Month: April 2017

He might as well prepare now for the pressure of trying to become Cleveland’s QB savior as a hometown product.

Moss quickly rewarded our faith in the form of a 17-touchdown season that earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year. He played a major role on our 15-1 team that made it to the NFC title game.

While our draft diligence led us to select Moss, there were plenty of cases in which we rejected players due to off-field concerns. NFL execs always want to improve their teams, but players with cleaner backgrounds and similar skill sets always take precedence.

One such instance, which ended up hurting our team, was the 1995 NFL Draft, when we and 10 other teams passed on Warren Sapp. A future Hall of Fame talent, Sapp had been labeled with unconfirmed-but-harmful drug rumors before the draft. Sapp fell to Tampa Bay at No. 12, right after we selected a safe player in defensive end Derrick Alexander at No. 11.

He might as well prepare now for the pressure of trying to become Cleveland’s QB savior as a hometown product. He doesn’t offer the same winning resume, flair or ceiling of other QBs in this draft, but he does a bit of everything well enough to round out nicely under Jackson.

Yes. Their two first-rounders provide a team even as needy as Cleveland with some luxury.

Really, the Browns are so needy that a unique, athletic pass-catcher would be a big difference-making security blanket for whoever ends up as their QB. So Alabama’s O.J. Howard isn’t a stretch there. If they go QB at No. 12, the Browns should then be heavily in play for someone such as Ole Miss’ Evan Engram at No. 33.
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I got the name Raekwon The Chef because at one point I was in the Nation of Islam

Theres actually an easy answer to that. With 6:52 left in the fourth quarter, Green stole the ball, sprinted with it down court in traffic, and rose up for a vicious one-handed tomahawk slam … that bounced off the back iron and into the Trail Blazers hand. Theres a flaw from Greens performance in the 121-109 Game 1 win against Portland. It might have been the only one.
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Even if thats slight hyperbole, what more could you really have asked from Green on Sunday? Take his line: 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, five blocks, three steals, and 6-of-9 shooting. Two more steals, and he would have recorded the 18th five-by-five — at least five of each of the five major counting stats — in NBA history. (Of the previous 17, the most recent one does belong to Green.) One more assist, and he would have added another triple-double to his ledger.
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I got the name Raekwon The Chef because at one point I was in the Nation of Islam, and I was given a name, but only the Raekwon part was suitable for the music, so that’s where I got that.

Per the Social Security Administration, about 2,000 people in the United States have been named Raekwon at birth, almost all of them in the mid-90s.

As wed noted when he was a five-star recruit in 2012, seeing sons of Jon Bon Jovi, Deion Sanders, Diddy, David Robinson, Ken Griffey, Jr., and a grandson of Jack Nicklaus head to college provided for YOU ARE OLD moments, as did seeing recruits named Shaquille and Peyton. But a player named after a rapper whod just released his fifth solo album? WE FELT SO OLD.

NFL referees wish league would stop penalizing player celebrations

Touchdown celebrations make the NFL more fun, but the league has cracked down on them. Last year, players were routinely flagged and fined for celebration dances. Referees would like the league to ease up on these penalties.

Part of the problem with the rules about celebrations is that theyre not clearly defined. Scott Green, the head of the NFL Referees Association, said on Sirius XM Radio that it would be easier for officials if they didnt have to make snap judgments about which celebrations are worthy of a penalty.
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While the Jazz stole Game 1, they will still need Gobert moving forward. Hayward may be Utahs lone All-Star, but Gobert makes the Jazz tick. He has more of an impact on both ends of the floor than any other teammate, and his rim protection (2.6 blocks per game) is the staple of one of the leagues best defenses.

Justin Tucker Youth Jersey Gobert is arguably the front-runner for the leagues Defensive Player of the Year award, and potentially losing him for the series (or longer) could crush Utahs chances at competing for a second-round playoff appearance after its most successful regular season since the Jerry Sloan era.

It is unclear on what the recovery time for Gobert will be at this time. What I can say, and what I ultimately came back to, was that Westbrooks season was definitive. Like Iverson before him, he dared to reach for the highest individual apex that we can imagine and surpassed it. Thats no disrespect to Harden, Leonard, or James. Rather, this vote honors a season that we will look back on in the years to come to marvel at its sheer audacity.

2017 college football spring game attendance rankings: The updated top 10

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The NBA’s Most Valuable Player award may be for the regular season, but if there were a trophy handed out for the first game of the Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder playoff series, James Harden would’ve decisively claimed it.

Harden had his way with a porous Thunder defense, as Houston lit up Oklahoma City, 118-87 on Sunday. The Beard was unstoppable against his former team, slicing and dicing the Thunder up for 37 points on 13-of-28 shooting. Harden rounded his night out with nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals.

Chicago’s All-Star forward repeatedly came up huge for his team when they needed him, and he did it with one of two stalwart defenders, Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder, checking him much of the night.

When the Celtics tried to put young Jaylen Brown on Butler, he scoffed before blowing by the rookie with a dirty crossover.

Attendance figures across spring games are pretty unreliable and oftentimes intentionally shrouded in mystery as to what the attendance number actually signifies. Is it tickets sold at the box office or the turnstile count? Is it just eyeballing? Either way, spring attendance figures vary across the country.
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At this point, is still a heavy hitter or two left to go. Alabama usually packs its stadium to the gills for spring games, and you’d expect that to happen again.

This is an extraordinarily bad thing to have happen in a glorified scrimmage.

Mississippi State’s annual spring football game ended prematurely on Sunday. The last play of the game was a brutal, definitely illegal hit by defensive back Jonathan Abram on ball-carrier Bennie Braswell III. The play looked like this:

This year it was payback time after the rematch:

“Absolutely. He paid up on my spring break,” Swinney told Mark Packer on College Sports Today Friday. “His spring break was the week before mine. He got me a really nice dinner certificate to a place called Temptation down in Florida. We had a great – probably the best meal I’ve ever had. It was awesome. We had appetizers and dessert to go with it. It was great. I did have to dip into my pocket for 50 bucks, though, but it was all good.”

With busy schedules, a gift card’s the way to go. It may be a bit surprising that Swinney still had to pay $50, but depending on the gift card amount, a peek at the menu at Temptation in Boca Grande shows how the meal could get up there even with the certificate:

Augusta National has confirmed this jacket is legit, and we know it’s from the early 1950s. The Club did not say who it may have belonged to.

However, the jacket no longer has the name tag in it, so we don’t know who originally won it.

The tradition of the green jackets began in 1949, so this was one of the first jackets made, we can assume.

According to the Washington Post, while every member of the club gets a jacket, only the winner of the Masters can actually bring his off Augusta grounds, which makes you think this jacket belonged to a winner. However, if the name tag is gone, I have to wonder if maybe someone managed to smuggle this one away just as a keepsake.

If that were the case, no wonder Augusta didn’t want to say who wore the jacket — what if they weren’t even supposed to have it?
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Here’s Mike Rutherford on Monday’s narrative-rich NCAA national title game between Gonzaga and North Carolina

The Cavaliers are still just a half-game back for No. 1 after a playoff-like marathon win over the Pacers. (Just when Paul George starts to lose me, he pulls me right back!) The East overall remains a mess. Four teams have clinched spots, but either Boston or Cleveland could be No. 1 and either Toronto or Washington (losers of three straight) could be No. 3. The Bucks need two more wins to clinch a spot, but six teams are vying for the next three spots. It’s real crazy!

Authentic Youth Carolina Panthers Jersey Meanwhile, the only drama in the West is whether the Jazz or Clippers will get home-court advantage in the first round.

Authentic Youth Kenny Stills Jersey Back to Cavs-Pacers: LeBron and Tristan Thompson were super mad at each other after a blown coverage on PG-13 in overtime. Like THEY MIGHT FIGHT mad. LeBron apologized for showing up Thompson after the game.

You want drama? Here’s Mike Rutherford on Monday’s narrative-rich NCAA national title game between Gonzaga and North Carolina. And here’s Ricky O’Donnell on how Gonzaga is no longer the Cinderella you once knew.

The Women’s Final Four was INSANE. Dawn Staley’s South Carolina ended up winning the title two days after Mississippi State ended UConn’s 111-game winning streak in dramatic fashion. Some people complain that watching a hegemonic sport is boring. Agree or not, you must admit it makes the eventual fall of Goliath incredibly engrossing.

Tony Romo is retiring, but nobody believes that he’ll go through with it

Tony Romo is reportedly retiring to begin a new chapter of his life in the broadcast booth. Nobody is willing to believe it.

Despite the reports, teams weren’t ready to accept the news. At least one front office thinks he’ll be available again once offseason workouts get into full swing.

One NFL exec texted now: “Romo is now every teams emergency backup qb in case your starter gets hurt, pay him to come out of “retirement.’ ”

Philipse: This is a fairly obvious pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have a need for a versatile, explosive tight end and Njoku is an outstanding talent, if a little raw. The Bucs have almost no depth at the position, with Cameron Brate, a solid but unremarkable intermediate receiving tight end, and Luke Stocker, a pure blocker.
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The Bucs could look at different positions, but the top three receivers are already off the board, the available safeties probably aren’t worth the 19th-overall pick, and spending a first-round pick on a running back is always a dubious proposition. The Bucs have been linked to some defensive ends, but that position isn’t a pressing need by any means.

Limited Youth Ozzie Newsome Jersey That leaves Njoku, who has the potential to become a good blocker, while also being explosive enough to threaten the deep middle of the field, and versatile enough to create mismatches all over the formation. Njoku would turn an already talented Bucs offense into a potentially deadly one.

Analysis: Tight end isn’t Tampa’s biggest need. It’s free safety, but at No. 19 there might not be one available. Perhaps the Buccaneers could reach a little on Obi Melifonwu of Connecticut or convert a player like Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey. If they don’t go that direction, targeting Njoku makes sense. It’s slightly early for him, but tight ends with his level of pure athleticism are rare.

Oregon has been heating up, recruiting wise

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I shot two consecutive games of Bolden, consisting of about 50 plays. The 6’2 cornerback from Wesley Chapel (Fla.) locked his man down and was rarely thrown at: four attempts, two breakups, one completion. He also showed some versatility, playing safety later in the tournament.

Bolden recently named a top two of FSU and Oregon, despite being committed to FSU for almost a year now. The Ducks have been making noise in the state since the hire of Willie Taggart, the former USF coach — but not really with prospects the big Florida schools want.

“Oregon has been heating up, recruiting wise. I talk to their whole coaching staff, and getting a visit up there will be really key,” Bolden said. He plans to visit in June and for an official with his parents.

“We discussed it, and I told FSU that Oregon is kind of a threat, but not really,” Bolden said of naming a top two despite being committed. “Just doing the recruiting process and seeing what Oregon can offer.”

He says, ‘The question to me is not whether you go or not; the question is whether you bet on yourself.’ And those were the last words that kept ringing in my ear.
Elite Kids Ty Lawson Jersey Briles has a fairly extensive coaching tree. In addition to Babers, former Baylor assistant Philip Montgomery is the head coach at Tulsa. A handful of former Briles staffers have scattered as assistants now that Matt Rhule has replaced him permanently at Baylor. Those include his son, Kendal, the former Baylor offensive coordinator who now holds the same job under Lane Kiffin at FAU.