Posts tagged AaronBrooks at FanHouse

I was talking to FanHouse Head of Zebra Accountability, Matt Snyder, when the Bucs took a 20-10 lead over the Saints with plenty of time left in the third quarter of today's eventual 23-20 Tampa win. To me the game was, for all intents and purposes, over at that point, though Snyder raised the reasonable, logical point that there was plenty of time for one of the league's elite offenses to erase a 10-point deficit.

With most teams, a lead like that with so much time left is practically irrelevant. With powerhouses like the Giants, Patriots, or Colts, you could stick them with a 10-point deficit with less than five minutes left and I still wouldn't close the book on the game. Yet in Sean Payton's three years, the Saints have displayed an inability to overcome adversity. Today's game was just the same ole song and dance for Saints fans who have been able to mark wins and losses in ink by halftime.

Say what you will about Aaron Brooks (and I've said plenty, most of which is not suitable for this space), but he had 16 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career in New Orleans, including five in 2004. Under the Payton/Drew Brees regime, the Saints are a mind-boggling 0-17 when trailing after three quarters. Though Brees is greatly responsible for this one particular loss, he's also orchestrated 12 late-game comebacks in San Diego, so I tend to believe the onus falls on Payton.

If you thought we've heard enough about the little altercation that took place between the Suns and the Rockets the other night, well, not just yet. Here's Aaron Brooks of the Rockets telling us what he did when things got heated, and it turns out the kid is wise beyond his years.



OK, I promise I'll stop talking about this now. Well, wait a minute. We are still on suspension watch pending word from the Commissioner's office, so I guess you might have to hear about it at least one more time.

[via BDL]

When it comes to rookie hazing, I like the NBA's approach (dancing in front of thousands of people) more so than MLB's (bending gender roles), though I think we can all agree it's better than what some high school football teams do.

The regular season can't come soon enough for Houston's second-year players. As Shane Battier explains, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry and the like will be subject to the same humiliation that Joey Dorsey is up until the moment they play their first regular season game of their second season. Of course, if you watch around the 2:45 mark, you'll see that Scola seems to be handling himself better than most.

(hat-tip: Dime and TSB)

You've got questions. I've got answers. If not, I'll make them up. Each Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, I answer your queries on all things related to the NFL. If you have a question, send it over to NFLMailbag@gmail.com. Don't forget to include your name and location. Click here for the archives. Rock'n'roll.

How bad will the Colts beat the Texans on Sunday? Also, will the Texans win a game this year? Matt Schaub got in tune with the game for a while last week but he is so inconsistent. I think it's time for him to take a hike and take Gary Kubiak with him.
- Ward77029, Texas

Oh ye of little faith. The Texans won't continue to slide into the 2008 twilight. While the Dolphins and Rams last year offered legitimate hope for an 0-16 season, the Texans are simply too talented to continue losing, and I think it comes together this week in what most would consider a shocker. Schaub did begin to harmonize last week, and though the Colts defense is offering a remarkably stout pass defense, they're also now missing Bob Sanders, and if we've learned anything about the Colts it's that their defense relies quite heavily on that tiny young man. Add in a remarkable Texans front four that will be playing against a Colts line that will be missing Tony Ugoh and Ryan Lilja (though the line has done a good patchwork job of protecting Peyton Manning, they've been awful on the ground, and they haven't played a unit like this), and I like the increasingly-healthy Texans' chances of getting in the win column this week. Added motivation? I don't care what Bob McNair says, the Texans have a chip on their shoulder after Jerrah equated the fourth-largest city in America with Mayberry.

Just about everybody thought Darren McFadden was the best running back in the draft, and most of those same people also agreed he would be a poor fit in Oakland.

For starters, the Raiders had something like 10 guys at the position already on the roster, and for a team that won just four games in '07, there were bigger personnel needs. Well, Al Davis might be old, but he still knows a little something about assembling a team. Or maybe he just got lucky -- either way, McFadden has been impressive during the first 10 days of training camp. From Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune:

There's a good chance the three teams that passed on McFadden are going to be sorry they did. I was skeptical when Lane Kiffin said the Raiders would have traded up to get him. Now I believe it.

Not only does McFadden's speed bring to mind Bo Jackson and Napoleon Kaufman, but he's got better hands than either, is a quick study and does everything with a smile on his face. He is even better than they thought he was.

You know, I was one of those people who thought the Raiders were insane(r?) for taking McFadden, but there's a reason I'm a blogger and not a front-office type.

For a team that has averaged fewer than four wins a season since their 2002 Super Bowl appearance, nothing should come as a surprise anymore. That said, the sight of the franchise quarterback missing practice to ice his arm must've been a tad disconcerting, if for no other reason than it led to thoughts of Andrew Walter -- or worse -- Aaron Brooks magically appearing under center to guarantee another 3.8-win season!

No worries, people. Everything's fine.

With JaMarcus Russell [icing his arm], it was because of an injury which caused him to miss his second straight practice. As of now, no one seems ready to call in Dr. Frank Jobe for consultation.

Coach Lane Kiffin said X-rays were "fine ... None whatsoever," Russell said when asked if there was anything to be overly concerned about. "I'm OK and I'm pretty happy."

Well, if Russell's happy, we should be, too, I guess. That said, the 2007 first-overall pick admitted that his elbow was "stiff and swollen" after throwing a few passes in a Tuesday morning practice, before the team decided to shut it down.

This only looks like a short-term setback, but if, God forbid, Russell is out of action for an extended period, might I recommend this fine gentleman as his replacement?

Pro Football Weekly's "The Way We Hear It" column is basically some dude combing the local papers for underreported tidbits, but "The Way We Hear It From Our Intern Who Read It in the Local Paper," isn't quite as pithy (or catchy!).

Anyway, the way PFW hears it, this news out of Oakland is, well, not all that unexpected, I guess:

Sources say Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell may not get many chances to display his rocket arm on deep pass plays this season. The Raiders' lack of depth at offensive tackle was glaring at recent OTAs. Backup OTs Seth Wand and Mario Henderson were getting plenty of work behind OLT Kwame Harris and ORT Cornell Green, who were practicing with the first unit. Russell should face a steady diet of defenders creeping in from the edges in his first full year as the team's starter and will likely have to settle for check-down passes since there may not be time for receivers to get open downfield.

Obviously, the team needs to move Robert Gallery back to tackle. He's thisclose to finally "getting it." Actually, all that would do is prematurely end Russell's NFL career, and the next thing you know Al Davis would be introducing Aaron Brooks as the Raiders' QB of the future.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Jazz at Rockets game tonight.

1. Bueller? Rafer?: So much for the speed of Aaron Brooks. Brooks' size was insufficient to deny Deron Williams and his passing lanes, and Bobby Jackson looked like he might as well have been wearing clogs against Williams. Rafer Alstonis not supposed to play tonight, and that could mean more T-R-O-U-B-L-E for the boys in red. The big problem is that with Steve Francis long ago put on the shelf, and Rafer still doubtful, the Rockets have no one with the skills necessary to guard Deron. They jump directly from inept guards to tall forwards. So they are limited in what they can do. And with the way the Jazz are spacing the floor, a trap is just too risky. The Rockets can't stop Deron, they can only hope to contain him.

2. Will The AK Firing Continue?: The big question on everyone's mind in this series is if Andrei Kirilenko will continue the kind of shooting that he displayed on Saturday night, scoring 21 points on 50% shooting. He torched the Rockets with everything from the outside games to the post and mid range jumpers. And all of this while holding Tracy McGrady to 20 points on 7 of 21 from the field. It's probably too much to ask for this every night from Kirilenko, but even if he only performs like this twice more, that could likely be the difference.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Jazz at Rockets game.

1. You Gotta Fight For The Right To Boozer: Dikembe Mutumbo is a block machine, we all know this. But Carlos Boozer should be able to blow him away with offense. Thing is, Boozer has a tendency to run straight into guys bigger than him. Maybe he has a problem with physics. Boozer needs to work his inside out game and not try and force the issue.

2. Who ARE These Guys?: Aaron Brooks. Carl Landry. Luis Scola. Who are they? You better learn them, because they have to help stop Memo Okur, Carlos Boozer, and Deron Williams. So that should be fun. The Rockets are in this crazy dance because of their bench contributors, and they're going to need a big effort from them tonight, in order to get a win, even at home.

3. Will The Real Memo Please Stand Up: We get it. Seven foot guys that can shoot the three ball. Cool. But at some point, Mehmet Okur going to need to get up and get dirty. He needs to establish the paint with Boozer and get Scola and Landry back on their heels. If he tries to play the finesse game, that plays right into the Rockets run and shoot game.

As we all cope with the realization that Brett Favre wasn't kidding with the retirement talk, the conversation now turns to the future. Primarily, what the Packers can expect from Aaron Rodgers, and also, who they can find to install in Rodgers' previous role: backup.

There's not a whole hell of a lot to choose from in free agency, which explains the list of potential candidates.

To help smooth the transition from 38-year-old quarterback Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers have shown some interest in a veteran who will be Favre's age by the time training camp starts in July.

Former Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green became the latest entry into the sweepstakes to be Rodgers' veteran backup as the team contacted his agent, Jim Steiner, in recent days.

Frankly, Green is closer to spending the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair than he is to being an NFL quarterback, but it's a seller's market. Don't worry, though; Green Bay has also shown interest in noodle-armed Mark Brunell who can excel in any offense willing to solely feature the slant pass.