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Senin, 29 April 2019

Draft hauls I love/like/loath - NFL.com

The Ravens cleaned up. So did the Patriots. And Chris Ballard took the Colts on another gem-hunting expedition -- something that should terrify opposing general managers.

Meanwhile, John Elway made smart moves in Denver. The Jets owned Round 1 (... before rolling the dice the rest of the way). And Mike Mayock had a strong first draft for the Raiders, even with a curveball to start.

With all that said, you'd have to be a fool to draw serious conclusions the Monday after the draft. In a related story, here's what I loved, liked and loathed about the 2019 NFL Draft, Schein Nine style:

NOTE: Click on each team name for a full class rundown.

LOVE

1) Washington Redskins

The Redskins showed incredible patience and intelligence en route to dominating the NFL draft. Yes, you read that correctly. Yep, those Washington Redskins.

I think Dwayne Haskins can and will be the best quarterback in the 2019 class. Washington didn't panic or succumb to the rumor mill. Team president Bruce Allen and owner Daniel Snyder waited, witnessed foolishness and let the draft come to them, pilfering Haskins with the 15th overall pick. NFL Network's Brian Billick -- a former Super Bowl-winning head coach, lest you forget -- compared Haskins to Drew Bledsoe on my SiriusXM Radio show. I love it. And I think that's the floor, not the ceiling.

And how about Washington trading back into the first round to get stud edge rusher Montez Sweat? Seeing how Sweat's draft stock might've taken a hit for a misdiagnosed heart condition, the Mississippi State product could end up being one of the draft's best values as the 26th overall pick.

Despite a whole bunch of pre-draft chatter about the 'Skins purportedly champing at the bit to trade up in Round 1, they stayed put and ended up getting two potential top-10 talents without a single top-10 pick. That's good drafting, helping the Redskins in 2019 and in the long run.

2) Pittsburgh Steelers

I just love how Pittsburgh, fresh off of a tumultuous 2018 campaign and 2019 winter, went against its DNA to trade up for one of my favorite players in the draft, linebacker Devin Bush. This kid is the real deal -- a lock to be great, at least in my book. He's this year's Roquan Smith. And the former Michigan star is the perfect and classic Steeler. Pittsburgh could've been content to stay at 20 and nab a corner. Nope. The Steelers got aggressive and scooped up a defensive heartbeat -- a playmaking, game-shaping, tackling machine.

Two rounds (and 73 picks) later, Kevin Colbert found a corner with great physical tools and upside: Justin Layne, a 6-foot-2 coverman who initially played wide receiver at Michigan State. Pittsburgh also nabbed a wideout (third-rounder Diontae Johnson) and running back (fourth-rounder Benny Snell) to compete for playing time in position groups that will no longer feature Pro Bowl mainstays Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.

3) Miami Dolphins

I love Josh Rosen. And Miami took advantage of the unique situation in Arizona, stealing the ultra-talented and smart young quarterback for the low price of the 62nd overall pick and a 2020 fifth-rounder. Don't let last year -- when the Cardinals threw Rosen into a five-alarm fire -- fool you. The 22-year-old is going to shine in this league. My high hopes for him haven't changed one bit since he went 10th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Rosen's inept offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, was canned just seven games into the QB's rookie campaign. (McCoy inexplicably neutering RB David Johnson doesn't get discussed enough.) Not to mention, Rosen had a lack of talent around him -- particularly on the offensive line, which meant the pocket-passing quarterback rarely had a pocket to operate within.

Miami, while similarly light on talent, is overflowing with promise. Brian Flores and his coaching staff are savvy and tough-minded. It's an environment where Rosen can thrive. And Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has a plan to keep his eye on the future. Heck, that could still include a gem QB in the 2020 class. It's not like Rosen's remaining contract is at all prohibitive. But Rosen is quite talented. In fact, I'd argue he would've been the second-best quarterback in this class. Taking a low-risk, high-reward chance on his ability was clearly with it for the Fins.

Oh, and I loved Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins at No. 13 overall. And Wisconsin guard Michael Deiter in Round 3.

Miami could have the worst record in the league this year. But this approach surely beats the Stealers Wheel game plan of the past half-decade: Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with Ryan Tannehill. Miami's current regime has a great vision. And I'm here for it.

4) Philadelphia Eagles

It's Howie Roseman's world, and we're all just living in it.

Trading up just in front of OL-starved Houston to scoop up a potential franchise left tackle in Andre Dillard at No. 22? Wow. Swiping the second-best running back in the draft, Miles Sanders, in the back half of Round 2? Wow. Pilfering a jump-ball extraordinaire, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, four picks later?

These are great prospects who further fortify one of the NFL's best rosters. This is what Roseman and the Eagles do.

LIKE

5) Buffalo Bills

As I wrote a few weeks before the draft, Buffalo is my Cinderella team in 2019. GM Brandon Beane only cemented that notion with a fine prospect haul.

After efficiently addressing the offensive line and receiving corps during free agency, Beane could have been arrested for stealing on Thursday night, somehow landing defensive lineman Ed Oliver with the ninth overall pick. Oliver is an absolute freak, given the quickness and athleticism he brings to the table. And he played out of position -- routinely lining up as a nose tackle -- at Houston. Playing for Sean McDermott, Oliver will be properly deployed as a game-wrecking penetrator. Don't be surprised when he becomes an All-Pro.

Plus, I loved Beane trading up in the second round for Cody Ford. The Oklahoma product will potentially (likely) start this year on the offensive line. This was a smart and calculated move.

6) Jacksonville Jaguars

Josh Allen at No. 7?! Nobody would've batted an eye if the windup-toy edge rusher went in the top four. He should've been a no-brainer pick for the Giants at No. 6. Thus, it was probably doubly sweet for former Giants coach Tom Coughlin to grab him for the Jaguars. Jacksonville's scary defense just got scarier. What an assortment of talent.

Getting OT Jawaan Taylor in Round 2 was another coup. Throughout much of the pre-draft process, he was an attractive option in the No. 7 slot. Assuming Taylor's health grade was indeed "passable," as Jags GM Dave Caldwell put it, getting the Florida tackle at No. 35 is one of the very best values in this draft class.

LOATHE

7) New York Giants

In no universe is Daniel Jones the sixth-best player in this prospect pool. Not even close. And I tried to warn Giants fans, telling them on both SiriusXM Radio and CBS Sports Network that this was going to happen. Not at 17, but at 6. Because Jones was coached by David Cutcliffe, which makes him the fourth Manning brother. This is a bad dream for Giants fans. A true nightmare. Josh Allen was the ideal pick with how the board fell. And a major need, too, as Big Blue doesn't have a single proven edge rusher on the roster. And Jones wasn't even the second-best quarterback in this draft.

This all goes back to the Giants passing on Sam Darnold in the 2018 draft. One year later, they passed on Dwayne Haskins and didn't trade for Josh Rosen. Why? How does this make sense? Well, this is the same Dave Gettleman who signed Odell Beckham Jr., gave him his signing bonus ... and shipped him to Cleveland for Jabrill Peppers and two picks that turned into clogger Dexter Lawrence and small-school edge Oshane Ximines. Other than protecting Eli Manning's feelings, the Giants don't appear to have a plan. Or a clue.

8) Houston Texans

Yes, doing a better job of protecting Deshaun Watson is absolutely vital to this franchise's success. But, as I touched on above, it felt like the Eagles leapfrogged Houston and took Andre Dillard right off the Texans' draft board. Then it appeared as if Houston panicked and totally reached for the next-best OT in their queue, Alabama State's Tytus Howard. I'll be open-minded to see if Howard can play, but the gut feeling is that it's hard to rationalize taking such an unproven commodity at No. 23 overall.

And while some evaluators really liked Kentucky CB Lonnie Johnson, No. 54 was just too rich for my blood.

9) Detroit Lions' second round

I actually loved Detroit's first-round pick, TE T.J. Hockenson. And then there were a ton of talented players available when the Lions came back on the clock at No. 43. But they reached big time on linebacker Jahlani Tavai. This was a stunner nobody saw coming -- and not in a good way.

Like a billboard once said in the Motor City, "Rebuilding since 1957."

Follow Adam Schein on Twitter @AdamSchein.

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2019-04-29 18:20:00Z
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Warriors vs. Rockets: James Harden complains about officiating after Game 1 loss in second round of NBA playoffs - CBS Sports

The Houston Rockets suffered a familiar loss on Sunday afternoon, as they once again came up just a little bit short against the mighty Golden State Warriors, losing 104-100 in Game 1, as the Warriors took a 1-0 series lead.

After the final buzzer sounded, a frustrated James Harden let off some steam in the postgame press conference by complaining about the officiating. Specifically, Harden was upset about the Warriors encroaching on his landing space after he takes jump shots.

"I just want a fair chance," Harden said. "We all know what happened a couple years back with Kawhi. Call the game the way it's supposed to be called and we'll live with the results."

Harden was referencing the infamous moment from the 2017 Western Conference finals, when Zaza Pachulia undercut Kawhi Leonard, leaving him with an ankle injury that kept him out for the rest of the series. That one moment not only swung the series in the Warriors' favor, but opened up a wider discussion about protecting jump shooters.

This season, in particular, the league made an emphasis to call fouls on defenders when they didn't give a shooter any space to land. As we've seen time and again, it can be a dangerous play, and that's why fouls are called even if there's no contact on the shot. In Game 1 of this series, the Rockets felt the refs let a number of those plays go.

In the first half, there were multiple times where Klay Thompson infringed on Harden's landing space but wasn't called for a foul. It was such a theme that the TV broadcast even brought it up.

Towards the end of the third quarter, there was another play where Chris Paul actually made a wild, flailing 3 but didn't get the call, then complained to the ref and was given a technical. A few moments later, head coach Mike D'Antoni got a "T" of his own.

Finally, in the waning seconds, with the Warriors clinging to a three-point lead, Harden believed he was fouled by Draymond Green on a potential game-tying shot.

There has been and will continue to be plenty of debate about the last play, as a foul call would have given Harden a chance to go to the line and tie the game. On that one though, it's pretty clear that Harden jumps forward, which makes it a very difficult call for the referee. How far does the area around a shooter's feet extend? It's not clear, and is often left to the referee's judgment.

But after a number of missed calls on similar plays throughout the game -- D'Antoni told the press that referees admitted missing four such calls in the first half alone -- it's easy to see why Harden and the Rockets were upset.

Draymond Green wasn't having it though. After being informed of Harden's comments, a dismissive Green joked, "I've been fouled by James on a James 3-pointer before."

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2019-04-29 15:46:00Z
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NBA Playoffs 2019: Basketball gods use referees for payback on James Harden, Rockets in Game 1 loss to Warriors - CBS Sports

There will be people who believe the Houston Rockets' Game 1 loss at Golden State on Sunday was the basketball gods exacting their revenge on the NBA's reigning MVP, James Harden, for his sins against beautiful basketball.

As you well know, Harden's game is predicated on an array of weapons: A stepback 3 that's one of the most terrifying shots in today's NBA, a stop-and-start feel for the game that may be second to none, a newly instituted floater, and – this is the part that has so offended the basketball gods – an ability to draw fouls.

Harden has led the NBA in free throw attempts for five of the past seven years. In the two seasons where he didn't lead the league, he finished in second and in third. This is typically a category dominated by bruising big men who fight in the trenches down low, but Harden's done it mostly on the perimeter. And plenty of people – perhaps even a few of the basketball gods – think that's playing the game the wrong way. Sometimes, it feels like Harden isn't even trying to get to the rim, or attempt a shot. It can just feel like Harden is using his acting abilities in concert with his impossible-to-guard basketball skills to bait a referee into calling a foul on him so he can get two or three free shots from the line.

For people who feel this way about Harden, Sunday's 104-100 Warriors victory was the basketball gods taking their pound of flesh.

The basketball gods' instrument was the referees. At least four times in the first half – and at least two more times in the second half – Warriors' defenders encroached in Harden's or in one instance Chris Paul's landing space as they descended back to earth after launching a 3. Usually, the perpetrator was Klay Thompson. All season long, that's been a point of emphasis for NBA referees. If a defender doesn't let a shooter have a clean landing, it's been called a foul all season. And that's for good reason: Those plays can often result in injury. (See: Zaza Pachulia vs. Kawhi Leonard, Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals.)

And yet on Sunday, again and again and again (and again and again and again), referees neglected to call those plays as fouls. When officiating analyst Steve Javie, an NBA referee for 25 years, was brought onto the game telecast, he had a pretty clear take: "They should have been fouls." According to Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni, the referees came up to him at halftime and admitted the missed calls. "They missed four of them – that's 12 foul shots," D'Antoni told reporters. "We could've easily gone to the line another 20 times." Harden himself voiced his displeasure afterward: "I just want a fair chance," he said. "Call the game how it's supposed to be called."

There are a couple of caveats to be tossed in here. One is that the game was poorly officiated on both sides. The entire fourth quarter seemed to be one big makeup call: The fifth foul on Steph Curry with a little more than eight minutes left, where he clearly got all ball…the phantom call on Andre Iguodala a few seconds later, after which Warriors fans chanted (somehow without irony) while Harden shot his free throws, "Refs you suck!" And even a call on Kevon Looney earlier where he sure didn't seem to make any contact with Harden on a jump shot.

The second caveat has to do with the irony of Harden saying refs should call the game how it's supposed to be called. Plenty of basketball purists would say Harden doesn't play the game how it's supposed to be played. A big chunk of his game is predicated on the referees seeing a defender make contact with Harden, whether real contact or imagined contact, and calling a foul. Harden is a genius. He has hacked the system. He finds glitches and exploits them. But much of his style of basketball depends on referees continuing to have the same interpretations of fouls that he believes they should have. And so Sunday was then a live-by-the-foul/die-by-the-foul moment for Harden. The referees missed plenty of calls: About this, there should be no dispute. But that's what happens when your game depends so much on the referees. Overall, NBA referees are excellent at what they do. But they are human. And they miss calls.

If you don't like how Harden plays basketball, I get it. He flops. A lot. So does Chris Paul. And so do plenty of NBA players. And so do plenty of professional athletes across all sports, trying their damnedest to get any possible edge. There are two ways to look at Houston's loss in Game 1: One is that the referees screwed the Rockets. And that they did, not calling a handful of calls relating to defenders encroaching in the landing areas – calls they've made all year long.

The other way is that a significant portion of Harden's greatness – a significant portion of his MVP award from last season – is based on convincing referees to see the game the way he wants them to see it. Sometimes he is, in fact, fouled when he does his arm-flailing thing. Other times he's not fouled, yet he's able to convince the referees otherwise.

Look at it that way, and James Harden on Sunday was the boy who cried wolf. Did referees miss a whole bunch of calls against Harden in Game 1, enough missed calls that they might have swayed the outcome of the game? Absolutely. A foul should be a foul, no matter if it's in the regular season or the playoffs, during the opening minutes of the first quarter or the final seconds of the game, in a play that involves the reigning MVP or a journeyman bench player.

But if you cry wolf to the referees too many times, sometimes the referees won't be there to save you when you need it most.

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2019-04-29 13:56:00Z
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NBA Playoffs: The Boston Celtics' blueprint is working ... finally - WEEI

As we sit here basking in the glow of the hottest team in basketball -- (a classification I believe is fair considering the Celtics' sweep of Indiana and Sunday's blowout over the top-seeded Bucks on their home court) -- it seems like a productive exercise to learn from the roller coaster that led us to this point.

So many twists and turns. So many definitive statements. So many doom and gloom scenarios. And now, this.

In some ways, it reminds me of Major League Baseball spring training. All you have is reactionary takes. Jackie Bradley Jr.'s swing is fixed! Sam Travis will hit 40 home runs! The Red Sox can win 100 games by rolling out of bed! (That last one I may or may not have said at some point in March.)

Of course with the Celtics the games we were reacting to actually counted ... sort of. If they had fixed what ailed them during those uncomfortable regular season ruts than maybe you would be starting this Eastern Conference playoff series in Boston and not Milwaukee. But besides home-court advantage did it really matter? Because as we're finding out now all of the drama was just that, drama.

Danny Ainge had a plan we bought last October, jumped ship on five times since, and is now truly taking root.

The blueprint was seemingly not flawed.

Brad Stevens can coach. Kyrie Irving can lead. Gordon Hayward can play. Al Horford can be much more than average. And the Celtics can be considered the team to beat in the East. A month ago all of that was coming into serious question at a most uncomfortable time.

So, what happened?

The C's found themselves at the right time. Remember that first game against Indiana was still being viewed as a somewhat uneasy proposition considering there didn't seem many offensive options outside Kyrie Irving. But little by little, by the time Stevens' team left for Indianapolis it had seen the fruits of their labor. The idea that Irving could control the ball while getting others involved was becoming a reality, pushing aside talk that team basketball wasn't an option with Kyrie at the controls.

The Celtics were finally adhering to the way Ainge and Stevens were imploring them to play and they were seeing results while doing so. It was as if the likes of Irving, Hayward, Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier were smacked in the face with Albert Einstein's words: "Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value."

No more talk of contracts or minutes. The playoffs are non-negotiable, a reality the Celtics have clearly come to grips with.

Now, the switcheroo is undeniably a product of this different kind of world the postseason presents. Rotations are shortened and playoff alphas -- such as Irving -- are always prioritized. But there have been plenty of examples of really talented teams folding in the postseason because it never did click. Over the past two seasons, the Celtics have taken advantage of such messes. This, however, has become the perfect storm Ainge and Co. were banking on and so many thought would most likely fizzle out.

It took seven months but the plan is working out ... just in time.

Set the tone in Game 1 ☘️ pic.twitter.com/Zh2SjMOg6v
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 29, 2019

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2019-04-29 13:19:23Z
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Biggest Losers From The 2019 NFL Draft - The Big Lead

By: Ryan Phillips | 1 hour ago

The 2019 NFL Draft is complete and while everyone is focusing on the winners and losers from the weekend, we’re not going to bore you with all that positive mumbo jumbo. So here’s our look at all the losers from the 2019 draft.

New York Giants

I’m starting to think maybe Dave Gettleman doesn’t have any clue what he’s doing. The Giants believe they got their quarterback of the future in Duke’s Daniel Jones, but selected him at No. 6 overall, when no one was ever going to take him that high. The Giants could have probably waited until their second pick (No. 17) to select him. Meanwhile, they passed on Dwayne Haskins to select the player Scouts Inc. ranked as the sixth-best signal-caller available.

Look, if you’re a huge fan of Jones, fine, I’m not going to argue with you. He could wind up being a nice NFL quarterback, but he doesn’t look like a future star. The Giants could have traded down and stockpiled assets, or filled a more valuable need at No. 6.

As for the rest of their high picks, Dexter Lawrence was a solid pick at No. 17 and Deandre Baker (30th pick) is a perfectly fine cornerback. But when a team has three first-round picks, you expect them to do something monumental or somehow franchise-altering. New York didn’t accomplish that.

Third-round pick Oshane Ximines has upside but needs to bulk up and will face a big jump in competition. Fourth-rounder Julian Love is a versatile corner without a lot of upside. New York swung big in the fifth round by snagging Auburn wideout Darius Slayton. He has elite top-end speed, but he needs to develop a lot as a route runner and he doesn’t have great hands.

Despite a ton of picks, I’m not convinced the Giants really got better in this year’s draft. That’s a massive indictment of the front office.

1 2 3 4 …5

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2019-04-29 13:03:07Z
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Biggest Losers From The 2019 NFL Draft - The Big Lead

By: Ryan Phillips | 51 minutes ago

New York Giants

Despite a ton of picks, I’m not convinced the Giants really got better in this year’s draft. That’s a massive indictment of the front office.

1 2 3 4 …5

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2019-04-29 13:00:23Z
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New England Patriots draft rumors: Team inquired on quarterback Josh Rosen before he was dealt to Miami - WEEI

The Patriots drafted Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of the NFL draft, but perhaps they had their eyes on another QB beforehand -- Josh Rosen.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Patriots were among the teams who explored a trade for the Arizona quarterback before he was traded to Miami on Friday night. The Dolphins gave up a second-round selection (No. 62 overall) this year and a fifth-rounder in 2020.

It's unclear what the Patriots were willing to give up, but with six selections in the top 101, they certainly could have beat what Miami offered.

Rosen was dealt following Arizona selecting Kyler Murray No. 1 overall.

But, it doesn't matter now as the Patriots took Stidham, and now they will face Rosen twice a year since he's now in the AFC East.

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2019-04-29 12:26:30Z
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