InGameNow

NFL Suspends 6 over Steroids

December 3rd, 2008 | By Jack Newhouse Posted in NFL

The NFL suspended six players for violating the leagues steroid policy. While the players were not caught with steroids, they were caught for using a diuretic, which masks steroids. The NFL gave out a uniform suspension of 4 games per player, without pay.

The New Orleans Saints lost 3 players, including Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, and Will Smith.

The Minnesota Vikings lost the heart of their defensive line, in having both Kevin Williams and Pat Williams suspended.

Shockingly, Bryan Pittman, long snapper on the Houston Texans, was also caught. Why a long snapper would do steroids, I do not know. Next thing you know, the towel boy will also be shooting up.

Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister, Will Smith Suspended

December 2nd, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in NFL

Very bad timing for the Vikings and Saints to lose key players to four-game drug suspensions. Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints, Bryan Pittman of the Houston Texans, and Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings are now suspended for the final four games of the NFL season - and that’s particularly important since the Vikings and Saints are fighting dearly for a playoff spot.

An interesting side note:

The Vikings are playing the Detroit Lions and remain the only really “likely / possible” victory… without Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, maybe drugs have kept the Lions from 0-16?!

The NFL reports:

The NFL suspended six players for four games each on Tuesday for violating the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances.

The suspended players are Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints, Bryan Pittman of the Houston Texans, and Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings.

The suspensions, which cover the final four games of the regular season, are without pay.

The players specifically violated a longstanding provision of the policy relating to the use of diuretics and water pills, which serve as masking agents for steroids and are potentially dangerous to the health of players.

The policy states that the use of so-called “blocking” or “masking” agents, including diuretics and water pills, is prohibited and that a positive test will not be excused because it results from the use of a dietary supplement that unknowingly contained a banned substance. Supplements are not regulated or monitored by the government and players have been warned about the risks of supplement use.

“You and you alone are responsible for what goes into your body,” the policy has always stated. “Claiming that you used only legally available nutritional supplements will not help you in an appeal…Even if they are bought over-the-counter from a known establishment, there is currently no way to be sure that they contain the ingredients listed on the packaging or have not been tainted with prohibited substances…If you take these products, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! For your own health and success in the league, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take.”

Texan’s Steve Slaton Spoils Fantasy Football Playoffs

December 2nd, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in NFL

… Steve Slaton tormented our fantasy playoffs last night.

… unless you were me - who rode his 45 yard touchdown run with 2:07 left in an-already-won football game to playoff victory.

Steve Slaton’s touchdown was reminiscent of both Chris Duhon’s infamous half-court shot to torment gamblers in the Final Four and Oklahoma’s 40 yard touchdown with less than a minute to go last week - trying for BCS Style Points.

For the game, Steve Slaton had:

- 30 fantasy points
- 21 rushes for 130 yards
- 2 receptions for 52 yards
- two touchdowns and 6″ from a third

The game made Slaton the 3rd highest scoring fantasy player of NFL Week 13, behind Brian Westbrook and DeAngelo Williams… shotputting him into the top 20 for all NFL Fantasy Football players.

Most importantly, it defeated Yardbarker’s Andrew Machado who had already prepped next week’s lineup and planned his taunts. He was leading by 26 going into the night and ended up losing on Slaton’s very last run. Great stuff.

Andrew Machado, in equally bad times, is shown here:

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NFL’s Fantasy Football Awards

December 2nd, 2008 | By Jack Newhouse Posted in NFL

Here are InGameNow’s Fantasy Football Awards

Week 13 marks the end of the regular season for most Fantasy Football leagues. What better time to pass out this season’s Fantasy Football awards. We will hand out ROY, Sleeper of the Year, Bust of the Year, the best player at each position, and finally MVP.

Rookie Of the Year

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears. Fantasy Football fans knew Forte was for real week 1, when he busted onto the NFL scene with 123 rushing yards and 1 td. Forte rushed for 1,012 yards in the first 13 weeks of the NFL season. Just as important, Forte has all ready seen the end zone 10 times. Chicago fans, and Fantasy Football GM’s involved in a keeper league, couldn’t be happier and this rookie’s performance.

Sleeper of the Year

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers. InGameNow would like to publicly apologize for calling Aaron “Erin” this preseason, our minds were made up that he would fail in trying to replace Hall of Famer Brett Favre. We couldn’t have been more bearish on Rodgers, and he has proven to be the 3rd best QB in the league this season. In fact, Aaron’s 212 fantasy points are only 14 behind Drew Brees, the top scorer in all of Fantasy Football. What helps IGN rest peacefully at night, Rodgers was the 25th QB drafted this season in Yahoo leagues. Rodgers was taken behind players such as Carson Palmer, Brodie Croyle, Tarvaris Jackson, and JaMarcus Russell. While Green Bay fans can’t be satisfied with the Packers poor performance, (and Brett Favre winning with the New York Jets), Fantasy Football GM’s are giddy with there late round pick up.

Bust of the Year

Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals. First of all, I am not including injured players in this category. The New England PatriotsTom Brady would obviously be the worst case example, but players who missed significant playing time, such as Joseph Addai, Marques Colston, and Laurence Maroney would be included in the hunt. I want a player who flat out sucked, and Ocho Cinco is the perfect example. Maybe I am bitter that Johnson is on my team (I did drink the “he changed his name, he is going to have a HUGE SEASON” Cool Aid) but this guy was horrible this year. Johnson was the 13th WR drafted this season, putting him as the 33rd player taken over all. He scored 61 fantasy points, ranking him 48th in scoring. Both Roddy White and Calvin Johnson have more than doubled Ocho Cinco’s output. For the year, Johnson has 428 yards and 4 td’s. Last year, Johnson had 442 yards and 3 td’s after THREE WEEKS. This guy needs to spend less time at Best Buy buying his coach Christmas presents, and more time in the gym.

Positional Awards:

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints. Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 yards in a season. With a game left against the very porous Detroit Lions, Brees just might do it. This year, Brees has four 3 td games and one 4 td game. Considering he has done this with Marques Colston and Reggie Bush missing extended playing time, Brees is a lock to win this award. It should be pointed out that IGN recognizes the QB position is watered down this year, with Tom Brady being on IR, and Peyton Manning having a bad wheel.

Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons. In week 1, when Michael Turner rushed for 220 yards and 2 td’s, the only people more frustrated than San Diego Chargers fans, were Fantasy Football GM’s who passed on drafting Turner. Taken as the 17th running back, and 47th overall pick, Turner has truly come out of LaDanian Tomlinson’s shadow. With 1208 yards, 13 td’s, and 6 100 yard plus games, Turner has helped the Atlanta Falcons forget about Michael Vick.

Anquan Boldin, WR, Arizona Cardinals. Anquan Boldin edges out Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, and Roddy White in a very tight race to be the top WR in the NFL. Boldin gets the nod for havnig the most points as a WR, despite the fact that he missed games due to a severe head injury suffered week 4. This season, Boldin has 942 receiving yards and 11 td’s in just 11 games. If Anquan had been healthy all season, he would have a realistic shot at being league MVP.

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City Chiefs. In what might be this season’s least sexy category, Gonzalez proves he is not over the hill at 32. Playing for a very weak Kansas City Chiefs team, Gonzalez has 73 receptions for 806 yards and 6 td’s.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Defense. Playing in the high scoring NFC South, Tampa Bay has scored the most points this fantasy season. What makes this impressive, is that the Bucs have the Carolina Panthers (9-3 this season) Michael Turner’s Atlanta Falcons (8-4 record) and Drew Brees’s New Orleans Saints (4th most points scored in the NFL this year).

Kicker- InGameNow does not see a difference between the top 8 kickers. They have scored between 116 and 110 points. In fact, the 14th best kicker has scored 100 points. This position is not important enough to earn an award!

Most Valuable Player

Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner has lead the Arizona Cardinals to be the 2nd highest scoring offense in the NFL. Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are the two best WR’s in the game. Warner is having an MVP caliber season, with 3741 yards, 24 td’s, and only 11 ints. Being drafted the 20th QB, and 113th player overall, Warner has beaten all expectations. Arizona’s only losses this season have been against powerhouses: the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers, the New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Expect Warner to lead his team into to a playoff win this season, something that does not happen for the Arizona Cardinals.

Plaxico Burres in NYPD Custody

December 1st, 2008 | By Jack Newhouse Posted in NFL

New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress walked into a NYC police station under his own power and turned himself in to police.

Rumors are circulating that Burress will plead not guilty to felony illegal possession of a weapon.

TMZ is reporting that Burress will be arraigned at 100 Centre st. at 1pm today.

I am very interested to hear how you shoot yourself in the leg, then defend that you never possessed a gun. Should be an interesting day in court. Wonder if the NFL’s Roger Goodell will be in attendance?

Plaxico Burress Shooting Details Emerge: Antonio Pierce with Him

November 30th, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in NFL

The Giants’ dream season was thrown into turmoil Saturday when Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub and linebacker Antonio Pierce tried to hide the gun, police sources said. Burress is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges in the coming days, while Pierce’s attorney was in frantic discussions with cops last night to stave off criminal charges, police sources said.

Burress’ latest self-inflicted wound came after he was initially turned away from the LQ nightclub in midtown because he was packing heat, police sources said. Burress, 31, who was sporting flashy jewelry and carrying loads of cash, told club management he needed the gun to protect himself, sources said. The mercurial Giant was waved inside the crowded Latin-themed club on Lexington Ave. about midnight. He downed several drinks, making already jittery security guards more nervous about his weapon.

As Burress was being led into a VIP area, with a drink in his hand, the gun slipped down his pants leg. He reached for the weapon, but fumbled it and it went off, sources said. The bullet tore through Burress’ already injured right thigh, police said. “[The bullet] went in and out. No bones,” Chief Michael Collins, a police spokesman, said. Pierce, 30, rushed to his bleeding teammate and applied pressure to the wound as Burress screamed in pain amid the hip-hop beats piping through the club, sources said. As he worked to slow the bleeding, Pierce berated Burress for bringing a loaded handgun into a club.

Panicking, Burress told his teammate not to call 911 for an ambulance, sources said. Pierce helped the bloodied receiver out of the club before taking off with the gun and stashing it somewhere in New Jersey, sources said. Burress was afraid to go to the hospital, but two hours after the shooting, at 2 a.m., his wife, Tiffany, and a friend escorted him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell. He was treated and released at about 12:45 p.m., sources said. But a hospital spokeswoman denied that Burress was ever there. Cops only learned about the incident after Giants employees quietly reached out to the NYPD to report it, sources said.

New York Daily News