Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 469 of 1503)

      Report: Steelers have reached their “tipping point” with Big Ben

      April 15, 2010 /

      Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com tweets that the Steelers are at their “tipping point” with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

      This is what Robinson tweeted:

      Roethlisberger’s job w/ Steelers could B at tipping point. Source says onslaught of fan discontent over Ben has shaken Pittsburgh ownership.

      By tipping point, we can only assume that Robinson meant that the Steelers might make a change. While it still seems likely that Big Ben will be on Pittsburgh’s roster in 2010, maybe the team will start listening to offers for the QB later this month at the draft. If they were to trade Roethlisberger, the Steelers would be left with Charlie Batch and youngster Dennis Dixon.

      If the Steelers wanted to punish Big Ben for embarrassing their franchise, they can always send him to Oakland (i.e. the NFL’s equivalent to hell). Either that, or they could always trade him to Buffalo because the odds of him getting in trouble in that city are slim to none. Even T.O. became irrelevant in Buffalo.


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      NFL

      Nationals to select Bryce Harper in June?

      April 14, 2010 /

      Ben Goessling of Masnsports.com writes that the Nationals will likely take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper with the first pick June’s draft.

      Barring an injury or a drastic change, the Nationals will likely take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper with the first pick in the June Draft. According to a source familiar with the situation, they see Harper as being head and shoulders above anyone else in the 2010 draft class and believe he could reach the majors within 2 1/2 years.

      Harper, who has been called “the LeBron James of baseball,” completed his GED in December 2009 so he could play junior-college baseball and be eligible for the 2010 draft, rather than finish high school. He is currently playing at the College of Southern Nevada, where he is batting .422 with a .516 on-base percentage, .891 slugging percentage, 15 homers and 42 RBI in 39 games.

      The Nationals are pleased with Harper’s arrangement, as it makes him easier to scout than he would be if he was in high school. He is already playing with a wood bat, and the junior-college level of competition is higher than what he’d face in high school. What’s more, Harper is getting pitched to at Southern Nevada, where most high school teams would pitch around him.

      Most of the talk surrounding Harper is whether or not he made the right decision to skip the final two years of high school in order to take classes and play at College of Southern Nevada. There’s already a ton of pressure being heaved onto his shoulders and considering he’s so young, no one can predict whether or not he can handle all of the expectations.

      That said, Harper is a phenomenal talent. His primary position is catcher, but he has also been clocked throwing 96 mph as a pitcher. He’s best known for hitting a 502-foot home run during the 2009 International Power Showcase at Tropicana Field. The blast is currently on record for being the longest home run in that stadium.

      The nice thing about MLB is that whether or not he’s taken with the first overall pick, Harper will have to produce in the minors before he “arrives” at the major league level. Given how young he is, he can take his time developing before he goes the rout of Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez, two players that were on the fast track to playing professional ball.

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      MLB

      Ginn likely on the move now that Dolphins have Marshall

      April 14, 2010 /

      Much like Donovan McNabb’s trade to the Redskins, the Brandon Marshall deal will likely impact the future of other players, including Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant and current Dolphin Ted Ginn Jr.

      The Broncos now become the favorites to land Bryant with the 11th overall pick in this month’s draft, assuming they don’t mind taking on another receiver with a checkered past. If Denver passes on the Oklahoma State product, there’s no telling how far he may fall in the first round, although chances are he’ll go among the top 20 picks seeing as how he’s the top receiver in the draft.

      Ginn’s future is a little cloudier. Even before they acquired Marshall from Denver, the Dolphins were shopping Ginn to potential suitors. Now that the trade for Marshall has been completed, there’s little doubt that Miami will move Ginn this offseason, but to whom and for what are the questions.

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      NFL

      Were the Dolphins wise to commit to Marshall long-term?

      April 14, 2010 /

      The Dolphins have been desperately searching for a true No. 1 wideout for the better part of the last decade. That’s why they ultimately decided to part with two second round picks in order to acquire Brandon Marshall from the Broncos on Wednesday, and why they broke out their checkbook to sign the receiver to a four-year, $47.5 million contract extension.

      When Marshall is healthy and happy, there’s little doubt that he brings a lot to the field. At 6’4”, 230 pounds, he has great size and once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a playmaker in every sense of the word. He’s drawn comparisons to Terrell Owens (in his prime), only it’s T.O. that wishes he had Marshall’s hands.

      When he’s healthy and happy, Marshall is worth the money. But keeping him happy has proven to be difficult.

      Miami did what they had to do. They had a major need at receiver, so they acquired the best one available and made sure they locked him up to a long-term contract. But there’s no doubt that the Dolphins are taking a huge risk by committing to a player that is about as well behaved as Pacman Jones inside a strip club with $10,000 in his back pocket. The hope for Bill Parcells and company is that Marshall will behave now that he has a long-term contract, but there’s no guarantee of that.

      In comparison, the Packers signed Greg Jennings to a four-year, $26.9 million contract in June of 2009. Granted, Marshall is more talented and this is an uncapped year, but when you factor in the risk associated with Marhsall, you can see that the Dolphins are taking a big leap of faith. (For another comparison, Marshall is set to make $2 million more than Roddy White too, whom the Falcons signed to a six-year, $48 million contract last August.)

      But again, the Dolphins had no choice. In this case, the risk is worth the reward because Marshall is still young (26), very productive and could potentially be the difference-maker that Miami has coveted for years. If he behaves, the Dolphins won’t live to regret their decision.


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      NFL

      Dez Bryant off Jaguars, Browns’ draft boards

      April 13, 2010 /

      The Florida Times Union reports that Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant has been removed from the Jaguars draft board due to character concerns, while SI.com’s Peter King says the Browns have also taken the wideout off their board.

      From the Florida Times Union:

      “I would say that we remain open-minded,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “Like running back, we’d take a receiver. I think we could use a guy to bring into the mix to compete. So I wouldn’t rule out that position.”

      But it might be safe to do so in the first round. According to multiple NFL sources, the Jaguars eliminated Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant – widely regarded as the top receiver prospect in this year’s draft class -from their draft board because of concerns about his character (Bryant missed 2009 because of an NCAA suspension for violating NCAA rules).

      “I just made a mistake,” Bryant said. “Dez Bryant’s a great person to be around. He loves the game of football. He can’t wait to get back on the field and do whatever to help the team.”

      The reports about Bryant’s character appear to be all over the board. There have been some that claim he has a “diva” attitude, while others suggest that his character flaws have been overblown.

      Rest assured, talent will win out – it always does. Randy Moss was still taken in the top 25 (No. 21 to be exact), even though he had more character concerns than Bryant did entering the 1998 draft. Michael Crabtree was still taken in the top 10, even though reports surfaced that he too had a “diva” attitude. I’m not suggesting that Bryant will become the next Moss, but he certainly has as much potential as Moss and Crabtree did when they entered their respective drafts.

      In my latest mock draft, I have Bryant going to the Dolphins at No. 12. That’s the lowest I see him dropping later this month, regardless of whether or not some of these reports are true that he has questionable character.


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      NFL, NFL Draft

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