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      Is it time for the Titans to pony up and pay Chris Johnson?

      June 24, 2011 /
      Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson watches from the sidelines during the first half of their NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida October 18, 2010. REUTERS/Daron Dean (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Contract holdouts used to irritate me in professional sports. An athlete and a team come together on a deal with the intentions of honoring said commitment. Then the athlete feels underpaid and holds his team hostage until he gets what he wants. Considering teams can’t ask for their money back when an athlete gives a Barry Zito-type performance year after year, the whole notion of a holdout didn’t sit right with me.

      But that was a rather juvenile way of looking at the situation. In the NFL, teams can’t ask for money back but they can cut a player without honoring their commitment, so why shouldn’t athletes bargain for more money when they’ve outperformed their contract? At the end of the day, whether you’re a professional athlete or working out of a cubicle, you use the leverage you have to get as much as you can (within reason, of course) before that team or company decides it’s done with you.

      Over the past week, there have been multiple reports that Chris Johnson will not report to training camp without a lucrative new contract. Set to earn just $800,000 this year despite being the NFL’s best back, it’s hard to blame Johnson for forcing the Titans into a corner. He still has two years left on his current deal, but it’s a deal in which he has outperformed.

      There are a couple of reasons why the Titans shouldn’t give into Johnson’s demands (assuming he does holdout, that is), starting with the position he plays. Running backs just aren’t as valuable as they were 8-10 years ago. It’s a passing league now and if teams concentrate their efforts into building a decent O-line, they don’t have to break the bank for a top back. And considering the NFL is now a two-back league, committing a bunch of money to that position seems rather unproductive.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams…then what?

      June 23, 2011 /
      Kemba Walker of the University of Connecticut speaks to reporters at a media availability session ahead of the 2011 NBA Draft in New York, June 22, 2011. The 2011 NBA Draft will be held June 23 in Newark, New Jersey. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      As expected, Kyrie Irving went #1 overall to the Cavs, and Derrick Williams went #2 to Minnesota, a sign that the T-Wolves could not swing a satisfying trade for the Arizona forward. If he’s not moved in the next few days, he’ll be asked to play small forward alongside Kevin Love and Darko Milicic on the front line.

      Conventional wisdom had Brandon Knight headed to Utah, but the Jazz went with Turkish big man Enes Kanter instead, which is odd considering the presence of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson on the Utah front line. The Cavs went with Texas freshman Tristan Thompson at #4. Apparently, he played Williams to a standstill in a recent workout and that won over the Cleveland brass. He plays the same position as J.J. Hickson, so I’m not exactly sure how the two are going to develop together. (For what it’s worth, John Hollinger’s Draft Rater had Thompson ranked #3.)

      The Raptors surprised no one at #5 by going international with Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, who has the potential to provide some rebounding alongside softy Andrea Bargnani. At #6, the Wizards went with Jan Vesely, a Czech swingman with a penchant for dunking…hard…on people.

      At #7, the Kings took Bismack Biyombo (of Congo) but it appears that he’s part of a three-team trade with the Bobcats and the Bucks. Biyombo is probably headed to Charlotte, while the Bucks’ pick at #10, Jimmer Fredette, is headed to Sacramento. For their part, the Bucks acquired Stephen Jackson to replace John Salmons (on his way to Sacramento) and Corey Maggette (on his way to Charlotte). Milwaukee needs scoring and Jackson brings that while also playing good defense on the other end of the floor. The Bucks are also expected to acquire #19 pick Tobias Harris (of Tennessee) in the deal.

      College Basketball, External Sports, NBA, NBA Draft

      Brian Urlacher fires back at Dhani Jones

      June 23, 2011 /
      Chicago Bears linebackers Lance Briggs (L) and Brian Urlacher and wide receiver Johnny Knox stand on the field before the game against the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field in Chicago on October 24, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey

      “When was the last time Brian Urlacher got off a block?”

      That was Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones after leaving Urlacher off his list of top 10 linebackers for the NFL Network – a list in which Jones ranked himself No. 7.

      Always willing to confront his critics, Urlacher responded with this gem (courtesy of the Chicago Tribune):

      “I think we were drafted in the same class, right? … I haven’t heard anything about him since then,” Urlacher told “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP-AM 1000. “I saw him on a TV show with a bow tie on, though. So I know him better for the way he dresses than what he does on the football field. Look, guys are going to talk. I’ve definitely had a lot worse things said about me publicly from guys, so I can live with it.”

      It never ceases to amaze me how much criticism Urlacher has received throughout his career. Does he miss tackles sometimes? Yes, as does Ray Lewis, Clay Matthews, Patrick Willis, DeMarcus Ware and the rest of the top linebackers. Play enough downs in the NFL and you’re going to blow your fair share of assignments. But that doesn’t mean that a player is overrated like some have suggested Urlacher is.

      Urlacher’s critics should bone up on the Tampa 2 and what the middle linebacker’s responsibilities are in that defense. Then consider how Urlacher has played 11 seasons, has gone to seven Pro Bowls and was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. Nick Roach proved in 2009 that not just any linebacker could play the middle in the Tampa 2 and have success. And that’s not a knock on Roach – that’s a testament to how good Urlacher has been throughout his career. (2009 was also the year that the Bears defense fell to No. 16 overall, largely because Urlacher was lost for the season following a Week 1 injury suffered against the Packers.)

      Jones and everyone else who think Urlacher is overrated have the right to their opinion. But I have a hard time believing that Jones could play the middle in a Tampa 2 even half as well as Urlacher has.

      External Sports, NFL

      Consensus Mock Draft (Updated 6/22)

      June 22, 2011 /

      Here is the latest consensus mock draft from NBA.com.

      In their draft preview, the folks over at Grantland described the draft this way…

      There is no way to discuss this particular draft without stating the obvious — it is bombed out and depleted. Outside of Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, the two players vying for the honor of joining the Dan Gilbert hate-train, this year’s class is a collection of low-ceiling college guys and complete unknowns. What’s worse, the teams in this year’s lottery are all at least two, and sometimes as many as five, quality guys away from winning a playoff series.

      John Hollinger’s Draft Rater agrees that Irving and Williams are clearly the top two players in the draft (at this point), but believes there’s value to be had in Tristan Thompson (whom Hollinger ranks #3) and Jonas Valanciunas (#4). He also believes that Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker have a great chance to turn into at least solid rotation players because the Draft Rater does such a good job predicting the upside of wings (as opposed to big men, who are tougher to gauge).

      Unless there is a trade, it appears that Irving will go #1 to the Cavs while Williams will go #2 to the Timberwolves. It’s not a perfect fit for Minny, but they’d be dumb to pass on Williams if they can’t trade down. If nothing else, it would give them a good trade chip down the road.

      The Jazz are looking for a point guard, and apparently aren’t sold on Devin Harris. Brandon Knight could be the pick there — he is a high character guy who had a 4.3 weighted GPA in high school.

      If the Cavs take Irving #1 (which they should), it makes sense to go big at #4. J.J. Hickson is a solid prospect at power forward, so if Cleveland can land their center of the future at #4 (perhaps Kanter or Valanciunas), they’d be in reasonably good shape with a core of Irving, Hickson and Kanter/Valanciunas. Then again, they do have Anderson Varejao, but he is very limited offensively. Kanter is the polar opposite. He can score, but hasn’t shown much of a commitment to defense.

      Walker to the Raptors makes a lot of sense. Unless they are planning to build around Jerryd Bayless or Jose Calderon, they need a point guard and Walker would be the best one available at #5. The Wizards could go any number of directions as they need help everywhere outside of point guard, where John Wall is the future. The draft is very fluid from #4 on and even the Jazz could surprise at #3 and take someone like Jan Vesely to play small forward.

      External Sports, NBA

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