KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 / SPORTS
9B
Barefoot contester
Mia Iverson/KANSAN
Thomas Sinn, second year master's student from Germany, laughs after falling when trying to spike the ball on the sand volleyball courts outside the Ambler Student Recreation Center. I play all the time when it's nice like this," Sinn said. Later, he goes for a return on the sand volleyball courts
Dolphins make controversial trade
NFL
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
MIAMI - The Miami Dolphins' silence for much of the past month during free agency was replaced Wednesday morning by a boom loud enough to wake up the entire NFL.
Miami has officially traded for Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall, one of the most talented but controversial players at his position. The acquisition changes the complexion of the Dolphins' offense immediately.
Marshall arrived Wednesday afternoon in South Florida, where he promptly headed to take a physical. Leaving the doctor's office afterward, Marshall said everything went "great."
Marshall
He was then headed to the team's facility to sign and formalize the biggest contract ever inked by a wide receiver. An Orlando native, Marshall
told The Miami Herald it was good to be home.
"This is home for me," he said. "I'm right up the road from Orlando. I'm a Florida boy!"
Miami surrendered a second-round pick this year and another second-round pick next year to Denver for Marshall's services.
ESPN first reported Marshall agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $47.5 million with $24 million guaranteed. That's in addition to the one year remaining on his Denver deal worth $2.5 million.
WELCOME TO MIAMI
Reached by The Herald on Wednesday morning, Dolphins wide receiver Greg Camarillo was excited about the trade - but he also hoped Marshall would bring the same team-oriented mentality that currently exists within the wide receiving corps.
"Anytime you bring in a proven talent, you instantly get better," Camarillo said. "He has proven he can be dominant. I don't know Brandon Marshall, but I hope he brings the same mentality. I hope he's a team-oriented guy."
Marshall already apparently has plans as soon as he arrives in South Florida. The Miami Heat's official Twitter page said Marshall arranged to sit courtside at Wednesday night's game at American Airlines Arena.
Marshall declined to comment about whether he would attend the game.
The wide receiver, in the peak of his career, is the type of aggressive force Miami treasures at the position, but coach Tony Sparano said at last month's owners' meetings in Orlando it would take something "tremendous" to make Miami go after such a player.
Whether the deal became better-fitted for Miami's tastes – or whether it was simply a bluff – no longer seems to matter. On Tuesday, the Dolphins were actively trying to trade wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., which might have been the first sign of the pending deal.
Asked if the team was interested in Marshall or wide receiver Terrell Owens, Sparano said. "Right now we're kind of sitting back and we feel good about where we are right now. We'll see as this thing goes on if all of a sudden something came to us that was tremendous. But right now, I wouldn't say so. We're OK where we are."
When, on the same day, Marshall also signed his first-round tender, which prompted many to speculate that a trade between the Broncos and another team was about to go down.
ROCKY TIMES IN DENVER
Marshall has been a delight in Denver for his ability on the field (he has caught more than 100 passes for more than 1,000 yards each of the past three seasons) and a consistent distraction off the field (he was once suspended for a game because of legal trouble in 2008).
Marshall has faced the law on multiple occasions throughout his career. In 2008, The Rocky Mountain News reported that Douglas County deputies responded to "about 11 calls" between
January 2006 and 2008
One of those calls led to an arrest - a 2007 domestic dispute. Those charges were later dismissed after Marshall attended anger-management counseling. Marshall was again arrested later that year for DUI.
Marshall's end with the Broncos, though, was largely the result of disagreements of a contractual nature. The team was unwilling to give him the big-money extension he desired. It appears the Dolphins are now prepared to make him happy.
How this will change the Dolphins' current corps of wide receivers remains to be seen. Ginn is likely the odd man out, given the team's latest decision to shop him.
If that's the case, the team's corps will include Camarillo and Brian Hartline as solid role players and Davone Bess as the team's consistent slot receiver, while Marshall would serve as the No. 1 force Miami has been searching for.
Rams coach on hunt for new QB
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
ST. LOUIS - From the start of his tenure in St. Louis 15 months ago, coach Steve Spagnuolo was clear on his vision for the Rams. He wanted to build a winner on the foundation of a strong defense and a powerful running game.
NFL
As recently as mid-February, not long before the NFL scouting combine, Spagnuolo reiterated a variation of that win-in-the-trenches philosophy.
Which seemed like a pretty strong hint that the Rams were
"I've said this from the begin- ning, you build from the inside out," Spagnuolo said. "You start with the linemen and move your way out."
WOMEN'S WORK
Team sources recently told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that there was indeed a point during the off-season when Spagnuolo wanted to go defense with the first pick.
AN EVENT TO BENEFIT GADUGI SAFECENTER
Local Women ARTISTS, WRITERS and PERFORMERS
present a Night of WOMEN'S WORK
at LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER
Saturday April 17, 2010
That may be true, but all signs continue to point to the Rams taking quarterback Sam Bradford of Oklahoma with the first pick in the draft.
leaning toward defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska or Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft April 22. By almost universal acclaim, both are regarded as rare talents for the position.
But that no longer appears to be case. As early as late February, Spagnuolo insisted that despite his defensive background, he could pull the trigger on a quarterback with the No.1 overall pick.
"They're both going to be really good football players," veteran NFL scout Dave Razzano said. "You can't go wrong with either. There hasn't been two d-linemen like this in a while."
"Im broadening my spectrum,
my thought process," Spagnuolo
7.pm RECEPTION
with Drinka Boleska in the Lobby
7-30 PERFORMANCE
"I've said this from the beginning, you build from the indside out."
joked at the combine. "I know we all get labeled as head coaches - defensive guy, offensive guy - but when you sit in this particular seat that I'm blessed to be in, you've got to look at it as a team."
GaDuGi SAFECENTER
STEVE SPAGNUOLO St. Louis coach
There are practical reasons to feel this way, as one veteran NFL coach bluntly points out.
So if Spagnuolo as head coach says that quarterback is what's best for the team at No. 1 overall, then that's what will happen, trenches be damned.
They have no game-changers
"They're very similar in their skill set," Schwartz said. "If you took Suh to Oklahoma and you took McCoy to Nebraska, I think they'd both excel in the other person's defense."
But neither, it appears, will be headed to St. Louis.
"Steven jackson's a great player, but the Rams' issue is they have absolutely no game-changers on the football team." said the coach, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "jackson's it. "
Which feeds into why you take a talented quarterback prospect (Bradford) over a talented defensive tackle (Suh or McCoy). Simply stated, the quarterback position can change the game more than any other position.
Both are projected as top five picks, and many mock drafts have Detroit taking Suh at No. 2 overall and Tampa Bay taking McCoy at No. 3.
It has taken years for the roster to deteriorate to this point, the coach said. "And there ain't a guy that's been there that isn't culpable to some degree for it, including the present group."
o game-changers on offense. No game-changers on defense."
Unless, of course, Spagnuolo wakes up on draft day and has a defensive epiphany.
COLLEGE NEWS NETWORK
At 6-10,290-pounds,Allen played backup center for the Sooners for the past two seasons and became a father just last month.
Allen's decision to leave the team makes him the fourth Sooner to leave this offseason. Ray Willis decided last month to transfer, while both Willie Warren and Tommy Mason-Griffin announced their decision to enter the NBA draft.
"My plan is to graduate this summer and move forward in my life by getting a job and supporting my family," Allen said in a statement.
KICKER
Oklahoma men's basketball center Orlando Allen announced Wednesday that he will forgo his senior season to focus on his family.
Sign a lease by April 30th enter to win a FULL YEAR FREE Rent and a 50' flat screen
more splash less cash
Fully Furnished Individual Leases Resort Style Pool 24 Hour Fitness Center Private Shuttle to KU Pet Friendly
Okla. center leaves team for family focus
Next 20 people to sign new lease receive $250 off Sept!
EARN $30 TODAY.
$65 THIS WEEK.
*Eligible new donors
Legends Place
CASH IN YOUR POCKET.
DONATE PLASMA.
IT PAYS TO SAVE A LIFE.
816 West 24th Street
Lawrence, KS 60046
785.749.5750
cwsclaspla.com
4101 W. 24th Place
Lawrence, KS 60547
(785) 856-5848
Donor fees may vary.
New donors bring photo ID, proof of address and Social Security card.
2 Blocks West of HyVee on Clinton Pkwy.
CSL Plasma
Good for You. Great for Life.
4
1