Monthly Archives: April 2017

Eli Manning gets heated while denying fake memorabilia accusations

Eli Manning briefly spoke to reporters Thursday and vehemently denied recent accusations that the quarterback and New York Giants were involved in a scheme in which phony game-worn gear was passed off as real.

We are aware of the matter involving Cyrus and are carefully monitoring his condition and gathering more information, the statement said. We dont have all of the details, so we wont have any further comment at this time.

Kouandjio was found by police in a field near the scene of an accident that closed down Route 400 for several hours, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. Kouandjio had climbed over an electric fence to enter the field, and he was only partially clothed.

When officers approached him, Kouandjio yelled Shoot me,a police source told Carucci.
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Elite Youth Maxx Williams Jersey Police initially didnt know who Kouandjio was, but after finding his car abandoned with Bills gear inside, they were able to make the connection.

The last time Kouandjio made headlines, it was under happier circumstances. Kouandjio, who was born in Cameroon, became a naturalized U.S. citizen last November. The Rams are missing a first-round pick thanks to the trade up to select quarterback Jared Goff first overall last year. Kiper uses Los Angeles second and third-round picks wisely here, getting Goff some protection with tackle Antonio Garcia in the second and a playmaker in wide receiver ArDarius Stewart.

Falcons trade up for the No. 26 pick from the Seahawks to draft Takkarist McKinley

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The Atlanta Falcons have swapped with the Seattle Seahawks, moving from No. 25 to No. 31. The Falcons took UCLAs Takkarist McKinley with the selection.

Along with the No. 31 pick, the Falcons gave up a third and seventh round pick in this years draft.

McKinley stood out at UCLAs pro day, despite shoulder surgery that was rather recent. The surgery repaired his torn labrum and will still keep him out of action for a handful of months.

Here is Larry Little, an offensive lineman on the 72 team, introducing the Dolphins 2017 NFL draft pick on Friday night: Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan.

Little led off his pick like this:

17-0, baby. Forty-four and counting. Robinson’s tape was what I expected to see when I turned on Ramczyk’s. So if you are asking me who the best left tackle is of the two, I don’t think there’s any question that its Robinson. Hands down. End of discussion. (And that’s before you eem get to Ramcyzk coming off of injury/surgery.)

What I also liked about Robinson’s tape was his consistency with his technique. He wasn’t perfect on every play, but his footwork put him in position to make the block every play.

Im not trying to be disrespectful. Larry Little is probably a nice guy. The 72 Dolphins were a great team. But I do not care that nobody else has gone undefeated. Members of this team reminding us all of their accomplishment at every opportunity over the years is grating, and Im petty enough to just be sick of the 72 Dolphins by now.

Alex Ovechkin Authentic Jersey Anyway, McMillans a great pick and a great leader. I hope he leads the Dolphins defense to an undefeated season someday so the 72 people stop talking about this.

Death of Steelers chairman Dan Rooney prompts tributes from around NFL

Dear Mr. Rooney, When we first met in 2010 you embraced me with open arms. You made me feel welcome. You looked at me as more than just another jersey number. One of the most genuine, and humble human beings I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. You motivated me not only to excel on the field but also in life. This season, the number 84 on my uniform will represent the 84 years you spent on this earth making an impact on the lives of others. I’ll miss you my friend.

Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks, Friday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m. (CBS) The Seahawks will welcome the former division rival Chiefs in what could be the first CBS broadcast for Tony Romo. The former Cowboys quarterback turned analyst could also make his debut under the new bright lights the following day in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m. (CBS) The first game between the two L.A. teams will take place at the Coliseum. The third preseason game is the traditional “dress rehearsal” matchup and this one will feature teams with new head coaches. Anthony Lynn has taken over as the Chargers head coach, while the Rams will be lead by Sean McVay.

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins, Sunday, Aug. 27, 4:30 p.m. (Fox) The Bengals travel to Washington, D.C. to face former coordinator Jay Gruden and the Redskins, who have been a mess this offseason in part to the firing of general manager Scot McCloughan.
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Jabrill Peppers claps back at being called overrated

You know the nice thing about having a 7 lead ball-handler? He can also play like a 7 big man on the same play.

On this common set, Antetokounmpo dribbles up the left side and runs off a staggered double screen involving the point guard and one big man. As the big man rolls, the point guard will pop back to the left wing. If Antetokounmpo has an opening, great! If the big man is open, even better!
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But if not, Antetokounmpo can then toss the ball back to the point guard and immediately transition into another pick and roll with him diving to the basket. He goes from point guard to big man, all in a few seconds.

Jabrill Peppers is a multi-dimensional man of mystery to many NFL Draft evaluators.
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The former Michigan star’s role as a hybrid player on defense, as well as kick returner and quarterback/running back, is confusing everyone except Peppers.

Bleacher Report labeled him recently as the draft’s most overrated, prompting Peppers to offer this sharp response: Quin Snyder has a beautiful offense that takes advantage of his teams collection of playmakers at every position. This is my favorite set play the Jazz run.

That pre-play motion usually ends with Hayward coming back to the ball at the top of the key. But this time, Hayward saw Austin Rivers overplaying him and broke backdoor for the lob pass. Utah catches teams every couple of nights with this read.

Carr agreed that the numbers being talked out on a potential new contract are hard to fathom.

“It makes me just super grateful,” he said. “I know that that’s going to help a lot of people. I get overwhelmed by it because I know how many people that will help — not only with my family, my wife’s family, around this country.

“Even in Haiti, I have a heart for those people in Haiti who I love dearly, and that’s the cool thing to me is that we’ll be in a cool position to where we can help a lot of people.”

Carr was also asked about the potential of retired running back Marshawn Lynch joining the Raiders.

“He’s one heckuva football player, and I hope to play with him and those things, but again, I’m focused on the guys that are here today,” said Carr, who said he spoke with Lynch on his visit to the Raiders’ complex two weeks ago. “And I can’t say, ‘Oh, man, I hope he gets here,’ and all those things. Of course, anyone would want Marshawn Lynch. Any quarterback in the NFL … add a good player to our team? Absolutely.
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Adam Foote Kids Jersey The Suns have missed the playoffs for a franchise-record seven consecutive seasons — including the past two fully under McDonough’s watch since he was elevated to head of basketball operations — and sank to the league’s second-worst record in 2016-17 somewhat by design in the second half of the campaign.

Once it became apparent that the playoffs were well out of reach, Phoenix shelved veterans Tyson Chandler, Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe, happy to let its youngest players soak up the bulk of the minutes. That gave management more of a chance to evaluate them and increased to nearly 56 percent the Suns’ chances of landing a top-three pick in next month’s lottery.

Stormy weather: How the wind & rain shaped Week 11

Daniel Carcillo Elite Jersey Several teams were pushing for playoff spots in Week 11, but mother nature was the real wild card. High winds and unpredictable rains influenced four games around the league and played a big part in determining how teams operated.

The Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears were most heavily impacted. Tornado warnings and swirling rains caused a near-two hour delay, with fans and teams trying to stay out of the storm’s path. It caused offensive success to ebb and flow, as the clouds cleared and reappeared, influencing the game.
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It was oddly beneficial for the Bears to start Josh McCown due to Jay Cutler’s injury. Rogue gusts of wind routinely blew passes several feet away from their intended target, making deep-passing quarterbacks a liability. In the Bears’ case, the question wasn’t which quarterback is better, but rather who is better at throwing intermediate passes and keeping turnovers at a minimum. McCown throws a naturally tight spiral, even if he doesn’t have the arm to make the throws Cutler can.

The idea that football should be subject to the whims, inconsistencies, and occasional incompetence of its officials is, at heart, a romantic notion. It eschews the technocratic tyranny of what actually happened in favor of the chaos of what was seen to happen, what should have happened, and what would have happened had what should have happened, happened. So to speak. Like all romantic things it is also, secretly, a little bit stupid.

The Bucks still have to play the Celtics again

The man who crushed North Carolina’s dreams 364 days ago was back in the building as the Tar Heels got their shot at redemption. You couldn’t miss him: every time the camera panned to Roy Williams on the sideline, there was Kris Jenkins sitting behind him.

Five teams are within 3.5 games of each other, fighting for the final three spots in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta, Milwaukee, Indiana, and Miami would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

Current tiebreakers: The Hawks-Bucks head-to-head is 2-2, as is Hawks-Heat. Hawks-Pacers is 1-1 with one more game to play. Hawks-Bulls is 3-0 to Atlanta. The Heat hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucks (3-1), and Pacers (2-1). Milwaukee holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pacers (3-1) and Bulls (3-1). The Bulls hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Heat (3-0). The teams with the best conference records in order are Atlanta, Milwaukee, Chicago, Miami, Indiana, and Detroit.

Who has the toughest schedule? The Bucks still have to play the Celtics again, though they defeated them in Boston on Wednesday.

Remaining games: Pistons-Bucks in Milwaukee on March 31, Hawks-Bulls on April 1, Hawks-Pacers on April 12.

Biggest strength: The running back unit is deeper than most power conference units, and projected starting quarterback Tom Flacco has dangerous legs. The run game could be fantastic.

Biggest question mark: The run game will have to be dominant because the passing game is starting from scratch.
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Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson flirt with history in Lions loss

The Detroit Lions racked up nearly 400 yards of offense in the first half Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson were kept quiet in the second half of the team’s 37-27 loss.

Kids Jay Bromley Jersey Stafford threw for 327 yards in the first two quarters, a franchise record. He was on pace to break the NFL single-game passing yards record, which stands at 554 yards and was set in 1951 by Norm Van Brocklin. Stafford nearly broke the record last season when he threw for 520 yards against the Packers.

Pittsburgh took a hint, and made some halftime adjustments to get more pressure on Stafford and tighter coverage on Megatron. It worked, at least enough to keep Detroit’s offensive duo from putting their names in the history book this week.

Kids Cedric Peerman Jersey Their current lease in Oakland runs for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, leaving their 2019 status up in the air. Davis said that the team could stay in Oakland for the 2019 season, a few places that they could play during the 2019 season.

The Raiders playing a season in the Chargers old house seems kinda cruel, but are the people of San Diego going to complain if they have a home team for a season right now? Probably not.

Kevin Durant: James Worthy ‘did some shady sh— to me’

Game Mens Tyvon Branch Jersey Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant revealed a story about NBA legend James Worthy, who had two different opinions in front of the camera and in front of Durant’s face regarding his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Warriors in free agency.

“He did kind of do some shady sh— to me,” Durant said on The Bill Simmons podcast.

Here’s the story as Durant told it:

This will be the fourth time since 2010 that the Hokies will play a non-Saturday primetime opener, but the first time on a Sunday. In 2010, the Hokies played in a Labor Day night game against Boise State at FedEx Field and had Labor Day home openers against Georgia Tech in 2012 and in 2015 against Ohio State.

This series dates back to 1912 and is the fifth-longest in WVU history. The winner of the rivalry is awarded the Black Diamond Trophy.

The former Big East foes have played 51 times in their history, including every year between 1973 and 2005. However, conference realignment has made the two rivals drift apart. West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, who played in this rivalry himself as quarterback of the Mountaineers in the late 1970s, said that losing regional rivalries like this game is one of the major negatives of realignment:

Game Mens Jared Dudley Jersey “It’s happening to everybody,” said Luck. “Texas is not playing Texas A&M, and for somebody that lives in Texas, that’s blasfamy. Kansas doesn’t play Missouri anymore. But eventually some of those games will start coming back on the schedule.”