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#pounditTuesday, March 19, 2024

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Does this signal the end of Jarrett Stidham’s time with Patriots?

Jarrett Stidham

The New England Patriots used a fourth-round draft pick on Jarrett Stidham two years ago, and the idea at the time was for him to be the heir apparent to the Tom Brady throne. That has not exactly worked out, and the former Auburn star may wind up looking for work elsewhere this offseason.

The Patriots re-signed Brian Hoyer this week, and it sounds like the veteran backup is confident he will have a roster spot. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Thursday that Hoyer chose sticking with the Patriots over serving as the primary backup behind New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson.

That means the Patriots now have four quarterbacks, and two seem like they are guaranteed roster spots. Mac Jones obviously isn’t going anywhere, and Belichick has made it clear that Cam Newton is New England’s starter heading into the season. We doubt Belichick will carry more than three quarterbacks on the active roster in Week 1, which means Stidham could be the odd man out.

There were some reports last offseason that the Patriots were high on Stidham, but that is now hard to believe. Newton struggled for most of 2020, yet Stidham never took over as the Patriots’ starter. They have since drafted a QB 15th overall and re-signed their most trusted veteran backup. Don’t be surprised if Stidham is waived in the coming weeks.

Mel Kiper Jr. rips Tim Tebow for this ‘desperation move’

Mel Kiper

There are very few people who think Tim Tebow will prove himself to be worthy of an NFL roster spot this season, and Mel Kiper Jr. is among those who believe the Jacksonville Jaguars are wasting their time.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up!” Thursday morning, Kiper ripped Tebow for what the longtime draft analyst believes is a “desperation move.” Kiper noted that Tebow had zero interest in playing any position besides quarterback when he came out of college in 2010, even though several people suggested he should.

“He didn’t want to be that guy,” Kiper said of Tebow’s refusal to play H-back or tight end. “So now at 34, all of a sudden he wants to be? He tried Major League Baseball, maybe try WWE, maybe be an assistant coach if you want that motivation or that leadership or that energy. But a strong GM would have said to Urban Meyer, ‘No.’ … This is the NFL. It’s not a hobby, it’s a full-time job.”

Tebow has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012. He’s now trying to prove he can play a new position nearly a decade later, so you can understand the skepticism. For what it’s worth, the former Heisman Trophy winner is said to be embracing that.

Meyer recently tried to explain some of his rationale behind signing Tebow, but many have questioned the move. One former NFL executive thinks Meyer would be making a massive mistake if Tebow makes the final roster.

CC Sabathia unloads on Tony La Russa for not defending his player

Tony La Russa

Tony La Russa has faced some criticism this week for not defending his own player amid an “unwritten rules” controversy, and no one is more angry over the Chicago White Sox manager’s handling of the situation than CC Sabathia.

Sabathia, who hosts the “R2C2” podcast with Ryan Ruocco, absolutely shredded La Russa this week. He defended White Sox slugger Yermin Mercedes for belting a home run on a 3-0 count in a blowout game, blaming the Minnesota Twins for putting a position player in to pitch. Sabathia then said La Russa is “out of touch with the game” and should not be managing a team.

“You’ve got a rookie who has basically been carrying your whole f—ing team these first six weeks of the season,” Sabathia said. “This guy’s been carrying you. And now you don’t have a problem with the weird a– Minnesota Twins throwing behind one of your biggest hitters? That’s just f—ing stupid.

“He shouldn’t be f—ing managing that team. If you’re not going to step up and have your player’s back, what’s the point of being the manager of the f—ing White Sox?”

Sabathia also bashed the Twins for throwing behind Mercedes (video here) a day after his home run. You can hear the former pitcher’s full remarks below, but beware that the clip contains inappropriate language.

La Russa said Mercedes would face consequences for swinging away on a 3-0 count in the ninth inning of a blowout. The 76-year-old then said he had no problem with the Twins retaliating the next night by throwing behind Mercedes.

White Sox players have since come to Mercedes’ defense, but La Russa had a savage response for one of them.

Report: These teams may have interest in Julio Jones trade

Julio Jones

The Atlanta Falcons are in desperate need of salary cap space, and it is widely assumed that they are eventually going to create it by trading Julio Jones. Most teams don’t have the cap space to absorb the star wide receiver’s contract, but there are several to keep an eye on.

Jeff Schultz of The Athletic published a column on Thursday laying out in detail why the Falcons are likely to trade Jones. He noted that any team that acquires Jones would need enough cap space to absorb the 32-year-old’s $15.3 million salary. It would also make sense for the team to be a contender or a young team on the brink of contention. Schultz believes six teams — the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans — fit that description.

The Patriots are one of the most intriguing possibilities. They spent an enormous amount of money this offseason but still have roughly $15 million in cap space. While Bill Belichick tried to address New England’s need for skill players by signing star tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith and wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, Jones could really be a game-changer for Cam Newton and/or rookie Mac Jones.

Schultz was also told by sources that teams could seek to have the Falcons eat a portion of Jones’ salary, though that is not all that common in the NFL.

As it stands, the Falcons do not have enough cap space to sign their own draft picks. Jones’ cap number for 2021 is well above $20 million, and the team could save more than $15 million of that if he is traded post-June. There’s a reason we have heard numerous reports that Jones could be dealt before training camp.

Jones was limited to nine games last season due to injury, catching 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns.

Photo: Lisa Ferdinando/U.S. Secretary of Defense via CC-BY 2.0

CJ McCollum jabs LeBron James for embellishing foul from Draymond Green

LeBron James Draymond Green foul

LeBron James said the way Draymond Green fouled him toward the end of Wednesday night’s play-in game left him with impaired vision, but Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum was among those who felt LeBron embellished a bit.

James drove to the basket with about two minutes left in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors. Green tried to defend and ended up poking LeBron in the eye. James stayed down on the floor for a while holding his face.

McCollum saw it as a flop. He jokingly called LeBron an “actor” on Twitter and said the Lakers star was just trying to steal some extra rest before shooting his free throws.

James, of course, insists he wasn’t faking. He drained a game-winning 3-pointer shortly after the foul, and he said he was seeing three rims when he put up the shot. You can see the video here.

Here is what Tim Tebow told those close to him about signing with Jaguars

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow has officially returned to the NFL, and it will be an uphill battle for him to prove he is worthy of a Week 1 roster spot. As you might expect, the former Heisman Trophy winner is looking forward to the climb.

The Jaguars announced on Thursday morning that they have signed Tebow. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 33-year-old has told those close to him that he understands the challenge he is facing to make the roster.

Tebow thanked the Jaguars for the opportunity in a statement.

Urban Meyer is giving Tebow a shot even though Tebow has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012. The two obviously have a close relationship from their time together at Florida, which is why it was no coincidence when Tebow retired from playing baseball right around the time the Jaguars hired Meyer.

Meyer recently tried to explain some of his rationale behind signing Tebow, but many have questioned the move. One former NFL executive thinks Meyer would be making a massive mistake if Tebow makes the final roster.

Photo: Sports Spectrum/Wikimedia via CC-BY-SA 4.0

Video: Nazem Kadri ejected for illegal hit on Justin Faulk

Nazem Kadri Justin Faulk hit

Nazem Kadri was ejected from Wednesday night’s first round playoff game for an illegal hit to the head of Justin Faulk.

Kadri’s Colorado Avalanche were up 3-1 in the third period of Game 2 of their series with the St. Louis Blues. Robert Thomas was skating towards the net and dropped a pass behind him to Faulk, who attempted a wrister. Just as he shot the puck, Faulk was nailed by a check from Kadri.

Kadri was given a match penalty and ejected from the game.

Kadri has a history of such moves. He is the only active NHL player with three game misconducts in the Stanley Cup Playoff. In 2019, he was suspended in the playoffs for a hit on Jake DeBrusk. The year before, he was suspended for boarding Tommy Wingels.

The Avs won the game 6-3.

LeBron James saw three rims when he made big 3-pointer

LeBron James shot

LeBron James hit a huge shot to help his Los Angeles Lakers clinch the No. 7 spot in the West, and he did so despite some difficulty.

James drove to the basket with about two minutes left in his team’s play-in game against the Golden State Warriors in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Draymond Green tried to defend and ended up poking James in the eye.

James says his vision was impaired as a result, but that didn’t stop him from making his big shot. With the game tied at 100 and just under a minute left, James hit the game-winning 3-pointer to make it 103-100, which was the final score.

“After the Draymond finger to the eye, I was literally seeing three rims out there. So, I just shot to the middle one,” James said in his postgame interview on ESPN.

James joked that he would have a pirate patch on his eye after the game.

The Lakers now have the No. 7 spot and will face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the Utah Jazz.

Jeff Van Gundy hilariously roasts himself after Mike Breen comment

Jeff Van Gundy

Jeff Van Gundy roasted himself appropriately while calling Wednesday’s play-in game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

During the first quarter of the game, Van Gundy congratulated play-by-play announcer Mike Breen on making the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Breen graciously accepted the congratulations and then told analysts Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, his teammates, that he couldn’t have done it without them.

Jackson and Van Gundy both dismissed that remark, with Van Gundy making a funny comparison.

He’s right. Breen getting in had very little to do with Van Gundy or Jackson. But it’s still nice of Breen to thank them.

As for Van Gundy, he is known for some of his unexpectedly humorous comments on the air.

James Harden comments on his viral smoothie video

James Harden smoothie

James Harden on Wednesday commented on the viral smoothie video involving him.

Harden did not play in his Brooklyn’s 123-109 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their regular season finale. But Harden was still in attendance to watch his Nets teammates play.

He was hanging out near the bench and drinking out of a huge smoothie cup. The images went viral:

A few days later, Harden was asked by reporters about the smoothie and shared his thoughts. The former NBA MVP lit up when asked about the shakes and called them “elite.” He is obviously a big fan.

That shake did look delicious. Matter of fact, I’m about to break out the blender. Just need to find a giant bucket cup like him to get the full effect going.