Month: July 2022

Top three NFL draft-eligible punters in the Big Ten for 2022

Top three NFL draft-eligible punters in the Big Ten for 2022 #GoBucks #B1G

It is never too early to talk about the NFL Draft, and one of the less celebrated, but still very important positions in the game of football is the punter position. Despite popular belief, specialists are vital for victory and a strong punter can be a main factor in the win column.

It is likely, not surprising that a team as old school as Iowa has the best punter and they have a strong history of pumping out strong punters like Reggie Roby. Michigan also has an insanely strong special teams along with Minnesota. That’s enough talk about the list, let’s dive in.

Watson, NFL settlement negotiations stalled recently

The unknown becomes known Monday but it is interesting to see what settlement negotiations looked like recently:

With Judge Sue Robinson making her decision on the disciplinary hearing for QB Deshaun Watson, closure seems to be don’t the horizon. The Cleveland Browns started training camp last week with Watson practicing and creating some highlights. Before their next training camp practice Monday afternoon, Robinson’s decision is expected to be made.

With the NFLPA announcing, in conjunction with Watson, that they will not appeal Robinson’s decision, it will be interesting whether the NFL decides to.

One of the speculated reasons for Robinson’s delay in announcing a decision was that she was encouraging the two sides to come to some sort of settlement agreement. Late Sunday night, a report of settlement talks in recent days came out:

As Graziano notes, it is interesting that the NFL no longer was requiring a full-year suspension. A 12-game suspension would have kept Watson’s contract from tolling and created a lot of cap space for Cleveland, as discussed here.

That Watson and the NFLPA balked at the heavy fine is meaningless to the team on the field but an important note.

While the negotiations noted would seem to indicate a range of a possible suspension, Judge Robinson is not beholden to those figures.

Monday morning we should know the initial ruling and, soon after, whether an appeal will be placed. The unknown becomes known very soon.

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A.J. Brown throws shade at Titans after Deebo Samuel extension

A.J. Brown reiterated he wasn’t to blame for his trade from the Titans.

After the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Deebo Samuel reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension on Sunday night, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown threw shade at the Tennessee Titans.

Upon news breaking of Samuel’s massive three-year, $71.55 million deal ($73.5 million max value with $58.1 million guaranteed), Brown took to Twitter to reiterate that he wasn’t the cause of the divorce with the Titans.

“Basically all 4 of us got the same contract and I’m the only one got traded,” Brown wrote. “Yeah keep believing it was me. Anywho Go Birds.”

The “four of us” Brown is talking about is himself, Samuel, DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin, all of whom were drafted in 2019 and received extensions this offseason. As Brown notes, he was the only one traded.

While Brown has said on multiple occasions that it was the Titans’ fault for the two sides ultimately parting ways because of a low offer, reports suggested Brown was the cause.

John Glennon of Sports Illustrated reported back in April that Brown wanted out, and that he was looking for more than $25 million per year and $80 million guaranteed in a new deal, which was more than he got from Philadelphia.

He also reportedly stopped communicating with the Titans weeks before being traded.

Another report from ESPN’s Dianna Russini echoed those claims.

“I was told he cut off communications with his position coach [Rob Moore] and the rest of the coaching staff,” Russini reported. “After multiple conversations with sources close to Brown and the Titans, Brown wanted guaranteed money close to $80 million. By the way, I was told this was after he requested a trade from the Titans.”

If the above reports are true, Brown very much played a role in his exit from Nashville, but that’s history now. Time for everyone, including Brown, to move on.

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Five Tigers ranked on this list of ACC’s top 2023 NFL Draft prospects

A bunch of the ACC’s top 2023 NFL Draft prospects will be wearing orange this season. Pro Football Focus this week published its ranking of the top 25 prospects for next year’s NFL Draft from the ACC, and two Tigers top the list while three are …

A bunch of the ACC’s top 2023 NFL Draft prospects will be wearing orange this season.

Pro Football Focus this week published its ranking of the top 25 prospects for next year’s NFL Draft from the ACC, and two Tigers top the list while three are ranked in the top five, and five Clemson defenders are ranked among the top 25 draft prospects in the conference overall.

Junior defensive end Myles Murphy is ranked No. 1 on PFF’s list, with redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Bryan Bresee coming in right behind Murphy at No. 2.

“You won’t find too many true freshman defensive linemen who look physically capable of playing on an NFL field, but that was Murphy back in 2020,” PFF’s Michael Renner wrote. “That season, he earned a 92.5 run-defense grade for the Tigers. For an encore, Murphy displayed marked improvement as a pass rusher in 2021 and finished with 28 pressures over his final six games. He still needs to add more pass-rushing moves to his toolbox, but you don’t need to see more than a couple of long-arm moves from him to know his ability to generate power is special.”

Added Renner of Bresee: “Bresee first broke onto the scene with some of the most dominant high school tape you’ll ever see. That made him the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2020 class, but his sheer physical dominance meant he came into college without having to refine his hand usage. We’ve seen that through two seasons at Clemson, as he’s not quite the impact player his physical tools suggest. Still, at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, he moves like a player 30 pounds lighter. After tearing his ACL four games into 2021, he’s due for a big bounce-back year in 2022.”

Junior linebacker Trenton Simpson checks in at No. 5.

“Simpson embodies the definition of a modern linebacker,” Renner wrote. “He plays the overhang/slot role in Clemson’s defense because he’s so adept at maneuvering in space that he can match up with slot receivers. Even still, Simpson knows how to attack blocks with leverage and close to ball carriers. Listed at only 225 pounds, weight is no issue considering his play style.”

Clemson senior defensive tackle Tyler Davis comes in at No. 21 on PFF’s list of the top 2023 draft prospects from the ACC, while super senior defensive end Xavier Thomas rounds out PFF’s list at No. 25.

“Davis looked like he was going to be a lock as a first-rounder after his freshman season in 2019,” Renner wrote. “That year, he earned a 79.6 overall grade with 31 pressures — both very impressive figures for a first-year player. Unfortunately, that’s still his career-high grade, and injuries have kept him from even matching that pressure total in the two years since combined. Hopefully he can get healthy again and live up to the promise he showed.”

Added Renner of Thomas: “Thomas was supposed to be the next great Clemson defensive lineman after the 2019 draft class had three first-rounders. In his true freshman season alongside Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins, Thomas earned an 84.2 pass-rushing grade with 26 pressures. Four years later, that’s still his career-high pass-rushing grade.”

Come out to support Clemson baseball at Dear Old Clemson’s event which is set for September 30 at the Owen Pavilion.  New head coach Erik Bakich will be on hand as will next year’s baseball team.  If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Joe Biden: From a childhood in …

Joe Biden: From a childhood in segregated Louisiana to a career playing on the biggest stages in sports at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Bill faced the hostility and hate of racism embedded in every part of American life. Yet, he never gave up. Throughout his life, he forced us to confront hard truths. And on this day, there are generations of Americans who are reflecting on what he meant to them as someone who played for the essential truth that every person is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.

Biggest takeaways from Week 1 of Panthers 2022 training camp

Before the Panthers begin their second week of training camp on Monday, let’s revisit some key moments from their first five days at Wofford College.

The Carolina Panthers are about to dive into the second week of training camp on the summer. But before they do, let’s look back at the most important takeaways from their first five days in Spartanburg, S.C.