The Baltimore Ravens have signed Heisman Trophy winer, UCLA Quarterback Jim Sharpe to a undisclosed five year deal, making him the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft Tuesday.
It is being reported that the deal contains mostly guarenteed money.
Ravens Head Coach Donald Trump Jr had cautioned earlier in the week that anyone concluding the team had decided on Norte Dame Cornerback Asher Farrell and was only using Sharpe as leverage was mistaken.
"This is a decision that took a lot of time to make, but at the end of the day we felt this was the best player for our football team," Trump said. "Both players, Farrell and Sharpe, are going to, I think, be great pros. We made the decision to go with Quarterback first, we are still undecided as to the direction for pick 2."
Trump said that the team has long been interested in Sharpe and the move should not be that surprising.
"I think if people had just listened to what we had said, they would have seen that we were serious about Jimmy Sharpe," he said. "Once we brought him in here our statements never changed that we were seriously considering him for the first pick in the draft and I understand that people didn't believe it, but we always said it and we believed it."
Farrell has been embroiled in some controversy this week concerning who paid a recent trip to Vegas that ended up in an altercation with former pro-boxer Mike Tyson and whether an agent was involved -- which would be an NCAA rules violation. But Trump said that did not influence their decision.
"Absolutely not," he said. "We believe in Asher Farrell as a person. We asked him and his attorney the different allegations and both of the denied them. Both of them said that Asher didn't do anything wrong so we obviously took him at his word."
The choice of Sharpe by the Ravens could dramatically alter the landscape of the early segment of the first round. The Miami Dolphins, with the third choice, and Carolina Panthers, who hold the fourth pick, have both indicated they would snap up Farrell if he fell to their slot.
The availability of Farrell at the No. 2 spot would almost certainly elicit trade offers.
ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reported that other teams are interested in trading up and trying to get Farrell in the draft. Among five teams that have contacted the Ravens are the Colts, Browns and the Jets. The Raiders might be interested in trading up to No. 2, also, but they are not interested in drafting Farrell.
Farrell's agent Joel Segal told Paolantonio that he has spoken to the Ravens and they have given him every indication that they are preparing to take Farrell with the second pick. No contract negotiations have begun as of yet.
The 6-foot-3, 231-pound Sharpe, who won the Heisman Trophy, has been described as a cross between Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
He saw his stock soar with amazing performance after performance during the year, capped by being crowned this years Heisman trophy receipient.
There were some questions about his work ethic after getting sacked in 11 of his last 23 games, but he has the potential to dominate.
"I have the Arm Strength and the Accuracy and the athleticism, and to find that in a Quarterback is rare," Sharpe said earlier this week at an interview session in New York. "You just don't see it all the time. I think the last time was Blake Quinn and you know what kind of player he is."
"Everywhere I went, they said, 'We want you,'" he said.
Sharpe will surely help a Ravens offense that finished dead last in the league, and shipped off last years first round selection, QB Shawn Carman, to the Indianapolis Colts, after a disastrous rookie campaign that saw multiple interceptions a game lead to Raven losses.
Sharpe will join Defensive End Arik Armstead, Cornerback Eric Rowe, Left Tackle Donovan Smith, Right Tackle Anthony Castonzo, Pass-Rushing Linebacker Shane Ray and Wide Receiver Nelson Agholor, who all signed as free agents with the team this week.
"Our passing game hasn't been what it needs to be," Trump said. "Jim Sharpe can give you a playmaker who can make all the throws and make the right decisions. He's a leader, the kind of guy people follow. It also helps he can throw the nine route to Breshad."
The Ravens, who haven't had a winning season since Trump was hired, got the first pick after going 2-14 this past season. They received the second pick in a trade with Indianapolis that saw Star Wideout Earl Howry and Oft-Injured Rookie Safety Leeroy Jenkins shipped off in exchange for their first round selection.
The Ravens later shipped Quarterback Shawn Carman to the Colts for next years first round selection at the conclusion of the season.
They also need a playmaker on offense, however, and rising UCLA Wide Receive Damarious Reese would give that to them. The experience that would come from Reese and Sharpe having played together in college would be intriguing for any team.
The move also signifies if the team remains confident in the abilities of corner back Tavon Young, who has one year remaining on his original rookie contract.
"The bottom line is he's going to be here and he's going to play, so you've got a player already there that's proven," Trump said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
All-Pro superstar wide receiver Breshad Perriman has recently gone on record to say:
I am the greatest wide receiver ever, that guy Morris down is Pittsburgh is good but he gets 1000 balls thrown at him a game, he aint got nutin on me!
The big game is upon us and experts are predicting this will be a close battle that will end in a Cowboy victory. Still, the game can certainly go either way as both teams are loaded on offense; with All-Pro Star Quarterback Russell Wilson leading the browns, and young gun All-Pro Quarterback Shawn Thomas leading the Cowyboys.
The emergence of Thomas as a prime time Quarterback has really shook the league. Thoams has had a turbulent start to his career after being drafted by the Eagles. Thomas was quickly traded to the St. Louis Rams after Eagles head coach Darth "Nasty Nate" Coyster claimed the rookie was immature and didn't fit the scheme. Thomas certainly looked the part his first year in St Louis, but then was traded to the Cowboys in a blockbuster deal for the 1st round pick, Thomas was injured the following season and head coach McFadden was dismissed. This year the team brought on Head Coach Tyler Cuhel; the Cowboys offense, and Shawn Thomas, have exploded into one of the leagues best since.
On the other side of the field the story of the Browns is an interesting one as well, mysterious head coach "Steve Stevenson" took over the team after former Head Coach Richard "Dick" Tuggar retired from the league in order to pursue his dream as the worlds premier homosexual pornographic film director. Coach Stevenson has continued to keep the Browns as a strong contender, and his offenses have ranked in the tops of the league since taking over the team.
In a game that may prove to be quite the shootout, the predicted final score is Cowboys 33 - Browns 30.
In a game that was predicted to be a close defensive shootout, the Minnesota Vikings managed to smash the Oakland Raiders top ranked defense. Prior to this game many people around the league questioned the Oakland Raiders, stating their record and stats inflated due to playing in the sub-par, weak AFC conference, and the smashing they just took from the Vikings may have added more fuel to that fire.
Vikings Head Coach said after the game, "The team was firing on all cylinders and could not be stopped, I don't think a single person on our team had made a bad play today." This statement is backed up by a ~300 yard 4 TD day from his QB, a 129 yard 1 TD day from his RB and 4 turn overs by his defense including a cruicial interception by Taylor "Glassman" Glass.
Oakland Raiders head coach was late to his press conference and declined to give a comment. Sources cite irritable bowels as the reason for the Raiders' coach's absense at the post game presser.
The Vikings finish out their season with games against the chiefs and lions, they hope to pull out wins in both and secure a spot in the playoffs.
In a matchup that may determine the fate of the AFC playoff picture, the Broncos will head to Oakland to face their nemesis; the Raiders.
The Broncos come into the game with pretty unimpressive offensive numbers, but they are excellent in the redzone and are 10th in scoring. They pair that with a defense that currently ranks 4th in the league for total defense, Linebackers Telvin Smith and Shane Ray know how to create turnovers and have 6, and 5 interceptions respectively.
The Raiders come into the game with the 3rd scoring offense and 13th overall offense, their offense is led by star running back Enrique Tull who has their rushing attack ranked 8th in the league. The Raiders also boast the top defense in the league and they lead in all yardage categories.
This game will be a staunch defensive battles, but turnovers will be a major factor and defensive scoring looks to keep the score high. The prediction is that the Raiders will beat the Broncos 29-24
In a game that was expected to be a close one, the Green Bay Packers ended up with a commanding win over the New York Giants; 38-10.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was on fire all day throwing for 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and nearly 300 yards, to compliment a perfect day passing, Running Back Todd Gurley ran for over 150 yards and a touchdown.
The Green Bay defense was stout as well, holding All-Pro Running Back Le'Veon Bell to under 50 yards, and picking off Quarterback Tyrod Tayler twice.
Wide Receiver Julio Jones was quiet on the day, grabbing only 4 balls for 57 yards, during the post game press conference Julio said he expected more targets next week, but is always satisfied with the win.
Head Coach Alvin Boyce boasted about his all-pro wide out when asked about his lack of usage during the game saying, "Julio doesn't catch many verticle passes, unless it's crunch time. He does it all." When asked to compare him to Eagles Star Wide Receiver Landon Hughes Coach Boyce said, "Hughes isn't bad, be he aint on Julio level."
The Packers have their eyes on winnig the superbowl this season and their record certainly backs that claim up. The Packers have the top offense in the league and the top rushing defense, this has proven to be the formula for success for many championship teams in the past, lets see if the Packers are next.
The Eagles came into the season hoping to make some waves, but their 2-6 record to start the season is extremely underwhelming. On the flip side this week the New England Patriots have been fighting to maintain control over their division with the Bills, and had the Eagles not blow their matchup versus the Bills late in the 4th the Pats would be tied for the divison lead. If the Eagles want to have any hope of post season they would need to run the table AND get a lot of help in the form of top teams losing. Coming off a 44-7 beating against the Giants, the Eagles are hoping to salvage some pride and string together enough wins to make a few people nervous. The Patriots are looking to roll over a weak team and wrestle control of the divison from the rival bills.
During a press conference All-Star Wide Receiver Landon Hughes had this to say, "We are a team poised for greatnenss we just need to close better. One thing I can say for certain is that I am the greatest receiver in the league, and I am going to continue to give it my all to help this team win."
When asked about another possible record setting season Hughes had this to say, "records were meant to be broken and I aspire to break my own records every year."
From the New England locker room Cornerback Desi Robertson stated, "Man that guy Hughes is a joke and I am going to shut him down this week and take a few back to the house."
This week New York Jets TE Ladarius Green and Jacksonville Jaguars WR Curtis Murphy have both been suspended this week after Green failed a drug test; testing positive for Marijuana, and Murphy tested positive for a banned performance enhancing drug. Both players will be missed during their respective week 2 matchups!
With a defense led by linebacker Mychal Kendricks and Corner LaMont Frederick coupled with an offense led by quarterback Devin Childers and receiver Angelo Finley, the Eagles are ready to explode in the regular season and build upon an impressive 14-2 record and a divison crown. Eagles head coach Darth Coyster said a wildcard loss to the packers was unacceptable and says his team is looking to push deep into the playoffs. The Eagles bolstered their offensive attack by adding to the run game, while shoring up their defense by adding a run stuffing nose tackle. The Eagles are not a team to be taken lightly. FLY EAGLES FLY!