The kid has already earned two Cy Young Awards in his first three years in the league, but Tim Lincecum just can’t figure out the right message for his personalized greeting.
I love when he goes, “The franchise? That’s arrogant.” Then follows it up with, “Hey, this is the Freaky Franchise…”
In the April 19 issue of ESPN the Magazine, Peter Keating discusses a way for NFL teams to determine whether or not a first- or second-round QB will have a successful NFL career. (Insider subscription required.)
David Lewin, formerly an analyst for Football Outsiders and now with the NBA’s Cavaliers, has found that games started and NCAA completion percentage accurately predict NFL performance for QBs drafted in the first two rounds. To be more specific, the Day 1 QBs who go on to have the best pro careers complete at least 60% of their passes and start at least 37 games in college.
This theory has been around a while and when I was researching it last week, I stumbled across a similar article from 2007, so I’m not exactly sure how far back it dates.
Using college completion percentage makes a lot of sense. It seems intrinsically true that a QB that has trouble completing passes in college is also going to struggle with his accuracy in the NFL.
The number of starts is another strong stat. For a prospect to start 37 games, he basically needs to be a three-year starter. This indicates that he’s been around the block a few times, is reasonably durable and opponents have had a chance to game plan for him (and he’s still completed a high percentage of passes). It also seems reasonable to think that most good NFL quarterbacks wouldn’t have to be a backup for more than one season while in college.
Let’s take a look at the QBs selected in the first and second rounds of the ten drafts spanning from 1998-2007 to see if this theory still holds water.
ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Redskins have acquired defensive tackle Adam Carriker from the Rams, as both teams swapped fifth and seventh round picks in this week’s draft. Carriker was St. Louis’ first round selection in 2007 at No. 13.
Carriker missed all of last season after having to undergo shoulder surgery in September. But at 25, he still has plenty of potential and is a better fit (on paper at least) than Albert Haynesworth to play in the Redskins’ 3-4 defense. Carriker also played for new Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett in St. Louis.
Speaking of Haynesworth, the possibility that he’s dealt over the next couple of days just went up. He wants out of town and if the Redskins are willing to eat some of the guaranteed money that came along with the massive contract they gave him last offseason, there’s no doubt they’ll find a trade partner. Two teams at the top of the draft – Detroit and Tampa – might be suitors for Haynesworth.
This trade could also have an affect on which player the Rams select at No. 1. They have an obvious need at defensive tackle now and seeing as how Ndamukong Suh is the best prospect in the draft, St. Louis might surprise everyone and take him over quarterback Sam Bradford. It still seems unlikely that they will go that route, but the trade of Carriker complicates things.
Of course, this trade could also mean very little in the end. Carriker is a stubbed toe away from missing the entire 2010 season, so Washington might be inclined to hang onto Haynesworth regardless of the new addition. St. Louis also needs a quarterback above all else and if they have Bradford rated at the top of their board, he will be their pick.
Either way, things just got a lot more interesting with the NFL draft a little over 48 hours away now.
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SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports that Reds’ starter Edinson Volquez has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
It is believed Volquez failed the test during spring training. Major League Baseball confirmed the suspension in a press release and said the suspension will take effect April 21.
Volquez was an NL All-Star in 2008, his first year with Cincinnati, and was off to a 4-2 start with a 4.35 ERA for the Reds in 2009 before being shut down with elbow problems. He didn’t pitch after June 1 and underwent Tommy John surgery last August. He is still rehabbing and has not pitched yet this season.
Volquez was placed on the 60-day disabled list on February 22 and apparently he can start serving his suspension while he’s on the DL, which is crap in my opinion. If he broke a rule, he shouldn’t be allowed to start crossing suspended games off his punishment checklist when he wasn’t even going to be playing in them anyway. The suspension should start the moment he’s activated from the DL.
But I digress. I’m speculating here, but chances are Volquez took the PEDs in order to speed up the recovery time after undergoing Tommy John surgery. It’s incredibly disappointing that players still believe that they can get away with taking performance enhancers, but at least MLB caught and punished him for it.
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Tom Curran of WEEI reports via his Twitter page that the Patriots have agreed to terms with wide receiver Torry Holt on a one-year, $1.7 million contract. Curran doesn’t get into why they signed him, however, which is the question I have.
The Patriots have a habit of signing aging veterans on their last or next-to-last legs (see Fred Taylor, Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway, Marcus Pollard and Kyle Brady) and who are looking for a Super Bowl ring before they exit stage left. In the case of Holt, he technically gives the Pats what they need (a receiver), but he’ll hardly be the answer.
More than anything, New England needs to add a playmaker opposite Randy Moss. Julian Edelman can play the slot position until Wes Welker returns from the knee injury he suffered in Week 17 of last year, but Holt isn’t the answer on the other side. He was somewhat effective for the first five or six games last season in Jacksonville, but then he faded badly down the stretch.
It’s never a bad idea to add competition to any position group, but this signing seems like a waste in my eyes. Chances are the Pats will still add a receiver in the middle rounds this weekend.
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