This looks better

Couldn’t resist this video, nothing better than lookin in that victims eyes after you “Yam” on ‘em. Enjoy…

With the Nets and Knicks expected to both be in the hunt for several high-profile NBA stars during free agency, billionaire Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has purchased billboard space near Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks, to tout the Nets as having “The Blueprint for Greatness,” according to reports on ESPN’s website and the New York Times’ website.

The billboard displays a “massive image” of Prokhorov and Nets minority owner Jay-Z, and was completed just before the start of free agency, which begins tonight at 12:01 a.m.

According to the report, the billboard is located at 34th and 8th in Manhattan, within sight of the Knicks’ offices near the Garden.

via: nj.com

What’s Ya’ll Predictions On The Nets?

I say they bring the Nets Stadium to Trenton. Smack in the middle of Jerz. That way we get less south jersey cats supporting the sixers and less north jersey cats supporting the Knicks. check out this article by Trey Kerby of yahoo.com

The New Jersey Nets are struggling. They have the league’s worst record at 6-53. Because of that, they’re last in attendance.

To combat this they’ve tried a few bizarre promotions over the years. First, they gave away tickets to unemployed workers, and also gave them career advice. Then, if you bought a 10-game ticket plan you got a jersey that featured not just a Net, but also an opposing player.

This Friday, the Nets will unleash another in their long line of minor league-esque promos:

Their latest promotion will be unveiled Friday, when the Nets play the Orlando Magic. New Jersey residents 18 or older who attend the game will get a coupon that they can redeem at a Roni Deutch Tax Center to get their state income tax done free.

No one likes doing their taxes, but is it worth having to go to a Nets game? At just a $29 value, I’m not so sure.

But you have to admire the gumption of Roni Deutch, the eponymous tax attorney offering the promotion. She says, “The hallmark of a strong company is one that aligns with young companies. I’m a betting woman, and I think the Nets are going to win a championship this decade.”

Probably not, but she’s not the first to make such a proclamation.
By Trey Kerby

In what was just poor timing on his behalf, Warren Sapp waits for the biggest football weekend to ‘allegedly’ strangle his better half. Leading to suspension from his gig @ NFL Network and now plenty of questions to answer. Hopefully, the matter will work itself out.

Payton Manning “big head scientist” was going to put together one of those come from behind- to win drives, Tracey Porter stepped in the way and took a pass intended for Reggie Wayne to the ‘house’ for six points. Putting the game out of reach and securing the New Orlean Saints first Super Bowl for an organization historically known for losing. Stay thirsty Eagle fans, one day you’ll get one.hahahahahah!

Man Vs Machine

By Mike Garafolo/The Star-Ledger

The Giants interviewed only one defensive coordinator candidate in person. It was a candidate who seemed destined to head back to the Bears. And in fact, there was a report Perry Fewell was on his way to Chicago.

Instead, the Giants got the man they seemed to have targeted from the jump – a former assistant coach on Tom Coughlin’s staff in Jacksonville.

And now, 10 days after firing Bill Sheridan, the team has a new defensive coordinator.

“I expect Perry to bring the same qualities that I expect from myself,” Coughlin said in the Giants’ press release. “I want him to be firm, fair, honest and demanding. My expectation is that he will solidify and unify our defense and be an outstanding teacher.”

Said Fewell, “I am ecstatic to come to work for the New York Giants. It’s a good football team with good defensive players, and it is a franchise known for defense.”

Not lately. And that’s why Fewell will have his work cut out for him to fix a defense that last season gave up 427 points – the second most in team history.

“I want energy, enthusiasm, toughness,” Coughlin said, “and to make the necessary corrections and game adjustments.”

Fewell, 47, was the Bills’ defensive coordinator from 2006 through this past season, when he took over as interim head coach following the firing of Dick Jauron. In his four seasons in Buffalo, the Bills’ defense was ranked 18th, 31st, 14th and 19th, respectively. Those are average rankings, though the Giants are clearly trying to focus on the positive: the Bills’ pass defense, which was ranked seventh in 2006, 13th in ’08 and second in ’09, thanks to solid execution of Fewell’s “Tampa 2″ (Cover-2) zone defense.

Last season, the Bills were second in the NFL with 28 interceptions after recording that many combined the previous two years.

“His defenses have consistently done a good job taking the ball away,” Coughlin said the former Bears’ defensive backs coach, who helped Chicago grab 24 interceptions in 2005.

“Disciplined, attacking, aggressive, eleven hats to the football,” is how Fewell described his defensive approach in the Giants’ press release.

Former Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who played under Fewell the past two seasons in Buffalo, wrote this about Fewell on his Twitter account when asked by the Star-Ledger for a quick scouting report on the Giants’ new coordinator (edited for punctuation and spelling to eliminate abbreviations): “On the rise. Creative. Listens to his players. Great experience, especially when you add in his time as interim head coach. I have a lot of respect for Perry Fewell.”

This past season, the Giants had the league’s 15th-ranked pass defense (a figure inflated by their strong start against weak passing attacks) and gave up 31 passing touchdowns, which tied for second-worst in the league behind the Lions’ 35.

Of course, the Giants’ 14th-ranked run defense wasn’t much better and at times – especially late in the season – the tackling was horrendous. Both Fewell and the Giants will have to work out the kinks in their run defense, as his units were ranked no higher than 22nd against the run in any of his seasons with the Bills.

But Coughlin obviously believes in Fewell, having worked with him for five seasons in Jacksonville from 1998-2002.

“I was impressed with his thoroughness, his ability to work with the players and his absolute intent on learning all he could about his profession,” Coughlin said.

Of working with Coughlin, Fewell said, “I was a young coach, and he helped develop my philosophy of the game, the discipline, the know-how, the toughness that it takes and the attention to detail. Being prepared. That is what he instilled.”

It’s been a popular year for criticizing the NFL for protecting quarterbacks too much. About a million times over the last four months, I’ve heard things like, “Come on, quarterbacks are football players, too!” and “Why don’t we just put skirts on them?!”

People who say things like that must have loved the Arizona/Green Bay overtime. Aaron Rodgers(notes) was violated in several ways, and we saw nary a flag.

First, on second-and-10, Rodgers dumped the ball off to Jarrett Bush(notes) on a play that went for about 15 yards. We actually did see a flag there, but it was for holding on the Packers, not the blatant helmet-to-helmet hit Rodgers took after getting rid of the ball.

Bertrand Berry(notes) got to Rodgers and jammed the crown of his helmet right up under Rodgers’ facemask. In a year when we’ve seen guys penalized 15 yards for having their knuckles graze a quarterback’s facemask (and just for the record, I’m fine with calls like that, as long as they’re called consistently), it was a bizarre no-call.

The holding call stood, negated the gain, and pushed the Packers back to their own 10-yard line. Obviously, that had a huge play in the game.

Secondly, and this no-call seems to be generating more controversy, on the game-ending fumble return play, Cardinals defensive back Michael Adams(notes) hit Rodgers and then facemasked him on the way down. Again, it drew no yellow laundry. You can see it in the picture above, and you can see it in the video here. It wasn’t glancing, incidental contact. That hand was on the facemask for awhile.

Hands to a quarterback’s face are illegal, period, let alone grabbing his facemask and not letting go for a couple of seconds. On Twitter, the great Peter King explained how and why the call wasn’t made. You’re going to love this.

The referee, Scott Green, stands behind the pocket and has to watch first for the loose ball. Once the ball is out, Green’s job is to watch ball for possession. He can’t watch the QB then. If he saw the facemask, it’d mean he wasn’t watching ball. It’s a quirky rule, but it’s the referee’s call — and the ref is charged with possession once the ball is loose.

Basically, the guy wasn’t watching because it wasn’t his job to watch. That’s a great tip for all you young defensive players out there: After the quarterback fumbles, it’s the ideal time to stab him with a sharpened toothbrush. No one’s looking!

It all felt an awful lot like one of those basketball games where, at the end, the officials swallow their whistles, and you’d have to hit a guy with a steel folding chair to get a call. There were two blatant violations committed, in a year where we’re emphasizing those exact points, and neither of them were called.

MJD “These refs will never be accused of coddling the quarterback.” www.yahoo.com Sun Jan 10, 2010