Monthly Archives: February 2017

Johnny Manziel named Browns’ starter, per report

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Cleveland Browns have seen enough of Brian Hoyer. After another poor outing and another loss amidst an increasingly frantic playoff race, the Browns have decided that Johnny Manziel will start on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Jay Glazer.

Glazer says Hoyer and Manziel were informed on Tuesday morning that Manziel would be under center in Week 15. Head coach Mike Pettine made the decision on Monday afternoon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

Hoyer completed only 14 of his 31 passes in a 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend, throwing for just 140 yards, no touchdowns and a pair of picks. That performance comes just a week after he was benched for Manziel in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The officer tried to administer field sobriety tests, and Benson refused. When the officer asked him to recite the alphabet, that was a no go for Benson.

According to the affidavit, Benson “stated he couldn’t do that because he played eight years in the NFL.” Benson also said he could not count to any number higher than three for the same reason.

Benson also refused to perform a balance test. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and booked into the Travis County Jail, and he was later released on a $5,000 bond.

It wasn’t Benson’s first run-in with the law. He was arrested for operating a boat while intoxicated back in 2008, but a grand jury declined to prosecute him. He also was arrested for DWI in Austin in 2008. He was arrested for assault with injury in 2010 after allegedly punching a bartender in the face, and he spent five days in jail in 2011 for assault on a family member.

In 2012, Benson was cited for allowing animals to run without control, and he also was pulled over for going 41 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

Benson spent eight seasons in the NFL, with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, and Green Bay Packers. He finished his career with 1,600 carries for 6,017 yards and 32 touchdowns.1

Past trades net Patriots, Titans third-round compensatory picks

Cincinnati Bengals,

Wide receiver Steve Smith #89 of the Baltimore Ravens is tackled by outside linebacker Jamie Collins #51 of the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland.

When the Browns and Patriots agreed on a trade sending linebacker Jamie Collins from New England to Cleveland, the pick going back to the Patriots was unknown.

Cleveland also received a compensatory selection in the fifth round to go with the nine other picks under their control.
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As they’ll be doing with good defensive backs, teams are going to be clamoring for interior offensive line help this offseason. In today’s NFL, it is a necessity. While both Warmack and Joeckel will be extremely difficult to value, their status as former first-round picks (in Joeckel’s case, he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft) could complicate things. The Minnesota Vikings alone could be in the market for half of the top-end offensive linemen available this offseason, and teams with tenured O-line coaches will believe they can get the best out of under-performing first-round picks.

All of them were worth every penny. But they were sandwiched in free agency classes full of regrettable deals. This year’s class comes with its own potential pitfalls, which is why I’m here to provide you with a list of free agents who could be overpriced and cause your team to miss the mark.

First, a disclaimer: This is not to suggest anything about the quality of the players listed below. But with the free-agent market shaping up to be a seller’s market (with deep-pocketed teams vying for a few excellent players), some risky propositions might be made.

Detroit has problems that extend beyond Drummond

Cincinnati Bengals,

Because they just signed him to a maximum contract extension last summer. Even if Drummond hasn¡¯t improved as expected, it¡¯s far too early to turn back on that investment.

Elite Kids Marcedes Lewis Jersey Detroit has problems that extend beyond Drummond. Jackson has been awful since returning from injury, and other young players on the roster have also failed to develop. It would be a mistake to assume that Drummond is the root of all those issues. A better strategy would be to seek a trade involving Jackson and attempt to retool the roster to better fit Drummond¡¯s skill set.

There¡¯s also the matter of a potential return in a deal involving Drummond. Detroit was ¡°disappointed¡± about the market for Drummond when they explored his value earlier this season, according to Lowe. It¡¯s hard to believe that the offers have improved since then.
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This sounds more like setting the stage for a future trade if the Pistons and Drummond do not improve. Now is not the best time for the Pistons to receive comparable value in return.

Magic Johnson was named the Lakers’ president of basketball operations on Tuesday, and sports agent Rob Pelinka is expected to replace the fired Mitch Kupchak as GM.
The Lakers had multiple offers for Williams that included a first-round pick in recent weeks, sources told Shelburne. They were so confident in their ability to land a first-round pick for Williams that they offered that first-round pick in discussions for DeMarcus Cousins with Sacramento on Sunday.

Williams is having the best season of his 12-year career, with highs in points (18.6 per game) and 3-point field goal percentage (.385). He leads the league in scoring off the bench, followed by Rockets reserve guard and newly crowned 3-point shootout champion Eric Gordon. The two have combined for 1,835 points this season.

NFL Draft prospect Samaje Perine proposes to his girlfriend with magic trick

Cincinnati Bengals,

Since this is the week of love, Samaje Perine made the most of it, proposing to his girlfriend of five years named Meg.

Even the hardest of hearts will melt with this rather elaborate proposal.

He enlisted magician Daniel Fernandez, and Perine is cool as a cucumber throughout probably the biggest day of his life to date, even telling his agent that he wasn¡¯t nervous. He also paid Hernandez in 10 Starbucks gift cards, which is also good.

Prior to the game, the worst odds for scoring the first touchdown were shared by Seattle fullback Will Tukuafu, Seattle running back Christine Michael, New England tight end Michael Hoomanawanui and New England fullback James Develin at 50/1 odds.

The most likely player to score the first touchdown was Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, at 11/2 odds. The top five players were Lynch, Rob Gronkowski (13/2), LeGarrette Blount (9/1), Julian Edelman (10/1) and then a three-player tie at 12/1 with Lafell, Doug Baldwin and Russell Wilson.
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Authentic Youth Joe Haden Jersey “In this league with the fine line that separates every team, you have to find different ways, and that’s what we did,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “We went in there in the third more on our toes. We had to check real well and we had to get some saves, and we did. That’s a real strong hockey team. They’re not in first place in the league for nothing.”

With Washington on the power play late in the second period, Lundqvist stopped Ovechkin’s backhand. However, the Capitals’ star tied the game 1-1 as he took a cross-ice pass from Lars Eller and beat Lundqvist with a wrist shot that was deflected by defenseman Nick Holden at 17:24 for Ovechkin’s 27th goal of the season.

Both teams were coming off losses that ended six-game winning streaks. Washington lost in a shootout in Detroit on Saturday and the Rangers lost to the Islanders on Thursday.

Mulroy’s business has grown since McCarthy began to credit it for his late-career surge with the New York Yankees in 2014

Jacksonville Jaguars

“You want to go out and give it your all because in the back of your mind, you think, ‘All right, I’m going to find a way to get through it.’ It’s tough to finally call it quits and say, ‘I need some help,’ and shut it down,” Adam Wainwright said. “I always put my money on the best athletes, though, and Michael is a ridiculous athlete.”

After the season ended, Wacha got serious about fixing a problem that had the possibility to derail his profound potential. Through his agents at CAA, he reached out to McCarthy, who recommended one of his neighbors in the Dallas area, Sam Mulroy, the owner of Diesel Fitness. Wacha grew up in Texarkana, about 2? hours northeast of the Metroplex, but he settled in there for the winter.

Mulroy’s business has grown since McCarthy began to credit it for his late-career surge with the New York Yankees in 2014, and Mulroy has worked with a handful of major leaguers over the years, including the Texas Rangers’ Derek Holland. Mulroy said Wacha stood out the first day he walked into the gym just by his sheer athleticism, which seems to run in the family (Wacha’s younger brother, Lucas, was a standout inside linebacker at Wyoming and has a chance to be drafted this April).

“It’s incredible. I would teach Michael a movement he’d never done before, like a dumbbell jerk, and he’d looked goofy the first time he did it. The second time through, he’s just got it,” Mulroy said. “I’ve trained other baseball players and I’ve seen a lot of natural athleticism. He’s different. If I put 20 pounds on him, I’m convinced he could be a tight end. If he worked on his jump shot, he could be a small forward.”

MAYBE YOU’VE SEEN the commercial. It’s an UnderArmour spot called “Numbers,” which Harper filmed the day after his suspension in May and which dropped right before the All-Star Game in July. In it, Harper stands in the batter’s box of a nondescript stadium, all grimy and grunting, taking violent hack after violent hack while a series of digits flash across the screen.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson has used the franchise tag only twice and not at all since 2010 (Ryan Pickett)

Cincinnati Bengals,

An easy candidate for the Texans to use the franchise tag on is cornerback A.J. Bouye. Bouye started the season as Houston’s No. 4 cornerback, but injuries to other players as well as his impressive play pushed him into the Texans’ best option at that position. But having four cornerbacks is a luxury and Houston already has veterans Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson and 2015 first-round pick Kevin Johnson under contract, so the Texans probably won’t use the tag on anyone. Plus, the Texans don’t use the franchise tag often; the last time they used it was in 2008, when they tagged cornerback Dunta Robinson.

Five players — defensive end John Abraham, kicker Phil Dawson, and linebackers Karlos Dansby, Terrell Suggs and Anthony Spencer — have been franchised in back-to-back seasons since 2005. The last cornerback to get that treatment was Charles Woodson with the Raiders, from 2004 to ’05.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson has used the franchise tag only twice and not at all since 2010 (Ryan Pickett), and there’s not an obvious candidate this season. Perhaps guard T.J. Lang could get tagged if the Packers wanted him back but didn’t want to commit long term to a soon-to-be 30-year-old who has battled injuries. Thompson wouldn’t use it on running back Eddie Lacy, who’s coming off an injury-filled season and probably could be had at a much, much lower price.

Running back situation: Ezekiel Elliott is the man here, having led the league with 1,631 yards as a rookie. The NFL’s investigation into domestic-violence allegations still looms over Elliott, but as long as he stays out of long-term trouble, he’ll be a fixture in Dallas for a long time.
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Andre Ethier Authentic Jersey Could it work? The Cowboys need to get their salary structure in order (though they’ll get cap relief from Tony Romo), and Peterson would need to fill in behind Elliott. Still, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, Peterson has been connected to the Cowboys in NFL circles.

Brady¡¯s game was amazing by any standard, playoffs or regular season

Cincinnati Bengals,

Durant and Westbrook were never the best of friends. They were good teammates, similar to good neighbors. It seemed Westbrook wanted the numbers; Durant wanted the wins.

It was always an internal clash, piled on top of the 82-game clash with the opposition. Their objectives were different, and for that reason, the pairing could no longer go on.

¡°He plays for his team, I play for my team,¡± Westbrook said. ¡°Let him do his thing, I do my thing and that’s it. Plain and simple.”

On this night, Durant wasn¡¯t shouting, ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± He came and went with the victory. A divorce was necessary.
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He didn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t a great game. Oh no, he made that clear to Peter King in his MMQB interview with him, but, you know, it just wasn¡¯t up to snuff for a guy who eats kale smoothies to keep his 39-year old body even able to play in these so-called subpar games.
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Brady¡¯s game was amazing by any standard, playoffs or regular season, and it really might not be the best one he¡¯s ever played, at least by statistical measures, but what makes it that much more amazing is that he did that at 39 years old, an age when most NFL players, besides the occasional kicker, shouldn¡¯t be playing well enough to even start in the league anymore, much less as the centerpiece for a dynasty.

Brady thinks he can play for at least another five years, and the Patriots are even counting on him being around for at least a few more. The truth is that even the legendary quarterbacks usually end up losing to Father Time. Brady was only the ninth QB to start eight games or more at 39 or older, and the numbers for QBs playing into their 40s are not great.

Martin Havlat retires from NHL after 14 seasons

Cincinnati Bengals,

Game Mens Ziggy Hood Jersey Martin Havlat, the winger who once starred for the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks in numerous playoff runs, announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old veteran released the news through the NHL Players¡¯ Association nearly 14 months after he last played on NHL ice with the St. Louis Blues.

Havlat only skated two games with the Blues in 2015-16 before requesting they terminate his contract so he could play at home in the Czech Republic. Havlat revealed on Wednesday that injuries disrupted the final stretch of his career.

Hockey was my life, but the last few years, I just couldn¡¯t play the way I wanted to play. My heart wanted to keep on going, but my body didn¡¯t allow me to do it. I felt it was time. I know I¡¯ve made the right decision. I had already undergone a shoulder surgery, a serious pelvic injury and other injuries, but my whole career I dealt with groin problems. I was able to manage the groin problems well enough that nobody would notice. But in the end, the damage was done. Some players never get hurt, but not me. I¡¯m not complaining. I feel very fortunate to have had the career I¡¯ve had.

The source spoken to by The Glendale Star said they knew a representative from Arizona was there, but they did not know the identity of the person.

Game Youth Tajae Sharpe Jersey A spokesperson for Key Arena said, ¡°(the city) recently had a tour for potential developers and potential ownership groups and there was a representative from the (Coyotes) that was part of that.¡±

Falcons release Steven Jackson

Oakland Raiders,

The Atlanta Falcons have released veteran running back Steven Jackson, the team announced on Thursday. Jackson has been one of the most effective running backs in the NFL for about a decade, but the 31-year-old has slowed considerably in his two seasons with the Falcons.

When new Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan neglected to say whether Jackson would be back in 2015, it was pretty clear that his chances of returning were slim. He was set to make $3.75 million in 2015 and the Falcons will save that same amount against the cap.

Bisciotti, 54, has been an owner of the Ravens since 2000 and took over as the majority owner in 2004, but said 2014 was his career low.

“It was my worst year as an owner,” Bisciotti said. “I had 14 good years, and then I had an absolute crappy year.”

Forced to defend his own integrity as well as the integrity of the franchise and NFL, Bisciotti joked that he considered selling the team to Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. He assured fans, though, that the rough times of 2014 are now behind him.

“I am off suicide watch,” Bisciotti said. “I’m stable mentally. I’ll probably be your owner for a while.”

Without Rice, the Ravens found success with running back Justin Forsett, who finished the year with 1,266 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. Couple the success of Forsett with a postseason run that included eliminating the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Bisciotti said the 2014 season was a success for the franchise.

Davis said the hit in Tokyo meant more as time went on than in that moment.

Cincinnati Bengals,

He had been a three-time consensus All-American playing free safety at UCLA before the Seahawks drafted Easley with the No. 4 overall pick.

But when he got to training camp as a rookie, Easley discovered the coaches wanted him at strong safety.

“Now I can understand why they did it,” Easley said. “They were probably looking at me being 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, basically a defensive back linebacker. They were looking at me as being another run-stopper that could defend the pass. And so it was just simply based on my size. But the problem was that playing free safety all of my life and then to be put at strong safety, it’s a whole different game.”

That’s the greatness of Easley. Given his combination of physicality, athleticism and playmaking ability, he probably could have been a Hall of Fame-caliber player at either position.

Limited Kids Ryan Schraeder Jersey “It’s just your gut,” Shanahan said. “You look at players, see how they work, how they carry themselves, but sometimes something just sticks out at you and is that gut feel. We had watched TD work in practice, looked at what he did, how he carried himself — but that play, that was a gut-feel play.”

Davis said the hit in Tokyo meant more as time went on than in that moment.

“I just wanted to show I could tackle somebody on special teams if they kept me around,” Davis said.

It was the launching point for one of the best postseason players at any position in the Super Bowl era.
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In the years that followed, the Broncos won 91.7 percent of their games in the regular season and postseason when Davis rushed for at least 100 yards. The only two backs in league history to average more than 100 yards rushing per game in the regular season and postseason combined are Jim Brown and Davis.

And it all started when Davis didn’t even have a football in his hands.