Regardless of sport Chuma Edoga Jersey , fantasy players become giddy dreamers when it comes to discussing the potential of rookies.
It’s more fun to imagine Giants running back Saquon Barkley piling up 1,850 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, or Suns center Deandre Ayton averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks than to consider the practical implications of adjusting from dominating in college sports to the pro game.
Several rookies have already had strong fantasy showings this summer in baseball, including Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (although Acuna and Buehler are currently on the disabled list). Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows and Braves pitcher Mike Soroka have flashed the potential to emerge as productive stalwarts for years to come.
With most teams using July to either press forward or chart a new course, the next batch of coming attractions will have fantasy baseballers waiting to either luck out on their waiver wire order or go all-in with their remaining FAAB bucks:
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., 3B, Blue Jays: Couldn’t have a list without him, right? He’ll return to action in mid-July after a strained patellar tendon put him on the shelf, but there’s no question he’ll arrive in Toronto at some point. At 19, his bat can still be a difference maker.
Eloy Jimenez, OF http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/trevon-wesco-jersey , White Sox: Currently in Triple-A, Jimenez has the upside to become a .320 hitter with 40-home run power. The only question is when, not if, he’s called up between now and the end of the season.
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros: A legit five-tool talent, Tucker has mauled Triple-A pitching over the past two weeks and only needs an opening to appear in the crowded Houston outfield.
Francisco Mejia, C/OF, Indians: Had a brief appearance in the bigs earlier this season and while Yan Gomes has a grip on catching duties in Cleveland, the Indians will find a way to get Mejia’s bat into the lineup once he’s recalled.
Justus Sheffield, P, Yankees: He’ll be up, even if not with New York, who could use Sheffield as trade bait to add a veteran arm to the rotation before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
GALLUP ROLE
Cowboys rookie receiver Michael Gallup is a strong deep sleeper candidate who has a great chance to become a Week 1 starter. Allen Hurns has never been a featured wideout Alexander Mattison Jersey , Terrance Williams has a broken foot and Cole Beasley was a major disappointment last season, making it likely that Gallup, a third-round pick, could seize a prominent role.
Gallup’s value will only rise as more fantasy leagues begin. He’s got late-stage value right now, but if he thrives during the preseason he will be a solid WR3/flex with strong WR2 upside.
A DENVER NUGGET?
Concerns about his back led to Michael Porter, Jr., falling to 14th in last week’s NBA draft, where he was selected by the Nuggets. Whether he can contribute this season remains a question, but if Porter is healthy, fantasy players could see why he’s drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant.
No one in last week’s draft has as much upside as the 6-foot-10 Porter, who could pair with top 10 fantasy talent Nikola Jokic and give the Nuggets another big man who can fill up the stat sheet on a nightly basis.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, At one point in its history the NFL Draft had 32 rounds before they eventually cut it down to the current size of seven rounds. From the beginning of the draft through to the modern ones, the vast majority of players selected in all of those later rounds never amounted to anything more than low level starters at best or most commonly, never made an NFL team in the first place. There have been some late round gems through the years http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/dru-samia-jersey , however. These are some of the best stories in the NFL as they show that even if a player is not one of the top prospects, if they are unknown, or if the league thinks they do not have the size, the speed, or the talent to make it, with enough hard work and perseverance in developing their talents, a player can still make it in the NFL. With that we give you the All-Time Late Round Draft Pick team. This team is made up of the best player at each position, on both offense and defense, who were drafted in a late round. This means the earliest they could be taken is the third round. In cases of comparable players, we will give the nod to the player who fell further in the draft. In reviewing this list, one cannot help to think that this team could give an All-First Round team a run for their money or maybe beat them down outright.
MILWAUKEE — For the Atlanta Braves Greg Gaines Jersey , the big question as they headed from a long three-game series in Yankee Stadium to Freeman.
but it will not be official until the lineup card is posted Thursday afternoon at Miller Park.
“If you ask him, he’s going to say yes,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “But until we get there and see how it is, we won’t know. It was probably good that we got him out of there and started on some treatment.”
Freeman exited in the fourth inning of Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the New York Yankee Stadium with an upper right arm contusion. He was injured when he was hit in the third inning by CC Sabathia, and by pulling him early to get treatment, Freeman and the Braves hope the precautionary measure means he can play Thursday.
“Luckily, it didn’t hit my hand Christian Wilkins Jersey ,” Freeman said. “I’ll take the elbow and a little soreness. As long as I have the strength in my arm tomorrow, I can deal with the pain.”
Atlanta is 4-2 on its 10-game trip. The Braves swept three games in St. Louis last weekend and took a 5-3, 11-inning victory over the Yankees on Monday before losing the last two games.
“I thought we handled ourselves really well,” Snitker said. “We won a really tough game the first night, we put ourselves in a position to win today and today here we come again. The guys never quit. They know they can play with anybody and it’s a good sign.”
Milwaukee (51-35) is the first team in the National League to reach 50 wins after completing a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 3-2 win on Wednesday.
Brad Miller and Nate Orf played roles in three close wins as Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell is employing a mix-and-match approach at shortstop. He is using that strategy while remaining optimistic that shortstop Orlando Arcia will rediscover his offensive stroke at Triple-A Colorado Springs and rejoin Milwaukee for a playoff push.
Miller has gotten off to a good start with the Brewers. He extended his hitting streak to nine games Wednesday and has a hit in 10 of 12 games since joining the team, with a pair of home runs.
Orf was batting .307 with an .875 OPS when he was summoned Monday from Triple-A and recorded his first career hit with a solo home run against the Twins.
Both are immediate offensive upgrades to Arcia, who was slashing .197/.231/.482 but remained in the regular lineup because of his defensive ability.
While Miller saw extensive action at the position earlier in his career and Orf has spent most of the season there at Colorado Springs, neither player is a natural shortstop so Counsell was prepared to sacrifice defense to shore up the bottom of the order.
“When we sent Orlando down http://www.miamidolphinsteamonline.com/michael-deiter-jersey , we had multiple players on the roster who aren’t true shortstops so we’re trying to find guys who can play shortstop and who can kind of fill in at shortstop,” he said. “I don’t think we have an answer, but this is how we’re going to try it.”
A more stable solution could be coming soon. Tyler Saladino was on a roll before suffering a severe ankle sprain on May 29.
In 16 games with the Brewers, he batted .324 with three home runs and eight RBIs while playing defense well enough to make it possible for Milwaukee to send Arcia down a first time on May 25.
Saladino has been rehabbing for the last week and could rejoin the team in the next few days.
“Tyler will be back soon and will end up having some of the shortstop duties,” Counsell said. “We’ll sit down here soon and figure that out.”
The right-handed hitting Orf is likely to get the starting nod Thursday when the Brewers face Braves left-hander Max Fried.
Fried (1-2, 2.55 ERA) returned to the rotation last week when Brandon McCarthy was placed on the disabled list and struck out 11 over 6 2/3 innings and earned his first victory of the season as Atlanta beat the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Fried remained with the team after his last outing but didn’t learn for sure that he’d get another start until Wednesday morning. He’s looking forward to getting his first taste of meaningful action as the two winningest teams in the National League face off for the first time this season.
Milwaukee counters with right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (6-3, 3.71) who bounced back from his worst outing of the season to hold the Cincinnati Reds to a run over five innings while striking out nine his last time out.
Signed to a two-year contract over the winter, Chacin has been a stabilizing force in the Brewers’ rotation. He leads the staff with 18 starts and 97 innings his season.
Chacin has pitched well against Atlanta throughout his career Garrett Bradbury Jersey , posting a 3.94 ERA in six previous starts. Due to a lack of run support in those contests, is just 1-4 lifetime against the Braves.
The dog masks aren’t going anywhere.
The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) are home underdogs again. Case Keenum and the Minnesota Vikings (14-3) opened the week as 3+-point favorites in the NFC championship game on Sunday.
That’s just fine with the Eagles, who embraced their underdog role against sixth-seed Atlanta. Philadelphia was the first No. 1 seed in league history not favored to win its first playoff game.
After beating the Falcons 15-10, Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson and veteran defensive end Chris Long mocked doubters by wearing German Shepherd dog masks as they walked off the field.
The dog masks have become a popular item in Philly since the players wore them Saturday night. The team announced fans can wear them on Sunday as long as they take them off during security check entering the stadium.
”To have a lot of people not having a lot of confidence in us and yet to find ways to win just makes it that much more special for this group,” coach Doug Pederson said Monday.
Expectations for the Eagles have dropped since Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14. Nick Foles is 3-1 in his place with the only loss coming in Week 17 when the starters only played one quarter.
But the offense clearly isn’t the same without Wentz, who is an MVP candidate after tossing 33 touchdown passes in 13 games.
”Since that point, no one has given us a chance,” Pederson said. ”Nobody has given us a chance. And I understand Noah Fant Jersey , Carson’s a great player, but every week, our guys are hearing the same thing; that now we are all of a sudden not good enough. We’re 13-3 and have the best record in football, we’ve got home-field advantage throughout.
”The guys are going to motivate themselves just based on what they have done and heard for the last month of football.
”Listen, it really doesn’t matter what you guys talk about because that locker room in there is united and I’ll go to bat for every one of those guys and I’ll go to war with every one of those guys in that dressing room.”
The Eagles were on the opposite side the previous time they played for a trip to the Super Bowl nine years ago. They were 4-point road favorites in the conference championship game at Arizona, but Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald led the Cardinals to a 32-25 comeback win.
Since 2000, the home team has been an underdog four times in the NFC title game. The underdog Giants beat the Vikings in January 2000 and the Cardinals beat the Eagles in January 2009. The Bears lost to the Packers in Chicago in January 2010 and the Falcons lost to the 49ers in Atlanta in January 2012.
”I’m glad they’re not in charge of my finances,” tight end Zach Ertz said of prognosticators. ”It feels like all of those guys that pick the games are typically wrong. Same with the guys that usually do the draft stuff http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.com/trysten-hill-jersey-cheap , the mock draft, kind of the same thing. All these guys that think they know everything typically don’t.”
The Eagles are using critics for extra motivation as they pursue the franchise’s first Super Bowl title and first NFL championship since 1960.
”Just keep on disrespecting and we’re going to keep proving people wrong,” receiver Alshon Jeffery said. ”We just believe in one another, we don’t care what anybody else says. We’re just going to keep believing in one another and just keep fighting.”
For the first time in 30 years http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kaleb-mcgary-jersey , the U.S. Marine Corps will air an ad during the Super Bowl, using an online-only spot Sunday to target a young, tough, tech-savvy audience for potential recruits looking for a challenge.
”It’s not just the ships, the armor or the aircraft. It’s something more. It’s the will to fight and determination to win found inside each and every Marine that answers a nation’s call,” the announcer says, as the camera follows a squad of Marines storming off helicopters into a mock firefight while explosions erupt around them.
The goal Kendall Sheffield Jersey , said Maj. Gen. Paul Kennedy, head of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, is to reach young men and women who have faced and conquered challenges in their life, probably played physical sports such as wrestling or rugby, and have a bit of that fighting spirit.
Network television viewers of the game won’t see the Marine spot. But those watching through online streaming services – which charge a fraction of the advertising price – will see it twice.
”I’m not trying to enlist fathers or mothers, I’m trying to enlist 18- to 24-year-olds,” said Kennedy. ”And they tend to be cord cutters. They take in entertainment differently and they tend to do it on a device rather than a television.”
The Marine Corps would not provide the exact cost because the specific pricing is proprietary. But the online ad represents a savings of nearly 85 percent over the broadcast price. Thirty-second slots are going for more than $5 million for broadcast airtime alone. And the online ad – which can be viewed on
NEW YORK — An emotional Tuesday may have brought the end to an era for the New York Mets. But the Mets know there’s no better way to pay tribute to Sandy Alderson than by proving Wednesday night that Tuesday night’s win was no fluke.
The Mets will look to earn a series victory Wednesday night, when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field.
Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.85 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for New York against Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova (4-5, 3.98 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.
The Mets concluded a whirlwind day by edging the Pirates 4-3 in 10 innings. Wilmer Flores http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-john-cominsky-jersey , who had a two-run single in the first inning, delivered his third walk-off hit of the season and the ninth walk-off hit of his career when his single down the third-base line scored Michael Conforto from first base with one out.
The Mets (32-45) snapped a seven-game losing streak hours after learning Alderson, who has been the team’s general manager since October 2010, would be taking an indefinite leave of absence to battle a recurrence of cancer. He was originally diagnosed in 2015 and underwent treatment following that season.
Three of Alderson’s assistants — John Ricco, J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya — will share the general manager’s role while Alderson is out.
Alderson said during a pregame press conference that the cancer returned in April. He informed players of his diagnosis during a pregame meeting that left many players in tears but also may have crystallized their focus.
“We have a job to do and lately we haven’t been doing it up to our potential,” Conforto said. “So we really wanted to focus in and just make sure that we bounce back today, of all days, and play a little bit better. I think we showed a little fight there. We battled back and scratched together enough runs to win a ballgame tonight. So hopefully that gets us on the right path.”
The Pirates (37-42) were hoping a wire-to-wire 6-4 victory in Monday’s opener would get them back on the right track, but Tuesday’s loss was the sixth in the last seven games.
On Wednesday, the Pirates will be seeking only their second series win in their last 13 series dating back to May 17 Qadree Ollison Jersey , a span in which they are 12-25.
“I think I shared with our club — I don’t believe I’ve ever been through a rough patch of 34 games since I’ve been in the major leagues as a player, coach or manager,” said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who reached the bigs as a player in 1977. “And I’ve had enough. There’s a point in time you stop talking about being a good team, now you go play like a good team. Because your record’s telling you you’re not a good team.”
Wheeler will be looking to earn his first win in almost two months. He took the loss Friday after allowing four runs over seven innings as the Mets fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2. Wheeler is 0-5 with a 5.13 ERA in 10 starts since his most recent victory April 29.
Nova didn’t factor into the decision Friday, when he allowed three hits over eight scoreless innings in the Pirates’ 2-1, 13-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the second time this season Nova has tossed eight scoreless innings. He also didn’t earn a decision in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on April 26.
Wheeler didn’t factor into the decision in his lone previous start against the Pirates on May 27, 2017, when he gave up three runs over six innings as the Mets fell 5-4 in 10 innings.
Nova is 1-0 with a 2.82 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Mets.
The Marijuana Bowl between Denver and Seattle has come and gone http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/darius-slayton-jersey , but the irony of having the two "green" cities meet in the last Super Bowl has remained a topic of conversation. the "Stoner Bowl" was more than a mere coincidence and offered a platform to dispel any resistance to legalizing pot.Society is not about to give in, but lost in the legalization movement is the fact that the drug could potentially benefit NFL players the most. The violence on and off the field, the body blows that routinely injure players and the concussions that occur even without a player's knowledge are all grave concerns in the NFL. The benefits of marijuana happen to address all these concerns that have been damaging the lives of current and former players through the years.As radical as it may seem, the gladiators of the NFL could use a little THC. Marijuana could help players in more than ten ways, but these ten ways could go a long way to help prove the drug's worth. In North America Quinnen Williams Jersey , we have access to virtually every sport known to man, but even with all of the available options, there are really only four sports that really matter, and they would be football, hockey, baseball http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/jachai-polite-jersey , and basketball. Each of these sports have their own professional leagues, and they all produce billions of dollars in revenue every single year, but none of them are as financially successful as the National Football League. Last year alone, the NFL made $14 billion in revenue, and it did so by providing audiences with relatively high-scoring games that showcased the very best players that the sport has to offer.If a person is lucky enough to make it to the NFL, then they are probably living a very comfortable lifestyle Chuma Edoga Jersey , as many of the players in the league are signed to contracts worth millions of dollars. It goes without saying that the better players get bigger contracts, but there are also cases in which players are given expensive contracts based on their past performances, or their future potential. In every professional sport, there are good contracts, and bad contracts, but the bad ones really stick out as they can negatively effect a team's performance for one or more seasons http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/trevon-wesco-jersey , and in football, those types of contracts are very problematic because of the guaranteed money involved. Contracts usually turn out bad as a result of poor performance or injuries, and the NFL has been filled with bad contracts for a long time, and this list will try to identify the worst contract that every franchise has handed out.
Yankee Stadium Devin Singletary Jersey , he was in a testy mood with the line of questioning after a rough day at the plate.
Two days later, Stanton was in a much better mood, especially when he discussed the poise the young hitters batting behind him are showing.
It was on display Tuesday when the Yankees cruised to a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on a night when rookies Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres hit their ninth and 14th homers, respectively.
Now Stanton and his young teammates get a chance at winning another series Wednesday night when the Yankees host the Mariners in the middle game of a three-game set.
The Yankees are 15-4 in their last 19 games after Stanton followed up a four-hit night in Washington by homering on the first pitch he saw. Then he watched as Andujar blasted a two-run homer and Torres hit a solo shot, giving the Yankees the chance to clinch their 16th series victory since April 19 on Wednesday.
“Seeing the guys and playing with them, I’m not surprised by what they can do,” Stanton said. “But the way they’ve been able to do it and keep doing it is cool to see.”
Andujar is on the verge of becoming the seventh Yankee to hit double figures in home runs. His homer snapped a 0-for-14 skid and was his 35th extra-base hit, the third-most by a Yankee in his first 65 games behind Bob Meusel (41) and Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio (47).
Torres has four homers in his last 10 games and his latest home run occurred in his 50th game, matching Aaron Judge for the third-fastest in team history. Only Gary Sanchez (19) and Kevin Maas (15) did it faster and Torres leads all first-year players with 14 homers and 35 RBIs.
“They’re very well rounded and they keep proving it,” Stanton said.
While the Yankees were marveling at more production from their youth Dawson Knox Jersey , the Mariners are hoping to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since April 17-19 against the Houston Astros. The Mariners (46-27) are on their first losing streak since May 29-30 and are 37-19 since they last dropped three in a row.
The Mariners matched a season low by mustering two hits and went hitless in 20 straight at-bats at one point.
“The key on the road, is you have to play really good defense and you have to hit,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said before the game. “It’s hard to win the 1-0 game, 2-1 game. We’ve won a couple of them but it’s not easy. It’s not a formula you want to subscribe to often.”
Nelson Cruz homered and has seven in his last 10 games and eight in his last 13 contests.
“We’re going to play our game,” Cruz said. “Things didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to. We’ll come back positive tomorrow and try to make things better.”
After getting a rough outing from Marco Gonzales Tuesday, the Mariners will hope to rebound with Felix Hernandez on the mound.
Hernandez (6-6, 5.44 ERA) will start Wednesday after losing his last two starts. He allowed six runs (five earned) in three innings of a 7-3 loss at Tampa Bay on June 9 but took a tough 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox after allowing two hits on eight hits in seven innings on Thursday.
Hernandez has pitched at least five innings and allowed three runs or less in nine of 15 starts this season.
Hernandez is 10-7 with a 3.04 ERA in 21 career starts, including four complete games against the Yankees. In New York, he is 7-2 with a 2.00 ERA in 11 starts, including a 6-1 record with a 1.41 ERA in nine starts at the current Yankee Stadium.
Since Aug. 4 Brian Burns Jersey , 2012, he is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in five starts at Yankee Stadium.
Jonathan Loaisiga will make his second start in place of Masahiro Tanaka (hamstring). He picked up the win in his major league debut Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays when he allowed three hits in five innings of a 5-0 win.
Loaisiga was the 11th pitcher (eighth starter) in Yankees history to go at least five innings in his major league debut and only the second since 1943. The other was Sam Militello in 1992.
Loaisiga was the first native of Nicaragua to appear for the Yankees and the 15th Nicaraguan to appear in the major leagues.
The Yankees are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings with the Mariners.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said he has repaid a Minnesota electric utility $37,000 for tickets the company provided him and his wife for Sunday’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis.
The Republican governor on Wednesday said he reimbursed Xcel Energy ”to eliminate even the perception of any conflict.”
Burgum and first lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum watched the game from a suite provided by Xcel, which serves more than 90,000 customers in Grand Forks, Fargo and Minot. He said before going that he planned to use the opportunity to talk with Xcel officials about their service and infrastructure in North Dakota.
The trip drew criticism even from within his own party.
”We can’t be doing that,” GOP Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said. ”I don’t think the governor was influenced in any way but we as state officials just need to use good judgment.”
Burgum, in a statement, said the tickets ”have not influenced, and will not influence Greg Little Jersey , my decision-making as governor. However, to eliminate even the perception of any conflict, I have reimbursed Xcel Energy for the full cost of the tickets.”
Earlier Wednesday, his office said that an ethics policy was being written for the governor and his staff. But it was in progress before the governor was criticized over the Super Bowl, according to Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki.
”There wasn’t one in the governor’s office when we moved in,” Nowatzki said of an ethics policy. Burgum’s lawyer, Leslie Bakken Oliver, has been crafting such a policy for several months, the spokesman said.
”We don’t have a timeline” for when it will be done, Nowatzki said.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton paid more than $6 Will Grier Jersey ,000 for his own ticket to the Super Bowl.
Democratic House Minority Leader Corey Mock of Grand Forks said if anyone could make the case for getting a free ticket to the game it would have been Minnesota’s governor. Burgum, a wealthy, former software executive, could afford his own, Mock said.
”That way, no one would question why you get to go to the biggest football game of the season at no cost,” he said.
During his campaign for governor, Burgum often talked about ”reinventing government,” shaking up the ”good old boy” party establishment and reining in ”runaway spending” as the state’s oil boom was fading.
KANSAS CITY Devin Singletary Jersey , Mo. (AP) — coordinator Thursday, moving swiftly to replace Bob Sutton after his unit’s dismal performance against the Patriots in the AFC title game.Spagnuolo began his coaching career as Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s assistant in Philadelphia, where he worked with several position groups over the course of eight seasons. He left to become the Giants‘ defensive coordinator, and has held similar roles with the Saints and Ravens.He’s best known for his two stints as head coach, though. Spagnuolo went 10-38 over three seasons with the St. Louis Rams and 1-3 as the Giants’ interim coach during the 2017 season.“Steve is a bright defensive mind with a lot of coaching experience and success in our league,” Reid said in a statement. “I know him well from our time together in Philadelphia and I feel that his leadership skills and teaching abilities, combined with his scheme, will be a great fit for our team.”Spagnuolo, who spent last season out of coaching, has primarily run a 4-3 defense, which would be a change from the 3-4 scheme that Sutton had run. But the Chiefs drafted last season as if they planned to move forward with two defensive tackles and two defensive ends, so the adjustment should not be a big one for a defense that returns many of its key pieces.One big change will be the mentality of the defense.Sutton orchestrated a bend-but-don’t-break approach to defense, while Spagnuolo — who learned under defensive mastermind Jim Johnson — prefers an aggressive, blitz-oriented approach. But he’s also been willing to adapt, running variations of his defensive scheme with the Giants.Sutton was fired Tuesday, two days after his defense collapsed in the fourth quarter and overtime in a 37-31 loss to New England. The Chiefs failed to stop the Patriots in OT, meaning star quarterback Patrick Mahomes never got an opportunity to step on the field.That was likely the final straw for Sutton, whose defenses regularly ranked among the worst in the NFL the past few seasons. The Chiefs were particularly bad against the run this season Kyler Murray Jersey , and they allowed at least 29 points in each of their five losses this season.Spagnuolo doesn’t come without some concerns, either.While his Giants defenses finished in the top 10 three times, two of his last three units were last and second-to-last in yards allowed. And while the Eagles were regularly stout with Johnson as the coordinator and Spagnuolo in various roles, his Saints defense in 2012 allowed more yards than any other in history and Spagnuolo was ultimately fired after the season.Now, the attention in Kansas City turns to Spagnuolo’s personnel.Pass rusher Dee Ford is ready to hit free agency, though it’s becoming increasingly likely that he will be franchised. Defensive end Allen Bailey is also a free agent, while defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Kendall Fuller are likely candidates for contract extensions.Longtime safety Eric Berry has been beset by injuries the past few years, and he is set to take up $16.5 million of the salary cap next season, while linebacker Justin Houston carries a cap hit of $21.1 million next season. The Chiefs could cut both over the summer and free up substantial space, or they could attempt to restructure their deals for a more manageable number.The Chiefs will be looking to plug holes just about everywhere on defense, but particularly at cornerback and middle linebacker. They are projected to have about $32 million in salary cap space and will have one first-round pick and two second-rounders in the upcoming draft. ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Mike Mayock is used to being under the spotlight on NFL draft weekend.As the lead analyst at NFL Network, Mayock spent so many hours on the air each draft for more than a decade analyzing prospects and critiquing picks made by the 32 teams that he sometimes even lost his voice before the weekend was over.Mayock’s vocal cords won’t get quite the same workout this year, but he will be under far more scrutiny when he takes center stage starting Thursday night in his new role as general manager of the Oakland Raiders.With three first-round picks (Nos. 4, 24 and 27), as well as the 35th overall selection, few general managers have ever come into the draft with this many premium selections and this little experience making them.“I don’t really worry about it in all honesty,” he said. “The way I look at this thing http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-dawson-knox-jersey , from a ‘how do people perceive me’ perspective, is a lot of people doubted that anybody should come out of the media and go be a GM for any team. I know that, and I get that, but at the end of the day here’s the deal, if we win everything will be fine and if we lose I’ll get fired, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”Mayock grew up around football as his father Mike Sr. was a coach at the Haverford School and the University of Pennsylvania.That taught him from a young age to watch football in a more analytical way instead of primarily as a fan and gave him some insight to the mindset of coaches, which has come in handy leading up to this draft.Mayock says he has spent countless hours with the Raiders position coaches and coordinators to learn what traits they look for in players and he understands that he must balance the desire of coaches to fill all the needs on a roster with the approach of a scout looking for the best available players.“That’s my guy. Mike and I, we go back to 20 years, 25 years, to when I was offensive coordinator of the Eagles,” coach Jon Gruden said.“You like to be around people that have similar interests. And unfortunately I don’t have any other interests other than football. Neither does Mayock. So we have a lot of fun talking about just every aspect of football, all the time. And his relentless effort, his enthusiasm, has energized the building and it’s a blast.”Mayock also has the perspective of a player, having been a safety at Boston College and playing briefly for the New York Giants where he learned under current Patriots coach Bill Belichick.After his brief career, Mayock went into commercial real estate while dabbling as a broadcaster covering local high school and college games in the New Jersey area. He advanced to do some CFL and college games for ESPN and CBS before finally getting his big breakthrough in 2004 when he was hired by the NFL Network as its draft analyst.Mayock quickly developed into a television star in that role, spending 14 years as a well-regarded draft analyst where coaches and executives around the league sought out his opinion as much as Mayock tried to gather information from them.Those pre-draft conversations are still happening but happening in a much different way.“I think when you are a coach’s son and you kind of grew up going from field to field to field, breaking down tape by the time you were 8 years old. I think the coaches and the scout’s kind of open up to me because of that around the league http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dexter-lawrence-jersey ,” Mayock said.“Those relationships I value, but at the same point now it is a little bit different, and I think it’s already changed. We kind of lie to each other a little bit instead of just sitting there and opening up our draft boards.”Mayock knows this job is new to him and is spending the last few days preparing for whatever might come his way during the three days of the draft.Besides finalizing the team’s draft board, he worked out the smaller details, including reportedly sending home the team’s scouts in order to prevent any leaks coming out of the draft room.He also wanted to learn exactly where everyone will be sitting during the draft, made some changes to what information will be available in the room and then tried to simulate what it will be like when the team is on the clock for real starting Thursday night.“I’m going to have people calling in on the phones and trying to get Jon and I rattled and propose trades,” he said.“Let’s be honest, I haven’t done it before. So, if I’m going to evaluate myself, I have to make sure I’m prepared. There’s two minutes left on the clock and three phones are ringing and there’s a trade, what is the process? How are we going to react as a team? Where is everybody even sitting in the room? What’s the feedback? How quickly am I going to get the information on the trades and the point values?“So, there’s a whole bunch of stuff and I’ve kind of got it, I said to Jon, it’s game week. We want to get in there and practice our game plan no different than the team would for a Sunday game.”
Tennessee running back DeMarco Murray will miss his second straight game with the Titans ruling him out against the Kansas City Chiefs in their AFC wild-card game Saturday.
Murray hurt his right knee late in a loss Dec. 24 to the Los Angeles Rams and has not practiced since. Murray finished the season with a career-worst 659 yards rushing http://www.seahawkscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-phil-haynes-jersey , but he ran for six touchdowns. He also caught 39 passes for 266 yards with another TD.
Mularkey says starting left guard Quinton Spain is questionable for the Titans (9-7) against the Chiefs (10-6) because of his back.
Both tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Kalan Reed were cleared from the concussion protocol.
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METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints moved aggressively to improve their interior blocking in the second round of the draft, trading up 14 spots to take Texas A&M center Erik McCoy with the 48th overall pick they received from Miami.“We were pretty confident he wasn’t going to be available if we stood pat,” Saints coach Sean Payton said, noting that 6-foot-4, 303-pound McCoy was New Orleans’ top target when the second round began on Friday night. “We think he has been a real good football player in college and our gut, and our instincts tell us the same thing will happen at our level.”The decision to take McCoy came after 2018 Pro Bowl center Max Unger’s recent retirement and also came despite New Orleans’ signing of free-agent center Nick Easton, who started 12 games for Minnesota in 2017 but missed all of last season because of neck surgery.Payton said Unger’s departure was “one of reasons we brought Nick in, and so we just felt like interior lineman was going to be important for us.”McCoy asserted that his presence on New Orleans’ roster gives the Saints a player with a combination of “power, strength and speed that’s kind of rare as a center.”“I’m really good at getting to the second level Ugo Amadi Jersey ,” McCoy said, referring to his ability to block downfield. “But I can also maintain a block and really be a pile-mover on the first level.”The Saints, who had no first-round pick, entered the draft seeking immediate contributors who could provide depth to a team that has its sights set on a Super Bowl run after losing in overtime of last season’ NFC title game.The addition of McCoy holds the potential to improve depth at both center and guard, positions critical to protecting record-setting, 40-year-old quarterback Drew Brees.“I would say I’m very flexible,” McCoy said. “I have a lot more experience at center, but I played guard pretty much every spring I was at A&M. I have a couple of starts there, and I played it in high school.”McCoy joins a couple of other young interior linemen on the roster, including former LSU player Will Clapp and third-year pro Cameron Tom.McCoy said he has been to New Orleans only once before http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-drew-sample-jersey , but is eager to settle there and start his pro career with an offense that has been among the NFL’s best since coach Sean Payton and Brees both joined the Saints in 2006.“Drew Brees is the best quarterback in the NFL,” McCoy said, adding that he also has been impressed by the Saints’ running game and offensive line. “It’s a winning organization.”McCoy took a redshirt in 2015 before starting the past three seasons for the Aggies. He was a captain in all 13 games for A&M last season and was named offensive MVP at the team banquet after being a top blocker for a unit that gained 6,131 total yards.“He’s a guy that we feel like is going to fit in here,” Payton said. “He’s tough. He’s durable, well liked, a captain — all those things. Those are all part of it. Put all that together, along with (being) a good football player, and we feel like we helped ourselves.'”Payton added that scouts were impressed by how consistently strong McCoy’s performances were against Southeastern Conference competition.“You get to see him against guys he’s going to play against this next level,” Payton said. “Some of the better defensive tackles in this draft are coming out of the SEC http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/trayvon-mullen-jersey , so he was very consistent. He’s a physical player and smart.”But Payton stopped short of calling him an immediate starter.“All these guys have a transition to make. It’s hard to predict that sometimes,” Payton said. “In fairness to the process and the veterans that are here, there’s a lot that has to happen for young players to come in” and play right away.The Saints gave up second round picks this year — 62nd overall — and next year in the trade.New Orleans also sent Miami a sixth rounder this year in exchange for a fourth-rounder.New Orleans entered the draft with no picks in the first, third or fourth rounds, having traded those away in 2018 in deals that brought in defensive end Marcus Davenport, cornerback Eli Apple and reserve QB Teddy Bridgewater.In addition to their newly acquired fourth rounder, the Saints now have one remaining pick in both the fifth and sixth rounds, and two in the seventh.
ORCHARD PARK Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey , N.Y. (AP) — After adding a haul of players from other teams in free agency, the Buffalo Bills are rewarding one of their own. Tuesday that will keep the defensive end in Buffalo through 2021. Hughes’ contract was set to expire after the upcoming season.A person with direct knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press that Hughes will be guaranteed about $19 million, and could make as much as $23 million should he meet all the incentives. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills did not release the contract’s value.“It feels good to have an organization, an owner, a GM and a head coach that really believes in you and is really excited for me to be back here in this building with the team,” Hughes said.Hughes, 30, has come a long way in his time in Buffalo http://www.seahawkscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-phil-haynes-jersey , going from discarded afterthought to premier pass rusher.After being chosen 31st overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2010, Hughes’ first three years in the league with Indianapolis were a disappointment. He was traded to Buffalo in April 2013 for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard and immediately broke out in Buffalo, posting back-to-back 10-sack seasons.Though Hughes has yet to match those sack totals over the past four seasons, he’s been a consistent and dominant presence off the edge for Buffalo, drawing double teams and harassing opposing quarterbacks.“Watching him develop off the field and then watching him trying to take his game to another level, I’ve enjoyed that,” McDermott said. “We are excited about it.”With the Bills, Hughes has 42 sacks and 280 tackles from 2013-18. He has 47 sacks in his career.“It’s awesome. Jerry’s one of the best guys in the locker room Ugo Amadi Jersey ,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “He’s a leader for us. The intensity that he brings every day is through the roof. so I’m glad he got a deal done, glad we got him for a couple more years locked down. I think everybody in the locker room will say the same thing.”NOTES: For the first time in 42 years, the Bills have a player wearing O.J. Simpson’s former No. 32. Running back Senorise Perry wore the jersey number at Buffalo’s spring practices this week. Simpson, whose name remains on the Bills Wall of Fame, served nine years for armed robbery and assault after confronting two sports collectibles dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel in September 2007. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was acquitted of two counts of murder in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman, but a civil court jury found him liable for wrongful death and ordered him to pay $33.5 million. … Former Bills center Eric Wood was hired as the team’s new radio analyst. He replaces former Bills safety Mark Kelso. Wood, a first-round pick of the Bills in 2009, spent nine years with the team before he was forced to retire due to a neck injury. “I’m excited to be back in Buffalo a whole lot more http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-drew-sample-jersey , excited to be affiliated with the team again,” Wood said. “I’m really excited for the challenge that this is going to present to try and pursue something else and try and be great at something else.” In the NFL each team is always searching for the next thing to give them an edge. Some teams go for different innovations which can give them a step ahead of the competition. Chip Kelly’s no huddle offense comes to mind first as a person who thought they could change the NFL. For the most part one of these changes only comes around every 10-20 years in the league.On the flip side teams look for players that will adjust the way that teams play the game. These players can either be great with the way the NFL is or so good that they change the way other teams look at talent. This is the case with certain players who have joined the NFL and just looked different from the first time they got the opportunity. Running backs like Adrian Peterson or LaDainian Tomlinson who come into the NFL great and never look back. Quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning who take over and immediately put up stats. Or wide receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. or Julio Jones who can dominate no matter who is throwing them the ball. Once they burst onto the scene it’s over.But what fun is that to talk about. Instead we want to look at the players who had us all fooled. Those guys who came out with a great year but never quite were able to reach those levels again given the circumstances. Sometimes it is because they are on a Super Bowl team performing their one role incredibly well, other times they’re in a spot with no expectations and pop onto the scene. Either way here are the seven QBs, RBs and WRs who were one year wonders .
The first stop for the Braves will be a visit to Yankee Stadium for the opener of a three-game interleague series with the New York Yankees on Monday night.
Atlanta (48-34) heads to New York after completing a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 6-5 victory on Sunday.
Mike Foltynewicz pitched five one-hit innings and the Braves improved to 30-19 against teams with winning records http://www.lionscheapstore.com/austin-bryant-jersey-cheap , which is the best mark in the National League. Only the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros are performing better against winning opponents.
Atlanta begins a stretch of 16 of 18 games against teams with winning records. After visiting Yankee Stadium for the first time since June 2012, the Braves visit Milwaukee for four games next weekend and host the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 13-15.
Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer Sunday. He is 9-for-52 (.173) in his last 12 games.
“It’s coming,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporters after Freeman hit his 16th homer of the season. “Somebody’s going to pay. It’s just one of those things that everybody goes through.
“He’s working, and we still have unbelievable confidence in him and what he brings. You feel like he’s going to do something special every time he goes up there.”
The Yankees also will get their first looks at rookie outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and second baseman Ozzie Albies.
Acuna went 4-for-13 in the weekend series after missing a month with a mild ACL sprain and contusion in his left knee and also a lower back contusion. The 20-year-old is batting .269 with six homers and 15 RBIs in his first 32 games.
Albies enters with a .275 average and on an 11-game hitting streak. During the longest streak of his career, he is batting .431 (22-for-51).
The Yankees own the best home record in the majors at 31-12 and are 26-7 in their last 33 home games. New York also has slugged 77 of its major league-leading 137 homers at home after setting a season high with six in Sunday’s 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox.
Aaron Hicks hit three homers and Aaron Judge belted his 22nd, rookie Gleyber Torres hit his 15th and Kyle Higashioka delivered his first as the Yankees roughed up David Price.
Anibal Sanchez, who is 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts), gets the ball for the Braves. He’s hoping to avoid his third straight loss after allowing six runs and 10 hits in 9 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cincinnati Reds.
Sanchez exited his last start on Tuesday with right calf cramps after throwing a pitch to Cincinnati’s Joey Votto.
Sanchez is making his 271st career start. The first start of his career occurred June 25, 2006, at old Yankee Stadium when he allowed seven hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Miami Marlins against a lineup featuring Derek Jeter http://www.packerscheapstore.com/rashan-gary-jersey-cheap , Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano.
Including his major league debut, Sanchez is 4-1 with a 3.79 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees. He last faced New York on Aug. 1 with the Detroit Tigers and held the Yankees to two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings in a 4-3 win at Yankee Stadium. It also was his last win with the Tigers.
If Sanchez gives the Braves a chance for a save opportunity in the ninth inning, Arodys Vizcaino could close it out. Vizcaino was placed on the disabled list June 24 with shoulder inflammation, took a rest day Sunday after throwing a side session Saturday and could be activated for the opener.
Vizcaino last pitched June 17. Before going on the DL, he posted a 1.82 ERA, converted 15 of 17 save opportunities and struck out 33 in 29 2/3 innings in 30 appearances.
Jonathan Loaisiga will make his fourth start since being inserted into the rotation for Masahiro Tanaka (hamstrings). Loaisiga is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his first three starts.
Two of those starts were scoreless outings as he threw a combined 10 1/ 3 scoreless innings, allowed four hits and fanned 14 in wins over Tampa Bay on June 15 and at Philadelphia last Monday. His other start was June 20 when he allowed three runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners decided on a walk-off homer by Stanton.
“He was a lot more assertive, a lot more aggressive with his fastball and challenging the strike zone with it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We saw a number of really good breaking balls. We saw some good changeups. When he got in some putaway counts, I felt like he did a better job of making it look like a strike out of the hand Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , which is something you’ve got to be better at here in the big leagues.”
Monday will be the 30th regular-season meeting between the teams, who met in the 1996 and 1999 World Series. The Yankees are 17-12 all-time against the Braves.
NEW YORK (AP) — Le’Veon Bell sat out a full season while considering where he’d make his next playmaking moves.Well-rested, motivated and armed with a new contract, the star running back is joining Sam Darnold and the New York Jets.Bell agreed to a deal early Wednesday morning, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The decision ended months of speculation about where he’d resume his playing career after six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because teams can’t officially announce signings until the start of the new league year Wednesday afternoon.ESPN first reported the signing, and said the deal is for four years and $52.5 million — including $35 million guaranteed.Bell, a former Michigan State star, also announced his decision on Twitter , saying: “I’m back in the green baby, let’s get it.”Several teams were mentioned throughout the past few days as having interest in signing Bell, with the Jets consistently among them. Many football fans and reporters took to their computers to download the new album released at midnight by the running back — who goes by the stage name “Juice” — to glean any potential clues in his lyrics he might have included about his next football destination.The news http://www.packerscheapstore.com/elgton-jenkins-jersey-cheap , however, came as many were in between tracks.And, Bell was immediately a big-time hit among the Jets and their fans.“Welcome my brutha @LeVeonBell,” linebacker Avery Williamson tweeted.“I’m in Miami brotha,” safety Jamal Adams tweeted at Bell. “We going up tonight!!!”The deal gives Darnold and new coach Adam Gase a big-time playmaker, arguably the best player at his position before Bell opted to sit out all of last season rather than sign a franchise tender with Pittsburgh.The 27-year-old Bell is a two-time AP All-Pro selection and three-time Pro Bowl pick who immediately upgrades the Jets’ backfield.New York still has Isaiah Crowell, Elijah McGuire and Trenton Cannon, but Crowell is likely to be released after one season with the team. Bilal Powell, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2011, is a free agent and unlikely to be back.Bell has rushed for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns Jace Sternberger Jersey , and has 312 catches for 2,660 yards and seven scores as one of the most versatile and dangerous offensive players in the NFL. His 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game over his career is the best mark in the NFL since the 1970 merger.Bell’s career reached a crossroads, however, last year when he declined to sign his one-year, $14.4 million franchise tender with the Steelers and made himself ineligible to play. It was an unprecedented move as Bell — who received the franchise tag in two straight years — skipped a season in his prime to preserve his long-term health and secure a big payday.Last month, Pittsburgh decided to not place the transition tag on Bell. That cleared the running back to become an unrestricted free agent when the NFL’s new year begins Wednesday.And the Jets pounced on a player they think can help Darnold take their offense to another level — despite the fact Bell hasn’t played since Pittsburgh’s playoff loss to Jacksonville on Jan. 14, 2018. That means it will be a span of 19 months in between game appearances by the time the preseason begins in August.The Steelers drafted Bell with the 48th overall pick in 2013. He combined with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown to form Pittsburgh’s “Killer B’s” on offense, a potent trio of game-breaking talents.With his patient running style and explosive burst, Bell quickly established himself as one of the best backs in the league. He was also a top pass-catcher out of the backfield, finishing 10th in the league with 85 catches in 2017. That combination of production had Bell focused on a contract that rewarded him like the dual threat he is.He and the Steelers failed to reach an agreement on a new deal last summer, and he skipped training camp for the second straight year.This time http://www.packerscheapstore.com/dexter-williams-jersey-cheap , though, he never returned to the team.Instead, he’ll join the Jets and look to re-establish himself as arguably the best overall running back in the game — and try to help a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2010 season get back to winning.The move to get Bell was the latest in a busy two days for general manager Mike Maccagnan and the Jets, who also have agreed to deals with linebacker C.J. Mosley, wide receivers Jamison Crowder and Josh Bellamy, and are re-signing defensive end Henry Anderson and backup cornerback Darryl Roberts. New York also acquired left guard Kelechi Osemele from Oakland over the weekend.
GREEN BAY Will Grier Jersey , Wis. (AP) — Ted Thompson says he has been diagnosed with an autonomic disorder that affects his body’s nerves.Thompson released a statement through the club on Wednesday detailing that his health led him to step down as GM after the 2017 season. He says test results and the opinions of medical specialists do not make him fit the profile of someone who has the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy known as CTE.Autonomic disorders affect the nerves that control bodily functions and can manifest as dizziness, digestive disorders, fatigue and blood pressure issues.The 66-year-old played 146 games over 10 seasons as a linebacker with the Houston Oilers from 1975-1984. He worked in Green Bay’s front office from 1992-99 and from 2005 on, with a stint in between as Seattle’s vice president of football operations.Thompson was part of two Packers Super Bowl titles and inducted into the franchise’s hall of fame last weekend. The Houston Texans placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on defensive end/outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney on Monday.The move doesn’t close the door for the Texans to sign the edge rusher to a long-term deal. General manager Brian Gaine says: “Our goal is to continue to work with his representation on a long-term contract. This gives us both an opportunity to continue to do so.”Houston will offer Clowney Christian Miller Jersey , the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, a one-year guaranteed contract for an amount based on position. Because Houston used the non-exclusive tag on Clowney, he can sign immediately or attempt to get an offer sheet from another team. If he is given an offer sheet, the Texans would have the chance to match it.In that scenario Jordan Scarlett Jersey , if the Texans did not match the offer, the new team would have to give up two first-round picks as compensation for taking the franchise player.Clowney has said repeatedly he’d like to remain a Texan and after Houston lost 21-7 to the Colts in the wild-card round in January he reiterated that sentiment.“We were a lot better than what we played (against Indianapolis),” he said then. “Of course I want to come back and show everybody that with this team. But that’s up to them.”Coach Bill O’Brien wouldn’t speculate on Clowney’s future last week at the NFL combine, but he did talk about his time coaching him.“I’ve had a really good experience with JD David Montgomery Jersey ,” O’Brien said. “He’s played good football for us. He’s a good person. I’ve enjoyed coaching him … I’ll leave (contract discussions) to Brian … but I have nothing but good things to say about JD.”After missing all but four games as a rookie because of a knee injury, Clowney has steadily improved each year and developed into one of the top defenders in the league, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons.The 26-year-old played 13 games and had 4 1/2 sacks in his second season, but some still questioned if he could replicate the success he had in college in the NFL.He started to quiet the doubters in 2016 when he started 14 games and had 52 tackles Riley Ridley Jersey , six sacks and forced a fumble. But it wasn’t until 2017 when he took his game to the next level. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Clowney had 59 tackles and 9 1/2 sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered three, including one for his first NFL touchdown.Clowney built on that success last season when J.J. Watt returned after missing most of the previous two seasons with injuries. The two became one of the most fearsome pass rushing duos in the league. Clowney finished with 47 tackles Greedy Williams Jersey , nine sacks, a forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, with one for another touchdown.
Super Bowl LII http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/ben-banogu-jersey , -served notice that this 2018 offseason could well prove to be more eventful than previously expected, and one of the more interesting in recent years. This is due in large part to the "quarterback musical chairs" that many NFL teams will potentially engage in prior to the NFL Kickoff Game slated for this upcoming September 6. Beyond the Smith deal, there are signal callers aplenty that could be switching uniforms come this Fall, including prominent starters like Washington's Kirk Cousins and Minnesota's Case Keenum.To give the readers a more comprehensive sense of the upcoming NFL offseason, we've included a healthy mix of free agent signing, draft picks and trade acquisitions--and occasionally a combination of those methods by which NFL replenish their rosters on an annual basis. Those that do it the best usually play into January and those that do it even better than the best will win next year's Super Bowl.Spoiler alert: Don't expect to find Nick Foles anywhere on this list. While rumors have Foles as leaving the Eagles for the Cardinals, or Vikings or maybe a new XFL franchise, it seems likely the Eagles would hold onto the Super Bowl MVP, especially when he's being paid a bargain price. Also consider Eagles regular starting QB Carson Wentz's long-term future remaining in doubt, given the severity of his injury. But beyond Foles, there are still numerous intriguing possibilities of established players joining brand-new teams and brand-new players joining the NFL as rookies as you peruse the list unfolding below. Picture this: Prince taking the stage at U.S. Bank Stadium in his hometown of Minneapolis for the 2018 Super Bowl to a dazzling display of purple lights Parris Campbell Jersey , wowing the crowd at halftime with his frenzied guitar work, soulful singing and slick dance moves.
Perfect marketing, a die-hard fan’s dream. But it won’t happen.
Prince’s death from an accidental painkiller overdose in 2016 leaves fans to only imagine how the megastar might have topped his electrifying performance in pouring rain at the Super Bowl 11 years ago in Miami.
”People joke, `Can we just have a Prince hologram?”’ said Mike Howard, spokesman for the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee. Justin Timberlake is the halftime performer for Sunday’s game.
At a press conference Thursday, Timberlake said Prince was a big influence.
”In my opinion, the greatest all-around musician in popular culture,” Timberlake said. ”The time I got to spend around him, with him, talking about music . those are memories that I’ll take with me forever.”
But the sights and sounds of Prince still surround the big game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. There’s the mural of Prince with a white dove in the Uptown neighborhood, his gold star outside Minneapolis’ First Avenue nightclub Will Harris Jersey , or Paisley Park, his recording complex-turned-museum in Chanhassen, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis.
”Prince is not here in being, but he’s here in spirit,” said music producer Jimmy Jam, who along with his producing partner Terry Lewis went heavy on Minnesota musical acts for Super Bowl Live , a free, 10-day fan festival on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Jam said he hears Prince music ”on every NFL telecast and highlight on all the networks.”
Jam said Prince ”is so associated with this state and with this city that his presence is definitely felt.”
Thousands packed downtown for Monday’s ”Prince Night” concert, featuring Sheila E., Morris Day and The Time, and Prince’s 1980s band The Revolution.
”He was magic. I think that people in Minnesota didn’t realize exactly how big he was probably until after his death, because he was our hometown guy,” Jeanette Blasewitz, 66, of Eden Prairie said while checking out the displays.
Sunday’s game marks the anniversary of Prince’s appearance at the 2007 Super Bowl that saw the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears. Many called the show the best Super Bowl halftime ever.
Dressed in turquoise jacket and pants with an orange shirt, Prince gave a blistering rendition of his own hits, such as ”Let’s Go Crazy,” followed by covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ”Proud Mary,” Bob Dylan’s ”All Along the Watchtower” and the Foo Fighters’ ”Best of You” before finishing with ”Purple Rain” in a driving rainstorm.
Morris Hayes, 55 Max Scharping Jersey , was a keyboardist for Prince’s former band New Power Generation and was on stage that night. He remembers organizers approaching Prince before the Super Bowl with the forecast of rain and offering to pre-record his performance. Hayes said that prompted Prince’s famous response: Can you make it rain harder?
”The fact that it did rain when it did and how (Prince) did `Purple Rain’ in the rain, you can’t beat that. … It was magical, you know,” Hayes recalled.
Fan Melisa Rokala, 46, of Cokato explains Prince’s appeal to Minnesota residents.
”As a Minnesotan, we love our own. And we love it when our own people love us here,” Rokala said. ”He loved Minnesota. It was always his home. And his music was groundbreaking.”
She believes Prince – who once wrote a song for the Minnesota Vikings – would have been involved in a Minneapolis Super Bowl, perhaps again as the halftime performer, if he was still alive.
The Chargers announced the return of head coach Anthony Lynn’s top two assistants Tuesday.
Continuity on the coaching staff was a major offseason goal for Lynn and general manager Tom Telesco after the Chargers (9-7) barely missed the playoffs in their relocation season. Los Angeles won nine of its final 12 games Greg Gaines Jersey , including five straight at StubHub Center.
Bradley was a hot commodity in the offseason coaching market after putting together one of the NFL’s top defenses in his first season with the Chargers. Their 17 points allowed per game was third-best in the league, and they ranked among the leaders with 43 sacks and 18 interceptions.
The former Jacksonville head coach joined Los Angeles on a one-year contract last winter.
Whisenhunt’s powerful offense ranked fourth in the NFL with 376.6 yards per game, with quarterback Philip Rivers enjoying a resurgent 4,515-yard season alongside 1,393-yard receiver Keenan Allen and 1,105-yard rusher Melvin Gordon.
Whisenhunt Christian Wilkins Jersey , the former Arizona and Tennessee head coach, rejoined the Chargers in 2016, one year before Lynn became their head coach.
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The goal of every NFL franchise is to win the Super Bowl. They hire the best front office staff they can find to help evaluate talent. They hire the best coaches to teach, shape and mold the talent they acquire. They will scour colleges to draft the best talent available. Another avenue a franchise will try is free agency. Every year, GMs for every NFL team will open up their check books to try and land the best player at a position of need for them. Sometimes it works out, but sometimes http://www.miamidolphinsteamonline.com/michael-deiter-jersey , just like the draft, it doesn't. One more way to acquire talent is through a trade.Trades in the NFL are not as commonplace as they are in the NHL, MLB and NBA. Mainly because of the complex systems and schemes run by the various teams. But that doesn't mean they don't happen. Sometimes a GM really covets a guy and is willing to give up whatever is needed, like Ron Wolf did for Brett Favre. Sometimes the player is from a previous coaches regime and the team wants to move on, like DeMarco Murray in Philadelphia. Sometimes a player's personality just doesn't mesh with the team, like Mike Wallace in Miami and Minnesota. Sometimes it could be all of the above.Trades can be made by swapping a couple of players Garrett Bradbury Jersey , draft picks or any combination of the two. In some situations, a coach or other personal in the front office could be the subject of the trade, so it's not just limited to players. Let's take a look at some of the trades that didn't work out so well for one side with the worst trades in every team's history.
When it comes to running backs in today's NFL Drew Lock Jersey , they seemingly come out of nowhere and often. The idea of a franchise running back is soon to be long forgotten, as teams are drifting towards running back by committee or situational running back type offenses. With the rules being bent towards a more pass happy style, a workhorse back is becoming increasingly rare.of the best running backs to play the game. More specifically, we will be focusing on a group at this position that gets swept under the rug even more, which is white running backs. Great white running backs are few and far between http://www.broncoscheapauthenticstore.com/dre_mont-jones-jersey-cheap , and their has been plenty of horrific ones as well that are long forgotten.Many of the players on this list may have played fullback at one point in their careers, and that is often the case. This list will primarily focus on those who played either a full season as a running back in the NFL, or were regarded as a fullback who received a large amount of carries, with that being said, let's take a look at the best and worst white running backs the NFL has ever seen. It’s not common in the NFL for players to get traded during the season http://www.eaglescheapauthenticstore.com/shareef-miller-jersey-cheap , but it’s becoming more popular throughout all sports as a way for teams to avoid losing players without getting something in return, and by avoiding a big contract for a player. This offseason alone we saw many players get traded, including Michael Bennett, Brandin Cooks, and Aqib Talib. This has become the new way for teams to go about free agency. Instead of letting players walk when they don’t want to re-sign them Zach Brown Jersey , they get draft picks for them instead.Sometimes this works. Draft picks have become very valuable, and paying players can sometimes hurt your team. Obviously, there are players that you are going to have to give a big contract when their due, but sometimes it’s not feasible. Other needs come up, and you can’t pay a player because you need to sign maybe two or three other players. Free agency has become its own game in itself. A lot of tough decisions made by the front office come throughout the year. So Devin Bush Jersey , during the season, there are some players you can expect to be traded. We are not only going to look at who will be traded, but who will be the best trade partner.
Jed Lowrie loves the feeling of coming through with a clutch hit late to lift his team Greg Gaines Jersey , and he just keeps showing a knack for it.
The Oakland second baseman delivered his 12th game-winning RBI after filling in beautifully at third base during Matt Chapman’s absence, hitting a three-run double in the decisive sixth to help rally the Athletics past the San Diego Padres 6-2 on Tuesday night.
If that’s not enough to make Lowrie an All-Star for the first time in an 11-year career and at age 34, manager Bob Melvin might just throw his hands up in disbelief.
”It would be the icing on the cake. I feel like I’ve been close a couple times and haven’t been there,” Lowrie said. ”So that would be something I would always be able to say.”
Mark Canha added a solo homer in the sixth and Chad Pinder connected in the seventh.
The A’s finally got to San Diego starter Clayton Richard (7-8). Pinder walked to start the sixth as the first five hitters reached base. Khris Davis followed Lowrie’s double with a run-scoring single before Canha’s 11th home run, after a double play.
Emilio Pagan (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win in relief of A’s starter Chris Bassitt.
Chapman went 0 for 3 in his return from the disabled list after missing 16 games with a recurring right hand injury that began bothering him during the offseason. He had played in 149 straight games before the DL stint.
Wil Myers hit a run-scoring double in the fifth right after Eric Hosmer’s RBI groundout got the Padres on the board.
Bassitt, who has just one win in five starts since being called up last month, escaped jams in the first and third innings as the Padres stranded five baserunners. The A’s made a pair of forceouts at home in the third, including first baseman Matt Olson’s nifty throw after a backhanded stop.
Myers’ double chased Bassitt. He was tagged for two runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out six and walked three.
Richard allowed five runs and six hits, walked a season-high five batters over six innings and struck out two in his second straight defeat.
”Defense picked me up early in the game but that’s the story of it was just too many three-ball counts and then put too many guys on with the walk,” Richard said.
Oakland, which had its six-game winning streak snapped Sunday by Cleveland, won for the 13th time in 16 games despite grounding into five double plays.
”As much as any team I’ve ever had Christian Wilkins Jersey , at least at this point, there’s no panic when we’re down,” the skipper said.
Leadoff hitter Travis Jankowski had three hits for San Diego, which will conclude the short two-game series Wednesday having played 23 of its last 28 away from Petco Park.
BIG MAC HONORED
Padres bench coach Mark McGwire, a former A’s slugger who spent his first 11 1/2 big league seasons in the East Bay before being traded to the Cardinals in 1997, was honored before the game as part of Oakland’s 50th anniversary season festivities in a ceremony at home plate with team President Dave Kaval. Big Mac received his green No. 25 commemorative A’s jersey and the Bash Brother tipped his cap to the cheering crowd.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: RHP Jordan Lyles, scratched in the bottom of the first inning June 23 just before his scheduled start and on the DL with inflammation in his pitching elbow, played catch with the relievers and depending how he felt afterward the Padres would decide when he is ready to throw off a mound. … The Padres placed RHP Kirby Yates on the paternity list and recalled RHP Colten Brewer from Triple-A El Paso.
Athletics: RHP Trevor Cahill, who has an impingement in his throwing elbow, pitched in the Arizona League and is likely to make another rehab appearance Sunday or Monday before potentially joining the A’s in Houston early next week. … RHP Daniel Mengden (sprained right foot) threw a bullpen session and if all was OK by Wednesday the A’s planned to send him to Triple-A Nashville for a rehab assignment. … Oakland optioned INF Franklin Barreto to Nashville to clear roster room for Chapman’s return.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (1-2, 8.36 ERA), a taxi squad player, will be called up Wednesday to make his fifth start of 2018.
The Cleveland Browns’ roster still needs major work. Their front office is starting to shape up.
New general manager John Dorsey tapped into his NFL connections to improve the winless Browns, adding former Green Bay executives Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith on Wednesday in the club’s first major moves in a significant offseason.
Dorsey played linebacker for the Packers and spent time working in the club’s front office with Wolf and Highsmith, two highly regarded talent evaluators with solid reputations.
The 35-year-old Wolf, who is considered a rising star in the league, will serve as Dorsey’s assistant while Highsmith, a former NFL running back, is the Browns’ vice president of player personnel.
”We’re lucky to add Alonzo and Eliot to our personnel staff,” said Dorsey, who was hired last month by owner Jimmy Haslam.
”Alonzo’s 25 years of experience in the National Football League as a player, scout and personnel executive give him a unique perspective when it comes to evaluating talent and building a team.
”Alonzo and I share the same passion for this great game of football. We are going to set out to find talented football players that possess that same passion for the game.
”Eliot has been a fine executive in this league for some time now. It’s been great to watch him grow up around this league when I was with him in Green Bay and from afar for the last five-plus years. He’s been a big reason for the consistent success the Packers have experienced over the last decade.”
Wolf spent 14 seasons with the Packers, working as the club’s director of football operations for the past two. He recently interviewed for the Green Bay GM job that went to Brian Gutekunst and Wolf was reportedly offered a spot to work in Oakland with Raiders’ GM Reggie McKenzie. Dorsey, McKenzie and Wolf all worked together in Green Bay.
But the son of Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf is instead joining the Browns, still crawling from the wreckage of a 0-16 season while preparing for a draft in which they’ll have the No. 1 overall pick and four in the top 35.
”I really like the direction of where leadership is headed Garrett Bradbury Jersey ,” Wolf said. ”We’re going to build this team the right way and to be a part of that from the ground up is going to be special.”
Highsmith spent 19 years in Green Bay’s scouting department. After starring at Miami, Highsmith was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1987 draft by the Houston Oilers.
”This is going to be an exciting challenge,” Highsmith said. ”It’s great to reunite with John Dorsey. He is someone I’ve looked up to and has always been a mentor to me. We had great success together in Green Bay and we both understand the hard work it takes to create a winning environment.
”I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be part of something special. Some of my fondest memories in football were playing the Browns in the playoffs one year and the fans throwing dog bones at us so we had to turn around and play that series at the opposite end zone.”
Dorsey’s hiring of Wolf and Highsmith is a return to a more ”traditional” football model for Cleveland’s front office, which emphasized analytics in two failed seasons under fired vice president of football operations Sashi Brown.
Dorsey has also brought in former co-workers in Kansas City, adding Jimmy Noel as assistant director of pro scouting, Matt Donahoe as a scout and Dan Zegers as personnel coordinator.
All three worked with the Chiefs under Dorsey, who was surprisingly let go by the team in June after four seasons.
The Browns also said Ken Kovash, a vice president of player personnel the past two seasons, will transition to a role in the club’s strategy department under Paul DePodesta.
Ryan Grigson, a senior personnel executive, has been dismissed.
The Astros are struggling to find someone to handle those standout pitchers after losing another catcher in their 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
The Astros will send right-hander Garrit Cole (9-2 Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey , 2.50 ERA) to the mound for the Independence Day, Lone Star State showdown at Globe Life Park in Arlington while the Rangers counter with left-hander Mike Minor (6-4, 4.64).
Houston’s catching situation took a turn for the worst Tuesday when Max Stassi was forced from the game against Texas in the first inning after he was hit on the right wrist by a pitch.
Stassi’s injury comes on the same day veteran catcher Brian McCann met with team medical director Dr. David Lintner ahead of having surgery on his right knee. The Astros placed McCann on the disabled list Tuesday with a sore right knee for the second time this season and recalled catcher Tim Federowicz from Triple-A Fresno.
Federowicz took over for Stassi, who entered Tuesday’s game batting .255 with seven homers and 22 RBIs.
Houston manager A.J. Hinch wouldn’t say what type of surgery McCann would undergo and when the procedure would take place, but admitted that the Astros without McCann, their front-line backstop, “for the foreseeable future.”
“We don’t know other than he’s heading for surgery and we’ll have a better timetable once he sees Dr. Lintner and goes through the medical process,” Hinch told mlb.com. “We had a long conversation in Tampa (over the weekend), and it’s continually the same issue over and over with his right knee. One of the options is surgery, and he went back to Houston to take care of it.”
Texas right-handed reliever Chris Martin was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday prior to the club’s series opener against the Astros. The move made room on the 25-man roster for first baseman Ronald Guzman, who returned from the seven-day concussion disabled list.
Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Martin’s demotion was to create bench depth
“Chris hadn’t done anything to warrant being optioned,” Banister said. “He’s got options. Obviously, he’s pitched well for us in the bullpen. However http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-phil-haynes-jersey , you’ve got to be able to protect some of the other players on the team, too.”
Banister told mlb.com that Guzman passed the concussion protocol three days after he was placed on the disabled list. “Ronals was a full-go, as far as baseball activities are concerned,” he said.
The Astros have shuffled their rotation for this week to give Lance McCullers, Jr. and Charlie Morton some additional rest. McCullers was originally scheduled to start Wednesday against the Rangers.
Cole makes his first start in July after going 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA in six June starts, posting a 1.11 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 37 innings. The Astros are 14-3 in games started by Cole, who is looking to reach double digits in wins.
Minor has been one of the Rangers’ best starters of late. He was 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four June starts. Minor is 4-2 with a 3.44 ERA in nine home starts this season.
Minor is 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA in nine games (six starts) versus Houston, including 0-1, 5.74 in three starts this season.
Cole is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts against Texas, including 2-0, 1.80 in three turns this year.
Newsflash: The Oakland Raiders are in the market for a head coach. Of course, ever since their humiliating dismantling at the hands of Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Raiders have seemingly had a revolving door of head coaches. Since that fateful game Ugo Amadi Jersey , Oakland has employed – and terminated – Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, and Dennis Allen. That would be an astounding seven head coaches in the span of twelve years, if you're scoring at home.With interim HC Tony Sparano –promoted after Allen's firing after 4 games into the 2014 season – widely viewed as somebody merely keeping the seat warm for whoever GM Reggie McKenzie and team owner Mark Davis elect to bring in, there has been no shortage of names connected with the forthcoming open position.And with some big names already out there looking for work, as well as a few others who, thanks to terrible seasons by their respective teams, will be looking for employment as well, the list of potential candidates for the Raiders' head coaching position looks to get even longer.GM Dwayne Haskins Jersey , for now, Reggie McKenzie insists that he will be the one making the final call on who the next head coach of the Raiders will be, but given his own track record, that of a few very questionable draft picks, free agent signing debacles, and oh yeah, the fact that Dennis Allen was “his guy,” McKenzie actually being there to anoint the next head coach in Oakland isn't a certainty either. Especially given the fact that some of the names in contention for the job will likely require a healthy dose of GM authority over personnel decisions to acquire their services.It's sure to be a very interesting, drama-filled offseason in Oakland...again. However, given the product they're putting on the field this season, it might just be more entertaining. With that then, here are 10 possible candidates for the Raiders' head coaching gig...
Jones played for Seattle Christian Wilkins Jersey , Miami, St. Louis and Houston before joining Philadelphia in 2013. He set the record for most regular-season games played by an Eagles punter (80). He finishes his career with the third-longest consecutive-games-played streak (208) behind only Texans punter Shane Lechler (254) and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (235).
”Although I am retiring, I will always be an Eagle and will forever have a special place in my heart for the city of Philadelphia,” Jones said.
”It is a great honor to be a part of the first Super Bowl championship team in Eagles history and there is no better way to finish my career.”
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The Hitman has made his final tackle.
Former New York Jets linebacker David Harris, second on the team’s career tackles list, retired Friday night after 11 NFL seasons. Harris made the announcement in a statement released on Twitter by his agents .
Always understated and humble off the field, Harris was an intense presence on it – earning the nickname ”The Hitman” for his penchant for punishing ball carriers.
He spent his first 10 seasons with the Jets, who drafted him in the second round out of Michigan in 2007. Harris was surprisingly released by New York last June and signed to a two-year contract by AFC East rival New England a few weeks later.
The 34-year-old Harris was mostly a role player with the Patriots, appearing in just 10 regular-season games, and he did not play in any postseason games http://www.cardinalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-zach-allen-jersey , including the Super Bowl against Philadelphia.
Harris’ retirement saves the Patriots $2.1 million on their salary cap next season.
He made his mark with the Jets, though, leading the team in tackles in nine of his 10 seasons with them. Harris was also a locker-room leader who was adamant about leading by example with an unquestioned work ethic rather than with his words.
”Players like David Harris don’t come around very often,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said in a statement posted on the team’s website . ”He’s one of the best players and people I’ve ever coached. I have nothing but the highest respect for him as a person and a leader. He is an example of everything you want from a player. I am proud to have coached him and wish him and his family the best.”
Harris’ preference to stay out of the spotlight in New York was a rarity for a player of his skill level and accomplishments. He never sought endorsements or acclaim, but Harris was recognized for his play on the field around the league. He was named a second alternate to the Pro Bowl after both the 2009 – when he was also a second-team All-Pro pick – and 2011 seasons.
Harris was also a playmaking force as the middle linebacker in Rex Ryan’s top defenses during the Jets’ runs to the AFC championship game in the 2009 and ’10 seasons. He was twice selected by his teammates as the Jets’ Dennis Byrd ”Most Inspirational Player” and was the team MVP in 2010.
”David Harris operated at the highest standard for both performance and professionalism and is as fine a person as you will ever meet,” Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said in a statement. ”His endurance Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey , intelligence and reliability were his trademarks and he was always there for his teammates. With all of those qualities, what stands out most to me is the humility and selflessness with which he approached each day. I wish him and his family the absolute best that life has to offer and they will always have a home with the New York Jets.”
Former teammates also took to social media to congratulate Harris on his retirement.
”A BOSS!” former running back Thomas Jones wrote on Twitter . ”Congratulations to `The Hitman’ David Harris on a great NFL career. Was an honor to share the field with him. Quiet assassin!”
Added former offensive lineman Damien Woody , currently an ESPN analyst: ”Congrats to David `Hitman’ Harris on a stellar 11-yr career. Not much for talking but was definitely bout that action boss!”
Despite Harris’ short stint in New England, he still made a lasting impression on his teammates there. Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy even lobbied for the Jets to someday induct him into their Ring of Honor.
”S/O to my last OG David Harris!” Van Noy wrote. ”Congrats! It was only a year but the impact he had on me will be forever. True professional and the best part about him is he’s truly selfless! Always looking to help and never complained. True leader! Green team better give him a green coat!!!”
He settled in after a shaky first inning to win for the first time in eight starts and Jose Martinez hit a three-run homer to pace the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Weaver (4-6) allowed two runs Shareef Miller Jersey , both in the first, on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out a season-high nine and walked two for his first victory since May 11.
”I think it means a lot for him to right the ship,” Matheny said. ”The first inning, you could tell. It was once again, like, `Here we go.’ Got into the second, that was better. Gave up a walk and at that point he turned it around.”
Martinez’s 11th homer capped a five-run fourth when St. Louis erased a 2-1 deficit. Dexter Fowler, who entered hitting .163, doubled twice and scored twice, and Harrison Bader reached four times Germaine Pratt Jersey , scoring twice for the Cardinals, who won the final two games of the series to salvage a split.
Fowler snapped an 0-for13 streak with a double to open the fourth and Bader walked. Both runners advanced on Kelton Wong’s fly out to right. After Weaver struck out, Matt Carpenter lined a two-run single to center to put the Cards up 3-2.
Jhoulys Chacin (6-3) issued his fifth walk to Greg Garcia and Martinez then drove an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center to make it 6-2.
”That pitch ran into my bat 100 percent,” Martinez said. ”He actually caught me off-guard, got my off my timing. I just reacted to the ball. I got the barrel 100 percent. It was good for me that it actually happened like that. It was a good hit for us in that inning.”
The Cardinals extended it to 8-2 in the fifth. Fowler again led off with a double and Bader followed with an RBI single. Wong singled Bader to third and Weaver laid down an RBI sacrifice bunt.
Chacin allowed a season-high eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking five. Chacin dropped to 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career appearances, including eight starts, against the Cardinals.
”When you walk five guys in four innings, you can’t have much of a good game,” Chacin said. ”Just trying to battle from the first inning. I got runners on base every inning. Just battling with control with my pitches. You pay for it.”
Milwaukee answered with two runs in the bottom half. Christian Yelich tied it with his 10th home run, a one-out solo shot into the second deck in left. Ryan Braun followed with a double to right and scored on Hernan Perez’s two-out single. Jonathan Villar doubled Perez to third, but Weaver escaped by retiring Erik Kratz on a hard-hit liner to right.
”Being able to get out of that inning with just two runs, it’s obviously not ideal, but the way we’ve kind of been swinging and getting hot, I knew we were going to score some runs,” Weaver said. ”It was just about putting up zeroes from there.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cards: OF Tommy Pham was not in the lineup after feeling ill before the game. ”He is just under the weather,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”It has been going through our clubhouse. Different guys are passing it around. Unfortunately when you spend this much time together, is this kind of space, on flights Renell Wren Jersey , it is going to run its course.”
Brewers: 3B Travis Shaw left in the third inning after re-aggravating his sore right wrist on the second swing of his at-bat. The extent of the injury was not known, Counsell said. . RHP Matt Albers (10-day DL, right shoulder discomfort), could start a throwing program next week, but his return is still a ways off. ”I think we’re looking post-All Star break for Matt,” Counsell said. . IF Nick Franklin (10-day DL, right quad strain) is in Arizona and still experience soreness. ”He’s not over the injury,” Counsell said. . IF Tyler Saladino (10-day DL, left ankle sprain) continues to progress. ”We’re closing in on looking at setting a date to send him out on rehab.”
UP NEXT
Cards: RHP John Gant (1-2, 4.39) opens the three-game series at home against Cleveland on Monday. Gant http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-michael-jordan-jersey , filling in for injured Michael Wacha, was sent down to Triple-A Memphis on May 31 and recalled on Thursday.
Brewers: After an off-day Monday, rookie RHP Freddy Peralta (2-0, 2.30) makes his fourth start of the season to open a two-game series at home against Kansas City. Opponents are batting just .113 against him.
Literally hundreds of college football players enter the National Football League via the draft every year, and many go on to have Hall-of-Fame careers and become some of the greatest to ever play in the league. Peyton Manning impressed scouts, analysts and fans throughout his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, and he later became arguably the greatest regular-season quarterback in the history of the NFL. Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy while playing for Oklahoma State, and he then exceeded expectations during his tenure with the Detroit Lions. Roger Staubach, Tim Brown, Charles Woodson and Marcus Allen are other examples of men who excelled in college and then became Superstars while featuring for teams on NFL Sundays and playing for pay. For each of those cases Greedy Williams Jersey , however, there are also a plethora of individuals who became famous and even household names for their achievements in college but who then struggled or were even downright terrible in the NFL. College QBs often fail to make the transition to the NFL because NCAA offenses are moreso meant to produce points than prepare those signal-callers for the pros, and, thus, it shouldn’t surprise you that this particular list is dominated by those who played that position. History has taught us that a QB winning a Heisman and establishing himself as the best college player of any given season does not always indicate he will do well in the NFL. In fact, some of the biggest draft busts in NFL history happen to be Heisman winners.
Ah Parris Campbell Jersey , rookies! of players fresh off their college exploits, hoping their respective talents and successes carry over to the professional level. Since the NFL Draft’s commencement in 1936, NFL rookies have followed a similar script. They are drafted by a team based on immediate or future needs. Tens of rookies find themselves as an opening day starter. Some are thrust into a starting position early in the season because of a starter’s injury while some rookies see the field due to the underwhelming performance of a veteran player. The majority of rookies never make the team Bobby Okereke Jersey , take the field or last more than three years in the league. That’s what makes rookie standouts all the more intriguing.All 32 NFL teams have had that one exceptional rookie. That one first year player who made a sizable impact in the statistical department, the team’s standings or its postseason endeavors—or all of them if the team and the player were so lucky! Some top-drawer rookies are a mere blip in a team’s star studded history while others reshaped and merged leagues with their persona and accomplishments. Who are they? The following list will show you each NFL team’s greatest rookie and his respective season accomplishments. Considerations to overall statistics, awards and both regular and postseason impacts weigh heavily for each player. But be warned—a fourth of this may change within the next five years! It’s understandable National Football League franchises would spend first-round draft picks on quarterbacks. Quarterbacks are the faces of NFL clubs and also the most important players for all of the teams in a league that emphasizes passing attacks over any other facet of the game. Take a look at the list of teams that have won Super Bowl championships over the past decade. It isn’t a coincidence that the majority of them can boast about the fact that they feature franchise quarterbacks who have easily earned the money paid to them via their contracts and who have the goods to lead any team to January football games and Khari Willis Jersey , in the right situations, to Super Bowl contests. A championship NFL quarterback is worth his weight in gold and any salary cap value attached to his contract. Obviously, not every quarterback selected in the first round of an NFL Draft becomes a Superstar capable of carrying a team to division titles and championship contests. Some are known as the biggest busts to ever be drafted by any franchise. Two of the biggest draft busts in NFL history are quarterbacks who failed to live up to their potentials and who couldn’t handle being starters for different reasons. Even with those cautionary tales in mind Josh Allen Jersey , teams will still take risks on quarterbacks in first rounds so long as the NFL exists. The hope is that such players will turn into versions of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or even Dak Prescott rather than becoming busts who aren’t worth the investment.
Did you ever think you'd consider Jacksonville running back/wide receiver Denard Robinson as a viable starting option over Toby Gerhart? You're lying if you said you did! And there are many more players like Robinson who are now being thrust into starting roles. A couple of those sleepers are even listed here.To balance these Sit 'Em/Start 'Em articles T.J. Hockenson Jersey , we'll mix and match Pro Bowl caliber players with some sleepers. The point of listing obvious starters is to help you not over think matchups. For example, a question like this should never arise: I have Brian Hoyer and Jay Cutler on my team. Should I start Hoyer over Cutler because the former's matchup is better this week? (It is by the way.) While the Bears are fighting like children right now, Chicago won't bench Cutler whereas the Browns actually considered using Manziel last week. So, you get my point. And the point of listing sleepers is just as obvious. By now some of your starters are hurt and you need replacements quickly.Just as a note Jahlani Tavai Jersey , all fantasy stats are based on Yahoo! leagues whose stats are provided by Pro Football Focus. With that, let's move onto week eight of the NFL season and your Sit 'Em/Start 'Em candidates MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Gausman has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for the Baltimore Orioles, who bring the worst record in baseball to Target Field on Saturday as they continue a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins.
Gausman takes the mound with a 2.76 ERA in his last five outings and is fresh off perhaps one of his best starts of the year. He held the Los Angeles to one run and two hits and didn’t walk a batter in eight innings on July 2 for his first victory since May 11 — a span of nine starts — and is now 4-6 with a 4.05 ERA this season.
“I felt like early on in the season, I kind of put together a little bit better of a month Will Harris Jersey , but I feel like I’m throwing the ball well,” Gausman said. “I feel really good in my delivery, and ever since I went hands over the head,
“I feel like this has just been night and day Austin Bryant Jersey , able to command the ball and really all my off-speed pitches. That’s the key word — consistency. You’re always trying to be the same guy every five days.”
Orioles manager Buck Showalter thinks Gausman’s success this season is overlooked in part because of the team’s record, but also because of the competition he has faced.
“I don’t chuckle or eye-roll or any of that stuff,” Showalter said. “When I hear people kind of negative, Kevin has cut his teeth in the American League East and he’s kind of a good hardened to it. This guy doesn’t dwell around too much on successes and failures.”
Success has been hard to come by for the Orioles lately and failure has been plentiful.
Baltimore’s loss Friday night in Minnesota extended its losing streak to four games. The Orioles have dropped 11 of their last 12 games and 22 of their last 27 overall while winning only two in their last seven series.
They’ll try to turn that around Saturday against Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson Rashan Gary Jersey , who has been the poster child for lack of run support this season.
He has allowed more than three runs in a game just once since May 18 — a span of eight starts — but has taken the victory just twice. In the six other games, the Twins have averaged just 1.8 runs.
Gibson hasn’t let the tough luck get to him.
“We’ll start being on the right side of these games,” Gibson said. “We’ve just been running into some pitchers throwing the ball well and caught a couple tough breaks offensively.”
His last two starts haven’t been among his best. He allowed a season-high five runs and 11 hits against the White Sox on June 27 in Chicago and the Milwaukee Brewers followed by tagging him for four (three earned) in five innings earlier this week in Milwaukee.
Saturday will mark Gibson’s ninth career start against the Orioles. In the eight previous meetings, he’s 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA.
He faced them once already this season Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , throwing six no-hit innings with six strikeouts on March 31 in Baltimore.
The NFL is entertaining enough Cullen Gillaspia Jersey , but fantasy offers fans, from the die-hard fanatic to the part time enthusiast, another way to further their enjoyment of the game. Whether money is involved or a league is simply about bragging rights, fantasy football is just one more reason to watch the NFL every week.One of the amazing aspects of fantasy football is that a lineup of great regular producers on one's team can easily be out shined any week by a single player who dominates in an opponent's lineup. This list will detail the greatest single game performances, from a fantasy point of view, since 1960.The reason for 1960 being the date used is twofold. First, there are numerous stories accounting for the first fantasy football league and each claim that fantasy football leagues started popping up in the early 60's. While many have come to believe that the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators' League was the first true fantasy football league, there are many other tales of the origins of FF, but each argues that it was started in the early 1960's. The second reason for starting in the early 60's is that statistical data from prior to the 60's is somewhat inconsistent. If there is disagreement regarding my choice of starting year, feel free to bash my life choices in the comments section.Since everyone and their neighbor has their own method of scoring in fantasy leagues, I will use the ESPN standard scoring method. In ESPN Standard a touchdown pass is four points Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , a rushing or receiving score is six, as well is kick or punt return touchdown. Ten yards rushing or receiving gives a player a single point, while 25 passing yards equals a point for passers. Fumbles and interceptions each amount to a loss of two points. I have also not rounded down or up, and have used each yard as a tenth of a point to provide accuracy. If this is offensive to any readers, or there are objections to my use of ESPN Standard because it is "unfair" to quarterbacks, please attack me personally in the comments section.Our list starts off with the three-way tie between a quarterback, a running back and a receiver at 48.7 points.r Bowl benching point to exit for him and opening at cornerback. New England likes Burkhead and got big production in 2017 from Lewis. Both are just 27 years old, but Patriots likely won’t stand pat after disappointing season by 2017 free agency pickup Mike Gillislee. Linebacking core needs some help with Harrison unlikely to be re-signed at age 39 and starter Dont’a Hightower coming off shoulder surgery. Getting another player to pair with Trey Flowers at defensive end will be another priority.
AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $14.7 million.
NEW YORK JETS (5-11)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: QB Josh McCown; CB Morris Claiborne; C Wesley Johnson, TEs Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Chris Gragg; LBs Demario Davis, Bruce Carter, Julian Stanford http://www.thecoltsfootballauthentic.com/ben-banogu-jersey-authentic , and David Bass; S Terrence Brooks; PK Chandler Catanzaro; DLs Kony Ealy and Ed Stinson; DT Mike Pennel; OLs Jonotthan Harrison, Ben Ijalana and Dakota Dozier.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: WR Quincy Enunwa; S Rontez Miles; OL Brent Qvale; TE Neal Sterling; DL Xavier Cooper.
NEEDS: It’s all about finding quarterback, running theme for this franchise for, well, decades. New York will be in Kirk Cousins sweepstakes and has money it would take to land him. But will the former Washington QB want team that has failed to make playoffs for seven straight seasons and underwent massive rebuild last year? Jets have new offensive coordinator in former QBs coach Jeremy Bates, who runs Mike and Kyle Shanahan-style system Cousins learned during his first two seasons in league. If Jets whiff on Cousins, there’s good chance McCown will be back to mentor whomever New York takes with its first draft pick at No. 6 overall. Plenty of holes elsewhere, although Jets are interested in re-signing Claiborne, Seferian-Jenkins and Davis as core players. Help on offensive line, namely at center, proven pass rusher and cornerback will also be high priorities for GM Mike Maccagnan. Running back Matt Forte is retired Parris Campbell Jersey , so Jets might look for some depth in backfield, as well as on defensive line after releasing disappointing Muhammad Wilkerson.
AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $90 million.
OAKLAND RAIDERS (6-10)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: Ss Reggie Nelson and Keith McGill; LB NaVorro Bowman; CB TJ Carrie; K Sebastian Janikowski; DT Justin Ellis; DL Denico Autry; TE Lee Smith; QB E.J. Manuel; LS Jon Condo.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
NEEDS: Coach Jon Gruden takes over team coming off disappointing season with many holes. There could be even more voids if Raiders choose to release several high-priced veterans to create even more cap room. Biggest holes right now are on defense; Raiders must upgrade at linebacker and in secondary, as well as find pass rush help for Khalil Mack. Oakland also would like to add at least one more receiver, along with possible upgrade at tackle. Another question is at running back; keep Marshawn Lynch and his $6 million salary or find starter in free agency or draft?
AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $16 million.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (13-4)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: LB Arthur Moats; G Chris Hubbard; WR Justin Hunter; LB Sean Spence; RBs Stevan Ridley and RB Fitz Toussaint; DT Daniel McCullers; S Daimion Stafford.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: K Chris Boswell; LB Anthony Chickillo; WR Eli Rogers.
NEEDS: Two-time defending AFC North champions need help at inside linebacker with Ryan Shazier already ruled out for 2018 with spinal injury. Pittsburgh’s defense sagged late in season without Shazier and was shredded by Jacksonville in stunning home playoff loss. Depth at running back is also concern with Le’Veon Bell’s long-term status uncertain after team placed franchise tag on him for second straight spring. Steelers as usual are right up against cap; contract restructuring and cutting some veterans would give them wiggle room if needed. They could even sign marquee player if they opted to pull back franchise tag on Bell, which would free up $14.5 million in cap space off top.
AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $1 million.
TENNESSEE TITANS (10-8)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: LBs Avery Williamson and Erik Walden; WRs Eric Decker and Harry Douglas; DE DaQuan Jones; CB Brice McCain; G Josh Kline; C Brian Schwenke; QB Brandon Weeden.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: G Quinton Spain; DE David King; CB Curtis Riley.
NEEDS: Now that QB Matt Cassel is being released, upgrading Marcus Mariota’s backup is crucial after Titans lost one game Cassel started last season. Both starting guards also are hitting market, though any offer to Spain can be matched, with Titans possibly looking at options after run game slumped from first in AFC to 15th. Wide receiver is must with Decker hitting market after ranking second with 54 catches. Money seems biggest obstacle for Titans keeping pair of defensive starters in Williamson and Jones, who was playing his best when he tore biceps.
AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $59 million.