Tuesday Morning Starting Five: March 3, 2009
Part II of the Skip Bayless interview will be up early afternoon today.
Sri Lanka cricket team attacked, 5 police killed (BBC audio)
One rescued, three still missing at sea off coast of FLA (SF Chronicle)
Jason Taylor released after one season with ‘Skins (WaPo)
Housh signs with Seattle. Not looking good for McNabb to stay here. If they don’t trade for Anquan, I’m out and you all know I’m as loyal as they come (Philly.com)
Venus defeats Serena. Wow, tennis at MSG again. (NY Times)
Prison spending has quadupled in the last two decades (NY Times)
If you want to learn how to write the right way and live in Cleveland, here’s your woman (And One)
Brittney Griner, the future of women’s basketball and probably LeBron to Candace Parker’s Kobe, will not play in the McDonald’s All Star Game. (FanHouse)
Sphere: Related Content
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:44 pm
In regards to the boat tragedy involving the football players is very sad to hear, but was this avoidable? On the surface it looks like a terrible accident, but has foul play been totally ruled out?
Marquis Cooper owned the boat and was an ‘experienced’ guy on the sea..and he and the others knew weather could become potentially worse…
…”By 6 a.m., all of the boat ramps were booked and people were complaining about the crowded parking lot, Mayes said. But by 2 p.m., boaters were scrambling to get back, spooked by the winds and choppy waters.
At an offshore location about 50 miles west of the Tampa Bay area on Saturday afternoon, waves were 4 to 6 feet and “the winds were around 10 to 15 knots and some gusts up to 20 knots, which still makes it uncomfortable for most boaters,” National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Barron said….”
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article980435.ece
It’s one thing to adventurous, but I have hard time reconciling that Cooper would endanger his friends and himself in order to get some fish…
Everybody else decided to come back to shore, except that boat..
And anytime when go out in the water, there is always a chance something could go wrong and safety measures one would think were in place (flares, cell phone, a way to call the Coast Guard with a GPS aboard the ship..something..)
Schuyler, who is white, said the ship was anchored when it turned over. Anything can happen when the waves become rough, but it seems to be odd in regards to his limited version of events.
I don’t know how close these guys were, two were African-American and two were white, but friends sometimes get into arguments.
Nothing is what it seems. (That boat needs to be examined..were their gunshot holes on it or signs of a possible struggle?)
Does anyone remember the strange case of Bison Dele or the former Brian Williams..?
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E1DA1E31F937A2575AC0A9649C8B63
Dele’s brother was a suspect, but died sometime later..
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E6DF1F39F934A1575AC0A9649C8B63
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Patrick it’s funny you asked that because when I was doing my snooping around yesterday I contacted a few reporters and asked the same question. I thought something was amiss. Everyone I spoke with–including the TBO (two other reporters)–unequivocally ruled out foul play.
Now I didn’t speak with law enforcement, but this did raise red flags with me as well. Why were they that far out on such a small vessel? Even an experienced boater wouldn’t do such. If they did have vests on, why haven’t they been found yet? Could they just have given up took off their vests? I wouldn’t think so.
So…IDK.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Patrick:
I agree. There is no way that foul play should be ruled out. I’m going to hold off on saying much more because boats and Florida almost always have a larger narrative. You could be right on the money with this one.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Miz,
It’s a little too early to dismiss ‘foul play’–completely. If the others aren’t found, I would have to call the FBI and look at Schulyer phone records leading up to that February 28th trip and also quiz Cooper’s other family members about his planned fishing trip. And I want to look at Cooper’s wife phone records as well… who was she calling prior to or during Marquis’ fishing trip.
I am not saying Cooper’s wife might be a potential suspect, but she was interviewed over the weekend and she seemed way too ‘calm’ or resigned. I didn’t feel the vibe of anguish, but she had said ‘fishing was his first love’. I understand people handle tragedy in different ways, but I thought it was a tad bit too soon to start going in front of the cameras.
Additionally, I would want to know if there is a criminal history with Schulyer and the others… Cooper and Smith were professional football players who made decent money, not Big Ben or Peyton Manning RICH, but were very well off despite being NFL back-ups and special teamers.
Are NFL/NBA athletes more targeted than anyone else? Who are your real friends? Michael Vick had to deal with it. Allen Iverson had to deal with it as well… Eddy Curry. Phillip Buchanon. Javon Walker. The list goes on and on. Most professional athletes on some level have to deal with envy, jealously from everybody from friends and family members to acquaintances..
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Temple,
It’s a tragic situation, but things aren’t adding up. At some point, Mr. Schulyer will need to be asked more vigorous questions about what happened. And also that boat need to be ‘CSI-ed’ as well..
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I totally agree. Like I said, it was the first question I had. Just doesn’t add up like you say.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
On a brighter note, TJ Hushmazilli signed with the Seahawks — CHAMPIONSHIP!
So, Mizz — you’re out if the Eagles don’t pony up the loot to get Anquan Boldin? I want to give you an out because that’s a very strong position to take. Are there any acceptable substitutes? Crabtree? Maclin?
The Steeler - Titan rivalry will go up another notch next year with the Tennessee signing of promising wide out Nate Washington. The Steelers and Titans will play one another next season and the game is likely to be in Pittsburgh. I’m sure Nate will be ever watchful of Ryan Clark whenever he goes up for the rock. This is going to get good.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Yeah I couldn’t even post that. You know my feelings on Housh, so that’s no big loss, but I might reconsider if Crabtree falls in our laps but that’s it. I’m not sold on Maclin. I’d take the brotha from NC before him.
Of course I want Boldin then Crabtree.
None of them? Be Peace! Dead up.
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
It appears that the missing players weren’t wearing life jackets afterall:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,504074,00.html
I smell something foul……
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I hope to God this just plays out as a tragic and very unfortunate accident. This would get ugly real quick.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:44 pm
The loss of Housh may hurt Carson Palmer’s psyche than anything. To me Palmer, just like Leinart, has become increasingly unreliable, irrelevant and more injury prone every year he has played. And it seems like there is a new excuse every year.
Michael Vick has been out of the league two full years, and Vick’s has more playoff wins (2) and Pro Bowls (3) than the much-more hyped Palmer with (0) playoff wins after one failed appearance after managing to stay on the field for one offensive series.
Palmer will be 30 years old in 2009. Few QBs after the age of 30 ever manage to win their first SuperBowl. I may be mistaken, but the 34 year-old at the time Brad Johnson with Tampa’s great defense in 2002 manage to win. This was an odd SuperBowl because Gruden had coached the Raiders the year before and it seemed Tampa knew what plays the Raiders..I believe John Lynch had said they knew what the Raiders were running….So Brad Johnson gets credit at age 34, but it was more of a anomaly.
Palmer is at a crossroads, and who knows what state of mind Chad Johnson will be in prior to the 2008 season. Chris Henry who was once banished now seen as an alternative. Andre Caldwell, the former Florida Gator receiver will receive an opportunity to replace Housh as well.
Like Leinart, does it really matter what weapons Palmer has? Carson seems to always short-circuit at some point during the season after ‘teasing’ old school commentators via injury or pressure or excuses about the defense, the ‘lawbreakers’ on the team or even the coach..
One last thing about Palmer, his record as a NFL starter: 32-33 with ZERO playoff wins…franchise QB, leader, LOL..
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Yeah GN I smell something foul too. Cooper was very experienced why would he not have a vest on. Second they said that he always turned his phone off when going out to ensure that he had enough power if there was an emergency. So even if the water got bad wouldn’t he have got his phone and called?
Called his wife for an emergency. This is very fishy. The water didn’t all of a sudden get real bad. I can imagine him seeing choppy water then calling his wife. Yeah it is fishy very fishy.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Great point Patrick I have been sayingthe same thing about palmer overated butt for years.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 pm
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/03/former_chardon_student_rescued.html
Schulyer had been mentioned as a former South Florida player through earlier press accounts, but he had never played a game..
…”After high school graduation, Schuyler attended Kent State for a semester before transferring to the University of South Florida and making the football team as a walk-on in 2006. Schuyler had hoped to try out for the Kent State basketball team, but suffered a knee injury and wound up at USF….”
…”joined the Bulls in spring 2006 as a walk-on and left in the fall of 2006…”
The other guy Will Bleakley, 25, played tight end at USF from 2002 to 2006.
From the Tampa paper..
…”Schuyler was conscious but appeared weak as he was being taken off a helicopter at Tampa General Hospital and placed on a stretcher. His father said he was in serious but stable condition and that he “looks OK.”..”
Sal Palantonio from ESPN who was in the Navy said after 16 hours in water, the body could go into shock and in his words would be in pretty bad shape.. Schuyler was upgraded after a day to FAIR CONDITION…This is a tad odd..
Schulyer’s dad said this: “These guys are all very close friends.”
How you define ‘close’? Childhood friends? College friends? I would like to know how this close relationship began…
Schulyer was a fitness trainer for LA Fitness in Tampa, so I imagine when both Corey and Marquis were in Tampa Bay with the Bucs that is where their paths crossed…
I am not accusing anyone, but if there was some form of premeditation: Get them out there with no witnesses, prepare himself (physically) to be at sea for 48 hours and may have had a plan to incapitate the others…and could have push them off somehow into the sea knowing their bodies may never be found…. Maybe Marquis and Corey had cell phones and tried to call someone, but were cut off abruptly..the FBI and authorities need to check their cell phones as well..
How much do fitness trainers make? Failed college football career. Ambitious. Envious. Make little money, get friendly with a football player (with a white wife) and possibly plan something…allegedly..of course..
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
John Elway won in consecutive years at age 36 and 37. He was not the same player he was in his youth, and TD clearly was the engine driving the Broncos, but Elway was still a playmaker.
Steve Young was 33 when he threw 6 TDs to beat the Chargers.
Joe Montana was 33 when he won in 1989.
Doug Williams was 32.
Phil Simms was 32.
Jim Plunkett was 36 when he won his 2nd Super Bowl.
By and large, I’d say you’re correct — that reaching age 30 suggests that Super Bowls are not likely to be in your future — unless you’re on an excellent team. Carson Palmer is not on an excellent team.
(One thing that can be said about CP, he owns the Ravens. His career numbers against them are off the charts.)
Overhyped “golden boys” are finding it tough in this league. No one seems to care about their reputations once they get between the lines.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Patrick:
This is good news for the rest of the league. If we can eliminate Brady, Manning, McNabb and a few others from the conversation, I think we’re looking at a very short list of SB eiligible dudes: Roethlisberger (26), Rivers (27), Eli Manning, Drew Brees (29), Aaron Rodgers (25 - too young?), Cutler, Flacco, Ryan, Romo, and Matt Schaub.
I think the defenses rule out Cutler, Ryan, Rodgers, Schaub, and Brees. Kerry Collins is too old. Flacco could be ready, but the Ravens were picked apart during free agency and could still lose Ray Ray. Romo doesn’t work hard enough and is a compromised leader. Cassel is essentially going to an expansion outpost of the Patriots.
I’ve got 3 survivors: Draft Class of 2005 — please stand up.
Roethlisberger. 2 down, 4 to go.
Manning, E. - 1 down.
Rivers. On Deck.
I think your Super Bowl winner in 2009 (following the 30+ theory) will come from either Pittsburgh, New York or San Diego.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Temple3:
Pittsburgh is in a great position to win multiple Super Bowls under Tomlin. I am very much interested to see Rashard Mendenhall and Parker in the same backfield and see how Limas Sweed is more intergrated in the Steelers’ offense.
The Giants were smart to sign Jacobs to a long-term contract, and the GM and team seems like they want Plax back and if he comes back they are definitely the favorites in the NFC.
I am not totally sold on the San Diego Chargers. To me, they are slowly sinking ship. Tomlinson is disgruntled and become suddenly injury-prone after reaching the 10,000 yard mark. I would like to see them pick up a power-running back (i.e. Shon Green of Iowa, maybe Chris Wells) as an heir apparent similar to the Bettis-Willie Parker situation. LT is still the man and is a Hall of Famer, but needs to suppress that ego for the good of the team.
Merriman will be back, but with the unpredictable A.J. Jones, we don’t know what he is thinking.
Phillip Rivers got skills, but he has a self-destructive component to him (ego, questionable leadership skills) similar to the over-rated Jay Cutler. Rivers did have to sit the bench for nearly three years before hitting the field, but a lucky late run at the end of the 2008 season helped to save that season and Norv Turner’s job.
***
Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan may have significant sophomore slumps because defensively they look to be weaker in 2009.
The Falcons have historically had a problem in developing young impact players on defense (Abraham came via trade, the recently departed Milloy came via free agency)..Very young inexperienced secondary and the defensive end Jamaal Anderson has been a flop at defensive end. People said Aundray Bruce was the worst first round choice in Falcon history..well Jamaal Anderson 32 games, 2 sacks has rivaled this dubious distinction.
Ryan is a game manager and not the incarnation of Peyton Manning. Towards the end of the season, Ryan became more of a turnover machine (INTs, fumbles, etc.). The strong running of Michael Turner (1,700 yards) was the only thing that kept the Falcons competitive down the stretch. The loss of the veteran Milloy will hurt the Falcons if they can’t replace with an impact defensive player.
Joe Flacco will suffer in 2009 because the Baltimore defense that we know could be dissolving before our very eyes. And if Flacco starts to turn into Kyle Boller, then will Troy Smith who should have started last year (had illness) come back to take the starter’s spot? Or will Harbaugh ‘ride and die’ with Flacco.
Bart Scott is gone. Chris McCalister is asking out. Samari Rolle is asking out. And Ray may still find his way to the Jets before the free agency period is over..
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I hate being a fan when there are people looking to me for unbiased sports analysis but uh………….
People are starting to float the Cutler/Vikings rumors. Let me tell you something RIGHT NOW. We beat Philly with Cutler. Point blank, PERIOD.
It’s not about just stretching the field. It’s not just about the vertical passing game. It’s about providing your guys with catchable balls and giving them the confindence that if they run good, crispy routes they’ll get a catchable ball. Cutler puts it on the money.
I like Jackson. I think he gets a bad rap from the media up North and from the lack of viable pass catching playmakers up in Minny. Does anyone even know our top three WR’s off top? Anyone?
Rice, Allison, and Berrian. Horrendous. The best reciever is Shiancoe and he’s a TE. Thing is Jackson doesn’t make those dudes better. Brady, Manning, and McNabb have also thrown to some scrubs in thier time but those dudes didn’t drag them down. Anyhow, I digress.
We don’t have the most cap room but throw what we have at Houshmanzadeh and/or Coles. See what it takes to get at Chad Johnson or Anquan. Move up in the draft to take a look at A REAL WIDE RECIEVER. Spare me the non-sense about Heyward-Bey, Macklin, and Harvin. They’re explosive athletes. Could they be good productive pro’s? Yeah they COULD BE. I’m talking about Wide Outs though.
Crabtree out of Texas Tech and Nicks out of North Carolina look like the most complete recievers to me.
Route runners, good hands, physical dudes, hard to tackle. Let me get one of those cats. This isn’t college anymore. We’re not bringing in guys and calling them “athletes” while spending spring ball finding them a position. We can’t red shirt them while they learn offense or defense. Give me guys who can go right now.
Or just give me Cutler! ; - )
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Might have to start calling Brittney Griner “The Game.” Two hand dunk on the break? Geno and Pat gotta be a little nervy right now.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Mizzo is anyone looking into the potential nefarious dealings behind the “Matt Cassell” trade. I put his name in quotes because I believe he is a figment of everyone’s imagination via the ultimate puppet master of the NFL Bill Belichek (franchise QB my azz).
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Astounding-allegations-Bill-Belichick-did-somet?urn=nfl,144951
March 4th, 2009 at 1:26 am
Patrick —
The dude I neglected to mention was Jason Campbell. He’s young, throws a great deep ball, and plays with a stout defense (#4 last year - without Haynesworth). The Redskins could stand to draft a standout backup to Portis.
I agree on the limitations of the Chargers. I haven’t ruled them out, though, because the defense is still young and the critical players on offense are still young. Sproles as a backup for LT is big, but a big back would be bigger. The entire team seems to implode at the worst times…if they didn’t have Norv, I’d feel better about them — perhaps Merriman can come back and supplant Norv as the brains of that operation…They’ve proven they can beat the Colts anywhere and play down to the final play against NE and Pitt (they have wins over both in the last 3 years).
March 4th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Jerrold:
I think all of those folks in Minnesota who want to see Tarvaris get gone have lost their minds. He has played in a grand total of 23 games. Last season he had a rating of 94 and played about as well as Eli Manning did vs. the Eagles.
Eli was 15-29, 169, 0 TDs, 2 picks.
Tarvaris was 15-34, 164, 0 TDs, 1 INT. — and he led his team to a TD right after he threw the pick.
You people up there are crazy. The kid can play…you’ll see…or you won’t and someone else will.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:04 am
The search has been called off.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Damn.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:31 am
The search being called off is very unfortunate. I hated to hear that.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:01 am
Temple3:
I overlooked Jason Campbell as well. He is a very capable QB and (on paper) they look great defensively. Clinton Portis, just like Tomlinson has been injury prone the past two years as they both approach 30. And just like LT, Portis get very ’sensitive’ about competition or perceived competition. At Miami, he tried to get in the head of Willis MaGahee to the point of trying to ‘break him’….
http://assets.espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no24mcgahee.html
….”Portis, who many say was the biggest trash-talker in Hurricane history, sounded like Chris Tucker, dressed like a pack of Starbursts and never worried about pissing people off. Portis wasn’t as big or fast as McGahee, but that didn’t stop him from telling McGahee how much better a back he was every chance he got…”
I remember when the Redskins traded for T.J. Duckett from the Falcons in 2006 (very late in the pre-season). Duckett got a very chilly reception because he was seen as someone who might steal some of Portis’ playing time and even Ledell Betts’ time. Portis actually came back early from an injury, and then got hurt again.
I wish Campbell would use his mobility more, but his playing style parallels McNabb. Campbell is capable, but some of the media and ‘old school’ football fans are itching to replace him with Colt Brennan… Brennan is seen as a ‘golden boy’, a real QB who is smart and looks good in throwing the ball…even if its INT..
The Redskins may need to trade Portis, because he can be disruptive if things aren’t going HIS way and if he isn’t real accepting of a younger ‘franchise’ RB who he may have to share time in the backfield, it could hurt Campbell progress and cost him his chance of being a starting Qb with the Redskins in 2009 and beyond..
March 4th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
On Portis:
“Portis says he’s happy for McGahee. Yeah, he knew McGahee was fragile, but he swears he was trying to help his teammate, to get him to step up to a challenge, not shy away from one. “Hopefully, some day he’ll realize that,” Portis says.”
I like Portis — from what I’ve seen. It seems like most of the guys from Miami really root for one another, but the spirit of competition is such that Portis stood to lose millions of dollars had he lost his job to McGahee during that championship run. If you recall, that team had five or six guys drafted in the first round. There wasn’t much time for hand holding…it’s not CP’s way. Besides, that wouldn’t have worked on Frank Gore. It would have gone in one ear and out the other.
I don’t think he’s the best runner in the world. He has this habit of falling down before he actually gets hit. He doesn’t maintain balance through the hole in order to make 2nd level guys miss and break longer runs. He’s an excellent blocker and he can catch or throw, but he is what he is….he’s slower than most and smaller than most. He has the success he has because he’s also tougher than most.
I don’t expect Portis to be receptive and groom players any more than I’d expect Favre or another player in this business to. If the Redskins operated like a family and Portis hadn’t played in two systems with an ASSEMBLY LINE mentality about running backs (Univ. of Miami and Denver), I’d say he should be more accommodating. I don’t know where he went to high school, but I imagine they were pretty stocked too. I can’t expect a guy who has always been one step away from unemployment to have a different perspective. It is precisely because of his limited size and speed that he’s never had a moment’s job security.
The dude is 27 years old. He has 7 years in and is about to pass Earl Campbell for career rushing yards. He’s had 3 1,500 yard seasons and just missed another this season. (If he wasn’t benched vs. the Ravens, he probably would have made it.) He’s the youngest RB on the list of active yardage leaders. The next closest guys are 4,000 yards behind him…Steven Jackson (25) and McGahee (27). Ronnie Brown is 27. He has almost 6,000 fewer yards.
From where I’m sitting, given the short life-span of an NFL running back career; given his “roots” in assembly line football (Miami and Denver); and given his unsurpassed success, Clinton Portis has earned the right to be insecure about his standing. He doesn’t get respect commensurate with his accomplishments.
Check the list…
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_active.htm
Jason Campbell should recognize that he is blessed to play with a player who relishes crushing blitzing linebackers and safeties; and that he has a teammate who has been durable — over 320 carries in 4 of the past 5 seasons.
If the Redskins want to fix what ails them, they need to look somewhere other than the backfield.