Month: June 2008 (Page 11 of 40)

      Schein: Jason Taylor needs to become a Packer

      June 24, 2008 /

      Along with nine other NFL moves he’d like to see happen, Adam Schein of FOX Sports.com writes that the Dolphins need to ship Jason Taylor north to Green Bay.

      The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a report last week that the Packers are kicking the tires on a deal for the disgruntled Dolphin star. Two members of the Packers’ defensive staff have experience coaching Taylor. Plus, Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson has a great relationship with Miami’s football Czar, Bill Parcells.

      Frankly, it makes too much sense.

      I firmly believe that Taylor has played his last down in Miami. He has no interest in working for the new regime.
      The Packers shouldn’t worry about Taylor talking his way out of Miami, even though it’s been a major turnoff and big distraction to the Fins. He’s always had the reputation of being a hard worker and team leader. Wanting to finally get a ring, Taylor won’t be a headache for Mike McCarthy.

      Taylor is still an elite pass rusher with at least two good years left in the tank. A line of Aaron Kampman, Cullen Jenkins, Justin Harrell and Taylor would be one of the best defensive fronts in the entire league.

      Plus, Green Bay, while situated in a tiny market, is a marquee franchise. The Packers are constantly on national television. While Miami and Green Bay are complete opposite cities with vastly different climates, playing for the Packers will help Taylor with his desired “Q” rating as he moves into acting and dancing fulltime.

      I think Taylor will play two more years, including 2008. If Thompson can get insurances from Taylor that he’ll play past this year, I’d give up a second-round pick for a player that will help you win games on defense in the post Brett Favre era and solidify you as division favorites and a Super Bowl contender.

      The Palm Beach Post wrote over the weekend that the Taylor-to-Green Bay talks have fizzled for now. Packers’ GM Ted Thompson is too smart to overvalue a 33-year old defensive end that has publicly stated he wants out of his current situation. And the Dolphins are rumored to want nothing less than a second round pick in exchange for Taylor.

      This just doesn’t seem like a deal that’s going to get done unless Miami tones down its demands.

      NFL

      Arrest made in Walker case

      June 24, 2008 /

      Las Vegas police have made an arrest in a robbery and assault case involving Raiders’ wide receiver Javon Walker.

      Lt. Clinton Nichols said Tuesday that 30-year-old Arfat Fadel is suspected of multiple felonies including kidnapping and robbery. Police said Fadel was arrested Friday and police were looking for a second suspect.

      Nichols said police believe the second man is still in Las Vegas.

      He said the 29-year-old Walker got into a vehicle with the two men early June 16 before he was found beaten and unconscious on a side street near the Las Vegas Strip.

      Walker told police $3,000 in cash and about $100,000 in jewelry were taken.

      This story makes a little more sense than Walker claiming he was just chillin’ in his hotel room and bunch of guys came, beat the crap out of him and left him unconscious on some street. I don’t get why Walker lied, though. He was going to be the victim of the story no matter what, so why lie about being dragged out of his hotel room? Because he didn’t want to look like the fool that got into a car with a couple of guys that robbed him and served him up the beating of a lifetime? Strange story.

      NFL

      John Hollinger’s Draft Rater reveals a few surprises

      June 24, 2008 /

      As a former math guy myself, I have a lot of respect for the analytical side of sports and I think that stats can paint a pretty good picture of how a player is performing (or how he will perform). It is by no means the be-all and end-all of judging a player’s value or potential, but it can get you in the right ballpark. If there was one thing I learned while trudging through Calc III, Differential Equations and Advanced Statistics, it’s that numbers are powerful.

      ESPN’s John Hollinger developed the Player Efficiency Rating (PER) which takes into account the player’s statistical performance as well as extraneous factors (like the tempo at which his team plays at) to produce a summary statistic of that player’s performance for any given season.

      He has recently produced a formula for the draft which forecasts a player’s third-season PER based on his performance in college. He didn’t reveal the details of the formula, which is unfortunate because I’d like to take a more in depth look at it, but he used regression analysis the player’s statistics along with other factors, like height, age, schedule strength and team strength.

      When applied to previous drafts, it would have identified late first and second round gems like Josh Howard, David Lee, Rajon Rondo and Carlos Boozer, as well as Udonis Haslem, who went undrafted. Like the real world, there are some clunkers in his system, but it produces a better draft board than the NBA teams themselves, so it’s worth taking note.

      Anyway, some of the results were interesting.

      1. Michael Beasley is far and away the best player in this draft. His projected third-year PER of 19.31 puts him in the same class as Shawn Marion and Josh Smith, and just below David West.

      2. Derrick Rose isn’t even the top point guard in the draft. Due to a so-so start to his freshman year, Rose’s numbers are depressed. D.J. Augustin’s 14.88 third-year PER projects him to be better than the 2008 version of Mike Bibby, but not quite as good as Nate Robinson or Jordan Farmar. (Keep in mind that Hollinger is not advocating taking Augustin over Rose, that’s just how his numbers bear out.)

      3. Kevin Love is the real deal. He has the second-highest projected PER in the draft (17.80) which puts him on par with players like Chris Kaman, David Lee and Andrew Bogut.

      4. Anthony Randolph is waaaaaaaaaaaay overrated. His projected 9.85 PER reveals what we already knew – the kid is a REALLY risky pick. When Hollinger ran the numbers for Randolph with the small forwards (as some scouts see him at that position), his projected performance rose to 11.78. Better, but still not worthy of a first round pick.

      Now it’s not wise to put too much weight on Hollinger’s numbers. Obviously, it’s crucial to have a scouting department pouring through tapes, and it’s prudent to both workout and interview potential draftees. But some of these numbers would give me pause. I was already pushing for the Bulls to draft Beasley, and Hollinger’s numbers are the proverbial icing on the cake. I think Minnesota should take Love, and these numbers support that theory. And I sure as hell hope my favorite team – the Milwaukee Bucks – steers clear of Anthony Randolph and instead drafts Joe Alexander, who projects to be the best wing player in the draft. Hollinger projects him to be as good as Marvin Williams in three years, and I’d take that at #8 in a New York second.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

      New radio show, same controversial Imus

      June 24, 2008 /

      Fired last year by CBS for referring to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos,” Don Imus once again took a trip down racially controversial lane on his new radio show when he spoke about Adam “Pacman” Jones changing his name.

      When told by the program’s sportscaster, Warner Wolf, that Mr. Jones no longer wished to be called by his nickname, Pacman, so that people might forget his record of multiple arrests, Mr. Imus asked, “What color is he?”

      “He’s African-American,” Mr. Wolf responded.

      “Well, there you go,” Mr. Imus said. “Now we know.”

      Mr. Imus’s comment was soon picked up on several Web sites, including Politico.com and Deadspin.com, a sports site, as well as the America Online home page.

      Asked in an e-mail message what he had intended by his remark, Mr. Imus wrote, “I meant he was being picked on because he’s black.” He added that the veteran black comedian and activist Dick Gregory would be a guest on his show on Tuesday, to discuss the death of George Carlin.

      “We’ll see what he thinks,” Mr. Imus wrote. “I mean … come on!”

      If he really meant that Pacman was being picked on because he’s black, then he should have said that. I’m not saying every member of the media should have to clarify what they say, but Imus does. He just went through all of this; he knows how sensitive the public can be. Fair or not, Imus is already walking on thin ice and it would have been wise to take the time to clarify what he meant.

      General Sports, NFL

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