Demarco Murray: on a Flight to Philly

The star RB will meet with Eagles management today

                Four days ago, the Eagles seemed certain that they had snagged their running back to replace LeSean Mccoy when it was announced that they had agreed to terms with Frank Gore. Twenty-four hours later, Gore had a change of heart and the Colts swooped in to sign him. Just yesterday, the NFL Network reported that the Eagles had come to a deal with free agent RB Ryan Mathews, formerly of the Chargers. However, Mathews has still not physically appeared in Philly to put pen to paper on the contract, so the Eagles might have yet another RB turning their backs on them during this free agency period. Enter Demarco Murray, who took it upon himself on Wednesday to reach out to the Philadelphia Eagles and express his interest to play in Chip Kelly's spread offense, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Demarco Murray attended the University of Oklahoma, along with newly acquired Eagle, QB Sam Bradford. There are connections within the roster and organization that seem to suggest a perfect fit for Demarco Murray in Philadelphia, presenting an excellent opportunity for the physically dominant RB to play against his ex-team twice per season. Redemption could be sweet for Demarco this coming season, who declined an extension from the Cowboys which would've paid him $5M per season. So perhaps missing out on Frank Gore wasn't so bad, right Chip? 

a Pair of Shock Retirements

 Two Highly Established LBs set to Retire

  

                 Patrick Willis called all the shots on the field as a dominant linebacker, and now he's calling his way off of it. At the age of 30 and after eight seasons in the league, Willis has decided to retire. His 7 consecutive Pro Bowls to start his career sits behind only Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas as the longest streaks in history for a defensive player. He missed 10 games last season with nagging foot injuries, which played a large role in his retirement decision.

  

                While the retirement of Willis was mildly shocking, it wasn't quite as dumbfounding as the departure of Jason Worilds. The 27 year old linebacker had established himself as the primary pass rusher in the Steelers defense, racking up 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Worilds was expected to be paid in the $7M-$9M range annually had he signed a new deal, so money is certainly being left on the table with this decision. There is no knowledge of a lingering injury to Worilds. He simply stated that he would like to pursue other interests. These types of retirements could become a more common occurance in pro sports as new information about long-term health effects become available.

Vezina Watch: Carey Continues to Dazzle

Habs netminder is dominating the pipes

                 The blazing play of Carey Price continued last night as he turned aside 35 out of 36 shots against the league's highest scoring offense. The Lightning average 3.25 goals per game to lead the NHL but could only muster a 1-0 overtime win against Carey's Habs. He has now turned aside 93 of the last 96 shots he has faced. Price has turned in a season which can be described as simply stellar thus far; his team sits at the top of the Eastern Conference despite ranking 22nd in the league in terms of scoring. That's because Carey Price has been stealing games for them with his ridiculous numbers. A Vezina Trophy seems like a forgone conclusion for Price at this point, assuming his performance doesn't drop off a cliff. But will he also win the Hart Trophy as MVP of the regular season? As things currently stand, it would certainly be a justifiable choice. The last time a Vezina and Hart were awarded to the same player was in 2002 when Jose Theodore posted 30 wins and 7 shutouts to go along with a 2.11 GAA and .931 save percentage for the same franchise, Montreal Canadiens. Below are some seasons' stats for the top Vezina candidates:

Carey Price, MTL: 54 GP, 37 W, 1.87 GAA, .937% SV, 7 Shutouts (facing 29.7 shots per)
Pekka Rinne, NSH: 52 GP, 36 W, 2.11 GAA, .927% SV, 3 Shutouts (facing 28.9 shots per)
Braden Holtby, WSH: 58 GP, 32 W, 2.15 GAA, .925% SV, 7 Shutouts (facing 28.0 shots per)
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT: 52 GP, 30 W, 2.14 GAA, .925% SV, 9 Shutouts (facing 28.2 shots per)
Jonathan Quick, LA: 57 GP, 28 W, 2.37 GAA, .913% SV, 4 Shutouts (facing 26.4 shots per)
Corey Crawford, CHI: 45 GP, 26 W, 2.23 GAA, .923% SV, 2 Shutouts (facing 28.7 shots per)
Cory Schneider, NJ: 58 GP, 24 W, 2.25 GAA, .926% SV, 4 Shutouts (facing 28.8 shots per)

Revis Returns to the Jets

5 Years and $70M for the star Cornerback

               It appears that Darrelle Revis will be ending his career in the same place it began, as the New York Jets have signed the free agent cornerback to a sizeable deal spanning 5 years. The Jets traded up in the 2007 draft to ensure that they landed Revis out of the Unniversity of Pittsburgh. It was in New York that Darrelle established 'Revis Island', as his dominating play with the Jets put him at the top of the cornerback heap until a torn ACL in 2012. He was then dealt to the Buccaneers leading into the 2013 season where he played out the last year of his contract before joining the Patriots. The veteran cornerback is fresh off of a Super Bowl winning season with New England in which he played all 16 games, logging 44 tackles, 16 pass deflections, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. He recorded an additional interception in the playoffs, and in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, many were debating who was the best cornerback in football: Darrelle Revis or Richard Sherman? There's no simple answer to that question, but we all know who came out of that final game of 2014 feeling the best. 

Cavs Keep Rolling

Cleveland dismantled the Mavericks on Tuesday night

                 Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers (41-25) are clicking on all cylinders right now, as evidenced by a 127-94 destruction of the Dallas Mavericks (41-25). The Cavs have now won 22 of their last 27 games. Timofey Mozgov was the only Cleveland starter to score less than 20 points, as he put up 17 to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Cleveland was unstoppable from the beginning of the 2nd quarter as they outscored their opponents 101-63 over the final 3 frames and shot 51% from the field. Chemistry has clearly been established in Cleveland as they project to be an extremely dangerous opponent for any team once the playoffs arrive. The Mavericks have now dropped 5 of their past 7 games, continuing a season of hot and cold runs. Nowitzki shot 30% from the field in 29 minutes of floor time and Rondo had only 4 points and 3 assists. 

Colts Land 2 Offensive Vets

Gore and Johnson join the Blue Horseshoe

               As rumoured yesterday, the Colts have indeed signed veteran running back Frank Gore. The Colts were immedtiately mentioned yesterday as the target for Gore when we learned that he was reconsidering his decision with the Eagles. The unforseen part of the equation unfolded just a few hours ago, when Gore was joined by fellow veteran free agent Andre Johnson on a flight to Indianapolis aboard owner Jim Irsay's plane. Both Gore and Johnson attended the University of Miami. The Colts offense is suddenly infused with a ton of experience from a pair of highly successful players who are hungry to make a deep playoff run late in their careers. In regards to Andrew Luck, it would seem that the deadly just became even deadlier. Frank Gore is not only a physical runner of the football; he's also in the top flight of running backs in terms of pass protection. He may even be the best there is. This should have Andrew Luck salivating, assuming Frank Gore can stay on the field consistently throughout the season. Andre Johnson should be able to garner attention as a big-body red-zone threat for Luck, while simultaneously creating even more room to manuever for the speedy T.Y Hilton. 

Jimmy Graham: a Seattle Seahawk

Trades Are Piling Up in the NFL on Tuesday

                The dominoes continue to fall in the NFL, as the New Orleans Saints have traded their star tight end to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for offensive lineman Max Unger and at least one 1st round draft pick. All of the details have yet to be disclosed, but the Seahawks reportedly offered multiple draft picks to acquire Graham. Unger has been the anchor in the middle of the Seahawks offensive line for years, so they give up a player they like a lot as well. The opening day of NFL free agency has been more like NFL trade day; the Baltimore Ravens traded their long-time nose tackle Haloti Ngata to the Detroit Lions, as Detroit looks to fill the void left by their former nose tackle Ndamukong Suh, who signed a massive $114M contract with the Dolphins. It was also reported that the Philadelphia Eagles swapped QBs with the St. Louis Rams, as Nick Foles was traded for Sam Bradford. Hang on tight, folks. More is coming.