Results tagged “nfl”

This might be music to the Reverend Al Sharpton's ears: ESPN reports, "Rush Limbaugh is expected to be dropped from a group bidding to buy the St. Louis Rams, according to three NFL sources."

Last week, conservative radio personality/guru Rush Limbaugh announced that he was interested in buying the St. Louis Rams, along with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts. Now, the Reverend Al Sharpton has entered into the fray, asking NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for a meeting to explain why Limbaugh shouldn't be considered as a potential owner.

Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress headed for Rikers Island earlier today after being sentenced to a two-year term for second-degree "attempted weapons possession." He had pleaded guilty to the charge after shooting himself in the thigh with his own illegal pistol in a Manhattan nightclub in November 2008. From Rikers Island he will be transferred to one of NY's many beautiful upstate prisons, just in time for foliage season and intramural convict football. ESPN.com noted that he was expected to serve about twenty months, followed by two years of probation, if his behavior is good.

The NFL showed again this week that they don’t get it. In the midst of the worst recession in decades, the NFL is stubbornly sticking to its policy of blacking out home games in areas where they don’t sell all the tickets. But generously, the NFL will allow fans who have a game blacked out to watch the game online, AFTER midnight- are you excited yet?

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Eagles signed controversial quarterback Michael Vick to a one-year deal. Vick was suspended from the NFL after being convicted on federal dogfighting charges in 2007; he served 18 months and was conditionally reinstated to the NFL this summer (NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will decide whether to reinstate him as early as week 1 or as late as week 6). The Eagles will introduce Vick at a 10:30 a.m. press conference; his "surprise" deal is worth $1.6 million in 2009, with an option for $5.2 million. Recently, Vick was spotted in Chicago, working with the Humane Society to advocate against dog fighting. Vick's interview with 60 Minutes will air this Sunday—he told NFL Today's James Brown that dogfighting is "wrong …I feel, you know, some tremendous hurt behind what happened. And, you know, I should of took the initiative to stop it all…I didn't - I didn't step up. I wasn't a leader." The Giants are scheduled to play the Eagles on Nov.1 in Philly and on Dec. 13 at the Meadowlands. Update, 11:02 a.m.: The press conference just started and is streaming live at the Eagles website.

Plaxico Burress made his way into Manhattan criminal court this morning where a judge adjourned his weapons possession case until September. A grand jury will decide whether to indict Burress for last fall's shooting mess at nightclub Latin Quarter by September 23rd, marking the end of any potential plea deal trying to be worked out by his high-profile lawyer Benjamin Brafman. Brafman said, "There is no victim in this case besides Plaxico Burress."

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress arrived at criminal court in lower Manhattan this morning and both the Manhattan DA's office and Burress's lawyer agreed to have his gun case adjourned until June 15. Burress remains free on $100,000 bail.

    

Eli Manning will be in the same Pro Bowl as his brother Peyton. History is made! (But how does Matt Ryan feel about Eli's inclusion?) The Giants will send six to Hawaii, including both punter Jeff Feagles and placekicker John Carney. Combined age? 86. Their vaunted defense will have only one representative in Justin Tuck. That seems funny. The Giants' stellar offensive line did get some love. Guard Chris Snee will start, and center Shaun O'Hara will be a reserve.

Stephon Marbury must be smiling to know that in one of his likely final days as a Knick, he gets the day off from being the bullseye of the New York media's lambasting. That's because the details that have spilled out surrounding Plaxico Burress's accidental shooting of himself are nothing but embarrassing and incriminating for the Giants star wide receiver. Once police can obtain a warrant from the DA's office, they are likely to arrest Burress on felony weapons charges since the only permit Burress had expired in May and that permit was from Florida thus making it invalid in New York and New Jersey.

If you woke up this morning wondering, "How can I celebrate the kick-off to the 89th NFL season?" then you're in luck, because the NFL has created a fan's guide on just how to do so, and they're providing the entertainment.

Mayor Bloomberg and NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell announced today that NYC will host the "NFL Opening Kickoff 2008," to celebrate the Giants' Super Bowl win and commence the 89th season of the NFL. There will be a free concert at Columbus Circle on September 4--with Usher and Keith Urban. Previously, NYC hosted a kickoff event in 2002 in Times Square, with Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesis, Alicia Keys, Eve and the cast of Rent. More details will be released later (like the exact time), but at this point, the city says, "Fans will be able to enter the concert on 58th Street and 7th Avenue and will line up along Central Park South." And early reports are in that Bruce Springsteen will rock the next Super Bowl.

The drama of quarterback Brett Favre continues as ESPN reports the Jets have received permission to talk to him. Now, the Jets already have Chad Pennington, but one GM told the Daily News that Favre "would give the Jets legitimate hope." Not to mention a little pizazz. But Jets coach Eric Mangini said today he was "happy with the quarters we have." And fun: Deadspin titled its post, "Favre Might Ruin The Rest Of His Legacy As A New York Jet."

If there is no such thing as bad publicity, then we suppose yesterday's Cash Tomato promotion was a resounding success - if a melee as people tried to grab money works for you. The event, which involved giving away $29 to individuals in honor of Leap Year - wait, make that $29 attached to tomatoes, resulted in a Union Square riot with one person hospitalized and police and paramedics on the scene.

Put any thoughts of the new Giants-Jets Stadium being named Mara Field (after the recently deceased and beloved Giants owner Wellington Mara) far from your heads. Sports marketing experts believe that the value of slapping a corporation's name on the arena, which is expected to be completed in 2010 and cost $1.3 billion, could generate revenues of $25 million to $30 million annually for the two teams. In comparison, the Mets are charging Citigroup $20 million annually for 20 years to name the team's new stadium in Queens Citi Field.

A timeout and a holding penalty on the Jets couldn't prevent Mike Nugent from hurting the Jets' draft position helping the Jets end a disappointing season with a 13-10 win over Kansas City on Sunday evening at the Meadowlands. A 33-yard make, which set off some premature celebrations, turned into a 43-yard try after Wade Smith got nailed for holding. Nugent made that too, a fitting sendoff for special teams coach Mike Westoff, who told his team he wouldn't be back next season. He's been suffering from a malignant tumor in his femur and has walked around on crutches while leading the most successful of the Jets units. Given how inconsistent the offense and defense have been, that shouldn't be too hard, but the Jets' Leon Washington was one of their biggest threats -- as a returnman.

While much of the football excitement this weekend surrounds the New York Giants' game versus the New England Patriots tonight, the Jets still have an interesting Week 17 matchup.

NBC in addition to the NFL Network, WWOR and WCBV in Boston.

The spread opened at 27 points. It's recently settled at 24 1/2 points, which, if held, would be the largest ever for an NFL game. More went into that spread than a terrible team playing an unbeaten one on the road. The Patriots have been running up the score on opponents all year, and everyone thinks they're doing it to teach the league a lesson after it was exposed -- on the word of jets Coach Eric Mangini -- that New England was recording the Jets' defensive signals during a Week 1 win in the Meadowlands.

As the Jets look ahed to their game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, they may be hoping that's where they are in a season or two. Cleveland, like the Jets, is coached by a former defensive protege of Patriots Coach Bill Belichick. Romeo Crennell had a rough go of it during the first few seasons, but he now has an offense filled with playmakers like Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow and run by an unheralded...

Neither the Jets nor the Dolphins have enjoyed their seasons too much. One half of the Jets' wins came on Sept. 23 when they edged the Dolphins 31-28 at home. Now they travel to Miami. They're 0-5 on the road, but Miami has lost 14 straight. Ironically, the Jets stand to gain the most if they lose and somehow pass the Dolphins in the NFL draft pecking order. But shhh! No one's thinking about that....

When the NFL scheduled the Jets to play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving back in the spring, it had to think it was going to get a good game between two 2006 playoff teams. Unfortunately for the league, only the Cowboys have lived up to expectations this season. Still, the game is better than some of the duds of recent years. The Cowboys look like the best team in the NFC -- which could make them...

D is for drunk and disorderly, not boobs and breasts. At least according to New Jersey State Senator Richard Codey. The Times first reported yesterday on the halftime events at Gate D at Giants Stadium during Jets games. Hundreds of fans gather on the exit ramp, chanting at women and encouraging them to expose their breasts. If they don't lift their shirts, the women are met with boos and sometimes are spit at or have...

Bye weeks can do wonders for football teams. Time off certainly helped the Jets. They held their own against the Pittsburgh Steelers and then secured a 19-16 win in overtime after trailing by three with two minutes, 23 seconds to go in regulation. For the second straight game, Kellen Clemens engineered a game-tying drive capped by a Mike Nugent field goal -- although this drive probably should won the game. The Jets finished the job...

After a much-needed bye that followed six straight losses, the Jets return to the Meadowlands field Sunday to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first of three Super Bowl-caliber teams on their schedule in the second half. A win in any of those games -- they are also at Dallas on Thanksgiving and at New England on Dec. 16 -- would be a major surprise. That's the only way the Jets can affect the NFL...

After nine games it is clear that we do not really know what this Giants team is capable of. During their six-game winning streak, the defense looked like one of the best in the NFL but as yesterday’s 31-20 loss showed, they are hugely inconsistent. The same thing can be said of Eli Manning. Eli teases you with just enough brilliance to make you think he is about to live up to his hype,...

Even if a good portion of the announced paid attendance wasn't there to see it, the Jets played an entertaining if not successful football game in their 23-20 overtime loss to the Redskins on Sunday. Kellen Clemens showed flashes of brilliance and moments of poise -- including a drive that culminated with the game-tying field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation -- but the Jets defense didn't hold up its end of the bargain....

What better symbol for the Jets' season than cornerback's Darrelle Revis' collision with safety Abram Elam? Revis, going for an interception against Buffalo's Lee Evans, instead got a mouthful of his teammate and a great view at the Bills receiver's march to the end zone. That score clinched Buffalo's 13-3 win in the Meadowlands on Sunday. The Jets have now lost twice to the Bills and have fallen to 1-7. Their only win came against the Dolphins, but the NFL will still insist that it counts.

The Giants escaped London with an ugly 13-10 win on an ugly day on an ugly field. The Wembley Stadium turf was not made to handle our brand of football in the rain and it rapidly turned into mud, leaving the players struggling for footing and resulting in sloppy play on both sides of the ball.