Troy Smith is once again the big man on campus

By Gayle Saunders
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The 49ers have won 2 consecutive games with the help of playmaker Troy Smith, who before starting for the 49ers, was a three-year backup with the Ravens. Smith has gone from third-string quarterback in San Francisco to now an overnight sensation with his comeback heroics beating the St. Louis Rams 23-20 in overtime last Sunday.

Smith threw for 356 yards which was the most by a 49ers’ quarterback in six years. He made an insane amount of big plays in a come-from-behind victory which made for a highly impressive comeback performance.

Mike Singletary said Smith would start this week against Tampa Bay, however he has not guaranteed a start beyond this weeks game. Singletary said the starting quarterback will be a week-to-week decision, but that Troy would start this week even though Alex has been cleared medically to return to the field.

The question is…has Troy Smith done enough to be the new Smith in town? If you ask me I would have to think so. In Troy’s first two starts, he has thrown for 552 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 116.6. To make matters even better he’s also completing 61.7 percent of his throws.

In Smith’s short lived career with Baltimore he had to compete with Kyle Boller as a rookie, and in 2008 he was ready to be the guy in 2008 during Flacco’s rookie year, but due to an illness he lost the opportunity to showcase his skills.

As Smith was coming into his third season with Baltimore, the Heisman trophy winner was looking to leave for a better opportunity and they alwasy say when one door closes another one always opens.

San Francisco seems to be the perfect fit for his skill set and he has shown and proved he is worthy of the opportunity. Here’s to Troy Smith and his future success.

If you don’t believe me please watch this highlight video…the eye in the sky doesn’t lie.

DeSean Jackson is back in action!

By Gayle Saunders
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Good news for Philadelphia fans as Desean Jackson was back at practice and doing what he does best running around and making catches.

It was a big step in the right direction for Jackson after taking a violent hit 17 days ago from Falcons db Dunta Robinson which resulted in a concussion for Jackson. Robinson also suffered a concussion on the play, who also needed to sit out one game. The Falcons also had their bye last week, but Robinson’s status for this week is unknown. At the present time Robinson is appealing the $50,000 fine that the NFL fined him for the hit.

“It feels good,” Jackson said Wednesday. “Being away from the games and practices and things like that has been hard, to sit around and just watch and stuff, so it’s good to get back out there and get going.”

From the looks of it Jackson could be back on the field for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He has passed post-concussion testing, and the most promising part is he took part in his first full practice.

“We’ll see,” Jackson said when asked if he will start. “Go out through the week and see how I do and things like that. So it’s still only Wednesday so we still have a couple days to kind of get a feel for how I’m doing and things like that.”

If you go back and ask Desean Jackson about the play he couldn’t remember the collision. That is a typical signed from anyone who suffers a head injury of that magnitude. The Pro Bowler insists that going over the middle will be no problem and is ready to return back to action. This was Jackson’s second concussion in two seasons.

“People can talk and say everything you can about me having it in my mind. At the end of the day, I still have to go out there and play football,” Jackson said. “I’m not going to worry about it being in the back of my mind. It’s something that happened, unfortunately, but I still have to go out there and do a job, so I won’t be worried about it.”

Desean Jackson is without a doubt a huge part of the Eagles passing attack. On the year he has 19 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns, and has one run for a touchdown. You also have to account for Jackson on special teams he’s one of the most dangerous returners in the league.

The 23-year-old play maker can score from anywhere on the field when the ball is in hands. So far in his career he’s averaged 44.3 yards per score on his 22 touchdowns in three seasons which includes the playoffs. Eleven of his TDs have been from 50 yards or more.

Brett Favre has 2 fractures in ankle

By Gayle Saunders
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Brett Favre’s ankle has been diagnosed with two separate fractures in his left ankle, and at this moment it looks like his status for Sunday’s game against the Patriots is unknown.

The MRI showed an avulsion fracture which takes place when a tendon or ligament pulls off a piece of the bone and a stress fracture, coach Brad Childress said. As we all know that Favre who is 41, has now played in 291 consecutive games. It will be hard to count him out depending what they have to shoot him up with in order to play through the pain.

Right now surgery is not required and Childress has said Once he’s functional he can play but he wouldn’t rule anything out in terms of the end of the week. At the moment they don’t have a time frame on the situation, at the moment Favre is wearing a walking boot.

Right now Childress says they have to do what’s right for the Vikings and Favre’s streak will not determine their decision on whether to play him against the Patriots. On Sunday Favre threw three interceptions against the Packers, and he hurt his ankle when he was hit on one of the interceptions.

Dallas Clark done for the Season!

By Gayle Saunders
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Bad news for the Indianapolis Colts as tight end Dallas Clark has been put on injured reserve and won’t play again this season because of an injured wrist.

The Colts made the announcment on Friday. Clark has met with three different surgeons and the final decision was that surgery was needed.
Clark ranks third on the team with 37 catches for 347 yards this season after catching 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Jacob Tamme is expected to start in Clark’s place while he’s out, and the colts have re-signed tight end Gijon Robinson on Wednesday. The Colts have a bye weekend and will not play this weekend.

Terrell Owens fined $5,000 for tweeting

By Gayle Saunders
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I can’t lie Twitter is an amazing thing, probably something that Terrell Owens and I would agree on…Too bad it cost him $5,000 for one tweet!

The League fined Ownes $5,000 for tweeting too close to Sunday’s kickoff. A league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Owens violated the NFL’s social media policy.

On Tuesday, Owens made it known that he violated the policy by sending a tweet about an hour before Week 5′s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only players, but coaches are not allowed to use social networks 90 minutes before a game, during a game or after a game.

Last season the policy went into effect and the only other person to be fined for such actions was Owens trusty teammate Chad Ochocinco, who was fined $25,000 for tweeting right before and during a preseason game.

About an hour before the Bucs game, Owens sent a tweet that he said was part of his work with a charity that helps children in Kenya.

“A lucky fan wearing my jersey 2day will get a signed football by Me & Ocho Cinco! My asst will pick U out!! Good luck!” he tweeted.

Owens told the press that he didn’t mean for it to go out late, the only problem was he left his home late, and forgot to take his cell phone with him. He he had an assistant bring his cell phone to Paul Brown Stadium. By the time he posted the tweet the Bengals were on the field warming up.

Well either way, it was for a good cause and we take our hats off to Terrell Owens for giving back to a charity that helps children in Kenya!

Note to NFL: Peyton Hillis demands your respect

By Gayle Saunders
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Im a big fan of turning negatives into positives and after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend, we’re talking 0-3 in Cleveland. However there’s been one shining star amongst the Browns and his name is Peyton Hillis.

Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due, and Peyton Hillis is demanding respect in every which way. Once upon a time there was once a back name Jerome Harrison. Harrison hit the fantasy football world by storm late last year, the only problem is he hasn’t become the number one option that everyone thought he would become in Cleveland after Montario Hardesty went down due to injury.

Peyton Hillis came into his own this weekend and did something pretty rare: He rushed for over 100 yards on a Ravens Defense. Baltimore is known for being physical and intimidating, and Peyton Hillis matched the physical play of the Ravens and then some. Hillis ran for 144 yards and 1 touchdown on 22 carries and averaged 6.5 yards per carry and had a 48-yard at the end of the third quarter.

Before the game against the Ravens’ Terrell Suggs didn’t know who Hillis was.

“Never heard of him before in my life [before the game],” Suggs said. [After the game] “I know who he is now.”

As a highschool senior in Arkansas, he rushed for 2,631 and 29 touchdowns on 261 carries. He was awarded the Landers Award, given to the top high school football player in Arkansas. He decided to stay in state and attended the University of Arkansas, which ultimately lead him to being the lead blocker for Darren McFadden. That opportunity to become a lead back for the Razorbacks never came. Hillis had a limited number of carries (4.7 per game) and his average yards per carry during his career was an impressive 4.7 and he also added in 12 rushing touchdowns while catching 11 touchdowns out of the backfield.

In the 2008 draft, Peyton was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 7th round. Like previous times, Hillis role in the offense was very limited, until injuries gave Hillis an opportunity. In the four game stretch at the end of the year that he played, Hillis rushed for 305 yards on 57 carries with five touchdowns. An injury ended Hillis’s rookie campaign in Denver that year but fans were excited to get him back for the next season. Along comes new coach Josh McDaniels. Hillis gets 13 carries total in his second season. In 2010 McDaniels packages Hillis in a trade for Brady Quinn the following offseason.

Some people say that things happen for reasons, and whatever the reason Peyton Hillis is making it his season to shine. It might be time to see Peyton Hillis finally be a featured back this season, especially with the way the offensive line are blocking for him. Look for the Cleveland Browns to bring the running game to Cincinnati with them this weekend.

Hillis Highlights from his Broncos Days

49ers fire offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye

By Gayle Saunders
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A day ago head coach Mike Singletary said Jimmy Raye would be the offensive coordinator for the rest of the season, in today’s news Raye was fired by the 0-3 49ers. Change of heart?

Quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson will now call the plays. Johnson becomes the 8th offensive coordinator in eight seasons. Assistant Jason Michael was promoted to quarterbacks coach. It’s understandable why quarterback Alex Smith has struggled at times when there’s been no consistency at the offensive coordinator position.

Other notable moves this week, The 49ers plan to make changes on their defense by sitting LB Takeo Spikes and safety Michael Lewis. San Francisco 49ers who are 0-3, were a popular pick to win the NFC West this year. They were routed yetserday and only scored just 10 points.

Currently the The 49ers are currently 20th in total offense, however they are 31st in the NFL in points per game with 12.7 points. San Francisco also has a minus-5 turnover ratio this season.
As a whole right now the theme for the offense has been inconsistency. Alex Smith has been inconsistent, as well as the receivers. The only one who’s been constant force is running back Frank Gore.

Singletary Postgame: 49ers vs. Chiefs

Sam Bradford gets his first career win

By Gayle Saunders
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Sam Bradford has his first NFL win. It may not have been his best performance, but Bradford did something that hadn’t been done in St. Louis in 14 games …win a game at home.

The rookie quarterback threw for 235 yards and a touchdown and backup running back Kenneth Darby had the go-ahead score to help St. Louis end a 14-game home losing streak with a 30-16 win over Washington.

“We’ve put in a lot of hard work for this,” Bradford said. “To get to celebrate with those guys, it was a great feeling.”

The Rams who are now 1 -2 won for only the second time in 29 games overall behind a strong start and even stronger finish, with the biggest offensive showing under second-year coach Steve Spagnulo.

“What I told the team was any win in the NFL feels good,” Spagnuolo said. “When you can rise above some adverse situations, it’s even better. Nobody bailed out, nobody panicked.”

St. Louis topped its previous best of 23 points under Spagnuolo in a five-point loss to the Saints last November and shook off disappointment from a pair of losses to open the season by a total of six points. Bradford was 23-for-37 for 235 yards and one touchdown and one interception for the Rams, spreading the ball to nine receivers.

Panthers: QB Jimmy Clausen will start Week 3 game

By Gayle Saunders
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In week 3 of the NFL, the Carolina Panthers have decided to let the Jimmy Clausen era begin as coach John Fox announced on Monday that the rookie quarterback will get a chance to start against the Bengals.

“We have to do something to spark our passing game,” Fox said. “Jimmy is a guy we think highly of. We’ll give him an opportunity. We thought he made the most of his opportunities on Sunday.”

Matt Moore was pulled in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Tampa Bay game in which they lost 20-7. Moore’s benching pretty much put a end to his run as the team’s starting QB. In two games as the starter Moore has been the cause of 6 turnovers. Moore had an interception and a fumble Sunday before being pulled in the fourth quarter.
On Sunday Clausen orchestrated the team’s most impressive drive of the game, getting them to the goal line before RB Jonathan Stewart was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Read more

Randy Moss: “It is a bad feeling…feeling not wanted”

By Gayle Saunders
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Don’t know if Randy Moss is a betting man…but if he was there is a good chance he’d bet on himself not being a Patriot next year. Moss told CBSsports.com on Monday that there is a good chance this will be his final season with the New England Patriots, and its something he’s not too happy about.

As it stands right now, the Patriots and Moss have had no contract talks yet. The reality of it all is…that his deal expires after this season. When you look at the monster numbers he’s put up while in New England:
1,000 yards in three seasons, 47 total touchdowns. Kinda blows you away… no?

“When you have done so much and put so much work in, it kind of feels like I am not wanted,” said Moss, who is slated to earn $6.4 million this season. “I am taking that in stride and playing my final year out, and whatever the future holds is what it holds. But it is kind of a bad feeling — feeling not wanted. It is not like my production has gone down.”

Moss has stated that in the past four months nothing has changed to make him feel like he is in the team’s future plans, His partner in crime Tom Brady is also in the final year of his contract, But the team are very close to agreeing ona an extension for the Golden Boy. Its been reported by the Boston Herald that Brady has been offered a three-year, $58 million extension.

“I am a little older and understand the nature of the business — the older you get the more your skills supposedly diminish, but I think I am getting wiser in how to use my physical skills. That’s the frustrating part when you put so much heart and desire into things and feel like you are not wanted.”

Just in case you forgot how “gangster” Moss has been in New England.

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