SB Nation Chicago: All Posts by Ryan Van Bibber

Aaron Hernandez questioned by police investigating possible homicide

2013-06-18T22:20:52Z

Aaron Hernandez is not believed to be a suspect.

New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was questioned by Massachusetts State police on Monday as part of an investigation into a possible homicide, according to a report from Sports Illustrated. While Hernandez is not believed to be a suspect, police may want to search his home, a source told SI.

According to the report, a vehicle rented in Hernandez's name emerged as a key piece of evidence in the investigation. Police reportedly identified a rented Chevrolet Suburban in connection with a possible homicide and Hernandez's name is associated with the rental. The investigation comes after a jogger found the body of a 27-year-old man on Monday less than a mile from Hernandez' house in North Attleboro, Mass.

The investigation appears to be in the early stages as police are still waiting to analyze the vehicle for fingerprints. Hernandez did not return a call from Sports Illustrated, but a source close to the tight end confirmed he did speak to police in relation to the case.

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• Will Juron Criner be the Raiders' new red zone target?

• Broncos blog talks to All-Pro Von Miller

• 5 quarterback battles to watch

St. Louis Rams 2013 depth chart: Brian Quick is fourth and it doesn't matter

2013-06-18T21:17:07Z

Brian Quick is fourth on the St. Louis Rams depth chart at wide receiver.

It doesn't matter.

Why? Mostly because it's June. The Rams are more than six weeks away from putting on pads for the first time this year. When contact starts happening, that's when you can start making accurate assessments about the team's depth chart.

Quick's struggles last season, following a very loud hype tour from the leadership, surprised everyone. He struggled to pick up the playbook and learn the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between playing college football at Appalachian State and the NFL. Bigger, faster, stronger, more complex and all that.

I don't think he ever made it to fourth on the depth chart in 2012. Maybe that week when Chris Givens got benched.

Right now, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens and Austin Pettis are ahead of Quick on the depth chart. Austin was the eighth pick in the draft that the Rams traded up to get; no surprise that he's up there already. And rookies rarely make an appearance in the starting lineup in OTAs. Givens was the team's top receiver last year. Again, no surprise. Pettis is entering his third season with the Rams, a time when many believe that receivers finally figure it out. A little bit of a surprise that he's in the top three, but not entirely shocking.

Of the four receivers, only Austin possesses more overall natural talent than Quick. And that's not meant to take anything away from the other two. Quick is big, athletic and has the kind of skill set that can make him a threat all over the field.

All Quick has to do is prove himself. A month of OTAs isn't enough to erase a season worth of rookie struggles.

The final depth chart might not matter all that much at receiver anyway, not with Brian Schottenheimer's promise to use a more wide open, spread-like offense. Regardless, the battle in training camp to sort out the receiving corps ought to be one of the more exciting plots to follow.

When was the last time the Rams had this many talented receivers competing for playing time?

Flopping finds UNC baseball

2013-06-18T20:26:43Z

The youth baseball coach you secretly hated always told you to call it when you went in for a catch. The guy had a point, and the UNC baseball team has a good reminder of why.

He does manage to hang onto the ball, which is impressive.

If only it had Yakety Sax in the background.

(h/t @ShaneRyanHere)

49ers rookie Quinton Patton on Skylar Diggins, joining NFC champions

2013-06-18T18:36:03Z

To solidify their depth at wide receiver, the San Francisco 49ers drafted the WAC's leading receiver in 2012, Quinton Patton. At last month's NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Patton sat down with Dan Rubenstein of SB Nation to discuss his memories of getting drafted by the 49ers, studying a more complex playbook, and looking forward to Week 1 vs Green Bay.

Giants' Ryan Nassib on learning from Eli Manning, newfound love of golf

2013-06-18T18:22:25Z

After a standout career at Syracuse University that saw him become just the 4th quarterback in Big East history to pass for over 9,000 yards, the New York Giants selected Ryan Nassib in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Nassib spoke with SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein at last month's NFLPA Rookie Premiere to discuss getting drafted by the Giants, his familiarity with New York, and what he looks forward to purchasing with an NFL paycheck.

Random Ramsdom, 6/18: Good job, good effort

2013-06-18T15:16:51Z

Editing. It's important. Especially if you're going to print things, be it in the newspaper or on the internet. You should strive to speak clearly, eloquently and presentably. I had one get through the crack (pun sort of intended) on Monday in this piece about the St. Louis Rams Training Academy. It read:

Decked out with state of the art training equipment, video capability, weights and, of course, a turd field.

Obviously, it should have read "turf." Someone knew hilarity would ensue when they put the 'd' and the 'f' keys right next to each other. It's not just Apple iOS devices that discriminate against stubby fingers. I should have caught that. Fortunately, someone did rather quickly and sent me a note. I appreciate that. Again, my apologies. We'll try not to get too BUMMED about SHITTY editing for now.

Don't laugh. There really is a turd field. In Oakland.

Turnover is kind of like a turd field, in that it at least takes some of the turds off the field. But who am I kidding, ever iteration of the Rams roster is perfect, right? Mike Sando has a look at where the Rams have new faces in a new places ... and it's the right places.

St. Louis is blessed with some fine 1980s-style sports columnists. And nobody knows hot sports takes like Joe Strauss. He totally pulled one over on unsuspecting Nationals fans last night. (I bet there's a social media "expert" in the newsroom at the PD now, telling its staff about the importance of Klout Scores ... because Lee Enterprises wants those perks, baby!) Anyway, first-class trolling by Strauss here. Maybe this dinosaur does know something about the internets after all.

The official Rams site caught up with former Ram Ray Agnew, part of the 1999 Super Bowl championship team.

Finally, a hat for real NFL fans

2013-06-18T14:10:53Z

Do you know anyone who fits this description?

Watches nothing but the Red Zone channel for 16 hours on Sunday
Refers to the NFL as "The Shield"
Favorite team: Their fantasy team, in the league they spent at least $500 to join

Now, you have the perfect gift for that person, a lovely fitted polyester cap displaying all 32 team logos in glorious black and white! And what better way to support The Shield than by spending $60 bucks on the thing.

NFL Debrief: The end of football?

2013-06-18T14:04:13Z

Lem Barney gives the sport of football another 20 years before it's gone. The Hall of Fame defensive back offered his prediction and acknowledged his regret over playing last week at the Sound Mind and Body Camp in Michigan. On Sunday, Barney was apologizing for making a room full of football coaches face an uncomfortable reality about the game. He stood by the content of his remarks.

Barney spent 11 seasons in the NFL, all with the Detroit Lions. He played cornerback, returned punts, returned some kicks and even did a little punting early in his career. He isn't the first former player to speak out about the nature of the game, only the latest. But his comments foreshadow what is likely to be the first real threat to the NFL's prominence.

A federal court in Pennsylvania could put the NFL in imperiled waters with a forthcoming decision about whether or not to proceed with a lawsuit pitting some 4,000 former players against the league over the impact of head injuries. Barney is one of the plaintiffs.

There isn't an easy way to hammer the concussion lawsuit into a football analogy. I've tried. Judge Anita Brody is merely deciding, at this stage, whether or not the issue belongs in labor mediation, as the NFL argues, or if it stays in court.

If the case, or at least part of it, goes forward, we could see a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the NFL, the stuff the league and its 32 teams work hard to keep the rest of the world from seeing. We might also get some closure on what duty, if any, the league has to its players with respect to health and safety during and after their careers. Remember, the NFL still won't acknowledge whether or not concussions and head trauma have a detrimental impact on players' long-term health.

There is also the potential for a hefty settlement to be paid out of league coffers.

Football isn't just going to disappear completely. The case threatens the NFL's primacy at the top of the professional sport food chain. The game could turn into more a niche sport with a small, passionate audience.

It's unlikely that football disappears entirely, but Barney's warning shouldn't be ignored.

Alex Green and a lesson about OTAs

I'm looking forward to the day when we're talking about actual football, game play itself, in this space. We've got seven weeks until the first preseason game.

I know what you're thinking: "ugh, preseason football." And I agree. However, it does at least give us something more tangible to talk about than spring OTAs. No hitting, no pads makes everyone a winner at spring practices. Unfortunately, tidbits from the field get fed to us with the same seriousness as Week 16 of the regular season.

There's an obvious example of just how inane OTAs are: Tim Tebow. But let's use something less obvious to make the point.

That's where the usefulness of the spring practice sessions end.

Alex Green is the top running back on Green Bay's depth chart. He led the rushing-starved Packers with 135 carries last year, but posted a measly 3.4 yards per attempt. Green finished the season buried on the depth chart, not even getting on the field after Week 15.

The Packers drafted Alabama running back Eddie Lacy in the second round this year. They nabbed UCLA's Jonathan Franklin in the fourth round.

Lacy, Franklin, Green, DuJuan Harris and others will battle for a bigger role. It's a good bet that Lacy will get the lion's share of the work, but rookies rarely start on top of the depth chart, especially in spring OTAs when they're getting their first taste of the playbook.

OTAs are a nice preview for what's to come in training camp and the preseason. That's where the usefulness of the spring practice sessions end.

Drive South

The NFC South belongs to Atlanta. Any way you look at the four teams in that division, it's clear that the Falcons have the upper hand. Picking Atlanta to win is the easiest prediction any back page pundit can make this year.

But the Falcons won't have it easy inside the division.

The Carolina Panthers finished last season with a four-game win streak that started with a Week 14 win over the Falcons. Cam Newton threw five touchdowns, 936 yards and just two interceptions during that stretch, posting an 87.2 rating. He added another pair of rushing touchdowns, as former offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski had finally been convinced to run the ball by this point.

Best division in the NFL?

Carolina beat the New Orleans Saints in a shootout, with a total of 82 points scored and nary a shred of defense to be found. That Saints team finished its throwaway season with a 2-2 record. Obviously, Drew Brees carried the team. He led the league with 1,503 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Someone had to do something. The Saints defense allowed an average of 439 yards.

And then there's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the weak link in my theory about this being a tough division from top to bottom based on the last month of the 2012 season. Greg Schiano's team collapsed at Thanksgiving, finishing the year 1-5. They did at least end with a Week 17 win, beating the Falcons. During the last four games, the Bucs posted a 11-3 turnover differential. Tampa Bay emphasized its woeful pass defense with an offseason spending spree this year. If Josh Freeman gets his struggles ironed out, or Mike Glennon surprises us, the Bucs should be a better team.

Best division in the NFL? Maybe. I'll still take the Falcons to win it.

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• 5 quarterback battles to watch

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• Watch NFL rookies interviewing each other