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ATP Acapulco 2015 Recap: David Ferrer Taking On Kei Nishikori

Shane Lambert
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ATP Acapulco 2015 Recap: David Ferrer Taking On Kei Nishikori

ATP Acapulco 2015 Recap David Ferrer Taking On Kei Nishikori

Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer both advanced to the final of ATP Acapulco 2015 (Abierto Mexicano Telcel) with wins on Friday. Nishikori, Japan’s No. 1, defeated Kevin Anderson in three sets while David Ferrer, Spain’s No. 2, eliminated a resurgent Ryan Harrison, also in three sets.

david ferrer sweaty stink for buenos aires tennis 2015 images

The line scores for both matches are listed below:

[1] Kei Nishikori d. [4] Kevin Anderson 62 36 63
[2] David Ferrer (ESP) d. Ryan Harrison 46 60 60

kei nishikori going up against david ferrer atp acapulco tennis 2015

For Nishikori, the win over Anderson is the second in a short time span as the top seed in Acapulco also defeated the South African in Memphis earlier this season. Japan’s top player seemed happy about his level of play at the moment, perhaps suggesting that he’s optimistic about his chances in the final:

david ferrer running for ryan harrison balls atp acapulco open 2015

“I’m playing my game and it’s going really well,” said Nishikori. “I think my serve was much better in the third set and I was making a lot of returns. It was a tough match but I’m happy to make the final.”

The victory means that Nishikori will reach a new career high ranking on Monday. He entered this week as the World No. 5 but Andy Murray, following a loss in Dubai, will drop down to that position soon. Nishikori will be the World No. 4 on Monday and that is in no small part due to his runnerup finish at the 2014 US Open.

ryan harrison returning david ferrers balls for atp acapulco 2015 images

Ferrer, following his backdoor double-bagel of Harrison, will be looking for his second title in as many weeks. The dimunitive Spaniard, who won ATP Rio last week, does not have a history of consistent success against Nishikori. Heading into this weekend’s final, Ferrer is just 3-7 against the Japanese No. 1 with Nishikori having won five straight against the Spaniard.

david ferrer grunting hard for ryan harrison ball atp acapulco 2015

The Saturday night final is scheduled for a start time of not before 9pm, following the women’s final.

Prediction: Nishikori to win.

2015 ATP Buenos Aires Recap: Rafael Nadal Moves On

Shane Lambert
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2015 ATP Buenos Aires Recap: Rafael Nadal Moves On

rafael nadal crushes balls for federico delbonis buenos aires atp 2015

The semifinal match-ups at ATP Buenos Aires 2015 (Argentina Open) are set following Friday’s quarterfinal matches. The top seed in the tournament, Rafael Nadal, remains alive in the draw however no other seed does at this point. All of the singles results from the 2015 Argentina Open, a 250-series event on tour, are listed below.

[1] Rafael Nadal d. Federico Delbonis 61 61
Nicolas Almagro d. [2] Tommy Robredo 63 62
Juan Monaco d. [3] Pablo Cuevas 76(1) 67(4) 64
Carlos Berlocq d. Blaz Rola 61 63

The results set up the following semifinals:

Juan Monaco vs. Nicolas Almagro (2pm)
Rafael Nadal vs. Carlos Berlocq (not before 3:45pm)

rafael nadal showing tennis bulge for federico delbonis 2015 images

While the partisan Argentine fans will be pulling for a Monaco vs. Berlocq final, it seems very unlikely that such a championship match will take place.

Nadal, a perfect 3-0 against Berlocq, has only dropped one set against the Argentine in their head-to-heads. While Monaco has more than a fair chance against Almagro, if the Spaniard is playing his best then he is easily the better clay courter. Furthermore, the 12-time clay court champion owns a 6-3 record against Monaco heads up.

nicolas almagro beats tommy robredo buenos aires tennis 2015

Of the quartet of entrants remaining, Berlocq is the least heralded. The 32-year old, currently ranked 74th in the world, does have a couple of ATP titles to his credit however his count pales in comparison to all three of the other players remaining alive. As mentioned, Almagro has an impressive dozen titles but Monaco’s count is noteworthy at eight. Nadal, having been ranked in the Top 5 for so long owns a whopping sixty-four titles at this point in his career.

juan monaco beats pablo cuevas buenos airest atp 2015

While an all-Argentine final on Sunday does not appear to be in the cards an all-Spanish final could certainly be. Almagro, currently ranked 89th in the world, may be getting back to form and he did beat Nadal in their last meeting. Playing his best, Almagro has the calibre of a Grand Slam quarterfinalist, having made it that far in a few majors so far in his career.

carlos berlocq defeats blaz rola buenos aires 2015

Given that Nadal fumbled last week in the Rio semifinals, there may still be all to play for in Buenos Aires this weekend. However the tournament does appear to be on Nadal’s racket at this point. Besides a favorable match-up against Berlocq, Nadal is 10-1 against Almagro overall and 5-0 against Monaco on clay.

2015 ATP Acapulco Tennis Recap: David Ferrer Moves To Semi-Finals

Shane Lambert
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2015 ATP Acapulco Tennis Recap: David Ferrer Moves To Semi-Finals

2015 ATP Acapulco Tennis Recap David Ferrer Moves To Semi-Finals

Kei Nishikori has lived up to his billing at ATP Acapulco so far this week. Japan’s top player is into the semifinals of the 2015 Abierto Mexicano Telcel having not dropped a set so far.

kei nishkori beats off alexandr dolgopolov atp acapulco tennis 2015

On Thursday, Nishikori, top seeded in the 500-series tournament, defeated a talented player in Alexandr Dolgopolov. The score in that match as well as the other matches are listed below:

(1) Kei Nishikori d. (5) Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-4
(4) Kevin Anderson d. Viktor Troicki 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Ryan Harrison d. Ivo Karlovic 4-6, 7-6, 7-6
(2) David Ferrer d Bernard Tomic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1

Commenting on his victory, Nishikori indicated that the conditions, and not just his opponent, made the match against Dolgopolov a challenge.

“It was a really tough match, especially with this wind…I’m really happy to win today,” Nishikori stated before looking ahead at this semifinal match against Kevin Anderson. “(Anderson) has been playing really well…I’ll try to play good tennis again. I’ve been playing really well this week. Hopefully I can have another good match tomorrow.”

kevin anderson beats viktor troicki atp acapulco tennis 2015

Anderson and Nishikori do not have a lengthy history against one another by any stretch. However they did clash in the final of the recently completed ATP Memphis draw. Nishikori took that match down in straight sets to win that tournament title and he will, almost surely, be the favorite in the Acapulco semifinal when odds are released.

ryan harrison bare beats ivo karlovic back atp acapulco tennis 2015

Ryan Harrison, also into the semifinals, is enjoying a very solid tournament at the 500-series event as well. The 22-year old has long been touted as the future of American tennis however as of yet he has not lived up to the billing. However in making the semifinals of a moderately important tournament on tour, Harrison is re-surging in the rankings.

david ferrer beats bernard tomic 2015 acapulco tennis

Currently ranked 169th in the world, the American is making a serious charge at getting back into the Top 100 on tour. Harrison’s semifinal opponent will be David Ferrer as the Spaniard eliminated Bernard Tomic on Thursday night in the late match.

bernard tomic beaten off by david ferrer acapulco atp 2015

The semifinals as they are, Ferrer looks as though he will play Nishikori in the final. However perhaps Harrison could be the spoiler for that as Ferrer, who was active last week, may be tired having played so many matches recently.

2015 ATP Dubai Tennis Recap: Federer & Djokovic Go Head to Head

Shane Lambert
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2015 ATP Dubai Tennis Recap: Federer & Djokovic Go Head to Head

2015 ATP Dubai Tennis Recap Federer Djokovic Go Head to Head

The semifinals are complete at ATP Dubai 2015 (Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships) and neither of the Friday matches produced a surprise. The World No. 1 and the World No. 2 both advanced to Saturday’s final following victories.

novak djokovic serving balls to borna coric dubai tennis 2015

The line scores for the semifinal matches are below:

(2) Roger Federer d. Borna Coric 6-2, 6-1
(1) Novak Djokovic d. Tomas Berdych 6-0, 5-7, 6-4

roger federer serves to borna boric dubai tennis semis 2015

Federer, who has won ATP Dubai numerous times in the past, commented on his routine win over the 18-year old Coric following the match:

“Maybe I was a bit tentative in the beginning, but I was still able to get off to somewhat of a good start, not being broken early, then breaking him right away,” said Federer. “I felt like after five games I knew more or less what to expect, and I realised what had worked until that point and what had not.”

borna coric returns to roger federer dubai tennis open 2015

Coric had defeated Andy Murray earlier in the Dubai draw. Federer, after playing the Croat, didn’t seem surprised with that result:

“I can see why he has so far caused difficulties for some of the top guys and he still has a lot of room for improvement in his game,” Federer stated. “He does a really good job for a big guy. It’s unbelievable how in the past 10 years we have seen so many big guys moving well from the baseline. I think he returns very well, especially off second serves, and that’s such a huge part of today’s game, I believe.”

Coric, according to his webpage with ATPWorldTour.com, is only listed as 6’1″. Why Federer is calling him a “big guy” is not clear as both players are the same height.

roger federer beats borna coric dubai tennis semis 2015 images

The 6’1″ teenager, following his run to the semis in Dubai, can expect to be ranked in the Top 110 next week. With a win over Murray, Coric promises to gain a lot of confidence for future events. While he had to play quallies in Dubai should he improve his ranking a little more the Croat can hope to start avoiding the quallies in the future, at least for the bigger field events.

tomas berdych loses to novak djokovic dubai tennis semis 2015

Commenting on the Federer match, Coric had some clear respect for the World No. 2: “He was just way too good for me. I was feeling so rushed. I didn’t have any time to play my game plan.”

novak djokovic takes out borna coric atp dubai tennis 2015 images

Djokovic had some trouble in his semifinal however he improved his heads-up record against Berdych to 18-2. The stage is now set in Dubai for a World No. 1 vs. World No. 2 showdown on Saturday.* On head-to-heads Federer holds a slim 19-17 lead over Djokovic.

*Previously we wrote that the final would be played on Sunday.

2015 ATP Dubai Tennis Recap: Djokovic, Federer, Coric & Berdych Move To Semis

Shane Lambert
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2015 ATP Dubai Tennis Recap: Djokovic, Federer, Coric & Berdych Move To Semis

2015 ATP Dubai Tennis Recap Djokovic Federer Coric Berdych Move To SemisThe quarterfinal round at ATP Dubai 2015 (Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships) was completed on Thursday with three of the top four seeds in the event advancing to the semifinals. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Tomas Berdych will play on Friday while third seeded Andy Murray suffered an upset.

andy murray slamming borna corics balls for dubai tennis championships 2015

The line scores for all of Thursday’s matches are below:

[1] Novak Djokovic d. [Q] Marsel Ilhan 61 61
[2] Roger Federer d. Richard Gasquet 61 ret.
[LL] Borna Coric d. [3] Andy Murray 61 63
[4] Tomas Berdych d. Sergiy Stakhovsky 63 46 62

borna coric beats andy murray atp 2015 dubai open 2015 images

Coric, who is only eighteen years old, is the only unseeded player remaining in the draw. An interesting point regarding the Croat is he is only in the Dubai draw as a “lucky loser.” For those that don’t know that means he was the highest ranked player to lose in the final round of qualifying. As such he served as a replacement when Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber pulled out of the tournament with an illness.

borna coric kills any murray atp dubai tennis 2015

Coric, who will face Federer in the semifinals, made the pretty standard comments that players make when they make a surprise run:

“I have nothing to lose, just literally nothing to lose,” Coric claimed. “Just go on the court, enjoy, learn and see how he’s playing.”

“Mostly, I’m going to try to beat (Federer),” he continued. “I’m not going to go in the match like I’m going to lose.”

roger federer perfect form for beating richard gasquet dubai tennis open 2015

Federer, despite the fact that he is playing a relatively unproven player, knows better than to take him lightly.

“(Coric) seems to really play up when it matters against the better players,” Federer stated, suggesting that he’s going to prepare for the match like any other.

The Swiss Maestro added: “(Coric) makes very little errors, and I think that’s why he is able to put a lot of the top guys under pressure.”

The Coric vs. Federer match is scheduled for a start time of not before 5pm on Friday. It will be followed by Djokovic vs. Berdych (not before 7pm), a match that features two Top 10 players.

novak djokovic beats marsel ilhan dubai tennis open 2015 images

Djokovic, who had a very inexperienced opponent in the quarterfinals, attributed his easy quarterfinal win in part to that.

“(Ilhan) lacks a little bit of experience and confidence on being in the big stadium,” Djokovic said. “That’s where I used my opportunity from the start. I made a double break, and I felt like I was in control of the match. I didn’t allow him to get into the groove.”

tomas berdych defeats sergiy stakhovsky 2015 dubai open tennis

Berdych, as a contrast to Ilhan, does not lack in experience in big stadiums however the Czech No. 1 does lack in experience when it comes to beating Djokovic. On head-to-heads Berdych is just 2-17 against the current World No. 1, a trend that strongly implies that Djokovic will advance to the Saturday final.

The situation as it is the championship match in Dubai looks as though it will feature the World No. 1 vs. the World No. 2 with the 500-series title in Dubai at stake.

Miami Dolphins Season Recap & 2015 NFL Draft Needs

Chris Maurice
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Miami Dolphins Season Recap & 2015 NFL Draft Needs

The Miami Dolphins had relatively high standards coming into the 2014 NFL season, but for the sixth season in a row they failed to make the playoffs. After an 8-8 record in 2013, the Dolphins barely managed to finish 8-8 again in 2014.

joe philbin coach out for miami dolphins 2015

The Dolphins biggest obstacle to success seems to be their division—specially the New England Patriots. The Dolphins live to beat the Patriots, it is almost like their Super Bowl. Well, they did it this season. The Dolphins opened the season at home with a 33-20 stomping of the Patriots. Unfortunately, they just didn’t seem to have that same spark the rest of the season as if that win was all they wanted.

miami dolphins lose to denver broncos nfl 2015

The Dolphins really struggled to close out games against teams above .500 this past season. In fact, the Dolphins were 1-6 against winning teams outside their division with their only victory coming Week 9 in their 37-0 shutout victory over the San Diego Chargers. However, the Dolphins losses against the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers came by three points each. The Dolphins are very close to being a legitimate competitor once again, but they do need some help. Head coach Joe Philbin and general manager Dennis Hickey will definitely be scouting out some new young talent at the NFL Combine to fill in some of their biggest holes. Here are the Miami Dolphins biggest needs heading into the 2015 NFL Draft:

ryan tannehill working hard for miami dolphins nfl 2015ryan tannehill working hard for miami dolphins nfl 2015

Offensive Line: The Dolphins offensive line really never recovered from the bullying scandal with Richie Incognito a few years back, and for the second year in a row quarterback Ryan Tannehill seemed to find himself on the ground more times than not. After Branden Albert went down with an injury, rookie Ja’wuan James did a great job filling in for the veteran; so the Dolphins seems to at least have one of the five offensive line positions filled. The Fins biggest hole is at the two guard positions. Mike Pouncey proved that he is unable to play guard so he will either be playing center or riding the bench come September. Tannehill has the potential to lead the Dolphins moving forward, but he can’t bring them anywhere with his face in the turf. Look for the Dolphins to try and improve their offensive line in the draft possibly as early as the 14th pick.

brent grims playing well for miami dolphins nfl bulge 2015

Secondary: Brent Grimes is still playing at a high level, but he is getting older and he can’t play forever. Reshad Jones rounds out the list of the best players in the secondary, but that’s not enough. The Dolphins play the Patriots twice a season, and two good defenders cannot stop an onslaught of receiving core talent that the Patriots possess. Also, the Dolphins are expected to let Cortland Finnegan go this offseason in order to get a little more cap space to work with, and Jamar Taylor and Will Davis are not reliable enough yet. Clearly the Dolphins need to do something here, but the question is how early do they make a move and draft a corner or safety.

jelani jenkins staying with miami dolphins nfl 2015 images

Linebacker: While we’re on the Dolphins defense, they could certainly use some improvement at the linebacker position as well. Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe have not worked out, and it’s time for the Dolphins to find their replacements. Jelani Jenkins showed his stuff this season and definitely earned his keep; however, the Dolphins could definitely get better by drafting an inside linebacker with a mid-round selection. Look for Miami to pick up a linebacker come May 1st.

Atlanta Falcons Eyeing Running Back Justin Forsett in Free Agency

Chris Maurice
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Atlanta Falcons Eyeing Running Back Justin Forsett in Free Agency

justin forsett being eyed by atlanta falcons with baltimore ravens 2015

Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett really made a name for himself in 2014. In the absence of Ray Rice, Forsett filled in perfectly for the Ravens, finishing the season with over 1,200 yards on 5.4 yards per carry as well as eight touchdowns. Now the “no-name” back is heading for free agency, and he has drawn a lot of attention from teams in need of a running back—especially the Atlanta Falcons.

Most people had no idea who Forsett was or where he came from when he was announced as the Ravens starting running back with Rice missing the entire season due to legal issues. 2014 was actually Forsett’s seventh season in the NFL with his fifth different team. The 2008 7th round selection by the Seattle Seahawks has bounced all around in his career: Forsett saw minimal playing time with the Indianapolis Colts in 2008, went back to the Seahawks from 2009-2011 as an extra rushing option, saw the ball very little in 2012 and 2013 with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, and finally ended up with the Ravens for 2014. He’s definitely a patient man.

Well, after his break-out 2014 season with the Ravens, Forsett has become a hot commodity—a relatively cheap running back who can put up good, consistent numbers. On top of that, Forsett brings experience without a lot of mileage—the running back has less than 600 carries on his career.

Forsett is now being sought-after by teams desperate to bring a spark to their backfield, like the Falcons. The Falcons have made it clear that they have a “strong interest” in signing the Ravens back. The Falcons starting running back is still Steven Jackson, but he has been nothing but an injury problem since joining the Falcons. Jackson is due $3.75 million in 2015, the final year of his contract; so the Falcons will more than likely release him before the start of the season.

Jacquizz Rodgers will be a free agent soon, and the Falcons seem confident enough in Devonta Freeman to move forward without Rodgers; however, they would like to have Forsett to share the carries with the second-year back.

The big push for Forsett within the Falcons organization reportedly stems from offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan ran the Houston’s offense during Forsett’s short stint with the Texans, and he is well-known for his zone blocking offensive scheme—the same kind that Forsett excelled in this past season with Baltimore.

At the end of the day, Atlanta is not the best team for the soon-to-be 30 year old veteran running back. The Falcons have a lot of young talent on hand, so Forsett would be sharing the majority of the carries. Fortunately for Forsett, he has some options—both the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos have shown some interest in signing the veteran (although not nearly as much as the Falcons have).

The Colts are definitely in need of a running back, especially with Trent Richardson expected to be cut this offseason. Forsett would have a chance to be the featured back for another season if he were to join Indianapolis this offseason.

The Broncos don’t necessary need another running back. Between C.J. Anderson, Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman, and Juwan Thompson, Forsett would be lucky to get a couple of carries a game. Even knowing this, Forsett has a great relationship with Broncos new head coach Gary Kubiak; so signing in Denver, although unlikely, is not completely out of the question.

The Falcons interest may inflate Forsett’s value this offseason, but in the end he needs to ask himself which is more important to him at this stage in his career: money or a shot at a Super Bowl.

Indianapolis Colts Trying to Stockpile Cap Room for 2015

Chris Maurice
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Indianapolis Colts Trying to Stockpile Cap Room for 2015

ryan grigson colts stockpile cap room 2015

The Indianapolis Colts had a pretty good 2014 NFL season up until the AFC Championship Game. In their 45-7 loss to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the Colts defensive shortcomings were exposed to the world. Sure, the Colts already knew they needed an improvement on the defensive line and the Patriots cheated and had an unfair advantage; but LeGarrette Blount and the Patriots really blew the door open on the Colts problems.

colts defense sucked against new englad patriots 2015

Indianapolis is prepared to improve this offseason, and that starts by freeing up room in the salary cap. Defensive end Cory Redding is a free agent, safety LaRon Landry is gone, and now defensive end Ricky Jean Francois has been cut.

Jean Francois was one of the Colts biggest free agent acquisitions from 2013, signing a four-year, $22 million deal with the team. Well, Jean Francois is due a base salary of $5.5 million in 2015; and the Colts have decided they would rather have the money. Jean Francois was an effective player for the majority of 2014, but the addition of Art Jones saw a greatly reduced role for Jean Francois. It wasn’t until Jones’s ankle injury that Jean Francois would return to the starting lineup. In his 26 total games with Indianapolis, Jean Francois managed 54 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Parting ways with Jean Francois will free up approximately $4.875 million in cap room for the Colts.

Jean Francois is the latest in a series of roster moves involving the Colts free agency class of 2013, the class which included Landry. Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has taken a fair amount of criticism over the past two seasons for his 2013 free agency moves, but he was certainly smart to organize the majority of the players’ contracts so that they get all their guaranteed money over the first two seasons.

jean francois gone from colts for cap 2015

With their offseason transactions so far, the Colts have over $40 million in cap room available for the 2015 NFL season. At the rate Indianapolis is stockpiling cap space, they will have enough to be one of the most active teams in free agency this offseason, much like the Denver Broncos were last offseason after losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. In fact, Grigson was asked at the NFL Scouting Combine if losing in the AFC Championship Game in 2014 has made him more aggressive to make big free agent moves, to which he unabashedly replied “Heck yeah! Heck yeah.”

The Colts are putting the majority of their focus into bolstering their defensive line this offseason. With big name stars such as Broncos’ Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton and the Detroit Lions pass rush duo of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley all hitting the market, the Colts definitely have the opportunity (and money) to enter 2015 with one of the better defensive lines in football. Knighton has been complaining all offseason that he doesn’t feel the Broncos want him back, and the jury is still out on whether or not the Lions are willing to give Suh the massive contract he would need to stay in Detroit.

For those who are wondering what will happen to Jean Francois, him and his agent are both very confident that he will be able to find employment this offseason. In fact, Jean Francois has not ruled out a return to the Colts. Apparently Grigson would like to keep the big man in Indianapolis for a few more seasons (at severely reduced pay, of course).

Oh, by the way, don’t forget that Andrew Luck only has one year left on his contract. The Colts have already announced that his new deal (either this offseason or next) will be worth as much as $140 million—quite the cap hit for seasons to come.

The Colts have a lot of work to do this offseason and a lot of money to work with. It will be interesting to see how much the Colts can improve their defense heading into the 2015 season.

Dallas Cowboys & Brandon Carr Talking Pay Cut for 2015

Chris Maurice
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Dallas Cowboys & Brandon Carr Talking Pay Cut for 2015

dallas cowboys brandon carr talking pay cut 2015

The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly asked cornerback Brandon Carr to take a pay cut heading into the 2015. Apparently the Cowboys are having a bit of buyer’s remorse three years after signing Carr to a five-year, $50 million contract. Carr’s massive contract made him one of the highest paid corners in the NFL, and came after four great seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs in which he totaled eight interceptions and well over 200 solo tackles.

Believe it or not, Brandon Carr was one of the better cornerbacks in the league at one point. The former 5th round selection really made a name for himself with the Chiefs. Since joining the Cowboys, Carr has been completely outshined by players such as Darrelle Revis, Richard Sherman, and Patrick Peterson; however, that doesn’t mean he has been a complete waste of Jerry Jones’s money: Carr has managed 153 tackles since putting on the Cowboys uniform as well as six interceptions.

Carr’s problem? All six of his interceptions came in 2012 and 2013. Carr completely regressed from his high level of play in 2014—Carr didn’t grab a single interception this past season, and his overall coverage was flat out poor compared to previous years. In fact, Carr was one of the bottom corners in the NFL all but the last three games of the 2014 season. His only memorable play from 2014: giving up “The Catch” to Odell Beckham Jr.

tony romo dallas cowboys money makers 2015

Now comes the Cowboys problem: Tony Romo is making a ton of money, and Dallas still needs to resign both DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant this offseason—and you know they’re going to want a good amount. Dallas seems pretty set on franchise tagging Bryant soon, which would result in a cap hit of somewhere close to $13-15 million for 2015. The Cowboys haven’t said whether they will try and resign Murray or hope to acquire Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, but either way Jones will have to shell out a good $10 million a season for one of these MVP-caliber running backs.

Carr is scheduled to make an $8 million base salary in 2015 which a total cap hit of $12.7 million—in other words, Carr will cost the Cowboys almost as much as Bryant in 2015.

Jerry Jones refused to comment on what the Cowboys will be doing with Carr this offseason, but the Cowboys have reported that they have been meeting with Carr’s agent to discuss a pay cut for the 2015 season.

The Cowboys do not have much leverage if they want to keep Carr: his contract includes $25 million guaranteed, and he is still due a good portion of this money. However, the Cowboys have made it clear that they are not afraid to cut Carr this offseason if he is not willing to cooperate. Sure, he’d get a good bit of money; but he would soon find that the other 31 NFL franchises aren’t willing to pay the massive salary he’d like either.

brandon carr talking paycut with cowboys

Carr’s best option would be to find an agreeable compromise and stick with the Cowboys. After a 12-4 finish in 2014 and a playoff run that left them one or two plays after from an NFC Championship Game appearance, the Cowboys will certainly be considered a Super Bowl contender in 2015. If the Cowboys cannot renegotiate Carr’s contract then they will miss out on at least one of their other big name free agents this offseason.

The Cowboys need all the cap room they can manage to obtain this offseason. Carr needs to do what is best for the team (and in the long run, himself) and put the near-future of the franchise first.

Is Louis van Gaal responsible for Manchester United’s bad results?

Luka Alario
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Is Louis van Gaal responsible for Manchester United’s bad results?

louis van gaal manager of manchester united rough patch 2015

The Dutch manager Louis van Gaal has been successful in Spain, Holland and Germany. But his stint in England at Manchester United is like no other. The enormity of the job at hand is bigger than all his previous challenges.

Manchester United is the biggest club in the world and the attention which the manager of such a club gets can be overwhelming at times. LVG’s predecessor, David Moyes, got a lot of stick from the media and he eventually lost the dressing room before the end of last year’s campaign. Sir Alex Ferguson has indeed left some big shoes to fill. Ed Woodward helped Van Gaal with the funds and a lot of cash was splashed in the summer transfer window of 2014. Even the British transfer record was broken to bring in the Argentine winger, Angel di Maria. Also, one of the best strikers in the world, Radamel Falcao moved from Monaco to Old Trafford on a one-year deal. One of England’s promising talent, Luke Shaw was bought to replace the outgoing Frenchman, Patrice Evra. Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, who impressed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil also sealed their move to Manchester.

Despite of so many big money signings, United are still nowhere close to stamping on the top four spot. Although, to be fair there is only a four points difference between the third placed, Arsenal and the seventh placed, Tottenham Hotspurs. The things are getting very close in the race for the European spots, but would one explain the monotonous and one-dimensional performances of the 20-time English champions. The Red Devils have struggled in many games this season, but somehow they have grinded results. Quite a few times, the Spanish goal keeper, David de Gea has came to the rescue of the English giants. Like last year, he is without the best player at United. His contract expires in 2016 and with all the major clubs lurking, United should extend his contract as soon as possible.

The biggest disappointment at Old Trafford this campaign has been their immense strike force. With Falcao, Van Persie, Rooney, Di Maria and Mata upfront, a fan expects a galore of goals. But none of Van Gaal’s men has reached the double figures till now. The Colombian striker used to score for fun at Porto and Atletico Madrid, but now he seems to be the shadow of his former self. Angel di Maria is not the player he was at the start of the season. He has been inconsistent, injury prone and plainly mediocre at times. Robin van Persie almost single-handedly won the league for Man United in his first season since moving from the Emirates, but now it seems his best days are behind him. The English skipper, Wayne Rooney was pulled to the midfield and thus he hasn’t been on the score sheet in ages.

Although, United look more solid at the back. Van Gaal’s tactics, team selection and formations have been questionable. It has taken him a lot of time to implement his philosophy and still it hasn’t completely clicked. A finish out of top four and elimination out of the FA Cup can be termed as a disastrous season because of the standards they’ve set for themselves over the years. Yet, we also have to acknowledge the fact that the manager and the new players are adapting to the Premier League, which definitely is harder and fiercer than any other top league in Europe.

Search Elsewhere Tovarishch: Yandex vs Google

Marius Manuella
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Search Elsewhere Tovarishch: Yandex vs Google

yandex going after google in russia 2015

Remember the good old days when the European Union pulled the plug on Internet Explorer being included in Microsoft Windows? Same thing is happening in Russia except Microsoft is no longer the bad guy. Today, browsers are free whether it’s Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, Google’s Chrome, Apple’s Safari and Opera Software’s Opera. Today, search is the new commodity and like Microsoft back then with Windows and Internet Explorer, Google may have overreached itself with Android and Google Search.

Google is currently under fire in Russia where search competitor Yandex, Russia’s largest search provider, filed a complaint to the country’s anti-monopoly regulator. This is because with Android, Google search is essentially built-in much like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer in Windows. Google search appears as a widget on the first home screen of most Android units. With most, if not all Android units, Google is also the default search method for the built-in browser. OEM’s that want to use Android with Google Play must also follow some rules from Google, setting Google as the default search being one of them, and that they can’t accept transactions from other search companies like Yandex. Yandex is at a disadvantage when it comes to mobile searches since about 86 percent of mobile devices in Russia run on Android.

Now Yandex of course wants to maintain its search supremacy in Russia and to do that, it has to out Google. Given Yandex’s argument, it would be fair in the market if Android devices didn’t default to Google as its search engine. Like Microsoft, Google would have to set up a screen asking users what search engine they’d like to set as default.

Another option for Yandex is to go the way of Cyanogen, Amazon and some Chinese OEM’s and create a fork of Android. However, by doing so, it doesn’t get rid of the competition. Google would still be around, competing through international brands. There’s really no way of knowing whether Russians would purchase Yandex devices over other known imported brands with stock Google Android. Yandex needs to get rid of Google Search altogether or at least cripple it via the setup screen.

It can’t be easy for the Russian search giant unless it can get the Kremlin to ban Android or force Google to fork itself. Google would have to create a version of Android where users won’t have to be forced to register a Gmail account, remove its location, email and messaging services as well as add an opt out screen. Then where would be the profit in it for Google? Unlike Windows which is for sale, the internet search giant already offered Android for free with the catch that search and other services will be handled by default by them; and unlike Windows, Internet Explorer isn’t deeply integrated and doesn’t define the operating system. By providing a free operating system, Google’s argument is entirely reasonable. Take it away then there’s no point.

If Yandex does succeed with Google, what’s next? They would have to target Bing on Windows devices and Yahoo on Apple devices. If they do succeed, they would then become the monopoly which is counter to their initial argument which is ridiculous. Android is a free market and Yandex should simply ride with it and make as much headway as they can. Users can always opt to install Yandex as their search engine is Yandex makes a compelling marketing program.

Yandex’s best bet is to invest in creating its own Android fork and create its own line of compelling Yandex devices. Many Chinese companies are doing well doing such and Yandex might even make it into the mobile hardware market.

Carolina Panthers Burn Bridges Part 2: DeAngelo Williams

Chris Maurice
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Carolina Panthers Burn Bridges Part 2: DeAngelo Williams

carolina panthers burn bridges with deangelo williams nfl 2015

Everyone remembers the whole Steve Smith Sr. debacle from last offseason right? Well the Panthers are back with a part two:

After nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers, DeAngelo Williams announced recently that he was cut from the team during a meeting with head coach Ron Rivera. Williams claims that Rivera told him flat out that the Panthers “don’t run the ball enough” to justify keeping both him and Jonathan Stewart on the team. Unfortunately for Williams, he missed most of the 2014 season with injury problems forcing Rivera to give the nod to keeping Stewart instead.

Williams has been with the Panthers since they drafted him in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Williams hit his career-high in both rushing yards and touchdowns in 2008 when he finished the season with 1,515 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns. 2009 was a great season as well, but every season since has been a mini disappointment culminating in the 2014 season in which Williams missed 10 games and only picked up 219 yards on the ground.

“I don’t feel bitter at all,” said Williams when asked for his thoughts on the situation. “[Stewart] had the hot hand at the end of the season. He’s a great running back, obviously…I don’t feel bitter at all. It’s a business.”

Williams may not be bitter about the business side of the transaction, but it’s hard to believe he wasn’t upset about everything else the Panthers did (or failed to do) to him. Now that Williams’ career in Carolina is over, he has no problem informing the world about the shortcomings of the organization:

DeAngelo Williams’ mother, Sandra Hill, died in May of 2014 after a ten year battle with breast cancer. Williams was very close to his mother as well as his other four aunts who died from breast cancer, and he played an influential role in convincing the NFL to support breast cancer beginning in 2009.

The Panthers gave him no support in this rough patch of his life—in fact, Greg Hardy was the only member of the organization who even attended the burial:

“Nobody came to the funeral,” said Williams. “The [Jerry Richardson] didn’t reach out. He didn’t say anything. Never talked to me. Nobody upstairs ever talked to me. The only two people who ever said anything to me was Coach Rivera and Dave Gettleman. Everybody else was…busy because it was the draft.”

Williams continued: “I was upset with Carolina because the last five or six years during October she was celebrated, but then when she was no longer here—let’s move on. [I was] very disappointed…it stung to know that a place of business that you’ve worked for, you’ve bled, you’ve played through injuries, you’ve done everything you possibly can for this organization to be successful, and then upon your darkest hour, they let you handle it by yourself.”

The Panthers did an even better job alienating their franchise player this time—even Steve Smith didn’t curse Richardson’s name on his way out the door, which is impressive.

Cutting Smith was a very odd business move. Sure, he was getting older; but he was still a good player. The odd part is that the Panthers actually had to pay more to cut Smith this past season than it would have cost to keep him on the roster. Williams play had declined significantly, and the Panthers already had a solid player to take his place.

First it was Steve Smith Sr, now it’s DeAngelo Williams. Who’s next on the Panthers list?

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