Football

Heading into this offseason, many had strong opinions on which direction the 49ers should go with their draft picks in the first three rounds. After drafting Tank Carradine in the second round, I thought the 49ers would go with a cornerback in round three, but I was wrong. The 49ers surprised me when they instead opted to select outside linebacker Corey Lemonier. More Lemonier: Medical info Post-draft press conference Trent Baalke's plan was to add some pass rushers, a position lacking in depth last season. Aldon Smith played injured one-third of the season, and it would have helped to have a quality guy behind him. The 49ers are hoping Lemonier can develop into a quality outside linebacker. The Basics: Height: 6'3"Weight: 255 lbs40-Yard Dash: 4.60Bench Reps: 27 Do Your Homework: Strengths- Lemonier's strengths boil down to his biggest intangibles, which are signficant. Speed: He has exceptional speed for an outside linebacker, posting a 4.6 forty at the combine. Strength: Lemonier is very strong and can engage an offensive lineman and win the battle. He is a great uphill pass rusher that can push the lineman back with force; he doesn't have to rely on just finesse. With his strength he also has a knack for hitting really hard and laying the boom. When he gets a player squared up, Lemonier is going to knock him out, or come close to doing so. Weaknesses: If Lemonier can improve some of these areas, watch out! Run Defending: He over-pursues at times and does not maintain the edge. He will have to become more disciplined in the NFL, or some big plays will be given up. Missed Tackles: Lemonier must become more sound with his tackling. I don't think this will be an issue going forward; he's going to be around the best tackling players in the NFL, which will only help him improve. Playing in space: This is something Lemonier will have to improve upon drastically. When in space, Lemonier seems to be a little unsure of when to engage or stand pat before making his move. There are times he will either over-pursue or get caught flat-footed in space -- a bad position to be in when you need to make a tackle. There will be times when Lemonier is called upon to play pass coverage. Practice will help Lemonier with this, as he does not have much experience in this facet. While outside linebackers in the 3-4 aren't asked to cover at a high level, he'll need to have adequate coverage skills at the very least. Lemonier does have holes to his game and is far from a finished product, but the intangibles are there. He now just needs an excellent 49ers defensive staff to coach him up. The transition from defensive end to outside linebacker won't be easy by any means, but it helps when you have coaches who have succeeded in converting Aldon Smith into one of the best pass rushers in football two years prior. If he lives up to his potential, Lemonier could turn out to be Ahmad Brooks' heir apparent. The choice is his. Keep Reading: Jonathan Goodwin restructures contract Today's 49ers links Michael Crabtree injury story stream 49ers 90-in-90 roster breakdown

Here are what blogs from Cleveland and around the country are saying about the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians. Featured today are Buckeye State Sports, Did the Tribe Win Last Night? and Bleacher Report.

Raiders Legend WR Tim Brown was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Off-seasons can be difficult if you run a blog about a pro football team, because even when said team is practicing in the spring, those practices are in shorts, don't include pads and provide very little of substance. Said blog runner is therefore left without much in the way of substantive posting ideas, which is why I have to thank the multitude of Buffalo Bills fans and loyal blog readers that submitted questions for this week's mailbag post. Keep them coming, please. (Seriously: pretty please?) Brian, can you talk about some of the players that might not be snug fits for the Mike Pettine defense, either this year or in the future? - Richard Two players immediately came to mind, and for very different reasons: Leodis McKelvin and Kyle Williams. McKelvin's is based on performance, obviously; five years into his pro playing career, it's hard to imagine him ever bucking the inconsistent label he's earned since 2008. There's a ton riding on McKelvin this year; he's a lock to start at this point, and considering that he was the team's fifth cornerback at times over the last two seasons, that is frankly terrifying. I also don't think of him as a particularly versatile player; he was abysmal in the slot in 2012, and I think he'd be physically overmatched as a safety, too. Pettine's defense is man-coverage reliant, so that might help McKelvin adjust as an outside, starting corner this year. I only bring up Williams because of Pettine's system. Williams, to my eye, is the Bills' best defensive lineman by a significant margin. He has to be on the field a lot in 2012 if the team is going to reverse their fortunes on defense and, dare we dream, compete for a playoff spot. In the bigger picture, though, Williams is the least versatile of the team's prominent linemen - he's a one-gap penetrator from a handful of different techniques, but struggles to play two gaps head-up on a blocker because of his smallish stature - and his value may decrease quickly for the organization, particularly if younger defensive linemen reach their potential. Hey Brian, I was wondering if you could do an article on an updated roster projection of the 53 man team? - The Sweeglings Sure, why not? I'll do about 30 more of these anyway; one of them is bound to be right. (Right?) Pos. Starter Backup Reserve Reserve FL T.J. Graham Brad Smith TE Scott Chandler Lee Smith Chris Gragg * LT Cordy Glenn Zebrie Sanders LG Chris Scott Sam Young C Eric Wood Colin Brown RG Kraig Urbik RT Chris Hairston Erik Pears SL Robert Woods * Marquise Goodwin * SE Stevie Johnson Da'Rick Rogers * QB Kevin Kolb E.J. Manuel * RB C.J. Spiller Fred Jackson Tashard Choice Frank Summers NT Kyle Williams Alan Branch Torell Troup DT Marcell Dareus Alex Carrington RE Mario Williams Mark Anderson Jerry Hughes SLB Manny Lawson Marcus Dowtin MLB Kiko Alonso Arthur Moats Chris White WLB Nigel Bradham Bryan Scott RCB Stephon Gilmore Crezdon Butler SS Da'Norris Searcy Jonathan Meeks * FS Jairus Byrd Duke Williams * NCB Aaron Williams Justin Rogers Nickell Robey * LCB Leodis McKelvin Ron Brooks K Dustin Hopkins * P Shawn Powell LS Garrison Sanborn Do you think the time has come where we will see a return of prominence for the fullback position in Buffalo? - Matthew It would not necessarily surprise me, but I sincerely doubt it. Put another way: if the Bills do use the fullback more frequently in 2013, I would anticipate that being a short-lived development. Much like a hybrid defense, offenses are trending toward trying to find personnel that can line up in multiple positions to create matchup disadvantages. You'll note that New England, for example, can line their tight ends up pretty much anywhere they want, and

Over the last couple of weeks, we've looked at the playing time of the Cowboys' recent rookie classes, wondered who the 2013 breakout player could be and how much playing time the 2013 draft class could see this year. Along the way, we touched on a couple of names that will likely be Cowboys franchise players in a couple of years: the Cowboys' young guns. In five years or so some of the young guns on the current roster will be the faces of the Dallas Cowboys. So today, we'll look at who the top ten guys under the age of 25 are. The reason we're going for 25 is that Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com last year looked at the league's top ten players under the age of 25, and 25 felt like a good cut-off age. When I then set out to compile the list for the Cowboys, I thought it'd be an easy exercise. Before I even started compiling names, I thought that I'd have to add an addendum with the players not making the list. Turns out, that wasn't the case, as some of the players that I was thinking of for this list are already 25 years or older: DeMarco Murray, Bruce Carter, Dan Bailey are all 25, Phil Costa, Sean Lissemore and Orlando Scandrick will all be 26 by the time the season starts and Sean Lee will even turn 27 on July 22nd this year - those guys are not spring chicken anymore. So without further ado, here are the top ten young guns on the Cowboys' roster, all of whom will still be under 25 at the start of the 2013 regular season on September 5, 2013. Rank Name POS Experience Age on Opening Day 2013 1 Dez Bryant WR 3 24 years, 10 months, 0 days Dez Bryant squeezes into this list with just two months to spare, and I'm not sure that calling him a "young gun" is doing him justice any longer. Bryant came into his own in the second half of last season and now looks to be everything the Cowboys expected when they moved up in the first round to get him. There is no denying his athletic ability, and he is electrifying to watch. There are other very good wide receivers in the league, but very few bring such a level of raw energy and intensity to the game, and it will be Bryant's "intangibles" more than his play that will make him a superstar in the league.As Garrett would say, "Passion. Emotion. Enthusiasm." Nobody has more of it than Dez Bryant. Bryant has the stuff to be the emotional leader of this team; he already provides the emotional spark when the Cowboys need it. There's still a long way to go, but Bryant is beginning to fill out that no. 88 jersey. 2 Tyron Smith LT 2 22 years, 8 months, 24 days Incredibly, Smith already has two years of NFL starting experience and is still the second youngest player on this list. Smith won't even be 23 years old by the time the season starts. In his second year at left tackle and his second year under Bill Callahan, Smith is poised to take a big step in his performance. A step he has prepared for diligently, taking karate classes in the offseason to improve his hand-eye coordination and adding 10 pounds of weight to "be a better run-blocker and be stronger and more physical." 3 Morris Claiborne CB 1 23 years, 6 months, 28 days Secondary coach Jerome Henderson said that Claiborne’s offseason wrist surgery impacted his rookie year significantly: he wasn’t able to participate in OTAs and wasn’t able to spend enough time in the weight room to gain NFL-level strength, and Claiborne had a rocky rookie season as a result. The Cowboys famously had ranked as the "the highest-rated DB since Deion Sanders", and towards the end of the season, with his confidence increasing, we began to see glimpses of what he could be capable of. When you combine a full offseason in which he's already added eight pounds of muscle, a year of NFL experience and his talent level, then you could have the makings for a huge sophomore season, especially in the new defensive scheme. 4 Tyrone Crawford DE 1 23 years, 9 months, 13 days People ten

One the biggest challenges that great athletes face upon retirement is finding ways to keep busy and help fill the void that was once occupied by the game they love. Apparently, Ray Lewis plans on adding another feat of greatness to his already storied legacy. Lewis tweeted on Thursday that he plans to take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, which stands at 19,000 feet above sea level and has been the bane of numerous climbers throughout history. Lewis' goal is to reach the top in an effort to raise money as well as awareness for an African clean water project. "I am so fired up for this adventure" Lewis told the Baltimore Sun on Thursday, "But until then, I need your help to bring clean water wells to thousands of children and families." If he should succeed in this endeavor, there is no doubt that Lewis would further cement himself as one of the greatest athletes we have ever seen.

This slipped through the cracks yesterday, but Mike Freeman of CBS sports wrote an article about nine offseason moves that need to happen. One of them? The Jets should cut Mark Sanchez. Here’s a blip of what Freeman wrote: “This from a Jets player, who asked not to be identified: ‘Everyone on the team likes Mark personally but there’s a general feeling among some of the players that maybe it’s time to give someone else a chance.’ The player went on to say that he estimates that 80-90 percent of the team feels the same way he does.” This shouldn’t really come to the surprise of anyone. I mean, you’ve watched Mark Sanchez play the last two years, why wouldn’t you want change at that position? The more concerning part is the “anonymous” bashing. If you’re going to say these things, be a man and put your name on it. My hope is that the leaders of this team can come together and tell everyone to knock it off and keep it in the locker room. Just another day in Jet Nation. Chris CappellaMore Posts - Website Follow Me:

Dec 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) warms up before the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports Another Viking defender has landed on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players Countdown. Last week Chad Greenway came in at #70 and this week Jared Allen shows up at #60. Allen’s production dipped in 2012, thanks in part to some physical issues, but he still had a solid season notching 12 sacks. We asked the question with Greenway so we have to ask it with Allen. Is this a legitimate selection? Does Jared Allen deserve to be considered one of the NFL’s 100 best players? If you take the last few seasons together, there’s no question Jared deserves to be considered among the best pass rushing defensive ends in the league. And he’s also pretty good against the run and sometimes he even makes a big play dropping in coverage. And now and then he even long-snaps. And sometimes gets a shot in on Ray Edwards’ nads. But that’s over the last few seasons. How about right now? Is Jared still in that near-elite category coming off a year where he was clearly slowed by injury? I guess that depends on how he recovers from the injury. He had shoulder surgery this offseason and is diligently rehabbing. There’s every reason to believe that, if Jared gets his body right, he can rebound from a somewhat off season. Or maybe Jared is just past his prime and destined to see his production slip and slide more with each passing season. It’s a slippery slope for guys Jared’s age. Once you get that momentum going in one direction on a surface with not very much friction, you tend to just keep going right on into oblivion. One thing I know for sure: Jared’s not getting close to 22 sacks again. That was an epic season for Allen. Everything fell just right. Expecting him to keep up that production was never realistic. 2012 was more than anything an adjustment back to the norm. Bottom line: Maybe Jared is still a top 100 player but the arrow is definitely trending down. The only thing trending up with Jared is his bank account. Top 100 player or not, dude is making $17 million this season. And don’t even think of asking him to renegotiate. He will spear you in the butt like you were an elk. Like The Viking Age on Facebook. Follow TVA on Twitter. Get the all-new FanSided iPhone app. Subsribe to the Fansided Daily Newsletter. Sports news all up in your inbox.

Shawn Williams, who has the best chance of any of the Bengals rookies to start for the NFL's sixth-ranked defense when Cincinnati opens the season in Chicago, signed Friday as they neared a sweep o...

Ray Lewis climbed the proverbial “mountain top” twice in his illustrious career with the Baltimore Ravens, winning two Super Bowl rings during his 17-year career. In a month or so from now, he’ll literally climb the mountain top for a project that is near and dear to his heart. Yesterday, via his Twitter account, Ray Lewis announced that he will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, raising money and awareness for clean water projects in East Africa. The project entitled “TackleKili”, will allow fans to follow Lewis’ trek up Kilimanjaro where they’ll also be able to donate to the TackleKili mission. Each action completed by fans following his journey will earn more entries into winning an autographed helmet by #52 himself. Lewis added via his website: I am so FIRED UP for this adventure, but until then, I need your help to bring clean water wells to thousands of children and families. Mt. Kilimanjaro, measuring at over 19,000 feet above sea level, is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. If anyone has the will and determination to scale this giant, its Ray Lewis. When he is finished with this project, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker and future Hall-of Famer will report to ESPN as their new NFL football analyst, beginning this Fall. The post Former Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis To Climb A New Mountain Top appeared first on Baltimore Sports Report.