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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Its the $5 million question thats rumbling through NFL front offices and locker rooms alike: Is All-Pro Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints a tight end or a really big wide receiver? It matters to men like Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas of the Denver Broncos, whos up for a big pay raise and could be facing a franchise tag himself after the upcoming season. The Saints gave Graham the franchise tag for about $7 million as a tight end, the position hes been listed at for his entire four-year career -- and which he himself lists on his Twitter account. Graham contends that because he more often is split out away from the tackle, he is really a wide receiver. And, after all, he did lead the league with 16 touchdown catches last season. That franchise tag is worth about $12.3 million. The sides stated their cases in an arbitration hearing earlier this week in Louisiana and are awaiting a ruling from arbitrator Stephen Burbank. Thomas is understandably interested in the outcome. "Ive kind of been keeping ... an eye on that situation, obviously, because it could probably come back to affect a lot of us tight ends," said Thomas, who is scheduled to make $645,000 this year. "But the way I feel about it is, Does two letters next to your name on the depth chart really determine your value to a team?" When it comes to franchise tags in the NFL, it certainly does. The Saints note that Graham made the All-Pro team and the Pro Bowl as a tight end and was drafted as a tight end. Graham points to the 86 passes he caught for 1,215 yards last season -- numbers any wide receiver would envy. "Does it matter if hes a tight end, or if he calls himself a slot receiver or a running back?" Thomas said. "I mean, if youre going to have double-digit touchdowns and contribute a bunch of yards in the receiving game, I just say that youre a guy that makes great plays and are a value to your team. So I dont know why the argument necessarily comes down to either youre a tight end or a receiver. I think that if youre a guy that makes plays, thats how you should be valued." Its because top-tier wide receivers make much more money than the games best tight ends. "Thats true. So I guess thats why its a topic," Thomas said. "But Ill say again: I think if youre a basketball player, they wouldnt say, Ah, youre a power forward. Really look out for those point guards. So I dont think that the position matters. I think if youre a guy making plays for your team, then that should be your value." Denver general manager John Elway has opened talks with representatives of both Thomas and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who are entering the final year of their respective rookie deals and would like any deal to get done by the start of training camp next month. Demaryius Thomas, who has two dozen TD catches since Peyton Mannings arrival and was the lone bright spot for Denver in the Super Bowl, figures to command around $60 million over five years after putting up back-to-back stellar seasons that vaulted him to elite wide receiver status. Yet, it was Julius Thomas who was the key to Denvers record-breaking offence last season. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound late-bloomer was a matchup nightmare for defences and the bulls-eye for many of Mannings biggest moments last season when he earned his first Pro Bowl honour. He caught the quarterbacks 51st TD throw that broke Tom Bradys single-season record, one of his dozen TD receptions that broke Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpes team record for tight ends. And he came up huge in the Broncos two wins that got them to their first Super Bowl in 15 years. Broncos coach John Fox said the tight end position has evolved over the years to the point that "its like another receiver" rather than "an offensive tackle lined up to block." Thats not to say Fox is going to dive into the debate over whether a tight end actually is a wide receiver. "Im not getting into that," Fox said with a chuckle. "Ill leave that for other people." Miguel Borja Jersey . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury. Carlos Bacca Colombia Jersey . Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead when he got in front of his marker to neatly flick in Lucass cross in the 59th minute. New signing Yohan Cabaye came on as a second-half substitute and headed Ezequiel Lavezzis cross against the post in the 87th. 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When the Ducks were finally pushed on Saturday, Mariota and his teammates gave an emphatic response that added another notch to a decade of dominance over their rivals to the north. Mariota threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, added another 88 yards and one TD rushing, and the second-ranked Ducks beat No. 16 Washington 45-24 to extend their winning streak in the series to 10. "Guys were able to battle. I definitely think were a four-quarter type team, we just havent had a reason to play four quarters," Oregon running back Byron Marshall said. "So the fact we got the first one under our belt to answer everyones questions is good." Mariotas passing was nearly spotless, he used his legs to make the Huskies pay when throwing options were covered, and he was easily the best player on the field. Mariota completed 24 of 31 passes, and ran another 13 times. He threw touchdowns of 4 and 3 yards to Bralon Addison and a 65-yarder to Josh Huff on Oregons first possession of the second half. Huff had to be carted to the locker room with an apparent right leg injury in the first half, only to come back after halftime and burn the Huskies secondary. Most impressive, Mariota answered every challenge Washington made. Twice in the second half the Huskies pulled within a touchdown. Both times, Mariota responded by leading the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) to touchdowns of their own. Mariota topped 300 yards passing for the sixth time in his college career. "He was awesome. I havent seen the stats but he played really well," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. "He played really smart and very productive. A bunch of guys made a bunch of plays for him too." Marshall added 106 yards rushing and two touchdowns and while Oregons streak of scoring at least 55 points ended at five games, the Ducks passed their first test of the season. DeAnthony Thomas suited up for the Ducks but it was just decoration. Sidelined with a sprained ankle the past two games, Thomas went through pregame warm-ups but never left the Oregon sideline. Turns out they didnt need him. The Ducks rolled up 631 total yards and averaged 7.8 yards per touch against a Washington defence that came into Saturday third best in the country allowing just 3.dddddddddddd yards per play and third in pass efficiency defence. Yet Mariota gladly exposed the gap that remains between the Ducks and Huskies. Mariota hit on 13 of his first 15 passes and now has 25 combined touchdowns and zero turnovers this season. "Marcus was huge again for us today. He was taking care of the tempo and just leaving everything on the field for us," Huff said. "We stayed with him and were able to come away with the victory." Bishop Sankey ran for 167 yards and touchdowns of 60 and 25 yards for Washington, but the Huskies (4-2, 1-2) defence that stood stout against Stanford last week was exposed. The Huskies gave up 633 total yards. Washington was third in the country giving up 3.9 yards per offensive play, but the Ducks averaged 7.9. Sankey was responsible for a major first-half swing that left the Huskies playing from behind. Tied at 7-7 and driving, Sankey fumbled for the first time this season on a third-down run at the Oregon 31. The fumble was forced by cornerback Troy Hill and recovered by Torrondney Prevot. Mariota went to work, and connected with Addison for a 4-yard TD and a 14-7 lead. Washington went three-and-out on its next series holding possession for barely one minute. Oregon followed with a seven-play drive, with three plays of 15 yards or more. Marshall capped the drive with a 15-yard sprint and a 21-7 Ducks lead. Washingtons Keith Price also threw an interception late in the second quarter deep in Oregons end. Price finished 19 of 32 for 182 yards and one TD. "I thought both of our turnovers occurred in their territory and took potential points off the board for us and gave them possessions," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. The Huskies closed to 21-14 on the first drive of the second half when Sankey burst 60 yards on fourth-and-1, but Mariota answered by dropping his long TD pass to Huff. Washington got within 31-24 on Sankeys 25-yard TD run in the final minute of the third quarter. The Ducks answered in less than 90 seconds with Mariota scoring on a 5-yard run and he added a 3-yard TD pass to Addison for the final margin. Addison finished with eight catches for 157 yards. "Toward the third quarter when the defence was able to get a couple of stops and we were able to go down and score I think pushed the momentum our way," Mariota said. ' ' '