Atlanta grabbed a quarterback to help ease the loss of Michael Vick and Oakland snagged star rusher Darren McFadden with some of the top selections in Saturday’s National Football League draft.
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan went third overall to the Falcons, who lost Michael Vick to prison when the star signal caller was convicted of financing a dogfight scheme.
The Raiders chose McFadden next, ignoring off-field incidents to pick perhaps the top offensive player available in the field. McFadden ran for 1,830 yards last season for the University of Arkansas.
The collegiate star scoring threats were taken after linemen went with the top two choices, although the usual suspense was swiped from the No. 1 selection thanks to offensive tackle Jake Long signing on Tuesday with Miami.
The University of Michigan standout will be the key blocker protecting the blind side of the Dolphins quarterback after agreeing to a five-year deal worth US$57.5 million that includes US$30 million in guaranteed money.
Long became only the third offensive tackle selected with the top pick, following Ron Yary in 1968 and Orlando Pace in 1997.
The St. Louis Rams made Chris Long, a defensive end from the University of Virginia, the second selection. The son of NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long made 14 sacks and 79 tackles last season.
Other top selections saw defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey go fifth to Kansas City, defensive end Vernon Gholston chosen sixth by the New York Jets and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis selected seventh by New Orleans after a trade with New England.
Jacksonville made a deal with Baltimore for the eighth pick, taking defensive end Derrick Harvey, while linebacker Keith Rivers went ninth to Cincinnati and New England tabbed linebacker Jerod Mayo 10th.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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