About a dozen beer- and gun-toting Saints fans showed up and shot his TV in his backyard. You can watch it play out here on video.

“I’ll be watching the game this weekend on a 13-inch black and white set,” Spring said. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

The odd part of the story is that Spring is a Saints fan — he bet against his own team and lost his TV.

Well…it is Louisiana.  At least it wasn’t a plasma.

Post from: EveryJoe

TV Shot to Death After Facebook Bet

The good news for COoley is that a second opinion has given him hope that he’ll be back in as soon as a month. His first diagnosis pointed to Cooley likely being out for the season.

On Wednesday, Cooley will have surgery to insert three pins into his ankle. With Cooley out, the Redskins are running seriously low on offensive talent.

On the season, Cooley has 29 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Cooley leads the team in receptions and is tied with Santana Moss for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.

While Cooley is out, Fred Davis will likely start at tight end. However, quarterback Jason Campbell will surely miss Cooley’s pass catching ability while he’s out of action.

Chris Cooley (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Chris Cooley Injury Update – Ankle

Andy Reid is going to be safe with Westbrook’s status going forward.

“We’ll just see,” said Reid. “We’ll see how he is. I’m not going to put him out there when he’s at risk.”

Although the Eagles lost arguably their best player, they were able to beat the Redskins by a final score of 27-17. After holding a 27-10 lead at halftime, Philadelphia was able to hold on for the win. Westbrook had three carries for 13 yards before suffering the concussion.

In the next two weeks, the Eagles have big games at home against the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. Philly will need Westbrook on the field to have their best chance.

Brian Westbrook suffered a concussion (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Brian Westbrook Injury Update – Concussion

Haynesworth, who is battling a sprained ankle, is listed as questionable. The good news for the Redskins is that he was able practice a little bit on Saturday.

Injuries have hit the Redskins hard recently. Not only is running back Clinton Portis also listed as questionable, but left tackle Chris Samuels is likely out for the season. Samuels has a neck injury that may end not only his season but also his career.

Against the Eagles, the Redskins will undoubtedly be the major underdog. The Redskins are at the bottom of their division despite not playing a team with a previous win the whole season.

Albert Haynesworth - Washington Redskins (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Albert Haynesworth Questionable for Week 7

Haynesworth was originally charged in December after a traffic incident that took place near the city of Nashville, Tennessee. According to reports, a driver was seriously injured after Haynesworth tried to pass. Haynesworth wasn’t injured in the incident.

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 350 pound Haynesworth emerged as one of the best players in the NFL while playing for the Tennessee Titans. He totaled 51 tackles, 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. On nearly every play, Haynesworth drew two or three blockers.

After playing his first seven years in the NFL with the Titans, Haynesworth signed with the Washington Redskins this offseason. His contract was reportedly worth a record $100 million over seven years.

“Albert is a difference maker, said Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, “and his physical presence will strengthen our defense.”

Albert Haynesworth is now with the Redskins (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Albert Haynesworth Pleads No Contest

The biggest question surrounding the 33-year-old is his health. Once upon a time he was one of the best offensive lineup in the NFL. But over the last few years, he has struggled with injures.

In 2004, Jansen missed the entire season. In 2007, he missed all but one game. Last year, Jansen started only 11 games due to injury and ineffective play.

With the Lions, Jansen will likely sign a one-year deal with the hopes of playing well enough to warrant a multi-year deal after the season. As for Detroit, the team has to be happy to have him. He’s a local product who could instantly grow into a fan favorite. And after going 0-16 last season, the Lions can use any help they can get.

Jon Jansen - Detroit Lions (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Jon Jansen Plans to Sign with Lions

Drafted out of Virginia Tech, Smith played with the Bills from 1985 to 1999. He then went on to play the final four years of his NFL career with the Washington Redskins. In total, Smith played 279 games and recorded 673 tackles, 200 sacks and 30 forced fumbles. At 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Smith is regarded as one of the best defensive ends in NFL history.

Regarding Smith’s driving history, this isn’t the first time he has been charged with a DUI. In 1997, he was charged with a DUI but the case was dismissed. He faced another DUI charge in 2003 but he was acquitted in that case.

Smith has been released on bond.

Bruce Smith DUI (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Bruce Smith Charged with a DUI

After playing in Miami for the first 11 seasons of his career, Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins last year. In Washington, Taylor’s performance fell off — totaling a career-low 29 tackles and a career-low 3.5 sacks. After he decided not to attend workouts in Washington, the Redskins decided to cut him.

While with the Dolphins, Taylor had a very successful run. From 2000 to 2007, Taylor had at least 8.5 sacks in each season. In 2002 he had 18.5 sacks, 14.5 sacks in 200 and 13.5 sacks in 2006. Back in Miami, the 34-year-old may have a few more sacks left in his 6-foot-6, 244-pound frame.

Said Taylor in a written statement: “My heart has always been in Miami and so I’m truly excited to call myself a Dolphin once again. I was presented with a number of different opportunities, but in the end the combination of this being the best situation for my family, my love for this community and my tremendous loyalty to a great organization made this an easy decision.”

Jason Taylor (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Jason Taylor Returns to the Miami Dolphins

Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh Steelers (Image: Newscom)

Multiple teams, including the Steelers and the Washington Redskins, were interested in signing Leftwich. However, the former Marshall star decided on the Buccaneers apparently due to the possibility that he can win the starting job in Tampa Bay.

As it stands, the Bucs have Brian Griese, Luke McCown and Josh Johnson at the quarterback position. With a new coaching regime in town, there’s no clear cut leader to start the season at quarterback. The fact that the team was so aggressive in getting Leftwich makes it seem like that decision has yet to be made.

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Leftwich definitely has the size for the quarterback position. What he has lacked during his NFL career has been consistency. His ability to lead a team has also been question, as has his durability.

At 29, this may be Leftwich’s last chance to prove he’s a capable starting quarterback at the NFL level.

Post from: EveryJoe

Byron Leftwich Signs with the Buccaneers

After winning the Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in 1991, Joe Gibbs turned around the next year and decided to enter the realms of the NASCAR [then] Winston Cup Series, and he’s done nothing but reap the benefits of that decision ever since. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any team enter the sport at NASCAR’s highest level and have as much immediate and continued success as Joe Gibbs Racing has.

With only Dale Jarrett driving for the team in its first three years, they finished 19th, 4th, and 16th in points from 1992 to 1994. After ’94, they parted ways with DJ and replaced him with Bobby Labonte, who finished 10th and 11th in ’95 and ’96 … and, that would be the last time that Joe Gibbs failed to place at least one car inside the top ten in points. Gibbs expanded to two teams in 1999 to make room for Tony Stewart, and the next season they won their first championship with Labonte. In 2002 and 2005 they would win two more thanks to the efforts of Stewart.

Looking back now, over sixteen seasons and just shy of 1,000 races in the sport, Joe Gibbs Racing has accumulated three Cup Championships (one by Labonte, two by Stewart), two Rookies of the Year (Stewart, Hamlin), and 58 wins. There have now been 537 points-races in which a Gibbs car has started in the field, meaning that the organization has won in approximately 11% of their opportunities.

 Equally impressive is the fact that Gibbs has won championships in both the old Pontiac and the Chevy Monte Carlo. This year they will venture into new waters as they climb aboard the Toyota wagon and hope to turn things around over there. They are undoubtedly being viewed as the driving force in the R&D for these cars, particularly in the engine department, and by the looks of the Daytona Speedweeks and early testing at Las Vegas and California, it appears that it may be paying off. With the addition of Kyle Busch to the team, every driver on the current Gibbs lineup made the Chase field last season, and they will look to continue their tradition of fielding at least one team in the Chase ever since the playoff format was first introduced to NASCAR.

Cup Series Roster:

#11: Denny Hamlin – First receiving his shot by Joe Gibbs to run in the Cup Series in 2005 after the team released Jason Leffler, Denny ran 7 races that year that resulted in three top-ten finishes. The following season he exploded with two wins, eight top-five’s, and twenty top-ten finishes en route to securing the 2006 Rookie of the Year Honors. He again qualified for the Chase field last year, picking up another victory along the way, but a late season slump resulted in Hamlin finishing only 12th in the standings. As the Gibbs camp makes their move to Toyota this year, he will rely on the veteran of the team, Tony Stewart, more than ever, and in the long run that could be the primary factor that determines this year’s outcome for the driver of the #11 Fed-Ex car. I think the Toyotas are going to hold up over the long haul, but they’re not going to dominate the way that some are hoping, which means that there’s only going to be room at the table for so many people. Hamlin’s going to have some good runs this season, maybe even pickup a win along the way, but look for him to fall just short of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup … likely somewhere between 13th and 15th.

#18: Kyle Busch – Yet another former Rookie of the Year (yes, all three Cup Series drivers for Gibbs won ROY in their respective seasons), Kyle Busch first came into the Cup circuit in 2004 to run six races. He went full-time in ’05 and picked up two wins of his own, nine top-five’s, and thirteen top-ten’s, but managed to finish only 20th in the standings for car owner Rick Hendrick. The following season he showed dramatic improvement, however, qualifying for the Chase for the Cup and jumping up to tenth in the points, earning himself another victory. Last year he did his share to contribute to a Hendrick-dominated season, with another win and a fifth place points finish. This year he will venture into unchartered waters by joining Joe Gibbs Racing at the most – or least (depending on how you look at it) – opportune time as they make their switch to Toyotas. It’s hard to say how Busch will handle the new Camry’s, but he’s certainly worked his way towards establishing himself amongst NASCAR’s best. It’s also uncertain how well he’ll be able to get along with new teammate Tony Stewart. Aside from Smoke’s current ongoing feud with Kyle’s brother, Kurt, he’s also had some run-ins with Kyle himself in the past. I think Busch is going to do what he needs to do to make this thing work, and I fully expect to see Kyle in the Chase competition, finishing somewhere between 10th and 12th.

#20: Tony Stewart – With the 1999 Rookie of the Year honors, two Cup championships, 32 wins, 119 top five’s, 191 top ten’s, an average points standings finish of 4.9, and an overall average race finish of 12.5 all in 9 seasons and 320 points races, I think it’s safe to say that this is also the single driver on the track that can push Toyota to the next level and really get them on the map. All off-season everyone’s been wanting to count him out of it – including me – for the simple fact that he’s going to be driving a Toyota this year, but the fact of the matter is that Stewart has won in every car model and in every type of car he’s ever driven, so why should this be any different? Everybody’s also been up in arms about his attitude, especially after we witnessed it flare up again this past weekend in Daytona. Now he’s on probation for the next six races, but it’s my opinion that NASCAR’s going to be very lenient on Stewart, meaning they’re going to do everything they can to make sure that he stays on the track for every race, regardless of how far he pushes the envelope. Why? Revert back to my opening statements on the guy … he’s the one guy that can legitimize the Toyota brand in NASCAR. Folks, he’s going to be competitive all season long, he’s going to pick up some wins, and he’s going to make the Chase field once again. I’m still not convinced myself that he’s got a real chance to win the whole thing, but he is my pick to finish sixth.

Driver Roster: A
Off-Season: B
2008 Outlook: A-

Post from: EveryJoe

Season Preview: Joe Gibbs Racing