Garnett Suspended For Game 2

No Emmy Awards will be handed out for game 2 of the Heat-Celtics series, only suspensions.

Kevin Garnett, dubbed the “actress” by Quentin Richardson, will miss Game 2 after being suspended by the NBA for throwing an elbow in a sideline skirmish during Game 1.

Garnett was handed a double technical and ejected with 40 seconds remaining in the game. He landed an elbow to the face of Richardson while standing over an injured Paul Pierce. Richardson was fined $25,000 for his role.

During a postgame press conference, Richardson went on to call both Garnett and Pierce ”actresses.”

Anyone who watches the NBA would be hard-pressed to argue. Pierce is always flailing around or lying on the court as if he had just been shot( or maybe stabbed…again). Who can forget that wonderful acting job from the 2008 Finals(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVx9w4ajxqs)?

As for Garnett, I almost forgot he was still in the league until this incident. He spends more time screw-facing, talking trash, or slapping away shots after the whistle than actually playing. I miss the days when Garnett was relevant for his play, and not his antics.

Lions Avoid 20th Consecutive Loss

There is an odd feeling in Detroit…the feeling of victory.

“We went a whole season without feeling like this, so you have to take it in and enjoy,” said center Dominic Raiola after the Detroit Lions defeated the Washington Redskins 19-14 on Sunday to end a 19 game losing streak.

Matthew Stafford drove the team 99 yard on 12 plays, after Washington was denied on fourth and goal from the one, to open the scoring. Jason Hanson tacked on two field goals to put Detroit up 13-0 at halftime. Unlike last week, when they let a 10-0 halftime lead slip away to the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions were able to close the deal.

Stafford finished the day 21 of 36 for 241 yards and one touchdown. Jason Campbell went 27 of 41 for 340 yards two touchdowns and an interception. Lions running back Kevin Smith ran for 101 yards on 16 carries.

Marshall to be Suspended

According to Ed Werder of ESPN, wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been suspended by the Denver Broncos for contact detrimental to the team.

The lenght of the suspension has not yet been released. The maximum suspension allowed is four games.

Marshall, who put on a stunning display of selfishness at yesterday’s practice, has been vocal about his unhappiness in Denver. Although he has requested a trade, it is doubtful the Broncos will oblige. Jay Cutler has already forced his way out, and Denver wouldn’t want to set a precedent for players unhappy with their situation.

Josh McDaniels has done a superb job running the franchise since being named the head coach.

Does Favre Solidify the Vikings?

Written By Ryan Eoff

It’s clear that Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, thinks Brett Favre makes his team better. That’s why he has kept in contact with Favre for the past three weeks despite Favre turning them down. And, that’s why Childress met Favre at the airport when he arrived. That’s also why the Vikings have signed him to a two year contract in which he will make $12 million this season.

Before the start of last season, many experts had the Vikings in their top two or three teams from the NFC. While they may have underperformed based on expectations, they still managed to win their division and finish with a 10-6 record. In their only postseason game they scored just 14 points while Tavaris Jackson completed less than 50% of his passes with no touchdowns and an interception. Up until this point, throughout Vikings camp and after one preseason game, Sage Rosenfels has appeared to be the guy for the starting QB job. Now, it appears the Vikings are handing the job to the 39 year old Favre who had surgery in the offseason and was not involved in training camp. He will be starting their next preseason game against the Chiefs on Friday the 21st.

So the question is does Favre make the Vikings Super Bowl contenders? Or, does Favre even make the Vikings better at all? Last year the Vikings threw for 3,217 yards
(Frerotte: 2,157 yds, Jackson: 1,056 yds, Chester Taylor: 4 yds) while completing 59% of their passes. Favre threw for 3,472 yards with the Jets while completing 65.7% of his passes. As a team, the Vikings threw for 22 touchdowns and 17 interceptions and combined for a passer rating of 81.5. Favre threw for 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions and had a passer rating of 81. Now at 39 years old to start this season (turning 40 in October) many of the concerns for Favre will be on the health of his arm and whether or not he can play well for the entire season. Last year Favre had the Jets at 8-3 going into week 13. To finish the season the Jets lost four out of five games and fell out of a playoff spot. Favre didn’t have a passer rating above 64.5 in any of the last five games and threw only two touchdowns while throwing nine interceptions. On the upside, it wasn’t the worst season Favre has ever had.

There is no question that his veteran leadership will certainly give the Vikings a boost in terms of late game situations and playoff experience. So far all the reports out of Favre’s first couple of practices with the team have been positive. Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said in an interview that he thinks Favre was at an 8.5 out of 10 after just two practices. Favre gives the Vikings the potential to be one of the top two teams in the NFC and with his playoff experience they become a threat to reach the super bowl.

As far as the future is concerned, what is going to happen when Favre’s contract is up in two years? Does Favre finally retire for good? Will the Vikings have to start all over at quarterback or will Rosenfels and Jackson still be there fighting for the job? All we know right now is that this season will be exciting.

Vick Cried, Favre Is Still Unsure, & Sanchez Starts

This week kicks off one of the most publicized weeks in NFL preseason/training camp history. First the buzz last night surrounded embattled Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick’s 60 Minutes interview with Jim Brown. In the interview the former Atlanta Falcons superstar admitted to crying in prison as he thought about the decisions he made. Vick went on to tell Brown that he deserved to lose the $135 million contract he once trophied as well as his entire football career.

As of now Vick is trying to rejuvenate his tarnished image by making appearances with the Humane Society and also by informing inner city youth about the potential pitfalls of dog fighting. During the interview Vick seemed very remorseful and apologetic in regards to the things he was convicted of two years ago.

Vick’s new teammate and fellow quarterback Donovan McNabb dropped a few hints as to how the Eagles may be utilizing Vick’s blazing speed throughout the season. Since Vick officially signed with the Eagles during their Thursday night game against the Patriots last week McNabb has seemed unfazed and rather supportive of the addition. Today McNabb went on record alluding that Vick could potentially be used as a dynamic weapon in the wildcat formation. “I’ll be a receiver. I might be a tight end,” he said with a smile Monday. “You never know where I’ll be.”

McNabb also took some time to reflect on his observations of Michael Vick during his short stint with the Eagles thus far. “He’s done a great job. You have to be excited about his work ethic and attitude,” McNabb said. “I see a guy doing whatever it takes to turn his life around. He’s going through the proper channels.” So far things seem to be going pretty good up in Philly as the Eagles are favored to reach their second Super Bowl within the decade this season.

Another quarterback was in the news this morning for other reasons that we’ve more or less heard enough of over the past two seasons. It seems as though no one including Brett Favre will ever know when it is that he will officially retire; and for good. Just a few weeks ago Favre made the announcement that he would not be joining the Minnesota Vikings this year but earlier today reports surface from an anonymous Vikings player that he would indeed be joining the team this season.

All this comes after a season in which Favre struggled to stay healthy with the New York Jets. Some are skeptical that Favre’s decisions and or inability to come to one stem from his undesired willingness to partake in the rigors of training camp.

Speaking of the New York Jets, Mark Sanchez has been named the starter for the Jets next Monday Night Preseason match up with the Baltimore Ravens. Jets coach Rex Ryan initially said that Kellen Clemens would start most of the preseason but after Sanchez’s debut against the St. Louis Rams on Friday the coach has a different outlook on his prized rookie out of USC.

Ryan spoke glowingly about the rookie’s efforts after he entered the game with 23 seconds left in the first quarter. Up until this point the QB battle in New York has been relatively tight with Sanchez committing rookie mistakes and Clemens edging him out with fairly unspectacular play. Depending on how Sanchez does against one of the league’s stingiest defenses, the Jets might just be on the verge of turning their first franchise quarterback since Broadway Joe!

Florida’s Urban Meyer Gets New Deal

The University of Florida’s Urban Meyer has amassed a rather impressive resume in just four seasons as the head football coach.  Since the 2005 season Meyer has taken the Gators to two national championships of which they won both. Coming off of last year’s championship winning season the university has made Urban Meyer one of the highest paid head coaches in the nation.

His new deal will see him earning $4 million a year for the next six years. The deal is also pretty jammed packed with some attractive incentives. Those incentives will obviously be exhausted as the Florida Gators are favored to win another BCS National Championship with the help of Heisman frontrunner Tim Tebow.

Tiger Woods Wins Buick Open

Woods shot a 3-under 69 and coasted to a three-shot victory with a 20-under 268 total at Warwick Hills, which hosted its first Buick Open in 1958 and seemed to stage its final one Sunday.

“I’ve played all around the world, and I’ve never seen a day like this,” said Woods, also the 2002 and 2006 winner at Warwick Hills. “This event has always been special, but today was something else.”