COFFEE WALKS AWAY, BRADY HAS A BOO BOO, GAME OBSERVATIONS & WHO SAID "THE WHOLE TEAM, THEY WERE KIND OF SUCKING BANANAS?"
San Francisco backup running back Glen Coffee left practice on Wednesday afternoon & basically walked off into the sunset. The 2nd year player from Alabama told the team he was retiring from football. Coffee said he had found Christ while in college & he knew he shouldn't have entered the draft. He said "I told Christ I know it's time to move on." Coffee apologized to the Niners for wasting a draft pick(#3) on him. He intends to return to Alabama to complete his degree, then get his masters before entering the ministry. The Niners will look to recoup $621,000 of Coffee's $828,000 signing bonus. I was surprised at coach Mike Singletary's rather annoyed reaction to Coffee's claim of a "higher calling." For a guy that wears a rather large crucifix around his neck at all times, hearing him say "he left, we talked, he won't be back" seemed somewhat out of character for Singletary.
The 49ers have another personnel issue with defensive end Kentwan Balmer, their 2008 first round draft pick. He was excused from camp late last week for 2 days to deal with "personal issues." He has yet to return & San Francisco management has issued what is known as a "Five Day Letter." It is intended to get a player to either return within the 5-days or risk being placed on the "Left Squad List" which basically means the player can't practice, play or get paid while the team doesn't have to count the player as part of their 80-man roster. Balmer is also liable for a $16,000 a day fine for a player under contract being absent from camp. Mike Singletary said there would be no phone calls to Balmer, "none of that 'where are you Kentwan?'"
Another player facing a 5-day letter is Vikings wide receiver & return man, Percy Harvin. He was granted a 5-day leave at the start of camp to mourn the death of his grandmother. That was July 28th, he still hasn't returned. Minnesota coach Brad Childress, already sweating the annual watch on his QB, said Harvin is again suffering from migraine headaches but he needs to get back to camp. Harvin missed several camp practices last summer because of the headaches, but never like this. He hasn't been in uniform since training camp opened. With leading receiver Sidney Rice still sidelined after hip surgery, the Vikes need Harvin. They may pull the trigger on the 5-day letter as early as Monday.
New England defensive end Ty Warren will miss the entire season with a hip condition. Warren said he re-injured the hip in training camp after suffering thru much of last season with hip pain. His hip problems began with a groin injury near the end of the 2008 season, which grew into a sports hernia that required surgery & coming back too soon contributed to the hip injury he believes. Warren decided to shut it down now & not run the risk of making it worse "I don't want to be one of those guys who can't hardly walk when they're forty, I'm way too active plus I can't be the same player with my hip the way it is." Warren was a first round pick of the Patriots back in 2003 & until the groin/hernia issue in '08, he'd never missed a game. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork is the only remaining Super Bowl winning defender now that Warren has been shelved for the season.
Another Patriot has been injured, quarterback Tom Brady is reported by The Boston Herald to have a broken middle finger on his throwing hand sustained in Thursday's game with the Saints. He hit it on a helmet while following thru with a passing attempt. Brady played with a broken finger last year, so it's probably not a big deal, especially since the regular season doesn't start for 4 more weeks.
Bills running back Fred Jackson broke a bone in his left hand last night in their blowout loss to Washington. Jackson is backed up by #1 pick C.J. Spiller & Marshawn Lynch, who suffered an ankle sprain in the game as well. Coach Chan Gailey said Jackson might be ready for opening day.
The Redskins ran roughshod over Buffalo last night, it looks to be a very long season in Northern New York. Clinton Portis carried only twice while Willie Parker & Larry Johnson never got off the bench. Free agent Ryan Torain made the most of his opportunity rushing for 62 yards catching a pass for 22. Donovan McNabb looked alright but it was Rex Grossman who had the big night completing 11 of 18 for 140 yards & two scores. The Bills might be in a 3-way race for next April's #1 overall draft pick, this is a bad team.
Philadelphia has the nucleus of a perenial contender. QB Kevin Kolb is 25, RB LeSean McCoy is 23, WR's DeSean Jackson & Jeremy Maclin are 24 & 23 respectively & tight end Brent Celek is 25. All five are already impact players with even more potential down the road. If Andy Reid can rebuild this defense quickly, this team will challenge the Cowboys for the division as soon as next season. They had too many weapons for the Jaguars last night. The jags have issues, their entire running game amounted to 14 measly yards, which by any standard is pathetic. Backup Luke McKown led the Jags back in the 2nd half to make the score respectable, but the Jags have a long way back to being playoff competitive.
I really wanted to see Sam Bradford's debut against the Vikings, but the game isn't shown here & we'll be in a hotel for the rebroadcasts on NFL Network. I'm also going to miss the Jets-Giants Monday night game, we'll be at Chiefs' practice until about halftime of the ESPN telecast. I will be posting daily from camp, but no pictures until I return, I'm sadly behind the curve technology wise & the economy being what it is, I don't have the $$ to upgrade right now. I'm taking an ancient laptop with a full hard drive, so full I can't even squeeze the Kodak software onto it allowing me to upload pictures. I will have my 38-year old Canon SLR with all the heavy telephoto lenses to shoot actual pictures that require development at Walgreens. So, sorry about the lack of photos until I return to my PC.
As I was reading Kent Babb's article in The Kansas City Star this afternoon, I was amazed at one of the quotes from Todd Haley after last night's loss in Atlanta. Babb writes in his piece that Haley said "The whole team, it looked like even defensively on that 1st drive, they were kind of sucking banana's." Excuse me? I read it three times, I thought I wasn't reading it right. This quote was even more confusing than the 3rd & goal play that resulted in a 1st & ten at the 22-yardline last night. I need an explanation for both. I know I can be kinda dense at times but "sucking banana's?" At the top of the cool coaching quotes list we go back to 1979, when winless Tampa coach John McKay was asked about his team's execution, he replied "I'm all for it." Now at the bottom of the list we have Todd Haley & his "sucking banana's" gem for the ages.
Looking for a new football jersey before the season starts? Need an Eric Berry or how about a nice new Sam Bradford jersey to wear to your favorite sport's bar? I have a site for you, a site where the price is truly righteous, $50 for a high quality jersey. Plus I can vouch for the site's owner, he's been a close, personal friend for over 20 years & he's as honest as the day is long, I promise. Kevin also offers baseball, basketball & hockey from his online store. I'm not receiving any kickbacks or freebies, I'm telling you this because his jersey's are as good as anything out there & the price is considerably less. Give his site a look, it's not the fanciest, but the jersey quality & prices are superior. Click on the link: www.projerzeeshop.com
I'd also love to make a correction to a story I wrote about Friday. Apparently a last minute "reprieve from the governor" saved my guys over at Ozark Ready Mix, longtime readers of this site. They weren't turned out into the street after all, their plant will remain open "indefinitely" & I'm so glad to be able to make such a correction. Good for you guys!
The 49ers have another personnel issue with defensive end Kentwan Balmer, their 2008 first round draft pick. He was excused from camp late last week for 2 days to deal with "personal issues." He has yet to return & San Francisco management has issued what is known as a "Five Day Letter." It is intended to get a player to either return within the 5-days or risk being placed on the "Left Squad List" which basically means the player can't practice, play or get paid while the team doesn't have to count the player as part of their 80-man roster. Balmer is also liable for a $16,000 a day fine for a player under contract being absent from camp. Mike Singletary said there would be no phone calls to Balmer, "none of that 'where are you Kentwan?'"
Another player facing a 5-day letter is Vikings wide receiver & return man, Percy Harvin. He was granted a 5-day leave at the start of camp to mourn the death of his grandmother. That was July 28th, he still hasn't returned. Minnesota coach Brad Childress, already sweating the annual watch on his QB, said Harvin is again suffering from migraine headaches but he needs to get back to camp. Harvin missed several camp practices last summer because of the headaches, but never like this. He hasn't been in uniform since training camp opened. With leading receiver Sidney Rice still sidelined after hip surgery, the Vikes need Harvin. They may pull the trigger on the 5-day letter as early as Monday.
New England defensive end Ty Warren will miss the entire season with a hip condition. Warren said he re-injured the hip in training camp after suffering thru much of last season with hip pain. His hip problems began with a groin injury near the end of the 2008 season, which grew into a sports hernia that required surgery & coming back too soon contributed to the hip injury he believes. Warren decided to shut it down now & not run the risk of making it worse "I don't want to be one of those guys who can't hardly walk when they're forty, I'm way too active plus I can't be the same player with my hip the way it is." Warren was a first round pick of the Patriots back in 2003 & until the groin/hernia issue in '08, he'd never missed a game. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork is the only remaining Super Bowl winning defender now that Warren has been shelved for the season.
Another Patriot has been injured, quarterback Tom Brady is reported by The Boston Herald to have a broken middle finger on his throwing hand sustained in Thursday's game with the Saints. He hit it on a helmet while following thru with a passing attempt. Brady played with a broken finger last year, so it's probably not a big deal, especially since the regular season doesn't start for 4 more weeks.
Bills running back Fred Jackson broke a bone in his left hand last night in their blowout loss to Washington. Jackson is backed up by #1 pick C.J. Spiller & Marshawn Lynch, who suffered an ankle sprain in the game as well. Coach Chan Gailey said Jackson might be ready for opening day.
The Redskins ran roughshod over Buffalo last night, it looks to be a very long season in Northern New York. Clinton Portis carried only twice while Willie Parker & Larry Johnson never got off the bench. Free agent Ryan Torain made the most of his opportunity rushing for 62 yards catching a pass for 22. Donovan McNabb looked alright but it was Rex Grossman who had the big night completing 11 of 18 for 140 yards & two scores. The Bills might be in a 3-way race for next April's #1 overall draft pick, this is a bad team.
Philadelphia has the nucleus of a perenial contender. QB Kevin Kolb is 25, RB LeSean McCoy is 23, WR's DeSean Jackson & Jeremy Maclin are 24 & 23 respectively & tight end Brent Celek is 25. All five are already impact players with even more potential down the road. If Andy Reid can rebuild this defense quickly, this team will challenge the Cowboys for the division as soon as next season. They had too many weapons for the Jaguars last night. The jags have issues, their entire running game amounted to 14 measly yards, which by any standard is pathetic. Backup Luke McKown led the Jags back in the 2nd half to make the score respectable, but the Jags have a long way back to being playoff competitive.
I really wanted to see Sam Bradford's debut against the Vikings, but the game isn't shown here & we'll be in a hotel for the rebroadcasts on NFL Network. I'm also going to miss the Jets-Giants Monday night game, we'll be at Chiefs' practice until about halftime of the ESPN telecast. I will be posting daily from camp, but no pictures until I return, I'm sadly behind the curve technology wise & the economy being what it is, I don't have the $$ to upgrade right now. I'm taking an ancient laptop with a full hard drive, so full I can't even squeeze the Kodak software onto it allowing me to upload pictures. I will have my 38-year old Canon SLR with all the heavy telephoto lenses to shoot actual pictures that require development at Walgreens. So, sorry about the lack of photos until I return to my PC.
As I was reading Kent Babb's article in The Kansas City Star this afternoon, I was amazed at one of the quotes from Todd Haley after last night's loss in Atlanta. Babb writes in his piece that Haley said "The whole team, it looked like even defensively on that 1st drive, they were kind of sucking banana's." Excuse me? I read it three times, I thought I wasn't reading it right. This quote was even more confusing than the 3rd & goal play that resulted in a 1st & ten at the 22-yardline last night. I need an explanation for both. I know I can be kinda dense at times but "sucking banana's?" At the top of the cool coaching quotes list we go back to 1979, when winless Tampa coach John McKay was asked about his team's execution, he replied "I'm all for it." Now at the bottom of the list we have Todd Haley & his "sucking banana's" gem for the ages.
Looking for a new football jersey before the season starts? Need an Eric Berry or how about a nice new Sam Bradford jersey to wear to your favorite sport's bar? I have a site for you, a site where the price is truly righteous, $50 for a high quality jersey. Plus I can vouch for the site's owner, he's been a close, personal friend for over 20 years & he's as honest as the day is long, I promise. Kevin also offers baseball, basketball & hockey from his online store. I'm not receiving any kickbacks or freebies, I'm telling you this because his jersey's are as good as anything out there & the price is considerably less. Give his site a look, it's not the fanciest, but the jersey quality & prices are superior. Click on the link: www.projerzeeshop.com
I'd also love to make a correction to a story I wrote about Friday. Apparently a last minute "reprieve from the governor" saved my guys over at Ozark Ready Mix, longtime readers of this site. They weren't turned out into the street after all, their plant will remain open "indefinitely" & I'm so glad to be able to make such a correction. Good for you guys!
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