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      Lions to target Jahvid Best in the second round?

      March 21, 2010 /

      John Niyo of the Detroit News believes that the Lions may target Cal running back Jahvid Best if he falls to their pick in the second round.

      The Lions have made no secret of the fact they plan to add another running back this offseason. Kevin Smith is busy rehabbing after suffering a torn ACL in December, leaving Maurice Morris as the only healthy NFL veteran in Allen Park. Aaron Brown, DeDe Dorsey and Cedric Peerman are the other backs on the roster.

      If the Lions manage to trade down from the No. 2 pick — still a long shot, I think — Clemson’s C.J. Spiller will get strong consideration later in the top 10. More likely, though, Cal’s Jahvid Best could fall to the Lions at the top of the second round. And if he’s there, the Lions better be ready to pounce — maybe even trading up a few slots to get him — “because he’s got first-round ability,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock says.

      In my mock draft, I have Best going to the Chargers with the 28th overall pick, but some believe Fresno State running back Ryan Matthews will be selected before him. I think either back would be a perfect fit with Kevin Smith in Detroit. There’s no question that GM Martin Mayhew needs to give quarterback Matthew Stafford more quality playmakers on offense.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Mike Tomlin concerned about Steelers’ franchise, Big Ben

      March 21, 2010 /

      During a recent interview with the NFL Network’s Jennifer Allen, head coach Mike Tomlin expressed concern over the state of the Steelers’ franchise, as well as for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

      From NFL.com:

      Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expressed anxiety over the sexual-assault allegation leveled at quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, telling NFL Network’s Jennifer Allen on Saturday, “I’m highly concerned for our franchise and for Ben personally.”

      “My concerns are many, but I think at this time it’s kind of appropriate to watch these things and let these things run their course,” Tomlin said after arriving in Orlando, Fla., for the NFL Annual Meeting, which starts Monday. “I think it would be inappropriate for me to have strong feelings one way or another with the investigation being ongoing and so forth. Like everyone else, you watch these things unfold.”

      Tomlin and the Steelers are doing the right thing by letting the legal process work itself out when it comes to Roethlisberger’s situation. But the reality is that the organization should be concerned. Its starting quarterback has been accused of sexual assault twice in the last year and a half and while he may have not done anything wrong in either incident, this is the third time in the last four offseasons were Big Ben has gotten into some kind of off-field complication.

      It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Roethlisberger’s future in Pittsburgh is in doubt.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Northern Iowa upsets #1-seed Kansas

      March 20, 2010 /

      Ali Farokhmanesh was 0 for 7 in the second half, but with his Panthers clinging to a one-point lead with under 0:40 to play, he caught the ball on the wing against the Kansas press, spotted up and drained the game-deciding three-pointer. A half-minute later, he buried two free throws to seal the game.

      Northern Iowa 69, Kansas 67.

      My bracket is toast!

      Update: Here’s a look at Farokhmanesh’s big shot…

      College Basketball, March Madness

      Friday brings some sense of normalcy

      March 20, 2010 /

      After a wild and wacky opening day, things settled down quite a bit on Friday, with the higher seeds winning 13 of 16 games. The only upsets — #10-seeded Georgia Tech and Missouri, and #12-seed Cornell — didn’t seem like upsets at all. Georgia Tech and MIZZOU were both “live dogs,” while that Temple/Cornell matchup was hyped as an upset special as soon as the bracket was announced. If the Big Red hadn’t won, it would have been a disappointment (like the Siena Saints).

      Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin are both 25-7 in picking games by all margins, but Pomeroy is faring better with the big favorites, going 15-2 over the first two days in games where the favorite has a 70%+ chance of winning. Sagarin is just 16-5 in games where one team has a 3+ point advantage. He’s actually doing better overall with games in the 0 to 3-point range (9-2).

      Bracket-wise, it was a bloody first two days, but I think I made it through all right. Fifteen of my Sweet 16 teams are still alive (G-Town the only goner) and I still have all of my Elite 8 teams. I’m sure there are more than a few people who had Temple, Vanderbilt, Marquette and Notre Dame winning two games. It’s nice to win a lot of first round matchups, but it won’t matter much if you lose a Final Four team or two in the first couple of days. Still, it hurts to go 9-11 in games seeded 5/12 through 8/9. I picked a lot of upsets — SDSU, Minnesota, Siena, Florida St. — and didn’t pick the ones that came in — Old Dominion, Washington, Cornell, Ohio or Northern Iowa. But I’m still alive, and that’s all that matters.

      My first three bets went 2-1, with St. Mary’s and Georgia Tech winning and Utah St. getting worked over pretty well by Texas A&M. I like St. Mary’s +4.5 and Ohio +8.5 today.

      Today’s action starts with three potential upsets — Nova/SMC, Butler/Murray St. and Tennessee/Ohio — but I’m also looking forward to seeing if BYU can hang with Kansas State. If the Cougars can pull the upset, they’ll be heading back to Salt Lake City to potentially play two games 45 minutes from campus.

      College Basketball, March Madness

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