Category: External Sports (Page 156 of 821)

      Mallett: Brady and I “kind of the same”

      May 3, 2011 /
      New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates after the Patriots scored a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter of their NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts January 2, 2011. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      After New England selected him in the third round of last weekend’s NFL draft, former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett said that the Patriots are a “perfect fit,” and then made reference to how he and Tom Brady “are kind of the same.”

      “I think it’s a perfect fit after watching film with the coaches when I was there,” Mallett told the Providence Journal. “And me and Tom are kind of the same. We’re not fleet of foot, obviously. We don’t run fast. We pick defenses apart and we know what’s going to happen before the snap or we react post snap and that’s why I think I’m like him a lot.”

      There will be some who think Mallett is being arrogant with his comments. I get that, although I think he’s being genuine more than he’s actually (even literally) comparing himself to Brady. In other words, I don’t think he’s saying: I’m a multiple Super Bowl winner and a bona fide Hall of Famer. I think he’s just finding a way to relate to the person who will have a hand molding his future. And who better to model your pro career after than Tom Brady? If there’s ever a time to put the mistakes you’ve made in the past behind you and look towards the future, it’s after you’ve been drafted by the New England freaking Patriots and are about to be Tom Brady’s backup.

      Mallett couldn’t have wound up in a better situation. Let’s not discount the fact that he’s only 22-years-old and by the time the Patriots ask him to take over the keys of their offense (if that day ever comes), he’ll be more mature than he is now. Plus, he won’t make anywhere close to the money he would have made had he been taken in the first round, and there’s zero pressure on him to succeed right away.

      He will be coached up by one of the best staffs in the NFL and Brady won’t tolerate Mallett coming in acting like it’s his show. In 8-10 years, we could be looking back at this year’s quarterback class and saying how Mallett flourished more than those signal callers taken before him.

      External Sports, NFL

      Clausen won’t part with No. 2 jersey to appease Newton

      May 3, 2011 /
      Quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn University stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the first overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL football Draft in New York, April 28, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Suddenly, I have more respect for Jimmy Clausen.

      A couple of days ago, a news (and I use that word loosely here) story broke that first overall pick Cam Newton wants to wear No. 2 in the pros, just as he did at Auburn. The problem is that number already belongs to Clausen, who told the media on Tuesday that he wasn’t willing to give it up.

      “It’s mine right now,” Clausen told the Charlotte Observer. “We’ll see what happens.”

      Apparently Clausen hinted that he’s willing to give up the number if Newton was willing to pay for it. Considering Newton will receive a huge signing bonus once the lockout ends, a number of people in Clausen’s shoes would probably do the same thing.

      Hey rookie, if you want the number, pony up for it.

      Based on what I’ve read, it doesn’t sound like Newton demanded Clausen to give up the number like some are suggesting. He was probably asked if he wanted to wear No. 2 in the pros and he answered yes. He may have not even known that Clausen wore that number last year.

      But if this does become an issue, you have to wonder if that scathing report that Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki wrote back in March is starting to come to fruition.

      External Sports, NFL

      NBA Playoffs: Dogs & cats living together, mass hysteria!

      May 3, 2011 /

      I’m always reminded of this classic quote from “Ghostbusters” whenever anything weird happens.

      On the heels of the Grizzlies’ win in Game 1 over the Thunder (after upending the #1-seeded Spurs in the first round), both the Hawks and Mavericks won on the road last night against the Bulls and Lakers, respectively.

      The Hawks broke a 15-game second round playoff losing streak by winning in Chicago. Here are the highlights:

      Rose’s twisted ankle at the end is obviously worrisome for the Bulls, who could normally overcome a Game 1 loss to the Hawks if he were healthy.

      Joe Johnson (12-of-18 from the field, 5-for-5 from 3PT for 34 points) was on fire throughout the game. Where was the vaunted Chicago defense that has shut players down all season?

      In Los Angeles, the Mavs overcame a 16-point deficit with a 17-4 run over five minutes in the third quarter. Pau Gasol had a bad finish to the game, fouling Dirk Nowitzki on an inbounds pass with under 0:20 to play with the Lakers up one and then he turned the ball over attempting to hand the ball to Kobe on the ensuing possession. (Kobe was really at fault because he was trying to draw the foul on his defender instead of making sure he got the ball.)

      Either way, the Lakers are down 0-1 and the Mavs have stolen home court advantage in the series.

      Here are the highlights:

      The only higher seed to win Game 1 in the semis is Miami. Go figure.

      External Sports, NBA, Video

      All UFC 129 fighters receive medical suspensions, including GSP

      May 3, 2011 /

      According to HeavyMMA.com, all 24 fighters who competed at UFC 129 last weekend have received medical suspensions, including welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

      Out of the 24 suspensions given out, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and six others earned the lengthiest with 60 day suspensions. The other six include Mark Hominick, who fought featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the evening’s co-main event, Randy Couture, Jason Brilz, Kyle Watson, Charlie Valencia, and Sean Pierson. Hominick and St. Pierre were the only ones out of the seven to avoid being knocked out.

      From the evening’s preliminary card, Nate Diaz was given a suspension of 45 days following his loss to Rory MacDonald, while Jake Ellenberger will be out the same amount of time following his knockout victory over Sean Pierson.

      UFC 129 took place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and featured St. Pierre’s welterweight title defense against Jake Shields. In the co-main event of the evening, featherweight title-holder Aldo managed to outpoint Hominick on the judges’ scorecards.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      2011 NFL Draft Recap: Observations, Reactions & Opinions

      May 2, 2011 /
      Quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn University poses after being selected as the first overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL football Draft in New York, April 28, 2011. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Don’t listen to observers when they say there’s no sense in handing out grades following the NFL draft. I agree with the notion that it generally takes three years before anyone can properly evaluate a team’s draft, but why should that stop anyone from making observations? After all, when a major trade breaks in one of the main four sports, do we say, “Damn, I really want to break down this trade but we’ll have to wait three to four years before we do because we won’t know how things will play out!” Of course not – we analyze the deal ad nauseam, share our opinions and then either bask in the news or cry ourselves to sleep. That’s one of the many things that makes sports great.

      With that in mind, here are 32 quick-hit observations (one for each team) from the 2011 NFL Draft. I don’t like to hand out grades because a) everyone does them and b) they’re just not fun for me. But I did something like this after the 2009 draft and I figured it would be cool to do something similar this year. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am in the comments section or please, share your own opinions on another wild NFL draft.

      1. Even the biggest Cam Newton supporters have to admit that the young man will be a major project for Carolina. He could wind up being in the Hall of Fame some day after leading the Panthers to three Super Bowls, but it’s going to take some time. He ran the spread option at Auburn – the kid will need a few years to learn and grow in a pro-style offense.

      2. I love Von Miller the prospect but I don’t love Von Miller the prospect in Denver’s 4-3 defensive front. I wonder if one day we’ll look back at the Broncos’ selection at No. 2 and say: “They should have went with Marcell Dareus.”

      3. Speaking of Dareus, how well did the Bills make out at No. 3? They needed to get more playmakers on the defensive side of the ball and now they have someone who they can plug in on Day 1 and watch him compete. They must have been ecstatic when he fell past Denver.

      4. Andy Dalton isn’t a spectacular prospect but he’s a fit for Jay Gruden’s offense and hey, he wants to play for the Bengals (something that cannot be said about Carson Palmer). And I have a feeling A.J. Green will make people forget about Chad Ochocinco (and quite frankly, all of his attention-seeking ways).

      5. The Cardinals had to be disappointed that Von Miller didn’t fall to them at No. 5 but Patrick Peterson isn’t a bad consolation prize. Ryan Williams in the second round was a bit of a head-scratchier though. I like Williams, but is he a fit in an already crowded backfield? Two value picks that I really liked: Sam Acho and Quan Sturdivant. Acho fills Arizona’s need for a pass-rusher and Sturdivant was considered one of the top inside LBs available in the draft.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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