Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:51:44 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Eric Edholm :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Eric+Edholm istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-could-suffer-due-to-arizonas-leisurely-week/86681/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Brett Favre and Kurt Warner are older players playing a young man's game. On Sunday, they'll try to get back on track — against each other as starting quarterbacks — coming off disappointing performances in Week 3. "When you've been in this league for a long time, it's kind of like a badge of courage to say, 'I'm still playing, I'm still being able to accomplish things, even at this stage,'" Warner said this week. Favre's ankle, which he sprained against the Chargers on Monday in a... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-smell-the-blood-in-water-against-patriots/85733/ Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The Brett Favre era in New York began in earnest last week. So did the Matt Cassel era in New England. With one hit from Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard, Brady's season was over as he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Favre, however, opened the possibility of a new AFC East champion with a strong debut in the win over the Miami Dolphins. Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss, however, says hang on. "I think the New England Patriots have... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/all-signs-point-to-a-giant-romp-in-st-louis/85734/ Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In weighing strengths against weaknesses, there's no better place to start in this week's Giants-Rams game than in the trenches. The Giants boast one of the five best offensive lines in the NFL — and though it might not feature a star within it, it's one of the more consistent, cohesive groups you'll find. Right guard Chris Snee often is mentioned as the most talented member, but right tackle Kareem McKenzie was dominant in the season opener. The Rams have the name value — Adam Carriker and... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/san-diegos-frustrations-could-overwhelm-jets/86336/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST If the Jets lost to the Patriots by nine at home in Week 2, and the Patriots lost at home by 25 on Sunday, what does it say about the state of the AFC East? Tonight, that topic will be the least of the Jets' concerns as they face a San Diego Chargers team that is 0–2 and angry — at itself and referee Ed Hochuli — for its poor start. The Jets come into the game with questions of their own, most centering around the team's play-calling in the Patriots loss, specifically with three consecutive... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-wont-take-the-0-2-bengals-lightly/86220/ Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Beware the caged tiger, or in this case the caged Bengals. That's the message that Tom Coughlin is giving to his 2-0 Giants, winners both times in convincing fashion, for this week's 0-2 opponent. The Bengals have looked listless in their two losses, especially in Sunday's wind-addled 24-7 loss to the Titans and their replacement quarterback Kerry Collins. And for once, it's the Bengals' offense that is getting the most heat, having made a league-low 19 first downs, 17 points, and 369 total... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/which-of-the-surprising-0-2-teams-will-rebound/85923/ Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Forget last year's champion Giants for a minute. Ten NFL teams find themselves at 0-2 after Week 2, and history tells us that no more than two of them are likely to make the postseason. Yes, the Giants started 0-2 last season and won the Super Bowl. But since the playoff format expanded to 12 teams in 1990, only 19 teams have started 0-2 and made the playoffs. And in any given season since 1990, no more than two teams starting 0-2 have gone to the playoffs in that same year. We don't concern... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/favre-ready-for-takeoff-against-new-look-dolphins/85266/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Much in the way that the Packers wanted to avoid having to face Brett Favre in Week 1 should he have ended up with the rival Minnesota Vikings, the Jets cannot be thrilled to see Chad Pennington — even if it meant they got Favre in the process — wearing a Miami Dolphins uniform. The term "trap game" also comes into play when you consider a motivated Pennington, a rebuilding Dolphins team coming off a one-win season, and a Jets club that feels it's much closer to the 10 victories it had in 2006... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/the-road-to-repeat-now-begins/85189/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST By winning the Super Bowl, the Giants earned the right to host the season-debut game tonight against the Washington Redskins, allowing their fans one more chance to celebrate their championship. For many, the Giants haven't received the credit they deserved following their thrilling run to a title. "All I've been hearing about is the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville, and San Diego," NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said yesterday on a national conference call... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/clouds-of-doubt-loom-over-favre-trade/83471/ Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST It's fair to say that the league-wide perception of the Jets' trade for Brett Favre is mixed, at best. The New York Sun spoke with three league sources — an offensive coach who has worked with Favre, a defensive coordinator who has faced Favre in recent years, and a professional personnel director — all speaking on the condition of anonymity, and none were overly excited about what the Jets were getting. "I just don't get it," the director said. "I mean, I don't see how he's going to get in... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/ten-story-lines-emerging-from-jets-giants-camp/83024/ Fri, 1 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Separately, the Giants and Jets are trying to figure out what they are made of. The heat is rising, and the battles are becoming more interesting by the day, but a week's worth of practice is only the beginning of determining what players will win jobs at several spots. The Jets are your typical team coming off a 4-12 season in that there could be a lot of changes. But the Giants potentially have a lot more change than your typical Super Bowl winners. Here is a look at the five most interesting... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/did-the-jets-successfully-retool-or-just-repeat/80744/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Jets fans, wince if you must, but it might be appropriate to look back at 1993 for a little perspective on the current team. The Jets had been on a steady incline since general manager Dick Steinberg and head coach Bruce Coslet took the ship's control in 1990, going from 4-12 to 6-10 and then 8-8 in 1991, making the playoffs and losing to a talented Houston Oilers club in the wild card. But there was optimism with a team that ranked in the top five in both rushing and run defense and appeared... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/keller-manningham-ready-to-make-impact-in-ny/76607/ Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 EST LOS ANGELES — One arrived in New York with surprise, another with disappointment. But the Jets' Dustin Keller and the Giants' Mario Manningham have a few things in common, too. They are both Big Ten-bred rookies who stand as intriguing pass catchers on their respective teams. They spent the weekend doing fun things, including attending and participating in the EA Sports Rookie Madden Bowl — Manningham got blown out by Eagles rookie DeSean Jackson, his new division rival — and getting their... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/sleepers-to-watch-at-the-nfl-draft/75073/ Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST When it comes to finding talent in the draft, no place is too remote for scouts, general managers, and coaches. Teams largely have finished their player evaluations, and their travels have taken them to some interesting places. Two of the top cornerback prospects, Leodis McKelvin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, went to Troy and Tennessee State, respectively, and are first-round locks, showing that the NFL isn't shy about discovering big talent in small places. But the majority of the players... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/as-free-agent-season-begins-the-pickings-are-slim/72041/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST More money, fewer toys to go out and buy. Such is the situation NFL teams face starting tomorrow at 12:01 a.m., when free agency begins officially. Though the salary cap will reach an all-time high of $116 million this year, teams have better managed the pitfalls of heavy losses in recent years by signing players to long-term contracts before they can hit the open market. And there's always the last-ditch option of placing either the transition or franchise tags on players, a move that usually... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/all-nfl-eyes-turn-to-indianapolis/71624/ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST The quest for determining the no. 1 pick in the NFL Draft begins today, the first day of the Indianapolis Combine. In actuality, it began months, even years ago, but it starts in earnest today as all 32 teams have gathered to go through a battery of medical tests, workouts, interviews, and evaluations of more than 300 draft prospects of all shapes and sizes. The Miami Dolphins choose first overall, and though a trade is a possibility, they most likely will be stuck with that first choice. There... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/what-do-the-giants-do-now/70709/ Tue, 5 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST Even as the team will be paraded around New York today, celebrating its shocking upset in Super Bowl XLII, there will be some team employees already thinking about next year. It's not rhetoric — when general managers, such as the Giants' Jerry Reese, say they are already looking ahead to what the 2008 season might bring them, they are not lying. And so it begins. The speculation, the talk of repeating — in a city such as New York, the pressure to match this year's playoff brilliance starts... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/10-obstacles-to-a-giants-victory/70491/ Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST You can get caught up in predictions and bulletin boards and talk of history all you want, but when the ball is kicked off Sunday at approximately 6:18 p.m., most of that guff goes out the window. It's at that point that the game starts and the challenges begin. And to be frank, the Giants have a lot of them. The Patriots didn't run through their first 18 opponents, including the Giants in Week 17, without some close shaves. But with history staring them in the face and everyone healthy on a... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-a-moving-target-for-belichick-patriots/70069/ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST The thinking is that if you give Bill Belichick two weeks to come up with a game plan, the New England Patriots will be nearly impossible to beat. The numbers back it up, too: Since the 2001 season, when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl, Belichick's teams have gone 10–1 with an extra week's rest, either following a regular-season bye or with extra time to prepare during the playoffs. Given that the Patriots faced the Giants a mere 26 days ago, that fresh game tape should, in theory, give... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/on-field-and-off-toomer-inspiring-younger-giants/69684/ Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST Amani Toomer has accepted his role as a father figure of sorts in the Giants' locker room, along with Michael Strahan. But it should be noted that Toomer, 33, ranks as only the fourth-oldest player on the Giants behind Strahan, Sam Madison, and punter Jeff Feagles. So Toomer's youthful burst the past few weeks in helping the Giants win two road playoff games shouldn't be too much of a surprise, he says. "I guess when I was younger, I didn't really appreciate what was going on," Toomer said... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/is-the-cowboys-high-powered-offense-in-top-form/69302/ Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST Seventy-six points in eight quarters will make you take notice. That's what the Dallas Cowboys' offense, without the benefit of a return touchdown, dropped on the Giants in two games this season. They're not alone in the suffering. The Cowboys have laid waste to most of the NFL this season in tacking up 455 points (second-most in the league) and 365.7 yards per game (third most). But it's a group that is under question heading into Sunday's divisional contest against the Giants in Dallas, based... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-defense-on-verge-of-major-renovation/68902/ Thu, 3 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST In football terms, at least in the minds of the teams' higher-ups, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% salvation. All signs point to the Jets firing defensive coordinator Bob Sutton and changing direction again with a unit that allowed roughly the same number of yards this season as it did in 2006, but also allowed 60 more points, got worse against the run, and forced a league-low six fumbles in 2007. In this league, there's always a scapegoat. Sutton will take the fall. Bring in the next patsy... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/with-tuna-in-net-dolphins-may-rise-from-depths/68393/ Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST The Miami Dolphins got their second big win in less than a week. Merely days after ending their 16-game losing streak, which dated back to last season, and beating the Ravens in overtime to set off a jubilant celebration befitting a playoff team, the Dolphins have one more reason to celebrate: It appears that Bill Parcells will be taking over. Just a week ago, the Dolphins were winless, and owner Wayne Huizenga was considering selling the team. Now, the team has the excitement of hiring a new... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/despite-record-giants-arent-intimidating-anyone/67999/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST The Giants are one win from matching the New Orleans Saints' victory total of 2006, with three games to go. So why doesn't this team feel anywhere near as dangerous or special? The numbers indicate that the Giants can run the football (ranked seventh in rushing yards) and play some defense (seventh in yards allowed, first in sacks). And critical shortcomings from recent seasons, such as scoring in the red zone (84.4% scoring rate) and penalty yards (a very respectable eighth in the NFL), appear... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/diminutive-washington-may-play-big-role-in/67576/ Thu, 6 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST All Leon Washington needs to do to find inspiration is look at Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. As a rookie, Westbrook was the third wheel in the Eagles' "Three-Headed Monster" backfield, gaining 193 yards on 46 carries. Over the next three seasons, Westbrook averaged 150 carries and 681 rushing yards, gaining a reputation as a dangerous returner and receiver but also deflecting critics' crows that he's not big enough to be a full-time, traditional 20-carry running back. Remind... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/theres-no-telling-which-lions-team-will-show-up/66483/ Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST The truths are self-evident. The total package is one big mystery. It's newsworthy when the Detroit Lions win this many games — six, matching their highest total since 2000 — and become a relevant team, even if it's in the sidekick NFC. But the team's colossal struggles in three road losses, each shocking in their own way, have many wondering if these Lions are merely of the paper variety, to steal a Plimpton-ism. The Philadelphia Eagles hung 56 points on them, 44 in the first half. They... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/despite-loss-browns-might-have-a-playoff-shot/66294/ Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST Call them the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time players. The upstart Cleveland Browns gamely battled their nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers, tooth and nail. But they failed to hold onto a 21–6 first-half lead, as Phil Dawson's 52-yard field-goal attempt fell just short in what ended up as a 31–28 Steelers win. The game was billed as the proving grounds for the Browns, who had only won once in Pittsburgh since 1999 and lost at home to these same Steelers, 34–7, in Week 1 in Cleveland. In the... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/chargers-have-quietly-rejoined-ranks-of-afc-elite/65669/ Thu, 1 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST With the pungent lingering odor of last week's California wildfires mixing with the sweet hibachi smoke of Chargers fans' tailgating, football resumed in San Diego without a hitch last Sunday. "I would describe the atmosphere as a third-world war-zone with smoke in the air and ash on everything else," an NFL agent based in Temecula, Calif., Derrick Fox said yesterday. The game was a bittersweet affair, with those in attendance recognizing the admirable work of local firefighters and government... ERIC EDHOLM http://www.nysun.com/sports/nfc-contenders-take-a-step-backward/64130/ Mon, 8 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST Entering Week 5, the jury was still out on the league's three 3–1 teams: the Lions, Buccaneers, and Seahawks. Feel free now to make your judgments, clip those hanging chads, cast those votes — our suspicions that these teams were less than advertised proved to be true yesterday. Not shockingly, these teams all reside in the same conference, the NFC. Stow that thought for just a minute. The Lions and their paper-thin defense surprised no one by melting against a workman-like Redskins offense...