Month: April 2010 (Page 16 of 64)

      Faber ready for biggest fight of a storied career on Saturday

      April 24, 2010 /

      Dehydrated and hungry, Urijah Faber stepped on to the scale Friday night in Sacramento.

      “One hundred forty-four and one-half pounds,” screamed UFC and WEC commentator Joe Rogan.

      Faber grabbed a bottle of AMP Energy and started re-hydrating his body after waking up in the morning at 150.5 pounds.

      “I cut a lot of weight in college as a wrestler, so it isn’t so bad for me,” said Faber, who hopes to weight up to 157 pounds by the time of the fight. “I wrestled at 133 pounds and cut weight for five years so that has never been a huge issue for me.”

      As Faber consumes his drink, a chorus of boos hits the Arco Arena. Faber’s opponent, WEC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo, steps on stage and hits the scale.

      “One hundred forty-five pounds,” screams Rogan.

      The champion then met eye-to-eye with Faber as the crowd got behind their hometown hero, who at 30, finds himself as a 3-to-1 underdog against the younger Aldo, who is 24. The two will collide in the main event of WEC 48, presented by AMP Energy.

      “I don’t get on internet sites and look at stuff, so until I started this press tour, I didn’t know I was that big of an underdog in this fight,” Faber said. “As far as the experts go, I consider myself an expert, and I think I am going to win.”

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      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      2010 NFL Draft Third Round Recap: Head-Scratchers, Values & More

      April 24, 2010 /

      Biggest Head-Scratcher: Armanti Edwards, WR, Panthers
      I’m fully convinced that Carolina GM Marty Hurney wants to get fired. There’s just know other logical explanation as to why he would trade a first rounder last year for Everette Brown and a second rounder in 2011 for Armanti Edwards. I could only imagine how that phone call went between Hurney and Bill Belichick: “Oh hey, Bill? Yeah, this is Marty Hurney from the Panthers. Hey listen Bill, I’m dying to get out of this place and I’m looking to make a really bad decision in hopes of getting canned. I traded our first round pick this year for Everette Brown last year…yeah, Everette Brown…I know, right? Hahaha. Anyway, it didn’t work and now I have to try something drastic again. What do you think about giving us your third for our second in 2011? Awesome. Hey, you watching your TV? Watch this, I’m about to take Armanti Edwards with your pick. Yeah, seriously…I know, right? Haha…” Look, I watched from the stands as Armanti Edwards almost single-handedly burned down the Michigan football program a couple years ago. I know what kind of player he is and thought he would have been a good pick in the later rounds. But Carolina is set to make him a receiver when he’s never played the position before and they gave up a second round pick in the process. It was a major reach and a major risk seeing as how quarterbacks tend to struggle making the transition to receiver. What another lousy draft day decision by Hurney.

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      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      FOX Sports Experts Draft

      April 23, 2010 /

      Through TSR’s association with Yardbarker, I was invited to be one of the “experts” to participate in Fox Sports’ mock draft, which will apparently be published in its fantasy football magazine later this summer. The other participants were John Juhasz, John Halin, Roger Rotter and Michael Harmon (of FOX Sports), Chris Wesseling (Rotoworld), John Hansen (Guru Report), Derek VanRiper (RotoWire), David Gonos (OPEN Sports), Michael Fabiano (NFL.com), Emil Kadlec (Football Diehards) and Dan Roemhild (MockDraftCentral).

      This is a 12-team mock, with high-performance, PPR scoring. The starting lineups consist of a QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, a flex, a TE, a K and a DT. I had the #5 overall pick. Unfortunately, the flash-driven draft room was giving my computer fits and I kept getting disconnected. I probably reloaded the room 100 times over the 90-minute draft and had a to make a few picks with only 30 seconds on the clock and five or six picks ahead of me that needed to be crossed off my cheatsheet.

      Anyway, enough with the violins, here’s how the draft went:

      1.05: Andre Johnson, WR
      When I saw that I had the 5th pick, and Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice off the board, my first instinct was to take Frank Gore or Steven Jackson, but with PPR scoring and 3-4 starting WRs, it really enhances the value of the position. Last season, AJ scored 302 points under this format, with Gore (255) and Jackson (242) far behind. Besides, there were a few RBs that might be available in the 4th or 5th rounds that I liked, so I figured I would zag while the rest of the league was zigging.

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      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      2010 NFL Draft Second Round Recap: Head-Scratchers, Values & More

      April 23, 2010 /

      Best Value: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Panthers
      The Panthers wanted to wait to select a developmental quarterback late in the draft and had targeted a wide receiver with their selection in the second round. But as Clausen continued to fall, they couldn’t pass on the opportunity to nab him at No. 45. He’s going to a great situation where he won’t be pressed to start right away, but he could also challenge Matt Moore in preseason. It’s hard to argue that Carolina didn’t get tremendous value for a player that could have went in the top 15.

      Potential Steal: Vladimir Ducasse, G, Jets
      The J.E.T.S. followed up the first round steal of cornerback Kyle Wilson with the selection of Ducasse in the second. At 6’5”’ and 330 pounds, Ducasse is a mauler in the run game and is a candidate to start at guard once Alan Faneca is released later this offseason. I thought the Jets might take a guard to replace Faneca at No. 29, but they did well to nab Ducasse at No. 61, seeing as how he had a first round grade and they were able to land Wilson earlier.

      Another potential steal is the Patriots’ selection of linebacker Brandon Spikes with the 62nd overall pick. Spikes ran a 5.0 40 in pre-draft workouts and teams decided to avoid him the smelly kid in class thereafter. But he was extremely productive at Florida, he played against top competition and he could do wonders playing alongside Jerod Mayo in Bill Belichick’s 3-4 scheme. And while we’re on the subject, the Patriots did well to add tight end Rob Gronkowski in this round, too. The Arizona product had a first round grade but slipped due to concerns about his back.

      Biggest Head Scratcher: Brian Price, DT, Buccaneers
      Price is a fine prospect, but I’m a little confused by the Bucs’ plan of attack here. They used the third overall pick on Gerald McCoy (who is also a three-technique player like Price) and also have a promising youngster in Roy Miller already on the roster. Price must have been the top player on Tampa’s board, or else why would Raheem Morris and company draft the UCLA DT with so many other needs to fill? I like the player, but I don’t know what the Bucs’ strategy was behind the pick.

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      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      49ers might be the perfect fit for Mays

      April 23, 2010 /

      The book is already out on Taylor Mays and it reads: Can’t cover, terrible ball skills, isn’t a reliable tackler.

      But if there’s one coach that can turn a great athlete into a football player (there’s a fundamental difference between the too), it might be the 49ers’ Mike Singletary.

      San Francisco took Mays with the 49th overall pick in the second round on Friday night, which is roughly 15 spots lower then where the safety was projected to go. Many pundits had Mays falling to the bottom of the first round or even the early second, but the 49th overall pick is pretty low for a player that runs a sub-4.4 40 and terrific size (6’3”, 230 pounds). (Not to mention one that was also considered a top 10 pick in 2009.)

      All of Mays’ weaknesses aren’t correctable. He’ll probably never be good in man-to-man coverage because he has a tough time keeping up with backs and tight ends in open space. But his inconsistent tackling technique is something Singletary can correct and one day, maybe he’ll mold Mays into a solid strong safety that can mask his weaknesses with excellent athleticism and a good football IQ.

      Two years ago, people were ready to give up on former top 5 pick Vernon Davis. Highly regarded as a phenomenal athlete, Davis struggled to learn the nuances of the game and what it meant to challenge himself when preparing for Sundays. Then Singletary came along and made Davis not only realize his potential, but fulfill it. Now he’s considered one of the better playmaking tight ends in the league and he only appears to be getting better.

      It’s not surprising that Mays slipped as far as he did, but he could wind up being one of the steals of the draft. He’s going to a good situation in San Francisco and will be able to learn from a coach in Singletary that has a knack for molding young men.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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