WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan signed a five-year contract worth approximately $7 million per year to become head coach and executive VP of football operations for the Washington Redskins.Shanahan, who is the 7th coach in 11 years for owner Dan Snyder, is expected to hold ‘the ultimate authority on football decisions’ concerning player personnel while working closely with executive VP and general manager Bruce Allen.

Shanahan is bringing some family with him too. His son, former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, will be the Redskins new offensive coordinator.

Shanahan replaces Jim Zorn who was fired shortly after the team’s final regular season game when they lost to the San Diego Chargers 23-20. The Redskins finished 4-12 (their worst record since 1994) and overall Zorn was 12-20 over two seasons, losing the last 18 of 24.

“The status quo has to end,” Allen said. “We have to change the way we’ve been doing some business. Last place two years in a row is not Redskins football.”

Snyder released a statement following the signing. “No one in the organization is satisfied with our record over the last two years and I am sure that Jim [Zorn] would concur with that statement. It has been painful for him, too. I certainly accept responsibility for mistakes that I have made.”

More NFL:

Brett Favre Primed and Ready for Playoffs  – Sports Climax

Jim Zorn Gets the Axe – Sports Climax

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

MINNESOTA – After a lackluster December that included a conflict with coach Brad Childress that was caught on national television, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre appears primed and ready for the playoffs.

After leading his Vikings to a 1-3 record in December, with the lone win coming against The Cincinatti Bengals in Week 14, the New Year started on a high note for the 40-year-old slinger when Favre led the Vikings to a lopsided 44-7 win against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Favre was 25-of-31 for 316 yards and threw 4 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Favre’s performance on Sunday as well as that of his supporting cast secured the Vikings a second seed in the playoffs and a well-deserved first round bye.

The extra week of rest should be favorable for Favre and earning that second seed also assured no outdoor games for the Vikings. After hosting their first game at the indoor Metrodome, the Vikings only road game would be against the New Orleans Saints if they both won their match-ups.

Favre has been outstanding this season, leading the Vikings to a 12-4 record while completing 363-of-531 passes for 4,202 yards. Known for a high career TD/interception ratio, Favre corrected that tossing 33 TD passes and throwing only 7 to the wrong colored jersey all year. Last year with the New York Jets he led the NFL with 22 INTs. His passer rating this year is also one of the highest of his career at 107.2.

Expect Favre and the Vikings to be well rested and come out with a vengeance for their opening round game on January 17, and while their opponent has yet to be determined, you have to like their chances.

Favre proved many of his critics wrong, coming out of retirement and showing there is a lot of life left in his arm. With the slinger in sync with receivers Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian and potential rookie-of-the-year Percy Harvin and the Vikings running game back on track with Adrian Peterson, expect them to go deep into the playoffs and possibly to the Super Bowl on February 7th.

Last year it took Fox Sports showing Visanthe Shiancoe in the buff during a live telecast to turn heads and give the Vikings an onslaught of media attention. This year the Vikings are doing it by putting Brett Favre behind center.

Related Articles:

Favre Embarrasses Head Coach on National Television

Favre Dumps Vikings Two Days Before Preseason

Fox Shows Vikings Player Naked During Live Telecast 

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

MIAMI – The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 30-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins was bittersweet. The win secured a winning season but leaves questions.

What happened to the defending Super Bowl champs?

Coach Mike Tomlin’s defensive group has lost their edge. The loss of Troy Polamalu was huge this season. The defense looked lost at times without the Pro Bowl defensive back but every team deals with injuries and teams exposed other holes in their defense.

A defense known in past seasons for shutting down teams was shaky again on Sunday in Miami. Prior to this week, the Steelers defense blew fourth quarter leads in 5 of 7 losses with all those losses being by seven points or less, that is a huge stat.

Ben Roethlisberger has proven he can win with his arm like he did in the dramatic win in the final seconds against Green Bay but he was only in that position after his defense blew a 22-point lead in the 2nd half of that game.

The Steelers self-imploded mid-season, becoming the first Super Bowl champions to ever go on a five-game losing streak the year after winning the title. Three of those losses were against Cleveland, Oakland and Kansas City, teams with losing records.

On Sunday, the Steelers’ opening drive of 12 plays ate 6:58 off the clock and the second drive (6 plays 67 yards) led to another score making the Steelers faithful hope for a dominating win. Ben looked poised and confident with two plays of 20+ yards. There was even a Willie Parker sighting mid 2nd quarter.

The defense was stepping up and making plays early in the game but in the fourth quarter, they again squandered a lead, allowing the Dolphins to score two TDs and make it a three-point game.

Jeff Reed later added another field goal for a 6-point Steelers win but again, the absence of the killer instinct of the defense leaves many questions.

As all this was happening in South Florida, the Houston Texans came back to defeat New England in their game, creating a scenario that needed three teams to lose in the afternoon games for the Steelers to back into the playoffs.

It didn’t happen and now the Steelers faithful can put away the yellow towels and hope for better year in 2010, looking ahead to the NFL Draft day and September camp.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

The NFL Pro Bowl selections are in. Brett Favre (11th Pro Bowl) was among eight Minnesota Vikings who made the NFC Pro Bowl team, while Peyton Manning (10th Pro Bowl) was one of six Indianapolis Colts on the AFC squad.

One of the biggest surprises was the AFC North division champs Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) being snubbed in the voting.

Here is a complete list by team.

* Asterisk denotes starter

AFC Pro Bowl Selections

Balimore (5) * Ray Lewis, inside/middle linebacker
* Le’Ron McClain, fullback
* Haloti Ngata, interior lineman
* Ed Reed, free safety
Ray Rice, running back
Buffalo (1) Jairus Byrd, free safety
Cleveland (2) Joshua Cribbs, kick returner
Joe Thomas, tackle
Denver (5) Champ Bailey, cornerback
* Ryan Clady, tackle
* Brian Dawkins, strong safety
* Elvis Dumervil, outside linebacker
Brandon Marshall, wide receiver
Houston (4) Brian Cushing, outside linebacker
* Andre Johnson, wide receiver
DeMeco Ryans, inside/middle linebacker
Mario Williams, defensive end
Indianapolis (6) * Dallas Clark, tight end
* Dwight Freeney, defensive end
* Peyton Manning, quarterback
* Robert Mathis, defensive end
Jeff Saturday, center
* Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
Jacksonville (1) Maurice Jones-Drew, running back
Miami (1) * Jake Long, tackle
New England (4) Tom Brady, quarterback
* Logan Mankins, guard
Wes Welker, wide receiver
* Vince Wilfork, interior lineman
N.Y. Jets (3) * Alan Faneca, guard
* Nick Mangold, center
* Darrelle Revis, cornerback
Oakland (2) * Nnamdi Asomugha, cornerback
Shane Lechler, punter
Pittsburgh (2) Casey Hampton, interior lineman
* James Harrison, outside linebacker
San Diego (5) Kris Dielman, guard
Antonio Gates, tight end
Nate Kaeding, placekicker
Kassim Osgood, special teamer
Philip Rivers, quarterback
Tennessee (1) * Chris Johnson, running back

NFC Pro Bowl Selections

Arizona (4) * Darnell Dockett, interior lineman
* Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, cornerback
* Adrian Wilson, strong safety
Carolina (2) * Julius Peppers, defensive end
DeAngelo Williams, running back
Chicago (1) * Lance Briggs, outside linebacker
Dallas (6) Miles Austin, wide receiver
Leonard Davis, guard
* Andre Gurode, center
Jay Ratliff, interior lineman
* DeMarcus Ware, outside linebacker
Jason Witten, tight end
Green Bay (3) Nick Collins, free safety
Aaron Rodgers, quarterback
* Charles Woodson, cornerback
Minnesota (8) * Jared Allen, defensive end
Heath Farwell, special teamer
Brett Favre, quarterback
* Steve Hutchinson, guard
* Bryant McKinnie, tackle
* Adrian Peterson, running back
Sidney Rice, wide receiver
* Kevin Williams, interior lineman
New Orleans (5) * Drew Brees, quarterback
* Jahri Evans, guard
* Darren Sharper, free safety
Jonathan Stinchcomb, tackle
Jonathan Vilma, inside/middle linebacker
N.Y. Giants (1) Shaun O’Hara, center
Philadelphia (6) David Akers, placekicker
Trent Cole, defensive end
* DeSean Jackson, wide receiver/returner
* Jason Peters, tackle
* Asante Samuel, cornerback
* Leonard Weaver, fullback
San Francisco (3) * Vernon Davis, tight end
Andy Lee, punter
* Patrick Willis, inside/middle linebacker
St. Louis (1) Steven Jackson, running back
Washington (1) Brian Orakpo, outside linebacker

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

MINNESOTA – How do you reward an NFL head coach who drops what he is doing in the middle of preseason, flies  to another state to pick you up and personally chauffeur you to his team headquarters and arranges for you to sign a huge one-year contract?

If you are Brett Favre, you embarrass that head coach on national television . . . that’s exactly what the 40-year-old slinger on the Minnesota Vikings did Sunday night during his team’s humiliating 26-7 loss to the underdog Carolina Panthers.

Ahead on the scoreboard 7-6, Vikings coach Brad Childress started shuffling personnel from the field onto the bench starting with Pro Bowl left tackle Bryant McKinnie who was getting taken to school and run over repeatedly by Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers.

McKinnie sat on the bench because that’s what pros do, they follow their coaches instructions.

Childress’ next move was to bench Favre but the ego-saturated quarterback would have no part of it. In front of the world, they got into a heated exchange on the sidelines with Favre refusing to be benched.

“I’m watching, and I said, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m thinking about taking you out of the game here,'” Childress later explained (not that he needs an explanation, he’s the head coach). “I mean, you’re getting your rear end kicked.’ Though not a lot of fault of his own.”

When Favre was asked about the heated exchange on the sidelines he said, “Yeah, there was a heated discussion, I guess you would call it. We were up 7-6 at the time. No secret, I was getting hit a little bit. I felt the pressure on a lot of plays. We had seven points. So I think everyone in the building was like, ‘They’re not moving the ball, they’re not getting points.’ Brad wanted to go in a different direction, and I wanted to stay in the game.”

Yeah Brett, every player on the bench every Sunday wants to come into or stay in a game but that’s not the player’s decision, it’s the head coaches’ decision; that is unless you’re an egotistical quarterback who begs for headlines.

Favre re-entered the game and lead his team to the humiliating loss but worse yet, he showed his teammates and a national television audience who is boss in that locker room and raised a serious question, ‘Who is really running that team?’.

Since this incident, others are resurfacing through the media including a game earlier this year when Favre ignored Childress’ wishes and called an audible late in a game causing the coach to want to bench him. Like this recent incident, that benching also never occurred.

Football is a team sport and everyone has a role to fill, especially the head coach. When a guy like Favre comes in and dictates, chemistry is sure to suffer.

The Vikings knew what they were getting. Prior to that escorted service to his contract signing, Favre had dumped the Vikings just two days before training camp. The player was also accused of supplying inside info to aid the Detroit Lions prior to a game between his former Green Bay Packers and the Lions.

The timing of this incident could not be any worse as the regular season winds down and teams like the Vikings are focusing on the playoffs.

Related:

Trouble Brewing in Minnesota? – ESPN

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It is a sad day for the NFL.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver, 26-year-old Chris Henry died at 6:36 a.m. this morning from injuries resulting from falling out of the back of a pickup truck during what police described as a domestic dispute with his fiancé.

Henry had a rough relationship with the league and was suspended five times over his career but Bengals owner Mike Brown wanted people to realize there was another side to the troubled player.

“We knew him in a different way than his public persona,” said Brown. “He had worked through the troubles in his life and had finally seemingly reached the point where everything was going to blossom. And he was going to have the future we all wanted for him. It’s painful to us. We feel it in our hearts, and we will miss him.”

Henry had been hospitalized since the accident occurred on Wednesday when police say the player jumped into the bed of the pickup truck owned by his fiancé Loleini Tonga as she was driving away from a residence. Sometime later, Henry “came out of the back of the vehicle” according to police.

Henry and Tonga have been raising three children.

Related Info – Chris Henry Bio – NFL.com

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

ATLANTA – Atlanta  Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux was arrested by Gwinnett County police on charges of marijuana possession with intent to distribute.

The officer making the arrest reported that he smelled marijuana coming from the player’s SUV during a routine traffic stop Thursday night.

Babineaux, 28, was released from the Gwinnett County jail around 5 a.m. this morning after posting a required $8,300 bond. The player has had a few other run-ins with the law in Gwinnett County.

The player was arrested in Lawrenceville, GA by Gwinnett County police in 2007 on a felony count of animal abuse after his wife rushed their pet dog to an animal emergency clinic and accused Babineaux of abusing the animal and causing the death.

Charges were later dismissed in that particular case siting lack of evidence.

Here are some of the charges copied from the official arresting police documents charging Babineaux (the police spelled his name incorrectly on the docs).

12/11/2009 5:10:00 AM BABINEOUX JONATHAN JOEL, LEGENDS CLUB CIR, BRASELTON GA 30517 *NO DRIVERS LICENSE $650 SB Photo

12/11/2009 1:01:00 AM 12/11/2009 5:10:00 AM BABINEOUX JONATHAN JOEL, LEGENDS CLUB CIR, BRASELTON GA 30517 TAG LIGHT VISIBLE 50 FT. $650 SB Photo

12/11/2009 5:10:00 AM BABINEOUX JONATHAN JOEL, LEGENDS CLUB CIR, BRASELTON GA 30517 MATERIALS ON WINDSHIELD/LIGHT $650 SB Photo

AM 12/11/2009 5:10:00 AM BABINEOUX JONATHAN JOEL, LEGENDS CLUB CIR, BRASELTON GA 30517 *VGCSA POSS OF MARIJUANA W/INTENT TO DIS $5700 SB Photo

12/11/2009 5:10:00 AM BABINEOUX JONATHAN JOEL 99313464 99313464 5659 LEGENDS CLUB CIR, BRASELTON GA 30517 EXPIRED TAG $650 SB Photo

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

After losing to the 2-11 Cleveland Browns 13-6 Thursday night in front of a national television audience and throwing all but their mathematical chances of a playoff spot down the drain, the 6-7 Pittsburgh Steelers get this week’s Slap-of-the-Week.

The loss was the 5th in a row for the Steelers drawing sharp criticism from some of their local columnists like Ron Cook who pulled no punches.

The Browns attacked Ben Roethlisberger from the start, sacking the scrambling QB eight times during a night where temps were reported to be -12 below zero chill factor at kickoff time.

Here are a few post-game quotes from the under-achievers who were last year’s Super Bowl Champions.

WR Hines Ward: “To lose five straight coming off a Super Bowl from last year, it’s embarrassing for me. It just hurts, it hurts a lot. There’s nothing fun about losing games, especially five in a row. We’re better than that, we should play better than that.”

WR Mike Wallace: “It was like every time I go out for a pass, when I looked back, he’d be getting hit,” referring to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “I’d just be coming out of my break and he’d be going down.”

Coach Mike Tomlin: “I thought they fought. I thought they stuck together, but it wasn’t enough to win the football game. … Fighting and sticking together are not winning football games. We’re finding new and different ways to not rise up. This one tonight happened in all three phases.”

Tackle Willie Colon: “This was probably the worst we played up front all year. I know it was probably my worst game. I feel like I let the line down.”

Defensive Back Deshea Townsend: “Mind-boggling.”

Nose Tackle Casey Hampton: “Like a bad dream. [The season] is a wrap, this [explicate] is a wrap.”

Yes it is. It’s not only a wrap but it’s a full-on Bitch-Slap to go along with your record for most consecutive losses (5) for a Super Bowl winner the season following a Super Bowl win.

Other NFL Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week Columns:

Jay Cutler and Da’ Bears

Detroit Lions Exec Matt Millen

Rush Limbaugh NFL Owner?

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax

After giving up 537 total yards in a 36-10 blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings and longtime archenemy Brett Favre and dropping their record to 4-7, the Chicago Bears earned the Slap-of-the-Week.

This team is the biggest embarrassment in the NFL right now. More than the Browns, Lions and Rams because this team has talent and still can’t figure it out.

After starting the year 3-1, Da’ Bears have been on a high-speed spiral, losing 6 of the last 7, while being outplayed, out-hustled and taken to school on both sides of the ball.

While Da’ Bears continue this self-imploding act, injured linebacker Brian Urlacher had a few harsh words to Yahoo! Sports this week that sounded like a slap in the face to Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler.

“I hate the way our identity has changed,” said Urlacher. “We used to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I hate to say it, but that’s the truth.”

Much of the blame is being placed on Cutler who was obtained during the off-season and expected to turn the franchise around. Instead, Cutler leads the league in interceptions (20), throwing more than rookies Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez and sits near the bottom of the pack with a 74.4 quarterback rating. If it gets any worse, you may begin to hear Bears fans chant for their past failure Rex Grossman.

Cutler was featured in our story, “Cutler Leads 49ers to Victory”after throwing 5 interceptions and gift-wrapping a 10-6 victory to the Niners earlier this season and defensive lineman Tommie Harris was slammed by his teammates and the media after upper-cutting a defenseless Arizona Cardinals player in the face after a whistle during another blowout embarrassing loss.

While Cutler lacks the support of any running game, offensive line or defense, there are plenty of other places to point the finger so we at Sports Climax are pointing an open hand full of fingers in the organization’s general direction, hauling off and giving Da’ Bears this week’s Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week.

In the meantime, we anxiously await the Bears’ final game of the season in Detroit to see if the rebuilding Lions will feast on this stumbling once-feared rival.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions may have found the leader they have been searching for over the past few decades and that leader may have accomplished a near-impossible feat; winning over the Detroit media.

On his home field in a game against the Cleveland Browns, Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford had been battling all afternoon to lead his team back from a 24-3 deficit and it ended in dramatic fashion.

Down 37-31 Stafford had no timeouts remaining, needed to get into the end zone from the Cleveland 32 and had only :08 seconds to do it. What happened over the next several minutes may become Stafford’s defining moment.

Stafford took the snap and scrambled Favre-style, avoiding an aggressive rush while trying to find an open receiver. He avoided one rusher, then another as the clock ticked to :00. Stafford saw the Browns’ 305-pound lineman C.J. Mosley barreling in at him but stood tall, planted his feet and threw the desperation pass.

As the ball sailed towards the end zone, Mosley crushed Stafford into the Ford Field turf. The rookie quarterback laid flat on the turf, grimacing in pain with an apparent shoulder injury but the Hail Mary pass was answered in the form of yellow hankies blanketing the end zone.

Pass interference on the defense.

While Stafford was helped to the sidelines where team doctors attempted to look at the injury, Cleveland decided to call time out to set up their defense as Lions back-up quarterback Daunte Culpepper was stepping up to the line to take the game’s final snap.

“I heard time-out over the loudspeaker and knew that was probably my only chance of getting back in,” Stafford said. “It was my left shoulder. Don’t really need it to throw.”

The doctors attempted to keep Stafford down to examine and determine the type of injury but Stafford refused to stay down. When he told the doctors to help him up, they refused until he demanded.

“Once one of them helped me up,” Stafford said, “they weren’t going to stop me.”

Lions coach Jim Schwartz must have had a tremendous amount of information swirling through his head. His back-up quarterback was in the huddle on the field, his starter with an obvious injury demanding on returning for the final play, his team needing a touchdown to win, no timeouts remaining.

Ignoring the pain, Stafford found the energy to push his way back onto the field, took the final snap and thread a bullet to tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a touchdown, his record 5th of the game and a 38-37 victory. Stafford also finished with a career-high 422 passing yards.

See dramatic comeback video on NFL.com here.

Schwartz was nearly lost for words during some of the post-game. “[Stafford] popped up, and all the team doctors said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.’ I said, ‘What does he have?’ They said, ‘We don’t even know.’

Stafford, his shoulder wrapped in ice, elaborated more during post game. “I was in some good pain, but the play goes on. It didn’t feel good, but I didn’t care. It was one play. I knew I didn’t have to play too much, just one snap, and try to throw a TD.”

“I’ve never been a part of [winning with no time on the clock],” said Stafford. “I’ve been a part of some close ones at the end, obviously, but that was wild.”

Wild? Yes. 

True courage? Yes.

Defining moment? Time will tell and more importantly, the Detroit Lions may have finally found their leader.

Related Articles:

No Doubt Now: Stafford Strong Enough to Lead – Detroit Free Press

Stafford Shows True Grit in Beating Browns – The Detroit News

Schwartz: X-Rays Negative on Stafford’s Shoulder – DFP

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax