CFL Notebook: Eskimos support their coach
Eskimos support their coach
Edmonton Eskimos head coach Danny Maciocia still appears to have the support of his players, despite Saturday's East Division final loss to the Montreal Alouettes.
"That's challenging," backup offensive lineman Aaron Fiacconi said recently, of what he hears from some not-so-happy Esks fans. "One thing is, fans don't understand the little nuances that go on and the little things that make a team successful.
"Danny has won the Grey Cup here. He's a good coach. He understands his players. He wants us to succeed and achieve. He wants us to have the ultimate goal - to win a Grey Cup. You're never going to have the team that's going to run the table in regular season. The 13-5 or 14-4 teams that go all the way to the Grey Cup? It's not always like that."
Players also must maintain the ability to shut the outside influences out.
"We just have to believe in us, believe in our coach. We're out here working our butts off and we want to win. That's our goal, we're not out here to lose football games and disappoint people," Fiacconi stressed.
Chris Ciezki is an Edmonton product who joined the Eskimos late in the off-season. He grew up respecting the Green and Gold and now is a solid member, having just completed his rookie season with the 10-8 club, that improved on its 5-12-1 log from the year previous.
"Being a hometown kid I kind of understand the expectations of Edmonton, winning the Grey Cup each year," said Ciezki. "That's still the agenda.
"I've been in Vancouver (University of British Columbia) the last two years, being back I have been asked a lot of questions about the season, from friends and fans alike. But it was a tight race in the West. We were in the playoffs and we were not just being complacent about the playoffs. Our goal was to win the Grey Cup.
"We have a great group, a unique group with a lot of young guys. I think there is a great possibility and great future for us," Ciezki maintained, of the team that featured upwards of 14 rookies.
Stamps getting down to business
Jeremaine Copeland has no desire to escort his fellow Calgary Stampeders through the dens of temptation in Canada's version of Sin City.
"The only time they'll see me is maybe at the casino," the veteran slotback said Sunday. "Other than that, I ain't going to be no tour guide. I'm on a business trip. I'm trying to get another ring in my life."
Copeland played four seasons in Montreal. He used to laugh when the opposition showed up to the park hung over after a night sampling the goodies on Crescent Street.
So Copeland knows the dangers awaiting the Stamps when they touch down in Montreal Tuesday for a Grey Cup clash with the hometown Alouettes.
"I was a lot wilder when I was in Montreal," he said. "I wasn't married. I was pretty much a free guy. Whatever you think goes on in Montreal, I was probably doing it.
"I had a great time. I wouldn't change it for the world."
Now 31, Copeland sees himself as one of the leaders tasked with keeping the young kids in line.
Coach John Hufnagel has imposed an 11 p.m. curfew for Friday and Saturday night.
"We can have fun the first few days," Copeland said. "But other than that, it's time to get focused.
"I have confidence in us. We're grown men. The guys know what this is all about."
Logan sees championship in Lions' near future
Despite the obvious perils of predicting future events, B.C. Lions running back Stefan Logan already has flipped over to next season, forecasting a championship year for the team in 2009.
"Our boys are a little down now, but I think we're going to come back next year and win it all," Logan declared after the Lions' 22-18 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in Saturday's West Division final.
"We couldn't get that ball in the end zone (against Calgary). That's something we've been struggling with all year. But we're going to figure it out. Next year we're going to come back, the same guys, eliminate the problem and we're going to get the ball in there."
Remarkably, the player coach Wally Buono calls the CFL's "most exciting player" didn't score a touchdown this season.
"I've played with a lot of great running backs, but I have never in my life played with someone with his speed," says Lions left tackle Rob Murphy, who was with four NFL teams. "There are times when you don't even have to block for him. He just beats guys to the outside who have a clear shot at him. They can't catch him. He's special."
Logan averaged 7.3 yards a carry in 12 regular-season games and 8.0 per rush in two playoffs games.
"Was he our biggest surprise?" Buono said. "Definitely. When you watch a guy on tape, playing Division II football, and he's in a world of his own, you wonder what he can do when he comes here. We knew he was quick and he was fast. Did we know he was that dynamic? No. Stefan's high-energy and he's tough."
He said it:
"We've been through this before. That's the price of longevity, eh? Football never changes. It's a game of opportunity, taken and missed. . . . It's tough, tough, tough to stay on top all the time. It really is, it really is. I'm not going to feel sorry for myself even though I'd like to." --B.C. Lions coach/general manager Wally Buono, following Saturday's West Division final setback against the Calgary Stampeders.
(c) Canwest News Service 2008
Lighting It Up: Peterson pulls Vikes to victory
Adrian Peterson's nickname is "All Day," and that's just about how long he tormented the porous Green Bay Packer defensive front. When it was over, Peterson had 192 rushing yards and the winning touchdown in an eventful 28-27 thriller, and the Vikings had passed the Packers in the NFC North standings, pulling into a tie with the Chicago Bears at 5-4.
In a game with more twists and turns than a ride on Space Mountain, the Vikings overcame an interception return TD and a punt return TD by the Packers with two safeties, plus a determined, emotional performance from the NFL's leading rusher. Peterson called this game the most satisfying of his two-year career, a career that includes a rookie-record 296-yard rushing performance last season. After the Packers had taken a 27-21 lead with 5:56 left, the Vikings turned things over to Peterson, who responded with 40 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards on Minnesota's winning 69-yard drive, including a 29-yard scamper for the go-ahead touchdown.
"That's what it's all about. We came in, knew it was going to be a dogfight, and we pulled it out," Peterson said.
"Somewhere he's going to bust out on you, and I thought our offensive line did a great job of exerting their well on that defensive front," said Vikings coach Brad Childress, who beat Green Bay counterpart Mike McCarthy for the first time since the two were hired to their respective positions in 2006.
Childress reveled in the emotional release that followed the game, which ended after Mason Crosby's 52-yard field goal attempt drifted right in the waning seconds.
"You put so much equity into this game, you need to let it go," Childress said. "I'm just so happy for those guys, like I said. Players, coaches, owners, fans. Just that they're able to do that.
"I'm happy to have that game ball, and I will paint it up and put it in a prominent spot."
The celebration was hard-earned. Despite playing poorly on offense, the Packers showed a remarkable resilience of their own, scoring 17 unanswered points after Minnesota had taken a 21–10 lead on a 47-yard Gus Frerotte-to-Chester Taylor hookup. The Pack came back on the strength of their defense and special teams, as Nick Collins took a Frerotte pass the other way for 59 yards and a score - the Packers' sixth pick-six of the season - and Will Blackmon took a punt back 65 yards for another score.
But Childress knew his team had some fight left in it. He could see it in the eyes of his players on the sideline and in their emotion on the field. "I've got a group of fighting fools on that football team," he said. "They don't judge quarters. They don't judge plays. They just play the next one".
Minnesota had taken a 14-10 lead into halftime after a bizarre first half that included two safeties by the Vikings, one off an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who suffered through one of his worst performances of the season. For the day, Rodgers completed only one third-down throw that resulted in a first down, as the Packers went 1-for-11 on third down.
"It was probably a combination of we didn't do the fundamentals the way we know how to and me probably holding the ball a little too long," Rodgers said. "They did a great job. You've got to give them credit."
Copyright (c)2001-2007 Athlon Sports, Inc.
Cure for the Cowpoke Calamity: All-Sports Shootout
While I was tempted to compose a Dallas Cowboy fan thread asking, "How did you exercise your anger during and after the St. Louis smackdown?", I'm too nauseated by today's radio and television pundit puke to live one more moment in the past.
Besides, the only units I had riding on my beloved bipolar Cowboys yesterday was the over -- nicely satisfied in the closing minutes of the game.
Tonight I can think of no better cure for the Dallas doldrums than to bet on a number of great sporting events.
I begin with Monday Night Football. The line opened at -4.5 for the home Patriots, but now rests at -3 in Vegas. Most offshore books are also at -3, yet I spotted two at -3.5 as of this writing. While I feel strongly that the Broncos will win the game, I am even more confident with the...
Broncos/Patriots over 48.5 (3 units)
Although the last two Bronco games have gone under the total, one must remember the opponents were the Jaguars, who kept Denver off the field with a successful rushing game, and the Buccaneers, one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. In addition, all six Monday Night Football games have gone over the total.
I also pulled the trigger on the following MNF prop bet:
Over 4 sacks -145 (3 units)
The Broncos defense gives up yards easier than a sorority girl on a Saturday night, but New England QB Matt Cassell has been sacked 19 times this season - most of any AFC quarterback. And while the Patriot D has been equally abysmal, ranked 27th in the NFL, I'm sure that Bill Belichick has a few blitz packages awaiting Denver QB Jay Cutler.
Other wagers:
Penguins/Bruins over 5.5 (3 units)
New York Rangers -145 (3 units)
Charlotte Bobcats +7 (3 units)
I apologize that I do not have the time to fully explain the above picks, yet proper, even brief, research should help. *Steve Nash is out this evening (ankle injury) at home against Charlotte.
Remember Cowboy fans, we may have acquired a former Detroit Lion (Roy Williams), but our team has not reached that level of suckdom yet. Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive!
Copyright (c) 1995-2008 SportsDirect Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Tigerless tourney up for grabs
Without a Tiger type in the field to skew the betting odds as a heavy favorite, this week's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open shapes up as an attractive golf tournament for gamblers.
Mike Weir has been installed as a 12-1 favorite to win the event, which takes place today through Sunday at TPC Summerlin, followed by Rory Sabbatini and Hunter Mahan at 15-1 each, according to odds at the Las Vegas Hilton sports book.
The Hilton has posted odds on about 50 individual players to win the tournament as well as 10 head-to-head player matchups.
Weir, a former Masters champion, is on enough of a roll in 2008 to firmly support his status as the betting favorite. Weir has six top-10 finishes this year and more than $2.7 million in prize money. In a head-to-head matchup at the Hilton, Weir is a minus 130 favorite (risk $1.30 to net $1) against Stephen Ames, who's plus 110.
Zach Johnson, coming off a 2-stroke victory at the Texas Open, is a 20-1 choice in Las Vegas.
George McNeill, who won his first PGA title in last year's event here with a 23-under 264, opened at odds of 60-1 to repeat.
Former UNLV golfers in the field include Chad Campbell (20-1), Ryan Moore (50-1), Charley Hoffman (50-1) and Chris Riley (100-1).
Veteran John Daly is a 150-1 long shot to win the event - the highest price on the board besides David Duval, who's listed at 200-1.
The tournament, the fourth of seven Fall Series events, carries a $4.1 million purse and a $738,000 top prize.
Lucky's 'carry-over'
This week's prize pool in the free NFL prediction contest at Lucky's sports books has grown to $42,000 as a result of a six-week carry-over after starting at $6,000.
No entrants predicted the winner of all 14 NFL games on this past week's slate. The best score was 12-2, which 29 participants achieved.
Upset losses by the Redskins and Cowboys on Sunday ruined the cards of many entrants. Washington lost to the Rams as a 12-point favorite and Dallas lost to the Cardinals as a 5-point favorite.
The weekly contest, which is limited to one entry per person, entails picking the straight-up winner (no point spreads apply) of each NFL game. Under the terms of the contest, unique in Nevada, $6,000 is added to the prize pool if no one submits a perfect card.
Picks can be submitted any time before 9 a.m. Sunday at any Lucky's sports book, including those at the Plaza and Terrible's in Las Vegas. Lucky's also has locations in Pahrump, Primm and Northern Nevada.
Ump watch
Baseball over/under bettors who track umpire tendencies are keeping a close watch on the two league championship matchups, with mixed results so far.
The crew working the AL series between Tampa Bay and Boston includes several umps who trended "over" this season in Sam Holbrook (19 overs, 12 unders in games he worked home plate), Alfonso Marquez (17-10 to the over) and Tim McClelland (19-13), according to the Vegas Insider umpire report (online at vegasinsider.com).
Game 1 stayed under the posted total despite McClelland working the plate. Game 2 went over with Holbrook behind the plate.
In Monday's Game 3 the umpire play pointed to under 8 1/2 runs with Brian O'Nora (20 unders, 11 overs this season) working the plate, but the Rays pushed the total over with a 9-1 victory.
In the NL series between Philadelphia and Los Angeles, umpire Jerry Meals had the most notable tendency either way at 20-11 to the over.
Meals worked the plate in Game 2, which did go over the posted total of 8 runs.
Nobel Prize
When Paul Krugman won the Nobel Prize in economics this week, it was not a major upset, nor was Krugman the betting favorite.
The 15-1 odds on Krugman placed him in the middle of the pack of contenders, according to betting lines at Pinnacle Sports, a major offshore gambling operation based in Curacao.
Krugman, a Princeton scholar and New York Times columnist, won for his analysis of how economies of scale can affect international trade patterns.
The post-time favorite was Harvard professor Martin Feldstein at 8-1, followed by New York University professor Thomas Sargent at 12-1, according to Pinnacle odds. The dark horse in the field was N. Gregory Mankiw, former chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.
Wagering on the Nobel Prize is not permitted in Nevada.
(c) Las Vegas Sun, 2008, All Rights Reserved.
Falcons' focus is on stopping Bears rookie Forte
ATLANTA -- Kyle Orton's gaudy passing day last week didn't distract the Atlanta Falcons.
They still say their top defensive challenge against Chicago on Sunday will be containing Matt Forte and the Bears' running game.
Orton had a career-high 334 yards passing with two touchdowns in the Bears' 34-7 win at Detroit. Forte was held to a season-low 36 yards rushing, but the rookie ran for a touchdown and had a touchdown catch.
"They're going to try to establish the running game," said Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking. "The rookie, it's amazing how many touches he gets. He's a physical runner. He's got some speed and he's good at catching the ball out of the backfield. It's a big test for us."
Forte leads NFL rookies with 383 yards rushing. He also leads the Bears (3-2) with 22 catches and ranks fourth in the league with 555 total yards from scrimmage.
The Falcons (3-2) will counter with NFL rushing leader Michael Turner, the former backup to LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego.
A native of North Chicago who played for Northern Illinois, Turner signed with the Falcons as a free agent but acknowledged this week he dreamed of playing for the Bears.
Turner said he received no interest from the Bears, who instead drafted Forte in the second round from Tulane.
"They didn't make a call or anything or put an offer on the table," Turner said. "I was looking to go anywhere, but it would have been great to be in Chicago. I'm here in Atlanta now and I do what I can control."
Turner said he expects to have more than three dozen friends and relatives from Chicago at the Georgia Dome.
"I had love for them," said Turner of the Bears. "It's going to be something to see them on the other side of the line."
Turner's only previous game against the Bears came in last year's opener with San Diego, when he had 10 carries for 41 yards.
Turner, who has 543 yards rushing, has been a force in his first chance to be a full-time starter. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the Falcons' three wins, including a franchise-record 220 yards rushing against Detroit in his Atlanta debut.
Another speed back, Jerious Norwood, and Turner have combined for 22 runs of 10 yards or longer.
Just like Orton, Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan is coming off his career high with 194 yards passing in last week's 27-24 win at Green Bay. And just like the Falcons, the Chicago defense is expected to focus first on Atlanta's running game.
"He's a great running back," said Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher of Turner. "He gives us problems."
The Bears had a fumble recovery and an interception in the win over the Lions and already have 10 takeaways this season. The Bears had four sacks in the game.
Defense has not been Atlanta's strength. The Falcons have given up 21 or more points in four of their five games, but have relied on big plays from Turner, Norwood and receiver Roddy White.
White had eight receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown -- all in the first half -- against Green Bay last week.
"They have two great running backs," said Vasher, who is trying to return from a wrist injury. "They have some versatile threats, wide receivers. They're a good football team."
Few dared to call the Falcons a good team before the season. New general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith cleaned house, cutting or trading veterans like Warrick Dunn, Rod Coleman, Joe Horn, Joey Harrington and DeAngelo Hall.
Ryan beat out Chris Redman to land the starting job. He's passed for only four touchdowns in five games, but two came at Green Bay when the Packers' defense focused on stopping the run.
"He makes great reads with the ball and gets it out, has a very smooth delivery, and I think he is doing everything he can as a rookie quarterback to help that team be successful," Vasher said.
Orton, who helped lead the Bears to a playoff spot as a rookie in 2005, said Ryan's early success shows he has relied on help from the running game and the defense.
"I don't think a rookie can come in and do it on his own," Orton said. "I don't think any quarterback can do it on his own. But if you've got good guys around you -- good defense, a good running team, which they do -- that's the story for success whether you're in your first year or 10th year. That's what you need to have around you."
The Bears used an assist from the Falcons' win at Green Bay to move into first place in the NFC North last week. The Bears already have two road wins.
"It's good to be in first place," said Vasher, "but it's even harder to stay there."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Uh-oh time for TO, Romo? Cowboys say it ain't so
IRVING, Texas -- Folks in San Francisco and Philadelphia must be loving this: Even though the Dallas Cowboys tried getting the ball to Terrell Owens on one-third of the plays last Sunday, he still wasn't satisfied.
Is this the beginning of the end of his blissful relationship with Tony Romo? Are the Cowboys about to be divided, quarterback supporters on this side, receiver supporters on the other?
Or was T.O. just blowing off steam after a loss to the Washington Redskins?
Back at team headquarters Wednesday, Owens and Romo insisted a lot is being made of nothing.
"I know in my heart, this team, we're still together," Owens said. "Dude, I promise you, we're fine in this locker room."
Owens is well aware that any slightly provocative comment he makes will become big news. So he should've expected a backlash for saying he didn't get the ball enough after catching seven passes, taking two handoffs and having 11 more balls thrown his way in a 26-24 loss to the Washington Redskins. All told, T.O. was the focus on 20 of 58 plays.
"Dude, it was frustration," he said. "Dude, we lost. It was a game we should have won."
He also blamed the media for "making their stake at a claim to divide this team -- and it's not going to happen."
"It's funny how the week before you guys praised me for giving extra effort," Owens said, referring to positive coverage he received for making a tackle on an interception and a downfield block on a touchdown run during a victory at Green Bay, a game in which he caught only two passes.
"Then I come out this week and say I need to be more involved and I'm vilified. ... I feel like everything is being nitpicked."
Romo gave his usual lines about Owens wanting the ball as much as anyone else but because T.O. is T.O. his requests get more attention, and that he likes teammates who want to be involved.
"It's easy to work with a guy who goes hard and comes here and wants to win," Romo said. "The rest of the stuff? It's stuff. You're going to go through ups and downs. The season is not going to be without bumps in roads, bumps and bruises along the way. We're going to have good moments and bad moments. If you can't keep an even keel, that's when you get in trouble. But this team is fine. There's enough leadership and people on this team that we're going to be fine."
Owens said he didn't need to talk to Romo or offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to straighten things out. And if he did talk to them, "you guys won't know about it."
"We've just got to right the ship. That's all," Owens said. "I just think we need to play better as an offense."
Owens' problem with what happened Sunday was quality more than quantity.
"Put on the screen all 18 passes that were thrown my way and you make the assessment of all those passes," Owens said. "We just didn't execute. For whatever the case may be, we just didn't play well."
Part of the problem appeared to be how much Romo was trying to get Owens involved. For instance, running back Marion Barber got only eight carries. Just three were in the second half -- and two of those came on the opening drive.
Romo denied he was trying to appease his star receiver.
"I don't think you consciously think about anything other than trying to win football games," Romo said. "He does the same thing. He believes that getting the ball helps us win. ... The reason you try and throw him the ball a lot is because he's good. He gets open. If he wasn't as good you wouldn't throw it to him as much."
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips laughed off the notion of Owens raising a ruckus, directly or indirectly.
"He wants to win. That's what I like about him," Phillips said. "It's all part of it. You've got to learn to handle that."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Arizona assistant Grimm back in land of the Hogs
VIENNA, Va. -- The Arizona Cardinals' home-away-from-home is more like an old home for an old Hog.
Arizona's nine-day stay in the D.C. area between games against the Washington Redskins and New York Jets puts offensive line coach Russ Grimm back in the city where he won three Super Bowls and began his coaching career. All that's missing is a chance to visit old buddies and tell long stories about Joe Gibbs or creaky RFK Stadium.
"You know, I don't really have a chance to see as many people as I'd like to see. It's business first," Grimm said Thursday. "With the schedule the way it is, with the meetings and the practices, you know. There's an offseason for that.
"But it's good to get back here."
The Cardinals (2-1) lost 24-17 to Grimm's former team last week and will be looking for a split on their two-game road trip when they face Brett Favre and the New York Jets at Giants Stadium on Sunday. Grimm, in his second year with the team, has had a major impact on an offensive line that last year allowed just 24 sacks, sixth fewest in the league and the fewest the Cardinals had permitted since 1978.
"We're getting better," Grimm said. "We're not where we need to be yet, but again, we're just trying to improve and try and get a 'W' this week. It usually takes a little bit of time to put a new system in, but they've picked it up pretty fast and we're a lot further ahead this year than we were last year."
Sixth-year guard Reggie Wells, one of the team's captains, said the hard-nosed mentality Grimm had as a player on one of the best offensive lines in NFL history with the Redskins in the 1980s and early 1990s has carried over to this unit.
"That old-school attitude is what he brings," Wells said. "Especially the offensive linemen, he really expects us to take that approach into our preparation. You know, 'Come ready to play.' I think that's the main thing he's been preaching to us. Prepare in the weight room, prepare with the films, and that way when you go out there, you can just play your heart out."
Grimm spent 20 years with the Redskins, 11 as a player (1981-91) who went to four Pro Bowls and nine as an assistant coach (1992-2000). He beefed up his coaching resume three years ago when he coached the offensive line that helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win a Super Bowl.
The next logical step would be a head coaching position. He interviewed for vacancies in each of the past two offseasons.
"It's got to be the right situation; it's got to be the right team," the 49-year-old Grimm said. "I'm in no hurry."
Wells thinks that time will come sooner rather than later.
"No doubt about it. Not only do these players love playing for him, but he's very underrated as far as his preparation level," Wells said. "He's so smart, and he knows so many different things. He's prepared in all aspects of the game, so I think it's only a matter of time."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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