When Tiki Barber told HBO that he was returning to football because he "needed the game," and because he "needed to prove to [himself] that he could be successful at something," I thought it sounded like a recipe for a personal mental health disaster. Now that NFL rosters are set at 53, and Tiki Barber never got to sniff one, I hope that's not true. According to Peter King at Sports Illustrated, Tiki isn't taking it well. I tried to reach Barber on Sunday, but he wasn't talking. I hear he's devastated that no team gave him a chance. You might wonder if teams would bring him in after the first game of the season, so his contract wouldn't be guaranteed, and that could still happen. But with no team calling Lepselter with even a hint of interest, it's more likely teams would start with backs who've been in some football competition this summer. [Barber's agent Mark] Lepselter told me Sunday: "We are flabbergasted that Tiki has not had an opportunity with any team, especially when rosters were at 90 players this year. I certainly thought some team would be intrigued to see what he had left in the tank.'' Where this will leave Tiki Barber the person, I don't know. He's also recently proposed to his girlfriend, the one with whom he was involved while still married to his pregnant wife. So that's good news. His football career, though, is dead, and it's not coming back. I know Tiki said he needed the game, but I doubt he needs it enough to consider trying to prove himself in the UFL, Canada or the Arena League. For a guy truly desperate to get back into the league, that's really the only step left. Even if a team suffers a catastrophic string of injuries at the tailback position, it won't be Barber's phone that rings. It'll be someone younger, cheaper, who won't bring any media scrutiny, and will play with fearless abandon on special teams. Sorry, Tiki. Good luck finding something else that makes you happy.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars released veteran quarterback David Garrard on Tuesday, a stunning move that will save the franchise $9 million this season.
Whether it saves coach Jack Del Rio's job remains to be seen. Team owner Wayne Weaver has said Jacksonville needs to make the playoffs for Del Rio to stick around for a 10th season. Del Rio made it clear late last season that he had grown tired of Garrard's inconsistent ways, but the coach remained steadfast through training camp and the preseason that Garrard was his starter.
That changed Tuesday, when the Jaguars scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss their decision.
Del Rio will turn the starting job over to Luke McCown, who outplayed Garrard and rookie Blaine Gabbert in the preseason. But McCown played mostly with and against second- and third-teamers. McCown completed 12 of 18 passes for 133 yards, with two touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks. .... http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6936966/jacksonville-jaguars-release-david-garrard-days-opener
1 (1) Packers 10-6 Are we seeing an NFC Championship Game preview when the Packers host the Saints Thursday? (Walker)
2 (2) Patriots 14-2 I'm a little concerned how they match up against man-to-man coverage, but they are the AFC's top dogs. (Clayton)
3 (5) Steelers 12-4 QB Ben Roethlisberger could have his best statistical year in 2011. (Walker)
4 (3) Eagles 10-6 The Eagles will have new starters at four of the five offensive line positions, including at right tackle. They must keep Michael Vick upright for the season to be a success. (Fox)
5 (4) Saints 11-5 Turnover at running back gives the Saints' offense a new feel this season. (Sando)
6 (6) Falcons 13-3 The Falcons showed they're serious with the draft-day trade for Julio Jones. (Sando)
7 (7) Jets 11-5 Rex Ryan and the Jets face a tough ride back to the AFC title game. It's tough to do it three straight years. (Clayton)
8 (9) Ravens 12-4 We will find out right away where Baltimore stands in Week 1 against Pittsburgh. (Walker)
9 (8) Colts 10-6 When does Peyton Manning play, and how well can he do at the start of his season? (Kuharsky)
10 (10) Chargers 9-7 Time to turn talent and statistics into wins. Slow start and/or playoff fade are old scripts. (Kuharsky)
11 (17) Texans 6-10 Have depth at running back to compete minus (or with a limited) Arian Foster if they have to. (Kuharsky)
12 (12) Buccaneers 10-6 NFL's youngest team has one of the brightest young QBs in Josh Freeman. (Sando)
13 (13) Bears 11-5 A brutal schedule the first three weeks could lead to a slow start. (Walker)
14 (16) Cowboys 6-10 With no offseason to speak of, it might take awhile for the defensive players to get used to Rob Ryan's schemes. Once they do, the Cowboys could be scary good on defense. (Fox)
15 (11) Giants 10-6 No team suffered bigger preseason losses from an injury standpoint than the Giants, particularly in the secondary. At least they get the Redskins in Week 1. (Fox)
16 (18) Lions 6-10 The Lions (4-0) took the preseason seriously. Will it translate into the regular season? (Walker)
17 (15) Rams 7-9 Primary question is whether the Rams did enough to help Sam Bradford at WR. (Sando)
18 (14) Chiefs 10-6 It's often difficult to follow up a breakthrough season with a strong showing. That's Todd Haley's challenge. (Kuharsky)
19 (22) Jaguars 8-8 Not enough preseason progress on big issues: playmaking on offense and pass-rushing on defense. (Kuharsky)
20 (25) Vikings 6-10 Thanks to Chris Johnson, Vikes RB Adrian Peterson could be thinking dollar signs with every big rush this season. (Walker)
21 (21) Cardinals 5-11 Kevin Kolb's arrival gives the Cardinals renewed hope following a 5-11 season. (Sando)
22 (23) Raiders 8-8 Was 2010 division sweep a fluke? The Raiders need to be more consistent no matter the opponent. (Kuharsky)
23 (20) Titans 6-10 Add Chris Johnson and a healthy Kenny Britt to the mix and the offense could surprise. (Kuharsky)
24 (24) Dolphins 7-9 It amazes me that the offensive line is a problem with all the investments and work in trying to fix it. (Clayton)
25 (19) Seahawks 7-9 Decision to go with QB Tarvaris Jackson as starter has confounded NFL. (Sando)
26 (26) 49ers 6-10 49ers could have as many as six new starters on defense. (Sando)
27 (27) Broncos 4-12 Kyle Orton is better than people think. And the transition to John Fox's thinking could be too. (Kuharsky)
28 (29) Redskins 6-10 Mike Shanahan will have Rex Grossman start the season at quarterback, but in all likelihood John Beck will finish it. (Fox)
29 (28) Browns 5-11 Lack of quality depth will hurt the Browns. (Walker)
30 (31) Bills 4-12 The Bills look better stopping the run, but their defense will struggle against passing teams. (Clayton)
31 (30) Panthers 2-14 Panthers have an interesting mix with Steve Smith, Jeremy Shockey and a rookie QB. (Sando)
32 (32) Bengals 4-12 Coach Marvin Lewis says the 2011 Bengals are better than the 2010 Bengals (4-12). It should be a close race. (Walker)
I think the Jags should probably drop considerably and maybe the Colts too. Still not believing that Texans thing until I see it, but somebody has to win that division.
Comments
Tiki Barber remains unemployed and sad
By MJD
When Tiki Barber told HBO that he was returning to football because he "needed the game," and because he "needed to prove to [himself] that he could be successful at something," I thought it sounded like a recipe for a personal mental health disaster.
Now that NFL rosters are set at 53, and Tiki Barber never got to sniff one, I hope that's not true. According to Peter King at Sports Illustrated, Tiki isn't taking it well.
I tried to reach Barber on Sunday, but he wasn't talking. I hear he's devastated that no team gave him a chance. You might wonder if teams would bring him in after the first game of the season, so his contract wouldn't be guaranteed, and that could still happen. But with no team calling Lepselter with even a hint of interest, it's more likely teams would start with backs who've been in some football competition this summer.
[Barber's agent Mark] Lepselter told me Sunday: "We are flabbergasted that Tiki has not had an opportunity with any team, especially when rosters were at 90 players this year. I certainly thought some team would be intrigued to see what he had left in the tank.''
Where this will leave Tiki Barber the person, I don't know. He's also recently proposed to his girlfriend, the one with whom he was involved while still married to his pregnant wife. So that's good news.
His football career, though, is dead, and it's not coming back. I know Tiki said he needed the game, but I doubt he needs it enough to consider trying to prove himself in the UFL, Canada or the Arena League.
For a guy truly desperate to get back into the league, that's really the only step left. Even if a team suffers a catastrophic string of injuries at the tailback position, it won't be Barber's phone that rings. It'll be someone younger, cheaper, who won't bring any media scrutiny, and will play with fearless abandon on special teams.
Sorry, Tiki. Good luck finding something else that makes you happy.
What the fuck.
Whether it saves coach Jack Del Rio's job remains to be seen. Team owner Wayne Weaver has said Jacksonville needs to make the playoffs for Del Rio to stick around for a 10th season. Del Rio made it clear late last season that he had grown tired of Garrard's inconsistent ways, but the coach remained steadfast through training camp and the preseason that Garrard was his starter.
That changed Tuesday, when the Jaguars scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss their decision.
Del Rio will turn the starting job over to Luke McCown, who outplayed Garrard and rookie Blaine Gabbert in the preseason. But McCown played mostly with and against second- and third-teamers. McCown completed 12 of 18 passes for 133 yards, with two touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks.
....
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6936966/jacksonville-jaguars-release-david-garrard-days-opener
I can see him as a Redskin but I hope they decide to stick with Wrecks Grossman.
They're ditching David Garrard to go with Luke McCown........
Del Rio is insane if he thinks this will save his job.
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Packers 10-6 Are we seeing an NFC Championship Game preview when the Packers host the Saints Thursday? (Walker)
2 (2) Patriots 14-2 I'm a little concerned how they match up against man-to-man coverage, but they are the AFC's top dogs. (Clayton)
3 (5) Steelers 12-4 QB Ben Roethlisberger could have his best statistical year in 2011. (Walker)
4 (3) Eagles 10-6 The Eagles will have new starters at four of the five offensive line positions, including at right tackle. They must keep Michael Vick upright for the season to be a success. (Fox)
5 (4) Saints 11-5 Turnover at running back gives the Saints' offense a new feel this season. (Sando)
6 (6) Falcons 13-3 The Falcons showed they're serious with the draft-day trade for Julio Jones. (Sando)
7 (7) Jets 11-5 Rex Ryan and the Jets face a tough ride back to the AFC title game. It's tough to do it three straight years. (Clayton)
8 (9) Ravens 12-4 We will find out right away where Baltimore stands in Week 1 against Pittsburgh. (Walker)
9 (8) Colts 10-6 When does Peyton Manning play, and how well can he do at the start of his season? (Kuharsky)
10 (10) Chargers 9-7 Time to turn talent and statistics into wins. Slow start and/or playoff fade are old scripts. (Kuharsky)
11 (17) Texans 6-10 Have depth at running back to compete minus (or with a limited) Arian Foster if they have to. (Kuharsky)
12 (12) Buccaneers 10-6 NFL's youngest team has one of the brightest young QBs in Josh Freeman. (Sando)
13 (13) Bears 11-5 A brutal schedule the first three weeks could lead to a slow start. (Walker)
14 (16) Cowboys 6-10 With no offseason to speak of, it might take awhile for the defensive players to get used to Rob Ryan's schemes. Once they do, the Cowboys could be scary good on defense. (Fox)
15 (11) Giants 10-6 No team suffered bigger preseason losses from an injury standpoint than the Giants, particularly in the secondary. At least they get the Redskins in Week 1. (Fox)
16 (18) Lions 6-10 The Lions (4-0) took the preseason seriously. Will it translate into the regular season? (Walker)
17 (15) Rams 7-9 Primary question is whether the Rams did enough to help Sam Bradford at WR. (Sando)
18 (14) Chiefs 10-6 It's often difficult to follow up a breakthrough season with a strong showing. That's Todd Haley's challenge. (Kuharsky)
19 (22) Jaguars 8-8 Not enough preseason progress on big issues: playmaking on offense and pass-rushing on defense. (Kuharsky)
20 (25) Vikings 6-10 Thanks to Chris Johnson, Vikes RB Adrian Peterson could be thinking dollar signs with every big rush this season. (Walker)
21 (21) Cardinals 5-11 Kevin Kolb's arrival gives the Cardinals renewed hope following a 5-11 season. (Sando)
22 (23) Raiders 8-8 Was 2010 division sweep a fluke? The Raiders need to be more consistent no matter the opponent. (Kuharsky)
23 (20) Titans 6-10 Add Chris Johnson and a healthy Kenny Britt to the mix and the offense could surprise. (Kuharsky)
24 (24) Dolphins 7-9 It amazes me that the offensive line is a problem with all the investments and work in trying to fix it. (Clayton)
25 (19) Seahawks 7-9 Decision to go with QB Tarvaris Jackson as starter has confounded NFL. (Sando)
26 (26) 49ers 6-10 49ers could have as many as six new starters on defense. (Sando)
27 (27) Broncos 4-12 Kyle Orton is better than people think. And the transition to John Fox's thinking could be too. (Kuharsky)
28 (29) Redskins 6-10 Mike Shanahan will have Rex Grossman start the season at quarterback, but in all likelihood John Beck will finish it. (Fox)
29 (28) Browns 5-11 Lack of quality depth will hurt the Browns. (Walker)
30 (31) Bills 4-12 The Bills look better stopping the run, but their defense will struggle against passing teams. (Clayton)
31 (30) Panthers 2-14 Panthers have an interesting mix with Steve Smith, Jeremy Shockey and a rookie QB. (Sando)
32 (32) Bengals 4-12 Coach Marvin Lewis says the 2011 Bengals are better than the 2010 Bengals (4-12). It should be a close race. (Walker)
Tyron Smith is out 2-4 weeks. Pisses me off ~X(