Jim Mora Jr. knocks his former QB: Rosen is an unfocused millennial
Mora repeatedly slams Josh Rosen — and millennials in general
Jim Mora Jr., who was fired last November as coach of the UCLA Bruins, is sending mixed signals on his former quarterback, Josh Rosen, who’s expected to be among the first five picks in this month’s NFL draft. “Josh, I think, without a doubt is the No. 1 quarterback in the draft,” Mora told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King. “He’s a franchise-changer.” But then he threw some shade, as he has in the past (suggesting Sam Darnold has more “grit” than Rosen): “He needs to be challenged intellectually, so he doesn’t get bored. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they’re good. Josh has a lot of interests in life. If you can hold his concentration level and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire.” Rosen tweeted a one-word response to Mora’s commentary: “Why?”
Dear Coach: All the players in this draft are millennials. At a time when America is applauding the energy, focus and leadership of seniors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., you’re summoning the stereotype of millennials having attention deficit disorder.
Jon Gruden cuts punter Marquette King for too many penalties and tweets
One of the first moves by Jon Gruden, newly hired head coach of the Oakland Raiders, was the release of 29-year-old Marquette King, who last season ranked No. 3 in the NFL in net punting, at 42.7 yards. Gruden was not disappointed with King’s kicking but with his four personal fouls over the past two seasons and an attitude that seemed at times unprofessional. Vic Tafur, Raiders beat writer, reported in The Athletic that King was “a flamboyant social media star perceived as hard to handle.”
Between the Lines: It’s sometimes permissible for a receiver or running back to be a diva, but never a punter. Gruden is trying to change the Raider culture that in recent years has been tolerant of loss of composure and unnecessary penalties.
Su’a Cravens, now with Broncos, attributes confusion and retirement to head trauma
Su’a Cravens had a promising rookie season in 2016 as a safety for the Washington Redskins, but he abruptly quit the team as the 2017 season was about to begin. He offered no explanations other than saying he was “going through some issues with my family.” He later told teammates he was retiring, though he pointed out, “I never officially retired.” He recently said he was confused last fall because of head trauma that was not diagnosed until December. “There is a narrative that I quit on my team, that I don’t love football,” Cravens said, “and that’s completely wrong.” The Redskins felt his ambivalence might create a problem with team chemistry, so last week they traded him and a fifth-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-rounder. He’s expected to start at strong safety and play linebacker in the nickel defense. “I’m happy to play where somebody wanted me,” he said.
Between the Lines: Obviously he thinks Washington did not want him and that the team’s management contributed to the narrative that he “quit on the team.”
Washington’s Bruce Allen says team presidents ‘should be judged by wins and losses’
Bruce Allen, president of the Washington Redskins, said, “Team presidents should be judged by wins and losses.” It was a curious comment inasmuch as he has one of the worst won-lost records of all NFL CEO’s. Under his management the team has won 41.9% of its games (52-75-1) since the beginning of his tenure in 2010. He has been faulted for mishandling the departure of general manager Scott McCloughan and the negotiations that led to the departure of quarterback Kirk Cousins. Allen’s hiring of Jay Gruden as head coach also has been criticized.
Dear Bruce: You will never see a better example of being careful what you wish for. You should be grateful for the Cleveland Browns. Without them your team would be the most dysfunctional in the NFL.
Twins whine about bunt against extreme shift
Players for the Minnesota Twins complained that trailing 7-0 in the ninth inning, Baltimore’s rookie catcher Chance Sisco bunted to the left side of an infield that was vacated by the sort of extreme shift that’s becoming increasingly common in major league baseball. At the time, Jose Berrios was working on a 1-hitter, and some of his teammates felt the Orioles violated “an unwritten rule of baseball” by going for a cheap hit. As it turned out, however, Baltimore loaded the bases before Berrios worked out of the jam to finish with a 3-hit shutout. “It’s not good for baseball in that situation,” Berrios said. Following the bunt, Twins manager Paul Molitor was staring down Orioles manager Buck Showalter. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier said, “Obviously we’re not a fan of it. He’s a young kid.” Sisco said: “I was just doing what I can to get on base. They were playing the shift right there, so they kind of gave it to me.”
Between the Lines: Against Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo, the Houston Astros dropped third baseman Alex Bregman into left field to give them a fourth outfielder. They positioned three infielders to the right of second base. The strategy worked in the first game of the 4-game series, but subsequently Gallo adjusted by hitting some balls to the opposite field, including a home run to left.