Panthers LB Has His Guns Stolen

I guess returning items after Christmas isn't the best errand to run on the way to the shooting range. I know it's not the ideal trip, but some people do it. Like Carolina Panthers linebacker Kion Wilson. The problem with the trip was that Wilson had his guns stolen from his truck.

While Wilson went to return some items to a Charlotte area Best Buy store, Wilson had four guns stolen from his Ford F-150. A Glock 23, a 12-gauge shotgun, a 57 FN handgun and a Smith and Wesson were reported stolen to the Charlotte police on Monday. Before you question why Wilson possesed such an arsenal, the guns are registered and he is licensed to travel with them, hence the trip to the shooting range which he was going to after stopping at Best Buy.

The value of the guns is estimated at $1,700. Police are investigating into who stole the guns and the police report indicated that the door lock on the truck was damaged as well.


I know the NFL might look down on Wilson for having the guns, but more importantly there are some guns that might end up in the wrong hands if they aren't tracked down.
    

Crennel Wants To Knock The Broncos Out Of The Playoffs

The Kansas City Chiefs have endured a tough season. They've seen some of their key players (Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles, Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry and starting tight end Tony Moeaki) lost to season ending injuries, the head coach fired and a fair share of ugly losses. Through it all they came close to playing for the second straight AFC West title.

With the season about to end they have a chance to put an end to Tebow-mania and knock the Denver Broncos out of the playoffs. This also is a personal revenge game for the Chiefs' Kyle Orton, who was benched and released in favor of Tim Tebow. Interim head coach Romeo Crennel knows he'll be coaching for a shot at the permanent job and has no plans to lay down against Denver.

"All these players, they want to win. They want to try to win," the interim coach said Monday. "I don't think anybody goes into a game trying to lose. Every player wants to win."

"I know there are some questions about my status and how this game might affect my status. I've said all along that at the end of the year, a decision is going to be made, and I was going to do the best I could for the three games I had an opportunity to do that," Crennel said.



"The first game was a really good game. This game wasn't as good, and now I've got one more game. I try to win every game. Every game is important to me. So what will happen will happen. I don't believe what I say, what I think, is going to make any difference. It's what I do, the work that I put out there. That's the thing that will make the impact."

The ironic twist about the game is that a Kansas City win would help their bitter rival, the Oakland Raiders. I'm sure that's not why Crennel plans to go all out in this game. He wants to go out on a high note and possibly land a permanent job in the process. 









   

The Wizards Aren't On The Same Page

The NBA season is only two days old and the Washington Wizards look like a wayward ship already. After a season opening 90-84 loss to the New Jersey Nets, in which they were ahead by 21, there was a lot of negative energy going around the Wizards' locker room.

Of course it all starts with coach Flip Saunders, who I've said can't coach his way out of a paper bag. Just look at how a loaded Detroit Pistons team imploded after he took over. After the game Monday night there were fingers pointed at Flip and others.

Forward Andray Blatche questioned his offensive role and rookie Chris Singleton questioned the team's will to win. Also, center JaVale McGee left the locker room without speaking to reporters after being benched for the last 4 1/2 minutes of the game. Wow, Singleton's first game as a pro and he's already questioning teammates. I wonder how that'll go over in the clubhouse. Of course Saunders had an answer for the loss, disharmony and selfish play.

“It’s a fine line. Is it trust? Or is it, ‘I think that I can make a play to get us going again’ and you try to do it individually,” Saunders said. “In our league, you can’t do it, unless you’re one of the elite players. We don’t have anyone that’s at that elite status right now like [Nets all-star guard] Deron Williams.”

The Wizards have some raw young talent, but it'll take a while for them to put it together, but don't throw them under the bus because New Jersey has Deron Williams. You have to build up young players sometimes at the same time give them no excuses when going against an elite performer.

Blatche was left questioning his role on the team, at least offensively, because he felt he wasn't utilized properly in the post.

“I said that I need the ball in the paint to be effective. You can’t keep having me pick and pop and shooting jump shots. Give me the ball in the paint,” Blatche said after going 5 for 13 from the field. “That’s what I’m most effective at. I’ve been saying that since training camp — I need the ball in the paint. I don’t want to be the pick and pop guy that I used to be. Because it’s not working for me. I’m not saying the offense has to flow through me, but I prefer to be in the paint.”

Maybe Saunders had you shooting jumpers because you complained about playing in the post in the past. Also being torched by Kris Kardashian, i mean, Humphries (21 points, 16 rebounds) didn't help your cause. Maybe if Blatche excelled at a defined role instead of complaining about it, he would be a better player.

Nick Young kind of defended Blatche on his issues of his role in the offense.

Young said, “’Dray’s trying to be a leader this year, and sometimes he lets things get to him. You’ve got to let things bounce quick and get back in the game. I say he’s going to learn from this game.”

In other words, get over it and grow up.

Singleton hasn't been in the league that long but already sees why the Wizards aren't thought of as the most functional bunch in the NBA.

“After that, I feel like we shut down,” Singleton said. “I feel like all the energy was gone and we didn’t want it anymore. It’s something we’ve got to change around here.” Referring to the blown lead.

The Washington Wizards, team harmony.





 
  

Larry Fitzgerald Sr. Doesn't Like Early Doucet

In one of the clumsiest looking plays this NFL season, Arizona Cardinals receiver Early Doucet let a possible game tying touchdown go by the wayside.

  

Wide open Early Doucet stumbles on potential game-tying score


On the game's most critical play, Arizona's Early Doucet makes a blunder he may never forget.

Early Doucet showed on Saturday that there's something more embarrassing than dropping an easy, game-changing touchdown pass while wide open: not even getting a chance to drop an easy, game-changing touchdown pass while wide open.

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver didn't have a defender within 10 yards of him on a fourth-down pass from John Skelton. All he had to do was go get the lofted throw and the Cardinals would have been an extra point away from tying the Cincinnati Bengals. Doucet didn't get that far though, as he stumbled near the goal line and fell to the ground as the pass bounced incomplete.

At 7-7, Arizona's playoff chances were somewhere between slim and none, so Doucet's tumble wasn't exactly a season-ender. Had he stayed upright, it could have been for Cincinnati though. Now, the Bengals are 8-7 and stand a good chance of winning the AFC's final wild card next weekend.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr. simply thinks Doucet doesn't work hard enough to be an NFL receiver.

“Early Doucet bombed this year he drops to many passes not a dependable No.2. Needs to work harder at his job. He dropped 5 TDs this year,” Larry Fitzgerald Sr. wrote on Twitter.

Senior went on to talk to Mike Sando of ESPN.com, saying that Junior invited Doucet to work out during the lockout and Doucet declined. 

“I just know that Larry invited him to come and work out with him this summer and some guys take initiative and do it, some guys don’t,” Fitzgerald Sr. said. “But with the lockout, I thought he would have worked on it a little harder. That is me. People criticize me because they think I talk too much. That is just how I see it.”


“I wasn’t picking on him,” Fitzgerald Sr. said. “I track when he drops the ball in critical situations. They use Larry the way they are going to use him, so they know others are going to be singled [in coverage]. The Ravens game, he dropped one on the goal line. I remember other games. Now that they’re out of the playoffs, I’m putting it out there.”

Talk about a biased opinion. If you're not picking on Doucet then what are you doing? He might as well have called out the rest of the Cardinals receiving corps while he was throwing Doucet under the bus.

Can you imagine the conversation between Fitzgerald Jr. and Doucet. Awkward.

Jake Heaps To Join Weis And Crist At Kansas

It looks like the Kansas football team is beginning to look like a personal redemption team. Former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis signed on to get the Jayhawks back on track. His former prized recruit Dayne Crist transferred to Kansas to restore hi once lofty status as a future college star.

Jake Heaps was a big time collegiate prospect coming out of high school. He signed with BYU and was thought of the future of the program. Heaps was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2010 class. However he lost the starting quarterback job to Riley Nelson this season and decided to transfer out of town.

Heaps will now join Weis and Crist at Kansas.Heaps will have to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules. Starting in 2013, he will have two years of eligibility.

So Weis will have two highly touted quarterback recruits to lead the way in Lawrence for a massive rebuilding project and two players that will have a chance to redeem themsleves and live up to their lofty prep status.  

Barry Sanders Is Not A Fan Of The Lions' Mock Draft

Recently ESPN's Todd McShay put together a mock draft of the 2012 NFL Draft. It had the Detroit Lions picking in the 25th slot.

Keep in mind in the Lions have drafted pretty well of late, but also have taken two running backs in Jahvid Best (2010) and Mikel Leshoure (2011). Conventional wisdom says the Lions would take an offensive lineman, defensive back, or linebacker. Not according to McShay. In his first mock draft scenario he had the Lions picking Virginia Tech running back David Wilson. And Lions great Barry Sanders didn't seem too happy about it.

This came from the Detroit Free Press.

None other than Barry Sanders saw our tweet about the Lions mock draft Thursday -- in which ESPN's Todd McShay has them taking Virginia Tech running back David Wilson -- and tweeted back “Will they ever take an O - Lineman???”


Sense any residual bitterness there?


He then added, “I am sort of biased... but would help (Matthew Stafford) and (Calvin Johnson) too. To be fair, (the Lions’) recent drafts have been solid.”

I don't know what it is but the Lions always seem to be reluctant to take an offensive lineman in the first round or draft based on their needs. We'll see what happens in April. Hopefully it's not a running back. It'll look like the ghost of Matt Millen is looming over Lions headquarters. Remember the run of wide receivers. 

Could Jurrjens Come Back To Detroit?

When the Detroit Tigers traded pitcher Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez to the Atlanta Braves for shortstop Edgar Renteria it soon became one of the more regrettable Tigers trades in recent memory.


Although Hernandez really never panned out, Jurrjens certainly went on to become a nice addition for the Braves while Renteria continued to age and prove why he wasn’t a player for the American League.

But could the Tigers undo the wrong so to speak and bring Jurrjens back?

According to Jon Heyman, Jair Jurrjens has drawn some interest from the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rockies, Rangers and Tigers.

As expected there is going to be plenty of interest if Jurrjens is put on the block however there are some injury concerns with Jurrjens. He missed the end of last season with a knee injury which in some ways has placed him behind Oakland starter Gio Gonzalez in the pecking order for teams pursuing starting pitching. Jurrjens though has shown he is a pitcher that can compete in the majors.

With Gonzalez headed to the Washington Nationals it could be a possibility. A slight one, but still a possibility.

It is believed that Atlanta may shop the young right hander Jurrjens given the large supply of pitching talent the Braves currently have and the current need of offensive help.

Would this be another situation in which the Tigers and Braves start talking trade and could outfielder Delmon Young be in the mix yet again?