Yardbarker: Drew Bennett

[Rams] Rams To Promote WR Derek Stanley To The Active Roster?

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:06:03 -0500

With WRs Keenan Burton (knee) and Drew Bennett (foot) almost surely out for at least another week, and Dante Hall nursing a sore hamstring, Derek...

[Rams] Rams To Promote WR Derek Stanley To The Active Roster?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:04:45 -0500

With WRs Keenan Burton (knee) and Drew Bennett (foot) almost surely out for at least another week, and Dante Hall nursing a sore hamstring, Derek...

[Rams] Rams Hope To Get WR's Keenan Burton, Drew Bennett Back

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:01:50 -0500

Rams head coach Jim Haslett said he hoped that wide receivers Keenan Burton (knee) and Drew Bennett (foot) would be able to return from injuries next...

[Rams] Rams Hope To Get WR's Keenan Burton, Drew Bennett Back

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:01:50 -0500

Rams head coach Jim Haslett said he hoped that wide receivers Keenan Burton (knee) and Drew Bennett (foot) would be able to return from injuries next...

Week 3 Fantasy Injury Report

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:38:06 -0500

More Bad News For Rams

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:18:07 -0500

Rams rookie WR Keenan Burton will be out 3-4 weeks after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He joins WR Drew Bennett on the sidelines. On the good side, fellow rookie Donnie Avery will get more time at wide receiver. On the bad side, wide receiver Eddie Kennison will be active for the game against the Seahawks. As the Rams are subtracting wide receivers, their foe in Week 3, the Seattle Seahawks are adding receivers. They completed a trade Tuesday for Keary Colbert and signed free agent Koren Robinson. No word on whether or not Colbert and Robinson will be playing against the Rams.

Madden 09 roster update #3 to be released Friday

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:45:13 -0500

The third Madden 09 roster update is set to be released today by EA Sports. This update won't feature many changes in terms of attributes, but many roster changes will be made, including the injuries to Tom Brady and Vince Young. Below is the complete list, from PastaPadre.com:

Transactions
FB Reagan Mauia – Signs with Bengals
LB Jon Corto – Added to Bills
LB Blake Costanzo – Added to Bills
DT Alvin McKinley – Released by Broncos
DT Josh Shaw – Signs with Broncos
LB Antwan Peek – Released to Free Agents (IR)
WR Paul Hubbard – Released by Browns
WR Steve Sanders – Signs with Browns
LB Shantee Orr – Signs with Browns
C Pat Ross – Signs with Cardinals
FB Andrew Pinnock – Released by Chargers
FB Mike Tolbert – Added to Chargers
RT James Marten – Released by Cowboys/Signs with Raiders
QB Brooks Bollinger – Signs with Cowboys
SS Tyrone Culver – Signs with Dolphins
CB Joey Thomas – Released by Dolphins
FB Boomer Grigsby – Released by Dolphins
FB Casey Cramer – Signs with Dolphins
FS Jamaal Fudge – Signs with Falcons
DE Brent Hawkins – Released by Jaguars
G Milford Brown – Signs with Jaguars
TE Dan Campbell – Released to Free Agents (IR)
LB Chris Chamberlain – Added to Rams
RT Willie Anderson – Signs with Ravens
RG Adrien Clarke – Released by Ravens
C Matt Lehr – Released by Saints
QB Ingle Martin – Added to Titans
QB Daunte Culpepper – Retires

Ratings Up
HB Matt Forte – Bears – 80 to 82 – Looked like the real deal week 1 vs. the Colts.
LG Josh Beekman – Bears – 74 to 76 – Got the start and at LG and was able to pave the way for Forte on the ground.
HB Andre Hall – Broncos – 75 to 77 – Looked very explosive against the hapless Raiders.
WR Eddie Royal – Broncos – 77 to 80 – Made us remember why we call him DeAngelo "Fall". Torched DeAngelo repeatedly and looked very good doing it.
LB Jamie Winborn – Broncos – 75 to 79 – Started over the oft injured Boss Bailey and made plays vs. the Raiders.
LB Matt Roth – Dolphins – 76 to 80 – Could have found his niche as a 3-4 OLB. Had 2 sacks in the opener.
WR DeSean Jackson – Eagles – 79 to 80 – Has made the most of receivers going down with injuries in Philly. Tye Hill was benched after attempting to cover him.
LB Stewart Bradley – Eagles – 79 to 80 – The new man in the middle for the Eagles, this one might stick.
HB Michael Turner – Falcons – 88 to 89 – If I had a nickel for every time someone blew up on the Lions defense…A good start none the less for the Burner Turner.
LB Parys Haralson – 49ers – 74 to 76 – Recorded 2.5 sacks getting the start for the Niners in Week 1.
HB Brandon Jacobs – Giants – 87 to 88 – My mother could average 3 yards a carry behind the Giants O-Line. But he sure is powerful.
WR Matt Jones – Jaguars – 77 to 79 – Maybe Garrard's guy after a tough offseason. Injuries to the supposed starting WR's have helped also.
QB Aaron Rodgers – Packers – 84 to 85 – Made it look simple vs. one of the top defenses in the NFL. Once the coach takes off the diapers watch out.
TE Dante Rosario – Panthers – 74 to 77 – Blew up in a big way in Week 1 vs. the Chargers. Caught the game winner in the back of the end zone as time expired.

Ratings Down
DE Jarvis Moss – Broncos – 81 to 77 – Inactive the 1st week in his second season for the Broncos.
LB Tully Banta-Cain – 49ers – 79 to 76 – Came to the Niners with high hopes, now he has been replaced at OLB.
CB DeAngelo Hall – Raiders – 93 to 91 – Yes after only one week. Reminded us why some people confuse speed with ability. He has speed, isn't much of a corner though.

Injuries
FB Jeremi Johnson – Bengals – Knee IR
LB Angelo Crowell – Bills – Knee IR
WR Joe Jurevicius – Browns – Knee (PUP)
HB Carnell Wililams – Bucs – Knee (PUP)
C Al Johnson – Cardinals – Knee IR
QB Brodie Croyle – Chiefs – Shoulder (3 weeks)
C Jeff Saturday – Colts – Knee (8 weeks)
G Ryan Lilja – Colts – Knee (PUP)
DT Trey Lewis – Falcons – Knee (8 weeks)
LT Guy Whimper – Giants – Foot IR
K Lawrence Tynes – Giants – Knee (7 weeks)
LG Vince Manuwai – Jaguars – Knee IR
RG Maurice Williams – Jaguars – Arm (12 weeks)
DT Justin Harrell – Packers – Back (PUP)
QB Tom Brady – Patriots – Knee IR
G Stephen Neal – Patriots – Shoulder/Knee (PUP)
WR Drew Bennett – Rams – Foot (8 weeks)
QB Kyle Boller – Ravens – Shoulder IR
CB Dunta Robinson – Texans – Knee (PUP)
QB Vince Young – Titans – Knee (4 weeks)

Contracts
LB DJ Williams – Broncos – 6 years
WR Plaxico Burress – Giants - 5 years
RT Eric Winston – Texans – 5 years

According to PastaPadre, the producers of the game plan to release a new roster update each week, which is a great sign for online gamers.

Fantasy Football A Look Back & A Look Ahead

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:55:10 -0500

What a crazy Week 1; I can't remember one in recent history that has been as replete with injury news and major shake-ups as this year's Week 1. This already feels like the Year of Snagging a Backup Quarterback and it's only just approaching Week 2. Check out the Bruno Boys Week 2 Quarterback Rankings for thoughts on which backup QB you might want to start this week – check out Chad Pennington at #12! I finished this first week with a 5-2 record in my 7 leagues (and it was freaking Ashley Lelie of all people whose TD put my opponent over the edge in one league – I mean Ashley Lelie?! And in the other league I lost in, I simply had no hope against Michael Turner and his burning ways). But I'm in a pretty lucky spot; I didn't have Tom Brady in a single league and am doing okay on the QB front – for now. But there are plenty of other places on my rosters that I might need to make a few tweaks. But for the most part my advice to fantasy players this past week was to play the top guys they drafted – not to worry about matchups and "what if" scenarios too much, just let 'em loose and see what your players can do. That said, apparently I don't always take my own advice and made a few roster adjustments on Sunday morning, some of which ended up being game-winning decisions; others not so much. Fantasy Football Hindsight from Week 1 Torry Holt (St. Louis Rams) - This might not sound like much of a gamble since Holt is usually considered a fairly solid receiver, but everywhere I looked, start/sit lists had Holt listed as a sit. The Rams don't do very well outside (no place like dome for the Rams) and I came extremely close to starting .... To READ the FULL article, click the LINK below...

St. Louis Rams Injury List

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:26:27 -0500

Not only did the St. Louis Rams lose 38-3 Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles but they also had more players get injured. When will this end? Why does it keep happening? I heard about the following injury news from Jim Thomas on ESPN 1380AM. Drew Bennett broke his foot early in the game [...]

The Monday Football Column :: Week 1

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:05:45 -0500

"I'm Sean Salisbury and I lost 25 pounds on the Monday Football Column. I also need work. Bad. Like, real bad. IF YOU THINK I HAVE JOB SECURITY, THEN YOU ARE A BONEHEAD!"

Cheating Patriots incredulous over clean cheapshot on Brady

The world hasn't come crumbling down yet, and I for one am shocked. Tom Brady is "reportedly" out for the season. Sure, as of this typing the MRI hasn't taken place and the "sources" giving the insider information have remained anonymous, but that doesn't matter. This plays into the hands of Bill Belichick perfectly. If he really wants to be the world's premiere sports heel, he'll announce at a press conference that Brady is done, only never take him off the roster and make opposing teams think there might be a chance. Or Bill and Thomas Edward Brady could fake the whole thing as a way to screw with Mangini and the Jets this Sunday. That coupled with Belichick's shagging of Mangini's wife would cement permanent #1 heel status for the hooded one.

Even though the NFL said Bernard Pollard's hit on Brady was legal, the Patriots are crying foul. Ironic the team would lash out at a cheapshot (that wasn't even cheap) when their starting safety has been the king of cheapshots since coming into the league in 1994. Even more ironic: Belichick told the team in the locker room that teams have to rebound after losing a star player and cited Kurt Warner and the '99 Rams as an example. You know, the '99 Rams who started Kurt Warner because Rodney Harrison ko'd Trent Green in preseason.

Lions fire Mike Martz after defense gives up 318 yards rushing

The Mike Smith era in Atlanta got off to a good start thanks to Matt Ryan channeling his inner-Michael Bishop by completing a 62 yard touchdown strike on his first career pass attempt (Bishop accomplished the feat in 2000). Former LaDainian Tomlinson backup Michael Turner rushed for 220 yards and two touchdowns and had a third score called back because of penalty. Atlanta averaged 8.3 yards per play, aided by two scores of 60+ yards.

After a 4-0 preseason, Detroit lost the opener and is now 31-82 in the regular season since 2001. I think the Lions will be okay, though. That Rod Marinelli is a defensive-minded coach and has great discipline. If his rookie Kevin Smith can win the Super Bowl for the Lions as he suggested three weeks ago, everything will be good in Detroit.

To put the exclamation point on the "new era" in Atlanta the team will hold an organization sponsored cat-fighting ring at Roddy White's house on Tuesday rather than practice. Good for them. While many find it disgusting and vile, a minor portion of society enjoys pussy-on-pussy action.

What? Don't look at me like that. I don't condone, nor have I ever taken part in such activity.

Price of oil continues plummet after Favre victory

Brett Favre played flawless football in his Jets debut, completing 15/22 for 194 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which was a lollipop prayer on 4th and 13 that landed in Chansi Stuckey's arms. This begs the question: would Chad Pennington be able to throw a floater that high and far? Pennington definitely showed off his arm strength when he failed to throw the ball out of the end zone with :05 seconds remaining and into the outstretched hands of Darrelle Revis to seal it for the Jets.

As for the touchdown to Stuckey, Dolphins fullback Boomer Grigby said "He's a miracle worker. He threw that thing in the air and God said, 'Brett Favre will have a touchdown pass.' And he did. That's Brett Favre being Brett Favre."So a guy not affiliated with Brett Favre's team who goes by the name "Boomer" believes there is something holy about Our Favre? And it just so happens he plays for a team run by the guy Chris Berman worked with in-studio last year?

Boomer sucks.

The Visualization Process of Ricky Williams

Jim Nantz and Phil Simms mentioned that Ricky Williams spends the night before a game visualizing making a "big catch". This came up after Williams caught a pass for a first down during Miami's final drive in their near-comeback victory. You might think getting high would help facilitate the process, but I take Ricky for his word that he's clean.

No. No I don't at all -- especially when he stares at the picture below to begin the visualization process. Apparently Greg Camarillo convinced him it's actually a Magic Eye.

Reebok vows to start selling Chad Uno jerseys

Unfortunately for all seven of you Chad Ocho Cinco fans, you will have to buy a "Chad Johnson" jersey if you want to show your official team apparelsupport for the man. Shockingly, it's not because Reebok thinks Chad is a huge johnson, but I like to think it's part of the equation.

Although the NFL recognized the name change, the release says "certain issues remain [with the NFL] to be resolved before Ocho Cinco will be permitted to wear his new surname on his jersey.'"

"He will wear the name Johnson on his jersey today and will be referred to as Chad Johnson on the official play-by-play sheet," the statement said. "Further questions should be directed to the league office."

Interestingly, Johnson doesn't seem to realize that "Ocho Cinco" doesn't spell out "eighty-five" in espanol. That would be "Ochenta y Cinco", moron sandwich. While Chad's jerseys are "vintage Chad Johnson", his play on the field certainly is not. Sunday he hauled in one reception for 22 yards as part of the Bengals 9th road loss in 11 tries. Carson Palmer finished Sunday with his lowest career passer rating, a sultry 32.5. Marvin Lewis should lay down a challenge with Scott Linehan to see who can get fired first.

Greatest Show on Turf explodes for three points in retro-2007 show

The Eagles out-gained the Rams 522-166. Donovan McNabb threw to seven different receivers and finished with 361 yards passing. The Rams did beat the Eagles in penalties by a 9-4 tally, which is something to build on heading into Week 2 at home against the sack-happy Giants. Plus, Orlando Pace, Drew Bennett and Leonard Little all left the game at various points due to injury. ENCORE!!!

Since starting 4-1 in his first year as head coach, the Rams are 7-21 under Scott Linehan. Of the four wins to start the season in '06, two of them were set to be losses but Kurt Warner and Brett Favre fumbled away their team's chance at victory late in the game. It's possible the team could have started 2-3 rendering an overall mark of 9-24 as opposed to that scalding hot 11-22 in 2+ seasons.

Lucky for Linehan, Andy Reid wasn't hungry on Sunday.

Statistic that might only interest this guy

The NFC West was outscored 72-49 on Sunday and HALF the division played against each other. The Rams and Seahawks lost by a combined 72-13 and the Cardinals scraped by San Francisco 23-13. If the NFL represented the cast of Family Guy, the NFC West would play the role of Meg Griffin.

Steve Smith fails to record catch in surprise win over Chargers

For a man who presumably runs around in exaltation like his jock is on fire after successfully pasting a stamp on an addressed envelope, Jake Delhomme exceeded previous celebrations with what he called the "Jim Valvano" celebration. After hitting Dante Rosario for the winning score with no time remaining, Delhomme ran around like Valvano after NC State's win over Houston in 1983.

Come to think of it, San Diego and Houston were both favored to win by a sizable margin, but lost by two. Also, both teams' head coaches have the face of an 86 year old, it's just that Norv Turner is 30 years younger than Guy Lewis.

Lovie Smith becomes first black coach to defeat first black coach to win Super Bowl

The biggest surprise of the day was the Bears domination of the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday night. Matt Forte rushed for over 100 yards and a score in his rookie debut (next week will be his Week 2 debut). His quarterback Kyle Orton played mistake free and led me to a conclusion: he's greasy looking. On top of that, his last name is Orton and he looks a little like X-Pac with a helmet on. Good God, Bears quarterbacks suck.

I really enjoyed the way the Sunday night game was promoted, though: "a rematch of Super Bowl XLI". I'm really looking forward to a rematch of Super Bowl X, XIII and XXX in Week 14 when the Cowboys and Steelers play. Both teams will be seeking to avenge their championship losses.

The Monday Football Column is written by Patrick Imig. He's honored to be the first white man to write about the first black coach defeating the first black coach to win the Super Bowl. Email him at patrick@joesportsfan.com

Listless Rams Embarrassed by Eagles

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:34:40 -0500

The St. Louis Rams started off the season in the worst possible way by losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams literally added insult to injury by losing Leonard Little, Orlando Pace and Drew Bennett to injury. Suddenly, 2008 is looking an awful lot like 2007. The Rams could not cover the Eagles 3rd through 5th wide receivers down the field. They could not rush or pressure McNabb, even when blitzing. The Rams offensive line (supposedly much improved) could not block anyone, even when the Eagles did not blitz. The Rams had Desean Jackson bottled up on returns for most of the game, but like all good returners, when he got his chance, he took advantage of it with a big return. Jackson also burned each of the Rams corners on big catches. And to think the Rams passed on him to pick Donnie Avery…who was inactive with an injury. I for one, didn't hate the Avery pick, but the Desean Jackson hype machine rolls on. Here's the list of players who had catches over 30 yards: Jackson, Greg Lewis, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant. This is not an All Star cast in any world. Jackson, Lewis and Baskett all had at least 100 yards receiving. Searching for a bright spot in this game is like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Randy McMichael did well with his 5 catches for 77 yards. The bad news outnumbered the good news by a ratio of 50 to 1, and the Rams front office and coaching staff will be looking for answers and I for one will be looking forward to hear their excuses for the blowout loss. The season could not have started worse for the Rams and they will have to look to bounce back against the defending champion New York Giants at the Edward Jones Dome.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings - Wide Receivers

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:13:51 -0500

Leaping acrobatic catches, deep bombs landing gracefully in the arms of a receiver as he stays in stride, one handed grabs...these are a few of my favorite things. And, it's why week 1 can't come quick enough. At this point and time the wide receiving landscape is perfectly even. No receptions have been made. No yards racked up, and no end zone dances danced. Everyone has a clean slate. So who will rise to the top after week 1. Will it be a familiar name like Terrell Owens or Reggie Wayne, or will all fantasy football owners be scrambling for the no-name WR, who racked up 100 yards and a score come Monday? To see the Bruno Boys take on the week 1 wide receivers, simply read the Bruno Boys Fantasy Wide Receiver Rankings below. -------------------- 1. Terrell Owens (Dallas Cowboys) @ Cleveland Let's see, is there any better matchup than this on the board in week one? The games most prolific current wide receiver in a high powered offense is matching up against arguably the leagues worst pass defenses. The Browns allowed 29 passing touchdowns in '07, and Owens should have no problem finding holes in the secondary all afternoon, making him our top wide receiver to kick off the 2008 season. Point Projection: 19 points

Odds To Win The 2009 Super Bowl XLIII

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:12:26 -0500

Bodog has posted some interesting odds on the St. Louis Rams 2008 season. Go there and check them out. I must say if I had a ton of money I would fly to Vegas and put down some large green on the fact that there is no way in hell I think Drew Bennett will [...]

St. Louis Rams Injuries From Saturday

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:33:05 -0500

The St. Louis Rams reported that several receivers were injured in the game Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens at the Edward Jones Dome. Dante Hall was injured on a punt return. The play did not look that serious but after the tackle Hall limped off. Drew Bennett suffered a groin injury in the game, [...]

NFL Preseason Rundown - Week 3 Edition

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:35:12 -0500

We are officially over the hump of the preseason games as we head into week three. As we continue to prepare for the upcoming fantasy football season we are studying the 2008 Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets (which is always being updated) to see where we can make adjustments to our rankings to help you excel on draft day. Plus, we constantly keep an eye on what is going on in the preseason, so that we can give you the most up to the minute fantasy information in our Bruno Boys Preseason Rundown (fantasy-style). Some of the topics talked about include; Steven Jackson inking a contract extension, the injury to Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis, how the loss of Kevin Curtis will change the Philadelphia Eagles ofense and more...