SB Nation User Blog: SBakerTheTouchdownMaker

Colts sign Ed Johnson

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:39:21 -0000

In a surprise move, the Colts have decided to re-sign DT Ed Johnson according to a release from the team today.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS ANNOUNCE ROSTER MOVE

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts have re-signed defensive tackle Ed Johnson, the club announced today.

Johnson (6-2, 296) joins the Colts after starting 16 games in 2007 and one game in 2008 for the club. Johnson, who has 73 career tackles, originally was signed as a free agent by the Colts on May 5, 2007. He had 63 stops, 49 solo, with one sack and one forced fumble in 2007, filling in for injured defensive tackle Booger McFarland. Johnson had 10 tackles against Chicago in the 2008 season opener. He was waived September 11, 2008.

“We are giving Ed Johnson another opportunity to play for the Indianapolis Colts. We

dismissed Ed last year because he knowingly violated a team rule in the area of personal conduct.

We consider every violation of a team rule or NFL policy on an individual case-by-case basis,

and we evaluate a possible return to the team on that same basis. Ed understands our team rules

and our mandate that players represent themselves as professionals at all times. We feel the

lessons Ed has learned will allow him to be what we demand from our players,” said Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell.

“I would like to thank the Colts, especially Jim Irsay, for this second privilege to join the team. I apologize to everyone for the situation I created last year. I have learned valuable lessons from my mistake, and I want to re-gain the trust of the organization, my teammates and our fans,” said Johnson.

Meeks has resigned

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:59:53 -0000

Colts released a statement at about 3:30 this afternoon that Ron Meeks has officially resigned. Here is the official statement from the team:

January 20, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS ANNOUNCE STAFF CHANGE

Ron Meeks has resigned as defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts, the club announced today.

Meeks served in this capacity with the club since 2002.

Unfortunately, no other outlets have picked it up yet, and I couldn't find another link.

2008 Season Thank Yous

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:37:30 -0000

I'm trying to get my mind off of today's loss, and instead I'm in here making a new post. Though this season didn't end the way anyone wanted it to, I just wanted to hand out a few thank yous:

Thanks JRS - for the wings.

Thanks queler for your undying optimism.

Thanks bluegonz for putting everything in the historical perspective, and for reminding us why football was just as sweet in the non-HDTV days.

Thanks cjmulrain for your number-crunching and stats research.

Thanks potroast for reminding us why Kevin Gilbride is the worst human being on earth.

Thanks Simms-McConkey for defending us against rival fanbases. Good luck with John Smoltz - he was really awesome in World Series Baseball '95 for Sega Genesis, and when I had braces.

Thanks Proud Yankee - every site needs their own troll. You handled your responsibility well. Though I didn't like you flaming on other sites, some of the shit you said was pretty funny.

Thanks Woogie, DoctorK, Cody, and anybody else I'm forgetting. It was good talking Jints with you guys.

Finally thanks Ed for running the best Giants' blog on the net.

Go Knicks and Yankees (and I guess Mets, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, Devils or whatever team keeps you occupied until training camp).

I'll leave you all with the obliglatory Tony Romo "EPIC FAIL" picture gallery...

GIANTS AT COWBOYS: OPEN THREAD

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:28:55 -0000

G-MEN!

75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words 75 words

Giants = 2000's Bengals?

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:56:31 -0000

Need a Wet Willie for this week? How about NY Daily News writer Gary Myers?

In today's NY Daily News article Myers compares the 2008 Giants to the Bengals of this decade and the 1990's Cowboys after the latest incident involving Plaxico Burress. Myers has to rack his brain just to come up with enough incidents to list - my favorite being Ahmad Bradshaw's arrest which occurred three years ago while he was at Marshall. He also cites Kareem McKenzie's DUI from last week.

The comparison to the Bengals is absolutely ridiculous considering that Chris Henry by himself has more arrests than every Giant combined over the past five years. Cincinnati once had ten players arrested in the 14-month span from 2006-07. TEN! Meanwhile the Cowboys of the 90's generally were free to do whatever they pleased under Jimmie Johnson (who previously ran a glorified penitentiary at U of Miami during the 80's) and the clueless Barry Switzer. Hell, why even limit it to the 1990's Cowboys? This year's team has Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones - two players the Giants (or any other team) wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. The article is a slap in the face to Tom Coughlin, who is a disciplinarian, and the Giants organization which has repeatedly fined or suspended players for breaking the rules. Also, Plaxico likely will never play for the Giants again, whereas in Dallas or Cincinnati I'm sure he'd be given a fifth chance.

I'm sure Jerry Jones would love to add someone like Plax

The Plaxico/AP incident is a serious one, and both players should be reprimanded by the Giants and the law for their involvement. But, it's just one incident. It's nowhere near the Bengals of this decade. Leave it to the New York media to try to smear an 11-1 football team. Unfortunately for the reporters, there is no Tiki retirement, no Shockey locker room tirades, no Coughlin job security storylines (and no Stephon Marbury) to fall back on.

Unbeaten in the NFC East? Best team in the NFL? 15-1 in the last 16 road games? I guess those headlines just don't sell papers.

Tuck fined for hit on Bollinger

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:33:23 -0000

From ESPN:

"Tuck was fined $7,500 for driving the Cowboys' Brooks Bollinger into the turf in the second half. Replays show Tuck wrapping up Bollinger the moment the quarterback released the ball, then partly releasing his grasp on their way down before landing on Bollinger with his full weight.

NFL information manager Randall Liu, quoted in Friday's New York Times, said Tuck was fined because "he unnecessarily drove the opposing quarterback to the ground."

Though it doesn't appear in the ESPN article, Tuck is quoted as to saying, "we can't hit them in the head, we can't hit them below the knees, and apparently we can't hit them hard either." The play occurred in the 3rd quarter and drew the ire of head coach Tom Coughlin. He was clearly upset with the referee's judgement. It was also a play that we alluded to in the actual Game Thread (I think I may have used the word "bullshit"...).

This is starting to get way out of hand. I would hope that the NFLPA and perhaps the owners as well would get involved to curb this trend. If not, pretty soon we'll have quarterbacks wearing the red jerseys they wear in practice.

It's absolutely ridiculous to me that Tuck could get fined for a hit like this while Jared Allen's hit on Matt Schaub and Kimo Von Oelhoffen's hit on Carson Palmer go completely unnoticed. Good, clean, hard hits get fines and flags while potential career-ending cheap shots draw nothing.

What a joke.

UPDATE: The fine was thrown out (props to Phildo). Justice served. I guess I shouldn't have flipped over that cop car in protest...

Phillips drawing a fine for his "illegal" hit?

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:03:38 -0000

from Ralph Vacchiano's NY Daily News Blue Screen blog:

The unnecessary roughness penalty that S Kenny Phillips took in the second quarter, when he laid out Mewelde Moore along the sidelines, was the correct call. I understand that there was probably no way Phillips could stop his momentum or recognize in time that Moore didn’t have the ball. But he has to. That’s the rule. It’s designed to force defensive players to make the impossible on-a-dime stop. Maybe it’s a faulty rule, but it was called correctly by the officials. Phillips also didn’t help his cause by leading with his head. For that alone, he can expect a fine later this week.

I think Ralph does a great job, and he may indeed be right about that ruling (um, if that's correct then then could throw the flag on every hit), but there's absolutely no way that Phillips gets fined for that. I completely disagree that he led with his head, and I watched the replay several times this afternoon (check out the video via YouTube). While running into Moore, Phillips actually turned his head at the last second to avoid a helmet-to-to-helmet hit. Never did Phillips' helmet ever come close to coming in contact with Moore's. Instead, Phillips led more with his shoulder. Was it a late hit? I think it was by a split-second, but it was not an illegal hit.

(Photo via the LA Times)

I respect Ralph's opinion, but there's a reason why Tom Coughlin had some choice words for the officials on the sidelines and Troy "I hate the Giants with every fiber of my being" Aikman was scolding the officials for an awful call. That should not have warranted a flag, and I'll be floored if it warrants a fine from the NFL.

If Phillips does get fined, then they should fine Bob Sanders and Ronnie Lott $172.6 trillion dollars retroactively for big hits that they amassed over their careers.

This is football. This isn't badminton.

Remember the Good Times with Shock

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:52:35 -0000

like this sick catch against the Eagles in 2002 which clinched a playoff berth during the regular season finale at Giants Stadium.

via images.usatoday.com

remember Shockey coming down with the ball and just nodding his head on the ground while he was laying next to a defeated Brian Dawkins? probably one of my top five favorite Giants moments ever. that year, Shockey shattered Mark Bavaro's record for receptions with 74 in his rookie season (if you're feeling especially nostalgic, Tiki fumbled three times in that game vs. Philly. ah, memories).

sometimes a move is made which is beneficial for both sides. instead of trashing on Shockey, who was a great player that always played his ass off, let's just move on. i think Kevin Boss has proven he can be a starter, and i'm confident Reese (and Couglin) will find a way to make it work.

good luck Shock. hopefully we won't have to see you in the postseason.

Everyone take a second today

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:19:50 -0000

to thank the New York Giants for preventing a Boston sweep of the three major sports championships.

Thank you, Justin Tuck (via media.2theadvocate.com)

If you are a Yankees/Knicks (ugh) fan like myself, thank the New York Giants today.

If you hate ESPN (the Boston Al-Jazeera network), thank the New York Giants today.

If you rolled your eyes at Paul Pierce's bullshit dramatic "injury" performance in Game 1, thank the New York Giants today.

If you wish someone would drill Manny Ramirez in the ribs while he stands at home plate admiring a home run, thank the New York Giants today.

If you have a fat friend named Bobby from Worcester that hasn't yet taken the price tags off his Kevin Garnett jersey, thank the New York Giants today.

If you believe in SpyGate and the fact Kevin McHale handed his franchise player to Danny Ainge, thank the New York Giants.

If you can imagine the dark, cold, and incredibly annoying world we would all be forced to live in had the city of Boston swept all three major sports championships, thank the New York Giants.

Giants #7 in first preseason rankings

SBakerTheTouchdownMaker — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:32:35 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArQ.S94_Y8T3Ywry6t9IgAlDubYF?slug=cr-rankings032408&prov=y hoo&type=lgns

I actually don't have a ton of problems with this because the Giants are listed as the 2nd best in the NFC (behind Dallas, who hasn't won a playoff game since I had braces). What I do have a problem with however is who is at #6....

Cleveland?

"...Rex Hadnot and Donte Stallworth should make the Browns much better. Anything less than competing at the top of the AFC is a disappointment."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Right.

Other notables: Patriots 2nd, Redskins 14th, Eagles 16th (too low in my opinion), Jets 22nd.