Mickey Mantle's Liver

Update on Beavers in the NFL

Sorry I haven't kept the site up-to-date lately, I have had a couple of briefs due that really took up a lot of my time.  They are done, and now it is time to get back to what I love the most, Beaver football! 

I will have my preview and predictions for the upcoming football season later in the week.  I thought I should provide an update on how Beavers are faring in the NFL.

Steven Jackson: The El Dorado Kid was holding out of training camp, seeking a long-term deal with the Rams.  Generally speaking, I am not a fan of holdouts - if you signed a contract you should play under the terms of the contract you signed.  But in the NFL, because of the way contracts are written, for superstars like Jackson the only way he is going to receive market value -- ever -- is by holding out the year before his contract is set to expire.  It is a common and generally accepted practice in the NFL, and Jackson signed a six-year deal with the Rams, and everyone is happy.  Look for Jackson to keep dominating defenses into the 2008 season.

Yvenson Bernard:  Yvenson signed a free agent contract with the Rams.  In case you didn't hear, Yvenson failed a physical with the Rams in May and was released by the team.  Yvenson has not been picked up by any other NFL team.

Mike Hass - Hass is still playing for the Bears, but so far this preseason Hass has two catches for 14 yards.  In the Seattle game, two passes were thrown his way, but neither were catchable, even for Hass.  Mike's situation in Chicago is really pathetic, he isn't getting a fair shot at getting some playing time.  Even though the Bears lost their two top receivers from last year, the Bears are going to rely upon some real losers at wide receiver (Marty Booker, Brandon Llyod) instead of giving Hass a chance to show what he can do on the field.  Bears' insiders don't believe that Hass will make the Bears' final 53-man roster, which sucks, because Hass has the skills to play in the NFL.

Keith Ellison: Keith has been holding his own, and has six tackles (4 solo) and an interception this preseason for the Bills.  Eillison lost his starting job during the middle of last season, and came into camp this summer as a backup.  However, the starter at the Will Linebacker position -- Angelo Crowell -- is dealing with some nagging injuries, so it appears as though Ellison may go into the season as the Bills starting Will Linebacker.

Sabby Piscatelli:After a season-ending injury in Week 3 last season, Sabby is picking up where he left off, impressing the Bucs coaches with his hard hitting style.  In the Bucs most recent game versus the Jaguars, Sabby had a key stop of the Jags Dennis Northsutt (another PAC-10 alum) that ended with the Jags punting.  So far this season Sabby has 7 tackles, all solo.

Dwan Edwards: Dwan has really solified himself at the defensive tackle position for the Ravens.  He has three tackles and a sack so far this preseason, and according to the Baltimore Sun, has cemented a role as a backup defensive tackle for the Ravens for years to come.

Joey LaRoque:  Joey was drafted by the Bears this season and has seen limited playing time in the three preseason games played by the Bears.  Joey has two tackles - both solos - on his stat sheet, and that is about it.  To be honest, it doesn't seem that Joey is making a name for himself when it matters most - gametime. 

Tuesday the 26th NFL rosters have to be cut down to 75 players.  Some teams, like the Bears, have already cut down their roster to 75 players, so Hass and Joey LaRoque will live to see at least one more game.  Rosters have to be cut down to 53 by the 30th, so expect to see some action in the next few days.  I will try to keep you up to date as transactions hit the wire.

A quick update on Beavers in the NFL

As I normally do this time of the year, I will try to keep you as up-to-date on the progress of Beavers in the NFL, focusing on the rookies who are making their way in the NFL for the first time.  So here Goes:

Yvenson Bernard:  On May 10th, 2008, Yvenson failed his physical with the Rams.  Yvenson is not on the Rams 80-man roster for training camp, and he has not signed with any other team at this date.  Reportedly he failed the physical because of his oft-repaired right knee.  The fact that Yvenson failed his physical means that Yve's playing days are likely over.

Sabby Piscatelli:  Sabby was having a pretty good rookie season until he broke his foot in the third game of the season.  Since then, two players - Tanard Jackson and Jermaine Phillips - steppud up at both safety positions and have solidified themselves as starters for the Buccaneers.  The Bucs in no way have given up on Sabby, and they expect Sabby to provide valuable minutes off the bench (to borrow a basketball term) and contribute on special teams.

Joey Larocque:  Joey was selected in the 7th Round by the Bears, and signed a 4-year deal with Chicago.  However, the Bears are pretty stacked at linebacker, which means there is no chance that Joey will crack into a starting position with Chicago.  Most analysts believe that Joey has to put on about 25 more pounds, and if he does, he will end up as the backup strong-side linebacker.  Wait and see....

Mike Hass:  So the Bears lose both starting wide receivers from last  year (Musin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian) and you would think that would be the year that Hass finally gets a shot at some playing time, right?  Well.....maybe.  Even with the departure of Muhammed and Berrian, the Bears still have Devin Hester and Brandon Lloyd ahead of Hass - neither of whom have the hands that Hass has, both of whom are infinitely faster than Mike.  The bottom line is that the prognosis does not look good that Hass is going to get on the field this year, although he will make the 53-man active roster.  The Bears either need to play Hass or let him go somewhere where he will get some PT.......

Roy Schuening: Oregon State's iron man was drafted in the 5th round by the Rams.  Here is what one observer had to say about Schuening's progress in camp so far:

Roy Schuening is up and down. One minute he’s as polished as they come and the next he’s making an error. Still, he looks solid and should contribute some point down the line.

The good news is that the Rams consider Schuening a legitimate candidate to start on the line.

Keith Ellison: After starting several games the last couple of seasons, Ellison has been relegated to a backup role, largely due to the fact that Keith seems to get injured easily.  However, early reports out of Bills training camp are that the Bills starting linebackers are dropping like flies, so don't be surprised to see Ellison in a starting role soon in Buffalo.

Sam Paulescu:  Remember him?  Old reliable, I used to call him.  Well, Sam is now in Denver punting for the Broncos, where it looks like he has a solid hold on the punting position.  Same was signed by the Broncos to play in the last game of the 2007 season, and did a great job and likley earned himself a starting job in the NFL for 2008.

That is all I have for now.  Stay tuned for more, and GO BEAVERS!!!

Where will Brett Favre go? My two cents.......

I have been on vacation down in California for the past two weeks where I saw my Oakland Athletics blow a lead in the 9th against the Los Angeles/Anaheim/Orange County/Compton Angels (my wife's favorite team) and lose.  It is the first A's game I have been to this year, and probably the only game I will get to, and I really saw a stinker.

But while I was gone, a funny thing happened in Green Bay - Brett Favre has "unretired".

As I drove back to Oregon this week, listening to ESPN Radio on XM 140, all the deep thinkers on ESPN Radio could talk about was Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.  Where is Brett going to go?  How is this going to play out?  Who is going to win?  Who is going to lose?  These were all questions the hosts would ask, and each host arrived at his own predictable answer.

Pretty much the consensus was that if Favre wants to get reinstated, he is going to have to be a backup on the Packers.  Every host concluded that the only team that needed Favre was the Vikings, and there was no way the Packers would trade Favre to the Vikings (Favre has three years left on his contract, which means the Packers hold all the cards....).

As I spent 10 hours on the road, listening to host after host talk about how the Vikings were the only team that could possibly use Favre, I found myself yelling at the radio:

WHAT ABOUT THE ATLANTA FALCONS!!!!!!

Remember, Favre has played for two NFL franchises in his lifetime: the Packers and the Falcons.  Favre was taken in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, and actually appeared in 2 games for the Falcons that year before being traded to the Packers in 1992 for the 19th overall pick (which ended up being Tony Smith, who lasted three years in the NFL, great trade Atlanta).

The number one reason people are pooh-poohing the trade to the Vikings is the obvious reason: the Vikings are in the same division as the Packers don't want to face Favre two times a year.  Trading Favre to the Falcons would mean the Packers would face Favre this year (in week 5, at Lambeau), but they would only face Favre once, and it would be on the Packers' turf.

Atlanta just makes sense from the Falcons' perspective.  Yes, I know the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan 3rd overall, and he is penciled in as the started for the Dirty Birds.  But what better quarterback coach is there than having Brett Favre teach your future franchise QB how to play the position?

Atlanta also makes sense for the Falcons from a different perspective.  Let's face it, the quarterback position hasn't exactly put the Falcons (as a team) in the most positive light in recent times (thank you Mike Vick).  Favre adds stability, credibility, and respectability to the franchise, and gives Falcons fans a reason to be proud of their team again.

And for psychological standpoint, the trade makes sense because the one thing the talking heads said on ESPN Radio was they couldn't stand the thought of seeing Brett Favre in anything but a Packers uniform.  Well, I can understand that.  I felt the same way watching Joe Montana in that butt-ugly Chefs uniform (yeah, I know I spelled Chiefs wrong, it was intentional).

But putting Favre back into a Falcons uniform won't seem so out-of-place because that is how Favre started his career, and that is how he is going to end it....in Atlanta.

I just wonder if the Packers would be willing to take Tony Smith back.

The Moral of Super Bowl 42 - Cheaters Never Prosper!

That's right, cheaters never prosper.  Let that be the lesson all you Patriot fans take from the beat down your team took from the Giants.

Another word that comes to mind: karma.

Bill Belicheat was embarassed on national television because he is a smug little cheater who paid the price for his illegal ways.

Now, with the new revelations from the former video production staffer that the Patriots may have been cheating as far back as 2002, Patriot fans are about to find out their beloved Patriots were nothing more than a house of cards.

My prediction, where there is smoke, there is fire.  The Spygate scandal is going to blow up, and Belicheat is going to be out of a job, and probably will never be able to get another job in the NFL ever again.  Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.

Belicheat shouldn't have worn that red hoodie.

All is right in the world......

Yes Virginia, the Patriots are cheaters

If you are a frequent reader of The Liver, you know that I dedicate as much space as I can to the cheaters in baseball - otherwise known as steroid users.  And given today's congressional hearings, you probably came to The Liver expecting to see some keen insight into today's hearings.

Well I got nothin' for you.

But as I listened to that riveting testimony, as Bud Selig and Donald Fehr claimed responsibility for Baseball's Steroids Era in one breath, and then blamed the use of steroids on others in the next breath, it got my mind wondering on one thought.

Cheating.

Specifically, I wondered whether the Patriots, in pursuit of their perfect season, actually cheated in order to obtain perfection. 

My conclusion: yes, the Patriots cheated.

Here are the uncontradicted facts:

1. Page 105 of the NFL Game Operations Manual States: "No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game."
2. On September 6, 2007, the NFL sent a letter to NFL head coaches stating: "Video taping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent’s offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches’ booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game."
3. Belichick received the letter and has a copy of the NFL rulebook.
4. An employee of the New England Patriots was caught on the Patriots sideline videotaping defensive signals, by opposing coaches, in their first game of the NFL season. A review of the tape by the NFL confirmed this.

Of course, Belichick claims that he "misinterpreted" the rule.  Fine.  Misinterpretation or not, the fact remains that Belichick and the Patriots violated the rule.  In fact, neither Belichick nor the Patriots deny the fact that they broke the rules.

"Cheat" means "to violate rules or regulations."

The Patriots admit they violated the rules.  Which means, by definition, the Patriots   cheated in the first game of the season.  There can be no argument as to this point.  The Patriots cannot deny the fact that in the first game of the season the Patriots cheated.

The question for most people is whether the cheating gained the Patriots a competitive advantage against the Jets.  The score of the game was 38 to 14, the Patriots ran away with the game, so it is difficult to understand whether the Patriots cheating meant anything in the outcome of the game.

Most Patriots apologists claim that the Patriots did not gain a competitive advantage as a result of their cheating, so the fact that the Patriots is irrelevant.  This is the justification that is offered for the Patriots violation of the rules.

The truth is that we will never know if the Patriots ever obtained a competitive advantage - even if it was for only one half of the first game of the season - because the NFL could never determine if the Patriots ever obtained the improperly obtained information.

But the measure should not be whether a team gains a competitive advantage as a result of violating the rules.  If that was the standard, the NFL's rules would be impossible to ever enforce because we would never know if a team gained an advantage over another team.

The measure for determining whether or not a team cheated should be the only objective measure available - the measure that all of us are compared with - whether the team (in this case the Patriots) violated the NFL's rules.  By this measure, there can be no doubt that the Patriots cheated in the first game of the season.

So today, the day when the United States House of Representatives undertook the momentous task of uncovering the cheaters in American's pastime, we should all remember the cheaters in America's favorite sport, football.  We should all remember the New England Patriots.

ESPN's story on Derek Anderson.......

In case you missed it yesterday, here is the story ESPN ran on Derek Anderson and the town of Scappoose.......

Oh, by the way, Derek teamed up with Nike to donate $50,000 worth of Nike gear to the victims of the recent floods.  Considering Derek makes the league minimum this year (approximately $495,000) that is really a generous gift from the former Oregon State QB.

Hey Portland Sports Media, what about Derek Anderson?

Derek Anderson is having a monster year for the Cleveland Browns.  But you wouldn't know it from the local sports media.  On Sunday, Derek led the Browns down the field, on the road against the well above-average Ravens defense, for a game tying score in the closing seconds of the game, and then led the Browns down the field in overtime for the win.

You wouldn't know that from reading The Oregonian.

The front page of The Oregonian on Monday had a headline that read "Kellen Clemens starts for the Jets, leads Jets to Victory."  THAT WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE OREGONIAN, not the front page of the sports section, mind you.

And on 1080 The Fan, how many times do I have to hear them describe Atlanta Falcons' games, saying "Joey Harrington and the Falcons."

Derek Anderson is 6-3 as a starter.  Joey and Kellen are 4-5 as starters.  Derek has thrown for 2,505 yards, 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 88.8.   Clemens has 750 yards, 3 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 59.7.  Joey "Five Pick" has thrown for 1,876 yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 83.3.  Oh yeah, Derek also has 3 rushing touchdowns.

Combined Derek has better stats than Joey and Kellen.  Derek is a legitimate candidate for the Pro Bowl, and it would sure be nice if the local media reminded Oregonians to get out and vote for Derek.  You know that if Joey ever became a halfway decent quarterback, the local sports media would be going nuts, launching campaigns to get as many votes as they could for Joey.

For Derek, nothing but crickets chirping.

That means it is up to Beaver Nation to cast as many votes as possible for Derek.

Now that Derek has finally gotten his chance, it is great to see him excel.  He always had the ability, even while at Oregon State.  He has a cannon for an arm and is very accurate.  The problem for Derek while he was at OSU was that Derek did not have receivers who ran precise routes.  It wasn't until Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow decided to start running routes that Derek finally began to excel.  Like I said, Derek has always had the ability, in Cleveland Derek is finally getting his chance.

Vote for Derek!!!!!

OK, it is Pro Bowl time and Derek Anderson is putting up a monster year.  Derek's great play  has the Browns 4-3, and one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this year.

Here is the link to the NFL Pro Bowl Ballot.

When you click on the link, the very first name you will see is Derek's.

Remember, vote early and vote often!

Check out this great article about Derek and the El Dorado Kid

This article is from www.clevelandbrowns.com and it is about Derek and Steven:

Old roommates to meet Sunday

Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer

10.25.2007

When listing college football programs that churn out NFL players, Oregon State isn't typically the first institution that comes to mind.

But right now, one would be hard-pressed to find a better starting lineup of skill players than those now in the league hailing from the school.

Among the Oregon State Beavers alumni in the NFL today are Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, Rams running back Steven Jackson, and Bengals receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Two of those players -- Anderson and Jackson -- played and even lived together for two years on the campus of Oregon State in Corvallis and will be back together Sunday when their respective teams face off at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Off the field, they roomed in the school's international dorm as freshmen (Anderson said it was the nicest one on campus) and then moved into an apartment thereafter.

On the field, Anderson and Jackson were the unquestioned stars during two of the most prolific offensive seasons in program history.

With Anderson under center and Jackson in the backfield, the Beavers offense averaged 32.3 points and 437.2 yards per game, winning 16 games.

In 2002, Anderson set school records with 3,313 passing yards, while Jackson rushed for 1,797 yards and 15 touchdowns.

The team beat archrival Oregon that year, 45-24, behind Jackson's 153 rushing yards combined with 370 passing yards for Anderson. Jackson finished with 2 rushing scores and a receiving touchdown, while Anderson threw 4 scores.

"He pretty much ran Oregon's secondary over," Anderson said of Jackson in the game, comparing him to Browns running back Jamal Lewis.

Jackson remembers a game earlier that year when the team beat Temple, 35-3. Anderson threw for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game.

"We went out east and he totally picked those guys apart," Jackson said. "We were young guys and at that point I knew Derek was a special quarterback."

In their second year as starters in '03, Anderson threw for 24 touchdowns and 4,058 yards, becoming only the second quarterback in Pac 10 history to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a season.

The running back kept up, recording 1,670 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He added 470 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns to set a school record for all-purpose yards.

They closed out the year with a 55-14 win over New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl. Jackson rushed for 161 yards and 4 touchdowns in the win, while Anderson threw for 322 yards and 2 scores.

As one can tell, moving the ball and scoring appeared to be no problem with Anderson and Jackson on the field.

As teammates, Jackson saw the same leadership qualities that have led to success for Anderson in the NFL.

"You don't have to yell at someone to show you're a leader," Jackson said. "The way you show you're a leader is when morale is high or low he's even keel and supportive and when things go wrong he's able to correct the guy and tell him where he's wrong. And these are all qualities Derek (has)."

Following the '03 season, Jackson bolted from college for the NFL a year early and was the 24th overall pick by the Rams.

Anderson stuck around for one more year before exhausting his eligibility and heading to the pros. He was a sixth-round pick of the Ravens.

Their tracks since have veered in different paths. In 2006, his third NFL season, Jackson marked his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaign, managing 1,528 yards and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

Anderson's success didn't come until this season, when he took over fulltime starting duties midway through the season opener. Now, he ranks among the league's best in touchdown passes.

"When he got the starting job I texted him and said, 'Make it hard for them to make a decision on when to bring the rookie (Brady Quinn) in.' He has withstood the test of time right now. He's doing pretty good."

While Anderson has begun to post a breakout season, Jackson has stumbled out of the gate in '07.

A groin injury has limited him to 233 yards in 3 games. He has missed the team's last four contests as his club has slipped to 0-7. But he has rejoined practice and should return for Sunday's game, anxious to make a good impression with his former teammate watching from the sidelines.

It's Always A Great Day To Be A Beaver!

Today's Cincinnatti-Cleveland games proves what Beaver Nation already knows....It's Always A Great Day To Be A Beaver!

Why?

Well, let's start with Derek Anderson.  He started the game going 0 for 5.  Then, he went 20 for 28, 320 yards and 5 touchdowns!  That is right, DA had 5 TDs and should have had a sixth at the very end of the game, but I think Kellen Winslow gave up on the play.

On the the other side of the ball, T.J. had 69 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns.  Chad had 2 touchdowns and 209 yards receiving.

Between the three Beavers playing in the game, they scored 9 TOUCHDOWNS!!!

Just further evidence that it is always a great day to be a Beaver!