Page 891 of 2956

      NFL Notes: Mankins requests trade, Dumervil signs tender & McRath busted for PEDs

      June 14, 2010 /

      – According to the Boston Herald and Patriots’ beat writer Mike Reiss, guard Logan Mankins has requested a trade in wake of his current contract situation. Says Makins: “I don’t need to be here anymore. This is about principle with me and keeping your word and how you treat people.”

      The Patriots aren’t big on handing out big contracts to guards (or anyone not named Tom Brady for that matter), but it’ll be interesting to see what approach they take now that Mankins has demanded a trade.

      – The NFL has suspended Titans linebacker Gerald McRath four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He was expected to start this season after seeing extensive action last year as a rookie, but now it appears that David Thornton’s job is safe.

      Speaking of the Titans, Chris Johnson continues to stay away from mini-camp in hopes that the team will give him a new contract. A resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight, as the Titans wants him to play on his current deal, which still has three years remaining on it. Of course if CJ decides to holdout through training camp, Tennessee could be forced to pony up. Johnson is without a doubt their most productive player.

      – Elvis Dumervil signed his one-year, $3.168 million tender with the Broncos on Monday. The Denver Post’s Lindsay Jones writes that the two parties will continue to work on a long-term deal, which Dumervil deserves in wake of his performance last season.

      – The Vikings re-signed restricted free agent Ray Edwards to a one-year, $2.521 million deal. The defensive end had threatened last month to hold out, but apparently that was just a ploy in hopes of receiving long-term contract. Edwards recorded 51 tackles and 8.5 sacks last season.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Marshawn Lynch is killing his trade value

      June 14, 2010 /

      According to the NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, the Seahawks are “quite interested” in Bills’ running back Marshawn Lynch, but unless he starts using his head he may never get out of Buffalo.

      Thanks for Fred Jackson and first round pick C.J. Spiller, the Bills don’t need Lynch, who continues to be a pain in the team’s ass. He refuses to practice during team-organized activities, presumably because he’s upset with Buffalo’s decision to draft Spiller, and he likely wants to be traded. (I use the words “presumably” and “likely” because nobody actually knows what Lynch wants.)

      But even for teams like the Seahawks who might be interested in him, what team would pull the trigger on a trade knowing that he refuses to workout for the Bills? He has been a malcontent since Buffalo drafted him and he’s destroying his trade value by refusing to practice. He could do himself a favor by working out, playing the role of good solider and staying out of trouble. But as of now, he thinks he’s smarter than everyone by refusing to participate until he gets what he wants (whatever that is).

      The Bills aren’t going to get great compensation for Lynch, even if they do wind up finding a trade partner. The time to trade him was during the draft, but they missed their chance and now they’ll be lucky to get a mid-round draft pick in return for his services.

      But at this point, if a team like the Seahawks are interested, then the Bills might as well take whatever they can get for him. He’s obviously not intelligent enough to realize that he’s only hurting himself, so if Seattle offers a fifth rounder, Buffalo might as well jump on it.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      About face: Texas likely to stay in Big 12

      June 14, 2010 /

      They say that money is the root of all evil. It’s also the reason why Texas might wind up staying in the Big 12 after all.

      In a rather surprising turn of events, it appears as though Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has saved the conference by constructing a TV deal that could pay Texas upwards of $25 million per year.

      ESPN.com has the details:

      Texas stands to earn between $20 million and $25 million annually in television revenue in the reworked deal, including money from its own network, according to Orangebloods.com.

      The Longhorns network figures to generate between $3 million and $5 million, according to the report. Because the Big 12 has unequal revenue sharing, the deal will mean more money for Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, who all would receive at least $20 million annually from the new deal.

      The other seven schools in the Big 12 would make between $14 million and $17 million, doubling what they currently receive in TV revenue.

      Assuming this deal gets done, this would be a big win for all parties involved. Beebe keeps the Big 12 from completely imploding, the remaining 10 schools in the conference increase their TV revenue and rivals like Texas and Texas A&M won’t split. (Before this report surfaced, the Longhorns seemed destined for the Pac-10, while A&M was likely to join the SEC.)

      Considering the events that have transpired up to this point, it is surprising that Texas is on the verge of staying in the Big 12. But what isn’t surprising is why they inevitably might stay.

      Money was going to win out in the end here. As I wrote earlier today, expansion has always been about money. The schools that were considering expansion were doing so because they want to increase revenue and joining other conferences was a way for them to do that. But if Beebe found a way to generate more TV revenue (which it looks like he did), then there was no reason for Texas to join the Pac-10 or any other conference for that matter.

      Personally, I think this is good news. College football is about tradition and rivalries and I thought it was absurd for programs like Texas and Texas A&M to split. I also hated the idea of a 16-team Pac-10 with no conference championship game, which was one of the proposed scenarios last week. Sure, the conference still lost Nebraska and Colorado, but most of the Big 12 will stay intact and as long as Beebe’s plan comes to fruition, I think everybody wins.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football, External Sports

      Despite another KO loss, Liddell deserves one last fight

      June 14, 2010 /

      I, like many of you, watched the sad scene of Chuck Liddell getting knocked out by Rich Franklin at UFC 115 on Saturday night.
      The consensus of the broadcasters and many of the fans is that it was Liddell’s last fight. After all, the man has now lost five of his last six and three of four of those losses have come by knockout.

      While you have to be concerned for Liddell’s health and mental state after the repeated KO’s, I think the UFC owes it to Liddell for one last fight.
      This wouldn’t be just any fight, it would be a fight with his rival, Tito Ortiz. And no matter the result, Liddell would retire after that fight.

      I mean the poor guy spent a month of his life listening to Ortiz talk unwarranted trash about him with the thought that he would get a chance to shut Ortiz up one more time, only to see Ortiz back out with an injury that he somehow hadn’t noticed until the show was about to wrap up.
      Liddell has already KO’d Ortiz two times yet Ortiz still seems to think he is better than Liddell and will gladly tell anyone that asks him about it. Liddell would love nothing more than to plant another right hand on Ortiz’ big head.

      You really wouldn’t have to worry much about Liddell’s health with this fight either as Ortiz doesn’t have punching power and Liddell has tremendous takedown defense. Ortiz would pretty much be a sitting duck for Liddell.

      Liddell was the face of the UFC during its boom into mainstream media and he has always done what the organization has asked. It would be nice to see the UFC pay him back one last time by giving him this fight. Liddell deserves a chance to ride off into the sunset by beating one of the most hated fighters in the promotion.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Report: Texas getting closer to joining Pac-10

      June 14, 2010 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are getting closer to joining the Pac-10. The report also states that Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is trying to put together a plan to save the conference, although sources say that he has “zero” chance of succeeding.

      Beebe’s last-ditch plan included an emotional plea about preserving rivalries and maintaining the best welfare of the student-athlete, one source said.

      Texas A&M is now most likely to join the SEC, a source within the Big 12 said. This move, in the wake of Colorado and Nebraska’s departure, would further diminish the chance of Beebe’s plan succeeding, one source said.

      Texas’ decision is expected to come no later than Tuesday. One source familiar with Texas’ plans suggested a hearing on Wednesday at the Texas House of Representatives is “a nonfactor.”

      A report on Orangebloods.com said that Texas is committed to discussions with the remaining 10 schools in the Big 12 about a plan put together by Beebe that would keep the league intact with its current programs.

      The plan includes assurances that a TV deal could net each school between $14 million and $17 million, Orangebloods.com reported, and schools such as Texas could still have their own TV network.

      College football expansion is all about money, so Beebe’s plan isn’t completely hopeless. That said, things don’t look good for him and the Big 12. These schools are going to go where the TV deals are bigger and where they can generate more revenue. As of now, the Pac-10 offers the better “deal” for teams like Texas, so it seems inevitable that that is where they’ll wind up.

      We’ll see if Beebe’s last-ditch effort can save the conference but as of now, it appears that the Big 12 is on the verge of imploding.

      Update: Now ESPN is reporting that Texas is leaning towards accepting a deal to stay in the Big 12.

      Based on a TV deal in the works that could pay them upwards of
      $25 million per year, Texas is leaning toward staying in a 10-team Big 12 for the foreseeable future, Orangebloods.com has reported, citing sources familiar with negotiations.

      Texas was meeting Monday with the other remaining nine schools in the Big 12 about a TV deal included in a plan put together by Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe that would keep the league intact with its current programs, according to multiple reports.

      Texas stands to earn between $20 million and
      $25 million annually in television revenue in the reworked deal, including money from its own network, according to Orangebloods.com.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football, External Sports, News

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑