Cardinals make all the right moves, win World Series opener

Tony La Russa played a hunch Wednesday. Or perhaps he was just managing by the book.

Then again, maybe it was really an educated guess from the most educated of baseball managers.

Whatever word you choose to define the moves the Cardinals manager made in Game 1 of the World Series, there is only one way to describe the outcome: successful.

St. Louis rode pinch-hitter Allen Craig's two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth inning and a parade of relievers to a 3-2 victory against the Texas Rangers, drawing first blood in the best-of-seven series before a sellout crowd on a frigid night at Busch Stadium.

Photos: Rangers vs. Cardinals in World Series

The two previous postseason series in the American and National leagues were slugfests that averaged nearly 10 runs a game. But playoff baseball was back in vogue Wednesday, when managing and pitching -- some of it done from a tightrope -- dominated the World Series opener

C.J. Wilson, who hasn't won a game since the Rangers clinched their division last month, started for Texas and struggled early, throwing five of his first six pitches for balls, walking batters in each of the first two innings and giving up a single to start the third. But the left-hander, wearing short sleeves despite a 43-degree wind chill -- five degrees colder than it was at the start of the NHL's Winter Classic on Jan. 1 in Pittsburgh -- didn't allow any of those runners to get past first base.

That all changed in the fourth when he hit Albert Pujols on the foot to start the inning, gave up a double to Matt Holliday, then watched both runners score on Lance Berkman's single.

Video: Fitzpatrick the Underdog?

William C. Rhoden discusses the contradiction of calling the Bills’ Ryan Fitzpatrick an underdog.

Stalemate Remains on Collecting Blood Samples for H.G.H. Testing

Nearly two months after it had hoped to start blood testing for human growth hormone, and several days after two Congressmen announced there was a deal to begin collecting blood samples immediately, the N.F.L. and its players union remained at a standstill on Wednesday over the program.

This week, the N.F.L. sent a letter to the union saying that on Monday it was prepared to start collecting blood, which would be held until the final details of a testing plan were worked out. The union’s response was: No, not yet.

“We informed the N.F.L. yesterday that absent a collective agreement on several critical issues, blood collection is not ready to be implemented on Monday,” the union said in a statement Wednesday. “We have advised the players.”

Adolpho Birch, the league executive who oversees the drug-testing program, said: “It’s directly counter to what everyone in that room Friday heard. I agree with the union that they want some education, wanted to meet with Usada, which Usada offered to set up,” he said in reference to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

“To say we didn’t have an understanding that the collections would begin forthwith? It was a novel way to break the impasse. We get the deterrence value now, and we understand that one day these are going to be tested. But we buy more time for the union to do what they feel like they need to do to give their members confidence. It was certainly clear we agreed in that room.”

If the stalemate continues, the sides may have to again meet with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Last Friday, Representatives Darrell Issa, Republican of California, and Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, told union representatives and the league that if blood collection was not started within two weeks, they would be called back for a meeting that, the Congressmen told them, “would not be pretty,” according to two people who were present.

The proposal to begin the collection of blood — but not test it — came from Issa and Cummings. According to people at the meeting, Issa went around the table asking if everybody agreed to the idea and everyone did, including representatives from the union, which did not include its executive director, DeMaurice Smith.

When Issa said that he and Cummings were going to tell reporters that a deal had been reached, nobody objected. What also came through at the meeting,  a person present said, was a lack of trust among players for the N.F.L. in the wake of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

The N.F.L. and the union agreed to implement human growth hormone testing as part of the collective bargaining agreement completed in August, but first, the union had to agree to the testing method. Since then, the union has raised concerns about the test widely used on athletes, including those in the Olympics, and it has asked to see the population studies used to set the threshold for positive tests. The union said that committee members said that they would help obtain the necessary information from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has said that more than enough information is available to validate the test.

On Wednesday, George Atallah, the union spokesman, said that process had not yet begun.

Atallah said that the union perceived the N.F.L.’s letter as an announcement that it planned to impose testing, which prompted the union’s response. He also said the union wanted blood drawn only for a purpose, not simply for the sake of drawing it to hold it for a later date.

“What is the purpose of that?” Atallah said. “To start a population study? To hold and test at a later time? To appease Congress? If the purpose is a population study, let’s discuss how we do that.”

He added: “The answer to people who think we’re stalling is nothing has changed. The only people who have delayed the process are the people withholding information about the reliability and effectiveness of the test.”

Birch said the N.F.L. would not attempt to begin blood collection next week unless the union agreed.

 “We continue to think this thing has to be hashed out and done by agreement of all,” Birch said.

“It’s been the position of the league for years that it’s important that players understand an effective program is good for them,” he added. “I wouldn’t want to get into a situation where we are forcing things in a way that would make it appear that it’s not to the benefit of all.”

Dan Wheldon crash: IndyCar revises team members in probe

The Izod IndyCar Series on Wednesday revised its information about the team investigating the death of driver Dan Wheldon from injuries in a 15-car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The series initially said Tuesday that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula One racing, and the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, an umbrella organization of racing sanctioning bodies, would assist in its probe of Sunday's accident.

But "it was incorrect to state that either ACCUS or FIA are formally involved," IndyCar said without explanation in a revised statement. It added, however, that "individual members of various motorsports bodies" would help in the investigation.

IndyCar reiterated that it hoped to report preliminary findings about the crash "within the next several weeks."

A public memorial for Wheldon, who was 33 and a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, is scheduled Sunday in Indianapolis.

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Dan Wheldon was an engaging young champion

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Dan Wheldon after winning the Indianapolis 500 last May 29. Credit: Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Correction Has Arrived for N.F.L. Passing Barrage

For weeks, we have been told that the N.F.L. has turned into a passing league. That the pinball-machine passing and scoring numbers were the new norm. That all the rules changes over the past three decades had left us with a game that looks more like the Arena Football League.  Then Week 6 came.

You might have heard that the first four weeks of this year featured the four highest single-week passing yardage totals in league history. That was a little misleading, as each of those weeks had 32 teams playing, which was not the case for most of league history. But even on a per-game basis, the first four — and then the fifth — weeks of this season had huge passing numbers.  In the first four weeks, the average team gained 246 passing yards and scored 22.8 points per game. In Week 5, the 26 teams playing averaged 239 passing yards and 25 points per game. But this past week, while the average team passed for 232 passing yards, scoring dropped to 20.1 points. And that drop in points can be  attributed to the drop in passing touchdowns.

There were 54 passing touchdowns in Week 1, and another 54 in Week 2. Last week — the first with teams on byes — 26 teams passed for 45 touchdowns, an even higher average per team game (1.73) than in the first two weeks. But the 26 teams this past weekend passed for only 27 touchdowns, and that includes the fake-field goal touchdown pass from Oakland punter Shane Lechler. In each of the first two weeks, 18 teams had at least two touchdown passes. This weekend, only 7 of the 24 teams threw for multiple touchdowns.

Roughly half of that drop in production can be attributed to less efficient production in the red zone. In Week 5, quarterbacks threw for 26 touchdowns with only three interceptions in the red zone. Those numbers dropped to 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last week.

So what’s the explanation for the drop? We won’t know for a while. Maybe the 2011 season will end up being the most pass-happy season in league history, and this week will just be a blip. Or maybe, 2011 will look a lot like 2009 and 2010.

I looked at all quarterback passing numbers in the first six weeks of each of the past five seasons. Generally, Week 6 isn’t any different from the first five weeks; in other words, it’s not common for the entire league to produce big numbers early and then trail off before mid-season. An obvious explanation would be that the lockout left offenses ahead of defenses for the first month of the season. Maybe that’s true, but I agree with Brian Burke of Advanced NFL Stats that such analysis is intellectually lazy. We generally heard that defenses would be ahead of offenses and that teams with new parts would struggle. Perhaps an explanation is that the early-season production was just a fluke. Consider: Of the 30 weeks in the first six weeks of the past five seasons, the highest three passing-touchdown-per-game ratios came in Weeks 1, 2 and 5 of this season. Those were the only weeks in which teams averaged at least 1.6 passing touchdowns per game. The single lowest week in the study? This past weekend, as quarterbacks passed for just 26 touchdowns in 26 games. After a month of nonstop passing touchdowns and scoring, the correction finally came. Don’t write the obituary on defenses just yet.

Quarterback passing touchdowns, Weeks 1-6 in the 2007-2011 seasons
( 2011 is represented in white, 2010 in green, 2009 in red, 2008 in blue and 2007 in purple, from Footballguys.com)

Pat Shurmur didn’t fall far from Andy Reid

Two quarterbacks are on pace to break the single-season record for pass attempts (691, set by Drew Bledsoe in 1994). Drew Brees is on pace for 704 pass attempts.  He has twice led the league in pass attempts since coming to New Orleans, which doesn’t include last season, when he threw over 650 passes. But would you guess the other is Cleveland’s Colt McCoy? After five games, McCoy is on pace for 694 pass attempts. In wins against Indianapolis and Miami, McCoy threw 32 and 39 passes.  In all three losses, McCoy has thrown at least 40 passes, and as Cleveland’s schedule becomes more difficult, McCoy may actually stay on this incredible pace.

McCoy has 217 pass attempts in just five starts, after throwing 222 passes in 8 games in 2010. So what happened? Part of the reason is the new head coach, Pat Shurmur. Shurmur was the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach from ‘99 to ‘08, learning under pass-happy guru Andy Reid. Shurmur was upgraded to offensive coordinator in St. Louis, but the team went 1-15 in his first season. In his second year, Shurmur helped the rookie Sam Bradford break the rookie record for pass attempts in a season, even though Bradford actually was well below average on a per attempt basis in 2010.

Shurmur was hired this past off-season to resurrect the Cleveland offense, and his philosophy can best be described as pass first, throw second and, just in case, air it out third. Colt McCoy is no stranger to playing in a pass-happy offense; he starred in a spread offense in college at Texas. In the Fiesta Bowl, he threw 58 times in a win over Ohio State. But McCoy hasn’t taken to Shurmur’s offense so far. Cleveland ranks last in yards per attempt, 30th in net yards per attempt and 26th in adjusted net yards per attempt. But with Peyton Hillis struggling in 2011 and Montario Hardesty failing to pick up the slack, McCoy may end up challenging Bledsoe’s mark for pass attempts in a season. If Brees doesn’t beat him to it first.

Playing defense like it’s 2000

Fans in Baltimore may not understand all the talk about the offensive explosion, and not just because Joe Flacco has been underwhelming. The Baltimore defense has been lights out through five games, ranking in the top three in net yards per pass attempt, adjusted net yards per pass attempt, rushing yards, rushing yards per carry and rushing first downs per game allowed. The Ravens have forced 14 turnovers in five games, the highest rate in the league. Baltimore leads the league in points allowed per game. But there’s one stat that really drives the point home.

The Ravens have allowed four passing touchdowns. They’ve allowed one rushing touchdown. And they’ve scored four touchdowns, one each from Lardarius Webb, Haloti Ngata, Jarret Johnson and Jameel McClain. With coming games against the Jaguars and the Cardinals, don’t look for the defense to slow down anytime soon.

Chase Stuart contributes to the Pro-Football-Reference.com blog and to Footballguys.com.

Much-Needed Win for Jets, but What Does It Mean?

The prevailing emotion in the Jets’ locker room late Monday night after they beat the hapless Miami Dolphins, 24-6, was that of relief. Never has being an average team with a 3-3 record felt so good.

“To get the feeling of winning, when you don’t get that three times in a row, you start doubting yourself,” guard Brandon Moore said.

The Jets did what they expected, and were expected, to do against Miami. They won and won decisively. And still, the feeling exists that the Jets did not play that well, or as well as the 18-point margin of victory indicated.

It took 24 minutes for them to register their first first down. They gained 10 yards of offense in the first quarter. On defense, they failed to protect the edge on the Dolphins’ first play from scrimmage, watching Reggie Bush bolt around the right end for 36 yards, and a few breakdowns led to some big Miami gains.

Better teams than Miami capitalize on those mistakes, and one of those better teams happens to be visiting MetLife Stadium next Sunday: the 4-1 San Diego Chargers. By winning Monday night, can the Jets resume dreaming of the playoffs, or did the victory conceal some ever-present flaws?

Week 6 Film Review: Eagles Up, Grossman Down

A closer look at Sunday’s games, with the benefit of film analysis:

Eagles O vs. Redskins D

Philadelphia had a shrewd plan. In the air, the Eagles featured hitch routes that took advantage of the off-coverage techniques that Redskins corners like to play. On the ground, they featured delay off-tackle runs. On those plays, off the snap, the Eagles’ offensive tackles allowed the Redskins outside linebackers to penetrate off the edges. This made the outside linebacker speed actually work against Washington and also masked the limitations of Todd Herremans (playing a little out of position at left tackle) and Winston Justice (first start of the season at right tackle). Brilliant. This concept was also used on screen passes (Brent Celek’s touchdown being most notable). Not every team can use this sort of delay approach; the stop-start nature of it requires a running back with outstanding initial quickness and laterally agility. Few, if any, running backs are better at this than LeSean McCoy. As for other Eagles, Michael Vick ran well, was accurate and had a firm grasp on his straightforward reads. When Herremans wasn’t asked to steer Brian Orakpo outside, he was asked to make blocks at the second level. He did a fantastic job. Celek had a few issues catching the ball cleanly, but, for the first time in a long time, was a focal point in the passing game.

Redskins O vs. Eagles D

Rex Grossman was as bad as the numbers indicate. However, he was playing behind an offensive line that lost both of its left side starters early. When underrated Kory Lichtensteiger went down, Will Montgomery moved to left guard and Erik Cook played center. Both struggled against the energetic, forceful Eagles defensive tackles (Mike Patterson was particularly impactful). Left tackle Sean Locklear, replacing Trent Williams, also had some hiccups. This doesn’t come close to excusing Grossman’s poor performance. He was frenetic in the pocket and simply did not read the safety on several throws (Kurt Coleman’s anticipation and athleticism generated three interceptions). When he wasn’t tossing picks, Grossman was inaccurate under duress and throwing outside the numbers. John Beck led the Skins down the field late, but he had some struggles with arm strength and presnap reads. Finally, Philadelphia’s much-maligned linebacking group played well operating in fewer wide-9 defensive fronts. Jamar Chaney was sharp in run reads and Brian Rolle was heady in zone coverage.

Saints O vs. Bucs D

The Bucs did a 180 from a week ago, seeming to be extremely well prepared. Their front seven played fast and successfully limited Darren Sproles’s runs after catches. Linebacker Geno Hayes was dynamic in the first half. Up front, end Michael Bennett was disruptive against the run, and opposite him, rookie Adrian Clayborn ate left tackle Jermon Bushrod’s lunch (no surprise). Brian Price was solid if not spectacular at nose tackle, plugging early and penetrating late. The Saints were able to move the ball in the second half, primarily because Drew Brees is a magician with incredible pocket awareness. Tight end Jimmy Graham remained the go-to guy, lining up all over the formation. There’s simply no answer for him (he was often defended by Ronde Barber). That said, the Bucs’ secondary played well over all and tipped the scales with a few opportunistic turnovers.

Bucs O vs. Saints D

Josh Freeman rebounded well, coming off the worst performance of his professional career. After unnecessarily fleeing the pocket at San Francisco last week, Freeman commendably stayed home and kept his eyes downfield against an aggressive Saints rush. The Saints never did reach him (credit the poised Bucs O-line). Still, it was not the crispest of passing attacks. Freeman often threw with defenders in his face, which was a problem. Much of Freeman’s arm strength comes from his legs; when he’s not on the move or doesn’t have room to step into his throw, his ball tends to float. This allowed time for the Saints corners to swat passes. Bucs wideout Mike Williams needs to do a better job of attacking the ball when defenders are draped all over him. The difference in the game was Tampa Bay’s ability to generate timely big plays and get running back Earnest Graham, who’s more dynamic than LeGarrette Blount, to the second level.

Rams O vs. Packers D

The Rams executed well enough – they just don’t have the receiving talent to compete with a world champion defense. The Packers had no trouble containing the receivers one-on-one, whether it was press-man or, more often, moving zone concepts. Wideout Danario Alexander has a good frame but must improve his body control and fight harder for positioning versus man coverage. Rookie Greg Salas caught everything thrown to him underneath, but what he’ll be remembered for from this game was showing up Sam Bradford when he didn’t get the ball late in the fourth (blatant immaturity). For the Packers, two things stood out: A.J. Hawk (fantastic quickness and execution on green dog blitzes, and he played with speed and recognition patrolling underneath) and the cornerbacks’ speed and stoutness in run support (Charles Woodson might be the smartest run-defending defensive back in the league).

Packers O vs. Rams D

The Packers evaluated the Rams on film and decided that their defensive back seven could be manipulated with play-action and play fakes. That was the crux of the plan in the first half, and it worked to perfection on Green Bay’s first two touchdowns (an outstanding rollout and long loft from Aaron Rodgers to James Jones on the first one, a pump fake on a double move by Jordy Nelson against Al Harris on the second one). Green Bay’s front five was outstanding in pass protection (particularly Bryan Bulaga, who started at right tackle in his first game back from a Week 3 knee injury) and Rodgers was sensational in the way he bought himself time. One concern from this game for the Packers could be their ground attack. Green Bay’s offensive line was unable to move St. Louis’s defensive line – especially inside. That limited what Green Bay’s running backs could do against a Rams linebacking corps that is not playing with confidence or clarity these days.

Colts O vs. Bengals D

The longer Curtis Painter held the ball, the worse things seemed to be for the Colts. The more complex the situation, the more likely Painter was to make a mistake. It was wise of offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen to compose a gameplan that featured quick slants and underneath seam throws. Those plays had Painter making one read and striking. That said, the Bengals are an aggressive, athletic bunch, so it’s not enough to think you can simply out-execute them. Their defensive line didn’t dominate, but it controlled the trenches. Their cornerbacks kept everything in front of them (save for Morgan Trent’s poor pass interference penalty in the end zone). It still remains to be seen how this defense will respond once it encounters a high-flying passing attack. Cincinnati’s safeties have not been challenged in coverage thus far.

Bengals O vs. Colts D

This was Andy Dalton’s most impressive performance as a young pro. The rookie had a clear picture of Indy’s zone defense and confidently knew where and when his throwing windows would open up. He had great timing with Jerome Simpson (a quick-breaking slant receiver who can pluck the ball) and allowed the sinewy A.J. Green to capitalize on big-play opportunities. Dalton’s accuracy was sharp both in the pocket and on designed rollouts (often off play-action, which sliced the field in half and defined his reads). The Colts’ speedy linebackers and safeties were excellent against the run (Pat Angerer was everywhere) but pass-rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis seemed to be non-factors. Credit Bengals offensive tackles Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith for that.

Andy Benoit is an N.F.L. analyst for CBSSports.com and founder of NFLTouchdown.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLTouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.

Jerry Jones Was Right; Cowboys Should Have Passed

Jason Garrett has received a lot of criticism for his decision to call three straight runs while up, 16-13, with 3 minutes 36 seconds to play in Sunday’s game in New England, perhaps the harshest of which came from his boss. “We rolled the dice at the end and went conservative,” the Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, said, ”and it bit us. You always second-guess whether or not we should have tried to run a little offense down there instead of running it three times.”

Jones is often misguided in his critiques of coaches and players, but this one is spot-on. Garrett’s decision to keep the ball on the ground late in game was the wrong one for several reasons, not the least of which is that running the ball was statistically inferior to passing on each of the Cowboys’ three offensive plays. There is some evidence of this in Advanced NFL Stats’ Win Probability Graph, which showed that the Cowboys’ odds of coming out victorious dropped from 85 percent at the start of the drive to 74 percent within two plays. With only a few minutes to play and the ball in the hands of your offense, an 11 percent dip is rather significant.

Of course, those percentages would be different had the Cowboys executed Garrett’s calls, but was there really optimism to think the offense would do anything but go three-and-out if ordered to run? The Cowboys were averaging just 3.67 yards per carry up until that point, with 17 of their rushing yards coming on a fluky Tony Romo scramble. Only 22.2 percent of their runs went for more than four yards.

Defenders of Garrett might argue that Dallas had held Tom Brady to 6.59 yards per attempt and the Patriots to 13 points through 57-plus minutes, so there was reason to believe they could halt New England if the ground attack stumbled. With 3:36 to play and the Pats having a full arsenal of timeouts, however, the approach should have been more focused on moving the ball in a positive direction rather than running down the clock. A failure to record a first down, as we witnessed, put the Patriots in a situation similar to one in which they may have found themselves had Dallas gone three-and-out using its regular offense.

The obvious drain-the-clock offensive strategy was ineffective, and by the time Brady took the field, New England was equipped with 2:31 and a timeout.  On top of that, the notion that Brady was somehow significantly less likely to move the ball for at least a game-tying field goal simply because the offense sputtered a bit prior to that final drive is magical thinking. No N.F.L. coach should feel safe when Brady’s Patriots are within one score and have possession, especially with over two minutes to play.

The same sort of gambler’s fallacy that may have been the origin of Garrett’s misconceptions about his defense’s chances of thwarting Brady was also probably a major contributor to his late-game play-calling. Garrett seemed to go conservative late because he failed in an ultra-aggressive approach that led to Dallas’s 24-point blown lead against the Lions two weeks ago.

Disregarding the fact that the game situations were drastically different, Garrett needs to improve at not allowing past results to influence present decisions. He shouldn’t shy away from consulting advanced statistics and using them in specific game situations. It’s like regularly hitting on 18 in blackjack. When you consistently disregard the numbers, the house (or home team) always wins.

Jonathan Bales is the founder of DallasCowboysTimes.com, a site dedicated to film study and statistical analysis of the Cowboys.

NBA mediation talks end for the day, are set to resume Thursday

Another day, another grueling negotiating session.

Wednesday's mediation session between NBA owners and locked-out players was halted before 4 p.m. PDT, and talks are to resume Thursday.

Federal mediator George Cohen told reporters in New York that Wednesday's session was stopped after nearly nine hours of talks to allow NBA owners and Commissioner David Stern to attend a previously scheduled NBA Board of Governors meeting, also in New York.

Cohen has instituted a gag order on the labor meetings as both sides work to bridge gaps over how to split basketball-related income (BRI). Last season, players received 57% of BRI, or about $2.17 billion in total salaries.

The sides had a 16-hour marathon session with Cohen that started Tuesday and ended early Wednesday morning EDT.

USC basketball: Trojans get verbal commit from ex-Wake Forest guard

J.T. Terrell, a former Wake Forest guard who is currently enrolled at junior college, verbally committed to transfer to USC on Wednesday afternoon, according to multiple sources close to the situation who were not authorized to speak on the record.

Terrell, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining beginning in 2012-13. He was considered one of the top high school guard recruits in 2010 and is arguably the top overall junior college prospect nationally this year. 

He's expected to sign on Nov. 9, the first day of the fall signing period. He would be a great boost for a team that this season has zero seniors in its rotation. He's noted for his athleticism and three-point shooting ability. 

At Wake Forest in 2010-11, he played in 32 games as a freshman and was second on the team in scoring (11.1 points per game). He also ranked second on the team in assists (1.6)) and fourth in steals (0.7).

He scored in double figures in 16 games, including three games of 20 or more points. His 32 points on Nov. 11 against Iowa, a game in which he made seven of 11 three-point shots, were a season-high for an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman. 

Withholding Judgment on Sam Bradford

Chase Stuart, who contributes to the Fifth Down, took some criticism from Rams fans in August for writing on Pro-Football-Reference.com that Sam Bradford’s rookie season in 2010 was overrated. Stuart’s point was that football pundits were overrating Bradford — he was being called a surefire star — not that Bradford was a failure.

Stuart wrote:

If you wanted the perfect storm of a formula that would spit out an overrated rookie quarterback, you would want to have a quarterback who:

Finished near the top of the league in attempts, overinflating his yards and touchdown metrics. Yards and touchdowns aren’t good ways to grade quarterbacks, but that doesn’t stop people from doing just that;
Played for a team with just a couple of wins in the prior year, so the quarterback would get credit for any regression to the mean in the form of a significant increase in wins;
Played a really weak schedule that boosted the quarterback’s individual stats and team wins; and
Played for a team whose defense got a lot better without adding any big names, so people can just think “what’s the difference between them this year and last year? That rookie QB and not much else.”

The problem when it comes to evaluating Bradford is that too many people are paying too much attention to the wrong stats. Bradford’s 2010 performance wasn’t very good, even for a rookie. Over the past 20 seasons, there have been 37 quarterbacks to throw at least 224 passes in their rookie season. According to the Net Yards per Attempt Index, which grades each quarterback by his average net yards per pass attempt adjusted for era, Bradford ranks just 22nd out of 37 quarterbacks. That puts him just behind Tony Banks and Trent Edwards, and right ahead of Joey Harrington and Matt Stafford. Bradford ranked 31st in NY/A last season, only topping Carolina’s Jimmy Clausen; he ranked just 29th in Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt. Does that scream superstar to you?

This season, Bradford is again 31st in net passing yards per attempt (4.8 yards), with the caveat that his supporting cast is once again subpar.

Stuart wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday:

Here are the three big factors for the 2010 and 2011 Rams:

2010:
Rams passing offense ranks 30th in Net yards per Attempt
Rams have a strength of schedule 4.2 points below average, 2nd easiest in the league
Rams rank 9th in points allowed

2011:

Rams passing offense ranks 31st in Net yards per Attempt
Rams have a SOS of 5.0 above average, 2nd hardest in the league
Rams rank 30th in PPG allowed

2010, Rams go 7-9
2011, Rams go 0-5, staring 0-7 (@Dal, NO) in the face

The only possible conclusion: Sam Bradford was awesome last year, but stinks this year.

In other words, Bradford got too much credit last season for the Rams’ improvement to 7-9 from 1-15, and he shouldn’t be assigned too much of the blame this year.

If anything, Bradford’s performance has been consistently mediocre in both seasons. That doesn’t mean he won’t become a star, just that he shouldn’t be called one until he has proved it. Stuart said Bradford’s 2010 season said “little about how the rest of his career will unfold” and concluded:

As the number one overall pick in the draft, Bradford has a bright future. But his rookie season was noteworthy for just one thing: he threw the ball a lot.

Calling for Questions About the N.F.L.

What can Broncos fans expect from Tim Tebow this week? Did the Carson Palmer trade turn the Raiders into Super Bowl contenders, or did they get fleeced by the Bengals? Judy Battista, the N.F.L. reporter for The New York Times, will again answer selected questions from readers of the Fifth Down. Submit your questions in the comments section here, and Judy’s answers will appear on the blog on Friday.

Do the Cardinals need to win World Series to keep Albert Pujols?

Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss whether the St. Louis Cardinals' success in keeping soon-to-be free agent Albert Pujols is contingent on the team winning the World Series. Check back throughout the day for more responses and weigh in with a comment of your own.

Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times

The short answer is yes, Albert Pujols is absolutely coming back to St. Louis.

Well, probably. Oh, just say maybe.

Truth is, even Albert doesn't know what he's going to do. And he's refusing to talk about it now. "Let's talk about how I can help my team bring another World Series to the greatest fans in baseball," he said Tuesday.

Those "greatest fans" are likely to play heavily in Pujols' offseason thinking. As will his charity work and his business ties in St. Louis.

The clincher, though, may be the offers he gets. Pujols reportedly was looking for 10 years and $300 million. He won't get either. The lessons of Alex Rodriguez, who has struggled since signing a 10-year, $275-million extension with the Yankees, will lead to caution. So unless Pujols does markedly better than the seven years and $200 million the Cardinals have already offered, look for him to remain in St. Louis.

Blake Griffin injures foot, will miss charity game

Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin suffered a small cut on his right foot while swimming in the ocean and will not play in Sunday’s charity basketball game in Oklahoma City.

Griffin’s agent Sam Goldfeder said it was a minor injury and Griffin should be back on the court soon.

Griffin, who is from Oklahoma City, was co-sponsoring the charity event with Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant.

Other NBA stars scheduled to play in the exhibition include LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

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NBA labor talks resume after post-midnight session

NBA lockout: Live video chat with Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner

--Broderick Turner

Photo: Blake Griffin receives the Rookie of the Year trophy in May. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history No. 14: Don Drysdale

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history with No. 14, Don Drysdale.

No. 14 Don Drysdale (no first-place votes, 1,168 points)

Big D was one of the best pitchers in baseball during his time with the Dodgers. A larger-than-life character, not only was Drysdale notorious for knocking hitters down with pitches (his 154 hit batsmen remains the modern NL record), he later became an actor and an excellent baseball broadcaster.

Career highlights: In 1962, Drysdale won 25 games and the Cy Young Award. In 1965, he was the Dodgers' only .300 hitter and tied the National League record for home runs by a pitcher with seven. (The person whose record he tied? Don Drysdale.) In 1968, he set major league records with six consecutive shutouts and 58 consecutive scoreless innings (a record later broken by fellow Dodger Orel Hershiser in 1988). 

Drysdale was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, and had his number 53 retired by the Dodgers the same year.

Don Drysdale retired in midseason in 1969 because of a shoulder injury. He segued into acting and broadcasting, including a memorable appearance on "The Brady Bunch." He became a broadcaster for not just the Dodgers (from 1988-1993), but also the Angels from 1973-79 and 1981.

On July 3, 1993, while working as a Dodgers broadcaster in Montreal, the 56-year-old Drysdale suffered a heart attack and died.

RELATED:

No. 15 Merlin Olsen

No. 16 Jerry Buss

No. 17: Elgin Baylor

No. 18: Marcus Allen

No. 19: Jim Murray

No. 20: Wilt Chamberlain

Your votes are in: The 20 greatest sports figures in L.A. history

--Houston Mitchell

 Photo: Don Drysdale in 1959. Credit: Associated Press.

St. Louis Cardinals: Did Dizzy Dean come in from the radio booth to pitch a game for them?

BASEBALL URBAN LEGEND: A team's radio announcer came in to pitch the final game of the team's season.

Criticism of professional athletes by announcers put an interesting spin on a traditional retort that people being criticized often use, which is the classic "could you do any better?" In the case of sports announcers, though, the one doing the criticism often was once a professional athlete, and often legitimately could have done better when they were younger! Therefore, quite often the playing career of the media member is put on trial when they criticize current players. In October 2010, when Brandon Marshall of the Miami Dolphins was criticized by NFL Network analysts Sterling Sharpe, Mike Mayock and Solomon Wilcots (all former NFL players) over his conditioning, Marshall retorted, "But again, those guys never coached, and I don't honestly think that those guys were elite players, including Sterling Sharpe. I know he's done some good things, but from my understanding, he's not a Hall of Fame player." When Sharpe was Marshall's age, he actually had a better resume (by 26, they were both named to two Pro Bowls, but Sharpe also was a first team All-Pro while Marshall was "just" a second teamer), but imagine if the 45-year-old Sharpe could actually back up his criticisms of the 26-year-old Marshall on the field? That's just what St. Louis Cardinal legend Dizzy Dean did on the last day of the 1947 season when he came out of retirement for one last game just to prove a point.

Read on to see what happened!

Ronnie Brown yet to show in Detroit after Jerome Harrison trade

Ronnie Brown is a member of the Detroit Lions, right?

A trade with Philadelphia for Jerome Harrison and an undisclosed pick in the 2013 draft was announced by the Eagles on Tuesday, but the Lions have yet to officially confirm the swap of the two running backs.

There is no mention of Brown on the team's website (Harrison is listed on the rosters on both teams' sites, while Brown is on neither). And Brown was not present at the start of the Lions' practice Wednesday, when reporters had access to the field.

But there is one person within the Detroit organization who is acknowledging the addition of Brown and that is Coach Jim Schwartz, obviously a pretty reliable source.

Schwartz talked about the acquisition of Brown earlier in the day during a conference call with Atlanta-area reporters ahead of the Lions' home game against the Falcons on Sunday. He said Brown should have no trouble catching on to the Detroit offense because he's a veteran player who worked with Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan in Miami.

Brown was considered to be one of the Eagles' so-called Dream Team acquisitions during the off-season, but has just 38 yards on 13 attempts with no touchdowns and one fumble (on an embarrassing backward pass at the goal line against the San Francisco 49ers).

Harrison has rushed for 41 yards on 14 attempts this season.

ALSO:

Is the Raiders' trading for Carson Palmer a good idea? [Poll]

Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell caught in whirlwind with Raiders

— Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Photo: Philadelphia Eagles (now Detroit Lions) running back Ronnie Brown fumbles against San Francisco. Credit: Julio Cortez / Associated Press

NBA labor talks resume after post-midnight session

Efforts to end the NBA lockout have resumed with labor talks with a federal mediator presiding Wednesday.

The session follows a grueling 16-plus-hour session that concluded just after 2 a.m. Wednesday. The mediator, George Cohen, instituted a gag order that kept the sides from assessing any progress.

The length of today's meeting is uncertain given the need of some owners to attend the NBA's Board of Governors gathering today, also in New York.

An NBA spokesman said Wednesday that the owners' planning committee meeting has been moved to "early this evening," as a result of the labor talks.

The Board of Governors are expected to discuss -- and possibly approve -- a revised revenue-sharing program that would help clarify how teams can improve upon a financial system that the league claims created $300 million in losses last season, with 22 of 30 teams losing money.

The planning committee is charged with tackling revenue sharing.

As the owners and players started negotiating Tuesday, they each wanted a 53% split of basketball-related income (BRI) after the players earned 57% last season -- about $2.17 billion. The sides were also divided on the owners' idea of establishing a hard salary cap or extremely prohibitive luxury tax that the players argue would reduce guaranteed money and contract length.

--Lance Pugmire   

Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell caught in whirlwind with Raiders

Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell are two examples of just how fast things can change in the world of the NFL.

On Sunday afternoon, Campbell was in the midst of reviving both his career as an NFL quarterback and the fortunes of the Oakland Raiders. Meanwhile, Palmer was at home, refusing to play for the team that employed him and considering himself to be retired.

Then suddenly Campbell broke his collarbone late in the first half against Cleveland, and everything was turned upside down. Two days later, Palmer was introduced as the Raiders' new quarterback and Campbell is left to wonder if he will ever suit up for the team again.

“I went to bed at 10:30 a retired football player and got a text message at 4 a.m. and was told to get on a plane to Oakland,” said Palmer, who has been sitting out all season and had said he'd never play for the Cincinnati Bengals again. "So it's been a whirlwind."

Campbell had surgery Monday, and while he was confident he'd be back in as little as six weeks, others fear he's out for the season. With just Kyle Boller and rookie Terrelle Pryor as the only other quarterbacks on the roster, Oakland Coach Hue Jackson acted fast, turning to a player he helped recruit at USC.

"I know his passion," Jackson said of Palmer. "I know his dedication to the game. What's gone on for Carson at Cincinnati is over. The time is now and that's what I'm going to worry about.”

The Raiders gave up a lot to get the 32-year-old Palmer -- a first-round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional second-round pick in 2013 that could become a first-rounder. But Jackson called it "the greatest trade in football."

“I know a lot of people think we've mortgaged the future of the organization,” Jackson said. “I don't see it that way. I don't think you ever mortgage the future of an organization when you're putting a real big-time franchise quarterback on your team.”

Palmer, 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, is a classic downfield thrower, although an elbow injury in 2008 may have affected his arm strength.

But, he said, “I've been throwing and my arm feels as good as it ever has. I feel confident in it. It's my job to answer that question. The only way I can do that is on the field, throwing it.”

Palmer reportedly agreed to a restructured contract that would pay him $2.5 million this season, $12.5 million in 2012, $13 million in 2013 and $15 million in 2014, with $7.5 million guaranteed next season.

Where all this leaves Campbell -- the man who led the Raiders to a surprising 4-2 start -- is unclear. But it probably isn't in Oakland, at least not for much longer. His contract is up at the end of the year, so his days with the team may have been numbered anyway.

But at least he got a chance to put on a pretty good audition for another team during the first six weeks of this season.

ALSO:

Chargers face another old 'friend' on Sunday

Is the Raiders' trading for Carson Palmer a good idea? [Poll]

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photos, from left: Carson Palmer (Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press); Jason Campbell (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press).

Dan Wheldon crash investigation grows; IndyCar test run canceled

With a public memorial service for Dan Wheldon set for Sunday, the investigation into the death of the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has picked up pace.

IndyCar has announced that two larger auto-racing organizations will take part in the Wheldon crash  investigation: Formula One governing body FIA and auto-racing sanctioning group Automobile Competition Committee, according to the Associated Press. Meantime, IndyCar officials on Tuesday canceled tests planned for this week of the new 2012 race car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the 33-year-old Wheldon died in a stunning 15-car crash Sunday.

Dario Franchitti had been set to to make the test run in Vegas on Wednesday and Thursday.

Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd, said on Twitter: "I appreciate IndyCar canceling my husband's test at Las Vegas track. The new car needs development — but not now, and never again there."

Judd earlier memorialized her husband's good friend:

As we continue to absorb Dan's accident -- we forget, remember, re-experience shock, denial, anger, pain -- I'm reminded of a favorite poem: DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so, For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow, Due not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest & sleepe, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure then from thee, much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie. One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die. J Donne.

Sunday's service is set to begin at 4 p.m. Eastern time at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Crash investigation is launched

Wheldon's death hits the racing community hard

Bill Dwyre on Dan Wheldon: An engaging young champion

-- Amy Hubbard

Photo: A memorial to Dan Wheldon is displayed on a Las Vegas Motor Speedway sign. Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images

HBO Explores Link Between N.H.L. Fighting and Depression

In the aftermath of the deaths this summer of three N.H.L. players, HBO’s “Real Sports” produced a segment that does not shine a positive light on fighting in the game.

The piece does not answer the question whether the deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak were directly connected to their roles as fighters. N.H.L. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells the reporter, Bernard Goldberg, there is no concrete medical evidence that proves there is a link.

Goldberg, however, receives testimony from former enforcers about the toll of knowing they had to engage in fights, starting with the first day of training camp.

“I was this fun-loving boy who loved hockey, and all of a sudden I became a monster,” said Jim Thomson, a former enforcer with Los Angeles. A frequent fighter, Thomson racked up 162 penalty minutes in just 45 games with the Kings in the 1991-92 season. “I was afraid, 24-7. I was shivering every night, curled up in a ball, knowing I had to go in and fight.” Thomson recalls a conversation he had with Belak: “I asked him, ‘Do you like (fighting).” Thomson said Belak responded, “I hate it.”

Belak’s death this summer was suspected to be a suicide. Rypien’s was reported as a suicide and Boogaard died of a drug overdose.

Later in the segment, Thomson says, “I know, from lying in my bed and thinking about taking my life many, many times, I was depressed. How can I not be depressed, knowing I had to go out tomorrow night and fight two 6-foot-6 monsters? Was I supposed to be happy? That was depression.”

Goldberg also interviews the former journeyman enforcer Brantt Myhres, who claims fighting led him to abuse alcohol and drugs (he received a lifetime suspension from the N.H.L.), and Cam Stewart, a former agitating forward who coached Boogaard in the minors and spoke with him frequently before his death. Dr. Robert Cantu, a Boston neurosurgeon, says N.H.L. enforcers have told him they suffer concussions “every fourth or fifth fight” but never tell doctors of their symptoms for fear of losing their jobs.

This edition of “Real Sports” debuts tonight on HBO at 10:00 p.m. with frequent repeats over the next two weeks.

UFC 137: GSP out with knee injury, Carlos Condit philosophical

Georges St Pierre has been forced to withdraw from defending his title at UFC 137 after sustaining a knee injury in training, leaving Carlos Condit the welterweight title challenger, in limbo.

UFC President Dana White put out a disappointed message on social networking site twitter that the leading welterweight in the world – GSP – removed himself from the UFC 137 main event.

As a result, it is ironic that Nick Diaz, initially scheduled to face GSP, now steps into the main event against BJ Penn. The rescheduled main event is likely to affect the ppv figures.

Condit has removed himself from the card altogether as he wishes to wait for a title shot against GSP. It is understood that Condit will be the first opponent for GSP when he is fit again.

Condit said: "I have trained for over a decade in mixed martial arts with the clear goal of becoming the best fighter in the world at my weight class. I have worked this long to become the UFC Welterweight Champion. I will work a little longer."

“I am greatly disappointed, for both myself and UFC fans, that I will no longer be fighting for the Welterweight title at UFC 137, but I also understand that injuries are a part of this business.

"As a professional fighter, it is my job to be prepared for any and all circumstances, positive and negative, that come my way during training and the actual fight. Georges is a great competitor and I know that he will want to return to 100 percent health as soon as possible so that this fight can be rescheduled.

This is the best training camp I have ever had, and I look forward to carrying over the growth that I’ve experienced in this camp to my next one."

Malki Kawa, Condit’s agent, claimed GSP against Condit "is the best match-up at this weight class".

"Carlos is hungry for the title shot and when this fight is rescheduled, he will be ready to show the world what made him the top contender,” said Kawa.



White tweet: I just landed in New York City, and what do I always say? I have to deal with bad [stuff] every day. GSP is out with an injury!!!”

There have been numerous injuries to top level fighters this year. Losing GSP will definitely hurt the PPV buy rate for 137. With the UFC planning 34 events in 2012, alongside its new 7-year television partnership with Fox, this is a stark reminder that events can be hugely affected by the twist of an ankle, or in some cases a cut.

Injuries to leading lights this year, who have had to pull out: Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, and now GSP.