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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The mayors of San Francisco and Oakland and the NFL called for an end to acts of violence at sporting events, after two men were shot and wounded following a San Francisco 49ers-Oakland Raiders preseason game.
Investigators Sunday looked for suspects and interviewed witnesses to the violence the night before in the parking lot at Candlestick Park after the matchup.
Motives for the shootings - including whether they were influenced by emotions surrounding a game involving fiercely rival teams - weren't known.
But the shootings evoked memories of another recent disturbing act of post-game violence involving two rival California pro sports teams - the near-fatal beating this spring of a San Francisco Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium.
In Saturday's attacks, a 24-year-old man, who reportedly was wearing a "F--- the Niners'' T-shirt, was shot several times in the stomach. Police said he managed to stumble to stadium security for help despite the severe injuries. He remained hospitalized in serious condition Sunday.
A second victim, a 20-year-old man, was treated for less serious wounds in a separate shooting, also after the game.
Sgt. Mike Andraychak said no arrests have been made and that police are looking for "a person of interest'' connected to at least one of the shootings. He would not specify which shooting.
Apart from the shootings, a third victim, a 26-year-old man, was also hospitalized in serious condition Sunday after he was knocked unconscious in a stadium bathroom during the game. That attack appeared unrelated to the other two, police said.
The victims' names have not been released as the violent spree overshadowed the 49ers' 17-3 victory over the Raiders.
The crimes prompted San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to issue a joint statement saying that violence at stadiums in both cities will not be tolerated.
"The incidents ... are completely unacceptable and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,'' the mayors said. "Fans come to our stadiums to enjoy an afternoon of football, not to be subjected to intimidation or violence. These games are family events and the types of images we witnessed last night have no place in our arenas.''
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello echoed similar comments, saying "we deplore the activities of a handful of fans at last night's game and pledge our full support to Mayors Lee and Quan and to state and local law enforcement agencies.''
49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who once was a coach in the Raiders organization, said he was saddened to hear about the violence.
"I didn't know anything was going on during the game. I wasn't aware of that,'' Harbaugh said. "I feel bad for the people who got injured and the people who had to see that, for those who had to witness it.''
The team said that "these kinds of events are disquieting to everyone in the Bay Area community. We are working to assist the San Francisco Police Department in any way possible to understand how and why this happened.''
Raiders CEO Amy Trask said in a statement that "the incidents at last night's game are not acceptable to the Raiders or to any National Football League team and our thoughts are with all affected.''
Head Coach Hue Jackson also shared his desire for a safe fan-friendly environment "where we wish that people come out and enjoy a game and hopefully that those things don't happen.''
On Saturday, Sgt. Frank Harrell said the man shot wearing the T-shirt drove his truck to a gate and stumbled to stadium security. A second man shot before that in the parking lot and had superficial face injuries, Harrell said.
He said the two shootings were being treated separately "but we believe they are related.''
The attacks come nearly five months after San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was severely beaten by two men in Los Angeles Dodgers gear outside Dodger Stadium after the archrivals' season opener in Los Angeles. Two men charged in the beating, Louie Sanchez, 28, and Marvin Norwood, 30, have pleaded not guilty.
Stow, 42, a Santa Cruz paramedic, suffered severe brain injuries and remains hospitalized in serious condition.
That attack drew widespread attention and focusing the spotlight on security at Dodger Stadium, and the intense rivalry among Dodgers and Giants fans.
Christian End, an assistant professor at Xavier University in Cincinnati, who specializes in sports fan behavior, said there are several factors for unruliness at sporting events - including the magnitude of the game, if it is between arch rivals, adrenaline and alcohol. There's also "deindividuation,'' when fans supporting a particular team adopt a group mentality and may become uncivil.
"The anonymity of large crowds can afford some fans the opportunity to act in a way that they typically wouldn't because there's less accountability and less fear of repercussion,'' End said.
End said violence between fans of opposing teams can typically begin with light banter, followed by "one-upping'' each other with statistics or other chatter that could draw a crowd.
"Then it could be taken up a notch where the fun aspect is gone and it just escalates,'' End said.
End said he doesn't believe fan violence has increased in the last 10 years but may appear that way partially due to new technology at hand.
"There are more cameras covering games and more fans using their smartphones,'' End said. "Any acts of aggression have a higher probability of being captured and being shown over the Internet and on television.
"It would give the impression that, `Boy, fans are engaging in all of this aggressive behavior.' But you have to remember that a vast majority of them are not.''
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Associated Press sportswriters Janie McCauley in Oakland and Josh Dubow in Alameda contributed to this report.


Taurean Green is pulling a lot of late nights in the Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa.

He has his three former UF roommates to blame: Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer.

Green is recovering from a fractured foot he suffered playing for C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 of the European ACB League in Spain. He spent Wednesday night the same way he did Monday night, flipping on the TV around 1 A.M. to watch Horford and Noah square off in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

He’ll do the same as long as the series between Horford’s Hawks and Noah’s Bulls last. And each time they run up and down the court, Green will be reminded of all those battles the two had in practice as teammates at Florida, part of the famed Oh-Fours that arrived on campus in 2004, and by the time they left in 2007, had led the Gators to back-to-back national championships.

“It is weird, but at the same time it’s fun to watch,” Green said Tuesday. “We had a lot of great times together. I know they both want to win this series.”

This is the fourth NBA season for Horford and Noah, as well as for Brewer, who is now with the Mavericks and made an impact in Dallas’ win over the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals Monday.

Meanwhile, Green is in a place far from the NBA playoffs, connected to his former teammates through occasional telephone calls and a big-screen TV.

He spoke with Horford a couple of days after the Hawks upset the Magic in the first round, advancing to face the No. 1-seed Bulls.

Green has another year on his contract in Spain and his most pressing task is to rehab the foot injury that has him sidelined. While he works to return to the court, Green is enjoying watching Horford and Noah square off for the first time in the NBA playoffs.

Green was glued to his TV for Game 1 Monday, a 103-95 Hawks win in Chicago that gave them a 1-0 series advantage. Horford scored nine points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Noah finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

“I felt that Jo and Al played pretty well,” he said. “Both of their teams are guard-oriented, but they did a good job inside and rebounding.”

When they were matched up on occasion, Green’s mind flashed back to the countless times as UF they faced off in practice or in a summer pick-up game.

“Those were battles,” Green said. “They are going to go at each other. They are friends, but right now they are competitors trying to beat each other.

“Both guys have gotten better and stronger. Jo has really bulked up since we played at Florida, and Al has continued to develop his offensive game. Jo’s offensive game is also starting to come along.”

Horford and Noah have played against each other in the regular season, but this is the first time the ex-Gators have met up in the playoffs.

Atlanta entered as the No. 5 seed in the East and pulled a bit of a surprise by knocking off Dwight Howard and the Magic in the first round.

Meanwhile, some see the Bulls as the one team in the East that could prevent the Heat-Celtics winner from advancing to the NBA Finals, led by league MVP Derrick Rose.

Which former teammate does Green see winning the series?

“With Kurt Hinrich out [for Atlanta], I figured Chicago would have an advantage,” Green said. “But if Atlanta keeps shooting the ball like they did in Game 1, they are going to be tough to beat. They are a confident basketball team. They beat Orlando after losing to them last year, and some of the guys have really improved.”

As you can see, Green isn’t picking sides in this one. He plans to sit back and enjoy watching his former teammates do their thing on the court.

“Those are two competitors,” Green said. “I’ll definitely be watching.

The same year as Horford, Noah and Brewer were all first-round picks, Green was a second-round pick by Portland. He played in 17 games with the Blazers and Nuggets in his rookie season in 2007-08, but opted to move overseas for more playing time and a chance at a unique experience.

He spent a season in Greece and the past two seasons in Spain. After his contract runs out after next season, Green hopes he’ll get another shot to join his former teammates in the NBA and perhaps add more memories to the Oh-Fours’ collection.

“That’s the goal,” Green said. “The way I look at it, I’m just taking a different route to the NBA. By coming over here, I’ve gotten to start and play a lot rather than just sit on a bench in the NBA, and it’s helped me become a better player. I feel I’ve gotten better in all aspects.”

Green has worked hard on his leg strength and quickness and running a professional team. He didn’t know much about the European professional leagues coming out of college but has quickly learned.

“It’s competitive,” Green said. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t know how good the players were over here when I first got here. There’s a lot of talent on all the teams. You’ve got a lot of guys who are NBA players. Basically, it’s a different kind of game but the talent level is still there.”

Series Story:  The Mavericks ruined every trendy bloggers upset pick, beating the Blazers in six games and buying themselves some time before we all go back to calling them soft and calling out their lack of heart.How This Series Will Be Remembered:  Brandon Roy leading the Blazers to a magic comeback in Game Four.Series MVP (Blazers):  LaMarcus Aldridge. You could have given this to Brandon Roy, or Gerald Wallace but LaMarcus Aldridge kept the Blazers in this series. it was clear in the fourth quarter of Game Six when he went shot for shot with Dirk Nowitzki until the Blazers finally ran out of energy. He did miss two clutch free throws at the end of the game, but the Blazers wouldn’t have been in that position without him. Good thing the Raptors couldn’t have drafted him with the #1 pick or anything.Series MVP (Mavericks):  Dirk. He is arguably one of the five best players in the NBA right now and made that clear against the Blazers, hitting dagger after dagger. With a series against the Lakers coming up it is going to be real hard for people to ignore the big German.Unsung Hero:  Gerald Wallace. Watch Game Six again and tell me if you would want him on your team or not. He left everything on the court and earned the respect of every basketball fan in the process.What We Learned About the Mavs:  Their veteran core is dangerous. Jason Terry, Kidd, and Dirk can all close out a game and have a lot of playoff experience. Combine that with the fact that they know their championship window is closing fast and you have a dangerous team moving forward.Blazers Silver Lining:  If they can finally stay healthy they will be back next year.Turning Point:  LaMarcus Aldridge’s missed free throws at the end of Ga.

George Karl entered these NBA playoffs having won 74 games in postseason play during his illustrious coaching career.Looks like he will leave these playoffs with the exact same number of wins.His Nuggets face elimination Monday in Game 4, and even though Karl has pulled every string possible and pushed every button imaginable, nothing has worked in this series. Not calling the Thunder cocky. Not throwing every available body possible at Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Not playing the woe-is-me card after a blown goaltending call in Game 1. Not professing confidence that returning to Denver would remedy all ills after Game 2.I guess someone’s got to provide playoff tomfoolery once Phil Jackson retires.Scott Brooks isn’t auditioning for that gig. What Mr. Straight-and-Narrow is doing is getting the better of this coaching matchup.“He’s been real consistent with his message all year,” Thunder veteran Nick Collison said. “You can probably tell by how we talk to the media — we’re always saying the same things over and over again — but it’s what’s preached to us every day.“I think that consistency’s big.”It has been huge during this playoff series. The Thunder didn’t panic when the Nuggets jumped to a big lead in Game 1. Ditto for when it gave up a big lead in Game 2.And being able to win in a hostile road environment despite not playing great basketball in Game 3? That was all about keeping your head on straight.Sure, the Thunder had some uncharacteristic breakdowns of composure Saturday. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant picked up technical fouls, something that players not named Kendrick Perkins rarely do. Yes, the Thunder let a comfortable lead slip late in the game when J.R. Smith got hot.But let’s remember — for the youngest team in these playoffs to score a postseason road win when everything didn’t go its way, that took some commendable composure.That flows directly from the head coach.“I just think it’s always important to be consistent with guys,” Brooks said. “I know when I played, I always wanted that from my coaches.”Brooks is so dogged on consistency that it goes all the way to his wardrobe. Before every home game, he wears the same warm-up with a “Training Camp 2010” logo on it.A couple weeks ago, Brooks looked like he might break out in hives as he talked about Karl showing up in all sorts of different outfits when he was an assistant in Denver. One day, he might wear a Nuggets top. Another day, he might wear a hat backward.Oh, the horror.The thing is, despite his disposition toward the repetitive, Brooks isn’t such a stick in the mud that he refuses to change. If he did, the Thunder wouldn’t be where it is.His decision to switch James Harden to guard J.R. Smith late in Game 3, for example, paid huge dividends when the Thunder reserve made a straight-up, no-foul play on the Nuggets’ sharpshooter at the buzzer.Winning in the playoffs requires flexibility from the head coach.“In a series when there’s so much scouting that goes on …,” Collison said, “he’s been able to do some stuff to get us some offense.”Perkins said, “Coach Brooks’ thing is not to let us get comfortable, not to get bored with the process.”Then this playoff veteran from his Boston days said something that really makes you sit up and take notice.“One thing … I found with Doc Rivers and now with Coach Brooks is they let their assistant coaches coach,” he said.“They’re not afraid to get knowledge from other places. They put their ego aside.”Yep, he compared Scotty Brooks to Doc Rivers.It seems like such a crazy thing, a guy who has yet to win a playoff series as a head coach being likened to a guy who’s taken his team to the NBA Finals two of the past three years. But what if Brooks is growing into one of the best young coaches in the NBA? What if he’s the next Doc Rivers?Heck, what if he’s the next Gregg Popovich?That might seem far-fetched. Then again, who thought Pop, then the Spurs’ general manager, would be still be in San Antonio 15 years after naming himself head coach?Look at what Brooks has done in just a little over two years. He has turned a 23-win team into a team on the verge of sweeping its way into the second round of the playoffs.Sure, the Thunder has upgraded its talent during that time, but Brooks has been the right coach for this team.Brooks admits he still has a lot to learn as a coach.“I don’t have all the answers,” he said. My philosophy has always been, ‘Let’s try to find the best answers for our team.’”Brooks has found a bunch of them during these playoffs.Karl? He’s come up with about as many answers as victories in this series.

NBA commissioner David Stern is a smart man, and he’s been doing his job for too long to try and bull his way around issues – even if he’d prefer to.
So while Stern is quick to point out that the NBA playoffs are off to a successful start, he also knows he can’t ignore the ominous cloud floating on horizon.In 2 months, the NBA will crown its 2010-2011 champion. Shortly after that, the association could face a devastating work stoppage that will crush any good will it has gained this season.
“I say to people that we are working hard on a [collective bargaining agreement],” Stern said last night before the Sixers played the Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center. “We’re working hard on a revenue-sharing formula. And, what do you know, the playoffs broke out. It’s been one of our best seasons in years.
“We’d like to be rolling right along, but we’re looking for a CBA that gives the owners a return on their investment.
“I think there is an opportunity to do that and make a deal with the players.”
Stern sees what’s happening with the NFL – a league in the midst of a lockout despite being the most profitable of American professional sports.
He knows how much damage the lockout that reduced the 1999 NBA season to 50 games did to the league.
Yet here is where the league and the National Basketball Players Association find themselves.
“The NFL is out there on display,” Stern said. “They’re profitable but their future is so involved in some combination of court cases and [National Labor Relations Board] proceedings.
“We, on behalf of the NBA, and [Players Association executive director Billy Hunter], on behalf of the union, understand that’s a route that should be avoided.
“We’ve committed to each other to give it our best shot, and we will. We have over 2 months. I don’t think it distracts from the playoffs, but it’s there.”
Stern addressed a number of things, such as historical franchises like the Sixers and New York Knicks returning to the playoffs, the human element of NBA referees and future use of technology.
Considering the Heat was in the building with its superstar trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, it was only natural to ask Stern whether he had a problem with the current trend of stars’ manipulating the system to play together.
“No,” Stern said. “I’ve grown up in this league with teams that had great players . . . You may call me a player’s person, but the players made a deal that allows them to be free agents and decide where they want to go.
“[The press] is making it into a federal offense that they discuss where they want to go and play with other players. That doesn’t warm my blood. Those are the rules. If the team that gets them is under the salary cap, this is the way the system was designed to work.”

How appropriate that one of the more bizarre and impressive comebacks happens in California on the eve of this day when I can first write about it?
In 1971, the counter-culture of the Bay Area at the end of the hippie days bore us a tradition that an element of our current population commemorates in ways that would make those hippies proud (even if some of them have become the people they despised.).
What was once about smoking what the show’s regular host would call “hippie lettuce” at 4:20 in the afternoon for some San Rafael high (in both senses of the word) schoolers, Damon Bruce of KNBR explains while guest-hosting on Jim Rome is Burning, has exploded into much more. He spent an entire segment talking about the tradition instead of talking sports.
Because today is April 20—expressed 4/20 numerically—the entire day is a commemoration of this sequence for some, especially in the Bay Area. And that craze inspired my piece when it brought to mind my college days, coming much later in my years than my friends, but with no more maturity.
My friends and I did what many college kids did…play video games while listening to music, of course—not that other thing you were thinking!
Which brings me back to last night (some of you will appreciate that more than others): The San Jose Sharks had a video game-like comeback on the road against the Los Angeles KingsAfter stinking up HP Pavilion en route to a 4-0 loss Saturday, Antti Niemi let in a soft goal to a stay-at-home defenceman early. Then the Sharks could not stop the Kings’ attack the next shift for a 2-0 deficit just 159 seconds into the game.
San Jose killed a double-minor to Niclas Wallin, and things looked settled. But with 1:38 left in the first period, the Dustins (Brown and Penner) needed just three seconds to turn a Dan Boyle giveaway into a Michal Handzus one-timer goal.
One of my video game buddies and I debated the correction course at intermission. He felt the Sharks needed to get physical in the second period to send a message to the Kings.
I disagreed: “More physical leads to more penalties, and we have horrible penalty-killing.”
“This is not about the Kings, it is about the Sharks. The Sharks are the better team and can control the game if they shake out of this four-period malaise. That is how we need to impose our will—the way the (Detroit) Red Wings would.”
“Pull Niemi. Not so much because it is his fault since only the first one was. But this team needs a shake-up, and this will do it; Anterro Niittymaki is a good back-up.”
Unfortunately, coach Todd McLellan left Nemo in net, and Todd gave away another goal that he would usually stop just 44 seconds into the second period. After yielding four goals on 10 shots, McLellan sought the same solution.This is the point at which my friends and I would do things to help us zone in on the video game. I meant like, change the music!
“The Tool” was what we called the album Aenima; it was reserved for moments when we desperately needed a change in momentum. Or when we were playing a Los Angeles-based team because of the title track whose lyrics call for the city to be flushed into the Pacific by an earthquake.
The Sharks situation qualified for either of the above rules, and I listen to it while I write as a tribute, because the Sharks got that kind of change against an L.A. team.
After 40:44 of being outscored 8-0, the Sharks woke up. Scoring five of six goals in less than 23 minutes to draw to a 5-5 tie is the kind of thing you would only expect in a video game, but the Sharks pulled it off.
The third period featured no scoring, but just 3:09 into the first overtime, Devin Setoguchi ended it. Sharks play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn had called that Wallin would score the OT goal, and Drew Remenda said it would be Patrick Marleau (who opened scoring: you can click the following link to see a full recap of the game); they got the assists.

This was perhaps the best opening weekend of the NBA Playoffs that I have ever seen or can remember. It was almost 12 hours of hoops on both Saturday and Sunday and each game did not disappoint or let down. Each one of the favorites struggled and had to claw to win or come up just short. The opening game on Saturday was Indiana-Chicago and it was absolutely amazing and things grew from there capping with the best game and final game of the weekend with Denver-Oklahoma City. There were great individual efforts along with great team play. It truly marked the change of mentality to this being the playoffs and the only team that seemed to not realize this was the LA Lakers.
As stated above, this was an awesome game with the Pacers leading through most of the game. They were up 10 with 3:34 to play only to see the Bulls rally back and pull out the win, 104-99. Derrick Rose was truly electrifying willing the Bulls to victory scoring 39 points, dishing out 6 assists, and grabbing 6 boards. Game 2 last night was more of the same but the Pacers showed me something last night. The Game 1 loss was truly brutal but the Pacers fought and were in the game throughout before falling on another back breaking trey by Kyle Korver to seal the win for the Bulls, 96-90. Rose finished with 36 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists. They travel to Indianapolis now and it should be a raucous crowd there and I fully expect the Pacers to grab at least one game on their home floor. Prediction for the series: Bulls in 6
The next game was Philadelphia and the Miami Heat. The Sixers were able to jump out to an early lead of 31-19. However, the Miami 3 of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh had a strong 2nd quarter to help get the Heat back in the game. The Heat continued to play well and built a lead but the Sixers continued to fight and kept the outcome in doubt for much of the game. Thaddeus Young was a mismatch the Sixers used to help them keep close as he had 20 points and 11 boards. However, the Heat proved too much as they won 97-89. In Game 2, the Heat finally had the first convincing win by a favorite as they won 94-73. The Heat were led by LeBron who had 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Evan Turner and Young were the two bright spots for the Sixers as they had 15 and 18 points respectively. Prediction: Grab your broom, Heat in 4.
Dwight Howard went beast mode against the Hawks and yet the Magic still lost by 10, 103-93. Dwight had 31 in the first half and finished with 46 points and 19 boards. The Hawks seemed content to let Dwight get his and not double team him. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 25 points. Prediction: Magic in 6.
The night cap on Saturday was Dallas and Portland. It really was a back and forth game but Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd willed the Mavs to a victory, 89-81. Kidd has 6 triples and Dirk finished with 28 and 10 boards. LaMarcus Aldridge was the high point man for the Blazers with 27. Prediction: Blazers in 6.

Lightning forward Simon Gagne stuck out his right elbow and leaned out with his body. Then he shoved his elbow out even farther.
That was his postgame imitation of Penguins forward Chris Kunitz, who was penalized two minutes for elbowing Gagne in the head during the first period of the Lightning’s 3-2 Game 3 loss Monday vs. the Penguins.
As well as looking back, Gagne made a prediction.
“The league is going to look at it,” Gagne said. “We all know the rules.”
Gagne’s coach, Guy Boucher, said the same thing. “I saw it,” he said. “And the league is going to see it.”
That was Gagne and Boucher’s way of saying the league needs to consider suspending Kunitz for violating Rule 48, which prohibits players from targeting the head of an opponent. Replays appeared to show Kunitz clipping Gagne in the head as they passed one another in the Penguins zone midway through the first period.
“There’s a rule now in place for a hit to the head,” Gagne said. “No elbows to the head. If you look at the replay, he’s not even close to me and he just extended his elbow. And even the referee came and talked to me right after and asked me if I was okay. He saw what happened. Now it’s up to the league. Nothing I can do about it.”
While Gagne was upset with the hit, he was pleased to have survived it, given his history of concussion problems. “I feel okay,” he said. “I finished the game.”
Meanwhile, Kunitz’s hit wasn’t the only nasty one of the night. The Lightning’s Steve Downie crushed Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy with a first-period hit when Downie appeared to leave his feet. The Penguins scored during the delayed penalty call.
“I knew it was coming,” Lovejoy said. “You have to be aware when he is on the ice. It was a good hit, though I haven’t seen (a replay). He certainly didn’t get me in the head. He put his shoulder right into my chest. I knew it was going to be a hit like that. It’s the Stanley Cup playoffs.”
Ah, yes, the playoffs, where hardly a few seconds go by without the boards rattling. Even in this series. The Lightning and Penguins traditionally are not known as overly physical teams, but this has been a hard-hitting series. The teams combined for 68 hits in Game 3, more than a hit a minute.
“You look at every (playoff) game on TV and it’s pretty much like that,” Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier said. “I didn’t see (the Kunitz) hit, but there have been a couple of borderline hits. It’s been physical, for sure. But that’s what the playoffs are all about. This series is no different.”
Lightning forward Marty St. Louis chose to sum up this way: “It’s playoff hockey. You have to expect that every game.”

The team quickly found out though that they weren’t ready to compete for a championship, as they watched QB Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers tear them apart on their own field in the first round.
Hopefully, the Falcons learned a valuable lesson from the devastating loss.
The Packers demonstrated that when you a have competent quarterback and multiple threats at the WR position, you’re offense has a chance to explode at any given time.
Right now, Atlanta certainly has a competent quarterback in Matt Ryan, one of the best young signal callers in the league. But as we saw throughout last year, their lack of depth at the receiver position is a problem that needs to be addressed before the start of the upcoming season.
Roddy White is one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL today but the team needs to find a proper counterpart to help take some of the heat off of him.
Harry Douglas and Michael Jenkins are two capable pro receivers, however, neither is equipped to handle being the legitimate No. 2 target for an NFL offense.
TE Tony Gonzalez, one of the best to ever play the position, handles that duty for Atlanta right now as Matt Ryan’s second option. But Gonzalez’s age is showing and he’s now in the final year of his contract.
What the Falcons must do is assess and decide what type of priority they place on drafting a receiver this year.
This year’s WR class has two standout top ten caliber prospects, Alabama’s Julio Jones and Georgia’s A.J. Green, but outside of them there is no other guaranteed first round pick in the group.
The second tier of receiver prospects includes players such as Boise State’s Titus Young, Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan, Kentucky’s Randall Cobb, Maryland’s Torrey Smith and Pittsburgh’s Jonathan Baldwin.
All of them are widely considered to be second round values but if the Falcons ultimately deem their receiver need dire enough, they could think about selecting one of them with the 27th pick.
The one receiver out of the bunch that the team has shown considerable interest in is Jerel Jernigan of Troy.
Atlanta has conducted personal workouts and interviews with Jernigan on multiple occasions over the last few months.
The interest makes sense considering Jernigan would make a great No. 2 receiver in the NFL.
At 5‘9” 185 lbs., he may lack the desired size you would look for in an NFL receiver but Jernigan has the type of raw speed to stretch the field and hold a defense’s attention.
Jernigan proved to be a highly productive player in college, finishing his career at Troy with 262 catches for over 3,100 yards and 25 total touchdowns.
He might be considered a minor reach at pick No. 27 but Jernigan could be worth the payoff and end up being exactly the type of piece that the Atlanta offense needs.

Maybe it matters later on. Maybe, if the Chicago Bulls play the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, the debate has some legs.
But for now?
The Bulls’ playoff experience — or comparative lack thereof — means very little, and here’s why:
They’re really not as inexperienced as they are made out to be.If Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are examples of playoff newbies, everyone should wish for such inexperience. Two hard-fought — and, in one case, epic — battles in first-round series over the past two years should not be discounted. Noah arrived as a serious NBA player by the end of the Boston series two years ago, and Rose improved exponentially.
Yes, maybe Kurt Thomas and Brian Scalabrine are the only Bulls players to have played in an NBA Finals, but Thomas has played in 89 playoff games and has been in eight winning series. Carlos Boozer has played in 44 playoff games and won four series. He also has made it to a conference championship, as has Ronnie Brewer. Luol Deng made it to the second round.
“The only way you get there is by getting there,” Tom Thibodeau said.
In other words, if they get to the conference finals, they will have picked up valuable experience.
The idea of paying dues is fine, but this isn’t a case of a skinny Scottie Pippen coming out of Central Arkansas and getting beaten up by the Pistons. The Bulls’ key players have played in big games and played well.
“If anything,” Rose said of not making it past the first round, “it makes you more hungry. You want to get farther than you did last year. … I just want to know how it feels.”
Preparation trumps all.
If we have to be told now after 62 victories that the Bulls were well prepared all season, we really have not been paying attention.
How has the regular season readied them for the playoffs?The Bulls never lost three games in a row. They played under adversity and triumphed. They rarely, if ever, mailed it in, even when key injuries might have excused it. And, lest we forget, they played playoff-type defense all season.
Thanks to Thibodeau, the Bulls prepared for games during the season like some teams prepare for the playoffs.
“You think about all the things you’re going to have to do at the end and try to establish that during the course of the year so that when you get to the playoffs, you don’t have to make adjustments,” Thibodeau said. “You’re used to studying and preparing for each opponent like it was a playoff game, so when you get there, there’s no change.”
Did we mention Thibodeau?

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When he was named the Bulls’ coach last summer — the second straight hire with no previous head-coaching experience — that fact was easily digested thanks to Thibs’ 20 years of NBA experience.
Better yet, Thibodeau teams have advanced to the postseason 14 times, and he has been on the bench for 158 NBA playoff games, including three NBA Finals. That does not include his work as an advance scout for the 1991-92 Seattle SuperSonics, who reached the Western Conference semifinals.
“Thibodeau, I’m not going to lie, he’s a tough coach,” Noah said. “He doesn’t take anything lightly. He’s very big on time and things like that. But at the end of the day, there’s a big picture for him. He’s somebody who has experienced winning a championship, and for me, that’s really a beautiful thing.”
If we’re to believe him, Thibodeau claims that adjustments come playoff time are overrated.
“I think there’s more made of that than actually happens,” he said. “The biggest changes, when you get to the playoffs, is you’re just playing the same team over and over again. That’s the biggest change. But the game part, you don’t change who you are, you’re not going to change your defense, you’re not going to change your offense.
“You’ll add a wrinkle here or there, but that will be about it. It’s going to be how well you can execute and what type of habits you establish throughout the year.”
There are more important things than playoff experience.
This is not necessarily a good thing. Rose’s health, for instance, will be in jeopardy every time he drives to the basket and is in danger of being met by someone who thinks playoff-caliber defense means a vicious undercut.
This is where Thomas should come in handy with a quick lesson in playoff retribution. The non-fineable kind, of course.Rose says not to worry.
“I think my body should do well in the playoffs,” he said of his workout regimen. “Trust me, I’ll be ready.”
Trusting him is not the issue. And there is little doubt he will be ready. As he said, “In the playoffs, anything can happen.”
He meant that in a good way.