Sanchez calls 'unnamed teammates' gutless

After the New York Jets failed to match expectations they brought upon themselves, there were many that pointed fingers at quarterback Mark Sanchez.

There was a report about unnamed teammates being very critical of Sanchez and now Sanchez has finally spoke up for himself.

Sanchez called the "unnamed teammates" gutless since they couldn't put their name to the comments.  

"It is a gutless thing to do," he said. If you're not going to put your name on something, why waste anybody's time? Obviously, they had strong opinions about it, but not strong enough to say who they were." 


That's kind of like the "unnamed sources" when breaking news comes out.

Sanchez did own up to some of the blame, but all of the Jets should look in the mirror, because all of them underperformed this year. Sure, the quarterback most of the time is the face of the franchise, but that doesn't mean he should shoulder all the blame when things go wrong. If Sanchez passes for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns a game and you lose I'm sure it wouldn't be his fault.

Rex Ryan has let the genie out of the bottle and needs to get this locker room back under control.

Pistons might want to follow Oden's progress

Would it be wise for a team to take a flier on Greg Oden? Only at a minimal cost.

After years of seeing the ghost of Sam Bowie, the Portland Trail Blazers finally ended the Oden era. It was something that had to be done after having Oden face surgery after surgery. The Blazers also decided to throw in the towel on the season and rebuild on the fly, but that's another story.

My question is, do you give Oden a shot if he gets healthy? Maybe. If I'm in the Detroit Pistons front office it's something I would keep an eye on. Hear me out before you call me stupid.

Oden will never be completely healthy, but he could still be healthy enough to be a servicable NBA player. Not the dominant force many thought he would be when he was made the number one pick out of Ohio State. I would keep an eye on his progress and if I deemed him to be healthy enough, then sign him to the veteran's minimum. That way if he's no good to you, get rid of him, eat his contract and it doesn't set your franchise back.

Joe Dumars should take a look and see how Oden has progressed after his third microfracture surgery. It couldn't hurt the Pistons and Oden is still young enough to be a decent NBA player. He is only 24 so I'm sure he'd be willing to give it another try before calling it a career. I'm not saying go out and sign him now. Just see how he progresses and take a shot on his damaged upside.

There is this disclaimer. Oden shouldn't rush to get back on the court like he has in years past. It always seemed like he was trying to justify his status as the number one pick due to the success of Kevin Durant. If Oden can fully concentrate on rehab, then he might be worth the risk even if he hasn't played extensively in three years.

It remains to be seen whether Oden, because of his modest salary, is claimed on waivers even though he isn't expected to be ready to try to resume his career until well into the 2012-13 season.

Southern Miss band have a racist chant for K-State's Angel Rodriguez

What a few members of the Southern Miss band directed towards Kansas State guard Angel Rodriguez was uncalled for. It has no place in the world of sports and those who did it should be dealt with accordingly.

When Rodriguez was shooting free throws a few members of the Southern Miss band started a chant of "Where's your green card?".

Here's the video of the ridiculous chant.

Good thing that didn't last long.

Marbury rips D'Antoni

I guess Mike D'Antoni didn't win many over in his time as head coach of the New York Knicks. That's why coaches get fired, add in the fact that he wasn't winning enough made him more cannon fodder for the critics. But I bet D'Antoni didn't count on Stephon Marbury jumping on the rip D'Antoni bandwagon. Remember Marbury played for D'Antoni while the two were in Phoenix and New York.

Now Marbury is the last person to rip anyone considering he wasn't necessarily a winning player while he was in the NBA.  

Marbury went on Twitter to call D'Antoni a coward.

"Coward's Step down men knock walls down that men like him post up. I told you'll about that dude but you'll didn't listen. #DANPHONY"  

Mighty bold words from someone who once ate Vaseline. Just because D'Antoni couldn't make things work with Carmelo Anthony and tried to trade him for Deron Williams and failed doesn't make him a coward. I just call it a failed power play. And just because Marbury could never see eye to eye with D'Antoni doesn't make him a coward. It's called a clash of egos.

David Garrard has interest in the Detroit Lions

Last season was pretty rough for former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard. Garrard was released from Jacksonville to make room for then rookie Blaine Gabbert close to the end of training camp. After that Garrard elected to have back surgery. Garrard still had teams making offers for his services including the Oakland Raiders, even though he elected to take the season off.

After a year off Garrard has put the surgery behind him and his agent says that he has been medically cleared to play. Garrard has planned to visit some NFL teams and with the way quarterbacking is these days he shouldn't have a hard time finding a job. One of the teams he has interest in is the Detroit Lions.

"If the Lions are interested in David's services, we will listen," said Al Irby, Garrard's agent. "Because of the chain reaction Peyton (Manning) will cause, teams that inquired about David before, may change their mind when certain quarterbacks become available. It is my opinion that David is the next-best quarterback now on the market. Once Peyton makes a decision, based on recent activity, David will be a hot quarterback.


"David informed me not to turn down any team's inquiry. He wants to examine every situation. He is open to compete for a starting job, assume the starting job, or backup the current starter. He believes that the best player will ultimately play. He is very confident in his ability to do any job for the right team. All he wants is a chance to win." 


With the Lions potentially losing backups Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton in free agency, the Lions could be an intriguing option, for the right price.

Garrard has 76 career starts in 86 games since 2002. He led Jacksonville to the playoffs in 2007 and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2010. 


Garrard should be one of the top backup options in free agency. If he's willing to sign for the right price he could be worth a flier. If the Lions lose Hill and Stanton to free agency quarterback would become another priority for the team in the draft and free agency.

Lakers wheeling and dealing

With the trade deadline looming, the Los Angeles Lakers have been doing some retooling to their roster. Earlier today it was reported that the Lakers sent Luke Walton and a first round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for point guard Ramon Sessions and  forward Christian Eyenga.

There also has been confirmation by Ken Berger of CBSsports.com that the Lakers will be sending Derek Fisher and a first round pick to the Houston Rockets for forward Jordan Hill.

What this does for the Lakers is give them a servicable point guard in Sessions that is capable of scoring, and they add a rugged big body in Hill that can give Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum a rest for a few minutes. He won't score like them but he can play defense and rebound.

In a Western Conference where the only legitimate threat is Oklahoma City, the Lakers appear to be getting a makeover for another run at the Finals.    

Captain Jack coming full circle

A few days ago Stephen Jackson was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Golden State Warriors. It was a homecoming of sorts as Jackson was going back to Golden State. Now a few days after that it looks like Jackson's career is coming full circle. The San Antonio Spurs are trading small forward Richard Jefferson for the volatile Jackson. Golden State will also receive a first round pick in the deal.

In a bland Spurs locker room Jackson has bee described as the ultimate teammate by Tim Duncan. I guess that can carry some weight since Jackson has worn out his welcome in lots of places since his first stint in San Antonio. With Manu Ginobili not being at full strength, this could turn out to be a coup for the Spurs as Jackson always states that he just wants to win.