65 degree sunny-sometimes summer has been upon us, I haven’t forgotten about my valued 6 and a half readers! Ha, getting back on topic, we’ve had quite the start to an exciting summer in the sporting world. Whether it be baseball, football, or basketball there’s been something to talk about.

Stallworth-y Punishment?
What a surprise, athletes and drunk driving, whoda’ thunk? Sure, most people have driven drunk, but for Cleveland Browns receiver Dante Stallworth a little more then swerving went down that night. Stallworth, whose known more for his blazing speed and iffy hands in the NFL, has recently been sentenced to 30 days in jail, loss of his drivers license for life and following his release from jail, he must serve two years of house arrest and spend eight years on probation.
My first thought is I want that lawyer if I ever get into trouble.
My second thought would be how does anyone pull that off?
Plea deal or not, the killing of a human being should be punished a little bit harder then that. I think most of us could deal with house arrest while being a receiver in the NFL. For some reason, athletes can get a free pass in many serious incidents like this. St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little did the EXACT same thing in 1998, and after serving just 90 days in jail, Leonard Little went on to become one of the top pass rushers in the league.
Had you or I killed someone while driving drunk our goose would have been cooked… but hey, what can you do? Sadly, I don’t have a snappy joke to end that because there really isn’t an excuse for this.
Continue reading "NFL Summer Fun"

Donte Stallworth Pleads Guilty posted by Sara Cardile

Donte Stallworth just plead guilty to DUI manslaughter. It makes you wonder. He seemed to be doing well when he was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles but now that he is playing for the Browns it seems things have gone downhill. Although he did have that one incident while in Philly he seemed like a stand up guy. He got 30 days in jail, 1000 hours community service, his driver’s license suspended for life and has been suspended from the NFL indefinitely. Granted he was facing 15 years in jail so I guess it could have been worse. Either way the incident begs the question how did we get in this situation and could anything have been done to prevent it?

The Call a Car service provided by the league seems to be a solution but even that is a catch-22. If you use the service then you avoid drunk driving but it could be held against you during contract negotiations. Players are worried that if they call the service too often they will get in trouble or gain a negative reputation. I understand their concern but at the same time with all the money they’re making they can’t call a cab? There are changes to be made to the program like possibly making the calls anonymous or have a clause so participation in the program cannot be held against a player. What is the point of having such a program if the players are afraid to use it?

Donte Stallworth sentenced, but was justice served? posted by Matthew McCabe

On Tuesday an agreement was reached in Donte Stallworth's drunk driving incident. Stallworth was arrested after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in Miami on March 14th. The accident occurred at 7:20am as Stallworth was heading home after a night of drinking at a trendy Miami Beach club. The victim was just finishing his shift at work and was crossing the street to catch his bus when Stallworth struck and killed him with his car. When police arrived Stallworth submitted to a roadside sobriety test and blew a .126, well above Florida's .08 legal limit.

Yesterday a plea agreement was reached in the case that will see Stallworth serve 24 days in jail followed by two years of house arrest, eight years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service, and have a lifetime suspension of his driving privileges. Stallworth also reached a financial settlement with the victims family, the details of which remain confidential. If Stallworth's case had gone to trial, a conviction could have resulted in a 15 year prison sentence for Stallworth. The victim's family however, in the interest of foregoing the pain and agony of a trial, got behind the plea agreement to get the issue settled.

Many people are left scratching their heads at the relative ease that was taken on Stallworth in this case. Certainly many see this situation as yet another athlete getting away with a crime that would have cost a regular joe their freedom. After all, Stallworth took the life of another human being as a direct result of his actions, so why does he get off so lightly? Unfortunately this was a case that was not going to be easily put to rest. Make no mistake, Stallworth is guilty at the least of poor judgement that led to the death of another human being. Stallworth certainly looks as guilty as guilty gets, he was drunk at 7:30 in the morning and behind the wheel of a car. Witness' at the scene however report that the victim darted across the street, not in a crosswalk, in an attempt to catch his bus. Stallworth didn't simply run down someone in a crosswalk while paying no attention. This is a situation that any individual could find themselves in on any given day. Would Stallworth have struck and killed the victim if he were completely sober? No one can know that for sure.

A look back at the 2008 Cleveland Browns through black and blue eyes posted by Brad VanFossan

 I actually wrote this back in the winter, around January following the Browns 2008 season and prior to this past April's NFL draft, but just thought I would post it for hopefully all of you Browns fans to enjoy.

Us Browns fans had high hopes in 2008. Our division seemed down, though our schedule looked rough, things looked great.

In came the Cowboys and the game was a flop. Braylon had his first, and possibly biggest drop.

Sunday night vs. the Steelers and right before kickoff, my power went out. I was so angry, I started to shout. I was able to find a radio to tune in Jim and Diek, but once again Pittsburgh made our offense look weak.

In Baltimore came loss number three, Ray Lewis set Winslow up on a tee.

Game four, the Bengals, a win but a bore. Is this really the kind of season we have in store?

In comes the Giants and Tony Kornheiser, to see this coming, I was none the wiser.

After a putrid performance against the Skins, it didn’t look like the Jags would be one of our wins. But behind DA’s 246 yards, a win for Del Rio & crew was not in the cards.

At home vs. Baltimore we blew a late double-digit lead, as the hemmorhage known as our playoff hopes continued to bleed.

Thursday night vs. Denver the Brady Quinn era began, but didn’t last long, as finger on helmet later would not get along. Another big lead lost late, sent many a Browns fan p.o.’ed to the gates.

In Buffalo, clicking send may have sealed Phil’s fate. Brady got his first win, a memorable date.

What was next to come who could forsee? We’d be down to quarterback three, the student of the game from Miami, Mr. Ken Dorsey.

Cleveland Browns: So, after 4 practices, what do we have on offense? What do we have at the skilled positions? posted by Edward Stefanyak

QBs: Okay...after 4 practices, apparently Brady Quinn looked the best. However, according to Coach Mangini, Derek Anderson looked good, as well. Then again, since Brett Ratliff knows Mangini's system, I thought maybe he would be leading the pack early in the game. But, that's not the case. Nevertheless, once again, we will have a QB controversy, or is it healthy competition? On our roster, we have 4 QBs: Derek Anderson, who I believe is starting his 5th year; Brady Quinn, 3; Brett Ratliff, 2; and Richard Bartel, 1. We really don't have a QB who is experienced. Will this be a problem? Anyway, I believe Brady Quinn will be given every opportunity to stabilize this position. It will be his to lose.

RBs: Jamal Lewis will be our starter, and he should be better behind an improved line. However, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 2-back backfield, including Lewis and Jerome Harrison. This could limit Lewis's carries, making him an unhappy camper. Supposedly, Noah Herron will take the place that Jason Wright vacated. So, how will rookie, James Davis, fit in? Will he be groomed to take Lewis's place? Lastly, Lawrence Vickers will start at full back, and Charles Ali is a capable backup.

WRs: This is where things continue to get interesting. We not only have competition at the QB position, but we have a boat load of WRs, as well. With an improved line and improved running game, why wouldn't the passing game flourish? First of all, I wouldn't count on Donte' Stallworth, legal issues or not. Even when he's not having legal problems, Stallworth cannot be depended on. Secondly, I've seen Syndric Steptoe is action, and I'm not impressed. However, Braylon Edwards has a new attitude, and I believe that he will have a good year. He will start, but who will start opposite of Edwards? Will it be a veteren like David Patten, Kevin Kasper, or Mike Furrey? Or, will it be an unproven vet like Devale Ellis or Paul Hubbard? Many fans would like to see Joshua Cribbs start opposite of Edwards. Out of the four practices, Cribbs has been to two of them. Furthermore, there is talk about Cribbs playing on defense, as well. Lastly, will our two rookies be able to crack the starting lineup? Both Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie have been impressive.

My interview with former Penn State Nittany Lion and Cleveland Browns' fullback Tim Manoa posted by Brad VanFossan

Former Penn State and Cleveland Browns' fullback Tim Manoa played four seasons in the NFL, three with Cleveland and one with the Indianapolis Colts.  Tim was also a member of the 1986 National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions who knocked off the high-powered Miami Hurricanes led then by 1986 Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde, 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl.  Tim rushed for 938 career yards on 236 carries with 6 touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 308 yards with 2 touchdowns in his NFL career.

Tim was kind enough to spend some time with me at Rocky's Personalized Training in Boardman, Ohio where he helps out his cousin and owner Rocky Taumoepeau.  In my interview we touched on a little bit of everything from Tim's childhood, his high school career, and all the way to his time with the Browns.  Tim was born in Tonga and ended up playing high school football in western Pennsylvania by way of Hawaii, and that's how my interview starts.

When did you move to the U.S.?

"I was born in Tonga and moved to Hawaii in 1974, Hawaii is where I discovered football.  I attended Kahuku High, which went from grades 7-12 and then moved to Wexford, PA and played at North Allegheny High starting in 10th grade"

How did you end up in Pennsylvania from Hawaii?

"There were friends of my family from PA who went to my church, they always vacationed to Hawaii.  They originally wanted to adopt my sister, but my father thought it would be a good idea for me to go with them, he felt I could get a better education in the states (mainland).  In my senior year at North Allegheny we won the AAAA Football State Championship."

Steelers Game By Game Preview of the 2009-2010 Season 1/2 posted by Rob Preston

As OTA's and minicamps progress while training camp begin to roll over the horizon, America's favorite sport nears its regular season.  While nobody knows how well teams will do in a season with the randomness of injuries and several other factors, it's always interesting to look ahead at the schedule and prognosticate.  Unlike most people, I'm not going to give just a win or loss for each game, rather I'm going to predict how many times the Steelers would win if they played a team 10 times.  For instance if the Steelers were playing a very crappy team, I would say 9/10 or 10/10.  At the end i will add up the wins and divide by 10, giving us how many wins they will have this season.

Week 1 Titans at Steelers

A great season opener with two teams that have plenty of history as well as new found bad blood.  The Titans are coming off a very disappointing post-season last year after earning the best regular season record last year.  While the Titans should still be a good team, they are losing quite possibly the most dominating DT in the game, Albert Haynesworth.  Unfortunately when the Titans "stomped" the Steelers last season, Haynesworth didn't play either, so no real gain there.  The big question will be Kerry Collins, and I think his arm will just about fall off.  I'll give the Steelers 6/10.

Week 2 Steelers at Chicago

The 2009 Bears will be a team to watch in 2009 with the addition of Jay Cutler.  With his ability to throw the ball down the field, Devin Hester may finally be able to reach his potential as a burner at WR.  The Bears will also be returning their star RB, Matt Forte, who impressed last season with over 1,200 yards.  Their defense should be solid as always, but the major question will be chemistry with Cutler and the WR's.  By week 2, will they have enough time together to have their timing down?  Probably not.  I give the Steelers 8/10.

THE BRADY QUINN FACTOR posted by Gary Cairns II

This is the year Quinn should be the starter. It's about time the Clevelad Browns start to invest their time into players and make the Browns a legit team. They are always putting players on pedistools them letting them go.

I think they should start with Quinn. let him play win or lose.

The Fans deserve to root for somebody instead of someone new every year....

Brady Quinn has the talent and the Charm to impact the team and organization.. build around him and they will become successful if they give someone a shot long enough.. let the players build a system and friendship it takes to win a superbowl..

The Cleveland Fans have been great they deserve better management..

What a first day of the NFL Draft for the Browns...and other teams posted by Michael Mayer

The NFL Draft was going according to plan until the Browns went on the clock after Aaron Curry was selected the pick before. They ended up trading their pick to the New York Jets in a mammoth deal in which the Browns essentially ended up trading for 5 guys and gave up the number 5 pick. The Browns then proceeded to trade down twice more until they finally picked at 21. In a surprising move, The Browns chose to pass on Chris "Beanie" Wells and Ray Maualuga and took Cal center Alex Mack who is a very versatile player. I've heard the guy can play every position along the offensive line. In the second round, The Browns might have answered the question as to whether or not Braylon Edwards is staying when they drafted two receiver, Hometown Boy Brian Robiskie out of Ohio State at 36 and Mohamed Massaquoi out of Georgia at 50. Both are very talented. They also might have addressed somewhat their need for a pass rush with David Veikune out of Hawaii at 52. While Browns fans may not like the drafting so far, I think its far better than they think. Mack could be an anchor for the o-line for years to come and Robiskie is a great slot guy, while Massaquoui has the potential to be a one, maybe a two. I've heard some great things about Veikune. Meanwhile, other teams struggled when drafting. The one that obviously comes to my mind is the Oakland Raiders. With a glaring need a wide receiver, and Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin (the two best receiving prospects) still on the board, the Raiders elected to select (in a typical Al Davis move) Darrius Heyward-Bay. Heyward-Bay was Continue reading "What a first day of the NFL Draft ..."

NFL Draft Day One: Bears Trade Down and Out & Other Notes posted by Joe Anello

So there is barely any news on the Chicago front. After waiting over five hours to make their only pick of the day at number 17 in the second round (49th overall), the Chicago Bears made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears sent their 2nd round selection to Seattle and received the Seahawks’ 3rd round (68th overall) and 4th round (105th) choices, both of which will be on Sunday.

This struck me as fairly odd. Georgia wide-out Mohamed Massaquoi and Missouri safety William Moore were still on the board at 49. Massaquoi was the last remaining receiver that would warrant a high selection and could have slid in at the number two spot in the Bears’ offense. Moore was Mel Kiper’s top-rated safety in the entire draft. Maybe Jerry Angelo didn’t think Moore had the instincts for the free safety spot, but Massaquoi was a target all along. Instead, the Bears trade out of the first day of the draft and will have an extremely busy Sunday with nine selections in the final four rounds.

Dallas also traded out of the first day, which means Jerry Angelo did something Jerry Jones-like. (Weird, I know.) It sparked comments from the analysts on ESPN and the NFL Network that scouts told them that this draft class wasn’t very strong or deep. If the Bears really didn’t feel any player they wanted was available, trading down is the right idea. Still, trading down from the middle of the second round when it is your first pick will always confuse me.

In related Bears news:

The Denver Broncos used the third round pick from Chicago (acquired in the Jay Cutler deal) in a package to move back into the second round to pick tight end Richard Quinn.  In the more puzzling move out of Denver, they sent their original first round selection in 2010 to Seattle so they could draft cornerback Alphonso Smith in the early second round (37th). They still have Chicago’s first rounder, which means Denver thinks they’ll finish ahead of the Bears in the standings, thus keeping the higher pick. (Could be an interesting topic of discussion, given the lackluster divisions each team occupies.) Denver’s day was odd. Giving up a first-rounder next year is risky, given 2010’s believed status as a better draft class.

Judge refuses to release Stallworth crash video

A Miami judge is refusing to release surveillance video of a fatal drunk-driving crash involving Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth.Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy ruled Thursday that making the video public would violate the privacy of victim Mario Reyes' family.News organizations wanted the judge to order the video's release by prosecutors. The family and prosecutors wanted the video sealed despite Florida's strong public records laws. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Judge won't release Stallworth video (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports

Fla. judge asked to release Stallworth crash video

A judge in Miami is being asked to publicly release surveillance video of the drunk-driving crash in which Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian.The family of victim Mario Reyes doesn't want the video released to news outlets. Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy set a hearing Tuesday on the issue.Stallworth is serving a 30-day jail sentence for DUI manslaughter in the March 14 crash. Tests showed Stallworth had a blood-alcohol level of 0. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Judge asked to release Stallworth video (AP)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

911 call from Stallworth crash released (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports