Month: March 2010 (Page 7 of 59)

      Rams, Redkins to hold private workouts with Sam Bradford

      March 29, 2010 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that the Rams will hold a private workout with Oklahoma quarterback San Bradford three days before the April 22 draft. The team will also attend Bradford’s private workout this afternoon, although Chris Mortensen reports that St. Louis won’t make a final decision until a couple of days before the draft. (At the earliest.)

      The Redskins, who hold the fourth overall pick, will also have a private session with Bradford on April 15. There’s speculation that Washington will take a quarterback at some point during the draft, even though they extended a first-round tender to restricted free agent Jason Campbell and also signed free agent Rex Grossman.

      In my first mock draft, I have the Rams selecting Bradford with the top pick and the Redskins taking Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the best athlete in the draft, but if the Rams view Bradford as a franchise quarterback then they won’t pass on him at No. 1 – especially considering that DT is one of the few positions that St. Louis doesn’t need.

      If the Rams do select Suh (or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy), then Bradford probably won’t get past the Redskins at No. 4. Whether or not people think that Bradford is a bona fide top 5 pick is irrelevant. It’s been 10 years since a quarterback wasn’t taken among the top five picks and that was in 2000 when Chad Pennington (Jets) slipped to No. 18. If history is any indication, Bradford will be taken at some point in the top 5.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Raiders interested in Sage Rosenfels?

      March 29, 2010 /

      The National Football Post reports that the Raiders and Vikings are discussing the availability of quarterback Sage Rosenfels. That’s the second quarterback (Donovan McNabb was the first) in the past week that Oakland has been tied to via a potential trade.

      Whether or not the Rosenfels report holds any water, the writing is on the wall for JaMarcus Russell, who apparently now weighs a hefty 290 pounds. It has been assumed that Russell would get at least one more opportunity to show the Raiders that he can be their starting quarterback, but maybe the team is ready to cut bait now. (And who can blame them given his nonchalant attitude and horrendous work ethic.)

      Rosenfels isn’t a long-term solution for the Raiders, but he would be an upgrade over Russell and Bruce Gradkowski. None of the current quarterbacks on Oakland’s roster offer much long-term hope, but even Gradkowski proved to be more effective running the team’s offense than Russell before he got hurt late in the year. And while Rosenfels didn’t take a meaningful snap last season, he’s still a better option than Gradkowski at this point.

      One thing to keep in mind is that if the Vikings do part with Rosenfels, it would virtually be a guarantee that Brett Favre is coming back. Minnesota won’t part with an insurance policy like Rosenfels, even if they believe Tarvaris Jackson can supplant Favre someday.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Santonio Holmes also facing legal trouble

      March 29, 2010 /

      Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes is facing a civil lawsuit for assault and battery, according to NBC Sports.com.

      The civil complaint contends that Holmes confronted plaintiff Anshonoe Mills after she refused to leave the arm of a couch in the VIP area of the Rain nightclub. Holmes allegedly “put his hand” in Mills’ face while attempting to remove her from the couch. Holmes then allegedly “threw his entire glass cup of liquor” at Mills’ face, allegedly causing a laceration below her eyebrow and “blinding her temporarily.”

      She claims that, outside the club, she asked a police office to “reprimand” Holmes for his conduct. The complaint then alleges that “he” (it’s unclear whether the pronoun refers to the officer or Holmes) “proceeded to inform the plaintiff that he was an NFL football player and that he could not face criminal charges.” Mills also alleges that Holmes then “offered to give [her] money because he was a [sic] NFL star and could not get into trouble.”

      Mills claims that she “felt pressure from [Holmes] and the Orlando Police Department not to press chargers,” and that while under said pressure he made “a short victim statement incoherently stating that she was hit in the face and bleeding near her eyes, however, intended not to press charges.” She claims that the Orlando Police Department failed to write a police report.

      Holmes faces claims of assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The owner of the club at which the incident occurred also faces a claim for negligent failure to provide adequate protection. (Hopefully, the security tapes haven’t been covered up with new footage.) Mills seeks unspecified damages in excess of the jurisdictional minimum of $15,000.

      The only thing missing here is a sentence about Holmes asking the officers, “Don’t you know who I am?” I always love when athletes say that, because it proves that some of them truly believe that they’re untouchable.

      As always, let’s wait until more details emerge before we make accusations. That said, this is the absolute last thing the Steelers need with Ben Roethlisberger already steeped in controversy himself. Dan Rooney must be beside himself given that the Steelers are starting to resemble the new Bengals in terms of their players getting into legal trouble.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Duke outlasts Baylor, 78-71, for first Final Four since ’04

      March 28, 2010 /

      Talk about a pressure-packed game. Neither team led by more than seven points until the 1:36 mark when Lance Thomas followed up a Kyle Singler missed with a dunk and a foul to increase Duke’s lead from five to eight. The follow-up punctuated what was the difference in the game — Duke’s ability to hit the offensive glass. Thomas had eight of the Blue Devils’ 22 offensive rebounds. (Baylor had 16, so the disparity doesn’t seem so big, but five came in the final minute when the Bears were in full catch-up mode.)

      Nolan Smith (29 points) and Jon Scheyer (20 points) carried Duke offensively on a night when Singler simply couldn’t buy a bucket. He went 0-10 from the field and turned the ball over four times. In fact, Scheyer scored all of his points from the three-point line (5-10) and the free throw line (5-5). Smith and Scheyer hit back-to-back threes down the stretch to give the Blue Devils a six-point lead with 2:37 to play. (I’m really looking forward to seeing what Smith can do as a full-time point guard next season.)

      Duke shot 48% from 3PT, but just 11-38 (29%) from 2PT. This was a result of Baylor’s zone forcing Duke to take open yet uncomfortable shots from inside the arc. Duke was successful offensively when they hit a post player with a pass at the free throw line and that player (usually Mason Plumlee or Brian Zoubek) found the open three-point shooter.

      LaceDarius Dunn led the Bears with 22 points, but had just six in the second half before a made three with 0:10 to play. This was something of a coming out party for Ekpe Udoh, who posted 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Baylor hasn’t played on national television all that much so Udoh made the most of the opportunity.

      In West Virginia, Duke will face a very similar team at the Final Four. The Mountaineers also like to play at a slow pace and have a pretty good 1-3-1 zone that will limit Duke’s playbook. One thing that this Duke team has that the last few teams have lacked is depth on the front line. In Zoubek, Thomas, and the Plumlee brothers, Duke has plenty of beef up front to battle down low. It should be a great game.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Basketball, March Madness

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑