Category: External Sports (Page 166 of 821)

Will the Titans use their first round pick on a quarterback?

April 25, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Of all the teams that are currently slated to draft in the top 10 on Thursday, the Tennessee Titans might be the biggest enigma of them all.

Spend some time scouring the internet for mock drafts and you’ll find that the majority of them have the Titans taking a defensive lineman with the eighth overall pick. There are a handful of draft observers that have the Titans taking Auburn’s Nick Fairley, who remind some of former Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

But when you consider the Titans’ list of needs, defensive tackle isn’t among them. Guard is a potential need, as is inside linebacker and cornerback. Outside linebacker is also a bigger need than defensive tackle, and one could make the argument that safety is as well.

Oh, and the Titans may want to think about doing something at quarterback, which is easily the team’s biggest hole heading into Thursday night.

Vince Young’s name may still be on the Titans’ roster, but at this point it’s just a formality. Young’s days in Tennessee are numbered, as confirmed by new head coach Mike Munchak over the weekend. Seeing as how Kerry Collins is set to become a free agent once the labor issue is resolved, there’s a ton of uncertainty for the Titans surrounding the most important position on the field.

External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

2011 NFL Draft Blaine Gabbert Cam Newton Vince Young

The NBA’s All-Points Per Total Shots Team

April 25, 2011 / John Paulsen

When looking at overall shooting, I like to use Points Per Total Shots (PPTS) which is simply:

PPTS = Points / (FGA + FTA)

I prefer this stat to Effective FG% (eFG%) because it accounts for free throw accuracy and eFG% does not. I also like it better than True Shooting % (TS%) because it doesn’t have any arbitrary constants. TS% does. Points Per Shot (PPS = PTS/FGA) is more popular, but PPTS takes into account free throw accuracy, which is important. PPS does not.

Here is a look at the top PPTS players at each position. To qualify, the player had to attempt at least 1000 total shots (FGA + FTA) over the course of the season.

External Sports, NBA

2010-11 NBA season statistical studies

NCAA: Jim Tressel lied to hide violations

April 25, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The NCAA has sent Ohio State a “notice of allegations,” which accuses head coach Jim Tressel of lying to hide violations committed by the players who were suspended in December of 2010 for trading memorabilia for cash and tattoos.

In the notice, the NCAA says that Tressel “falsely attested” that he reported all knowledge of NCAA violations to the school. Ohio State is now set to go before the NCAA’s committee on infractions on August 12, which could lead to a stiffer punishment for Tressel down the road.

On March 8 of this year, Ohio State suspended Tressel for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined him $250,000 for failing to notify the school of the NCAA violations. But he requested that OSU AD Gene Smith extend his two-game suspension to five games, so that it coincided with the punishment levied to his players.

When you get right down to it, there really isn’t anything new here. Tressel already admitted that he lied, which is why the school suspended him. But the NCAA obviously has to conduct its own investigation, so the real story is whether or not Tressel will face further punishment. OSU has already made it clear that it’s standing by its head coach, so I wouldn’t expect Tressel to be fired regardless of the NCAA’s findings. But whether or not he could miss even more than five games next season is up for debate.

College Football, External Sports

Jim Tressel jim tressel suspension jim tressel tattoos ohio state scandal

Dolphins “worried” about Marshall’s future, but won’t break ties with WR

April 25, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

According to a report by the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are wary of Brandon Marshall’s ongoing off-field issues and are “worried about his future,” but not to the point of releasing him.

The Dolphins have to weigh Marshall’s long-term viability with the team because his history suggests trouble is coming again even if that trouble casts Marshall as a victim or a major player in the drama, as he was in the shooting death of former Denver teammate Darrent Williams.
The Dolphins, at this time, have no intention to break ties with Marshall, a source said Saturday. Miami reportedly has the option to break away from Marshall by not paying a $3 million option bonus that guarantees the player’s salary through 2012.
Not paying that bonus would let Marshall walk after only one season in Miami.
But the Dolphins today, right now, have no intention of releasing Marshall in that fashion. They will continue to gather facts about the latest incident and make plans based on those facts with the idea of keeping Marshall.
Yes, the team’s direction on the matter can change. But right now, the plan, written in sand rather than concrete, is to keep Marshall.

I wouldn’t expect that the Dolphins would release him after something like this. They knew what they were getting when they forked over two second round picks to acquire him from Denver, and then a $47.5 million contract. They knew of his past transgressions, including the fact that he had seven reported domestic violence incidents with his ex-girlfriend, and the fact that they weren’t acquiring a model citizen.

Marshall is trying to create a better image for himself, but this latest incident certainly won’t help. The elephant in the room is whether or not he provoked his wife to stab him. She claims she acted in self-defense, which isn’t shocking considering he has a history of allegedly putting his hands on women. (He claims he never laid a hand on his ex, but the police reports that she’s filed suggest otherwise.)

If Marshall’s wife did stab him because she was concerned for her life, then he and the Dolphins have a big problem here. I doubt he’ll be released either way, but now Miami feels the burden that Denver once did.

External Sports, NFL

Brandon Marshall brandon marshall stabbing brandon marshall wife Miami Dolphins

Mayhem Miller vs. Aaron Simpson added to UFC 132

April 25, 2011 / Staff

HeavyMMA.com writes that Jason “Mayhem” Miller will face Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 in July.

Returning middleweight Jason “Mayhem” Miller has been under contract to the UFC for less than two days, and he already has a fight scheduled. That’s a far cry from his Strikeforce days, where Miller would go months without getting a single fight booked.
Miller will face tough wrestler Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 in July. HeavyMMA.com confirmed the news with sources close to the promotion on Saturday morning. The Miller/Simpson bout is expected to be a part of the night’s pay per view telecast.
Miller hasn’t fought loss an August victory over Kazushi Sakuraba in DREAM last year, and hasn’t competed in North America in just over one year, ever since his involvement in the famed Nashville brawl with members of the Cesar Gracie camp. Miller inked his new UFC contract late this week.
Simpson earned a unanimous decision over Mario Miranda in March, getting back on track after consecutive losses to Chris Leben and Mark Munoz.
UFC 132 is headlined by a UFC bantamweight title bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

Check out more MMA headlines.

External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

Jason Mayhem Miller MMA MMA News UFC

Category: External Sports (Page 166 of 821)

Will the Titans use their first round pick on a quarterback?

The NBA’s All-Points Per Total Shots Team

NCAA: Jim Tressel lied to hide violations

Dolphins “worried” about Marshall’s future, but won’t break ties with WR

Mayhem Miller vs. Aaron Simpson added to UFC 132

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