BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans Acquire Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills

BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans Acquire Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills

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Earlier today it was revealed that the Houston Texans were sending Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks on a blockbuster trade.

Turns out, it wasn’t the only big move that the team would make on the day.

It had been rumored that the Texans were after Miami Dolphins left tackle, Laremy Tunsil in a potential Clowney deal but the edge rusher didn’t want to take his talents to South Beach.

However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Houston will get its guy along with wide receiver Kenny Stills—who has been public in his distaste for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ support of President Donald Trump.

Keep in mind that the Texans are currently operating without a general manager so both of these major moves have been credited to head coach Bill O’Brien.

The offensive line has long been a weakness for Houston and now they get a high-end tackle to protect Deshaun Watson’s blindside.

The full details of the move are listed below.

Texans receive: LT Laremy Tunsil, WR Kenntnis Stills, 2020 fourth-round pick, and 2021 sixth-round pick.

Dolphins receive: 2020 and 2021 first-round picks, a 2021 second-round pick, OL Julien Davenport, and Special teamer Johnson Bademosi.

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #5 Bobby Wagner

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #5 Bobby Wagner

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5. Bobby Wagner

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Position: MLB

Experience: 7 Years

The SneakerReporter’s highest rated inside linebacker and the best in the business, Bobby Wagner. Wagner came into the league in 2012 and his career took off as the Legion of Boom dominated the NFL, leading the Hawks to the 2014 Super Bowl Title. Although most of the recognition went elsewhere, Wagner patrolled the middle of the field, while also shutting down runs with ease. Without him, the Legion of Boom looks a lot different and may never win a championship.

When the Seahawks drafted Wagner in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the scouting report on him was that he plays with a terrific motor but could be undersized at the NFL level. The scouts weren’t wrong about the motor at all, as Wagner has an uncanny sense of reading plays and blowing up running backs in the backfield. In his rookie season he had over 130 combined tackles, three INTs, and 9 tackles for loss. Wagner quickly put the concerns about his size to rest. 

The Seahawks Super Bowl run in 2014 really catapulted Wagner into the elite category, finally receiving some well earned recognition. He made his first Pro-Bowl and First Team All-Pro in 2014. Since then, he has yet to miss a Pro-Bowl and has earned First Team All-Pro honors three more times (2016, 2017, 2018). Wagner’s versatility is what makes him so special. He is quick enough to stay with receivers over the middle but also strong enough to shed linemen on the interior. 

Bobby Wagner has all the ideal qualities for an inside linebacker. At 6’0” 240 lbs., Wagner is an absolute wrecking ball. His explosion and hit power are some of the best in the NFL today. But perhaps Wagner’s best trait of all, he never misses tackles. Wagner and Kuechly are known as some of the best form tacklers in the league, but Wagner took it to a whole new level in 2018 when he only missed one tackle the entire season. Wagner already owns real estate in the Seahawks Record book as the All Time leader in Solo Tackles, as well as the most tackles in a single season, with 168 in 2016. 

Wagner holds his spot as one of the last members of the Super Bowl winning squad in 2014. Wagner has been healthy for the majority of his career, hopefully foreshadowing many more years of dominance. At only 29 years old, expect Wagner to keep producing elite numbers. Bobby Wagner is truly an underappreciated star in today’s league. He isn’t about the fame and antics, he strictly gets the job done. 

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks Agree On Deal Involving Jadeveon Clowney

BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks Agree On Deal Involving Jadeveon Clowney

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The Houston Texans and Jadeveon Clowney have been at an impasse ever since the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract. The franchise tag was ultimately applied to edge rusher but he refused to sign the tender or report to camp.

As the offseason progressed into training camp, it seemed less likely that Clowney would ever suit up for the Texans again.

Once he made it known that he was willing to miss games the conversation changed from how they could keep him to who they could deal him for.

The Miami Dolphins were often rumored but Clowney wanted to play for a contender if he was to be moved. According to FOX’s Jay Glazer, the Texans and Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a trade pending all players involved passing their physicals—at this time Clowney is the only player we know for sure is part of the deal. The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reports that a Seattle is sending a third-round pick and two players to the Texans.

Pete Carroll gets as good of a replacement as possible for Frank Clark.

Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has spent his time away training in Florida and is reportedly in the best shape of his career.

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
2019-2020 NBA Season Team Analysis: Boston Celtics

2019-2020 NBA Season Team Analysis: Boston Celtics

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With a fairly early exit in the second round of last year’s 2018-2019 NBA Playoffs to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, like many other teams around the league, have made drastic changes to their roster for the upcoming season. The organization has shifted its focus from the Kyrie Irving era to a new, and hopefully improved, route in notable acquisitions in Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter as well as shifting sights toward continuing to develop the young core the team already has. The team has also found some luck regarding their draft this season with names like Carsen Edwards out of Purdue and the biggest name coming from Central Florida in Tacko Fall. There were many questions raised throughout the course of last season, and with the new roster perhaps many of said questions may be answered.

With the Kyrie Irving era of Celtics’ basketball has come to a conclusion, a new chapter opens with Kemba Walker at the helm of it all at the point guard position. Walker has always been a solid point guard throughout his time with the Hornets. He averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game last season, just barely making the NBA Playoffs as the 9th seed with a record of 39-43. This should serve as a solid testament for Walker, for over the course of his time with the Hornets, the roster he was surrounded by was adequate at best. He has always been most known for his ability to score the ball, which although is obviously a very important aspect of the game, is something he won’t have to potentially worry about alone as opposed to before. But the one thing Walker really needed was more reliable scoring from his team, which he can now get from a multitude of different options on this Celtics roster.

Although Irving may have been the biggest name in Free Agency for the Celtics, fans also learned that Center Al Horford would be signing to Eastern Conference rival in the Philidelphia 76ers. Despite such a loss, the organization have found themselves acquiring notable big Enes Kanter of the Portland Trailblazers. Kanter has really come into his own form these past few seasons, being known for the effort he plays with inside the paint, averaging 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. There is, however, a blatant disparity between Horford and Kanter. Horford has been more of a stretch big for the Celtics with a 3-PT percentage of 36% last season while Kanter doesn’t share the same play style, shooting a mere 25% from 3-PT last season. However, Kanter may potentially be a better fit within this system now with the way the roster is set up, playing as a more true big rather than today’s common stretch big.

With the rookie signings coming to its conclusions, teams have selected who they’ll be choosing to further develop alongside the rest of their rosters. The Celtics have chosen to sign Carsen Edwards, a point guard who made a strong case for himself in the NBA Summer League this year alongside 7’7″ Center Tacko Fall, the tallest NBA player in the league ahead of recently acquire Dallas Center in Boban Marjanovic listed at 7′ 3.5″.

Despite all the signings the Celtics made this offseason, the young core that the team has is brings much excitement to Celtics fans worldwide. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Marcus Smart are big names that still remain in Boston, which within itself is an impressive group. Smart finds himself being the one point guard remaining of the three last season in Rozier and Irving, where there was a lot of questions of how they were balancing play time between all of them. With Smart having his role solidified as a spark off the bench behind Kemba, his focus has fully shifted to just that. Tatum, Brown, and Hayward have been a core to be reckoned with since they’ve come together. They’re each interchangeable providing for their team all in different ways, as well as being able to be shifted from a multitude of positions, relieving any minutes issues that may arise. The more time they get time to develop, the scarier it becomes for the rest of the league.

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
2019-2020 NBA Season Team Analysis: Atlanta Hawks

2019-2020 NBA Season Team Analysis: Atlanta Hawks

NBA

With a lackluster season in the year 2018, the Atlanta Hawks finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-53, the organization has made big changes within the roster in efforts to bolster a young roster with more depth and a stronger veteran presence. The Hawks have one of the younger teams in the league, while shifting majority focus to developing their duo in point guard Trae Young and forward John Collins. With the recent additions of De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish after this year’s NBA Draft, the amount of potential on this roster is deep. On top of the young talent that the organization has acquired over the offseason, they’ve also made moves in acquiring players that can make a legitimate impact on the floor.

Young averaged 19.1 points per game on 41.8% shooting, 3.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. With numbers such as this over the course of 81 games coming from a rookie is astounding, allotting him enough votes to be recognized as the runner-up in last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Young has been a 3-PT threat the entire season, and that doesn’t seem likely to change with the season to come. Teams around the league know that Young is going to score the ball and his future gets only brighter from this point on. The only minor concern could be that, like other soon to be second year players in the league, may suffer from the “Sophomore slump”, where players find themselves not producing the same way they once did a season prior. Now if that is a matter of superstition or teams making the correct adjustments defensively, fans will see in time whether or not Young can live up to the challenge.

The other half to the other young Hawks duo in John Collins has made a name for himself in also being an offensive force for the Hawks last season, averaging 19.5 points per game on 56% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, and 2 assists versus his rookie season averaging only 10.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. With a 6’11 wingspan and very impressive athleticism, the 2017 19th draft pick also has the potential to be a dominant presence on the defensive end of the floor, getting his hands into passing lanes, blocking shots, or coming over to help defensively. Going into his third season of his career, the league is starting to see Collins’ full potential, as being a solid all-around player at the forward position for the Hawks.

This year’s NBA Draft was star-studded, with a multitude of big names going making their way into the league. The Atlanta Hawks were no strangers in acquiring talent in the draft, most notably with Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter and Duke forward Cam Reddish coming into the equation for the organization. Looking at the statistics for both rookies from their time in college, Hawks fans can believe that these two will be potential options offensively. Additionally, a perk in regards to these two players is their size, with Hunter listed as 6’7 and Reddish as a 6’8. This allows for both of them to potentially switch to several different positions throughout the season. This also gives them an edge defensively, being able to potentially defend from the point guard position on switches to the power forward position. A major concern in regards to Reddish however is in his play style. Reddish is a bonafide scorer, but his time at Duke did not exactly allow him to play how he has seen to be most effective, with ball in his hands. More times than naught fans would see Reddish playing as a spot-up shooter, waiting at the wings while the other ball handler’s would run the offense, as opposed to his fellow rookie teammate. Hunter seems to thrive spotting up or coming off the dribble and making the play inwards of the three-point line.

 

 

 

 

Shifting topics from youth of this team to the veterans, the Hawks have their fair share of solid players on the team hoping to make the difference for the organization. Most notably, Allen Crabbe of the Nets, Evan Turner of the Trailblazers, Chandler Parsons of the Grizzlies, and Jabari Parker of the Wizards. Crabbe and Parsons serve as a shooting threat from outside, Turner has been well-known throughout his career to be a solid all-around player, while Parker, despite suffering injuries throughout the stages of his career, has been a slashing force to be reckoned with.

In other news regarding the Hawks, however, is the headline of Vince Carter coming out saying he’ll be playing his last season with the Atlanta Hawks. Carter has spent the previous season with the Hawks, over an illustrious soon to be 20 plus season career. Despite his extensive time within the league, Carter is still able to play the game at an elite level, providing solid scoring off the bench with the occasional highlight reel dunk at the age of 42.

It is needless to say that the Hawks will be an exciting team to watch this season, with projections to do better than the season prior. With all their new acquisitions, and the hunger of the roster who remain, fans league-wide should keep their eyes on the Hawks in the East this coming October 2019.

 

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments