Shoutouts: Howard Beck’s Bleacher Report debut is a winner

Howard Beck wasted no time in his new gig, crushing his first Bleacher Report piece, NY Knicks Front-Office Shakeup: Grunwald Out, Mills In, and Melo in the Middle. 

Turns out this guys’ pretty good, and he leads off this week’s Shoutouts.

Here are a few other notable stories, with comments by Bleacher Report’s Quality Editors and me.

Ranking the Most Toxic Contracts in the NBA Entering 2013-14 Season by D.J. Foster

A cool method to this ranked list: Aside from just ranking these contracts for how inaccurately they fit an individual’s production, D.J. provides a ranking within a ranking with the “Toxicity Meter,” which gauges that specific contract’s effect on the team. A very clean, informed effort.

The 25 Greatest NFL Announcers of All Time by Dan Levy

The latest in Levy’s series on great announcers—here’s the college football version—included, as usual, a ton of research. I was all set to give Dan the business for omitting Al DeRogatis, a voice from my childhood, but there’s Al at No. 8. Shame on me for doubting.

Has the NFL Finally Figured Out San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick? by B.J. Kissel

Spoiler alert: No. In a piece written before Kaepernick game-managed the 49ers to an easy win over the Rams Thursday, Kissel used tables, play diagrams and photos to show why not.