Ed Reed has $50,000 stolen from his car in Houston

All-Pro safety Ed Reed, who played last season for the Houston Texans and New York Jets, reportedly had a bag of money containing $50,000 stolen out of the front seat of his car.

According to Reed, he had withdrawn the large amount of cash from a Houston bank on Wednesday afternoon and put it all in to a bag. He then drove to another bank and left the bag of money on the seat of his car while he quickly ran inside.

A police report states that thieves had apparently followed Reed, waited for an opportune time to strike, broke the window of his Audi, snatched the bag, then hightailed it away. According to investigators, the Reed crime is part of a popular theft trend, where people who make withdrawals from a bank or ATM are then followed and robbed.  Police refer to this type of robbery as “jugging.” According to Houston police Sgt. Arturo Bazan, who spoke to Fox Sports, ”These guys go all over the city, every bank. It’s all over.”

The 35-year-old player, who will be an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract in November, after being released by the Texans who gave up on the nine-time Pro-Bowler after only seven games; Reed had signed a three-year, $15 million deal with Houston.

Meanwhile, police have no idea as to why Reed was driving around with $50,000 in cash; however, the investigation is ongoing.

Chiefs cut cornerback Dunta Robinson

Another day, another high priced veteran cornerback cut. The Atlanta Falcons released corner Asante Samuel on Wednesday and former teammate Dunta Robinson will join him in the hunt for a new team.

The Chiefs parted ways with veteran defensive back Dunta Robinson, who never quite lived up to expectations last season.

Instead, Robinson was slowed by a series of nagging injuries and appeared in only nine games, making 14 tackles and defending just two passes. He was also part of a defense that was torched by Indianapolis wide receivers in a loss that knocked Kansas City out of the playoffs.

The move was widely expected not only because the 31-year-old Robinson struggled most of the season, gradually losing playing time to undrafted free agent Marcus Cooper, but also because the cash-strapped Chiefs would save more than $3 million. Robinson’s three-year deal was worth $13.7 million.

The 31-year-old played in just nine games and started two last season for the Chiefs. He had 13 tackles, one fumble recovery and four passes defensed in 2013.

Robinson started his career with the Houston Texans. As a rookie in 2004, Robinson logged 88 tackles, a career-high six interceptions, three forced fumbles and 19 passes defensed. In 2010 he signed a big money deal with the Atlanta Falcons but was cut with three years left on his deal.

Because Robinson now is an unrestricted free agent, he is able to sign with another team before free agency opens on March 11.

Report: Kyle Shanahan to leave Redskins, split from his dad

It's always a a nice, warm story when a father and son team up as coaches and try to make it to the mountaintop. That's how some might have thought when Kyle Shanahan became the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins and join his dad Mike on the sidelines.

Apparently the arrangement will be coming to an end.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Shanahan has “decided it is no longer worth it to work with his father” and will attempt to blaze his own trail after four years with the Redskins.Shanahan spent two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans before joining the Redskins in 2010.

This latest look into Washington’s implosion came shortly after CBS’ Jason La Canfora reported that many within the organization actually pin much of the blame for this 3-10 season on Kyle Shanahan’s relationships with Mike Shanahan and Robert Griffin III.

Conversations with several people within the organization have revealed a similar perception of Kyle Shanahan as someone who was empowered and enabled by his father, spending an abundance of time in his father's office, given a wide swath of power, and rubbing many people -- players, fellow coaches and members of football operations -- the wrong way. At the same time, Kyle Shanahan has been the most heavily rewarded of the team's assistant coaches, as team sources said the two-year extension Shanahan earned following the playoff run in 2012 will pay him $1.5M in 2014 alone. That's money he's almost certain to collect away from the team, with this regime widely expected to be fired after this season.

“Kyle is the head coach, it's just that no one knows he is,” said one member of the organization. “He gets whatever he wants. And he has no relationship at all with (quarterback Robert Griffin II). So how could it work?”

Although this is a surprise, Kyle wasn't pleased when starting quarterback, Robert Griffin III, was shutdown for the last three games of the season in favor of Kirk Cousins.

Kyle had a decent run in Houston so it's possible that he could co elsewhere and succeed, but he'll have to do it without any of his father's connections (Gary Kubiak in Houston).

Rich Gannon questions Matt Schaub's credentials

The Houston Texans are having some early season struggles. The team had two come from behind wins in their first two games and were thrashed by the Baltimore Ravens, 30-9 last Sunday. Hardly a convincing start for a team that's supposed to contend for the AFC's berth in the Super Bowl.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has come under fire from fans and local sportswriters. CBS Sports analyst Rich Gannon is the latest to pile on Schaub.

 On CBS Sports Network’s “Monday Morning QB,” Gannon was critical of Schaub and questioned his credentials and if he was the guy to lead this team.

“I don’t know that he can carry this football team,” Gannon said. “He’s a system guy. He’s a guy that (succeeds) when they’re running the football well. But it’s these kinds of mistakes that really bother me: not seeing a flat defender or a linebacker run in front of an angle route. … These are the things that you expect from an inexperienced rookie quarterback.

“If they’re running the football well and they’re dominating on defense, I think he can be that guy. But if they fall behind, Matt Schaub and the Texans struggle.”

Basically Gannon just said that Schaub doesn't have what it takes to get this team to the next level, while stopping short of calling him a game manager.

There's nothing wrong with being a game manager. The Ravens won a Super Bowl with one (Trent Dilfer). But when your turning the ball over that doesn't help the team. Gary Kubiak's dubious playcalling hasn't helped the offense too much either.

Schaub may not win a Super Bowl but before Texans fan jump off a ledge remember  Doug Williams, Joe Theismann, Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, Brad Johnson and Dilfer all won Super Bowls. Not exactly a group of Hall of  Famers.

Be happy, you could have a quarterback situation like the Cleveland Browns.

Manti Te'o ruled out this week for the season opener

San Diego Chargers rookie linebacker Manti Te'o has been ruled out for the season opener against the Houston Texans.

Te'o sprained his foot in the preseason opener and was thought to be returning to the field in a week. He hasn't practiced since the injury and has been in a walking boot and occasionally using crutches.

Fans waiting to see if Te'o was worth the second round pick the Chargers spent on him will have to wait to find out.

Texans' J.J. Watt and Arian Foster will be featured in GQ magazine

Superstars J.J. Watt and Arian Foster are perfect examples of how much the Texans have increased their popularity over the past couple years.

The duo is featured in the September NFL Kickoff issue of GQ, which describes 38 things that are making the NFL the most exciting it's ever been.

In the article on Foster, the magazine lists 10 reasons why the three-time Pro Bowler is GQ's favorite running back in the game.

In the Watt feature, which is titled "Big Tex", the defensive end talks about his rise from pizza delivery man to stardom and the NFL's 2012 Defensive Player of the Year.

Nice to see some positive stories coming out of professional sports.

Andre Johnson hopes the Texans draft a receiver in the first round

Leave the drafting up to Andre Johnson and the Houston Texans would be drafting a wide receiver in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Johnson told reporters that he hopes the Texans draft a receiver in the first round with the 27th selection. The last time the Texans drafted a receiver in the first round was in 2003 when they drafted Johnson.

“I’d like to have another (receiver),” Johnson said Saturday at his annual football camp for kids. “I’m all for it. I’ve asked for it for awhile. The more weapons we have, the better it’ll be for the team.”

Kevin Walter has been released due to salary cap issues but Texans general manager Rick Smith drafted DeVier Posey and  Keshawn Martin in last year's draft and may not find the need to to one of the top rated receivers in the draft. Picking 27th the Texans are in best player available land right now.

But that won't keep Johnson from wishing that the team takes another receiver.

“If we’re able to add another guy, it would probably be the best group of receivers we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Johnson said. “Adding another guy (to go with) Posey, Lestar (Jean) and Keshawn — that’s a lot of talent. Not only would it be good for now, but it would be good for our future.”

“If we draft a receiver, I’m going to help him as much as I can,” Johnson said. “I’ll answer any questions he has because I want him to perform well.”

It remains to be seen if Johnson gets his wish granted but we all know that players don't necessarily make good general managers.

Arian Foster to appear on Hawaii Five-0

Following in the footsteps of MLB player Shane Victorino, Houston Texans running back, Arian Foster will be appearing on an episode of CBS crime drama Hawaii Five-0.

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is scheduled to appear on an episode of Hawaii Five-0 on Monday, Feb. 18 at 10 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network. The episode appropriately is titled -- Pa'ani or Hawaiian for “The Game.”

I don't know how Foster will do in his acting debut, but hopefully he'll have more than a bit part. I'm anxious to see how he stacks up against the great gridiron actors of years past such as Bubba Smith, O.J. Simpson,  Fred Dryer and Jim Brown.

Maybe this could be a career for Foster after his playing days are over.

J.J. Watt shows Craig Biggio support for the Hall of Fame

Today the baseball Hall of Fame held their voting and no candidates were elected to Cooperstown. That didn't stop Houston Texans defensive end, J.J. Watt for showing his support for Hall of Fame candidate, Craig Biggio.

Watt showed up to a press conference sporting an old school Houston Astros Biggio jersey.

                        

 

Dungy Labels The Texans As The Biggest Fakers

All the talk in the NFL is surrounding players faking injuries. The league has said they will punish players that are caught faking. Deon Grant played his macho card as to why he wouldn't fake one. I believe some teams might do it to save their team a timeout.

Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy has been pretty opinionated since he's been out of the game. During an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Dungy was asked if he ever had a player fake an injury. Of course the answer was no but he did have something to say about who were the kings of faking injuries.

"No I've never done that but in the time I was coaching in Indy we saw it quite a bit, we really did," Dungy said. "It's a tactic that is used, it's part of what's happening now in the NFL and it's really tough to prove. We sent in a lot of tapes to the league and it never could get resolved so just kind of have to go with the flow and know that it's going to happen."

"The biggest offenders we saw were the Houston Texans. We played them twice a year, our players knew the defensive line coach there, they knew the signal for faking an injury," he said. "Chad Bratzke would always tell me, 'Here it comes. Guy's gonna fall down right now.'



"And that's what would happen and, you know, they'd catch their breath or whatever and get the substitutions in, you'd send it in to the league and say, 'Hey, this guy was never contacted on the play, let's look at it. The trainer's out there for three or four minutes working on him.'


"But it really is hard to tell. And how can you say when a guy really is hurt and when he isn't? Miraculously, though, they all seem to come back into the game."

Instead of stewing about it then, maybe Dungy should've went public with those allegations. I know that isn't his style and it wouldnt've went over too good, but that might've been the only way that it could've been resolved. Don't come out now that you're a member of the media and bring it up.   

Matt Leinart Sounds Defensive

Even though Matt Leinart wasn't a top five NFL draft pick there are some who give him the dreaded bust label. That'll happen when you have a celebrated college career (Heisman Trophy,national championship, Manning Award, Johnny Unitas Award, Walter Camp Award and two Archie Griffin Awards). I wouldn't call him a complete bust, more like a flop which to me is a notch below bust.

After flaming out with the Arizona Cardinals, where he was beaten out by Kurt Warner, Leinart landed with the Houston Texans in a backup role. He's now a free agent and personally I don't think this joker will get a legit shot at a starting job again. It never helped that he had an image as a "party guy", something he picked up while he was starring at USC.

In an interview on ESPN Los Angeles Leinart talks about his days in Arizona and the bust label that has been bestowed upon him.

“I’ve heard everything. I’ve heard everything. I’ve seen everything. For me I haven’t proven anything, so I haven’t proven that I could play game in and game out. I understand that. I believe I can play and I’m not one to make excuses. I’ve never made an excuse with my time in Arizona. It just didn’t work out for whatever reason. Those are reasons people outside of the organization won’t understand, but it didn’t work out and it wasn’t a right fit, so you move on. You kind of look at the timeline of what has happened to me and with having a pretty good rookie year and the second year getting the injury and Kurt Warner played himself into the Hall of Fame in the last 3 years. There’s not a lot I can do about that. I battled with a Hall of Famer two training camps in a row. I thought I competed as well as he did and obviously Kurt was a great player. He took us to a Super Bowl. I truly believe he got himself into the Hall of Fame those last couple of years. Last year with everything that happened it just didn’t work out. I said what I said about the situation and I moved on, so there’s people thought I never got a fair shot. People that think I can’t play. There’s a lot of things. For me I’ve worked hard this off-season and I’m always work hard. I’m always ready. I’m always prepared and like I said it’s just always about being a quarterback, but being the right situation. For me hopefully that situation comes up this year and I can thrive and show I belong in the league and I can play because I know I can and that’s what I plan on doing.”


Sounds like he's on the defensive throughout the interview. I guess I would hate being labeled as a bust when you really haven't been given a chance to play. But the stats will tell you why he's been glued to the bench. I do agree that Warner played himself into the Hall of Fame while he was with the Cardinals. When you watched them play last season they looked lost without him.

For Leinart it's just not going to happen.

NFL Players Deny Involvement With XXX Event

When it comes to events of the "extracurricular" variety, sports figures always seem to get involved. No matter if it's at a strip club or a rapper's ball, they'll be there. The players always talk about it and take scores of pictures. Remember that's what got Marvin Austin and company suspended from North Carolina.   

All that leads to this. A handful of NFL players have denied involvement with an event after their names and images were used to advertise it. The event they claim to have no involvement with: Exxxotica Expo.

Now I don't know if this violates any rule in the NFL code of conduct but I'm sure team officials from the repective teams the players will be playing for aren't too happy about it. One of the players, Chicago Bears safety Major Wright   is the most identifiable player in the ad and was very upset with what went down.

"I authorized my name and likeness to be used in conjunction with other NFL players at a party which (was) to be hosted by other NFL players," he said in a statement. "I had no knowledge and never would have given authority for my name or likeness to be associated with Erotica Expo 2011. I am deeply disappointed that my name and likeness was manipulated by the promoters of this event. The use of my picture in a Chicago Bear uniform was never discussed or approved.


"It is unfortunate that this incident has occurred and I would like to let the Bears organization, our fans, my teammates, family and friends know that I am truly sorry. I have learned a valuable lesson and will use more prudent judgment with people I associate myself with in the future."


The next Exxxotica Expo opens in Rosemont, Ill., July 8, and Wright said on Twitter he is not promoting that event.


"FYI... I have NOTHING to do with the Exotic Expo @ the Rosemont!" Wright tweeted.

Wright, along with Corey Liuget (San Diego Chargers), Brandon Flowers and Eric Berry (Kansas City Chiefs), Jacoby Ford (Oakland Raiders), Kareem Jackson (Houston Texans) and Daniel Thomas (Miami Dolphins) were also shown on the ad in their team uniforms. Liuget and Thomas are both rookies.

Every player said they didn't know what that their names and likenesses would be invloved with advertising the Exxxotica Expo.

Jackson released a statement apologizing for not being aware for what he was signing up for.

“I wanted to clarify an event that took place on May 20th at Club Play in Florida. I authorized my name to be used at that club with the understanding that it was going to be a party hosted by NFL Players. It was never explained to me or did I ever authorize my name or likeness to be associated with Exxxotica Expo 2011. I am appalled that my name and likeness were used in that capacity. In addition, I never authorized the use of my likeness or picture in my NFL uniform. I apologize to the Houston Texans, their fans and family if I caused any embarrassment. I am sincerely sorry.”

If you check a Brandon Flowers tweet  (click here) it tells a different story.



I think the aforementioned planned to attend but when their images were used in an ad they wanted to sever any ties with the event whatsoever.

Wade Is Employed Because Of His Dad

I said that Wade Phillips would get another job after he was fired by the Dallas Cowboys. More and more it's looking like he'll end up in Houston as the Texans defensive coordinator.

Keep in mind that his dad, Bum Phillips, along with Dan Pastorini, paid a visit to Texans owner Bob McNair on Wednesday. That was to drum up support to keep head coach Gary Kubiak. It also seems like it was a play to get Wade the defensive coordinator job. I guess that's the plan unless the Texans get swamped by Jacksonville in the season finale. McNair isn't too happy about the team's 5-10 record and neither are fans, who are organizing a 'Fire Gary Kubiak' rally. Sound familiar Detroit Lions fans.

If Phillips gets hired, how does current coordinator Frank Bush feel about this. He has to feel that someone put a knife in his back, and will be done in by old fashioned nepotism. I'm not saying Bush was the next coming of Buddy Ryan, but this was his first year and lost highly regarded corner Dunta Robinson to Atlanta. Stay tuned to see how this plays out.

Phillips And Pastorini Go To Bat For Kubiak

The clock may be ticking on Kubiak

With his job on the line, two Houston "legends" have spoken out on Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak's behalf.

Former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips and former oft injured quarterback Dan Pastorini, two of the "Luv Ya Blue" mainstays from the past have spoken in favor of embattled coach Gary Kubiak. Pastorini and Phillips attended Wednesday's practice to urge owner Bob McNair to keep Kubiak. The Texans have lost 8 of 9 and fans have ran out of patience with a team thought to be a playoff contender at the start of the year.

Phillips said the team was still working hard and seemed focused. Not to bag on anyone, but to an 87 year old man anyone would seem focused.

"You're not going to get any better coach than him," Phillips said. "If you can get your team to practice like these kids practiced, the last week of the season, with nothing to look forward to, then believe me, he's got control of the team. He's always been a good coach. You're not going to get any better than Gary Kubiak."

"I think he's a good coach, I think the players love him and respect him," Pastorini said. "I know a lot of people are calling for his head. But I, for one, believe in him. I think he can turn it around. I don't think there's a lot of shaking up needed."


Pastorini and Phillips met with McNair for lunch after Wednesday's practice.
 
I do think Kubiak is a good coach, but even if he goes on to coach another team, I'll view him as a set up man. Meaning that Kubiak will get canned in Houston and someone else will lead them to new heights. I'm not knocking Kubiak, but maybe his time in Houston may be up. Who knows, maybe he lives to see another day as Texans coach. But since he's been there since the team's inception, it might be time for him to go.