SB Nation - Desmond Bishop

Friday Injury Report: 49ers at Packers

Brandon — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:26:28 -0000

It's a long list for each team this week. The Green Bay Packers have 17 players listed, and the 49ers 13. But most of the injuries are not serious, and nearly everyone is expected to play.

For the Packers, it's been a rough week of practice. Both RT Allen Barbre and OL Evan Dietrich-Smith were injured during practice, and I'm not expecting either of them to play. C Scott Wells reported a concussion on Wednesday, though the injury likely happened during the game last Sunday. Mike McCarthy expects Wells will start. RB Ahman Green injured his groin late Thursday during practice, and it's not clear whether he'll play. Every other player should be available to play, including three guys who didn't play last week: LB Brandon Chillar, TE Jermichael Finley, and RT Mark Tauscher.

Tauscher will start the game, but he will rotate with OL T.J. Lang, depending on Tauscher's endurance.

For the Niners, only CB Nate Clements and LT Joe Staley are out. Those are two of their big name players, but they missed last week's game too. Fooch said their replacements have played really well. The only other player who could miss the game is LB Takeo Spikes who's day-to-day with a hamstring injury.

Overall, both teams are relatively healthy and injuries shouldn't play a major role. The complete injury list for both teams is after the jump.

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Allen Barbre	T/G	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Desmond Bishop	LB	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Brandon Chillar	LB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Chad Clifton	T	Not Inj. Related	Limited Participation	N/A
Evan Dietrich-Smith	G/C	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Ahman Green	RB	Groin	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Cullen Jenkins	DE	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Johnny Jolly	DE	Back	Full Participation	Probable
Brad Jones	LB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Aaron Kampman	LB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
John Kuhn	FB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Clay Matthews	LB	Jaw	Full Participation	Probable
Brady Poppinga	LB	Quadricep	Full Participation	Probable
Mark Tauscher	T	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Scott Wells	C	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Charles Woodson	CB	Hip	Full Participation	Probable


Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Isaac Bruce	WR	Ankle & Elbow	Full Participation	Probable
Nate Clements	CB	Shoulder	Out	Out
Glen Coffee	RB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Michael Crabtree	WR	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Demetric Evans	DT	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Aubrayo Franklin	NT	Not Inj. Related
Michael Lewis	S	Quadricep	Full Participation	Probable
Michael Robinson	RB	Not Inj. Related	Did Not Participate	Probable
Mark Roman	S	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Justin Smith	DT	Back	Full Participation	Probable
Adam Snyder	T/G	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Takeo Spikes	LB	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable
Joe Staley	T	Knee	Out	Out

49ers-Packers Final Injury Report

Fooch — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:08:35 -0000

We're two days away from a monstrous game for the 49ers and we've got our final injury report of the week. A whole lot of probable players, but not much beyond that. Barrows thinks we'll see Matt Wilhelm starting at the Ted linebacker spot over Takeo Spikes, who remains "day-to-day." Wilhelm was solid last Thursday as a mid-game replacement for Spikes, so let's hope it carries over to Sunday.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Questionable
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)

Probable
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
RB Glen Coffee (concussion)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (stinger)
WR Michael Crabtree (knee)
DT Demetric Evans (shoulder)
S Mark Roman (knee)
DE Justin Smith (back)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)

Packers
Doubtful
OT Allen Barbre (ankle)

Questionable
G Evan Dietrich-Smith (ankle)
RB Ahman Green (groin)

Probable
LB Desmond Bishop (ankle)
LB Brandon Chillar (hand)
TE Jermichael Finley (knee)
DE Cullen Jenkins (ankle)
DE Johnny Jolly (back)
LB Brad Jones (concussion)
LB Aaron Kampman (concussion)
RB John Kuhn (hand)
LB Clay Matthews (jaw)
LB Brady Poppinga (quadricep)
T Mark Tauscher (knee)
C Scott Wells (concussion)
CB Charles Woodson (hip)

The Day After Dallas: Injuries, Challenges, Punting, and Brad Jones

Brandon — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:15:17 -0000

Injuries, Injuries, injuires...from Mike McCarthy:

Cullen Jenkins had some ankle swelling. He'll probably miss some practice time this week. Desmond Bishop also had an ankle sprain. He'll probably miss some practice time. Greg Jennings had a knee contusion. He'll miss some practice time. And John Kuhn had a broken hand, and we'll see what he'll be able to do this week. With that, I'll take your questions.

The only injury he mentioned in his post-game press conference was LG Daryn Colledge's ankle bruise, but Colledge returned to the game at few plays later. The three guys who missed the Dallas game, RT Mark Tauscher, TE Jermichael Finley, and LB Aaron Kampman, are all expected back at practice this week. A lot of guys are banged up, and there's still 7 regular season games to go.

According to Rob Demovsky, the Packers should have been assessed a 15 yard penalty after McCarthy tried a 3rd challenge. I admit I hadn't noticed. The Cowboys got down to the 1 yard line anyway, and were stopped when QB Tony Romo threw a INT to CB Charles Woodson, so I'm not sure it would have mattered.

P Jeremy Kapinos is a great punter, in practice, says special teams coach Shawn Slocum. Slocum better be careful, praising P Derrick Frost's practice skills didn't help Mike Stock keep his job after last season. I haven't been a big critic of Kapinos because he's not as bad as Frost and I doubt they'd find anyone better at this point. Still, he's one of the worst punters in the NFL and the Packers will have to bring in some serious competition next season. For the remainder of this season, Greg Bedard suggested P Sam Paulescu, but he was bad last season in Dallas with a 41.8 yard average, compared to a 44.2 yard average for Kapinos. His net average is even worse, but the punt coverage deserves a lot of blame for it.

In his 1st NFL start, LB Brad Jones had 7 tackles and 1 for a loss. I'm a big fan of his, but I was disappointed he couldn't bring more of a pass rush against the Cowboys' backup RT. A good game, but those are LB A.J. Hawk type numbers. So I'm surprised that the comments are praising Jones, McCarthy has been asked whether Kampman remains the starter, and Tom Silverstein writes about Jones's emergence.

LB Brandon Chillar Out For "A Couple of Weeks"

Brandon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:43:16 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

about 1 month ago: Green Bay Packers' Brandon Chillar (54) and Minnesota Vikings' Phil Loadholt (71) scramble for Vikings fumble during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Browse more photos »

I should have posted this yesterday. The Green Bay Packers will be without starting ILB Brandon Chillar for at least the next game against the Bucs. From Mike McCarthy:

We had a number of players banged up from the game, but the one significant injury, Brandon Chillar had a broken hand. He will have surgery today, and with the information that will come out of the surgery, the forecast will probably be a couple of weeks, and I think he'll then be able to play with a club.

Although the coaches obviously prefer him over LB A.J. Hawk or LB Desmond Bishop, his absence for 1 or 2 games is not a big loss. Hawk or Bishop replace most of what Chillar provides at inside linebacker. It appeared that Hawk and Bishop rotated in place of Chillar against the Vikings, but it didn't seem to be broken down by passing vs. rushing downs. As much as I'd like to see Hawk fulfill some of his potential, I hope it's Bishop who plays most of the time in Chillar's absence.

Bears in the Pros: Rodgers v. Favre II, Desean Stars, Ryan Anderson Debuts

Avinash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:47 -0000

via www.electrobertjones.com (original site where image was created here)

(ieeebear will have the video of Bears with the Pros by Sunday!)

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Obviously the big storyline, but the only one Cal fans care about is how our Golden Boy will whip the Vikings back to Minneapolis. Aaron himself has taken a Zen-like approach to the whole controversy.

"I feel like a stance like that would have portrayed me as wanting some sort of sympathy or self-pity on my part, and I never felt like that," Rodgers said. "I felt like I’d waited for three years to do something that I always wanted to do since I was 3 years old watching Joe Montana and running pass patterns with my dad in the back yard. That’s the way I looked at it. I didn’t look at it like I was going through something that was unfair to me, or I was innocent."

Rodgers compared the fallout from the Favre trade to his experience in the 2005 NFL draft, when the Cal star wasn’t picked as early as many expected and had to deal with disappointment in the spotlight.

"I just try to stay focused on the things I can control," Rodgers said. "I think I learned that as a 21-year-old sitting in the green room (at the 2005 draft) firsthand. That was kind of the beginning of just continuing to trust in my close friends and advisers and just hearing the same kind of thing — that the things you should worry about, think about, spend your energy on are the things you can control."

CGB will have an open thread for this weekend's Minnesota-Green Bay game, since almost the entire country will get it. Remeber to swing by Cal fans; get your Rodgers-love/Favre hate on. 12:45 PM PST, we get it on!

The mayor of Green Bay might be my favorite public official ever now.

A section of Green Bay's east side is now Mister Rodgers's neighborhood.

Minnesota Avenue was renamed Aaron Rodgers Drive by the mayor in a special ceremony Thursday morning, in advance of the Minnesota Vikings coming to town.

Mayor Jim Schmitt said the change is temporary -- in effect until Monday.

"Hopefully he'll get a street named after him in really more of the sports district, which is over by Reggie White Way, Bart Starr Drive, Brett Favre Pass. I think that day will come, but we're a ways away from that," the mayor said.

When the sign is taken down Monday, Rodgers says he'll autograph it and donate it to charity.

The mayor wasn't shy about offering his prediction about the game. "This will be fun. It's a special weekend and the Packers are going to win this weekend, too. So it will be a special sign come Sunday night."

The mayor says the city is marking Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field with the rival team by wearing flip-flops to work Friday in honor of the gunslinger's on-again/off-again retirements.

Finally, Packers SBN blog Acme Packing Company believes the Vikings are vulnerable through the air.

The first thing that jumped out was that their pass defense seems to be playing much better on the road. The best performance at home was holding the recently benched QB Shaun Hill to "only" a 94.6 QB rating. It's not a great sample size comparison because only the Steelers have a good pass offense among their 4 road opponents.

The second thing was that a consistent pass rush has no relationship on whether they can stop the pass. They did a great job sacking and hitting QB Aaron Rodgers and Baltimore's QB Joe Flacco, but those were their two worst games of the season per opponents' QB rating. Let's say, hypothetically, we do go ahead and pull out the 4.5 sacks DE Jared Allen had against the Packers last time, then it turns out that the Vikings would still have 20.5 sacks on the season, which would leave them ranked No. 4 overall. Once you actually add back in those 4.5 sacks, then the Vikings are the leading the league with 25 sacks as a team. The defensive front seven is getting to the QB, but it hasn't helped their pass defense climb any higher than No. 17 overall, so far.

A final point is their inconsistency. The backup CBs replacing Winfield were solid last week in Pittsburgh, but they were terrible when they had to play in the 4th quarter against the Ravens.

Their pass defense has struggled at times, whether they are recording 8 sacks against QB Aaron Rodgers or not, so this has to be the area the Packers will focus on. This is where they have to attack on Sunday.

Aaron was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September...Here's the Jay Glazer interview with Rodgers talking about Favre's return to Lambeau...Rodgers was also on Jim Rome to talk about last week's game and the upcoming matchup!

Desean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles

Jackson was happy with the way the coaching staff utilized him on Monday Night.

"The biggest thing I can say is they put me in great positions to expose the defenses," Jackson said of his coaches. "Anytime you have the coaches and the other 10 players helping you and doing everything they can to go out there and have success . . . just keep putting it together."

He also had a name for one of his end zone celebrations.

After his second touchdown in the Eagles' 27-17 Monday Night victory over the Redskins, Jackson celebrated in the end zone with something that resembled an Irish jig. He called it "The Jerk."

"That was like country dancing," Jackson said. "We're just out there having fun, honestly. My ankle was kind of hurting . . . so it affected my dancing."

He suffered an ankle sprain in the win, but fully practiced on Thursday and should be all set to go on Sunday against the Giants. Also, here's his MNF postgame interview with Suzy Kolber.

Finally...there's some weird Shining parody featuring Desean on the Eagles.com intro. Just click here and you'll get to see Antonio Pierce riding a trike!

Tully Banta-Cain, New England Patriots

Banta-Cain has found his new role with the Pats. He had 5 tackles and 2 sacks in the 35-7 beatdown of the Bucs across the pond.

The first year in San Francisco, Banta-Cain had a career-best 59 tackles. Yet an injury ruined his 2008 season, and the experience soured. When he returned to New England, the understanding was that he would concentrate on rushing the passer.

He accepted it, but thought to himself that he wanted more.

"My deal is, I pride myself on how I play and I want to definitely be somebody who doesn’t come off the field," Banta-Cain said. "But I’ve known what’s worked for me in the past and that’s situational responsibilities. If I can take advantage of those, that’s only going to give me more chances to hopefully prove that I do deserve to be on the field more."

It has worked out like that. He has three sacks, while receiving more chances to make plays.

"You get an inch, you try to take a mile," said Banta-Cain, who has 18 tackles. "I was given a limited role, and I figured, ‘Hey, I can build off of that.’ "

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks blog seems to be conceding that the team will utilize Forsett more in the offense.

Q: Matt in Graham asks, "Do you see Justin Forsett playing a bigger role in the offense as the season goes on?"

A: Forsett had 18 carries (for a 5.7-yard average) and 10 receptions in the first six games, when he was used primarily as the third-down back. But as he continues to produce in that role, the coaches will find other ways to use his special talents. He is listed at 5 feet 8, but Forsett plays bigger. He is a willing – and effective – blocker in picking up blitzes. He can be very elusive, especially when getting the ball in space on screen passes. But Forsett also has the power to break tackles when used in a more tradition way.

Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

Anderson got the start for Orlando with the suspension of Rashard Lewis, and scored 16 points and 5 rebounds, including going 4 for 7 from downtown in a dominating opening game win for the Magic! It'll be interesting to see how Anderson will be used as the season goes on; Stan Van Gundy has indicated he'll be starting Friday night in his return to New Jersey. If you have an extended cable package, there's a free preview of League Pass out there, so check out your channels!

Third Quarter Collapse interviewed Anderson after the game.

How much is it a luxury, for when the starters come off, to be able to have a bench that increases the lead and keeps things going?

It just makes the game a lot easier. The guys who are starting, it makes it so they don't have to press and come out to keep the momentum, the game our way, it's just a harder way to play and when the games drops off, I don't see that happening. We have so many different lineups, different guys who can come in and play, if somebody is having an off-night, you can bet that somebody off the bench is going to step up and play great.

Other Bears in the Pros

idmann (via Okaydo1)

Lorenzo Alexander is involved in getting buereucrats to cut their own personal pork. Good luck with that Lorenzo. He had three tackles in the loss to the Eagles.
Nnamdi Asomugha had 4 tackles in a 38-0 loss to the Jets. More importantly, he made a cameo appearance on Friday Night Lights! Check it out above.
Aaron Rodgers has a funny story about how Desmond Bishop (on the Packers scout defense team) is faster in practice than the current Browns starting safety. Bishop did have one tackle in the Packer rout of the Browns.
Poor Andre Carter had the job to contain Desean on his 67 yard TD run, but it wasn't really his fault. Carter did have six tackles, a forced fumble and a sack.
Thomas Decoud did ding up Tony Romo for a period, although Romo appears to be okay. Decoud had 10 tackles and a sack in the loss to Dallas.
Zack Follett was at the Cal-Wazzu game, and I believe someone here saw him (Monica's Dad?). He missed practice this week due to illness.
Scott Fujita did not practice and his status is questionable for Monday Night against Atlanta. He missed last week's game against Miami.
The Cowboys kept Tony Gonzalez in check in their win. Tony G had a quiet 4 catches for 37 yards.
Ryan Longwell, who kicked a field goal in the Vikings loss, ponders if Packers fans will boo Favre the same way he's been booed ever since leaving Green Bay.
Bills fans aren't happy with Marshawn Lynch hotdogging it into the end zone on his touchdown run, and his poor blocking on another play that could've sealed the game. He only rushed for 47 yards in the Bills victory.
Browns head coach Eric Mangini continues to like the progress of Alex Mack, who has played every snap since the start of the season.
Field Gulls recognizes the importance of Brandon Mebane to getting the rest of the pieces on defense early to have them operating properly.
Jason Kidd had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in his season debut at home against the Wizards.
Leon Powe, recovering from offseason surgery, "joked that he asked the Cavs staff to "just get me 10 minutes and I’ll get you 10 (points) and eight (rebounds)."

Golden Bears in the Pros: DeCoud Shines, More Forsett, Natalie Eliminated

Avinash — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:33 -0000

(Video link here, hat-tip to ieeebear!)

Thomas Decoud, Atlanta Falcons

Decoud earns NFC defensive player of the week honors.

First-year starter Thomas DeCoud had the game of his short professional career at safety Sunday night for the Atlanta Falcons.

DeCoud's five tackles were fifth best on the team and he added two passes defensed, but his two interceptions helped change the game for Atlanta and won him the award.

The interceptions were the first two of his career and marked the first time a Falcons player had a multiple-interception game since DeAngelo Hall's two pick game against Tampa Bay on September 17, 2006.

More on the headlines above, plus news on one pro Bear who will be at the Wazzu game, and find out where some of your favorite Golden Bear hoopsters are now playing overseas after the jump. Also, two Golden Bears got signed to two NFL 53 man squads, find out who by checking out the rest of the post!

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

ESPN's Mike Sando reports that Forsett could be seeing more action, mainly because his pass blocking abilities might be the best of the three in the corps! Good job Coach Gould and Coach M!

Justin Forsett is earning -- and will get -- more touches in the regular offense. My take three weeks ago was that Forsett, primarily a third-down back to this point, had done enough to start getting touches on earlier downs. Seattle left Forsett alone in the backfield six times in the first quarter against the Jaguars, more than he had in the first quarters of the previous four games. Forsett is challenging to become the best pass-blocking back on the team even though Julius Jones and Edgerrin James are strong in that area. He lacks top-end speed, but he's quick and appears trustworthy in key situations. He did a nice job chipping on his way out of the backfield, helping the left tackle substantially on one play.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

Lots of stuff here about the matchup between Gonzalez and Dallas's returning strong safety , who is returning with a cast on one hand due to a broken thumb. He's also expected to see lots of double coverage.

"My whole career I've always tried to look at when they played against maybe Kellen Winslow, and see what they did to him, because I know he's such a threat in the receiving game," Gonzalez said during a conference call Wednesday. "But even sometimes teams will switch it up. Earlier this year we played against New England and I didn't really anticipate getting bracket coverage as much as I was that game, and because of that I only had one catch."

The Cowboys held Winslow to four catches for 30 yards and one score in the season-opener. Gonzalez has had plenty of practice adapting to varied schemes over the years.

"It's always something," Gonzalez said of the different looks he gets. "That's something I've been used to my whole career and whatever they want to do hopefully we can adjust and move the ball down the field."

Tony G was also on Pardon the Interruption for Five Good Minutes on Wednesday--check out his interview starting at about 9:55.

Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders

Asomugha was surprised at what happened on Sunday--in terms of Oakland's defense actually following through on what they run in practice.

On Sunday, the Raiders brought a different look to the Eagles game on defense. They blitzed and played zone -- a departure from the defensive scheme Davis prefers. It was something of a revolution, according to cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha said he lobbies every week for a more aggressive attack and less predictable coverage, but usually to no avail.

"We were shocked," Asomugha said, "because coaches say we're going to run it in practice, but we come to a game and that never happens."

Asomugha said defensive coordinator John Marshall finally agreed to make changes. "He said that he might get yelled at for it, but he'll keep going," Asomugha said.

When asked about Asomugha's claims, Cable evaded the issue.

"I think we'll do what we can, and what we think it takes to win every Sunday," Cable said.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Football Outsiders thinks they know why Aaron is struggling to develop a good rapport with one of his primary targets (HT Acme Packing Company):

Aaron Rodgers didn't pad his stats; after a third-quarter sack and fumble, he threw only one pass in the fourth quarter, an interception. A more important question: What's up with Greg Jennings? We thought the star wideout would have a big game against the Lions, but Jennings only ended up with 38 yards on six catches in eight attempts. Our theory: Rodgers is struggling to get the protection he needs to allow Jennings to run double moves and get open downfield.

Zack Follett, LB, Detroit Lions

At least one more time, Follett will be patrolling the California sidelines on his bye week.

Rookie linebacker Zack Follett is heading back to California. He grew up in Clovis and played college football at Cal. He said he's planning to go back to Berkeley to see Saturday's game against Washington State.

"We've got three days off. I'm going to fly home and go back to the Bay," Follett said. "Catch a Cal football game and kind of refresh the mind a little bit and get ready to get back to work.

"I've already been here three months. To stay another two, it would be a tough stretch, especially with this cold weather getting up on me. I'm getting my mind ready for these winters."

Other notes

Lorenzo Alexander recorded 3 tackles in a 14-6 loss to Kansas City. You can see him against the Eagles and Desean on Monday night.
Desean Jackson caught 6 passes for 94 yards (as you saw above), as well as having 4 punt returns for 43 yards.
Dante Hughes was signed by the Chargers! Hopefully now that he's right next to the Pacific coast, he'll be able to regain his "intercepting of North Korean nuclear missiles" abilities.
The Seahawks signed Mike Gibson off the Eagles practice squad...lots of Golden Bears piling up there in Seattle!
Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 19 times for 61 yards, and 2 receptions for 11 yards.
Alex Mack was sidelined by flu-like symptoms; it's not yet known if it was H1N1 that was ailing him.
Ryan Longwell kicked four field goals, including the game-winner against Baltimore.
Brandon Mebane recorded three tackles for the Seahawks in their loss to Arizona.
Tully Banta-Cain was let go by New England...and then immediately resigned for a multi-year deal, according to Adam Schefter. He recorded 3 tackles in the 59-0 dressing down of the Titans.
Apparently long snapper David Binn once dated Pamela Anderson. Wait, WHAT?
Desmond Bishop remains on the special teams with AJ Hawk still the starter, although he is in a good spot to replace him in the future if the team chooses. He recorded one tackle in that capacity against Detroit.
Kyle Boller isn't likely to compete for the starting spot with Marc Bulger in the near future; Bulger still is the de facto #1.
The Hogs, an independent Redskins site, did an interview with Andre Carter the week before Kansas City. Carter had 7 tackles and the pass deflection you saw in the video.
Scott Fujita did not practice Wednesday because of a strained right calf he suffered against the Giants. Still not sure if he will play against Miami.
Kansas City head coach Todd Haley has found his starting right tackle in Ryan O'Callaghan.
Nick Harris punted 5 times for a 39.2 yard average for Detroit.

NBA preseason

Jason Kidd is averaging 7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals through five preseason games. Since the Spurs are the favorites to win the division, here's what Mavs Moneyball thinks Kidd should do to slow down Tony Parker (hint: he won't): "First Jason Kidd must force Parker into becoming a passer more than a scorer. This is not going to be easy for Kidd, in fact it may be impossible! If Kidd cannot at least slow down Parker's ability to get to the basket the Mavericks will be forced to try and win a shootout, and at this point I do not feel confident enough in their rotation defense to say they can win that type of game with these Spurs."
Ryan Anderson is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and over 50 percent from downtown per game for the Magic in the preseason. According to Third Quarter Collapse, his offensive rating is an astounding 118.7 (translation: very very good) with a usage rate of 23.7%. If you haven't seen it, check out danzig's highlight reel of him against the Bulls, where he hit the go-ahead bucket in the fourth quarter. You can see Anderson in action in the final preseason game tonight on ESPN against the Hawks at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST; considering that starters usually are rested a lot in these games, this might be the most Anderson plays all year long.
Sean Marks? 2 points, 5 rebounds, 30% shooting, 4 fouls per game. We should expect a lot of updates like this; pray for a gamewinning dunk here and there.
Leon Powe met with his old Celtic battery mates during the last preseason game between the Cavs and Cs (he is of course still far away from playing). It was, in his own words, 'strange'.
Rod Benson was released by the Pacers. Sigh. He'll probably be back in the D-League soon enough. Interesting stuff about dissent between Benson and his agent from Ridiculous Upside.

Elsewhere

Week 3 - Natalie Coughlin - Dancing With The Stars (via ABCNetwork)

Natalie Coughlin was eliminated prematurely from Dancing with the Stars, because people who watch Dancing with the Stars obviously hate beautiful women and prefer C-list celebrities. For those who wanted to catch her dances (all in HD!): Week 1 with the salsa, Week 2 with the quickstep, Week 3 with the rumba (her best one) is the embedded video above, Week 4 with the bolero. Here's her post-elimination interview from Good Morning America, where they wake her up at 4 to 5 AM local time the night afterwards and drag her back to the studio for an interview to ask her how much it sucks to be eliminated. You stay classy ABC.
At least it led to this gem by one of the judges. You should spot what's wrong pretty quickly.

"Unfortunately for Natalie, I think that people didn’t know who she was," said the cheorographer, actress and dancer [Carrie Ann Inaba]. "Maybe the fan base of her sport isn’t watching our show or maybe it isn’t as big as someone like Michael Irvin’s fanbase, which is basketball."

Toronto FC's Stefan Frei is a dark horse candidate for MLS Rookie of the Year.
Finally, Joseph Cannon of the Daily Cal wrote up about several Golden Bear hoopsters playing overseas. Ayinde Ubaka's starring in Australia for the Gold Coast Blaze, DeVon Hardin's been hopping from Oklahoma to Greece to Turkey and now Greece again for EO Athens, and Eric Vierneisel's been everywhere (New Zealand, Syria, Jordan), before settling on Heidelberg, Germany.

NFL Trade Deadline Today, 3pm CST

Brandon — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:15:11 -0000

More photos » by Reinhold Matay - AP

about 1 month ago: FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2009, file photo Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Gaines Adams (90) pressured Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo during an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla. The former first-round pick is getting a fresh start in Chicago where the Bears hope the underachieving defensive end can provide some help up front after acquiring him Friday, Oct. 16, for a second-round draft pick next year. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay, File)

Browse more photos »

I haven't read of any trade rumors involving the Green Bay Packers, though Greg Bedard asked if LB Desmond Bishop might be traded. The only obvious move might have been a trade for a veteran offensive tackle, but signing RT Mark Tauscher has that covered.

GM Ted Thompson hasn't been shy about making a trade, especially if it involves a team based in New York, and there were plenty of TE Tony Gonzalez rumors last season.

The two big trades this month has been WR Braylon Edwards to the NY Jets, which seems like a win so far for the Jets. And the Bears traded for DE Gaines Adams, and that seems like an early win for the Buccaneers. The Bears might not be done either. With injuries to LB Hunter Hillenmeyer and LB Brian Urlacher, they might receive LB Derrick Johnson from the Chiefs.

Will see if anything happens today. And should the Packers be making a move?

Analysis: Packers Monday Night Injury Roundup

Brandon — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:44 -0000

From Mike McCarthy's press conference:

OK, I'll start with the injuries. Will Blackmon suffered an ACL injury. He will be lost for the season. Atari Bigby, Chad Clifton,Brandon Jackson and Jeremy Thompson, hopefully over the bye, we're optimistic they'll be ready for Detroit. Desmond Bishop had a rib bruise. I think he'll be fine coming off the bye. Daryn Colledge had a knee sprain. They're anticipating he'll be OK for Detroit. Derrick Martin had a throat contusion. He's checked out of the hospital, he's back in Green Bay, and I think he'll be fine for Detroit. And DeShawn Wynn had a wrist sprain, and I think he'll be OK for Detroit.

That's a lot of injuries; 9 players, almost 20% of the roster. The good news is that everyone is expected back in time for the next game against the Lions.

Everyone except CB Will Blackmon. He's had a history of injury problems, and now he's had another one. He has a history as a top return man, although he's been quiet this season. Despite the dropped punt on Monday night, WR Jordy Nelson has been a solid return man, and maybe it means CB Tramon Williams will go back to returning punts. Blackmon hasn't played at all on defense, as far as I've noticed, so his absence shouldn't be felt. It means rookie 6th round CB Brandon Underwood, who's been inactive for the first 4 games, might be active going forward to take his spot. While they're better with Blackmon, there is enough depth to cover for his loss.

Analysis: More on the Green Bay Packers Win Over the Rams

Brandon — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:14:00 -0000

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Tom Pelissero has been doing some great analysis (with statistics!) after each game. From his analysis of the Rams game:

In 28 dropbacks by Rodgers, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo dialed up only five blitzes (17.9 percent). The protection flopped on two five-man pressures, with RB Ryan Grant whiffing on WLB Will Witherspoon and MLB James Laurinaitis getting a clean A-gap run to hurry a third-down throwaway. But the Packers picked up three six-man pressures, and Rodgers exploited single coverage for completions of 46 yards to WR Donald Driver, 12 yards to WR Jordy Nelson and 50 yards to WR Greg Jennings.

The pass blocking looked awful early in the game. QB Aaron Rodgers was hit a lot on the first two drives, it got better on the third FG drive, and thereafter it looked OK. All three six-man pressures described above happened after the 1st quarter. Unfortunately RT Allen Barbre and LT Daryn Colledge both got beat, and Colledge was shoved around often. The good news is that LT Chad Clifton might make it back for next Monday's game.

Raji’s game is power, which comes from his thick lower body, and it was obvious he wasn’t at full strength for his NFL debut. He missed his only tackle attempt and also was unusually slow off the ball — evidence of the work he’s missed since spraining his right ankle in the preseason finale on Sept. 3.

It's hard for me to say whether NT B.J. Raji is still hurting because I haven't seen him play that much. Although if the ankle injury lingers, which it could, then we might not really see him at 100% for a few more weeks.

Even though Rams RB Steven Jackson ended up with 117 rushing yards, there were positive signs for the Packers’ run defense and the five-linebacker "Big Okie" look Dom Capers debuted to combat him...Capers used "Big Okie" on 35 of 71 snaps (49.3 percent) and only used his regular base defense, with S Derrick Martin in place of ILB Brandon Chillar, for five (7 percent). The rest was nickel.

From blueguitarbob:

For anyone, what the heck was up with the Packers’ nickle in the Rams game? I swear that I saw a 2-6-3 (2 defensive linemen, 6 linebackers, and 3 defensive backs) at least once. I guess it has really 5 LBs and 4 DBs, because Chillar was playing part of a safety. Once, I saw a linebacker group of Barnett, Hawk, Kampman, Matthews, Chillar, and Havner. Did anyone else see that?

It drove me crazy trying to find out which linebackers were on the field. I tracked the linebacker rotation, and on some plays I kept seeing every middle linebacker on the field. LB A.J. Hawk, LB Brandon Chillar, and LB Nick Barnett had been playing almost equal time in the first two games, but all three were on the field at the same time for most of the first half. The only reason Barnett came out is that he's still restricted to a 40 play/game limit, and LB Desmond Bishop came on in his place. I was wondering why I hadn't seen much from new SS Derrick Martin, and apparently the reason was that he was benched half the time in place of Chillar. I guess there is truly nothing to fear from the Rams deep passing attack. Since most teams, and certainly the Vikings, do actually throw deep to their wide receivers, I doubt Big Okie will be on the field at all next Monday night.

Recap: Green Bay Packers Defeat Rams 36-17

Brandon — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:01:16 -0000

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Though the Rams have lost their last 13 games (ugh!) it was still a good looking win. They led the entire game, and although the Rams got within 6 points in the 3rd quarter, they pulled away with 2 TDs in the 4th quarter. Despite the comfortable win they could have played better and there are still some holes on the team.

The defense looked weak at times, and allowed 17 points to a team only had scored 7 in their first two games. But a lot of writers were expecting a slow start for the defense as they get used to all the new schemes from Dom Capers. At least they can fall back on big plays CB Charles Woodson in the meantime. The offensive line might be struggling all season long, as they find it hard to protect QB Aaron Rodgers and open up rushing lanes for RB Ryan Grant, but at least Rodgers is playing well despite the pressure and a few drops from his receivers. The offense showed off it's big play ability again in this game. The special teams struggled, but at least they can hang their hat on a blocked FG.

And they also came out of the game with only a couple injuries, according to Mike McCarthy. I don't think WR James Jones returned, but WR Greg Jennings did return after apparently re-injuring his wrist early in the 3rd quarter.

The Packers almost ended the week tied a top the NFC Central, but QB Brett Favre had a big game winning TD pass to improve the Vikings to 3-0. Although we should all feel better about last week's loss to the Bengals since they just upset the Steelers.

Packers vs Rams coverage; Packers vs Rams recap; Packers vs Rams boxscore; Turf Show Times

Play-by-play recap from NFL.com:

First Quarter:

(11:03) 3-Josh.Brown 48 yard field goal is BLOCKED (97-J.Jolly), Center-45-C.Massey, Holder-5-D.Jones, RECOVERED by GB-27-W.Blackmon at GB 25. 27-W.Blackmon to GB 43 for 18 yards (5-D.Jones).

It was a little discouraging to see the Rams move the ball down the field fairly easily to start the game, but DE Johnny Jolly had a great game, starting with this blocked FG attempt.

(10:20) (Shotgun) 25-R.Grant right end to SL 46 for 10 yards (96-J.Hall). SL-37-J.Butler was injured during the play.

Nine first half carries for RB Ryan Grant, and six of them were for 2 yards or less. This was the only carry over 10 yards. It was a good play; a power running play where RT Allen Barbre pulled right and created a running lane for Grant. But for most of the half, Grant would run one direction, and then look for a cutback lane. I'm not sure if it's by design to get the defense to go one direction and have him cut back the other direction. Or if he doesn't trust his blockers, and is looking for daylight where ever he sees it. Either way, it's not working.

(7:13) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at SL 34 for -7 yards (91-L.Little).

DE Leonard Little just beat Barbre for the sack. It was a weak effort by Barbre, but at least it was only 1 of 2 sacks allowed all game. Unfortunately it's still not a great showing since the Rams only had 1 sack in their previous 2 games. Barbre does seem to be improving, which is more than can be said for the rest of the offensive line (Jason Spitz excluded). Actually I don't know what to make of RG Josh Sitton; it seems like he's getting shoved around sometimes, but otherwise holding up.

(5:52) 39-S.Jackson right tackle to SL 38 for 19 yards (36-N.Collins). PENALTY on SL-73-A.Goldberg, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at SL 19 - No Play.

This was the first play I noticed DL B.J. Raji. He played mostly at left defensive end, but he played so often inside the offensive tackles that he was really playing like a defensive tackle. RB Steven Jackson ran right at Raji, and the blocker had to hold Raji to keep him out of the way. He doesn't receive a stat for it, but Raji moved them back 10 yards on his first play.

(4:09) (Shotgun) 10-M.Bulger sacked at SL 10 for -5 yards (74-A.Kampman). FUMBLES (74-A.Kampman) [74-A.Kampman], RECOVERED by GB-97-J.Jolly at SL 15. 97-J.Jolly to SL 15 for no gain (60-J.Brown).

Nice play all around, although QB Marc Bulger was injured on the play. Unfortunately it led to just another FG.

(2:46) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at SL 20 for -12 yards (91-L.Little).

In the early going, QB Aaron Rodgers was under a lot of pass pressure. Daryn Colledge was moved to LT for this game due to the injury to LT Chad Clifton, and as blueguitarbob points out, he's playing high and getting overpowered. I lost track of all the times the pocket collapsed when Colledge got shoved into it.

(2:08) 39-S.Jackson left guard to SL 14 for 3 yards (77-C.Jenkins). FUMBLES (77-C.Jenkins), RECOVERED by GB-31-A.Harris at SL 12. 31-A.Harris to SL 12 for no gain (70-A.Barron). SL-10-M.Bulger was injured during the play.

Another great play and the 2nd turnover of the half. Unfortunately the offense stalls (again) and they settle for a FG (again); the 3rd FG of the quarter.

Second Quarter:

(13:09) 12-K.Boller pass incomplete short right to 11-L.Robinson.

QB Kyle Boller came in when Bulger was hurt, and turned this game into a matchup of two ex-Cal Golden Bears. He was high on his first two passes, but he got much better after he settled down.

(12:10) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 80-D.Driver to SL 30 for 46 yards (32-B.Fletcher). Penalty on SL-32-B.Fletcher, Defensive Pass Interference, declined.

Just an amazing one-handed catch by WR Donald Driver, his other hand was being held by the defender.

(9:55) 30-J.Kuhn up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

It was like the Rams completely ignored FB John Kuhn on the play, although he had a wide open running lane due to a great block by Colledge.

(9:42) 39-S.Jackson right end to SL 22 for no gain (56-N.Barnett).

LB Nick Barnett is still the best of the inside linebackers. LB A.J. Hawk gets shoved around too much. LB Brandon Chillar always seems a step behind the play (see next play). Although Barnett is still being held to a 40 play limit, according to Mike McCarthy, so LB Desmond Bishop got some playing time in the 2nd half.

(4:51) 12-K.Boller pass deep right to 46-D.Fells for 16 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

(:08) (Shotgun) 12-K.Boller pass deep left to 46-D.Fells for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Chillar covered Fells one-on-one on both TDs. He was there, but as I mentioned above, he's always a step behind the play. It looked like he was expecting to have some help in coverage deep. The Packers defense played a lot of 2-5-4 and it seems to be causing them some trouble in pass coverage. I'm not sure what the advantage to having 5 linebackers in the game is. The pass rush is weak, they only had one sack in the game, whether 5 linebackers are in or not. It doesn't seem to give them any advantage with the run defense either.

(2:33) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep right to 85-G.Jennings to SL 21 for 50 yards (24-R.Bartell).

I'm slightly out-of-order, lumping both Chillar allowed TDs in one post. WR Greg Jennings has been pretty quiet this season, but if all he does is catch one or two 50 yard passes per game, I guess I can live with that.

(2:00) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 80-D.Driver for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Rodgers makes up for a missed TD to Driver in the first quarter with this one. He is having trouble with his accuracy this season. He's been long on some passes, but a lot of it has to do with the lousy pass protection.

Third Quarter:

(12:09) 12-K.Boller pass short right to 39-S.Jackson to SL 47 for 13 yards (50-A.Hawk, 36-N.Collins).

Pick your Steven Jackson poison on the Rams first drive of the 2nd half. After a Packer 3-and-out, Jackson had 4 carries and a pass reception to move them into Packer territory and set up a FG. It wasn't pretty, but at least it was their last scoring drive of the game.

(8:12) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep right to 87-J.Nelson.

I don't recall if this particular pass that WR Jordy Nelson dropped, but he dropped one that he should have had. WR James Jones was running in a fog and ended up with zero catches. I'm not sure what's going on with him. At least Nelson seemed to come around on the next drive.

(4:17) 25-R.Grant right tackle to SL 44 for 10 yards. PENALTY on GB-63-S.Wells, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at GB 46 - No Play.

Probably a perfect example of why C Scott Wells was benched. He was run over on this play.

Fourth Quarter:

(15:00) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep middle to 85-G.Jennings to SL 17 for 53 yards (24-R.Bartell).

The offense did a good job to get out of a hole when the Rams pinned them down at the 2 yard line during the 3rd quarter, but otherwise it was a very quiet half. Two good runs by Grant to end the 3rd quarter, and this big reception gets the offense back on track.

(12:18) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers up the middle for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Rodgers did a lot with his legs on this drive, and this was a nifty open field move to juke the only defender in the area and run right up the middle for the TD.

2-M.Crosby extra point is No Good, Wide Left, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.

Yes, K Mason Crosby isn't supposed to miss those, but he's battling an abdominal injury that has to be effecting him.

(9:57) 25-R.Grant up the middle to GB 28 for 17 yards. PENALTY on SL-98-C.Ah You, Illegal Use of Hands, 5 yards, enforced at GB 28.

That was a nice zone blocking play. It's good to see Grant get on track, but the running game still looks like it's going to be inconsistent going forward.

(6:19) (Shotgun) 12-K.Boller pass short middle intended for 16-D.Amendola INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson [97-J.Jolly] at SL 26. 21-C.Woodson to SL 26 for no gain (16-D.Amendola).

It's just not a Packer game without an INT by CB Charles Woodson. I can't believe the Rams didn't challenge him deep at all since Woodson had some trouble with going deep during the win over the Bears.

(4:50) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 30-J.Kuhn for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Again, the Rams seemed to ignore Kuhn. Time to drop Grant in your fantasy league for Kuhn :)