SB Nation Cleveland: All Posts by James Brady

2013 Indy 500: Carlos Munoz honored as fastest rookie

2013-05-22T12:00:09Z

On Tuesday, Carlos Munoz, a rookie to the Indianapolis 500, was honored as the fastest rookie at the American Dairy Association of Indiana's Fastest Rookie of the Year lunch, as noted by USA Today.

Munoz, who is just 21 years old, posted an average speed of 228.342 miles per hour over four laps. That put him at No. 2 in the front row, behind pole-sitter Ed Carpenter. He's the youngest driver ever to start in the front row at the Indianapolis 500.

More: Stay up to date on all of SB Nation's Indy 500 coverage

He's the first rookie to start on the front row since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000 -- a driver who is Munoz's idol, according to the USA Today piece. Montoya also started at the No. 2 position in that race. For the honor, Munoz received a $5,000 award and a plaque at the lunch held in his honor.

Munoz, racing for Andretti, is No. 3 on the power rankings posted by SB Nation's Matt Weaver late Tuesday. So there's a lot of confidence behind him and his chances at making waves as a rookie. Ed Carpenter and Marco Andretti are the only two racers above him in those rankings.

NFL news: Charles Woodson signs, Super Bowl sites selected

2013-05-22T12:00:08Z

Tuesday saw two significant signings in the NFL. The biggest came late Tuesday night, when free agent safety Charles Woodson agreed to terms with the Oakland Raiders. Woodson will likely be given a shot to start. He chose to return to the Raiders rather than sign with the Denver Broncos, a notable playoff contender. That could be due to the warm reception he received in Oakland though, as noted at Silver and Black Pride.

The other signing was offensive tackle Max Starks by the San Diego Chargers. Starks will likely earn a starting job on the line for the Chargers, who desperately needed an upgrade. Quarterback Phillip Rivers isn't the most athletic quarterback to begin with, and with him getting up there in years, having a solid offensive line is all the more important.

The San Francisco 49ers are set to host Super Bowl L -- that's 50 if you have trouble with Roman numerals -- according to an announcement by the NFL. The 49ers won the Super Bowl bid over the Miami Dolphins largely due to their new stadium in Santa Clara, which will be completed just in time to host the Super Bowl.

Aside from the Super Bowl news, there was plenty going on during organized team activities on Tuesday. Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Andre Smith, fresh off signing a three-year, $18 million deal, was absent from the team's OTAs on Tuesday. Apparently, Smith just had to take care of some personal things, though, and the Bengals aren't too worried. That said, Smith's workout habits have been in question in the past, so it's just a tiny bit unnerving.

Another unnerving absence from OTAs on Tuesday was Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. No reason was given for his absence. Dareus has a lot of pressure to perform, as he's the only player drafted in the top seven of the 2011 NFL Draft to not make the Pro Bowl. Over at Buffalo Rumblings, they speculated that Dareus might be under the most pressure to perform in 2013.

In more serious OTA news, Green Bay Packers offensive lineman JC Tretter fractured his fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle on Tuesday. Tretter is expected to miss several months, and one has to wonder why the Packers were doing the drills they were doing, as Tretter was injured doing a fumble recovery drill. It seems a bit early on in OTAs to be working on that kind of thing.

As noted by Acme Packing Company, though, Tretter could return in 2013, via the Physically Unable to Perform list:

This is a brutal start to the year for Tretter, and it very well could cost him his entire rookie season. Since the injury took place in OTAs and before training camp, however, he will be eligible for the Physically Unable to Perform list which would give him the chance to play again in 2013.

The Miami Dolphins took Dion Jordan with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and that led folks to immediately question Jared Odrick's place on the team. On Tuesday, Odrick lined up at a new position during OTAs: defensive tackle. Odrick hasn't played that position since joining the NFL and most figured him an ill fit for Miami's new 4-3 defense, but if he works out at defensive tackle, it could be huge for the Dolphins.

Closing with some non-OTA news, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones voiced support for head coach Jason Garrett on Tuesday. Jones said that Garrett isn't coaching for his job in 2013-14, meaning that he supports Garrett regardless of what happens, for the most part. That said, most are skeptical about this, given Garrett's consecutive 8-8 seasons.

More from SB Nation:

• Santa Clara, Houston awarded Super Bowl 50, 51

• Jets to decide QB before camp?

• Rob Gronkowski's surgery is successful

• NFL, Microsoft partner for interactive broadcasts

• Ben Muth: How to generate pressure with 4 rushers

• RG3's wedding registry broken down by position

Charles Woodson signs with Raiders

2013-05-22T02:02:24Z

Safety Charles Woodson signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday, the team officially announced. Woodson visited with the Raiders early Tuesday, a few days after a visit with the Denver Broncos, during which Woodson was reportedly offered a contract.

Woodson, 36, is entering his 16th season in the NFL. He was one of the top remaining free agents still on the market, and was considered by many to be the last safety worth targeting for a starting role.

It's unclear what kind of contract Woodson received, but he did start out free agency with the intention of signing with a playoff contender. The Broncos are definitely a contender, and are counted among the NFL's best teams. Presumably, Woodson would have accepted that offer if it matched what the Raiders were offering, but given the level of interest in Oakland, it's likely they offered more.

That, or it's that same level of interest that made the decision easier for Woodson. As noted at Silver and Black Pride, the Raiders have a big need for Woodson, and they showed it on Tuesday:

There were fans lined along the driveway for about a hundred yards ready to welcome home the All Pro and former 8-year Raider cornerback, Charles Woodson. I would estimate 200 plus were in attendance. They hope to show him the kind of support that will get the free agent to sign with the team.

The news initially was that he would arrive around 2pm. He arrived from the airport in the front passenger seat of a black SUV. Fans recognized him immediately and mobbed the SUV as it pulled up to the gate. He smiled and waved and eventually pulled into the drive.

Woodson spent his first eight seasons in the NFL with the Raiders, before signing with the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2006 season. He recently made the conversion from cornerback to safety, and has excelled there despite slowing down with age. It's likely he'll be given an opportunity to win a starting role as a safety in Oakland.

More from SB Nation:

• Santa Clara, Houston awarded Super Bowl 50, 51

• Jets to decide QB before camp?

• Rob Gronkowski's surgery is successful

• NFL, Microsoft partner for interactive broadcasts

• Ben Muth: How to generate pressure with 4 rushers

• RG3's wedding registry broken down by position

Jason Garrett isn't coaching for his job, says Jerry Jones

2013-05-22T01:05:10Z

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett isn't on the hot seat, at least according to team owner Jerry Jones. On Tuesday, Jones told Albert Breer of the NFL Network that Garrett is "not coaching for his job this year," according to Jeremy Ryan, also of the NFL Network.

Garrett, who is coming off back-to-back 8-8 seasons as the Cowboys' head coach, has been all over the place when it comes to job security. Many thought he might be fired this offseason, but the Cowboys instead hired a new offensive coordinator in Bill Callahan, and presumably took the play-calling duties away from Garrett.

While not totally confirmed that Garrett won't call the plays, it seems unlikely that he'd get that opportunity. Callahan seems the most likely candidate, but the Cowboys have stated that they won't make a decision until after the first preseason game.

That seems a little odd -- not setting something like that in stone as early as possible -- but it is what it is. As far as Garrett's job security goes, it's hard to take Jones at his word here. Jones gave quarterback Tony Romo a huge vote of confidence with a new contract, but also made it clear that Romo needs to work harder than he ever has before.

Jones wants to win and he wants to win now. Romo likely won't see his entire contract if he doesn't lead the Cowboys to the playoffs and it's hard to imagine Garrett sticking around in such a situation, as well. The NFC East could be at a point of transition, with Robert Griffin III taking the Washington Redskins from the bottom of the division into the playoffs last year.

On top of that, the Philadelphia Eagles have a new head coach in Chip Kelly and a rookie quarterback eager to take over in Matt Barkley. The Giants haven't made many changes but they've been solid for a long time -- the NFC East just might be more competitive than it has been since Garrett arrived next season.

More from SB Nation:

• Santa Clara, Houston awarded Super Bowl 50, 51

• Jets to decide QB before camp?

• Rob Gronkowski's surgery is successful

• NFL, Microsoft partner for interactive broadcasts

• Ben Muth: How to generate pressure with 4 rushers

• RG3's wedding registry broken down by position

2013 Indianapolis 500: IndyCar fines 3 drivers for various infractions

2013-05-22T00:34:06Z

IndyCar officials fined three drivers at the Indianapolis 500 on Tuesday, the league announced. Graham Rahal's team, Ryan Briscoe's team and Michel Jourdain Jr.'s team all received fines following the post-qualifying inspection.

Rahal's team "failed to comply with cooling rules that apply to the car and driver" though the specific issue was not made clear. Usually, though, this has to do with cars in place outside of the garage. Certain fans and cooling towels can be used, but the exact violation by Rahal's team is unknown.

That fine was the biggest on the day, coming in at $10,000.

Briscoe's team was fined $5,000 for their violation, which was described as violation of a rule dictating the trailing edge height of the rear wings. To make that a bit clearer, Motorsport.com's Anne Proffit explains that Briscoe had an improper height measurement from the chassis reference to the rear wing -- a measurement that has to fall between 28.010 and 28.210 inches, so there's little room for error.

Michel Jourdain Jr.'s team was fined $1,000 for a bodywork violation. As explained, there were underwing parts that were not as supplied, which means they were either removed entirely or replaced.

Both Briscoe and Rahal are in the final lineup for the race. Briscoe starts at the No. 23 spot and Rahal starts at No. 26. Jourdain did not post a fast enough time in qualifying on Saturday and did not return for Sunday qualifying.

Bold Prediction: Kendall Hunter will have a breakout year

2013-05-21T21:00:05Z

By all accounts, Kendall Hunter will return from injury in time for training camp. The injury he suffered -- an Achilles tear -- is a serious one, but it it's not usually a death sentence for the careers of running backs. Hunter is a very tough player, is well ahead of his rehab schedule, and should enter training camp as the No. 2 back behind Frank Gore, the longtime starter for the San Francisco 49ers.

Second-year back LaMichael James will be battling Hunter for playing time. In the future, Hunter and James might play in harmony as primary back and change-of-pace back; but for now, with Gore still getting plenty of carries, the two will be competing for carries behind him.

Personally, I don't think it will be a close competition. Hunter was great value for the 49ers, and was flashing signs of brilliance before he went down with the injury. Last season, he rushed the ball 72 times for 371 yards, good for a per-carry average of 5.2 yards. That YPC was higher than Gore, James and every other running back in the NFC West.

Does that mean Hunter is better than those players? No, not necessarily. But he's young, with a great burst, a stocky build and he's only going to get better. Everything Hunter has shown leads me to believe he can be a starting running back in the NFL. He may not have finished with 1,000 yards or anything along those lines last season, but I think he was well on his way to big things before his injury.

My bold prediction is that Hunter will beat out James for carries, and that he'll have at least 700 yards next season -- rushing. Keep in mind that, were it not for Hunter's injury, we'd probably have kept Brandon Jacobs and given him six or seven more carries over the course of last season, and James would have sat on the sidelines. We'd be asking the same questions about James that we're asking about A.J. Jenkins now.

I think James can end up being a quality back in the NFL. He'll be a solid change-of-pace guy and could be used in a lot of different ways, but I'm fully on board with the Hunter hype-train and I'm sticking to my prediction. Let's call it 750 yards, a 4.9 YPC and, accordingly, 153 carries. What say you?

Turning the corner: Which 49ers players are set to make the leap?

2013-05-21T15:10:02Z

Last season, a couple players on the roster "turned the corner," so to speak. One player in particular was wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Everyone has their own opinion of Crabtree -- mine has always been one of slight disappointment, and at the beginning of last year, I was beginning to have my doubts about him in the NFL.

But Crabtree came out of the gate running, and though he didn't snare a touchdown reception until Week 5, he made up for it with three multi-touchdown games in the regular season. In the end, Crabtree had nine touchdown grabs, 88 receptions and 1,105 yards, all of which were career highs.

Next season, Crabtree will have all the expectations of a player who has turned the corner and joined the NFL's elite. Who could be that player this season? There's plenty of players on the 49ers who are good, or have high potential, or are people we just really want to succeed. But who is likely to turn the corner? I've got a few.

CB Chris Culliver

I wasn't a HUGE fan of the Chris Culliver pick when it was made, but hey, most of us weren't, to begin with. Culliver has had something of a weird career thus far. A lot of people found a few particular stats from Pro Football Focus and ran with them and Culliver got this weird reputation as being this incredibly good corner on the deep ball, when in actual practice, Culliver showed a pretty big liability when the pressure was on in those situations.

That said, he's incredibly quick and a competent cover corner in most situations. Him getting totally lost in the secondary is something that can be worked on, and if he's going to put it all together and become a great starting corner in the NFL, it might just happen this season. I'm a fan of Culliver, despite his flaws (both character and on the field) and though I count myself among his more negative critics, I do believe that he will put it together this year.

RT Anthony Davis

While the 49ers have the best offensive line in football, right tackle Anthony Davis hasn't necessarily had that career-defining, dominant season on the right side. Alex Boone is already there at right guard, and Davis looked a bit better than he actually was last year. He struggled against the speed rushers on the outside, once again, and that remains his biggest flaw to date.

But Davis has already proven a lot of doubters wrong, and has been surprisingly solid given his lack of seasoning since entering the league. We'd like to see him come out of the gate and go post to post without having any major breakdowns, though, and maybe this is the year it all goes right.

RB Kendall Hunter

I firmly believe this season will be the most important season in recent memory when it comes to the running back position. Provided Marcus Lattimore returns to form, the 49ers have three running backs that I believe can be starters on the roster. LaMichael James was pushed onto the field before the 49ers wanted him there last season, but had Kendall Hunter not been injured, we'd all be sitting here wondering if he'll ever play, much like we do with wide receiver A.J. Jenkins.

That's because Hunter looked like he might have been turning the corner last season, before getting injured. He had 371 yards off of 72 attempts, good for a per carry average of 5.2 yards. For reference, that was a higher average than any running back in the NFC West. By all accounts Hunter will be back in time for next season, and I firmly expect him to take over the primary backup duties and, accordingly, wow the rest of the league.

Who are your choices?

Golden Nuggets: Super Bowl 50 coming our way?

2013-05-21T09:00:05Z

I suppose I can find a few minutes to spare away from Paper Mario to get you good folks your Golden Nuggets for the day. You know, it's a lot easier for me to just say "Hey, it's the offseason -- no need to do anything but provide quick links," when it comes to the Nuggets. This is generally what I do, so I can devote plenty of time to other articles -- or in this case: video games (mostly articles, Paper Mario is a new obsession)

That said, I'm going to go back to offering commentary on every iteration of the Nuggets in which I actually have time. Some people have complained in the past, saying that they prefer just links and for those people, here's a tip: it's the red stuff after my block of babble.

Anyway, big stuff going on, as the NFL is changing up the offseason schedule and, of course, the Super Bowl L vote is happening today. Exciting stuff, even if I'll never be able to afford a ticket.

The new running back rule is awful. I said that when it was made and I'm saying it now. It's just awful. The biggest issue, for me, will be the HUGE disparities in how the rule is called from game to game. Yeah, I have a crystal ball. The referees already can't follow the game well enough (too fast) to call a helmet-to-helmet call properly, I think they'll screw this one up, as well. | York: New rule will 'add another element of safety' (Maiocco)

It's crazy just how much the atmosphere changes when there's a Super Bowl coming to the area. I'll probably head to San Francisco just to be around the festivities. But yes, there will be so much of it that many of us won't be able to experience, since the price of everything will go up by about a million percent. | 50th Super Bowl will touch us all (Purdy)

I wish more attention was paid to drug and PED usage in the NFL. I'd love to say that I care about the issue enough to protest by not watching the game, but I'm too weak for that. | Drug suspensions: 49ers and Seahawks on opposite ends of the spectrum since Seattle hired Carroll (BA Sports Guy)

Has stadium rejection doomed Miami's Super Bowl chances? (AP)

When it's all said and done, Andrew Luck will probably have fewer interceptions than Colin Kaepernick, but I still think our man is the better quarterback. | Andrew Luck vs. Colin Kaepernick: Which young QB is superior? (NFL)

The rule is often annoying, but I'm glad the NFL forced rookies to adhere to their school schedules before OTAs. That said, I'm glad that obstacle is now out of the way for Quinton Patton. He's going to be the best rookie the 49ers have seen in awhile: write it down. | Final obstacle out of the way for 49ers rookie WR Patton (Branch)

While I do think that Colin Kaepernick is better than Russell Wilson, the latter's numbers sure were impressive in 2012. Like I've said in the past, I have mad Hater Respect (TM) for that guy. Here's to hoping he collapses in his sophomore season. | Kaepernick vs. the QBs on the 49ers' 2013 schedule (Cohn)

There seems to be a good deal of hype surrounding wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. I'll freely admit I'm pretty ignorant to his talents, I haven't watched much film on him at all. I'm unsure if he's really high potential or if he's just one of those guys Niners Nation tends to latch on to. | Roster hopeful Lockette is learning from Kaepernick (Barrows)

Kaepernick Growing into Leadership Role (NBC Bay Area)

State of the art stadium centerpiece of Bay Area's bid for Super Bowl L (Barrows)

Jones Joins Bay Area Hall of Fame (49ers)

MT: Marcus Lattimore Puts on Jersey (49ers)