Larry Brown Sports

Kevin Durant continued to make awesome use of his time off during the lockout by playing in an intramural flag football game at Oklahoma State University Monday. He talked about having such a good time, that LeBron James was jealous and challenged him to a game.

Durant said he was bored and looking to play in a flag football game in Oklahoma City Monday. He was invited to a game in Stillwater and actually showed up to play in a game at Oklahoma State University. Durant bragged about throwing for four touchdowns and grabbing three interceptions on defense. Here’s a video of Durant playing, along with the story of how it unfolded:

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And if you don’t believe me, just ask him:

Philip Rivers somehow channeled Tony Romo on his team’s final drive against the Chiefs Monday. With the game tied at 20 and under a minute left, Rivers fumbled the snap from center. There were 48 seconds left and the Chargers were at the 15. They had the game in hand. It was their victory. And then Rivers somehow mishandled the snap and the Chiefs ended up winning the game.

It’s a microcosm of Rivers’ season. After putting together MVP-type seasons the past three years, Rivers has inexplicably struggled this season. He went without throwing a touchdown pass for the second time this season, and he recorded his fifth two-interception game of the year. He only had two of each all last season. It’s been an awful year for him, and there is no clear reason why.

Thanks to Mock Session for the animation.

If any NFL players are interested in learning the best way to completely phase themselves out of an offense, Brandon Jacobs has been putting on an outstanding clinic.  As a fantasy owner, I’m tired of Jacobs’ act.  I can only imagine how Giants fans must feel.

When Jacobs was sidelined with a knee injury he complained to reporters about his limited role in the offense.  Basically, he was whining ahead of time in anticipation of not receiving many carries when he returned to action.  This past week, Brandon basically hit rock bottom with New York when he was candid about hoping the Giants find a way to get rid of him this offseason.  Despite the fact that New York improved to 5-2 on Sunday, Jacobs still acted like a baby.

“I’ve got nothing positive to say,” Jacobs said after gaining only 10 yards on four carries and being booed by Giants fans. “The most positive thing: I got family at home and I got a fast-ass car being delivered on Tuesday. That’s it.”

He then added that he didn’t want to say anything further because he always seems to “say something for everyone else’s dislike.”  Poor guy can’t even talk without the media blowing what he says out of proportion, right?  So a win means nothing but a fast-ass car brings Brandon some joy — so what?  You’d be pumped too.  Winning isn’t everything.

Chest bump to Shutdown Corner for the story.

One of the things that really bothers me about sports fans and pundits is the tendency to overreact. It’s embarrassing how little foresight people have. Go back and read the headlines from week one this season. Joe Flacco was considered a quarterback who had taken that next step towards being elite after his Ravens beat the Steelers 35-7. Pittsburgh’s defense was called old and done. Fast forward six weeks, and Flacco is considered a guy who can’t get it done, and the Steelers are being called the best team in the AFC. It’s pure comedy the way people react and overreact to one week’s events.

In the case of Tim Tebow, the overreaction is even more exaggerated because he’s such a widely loved and widely mocked figure. His win over the Dolphins in week seven was blown out of proportion. If you truly examine the game, you’ll see an offense that struggled to produce for three and a half quarters. You’ll see a team that needed an onside kick and strip sack in overtime in order to win. Tim Tebow delivered for about five minutes but played poorly for around 55. Most people only looked at the team’s comeback and ignored how much the Broncos struggled most of the game.

If he had that much difficulty against the Dolphins, you could see he was going to have a tough time against Detroit. The Lions have one of the most disruptive defenses in the NFL. Both Del and I had Detroit covering the spread, and Del locked them as a Top 3 pick. We just knew it would be a bad situation for Tebow — how could you not?

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Andy Reid can afford to joke around after the beatdown his team put on the Cowboys Sunday night. The Eagles coach, who’s now 13-0 following byes, showed up for an interview with PhiladelphiaEagles.com Monday wearing a Jason mask for Halloween. If anyone should have a mask on it’s Michael Vick. The guy dressed up as a Hall of Fame quarterback Sunday. He was nearly flawless.

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie scored three goals in a 5-3 win over Chelsea Saturday, but he’s been scrutinized for the way he celebrated his second goal. Van Persie pointed his arm from his shoulder outward, similar to the Nazi “Heil Hitler” salute. While the unintentional act may have resembled the salute, van Persie immediately cleared everything up Sunday.

“It has been brought to my attention of some ridiculous allegations concerning my celebration of one of my goals yesterday,” Van Persie wrote on his Twitter account. “It is totally ludicrous to suggest that my action of brushing my shoulder and pointing to my fans could be construed as anything else but of a showing of joy and celebration. To suggest this meant anything to the contrary is insulting and absolutely absurd as nothing else came into my mind.”

It is ludicrous that people suggested his celebration was a Nazi salute. It’s ridiculous that he had to deny the accusations via his Twitter account. But if you can’t laugh about this whole situation, then you don’t have a sense of humor.

How does a simple celebration following a goal — not unlike the Mile High Salute — end up becoming a charge of supporting Nazism? Only on the internet.

Here’s a video of his “salute”:

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Hope Solo is one of the six stars still alive in the current season of Dancing With the Stars. While she’s done well to make it this far, one gossip magazine is doing its best to try and distract her.

Star Magazine is said to have reported that Hope and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy are not getting along. Their report quotes an insider who says “Hope has had it with Maks. He’s such a jerk and constantly makes obnoxious comments to her like, ‘I’m not here to be your friend.’ It brings her down, and everyone can see it.”

It’s pretty obvious that’s a biased source they’re quoting. Plus, when you quote insiders like that, it’s probably to manufacture a story line. Controversy sells! We need controversies!

Needless to say, Hope is not happy with the report.

“My eyes have been opened! I’m not living in the real world! Hollywood gossip is truly gossip! Star magazine where do u get your sources! So sad,” she tweeted.

“Hows this for a source! Hell, I’ll even attach my name to it! ‘I GOT NOTHING BUT MAD LOVE & MAD RESPECT 4 MY PARTNER Maks!’ Go ahead, quote it!”

Unfortunately for Hope, they’re not interested in denials — they just want something that will create some buzz. A report about her having problems with her partner will do that, even if the source is pretty weak. Hope should not be disappointed. When you accept a spot on Dancing With the Stars, you get paid a lot of money and see an immeasurable boost to your notoriety. But you also open yourself to the world of Hollywood gossip and shoddy reporting.

For someone who was bold enough to pose nude in a magazine, it’s surprising that this rattled her. But I do see her point.

Just because NFL coaches are professionals and get paid to make million dollar decisions doesn’t mean they’re immune to machismo at times. After his team’s loss to the Bengals Sunday, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted he was overcome with a surge of testosterone and cost his team three points before halftime.

Seattle was down 17-3 and had a 4th and 2 at the Cincinnati three yard line with 14 seconds left. They had just used their final timeout of the half. They could have gone for a touchdown or attempted a field goal. Pete Carroll elected to go for the touchdown and called for a handoff up the middle to Marshawn Lynch. The call worked in some respects — Lynch gained the first down, but he was stopped at the 1. Because Seattle was out of timeouts, the clock ran to zero and the half ended with the Seahawks down 17-3.

Seattle added a field goal in the third and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Had they made the field goal before halftime, they would have been a two-point conversion away from tying the game. They failed on their two-point attempt and ended up down 17-12. Seattle’s defense gave up 10 more points and they also allowed a special teams touchdown, so they ended up losing 34-12.

The poor call by Pete Carroll didn’t cost his team the game, but it shows us that sometimes coaches get obsessed with a desire to prove something and it can cost the team. Norv Turner made a similar decision in the second quarter of his team’s week two loss to the Patriots and it cost them the game in my opinion. Taking the easy three is often the right move.

The NL East had two of the best teams in the National League last season. Neither one of them was the Nationals. That won’t stop manager Davey Johnson, whose option for 2012 was exercised by the team, from boasting about the Nats’ potential for the upcoming season.

“Winning the pennant. Winning the National League,” Johnson said of his expectations for the team. “I couldn’t have said that last spring. I didn’t think the talent was ready. After being there and seeing the progress that some young players made, I think we definitely can contend. I would be sorely disappointed if we didn’t do just that. The talent is there.

“I like the way we stack up against everybody in our division. I’m not just sticking out my chest and saying some hot air. My baseball instincts tell me that’s where we need to be, that’s where we need to go. And we can get there.”

The Nationals went 80-81 while the Phillies were 102-60 and the Braves were 89-73. If Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg are healthy for the season, the Nats have a shot at being a .500-or-better team. The Phillies have Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Madson as free agents, and Ryan Howard recovering from surgery on his ankle. They could drop off, but they and the Braves still look strong.

We can see the Nats competing in the division, but there’s a difference between having an improved season and being competitive, and actually going to the World Series. Davey Johnson says the Nats can win the pennant. That’s not going to happen. They still don’t have enough talent, and they need a few more bats.

The fake marriage between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries has ended after 72 days. TMZ reports that Kim filed for divorce from Kris. If you’re laughing at them because their marriage failed, or if you’re wondering where or why things went wrong, then you are an idiot.

This whole spectacle was plotted, planned, and arranged so that the Kardashians would make more money, generate more buzz, stay more relevant, and dominate the news. Nobody had even heard of Kris Humphries. The two barely knew each other. As we told you last week, it was reported that Kim and her TV producers wanted a New York-based athlete for her to date for her TV show. The whole marriage was planned because it was the sort of twist her TV show and life needed.

If you spent any time watching their show, reading their stories online or in a magazine, or actually talking about the situation as if it were real, congratulations — you are an idiot. Everything about Kim Kardashian is fake, and everything about her story is a lie. That’s the truth. The only difference between Kim’s and other fake marriages is that hers generates millions while the rest of ours end in annulment after a long night of drinking in Las Vegas.

There’s only one way to protest the Kardashian act if you want it to go away — ignore them. As long as you don’t, they’ll continue to manipulate you with their fake news. Or maybe you’re just hooked because it’s entertaining, and you don’t care if it’s fake. We understand if that’s how you feel. Lots of people love wrestling too.