PSAL football roundup: Surprising Sharks put chomp on Falcons

Sheepshead Bay lost so much to graduation and was going to be so young, Fred Snyder was apoplectic in the preseason. After a scrimmage against Curtis in which in his team was manhandled, the coach called the effort “horrible.” Well, the Sharks haven’...

Philadelphia Analysis

Today's analysis.1. 5 fur; $26,000; clm($25,000); 2YOFORWARD OBSERVER adds Lasix after finishing third in both career starts. ENDOFCONVERSATION faces maiden claimers for first time in local debut for new barn. STETZELBERGER adds blinkers and drops in...

Bombers beat Seattle 10-1

SEATTLE — CC Sabathia ignored a scary comebacker off his chest for his 18th victory, Mark Teixeira homered twice and drove in a season-high five runs and the New York Yankees resumed their cruise to the AL East title with a 10-1 win over the Seattle ...

CHSFL Rankings

1. St. Joseph by the Sea (0-0) 2. Holy Cross (1-0) 3. Monsignor Farrell (1-0) 4. Xaverian (1-0) 5. Mount St. Michael (0-0) 6. St. Francis Prep (0-1) 7. Fordham Prep (0-1) 8. Xavier (0-1) 9. St. Peter's (0-0) 10. Bishop Ford (1-0) ...

Mason, Tigers ready to repeat

Emily Mason can make scoring a goal look effortless and easy at times. The Bishop Kearney junior was a dynamic goal scorer for the Bensonhurst school last season, helping to lead the Tigers to the Brooklyn/Queens girls soccer title. Mason found the b...

Refusing to lose, Lincoln edges Canarsie in overtime

Hours after his Lincoln football team pulled off a 34-32, thrilling overtime victory at Canarsie, Shawn O’Connor found himself at a family party Saturday night. O’Connor’s voice was hoarse but his tone was far from tired. And it had nothing to do wi...

Beltran: I’m ready to go

Carlos Beltran believes his rehab is over. Beltran played last night for A-ball Brooklyn, going nine innings for the second consecutive day. He went 1-for-5, striking out three times. Afterward, the All-Star center fielder declared he thinks he's s...

Maine may be back by Sunday

John Maine hasn't pitched since June 6 after being put on the disabled list retroactive to the next day with what the Mets termed "weakness" in his right shoulder. But he could be back by Sunday, starting the second game of a doubleheader in Philad...

On the clock: Quarterback quality in doubt

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

NFL draftniks are flummoxed with the 2009 quarterback class, a situation of particular note for Detroit fans wondering if their team will target a signal-caller with the No. 1 overall pick. The conundrum, boiled down:

1. The generally accepted pair at the top of the class, Georgia's Matthew Stafford and USC's Mark Sanchez, are underclassmen who whose relative lack of experience make it difficult to project their prospects for early success in the NFL. (That neither participated in the Senior Bowl this week didn't help matters.)
2. The remainder of the class is so weak that there have been some whispers that none project to go higher than the third round.

All of which suggests a reoccurrence of 2005, when Utah quarterback Alex Smith shot to the top of the draft in part because he was the best quarterback available. Was he worthy of the No. 1 overall pick? Based on his career thus far in San Francisco, it would be hard to make that judgment.

Scouts Inc. ranks Sanchez and Stafford as the No. 4 and No. 5 prospects available, respectively. Mel Kiper reverses those numbers. (If you have an Insider subscription, here is a list of Mel's top five quarterbacks.)

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, meanwhile, isn't convinced that either Sanchez or Stafford is a top-10 pick. Here's what Mayock said on a recent conference call:

"My concern with the underclassmen this year with Sanchez in particular was 16 starts. He can make every throw and I'm totally impressed with his arm strength, athletic ability, and toughness. Is he a talent that is starting-quarterback worthy? Absolutely. My problem with he and Stafford is I don't think they'll be ready in the immediate future. I think 13 or 14 more starts would have helped Mark become a better quarterback. His pocket awareness and presence I would question for him and Stafford. Whether they can stand in an NFL pocket and keep their eyes downfield and make NFL throws and get rid of the football on time. I look at [Atlanta's Matt] Ryan and [Baltimore's Joe] Flacco and they are amazing talents, but they also had an emotional maturity and toughness about them. For Sanchez and Stafford I think they're a bit of a project because they need more time."

These opinions should all be considered in the context of how early we are in the process. We're still a month away from the combine, two months from the majority of private workouts and three months from the draft.

Nevertheless, the very early consensus is that 2009 will not be the strongest year for quarterbacks. (Jeff Legwold of the Rocky Mountain News, in fact, suggests Stafford and Sanchez might not have declared their eligibility if the class were stronger.)

How does this affect the Lions? New coach Jim Schwartz has some options if he wants to draft a quarterback that needs time to develop. Daunte Culpepper is under contract for next season, as is backup Drew Stanton.

But the bigger question is this: Regardless of immediate need, would the Lions be getting maximum value from the No. 1 pick by taking either Sanchez or Stafford? Is there a player with better overall value -- Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith, for example -- who would be a better choice assuming the Lions retain the pick?

That's the primary issue Schwartz and new general manager Martin Mayhew will be facing over the next few months.

Big Ben passes Warner in third quarters

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Kurt Warner owned third quarters during the regular season, but the opposite has been true during the playoffs.

Warner by quarter (regular season) 3rd quarter Rest of game Comp. Pct. 68.5 67.1 Yards/Att. 8.5 7.7 TD 12 18 INT 0 14 Rating 116.9 90.2

The Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger has put up the big third-quarter numbers this postseason: 11 of 16 passing for 129 yards, with one touchdown, one interception and a 113.8 passer rating.

The first chart shows Warner's third-quarter mastery relative to first, second and fourth quarters during the regular season. He was great in third quarters and good the rest of the time.

The second chart tells a different story. Warner's numbers in first, second and fourth quarters have been sensational in the playoffs. His third-quarter numbers border on horrific.

Warner by quarter (playoffs) 3rd quarter Rest of game Comp. Pct. 52.3 71.0 Yards/Att. 2.7 10.3 TD 0 8 INT 1 1 Rating 39.9 136.6

I scanned gamebooks to see whether Warner's production varied when the Cardinals owned the first possessions of second halves. No clear pattern seemed to emerge, although I don't have stats immediately available.

Fortunately for Arizona, Warner's third-quarter struggles during the playoffs have not included lots of interceptions. He simply hasn't moved the ball very well, as that 2.7-yard average per attempt demonstrates.

See also: Arizona's third-quarter mastery heading into the divisional round, and an earlier look at Warner in third quarters.

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