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Bills considering Blaine Gabbert at No. 3?

April 28, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

While appearing on Mike and Mike on Thursday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that the Bills will give Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert a “long, hard look” at the No. 3 pick in tonight’s draft.

“I’ve been hearing buzz since last night,” Schefter said. “If Cam Newton was in play for the Bills, why wouldn’t Blaine Gabbert?”

I get what Schefter’s saying, although Newton would seemingly attract Chan Gailey more than Gabbert would, because the Buffalo head coach likes mobile quarterbacks. Of course, Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t mobile and had some success under Gailey last season, so it’s not like Gailey only goes with mobile quarterbacks. Plus, Gabbert has above average athleticism for his size.

With the amount of needs the Bills have on defense, I wouldn’t think they would draft a quarterback at No. 3. This could just be a smokescreen in order to lure a QB-needy team up to No. 3 so that they can acquire more picks and still land a defender of their choice further down. But you never know – this draft is a mystery.

External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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Broncos to take linebacker Von Miller at No. 2?

April 27, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

NFL Network’s Kara Henderson is reporting that Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller may have surpassed Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus as the favorite for the Broncos at No. 2 overall.

From Rotoworld:

“What we’re hearing right now,” said Henderson, “(is) the room may be shifting” toward Miller. According to Henderson, the Broncos believe Miller “can be a four-down player,” contributing on all three defensive downs as well as on special teams. Frankly, we’re not buying it. As good as Miller projects to be, he’s not a particularly good scheme fit for Denver’s new 4-3 defense. They also have much bigger needs inside.

Scouts have pointed out that Miller has trouble stacking up in the run game and lacks power to shed blocks. Thus, Rotoworld would be correct in their assessment that Miller wouldn’t be a fit for Denver in a 4-3 alignment. He would arguably be a better fit as a pass rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4.

I’m going to compile my final mock on Thursday morning (I know most of you can’t stand the anticipation, but try to get some sleep tonight…) but I like Dareus to Denver at No. 2 and Miller to Arizona at No. 5. Miller would seemingly be a great fit in the Cardinals’ 3-4 multiple front and they could certainly use a pass-rusher.

External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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Mark Ingram receives clean bill of health

April 27, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The Miami Herald is reporting that the famed Dr. James Andrews has given running back prospect Mark Ingram a clean bill of health heading into Thursday night’s NFL draft.

The Herald also points out that Ingram was not asked to return to Indianapolis for a medical recheck following the scouting combine. This is significant because potential draftees with medical red flags are often asked to return to Indy for further evaluations.

The health status of Ingram is important to the Dolphins, who hold the No. 15 overall pick. There’s a good chance that free agents Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have played their last snaps in South Beach and the Fish could snag a running back in the first round. Ingram would most likely be available at that spot and is arguably the best running back prospect in the draft.

Of course, Ingram’s clean bill of health doesn’t mean that the Dolphins will select him with the No. 15 pick – even though running back is arguably their biggest need. The interior of their offensive line is also a need, as is quarterback and even safety. It seems unlikely that Miami would take a signal caller in the first round, but it’s hard to figure what will go down on Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall. This year’s draft is shrouded in mystery.

External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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Who’s stepping it up in the NBA Playoffs?

April 27, 2011 / John Paulsen

It’s tougher to play better in the postseason because the competition is generally better than the regular season and the games are more intense. That said, there are 26 players (of the 98 who have played at least 90 minutes in the playoffs) that are actually faring better statistically on a per minute basis.

I calculated Efficiency Per Minute for both the regular season (EPMr) and playoffs (EPMp) and took the difference as a percentage of their performance during the regular season. The resulting percentage is the gain (or drop) in their statistical production in the postseason.

Here are 26 players that have stepped up their games in the playoffs:

External Sports, NBA

2011 NBA Playoffs