Favorite College Football: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Favorite Team: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, SIXERS, AND PHILLIES
Favorite TV Shoes: Avatar The Last Airbender, Sportscenter, ESPN, Discovery
Favorite Movies: Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Dodgeball, Spiderman 1 2 and 3, Pirates of the Carribean, The Dark Knight, Ironman, Transformers, Fantastic 4, The incredible HULK,
Favorite College Basketball: UNC Tarheels
I grew up in: South Jersey, but now live in NC
Favorite Rappers: Kanye West, Jayz, Lupe Fiasco, Common
Ok, i know i had some criticisms of McNabb yesterday,(especially of him not knowing that NFL games could end in a tie) but i am willing to put them all behind me and i think all the other eagles fan should to. McNabb got us to multiple NFC Championships and a Super Bowl with basically no weapons. I personally just think the guy had a bad week and was maybe going through something ( he missed 2 days of practice for personal reasons). All im trying to say is give the guy a break, he is still a great QB and performing at a high level.
LOS ANGELES - It didn't take long for "Girls Next Door" star Kendra Wilkinson to move on following her split from Hugh Hefner. Wilkinson is engaged to NFL star Hank Baskett, Access Hollywood has confirmed.
"Kendra Wilkinson has met someone who she would like to spend the rest of her life with. His name is Hank Baskett, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he popped the question last Saturday," Hugh Hefner said in a statement to Access Hollywood....
Shhhh. Nobody's talking about Donovan McNabb anymore. Maybe that's the best thing.
Outside of Philadelphia (and maybe behind a few locked doors in Dallas), hardly anyone's discussing McNabb's performance last Sunday a€" 361 passing yards, 21 completions in 33 attempts. Zero sacks. Zero picks.
It's not surprising that McNabb, once one of the game's most dynamic playmakers, came into the season with about as much buzz as Britney Spears' recent appearance at the VMAs. Two major surgeries (hernia, torn ACL) transformed him into a one-legged tackling dummy. He was sacked 65 times over the last two seasons, having lost the mobility that was so much a part of his trademark.
He's been injured and faltering so long now, it's as if football fans forgot he was still in Philly. Or didn't care anymore. It's seems like eons since the Eagles reached Super Bowl XXXIX, and no one's touting them as one of the team's likely to get there this season.
Maybe that's the best thing, too.
But very quietly, McNabb has gotten healthy and, while not back to his "old self," he just might be a better self. More mature. Smarter. More self-assured. More secure.
(In fact, he looks like the QB Vince Young needs to aspire to be. Or at least the kind Young needs to reach out to right now, one who's endured the downs, boos and injuries a€" survived and now seems poised to thrive again.)
McNabb has enough mobility to elude tacklers once again. Yet he was less frenetic, and possessed a better sense of where he was on the field and an even better sense of his options. He didn't throw a single interception.
So sleep on Donovan McNabb, circa 2008, if you want. But remember this: QB ratings of 131.0 don't happen by accident. It happens when talent and confidence are aligned a€" and perhaps when no one's paying attention.
Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has re-signed restricted free-agent guard Lou Williams. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We are very excited that we have reached an agreement with Lou Williams," Stefanski said. "He is not only a very talented player who exemplifies our up-tempo style of play, but he is also a young man who exhibits great character and qualities off-the-court, as well. We look forward to having him in a Sixers uniform for many years to come."
"We're happy that Lou is back, as he has proven to be an integral part of the team," Head Coach Maurice Cheeks said. "He's made great strides as a player and we're very confident he'll continue to excel with us for years to come."
Originally the 45th overall pick by the Sixers in the 2005 NBA Draft, Williams (6-2, 175) has appeared in 171 games, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. For his career, he has shot 42.9% from the floor, 34.7% from 3-point range and 75.7% from the line.
The 21-year-old enjoyed breakout success last season, averaging career-highs in scoring (11.5 ppg), assists (3.2 apg), rebounding (2.0 rpg) and steals (1.01 spg). Williams had the fifth highest point/rebound/assist total for any player coming off the bench last season and received votes for both the Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year awards. He scored the fourth most points of any reserve last season, had the second-most assists, tallied the most steals and recorded the third-most free throw attempts.
After hitting a total of-- three-pointers in his first two seasons, Williams was second on the team with 55 3-point FGM in 2007-08 while shooting a team-high 35.9% from behind-the-arc. Williams was also the Sixers second leading scorer in fourth quarters last season, with 42.3% of his season point total coming in the fourth.
In the summer of 2007, Williams finished second in MVP voting at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and was also named to the All-Rocky Mountain Revue Team. He led both leagues in scoring, averaging a combined 24.7 points per game. In late November of 2006, Williams was assigned to the D-League for three games and averaged 26.0 points on 71.1% shooting from the floor and 62.5% shooting from 3-point range.
Williams attended South Gwinnett High School in Atlanta and was the winner of the 2005 Naismith Award, signifying the nation's top high school player. He tallied 3,338 points during his career at South Gwinnett and was a four-time All-State selection as well as being named Mr. Basketball in Georgia his junior and senior seasons.
Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has re-signed restricted free-agent guard Lou Williams. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We are very excited that we have reached an agreement with Lou Williams," Stefanski said. "He is not only a very talented player who exemplifies our up-tempo style of play, but he is also a young man who exhibits great character and qualities off-the-court, as well. We look forward to having him in a Sixers uniform for many years to come."
"We're happy that Lou is back, as he has proven to be an integral part of the team," Head Coach Maurice Cheeks said. "He's made great strides as a player and we're very confident he'll continue to excel with us for years to come."
Originally the 45th overall pick by the Sixers in the 2005 NBA Draft, Williams (6-2, 175) has appeared in 171 games, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. For his career, he has shot 42.9% from the floor, 34.7% from 3-point range and 75.7% from the line.
The 21-year-old enjoyed breakout success last season, averaging career-highs in scoring (11.5 ppg), assists (3.2 apg), rebounding (2.0 rpg) and steals (1.01 spg). Williams had the fifth highest point/rebound/assist total for any player coming off the bench last season and received votes for both the Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year awards. He scored the fourth most points of any reserve last season, had the second-most assists, tallied the most steals and recorded the third-most free throw attempts.
After hitting a total of-- three-pointers in his first two seasons, Williams was second on the team with 55 3-point FGM in 2007-08 while shooting a team-high 35.9% from behind-the-arc. Williams was also the Sixers second leading scorer in fourth quarters last season, with 42.3% of his season point total coming in the fourth.
In the summer of 2007, Williams finished second in MVP voting at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and was also named to the All-Rocky Mountain Revue Team. He led both leagues in scoring, averaging a combined 24.7 points per game. In late November of 2006, Williams was assigned to the D-League for three games and averaged 26.0 points on 71.1% shooting from the floor and 62.5% shooting from 3-point range.
Williams attended South Gwinnett High School in Atlanta and was the winner of the 2005 Naismith Award, signifying the nation's top high school player. He tallied 3,338 points during his career at South Gwinnett and was a four-time All-State selection as well as being named Mr. Basketball in Georgia his junior and senior seasons.
Though NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is waiting at least one more day to reinstate Brett Favre, neither that extra time nor a $20 million offer from the team to stay retired will resolve the Green Bay Packers' impasse with their record-setting quarterback or prevent him from reporting to training camp.
The Packers and Favre remain in a stalemate over Favre's desire to be released because the Packers don't want him at their training camp, and General Manager Ted Thompson's refusal to waive him and inability to trade him to a team Favre wants to join. Packers President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy met with Favre and Favre's agent, Bus Cook, on Wednesday at Cook's office in Hattiesburg, Miss., but Murphy was unable to convince Favre not to report to training camp.
Murphy didn't have much football related to entice Favre to stay home, though a source close to Favre said the team raised the possibility of paying Favre a substantial salary a€" about $20 million over 10 years a€" to stay retired.
"We're going to do whatever Brett wants to do," Cook told the Hattiesburg American after the meeting. "And right now, his intention is to go back to Green Bay and play football."
Murphy did not stop to talk to reporters after he arrived Wednesday night at Austin Straubel International Airport in Ashwaubenon but released a written statement through the Packers.
"I was in Hattiesburg today and had a nice visit with Brett Favre," Murphy said. "We discussed a number of topics not related to football, including Brett's long-term relationship with the Packers. I consider our conversation to be confidential and am going to be respectful of Brett and his family and keep the details private. Ted (Thompson) and Mike (McCarthy) are going to continue to work on the football side of this issue. They have my full support."
PHILADELPHIA (AP)a€"The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent guard Kareem Rush on Tuesday to help bolster the team's 3-point shooting.
Terms of the deal were not released.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Rush has averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 314 games in five NBA seasons.
Last season with the Indiana Pacers, he averaged 8.3 points, a career-best 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.2 minutes per game and shot 39 percent from 3-point range.
"As we continue to build our team, we're fortunate that we were able to sign a player as talented as Kareem Rush," 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement. "We feel his abilities on both ends of the floor and his range as a 3-point shooter will be assets to us this season."
Rush was the 20th overall pick in the 2002 draft by Toronto before his rights were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Philadelphia 76ers have apparently won the Elton Brand free-agent sweepstakes.
NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that Brand has informed the Sixers that he will accept a five-year deal worth an estimated $82 million and spurn what was presumed to be a slam-dunk return to the Los Angeles Clippers to hook up with Clipper-to-be Baron Davis.
The Sixers cannot formally sign Brand before midnight, with Wednesday serving as the first day that NBA teams can officially complete signings and trades after the lifting of a leaguewide moratorium which began July 1.
But Philadelphia has secured Brand's verbal commitment, sources said, after first reaching an agreement in principle with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a trade that, according to sources, will send Sixers forward Rodney Carney, center Calvin Booth and a future first-round pick to the Wolves without Philadelphia having to take back any salary. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the Sixers will receive a future second-round pick in return.
That trade will shave nearly $3 million off the Sixers' payroll next season and increase what was already substantial salary-cap space, positioning them to sign Brand to a five-year deal believed to be starting in the $14-to-15 million range. Exact figures are expected to be available later Tuesday evening when the league reveals next season's salary-cap figure to its 30 teams and the media.
Said one source close to the process: "Elton wants to go East."
Another source had described Brand as leaning "70-30" in favor of going to the Sixers and didn't rule out the possibility that the Clippers could still increase their five-year offer beyond the latest estimate of roughly $75 million. The Clippers are also the only team in the running with the ability to offer a no-trade clause to Brand, something that only one other player in the league -- Staples Center co-tenant Kobe Bryant -- has in his contract.
Philadelphia's shedding of two salaries to set up a major free-agent signing is reminiscent of the move made by Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1996, when then-Lakers personnel chief Jerry West sent Anthony Peeler and George Lynch to the then-Vancouver Grizzlies, creating the cap space that made it possible for L.A. to sign Shaquille O'Neal away from Orlando.
Getting Brand away from the Clippers might not quite have a Shaq-sized impact on the Sixers, but it would be an undeniable coup for Philadelphia on a variety of levels.
Brand is the proven power player Philadelphia clearly lacks on an otherwise promising roster that won many admirers as last season progressed. The Sixers extended Detroit to six games in a first-round series more competitive than many anticipated and, if they can formally secure Brand's signature, would be adding a two-time All-Star to veterans Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala, top youngsters Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young, and the considerable wingspan of Samuel Dalembert at center.
A move to the East would also come with on- and off-court benefits for Brand, sending him to a conference with far fewer title contenders and moving him closer to his East Coast-based family with Brand and his wife expecting their first child this fall.
If Brand indeed goes through with his apparent intent to join the Sixers, such an outcome is bound to be widely branded as a shocker after he and agent David Falk announced last week that Brand was opting out of the final year of his previous contract (worth $16.4 million) to give the Clippers more payroll flexibility to strengthen the team around Brand. Within 24 hours, L.A. responded on the first day of free agency by reaching a verbal agreement with Davis in what easily ranks as the biggest free-agent coup in Clippers history.
Brand told ESPN.com on June 30 that his "intention is to stay" with the Clippers, while Falk spoke optimistically of Brand signing a deal to "finish his career with the Clippers" if the team could make another significant personnel acquisition or two. ESPN.com reported late last week that Davis was the player Brand specifically asked Clippers management to chase in June.
During the ensuing week, while L.A. has been trying to convince its 29-year-old franchise forward to stay, Brand has also been weighing an offer from the Golden State Warriors believed to be worth more than what the Clippers or Sixers can offer him. After Davis informed the Warriors that he was leaving the Bay Area to sign a five-year deal worth an estimated $65 million with his hometown Clippers, Golden State responded by presenting Brand with a five-year offer worth an estimated $90 million.
Plaxico Burress' effort in the NFC title game helped put the Giants in the Super Bowl.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Plaxico Burress isn't going to practice with the New York Giants until the Super Bowl champions give him a new contract.
Burress reported to the Giants' mandatory minicamp on Wednesday but refused to work out because he was not happy with the way contract negotiations are progressing between the team and agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Coach Tom Coughlin had indicated after practice that Burress did not work out because of a knee injury, but the receiver said he was healthy.
"Me and my agent are trying to get a deal done so I can stay a New York Giant for a long time," Burress said. "I, personally, don't like the way they're going and I am not happy about it. I am choosing not to participate."
General manager Jerry Reese refused to comment, saying it was an internal matter.
Burress, who caught a game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining in the Super Bowl to give the Giants a 17-14 win over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, has three years remaining on his six-year, $25 million deal. He will earn $3.25 million this year, $3.5 million in 2009 and $3.75 million in 2010.
"This is only my ninth season," Burress said. "I'm in the prime years of my career. I know I can play stellar football for at least another four or five more years."
Despite playing with a season-long ankle injury and a knee problem in the postseason, Burress had a team-high 70 catches for 1,025 yards and a career-best 12 touchdown catches. He has caught 209 passes as a Giant, leading the team in catches in two of his three seasons.
Burress and Eli Manning have combined for 29 touchdown catches since 2005, the most by a receiver-quarterback tandem in the league during that time.
"Last year was one of the most frustrating years I've been through," Burress said. "I sit back and look at myself, if I can go out and do the things I did, basically on one leg, and a half a knee in the Super Bowl, what type of performance am I going to give when I'm 100 percent?"
Burress said contract talks with the team started a month ago.
Speaking on a conference call, Rosenhaus said he does not like to discuss ongoing negotiations.
"We are hoping to get something worked out in the near future," he said.
Burress said that the Giants have known that he was unhappy with his contract so it should not have surprised them that he did not practice. He said he did not tell Coughlin that he would not be working out.
The Giants have a history of renegotiating contracts. Coughlin got a new $21 million contract after the Super Bowl.
Reese got $4 million of salary cap space to play with after Michael Strahan retired this week, but he still has to work out contracts for guard Chris Snee and halfback Brandon Jacobs. Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora also hinted that he wants a new deal.
Burress did not think that the Giants could fine him because he reported to the minicamp. He refused to say whether he would report to training camp in July if his contract issue had not been settled, but the smile seemed to indicate that he would hold out.
"We have been trying to handle it with class," Burress said. "We have been trying to do it the right way. Sometimes you just got stand up for what's right."
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