San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

Reggie Wayne pitching in with Colts wide receivers

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The Colts drafted a pair of wide receivers and they’ll get a chance to learn from one of the best pass catchers in franchise history this offseason.

Reggie Wayne has joined the team as a volunteer coach working with wide receivers coach Kevin Patullo. He was on the field Monday as the Colts kicked off the second phase of their offseason program and head coach Frank Reich, who was once Wayne’s position coach in Indianapolis, thinks he’ll do well as a coach.

Perhaps the Eagles believe their defense can continue to function sans Kendricks with the help of linebackers like Bradham and Jordan Hicks. Perhaps they don’t like the lack of turnovers Kendricks creates. He has had zero interceptions since 2013 and hasn’t forced a fumble since 2015.

Perhaps they simply believe Kendricks is overpaid. He’s set to earn $7.6 million in 2018 and more than $16 million over the next two years.

The selection of linebacker Josh Sweat in the fourth round of the draft could give the Eagles their eventual replacement for Kendricks, too, so we can probably expect some of those trade rumors to re-emerge at some point this offseason.

“I was at an airport,” Highsmith said Monday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club, via the Canton Repository. “UCLA’s volleyball team was in front of me. You heard so much about Rosen. He’s this or that. We all know how people talk.

“So I asked one of the volleyball coaches, ‘What’s Rosen like?’ He said, ‘Aaaa, you should probably ask his girlfriend. She’s one of the players. She’s over there.’

“I’m like, ‘All right coach. That’s good enough.’ . . . I don’t know what all this means, but there was something about him that bothered me.”

Surely, Highsmith based his conclusion on more than an airport encounter with a volleyball coach. The bottom line is that, after Highsmith and the Browns did all the work they needed to do, one o the team’s top executives sensed “something about [Rosen] that bothered [him].”

Maybe, in time, more facts will emerge regarding the basis for Highsmith’s conclusion. For now, the candor regarding Rosen, who was taken 10th overall by the Cardinals, is definitely an eyebrow raiser.colts_105

The question with this year’s group is can a Big 12 quarterback be successful in the NFL

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Snellings: It was once considered a given that Cleveland would represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals for the fourth straight year, but the Cavaliers struggled in the second half of the season and have continued to scuffle in the playoffs. With that said, I still expect them to hold on through this round and also win their second-round matchup against the winner of the Raptors-Wizards.

Windhorst: I don’t make predictions. But I’m going to watch how the Pelicans handle themselves Saturday; that’s an interesting set of circumstances.

Spears: Not sure if it’s a bold prediction since the Raptors are the higher seed, but Toronto will finally figure out a way to knock off James to make it to the Eastern Conference finals. We The North finally gets through with a big series from DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

Mayfield comes from the wide open Oklahoma offense played by many in that conference. It has not translated into NFL success, though it should be noted the Chiefs are banking on Patrick Mahomes II out of Texas Tech to be their franchise quarterback. There is also concern that Allen did not dominate the Mountain West last year.

So Ainge phoned Shane Larkin, a player the Celtics had liked heading into the 2013 draft, and inquired about his availability after a solid season with Spanish club Baskonia. Larkin had recently signed an offer sheet with rival club Barcelona, but when Baskonia matched, it opened a 48-hour window in which Larkin also could explore opportunities outside of Europe.

“Danny called me,” Larkin said, “and was like, ‘We have a player that may have some injury issues, so we might have an opening for a player to come and play some minutes. How long do you have?'”

Among all youngsters, Tolvanen has all the right components for me to get excited about him as a fantasy hockey asset. In the skill department, he owns the record for scoring by an 18-year-old in the KHL, beating the marks set by Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tarasenko and fellow dynasty-stash Kirill Kaprizov. As for opportunity, he got to finish out the year with the Predators and is currently enjoying the NHL playoffs from the press box as a way to acclimate to the North American game. I think he has a relatively clear path to top-six minutes with the Preds next season by bumping Craig Smith or Kevin Fiala.canucks_1164

Kings’ Dustin Brown (shoulder) and Trevor Lewis (hand) undergo surgery

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Los Angeles Kings forwards Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis have undergone offseason surgery.

Brown had surgery on his left shoulder, and Lewis had surgery on his right hand. Both two-time Stanley Cup winners are expected to recover well before the start of training camp.

Brown had a resurgent year under new coach John Stevens, scoring a career-high 61 points in his 14th season with the Kings. The former captain hadn’t scored more than 36 points in any of the previous five seasons.

Rays: INF Matt Duffy (right hamstring strain) could be activated from the DL on Friday, Cash said. … RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who underwent surgery on March 30 to remove loose pieces of cartilage from his elbow, has had a “pretty remarkable” recovery so far, Cash said, though no timetable has been set for his return.

Orioles: INF Tim Beckham (groin) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. Beckham must decide whether to have surgery, which would likely fix the problem but force him to miss at least six weeks. … DH Mark Trumbo (quad strain) went 0 for 4 with Double-A Bowie but is edging closer to returning. “He feels good,” manager Buck Showalter said.

Rays: Chris Archer (1-1, 6.59 ERA) starts the series finale Thursday night. Archer has yielded at least one HR in five straight games.

Orioles: Dylan Bundy (1-2, 1.42 ERA) has given up five earned runs in his five starts and limited the opposition to a .220 batting average.

As the story goes, Torres should have made his major-league debut sometime last summer.

Patterson is expected to compete with redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters and others on the Wolverines roster for the starting job in Ann Arbor this fall if he is cleared to participate. He passed for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns as a starter in the first seven games of the season for Ole Miss in 2017 before a leg injury ended his season in late October. He practiced with the team throughout March and April while waiting for a decision from the NCAA.

Michigan passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton said last week that Patterson was an obvious “playmaker” who shouldn’t have any problem catching up to his competition when it comes to understanding Michigan’s playbook and offensive schemes. Hamilton said all of the team’s quarterbacks were getting equal reps during spring practice this past month, and he did not have a timeline for when the coaches would decide on a pecking order.steelers_054

Mike Mayock predicts Browns will draft Sam Darnold No. 1 overall

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NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock pumped the brakes on the national buzz about the Browns picking Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen first overall Thursday night instead of the longtime presumptive front-runner, Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold.

“If you’re asking me for my gut feel, just based on all the film work I’ve done and talking to people around the league, et cetera, my gut tells me that at one, Cleveland will take Sam Darnold,” Mayock said Friday during a conference call.

Back in 2014, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, who were on the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers team that came back from being down 0-3 to defeat the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, served as examples that the seemingly impossible was very possible. This year, the locker room is littered with players who have been there before, although there likely won’t be any motivational speeches harkening back to the 2014 squad.

“How many times has it been done? Four times?” said Kings right winger Tyler Toffoli. “So it’s not something that is common, obviously, so if we do talk about it, it will be something that will be joked about. The group of guys that we have, that’s the way we would bring things up. I think we just have to focus on winning one game.”

The younger players on the Kings who were not on the roster in 2014 remember what the team did four years ago. Kings rookie Alex Iafallo was a freshman at Minnesota-Duluth when the Kings came back against the Sharks, and would like to be a part of history himself this year.

One drawback is he’s a bit undersized for the pro game and can be a one-trick pony in pass rush, relying on outside speed. In 2017, Landry had 38 tackles with 8.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks and two passes broken up. He missed some playing time with an ankle injury late in the year.
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Ole Miss has no further response as NCAA evaluates Shea Patterson’s eligibility

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Ole Miss will have no further response in the case of former quarterback Shea Patterson, who is seeking immediate eligibility at Michigan, Patterson’s attorney told The Detroit News.

Pelton: LeBron James. A series of close games against the Indiana Pacers could give James a chance to continue his clutch heroics from the regular season, and with so much time between games there’s no reason to expect Tyronn Lue to cut James’ minutes now. So I think the likely second-place finisher in regular-season MVP voting will be the most valuable player in the first round of the playoffs.

The Saints’ handbook for cheerleaders, reviewed by the Times, prohibits the women from having any contact with players in person or on social media.

Cheerleaders must block players from following them online and aren’t allowed to post any images of themselves in Saints gear.

The women can’t even eat in the same restaurant as players. If they get to an eatery and a player is dining, they must leave. If they’re in the middle of a meal and a player shows up, they’re also forced to go.

But NFL players have no limit on who can follow them on social media and aren’t punished for reaching out to the cheerleaders.

The team says the rules are there to protect cheerleaders from players preying on them, but they put the women in charge of fending off the men, Davis’ lawyer told the paper.

“If cheerleaders can’t contact the players, then the players shouldn’t be able to contact the cheerleaders,” Sara Blackwell said. “The antiquated stereotype of women needing to hide for their own protection is not permitted in America and certainly not in the workplace.”

A lawyer for the Saints, Leslie Lanusse, denied that Davis was the victim of gender discrimination.jets_064

The power started building in Japan, where Mikolas hit two home runs in three seasons.

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There’s no apples-to-apples player trade to float. Aaron Donald and Beckham are in the same position contractually and the Rams just signed Ndamukong Suh, but they’re not giving up the best defensive player in the NFL for a receiver. A hypothetical Beckham trade starts with a first-round pick and probably involves more than one, which is a prohibitive price, especially for a receiver who could be available on the free agent market in the not-too-distant future. The Rams have Jared Goff on a rookie contract right now. Even if it’s No. 1 overall money, it is still an absurdly cheap cost for a franchise quarterback. The NFC West is significantly weakened from years past. The Rams smell an opportunity to go for broke here. Don’t rule them out of anything, especially a wild offseason trade for a big name player.

McCallum played six seasons with the Raiders (1986, 1990-94), splitting carries with Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, while early on also fulfilling his commitment to the U.S. Naval Academy. His playing career ended in gruesome fashion: In the 1994 season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, he suffered a dislocated knee, resulting in three torn ligaments and severe nerve and artery damage.

Later in the ’60s, rumors of a connection between Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson and known gambler Don Dice Dawson (no relation) caused some bookmakers to halt betting on Chiefs games. Looking back, some Las Vegas bookmakers and bettors who were active at the time question whether there was any actual substance behind the Dawson rumors.

Mikolas (1-0) gave up a two-run homer to Eric Thames and solo shots to Lorenzo Cain and Manny Pina. But the 29-year-old righty benefited from the Cardinals’ own outburst at hitter-friendly Miller Park.

I guess I figured if I’m going to give up some home runs, I might as well try to get one back, help my cause a little bit, Mikolas joked.

It was a memorable return to the majors for Mikolas, and a disappointing opener for the Brewers. They lost for first time after opening the season with a three-game sweep at San Diego.

Any pitcher home run, pitcher RBI, it always feels tough to come back from that, manager Craig Counsell said.

Mikolas gave up seven hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first big league start since Aug. 25, 2014, when he pitched eight innings for the Texas Rangers in a 2-0 win over Seattle.

He played 37 games for San Diego and Texas in 2012-14. He was 4-6 on the mound and 0 for 4 at the plate.
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Kyle Wilber signs with Raiders

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The Cowboys, who have yet to sign a er in free agency, lost another linebacker. Kyle Wilber has agreed to terms with the Raiders, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

Wilber joins former Cowboys fullback Keith Smith and former Cowboys special teams coach Rich Bisaccia in Oakland. Smith followed Bisaccia to Oakland earlier this week.

Wilber, a fourth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2012, ed 89 games with 16 starts in his six seasons in Dallas. He made 99 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He doubled as a core special teams er.

Instead of looking at individual defenders, we’re going to look at defensive pairs and what we learn about how the Lightning have played with different defensive pairings on the ice this ., when Ray pulled off that jersey …Given $12 million guaranteed last offseason, requested his release Monday after the Eagles agreed to terms with Foles.The sale was disclosed a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

I think I’ve put myself in a good spot to be considered the best quarterback in this draft, Mayfield told Jeff Darlington of ESPN. I’ve always believed in myself, but I’m trying to answer the questions people had doubts about.

He was a humble with a strong work ethic, always willing to help others.There’s been no date of when they’re going to release it, whether it’s today or tomorrow or Friday or Saturday or whatever.Cupcake references abounded on the posters; there was even one Thunder fan full cupcake costume.The only question that’s left is, who’s going to be on this year’s edition?All of this be subject to change anyway when Bran Stark returns the near future..Braves catcher Suzuki went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs Wednesday vs.

Today someone makes ordinary tackle and they’re leaping around like they just saved Civilization.DMN: Have you had a relationship with law enforcement?As ‘s setback shows, it’s hard to count on someone who’s missed virtually all of the last two seasons and is coming off multiple surgeries.

Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman signed him when he was running the Panthers, and Gettleman likes a known commodity. He’s already added former Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, and tried to get guard Andrew Norwell before he went to Jacksonville.

The Jets announced they have tendered four ers, including restricted free agent Quincy Enunwa. Enunwa received a second-round tender worth $2.914 million.
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Marshawn Lynch will be back on the Raiders for the 2018 season, the running back in line to receive a $1 million roster bonus Sunday, NFL Network reports.

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The Raiders signed former Buccaneer Doug Martin on Thursday, but Lynch figures to be Oakland’s primary ball carrier for the second straight season.

The move to bring back Lynch isn’t a surprise, as new Raiders coach Jon Gruden sang his praises at the NFL Combine last month.

“Looking at the film in a game that I broadcasted on Christmas night, there’s no question he’s still a beast,” Gruden said, per the San Jose Mercury News. Lynch had 95 yards on 25 carries in Oakland’s 19-10 loss at the Eagles in that game. Over the 2017 season, Lynch carried the ball 207 times for 891 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 151 more yards.

The Bills began that process earlier this week by jumping from No. 21 to No. 12 in a trade with Cincinnati that sent left tackle Cordy Glenn to the Bengals. Buffalo has ample draft-pick ammunition to continue scaling the ladder, like Philadelphia did in 2015 when making two trades that netted the No. 2 overall pick and quarterback Carson Wentz.

I’m told Jets brass were seriously concerned about the Bills’ moves — and the possibility of them vaulting past New York at No. 6. Those fears were compounded after New York lost out on prized free agent Kirk Cousins to Minnesota. That won’t be as easy with the Jets sitting in the slot originally held by Indianapolis, which wasn’t targeting a quarterback at No. 3 (under the hope Andrew Luck can fully recover from his serious shoulder injury).
“He beat me fair and square.”

Suriano, who transferred from Penn State this offseason after a complex and somewhat contentious divorce process from the Nittany Lions, ends his first year as a Scarlet Knight with a 25-1 record. The loss to Lee was just Suriano’s second on-mat defeat in varsity competition dating back to the start of his storied career at Bergen Catholic High, where Suriano was a four-time undefeated state champion.

Suriano spent the moments after the bout in the corridor off the arena floor, quietly speaking to and thanking his coaches – head coach Scott Goodale, associate head coach Donny Pritzlaff and assistant coaches John Leonardis and Joe Pollard – as well as athletics director Pat Hobbs.
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In Sochi, it was T.J. Oshie who saved the Americans’ collective bacon with a shootout performance for the ages.

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The way Sebastian Janikowski’s Raiders career ended will, eventually, fade into irrelevance, and how long and how well he played will overshadow all. Seabass is the best kicker the Raiders have ever had, and one of the best the NFL has ever seen, and he lasted 18 seasons, and he’s the last first-round pick from the 2000 draft to go.

Assuming he really is done, that is. And that assumes that he’s not up for, say, trying a 76-yard field goal, which he did try 10 years ago. After all, Janikowski will not be defined by how reliable he was from 40 or 45 yards (although he was). It was and always has been about lining him up from 65 and feeling confident and reasonable, and not reckless or insane.

In Pyeongchang, it was five different U.S. skaters attempting to match the Czechs and win the game in the shootout.

The Americans went 0-for-5. And just like that, Team USA was eliminated, having gone 1-1-1 in Group B, then defeating Slovakia 5-1 in the qualifying round before getting humbled by the Czechs in the quarterfinals.

While fans were left lamenting a cruel exit at the hands of the Czech Republic in the Olympic quarterfinals, the U.S. men’s hockey team reflected on an Olympic journey that has been “one of the best moments of our careers.”

The lack of NHL players for the men’s Olympic hockey tournament has generated much ire. But if the NHL is to take part in future Olympics, there’s a substantial change that could make it more palatable to the league — and more fun for fans.

According to Duvernay-Tardif, being a professional athlete, and specifically one enrolled in medical school, gave his stories a different perspective and helped him better relate to the people he interviewed.

“We interviewed [one of] the Korean doctors in charge of safety at the big air site and she barely speaks English, and I tried to tell her that I study at Montreal and the next thing you know [she says] she’s going to a symposium in orthopedic surgery at McGill University and knows a few of the staff that I’ve been working with,” Duvernay-Tardif said.

“And what was supposed to be this four-question interview because of the language barrier became one of our top pieces because she ended up wrapping me up on a stretcher and carrying me into the ambulance with the paramedics. I think it helps, and not only with the athletes, but just in general. I think every athlete is curious about other sports.”

The NHL keeps the pedal on the floor this week for scheduling, with 12 teams offering a four-game schedule and only three squads limited to two games of action.bears_133

One thing everyone will have a close watch on is the performance of Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler, who’s struggled at times in is comeback from brief retirement.

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Tom Brady still faces the possibility a four-game NFL suspension for his alleged role in the scheme, though a federal judge overturned it last summer just days before it was supposed to take effect.

That’s because the NFL, worried about the case’s potentially dramatic impact on Goodell’s disciplinary powers, loaded up on pricey outside legal help and appealed judge Richard Berman’s decision.

That appeal is set to be heard in early March, though Goodell — perhaps chastened by the vicious blowback from the union and the Patriots — said last week that he has not decided if Brady’s suspension will be reinstated if the league’s appeal succeeds.

Cutler is averaging fewer than 200 passing yards and has led Miami to just six points over the past two weeks.

If Cutler continues to struggle against a Titans defense that is coming off yielding 57 points to the Texans last week, Gase could turn to Matt Moore, who’s considered one of the more dependable backups in the league.

When the Chiefs play the 1-8 Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, it’ll be their first game since Nov. 5, and the question they face is this: Are they the team that began the season 5-0 or the one lost three of its past four games?

The Chiefs hold a two-game lead in the AFC West, but visions of capturing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs have taken a hit.

“We’re sitting here at 6-3. We’re in good shape,’’ coach Andy Reid told reporters this week. “We didn’t finish up before the bye very well, but I like this team, and I like their work ethic. I like the way they battled through the first nine games.’’

Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. Ozzie Newsome obviously loves to grab Alabama prospects in the draft, and here’s a guy that also fills a major need for the team. Ridley is so much more than his pedestrian college stats suggest, and while teams will give him a pass for his production in that offense, he’ll need to show the ability to bulk up a bit if he wants to jump into the top half of the first round. By placing him here, I think he’ll check that box for teams just fine. nike-youth-cardinals-115