Your “Hold On A Minute There, Player!” Thursday Evening Open Thread

NFL Notes:

• Another day, another Chief’s one-day retirement contract: Middle Linebacker Derrick Johnson
  • He was a KC first-round pick back in 2005, and was on the team until March 2018, when he was cut.
    • He played six games with the Raiders, which likely convinced him to retire.
  • He retires as the team’s all-time leader in tackles (1,151), while adding 14 interceptions, 27.5 sacks and 40 quarterback hits.

• As the horse qualifying the integrity of the barn door, John Elway says he believes Drew Lock has what it takes to be groomed into the Broncos potential long-term starting QB.
  • Previous times he has said this include Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum,
  • Meanwhile, current plan Joe Flacco sits in a corner eating his ice milk.

• One QB situation unfolding faster than expected: Arizona.
  • He might’ve been drunk at the time, but GM Steve Keim told an interview on Thursday Kyler Murray will be the Cardinals Week One starter versus Detroit.
  • The money quote designed to appeal to the Briarwood Country Club: “We didn’t draft him one overall to ride the pine.”

• Good news for the cast of “That’s My Raiders” – the injury to Isaiah Crowell means that the Raiders are likely to re-sign Doug Martin.  
  • In seven NFL seasons, Martin has rushed for 5,356 yards and 30 touchdowns. He has caught 148 passes for 1,207 yards and another two TDs.
    • In 2018 with the Raiders, Marin had a team-high 723 rushing yards, along with 18 catches for 118 yards.
  • Martin would be expected to carry the load until the Raiders feel #1 pick Josh Jacobs is ready to take over full-time.

CFL Notes:

• The CFL draft is tonight!
  • nine teams + eight rounds = 72 players being selected
  • TSN’s draft primer is here.
• The draft order in the first round is:
  1. Toronto Argonauts
  2. Montreal Alouettes  – Selection forfeited via 2018 supplemental draft selection
  3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
  4. Edmonton Eskimos
  5. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (via BC)
  6. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
  7. Saskatchewan Roughriders
  8. Ottawa Redblacks
  9. Calgary Stampeders
• The projected first overall pick is expected to be Shane Richards of OK State.
  • It’s a sexy pick because he O-Line and he’s Canadian.
  • His agent, Johnathon Hardaway, was one of the lawyers who got the charges dismissed against the Duke lacrosse players.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL: both are Game 4s
  • Bruins at Blue Jackets – 7:30PM | NBCSN / CBC (CBJ leads 2-1)
  • Sharks at Avalanche – 10:00PM | NBCSN / Sportsnet (Sharks lead 2-1)
• NBA:
  • Raptors at 76ers – 8:00PM | ESPN / Sportsnet1
• MLB:
  • Red Sox at White Sox – 8:00PM | MLBN
  • Blue Jays at Angels – 10:00PM | Sportsnet360
• CFL:
  • Draft – 8:00PM | TSN / tsn.ca / cfl.ca

Hopefully, some of those 49 undrafted early-departures from college will find homes here, otherwise they got terrible advice and made a life-alteringly bad decision to leave school early. Moral: don’t believe your own hype.