Tag: reaction

Around the North: Steelers trade for out-of-his-prime WR Allen Robinson

The Steelers have added a wide receiver to their roster.

As we take a look around the rest of the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers have made a move to add a veteran wide receiver to their roster. While he is well past his prime, the Steelers have swapped seventh round picks to absorb $5 million of a massive contract for Allen Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams will eat $25 million in dead money just one year after signing the wide receiver.

Robinson has managed just 740 yards and four touchdowns on 71 catches over the past two seasons. Robinson will be a free agent after the 2023 season with the Steelers.

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NFL mock draft: Mel Kiper, Todd McShay make 3rd-round selections for 49ers

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay did a 3-round mock draft. Here are their selections for the #49ers:

The range of opinions is wide on how the 49ers should operate with their trio of third-round picks in this year’s draft. Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay offered their takes on what San Francisco should do with their selections in a dual three-round mock draft.

There’s at least some likelihood the 49ers wind up moving up on the second day of the draft where their first pick comes earlier than the 99th choice. However, they need to restock the cupboard at a handful of positions so utilizing all three picks wouldn’t be a huge shock.

San Francisco has a handful of pretty glaring needs, particularly at right tackle and tight end. Kiper and McShay forego those positions to tack on depth in the trenches and in the secondary. Their picks provide an interesting glimpse into what ESPN’s draft experts think of the 49ers’ roster, and given the selections, the urgency isn’t high to find contributors for this season:

JJ Redick on how the Warriors’ margin of error has changed in 2023

J.J. Redick explains why he believes the Warriors can still advance past the Kings.

The Warriors are in unfamiliar territory in the first round against the Sacramento Kings. The defending champs are returning home down 2-0 in the series.

Though the status of Draymond Green remain undetermined as the team waits to see if any punishment is levied by the league following his incident with Domantas Sabonis, ESPN’s JJ Redick isn’t giving up on the Warriors.

Redick said on Tuesday that while the Warriors’ margin of error is much smaller than it has been in previous years, the talents of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson could still turn around the series in the Warriors’ favor.

“My big takeaway from this Warriors team, this season in particular, their margin of error night-to-night is much different than it was in the past. Certainly we can talk about the ’17, ’18, ’19 Warriors teams with Kevin (Durant)], but they always had connectors coming off the bench, role players. Whether it was Andre Iguodala or Shaun Livingston or Zaza (Pachulia).

They’re missing those guys, and so a lot of times they’re losing the Steph minutes, which they did again last night and they did in Game 1. And so if your margin is ‘we’re not going to get to the free-throw line, we’re a high turnover team, and we foul a lot’ … then you’ve got to shoot extremely well. 

And luckily they have two of the greatest shooters ever, I think the two greatest shooters ever. And so far they’re shooting 32% from three for the series. So their margin of error is small, but I still think they can come back and win this series.”

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ESPN FPI predicts every 2023 Michigan football game

Would you take this if this was the final result of 2023? #GoBlue

The 2023 season is still quite far away, but that hasn’t stopped ESPN from updating one of its popular analytics model, which provide some insight for each game.

While Michigan football has a championship or bust mentality, ESPN FPI isn’t quite there with the Wolverines, despite the maize and blue having the fifth-most returning production in all of college football. In fact, Michigan is ranked sixth, behind Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas. We would argue the only one of those the Wolverines should be behind is Georgia.

Still, with the latest release of FPI, that means we have game-by-game predictions for the entirety of the 2023 season. Here is what ESPN FPI predicts.

Michigan football locks in official visit for top 100 2024 edge rusher

Could he be a package deal with another top target? #GoBlue

The Wolverines are hoping to get something of a package deal with a duo at an elite high school program in the DMV.

The maize and blue have long been after four-star linebacker Aaron Chiles, but he has a high-profile teammate, Darien Mayo, at Olney (Maryland) Good Counsel that Michigan football would love to have rushing the edge ahead of him. On3 is the highest on Mayo, listing him as the No. 88 prospect overall nationally, the ninth-best edge rusher and the second-best player from the state of Maryland (On3 has Chiles as the fourth-best, while 247Sports has him as the first).

Mayo announced four official visit locations for the month of June. The final visit will be to see the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

Of course, seeing other powerhouses such as Clemson, USC and Ohio State before them could pose a problem for the Wolverines, but having the last say in a string of visits could set Michigan up nicely.

Mayo is listed at 6-foot-7, 247-pounds and has no 247Sports crystal ball predictions. Michigan has no edge rushers or defensive ends pledged in the 2024 class.

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Former Browns DE Chris Smith has passed away at the age of 31

Rest in peace, Chris.

In devastating news, defensive end Chris Smith has passed away at the age of 31. Spending the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, he has direct ties to players in this locker room and the area. His high school alma mater West Rowan broke the news on Twitter.

The cause of his death is unknown at this point. Our hearts go out to his family and his child. The impact he made, however, can be heard around the league from players and beat writers alike.

Rest in peace, Chris.

UAH transfer Chaney Johnson sets Auburn visit

He was the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year last season.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers are continuing to work the transfer portal and will reportedly be getting a target on campus for a visit.

University of Alabama-Huntsville [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] is set to visit the Plains Friday according to Christain Clemente of Auburn Undercover.

Johnson is from Alabaster, Alabama, and was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year after averaging 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds last season. The forward is a career 37.2% shooter from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-7, 215-pounder projects mostly at the four and could also spend some time at the three in certain lineups. This would allow him to provide depth at the four with [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], filling the gap left behind by [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] entering the transfer portal.

Johnson actually played against Auburn last season in an exhibition game before the season and played well, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Auburn has already landed one transfer in guard Denver Jones, who averaged 20.1 points last season for FIU.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Report: ‘No merit’ to Browns moving to Columbus during stadium rebuild

The Browns will not consider moving out of Cleveland during their renovation

The Cleveland Browns are expected to announce a massive rebuild of Cleveland Browns Stadium that would include a redevelopment of the lakefront area. In the original report by NEOTrans blog, however, there was speculation the Browns could move to Columbus given the Haslam Ownership Group’s stake in the Columbus Crew.

However, WKYC in Cleveland has determined the Browns have no interest in playing any games away from Northeast Ohio while the stadium is under the needle of a massive facelift. They write:

“3News has determined that there is no merit to that report of the Browns playing any home games outside of Cleveland. We have checked out all sources, including in Columbus, with Ohio State University, and with the Browns. It is believed that the Browns under the Haslam Ownership Group would never consider taking the football team out of Cleveland and forcing the fan base to travel to watch them play home games for any amount of time, let alone for multiple years.”

The places the Browns could play, however, is a bit limited in the area. Could they share a field with Baldwin-Wallace or John Carroll? Progressive Field would be off-limits given the timing of the two sports. Playing at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, however, may be their best option.

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NBA Twitter reacts to Warriors falling down 0-2 to Kings after dropping Game 2, 114-106

Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying on Monday night after the Warriors dropped down 0-2 to the Kings to open the first round.

Trailing 1-0 in the series, the Golden State Warriors opened Game 2 with a tight defensive effort against the Sacramento Kings’ high-powered offense. After 12 minutes, the Warriors limited the Kings to 17 points while securing a much-needed six-point lead to start the game.

The second quarter was a different story. On top of erasing the Warriors’ early advantage, the Kings erupted for 41 points.

As momentum swung back in favor of the Kings, the same road struggles that plagued the Warriors all season began to show. Turnovers and foul trouble slowed Golden State in Game 2. 

With the game tight throughout the second half, the Warriors lost a key piece for the remainder of the contest. With 7:03 remaining and the Warriors trailing by four, Draymond Green was assessed a flagrant two foul, prompting his ejection, after he became tangled with Domantas Sabonis. While Sabonis appeared to grab his foot, Green stepped on the Kings All-Star center’s chest. 

Without Green, the Warriors couldn’t keep up with the Kings down the stretch. De’Aaron Fox notched 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor to go along with a clutch triple in the fourth quarter as the Kings secured a commanding 2-0 lead in the first round behind a 114-106 win in Game 2.

Steph Curry tallied 28 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field to lead the Warriors, but it wasn’t enough. In his first start since Feb., Andrew Wiggins notched 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor with five boards in 39 minutes. 

After the Warriors’ loss in Game 2, the NBA community on Twitter weighed in with reactions. Here’s what fans and analysts were saying on Monday night. 

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie says of open looks ‘we didn’t knock them down’

Spencer Dinwiddie says that even though the 76ers’ zone was effective, the Nets a good amount of open looks as well.

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has always been a steadying presence for the Nets whether the game was a blowout or it came down to the wire. In their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Dinwiddie has not been in his best form, but he has been able to provide enough to not be a total liability on the floor.

In Monday’s 96-84 Game 2 loss to the 76ers, Dinwiddie had 12 points but it came on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point land. Despite being one of the veterans on the team who has been on the playoff stage before, Dinwiddie has appeared hesitant at times on what he wants to do on the offensive end. There were times where he looked as if he didn’t know if he was supposed to drive all the way to the rim or not.

Speaking of offense, Brooklyn’s offense was uneven in Game 2. The Nets shot 40% from the field in the first half while holding the 76ers to 43%, but in the second half, Brooklyn shot 35% from the field as Philadelphia began using a zone defense more often. That type of look seemed to throw off the Nets as a zone defense does to most teams because man-to-man offensive and defensive concepts are predominantly taught and used throughout the NBA. Dinwiddie said that the zone was effective, but Brooklyn just missed open looks as well:

“Like I said, they (the 76ers) went zone. So, a little bit different look. But overall, I mean, we got up 40 threes, which is what we wanted to do, as part of the game plan. We obviously didn’t knock them down. Anytime you score 80 points in a playoff game, you just gotta generate more points.”

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