San Diego Chargers

How do the 2016 NFL MVP candidates stack up?

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Clearly Prescott has been clutch, but how can we measure his total value and compare it to that of others around the league?

Many will point to Total QBR as an all-encompassing barometer of quarterback success. Total QBR has value, but because it is expressed on a per-play basis, it is not the best measure of a quarterback¡¯s total impact.
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There is another metric, however, that might be an even better gauge of a quarterback¡¯s value to his team. QB points added accounts for both efficiency and usage. The number associated with this statistic represents the number of points on the field a quarterback contributes over the course of the season, beyond what would be expected of an average quarterback (one with a QBR of 50) with the same number of plays.

It makes sense that a quarterback who both is efficient and has a high usage rate would receive greater consideration for the NFL MVP award, and such quarterbacks have! Seven of the past eight quarterbacks to win MVP ranked in the top two in that statistic in their award-winning seasons.

“Every day, he jumps the line and starts running,” receiver Walter Powell says. “We let him get his catch on. It’s like, ‘There you go, big guy. Now go on'” — Powell makes a shooing motion with his hand — “‘and go do your own thing.'”

What’s most striking about Incognito is the level of sheer earnestness. The engine has no governor. He attacks every drill with the choppy steps vital to his profession. Legs underneath him to maximize balance and force, his feet constantly moving, his head up, he’s every offensive line coach’s Platonic fantasy. That’s the message: It means so damned much to this guy.

“Here’s what Richie’s done here,” offensive line coach Aaron Kromer says. “He’s come in and been the hardest worker on the practice field. He sets the tempo. He’s shown the young guys how to practice hard. Doing drills, he’s finishing to the point where you’re like, Whoa. You look at the other guys and say, ‘Just do it like that.’ And just by virtue of other guys paying attention to what he’s doing, it really helps the culture of the room.”
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How do the 2016 NFL MVP candidates stack up?

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San Diego Chargers

Ravens owner gives 2014 season high marks despite his ‘absolute crappy year’

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Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti called 2014 his “worst year as an owner,” but said the 10-6 season was a success for the franchise, in a season-review press conference held Tuesday.

Just one day after a loss in Week 1 to Clint Dempsey Authentic Womens Jersey the Cincinnati Bengals, a video surfaced showing Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancee unconscious. Rice, who had served half of his two-game suspension, was released by the team later in the day and Bisciotti was criticized, along with the NFL, for the small punishment originally given to the running back.

For his part, Hasselbeck is happy to be along for the ride.

Even with Rice no longer on the team, Newsome said his situation will still impact the way team evaluates players in free agency and the NFL Draft.

“The one area where we will definitely take a hard look and it will be tough for us to bring a player to Baltimore is someone that has domestic abuse in their background,” Newsome said. “Other than that, we will exhaust every character aspect of a player. But we believe in allowing the information to lead us to a decision.”

The Ravens are slated to pick No. 26 in the 2015 NFL Draft and are projected to take Arizona State wide DaMarcus Beasley Authentic Womens Jersey receiver Jaelen Strong in the latest mock draft from SB Nation’s Dan Kadar.

The 36-year-old pass rusher posted on Instagram Sunday that he plans to travel to Arizona to begin training for his 13th NFL season. If Harrison could manage eight sacks in 2015, he would pass Jason Gildon for the franchise record for career sacks.

“I am off suicide watch,” Bisciotti said. “I’m stable mentally. I’ll probably be your owner for a while.”

Without Rice, the Ravens found success with running back Justin Forsett, who finished the year with 1,266 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. Couple the success of Forsett with a postseason run that included eliminating the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Bisciotti said the 2014 season was a success for the franchise.

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Detroit Lions

The Celtics eventually waived Lee and his $14.4 million contract in February

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The Celtics, who built as much as a 14-point first-quarter advantage, watched their lead erode, not because of Leonard (who had a quiet — by his standards — 25-points, 10-rebound, four-assist night, ) or Aldridge (10 points, four rebounds), but the play of a reserve trio in Mills, Lee, and rookie Davis Bertans who combined for 49 points on 18-of-25 shooting Ron Parker Authentic Womens Jersey overall (Boston’s entire bench combined for 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting).

Watching Lee dominate on the glass (seven offensive rebounds) will be tough for Celtics fans to stomach, especially after he arrived in Boston with a Larry O’Brien hangover from his summer of celebrating a championship victory with the Golden State Warriors. Lee morphed quickly from starting big man to squeezed out of the rotation in Boston’s overstocked frontcourt. The Celtics eventually waived Lee and his $14.4 million contract in February.

“I’d love to be perfect and play great all the time,” Lee said. “It wasn’t the case last year to start the year, and it wasn’t out of a lack of effort or disrespecting Boston or anything like that. It just worked out the way that it did.

Towns got going during a second-quarter stretch, one in which it looked like the Warriors missed Green’s force. So, on back-to-back second quarter possessions, Kevin Durant provided some force of his own, going right into contact. On the first, he wrestled himself into a putback and-1. On the next, he drove right into the teeth of the defense for a hanging layup.

That appeared to get Golden State out of a rut and into a place where they could have some fun: Specifically, the Warriors rode another wild JaVale McGee run to a bigger lead. McGee is unpredictable, especially on defense, but it’s been difficult Spencer Ware Authentic Womens Jersey to question the effort and increasingly, the impact. In this game, as in others, he sprinted to his spots, stretching the opposing defense and opening opportunities for more than just himself. When McGee did have opportunities, teammates were eager to feed him (4-of-5 for eight points), delighting in guiding his skyward movements like kids who have commandeered a remote-control drone.

On the JaVale McGee experience, Durant said, “It is different. It’s a different look. Zaza [Pachulia] is more cerebral on the ground, makes the correct pass, and JaVale is more, put pressure on the rim and toss it up and make the defense guard the rim. That opens everything up for us.”

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Detroit Lions

The Cubs can replace a lot of what Fowler brings to the table

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Here’s the crazy thing: The Cubs can replace a lot of what Fowler brings to the table. On paper, at least. The switch-hitting Zobrist can lead off just fine — he had a .386 on-base percentage with 96 walks to just 82 strikeouts in 2016. He won’t necessarily be an every-day player in Chicago’s crowded lineup, but that’s OK, because at 36 years old and coming off Cam Newton Authentic Jersey back-to-back seven-month seasons, he doesn’t need to start 140-150 games.

When a tough righty is on the mound or Baez needs a breather, Zobrist can still play second base. When the Cubs are up against a dominant lefty, he can play left or right for Schwarber or Heyward. There’s no reason to think Heyward can’t play center — he was ready to in 2016 before Fowler returned — opening right field for Zobrist. Almora doesn’t have to be left out of the mix as he starts games as well, perhaps against lefties, which could move around the deck chairs some more without Fowler. If anyone can make it work, it’s manager Joe Maddon.

Although nothing has been agreed upon at this point, it seems inevitable that this swap is going to take place. The only question might be what the September roster limits will look like. But expanding the size of the roster and adding at least 30 full-time players with full service time and benefits is a no-brainer for union head Tony Clark.

The Mariners grew so frustrated with Walker they sent him down to the minors in early August. Manager Scott Servais basically questioned Walker’s competitiveness. “When you go out there and take the mound as one of five starting pitchers, there’s a certain level of expectation,” Servais said at the time of the demotion. “You have to go deeper in games. You’ve got to be competitive when you go out there. Just the consistency of it, not knowing what you’re going to get from time to time.”

In one of his first starts back from the minors, Walker allowed six runs and Cameron Artis-Payne Authentic Jersey three home runs while getting knocked out in the first inning. After that, he took some advice from pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and added a little Felix Hernandez-like twist to his delivery to help him hide the ball better and keep his shoulder from flying open. Two starts later, against the same team that had just shelled him, he pitched a three-hit, 11-strikeout shutout against the Angels. Over his final five starts, he posted a 2.93 ERA. That’s the kind of upside the pitching-starved Diamondbacks are banking on.

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Detroit Lions

That would mean more work for Chris Ivory and Denard Robinson

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh expected cornerback Jimmy Smith to play last Sunday with a back injury, but Smith missed his first game of the season. Harbaugh declined to give an update on Smith on Monday, and there should be a better indication on his availability when the Ravens return to practice Wednesday. Smith is perhaps the one player Baltimore can afford to be Jay Prosch Authentic Womens Jersey without on defense. In six full quarters without Smith, the Ravens have allowed quarterbacks to complete 75 percent of their passes and produce a 126.9 passer rating.

The Bengals have gone from one of the healthiest teams to the opposite end of the spectrum in one game. Wide receiver A.J. Green has a hamstring strain, running back Giovani Bernard went down for the season with an ACL tear, and it’s up in the air if cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and safety Shawn Williams will play Sunday in Baltimore. Expect to see more of rookie wideout Tyler Boyd now that Green is out for at least this week, and potentially beyond.

Barring a quick recovery by Luck – typically, players in concussion protocol are sidelined for at least a week, but it is impossible to project individual cases – maybe Tolzien will provide a Turkey Day surprise.

Yet for a .500 team that has its first winning streak of the season and a slim margin for error, this setback to the heartbeat of the franchise could not have come at a worse time.

Ben Roethlisberger is coming to town, triggering one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses Jeff Allen Authentic Womens Jersey for a Pittsburgh Steelers squad that routed the Colts the past two times they’ve played.

With Luck – who was brilliant early, then clutch late during the 24-17 victory against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday – it seemed the Colts might have a chance to survive a shootout Thanksgiving night. The Steelers defense has been suspect, and unlike the previous two meetings the Colts get Pittsburgh on their own Lucas Oil patch this time around.

Scott who?

Tolzien, who joined the Colts this year, has been in the NFL as nothing more than a backup for six seasons, and in his six appearances with the Green Bay Packers, produced a 1-5 TD-to-INT ratio and 67.1 passer rating.

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Chicago Bears

NBA scores 2016: James Harden continues to create for teammates

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For NBA fans who thought James Harden at point guard made no sense, it’s time to concede.

Harden calmly picked up his third triple-double of the season in the third quarter of Houston’s 126-109 win over Portland, finding guys like Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, who combined for nine three-pointers.

Watch The Beard set up Ariza for a corner three with Nikola Mirotic Authentic Womens Jersey his patented euro-step that freezes C.J. McCollum just long enough to create an uncontested look.

Not quite satisfied? Here’s Harden’s first-quarter highlights, where he put up half of his numbers.

Glad we cleared that up.

At this rate, Drake is going to have to get a new jersey the next time he performs in the Bay Area.

It gets worse because Bradley Beal is injured, though it doesn’t appear to be serious. The Wizards are bottom-10 in both offense and defense, and the team’s playoff aspirations are already in big trouble.

The schedule repents the rest of the month. Washington will play three straight home games against the Knicks, the Heat and the Suns before traveling to play the Magic. Those last two teams might be the worst in the NBA, and none of the four are on a back-to-back.

But a 2-8 start hasn’t left the Wizards any room for error. The team can’t just Pau Gasol Authentic Womens Jersey play at a slightly above .500 pace — it requires a concerted effort to even get back to .500, and then win a few more games to pick up a low seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Washington can do it, of course. We’re halfway through November. But its first 10 games aren’t doing the last 72 any favors.

So that’s why any Wizards fans you might come across in the near future look like this.

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Detroit Lions

Rob Gronkowski ruled out for Sunday by Patriots

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The New England Patriots have ruled out tight end Rob Gronkowski for Sunday’s game at the San Francisco 49ers.

The Pats listed Gronkowski as out with a chest injury on the injury report released Friday afternoon. He was not present for practice earlier Friday, marking the third straight day he was absent because of the injury sustained Sunday night Joseph Fauria Authentic Womens Jersey in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Hogan’s absence should mean more repetitions for veteran Danny Amendola and rookie Malcolm Mitchell at wide receiver alongside Edelman.

Rule 12, Section 3, Article 2 prohibits teams from committing “successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score.” If they do it again after receiving the required warning, according to Article 3 of the same rule, the act is to be declared “palpably unfair.” (For those seeking further clarification, “palpably” means “obviously.” I had to look it up, too.)

In such instances, referees are instructed to award the yardage a player would have reasonably gained — including a touchdown if applicable. They also return the lost time on the clock and have the option to eject the player(s) responsible.

Those instructions existed before the 49ers took down the Saints’ receivers and will continue to apply moving forward. They allow for a benefit of the doubt in one instance, but protect against a team routinely holding, tackling or otherwise committing intentional penalties as a substitute for actual defense and as a means of premeditated strategy.

We’ve seen similar instances before, and so has Boger — most notably at the end Josh Bynes Authentic Womens Jersey of Super Bowl XLVII. As you might recall, the Baltimore Ravens decided to punt from their end zone while clinging to a five-point lead over — yes — the 49ers with 12 seconds remaining. Ravens coach John Harbaugh ordered a play that called for his punt protectors to intentionally hold the 49ers’ rushers, giving punter Sam Koch a better opportunity to kill time prior to stepping out of bounds for a safety.

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Detroit Lions

Westbrook’s poster dunk is also the dagger that seals big OKC win

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Almost the first thing Victor Oladipo did when he got back to his locker following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 105-103 win over the Houston Rockets was grab his phone.

“Dunk him!” Oladipo roared.

Westbrook threw it into gear, and the Authentic Calvin Pryor Jersey Thunder defense that was so problematic against the Magic and Pistons slapped the cuffs on James Harden and the Rockets. Houston didn’t score for the final six minutes, until Eric Gordon hit a meaningless 3 with 0.9 seconds left, missing 13 of their final 14 shots from distance and scoring only 13 points in the quarter. At the heart of it was Andre Roberson, who is often panned for his offensive issues. He almost exclusively guarded Harden; the Thunder barely switched on screen-and-rolls, keeping Roberson on Harden Authentic Christian Hackenberg Jersey as much as possible. The payoff: Harden scored a season-low 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting, plus he had six turnovers (and to be fair, 13 assists).

“I think Dre’s been doing an amazing job, especially defensively, all year long and he’s not getting credit for it,” Westbrook said. “He comes out and competes and guards the best players every night and does a great job of it.”

Roberson prevented the showdown so many anticipated, a fireworks show between two of the league’s top scorers and assist-makers. While Harden struggled, Westbrook continued his torrid pace: 30 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. (Those numbers actually lowers his season averages.)

It was the formula the Thunder are operating by this season. But unlike recent games where Westbrook failed to get support, whether in scoring or on defense, the Thunder showed up against the Rockets. Oladipo had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, finally giving a glimpse of what the “Flash Brothers” can look like. There have been signs of the Westbrook-Oladipo tandem clicking, but this was the first time it truly came together.

The Thunder weren’t shy about the importance of the result. Westbrook dubbed it a “big win,” and he’s not normally one to speak of anything being more important than another. It’s still November, and it’s a long road ahead. But after four straight failures and grumblings of feared issues becoming concrete reality, winning, and with such a flourish, could be a significant boost.

“It was huge for us,” Oladipo said. “It was real important to me. This organization is known for winning. Losing is unacceptable. We got to do whatever it takes in our power to continue to keep winning.”

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Detroit Lions

Panthers need to address O-line for Cam Newton’s long-term safety

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Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera appeared to have a change of heart on what happened at the end of Sunday’s pivotal 20-play, third-quarter drive that ended in a punt.

Twenty-four hours after saying the Panthers “can’t take back-to-back sacks” — a take implying the blame was on quarterback Cam Newton — he repeatedly said Terrell Suggs Youth Jersey “we can’t miss blocks.”

He said Newton really didn’t have many options other than to take the sack.

This won’t change the outcome or the fact that Carolina had a colossal collapse in the 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the run-up to the 2016 election, Kaepernick repeatedly made it clear he didn’t approve of either President-elect Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. On Election Day, Kaepernick said he would not be voting and followed through on that promise.

On Wednesday, Kaepernick told Arizona reporters on Timmy Jernigan Youth Jersey a conference call that it “didn’t matter” who won the election because neither candidate was a good choice.

On Sunday, Kaepernick said he felt it would be hypocritical for him to vote because it would be the equivalent of showing support for a system he doesn’t believe in. He also said the choice of Trump should increase the urgency for everyone to work toward Zach Orr Youth Jersey solutions to make the system better.

“I think everybody should feel urgency to make sure that we’re doing the right thing, building things the right way in order to be able to protect ourselves from what may come from this,” Kaepernick said.

When asked whether he believed the reason for so many no-shows to the voting booth were because many feel the same way as him, Kaepernick said he wasn’t sure.

“You would have to ask them that,” Kaepernick said. “I don’t want to speak for anybody or put anybody in a situation where I am not representing them properly so I really can’t say.”

Kaepernick has previously pledged to donate $1 million and any proceeds from the sale of his jersey to groups that can help the causes he’s working for and he recently held a “Know Your Rights” camp for kids in Oakland that provided guidance on a variety of topics, including education, fitness, money and interacting with law enforcement.

But slow-motion replay shows Newton didn’t have as much time to get rid of the ball as it appeared in real time. Defenders were all over him quickly on sacks of 7 and 12 yards that took the Panthers out of field goal range with a 17-3 lead late in the third quarter.

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San Diego Chargers

Stephen Curry dribbled the ball up the court and stopped to pop a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

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Midway into the third quarter, Stephen Curry dribbled the ball up the court and stopped to pop a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic looked as if he shoved the two-time MVP right as he released the ball from his fingertips.

Curry fell to the hardwood, the whistle Steve Largent Authentic Jersey blew and the ball rattled in, enabling a four-point play. It was one of his seven 3-pointers, part of a 33-point outing — on 17 shots — that didn’t include him playing a single minute in the final quarter.

Griffin said constructive dialogue was consistent with the personality of his team. After some NBA teams were following San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s lead and organizing demonstrations during the national anthem to protest how minorities are being treated in the United States, the Cavs sought to figure out ways in which they could enact social change rather than just bring attention to injustice.

Griffin expects a similar response in dealing with some people’s disappointment in Clinton’s defeat.

“I mean, the reason we’re here today is that we proved we deal with adversity really well,” the GM said, referring to the Cavs’ comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals to beat a Warriors team that won a record 73 games in the regular season. “And I think our nation does the same thing really well. … You have a right to place your vote and to cast your vote and state your opinions. And once that happens, we have to come together and we have to find a way to fight through that adversity. And I know our players know how to do that. I think it’s when our country is at its best as well, so I think everyone will get in line and do that.”

While the Cavs ventured all over the White Steven Hauschka Authentic Jersey House grounds, at one point greeting a group of military veterans at the outdoor basketball court, they did not cross paths with president-elect Trump, according to Griffin. In fact, Trump did not come up in any discussions between the team and Obama, or with Lynch and Jarrett.

“Zero (Trump talk),” one Cavs player told ESPN.com.

On Wednesday, Jefferson joked via Snapchat that the annual tradition of the NBA champion visiting the White House would cease to exist because of the league’s distaste for Trump, writing, “Words cannot express the honor I feel being the last team to visit the White House tomorrow.”

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