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Cleveland Browns

While Giancarlo Stanton did his best to assimilate into the Yankees ‘ clubhouse this spring, he also took time to share knowledge.

Top prospect Gleyber Torres , whom the Yankees called up for the firs time Sunday, was briefly one of Stanton’s pupils, the pair spending time hitting together and talking about their craft in Tampa.

Stanton said Torres’ swing stood out to him because of its similarity to the stroke of Javy Baez, the Cubs’ 25-year-old star second baseman.

“It’s a lot like — really like Baez a little bit,” Stanton said before Torres made his debut vs. the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium . “I like how there’s a lot going on but it’s very precise. Some people are short and (don’t have) that much movement but he’s got some cool action in there and some pop at the end. It’s cool.”

LaMarcus Aldridge, the All-Star forward/center in his second season with the Spurs, tells KweséESPN that his good relationship with Udoka goes back to their time playing together in Portland: “We got cool when he came [on] with the Blazers.

“He’s a good guy, works hard so I just got close to him then. He’s been kind of like the middle man, trying to help me and how I feel [get] across to the coaching staff. He’s trying to help me feel more comfortable every year.

“He’s been the guy that I work with every summer since I’ve been here. He’s been a big part of me getting more comfortable.”

Although Quinn isn’t one to publicly evaluate his team’s needs, the Lions are without an obvious starting replacement following the offseason departure of center Travis Swanson. With a couple of interior linemen meriting consideration when the Lions are scheduled to be on the clock in the first round, Quinn noted he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of going that direction.

“If he’s a good football player and he’s at or near the top of our board, I have no problem taking an interior offensive lineman,” Quinn said.

The Lions are changing up blocking schemes this year under new position coach Jeff Davidson. Whether that means an emphasis on zone or man blocking, Quinn isn’t saying, but he could have options for either scheme at pick No. 20.

UTEP’s Will Hernandez is the power blocker. The 348-pound, first-team All American is deceptively athletic for his size, but his calling card is going to be bullying opposing defensive linemen in close quarters.
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The Patriots almost always defer when they win the coin toss, and they did in the Super Bowl

The Patriots won the coin toss at Super Bowl 52 and elected to defer possession until the second half. The Eagles called tails, and the coin came up heads.

One of the understated hallmarks of Bill Belichick’s Patriots dynasty has been a tendency to do the same thing at almost every coin toss. When the Patriots win the toss at midfield before a game, they almost always defer possession of the ball. The Patriots would rather kick off than take the ball to start the game.

She’s won three Grammy Awards and has been nominated 19 times over the course of her career — which is pretty good! She was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance during last Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Her latest endeavors include her 2018 Beautiful Trauma world tour, which is set to kick off on March 1 in Phoenix.

The National Basketball Players Association has said that it is closely monitoring the situation between Noah and the Knicks to ensure the player is treated fairly under the rules of our collective bargaining agreement.

If the Knicks choose to waive Noah using the stretch provision, the franchise would owe him $7.5 million over five seasons, as opposed to $18.5 million in 2018-19 and $19.3 million in the final year of his contract. Stretching Noah’s contract would cut into New York’s cap space in summers in which the organization is hopeful of landing top free agents.

These alone would be excellent reasons for the Steelers to allow Bell to chase his fortune elsewhere. Pittsburgh could then draft a back willing to power forward for tough yards and, ideally, able to remain on the field as a third-down safety valve. The money necessary to retain Bell would be far better spent on repairing the leaking defense, which allowed 81 points in the team’s last two playoff games; of the four conference finalists, no team invested even $5 million in their top back.

It makes more football sense not to devote such an inordinate chunk of next season’s salary cap to a player who too frequently puts the Steelers behind the chains. They’ve been exceedingly patient with Bell. They’ve paid his high price long enough.

Defensive snaps for Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, the hero of Super Bowl 49 and the starter at left cornerback in all but one Patriots’ game all season. Butler later said the Patriots gave up on him and sounded devastated at not playing more.
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No longer would it be good enough to win eight or nine games.

Bledsoe went for 28 points in a 132-130 Lakers win that featured no defense. But Ball helped hold the likes of Wall to 18 points and Lowry to 11 points, although Lowry did finish with a triple-double.

Hocutt is in his third season on the committee, and this is his second year serving as its chairman. He is the public face and speaker for the group, which otherwise does not do interviews with the media. He was a four-year letterman at linebacker at K-State and led the Big Eight in tackles in 1993. He also chaired the NCAA Division I football recruiting subcommittee, and he was the athletic director at Ohio and Miami (Florida).

“You’re always looking to make a move to win today and to win tomorrow, and I think this answers both of those,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said in a news conference Tuesday evening.

“No,” he said. “We’ve still got five games left.”

No longer would it be good enough to put the fans to sleep with more traditional schemes and plays. The Spurrier legacy trampled Ron Zook until Urban Meyer brought his own revolutionary spread offense, another championship and Tebow to town. But it’s not Meyer that gets the comparisons in Gainesville.

Gonzalez’s ball just made it over the fence at Dodger Stadium, but it was enough. It was that homer that established that the Dodgers weren’t going roll through the World Series the way they did the National League bracket this October. The math of that one swing was enough to temporarily vault Gonzalez into the WPA lead. If you had asked me at that moment, he’s my MVP.nike_patriots-515

Teague made a pair of free throws, and Miami’s desperation heave from Waiters was off.

The Mavs came out as one of four teams to start the week with just one victory. Carlisle, however, likes the way they’ve lost.

“We’ve played seven and I think we’ve had five that have been one possession games,” Carlisle said before the game. “This league is about tight games and thin margins for error. We’ve just got to do a few things better each game to put ourselves in a better position.

Wiggins got to the line with 43 seconds left after missing a dunk on a play where Justise Winslow was called for a foul that left the Heat arguing otherwise — but replays suggested was indeed correct. He made both free throws to put Minnesota up by four, and the Heat would eventually get back within one on a 3-pointer by Waiters with 5.1 seconds left.

Penn State led 38-27 with 5:42 left and it looked as if the Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) were going to knock the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff race.

“What was going through my head was Coach Meyer saying go win the game. He says that all the time, go win the game,” Barrett said.

Saquon Barkley scored two long touchdowns for Penn State, but it was Barrett who surged into the Heisman race in what was billed as the Big Ten game of the year and lived up to the hype.

South Carolina is no pushover. The Gamecocks have won three straight since losing to Texas A&M and are on the upswing in their second year under head coach Will Muschamp.

“Each week for us is all the same. Every week is a season as far as how we approach things. Certainly, we have respect for all of our opponents. We have respect for Georgia,” Muschamp said.patriots_105

Osweiler threw 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions before he was eventually replaced by Tom Savage.

The Packers entered last Thursday night’s game against Chicago with concerns on defense after allowing 34 points to Atlanta and 24 points to Cincinnati over their previous two games. But Green Bay had no trouble at all dispatching of the Bears, jumping out to an early 21-0 lead and coasting to a 35-14 victory to move to 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS on the season.

Aaron Rodgers has already racked up 1,146 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns through Green Bay’s first four games.

In their last two games as underdogs on the road – against the Atlanta Falcons – the Packers were 0-2 SU and ATS. Before that, Green Bay was 5-5 SU and 8-2 ATS in its previous 10 games as a betting underdog per the OddsShark NFL Database.

If the quarterback is out for an extended period, the Broncos will lean on Osweiler, a former starter for the team who left in free agency during the 2016 offseason. He spent one year with the Houston Texans before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns earlier in 2017 and eventually released before the regular season.

Osweiler led the Broncos to a 5-2 record during the 2015 season that ended with a Super Bowl victory for Denver, although Peyton Manning re-established himself as starter by the time the postseason arrived.

In Houston, Osweiler threw 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions before he was eventually replaced by Tom Savage.

The other option at quarterback for the Broncos is Paxton Lynch, a 2016 first-round pick who suffered a shoulder injury in August that has kept him out of action. Lynch is expected to return soon and would likely be ahead of Osweiler on the depth chart when healthy.

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Bills surprisingly release running back Jonathan Williams

Cut day was Saturday in the NFL, but the Bills made another significant cut on Sunday.

The Bills released second-year running back Jonathan Williams in a surprise move first reported by NFL Media. The Bills also announced the release of wide receiver Corey Brown and linebacker Gerald Hodges.

The three players were cut to make room for three players claimed off waivers: linebacker Deon Lacey, tight end Khari Lee and offensive lineman Conor McDermott.

Giants: “Eli Manning and this offense is clueless without Odell Beckham Jr.”

The line remains is awful, and the running game is non-existent. Turns out their passing game can go into the tank, too, with nobody picking up the pieces for OBJ. Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram and Shane Vereen flashed only as checkdowns, and Brandon Marshall was checked out for most of the game. It’s all true.

Cowboys: “Doomsday is back with all their defensive changes.”

Eli and his weapons, even without Beckham, were supposed to have success facing a makeshift front and shaky new-look secondary. But Dallas, anchored by Sean Lee and its linebacker corps, was in position to clean up everything short-to-intermediate. The Cowboys are set to be overachievers again but will struggle against better pass protection units that can push the ball downfield.t_rangers_068-115x115

Rookie Dalvin Cook enters Week 1 as the Vikings’ starting rusher after bursting onto the scene in the preseason.

Despite considerable excitement surrounding Jameis Winston, the Bucs’ third-year starter still was only a Tier 3 QB in voting this year. Will he ascend? That question is paramount in part because the Buccaneers play a league-high 10 games against QBs in the top two tiers. How frequently will Winston give Tampa Bay an edge?

When the center points to someone, that’s who the offensive line is working to. Often, the QB will also point to the same player, or someone else if needed, so everyone is on the same page. This lets the defense know which way the center is sliding in pass protection. The defensive line will call stunts/twists AWAY from where the center is sliding because those two offensive linemen are man-to-man. It’s hard to run a stunt with the center sliding your direction.

Wentz followed that up with a pretty 15-yard pass to Jeffery, his other new receiving threat. It looks like Philly’s offseason acquisitions are fitting right in.

“Definitely a lot of pride,” Rhodes said of the one-on-one matchup. “I have to come down with the tackle. When he was here we had a couple of conversations that I told him I’m not going to back down from him. He told me we’re going to see how that ends. We’re definitely going to see how that ends Monday night.”

Though the future Hall of Famer may have the spotlight now, another running back hopes to make headlines in his debut as Peterson’s successor.

Rookie Dalvin Cook enters Week 1 as the Vikings’ starting rusher after bursting onto the scene in the preseason. The similarities between Cook and Peterson have been debated since the ex-Florida State product was drafted in the second round last April.steelers_122

they made a lot of shots and that took us down a little bit

Gortat, who has been so often stuck helplessly flinging a hand up while Thomas launches a 3, knows the team needs to do better than that. But looking at the numbers, he said he is not sure the Celtics can keep making their 3s at the rate they have in the first two games, even when they’re open.

“They made a lot of shots, they made a lot of shots and that took us down a little bit,” Gortat said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the effort, it’s all about the heart, going out there to play for 48 minutes. I truly believe they’re not going to shoot like that for the next four, five games. I can’t believe they will shoot like that. That is kind of crazy.”

He may be right. The Celtics shot 37.3 percent on open or wide-open 3s during the season, but 44.4 percent in two games against the Wizards. In the first game, the Celtics were 10 of 18 on wide-open 3s, but that dropped to 6 of 14 in Game 2. On open 3s, the Celtics were 7 of 15 in Game 1 and 5 of 16 in Game 2. That reflects the Celtics reverting to the mean, but it also reflects the fact that forward Markieff Morris, the Wizards’ best close-out defender, played only 11:20 of Game 1 before going out with an ankle injury.

Trevor Ariza led the Rockets with 23 points as he knocked down five of the team’s 22 3-pointers (postseason franchise-record) and was one of six Houston players in double figures. Clint Capela (20 points, 13 rebounds) and James Harden (20 points, 14 assists) added double-doubles for Houston.

“We lost and they won and they played better,” a frustrated and succinct Popovich told reporters after the game. “We disobeyed a lot of basic basketball rules.”falcons_052

Brandon Marshall says he plans to retire after two more seasons

A 10-game starter for Tennessee in 2014 and 2015, Mettenberger may never take another NFL snap. Claimed off waivers last August from San Diego, Mettenberger didn’t impress enough during an entire season in Pittsburgh to stick on the 2017 roster. He was released Monday after the Steelers invested a fourth-round pick in Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs.

Brandon Marshall has been tormenting cornerbacks in the NFL for over a decade, but defensive backs will be able to rest easy in 2020.

Marshall told ESPN at the NBC4 Health and Fitness expo that he plans to retire after two more NFL seasons.

The 33-year-old wideout signed with the Giants this offseason. He told ESPN that he wants to win a Super Bowl, then go change the world in the mental health space.

Marshall was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He has played for Denver, Miami, Chicago and the Jets, and ranks 24th all-time in receiving yards, 23rd in receiving touchdowns and 18th in receptions. He has made six Pro Bowls.

He has also been a long-time advocate of mental health awareness, so his post-career move was to be expected.

The Patriots brought the DH back to their lineup. After dancing around the decision re-sign Hightower, they were wise to reverse course for the disruptive inside linebacker’s services as soon as the Jets came into play as suitors. He was (and is) as indispensable to their defense as safety Devin McCourty.

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This isn’t the best year to be in dire need of a quarterback.

The most recent quarterback experiment was Brock Osweiler. He signed a three-year, $72 million contract with $37 million guaranteed in 2016. The Texans managed to unloaded him and his massive cap hit onto the Cleveland Browns, via trade, a year later. They had to sweeten the deal with a second-round pick. Now, they’re left with just Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden on the roster.

Hoping for the best with Savage and Weeden isn’t a viable answer, and there’s not a great fit waiting for them in free agency. If the Texans want to upgrade at quarterback, they’re going to have to do it through the draft.

This isn’t the best year to be in dire need of a quarterback. There are a handful of talented prospects with long-term potential, but there’s not a single player who looks like Game Kids Zach Parise Jersey a surefire, immediate solution capable of taking over in Week 1 and carrying the team’s Super Bowl aspirations.

There aren’t any current models of point guards on good teams who can’t shoot at all. Below-average marksmen like Westbrook or even Dennis Schroder are far ahead of where Fox currently is. Terrible shooters like Elfrid Payton, Rajon Rondo, and Michael Carter-Williams haven’t been successful recently. It’s possible that a non-shooting point guard simply cannot succeed in today’s NBA. It is also possible that the right non-shooting point guard hasn’t come around recently.

At the beginning of his career, Tony Parker couldn’t shoot a lick, yet was an integral part of a championship-level Spurs offense. He was so darn quick and crafty that the Spurs built a Game Kids Spencer Paysinger Jersey team that worked to his strengths and played around his weaknesses. Fox is a better prospect than any recent non-shooting guard and might even be able to get by without a shot.