Matthews: A Nod To Baker Mayfield

A NOD TO BAKER MAYFIELD AS A FIRST-ROUND PICK IN NFL DRAFT

Some NFL media draft gurus believe Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield will be a high second-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated’s MMQ isn’t buying that. He wrote this week that Mayfield will be a first-round pick – and a deserving one.

He likes Mayfield’s athleticism, on-field leadership and exceptional work ethic. Unlike similar-sized party animal and NFL flop Johnny Manziel, Mayfield is a student of the game and a serious football player.

Breer compares Mayfield to Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who dropped to No. 75 in the 2012 NFL draft out of Wisconsin because he measured only 5’10 5/8” at the scouting combine. He figures Mayfield will check in at a slightly taller than 6’ – or around the height of Drew Brees, the 32nd pick in the 2001 draft out of Purdue.

Mayfield is expected to win the Heisman Trophy in a landslide Saturday night. He wasn’t the highest-touted college quarterback when this season began, but he has had the most success.

For the record, Brees was fourth in 1999 Heisman balloting (behind RB Ron Dayne, QB Joe Hamilton and QB Michael Vick), and third in 2000 Heisman balloting (behind QB Chris Weinke and QB Josh Heupel).

Wilson finished ninth in 2011 Heisman balloting. Winner Robert Griffin III was one of the five QBs ahead of Wilson (Andrew Luck 2nd, Matt Barkley 6th, Case Keenum 7th and Kellen Moore 8th).

The Bills have two first-round picks in the 2018 draft. I’d trade one of them and whatever else it might take to trade up to get him and start him immediately. In my opinion, the Bills will not have a playoff-calibre roster next season, And they’ll be young. I’d let Mayfield take his lumps in on-the-job training and grow with his teammates.

BILLS HAVE BEEN SAD SACKS

One of the many reasons the Buffalo Bills are a bad 6-6 team is their poor sack ratio.

Buffalo has 20 sacks – 10 in the first three games and 10 in the nine games since.

The Bills are tied for 30th in the 32-team NFL (with Indianapolis) in sacks by.

Buffalo has allowed 35 sacks – tied for eighth-most in the NFL. The minus-15 sack differential isn’t good. But it is great compared to the Colts.

Indianapolis has allowed an NFL-most 51 sacks (Green Bay is next-worst at 42). Colts QB Jacoby Brissett has accounted for 47 of those sacks by. He’s done a nice impression of a tackling dummy.

Shaq Lawson leads Buffalo with four sacks. That’s pretty sad. Even worse, he’s injured and done for the season. Jerry Hughes and Lorenzo Alexander each have three sacks.

The Bills are favored by 6 ½ points Sunday at home against the Colts. Indianapolis’ lousy pass protection is a big reason why. Now Buffalo has to take advantage.

THE BILLS IN THIS WEEK’S NFL POWER RANKINGS...

15th – Bleacher Report and Sporting News

16th – CBS Sports and NBC Sports

17th – ESPN

20th – NFL.com.

The trusty FiveThirtyEight computer has reduced Buffalo’s probability of making the playoffs to 15 percent and but does give the Bills a 72 percent probability to beat visiting Indianapolis on Sunday.

ALABAMA IS THE FAVORITE TO WIN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

The Alabama Crimson Tide edged out Ohio State for the fourth and final spot in the College Football Playoffs. So guess which team is favored to go all the way (odds courtesy of Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook)?

Alabama $1 to win $2...Clemson bet $5 to win $11...Oklahoma bet $4 to win $11...Georgia bet $2 to win $7.

Semifinals – #4 Alabama -2 over #1 Clemson...#2 Oklahoma -2 over #3 Georgia.

CHEERS TO SU’S STEVE ISHMAEL

Syracuse U. senior wide receiver Steve Ishmael is a unanimous selection to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First-Team. He had 105 catches for 1,347 yards and 7 TDs this season.

Ishmael had four solid seasons for the Orange: 2014, 27 catches/415 yards/15.5 yards per catch/3 TDs...2015, 39/570/14.6/7 TDs...2016, 48/559/11/6/1 TD (he deferred to transfer Amba Etta-Tawo who was 94/1,482/15.8/14 TDs...Etta-Tawo was a Third-Team All-America, was not selected in the 2017 NFL college draft, and has been on the practice squads for the Jaguars and Chiefs).

I wonder if Ishmael will be selected in the 2018 NFL draft. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt Buffalo to give him a look. If you haven’t noticed, the Bills could use an upgrade at the position.

BIG NIGHT FOR THE SABRES

It was good to see the struggling Buffalo Sabres have some fun for a change Tuesday night at the Colorado Avalanche.

Buffalo won 4-2...A defenseman (Jake McCabe) finally scored a goal – in the team’s 28th game of the season...Evander Kane scored the game-winning goal, his team-high 13th goal of the season...Jack Eichel had two assists and an empty-net goal...Ryan O’Reilly had two assists and his plus/minus dropped from minis-19 to minus-17.

The Sabres still have the worst record and goal differential in the 31-team NHL. They play at Chicago Friday night.

2018 WORLD CUP GROUPS BY FIFA RANKINGS

Here’s how the eight groups measure up for the 2018 World Cup in Russia based on the latest FIFA world rankings as of November 23 (in parentheses): Best-to-worst, the lower total rankings the better:

Group C – France (9)...Peru (11)...Denmark (12)...Australia (39)...Total 71

Group E – Brazil (2)...Switzerland (8)...Costa Rica (26)...Serbia (37)...Total 73

Group B – Portugal (3)...Spain (6)...Iran (32)...Morocco (40)...Total 81

Group D – Argentina (4)...Croatia (17)...Iceland (22)...Nigeria (50)...Total 93

Group F – Germany (1)...Mexico (16)...Sweden (18)...South Korea (59)...Total 94

Group H – Poland (7)...Colombia (13)...Senegal (23)...Japan (55)...Total

Group G – Belgium (5)...England (15)...Tunisia (27)...Panama (56)...Total 103

Group A – Uruguay (21)...Egypt (31)...Saudi Arabia (63)...host Russia (65)...Total 180.

The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage.

FIFA highest-ranked teams that failed to qualify for the 32-nation 2018 World Cup – Chile (10)...Italy (14)...Wales (19)...Netherlands (20)...United States (t24)...Northern Ireland (t24)...Slovakia (28)...Austria (29)...Paraguay (30).

UPDATING SOME NFL WIDE RECEIVERS:

1st-Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh) – 88 catches/1,296 yards

2nd-D’Andre Hopkins (Houston) – 77/1,084

3rd-Julio Jones (Atlanta) – 68/1,063

T21st-Robert Woods (LA Rams) – 47/703

T26th-Marquise Goodwin (San Francisco) – 35/677

48th-Sammy Watkins (LA Rams) – 31/528

T70th-Chris Hogan (New England) – 33/438

Top Buffalo Bills:

86th-Charles Clay 32/378

122nd—Zay Jones 25/291.

SHORT SHOTS

The Texas Rangers have signed left-handed pitcher David Hurlbut, who had a solid season with the 2017 Red Wings: 10-8 record, 3.44 ERA.

Tuesday was a lousy day for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia was banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics for systematic doping at the 2014 Winter Games and he isn’t among the 10 finalists for Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

FiveThirtyEight computer’s probability to win Super Bowl 52: Patriots 29 percent...Vikings 17 percent...Steelers 15 percent...Eagles 12 percent...Saints 8 percent...Seahawks and Rams each 4 percent...Falcons, Panthers, Chiefs and Jaguars each 2 percent...Titans 1 percent.

The Buffalo Bills rank 17th in the 32-team NFL this season in average home attendance: 68,629 through seven games. Buffalo ranks 22nd with 93.9 percent capacity.

The Buffalo Sabres rank 15th in the 31-team National Hockey League in average home attendance: 17,942 through 13 games. Buffalo is tied for 21st with 94.1 percent capacity.

ESPN’s Jay Bilas ranks Syracuse 44th, St. Bonaventure 66th and Vermont 68th in his latest Top 68 Teams in College Basketball. Vermont will play the Bonnies at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arenas at the War Memorial Saturday, December 16, 4 p.m.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Wednesday, December 6

Giannis Antetokounmpo (23)...Victor Antipin (25)...Johnny Manziel (25)...Adam Eaton (29)...Robbie Gould (35)...Kevin Cash (40)...Richard Krajicek (46)...Elmore Spencer (48)...Dynamite Kid (59)...Larry Sheets (59)...Bill Hanzlik (60)...Mike Parrott (63).

Thursday, December 7

Hunter Henry (23)...Yasiel Puig (27)...Kyle Hendricks (28)...Dean Ambrose (32)...Eric Chavez (40)...Terrell Owens (44)...Alan Faneca (44)...Tino Martinez (50)...Peter Laviolette (53)...Larry Bird (61)...Rich Coggins (67)...Johnny Bench (70)...Garry Unger (70)...Gerry Cheevers (77).


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