Invesco Field: From football field to convention site

Below is time-lapse footage of Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, as it is transformed into the Democratic Convention site where Barack Obama delivered his nomination speech on Thursday. It is over five days and it is shot by the Rocky Mountain News.



There wasn't any beer sold, but, according to the Wall Street Journal, was plenty of stuff to spend money on at the Ivesco Field concession stands:

Shredded beef burritos, for $7.25. Nachos drenched with cheese for $4.50. The Dipping Dots ice cream stand is closed. But you can get popcorn, chicken fingers and – a rare freebie – sample-sized cups of lemonade and iced tea, donated by Coca-Cola.
Also, an “Obamalicious Bar B Q Sandwich” – priced at $7 apiece.

Preseason (Week 4): Miami Dolphins 14, New Orleans Saints 10

Preseason (Week 4): Atlanta Falcons 10, Baltimore Ravens 9

Preseason (Week 4): Chicago Bears 16, Cleveland Browns 10

Perseason (Week 4): Cincinnati Bengals 27, Indianapolis Colts 7

Perseason (Week 4): New York Giants 19, New England 14

Preseason (week 4): Jacksonville Jaguars 24, Washington Redskins 3

Preseason (Week 4): Detroit Lions 14, Buffalo Bills 6

Old Tivo commercial

This one has been around, but I missed it somewhere, somehow. It's Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott discussing jock itch in a Tivo commercial. It's blurry but it's still funny.

Mel Kipers top seniors and top NFL rookies

ESPN's Mel Kiper list the top seniors in college football and talks about some impact rookies.

Scouts Inc. sees McFadden as best starting choice for Raiders

ESPN's Scouts inc. says Darren McFadden should be starting despite his rookie status. They see him beating out Michael Bush and Justin Fargas. Scouts Inc.'s Doug Kretz writes:

McFadden has the ability to see the entire field and hit the hole or improvise and find space on his own. To be a No. 1 running back in the NFL you must be innovative because most plays do not develop exactly as they are drawn up, and McFadden has shown a higher level of improvisation than either Fargas or Bush.

Jay Mariotti stabs newspaper biz in back as he exits

Jay Mariotti made his living off newspapers for many. many years. They are the reason he is where he is. So then he decides to leave the newspaper field. He announced that yesterday. but he doesn't stop there. Let's drag a business (newspapers) down and stomp on it as it struggles. That's Mariotti for you. Here's what The Big Lead posted recently from an interview Mariotti had with 670 in Chicago.

• “The print product is dead. It all has to be fed into the internet product now. The internet is going to save the written word. We’re not positioned for anything. These aren’t sour grapes - these are the facts.”
  
• “Yahoo got something like 30 million hits during the Olympics. These places are for real. They’re legit. It’s just something we’re all going to have to come to grips with. Our fathers may read a newspaper over coffee, but I don’t know anyone under 40 who is picking up a newspaper and reading it.”

Jason Kidd gives Gold medal to Steve Wynn's wife

When I first heard Jason Kidd was giving away his Gold medal. I thought, how nice. He is probably giving it to some sick kid. Or some under-privileged kid. No, it's going to Steve Wynn's wife, Elaine. Steve Wynn is one of the richest guys in Las Vegas.

Here's Erik Kuselias and Mike Golic discussing Kidd giving away his gold. I agree with Kuselias.

ESPN may enter late-night talk show field

New York Post is reporting that ESPN is thinking about adding a late-night show to its scheduled listings. Really, they are thinking about adding it to ESPN2. The Post says the show would be a mix of "SportsCenter" and "The Tonight Show." The Post reports:

A daily show, dealing with current topics - that is not "SportsCenter" - has long been on ESPN's wish-list for the spinoff channel.

Three ESPN personalities, radio host Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock and Dan LeBatard, have all reportedly turned down the job, according to the sports blog, The Big Lead.

As long they don't bring back Keith Olbermann for this, this should work out fine.

Stiles Points points to Rich Rodriguez winning opener

You heard it here first: Stiles Points is predicting victory for Rich Rodriguez in his coaching debut at Michigan. The Wolverines are favored against Utah by a measly four points.

An inside look at the Madden Cruiser

The Redskins blog gives us an inside view of the Madden Cruiser. You know, John Madden's bus. There are also posted photos on the site from inside and outside the Madden bus.

Keith Olbermann finally too full of himself

It's probably okay if Keith Olbermann picks a fight with Joe Scarborough, seeing that is what windbags do. But now it's rumored that Olbermann wants to ban Tom Brokaw from MSNBC. Go ahead, laugh. Let's try that one more time seeing it is so funny: Olbermann wants to ban Tom Brokaw from MSNBC. Olbermann is becoming more and more like his twin brother Bill O'Reilly. They are both idiots. This comes from the New York Daily News after Olbermann and Scarborough had a lover's spat on MSNBC while Chris Matthews was stuck playing the adult at the table.

Insiders say Olbermann is pushing to have Brokaw banned from the network and is also refusing to have centrist Time magazine columnist Mike Murphy on his show.

"The idea of anyone trying to ban Tom Brokaw is ludicrous," said one MSNBC-er. Brokaw was on MSNBC for an hour yesterday afternoon. Murphy, who was bumped from Olbermann's show on Monday night, told us, "They told me technical problems and I have no reason not to believe them."

Are we going to have to put up with this crap on Sunday nights when Olbermann is part of NBC's NFL team? Here's Olbermann's spat with Scarborough.

Unlike Favre, Strahan says no to return

ESPN's Matt Mosley attributed the following quotes to Michael Strahan, who has decided not to return to the New York Giants after Osi Umenyiora's injury.

"This has been one of the toughest nights of my life," Strahan said from Greece. "But after long deliberation and throwing around a million scenarios in my head for the past day, I think it's just best if I stay retired.

"I have gone back and forth on this because as a player you'll always want to play, you'll never lose that urge to be out there. But I could only do this if I could commit 100 percent, physically, mentally, emotionally and I can't do that. I've tried to convince myself and my body to give it one more year, but in the end I just don't think I could turn it on like I need to again."

Here's ESPN's John Clayton on Strahan's decision to stay retired.

Jay Mariotti discovers Internet in China

Jay Mariotti finally found a reason to work less and keep his TV gig on ESPN. Mariotti resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday. According to the Chicago Tribune, Mariotti's competitor:

Just back from Beijing, where he covered the Olympics, Mariotti said in a phone interview that he decided to quit after it became clear while in China that sports journalism had become "entirely a Web site business. There were not many newspapers there." He added that most of the journalists covering the Games were "there writing for Web sites."

Last person the Internet needs is Mariotti. Great. And by the way, what the heck was Mariotti doing in China for the Olympics?

NFL gossip cover

New England quarterback Tom Brady buys some land in California. It was $11 million for just the right to build a house on it. TMZ has a photo of the plot of land. -- TMZ.com

Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Dennis Northcutt is being sued by a woman who claims to be the mother of his unborn child, according to TMZ.com. But wait there's more. TMZ reports:

Sharri Henry alleges last May, when she was four months pregnant, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dennis Northcutt got his cousin to "maliciously assault, beat, strike and batter Plaintiff, her face and head with great force and violence ... causing severe and permanent disfigurement to her face."

Preseason Week 4 schedule

WEEK 4
Thursday, Aug. 28
N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m.
Detroit at Buffalo, 6:30 p.m.
Jacksonville at Washington, 7 p.m. (NBC)
New England at N.Y. Giants, 7 p.m.
Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Baltimore, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Miami at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Houston, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Kansas City, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Tennessee at Green Bay, 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 29
Oakland at Seattle, 10 p.m.
San Diego at San Francisco, 10 p.m.
Denver at Arizona, 10 p.m.

Bledsoe looking to get some of his cash back

TMZ.com is reporting that former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe "says UBS swindled him out of a wad of cash." Bledsoe's suit against UBS includes former NFL QBs Rick Mirer, Craig Nall, and Alex Van Pelt.

Awful Announcing takes aim at reporting by ESPN's Mortensen

Awful Announcing questions the reporting for ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who over the weekend reported that Kurt Warner was the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback over Matt Leinart. That report led Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt to say:

“I haven’t read the paper today or seen the Internet. Do we have a quarterback? … It seems like Chris Mortensen is making the decision on our quarterback for our football team. … But nothing has changed.”

Ouch. In the end, the report was wrong. Leinart is still the starter. Awful Announcing then rattles off a laundry list of unfounded reports by Mortensen. Interesting reading.

Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser on Colt Brennan

A week ago, Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser wrote a column telling Hawaii fans (meaning Colt Brennan fans) to stop worrying about what Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn is saying about Brennan, Hawaii's starting quarterback last season. Brennan's been playing well for the Redskins during preseason. He started out with an electrifying effort in the Hall of Fame against the Indianapolis Colts, going 9-of-10 for 160 yards and one touchdown pass. Then dipped against Buffalo, going 4-of-8 for 37 yards passing. Then rose again against the New York Jets. In Brett Favre's first game with the Jets, it was Brennan who was the QB who seized the spotlight. He was 4-of-5 for 79 yards. Brennan tossed the winning 33-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 left for a 13-10 Redskins win. Last week against Carolina, Brennan was 6-12 for 53 yards as the Redskins got drilled, 47-3.

In his column, Ferd Lewis aided fans by interpreting what Zorn really meant when he said something. Here are two examples from Lewis' column:

What Zorn says: "From my standpoint, I think he's doing OK."
What Zorn means: "If I said what I really think I'd have the other QBs either pouting or calling their agents, and who needs that in the preseason?"

What Zorn says: "He has to become a more disciplined QB. Not risk as much as he risked in the game. This week it turned out to be a great performance, but it could easily have been the other way."
What Zorn means: "He's a coach's dream: Even when he screws up he has the ability to make us look good."

Anyway, Lewis was kind enough to answer a few questions about Brennan. This new feature is called "THIRD AND FIVE." The "THIRD" is three questions for Lewis about Brennan. The "AND FIVE" are five quick personal interest-type questions of Lewis. Here goes:

THIRD:
1. Seems like Hawaii fans are continuing to follow Colt Brennan's career. Is this true? And if so, why?
Lewis: I'd bet that a good percentage of the Brennan Redskins jerseys sold to date have been purchased by fans in the 808 area code - or their relatives. By coming back for his senior year Colt became more than just a quarterback or athlete here. People connected with him, taking him into their hearts and rallied around he and the Warriors in 2007. They still haven't let go.
2. Brennan was drafted in the sixth round. Were you surprised and why do you think he went so low?
Lewis: Definitely surprised he went that low. Figured him for a second round pick before the Sugar Bowl and third or fourth round choice after that. But the combination of his size, the Sugar Bowl struggles and off-season surgery combined to drop him a lot more. Time will tell on the wisdom of that but right now it sure looks like Zorn got a steal in the 6th.
3. If he wins the starting job at some point this season, why wouldn't you be surprised. (Or why would you be surprised?)
Lewis: Would be surprised to see any low round QB pick start as a rookie in the NFL, barring major injuries. Washington looks like the perfect fit for Colt in that he doesn't have to earn a starting job off the bat and has a head coach able and interested in developing him.

AND FIVE:
Favorite NFL web site?
Lewis: Pro Football Weekly.com
Favorite non-sports web site?
Lewis: IHT.com
Favorite sports web site?
Lewis: ESPN.com
Favorite blog?
Lewis: NY Times' The Quad.
And one old-school question (aka non-Internet question): book you are recommending?
Lewis: Hollywood Station.

Thanks to Ferd Lewis. And now I will have to check out the book "Hollywood Station" and New York Times blog called The Quad.

Warren Sapp makes the cut for Dancing with the Stars

Former NFL defensive lineman Warren Sapp earned on a spot on this season's Dancing with the Stars. Sapp is the lone football player on this fall's show. Other on the show this season are: Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, Cody Linley of the "Hannah Montana" show, actress Cloris Leachman, singer Lance Bass, R&B star Toni Braxton, soap actress Susan Lucci, Reggie Bush's girlfriend Kim Kardashian, TV actor Ted McGinley, TV chef Rocco DiSpirito, TV personality/model Brooke Burke and comedian Jeffrey Ross. Check out Sapp's Beyonce dance.

Check out the Seattle Seahawks' new practice facility

Here's a slide show by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of the Seattle Seahawks' new practice facility, which opened Aug. 18. It's called the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Here's what the Seahawks say about it in a press release:

The privately funded practice facility will be situated on 19 acres of industrial property. It will house a permanent indoor practice facility, the team's current Kirkland front office departments and will also accommodate Corporate Sponsorships and Fan Development that are currently located at Qwest Field.

In addition, there will be four outdoor practice fields, 50,000 square feet of training facility space (currently 16,000 in Kirkland), 15,000 square feet of player meeting space (currently 5,700) and 48,000 square feet of administrative office space (currently 14,500).

The facility will also include access for fans to attend training camp in 2008 for up to 3,000 spectators per day.

It's the NFL's second-largest training facility. The only reason I really am writing about this is because of the beautiful view of Lake Washington near the practice field, as pictured above.

Top 10 memories of Olympics that I never watched

Top 10 memories of the summer Olympics that I hardly watched but the rest of the country did. In no particular order whatsoever.
1. President George W. Bush slapping women volleyball players on rear end.
2. Michael Phelps winning a bunch of medals.
3. Michael Phelps' mom getting too much face time on tv.
4. Redeem team wins gold. The only story here would have been if they didn't.
5. Beach volleyball a ratings hit. Can anyone name four players? Quick.
6. What did Tiki Barber really say during the segment with Jenna Wolfe and Brian Williams? Total medals count? This should be one of those questions that gets answered when you die and go to heaven. That and was there one or two gunman in the JFK assassination plot.
7. China's pollution.
8. China's gymnasts and their youthfulness.
9. Guy kicking ref in the head.
10. It's over. And now we can get back to football.

Remember Obama's Monday Night Football announcement

With the Democratic Convention taking place this week, here's an NFL-related political flashback. Remember Barack Obama's special announcement prior to the Chicago Bears-St Louis Rams game on Monday Night Football back in December of 2006? In fact, Obama's communications staff sent out an announcement that said Obama would be commenting "about an upcoming contest of great importance to the American people." For the record, the Bears defeated the Rams 42-27. The Bears later lost in the Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts.

Preseason (Week 3): San Diego Chargers 18, Seattle Seahawks 17

Seattle running back Justin Forsett has been the shining star in each of the games he has played this preseason. But last night, another short one, this time 5-foot-6 Darren Sproles, was the star running back. Sproles did it for the San Diego Chargers against the Seahawks. He posted 101 yards while NFL rushing champ LaDainian Tomlinson watched from the sidelines. Sproles is battling rookie Jacob Hester for the No. 2 RB job. By the way, Forsett ended the game with nine yards on just four carries.

The Seattle Seahawks saw quarterback Charlie Frye goes most of the game. Frye was 19 of 29 for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

Kudos to Norv Turner for going for the win on a two-point conversion with 2:30 left in the game. This way you avoid overtime. Something New York Jets coach Eric Mangini didn't do when the Jets lost to the Redskins earlier in preseason action.

Volek’s 2-point conversion pass gives Chargers win -- AP

Chargers win home exhibition game on late touchdown -- San Diego Union-Tribune

Seahawks come up just inches short: San Diego's Floyd goes higher than Seattle's Lowe for winning 2-pointer -- Seattle P-I

Boxscore

ESPN's Mortensen doesn't see Strahan returning

Unlikely. That's ESPN's Chris Mortensen's view on the possibility of Michael Strahan returning to the New York Giants. The Zone Blitz thinks he's coming back for $10 million-plus to replace the injured Osi Umenyiora.

Obama disses Cubs fans in ESPN interview with Stuart Scott

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and ESPN's Stuart Scott play basketball and talk sports. And if John McCain talks with Scott, we will post that. By the way, Obama is a better basketball player than Scott. In fact, Scott seems kind of weak on the court. It's also worth noting that Obama takes a shot at Cubs fans. When asked about a possible White Sox-Cubs World Series, he says he will root for the White Sox, seeing his is a former Southsider himself. It's also where Michelle Obama grew up. But then he dogs Cubs fans by saying the following when asked who would he root for: "Oh, that's easy -- White Sox. I am not one of these fair-weathered fans. The Cubs, they're nice. You go to Wrigley Field. You have a beer. They're beautiful people out there. The people aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox -- that's baseball." After their game, an out of breathe Scott gets his man-hug from Obama and labors to say, "I am just so glad it's over." Hope Scott has an easier time with McCain on the court.

Awesome Lucas Oil Stadium: Interactive tour by Indy Star

Lucas Oil Stadium: Interactive tour -- Indy Star .

Reggie Bush's girl, Kim Kardashian, suffers badly cut foot

TMZ.com is reporting that Kim Kardashian cut her foot in a New York City hotel room. Dancing with the Stars is slated to announce today. Kardashian, the girlfriend of New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, has been rumored to be one of the contestants. According to TMZ.com:

We're told she sliced her foot open on a glass coffee table and was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital. No word on how many stitches she needed, but a source tells TMZ there was "so much blood, it looked like a murder scene."

Preseason (Week 3): Buffalo Bills 20, Indianapolis Colts 7

Losman leads a sharp Bills offense: Injury to tackle Walker not considered serious -- Buffalo News .

Bills ruin Colts' grand opening for Lucas Oil Stadium -- AP .

Little goes right for Colts in first game in new stadium -- Indy Star .

Colts fans captivated by open house: Team's new home was the center of attention for many Sunday night -- Indy Star .

Defensive stars return for Colts -- Indy Star .

Housewarming party starts early at new stadium: Fans begin streaming into new stadium hours before kickoff to check out -- Indy Star .

Lucas Oil Stadium: Interactive tour -- Indy Star .

Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): Jacksonille Jaguars 23, Tampa Bay Bucaneers 17

Bucs QB Garcia rusty in preseason debut -- AP .
Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): Arizona Cardinals 24, Oakland Raiders 0

Cards overcome Leinart’s 3 picks to beat Raiders -- AP .

Boxscore.

Mexico seeking a Perfect Game today

It was 51 years ago that Mexico's Angel Macias and his teammates stunned the world and won the Little League World Series. Today, the Mexico team tries to win another World Series title. But the Little League World Series actually became a "world" event when Macias pitched the first perfect game in the Little League World Series final game. Mexico was the first foreign team to win the event. Macias shut out a La Mesa, Calif., team, 4-0. With 11 strike outs, he faced the minimum 18 batters. The California team never hit a ball out of the infield. Macias's feat has never been duplicated in the finals of a Little League World Series. Lion's Gate has made a movie of the feat. The release date was this August, but it has been pushed back. The release date is unknown at this moment.

Here are two clips. One is the trailer (a two-minute clip) for the unreleased movie. The second one is 1950s footage, as well as the story, of this unlikely team and its pitcher. The second clip is about seven minutes long, but includes such things as the team's meeting of the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

49ers solved QB problem: O'Sullivan named starter

The San Francisco 49ers have named J.T. O'Sullivan as their starting quarterback

Preseason (Week 3): Baltimore Ravens 10, St. Louis Rams 24

An emergency situation: Flacco starts, 'OK' in loss: Rookie QB gets call because of T. Smith's illness, Boller's injury -- Baltimore Sun .

Ravens' woes go well beyond QB: Inept offense on display against Rams -- Baltimore Sun's David Steele .

First-teamers score at last in preseason -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch .

Receiving corps gets dinged up early on in game vs. Ravens -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch .

Rams' 'D' shows muscle in early lead over Ravens -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch .
Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): Pittsburgh Steelers 12, Minnesota Vikings 10

First a loss and then a promise: QB Tarvaris Jackson sat out after warming up but said after the game he definitely will play in the season opener. -- Star Tribune .

Steelers raise intensity against Vikings -- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review .

Defense shines, offense sputters in Minnesota Vikings' exhibition loss to Steelers: Vikings' offense sputters without Jackson, key receivers -- Pioneer Press .

Reed the only kick in offense: Kicker converts four field goals, the final one from 47 yards with :04 left, as Roethlisberger and company sputter in win vs. Minnesota -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

Steelers Notebook: Offensive playbook altered? -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): New Orleans Saints 13, Cincinnati Bengals 0

New Orleans Saints go on the defensive vs. Cincinnati Bengals -- Times-Picayune

Jeremy Shockey's debut with New Orleans Saints still on hold -- Times-Picayune

Palmer leaves game with bloody nose, cut lip -- AP .

Defense must prove worth when it counts -- Times-Picayune's Peter Finney .

Home shutout a first for Bengals -- Dayton Daily News .

Bengals get smoked by Saints -- Cincinnati Inquirer .
Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): Carolina Panthers 47, Washington Redskins 3

Loss Is Doubly Troubling for Redskins: Taylor Sprains Right Knee in the Second Quarter, Panthers Pound Washington -- Washington Post .

Redskins Are Forced to Face the Facts: They Took One on the Chin-- Washington Post .

Panthers click on all offensive cylinders -- Charlotte Observer .

Panthers storm past Redskins 47-3 -- Winston-Salem Journal .

How can you not get excited now? -- Charlotte Observer's Tom Sorensen .
Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): New York Jets 10, New York Giants 7

Jets' Favre survives Giants test -- Newsday .

In a game that didn't count, plenty was going on -- Newsday's Bob Glauber .

Plenty of Work to Do for Favre and the Jets -- New York Times .

Jets offensive line passes test against Giants-- Newsday .

Breaking down the New York Giants' preseason performance -- New Jersey Star-Ledger .

Brett Favre's performance for New York Jets slowed by penalties -- New Jersey Star-Ledger .

Favre, Manning have locals excited -- Ashbury Park Press' Steve Edelson .

Raissman out of line: New York Daily News sports media critic, Bob Raissman, who never comes to Jets camp, took a pair of cheap shots at the Jets organization in his Friday column.-- Jets Confidential .
Boxscore.

Brett favre highlights against the Giants.

Preseason (Week 3): Miami Dolphins 24, Kansas Chiefs 0

Dolphins hammer Chiefs 24-0 -- Kansas City Star .

Chiefs blitz: A look at the good, bad and ugly in Chiefs’ game against Miami -- Kansas City Star .

Big plays have Dolphins fans cheering again: On a night when the Dolphins looked good on offense, defense and special teams, there was plenty of cause for excitement, and the home crowd soaked it up.-- Miami Herald .

Dolphins' Ginn begins to turn the corner -- Miami Herald's Armando Salguero .

Dolphins fans can think the unthinkable -- Miami Herald .

Boxscore.

Here's Ted Ginn's punt return for a TD.

Preseason (Week 3) Detroit Lions 26, Cleveland Browns 6

Lions look sharp, but struggle to run -- Detroit Free-Press .

Browns QB Brady Quinn lackluster in 1st NFL start-- AP.

Lions rip banged-up Browns-- Canton Repository .

There's a lot to like as Lions improve to 3-0 in exhibitions -- Detroit News.

Not yet ready for prime time: Browns sluggish once again as Detroit dominates, 26-6 -- Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Right now, Browns have far too many questions for Brady Quinn to be the answer -- Cleveland Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto.

Browns see an inconsistent Brady Quinn -- Akron Beacon Journal .

Scribbles in my notebook after Lions 26, Browns 6 -- Cleveland Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto .

Fans let ex-Lion Shaun Rogers hear it -- Detroit Free-Press .

Boxscore.

We have to get rid of preseason OTs. Kubiak lends a hand

Against the Dallas Cowboys last night, the Houston Texans scored a touchdown with 3:09 left in the game to cut the Dallas lead to 23-22. Ok, kick the extra point and let's get ready for overtime. Overtime in a preseason game. Unlike many, many, many coaches in the NFL, Texans coach Gary Kubiak did the right thing, he went for two to win. Not one. But two. ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky says:

Unfortunately, not all of his coaching brethren have the smarts, courage or wherewithal to avoid overtime. They don't want to hear about it from fans, or they claim their point-after team needs the work, or whatever.

Heck, Eric Mangini, the genius coach with the New York Jets (that went 4-12 last season), went for three in the remaining seconds in an effort to send the game into overtime against the Washington Redskins earlier in the preseason. Of course, Jets kicker Mike Nugent, playing the grown up in the Jets locker room, apparently had a dinner date later that night and decided to miss the chip shot.

Preseason (Week 3): Green Bay Packers 27, Denver Broncos 24

Packers edge Broncos 27-24 -- Denver Post

Broncos, Packers solve nothing -- Denver Rocky Mountain News' Bernie Lincicome

To Broncos, Rodgers looks a lot like Favre -- Denver Rocky Mountain News

McCarthy puts Packers on the offensive in 27-24 win over BroncosGreen Bay Press Gazette

Broncos offense finally moving -- Denver Rocky Mountain News

Post Game Quotes -- Mile High Report

Offensive line rebounds; run defense shaky -- Green bay Post Gazette

Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): Dallas Cowboys 23, Houston Texans 22

Texans fall to Cowboys in third preseason game -- Houston Chronicle

Cowboys find their rhythm in win over Houston -- Star Telegram

For whatever it’s worth, Cowboys did 'turn it on’ -- Star Telegram

Getting results: Dallas Cowboys deny Texans, 23-22 -- Dallas Morning News

Harry Williams' injury hits too close for Texans players -- Houston Chronicle
Boxscore.

How would sprinter Usain Bolt fare in the NFL?

ESPN's Mark Schlereth discusses how sprinter Usain Bolt would fare if he were to play in the NFL.

Preseason (Week 3): Atlanta Falcons 17, Tennessee Titans 3

Boxscore.

Preseason (Week 3): Philadelphia Eagles 27, New England Patriots 17

New corner for Asante Samuel -- Boston Herald

Matt Gutierrez one of the few bright spots -- Boston Herald

Eagles' first team shines against Pats -- Delaware News Journal

Two rookies help Eagles burn Patriots -- Philadelphia Inquirer

Tom Brady-less Patriots remain in funk -- -- Boston Herald

Post-game New England quotes -- Patriots.com

Boxscore.

Joe Biden did not order that Domino's pizza.

Will this cost Obama-Biden the Domino's Pizza-eaters vote? According to MSNBC's First Read, it appears someone prank ordered a pizza for the Joe Biden house. The dirty tricks have already started. But if you are seeking a pizza, remember: Domino's delivers.

Sports Media Watch says NBC flexed its muscle

Awful Announcing, one of our top sites, was shut down for a bit Wednesday. Sports Media Watch explains:

Usain Bolt's world record victory in the 200 meter dash, as many likely know, took place on Wednesday morning and was delayed several hours before finally being telecast at night on NBC. The race had already been broadcast in other countries. Awful Announcing posted a video of the BBC feed of the race a few hours before NBC had a chance to air it in prime time.

By the end of the night, the video, as well as the entire site had been taken down. NBC Universal notified Google, which owns Blogger, of possible copyright infringement, which led to Google knocking Awful Announcing offline for approximately 90 minutes.

Awful Announcing did share a few thoughts about the situation on its web site at the end of this post. Welcome back, AA.

Two newspapers report Tiki Barber's denials

Only two newspapers reported about the Tiki Barber "Total Medal Count" affair. They are Newsday (headline: Tiki Barber denies he called co-host a bad word) and the New York Daily News (headline: Viewers unsure if ex-Giant Tiki Barber really said 'count,' on MSNBC broadcast).

Newsday reports that the video that was all over the Internet yesterday was nine days old. The newspaper reported:

At one point Barber turned to (co-host Jenna) Wolfe and said, "You're a total medal --."
To many ears, it sounded like an offensive word usually aimed at women.

Barber, through an MSNBC spokeswoman, told Newsday, "I would never disrespect a colleague and friend with that kind of language."
The Daily News, which had three reporters on the story, reported:

Although the word can be heard quite clearly, MSNBC spokeswoman Alana Russo flat-out denied Barber used the word.
"The idea of Tiki dropping the C-bomb any time, let alone on the air, is ridiculous. He's the most polite, gentlemanly person ever," she said.
"They were having a friendly argument about total medal counts versus gold medal counts and Tiki just garbled his words."

The Daily News even interviewed Greg Zahariadis, a Long Island college student, who was one of the two people who posted the video on YouTube. Zahariadis told the newspaper, "I saw it happen - I couldn't believe it."

Jessica Simpson dishes on life with Tony Romo

During her radio interview in Nashville Thursday on the Woody and Jim in the Morning show, Jessica Simpson shared some interesting comments about here life with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Here are a few:

On President Bush mentioning her during the New York Giants' visit to the White House after the Giants won the Super Bowl: "That was crazy. I didn't actually know that that would get to the president. I heard that the president talked about it to the Giants. Like saying he has to send me to the presidential election. I am like, 'You gotta be kidding.' Like the president is saying this about me."

On Dallas Cowboys fans blaming her for Romo's performance during the first game she attended while they were dating: "I figured if we could endure that, then we can pretty much endure anything."

On her relationship with Romo: "I'm really, really happy. He's a great, great guy, and inspires me to be a better person. He's just a good guy. You want to hang out with him when you are a round him."

On Carrie Underwood saying Romo was still calling here: "Tony and I both laughed at that. Yeah. We got a chuckle out of it." So it's not true, she was asked? "No, definitely. I looked at his call log. I'm kidding."

On farting under the covers: "If you are going to date me, you are going to have to put up with some things. And one of the things was farting under the sheets. That makes you man enough."

Her most recently released song is called "Man Enough." Again, for the whole interview, check out the Woody and Jim in the Morning show. And if you have the time, here are two other clips of her interview.

And for the record, Romo cannot sing as well as Simpson. His attempt comes right at the end of this 50-second clip.

And for more coverage of the NFL, check out the home page of The Zone Blitz.

Hey, Joe McKnight, what are you doing with that ...

Always love a well-made music video when it deals with sports. This time it's USC tailback Joe McKnight. His talents are set to Jimi Hendrix's "Hey, Joe." Pure dynamite.


Hey Joe from TrojanWire dot Com on Vimeo.

Preseason (Week 3): San Francisco 49ers 37, Chicago Bears 30

Niners set at QB, but have other needsSan Francisco Chronicle

Preseason Game Breakdown: 49ers vs. Bears (a very in depth look at the game that is worth a look) -- San Francisco Illustrated

Ex-Bear O'Sullivan finding success with Niners -- Chicago Daily Herald

Bears face QB who got away in S.F.'s O'Sullivan: Never in Bears' plans, QB O'Sullivan finds 49ers niche -- Chicago Sun-Times

Discouraging effort from Bears' defense -- Chicago Tribune

Orton-Davis combo makes some noise early -- Chicago Tribune

On-target Orton dispels doubt for Bears: But defense disappoints with its lack of swagger -- Chicago Tribune

Boxscore.

More on the late Gene Upshaw

Here's a snippet of Peter King's column remembering Gene Upshaw:

This morning, I asked the Pro Football Hall of Fame's vice president and resident historian, Joe Horrigan, if there was anyone in football history who had two such distinctive, separate and stellar careers as Upshaw. Horrigan thought out loud about Chuck Noll and Don Shula, marginal players and terrific coaches, and about other people from other eras, then said:

"I can't think of anyone like Gene.''

Here's a host of stories on the life and death of Eugene Thurman Upshaw, Jr. (August 15, 1945 – August 20, 2008).

'I can't think of anyone like Gene' -- Sports Illustrated's Peter King

Upshaw's style fit the NFL -- Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock

Remembering Player, Friend and Enemy -- William C. Rhoden

For 41 years, Upshaw was major force on, off field -- Newsday's Bob Glauber

Players, NFL Prospered During Upshaw's 25-Year Tenure -- Washington Post's Leonard Shapiro

Players felt they were in good hands with Gene Upshaw -- Los Angeles Times Sam Farmer

Upshaw leaves dual legacy in NFL -- Dallas Morning News' Rick Gosselin

Ditka shaken by death of Upshaw -- Chicago Sun-Times

Remembering Gene Upshaw -- Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman (aka Dr. Z.)

And, of course, ESPN.com's NFL bloggers had tons of comments from around the league.

Below is former President of NFLPA Trace Armstrong on longtime NFL players' union chief Gene Upshaw.

Did Tiki Barber just lose his job?

After listening to it too many times, it does sound like Tiki Barber said something other than "total medal count." If he did say what many, many, many, many think he may have said, he is gone. If he said it, he can kiss the NBC gig goodbye. Like 850 The Buzz blog says: "Tiki, These Gentlemen Will Escort You Out." The crazy part is that he did it with a smile on his face. Kind of sad. It comes at about the 29-second mark.

Daniel Snyder doesn't micromanage -- so he says

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder told the Wall Street Journal that he doesn't micromanage the Redskins. Here's his take:

I'm not in any of the coaching meetings. I never have been. I don't watch film with the coaches. I let the scouts scout and the coaches coach. What I try to do is help get the deals on the business side done. After the scouts and coaches come up with the grades, for example, on free agency, I'm the one that's eager to go sign the player and negotiate the contracts with their agents. When it comes to, 'OK, this is the player we really would like to have,' then I'm going to help with the help of the salary-cap people to make that work.

Snyder answers a hose of questions posed by the WSJ.

What did Tiki Barber just say?

With poor Brian Williams at their side, what exactly did Tiki Barber say to Jenna Wolfe at about the 29 second mark?

CBS.com writer: NFL, not union, will miss Upshaw most

In his recently posted story of Gene Upshaw's death with the headline "Death a loss for Upshaw family ... and NFL owners," Gregg Doyel writes, "This is going to seem callous...."

Doyel writes that the NFL owners will miss Upshaw the most -- other than his family, of course.

The NFL owners' world was a better place with Gene Upshaw in it ... and in charge of the NFL players union.

With Upshaw gone -- figuratively and, sadly, literally -- the NFL owners' world just took a turn for the terrifying.

Gene Upshaw -- Aug. 15, 1945 – Aug. 21, 2008

Gene Upshaw: A Lasting Presence -- The National Football Post

Union in tenuous position following Upshaw's passing -- Chicago Sun-Times

Upshaw death is shocking -- Chiefs Blog

Raider great and labor leader Gene Upshaw dies -- Sacramento Bee

Upshaw's death creates huge void in NFL -- Pro Football Weekly's Hub Arkush

Dan Rooney on Gene Upshaw

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said Gene Upshaw's "biggest asset was his understanding of the business of the game, and you always knew that his concern for the game’s best interests guided his actions." Rooney posted the following statement on the team's web site just minutes ago:

This is a sad day for all of professional football. We are shocked to learn of the sudden loss of Gene Upshaw. The NFL and the entire football world will miss him greatly.

Gene and I developed a close friendship that remained strong through the good times and some of the NFL’s most difficult challenges. We worked very closely on key issues that allowed the NFL to maintain unprecedented labor peace. His biggest asset was his understanding of the business of the game, and you always knew that his concern for the game’s best interests guided his actions.

Gene was a Super Bowl champion and a very deserving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Our prayers go out to Gene’s wife Terri and his entire family. We will miss Gene, but his positive contributions to the NFL will have a lasting impact for many years to come.

NFLPA head Gene Upshaw dead at 63

According to the Associated Press:

Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame guard who during a quarter century as union head helped get NFL players free agency and the riches that came with it, has died. He was 63.

Upshaw died Wednesday night at his home in Lake Tahoe, Calif., of pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed only last Sunday, the NFL Players Association said Thursday. His wife Terri and sons Eugene Jr., Justin and Daniel were by his side.

"Gene Upshaw did everything with great dignity, pride, and conviction," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

WWMSMD?

Documents show Michael Vick losing $12,000 per month: According to bankruptcy court papers, QB’s monthly income less than $280 -- Atlanta Journal-Constituion

Nets see ad gains as Brett Favre flies to Jets: Sales good for ESPN, CBS despite slow economy -- Hollywood Reporter

Can career backup (J.T. O'Sullivan) save Mike Nolan in San Francisco? -- SI's Bucky Brooks

Product Placement Advertising in Sports

A three-minute clip on Product Placement Advertising in Sports.

Stephen Jackson is back with the St. Louis Rams

Rams' Stephen Jackson reports for duty -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

From here on, Jackson's game should do the talking -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz

Jackson finally comes to his senses -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon

Scott Linehan finally gets some good news -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch blog

Rams' RB Steven Jackson will end holdout -- AP

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino answers a nomadic question

First off, I love the ESPN's College Football Nation Blog Network. Anyway, ESPN.com's Chris Low interviewed Arkansas' Bobby Petrino about his reputation as a coach who comes and goes.

Do you think your reputation of being a coaching nomad will persist until you're still at Arkansas seven or eight years from now?
BP: I kind of feel that tag on me is not real. This is my second college head coaching job. I had one stint in the NFL. When I was an assistant, I was at Idaho with John L. Smith, at Utah State with John L. Smith and at Louisville with John L. Smith. I spent a lot of time working with him, and that's what assistants do. They get opportunities that come up and then they go. I think the only job that I sent in a resume and made a phone call to get was to go to Weber State from Idaho. That's the only one where I made the initial contact. It's just that the situation with me being in the NFL for only one year ... certainly you're going to hear about that for a while.

Petrino admitted he gets asked about the Atlanta Falcons situation often when on the recruiting trail.

Justin Forsett is one nice running back

Do not quote me on this, but I do not think I have ever posted an eight-minute long video. (Of course, as soon as I wrote that, I remember I posted Tom Coughlin's 11-minute interview with ESPN last weekend.) But Seattle Seahawks running back Justin Forsett looks nice in this clip against the Chicago Bears during preseason action. I think he can be a player in this league. With Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett (among others), the Seattle Seahawks are going to have to find a spot for this 5-foot-8 running back on their roster. In the Seahawks' first preseason game, he posted 58 yards on 13 carries. In the second one against Chicago, he had 15 carries for 136 yards, along with one catch for eight yards. He also posted 116 return yards.

Not sure if this good or bad: ESPN eyes Games (2014, 2016)

ESPN is reported to be interested in the Olympics Games come 2014 and/or 2016. I could care less in one way, but I would be worried it would take away from all their other coverage -- especially football. The New York Times quotes ESPN’s executive vice president for content, John Skipper, as saying:

“Our DNA is different than theirs. We serve sports fans. It’s hard in our culture to fathom tape-delaying in the same way they (NBC) have. I’m not suggesting it wasn’t the smart thing for them to do, but it’s not our culture. We did Euro 2008 in the afternoon. We’ve done the World Cup in the middle of the morning. We have different audiences.”

The 2014 Winter Games will be in Sochi, Russia. The site for the 2016 Summer Games has not been picked. The finalist are Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. The IOC will pick in October of 2009.

The truth is out there -- somewhere

Here is just part of a long correction run by the Orlando magazine on the Internet after the publication ran a story about artist Mark Pulliam, who claimed, well, who claimed a lot of things. The story, in the August issue of the Orlando Magazine, was titled "The Natural." The correction was run in a column by editor Mike Boslet titled "Duped! The Mark Pulliam Story." Enjoy:

Finding the Truth
•Pulliam never played for the Yankees, said team spokesman Michael Margolis. Pulliam had said the team drafted him out of the University of Florida, a claim Margolis also denied.
•Team owner George Steinbrenner did not commission a Pulliam painting of Yankee Stadium, said Margolis. Shown a photo of the painting via e-mail, Margolis said it had never hung in the Yankees’ front offices, as Pulliam claimed.
•Pulliam didn’t play ball at the University of Florida, said John Hines, assistant director of communications at UF.
•UF has no record of Pulliam being enrolled there, according to Ron Wayne, a school spokesman. Pulliam had claimed that he returned to the school and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree after suffering a career-ending injury with the Yankees.
•Pulliam did attend Brevard Community College from 1977 to mid-1981, said Kate Brennan, a spokeswoman for the school. BCC’s athletic director, Jamie Howell, said he could not confirm that Pulliam had played on the school’s baseball team.

Have not seen the original story, but this correction may be better than the story.

Injuries caused by Browns' switch to brown pants?

Is this the curse of the brown pants? For the first time in their history, the Cleveland Browns wore brown pants in a game. What happened? Well, they were pretty much embarrassed by the New York Giants on national TV. Their starting quarterback (Derek Anderson) was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Safety Brodney Poole suffered a concussion. The best return man (Josh Cribbs) in the business, this side of Devon Hester, suffered a high-ankle sprain. He may miss the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. The Medina Gazette reports the following on the brown pants:

A decision hasn’t been made on whether the team will wear the brown pants again this year. The Browns wore mostly white pants from 1946 through ‘74, then went to orange pants from ‘75-’83. The white pants returned in 1984 and have stayed the norm, except for orange on a few special occasions.

Dallas media appears excited Cowboys may not face Cribbs

It's been reported that Cleveland Browns return artist Josh Cribbs has a high-ankle sprain. According to the Dallas Morning News Cowboys blog, "A high ankle sprain typically sidelines athletes from 4-6 weeks. T.O. and Dirk (Nowitzki) came back quicker than that, but neither was close to 100 percent upon their return."

A musical tribute to NFL referee Ed Hochuli

Here's a musical tribute to Ed Hochuli, the muscle-bound NFL referee. Why did someone post a musical tribute to Ed Hochuli on YouTube? It must be assumed that some questions are better left unanswered. You can only watch and wish we all looked like that at age 57.

Billboard to Bengals: "Chris Henry again? Are you serious?"

In case you missed it, the Cincinnati Bengals brought back wide receiver Chris Henry yesterday. Henry, who has missed 10 games during the past two seasons for violating its conduct policies, will miss the first four games of this season due to an NFL suspension. One Cincinnati Bengals fan posted his feeling on a billboard. It read: "Chris Henry again? Are you serious?" Here's a link to the billboard.

During his press conference, Henry was asked about it and a host of other things.

Q: There’s a billboard on I-75 stating "Chris Henry again?" Is it tough to come back to such fan frustration? What do you say to them?
A: It’s not tough for me but I wish the fans would allow me the chance to gain their trust back and proving myself and just having an opportunity to turn everything around. But it doesn’t bother me.

Q: What do you say to people who say you’ve been given too many chances?
A: Well, I mean, there’s pretty much nothing to say to them. I’ve got to prove it to my family and my teammates if it comes down to that…

Q: Do you understand the public outcry?
A: Yeah, I understand where they’re coming from. Just from everything that’s happened in the past and all of the mistakes I’ve made and I greatly regret. I understand where they’re coming from. It’s weird because they don’t actually know everything.

Q: What don't they know?
A: They just go off of what they read. They don't actually know everything that happened. It really doesn't come down to that, it's really up to me to turn everything around and handle myself like a professional athlete.

Then there's the response by Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. Here are a few of his answers.

Q: How do you deal with fan outrage, including billboards and Internet polls?
A: We can't really visit that. That's kind of where we are with things. We're going to move forward that way and not worry it.

Q: Do you understand the frustration of fans?
A: Well, I just said ... I just made my statement and I can't answer each fan's frustration. I get frustrated on Sunday afternoons, too. I get frustrated on Mondays. That's part of this job. I can't answer each of their frustrations. They have an option to be frustrated, if they want. It's a waste of time on their part but they have that option. Their frustrations aren't going to change us and our opportunity to win football games.

Kentucky coach on why NFL was tough for Saban, Spurrier

Kentucky head football coach Rich Brooks knows the NFL. During the 1990s, Brooks, after leaving the college ranks (Oregon), coached the St. Louis Rams for two seasons, going 13-19. Then spent four years with the Atlanta Falcons on Dan Reeves' staff. He was with the Falcons when they reached the Super Bowl. So, in short, he knows the NFL. In a question and answer with ESPN.com's Chris Low, Brooks shared his thoughts on why Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier struggled in the NFL.

Any theories on why coaches like Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier that had great success in the SEC didn't pan out in the NFL?
RB: A guy like Saban and Spurrier come from very successful (college) programs where they had total control of most everything that happened and then they went into a situation where they didn't have total control. They may tell you that you do going in, but you don't. You've got the general manager, the owner, the college personnel guy, the pro personnel guy, and they're all in their own little power plays. It's a different environment, and it's all football. But there's also a lot of politics in the NFL. There's not as much politics in college football, and you have more people pulling the wagon in the same direction in college than you do in the NFL. It's a power-oriented league. Some coaches get in and they think it will be one way, but it's not.

As for why Brooks is back coaching in college, he said, "I just got burned out and decided, 'I don't need this anymore.' "

Colt Brennan fans need to learn Zorn-speak

Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser hits the nail on the head when he tell Colt Brennan fans that need to learn coach-speak. Or in the case of Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, they need to learn Zorn-speak. The good people of Hawaii are enjoying themselves seeing Brennan shine in the nation's capital. They just wish Zorn would start to enjoy it. They want Zorn to admit how well Brennan is doing this preseason.

But as Lewis says, Brennan fans need to chill and learn Zorn-speak. In fact, he aids the reader by interpreting what Zorn really means. Here are two of his examples.

What Zorn says: "From my standpoint, I think he's doing OK."
What Zorn means: "If I said what I really think I'd have the other QBs either pouting or calling their agents, and who needs that in the preseason?"

What Zorn says: "He has to become a more disciplined QB. Not risk as much as he risked in the game. This week it turned out to be a great performance, but it could easily have been the other way."
What Zorn means: "He's a coach's dream: Even when he screws up he has the ability to make us look good."

Maybe it really is time to "splash the water" on Brennan. Anyone want to anoint him now? OK, let's wait a few more games.

Lost: Season 5 trailer

"We have to go back"

WR Bolden says Cardinals lied to him

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin is not happy with the team's management. He said the team has lied to him about a future contract with the Cardinals. He said he no longer communicated with his head coach, Ken Whisenhunt. According to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Bolden is quoted as saying, "At this point we have no relationship, and I don't see that changing." Quoting Bolden, Schefter writes:

"If you ask me, coaches should be coaches, management should be management, and I don't think those lines should be crossed. But when you cross those lines, you put yourself in position for things like this to happen."

Now, Boldin is upset with the organization and more upset with Whisenhunt, whom he feels got unnecessarily involved in negotiations that have soured.

And for more NFL news, check out the home page of The Zone Blitz.

ESPN's James Hasty answering NFL questions

ESPN's former NFL cornerback James Hasty answers viewers questions about the Eagles (McNabb), Lions (Calvin Johnson), Cowboys, Bills (Trent Edwards and the receivers), and Browns (defense).

ESPN on Brady Quinn and Eli Manning

ESPN's former NFL cornerback James Hasty breaks down the performances of Brady Quinn and Eli Manning.

Montana was great in KC; as for Favre in NYC, we shall see.

Leave it to a blogger to set the record straight. Many in the media have been comparing Brett Favre's arrival in New York to Joe Montana in Kansas City. Many have said Montana saw his career end on a down note with the Chiefs. But one blogger, a Kansas City Chiefs fan, sets the record straight. Midwesterner in NYC writes:

In early 1994 the Kansas City Chiefs played the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. This marks the only time, in the entire history of the AFC Championship Game (that started during the 1970-1971 season), that the Kansas City Chiefs were involved in this game. Would you like to take a guess who the quarterback was during that game? Joe Montana. ... Keep in mind, he wasn't throwing to Jerry Rice any longer, he was throwing to guys named Willie Davis and J.J. Birden. Yeah, Montana was quite the disgrace.

Midwesterner in NYC even has a YouTube video of the Chiefs' Monday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos. In it Montana stages one of his famous comebacks. For the record, though, Favre will not reach the AFC Championship Game.

SportsbyBrooks goes off on MSM's coverage of Sacramone

SportsbyBrooks posted this yesterday (we missed it for some reason): "Media Doesn’t Get Why Sacramone Is So Popular." SportsbyBrooks offers three reasons why Alicia Sacramone is so popular according Google searches, but the first reason nails it: "She's hot." SportsbyBrooks, which criticizes the San Diego Union-Tribune and NBC's Al Trautwig as those who don't get it, writes:

For NBC, or any other media outlet, to pretend that there is no other possible reason that millions of people would be searching for video and images of her, is naive to the point of not being believable.

Score one for the bloggers.

Sacramone
Uploaded by bsap11

Peter King couldn't get Brett Favre's return on SI cover

Poor Peter King could not get Brett Favre on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. King was probably jumping up and down pouting when SI decided to give the cover to Michael Phelps. Anyway, now on to other King-Favre news. In his Monday Morning Quarterback column, which appeared online Monday (obviously), it took King just five paragraphs before he mentioned Favre. Oh, and the topic of the column was Peyton Manning. King waits until close to the end to re-mention Favre. Here's his sad tale of Favre's return:

I think I don't want to hear what great fans the Jets have. Not for a long time. That crowd Saturday night was a disgrace. At least half the stadium was empty for Favre's debut in a Jets' uniform. I expressed my amazement to a few fellow scribes Saturday night -- emphasizing that N.Y. traded for an all-time-great quarterback, not a broken-down one -- and they gave varying reasons for the poor turnout. Like it's the middle of vacation month for New Yorkers, and it's a preseason game. Horsefeathers. If you really love your team, and you have season tickets, you should have been at that game unless you were in Tibet. Ridiculous.

You can put your hanky away now, Peter. And kissingsuzykolber.com was kind enough to point out that King attended Favre's game over the weekend in a green shirt. Apparently in an attempt to show support for Favre.

WWMSMD?

What Would Main Stream Media Do? Well, here is what it did.

Source: Chris Henry headed to Cincinnati to sign deal with Bengals -- ESPN.com

Dolphins to disavow Ronnie Brown rumor -- Miami Herald blog by Armando Salguero

Browns starters stink in second preseason game, too -- Dallas Morning News Cowboys blog

More to come, hopefully.

Olympics is kicking the NFL preseason's butt

We don't understand it (though, we will accept it), but the Olympics is kicking the NFL preseason's butt in TV ratings. Maybe the NFL preseason games should really be called "exhibitions" after all. Here's Saturday's list put together by Sports Media Watch:

New York: 16.9/34 (Olympics), 3.4/7 (Jets/Redskins -- Brett Favre's first with the Jets)
Washington: 20.7/37 (Olympics), 9.6/18 (Jets/Redskins)
Chicago: 15.5/29 (Olympics), 8.1/14 (Bears/Seahawks)
Dallas: 16.2/31 (Olympics), 8.8/16 (Cowboys/Broncos)
San Fran.: 22.4/46 (Olympics), 6.2/14 (49ers/Packers)
Atlanta: 19.8/45 (Olympics), 7.0/12 (Falcons/Colts)
Houston: 16.3/29 (Olympics), 5.8/10 (Texans/Saints)

Best (and worst) of last night's MNF from Awful Announcing

Awful Announcing has a clip of Tony Kornheiser ripping on Ron Jaworski's Arena Football League. As you know, Jaworski's Philadelphia Soul won the AFL championship. Plus, Awful Announcing posts the notable quotes from the MNF presentation -- which saw the New York Giants beat the Cleveland Browns 37-4 last night. Two of the better lines came from Kornheiser:

“Let me go back to Eli who you see growing a beard, which is what real men do. They grow beards, Jaws. They have beards.”- Tony Kornheiser

”With Tiki gone across the river to do TV and they said who in the world is going to get ALL those yards. Well Jacobs led the running back by committee that had 7 fewer rushing yards than the Giants in 2006.”- Mike Tirico
“That’s why Tiki moved from the nine o’clock hour to the 10 o’clock hour. Because someone out gained him. That’s another network, I should probably stay away from it.”- Tony Kornheiser

Nine-foot tapeworm? Is this even possible?

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that a man has filed a suit against a restaurant after passing a nine-foot tapeworm. Ouch. This happened sometime in 2006. The suit was filed Monday. According the Sun-Times:

A tapeworm almost 10-feet long passed through a man after he ate at a high-end seafood restaurant in the Loop, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

Anthony Franz is suing the parent company of Shaw’s Crab House for causing him to become “violently ill” after eating undercooked salmon at the River North restaurant.

After some quick research (aka Google), it seems tapeworms can grow to 3-7 feet and can grow as long as 30 feet. In the end, it could have been worse for this Chicago guy.

Check out Tampa Bay first baseman Carlos Pena autographing a taco. The kid actually asks Pena to "sign my taco."

For more news, go to the front page of The Zone Blitz.

Bloggers at the Democratic and Republican conventions? Thank Google

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is helping bloggers cover the Democratic and Republican conventions in the coming weeks. Here's the WSJ report:

WASHINGTON -- Google Inc. will help set up a two-story, 8,000 square-foot headquarters for hundreds of bloggers descending on the Democratic convention in Denver next week, and it will offer similar services at the Republican convention in September, as new media gain influence in politics.

Four years ago, Google wasn't a significant presence at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Its high-profile presence at both conventions this year mirrors the growth of new media, which will provide their takes on events and compete with established media companies via Google's YouTube video site and other social-media outlets.

With its financial support for the "Big Tent" blogger facility at the Democratic convention, Google stands to gain exposure and goodwill from 500 or so bloggers who paid $100 for access to the facility, run by a coalition of bloggers. Google's software and services will be featured, including a kiosk in the public area of the tent where anyone can post videos on YouTube.

This will help Google's PR machine. Could the major sports be far behind? Can you imagine bloggers at the Super Bowl? World Series? The BCS National Championship Game? Bowl games? I can actually see this happening. Give them x-mount of space at a site. Nothing over the top. Just some space at the site and a bit of opportunity. I actually think this is a great move by Google.