We knew what was coming in the first 2 picks of the NFL Draft, but after that? Craziness ensued.
- Trent Richardson is headed Cleveland, after the Browns hurdled over Minnesota to ensure that they secured him. He brings a dynamic to that offense that they haven't had in a while because, well, they didn't have a single even average skill player last year. I like the move, and they likely had to move him to ensure that Tampa didn't.
- Minnesota moves down a spot and gets their man in Matt Kalil. Executed perfectly.
- Jacksonville and Tampa swapped picks and the Jags went up to get Justin Blackmon. Not sure I understand this one with the amount of needs they have, but it is pretty undeniable that they need a receiver to help out Blaine Gabbert. On Tampa's end, they move out once Richardson was gone, and still get an elite talent in Safety Mark Barron.
- The biggest shocker of day one for me? Dallas shooting all the way to #6 to select Morris Claiborne. Dallas went from having no corners to having Claiborne and the newly-signed Brandon Carr. That's pretty solid.
- Ryan Tannehill wins the Christian Ponder memorial "shouldn't have gone this high" quarterback award to the Dolphins at #8. Good luck with that.
- Elsewhere - Seattle had the curious pick of the draft so far with Bruce Irvin (who most had in the 50's) at 15. There are off-field issues, but his talent could justify that spot. The Patriots actually traded up in a draft for the first time in a long time, and drafted Chandler Jones to go along with Dont'a Hightower. I love that they actually went defense and stayed in the 1st round. Brandon Weeden is headed to Cleveland in a move that I don't like at all. He's 28 years old (read: much older than current starter Colt McCoy), and doesn't seem to be much of an upgrade over what they have. And finally, I love the David Wilson pick for the Giants as he provides some much, much needed speed in that backfield.
To other stuff...
- The NBA playoff matchups are set. If you know anything about me, you know I'm breaking it down in a full-length post (to come later today or tomorrow), but the Hawks secured home-court (despite 9 jump shot attempts from Josh Smith, yes, nine), New York edged Philly for the #7 seed in the East, the Spurs will play Utah in the West, and the other matchups in that conference are Memphis/LAC, Denver/LAL, and OKC/Dallas. Let's get it!
- Remember the Kobe Bryant rant I went on yesterday about playing in the game for the scoring title? Well, he sat out. My bad, Bean.
- The Bobcats got blown out by 20, at home, by the Knicks last night to cement their legacy as the worst team in NBA history. Good looks, MJ!
- In baseball news, Carl Crawford will reportedly be sidelined for 3 months with a mysterious elbow injury. You may recall that Crawford is already on the DL, but this is a new injury that seemed to pop up from nowhere, and a big blow to the Red Sox.
- MLB Check - Speaking of the Red Sox, they throttled perfect game twirler Phil Humber last night to the tune of 9 earned runs in their 10-3 win in Chicago. Kevin Youkilis woke up from a slumber with a homer and 4 RBI for Boston. Remember when Edinson Volquez was an uber-prospect? After a flame-out in Cincy, he's landed in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, and threw 7 innings with only 1 earned run in the Padres win over Washington. Just saying. And finally, I've decided to take a break from Albert Pujols watch 2012. I'll let you know when he bombs.
What to watch for on Friday...
- No NBA! This will be the last night for a long, long time with no NBA games, so rest up, people!
- MLB - Tigers @ Yankees - 7:00 MLB - Verlander vs. Nova - Justin Verlander on national TV is a good thing.
- MLB - Pirates @ Braves- 7:30 SportSouth - Burnett vs. Hanson - I'm actually on the AJ Burnett bandwagon in his return to the NL and he was tremendous in his debut start.
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment