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      Has Julio Jones moved past A.J. Green on team’s draft broads?

      March 22, 2011 /
      Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Julio Jones (8) sprints past Duke Blue Devils cornerback Ross Cockrell (6) during the first half of their NCAA football game in Durham, North Carolina September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Jim R. Bounds (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      For months, draft pundits have said that Georgia receiver A.J. Green was the most NFL-ready prospect in this year’s class. Now it appears that he may not even be the first receiver to come off the board next month.

      SI.com’s Peter King writes that Alabama wideout Julio Jones has closed the gap between he and Green, who showed up at February’s scouting combine in less than impressive shape. Jones, on the other hand, wowed scouts by running two 40-yard dashes between 4.34 and 4.40 seconds with a slight fracture in his foot. (An injury that shouldn’t slow down his pro career.)

      The former Alabama star was easily the most impressive receiver at the combine and may now be viewed as a top-5 pick. In fact, King says that the Bengals (who have the fourth overall selection) have Jones ahead of Green on their preliminary draft board. Teams still consider Green to be the more naturally gifted athlete, but Jones might be the safer prospect because of his work ethic and practice habits. Even Green is on record saying that preparation is one of his weaknesses.

      Another attribute that has caught teams’ attention is Jones’ ability to block. The Bengals are re-implementing a run-first offense under new coordinator Jay Gruden (who will be implementing his version of the West Coast Offense) and a receiver like Jones is obviously attractive because he’s not afraid to mix it up a little with DBs.

      In my latest mock, I had the Bengals selecting Green at No. 4 and the Browns (another team that will be running a version of the WCO) taking Jones at No. 8. If I were to compile another mock today, I might have the receivers flipped based on King’s report.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

      Charles Barkley debates Rick Pitino about the Big East [video]

      March 22, 2011 /

      Rick Pitino joined the March Madness coverage and got into a little debate with Charles Barkely, who obviously isn’t a big fan of the Big East.

      I love Pitino’s statement at 0:50 that “Notre Dame will not lose tonight” (to Florida St., whom they did lose to…badly).

      The Big East is currently 9-9 in the tourney with two teams still alive (UConn and Marquette). Based purely on seeding, we would expect the conference to be 14-6 with five teams (Pitt, Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse and UConn) still alive. Barkley is right that the Big East didn’t have a powerhouse team like the Big Ten (Ohio St.) or the Big 12 (Kansas) does, but it is a good conference top to bottom. Marquette is a good example. They beat a solid Xavier team and then upset Syracuse. Sure, it would be more impressive had they beaten a non-Big East team to make it to the Sweet 16, but it’s still an impressive run for an 11-seed.

      If UConn and Marquette go quietly into the dark night against SDSU and North Carolina, respectively, then we can really wonder about the conference’s strength, but if UConn wins and Marquette gives the Tar Heels a good game, isn’t that enough?

      It’s interesting — when Barkley made that comment about the Big East having solid but unspectacular players, I looked at a first round mock over at NBADraft.net, and the only Big East player projected to go in the first round is Kemba Walker. (There are six Big East players projected to go in the second round.) DraftExpress also shows one first rounder (Walker) and six second rounders.

      Jay Bilas probably summed it up best on Twitter:

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness, Video

      NFL moves kickoffs up to 35-yard line, replay will now be automatic on scoring plays

      March 22, 2011 /
      New York Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes (C) kicks the opening kick-off to start the first regular season game in the Giants new stadium against the Carolina Panthers in their NFL football game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, September 12, 2010. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      At the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday, the league decided to make several rule changes for next season…uh, if there is a season.

      For your reading pleasure, here’s the cliff note version of the changes:

      – Kickoffs will now start from the 35 and not the 30. (Touchbacks will still come out to the 20-yard line.)

      – After gathering input of coaches throughout the league, the committee decided to allow return teams to have a two-man wedge. The committee had suggested the elimination of the two-man wedge, but coaches argued that would make it harder to have quality returns.

      – Players on kickoff coverage units must line up within five yards of the 35. They can no longer get a 15-yard running start.

      – Replay will now become automatic for all scoring plays, regardless of whether or not coaches have challenges remaining. What constitutes a “scoring play?” A play that was ruled on the field to have scored points.

      There was also a vote involving the “defenseless player rule,” but that has been tabled until the May meetings because the Competition Committee wanted to expand on some of the language in the rule.

      I like that replays will now be automatic for all scoring plays and thus, coaches don’t have to decide whether or not to burn a challenge on a play that could cost them points. Was it a touchdown or not? Let’s get those calls right. Don’t penalize a coach or his team for using challenges on questionable calls (which essentially are what challenges are) earlier in the game when it could cost him a touchdown later on.

      As far as the kickoffs rule change, I could go either way. It zaps some of the excitement out of the game by moving the ball up to the 35, but I understand that the committee is trying to prevent injuries. We’ll have way more touchbacks but if it means we’ll see less players leaving the field on stretchers, then I’m all for it.

      External Sports, NFL

      Are you good enough to beat me in fantasy baseball? If so, you could win $200.

      March 22, 2011 /
      St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols hits in an indoor batting cage prior to Grapefruit League baseball action against the New York Mets in Jupiter, Florida March 2, 2011. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Hey TSR readers, you now have an opportunity to win $200 and stick it to me just for putting your fantasy baseball knowledge to the test for one day. One day! Win one day of fantasy-filled fun, win $200 and prove that you’re better than me in fantasy baseball. That’s it. Two hundred dollars. Stick it to me. It’s easy, fun and you’re going to love it.

      What do I have to do to win $200 and stick it to you, Anthony?
      Sign up at FanDuel.com and enter the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest. It’s easy to sign up and the entry fee is only $5. Once you’re signed up, FanDuel will give you the opportunity to select nine players from the following April 1 MLB games (click here for more detailed rules, or see below). If you beat me and fellow TSR members (and longtime fantasy baseball enthusiasts) Jamey Codding and David Medsker, you’ll win $5. If you finish in the top 7, you’ll win even more cash, up to $200.

      What are the rules?
      – Each player has a salary, and you only have $35k to spend.
      – You must pick the following positions: P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF
      – The game starts Fri 1st Apr at 1:05pm EDT so enter before then.
      – Again, if you manage to finish above our three experts you win an extra $5

      How does the scoring work?
      Once you’ve selected your team, they’ll be awarded these points in these categories: Hitters: 1B = 1pt, 2B = 2pts, 3B = pts, HR = 4pts, RBI = 1pt, R = 1pt, BB = 1pt, SB = 2pts, Out = -.25pt Pitchers: W = 7pts, ER = -1pt, SO=1pt, IP = 1pt.

      Can I win a cash prize if I come in second?
      Yes, $100, as well as for third place ($75), fourth place ($50), fifth place ($30), sixth place ($25) and seventh place ($20). So for signing up for a $5 contest, you could win $20 as long as you come in seventh. You can finish in at least seventh place right? Right? Right?!

      What’s the catch?
      No catch. Sign up is easy, the entry fee is only $5 and all you have to do is beat me in fantasy baseball for one day…ah, so there’s the catch. There’s no way you’re beating me in fantasy baseball.

      Sign up for the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest.

      Contests, External Sports, Fantasy Baseball, General Sports, MLB

      Vikings want to draft a rookie to start in 2011?

      March 22, 2011 /

      When the Vikings hired Bill Musgrave as their offensive coordinator in January, they knew one of his best attributes was working with quarterbacks. And in his most recent stop, he worked with a young signal caller that went on to win the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year.

      That “stop” was Atlanta and that “young signal caller” was Matt Ryan. Musgrave oversaw Ryan’s development with the Falcons as his quarterback coach and if beat writers Judd Zulgad and Tom Pelissero are right, he might have a similar opportunity to work with another rookie QB in Minnesota.

      In his latest column for the Star Tribune, Zulgad writes that Vikings coach Leslie Frazier talked “extensively” about the quarterback position at the NFL coaches breakfast at the league meetings on Tuesday. Per Zulgad, Frazier “made it clear that his desire would be to draft someone and plug him in as the starter.”

      In that same article, Zulgad also quoted Frazier saying that the Vikings would talk internally about different quarterback “scenarios,” which includes trading for Kevin Kolb. But if the team does want to draft a young signal caller, then there will be a couple of options at No. 12 overall.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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