Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 884 of 1503)

      Are the Browns interested in Mark Sanchez?

      April 8, 2009 /

      According to Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Tony Grossi, the Browns are “smitten” with USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

      Mark SanchezI’ve been hearing for weeks that the new Browns’ brass is divided on Quinn, that, in fact, Quinn had more supporters in the old regime, which nailed him to the bench for two years.
      I’ve been hearing that the new regime isn’t head-over-heels with Derek Anderson, either, but Anderson’s arm always will impress coaches at this time of year.

      I’ve also been hearing that the new regime is smitten with Mark Sanchez of USC and it wouldn’t surprise some — though it would floor everybody in Cleveland — if the Browns took Sanchez with the fifth pick of the draft.

      Quinn, of course, has not had much of an opportunity to disprove critics that question his accuracy and arm strength. He deserves that much before the Browns give up on him.

      Here’s yet another report that states how the new brass in Cleveland isn’t thrilled with Quinn.

      Let’s assume for a second that Grossi is right and the Browns love Sanchez and want to draft him at No. 5. Then Cleveland better trade Quinn (we have to assume that if Cleveland drafts Sanchez, then Quinn would be the one traded because why keep two young quarterbacks with limited to no experience?) before the draft or else they’ll get no value for him if they try and deal him with three quarterbacks on the roster. No team is going to give up a decent draft pick or two for Quinn knowing that the Browns have Anderson and Sanchez on the roster.

      It seems like Eric Mangini and George Kokinis either have some master game plan that they’re about to reveal over the next month or they’re completely clueless. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see how everything plays out for the Browns around draft weekend.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      MLB Daily Six Pack 4/8

      April 8, 2009 /

      1. Nice start for Josh Beckett
      This season hasn’t gone the way of the ace so far, with CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Justin Verlander and Tim Lincecum all struggling for their respective teams. But one No. 1 that didn’t struggle in his ’09 debut was Boston’s Josh Beckett, who fanned 10 in the BoSox’s 5-3 victory over the Rays on Tuesday. You hate to make claims that a pitcher is already in midseason form after only one outing, but Beckett’s two-hit, one-run effort against Tampa was impressive.

      2. Speaking of Tim Lincecum…
      Boy did he struggle yesterday for the Giants. But the good news for San Fran and the reining NL Cy Young winner is that his velocity wasn’t down, it just looked like he had a major case of the yips in his Opening Day debut. He looked too pumped up from the start and just never settled down. Fortunately, Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina, Travis Ishikawa and the rest of the G-Men offense helped Lincecum out as SF romped the Brewers 10-6. Huh, what a concept – the Giants offense bailing out the pitching for once…who would have thought?

      3. Dombrowski better be taking heat today in Detroit
      In the offseason, Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski’s answer to solving the bullpen issues in Detroit was signing former Arizona closer Brandon Lyon instead of pursuing other avenues like J.J. Putz (who is now a setup man for the Mets). At least for one day, the decision backfired as Lyon blew Edwin Jackson’s (7.1, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K) gem in Toronto by giving up three runs on three hits as the Jays knocked off the Tigers 5-4. Granted, Lyon has plenty of time to bounce back but if he doesn’t, the Tigers will be left with mental midget Fernando Rodney to close games, who didn’t necessarily earn the role this spring with a 7.00 ERA. Considering Joel Zumaya may never pitch again due to freak injuries and Nate Robertson (who Dombrowski just gave a 3-year, $21 million deal in January of ’08) is pissed about being taken out of the starting rotation, Dombrowski has quite a mess brewing in Detroit.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      Titans sign Ramsey – are they pushing Vince Young out?

      April 7, 2009 /

      The Titans recently signed journeyman quarterback Patrick Ramsey and one has to wonder what that means for Vince Young.

      Dave Logan, play-by-play voice for the Broncos and a former receiver with the Browns and Broncos, said Ramsey’s arm strength is still there.

      “I don’t know what the mind-set of the organization is, but I will tell you this: Patrick has enough talent to be better than a backup quarterback,” Logan said. “And that is what you look for in a backup quarterback, a guy who is going to handle the situation the right way, is going to be a team guy, is going to pull for the No. 1 guy, but is going to prepare himself and be ready every week just in case something happens. And he is going to push that No. 1 guy.

      “In training camp they’ll see Ramsey has some ability. He certainly has the ability to be the No. 2 guy, there’s no question about that.”

      Ramsey must be viewed as a contingency plan in case Young once again shows signs that he cannot be the Titans’ long-term answer at quarterback. Then again, we are talking about Patrick Ramsey here, and not a rookie. Kerry Collins can’t play forever and maybe the Titans are just trying to bread a little competition into the No. 2 spot. Either way, the move is interesting and again, one has to wonder what this means for Young’s future in Tennessee.

      NFL

      10 NFL Draft Observations from Mike Mayock

      April 7, 2009 /

      SI.com’s Peter King shares 10 draft nuggets that he got from Mike Mayock:

      1. “This is by far the worst year for the top 10 that I’ve seen. Down around 18, 20, you’ll get every bit the player you’ll get in the top 10 for a third of the price.”

      2. His gut feeling is Detroit’s taking Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first pick of the draft.

      3. “I can’t bang the table for Stafford the way I did for Matt Ryan last year. I don’t see an elite player in him every time I watch, which you need to see if you’re taking a quarterback that high.”

      4. Mayock, if he had his choice of first-round picks for talent and value, would be around 22. “The value in this draft is at 15 and beyond.”

      5. He says eight or nine tight ends will be drafted in the first three rounds. He loves the best of the bunch, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Pettigrew. (I’d love to see the Bills land him, by the way. Perfect offensive weapon for a coordinator, Turk Schonert, who loves to use the tight end.)

      6. He likes Eugene Monroe over Jason Smith, if you’re picking a franchise tackle. “Smith’s got a better upside. Very aggressive. But Monroe’s got the best feet in the draft. He’s a really accomplished technician.”

      7. He thinks Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry — who Detroit would play at middle linebacker if the Lions made him the first pick of the draft — would be optimally used at strongside linebacker in the 4-3 because he can cover, he can play physically over the tight end, and he’s got upside pass-rushing ability.

      8. He’s scared of Brian Orakpo, the Texas defensive end who’s the apple of a few teams’ eyes in the top half of the first round. “Buyer beware,” Mayock said. “He’s boom or bust. I don’t know if he’s DeMarcus Ware or Vernon Gholston. I’ve seen him have some really good games, and I’ve seen what I considered to be Brandon Pettigrew tearing him apart. The point is, I don’t see it all the time from Orakpo, which concerns me.”

      9. Of the elite quarterbacks, he likes USC’s Mark Sanchez the best. “He’s the most ready made for the pro game right now.”

      10. If you need a cornerback in this draft, sit it out. There are no corners even well above average, never mind great.

      Those are 10 pretty solid observations and outside of maybe deeming Mark Sanchez an elite quarterback-candidate, I can’t find fault in anything Mayock said.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Draft prospect Raji did not fail drug test

      April 7, 2009 /

      Boston College defensive tackle prospect B.J. Raji has been informed that he did not fail a drug test at the NFL scouting combine, which contradicts a report that surfaced last week that stated he did.

      B.J. RajiRaji (6-2, 337) is considered the highest-rated defensive lineman in the draft and a top-10 prospect. The 49ers own the No. 10 overall pick in the draft. Obviously, Raji is a serious option for the 49ers if he is still available after the first nine selections.

      His reputation appears to be on the mend after reports surfaced last week on SI.com and NFLDraftbible.com that he tested positive for drugs at the combine in February. Raji told me this evening the reports are inaccurate. His agents provided evidence in a statement earlier today and declared the “reports are untrue.”

      “The biggest thing is trying to figure out how this started,” Raji said. “I couldn’t understand how this rumor became such a big splash in the media when there was no evidence – there was no substance to believe it. The last couple days, I was just trying to figure out: Who? What? Basically, why?”

      “Now, I’m happy the truth is out. Obviously, it’s not going to be as big of a splash as the negative part. But as long as the coaches and the decision-makers know what is true, then I don’t need to be concerned with everybody else.”

      The NFLDraftBible.com should take some heat over this because Raji wasn’t the only prospect they said failed substance tests. They also reported that USC linebackers Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews failed steroids tests as well.

      The site should own up to the false reports, but I doubt that will happen.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑