And Roger was in no way an abuser of steroids. He never took them through our tough winter workouts. And he never took them in spring training, when the days are longest. He took them in late July, August, and never for more than four to six weeks max ... it wasn't that frequent.'
"Within the culture of what was going on, he was just a small part of it. A lot of guys did it. You can't take away the work Roger did. You can't take away the fact that he worked out as hard as anybody.'' When McNamee, also a former strength and conditioning coach with the Blue Jays from 1998 through 2000, is asked to estimate how many major leaguers were involved with steroids during that period, he answers without hesitation. "More than half,'' he says.
Whether or not it was part of the culture of the game, Clemens still did it according to McNamee. So despite the phone call and the comments that he would go to jail for Clemens, McNamee is still hanging Clemens out to dry by repeating his claim.
Matt Watson told you earlier today that Roger Clemens fired the first shot by suing Brian McNamee. Part of the suit is the suggestion that McNamee was threatened with jail if he didn't connect Clemens with steroids. Combining Clemens' claims on 60 Minutes with the content from the taped phone call played in the press conference today makes it seem like this is the angle the Clemens camp is trying to pursue.
On 60 Minutes, Clemens repeatedly told Mike Wallace that he treated McNamee well, better than most other people. In the taped phone call, Clemens repeated this theme -- a sentiment with which McNamee agreed. McNamee also said he raised his kids based on the model of parenting he had seen with Clemens. Naturally, I was expecting Clemens to ask on the phone why McNamee lied in the report. I've been told he wasn't allowed to do that because it would be considered tampering with a witness.
Considering that this is the angle that Clemens and his team is taking, is it believable? Is it conceivable that McNamee was setup to implicate Clemens? I realize Mitchell and his report would carry more clout with the implication of a superstar like Clemens, but I don't really buy that they would intentionally try to get Clemens out of all the possible people in the game. I also don't buy this argument because Andy Pettitte was implicated in the same section as Roger and Pettitte admitted he used HGH. So why would McNamee be pressured to lie about only Clemens, especially considering the Pettitte usage turned out to be true? It seems to me that Clemens is hurt that McNamee ratted him out, not upset that he "lied." Though the setup angle by the Clemens camp seems like a wise one to pursue, I'm not buying it.
In today's press conference, Roger Clemens was asked by a reporter whether or not he considered steroids and HGH users to be cheaters. Clemens would not directly answer the question with a yes or no. Instead, it was as if he went through his file-of-facts on rehearsed responses on how he would answer the question. He gave his thoughts on steroids and HGH users by saying people only take them to look good in a three-piece suit in the lobby. When further pressed by the reporter to actually answer the question, Roger insisted that steroids and HGH don't help players perform better, hit the ball better, etc. He also said that he would not pass judgment on other players.
The way Clemens answered, rather, responded to that question, was quite telling to me. If Clemens never used steroids or HGH, wouldn't he consider those who did use performance-enhancers to be cheaters? After all, isn't that what they are? I take Clemens' response as a defense of PEDs. Seems to me that's what someone says if they're trying to defend their accomplishments on the field. I would find Clemens' defense a lot more meaningful if he answered with a "Yes," and followed up by saying he's hurt everyone thinks that he's cheated his way to where he is and that he's never used those performance-enhancing drugs. Instead, it only appeared to me as if Clemens were defending such usage.
Detroit Lions 7-8 (3rd in NFC North) Green Bay Packers 12-3 (1st in NFC North)
Last Game:
Lions 25, Chiefs 20 Bears 35, Packers 7
When the Lions have the ball: They'll surprise you by running the ball more than you'd expect. Mike Martz has already told T.J. Duckett to have an oxygen mask handy for the week since he'll be getting the ball plenty. In the cold conditions at Green Bay, passing the ball a ton won't be much of an option for the Lions who only attempted 16 passes last week. Perhaps it's a luxury to have a bruiser like Duckett available to carry the load.
When the Packers have the ball: Who knows? They've already locked up the second spot in the NFC playoffs, so they're likely to rest many of their starters. Brett Favre will start to keep his streak alive, but he probably won't play most of the game. The same can likely be said for Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and many of the regulars on offense. What they do remains a mystery to me, though I'll guess they run the ball for the most part.
San Diego Chargers 10-5 (1st in AFC West) Oakland Raiders 4-11 (t-3rd in AFC West)
Last Game:
Chargers 23, Broncos 3 Jaguars 49, Raiders 11
When the Chargers have the ball: They'll give it to LaDainian Tomlinson and hope for the big plays he's been delivering. LT has reasserted himself as the top back in the game, rushing for over 100 yards in each of the last four games, scoring six touchdowns in the process. With the Chargers playing good defense, the offense hasn't needed to throw the ball much over the last month, keeping Philip Rivers at 25 or fewer attempts for the most part.
When the Raiders have the ball: They'll try to run the ball so that it's not up to JaMarcus Russell to make the big plays. Getting the first start of his career, it will no doubt be a rocky game for Russell who only completed 7 of 23 passes. Luckily with it being the final week of a lost season, the Raiders will probably let Russell throw the ball plenty, they'll just use the run to ease the pressure on him.
San Francisco 49ers 5-10 (4th in NFC West) Cleveland Browns 9-6 (2nd in AFC North)
Last Game:
49ers 21, Bucs 19 Bengals 19, Browns 14
When the Niners have the ball: They'll run the ball with Frank Gore, and stick to short -- and I mean short -- passes. Chris Weinke will be getting the nod at QB, making him the 4th quarterback to start for San Francisco this year. The Niners don't have many play-making receivers to begin with, and it's not like they're going to ask Weinke to make big plays in his first start for them. They'll keep it simple and run the ball.
When the Browns have the ball: They'll employ their hearty balance of Jamal Lewis and their aerial attack. Derek Anderson had a slow day last week throwing four interceptions against the Bengals to blow Cleveland's chance at locking up a playoff spot. He'll most certainly look to rebound, as long as the weather permits him to throw several passes. You can bet they'll be looking in Braylon Edwards' direction considering he's averaged a touchdown a game this year.
Sure, there were several factors that contributed to Green Bay's convincing win over the Raiders Sunday, but it was Brett Favre's performance that was paramount to me. How often do you see a quarterback bounce back from a separated shoulder and injured throwing arm one week, only to throw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns in freezing cold weather the next? Not too often, which is why Brett Favre is a special player.
Favre led a Green Bay offense that racked up 445 total yards, including 156 and a touchdown on the ground from Ryan Grant, who has emerged as an elite ball carrier this year. Not only did the Packers offense dominate the Raiders, but their special teams also lit up the scoreboard. Will Blackmon returned a punt for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter, and followed that up by returning a Tim Dwight fumbled punt for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Those mistakes put the game out of reach for Oakland, as the Raiders could only muster 233 total yards.
Both Justin Fargas and Josh McCown were replaced late in the game for Oakland. Andrew Walter came in to take the snaps with the Raider offense that was too ineffective for Lane Kiffin to throw JaMarcus Russell in the mix. The Raiders, who showed promise by winning back-to-back games in weeks 12 and 13, were put back in their place, showing how far they have to go to compete with the NFL's elite. Green Bay on the other hand, completely outclassed the Raiders, proving that with key defensive players Charles Woodson and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilia back healthy, they can dominate on both sides of the ball.
The smart money turned out to be quite wrong this week. When the line initially came out for this game, the Pats were around a 13 point favorite. Not so fast said the experts; New England looked vulnerable against Baltimore and Philadelphia, so playing a difficult Pittsburgh team meant the line was quickly bet down to 10 and a half. Turned out that not only was the smart money wrong, but so was Anthony Smith, who had guaranteed a Steelers win earlier in the week.
New England took what was once a close game at 14-13 in the 2nd quarter, and ran away with it by scoring 20 unanswered points. Tom Brady, who had already connected on a pair of touchdown passes to Randy Moss, started to carve up the Steelers defense, throwing for two more scores, one to Jabar Gaffney, and the other to Wes Welker. New England's unbalanced attack was prevalent once again; they passed for 399 yards, and ran for merely 22. Tom Brady's touchdown to interception ratio is now incredibly impressive at 45:5, with target Randy Moss at 19 touchdowns, on pace to break Jerry Rice's record of 22. Moss also let a ball go through his hands in the end zone that would have been his third TD catch of the day.
Much credit needs to go to the Patriots defense for their performance. Despite allowing around 350 yards on the day, they only surrendered 13 points. What was most impressive about the Patriots was their ability to shut the Steelers out in the second half. Pittsburgh only committed one turnover, moving the ball into New England territory twice in the second half. Both times, the Patriots stopped the Steelers on downs, epitomizing a bend-don't-break defense. In the end, the Steelers proved they can hang with the Pats for 30 minutes, but not quite 60. For the Patriots, they proved once again that they are head-and-shoulders above everyone in the NFL, and that perfection is only three short weeks away.
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Some virtually unknown member of the Steelers decided to open up his yapper and guarantee a victory over the undefeated Patriots this weekend. The guarantee carries less credibility because of the source of the comment -- a sentiment with which Pats safety Rodney Harrison agrees. Here were Harrison's comments as told to The Drive on FOX Sports Radio Wednesday:
I don't even know who the guy is, but obviously he has to be a young guy to come out and say something like that. We have a great deal of respect for Pittsburgh and everything they've done and everything they stand for. When I was a young guy, I never came off talking about things I really didn't know about -- especially a young guy that's been in the league probably a year or two. That's something that he's going to have to deal with, and we're going to do our talking on Sunday.
Seems like a common theme in the NFL lately -- young players running their mouths. First it was Ravens players according to Randy Moss, now a young Steelers safety. I agree with Rodney; you have to be a significant player who has accomplished a lot in the league before you make such brazen claims. Now it's on Smith to back up his comments. Perhaps an interception or two would do the trick, not to mention a victory.
Just as soon as I had pondered whether or not Brian McNamee was set up to implicate Roger Clemens, I see the story that McNamee stands by his claim. McNamee apparently sat down for an interview with SI's Jon Heyman while the pair watched Clemens on 60 Minutes Sunday night. Sure enough, McNamee repeated his claim that Clemens took steroids:
Matt Watson told you earlier today that 
To get you ready for week 17, 
To get you ready for week 17, 
To get you ready for week 17, 
Sure, there were several factors that contributed to Green Bay's convincing win over the Raiders Sunday, but it was 
The smart money turned out to be quite wrong this week. When the line initially came out for this game, the Pats were around a 13 point favorite. Not so fast said the experts; New England looked vulnerable against Baltimore and Philadelphia, so playing a difficult Pittsburgh team meant the line was quickly bet down to 10 and a half. Turned out that not only was the smart money wrong, but 
Some virtually unknown member of the Steelers decided to open up his yapper and 
