Sports Articles

2010-10-27 | Jim Murphy

The 2010 season had already been bad for the Dallas Cowboys, but after Sunday’s game things have gone downhill even more. Starting quarterback Tony Romo suffered a fractured left collarbone in the Cowboys’ 41-35 home loss to the New York Giants. The initial diagnosis is that he'll be out eight weeks, but there’s a significant chance that he’s finished for the season.

2010-10-25 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ organization and fanbase is relieved that linebacker James Harrison has decided not to retire. Harrison was at the center of the NFL’s recent crackdown on violent play, and early last week he threatened to quit football if he couldn’t play the game how he wanted. He's still not happy about the rule changes and refused to talk to the media about them or his decision process. He released a statement through the Steelers’ front office defending his earlier play but apologizing for some of his more incendiary comments:

2010-10-25 | Jim Murphy

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2010 season with expectations that they’d contend for the NFL West title, but instead they’ve slumped to a 1-6 record and have been the biggest disappointment of the year. As bad as things have been so far, they may have gotten worse following a shoulder injury to starting quarterback Alex Smith. Smith suffered the injury after a sack by Carolina’s Charles Johnson during San Francisco’s loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The concern is that the shoulder is separated—the same injury that knocked Smith out of action in 2007. The only semblance of good news about the situation is that the injury is to Smith’s non-throwing shoulder.

2010-10-21 | Jim Murphy

In the wake of several dangerously violent hits that left at least three players sidelined, the NFL announced that they were getting tough on excessively aggressive play and particularly helmet to helmet hits. While most NFL media outlets have applauded this overdue emphasis on protecting its players, not everyone is happy. Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison has reportedly questioned whether he can play football under the new rules and is supposedly considering retirement. On Wednesday, Miami Dolphins’ linebacker Channing Crowder threw down the proverbial gauntlet, suggesting that he won’t pay attention to the new rules and will continue playing the way he always has.

2010-10-20 | Jim Murphy

The Dallas Cowboys have underachieved mightily this season, slumping to a 1-4 record and putting head coach Wade Phillips’ job in jeopardy. At this point, the only reason he’s still around is owner Jerry Jones’ long standing policy against mid season coaching changes. Following a loss at Minnesota this weekend in a game they could have easily won, Jones was very negative about the rest of the season but has since done a 180. On his weekly radio show in Dallas, Jones put a more positive spin on things and gave his strongest support of Phillips and his staff to date. He went as far as say that the Cowboys can ‘defy the odds’ and reach the playoffs despite their slow start to the season.

2010-10-19 | Jim Murphy

Detroit Lions’ starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is nearing his return from injury, and not a moment too soon. On Sunday the team lost the services of his replacement as Shaun Hill suffered a broken left forearm in a 28-20 road loss to the New York Giants. Hill was hit hard by the Giants' Barry Cofield on an incomplete pass to Kevin Smith. He left the game immediately and didn’t return to be replaced by Drew Stanton.

2010-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The Philadelphia Eagles have suffered more injuries so far in the 2010 season than most NFL teams and it doesn’t look like it’ll get any better in the short term. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson will miss Sunday's road game at Tennessee following a brutal helmet to helmet hit that left both him and Atlanta safety Dunta Robinson (who delivered the hit) with concussions. Considering the many severe consequences that could have resulted from this type of hit, Jackson is in good shape though he says he can’t remember the hit and is suffering some soreness in his neck and shoulders.

2010-10-15 | Jim Murphy

The Cleveland Browns have been competitive for most of this NFL season despite injuries issues at quarterback. Now with both starter Jake Delhomme and backup Seneca Wallace recovering from severe ankle sprains, Browns' coach Eric Mangini will give rookie Colt McCoy his first NFL start in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mangini hasn’t 'officially' announced McCoy has the starter but the rookie out of the University of Texas has taken all of the snaps with the first team in practice this week and has been informed that he’ll be the #1 quarterback for Sunday’s game.

2010-10-14 | Jim Murphy

Chicago Bears’ coach Lovie Smith expressed hope at his Monday press conference that quarterback Jay Cutler would be cleared to return to action at home this weekend against Seattle. On Tuesday, he got his wish—doctor have cleared Cutler to play following a concussion suffered against the New York Giants on October 3 and is expected to start against the Seahawks this Sunday. The Bears were anxious to get Cutler back in the lineup as soon as possible following a horrible outing by veteran Todd Collins in the team’s win at Carolina this past weekend.

2010-10-14 | Jim Murphy

Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid has a strange way of demonstrating confidence in his current starting quarterback Kevin Kolb. Despite every indication that Michael Vick will be unable to play this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, Reid has yet to ‘officially’ rule him out. Vick continues to recover from his rib injury suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles and there’s no reason to rush him back but Reid is apparently holding out hope that he can play this weekend.

2010-10-12 | Jim Murphy

It wasn’t a very good weekend for the St. Louis Rams. They were embarrassed on the road, losing to previously winless Detroit 44-6 and in the defeat suffered a more significant loss. Wide receiver Mark Clayton—the team’s most dangerous downfield threat—tore his patella tendon trying to run down a Sam Bradford pass early in the game. He’s been forced to undergo season ending surgery and his loss is a severe blow to a receiver corps already decimated by injury.

2010-10-11 | Jim Murphy

Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion in Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Washington Redskins and is listed as 'questionable' for next week's game against Miami. Given the NFL’s long overdue emphasis on proper treatment of concussions, it’s very unlikely that he’ll be cleared to return to action so quickly. Rodgers played the entire game at Washington, completing 27 of 45 passes for 310 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He passed 10,000 yards in career passing yardage in the process.

2010-10-11 | Jim Murphy

The Minnesota Vikings added wide receiver Randy Moss to their lineup last week and it looks like he'll get to play his biggest rival in his first game with his new team. New York Jets' cornerback Darrelle Revis is expected to return to action following his hamstring injury suffered against Moss's old team, the New England Patriots. Revis’ return and Moss’s debut will make the Monday Night Football matchup between the Jets and Vikings one of the biggest games of the year.

2010-10-07 | Jim Murphy

The Washington Redskins entered the year without much experience at running back and that situation got worse today due to an injury to two time Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis. Portis suffered a groin injury in Sunday's victory over the Eagles at Philadelphia and will be out of action at least a month and possibly as long as six weeks. Portis' injury leaves the Redskins with only two healthy tailbacks on the roster--neither of whom have much NFL experience. Ryan Torain and Chad Simpson are now the team’s only option for Washington at running back and while both have talent they only have a total of 70 carries at the NFL level between them.

2010-10-06 | Jim Murphy

Despite a 0-4 start in a season where his team was expected to contend for the NFC West title and an ugly ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ loss at Atlanta last weekend, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary says he isn't worried about his job. He did agree that questions about job security are 'the nature of the game' when asked by media on Monday, but suggested that he's not concerned about his status:

2010-10-06 | Jim Murphy

Randy Moss is heading back to the Minnesota Vikings in a blockbuster deal intended to bolster their wide receiver corps in what is likely Brett Favre’s final year. In return, the Patriots receive a draft choice and at least some value for a player that was unlikely to return when his contract expired at the end of the season. Moss will make his Minnesota return on a suitably big stage—playing on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets. It’ll be even more interesting if his longtime foil Darrelle Revis is able to return from a hamstring injury.

2010-10-04 | Jim Murphy

Whether they like it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles are back with Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback at least for this Sunday’s game at San Francisco. Michael Vick was injured early in last Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins and was unable to return. While there were conflicting reports initially of the exact location of the injury—some suggested it was his wrist or collarbone it turned out to be a rib injury. X-rays didn’t reveal any broken ribs, though an MRI revealed that cartilage between his second and third rib may be cracked.

2010-10-01 | Jim Murphy

In many ways, Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson was as good as advertised on Thursday night as he threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The problem was the four interceptions he threw, and these miscues eventually cost his team a 38-35 decision in a wild shootout in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His Oklahoma State counterpart Brandon Weeden also played well—but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Still, his teammates were able to take advantage of Johnson’s errors and got a 40 yard field goal from Dan Bailey as time expired to lock up the win.