Month: May 2017

Josh Gordon denied reinstatement by NFL

Josh Gordon applied for reinstatement in the first week of March, and his reinstatement has officially been denied by the NFL, according to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero.
Kenny Stabler Elite Jersey
Gordon had a breakout season in 2013 when he led the NFL in receiving with 1,646 yards on 87 receptions. Since then, he’s had plenty of off the field issues, resulting in four different suspensions. One of his suspensions, for violating the league’s policy on substance abuse, lasted the full 2015 season.

He’s sat out the past two seasons, and at 26 years old, he’s looking to restart his career while still relatively young for an NFL wide receiver. In 2016, he played well during the preseason while he was conditionally reinstated. As he was set to return in Week 5, he entered rehab instead, and didn’t play during the year.

But the problem wasn’t resolved. Since then, Zimmer has undergone six more surgeries to try and restore vision in his right eye.
Game Kenny Britt Jersey
Zimmer said he thinks the most recent operation may do the trick and is hopeful it will be the last eye surgery for him, but he doesn’t want to get get ahead of himself.

I’ve thought that before, Zimmer said, via ESPN’s Ben Goessling.

Hopefully for Zimmer, taking a few weeks away from the team to rest and recover will let him finally put this issue behind him.

In March, his business manager Michael Johnson told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Josh is living with me and is in the best place mentally that he has been in dating back years before entering the NFL.

Chris Young struck out against one a few years ago

You’re really solving the Tommy John epidemic with this solution, as well. I mean, have you tried hitting some of these pitching machines? Sometimes they just throw absolute filth. After all, Chris Young struck out against one a few years ago. No more playing catch between the pitcher and catcher slowing down the game.

Martin is the only head-scratcher, as it’s a highly emotional, marginally rational choice for a low retired number. Martin being in for eight managerial seasons highlighted by two AL pennants and one World Series may take a little away from the true greatness of the selections above. It also opened the floodgates for the Yankess to be more (too?) liberal with the honor.

Betances has only 22 saves in those three years, even though he has done everything manager Joe Girardi has ever asked of him. He’s pitched the sixth inning or the seventh inning or the eighth inning. He’s served behind closers David Robertson (2014), Andrew Miller (2015) and Aroldis Chapman (2016), even though his numbers were pretty consistently better than the guy in the ninth inning. When those closers were unavailable or hurt or traded, he jumped into the ninth-inning role.

What Girardi needed, Betances provided.
Limited Kids Dan Orlovsky Jersey
Limited Kids Nick Bjugstad Jersey And now Levine is publically shaming Betances for asking to be paid a fraction of what other elite relievers are getting paid. Levine said what Betances was asking for had no basis in reality because, y’know 鈥?saves!

In this league, winning is too hard to do.

“In this league, winning is too hard to do. For people not to communicate is just crazy in my mind. And it affects the entire building.”

Unlike with Pagano and Grigson, Colts owner Jim Irsay did not feel compelled to hire a psychologist to try and get his head coach and general manager to play nice. After Ballard was hired away from Kansas City’s front office in January, he and Pagano began clicking immediately, which has led to similar bonding between Ballard and Pagano’s staff.

“Walking in the building, I didn’t know any of the coaches,” Ballard said. “But they were there with open arms willing to teach me what they wanted on offense and defense and helping me understand what the specs of the positions were.”

One example of how that connection has paid dividends is the first-round selection of safety Malik Hooker. Ballard said special teams coach Tom McMahon pointed to standout plays Hooker made on Ohio State’s unit during his first two seasons before he became a star in the Buckeyes’ secondary.

Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina: Jones will be off the board early with teams like the Bears (36th overall), Panthers (40th), and Bills (44th) all enamored with him. Jones has ideal height and weight at 6-2, 201 and his stock soared after he ran a 4.45 40 at the combine. That was after he shined at the Senior Bowl as the best receiver in Mobile, where he was coached by the Bears staff. Jones is the NCAA single-season record holder with 158 catches last year and is the NCAA’s all-time leading receiver with 399 catches for 4,279 yards and 23 scores.
nike_cardinals_1590

NFL Draft: Ryan Ramczyk’s unique path to pro football should be considered a positive

Wisconsin tackle Ryan Ramczyk figured his livelihood would involve wearing a face mask.

Whitney Mercilus Game Jersey And not necessarily one attached to an NFL helmet.

Considered a certain first-round pick in April’s draft, Ramczyk wasn’t always sure he wanted to pursue a professional football career. He almost didn’t even play in college. Ramczyk declined a scholarship offer to the University of Pittsburgh and left Winona State after a short time as a freshman.
Womens Alex Okafor Jersey
This left Ramczyk pursuing another passion that took him to two different technical colleges.

So what does all this mean? Not a ton, of course. It’s still April.

And, yeah, it’s been a disappointing April for Mets fans, but it hasn’t been a complete disaster. They’re 8-11, not 3-16.

Maybe they won’t be able to catch the Nationals in the NL East, but chances are they weren’t going to win the division anyway (the Nats are really, really good). The NL still has two wild-cards, though, and the Mets will still be very much in the mix for one of those spots, as long as the season doesn’t careen toward disaster status in May.

Of course, winning usually solves all problems. But winning hasn’t been trendy in San Diego. And it’s not likely to be anytime soon. That takes money, of course, and the Padres just got rid of a bunch of money. Manny Machado may have hit a 466-foot home run that left Fenway Park in Baltimore’s 8-3 win over the Red Sox, but Orioles right fielder Seth Smith had himself a night. Smith went 4 for 4 at the dish with a double, two runs and two RBIs. He also stole home in the third inning and he and Machado worked a first-and-third double steal to perfection.

David Price injury update: Red Sox lefty has MRI exam on arm, will get second opinion

Linval Joseph Mens Jersey
The Red Sox expected to open the 2017 season with three aces at the front of their rotation, but one of them suddenly is looking a bit shaky.

David Price had an MRI exam on his forearm and elbow Wednesday, manager John Farrell told reporters. Price had pitched a simulated game Tuesday and reported soreness in his arm when he arrived at the ballpark the next morning.

He has been scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League debut Sunday and his next step is an alarming one for any athlete: a trip to get a second opinion from renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

When Wainwright, now 35, was a young pitcher making his way, he remembers a number of kind gestures that helped him get by.

This was his way of paying it forward.

That’s the kind of thing that happened to me when I was younger, Wainwright said. Many many many things like that happened to me. You just kind of pass that stuff on.

Sheriff, a 28th round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2011, went 7-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 49 relief appearances for Triple-A Memphis last season. If he plays his cards right in spring training, he could be in line to join Wainwright in the big leagues with a spot in the bullpen.

In the meantime, though, he made sure Wainwright’s deed didn’t go unnoticed.

Couldnt thank Waino enough for purchasing me a rental car for Spring Training. He saw me walk every morning to the field and surprised me.

Sheriff repaid Wainwright with a gift basket full of some of his favorite things: a $20 gift card to Chick-Fil-A, a jug of sweet iced tea and some A1 steak sauce.

Isaiah Canaan Jersey All, presumably, a short car ride away.

Drew Pearson hopes noise made at NFL Draft is heard at Hall of Fame

Drew Pearson was not seeking personal advancement with his overthetop announcement of Dallas’ secondround choice in last Friday’s NFL Draft. Nor did he plan to deliver a prepick introduction of Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie that would steal the show and mock one of the franchise’s most hated rivals in its home city.

But since it turned out that way, Pearson hopes the buzz he created in Philadelphia does strike a chord with those who can help keep him in the spotlight: Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s senior committee.

Limited Youth Daniel Kilgore Jersey The way Pearson sees it, maybe those selectors will have their memories jarred about the impact he made during a storied 11year NFL career. Never reaching finalist status while eligible for 25 years as a modernday candidate, the only shot Pearson has now would come with a senior candidate nomination.

We researched everything thoroughly and were totally convinced, McKenzie told cohost Gil Brandt and me on SiriusXM NFL Radio. We felt good about what was presented before us.

Limited Youth Hunter Henry Jersey As great a job as McKenzie has done rebuilding the Raiders — he was named 2016 Sporting News Executive of the Year — he will be heavily vilified if Conley is charged or ultimately convicted.

The Dodgers fared much better than some believed they would after the injury of Clayton Kershaw during the season. Reaching the NLCS probably came as a shock to some, and this year should yield similar results. Now with a full season Julio Urias, who showed some promise in 2016, the Dodgers could come for the National League crown. At the very least, they should be able to lock up the NL West again with the re-signing of three key pieces to their team in Jansen, Turner and Utley.

Ex-Redskins GM Scot McCloughan takes high road on split: ‘It’s a marriage that didn’t work’

Former Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan, who was fired by the team March 9, says he bears no ill feelings toward his old team despite the ugly breakup.

In an interview Tuesday on 106.7 The Fan’s “Grant and Danny” show in Washington, McCloughan called his departure a mutual decision and said he will continue to pull for the franchise.

“You know, it’s too bad what happened here, but it was mutual,” McCloughan told the show, via the Washington Post. ” And there’s a lot of good people in this organization, from the ownership down throughout he whole building. Players, coaches and nike_steelers_2391 was nothing but great to us. It just didn’t work out. And as you guys are well aware, it’s a big business and it just didn’t work out. I hate leaving there because I’ve got so many close friends, not just guys that I drafted but there’s a lot of good people.”

McCloughan, who had held the Redskins GM post since January 2015, saw his reign end in turmoil. Media reports speculated for weeks he would get the axe, with one Washington Post report citing McCloughan’s alcohol abuse as a factor. A source told the paper, “This has been a disaster for 18 months.”

But McCloughan, who was released with two years remaining on a four-year deal, says he wishes the team well.

“There’s good players there, and there’s good character there, there’s good chemistry there,” McCloughan said. “And that’s what I tried to build and build and build. I wish I could have been here longer to see it come to fruition, but I can’t, so it is what it is. But still, I’m gonna pull for them. I don’t have any grudge. It is what it is. Again, it’s a marriage that didn’t work.”

Patriots’ Robert Kraft: Deflategate happened because of ‘envy and jealousy’

Patriots owner Robert Kraft believes envy and jealousy from the other teams were huge factors in why the Deflatgate saga was dragged out and why quarterback Tom Brady was slapped with a four-game suspension even though he initially was cleared of tampering with any footballs in the 2015 AFC title game.

Well, I don’t hold grudges, but I also don’t forget anything,” Kraft said, via USA Today. Envy and jealousy are incurable diseases. I’m going into my 24th season as an owner. I’m passionate about owning a football team in my hometown.

A shocking video of Mixon punching a female OU student three years ago is one of the reasons many NFL teams refused to consider drafting the former Sooner.

Brown, writing on Cincinnati.com, said in part, In making our decision, we took a risk. In this case, the risk has an upside as well as a downside. We believe Joe has put this behind him and that he can turn into the player and community member that creates a plus for Cincinnati.
Elite Womens Matt Kalil Jersey
The Bengals have a history of drafting or signing players with troubled personal histories. Recent examples include Jeremy Hill, Vontaze Burfict and Adam Pacman Jones.

Brown explained that the Bengals were convinced Mixon has taken proper reconciliatory steps and turned his life in the right direction. Brown also said it is unacceptable for a man to strike a woman.
Elite Womens Jason Taylor Jersey

The Patriots’ visit to the White House was always going to be wack

Limited Womens Nick Folk Jersey
A presidential tradition took place at the White House on Wednesday. The Patriots made their fifth visit to Washington since 2002, this time after a 25-point comeback Super Bowl win over the Falcons. This was supposed to be a party, a celebration of American sports champions. But it turned out to be as awkward as an office mixer.

Of the 68 Patriots players invited, only half of them showed up. The contingent was much smaller than the last time they visited in 2015, when 50 players showed up to shake hands with President Barack Obama.

The sparse grouping of players clapped when Trump congratulated them. The president pointed wildly toward the athletes looking for Danny Amendola, only to discover that the receiver didn’t attend.

Way to go, Danny, Trump said.

There are a lot of good ones. A few of the best undrafted free agents currently in the league are Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins (2015) and Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns (2014). Collins’ was only undrafted because of extenuating circumstances. Just in the last few years, they’ve emerged as some of the best players at their positions.

Jordan Hill Authentic Jersey The 2000s featured a bunch of outstanding UDFAs. Kurt Warner went unpicked in the late ‘90s and established himself as an all-time quarterback. Priest Holmes, Wes Welker, Antonio Gates, James Harrison, Rod Smith, and Adam Vinatieri are among the UDFAs who’ve become cornerstone players for their franchises this millennium.

Look back further, and there are plenty more UDFA gems. Here are some more of them. Warren Moon, Cornell Green, Larry Little, Donnie Shell, Joe Jacoby, and Brian Waters all had marvelous careers. None of them got picked in the draft.

What the Spurs can do to stop the James Harden pick and roll

The Houston Rockets have mastered the pick and roll. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has surrounded James Harden with a repository of shooters and several big men willing to screen and dive to the rim. If you provide any help, you’re leaving lethal 3-point shooters open. If you double or hedge too hard, you give up a lob dunk at the rim. If you go over the screen and have your big man back up, Harden has room to operate and will needle his way to the basket and draw fouls.

Nickell Robey-Coleman Youth Jersey The Spurs are now tasked with coming up with a gameplan to try to slow the Harden pick and roll attack. Here’s a look at six schemes the Spurs tried during the regular season, and the pros and cons of each:
Chris Kirksey Youth Jersey
Rondo played 40 minuted in the Bulls’ Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics, posting a near triple-double with 11 points (on 5-of-11 shooting), 14 assists, nine rebounds, and five steals. Chicago outscored Boston by a team-high 24 points with its starting floor general on the floor.

The injury is a debilitating blow to the Bulls, who had taken a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics with the series headed to Chicago but do not have a reliable backup point guard. Jerian Grant has played well in very limited time, but is only in his second season. Michael Carter-Williams has virtually fallen out of the rotation.

Rondo also helped guide the Bulls to victory in Game 1, posting 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 27 minutes. Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg called his veteran point guard a rock for [the team] all season long.