Mocking heard
NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is releasing his second mock draft this morning. It will come in around 9 a.m.
No one knows the depth and details of the prospects entering the NFL annual selection process like Kiper does. He's an endless fountain of knowledge of all of the college players and his access to the teams give him great insight to various needs. Now, to be fair, teams offer bad information intentionally to throw the rest of the league off. It's part of the process, and it's part of the draft's allure. (We love the draft. You know this.)
While Kiper's version was not available for this run - here's betting it's a subject at some point on today's 5-at-10 on ESPN 105.1 the Zone - there are a ton of mock drafts out there. This one assembled by CBSsports.com's Pete Prisco may have one of the strangest twists we've seen so far.
No, it's not Dalvin Cook falling into the 20s where Detroit would love to pick him.
No it's not about Carl Lawson sneaking into the end of round one where the Falcons pluck him.
No, it's not about the Titans spending each of their first-round picks on secondary players with SEC Jamal Adams of LSU at 5 and Quincy Wilson of Florida at 18.
The eye-popping thing from Prisco - a veteran NFL reporter with an array of sources around the league - is the quarterback order.
He, like a lot of folks, has UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky atop the position. (He has Trubisky going No. 2 overall to San Francisco.) DeShaun Watson goes next at No. 10 overall to Buffalo.
The third quarterback off the board is wait for it Texas Tech gunslinger Patrick Mahomes, who Prisco has going as high as 12 to Cleveland.
Here's what Prisco wrote: "Is this too high? Probably. But this is a quarterback-desperate team. Mahomes is a guy that a lot of scouts I talked with have really come to like."
That means, since we are less that two weeks from the underwear Olympics that is the NFL combine, Mahomes may have a chance to make himself a lot of money in the next few weeks. (And, considering it's Cleveland, if Mahomes is not there at 12, they'll like go off the board and pick Fat Vader.)
Chicago Blackhawks center Antoine Vermette (80) of Canada, celebrates his game winning goal with Teuvo Teravainen of Finland (86), against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Tampa, Fla., on June 3, 2015. The Blackhawks defeated the Lightning 2-1. Limits of conduct
How can the headline on this story have the phrase "might face suspension" in it?
This is a hockey player hitting the referee with his stick. Read that sentence again.
Ducks forward Antoine Vermette was ejected Tuesday night for slashing the leg of linesman Shandor Alphonso after Vernette lost a faceoff late in the third period. According to the wire story on the incident: Per the NHL's Rule 40.3, deliberately applying physical force to an official in any manner comes with an automatic 10-game suspension.
OK. Also of note is that a Flames defenseman was suspended for 20 games last season for cross checking a referee. So again, the word might seems kind of soft in the headline.
You know what, 10- or 20-game suspensions also seem a little soft for physically assaulting an official.
Across all sports, there's not one single, more clear and universal understanding than the simple mantra, "You never can touch an official." Players get a year-long suspension in college football and 50-game suspensions in MLB for using PEDs. Substance violations can cost an NFL player a quarter of his season - and also his check.
But hitting a referee, according to the rule above, will only cost Fermette 10 games, or roughly 12.5 percent of his season.
Yes, we know players are protected by collective bargaining agreements, but this issue should get way more attention. Hitting a ref or an ump should be a one-year suspension. The second violation should be a lifetime ban.
Seriously. Sports leagues are more worried fertility pills than players striking those charged with policing the action on the field makes no sense.
FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love (0) drives past Memphis Grizzlies' Troy Williams (10) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are concerned about All-Star forward Kevin Love’s injured left knee. Love will miss Tuesday’s, Feb. 14, 2017, game at Minnesota _ and possibly more games _ with an injury that will require him to get a second opinion. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File) Cavs dilemma
LeBron has been moaning about the Cavs need for another playmaker.
That cry for help is even more desperate now that we know that Kevin Love will miss the next six weeks with knee surgery. (Did James know about this before the rest of us, which may have forced the preemptive plea? Possibly, but who knows.)
So the Cavs are facing a situation that they will need James to do even more. James is tied with Toronto's Kyle Lowry at 37.6 minutes a night.
In a lot of ways, James is having arguably his most well-rounded season.
His points are down, but his 8.8 assists would be a career-high. His shooting numbers - 53.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from 3 - are drastically improved from a year ago.
In fact, this February - a month the Cavs have won six of seven after a dreadful January - is the most efficient month of James career.
According to ESPN stats and info, James has played more than two games in 92 months in his career. Of those 92 his shooting (61.2 percent) this month would rank fourth, his 3-point shooting (56 percent) this month would rank second and his assists (11.2) this month would be the most ever.
All of this comes with this caveat for the Cavs:
With James playing as well as ever with a roster that will miss starters Love and J.R. Smith, who is still out with a broken thumb, for extended periods, how much rest do you plan for James knowing that Celtics and Wizards would love to have home-court advantage in the Easter Conference playoffs?
This and that
- Man, the SEC continued to look exceedingly top heavy Tuesday. Tennessee and Auburn, two teams that have exceeded expectations by almost every measure, were manhandled by Kentucky and Florida respectively. So it goes. Hey, the SEC may have a huge chunk of the NIT field, so that's something right?
- Derek Jeter and Hannah Davis are having a tot. Wow, that kid is pulling from the deepest of deep ends of the gene pool.
- Extremely interesting story here from Fox's Bruce Feldman, who spent 72 hours around signing day with Ed Orgeron and the LSU football program.
- Former UT wide out and Robert Meachem, who played in the NFL with the Chargers and the Saints, started a 30-day jail sentence because he owes almost $400,000 in alimony and child support. Meachem made more than $20 million in his eight-year NFL career. But he claims he has been borrowing money from friends after not paying enough attention to the people running his foundation and managing his finances.
- OK, we can all admit during the Winter Olympic telecasts to wondering, "Man, that curling looks fun; wish they had that somewhere around town." It's OK, we've all thought it, right? Well, NFL tight end Vernon Davis has acted on that instinct. Here's a fun look at the U.S. Curling new honorary captain.
Today's question
Before we get going, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that on this day 21 years ago, the Browns fired Bill Belichick. Wonder what ever became of that guy?
We could play some One-Word Wednesday. Let's try these:
Curling is _______.
Ed Orgeron's time at LSU will be remembered as __________.
Heading into the combine, the best quarterback in this draft is _________.
As for birthdays, Chris Farley would have been 53 today. Wow. (Tommy Boy is one of our favorite comedies of all-time.)
Seattle Slew would have been 43.
For a Rushmore, in honor of last night's Westminster Abbey dog show - which was won by Rumor, a German Shepard - what canines make the Rushmore of most famous dogs.