NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - 08/09 Season

[Lord Avalon]

Lions to be blacked out
Failure to sell out ends 51-game streak

The Lions’ home game against Washington on Sunday will be blacked out in local television markets after the team failed to reach a sellout for the first time since the 2001 season.

The TV markets where the game will not be shown are metro Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw/Flint and Toledo.

The team said about 5,000 tickets remained for the 1 p.m. game at Ford Field. The NFL rule for televising a game in the home area requires that the game be sold out 72 hours before kickoff.

When teams are considered to be close to reaching a sellout, they are given a 24-hour extension by the NFL. That had been the case with the Lions recently.

The Lions had sold out 51 straight home games, dating to their final game at the Silverdome on Jan. 6, 2002, when they played Dallas. Their last non-sellout was Dec. 30, 2001, when they drew 76,067 to see a 24-0 loss to Chicago.

I get to watch some other game!

[Imran Siddiqui]

for people living in Detroit.

[Lord Avalon]

Rats. No early game, since there's a late-afternoon game on Fox (CBS also late-afternoon).

[snoopy369]

Won't they show a different game?

[Grandpa Troll]

Daunte Culpepper wants to end his brief retirement.

The former Pro Bowl quarterback, who announced plans to quit football in early September after being frustrated over not finding work in the NFL, said Thursday he's considering a comeback. But he didn't reveal which teams may be interested in his services.

"A number of teams have contacted me since my retirement announcement and have provided some important information that has caused me to reconsider returning to the league," Culpepper, who serves as his own agent, wrote in an e-mail. "As much as I have enjoyed my brief break from playing, I know that I love the game and I have some unfinished business in the NFL."

One of those teams was the Kansas City Chiefs, who contacted Culpepper but wound up signing former Jacksonville backup Quinn Gray.

Culpepper was the Minnesota Vikings' first-round draft choice in 1999, became their full-time starter a year later, and teamed with Randy Moss to form one of the NFL's top duos. But Culpepper suffered a major injury to his right knee in October 2005, ending his time in Minnesota. He failed to regain past form during brief stints with the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders.

He talked with several teams this past offseason, yet didn't find any enticing offers.

Earlier this week, the Chiefs, who have lost starter Brodie Croyle for the season with a left knee injury, looked at free agents, but coach Herm Edwards said he didn't have plans to sign Culpepper.

"It has never been because of a lack of passion for the game, but rather the absence of a fair opportunity to compete and play that caused me to retire," Culpepper wrote. "Now that there are some real opportunities that match my desire to play, I will choose the one that is the best fit for both the team and me so that I can continue my NFL career."

Culpepper has completed 64 percent of his passes over nine seasons, with 142 touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder out of Central Florida was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, and was at his best in 2004, with career highs in yards (4,717), touchdowns (39) and passing rating (110.9).

He aint Favre..but might help some teams...

In other QB NEWS

Former Alabama and NFL quarterback Ken Stabler has been found not guilty of drunken driving charges in south Alabama.

Stabler was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after being stopped shortly after midnight June 8 on Alabama 59 in Robertsdale, near Mobile Bay.

After more than three hours of testimony, acting Municipal Judge James Sweet issued his verdict.

"I just don't think the city has met its burden of proof," Sweet said.

Stabler, 62, was driving north at 12:32 a.m. when officer Tyler Kane stopped him, according to testimony. Kane, who is now a state trooper, said he was by the side of the road making another stop when Stabler's vehicle passed within a few feet of him.

Kane said he stopped Stabler's vehicle.

"His speech was a little bit slurred and I could detect a strong odor of alcohol in the vehicle," Kane said.

He said Stabler refused to take a breath test. Sweet ruled that police did not observe Stabler for the entire time before the defendant was asked to take the test and would not allow the refusal to be entered as evidence.

Defense attorney Mark Polson said the acquittal will allow Stabler to move on.

"What a relief. Ken has just suffered through this whole episode and this will let him get on with the rest of his life," Polson told the Press-Register of Mobile.

Stabler played for Alabama from 1965-67 and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1968. He played for the Raiders, the Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints before retiring in 1984.

He has been a color analyst on Alabama football broadcast for 10 years but is taking a leave of absence this season.

The Snake..could maybe help a few teams out from the lazy boy formation









Back in '77..Go RAAAYYYdahsss





Apparently under pressure, Stabler managed to scrambled and yet again, freed himself from the Beer Blitz Blues..

Former NFL standout Kenny "The Snake" Stabler was arrested Sunday morning for drunken driving in Robertsdale. The arrest happened around 1am off of Highway 59. Stabler was later released on bond. The Foley Native has been arrested atleast twice before for drunken driving--once in 1995 and again in 2001. Stabler played for the University of Alabama before starting his 14-year NFL career as a quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers, and New Orleans Saints.

Here is one of his last "in action" shots..

[Lord Avalon]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Won't they show a different game?

I had hoped so, but the Freep said Fox is showing a movie and a couple episode of Cops (Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do?)

[-Jrabbit]

So it's Lions or nothing??? That totally sucks.

[Lord Avalon]

Well, sometimes there's a CBS game opposite; however, they have a late game this Sunday.

[SlowwHand]

Report: Saints' McAllister positive for steroids

[snoopy369]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3661845 for the link on that ...

[SlowwHand]

I can't believe these 15 players, +/-, have never heard of Lyle Alzado. Talk about Ricky Williams and pot if you feel the need, but no one ever died over pot. Lyle Alzado wasted away. It's stupid.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon
Well, sometimes there's a CBS game opposite; however, they have a late game this Sunday.

According to MSN TV listings , you get Chiefs/Jets on CBS and TB/Dallas on Fox for the early games and giants/Steelers late on FOX.

ACK!

[Lord Avalon]

Pay attention here:

Originally posted by Lord Avalon

I had hoped so, but the Freep said Fox is showing a movie and a couple episode of Cops (Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do?)

http://www.freep.com/article/20081024/SPORTS01/810240366/1049/SPORTS01

In Detroit, Fox (Channel 2) was scheduled to broadcast the game in the 1-4 p.m. time slot Sunday. Instead, the station will air the film "Best Laid Plans," a 1999 crime thriller, followed by two episodes of "Cops."

Just because there are games nationally, doesn't mean they get viewed locally. My Comcast listings confirm what the Freep says, and CBS is showing a movie. I don't know if CBS can switch to a game since the Lions are blacked out.

[-Jrabbit]

Generally speaking, I support the Rooney Rule, but...

Rams not yet able to hire Haslett full-time as league voids contract
Oct. 25, 2008
By Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com Senior Writer

The St. Louis Rams had hoped to hire interim coach Jim Haslett as their full-time coach if he won six games, but that won't happen since the league office has stepped in and voided the contract, according to league sources.

The NFL office has notified the Rams that the contract that would have made Haslett the full-time coach after this season if he won six games was not in accordance with the Rooney Rule that the league has in place for hiring practices.

The Rooney Rule is aimed at getting more minorities interviewed for jobs, which everybody thinks is a good thing.

But the question here is this: How can the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts name their successors without adhering to the Rooney Rule, while Haslett and the Rams are being subject to it?

Haslett has won his first two games as coach of the Rams, both big upsets of Washington and Dallas, which is why the Rams are believed to be leaning toward hiring him no matter what happens the rest of the way.

The clause regarding winning six games was put in before the two upsets. With Haslett four victories away from it, the league notified the Rams this week that the contract was voided.

According to sources, the contention by the league is that the decisions to name Jim Caldwell the successor in Indianapolis and Jim Mora the successor in Seattle were done in the offseason. That makes them different situations.

The Rams can still hire Haslett full-time, but will have to wait until the offseason.

I mean, I understand the desire to create opportunities for minorities in the NFL, but if the Rams get 6 wins, he will have passed the team's litmus test. Any interviews would be nothing but a sham.

[Jaguar]

Yes. If Haslett gets 6 wins, the Rams are likely to want to give him the job anyway. Why would a qualified, intelligent minority candidate want to waste his time interviewing with the Rams so they can meet a quota, even though he knows that Haslett won the job fair and square?