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The 49ers once again are the kings of the NFC West.
San Francisco clinched their first division title since 2019 and 22nd in franchise history with their 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Lumen Field.
The division crown comes a season after the 49ers finished third in the West. That didn't hamper them as they advanced to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
This year, the 49ers will enter the playoffs from an advantageous position, with division winners being guaranteed a top-four seed in their respective conference. San Francisco will host at least one playoff game at Levi's Stadium.
At the moment, the 49ers (10-4) are the No. 3 seed in the NFC, trailing the Vikings (10-3) by half a game. Minnesota hosts the Indianapolis Colts at 10 a.m. PT on Saturday.
The 49ers would need a lot of help to catch the Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) for the top seed and first-round bye in the NFC.
If the playoffs began next week, the 49ers would host the No. 6 seeded Washington Commanders at Levi's Stadium.
Considering the amount of drama and injuries the 49ers have had to endure this year with the season-ending injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, this has to be considered one of Kyle Shanahan's best coaching jobs.
Now, Shanahan will have to trust rookie quarterback Brock Purdy as the 49ers get ready for the playoffs, which begin Saturday, Jan. 14 | 2022-12-16T04:35:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | 49ers clinch 2022 NFC West title with 21-13 win over Seahawks | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-clinch-2022-nfc-west-041500659.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-clinch-2022-nfc-west-041500659.html?src=rss |
Brock Purdy and the 49ers have clinched the NFC West. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to a solid 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in just his second start since he replaced the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. The win, which marked San Francisco’s seventh straight, officially clinched the NFC West and got the 49ers a guaranteed spot in the postseason.
Purdy once again surpassed expectations that came with the Mr. Irrelevant title he received in April, just three days after he threw two touchdowns and ran in another in their blowout win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Following a quick stalled opening drive, Purdy marched the 49ers down on a nine-play, 86-yard drive capped with a 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open George Kittle up the middle to take an early 7-0 lead. Kittle was about as open as he could possibly be after the Seahawks defense bit on a double Purdy pump fake.
The 49ers had several other chances in the first half, but each drive was cut short. The Seahawks, save for a 38-yard field goal late in the second quarter, couldn’t get much going offensively in the first 30 minutes. Their first four drives ended with a punt after no more than five plays each, and they averaged only 3.6 yards per play in the half. Then 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw forced a Travis Homer fumble in the final minute to kill what looked to be a promising drive to get points on the board right before halftime.
That turnover set up an easy one-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey, which gave the 49ers a 14-3 lead at the break.
Purdy then put the game out of reach on their first drive of the second half, utilizing his Iowa connection once again. He found Kittle wide open once again, this time on the sidelines, for a 54-yard touchdown — which gave the 49ers a 21-3 lead just a minute into the third quarter.
By then, the game was essentially out of reach. The 49ers defense, which had been outstanding all night, gave up a late touchdown to Noah Fant in the final minutes. Purdy, however, expertly ran down the remaining 3:35 to close out the game and officially lock down the NFC West — marking the second time they've done so under coach Kyle Shanahan.
Geno Smith went 31-of-44 for 238 yards with a touchdown for the Seahawks, who have now lost four of their last five. Tyler Lockett had 68 receiving yards on seven grabs, and DK Metcalf had 55 yards on seven catches of his own.
Purdy finished throwing 17-of-26 for 217 yards with two touchdowns, both to Kittle — who had 93 yards on four catches. McCaffrey had 108 yards on 26 carries in what was his second straight game with 100 rushing yards.
The 49ers will take on the Washington Commanders next on Christmas Eve before wrapping up their season with a game at the Las Vegas Raiders and then against the struggling Arizona Cardinals at home.
While Thursday night’s matchup wasn’t ever much of a battle, it certainly proved that last week’s outing wasn’t a fluke. At the very least, Purdy is more than capable of running Shanahan’s offense successfully. At best, a substantial playoff run feels imminent. | 2022-12-16T04:35:26Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brock Purdy easily leads 49ers past Seahawks to clinch NFC West in 7th straight win | https://sports.yahoo.com/brock-purdy-easily-leads-49-ers-past-seahawks-to-clinch-nfc-west-in-7th-straight-win-041724589.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brock-purdy-easily-leads-49-ers-past-seahawks-to-clinch-nfc-west-in-7th-straight-win-041724589.html?src=rss |
The 49ers started the second half with a bang. On second-and-5, QB Brock Purdy floated a throw to TE George Kittle who was wide open down the left side. Kittle only needed to make a couple Seahawks miss as he went on a 54-yard jaunt to the end zone. Kittle has four catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns and the 49ers are up 21-3. | 2022-12-16T04:36:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | Vintage George Kittle puts 49ers up big on Seahawks | https://sports.yahoo.com/vintage-george-kittle-puts-49ers-030558329.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/vintage-george-kittle-puts-49ers-030558329.html?src=rss |
Brandon Crawford won't be the Giants' 2023 Opening Day shortstop.
That much was clear when the Giants agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with free agent shortstop Carlos Correa on Tuesday, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.
And Crawford acknowledged his upcoming position change to The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly on Thursday.
"With the signing of a player as good as Carlos, our team definitely got much better," Crawford told Baggarly via text message. “He’s been one of the better players in the league for years, and it’s obviously exciting to get a player of his caliber to San Francisco. That being said, he is a shortstop and since the signing the other day, I’ve been told that that’s where he’ll stay, so that puts me in a much different situation than I’ve ever been faced with in professional baseball.
Crawford, who has started 1,443 games at shortstop while appearing in 1,525 total games at the position and 1,561 overall games, wouldn't divulge to Baggarly whether he will move to third base or second base next season. The 25-year-old has never appeared at another position in his MLB career. He briefly played second base and third base in the Arizona Fall League in 2009 and made two starts at third base for the San Jose Giants in 2010. Since then, it has been nothing but shortstop for Crawford.
Moving off shortstop is a hard pill to swallow for Crawford, or any other elite player at the position. But he has one year remaining on his contract and the front office has to do what's best for the future of the franchise.
Miley Cyrus revealed whether she'd take on the role of real-life godmother Dolly Parton in a movie about her life and shared why this year's Miley's New Year's Eve Party will be different. | 2022-12-16T05:58:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brandon Crawford preps for position change with Giants' Carlos Correa contract | https://sports.yahoo.com/brandon-crawford-preparing-position-change-000108952.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brandon-crawford-preparing-position-change-000108952.html?src=rss |
They have plenty of competition, though: The Athletic's Jim Bowden identified the Chicago Cubs as the team "most likely" to sign Swanson after missing out on Carlos Correa while listing the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals as potential suitors as well.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are also in play for Swanson, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, while USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale isn't ruling out Swanson's return to the Atlanta Braves.
Tomase: There's one word to sum up the Red Sox' offseason
Swanson's talent means he'll probably get paid, however, especially after watching Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million), Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million) and Carlos Correa (13 years, $350 million) strike it rich in free agency.
Even if Swanson's deal doesn't top $300 million, it probably wouldn't sit well with Red Sox fans if Boston shelled out close to that amount to sign Swanson after letting a franchise icon walk in Bogaerts. So, unless the Red Sox can land Swanson on a shorter-term deal, it seems more likely they'd transition Trevor Story to shortstop and take their chances on the second base market. | 2022-12-16T05:58:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | MLB Rumors: Where Red Sox stand in Dansby Swanson free agency chase | https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-rumors-where-red-sox-162500111.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-rumors-where-red-sox-162500111.html?src=rss |
Deebo Samuel reacts to 49ers' NFC West division-clinching win with series of Instagram, Twitter posts from home
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel reacts to the 49ers' NFC West division-clinching win with a series of posts on Instagram and Twitter from home while he is recovering from an ankle injury. | 2022-12-16T06:07:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Deebo Samuel reacts to 49ers' NFC West division-clinching win with series of Instagram, Twitter posts from home | https://sports.yahoo.com/deebo-samuel-reacts-49ers-nfc-054731211.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/deebo-samuel-reacts-49ers-nfc-054731211.html?src=rss |
He may not be doing it with the Carolina Panthers, but watching Christian McCaffrey command the big-time stage in a big-time spot is a pretty awesome sight.
The star running back shined on Thursday night, leading his San Francisco 49ers to an NFC West title in a 21-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. And now, for the first time in his NFL career, he can call himself a division champion.
McCaffrey ran for a game-high 108 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries while adding in 30 more yards off six receptions. The win also moves the 49ers to 8-0 since acquiring the do-it-all back from the Panthers—a stretch in which he’s amassed 914 total yards and eight scores.
During his five full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey tasted playoff football just once. That appearance came in his rookie season of 2017, when the 11-5 Panthers clinched a wild card spot and subsequently lost to the New Orleans Saints in a close 31-26 battle.
As for today’s Panthers, they very well could join McCaffrey in the postseason—as they’re four more wins away from the NFC South crown. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll see each other on the field once again. | 2022-12-16T06:07:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey leads 49ers to NFC West title | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-panthers-rb-christian-mccaffrey-050026587.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-panthers-rb-christian-mccaffrey-050026587.html?src=rss |
Geno Smith: Seahawks must 'make most of next three games' after 'TNF' loss to 49ers
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith reacts to his team's Week 15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, saying that the Seahawks must 'make most of next three games' now that the 49ers have clinched the NFC West division for the 2022 NFL regular season. | 2022-12-16T06:07:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Geno Smith: Seahawks must 'make most of next three games' after 'TNF' loss to 49ers | https://sports.yahoo.com/geno-smith-seahawks-must-most-052219775.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/geno-smith-seahawks-must-most-052219775.html?src=rss |
SEATTLE (AP) Tyler Lockett broke a bone in his hand in the fourth quarter of Seattle's loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, another blow for the struggling Seahawks.
The wide receiver got hurt on Seattle's final possession. Lockett was hit hard and appeared to fall awkwardly on an incomplete pass with 3:47 remaining. Seattle scored a touchdown but lost 21-13 to the 49ers, its fourth defeat in five games.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll said all options are being discussed about how to treat the injury, including surgery. Lockett is not expected to be available for next Saturday's game at Kansas City but told Carroll he hopes to return for Week 17 against the New York Jets. | 2022-12-16T06:08:04Z | sports.yahoo.com | Lockett breaks bone in hand as Seahawks battered by Niners | https://sports.yahoo.com/lockett-breaks-bone-hand-seahawks-052529888.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lockett-breaks-bone-hand-seahawks-052529888.html?src=rss |
Pete Carroll: Seahawks battled, couldn't overcome 'enormous swing' of momentum at end of first half
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll iterates that while he liked the way the Seahawks battled against the San Francisco 49ers in their 'Thursday Night Football' game in Week 15 of the 2022 NFL regular season, his team ultimately couldn't overcome the 'enormous swing' of momentum at the end of the first half. | 2022-12-16T06:08:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | Pete Carroll: Seahawks battled, couldn't overcome 'enormous swing' of momentum at end of first half | https://sports.yahoo.com/pete-carroll-seahawks-battled-couldnt-052013848.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/pete-carroll-seahawks-battled-couldnt-052013848.html?src=rss |
Purdy, tahe 22-year-old rookie quarterback, led the 49ers to a 21-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Lumen Field, completing 17 of 26 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns to help San Francisco clinch its first NFC West title since 2019.
Brock Purdy continues to earn respect from Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers' locker room 👠pic.twitter.com/Ods2OTa9q6 | 2022-12-16T07:38:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan calls Brock Purdy 'most poised rookie' he's ever had | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-coach-kyle-shanahan-calls-061149471.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-coach-kyle-shanahan-calls-061149471.html?src=rss |
Purdy humbly credits Jimmy G, Lance for success as 49ers' QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Brock Purdy is humble and wise beyond his years.
After the 49ers' 21-13 NFC West-clinching win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Lumen Field, the rookie quarterback was asked how great it felt to record a victory over Tom Brady in his first career start last Sunday at Levi's Stadium, followed by beating the Seahawks to win the NFC West just four days later.
Purdy, as humble as ever, placed all the credit on the quarterbacks before him, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, for his success at the position.
"It's special and everything, but honestly I'm just another component, another piece to this team in terms of a guy coming in and doing what he's asked of," Purdy told reporters after the game. "I'm a quarterback, I have to make decisions, I trust in how the coaches teach me throughout the week, I just try and get the ball out to the guys on time, and honestly, man, I don't think Jimmy and Trey get enough credit for what they've done.
"I'm just now coming on the scene, where these guys have been here throughout the offseason for Trey, and then Jimmy coming in and leading these guys and winning. For me to come in, I just want to continue what they got rolling. A big credit to Jimmy and Trey for what they've done, especially in the quarterback room, for the team, and I'm just trying to do my part in terms of where we're at now in the season.
"So, definitely not 'all praise to Brock' and 'what Brock's done.' Those guys, they deserve all the credit. I appreciate those guys."
RELATED: Grading 49ers' offense, defense in NFC West-clinching win
Purdy's leadership and maturity at such a young age have captured his teammates and coaches' attention ever since he replaced an injured Garoppolo in the 49ers' Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins.
After being thrust into an almost unthinkable situation as a seventh-round draft pick in his first season, the artist formerly known as "Mr. Irrelevant" is achieving great things and impressing everyone on and off the field. | 2022-12-16T07:38:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brock Purdy humbly credits 49ers QBs Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance for success | https://sports.yahoo.com/humble-brock-purdy-awesomely-credits-063623055.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/humble-brock-purdy-awesomely-credits-063623055.html?src=rss |
The Detroit Lions players will wake up on Friday morning knowing they have a chance to move closer to the final NFC playoff spot. Or perhaps they went to bed on Thursday night aware of their potential after watching the San Francisco 49ers defeat the Seattle Seahawks.
San Francisco’s 21-13 win drops the Seahawks to a 7-7 record. The 6-7 Lions can move into a tie with Seattle if Detroit can manage to beat the New York Jets on Sunday.
Alas, the tie still doesn’t get the Lions into the postseason driver’s seat. The Seahawks own the tiebreaker over Dan Campbell’s team by virtue of the 48-45 win in Detroit back in Week 4. Both teams are now chasing the loser of Sunday’s game between the Commanders and Giants, who are tied at 7-5-1.
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Marine Products Corporation ( NYSE:MPX ), it is important to understand...
Hollywood, London, Rome and Mumbai may want to watch their backs. There’s a new player on the international production scene that is set to become one of the elite global media hubs. NEOM is a full-service regional production hub that, in its first 18 months of operation, has already hosted 25 productions including films, TV […] | 2022-12-16T07:38:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Lions get help to start Week 15 in their postseason quest | https://sports.yahoo.com/lions-help-start-week-15-065927891.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lions-help-start-week-15-065927891.html?src=rss |
Tyler Lockett suffers broken finger, may miss rest of season originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
On 15 December 2022, Telia Lietuva, AB (hereinafter – ‘Telia Lietuva‘ or ‚the Company‘) received a resignation letter from an independent member of the Company’s Board Dovilė Grigienė. On 27 April 2021, Dovilė Grigienė was elected to the Board of Telia Lietuva for the two-years’ term. As independent member of the Board she was nominated by the largest shareholder of the Company, Telia Company AB, holding 88.15 per cent of the Company’s shares and votes. Dovilė Grigienė was also an independent me
Argo Blockchain plc, a global leader in cryptocurrency mining (LSE:ARB)(NASDAQ:ARBK), announces today that it has received written notification (the "Notification Letter") from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC Listing Qualifications Department ("Nasdaq") that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq Rule 5450(a)(1) since the closing bid price for the Company's American Depositary Shares ("ADS") listed on the Nasdaq | 2022-12-16T09:09:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | Tyler Lockett suffers broken finger, may miss rest of season | https://sports.yahoo.com/tyler-lockett-suffers-broken-finger-071456398.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/tyler-lockett-suffers-broken-finger-071456398.html?src=rss |
If Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson does not clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, backup Brett Rypien will start in his place.
Rypien replaced an injured Wilson in the fourth quarter of last week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Just a few plays after entering the game, Rypien threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy that made it a six-point game.
“When he comes in there and we call a pass right out the gate, he made a smart decision by throwing it out of bounds,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said. “Then he comes back on a 4th-and-7 situation and that was a dime. That was an unbelievable throw. We talked about tight windows in that area — throwing it over a linebacker and delivering it to Jerry. That is one of the hardest things to do in that situation. I thought that was great by him.”
Rypien unfortunately wasn’t able to complete the comeback effort that Wilson started, but Hackett was pleased with his overall performance.
“From an improvement standpoint, let’s get him out in practice and let’s get him back in the groove so that he can go out there and execute,” Hackett said. “He did a good job against the Jets. There are things that he can correct, and he knows that. We’ll see where he goes.”
Rypien completed 52.17% of his passes for 225 yards with no touchdowns and one interception when he started in the place of an injured Wilson against New York in Week 7. If he starts again on Sunday, the QB will undoubtedly be looking to improve on those totals. | 2022-12-16T10:40:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos QB Brett Rypien ready to start if Russell Wilson isn’t cleared | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-qb-brett-rypien-ready-100049208.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-qb-brett-rypien-ready-100049208.html?src=rss |
On this day in Boston Celtics history, forward Antoine Walker scored a triple-double in a 99-87 loss to the Charlotte Hornets back in 2000. The Kentucky product put up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists with 1 foul and 6 turnovers in a little under 45 minutes of playing time in the losing effort by Boston.
He would hit a mere 7 of his 20 field goal attempts that evening and just one of his seven 3-point attempts, a likely significant factor in the loss — though Walker did connect on 5 of his 6 trips to the charity stripe that night.
Teammate Paul Pierce added 19 points and 5 rebounds and Bryant Stith chipped in another 14, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win for Boston.
It is also on this day in 1979 that the Celtics saw (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets shooting guard Mike Newlin hang 52 points on the Celtics, tied for the sixth-most points any player has scored in a game against Boston.
The incredible performance came in a loss for the Nets however, the Celtics coming away with a 115-112 overtime win on the road, the game played at the Nets’ home arena for their fourth season in the NBA, Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Newlin’s full stat line was 52 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 49 minutes of play with 3 fouls and 4 turnovers.
He shot 19-of-28 overall and hit one of his three attempts from beyond the arc while going 13-of-15 from the charity stripe, yet again not enough for Boston’s opponent to come away with a victory.
Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics leaps into the air for a shot at the basket as Boo Ellis (12) of the Minneapolis Lakers keeps his eye on the ball in their NBA playoff game at Boston Garden on April 5, 1959. Guarding another Minneapolis player is Ben Swain of the Celtics. Boston won 128-108. (AP Photo)
Finally, it is also the birthday of former Celtics forward Bennie Swain, who came into this world in 1933 in Talladega, Alabama,
Swain would play collegiately at Texas Southern University and led the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in scoring in the 1957-58 season, earning him NAIA All-American honors.
That got him on the radar of the Celtics, who picked him up with the seventh overall selection of the 1958 NBA draft.
He would only play a single season for the franchise in 1958-59, but won a title with them in it, averaging 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. | 2022-12-16T11:20:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | On this day: Walker triple-doubles vs Hornets; Newlin hangs 52 on Celtics | https://sports.yahoo.com/day-walker-triple-doubles-vs-110035211.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/day-walker-triple-doubles-vs-110035211.html?src=rss |
Carlos Rodon / Orlando Ramirez - USA TODAY Sports
Former Boston pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka passed along some advice to Masataka Yoshida, another Japanese star who came over to play for the Red Sox. “His advice to me: Boston is really cold,” the 29-year-old outfielder said through a translator on Thursday after he signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Red Sox. Yoshida won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and twice led Japan's Pacific League in batting. | 2022-12-16T12:03:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | Carlos Rodon worth the gamble for Yankees who are searching to get over the hump | https://sports.yahoo.com/carlos-rodon-worth-gamble-yankees-043638226.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/carlos-rodon-worth-gamble-yankees-043638226.html?src=rss |
On the sixteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: the resurgence of Randall Cunningham.
In today’s NFL, it’s not nearly as important to have a quality backup quarterback as it was in the 1990s and earlier. The game didn’t protect quarterbacks like it does now and it was commonplace for a quarterback to miss multiple games per season.
The Vikings had this happen quite a bit, especially once Brad Johnson took over as starting quarterback. Johnson had a knack for getting injured and he did so in both 1997 and 1998. The 1997 injury took him out for the rest of the year and that brought in former Philadelphia Eagles great Randall Cunningham.
After being replaced by Rodney Peete, Cunningham retired believing he was disrespected by the fanbase and organization. He spent 1996 away from football but was lured out of retirement by Dennis Green, who convinced him to come out of retirement. He ended up leading the Vikings to a massive 16-point comeback in the wild-card round against the New York Giants. That win ended up saving Dennis Green’s job and led into the events of the next year.
The big resurgence was in 1998 when Johnson got injured again. He broke his leg against the St. Louis Rams in week two and Cunningham came in and had a tremendous season. He completed 60.9% of his passes for 3,704 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was so good that he ended up getting both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year votes along with Comeback Player of the Year votes.
He also started the 1999 season as the starter but was pulled during the sixth game as he started 2-4 and Jeff George took over.
We all know the magic of 1998 with Randy Moss and the miracle playoff run, but that doesn’t happen without Cunningham ready to step in and take control of this team.
Here is how ExlService Holdings (EXLS) and Huron Consulting (HURN) have performed compared to their sector so far this year. | 2022-12-16T12:12:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | 25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Resurgence of Randall Cunningham | https://sports.yahoo.com/25-skol-christmas-resurgence-randall-110508773.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/25-skol-christmas-resurgence-randall-110508773.html?src=rss |
Before David Tepper took over the Panthers in 2018, he was a minority owner of the Steelers. He purchased a 5-percent share of the Pittsburgh franchise back in 2009 before, of course, corralling a club of his own.
Tepper has cited the building process of the Steelers multiple times, and referenced how he wants to build the Panthers in a similar manner. Now, he gets to see his former franchise firsthand, which could make things very personal for Tepper.
Carolina Kryptonite
The Panthers have not done well against the Steelers in the past. They sit at 1-6 in the all-time series, with five of those losses coming by at least 18 points.
Over the seven matchups, Pittsburgh has averaged 32.4 points per contest with Carolina at 14.0. The most painful blowout came in 2018, when 6-2 Panthers went into the Steel City and came out with a 52-21 pounding—one that began a 1-7 slide to close out the year.
Hopefully for Carolina, they can reserve this trend and clinch the first losing season of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s career.
26-year drought
Craig Jones/Getty Images
As we noted, the Panthers’ history versus the Steelers has been an abysmal one. In fact, they haven’t even beaten Pittsburgh in this century.
The last time they did was 26 years ago, all the way back in 1996. That victory, which came in the very first matchup between the two franchises, saw a 24-year-old Kerry Collins pass for 166 yards and a score.
Hold the 'Berger
Phillip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh’s last four wins over Carolina, which spanned from 2006 to 2018, had one constant—Ben Roethlisberger. And over those outings, he completed 73.1 percent of his passes (the most against any team he’s faced at least thrice), for 969 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.
But now that the two-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer is retired, it’s rookie Kenny Pickett’s turn . . . or former North Carolina Tar Heel Mitchell Trubisky’s turn. Either way, perhaps this change under center will help change the Panthers’ fortunes against the Steelers.
QB scramble
Both the Panthers and Steelers have done their fair share of alternating under center. The former has gone through Baker Mayfield, PJ Walker and Sam Darnold with the latter going from Trubisky to Pickett.
Both teams, however, seem to have their solutions for at least the rest of the season . . . even if they aren’t exactly great ones in Darnold and Pickett. Neither will likely be the focal point of the offense this Sunday, and it may come down to which quarterback makes the fewest mistakes.
There is little doubt about what the offensive game plan for both teams will be. With dominant front sevens who possess top pass rushers in T.J. Watt and Brian Burns—they will look to keep things on the ground and remove their quarterbacks from danger.
Both teams are built upon running the football. In fact, they rank right next to each other among attempts in the league—with the Panthers sitting at 361 and the Steelers at 350.
They both have big, powerful backs in Najee Harris and D’Onta Foreman—who will look to wear out the opposing defenses and make things a little easier for their respective passing games. | 2022-12-16T12:12:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | 6 things to know for Panthers vs. Steelers in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/6-things-know-panthers-vs-113005552.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/6-things-know-panthers-vs-113005552.html?src=rss |
Eagles-Bears player matchups to watch in Week 15 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (12-1) travel to Chicago to face the Bears (3-10) at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon.
Justin Fields vs. Eagles rush discipline
The 23-year-old former first-round pick has been a lot of fun to watch this season and he’s been really special as a runner. Think about how good Jalen Hurts has been as runner this season. Pretty impressive, right? Fields has rushed for 219 more yards than Hurts this season. Fields has 908 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground this season. The problem for the Bears is that his running has been the most dynamic part of their offense this season.
Sure, the Bears have a couple solid running backs in Davis Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, who might return from IR this week, but the star of the run game is Fields.
The Eagles kept Daniel Jones in check on the ground in Week 14 and a big reason was because of their disciplined pass rush. They’ll need to do that again this week against an even bigger QB running threat.
What’s the key?
‘Players executing the plan, because you can't be selfish when you play quarterbacks with that type of skill set,” Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon said. “It's really everyone has to rush together, whether you're rushing four, five or six. You have to stay disciplined, and you have to be where you're supposed to be, and I thought they did a good job of that.
“They know the value of that, of the rush plan I'm talking, and executed at a high level. Then going to this next upcoming game, this guy is electric, so we're going to have to have some tools that we use and we're going to have to do basically the same thing because the way that they move the ball down the field is all through the quarterback. Got a big-time challenge with that.”
The good news is that if the Eagles stop the run against the Bears, especially if Hurts and Co. put up points early, then the Eagles’ defense should be able to suffocate the Bears.
Cole Kmet vs. Eagles safeties
The Bears don’t have much on offense aside from Fields’ ability as a runner. Their top receiver Darnell Mooney is out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, which means their top receivers are Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis and relative newcomer Chase Claypool. The Eagles’ cornerbacks should be able to wipe those guys off the face of the Earth Sunday.
But if the Bears are looking for a place where they might be able to find a little edge, it could be at tight end. Cole Kmet is a solid player who has 35 catches for 408 yards and 5 touchdowns. No, not surer impressive numbers but if the Bears are forced to throw, they gotta throw to someone.
And the Eagles are coming into this game pretty banged up at the safety position. They were already without C.J. Gardner-Johnson (on IR with a lacerated kidney) and now Reed Blankenship suffered a knee injury against the Giants. This week, the Eagles brought back veteran Anthony Harris to the practice squad and there’s a good chance he’ll be starting in this game. Harris isn’t awful but he’s past his prime and has just a few days to reintegrate himself in this defense. If I’m the Bears, that’s where I’d try to attack.
Bears OL vs. Eagles’ great pass rush
The Eagles’ pass rush has dominated the last couple of weeks and it’s not hard to see why. They’re getting leads and letting those guys hunt. It’s working. They have back-to-back games with 6+ sacks for the first time since 1998. And there’s a reason to think they can keep it going in this one.
Bears quarterbacks have been sacked 42 times this season, the fifth-most in the NFL. Sure, Fields has run into some of them but it’s not like this offensive line is very good. It might be a little better than expected but there’s no reason to think the Eagles deep rotation of pass rushers shouldn’t be able to get after Fields on Sunday. The Bears’ bigger problem on offense is their lack of skill players but the line isn’t very good and the Eagles should be able to attack that.
Left tackle Braxton Jones hasn’t been awful but he has given up a team-high 6 sacks, 24 hurries and 33 pressures. It could be another big game for Josh Sweat, who has five sacks in five games.
Eagles OL vs. Bears’ non-existent pass rush
The Eagles’ defense is first in the NFL this season with 49 sacks. Where are the Bears? Keep scrolling, keep scrolling, keep scrolling … dead last with just 16. Their pass rush has been almost non-existent this season. While the Eagles already have five players with 6+ sacks this season, the Bears have just one player with 3 and that’s rookie safety Jaquan Brisker. This is the worst pass-rushing team in the NFL and the Eagles have the best offensive line in the NFL.
That means Hurts should have plenty of time to sit back in the pocket and pick apart this secondary. We saw a couple weeks ago when the Titans basically decided to stop rushing Hurts because they were worried about his legs and Hurts had one of the best passing games of his career. If the Bears can’t get pressure on Hurts — and the evidence says that’s the case — he should have a nice day throwing the football.
Not only that, but the Bears best player in the secondary is free safety Eddie Jackson, who is on IR.
Miles Sanders vs. weak run defense
The Eagles should be able to pass the football to build a lead and then run to protect it. That’s been the plan a bunch for them this season and they’re entering a game where they should pretty much be able to dictate how they run their offense.
The Bears rank as the No. 27 run defense in the NFL and have given up 21 touchdowns on the ground, more than any other team in the league. The Eagles’ offense, by the way, leads the league with 27 rushing touchdowns (6 more than the next closest team). And before you think the Bears are falling behind and that’s when teams are piling up running yards, know that they have been gashed to the tune of 4.7 yards per attempt against them. That ranks 21st in the NFL. And they've really missed Roquan Smith since trading him to the Ravens.
Before their bye week, the Bears gave up 175 yard and 2 touchdowns on 32 carries to the Packers. That’s an average of 5.5 yards per attempt. | 2022-12-16T12:12:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles-Bears player matchups to watch in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-bears-player-matchups-watch-120000659.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-bears-player-matchups-watch-120000659.html?src=rss |
Devon Allen opens up on rookie season and his football and track plans originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
“Playing football is nothing new to me, because I played football from when I was 5 years old until I was 21, so 16 years and then took five, six years off,” he said. “But 16 years, the game doesn’t change much. Athletes change - everybody’s bigger, faster, stronger, and I get that, but as I matured as an athlete I got bigger, faster, stronger, too.
“Really understanding concepts, defenses, coverages, being able to read those on the fly, understanding why we’re running a play, for what reason, what kind of down-and-distance stuff should be going on, what the offensive coordinator and head coach are thinking. So that’s something I’m really focusing on now just so I can get a better feel for the game overall and I think that’s helping a lot too on the field because I don’t have to think as much, I can just go.”
“Initially, it was how many mistakes I made and then I was making less and less mistakes, and now my goal is to really just make the plays when I get the opportunity,” he said. “Which I’m doing a lot of, and I get a lot of opportunities on scout team against one of the best if not the best defenses in the NFL, and I’m capitalizing on that.
“The other thing is just trying to learn from the guys around here what makes each guy on our team a great receiver from (Britain) Covey to Smitty (DeVonta Smith) to A.J. (Brown), Zach Pascal, Quez (Watkins, G-Ward (Greg Ward), (Auden) Tate – everybody has their own skill set that’s made them elite and trying to pull as much as possible from them.
“Like A.J. is really good with down-the-field arm swipes and keeping db’s off him and being physical, Smitty’s really good at the line of scrimmage with his releases, Quez is really good with separation at the top of his breaks, Covey’s really shifty and crafty. For me it’s just being able to take what everybody’s doing really well and try to do that so I can be really well rounded. Not quite doing it as well as all of them but getting better every day.”
For the sake of comparison, for winning both hurdles races he entered in the European Diamond League over the summer against world-class competition – in Paris and Oslo - he earned a total of $20,000.
“It’s been a great year,” he said. “I love it. I couldn’t ask for a better situation and opportunity than being here.” | 2022-12-16T12:13:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles' Devon Allen opens up on rookie season and his football and track plans | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-devon-allen-opens-rookie-120000356.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-devon-allen-opens-rookie-120000356.html?src=rss |
Two former Denver Broncos players will be part of the coaching staffs for the newly-revamped 2023 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced this week.
The league previously announced Peyton Manning (AFC) and Eli Manning (NFC) as the head coaches for the new flag football Pro Bowl game, and we now know who will be on their coaching staffs.
Peyton’s staff will include Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis as defensive coordinator, and Dana Flores, quarterback of the 2022 Mexico Women’s Flag Football gold medal team at the World Games.
Eli’s staff will feature Super Bowl 50 champion Demarcus Ware as the defensive coordinator and also includes Vanita Krouch, USA Woman’s Flag National Team quarterback during the 2022 World Games.
In September 2022, the NFL announced that “The Pro Bowl Games,” centered around flag football, would replace the tackle game that has been played since 1951. Over the years, changes have been made to the game, including a draft-type format from 2014-17, and an emphasis on player safety.
In recent years, the Pro Bowl has been criticized for being an unwatchable game, due to the players going at half-speed. The NFL’s hope is that the new “Pro Bowl Games” format will increase viewership and promote the future of football.
Eli, Peyton, Lewis and Ware have 39 Pro Bowl selections, seven Super Bowl rings and two gold jackets between them. | 2022-12-16T12:13:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ex-Broncos OLB Demarcus Ware will help coach at the Pro Bowl | https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-broncos-olb-demarcus-ware-110030037.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-broncos-olb-demarcus-ware-110030037.html?src=rss |
If you need to clear a path, ask Alan Faneca.
The Hall of Fame guard opened up numerous running lanes for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998-2007 and later for the New York Jets (2008-09) and Arizona Cardinals (2010).
Faneca, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, is partnering with SK Life Science to open up the lanes of awareness about epilepsy with the STEPS (Seize the Truth about Epilepsy Perceptions Survey) Toward Zero campaign.
The six-time All-Pro sat down with Touchdown Wire to answer questions about his experience with epilepsy and also shared insights on the Pittsburgh Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin.
1. How is the general public unaware of epilepsy and how does STEPS Toward Zero raise awareness?
Abigail Dollins / Argus Leader-Imagn Content Services, LLC
AF — “I think the general lack of knowledge that so many Americans have epilepsy is the one misconception. There’s 3.4 million people in the United States who have epilepsy. So, the chances that you know somebody who has epilepsy is pretty high, directly or indirectly, friends or work. You probably know somebody who has it. Maybe they don’t come out and speak about it, but they have it and maybe keep it to themselves.
“The whole STEPS Toward Zero campaign is designed to educate and inspire and activate the epilepsy community. We want to get people to reimagine their healthcare plan, to revisit with their doctors, and kind of evaluate where they are. So many people who have epilepsy stay on the same path of medicine and care for years and just deal with wherever they’re at. Maybe they have three seizures, maybe they have 10. Who knows? But medicine changes. Our bodies change. Sometimes things can improve and we’re trying to get people to get back to their doctors and restart that conversation again with them. It’s the biggest part of the campaign.”
2. When were you diagnosed with epilepsy and how did you manage?
Andy Lyons /Allsport
AF — “We’re in the holiday season. So, it was my freshman year of high school and I was sleeping at my great grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve and I had my first seizure, my first couple of seizures. During the night I was upset and crying and just really had no idea why, and I was kind of running around the house. Everybody is trying to calm me down, and eventually I did get back to bed. I believe I had two to three during the night. You know, you wake up and it’s Christmas morning. I just shake it off as a couple nightmares and let’s get to opening presents and having Christmas Day. All the adults around me are a little concerned. It wasn’t a normal, typical night.
“So, then, shortly thereafter we start going to all of the doctors visits and figuring things out and taking the test and come to find out I have epilepsy. So started my path of starting treatment and getting things figured out for months for the right medication that worked for me and the right amount. Kind of got me to where I am today.
When I first got the diagnosis of having epilepsy, you know, we didn’t have the internet like we had now. You couldn’t just pop open a laptop and figure away and get answers. So, my family and I, we went with a long list of questions of just basic life questions of day-to-day things, how this was going to change my life and what I needed to know or do. Once we got through all of those questions, we got to the extracurricular, the sports and the football questions and things of that nature. The doctor said it so quickly that I could keep playing football, my family and I, we looked at each other, and then we looked back at him and said, ‘You know what football is, right? It’s a bunch of guys running around with helmets on and butting up heads and stuff.’ He knew what football was and he told me to keep chasing my dream and to keep going after it, and I never asked him again. Took that and ran.
“Just kind of really attacked having it, if you will. I’ve always had a great support system that always pushed me to own it and be upfront with people. And it’s really where I kind of learned to kind of have my kind of mantra of ‘I have epilepsy but epilepsy is only part of me; it’s not who I am.’ And I learned that from my family and my friends and my coaches and teachers in those high school years.”
3. Are there any foods, lifestyle habits that are helpful for epilepsy?
Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2007 Jason Bridge
AF — “You know, everybody is different. I know know about everybody’s. But just like with any kind of condition, there’s always this baseline if you can figure like a line graph. And anytime your health goes down in whatever form or fashion, that threshold gets lowered and you get more susceptible to having whatever it is you’re having, in this case a seizure. So, your health is always your utmost concern.”
4. As a veteran OL, how did you weather the transition from experienced QBs to a talented first-rounder?
Photo by Brett Hansbauer-USA TODAY Sports (c) 2004 by Brett Hansbauer
AF — “You have to be more patient. Things are happening at a different speed. I think our coaching staff did a great job of kind of taking some of the things off of the quarterback, off of Ben [Roethlisberger] and putting them on us and letting us call a lot of the defenses, especially earlier on, making some of the checks of plays at the line of scrimmage — just clearly all based on defensive alignment and things. Kind of freed Ben up to play quarterback and be who he was and not have to be worrying about making so many decisions. So, by us taking that on as much as possible, I think the coaches are always looking in some way or form to alleviate the pressure of the game so that Ben could go out there and play.”
5. What did Ben Roethlisberger exude that let you know he had it?
AF — “Confidence. He believed he could get the job done. He knew he could get the job done and he just exuded it and always had a swag, whatever you want to say, even for a young guy as a ‘rookie’ in here with all these old guys. But he had that swag with him as well as he did things and got things done, and you saw the sparks. So, when somebody is walking around and they believe it and they show you in bits and pieces that he has the ability, you just want to support that guy and help him through and do what you can. It’s much like when you see a backup quarterback come in and the team wins the game when they’re not supposed to win the game. What happened is everybody on the rest of the team rallied around him. Everybody else picked up their game a little bit, did a little bit extra to help win that game. And it’s kind of like with a young quarterback. That’s what happens.”
6. Did Mike Tomlin show anything in 2007 that made you think he would be around for a long time?
AF — “It was a little bit of a rough transition, I think, in the beginning. I’ve definitely gone back and coached a couple years in the summer in training camp and what not. To view it from the beginning to now, this, I guess, would have been five years ago when I was doing this with the Steelers. He’s come far, but at the same time, he’s the exact same coach. He’s so consistent and I think that first year was just about everybody learning about his way and his consistency and kind of learning his approach, because his approach was different than Coach [Bill] Cowher’s obviously.
“A lot of times people always want to know what’s going on in Pittsburgh and how has Pittsburgh always been so good consistently, and I used to tell people — and I still do — it’s the guys in the locker room. A good locker room wins you two or three games a year, gets you over the hump. So, if you’re a .500 team and all of a sudden now you got 10 or 11 wins. You’re now above .500. Visa versa if you’re a 10-win team, now you got a 13-win. It just wins games. Good locker rooms win games. The mentality, the attitude, the drive, and going back now, so much of that is driven, not by the players, but it’s driven by Mike. Mike is the one driving the bus to a certain point now, and he’s the one now pushing the guys and pushing the narrative, and that’s just how he is and it’s great. It was very interesting for me to see when I went back and coached in those summers. And it didn’t take me long to come to that realization that it was really Mike driving the bus now.” | 2022-12-16T12:13:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca opens up about epilepsy and the Steelers under Mike Tomlin | https://sports.yahoo.com/hall-fame-guard-alan-faneca-110050969.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/hall-fame-guard-alan-faneca-110050969.html?src=rss |
The Baltimore Ravens are gearing up to take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 of the 2022 season, looking to get their 10th win of the season and improve their record in the AFC North to 4-0. One of the biggest storylines surrounding the contest has been Baltimore’s quarterback situation, with some clarity on who will be available on Saturday provided on Thursday.
The Ravens released their final injury report for the week on Thursday, and quarterback Lamar Jackson was ruled out for Week 15 after not participating in practice all week with a knee injury. However, quarterback Tyler Huntley was a full participant for the second-straight day, and doesn’t have an injury designation leading up to the game. | 2022-12-16T12:13:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ravens release final injury report for Week 15 matchup vs. Browns | https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-release-final-injury-report-045722648.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-release-final-injury-report-045722648.html?src=rss |
The 49ers knocked off the Seahawks 21-13 on Thursday Night Football to clinch their first NFC West title since 2019.
It was a mostly dominant showing for San Francisco’s seventh-consecutive victory. It’s hard to believe this is the same team that in Week 7 was throttled at home by the Kansas City Chiefs. Alas, it is, and Thursday’s win came with a handful of big-picture takeaways:
NFC West Champions
The 49ers can at worst finish with the same record as the Seahawks (though that seems unlikely considering the direction of the two clubs after Week 15). San Francisco with their sweep of Seattle owns the head-to-head tiebreaker though, so even if they finish with the same record, the 49ers would take home the division crown. Thus, they clinched the NFC West on Thursday and due to their head-to-head tiebreaker with the Buccaneers, also clinched no worse than the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
Brock Purdy passes another test
Purdy just keeps checking boxes. He looked good in relief in Week 13, then looked good in his first start at home in Week 14. This time he was on a short week, while dealing with injuries, on the road and in a building the 49ers have had a hard time winning in over the last decade. He answered the call with another strong game where he went 17-of-26 for 217 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He made a couple mistakes, but he also helped seal the game with a scramble on third-and-1 late in the fourth quarter to extend a drive and not allow the Seahawks to get the ball again. Purdy keeps showing he has what it takes to win behind this 49ers defense and run game.
Defense coming together
The 49ers’ defense is playing so well in all three levels. They sacked Seahawks QB Geno Smith three times and hit him nine times. He was under duress virtually every time he dropped back. That strong effort from the DL starts in the secondary with their DBs taking throws away, but it’s also in the second level with their linebackers taking away the easy throws in the middle of the field. This defense is going to be really difficult to score on, and the better they are, the wider the margin of error is for Purdy.
No Deebo, no problem
The 49ers will need Deebo Samuel if they’re going to make a run in the playoffs. They can stay afloat without him for a stretch though thanks to Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco leaned heavily on their star RB Thursday night by giving him 26 carries and eight targets in the passing game. He was excellent once again, along with George Kittle who racked up 93 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. Adding McCaffrey is why the 49ers can sustain their offense without Samuel, and there was perhaps no greater illustration of that than what we saw Thursday. | 2022-12-16T13:43:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4 takeaways from 49ers romp in Seattle | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-takeaways-49ers-romp-seattle-130048386.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-takeaways-49ers-romp-seattle-130048386.html?src=rss |
The Office, a show from 2005-2013 on NBC then and now, has become a cultural phenomenon. So when Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin on the show, made an appearance during the Broncos/Chiefs matchup Sunday, it’s a strong chance it will be news.
“Yesterday was an absolute blast!” Kinsey wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @broncos for a day that my family will always cherish!”
The Broncos would lose the matchup against the Chiefs, 34-28, despite Kinsey’s cameo appearance. But in all seriousness, it’s a great thing that the Broncos still have strong support. The season hasn’t gone as planned, and it wouldn’t be ideal for fans to have written the team off. A 3-10 record isn’t anything to write home about.
So whether it’s a celebrity or everyday fan, support for the Broncos moving forward will help the team’s morale for the rest of the season and beyond. The Broncos will face off against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday at home. If Kinsey doesn’t show up, perhaps another celebrity may bring luck to the Broncos down the home stretch. | 2022-12-16T13:44:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Angela Kinsey from ‘The Office’ attended the Broncos game Sunday | https://sports.yahoo.com/angela-kinsey-office-attended-broncos-130046243.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/angela-kinsey-office-attended-broncos-130046243.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears are getting back two young defensive contributors in rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon when the team hosts the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Brisker and Gordon suffered concussions back on Nov. 20, and they’ve missed the last two games, leaving the secondary without two of its top players. But both have been cleared from concussion protocol and are in line to return to the lineup this weekend.
Brisker has been arguably GM Ryan Poles’ best draft selection from the 2022 class, where he’s impressed alongside safety Eddie Jackson, who’s now on injured reserve. For Brisker, he’s eager to face arguably the NFL’s best team (and a strong offense) in the Eagles, which will provide a huge test for this struggling Chicago defense.
“It’s always a great opportunity when a team like this comes into our home turf and we play them,” Brisker said, via ChicagoBears.com. “That’s a great opportunity. That’s why you play the game. Against the great quarterbacks, the great receivers, a 1,000-yard rusher in Miles Sanders, anything like that. It’s always great to be challenged every week. Everybody’s great, everybody’s good in the NFL. It’s always good to have a good challenge. No one’s going to shy away from the Eagles or whoever comes in here or wherever we go.”
Top selection Gordon got off to a rough start during his rookie season, where he was picked on by a number of quarterbacks, most notably Aaron Rodgers. Gordon has since settled into his role, but he still knows he has a long way to go. These final four games will provide an opportunity to finish his rookie year out on a high note.
“Just finishing out the best that I can with my team, putting a good note on the end of the season and really just finishing strong,” Gordon said. “All the goals and everything I’ve been trying to do, building up and all the experience, obviously just trying to go out and make more and more plays as I go on. I just want to play to the best of my ability that I know I can, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
7 things to know heading into Bears-Eagles in Week 15
Roquan Smith says Ryan Poles told him he never planned to trade him
Here’s how the Packers can be eliminated before playing on Christmas. READ MORE ON PACKERS WIRE.
Vikings’ Ed Donatell had his head buried in the Pollyanna playbook. READ MORE ON VIKINGS WIRE.
Lions defensive splits since firing Aubrey Pleasant show a very different defense in Detroit. READ MORE ON LIONS WIRE. | 2022-12-16T13:44:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bear Necessities: Rookies Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon ready to make their return vs. Eagles | https://sports.yahoo.com/bear-necessities-rookies-jaquan-brisker-122526582.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bear-necessities-rookies-jaquan-brisker-122526582.html?src=rss |
The Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) will face the Houston Texans (1-11-1) in Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Noon CT. The game will be shown on CBS and in-market fans can stream the game on Fubo.TV (free 7-day trial).
In the broadcast booth and on the sidelines, Chiefs Kingdom gets Trent Green, Kevin Harlan and Melanie Collins on the call. It’s the first time that Green and Harlan — a duo comprised of a former Chiefs starting quarterback and a former broadcaster with the team — have called a game for Kansas City this season.
As for the share of the broadcast map this week, the Texans and Chiefs get a huge portion, spanning from Knoxville, Tennessee through the midwestern United States to the entire west coast. There will even be coverage throughout both Hawaii and Alaska this week. The two games competing against the Chiefs at this timeslot are the New York Jets vs. the Detroit Lions (red) and the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Carolina Panthers (green).
I’m not sure what it is about Kansas City getting such a big piece of the broadcast map when they’re favored by 14 or more points. The same thing happened against the Los Angeles Rams back in Week 12. I guess it speaks to how big of a selling point Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is to networks.
A major winter storm is wreaking havoc on travel across the Upper Midwest and northern Plains again Thursday, dropping feet of snow and producing howling winds that have shut down hundreds of miles of interstates and highways across the region before it moves into the Northeast later this week.
Four members of the Philadelphia 76ers land inside The Ringer's top 100 NBA players list for the 2022-23 season.
When you envision pushups, images of Rocky Balboa doing one-arm pushups in an epic training montage may come to mind (cue "Eye of the Tiger"). Or you might have nightmarish flashbacks to high school gym class. Either way, if your fitness goal is to build a stronger, leaner upper body, then pushups are a must. This classic exercise is essential in any gym-goer's toolkit, as it strengthens and tones multiple areas of your upper body, including your chest, shoulders, and triceps. We've put together | 2022-12-16T13:44:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs vs. Texans broadcast map: Will you be able to watch on TV? | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-vs-texans-broadcast-map-124501771.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-vs-texans-broadcast-map-124501771.html?src=rss |
One of the more interesting angles from this week’s league meetings in Dallas was the state of the Washington Commanders. Would an owner speak out against Washington owner Daniel Snyder, as Colts owner Jim Irsay did in October at the owner’s meetings?
There has been little revealed since it was revealed that Snyder had hired Bank of America to help him explore potential transactions with the team. No one knew if Snyder was looking for a minority partner or to sell the team outright.
Many have weighed in on the topic and believe Snyder will ultimately sell the Commanders.
But what if Snyder decides to keep the franchise once he determines his price isn’t met?
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated brought up several good points that will scare Washington fans and make NFL owners nervous, too.
Breer wrote in his column that everyone was almost sure that the only way for Snyder to get out from under all of the investigations he’s currently facing would be to sell the team. While those investigations may not completely end, Snyder and his family would be away from public scrutiny.
This quote from Breer should concern Washington fans.
The next question, then, is whether or not the public can trust the NFL, and Snyder, to get to the right place on this. And for two months, it’s seemed like an ever-narrowing path ahead could only lead Snyder to a sale. But after what I saw Wednesday, I’ll leave Dallas less sure of that than I was when I arrived.
If you’ve ever spent any time listening to sports talk radio in the DMV, you’ll quickly learn that Washington fans are a pessimistic bunch. Snyder made them that way, after all. While most fans have expressed excitement about what a post-Snyder era would look like, others have remained unconvinced he’ll eventually sell the team until it actually happens.
Here are some things to remember. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform issued its report on the Snyder investigation last week. While there were concerning issues in the report, there was nothing new. And that investigation is over.
What if Snyder hired Bank of America to appease other owners but never intended to sell the team? Perhaps Snyder is biding his time until some of the other investigations, including Mary Jo White’s, conclude.
For what it’s worth, The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Bank of America was “moving forward with the process for him to consider offers to purchase all or part of his franchise.”
While those materials probably will not specify whether Snyder intends to sell the entire franchise or a portion of it, four people familiar with the process said they believe a full sale is the most likely outcome.
Judy Battista of the NFL Network said her sources still believe the Commanders will be sold in full.
There was a more hushed tone regarding Snyder and the Commanders this week, and that was by design. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t want a repeat of Irsay’s comments. And while Irsay didn’t change his opinion from his initial comments, he did seem to take a different approach this time around.
Many around the NFL believe Snyder would never sell to Jeff Bezos who owns The Washington Post. Snyder has long despised the Post for what he perceives as negative coverage of the team and himself.
What’s different now?
Some have surmised that Snyder’s wife and co-owner, Tanya, being booed at an October home game was too much for the family. It wasn’t long after that the news broke concerning Snyder exploring potential transactions.
Here’s another excerpt from Breer’s article.
But one experienced league executive floated to me the possibility that Snyder eventually plays the role of Lucy in pulling the football away from Commanders fans at the very end. This exec was suspicious that Snyder could set his price exorbitantly high and refuse to sell the team if that price wasn’t met, then keep the Commanders when bidders fail to get there.
Let’s say the number for Snyder is the one most mentioned—$7 billion. And then let’s say that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whom Snyder doesn’t want to sell to in the first place, is just a stalking horse (which I’ve heard speculated) to drive bidding into the stratosphere, and the actual bidders know it, and top out in the $6 billion range.
Goodell wasn’t saying much about the Commanders after the meeting. Of course, that was expected. However, there was some concern when Goodell said this:
“So I really feel like, from the standpoint of cooperation, we know, because we have audits going on with the club, that because of the discipline, because of the terrific investigation led by our independent counsel in this case, the change has occurred in the Washington Commanders organization,” Goodell said. “That’s verified by audits. That’s the outcome we were seeking; that’s the outcome we all wanted, so I don’t have anything further to say about it.”
The Commanders did release a statement but only saying they were focused on football and the big game Sunday against the New York Giants.
Washington is in the middle of a playoff race, currently holding the No. 6 spot in the NFC playoff picture.
We’ll continue to follow this story. | 2022-12-16T13:44:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | Could Daniel Snyder keep the Commanders when all is said and done? | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-daniel-snyder-keep-commanders-130558568.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-daniel-snyder-keep-commanders-130558568.html?src=rss |
Keeping the Dallas Cowboys’ star pass rusher Micah Parsons off of quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be a top priority for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but there’s no animosity between the two players.
Lawrence and Parsons both played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl as high school seniors in 2018 and were the first and 12th players taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, respectively.
“I think Trevor is a really cool dude and I think you get a chance to face friends or, you know, people that you have kind of grown with throughout the process and draft and recruiting and stuff like that, it’s always pretty fun. I love him,” Parsons told reporters Thursday. “His jersey is on my wall at home. So, I mean, it’s going to be fun.”
Parsons then said he might need to swap out the jersey with a new one now that it belongs to an upcoming opponent.
At Penn State, Parsons earned consensus All-American honors in 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Lawrence was an All-American in 2020 and led Clemson to a win in the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2019.
In the NFL, Parsons was the one who got off to the better start with Defensive Rookie of the Year and All-Pro honors last season. This year, he has 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, and is neck and neck with the San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Lawrence struggled as a rookie, leading the NFL in interceptions during a 3-14 season with the Jaguars. After a rough month of October, Lawrence has been on fire lately with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in his last five games.
The friendship between Lawrence and Parsons could result in a jersey swap that gives the Cowboys pass rusher a new piece for his wall at home. But it won’t mean he takes it easy on the Jaguars quarterback out of the kindness of his heart. | 2022-12-16T13:44:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cowboys’ Micah Parsons has a Trevor Lawrence jersey on his wall | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-micah-parsons-trevor-lawrence-124541810.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-micah-parsons-trevor-lawrence-124541810.html?src=rss |
There has been a lot of talk lately about Jared Goff’s future with the Detroit Lions. Despite his past, he’s been playing the best of his career.
This season, Goff has 3,352 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s fourth in the league in ‘air yards’ from play action, (526), he’s tied with Joe Burrow for second most 20+ yard completions, with 46, and he has the tenth best passer rating in the league, 97.9. The Lions are rolling!
Goff has been able to operate at a high-level within offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s system. It’s important to note that this offense has two of the best offensive linemen in the league in right tackle Penei Sewell and center Frank Ragnow. The Lions also have a dynamic rushing attack in which they can successfully execute inside & outside zone and gap-schemed runs; making it difficult for defenses to stop.
With Goff’s contract — a $31.5 million cap hit in 2023, and a dead cap hit of $40.5 million, the Lions will have him on the roster in 2023, but the question is whether he’s played good enough this year to keep him beyond that. Or if the Lions should look to the draft for their next franchise quarterback.
Let’s dive into the film!
Taking what the defense gives him.
Syndication Detroit Free Press
The Lions have looked like a brand-new team after a rough start, going 1-6, but they have done a 180-degree turn, winning five out of their last six games.
In Weeks 1-7, Goff completed 112 of 232 passes for 1,583 yards, 11 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 90.6, which put him in the middle of the pack.
Since Week 8, Goff has completed 158 of 232 passes for 1769 yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 104.6, which puts him fourth-best in the NFL.
For the most part, Goff has made solid decisions, especially on critical downs. On third-and-7+ the Lions have the second most conversions, 35.7%, per Football Outsiders. Goff also has the third best EPA on third downs (39.21) sitting between Tua Tagovailoa and Burrow, per Sports Info Solutions.
Against the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving, Goff ended the day with a 98.9 quarterback rating. Even though his team lost by three points, some of the throws he made were the reason why the Lions were able to keep drives alive and out of Josh Allen’s hands.
It was third-and-10, and the Bills were in a zone defense. Goff knew this because of the pre-snap motion. There was only one defender on the left side of the field against two receivers on that side.
The Lions motioned an extra blocker into the backfield to sell the run and it gave Goff enough the time to read the defense and exploit the busted coverage.
Goff isn’t just preforming well with play-action as he has throughout his career, but even without play-action he’s eighth in the league in passing yards with 2,428, and he also has a 15.24 EPA.
The Lions have been attacking defenses with crossers, out-routes and dig-routes. According to SIS, Goff has the highest quarterback rating (139.7) in the league when throwing digs and in-routes, going 18-for-23, while maintaining a 21.83 EPA.
Here is Goff attacking the Vikings defense last week with a dig route over the middle.
What’s even more impressive is how he performs against the blitz!
Winning against the blitz, but not under pressure.
Goff is blitzed by defenses the fourth most in the NFL, at 34.7% of his drop backs, and still has the most passing yards (1,184) when he has those extra rushers in his face.
He’s been able to get the ball out quickly and find the empty holes in the defenses:
Last week against the Vikings, their defense pressured Goff on 11 dropbacks, and he only had three completions.
Here’s what it looked like then Goff faced seven defenders dropping back into coverage and the defense preformed a successful stunt:
Looking into the crystal ball.
The Lions have been doing a great job putting their players in positions to win. Most teams have a nightmare matching up against the Lions’ offense because of how successful the run game is, paired with how Goff has been able to handle the blitz.
It’s the teams that have an above average pass rush and a solid secondary that end up beating Goff and the Lions. Teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots.
We can see in the graph above that the defensive coverages Goff struggles against most are what we’ve covered above. Extra defensive backs in a ‘quarters’, and also ‘cover 1’.
We have to give Goff credit. He’s been playing the best football of his career, but there is a reason why he isn’t in the top-ten of passes completed per game and completion percentage and yet he’s tenth overall in pass attempts per game, with 34.2.
Goff is sixth overall in first downs with 172, but 26th in completions ‘past the sticks’ when moving or shuffling his fee, with only nine.
Outside of the structure of the offense, Goff hasn’t been able to extend plays and really make something out of nothing. Unless he is able to do that, the passer in this scheme isn’t sustainable in the long run against today’s NFL defensive coordinators.
Right now, the Lions need to ride this wave of success with Goff. But their best shot for long-term success is to grab a quarterback in next year’s draft who can sit and learn behind Goff for half or maybe even the entire 2023 season. | 2022-12-16T13:44:51Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jared Goff is the Detroit Lions’ present quarterback, but should he be their future? | https://sports.yahoo.com/jared-goff-detroit-lions-present-125232659.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jared-goff-detroit-lions-present-125232659.html?src=rss |
The Seattle Seahawks lost more than just the NFC West division title in Week 15, they could be without defensive tackle Bryan Mone going forward this season.
Mone, who got the start in place of nose tackle Al Woods, who was inactive due to a sore Achilles, suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and was ruled out shortly thereafter.
Following the loss, coach Pete Carroll provided an update on Mone’s status.
“Big Mone, he hurt his knee,” Carroll told reporters. “We can’t say everything, but it’s a significant knee injury . . . He had a legitimate knee injury. It’s an ACL injury.”
Mone was helped off the field and into the medical tent on Thursday and eventually carted off into the locker room.
More information on his condition is expected shortly, but until then, this story is continuing to develop.
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We are officially in the final stretch of the early recruiting window, with less than a week until the early signing period starts for college football. This weekend we will see a flurry of both visits and potential commitments, as schools try to get players on campus one last time before the dead period begins and players have to make their decisions.
For the Oregon Ducks, it is expected to be an incredibly active time. Not only are some high-profile players already confirmed to be on campus, but we expect more names to be added to the visitor list in Eugene. We will see both players who are committed to the Ducks on campus, as well as a few who are both either uncommitted or committed elsewhere.
With signing season comes flip season, and Dan Lanning is looking to make a statement. There are a number of players in the recruiting world who could end up flipping to the Ducks in the next week. Of course, there are also a couple of players currently committed to Oregon that could end up flipping to other schools as well.
Let’s go over all of the candidates and break down what to watch for in the coming days as the recruiting window winds down.
The Buzz: This is a name that has resurfaced in Oregon circles over the past couple of days with recent rumors coming out that a massive NIL deal was offered to Bowen on Wednesday during an in-home visit with Dan Lanning and Matt Powledge. While I can’t confirm the size of the offer, I have been told by a source that the Ducks do have a good standing with the Notre Dame commit at the moment, and they are making a serious push to land him with the selling point being that Bowen will be able to compete for the starting safety spot as a true freshman. Oregon is working hard to get Bowen to Eugene for a visit this weekend, which would boost the likeliness of him flipping greatly. We will see if he makes his way out west for the weekend.
The Buzz: David Hicks made a surprise visit to Eugene last weekend, which was the fourth time he’s been to Oregon this year, and the second time in the last month. At this point, it’s clear that Hicks is a big fan of the Ducks and he has a good relationship with Dan Lanning and the staff. Will that be enough to drive him to flip from Texas A&M? I’m not sure at this point. It could come down to the wire, and the fact that Hicks is heading to College Station for a visit this weekend could mean that the Aggies get the last laugh and are able to hold on to him.
The Buzz: The Ducks have been picking up steam in the race for Proctor, and while he hasn’t been to Eugene for a visit since the Washington game in November, I’m told that Oregon is working hard to get him on campus this weekend for one last finale before the signing period. The relationship between Proctor and OL coach Adrian Klemm is strong, with Klemm going out to Iowa for Proctor’s high school championship game. Duck fans should feel good about where the team stands with Proctor. I can’t say he is going to flip for sure, but I feel like it is a very real possibility. If he comes to Eugene for a visit this weekend, my confidence will rise dramatically.
The Buzz: Limar is a guy that the Ducks were in on early in his recruitment, and they haven’t given up despite his commitment to Notre Dame in May. As a Washington kid, I’m told that the appeal of playing closer to home is a factor, and it’s been made clear by RB coach Carlos Locklyn that the team is working hard to flip him. I’m still working to confirm a report from On3’s Justin Hopkins that Limar will be in town for a visit this weekend, but if he does come, it will mean big things for the Ducks.
The Buzz: Daylen Austin has been a frequent visitor to Eugene over the past few months, and his relationship with the staff seems to be growing. He isn’t expected to sign until February, so we will continue to monitor how things shake out over the next couple of months, but this is certainly a guy that the Ducks are working hard to get from LSU.
The Buzz: A coaching change for Louisville is what is mostly driving this potential flip, with the Ducks making a strong late move to get in with Johnson, who has been committed to the Cardinals since April. Johnson made it out to Eugene in October, and the staff is trying to get him on campus once again this weekend as well. If he does come out west on Saturday, Oregon fans should feel confident about where they stand.
5-star QB Dante Moore
The Buzz: Not all of these are positive, unfortunately. On Thursday, news came out from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong that 5-star Oregon commit Dante Moore was seriously considering a flip to UCLA after his visit to Los Angeles last weekend. This would be a tough blow to Oregon’s 2023 class and would leave the future of the QB position in question once Bo Nix leaves for the NFL, whether that be this year or next. I’m told the Ducks are working hard to get Moore to Eugene for a final visit this weekend, which would be a big win. If he chooses not to come, however, that could be a very bad sign for Oregon.
The Buzz: This is another one that Oregon fans should feel a little bit iffy about. The Washington Huskies have been making a strong late push for Presley, who is the No. 1 player in the state of Washington. He took an official visit to Seattle earlier this month and was in Eugene on a visit last weekend. We will see if he ends up going back up to Seattle for another visit this weekend, which could mean bad things for the Ducks. At this point, I feel like this recruitment is a toss-up.
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A very interesting development
The Ducks nearly blew a double-digit lead in the final minutes before holding on to defeat the Highlanders in a nonconference game in Eugene.
Oregon locked down on the defensive side of the floor and crushed Eastern Washington 88-38. | 2022-12-16T14:40:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | 8 potential flip candidates for the Oregon Ducks ahead of early signing period | https://sports.yahoo.com/8-potential-flip-candidates-oregon-135706451.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/8-potential-flip-candidates-oregon-135706451.html?src=rss |
He may not have won the Biletnikoff Award that goes to the best wide receiver in college football (this writer tried by voting for him), but Marvin Harrison Jr now has the unique distinction of becoming the first-ever unanimous All-American receiver in Ohio State history.
That might be a little shocking considering the pedigree of pass-catchers that have played for the Buckeye program. Cris Carter, David Boston, Joey Galloway, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Terry Glenn, and a whole host of other dynamic wide receiver playmakers have run through the tunnel in Columbus, yet none of them ever received unanimous All-American status.
To garner unanimous All-American status, a player must appear on all of the following publications’ All-American teams in one year: The Walter Camp Foundation, Associated Press, The Sporting News, American Football Coaches Association, and the Football Writers Association of America. And yes, you can check them all for Harrison Jr.
So far this season without any additional statistics that will be added for the postseason, Harrison Jr. has caught 72 passes for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns. He ranked No. 4 nationally in touchdown receptions and ninth in yards per game. More than that though, all you have to do is turn on the tape of games and see him make some of the most acrobatic and seemingly impossible catches on a weekly basis.
reason number 847293615 @MarvHarrisonJr is the best https://t.co/q8DbfYFm0S
Becoming a unanimous All-American is a rare feat and Harrison Jr. becomes just the 37th player in OSU history to do it. This feels like a very good time to mention that he’s just a true sophomore and will return next season.
Maybe, just maybe, he can take home the Biletnikoff Award that he deserved in 2022 next year. | 2022-12-16T14:40:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Marvin Harrison Jr. becomes first ever unanimous All-American receiver in Ohio State history | https://sports.yahoo.com/marvin-harrison-jr-becomes-first-142438486.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/marvin-harrison-jr-becomes-first-142438486.html?src=rss |
Despite a second-straight loss to Michigan, it was another eleven-win regular season for the Ohio State football program. The Buckeyes are off to the College Football Playoff in Atlanta with a second lease on life, and here’s to hoping they shock the world and do something truly special.
The goals of winning a Big Ten title and beating the arch-rival Wolverines are out the door, but the ultimate prize of bringing home a national championship is still in the cards if Ohio State can find a way to beat Georgia and then either Michigan or TCU in Los Angeles in the big one. None of it would have been possible without its stars playing some pretty incredible football, and there were several Buckeyes that earned All-American honors from various publications and media outlets in 2022.
In case you haven’t followed the parade of news, we’ve got a roundup for you here after all the dust has settled. Here’s a look at the six Ohio State football players that were named All-Americans in 2022.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Wide Receiver
Nov 12, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) goes up for the ball as Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Tiawan Mullen (3) defends during the first quarter at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
First Team All-American Honors
Walter Camp Foundation
Tommy Eichenberg, Linebacker
Second Team All-American Honors
Dawand Jones, Offensive Tackle
Nov 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Dawand Jones (79) celebrates his team’s victory against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
There's a lot to cover on the Friday edition of the Morning Pitt this week after Pitt volleyball lost in the Final | 2022-12-16T14:40:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ohio State football 2022 All-Americans | https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-2022-americans-134113769.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-2022-americans-134113769.html?src=rss |
Yoshida has wholesome moment at introductory press conference originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Masataka Yoshida was introduced as the newest member of the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Judging by his press conference, it will be easy for fans to root for the Japanese star.
Yoshida, who signed a five-year contract worth $90 million, prepared an English introduction to his press conference despite not knowing how to speak the language.
"Hi. I'm Masataka Yoshida. Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm 29 years old. I have played in Orix Buffaloes for seven years. I don't speak English. So nervous. I want to learn English and so do my daughters. I'm honored to be in Red Sox nation. I'll do my best. Thank you."
In addition to his bright personality, Yoshida should bring a solid bat to Boston's lineup. The outfielder slashed .335/.447/.551 with 21 homers and 89 RBI last season for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He tallied 82 walks to only 42 strikeouts in 2022 and led the NPB in on-base percentage in both of the last two seasons.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom says Yoshida's plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills were what made him such an attractive option in free agency.
“We’ve watched Masataka for a while,” Bloom said Thursday. “For us, the thing that really stood out from all angles — from the scouting angle, from breaking down the performance — is just the quality of the at-bat. There’s a very unique combination of contact skills and strike-zone discipline, and an ability to impact the baseball that we feel has a chance to really impact the game at the Major League level.”
Yoshida presumably will play left field for the Red Sox while potentially spending time as the team's designated hitter. With Yoshida in left, Alex Verdugo likely would move over to right field.
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The newest Brewers player was no different from most baseball-obsessed kids around Milwaukee in the 2000s | 2022-12-16T15:06:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Masataka Yoshida has wholesome moment at introductory Red Sox press conference | https://sports.yahoo.com/mastaka-yoshida-wholesome-moment-introductory-235400511.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mastaka-yoshida-wholesome-moment-introductory-235400511.html?src=rss |
You wanted meaningful Giants games in December? Can’t get much more important than Sunday night against the host Washington Commanders, a tilt with massive playoff implications.
If the matchup seems familiar, well, it is. These teams, who are both 7-5-1, played at MetLife Stadium two weeks ago and wound up in a 20-20 tie (yawn). The Commanders had a bye week in between the games, so they’ve had plenty of time to concentrate on Big Blue. Good luck if Washington tries to use the Eagles’ blowout victory last Sunday as intel – the Commanders don’t have nearly the talent Philadelphia does. Does anyone?
But Washington could deal a significant blow to the Giants’ playoff dreams with a victory. Here are five things to watch in this vital NFC East matchup:
Washington, which is 6-1-1 in its last eight games, currently holds the sixth playoff spot in the NFC and the Giants are clinging to the seventh, ahead of the 7-7 Seattle Seahawks, who lost Thursday night. Whoever wins Sunday night holds a tie-breaker over the loser, which could be huge as the season barrels down the final stretch. The Lions (6-7) are hot and lurk in the background of the Wild Card race as well.
The Giants are, um, not hot, going 1-4-1 in their last six games after a 6-1 start. They have given up 127 points over their last four games, including a season-worst 48 last week to the Eagles. The Giants could stop neither the run nor Jalen Hurts in that game. Now a defensive revival is paramount against Taylor Heinicke and Co. this week.
Go, Danny Boy
Daniel Jones’ contract situation looms in the background of what has been a fine season for the Giants quarterback, who could be a free agent after this year. A big performance in a big game wouldn’t hurt his future in blue, obviously.
He’s been remarkably efficient all season. He is completing 66 percent of his passes, which would be a career high, and his passer rating of 91.6 would also be a personal best. He’s third in the NFL with a 1.1 percent interception rate and has authored five game-winning drives, second behind only Kirk Cousins. He’s also fifth in the NFL with 5.8 yards per rushing attempt. The Giants are generally better when they are generating gains on the ground. But this could be a benchmark game for Jones if he must pass to win it late.
Two-pronged threat
Now that Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux are both healthy, the Giants have what could be a dangerous pass rushing tandem. Perhaps the pair can harry Heinicke into a killer mistake. The Commanders have allowed 37 sacks this season, tied for seventh-most in the NFL, and the Giants sacked Heinicke five times the last time the teams met.
Ojulari has played in only four games this year because of a calf injury, but only Dexter Lawrence (six sacks) has more sacks than Ojulari’s four. Ojulari had two sacks against the Eagles and had a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against the Commanders in the first meeting. Thibodeaux has two sacks on the season, including a crucial one of Heinicke two weeks ago, and shows signs of becoming more disruptive each week.
Did someone on the Giants give Terry McLaurin that nickname? The Commanders’ top receiver always seems to make plays against Big Blue – he had eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in Week 13 – and is one of the top wideouts in football. McLaurin is ninth in the NFL with 945 receiving yards and figures to go over 1,000 Sunday night.
If the Giants can keep him to not much more than that, they’d have to consider it a job well done, considering that he’s averaged 96.7 yards per game in six career outings against them.
Limitless?
Saquon Barkley said during the week that he should not be slowed by the neck injury that bothered him prior to the Eagles game, so maybe the Giants have a shot at running the football competently against Washington. He only ran for 28 yards on nine carries last week and played just 20 snaps, perhaps because of a combo of his neck and the blowout status of the game, though he said he was not limited.
Though his production has sagged in recent weeks, Barkley is still fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,083) and the Giants have thrived when he has. Maybe some ancient history can offer a psychic boost – Barkley’s two best games in terms of rushing yards have come at Washington’s expense. He ran for 170 yards against them in Week 14 in 2018 and a career-best 189 yards in Week 16 of 2019. | 2022-12-16T15:15:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 things to watch as Giants face Commanders in Week 15 of 2022 NFL season | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-giants-face-144326438.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-giants-face-144326438.html?src=rss |
Aaron Rodgers may not be having his best season right now, but he’s still a challenging quarterback to contain for any defense. Just ask Bobby Wagner, who’s faced Rodgers a number of times throughout his 11-year career.
The Rams will go up against Rodgers on Monday night, hoping to beat the Packers and win their second straight game. While Rodgers has all the talent in the world, from pinpoint accuracy to a strong arm, Wagner says it’s his mental processing and vision that makes him great.
“I would say that the biggest thing is you have to believe that everybody’s open because he sees them,” Wagner said Thursday. “He’s one of those guys that he has a great feel of the routes, where they’re supposed to be, things of that nature. Most quarterbacks, you can kind of follow their eyes, they’ll take you to the ball, but he’ll look to his left and then throw a pinpoint pass to the right and most quarterbacks can’t do that. You have to be conscious of when he extends plays, he knows how to use a cadence to his advantage. There’s so many things that he does well. He has complete command of the offense so he can come up and has the authority to change the whole play. It could be two different runs, but he can just turn into a pass. Sometimes he’s in his stance, sees a defender playing off and just gets out of his stance and then throws it to the receiver. Sometimes I don’t think everybody knows that that’s going on. He’s a very talented player and it’s always fun going against him.”
As the middle linebacker, Wagner attempts to diagnose the play the offense might be running. But with Rodgers, he often changes the play at the line of scrimmage to counter what the defense is doing.
Just about every quarterback has the authority to audible and change the play, but Rodgers is particularly good at it. And for Wagner, he has to do his best not to give away any tells before the snap to give Rodgers an advantage.
“It’s like chess. They’re watching you just like you’re watching them so if you give something away, he’ll change it to a play that puts you in a tough position,” Wagner added. “Whenever you play a quarterback like him, it’s just fun to play against because it’s really like chess. You’re trying to figure out what he sees, what he checks to, get a feel for what their game plan is for this particular game. It’s fun.”
Preparing for Rodgers doesn’t just involve watching film of the Packers. Wagner knows the importance of self-analyzing from the previous game, understanding that Rodgers will try to attack any sort of weakness he sees in the opposing defense.
“I think the biggest thing is when you watch film this week, you watch it in a way where they’re going to attack any weakness or any mistake that you made last week,” he said. “They’re going to try to incorporate it into their game whether they just line up in the play that you got beat on or they kind of window dress it or motion into it. He’s smart enough and that staff is smart enough to attack our defense in the run game and in the pass game in areas that we needed to improve on. We just need to make sure we make those improvements and be ready for him.”
This season, Rodgers has 22 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, the most picks he’s thrown in a season since 2010. It’s not the type of year we expected to see from the reigning two-time MVP, but he’s still one of the tougher quarterbacks to prepare for, especially after getting an extra week to prepare thanks to the bye.
In this article, we will discuss the 14 Biggest Lighting Companies in the World. You can skip our detailed industry analysis and go directly to the 5 Biggest Lighting Companies in the World. Good lighting is an essential need in our daily lives. With the rise in population and advancement in technology, the use of lighting […]
Twitter Inc's head of trust and safety told Reuters the company manually reviewed "any and all accounts" that violated its new privacy policy by posting links to a Twitter account called ElonJet that tracked Elon Musk's private jet using information in the public domain. Twitter on Thursday suspended the accounts of several journalists, including from the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post. | 2022-12-16T15:15:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bobby Wagner always enjoys facing Aaron Rodgers: ‘It’s like chess’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/bobby-wagner-always-enjoys-facing-141628058.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bobby-wagner-always-enjoys-facing-141628058.html?src=rss |
Kansas City Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck provided an intriguing update on rookie OL Darian Kinnard on Thursday.
Coming out of the 2022 NFL draft, the sense seemed to be that the team would start Kinnard at the position he played in college (right tackle) and go from there. While other NFL clubs told him they viewed him as a guard, the Chiefs wanted to at least give Kinnard a shot at tackle. He received the majority of his snaps during the offseason program at right tackle, but he always knew in the back of his mind he had to be prepared to play any spot.
On the team’s opening depth chart, Kinnard was listed as a second-string right tackle behind Andrew Wylie. He still hasn’t moved from that spot on the depth chart, but with the return of Lucas Niang, Heck says that Kinnard has been getting more and more work at the guard position.
“(Darian) Kinnard, really has grown – we’ve seen him grow,” Heck said. “He played the tackle position and then we’ve been getting him some more guard work. I think he’s got that kind of flex to whether he can play either or, but he’s taken to that guard position in there and looks great.”
Kinnard has contributed the least amount of the Chiefs’ rookie draft class, with just six snaps on special teams so far this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s not making good progress. Given Heck’s comments, it sounds like Kinnard’s future with the team might be on the interior offensive line, with the ability to flex out and play tackle in a pinch. A role that is reminiscent of what Andrew Wylie played for the team prior to his promotion to right tackle.
It’d likely take a few injuries for Kinnard to see the field this season, but with both Joe Thuney and Trey Smith dinged up at various points of the year, it’s good to have the rookie on his toes and ready to contribute.
Bismack Biyombo with a 2-pointer vs the LA Clippers
Bismack Biyombo (Phoenix Suns) with a 2-pointer vs the LA Clippers, 12/15/2022 | 2022-12-16T15:16:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Darian Kinnard’s future with Chiefs could be at guard position | https://sports.yahoo.com/darian-kinnard-future-chiefs-could-134500921.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/darian-kinnard-future-chiefs-could-134500921.html?src=rss |
New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon is on pace to have another productive season.
He has 14.5 sacks on the year, which leads the NFL and eclipses his total of 12.5 from the 2021 campaign. NFL stars around the league are taking notice, and that includes Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt.
Watt spent many years at the top of NFL sack leader lists. He led the NFL in sacks in 2012 and 2014. The star defensive playmaker is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career with 108 total sacks. He hasn’t had the same production in Arizona, tallying 7.5 sacks in two seasons, including 6.5 sacks this year.
Watt and Judon met on the field following New England’s 27-13 win over the Cardinals. The two exchanged compliments, as Judon recorded 1.5 sacks in the game.
“So much respect, man,” Judon told Watt. “You’ve been doing this for a long time, and we’re all watching, man. We’re all following you, man.”
All about showing respect 🤝 @JJWatt @man_dammn | #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/Kr37YBpNZm
It’s quite clear that New England has a dynamic pass-rusher in Judon. It’s also becoming clear that the man with the red sleeves is finally getting the recognition he deserves.
A huge aquarium in Berlin burst, spilling debris, water and more than a thousand tropical fish out of the AquaDom tourist attraction in the heart of the German capital early Friday. Police said parts of the building, which also contains a hotel, cafes and a chocolate store, were damaged as 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of water poured from the aquarium shortly before 6 a.m. (0500 GMT). Berlin's fire service said two people were slightly injured. | 2022-12-16T15:16:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | JJ Watt waited for Matthew Judon mid-field to tell him this | https://sports.yahoo.com/jj-watt-waited-matthew-judon-141529096.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jj-watt-waited-matthew-judon-141529096.html?src=rss |
It’s rare that Kyle Shanahan gives effusive praise to his players, but his reviews of rookie QB Brock Purdy were glowing after the 49ers’ 21-13 win over the Seahawks to clinch the NFC West crown in Seattle.
Shanahan, who’s been coaching in the NFL since 2004, went so far as to say Purdy is the most poised rookie QB he’s seen.
“He’s definitely the poised rookie I’ve ever had,” Shanahan told reporters after the 49ers’ win. “He’s been like that since he’s gotten here. From what I hear about him in college I think he was very similar, just starting as a freshman, and he’s been great.”
Poise is perhaps the most important thing for Purdy while guiding this 49ers club. They’re driven by their run game and defense. All Purdy has to do is keep the train on the tracks by avoiding catastrophic mistakes. Poise will help him avoid those.
It will also allow him to make plays like his third-and-1 scramble with 2:42 remaining in Thursday’s game and the 49ers clinging to a 21-13 lead. That run effectively sealed the win, and it was the QB calling his own number in the game’s biggest moment.
That trait was also critical on a short week in one of the toughest road environments in the NFL. Purdy was also banged up and Shanahan said the rookie even handled that well.
“He was poised all week,” Shanahan said. “Even him being unsure whether he’d be able to go or not. I think that was uneasy for him because he didn’t know what to expect until he got in the game. Under our circumstances we didn’t have any other options or choices. We were gonna see how long he could last and we were ready to go with Josh (Johnson), but he got comfortable and got better as the game went. It was pretty unbelievable.”
Purdy dealt with oblique and rib injuries that kept him from practicing all week. Shanahan told reporters Purdy didn’t throw a football until a walk-through in the hotel ballroom before the game. They also limited his pregame warmup reps.
Poise will be a word we use plenty with Purdy down the stretch, and it will help him above all other things as the team enters the postseason and tries to do the impossible by winning a Super Bowl with a rookie seventh-round pick under center. | 2022-12-16T15:16:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kyle Shanahan: Brock Purdy is ‘definitely the most poised rookie I’ve ever had’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-shanahan-brock-purdy-definitely-140002669.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-shanahan-brock-purdy-definitely-140002669.html?src=rss |
The Matt Patricia experiment as the New England Patriots’ offensive play-caller might not be a one-and-done thing, according to NFL and Patriots insider Tom E. Curran.
As of right now, Curran doesn’t believe a decision has ultimately been made when it comes to the future of the role. Even as bad as the offense has looked at certain points this season, there’s still a realistic possibility that Patricia could be the one calling the plays for the team again in 2023.
What would end up being a nightmare for many could turn into reality for the Patriots.
“No, I don’t [think a decision has been made],” Curran said, when appearing on Merloni, Fauria & Mego. “I really don’t. From conversations I’ve had, I think everything is TBD. If by the end of the year, the Patriots have turned a page and become much more against all odds competent, well then maybe they go in a different direction. They get their information from Bill [Belichick]. They get their information from Mac Jones, meaning the Krafts and anybody who’s involved in the decision-making.
Curran did note that if things continued to go in the direction it’s going, he thinks Belichick would consider making changes.
Still, things could legitimately be up in the air if the team somehow sneaks into the playoffs. The Patriots are currently ranked in the bottom-half of the league in average yards per game (319.6) and second-to-last in red zone scoring behind the Denver Broncos.
Mac Jones has regressed in ways that wouldn’t even be believed possible, and the offensive line looked like a complete mess even before it was pounded with injuries. Things haven’t gone well with Patricia overseeing the offensive unit, clearly.
But would Belichick seriously be willing to hit the do-over button on this season. The fact that it might even be a possibility is beyong terrifying. | 2022-12-16T15:16:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL insider says Matt Patricia could return as Patriots offensive play-caller in 2023 | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-insider-says-matt-patricia-135705306.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-insider-says-matt-patricia-135705306.html?src=rss |
A. Both. I remember 2015 (when he missed 11 races after leg injuries in a crash at Daytona International Speedway) pretty vividly and being on the sidelines and not being able to race and be in a race car. I missed it. I give this world of NASCAR our life, if you will. Everything I’ve got. It’s a lot of stress. It’s a lot of agony at times. But it’s all rewarding and worth it when you’re able to win and be successful and have fun doing it. I’d admit the last few years haven’t been fun. It could have been a point where you shut everything down and walk away and it’s over. It would be a crying shame to do that in one’s prime feeling like I still have at least five or six years left in me as long as I stay healthy and keep going on that front.
The other piece to this is I kind of looked at it and there was that point where I didn’t know if I was going to have anything. I was like, “OK, I’m going to have to become comfortable mentally if this is it.” Fortunately, Austin Dillon called me (about driving for RCR) and we got to talking on that front, and I thought, “You know, this could be really something cool where I can have something like a Tom Brady-Peyton Manning effect.” I’ve said that a couple of times, and I mean it. I’d really, really, really love to go somewhere else and make a difference and bring one of our longest-tenured race teams, Richard Childress Racing, back to the forefront of winning and contending for championships and winning one. Dale (Earnhardt) Sr. in 1994 was the last one. I would like to think that I still have that ability. I definitely know I have the drive and desire to do that. It’s just a matter of having all the right people in all the right places and making it happen.
A. I expect to come right out of the gate and get going and be fast right away. I hope that comes to fruition and starts at the Clash. Last year, (Tyler) Reddick qualified second and blew my doors off in the first 15 laps of the race and drove away and had a big lead, and then they ended up breaking and I inherited the lead. Then (Joey) Logano ended up beating me, and Austin Dillon finished third. I feel like there’s a really good sense of a baseline to be able to go out there and be fast and competitive right out of the gate and look good like we need to. I don’t think it will take much time. Fast cars cure all.
A. It was his sixth birthday. We had a race. We had run for about six months and weren’t doing very well. When he turned six, it was like a switch flipped. I basically told him no more baby (stuff). You’re six years old. You’re a big boy. Let’s go. He went out there and he was passing cars and getting more aggressive. He goes through waves and swings. He’s really brave, really aggressive. Hasn’t wrecked for a while. Then he has a wreck, and you have to go through the rebuilding of the confidence to build his confidence back up. This last year has been really, really good. We show up at the track. He knows what to do and expect. He’s kind of like, leave me alone. Which is great. It’s a lot easier to pull a rope than to push one. We’re moving him up into different cars and different divisions. People ask, “Well, what’s his plan?” I really have no idea. I really haven’t sat down and worked out a pathway of what to do and where to go.
A. To me, it’s relative to competition. We went to a couple of races in the Midwest this year, and he raced against these kids in Junior Sprints. Not to bash anyone, but he raced against six or eight other kids and he destroyed them. There was a fast kid out in the Midwest who Brexton beat a couple of times and he beat Brexton a couple of times. How I judge him is how he does against the competition that shows up. His year this year in the Beginning Box Stock division at Millbridge (Speedway near Salisbury, N.C.) — he ran third in points, but the ones who beat him were 9 years old. The age group is supposed to be 5 to 8. They got grandfathered in and ran another year against Brexton. We won the most races, but we got behind in points and finished third. Next year Brexton will be turning 8 and will finish the year running Beginning Box. The Millbridge crowd is very, very good. It’s probably the most competitive group of racers in the country. We’ve traveled around a lot, and I’d say our home track is the toughest in the country.
A. The first really scary crash… he was warming up and just figuring out how to race and letting the car drift a little sideways and getting faster. It got loose and he lifted and he was already turned right to catch the slide. The car hooked and went straight into the wall on the frontstretch. When I was 15 and coming out of Legends cars and getting my feet wet in Super Late Models, I did exactly the same thing. I was like, “Wow, this is ironic.” But it taught him that you can crash and you’re OK. It broke his helmet. That was probably the scariest one. He’s flipped once. I wasn’t there to see it. Mom was scared, but Brex got out and said “Hey, can we fix it and race later?” That was good. He’s a racer’s racer. He’s got it going on.
Kyle Busch one-on-one originally appeared on NBCSports.com
32-year-old Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive for Alpha Prime Racing in NASCAR's Xfinity Series. He'll start at Daytona, where Dale Earnhardt once ruled.
It may not be as bad as last year, but as the hundreds of pounds of dead fish on Pinellas beaches have suggested in recent days: Red Tide is back in the Tampa Bay area. For many in the region, this isn’t your first Red Tide rodeo. And the harmful algal blooms aren’t anything new: They were documented along Florida’s Gulf coast as early as the 1840s. But with climate change threatening to ... | 2022-12-16T16:38:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kyle Busch one-on-one | https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-busch-one-one-150052842.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-busch-one-one-150052842.html?src=rss |
The Atlanta Falcons benched Marcus Mariota on Monday, and now his season is likely over. Mariota will undergo knee surgery and be placed on injured reserve, Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday.
Smith mentioned that possibility Monday, telling reporters that Mariota might be placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Smith said the injury did not contribute to his decision to bench Mariota for rookie Desmond Ridder, calling the move "performance-based."
Upon hearing the news, Mariota apparently decided to get his knee checked out. As a result, he'll undergo surgery in December.
#Falcons QB Marcus Mariota is sent to have knee surgery next week and he'll go on IR today, coach Arthur Smith said.
Smith appeared to question Mariota's timing, telling The Athletic on Tuesday that Mariota's knee "is nothing that has been an issue this season, but that’s [his] prerogative." Smith also spoke about the importance of having guys stick with the team, saying, "Of course, you want all your guys to be here, but guys have to make decisions." That could be interpreted as a critique of Mariota.
This is the second time in his career that Mariota has been benched by Smith. The first came in 2019, when Smith, then the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, benched Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. The Titans went 7-3 down the stretch with Tannehill, reaching the playoffs. They won two playoff games before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Mariota faces uncertain future with Falcons
The surgery could mark the end of Mariota's run with the Falcons. Being placed on injured reserve will effectively end his season, and he's under contract with the Falcons for another year but doesn't carry an expensive cap. The Falcons can cut him and find another option to either compete with or sit behind Ridder next season.
If Mariota hits the free-agent market, he would be looking for his fourth team since being the No. 2 selection in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Mariota has experienced positive stretches in his career but has thrown for 20-plus touchdowns in a season just once. He has now lost a starting job twice in the past four years and spent the other two seasons primarily as a backup.
In 13 games with the Falcons, Mariota completed 61.3% of his passes for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 438 yards and four scores.
Those numbers should result in Mariota getting some interest if he hits the market, though most likely as a backup.
Marcus Mariota's time with the Falcons could be nearing its end, as he will miss the rest of the season due to knee surgery. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Tyler Herro with a last basket of the period vs the Oklahoma City Thunder
Tyler Herro (Miami Heat) with a last basket of the period vs the Oklahoma City Thunder, 12/14/2022 | 2022-12-16T16:38:26Z | sports.yahoo.com | Marcus Mariota will undergo knee surgery, be placed on injured reserve after being benched for Desmond Ridder | https://sports.yahoo.com/marcus-mariota-will-undergo-knee-surgery-be-placed-on-injured-reserve-after-being-benched-for-desmond-ridder-220430648.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/marcus-mariota-will-undergo-knee-surgery-be-placed-on-injured-reserve-after-being-benched-for-desmond-ridder-220430648.html?src=rss |
A recently paroled 32-year-old man opened fire on “everyone who called out his name,” killing three people including a “resilient” young mother of three as she tried to hide, a 50-year-old father and a 26-year-old Franklin Park man when an argument turned deadly at a birthday party in Portage Park over the weekend, prosecutors said Wednesday, All of the victims were friends and family to each ... | 2022-12-16T16:38:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Roquan Smith explains the most difficult part about leaving Bears | https://sports.yahoo.com/roquan-smith-explains-most-difficult-203606207.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/roquan-smith-explains-most-difficult-203606207.html?src=rss |
Messi's move to Barcelona
Even in Argentine soccer, he became something of an enigma. Hugo Tocalli, a youth national team coach, learned of Messi via a now-fabled video tape. There, on a fuzzy screen, was little Leo in an oversized Barca kit, tying Spanish teens twice his size into knots. The tape was mind-boggling. But Messi almost seemed mythical. He was an outsider, almost a foreigner to a U-17 team comprising kids from exclusively Argentine clubs. So Tocalli didn’t take him to the 2003 U-17 World Championship — where, ionically, Tocalli’s Argentina lost to Spain.
They celebrated and welcomed him as he justified the Maradona comparisons on La Liga fields and Champions League stages across Europe. They marveled as he scored Maradona-esque goals and won a virtually undisputed Ballon d’Or at age 22, his first of seven. But they never quite identified with him. So they doubted him. As he failed to replicate his Barcelona brilliance with the Argentina national team, they questioned him. Did he really care for his country? Why didn’t he sing the anthem? Why did he always look so indifferent, so unenthused?
But he couldn’t. Inexplicably, he just couldn’t. He lost a World Cup final and two Copa America finals in three consecutive years, 2014-16. After the third, a penalty-shootout loss to Chile, he crumbled in despair. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen him,” his teammate and gran amigo Sergio Agüero said that night in New Jersey. And in a distraught locker room, Messi gave up. “I tried so hard to be [a] champion with Argentina, but it didn’t happen, I couldn’t do it,” he told reporters. So he did quit. “It hurts me more than anyone,” he said, “but it’s evident that this is not for me.”
And then, in 2021, he triggered a new type of tears. Argentina beat Brazil in the Copa America final, for its first major trophy since 1993. Messi fell to his knees, then levitated into the air, hoisted by his indebted teammates, as an Argentine commentator sermonized: “Twenty-eight years later! Thank you God! Thank you Diego! Thank you MESSI!” | 2022-12-16T16:38:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | World Cup: The liberation of Lionel Messi | https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-the-liberation-of-lionel-messi-142443164.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-the-liberation-of-lionel-messi-142443164.html?src=rss |
The Chargers look to continue to increase their chances of making the playoffs when they take on the Titans this Sunday.
To get you prepped for the Week 15 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.
The Titans have lost their last three games for the first time since 2018. They allowed an average of 30 points per game and averaged just 16 points in those contests. Tennessee still sits atop the AFC South, but their struggles in recent weeks have cracked the door open for the 5-8 Jaguars in the division.
The Titans will lean on their most valuable player, running back Derrick Henry, to exploit a Chargers defense that ranks 28th against the run and has allowed the league-worst in rushing yards allowed per play. Henry, the 6-foot-3 and 247-pounder, is second in the league in rushing yards (1,199), tied for second in explosive carries (rushes over 20 yards) with nine and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (11).
While the Titans are superior at running the ball, they struggle through the air, ranking 29th in passing yards per game (175.7). Their inefficiency at passing the ball comes from Ryan Tannehill being no more than a game manager. He doesn’t have an arsenal of weapons, especially after trading away AJ Brown. But Tennessee’s offensive line is to blame, too. The line is second-worst in pass-blocking efficiency and the third-most penalized group in the NFL (36), according to Pro Football Focus.
Poor pass defense
Justin Herbert could be in line for another monstrous performance this weekend. The Titans rank 31st in passing yards allowed per game (283.7). A primary reason for their inability to slow opposing quarterbacks comes from a nonexistent pass rush. With standout defensive lineman Denico Autry and star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons dealing with injuries, the pass rush has struggled, making it difficult on an already vulnerable secondary. Autry has been out since Week 11 and returned to practice on a limited basis. He leads the team with seven sacks. Simmons has had a lingering ankle issue. He has 6.5 sacks on the season.
Much better against the run
The Chargers’ offensive game plan should and will likely revolve around Herbert, considering the Titans are no slouch at defending the run. With Simmons anchoring the defensive line and a physical group of linebackers, Tennessee is allowing the third-fewest rushing yards per game (81.3). | 2022-12-16T16:46:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 15 opponent: Titans | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-key-things-know-chargers-152721102.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-key-things-know-chargers-152721102.html?src=rss |
Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) looks to pass against the New England Patriots in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
With four games remaining in the 2022 season, the Jets are still in playoff contention. However, they need to take care of business at home over the next two weeks to ensure they can control their own destiny in the final two games. Their opponent on Sunday, the Detroit Lions, has established themselves as a tough opponent in recent weeks.
Another wrinkle added Friday: Zach Wilson will start for Gang Green after Mike White wasn't cleared for contact.
Can the Jets slow down the Lions’ momentum?
A few months ago, the Detroit game was looking like one of the easier ones on the Jets’ late-season schedule. The Lions began the season 1-6 and many expected them to once again be in late-season tanking and consolidation mode once again.
However, they’ve been rolling over the last several weeks, winning five out of six to improve to 6-7 and give themselves an outside shot at a wild card berth. Over the course of the season, in fact, five of Detroit’s seven losses were by four points or less, so they’re nearly always a tough team to beat.
The Jets, on the other hand, have lost two in a row for the first time all season and three out of four since the bye. They need to reverse these trends on Sunday.
Nov 27, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets running back Michael Carter (32) runs with the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets need to look after the ball better than they did in the loss to the Bills, where Michael Carter and Joe Flacco each lost a crucial fumble. Detroit has forced at least one turnover in every game since the season opener.
The Jets have forced just one turnover in four games since the bye week, going without one in each of their three post-bye losses. They also still rank last in defensive fumble recovery rate, having only recovered three all season and none since week six.
How will the Lions fare against a top-level pass defense?
The Lions have had some impressive offensive performances this season, scoring over 30 points four times in the last five games and seven times overall. Prior to that, though, they had scored 15 points or fewer in three of the previous four games.
It’s a good sign for the Jets, who boast the league’s fourth-best pass defense in terms of total yardage allowed. The only two top-10 pass defenses the Lions have faced since the bye week (Dallas and Green Bay) held them to six and 15 points, respectively. They’ve scored 25 or more in every other game since the bye.
Can the Jets slow down the Lions’ running attack?
Jamaal Williams is arguably one of the league’s most consistent running backs. He has just one 100-yard rushing game all season and yet has still racked up over 800 rushing yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Could Williams be breaking down as the season goes on, though? He had fewer than 50 yards in each of the last two games having previously achieved this mark in each of the preceding 10 games. Until Week 8, he had been averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but is down to 3.3 since then. He also hasn’t caught a single pass since then.
The No. 2 back, D’Andre Swift, is more productive in the passing game, but he has also seen his rushing numbers fall off as he averaged 6.8 yards per carry up to Week 8 but only 3.6 per carry since that time. The Jets will look to limit the running game production to force the Lions into passing situations.
Will the returning Zach Wilson be able to successfully attack the Lions through the air?
Detroit’s main weakness is probably its pass defense, which currently ranks third worst in the NFL. Jeff Okudah is a good cornerback, but they are otherwise thin at this position and Mike LaFleur will hope to be able to exploit this.
Mike Hughes, who usually operates in the slot and Amani Oruwariye, who plays on the outside, have each given up four touchdown catches in coverage this season. Oruwariye has also been flagged for a team-high nine defensive penalties.
Wilson, who was benched for the last three games, will need to play better than he did in the lead-up to his benching if the Jets are to take control of this game at home.
After long stretches of misery, the team has won five of its last six games and is improbably making a playoff push while playing a fun brand of football.
Mike White says there is 'no doubt' that he will start vs. Lions on Sunday | Jets News Conference
New York Jets QB Mike White met the media on Friday to discuss his status for Sunday against the Lions as well as the Jets offense as a whole.
The Global Nucleotides Market size was estimated at USD 521. 23 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 561. 15 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 7. 91% to reach USD 823. 22 million by 2027.New York, Dec. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Nucleotides Market Research Report by Product Type, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340204/?utm_source=GNW Mark | 2022-12-16T16:46:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 things to watch as Jets face Lions in Week 15, including the return of Zach Wilson | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-jets-face-150132421.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-jets-face-150132421.html?src=rss |
Matthew Judon might start making random drug tests a part of his weekly regimen at this point.
The New England Patriots linebacker is growing frustrated with the increased number of random tests he’s been getting for performance enhancing substances, particularly when he’s having a career-year.
And honestly, if the numbers he threw out are right on the money, then the three-time Pro Bowler has a legitimate gripe.
When meeting with media members, he revealed that he has been tested between eight and 10 times in this season alone with a few coming over the last couple of weeks.
“It is what it is,” Judon said, when speaking on the subject.
After his tweet earlier today, Matthew Judon estimated that he’s had 8-10 drugs tests administered by the league this season and a few in the last couple of weeks, “it is what it is,” he said. #Patriots
Judon has worked incredibly hard to improve his game and evolve into one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. So it’s completely understandable how he might feel disrespected this season in particular with the random tests.
The man with the red sleeves has proven himself both on and off the field as a master of his craft. Keep the drug tests coming, but they won’t stop Judon from feasting on sack lunches. | 2022-12-16T16:48:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Matthew Judon reveals number of times he’s been drug tested, and it’s pretty ridiculous | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-judon-reveals-number-times-161851536.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-judon-reveals-number-times-161851536.html?src=rss |
Earlier in the week, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach praised Thompson ahead of Sunday’s matchup for what has quietly been a very good season for the eighth-year defender. You’re going to love this, Panthers fans . . .
“Shaq Thompson, man, is a heady player,” he said on Wednesday. “A guy that’s very good in pass defense. Covers a lot of ground, particularly horizontal ground. It’s interesting to kinda watch him play. It looks like a guy who was raised by Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. The guys that were big-time hook droppers and spot-drop zone defenders of their generation.
“The early portions of this guy’s career, man, he played behind those guys and learned a lot from them, I’m sure. Just in terms of watching him play—I see Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis in the way that he reads the quarterback, closes windows and plays in that space.”
Thompson, like Kuechly and Davis before him, has assumed a leadership role for the Carolina defense in recent years. And he’s done it smoothly—as the Panthers now boast one of the NFL’s top units here in 2022.
From an individual standpoint, the 28-year-old has recorded a team-high 98 combined tackles (just 16 off his career-high) and four passes defensed (one off his career-high) along with what’s already a career-high of 46 stops.
So we’re sure Shaq is making his Carolina dads proud. | 2022-12-16T16:48:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | Mike Tomlin: Shaq Thompson looks like he was raised by Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis | https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-tomlin-shaq-thompson-looks-152534637.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-tomlin-shaq-thompson-looks-152534637.html?src=rss |
The Minnesota Vikings haven’t had a great track record against some of the recent great quarterbacks in the NFL.
They have yet to beat Tom Brady in six tries and were 2-5 against Drew Brees. Another quarterback that they struggled against was Peyton Manning. He went 4-0 against the Vikings, including 3-0 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
After Manning left the franchise, Andrew Luck and Phillip Rivers continued that success with the Colts who have gone 6-0 against the Vikings with the last Minnesota win coming in 1997.
In that game, the Colts started Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh as they failed to climb out of a 29-10 hole.
The Vikings started Randall Cunningham who was playing in place of Brad Johnson. The Vikings needed a win to keep their playoff hopes and Dennis Green’s job alive.
Things are quite a bit different than they were in 1997 but two things remain the same: the Vikings are on the verge of making the playoffs and the Colts are close to landing a top-five overall pick. | 2022-12-16T16:49:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Vikings aiming for first win over Colts since 1997 | https://sports.yahoo.com/vikings-aiming-first-win-over-160501833.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/vikings-aiming-first-win-over-160501833.html?src=rss |
Oct 16, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
White told reporters on Thursday that there was "no doubt" he would start in Week 15, despite being limited in practice with the injury he suffered last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
Saleh said Friday that White feels fine and isn't in pain, but it’s a “contact issue” that is keeping him out of the game. The head coach did not specify the exact injury White sustained.
“But this is one of those deals where we gotta do what’s best for the player and protect the player from the player," Saleh said.
Wilson has not played since Nov. 20 against the New England Patriots.
After making the announcement, Saleh reiterated the sequence of events of White’s injury.
“Sunday after the game – obviously it’s been well documented – he was taken to the hospital to get x-rays and all that stuff. All that stuff cleared and he got on the plane. Everything was checked out fine,” Saleh said. “Monday, Tuesday same thing, getting more evaluation. He was cleared for practice, which he has been doing, he feels fine. But our doctors, and rightfully so, would not clear him for contact.”
Saleh called White “an absolute warrior” and said he has “been doing everything he could this week to find another opinion to get him on to the football field, to find somebody who would clear him for contact.”
The head coach later clarified that it is "common practice" for players to seek second opinions from non-team doctors and the team had no issue with White attempting to find a doctor who would clear him for contact. Saleh added White “exhausted every measure he possibly can because he wants to be out there for his teammates.”
The Jets face the Lions (6-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m. | 2022-12-16T16:49:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Zach Wilson to start for Jets against Lions with Mike White not being cleared for contact | https://sports.yahoo.com/zach-wilson-start-jets-against-155402107.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/zach-wilson-start-jets-against-155402107.html?src=rss |
The world lost Vin Scully in 2022. As the year comes to an end, we want to keep Vin Scully’s memory alive in any way we reasonably can. This is not a baseball site, but one happy fact about Vin Scully’s broadcasting career is that it was launched by a college football game. Since college football is priority number one here at Trojans Wire, and since a lot of USC football fans care about and appreciate Vin Scully — as Angelenos generally do — it’s certainly worth it to note that Vin, if he was still around, would be watching one bowl game in particular this Saturday.
The first-ever Fenway Bowl was not played last year due to the pandemic. Vin wasn’t able to watch a bowl game played in Fenway Park. This year will launch the event. Cincinnati and Louisville will play at 8 a.m. Los Angeles time on Saturday, beginning a set of seven bowl games on December 17.
Fenway Park was the site of a college football game which propelled Vin’s legendary broadcasting journey.
Here’s the story: A big Notre Dame-North Carolina football game in November of 1949 was supposed to be assigned to one broadcaster, but that broadcaster fell ill. Vin Scully’s mentor, Red Barber, did not yet know Scully at the time. Barber was the sports director for CBS Radio. Barber reassigned Ernie Harwell — who would become the iconic radio announcer for the Detroit Tigers — to the Notre Dame-North Carolina game. He therefore needed someone else to call the game between Boston University and Maryland in Fenway Park.
Here’s Red Barber’s recollection of the story:
“We needed someone to go up to Boston,” Barber told the Los Angeles Times. “I asked Ted Church for the name of that red-haired kid he had brought in. He didn’t know. I asked around, and nobody knew. I remembered he’d said he had attended Fordham, so I called Jack Coffee, the Fordham athletic director. That’s how I got Scully’s name and number.”
Scully braved very harsh and cold conditions on the Fenway Park roof — he was not placed in a warm, heated press box — and did such a great job that Barber took notice. Barber took Scully under his wing and developed him as part of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ broadcast team that next spring, in 1950.
Scully would call Dodger games for the next 67 seasons.
When Barber left after 1953 to call New York Yankee games, Scully — in 1954 — became the Dodgers’ No. 1 play-by-play announcer and would remain in that position for 63 years. Scully and Jerry Doggett were the two principal Dodger radio announcers from 1957 through 1987, joined by Ross Porter in 1977. Doggett retired after the 1987 season. Scully and Porter were joined by Don Drysdale, then by Rick Monday. Porter’s run ended in 2004, with Scully continuing through 2016.
It all started at a college football game in Fenway Park. We’ll definitely watch the Fenway Bowl and think of Vin Scully. | 2022-12-16T17:43:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | The college football bowl game Vin Scully would have eagerly watched this year | https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-bowl-game-vin-162129983.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-bowl-game-vin-162129983.html?src=rss |
Well that wasn’t very fun, was it?
After huge amounts of pure optimism from the Oklahoma Sooners fanbase following the hire of Brent Venables, the actual results of the first year of this new era of Oklahoma Football felt like a bit of a dud.
The Sooners finished the regular season 6-6, with a date with a superior Florida State team on the horizon in the Cheez-it Bowl. OU’s first losing record in more than two decades is a possibility in year one of Brent Venables’ tenure.
I don’t want to talk about the bad times from this first year. That’s been done again and again. Instead, let’s look at the positives that this year yielded for the present and future of OU Football.
After Lincoln Riley left for California, the OU fanbase felt betrayed. The second his plane touched down in Norman, Brent Venables immediately devoted himself to giving the fanbase the kick in the pants it needed.
“Make the Palace a nightmare,” he said.
And a nightmare it was. OU home games finally recaptured the hostile environment it had been missing for years, with a notably reenergized student section. The fancy light shows helped.
When the Sooners do move to the SEC, the fans will be ready to go on Saturdays. And with the way the Oklahoma Sooners are recruiting, the talent on the roster will be there too.
The talent that the Sooners need to compete at a high level again is on the way. After reeling in the No. 8 recruiting class in 2022, OU’s 2023 class is again sitting at No. 8 with the potential to finish in the top five. The players are coming. This coaching staff can absolutely recruit the players they need to get the Sooners back on the right track.
While this coaching staff has issues that will need to be addressed in the spring and summer, they will improve. If the same issues from this season are still present in 2023, then we can have discussions about the coaches. Until then, the Cheez-it Bowl awaits.
Florida State is an interesting case. Mike Norvell possibly saved his job with his first bowl trip in year three in Tallahassee. Good for the Seminoles.
This game could be very fun. With several big contributors already opting out to prepare for the draft, the Sooners must be prepared to do one very simple thing.
Unleash the youth. | 2022-12-16T17:43:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | Looking back on the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners regular season | https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-back-2022-oklahoma-sooners-164631145.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-back-2022-oklahoma-sooners-164631145.html?src=rss |
LSU landed a commitment from the No. 2 recruit in the 2024 baseball recruiting class, Konnor Griffin, on Thursday.
Griffin is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound two-way player from Jackson Prep in Florence, Mississippi. The Patriots finished last season 31-7 with a win over Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the state championship game.
With Griffin’s commitment, LSU now has verbal commitments from the No. 1, 2, 5 and 10 recruits for the class of 2024. Coach Jay Johnson has signed back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes the past two years and is on his way to doing it again for 2023.
With the type of class he brings in for 2024, he may sign four straight top recruiting classes. Jay Johnson and the Tigers are currently preparing for their 2022-23 campaign as their season begins against Western Michigan on February 17, 2023. Expectations are at an all-time high for Jay Johnson’s second season on the Bayou.
He has a team loaded with talent that could end the season in Omaha.
We want to hear from you: What environmental stories should we be telling about the Mississippi River Basin?
Dominion SC customers will see bills go up next month after state gives approval
An agreement the power company made with state regulators is still lower than the rate increase Dominion initially sought. “We recognize that no increase is welcome,” the state’s chief regulator said.
Solo Sikoa Describes How His Character Has Been Different Since He Moved To The Main Roster
Solo Sikoa discusses his move to the WWE main roster […] | 2022-12-16T17:43:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | LSU baseball lands commitment from No. 2 player in the class of 2024 | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-baseball-lands-commitment-no-164736643.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-baseball-lands-commitment-no-164736643.html?src=rss |
Florida football closes out the 2022 campaign on Saturday afternoon against the Oregon State Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl. The two teams come into the game in completely different states of affairs with the Gators limping over the finish line carrying a .500 record while OSU looks to close out a fine season that has them sitting at No. 16 in the Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the AP Poll.
With a handful of players sitting out or otherwise missing the bowl game the Orange and Blue will go into battle with a short-handed roster — particularly at the quarterback position, where third-stringer Jack Miller III is expected to make his first appearance on the year. But it is not the man under center who carries the most intrigue entering the matchup.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson recently published his list of players to watch on each bowl team, focusing on one particular member of each squad. For Florida, true freshman running back Trevor Etienne stood out as the athlete most likely to open some eyes. Here is what he had to offer on the Gators’ backfield beast.
You may be familiar with the older Etienne brother, Travis, who starred at Clemson and is currently starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But his younger brother Trevor Etienne is every bit the live wire that his sibling was.
Anyone who has watched UF this fall has seen glimpses of brilliance in the young running back’s game, giving many the impression that the younger brother of the former college standout and current NFL starter represents the future of Florida football. Etienne will get his chance to display his talents in front of a national audience in Sin City. | 2022-12-16T17:44:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | Sports Illustrated’s one player to watch for Florida in Las Vegas Bowl | https://sports.yahoo.com/sports-illustrated-one-player-watch-170856471.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/sports-illustrated-one-player-watch-170856471.html?src=rss |
U.G.L.Y. sweater workout
Planet Fitness joins LION Lunch Hour to share the U.G.L.Y. sweater workout routine you can do this holiday season.
NBA star Damian Lillard shares the strength and conditioning workout he used to help recover from an injury to return to the court.
The suspect was identified as Xavier Starks and victims as Stacie Vereen and Travis Ritter, who were colleagues at the clinic, according to a release from the Wyomissing Police Department. Starks came to the medical office to confront Vereen after the couple broke up, according to a media release. Ritter attempted to intervene when Starks pulled out a handgun and shot Vereen in the face or neck, Police Chief John Phillips told reporters.
The widow of the soccer journalist revealed he experienced chest pressure shortly before he died. Here's what to know about aortic aneurysms. | 2022-12-16T18:01:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | U.G.L.Y. sweater workout | https://sports.yahoo.com/u-g-l-y-sweater-165009611.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/u-g-l-y-sweater-165009611.html?src=rss |
Curry told reporters Friday that surgery was ruled out after the MRI, but that he needs the pain to subside before working on reestablishing his strength and mobility. A recovery timeline from surgery would have been at least four months, which would have sidelined him through the remainder of the regular season. He said he will need to manage the injury once he returns.
How Steph Curry injured his off-shooting shoulder
Stephen shoulder pic.twitter.com/iom7hNGoAB
The Warriors are 14-15 this season and currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference and in a play-in tournament spot.
That's not quite what fans and analysts expected from the Warriors after they took home the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy last season, but Curry has been doing what he can to keep them afloat. He's averaged 29.6 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game this season while shooting 43.2% from deep. When he left the game on Wednesday, which ended up a 125-119 Warriors loss, Curry had 38 points on 11-of-19 shooting with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. | 2022-12-16T18:09:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | Stephen Curry will not have surgery, out indefinitely with left shoulder subluxation | https://sports.yahoo.com/stephen-curry-will-not-have-surgery-out-indefinitely-with-left-shoulder-subluxation-175305020.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/stephen-curry-will-not-have-surgery-out-indefinitely-with-left-shoulder-subluxation-175305020.html?src=rss |
49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley effectively solved the main tenor of the Dolphins' offense for the rest of the league and knocked Miami off its axis. So now, McDaniel needs to develop a new strategy. A counterpunch to the defensive move laid by the 49ers and Chargers. The Dolphins are still in good shape for a playoff berth, but they’ll need to become more varied if they want to make a run at a Super Bowl.
“The defenses we’ve played have been playing exactly what we expected them to play, what they put on film,” Tagovailoa said of the past two opponents. "It really just goes back to the details of how we play our offense and we're not all dialed in with that. So, we have to go back to the drawing board, figure this out, and got to keep from losing. I mean, it sucks."
Teams have figured out how to limit the effectiveness of the Miami Dolphins' first punch. How can Mike McDaniel and Co. now counter? (Erick Parra Monroy/Yahoo Sports)
Tagovailoa can say the Dolphins knew what they’d face defensively these past two weeks, but it worked flawlessly. The 49ers and Chargers did two things to stymie Miami's offense: They took away the intermediate middle of the field (10-19 yards) and played a lot of press-man coverage to jam Miami’s wide receivers at the line of scrimmage to throw off the timing of their routes.
Those two moves, in concert, helped force Tagovailoa out of rhythm where he’d throw passes he shouldn’t or be forced to scramble when his reads weren’t available. Even when the Dolphins used motion in an effort to confuse the defense, the windows weren't open because the middle of the field was crowded.
Here are two great examples from The Ringer's Ben Solak and The Athletic's Nate Tice:
A quick juxtaposition of how that defensive strategy worked: Tagovailoa had completed a league-leading 38 passes to the intermediate area of the field prior to Week 13, according to NextGen Stats. Over the past two games, Tagovailoa completed just two such passes in each game. That translated almost seamlessly to the team’s efficiency: The Dolphins’ EPA/play dropped from 0.129 from Weeks 1-12 (fourth in the NFL) to -0.128 in Weeks 13 and 14 (26th).
“When you let fast guys run down the field, with as fast as they are, and you let them run through zones with no one around, then it’s going to turn into a track meet," Staley said after the game. "Guess what, you’re not as fast as they are. No one is. That’s why you see them do to people what they do because they’re really, really good. If you want a chance, you have to get closer to them.”
That worked, too. While Hill still finished with 13 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks, Waddle caught just three passes for 40 yards during that stretch. The Dolphins' third-leading receiver since Week 13 is Trent Sherfield, who caught a 75-yard touchdown against the 49ers.
Don’t confuse the 49ers and Chargers or being copy-and-paste versions of each other, though. Staley pointed out that “their gameplan was completely different from ours” and that the 49ers' defense “structurally, it’s not even close to being the same” because of how the 49ers use their linebackers in the pass rush.
Here's how Miami can counter
Tagovailoa ranks first and 10th in percentage of intermediate and deep passing attempts, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s the Dolphins’ bread and butter — and it works since they have Hill and Waddle who can find gaps in the defense or go over the top. Meanwhile, Tagovailoa ranks 33rd in percentage of passes short (0-9 yards) or behind the line of scrimmage, and 28th in percentage of screen passes.
He also throws inside the numbers 70 percent of the time, a huge departure from the other top quarterbacks in the league. The likes of Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen (who all have similar efficiency numbers as Tagovailoa) are around 50-50 between throws inside.
Tua Tagovailoa (1) and the Dolphins' offense struggled quite against the Chargers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
This is a lot easier said than done, especially when the gameplan is built on the strategy that worked for the previous eight games where Tagovailoa started and finished the game.
The other part is the Dolphins need to get the running game back on track. McDaniel was the 49ers' run game coordinator before Shanahan promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2021 and helped San Francisco deploy one of the most effective rushing offenses in the league.
Part of that is on the personnel. The Dolphins’ leading rusher, Raheem Mostert, is averaging his fewest yards per rush and Jeff Wilson Jr. joined the team in November in a midseason trade. Miami’s running backs also aren’t receiving threats out of the backfield; Mostert ranks 35th in targets and 41st in receptions among running backs. Wilson has just six receptions on 15 targets in five games with the Dolphins, while Chase Edmonds had 10 receptions on 17 targets in eight games before he was traded to the Denver Broncos.
Dolphins won't have much margin for error here
We’re about to find out two things about the Dolphins in the coming weeks: Is there another level to McDaniel's smarts, and can Tagovailoa succeed outside of a perfectly curated system? Both have the requisite skills to answer that question in the affirmative, but the past two weeks prompt skepticism.
“I think it's been a very, very valuable experience going against, specifically the last two weeks, some playoff-caliber teams and whether or not that benefits us moving forward is for the team to determine,” McDaniel said on Monday. “Do you learn from it? That's the hardest part about professional sports.”
Tua Tagovailoa believes the Miami Dolphins’ recent losses have taught them lessons their early season success didn’t. Ahead of Miami’s pivotal division matchup against Buffalo, Tagovailoa said the Dolphins are learning the importance of putting bad drives behind them and not letting incompletions or miscommunication dictate how a game progresses. “The next play mentality definitely needs to show itself more evident for us with the way we play offensively,” Tagovailoa said.
(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines has moved closer to setting up a sovereign wealth fund after the House of Representatives approved a measure pushed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., just over two weeks after it was filed.Most Read from BloombergTrump Hawks Superhero NFT Trading Cards as Crypto Universe ImplodesCovid Unleashed in Beijing Shows Rest of China What’s NextWorld’s Largest Hotel Aquarium Bursts Spilling 1,500 FishIs Putin Finally Getting Smart About His Ukraine Disaster?In a session la | 2022-12-16T18:09:57Z | sports.yahoo.com | The Miami Dolphins need a counterpunch. Here's what it could be | https://sports.yahoo.com/the-miami-dolphins-need-a-counterpunch-heres-what-it-could-be-150538336.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/the-miami-dolphins-need-a-counterpunch-heres-what-it-could-be-150538336.html?src=rss |
Matt Harmon, Scott Pianowski and Andy Behrens
Logan Eggleston, the three-time Big 12 player of the year, had the game-winning kill to reach 16 on the match and No. 1 overall seed Texas beat San Diego 26-28, 25-16, 25-18, 25-20 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the NCAA volleyball tournament. Texas (27-1), in its 14th semifinal appearance, is going to the championship match for the ninth time in program history. The Longhorns will go for their fourth national championship on Saturday against Louisville, the second overall seed. | 2022-12-16T18:10:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | Week 15 Fantasy Football Preview: Bad week for QBs, Jeff Driskel as the new Taysom Hill & a big week for Ekeler | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-15-fantasy-football-preview-jeff-driskel-austin-ekeler-dallas-goedert-drake-london-080213692.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-15-fantasy-football-preview-jeff-driskel-austin-ekeler-dallas-goedert-drake-london-080213692.html?src=rss |
The Los Angeles Rams are set to travel to face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football in Week 15. The Rams will look to make it two wins in a row after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14.
Despite securing an improbable victory in Week 14 versus the Raiders, the Rams still own a 4-9 record. That being said, the Packers haven’t been much better this season as they boast a 5-8 record entering Week 15.
With the Rams looking to finish the regular season strong, here are five players to watch in Monday’s matchup with the Packers.
Mayfield put together an impressive performance for the Rams in Week 14 against the Raiders despite signing with the team a couple of days before the game. The former No. 1 overall pick completed 22 of his 35 attempts for 230 yards, and a touchdown to win the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.
Every single week is crucial for Mayfield as he is currently auditioning for who he’ll be playing for next season, which could end up being the Rams. Mayfield will look to have another productive outing on Monday night in a cold-weather environment against the Packers.
It’s expected to be below-freezing weather on Monday night, so the Rams and the Packers could look to establish their rushing attacks. The Packers have a dynamic backfield duo of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, but the Rams are relying on Cam Akers and Kyren Williams.
Akers has seemingly earned the starting job at running back as he’s scored three touchdowns in the last two games, though, he’s averaging only 3.52 yards per attempt in that span. If the Rams want to sustain drives and have a chance to win, they’ll need Akers to have some success against the No. 32-ranked rush DVOA defense of the Packers.
Greg Gaines had one of his best performances of the season in Week 14 against the Raiders. While Gaines didn’t record a sack, he made three combined tackles and he was consistently making plays that didn’t show up in the box score.
With Aaron Donald and A’Shawn Robinson sidelined, Gaines is seeing an increased role in the trenches and he’s delivered thus far. Considering that the Packers are going to want to lean on Jones and Dillon on Monday night, Gaines will need to wreak havoc in the interior to prevent Green Bay’s rushing attack from controlling the game.
Once again, the Packers are going to deploy plenty of Jones and Dillon on Monday night, especially with Aaron Rodgers dealing with injuries. While Bobby Wagner has been playing at an All-Pro level, Ernest Jones has also had a solid campaign in 2022.
The second-year linebacker has 93 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception. After intercepting Derek Carr in Week 14, Jones will be tasked with the other defenders on the Rams to contain Green Bay’s talented backfield duo in Week 15.
Just because it’s cold weather and the Packers are going to run the ball often, that doesn’t mean that Rodgers won’t be airing it out throughout the game. Jalen Ramsey has been scrutinized for how he’s performed this season as he’s uncharacteristically surrendered seven touchdowns while in coverage.
The Packers happen to have a rookie wideout in Christian Watson that has scored eight touchdowns in the last four games. Ramsey typically doesn’t shadow opposing wide receivers for the entirety of a game, but he could see plenty of Watson given how the young wide receiver has performed recently. | 2022-12-16T18:18:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 Rams to watch in Week 15 vs. Packers | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-rams-watch-week-15-173137588.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-rams-watch-week-15-173137588.html?src=rss |
John Sigler, Dylan Sanders and Ross Jackson
Some focus has shifted towards the future, but there are still games left to play over the next month. There’s plenty on the line for veteran players nearing the end of their careers, young teammates looking to make their mark on the NFL, and fans looking for a reason for hope better days are still ahead. Here are 6 things we’re watching for in the New Orleans Saints’ final four games of 2022 between their offense, defense, and coaching staff:
What I’ll be looking for is how Dennis Allen and the coaching staff responds to criticism reaching an all time high. Is there anything that they could do to salvage any goodwill with the fanbase? Will they change how they approach games since reaching rock bottom against the Buccaneers? They’ve had a bye week to take a step back and assess what’s been going on internally. I want to see if there’s anything actual change going on or if it’s just a lost cause. — Dylan Sanders
Can Eno Benjamin show the Saints something? They badly need a No. 2 running back behind Alvin Kamara, not just for these four games but for the future. With Kamara likely to be suspended next season after a fight in Las Vegas early this year, finding some sort of backup plan should be a key offseason priority. And Benjamin has played well in the NFL, averaging 4.0 yards per carry and catching 30 passes in 19 games with the Arizona Cardinals. He can make his case for a larger role down the stretch here with New Orleans. — John Sigler
I’ll be watching to see if the Saints decide to get a good look at rookie offensive tackle Trevor Penning for some portion of these final four games. The investment made to pick up two first round picks was stymied due to the unfortunate turf toe injury that shut Penning down for the majority of the season. The hope is that he will be the future at left tackle just as fellow first-round selection Chris Olave is at wide receiver. It would not be a bad idea to get a jump on that evaluation here at the end of 2022. With center Erik McCoy trending toward returning here soon, getting a look at Penning with the other starters seems like a wise decision and could be a confidence building one if he is able to help bolster an offense that has struggled as of late. — Ross Jackson
I’d like to see the Saints put Chris Olave in a position to run away with the team’s rookie receiving records. He’s up to 60 receptions for 887 receiving yards, which currently ranks sixth in team history for rookie-year catches and fourth in receiving yardage. Here’s how he stacks up to those who came before him:
Michael Thomas, 2016: 92 receptions for 1,137 yards
Marques Colston, 2006: 70 receptions for 1,038 yards
Willie Snead IV, 2015: 69 receptions for 984 yards
Olave has outgained both Reggie Bush’s 2006 season (742 yards) and Alvin Kamara’s 2017 debut (826 yards), but both running backs caught more passes than he has so far — Bush had 88 catches while Kamara secured 81 receptions. He’s on pace for 80 receptions, so it’ll be close for Olave. — John Sigler
The Saints have been cagey about Jameis Winston’s future with the team, saying that he’ll be “evaluated” later this season. Whether that means they’ll review the tape during his exit interview in January or if he’ll get another shot to start games for them remains to be seen. There isn’t really much to learn about Winston at this point. The Saints know who he is after having him in the building for three years, and they can look back on the games he’s started for them before as well as his 70-plus starts for the Buccaneers to inform his scouting report. What I’m looking for is whether they make a change under center at all or if they just keep stringing him and his fans along. — John Sigler
I’ve got a need for more Rashid Shaheed. He’s done well whenever the Saints have given him a chance, but he needs more opportunities to really give them an idea of his skills set. Right now, there’s no telling what his ceiling may be. He’s risen up the depth chart to outsnap even Jarvis Landry at times, so getting the rookie more snaps should be an area of focus over the next month. Really, all of the first-years need more attention: find out what Trevor Penning, Alontae Taylor, and maybe even Lewis Kidd can do to help this team now and in the future. — John Sigler | 2022-12-16T18:18:26Z | sports.yahoo.com | 6 things we’re watching for in the Saints’ final four games of 2022 | https://sports.yahoo.com/6-things-watching-saints-final-165417666.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/6-things-watching-saints-final-165417666.html?src=rss |
Jalen Hurts has established himself as the Eagles’ starting quarterback and the three-year process could be featured as a ‘TED Talk’ or ‘Masterclass’ on perseverance, hard work, and trusting your process.
The former second-round pick went from potential career backup and fill-in for Carson Wentz to the most talked-about athlete in Philadelphia, and a legit MVP candidate.
Hurts recently made NFL history, and his 23 rushing touchdowns in his first 32 starts, the most in league history for a quarterback in that span.
In the win over the Giants, Hurts completed 21-of-31 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for 77 yards on seven carries.
He’s now the only player in NFL history with at least 6,200 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards in his first 32 NFL starts, and he recently became the 20th player with at least 200 passing yards, 75 rushing yards, two touchdown passes, and one touchdown run in the same game.
With Philadelphia headed to Chicago to face a similar player in Justin Fields, we’re looking at the three-year progression and Hurts’ first 32 starts.
Hurts in 2020
Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
During his four starts in relief of Carson Wentz as a rookie, Hurts completed 52% of his passes for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. His 7.2 yards per attempt was impressive, but his accuracy issues were a major concern.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws against the Giants in the second half. The Giants defeat the Eagles, 13-7, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in East Rutherford.
In 15 starts during the 2021 season, Hurts completed 61.3% of his passes, good for 26th in the league.
Hurts had 3,144 passing yards, good for 21st in the league, ahead of Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Baker Mayfield.
As a rusher, Hurts’ 784 yards were good for No. 22 in the NFL, leading the Eagles and all NFL quarterbacks.
Hurts after 32 NFL starts
Jalen Hurts: 133.2 passer rating on 10+ yard throws
Highest among all QBs 🚀 pic.twitter.com/U6s0JiSXlr
Hurts has appeared in 42 NFL games with 32 starts, and he’s now 21-11 after getting off to a 12-1 start this season.
An MVP candidate, Hurts is completing 68% of his passes for 3,157 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions.
Jalen Hurts has rushed for 59 first downs, 2nd-most in the NFL.
Jalen Hurts leads the NFL in passer rating (108.4).
The same human shouldn’t be able to do both of those things.
Hurts has a 108.4 passer rating on the season, 8.1 yards per attempt and almost 13 yards per completion.
Comparing Hurts to his Peers in 2022
This season, Hurts is top 10 in several major categories:
2022 NFL 3157 (10)
Passing TD
2022 NFL 22 (5)
2022 NFL 108.4 (1/33)
Yds/Pass Att
2022 NFL 8.1 (2)
Adj Yds/Pass Att
2022 NFL 8.92 (2/53)
2022 NFL 70.4 (4/65)
Hurts contract
Philadelphia Eagles Came To East Rutherford Nj And Defeat Their Division Rivals The New York Giants 48 22 On December 11 2022
A 2020 second-round pick, Hurts signed a 4-year, $6,025,171 contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, including a $1,941,944 signing bonus, $2,825,815 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,506,293. In 2022, Hurts on the books with a base salary of $1,082,744 and a workout bonus of $75,000 while carrying a cap hit of $1,643,230 and a dead cap value of $970,972.
As a second-round pick, Hurts avoided the fifth-year option and has one year left on his deal.
Over his first two seasons, Hurts had a 59% completion percentage with 4,063 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 1,056 rushing yards.
Hurts, Josh Allen and Kyler Murray shared similar numbers over their first two years, with the Cardinals star initially being the more efficient passer.
Things have changed and so has Hurts’ value.
Using the franchise tag on Hurts after the 2023 season would cost the Eagles upwards of $40 million for the 2024 season.
Howie Roseman is about striking first, assuming that the Eagles’ third-year quarterback’s trajectory continues to rise. In that case, Philadelphia could be on the hook for even more than was initially guaranteed when they signed Carson Wentz to a new deal.
With Hurts leading the Eagles to the playoffs in back-to-back years while also vastly improving under center, he could land in the top five highest-paid signal-callers.
Sportac estimates Hurts’ current market value at $44.7 million per year, and, at six years, $268 million overall.
Saquon Barkley determined to improve performance in running game, have team break primetime game skid | Giants News Conference
In this Giants news conference, running back Saquon Barkley says he feels good and though the team's running game has sputtered of late, he feels, "it would be a confidence builder if we could get the running game going."
In the last year, many Fiserv, Inc. ( NASDAQ:FISV ) insiders sold a substantial stake in the company which may have... | 2022-12-16T18:18:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Breaking down Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts after 32 NFL starts | https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-down-eagles-qb-jalen-171120164.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-down-eagles-qb-jalen-171120164.html?src=rss |
Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has been fined $36,281 by the NFL after his on-field outburst against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, according to multiple reports.
Jeudy’s offenses included removing his helmet on the field and making contact with an official. Jeudy could have been penalized for either infraction — and he could have been ejected for bumping an official — but he was not penalized on Sunday.
The incident has hit the receiver in his wallet, though.
Jeudy received a $23,030 fine for making contact with an official, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He also received an additional $13,261 fine for removing his helmet, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
That’s a total fine of $36,281.
Jeudy explained after the game that he was held on the previous play and he was upset that there was no flag, and he acknowledged that he has to control his temper.
Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett spoke with the receiver after the outburst.
“I went to address it right away and talk with him,” the coach said. “He definitely knew that he was wrong. That’s unacceptable. You can’t do that. We’ve addressed that and I know that he knows he can’t do that. I know he was very frustrated at the time, but that’s just something you can’t do.”
Jeudy went on to score three touchdowns after that incident. He has totaled 42 receptions for 587 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games this season.
SOUTH FLORIDA WORLD CUP WATCH PARTIES DRV PNK Stadium, 1350 NW 55 St, Fort Lauderdale: Inter Miami and Florida Blue host a watch party for the World Cup final on Dec. 18. Tickets are free, but required for entry. The match kicks off at 10 a.m., gates open 8:30 a.m. Fans will watch from the field on a theater-sized LED screen (bring picnic blankets, as lawn chairs not allowed). Inter Miami players Jean Mota and Damion Lowe will mingle with fans and sign autographs. There will be activities for ki | 2022-12-16T18:18:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy fined $36,281 for Week 14 outburst | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-wr-jerry-jeudy-fined-170644889.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-wr-jerry-jeudy-fined-170644889.html?src=rss |
After a big win over the Dolphins, the Chargers look to carry that momentum when they face the Titans on Sunday.
Once they take the field, there are a few key things to follow closely.
Here are five things to watch for during the Week 15 showdown.
Donald's return
The Chargers will get Donald Parham back this weekend. Parham had been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury for most of the season and another concussion he sustained before being placed on injured reserve over a month ago.
In just two games, Parham has three catches for 53 yards. He finished the 2021 season with 20 catches on 27 targets for 190 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.
Having Parham on the field is huge for the offense. Not only is he a threat as a receiver with his long 6-foot-8 frame to threaten the seams and box out defenders in the red zone, but he is a difference-maker on the edge to seal blocks in the run game.
Eliminating the explosives
After a sound defensive performance against the run in the win over the Dolphins, the Chargers need to be dialed in this department when Derrick Henry comes to town.
Henry, the 6-foot-3 and 247-pounder, is second in the league in rushing yards (1,199), tied for second in explosive carries (runs over 20 yards) with nine, and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (11).
Meanwhile, Los Angeles ranks 25th in run defense DVOA and is surrendering the most yards per carry (5.4).
The Bolts must be physical at the point of attack up front. But most importantly, second and third-level defenders must wrap up and bring down the most physically imposing back they’ve faced thus far.
Exploiting the Titans' weakness
Expect afternoon showers in Los Angeles because Justin Herbert is bound to make it pour on Sunday, as he faces a Titans defense that ranks 31st in passing yards allowed per game (283.7).
Herbert showed what the offense is capable of with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams on the field together in the win over the Dolphins, as the duo accounted for 18 receptions and 208 yards.
Further, Tennessee is fifth-worst in the league against play-action, which L.A. heavily leaned on early downs against Miami to mitigate its offensive line deficiencies.
Even though Herbert is likely to have a field day against the Titans, the Chargers must start capitalizing and turn their offensive drives into touchdowns, not just field goals.
Los Angeles ranks 27th in red zone offense, while Tennessee ranks 13th in red zone defense.
It has been a struggle because the Bolts haven’t had success running the ball at all, and the offensive line hasn’t gotten much push near the goal line.
But having Allen, Williams, and even Parham back in the fold could be the turning point to more efficiency in the passing game in the red zone.
What's on the line?
Entering the game, the Chargers have a 55% of making the playoffs. If they take care of business against the Titans, that number will skyrocket to 76%. If Los Angeles loses, the chances drop to 33%.
If the Bolts win and the Jets lose to the Lions and the Patriots lose to the Raiders, L.A.’s chances increase to 83%. To go even further, if these three things happen and the Dolphins lose to the Bills, the Bolts would own the sixth seed based on head-to-head play. | 2022-12-16T18:19:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chargers vs. Titans: 5 things to watch for during Week 15’s game | https://sports.yahoo.com/chargers-vs-titans-5-things-174435872.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chargers-vs-titans-5-things-174435872.html?src=rss |
The Kansas City Chiefs activated OT Lucas Niang from the reserve/PUP list back on Nov. 23. The third-round draft pick in 2020 out of TCU suffered a serious knee injury in Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season and was placed on injured reserve.
Niang has been working his way back to health ever since, working to get his knee healthy, but also losing weight and getting fit. The Chiefs have taken the cautious approach of easing him back into action in his return to the active roster. While Niang was activated ahead of the Week 12 tilt with the Los Angeles Rams, he hasn’t returned to the starting lineup for Kansas City quite yet.
The 6-6 and 315-pound tackle has played special teams in each of the last three games with 17 total snaps as a protector on field goals and extra points. In Week 13 against the Bengals — the same team he injured his knee against — Niang got his first snap on offense as an extra blocker.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck provided an update on the progress he’s seen from Niang in his return to action.
“It’s good to have Lucas (Niang) back and working,” Heck told reporters on Wednesday. “I think he looks great. One of the things that we love about him is his athleticism, especially for such a big man. His feet look tremendous, his pass sets – he’s picked up right where he’s left off, he’s stayed into it mentally and been in all of our meetings, (he’s) a super sharp guy. I like the work that he’s been putting in, (he) looks good.”
The Chiefs aren’t expected to make any changes at the offensive tackle position in the immediate future, despite the high number of pressures surrendered by their starters at left and right tackle. Niang figures to be depth at the position for the time being. He has been working consistently as the second-team right tackle in pre-game warmups since his return from injury.
In the long term, there still seems to be faith from the front office and coaching staff that Niang can be a quality starter. It’s just a matter of staying healthy and getting the opportunity to show it. | 2022-12-16T18:19:30Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck provides update on OT Lucas Niang | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-ol-coach-andy-heck-174553646.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-ol-coach-andy-heck-174553646.html?src=rss |
There is a bit of role reversal at times with Buechele and Oladokun as the Chiefs seem to expect some curveballs from Houston in Week 15. Being cognizant of which player is in the game and what exactly they’re capable of and likely to do on a given down and distance will be key.
“The players have to be aware of who is taking the snap because it looks like the football is different,” Spagnuolo said. “Now that could change, they could expand the package with (Jeff Driskel) and do some different things with (Davis Mills). But it’s two quarterbacks that – I think, one of them is a really good athlete. And let’s not be fooled, he can still throw it. He didn’t throw it a lot last week, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to line up and throw the ball this week.” | 2022-12-16T18:19:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs QBs Shane Buechele, Chris Oladokun emulating Texans two-QB system in practice | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-qbs-shane-buechele-chris-164505921.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-qbs-shane-buechele-chris-164505921.html?src=rss |
Just when you thought the Odell Beckham Jr. storylines were put on the backburner… he’s back.
Rather, he could be in Texas.
The sweepstakes for the free agent wide receiver came down to a race between the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys. We have a direct comment that he’s going to sign with the latter.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Beckham will be joining his team.
“Odell’s going to join us,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s a good chance he will, with the complete goal of getting ready for a playoff game or two, and then I’ll look to the future. But most of it being about now.”
That update comes just days after the Beckham news was said to be over… but not because he would be joining a team.
Reports earlier this week indicated that Beckham had decided on not playing in 2022. It was said he would wait until the spring before signing with a club.
The tides had turned that way because of his health. Beckham is recovering from an ACL injury and it’s not clear if he can play this season. That question mark appeared to have pushed teams away from him.
The Cowboys (10-3) and Bills (10-3) met with him during free-agent visits and both teams went on to sign other wideouts, TY Hilton and Cole Beasley, respectively.
Via the latest news from Dallas, Jones said he expects Beckham to sign and play this season. The owner also said an announcement could be coming as soon as Dallas’s upcoming Week 15 is finished.
Earlier this week, Buffalo general manage Brandon Beane also commented on OBJ. After signing Beasley, Beane said the Bills would still be interested in Beckham.
The comments from Jones are not an official statement nor the signing of a contract. However, the end of the Beckham sweepstakes sounds like it’s nearing. | 2022-12-16T18:19:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says Odell Beckham Jr. will sign with his team | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-says-180648645.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-says-180648645.html?src=rss |
While much of the football world was taken aback by Friday’s news that Zach Wilson would return to the New York Jets lineup as the starting quarterback against the Detroit Lions, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell was prepared.
“We kind of had an idea (Wilson would start),” Campbell said right out of the gate in his press conference Friday morning. “We’re ready.”
Coach Campbell continued on Wilson,
“We knew he was going into the game anyway, so we figured they were going to play him. It’s really — same thing, man. It’s about being disciplined. We know what type of game this will be, what they’re going to want to do offensively.
We’ve got to play our keys. We’ve got to be disciplined. We’ve got to run, we’ve got to hit, all those same things.”
Campbell sold the angle well, but the reality is that Wilson and White are very different styles of quarterback. Wilson has a bigger arm and is more willing to hold the ball and take chances. He’s also a more capable runner. With White under center, the Jets focused more on getting the ball out quickly and creating after the catch.
That’s not what Wilson does stylistically, for better and for worse. White is a much better processor of defensive information and a more accurate thrower than Wilson, who has a negative TD/INTO ratio in both of his NFL seasons and completed just 55 percent of his passes. Wilson was benched for consistently making poor decisions with the ball and missing too many open throws, as well as having a less team-oriented attitude.
It’s going to be very interesting to see how the Jets players respond to Wilson’s return, as well as how he handles the situation. Wilson does have enough raw talent to have merited the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, but translating that to the field consistently has been a struggle for both him and the Jets’ coaching staff. | 2022-12-16T18:20:02Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dan Campbell ‘kind of had an idea’ Zach Wilson would start at QB for the Jets | https://sports.yahoo.com/dan-campbell-kind-had-idea-163751157.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dan-campbell-kind-had-idea-163751157.html?src=rss |
Micah Parsons is a beast!
During his rookie year of 2021, the Cowboys linebacker quickly and thoroughly silenced doubters concerned about character issues – a tag which dogged the unanimous AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, once he decided to bolt from Penn State.
Parsons fell into the Cowboys lap as the 12th pick in the draft, and any character concerns have so far not materialized. Drawing comparisons to the legendary Lawrence Taylor, Parsons’ encore season has proven to be nothing short of magical. Through 13 games, he’s recorded 12 sacks, and has garnered some buzz for the league’s MVP award.
Of course, that award traditionally goes to an offensive player, more precisely a QB, but a case can be made for Parsons to become just the third defender, and first since LT in 1986, to capture the honor.
Sports Seriously recently spoke with teammate CeeDee Lamb about the prospect of the linebacker adding to his ever-growing legacy by capturing the MVP. And while Lamb didn’t reveal who he thinks should take home the hardware, he indicated Parsons “for sure should be up for defensive player of the year, if not MVP.” “He’s been a train wreck for offensive coordinators, and left tackles, and right tackles,” said Lamb. “He’s been balling.”
Lamb cited a host of unique attributes the 23-year-old outside linebacker brings to the field. “Try to scramble out of the pocket and he’s going to catch you,” said Lamb. “You have to watch for 11 when he’s out there.” | 2022-12-16T18:20:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | Does Micah Parsons deserve MVP award? We ask CeeDee Lamb | https://sports.yahoo.com/does-micah-parsons-deserve-mvp-174956232.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/does-micah-parsons-deserve-mvp-174956232.html?src=rss |
The Green Bay Packers need to win out over the final four games of the 2022 season to have a reasonable chance of making the postseason. At 5-8, there is no margin for error. But the Packers’ chances of making the playoffs with a 4-0 finish keep looking better and better.
After the Seattle Seahawks lost on Thursday night to the San Francisco 49ers, the Packers’ playoff chances only rose slightly in the present. But throw in four straight wins for the Packers into the equation, and the effect of Seattle’s latest loss becomes clear.
At FiveThirtyEight, the Packers now have a 76 percent chance of making the playoffs by winning out. And at the New York Times, the Packers’ have roughly a 67 percent chance with four straight wins.
Both predictors/simulators believe the Packers will be in a great position should they finish at 9-8, especially considering the Seahawks’ current slide and the difficult schedules awaiting the Commanders and Giants. The Packers need to pass up two of the three teams over the final four weeks to make the postseason as a wild-card entrant.
But an unbeaten run to end the 2022 season is the tricky part: the Packers need to win against the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins (in Miami on Christmas), Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions without a setback to really have a shot.
The Packers beat the Chicago Bears before the bye week, but Matt LaFleur’s team hasn’t won two straight games since September. They’ll have a chance to snap that streak on Monday night when the struggling Rams arrive at Lambeau Field.
The Packers remain a long shot to make the postseason, but everything would get turned on its head if Green Bay can beat the Rams, Dolphins, Vikings and Lions to finish the year.
Schedule over final 4 weeks, NFC playoff hopefuls
Packers: vs. LAR, at MIA, vs. MIN, vs. DET
Giants: at WAS, at MIN, vs. IND, at PHI
Commanders: vs. NYG, at SF, vs. CLE, vs. DAL
Seahawks: at KC, vs. NYJ, vs. LAR | 2022-12-16T18:21:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers’ chances of making playoffs with 4-0 finish keep improving | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-chances-making-playoffs-4-171421159.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-chances-making-playoffs-4-171421159.html?src=rss |
Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore was downgraded on the final injury report for the team’s Week 15 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But interim head coach Steve Wilks didn’t exactly describe it as such in the grand scheme of his status.
On Friday, Wilks was asked if Moore—who went from two full practices on Wednesday and Thursday to a limited one this afternoon—has suffered a setback. Here was his response:
“It’s not so much of a setback, it’s just really just trying to see whether or not he’s gonna be able to sustain and be efficient in what we’re asking him to do. So we’ll see exactly how he is.”
The Panthers will see how Moore’s ankle holds up between tomorrow’s light session and the workout prior to kickoff on Sunday. Carolina may also be without another pass catcher in Laviska Shenault Jr., who has also been listed as questionable for the contest.
Here’s the full injury report heading into the weekend:
LB Damien Wilson | 2022-12-16T18:21:14Z | sports.yahoo.com | Panthers Week 15 injury report: WR DJ Moore questionable vs. Steelers | https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-week-15-injury-report-180043341.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-week-15-injury-report-180043341.html?src=rss |
The New England Patriots faced off against the Arizona Cardinals Monday night, and it was supposed to be the debut for 2021 NFL draft pick, Cameron McGrone.
However, he was announced as inactive about an hour before the game.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick had a pregame interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, and during that interview, he said he was unsure of the statuses of some linebackers, as well as the health of some special teams players. He wanted to have McGrone available in case someone couldn’t go.
Perhaps the most interesting part of those comments is that when players are elevated from the practice squad they receive a game day bonus. McGrone’s salary went from $11,500 to $39,166.67. That is certainly a good amount of money.
By being elevated Cameron McGrone’s salary for the Cardinals game increased from $11,500 to $39,166.67.
The linebacker is set to become a free agent after the season, but Belichick did not rule out the possibility for him to see playing time, as transcribed by Dakota Randall of NESN.com.
Belichick is certainly not ruling out a bigger role towards the end for McGrone. At the very least, the coach helped his linebacker earn a little extra cash.
Channel Islands Harbor desperately needs investment and for the property to become the economic asset it always should have been. | 2022-12-16T18:21:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Patriots offer explanation for this strange roster move vs. Cardinals | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-offer-explanation-strange-roster-164044460.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-offer-explanation-strange-roster-164044460.html?src=rss |
The Raiders aren’t quite out of playoff contention in the AFC. In order for them to even have a chance of making the playoffs, they need to get a win against the Patriots in Week 15.
Josh McDaniels will get a chance to face his former team on Sunday in what is essentially a win-or-go-home game for the Raiders. But the Patriots also need this game as they are currently the No. 7 seed in the AFC. It doesn’t quite have a big game feel to it, but it’s an important game for both sides nonetheless.
What: New England Patriots (7-6) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)
When: Sunday, December 18 at 4:05 PM ET
Referee Crew: Ron Torbert
Announcers: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
The 2023 Bataan Memorial Death March is scheduled for Sunday, March 19, 2023, at White Sands Missile Range. | 2022-12-16T18:21:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | Patriots vs. Raiders: Time, TV schedule, odds, streaming, how to watch | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-vs-raiders-time-tv-172256710.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-vs-raiders-time-tv-172256710.html?src=rss |
Bobby Wagner joined the Los Angeles Rams this season after 10 years with their rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. He was the team’s prized free-agent signing, joining a star-studded defense that already featured Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd.
Unfortunately, the season hasn’t gone according to plan for the defending Super Bowl champs, but Wagner is having a terrific first year in Los Angeles individually. On behalf of his partnership with Bud Light, Wagner spoke to Rams Wire in an exclusive interview about the challenges of Year 1 with the Rams, how he feels he’s performed individually, Ernest Jones’ rise and more.
Check out the interview before, which has been edited for clarity.
Can you talk about how much last week’s win meant to you and everyone in the locker room amid a tough season?
Bobby Wagner: “It meant a lot for us. Obviously, we had a losing streak that no one could’ve expected before the season began. We felt we had an opportunity against Seattle to walk away with a win but we didn’t. We had an opportunity in a short week to win and everybody, myself and younger guys, are understanding how tough wins are to come by in this league and when you get one, you need to let out your emotions, so I think that’s what you saw.”
What sort of advice are you giving younger players during this rough stretch?
BW: “The biggest thing is always understanding your film is your resume. So regardless of how the season is going, regardless of how you feel, what you put on film is your resume and if you want to last long in this league, you have to make sure your resume is on point. And then just being present, understanding that we still have opportunities to show how much we care about this game, how much we care about people in this locker room and the way you come out and perform and the energy you give will speak a lot not only for this year, but for years to come.”
What’s been the most challenging part of this season?
BW: “That’s been one of the toughest things, overcoming some of the injuries. For a while, it seemed like there was a serious injury pretty much every week. You get Coop injured, then AD injured, and Matt’s dealing with what he’s doing with. You just try to provide guys with the advice of just keep trying put your best foot forward and not worry about what’s going on around you but worry about things you can control.”
Was there a learning curve joining a new team for the first time in your career?
BW: “I think it’s just playing football at the end of the day and not trying to complicate things. The biggest thing was just the terminology from the offensive side and defensive side because there are certain routes I see from an offensive perspective and I call them certain things but it’s a different language. One of the biggest things with communication is speaking the same language, so that was one of the biggest things was kind of re-writing what I called something and change it to what can relate to Rams terminology, but that was pretty much it.”
How has it been playing under Raheem Morris for the first time?
BW: “It’s been great. He’s been amazing. Fun guy to come and work with. Always makes us laugh, always provides us with really, really dope insight when it comes to offense because what is really special about him is he’s been on both sides of the ball. So he’s able to understand how an offense would attack certain situations and he understands his defense, as well. For me, it was great because there was a moment where he came from the scheme that we were running in Seattle to what we’re running now, so he made that transition from the terminology, so he’s been extremely helpful for me.”
What’s it been like playing alongside Ernest Jones?
BW: “It’s been amazing. It’s been fun. I think the funniest thing is just music – we talk about music all the time. We listen to such different music so it’s been fun to joke around about that. He was a special player when I watched him on film. I knew he was gonna be something special and I think he’s continued to elevate and he’ll continue to elevate and become a special player in this league. It’s been fun, he has a lot of energy so I feed off his energy and it’s been great to play with him.”
You’re PFF’s highest-graded LB this season. Does it feel like you’re having one of your best seasons individually?
BW: “I would put it up there. Obviously, it’s not done yet so it’s always hard for me to compare seasons when one’s not complete. I think this is the most sacks I’ve had since my rookie season or somewhere around there. Definitely been a productive season. Unfortunately, the wins just haven’t come along with it.”
Do you feel the Rams’ scheme has helped put you in better positions to blitz and make plays?
BW: “I’ve always been an adaptive person. So I feel like it doesn’t really matter the scheme. It’s figuring out how to play with the people around me. That’s the biggest thing.”
What’s your take on the NFL’s roughing the passer penalties and the league possibly ejecting players for illegal hits?
BW: “My biggest thing is it’s gotta be a two-way street. If we lower our heads into an offensive player, that’s a flag. And they’re trying to change it to where we get kicked out of the game. I’ve seen offensive players lower their heads on defensive players and they just call it running us over. I just don’t think there’s an equal standard when it comes to protecting both sides of the ball. I’m specifically talking about the targeting rule. Every time I would watch college games, even bowl games, it would be in the first quarter and it’s a subjective call and a guy gets kicked out. That’s the way he ends his college career, being ejected for something that is a lot harder to control than people realize. It’s a lot of guys that are not playing this game making these rules and that’s why I applaud defenders in this day and age because it’s so hard to play defense.
“Even the Chris Jones play where he gets a sack, he strips the ball, he has the ball, but the only way he can keep the ball and hold himself up from getting on the quarterback is he puts his hand down. So they negate the strip-sack fumble because he wasn’t able to keep his weight off the quarterback, which is not possible.
“Some of these things are not possible and I just don’t think it’s going to be fun watching your favorite player get ejected. And not your favorite offensive player. Your favorite defensive player because offensive players are not going to get ejected. It’s going to be the defensive players. Every year it seems like they come out with rules and they’re all on the defensive side. At some point, you just gotta realize they don’t really care about the defense.”
How tough is it for defenders now?
BW: “That’s the thing, though. We’re trying. Even though we feel like these rules are kinda crazy, you see players attempting to try – and there’s no period where it’s like, ‘Let’s figure this out.’ We’re trying. It’s either extreme or not extreme. As soon as they make the rule, you have to abide by it. There’s no period where, ‘All right, we’re gonna give you a chance to figure this out.’ There is no figuring it out. Once it’s a rule, it’s a rule and you have to be a master at that rule. I just couldn’t imagine somebody getting ejected for something that is subjective to that official on that day.”
What is it that you’re doing with Bud Light this holiday season?
BW: “We thought it would be a cool opportunity to help fans and people in general find the perfect present. We know everyone’s trying to find that perfect present. We’re offering an opportunity for fans to get a game-worn jersey and tickets to the December 25th game for Christmas. I think it would be a unique opportunity to do something different for Christmas and provide an experience for them to remember.”
Fans can find out more about the Perfect Present here and follow Bud Light on Facebook, Twitter, and on Instagram.
Fans will be able to enter for a chance to win by tweeting #BudLightPresent and #Sweepstakes at Bud Light for their chance to receive the ultimate prize this holiday season. In addition to winning a game-worn jersey, fans will also receive tickets to attend a game with their family. | 2022-12-16T18:21:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Q&A with Bobby Wagner: Rams LB talks Year 1 in LA, Ernest Jones’ rise and more | https://sports.yahoo.com/q-bobby-wagner-rams-lb-171442459.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/q-bobby-wagner-rams-lb-171442459.html?src=rss |
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) scrambles against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Zach Wilson will start at quarterback for the New York Jets on Sunday against the Detroit Lions after Mike White was not cleared by doctors to play.
''Mike White is an absolute warrior and has been doing everything he could this week to find another opinion to get him onto the football field, to find somebody who would clear him for contact,'' Saleh said.
Saleh added that White ''exhausted every measure he possibly can'' because he wanted to play.
''It's one of those things where we've got to do what's best for the player,'' Saleh said. ''And we've got to protect the player from the player,'' Saleh said.
''If you talk to him ... he feels fine,'' Saleh said. ''He can throw a ball fine, he is not in pain. It's a contact issue. If it was 7 on 7, he'd be out there playing, but it's not.''
''This is going to be a great opportunity for Zach,'' Saleh said. ''When he was elevated to the No. 2 quarterback, it was with the understanding there's a strong possibility he was going to play and to prepare accordingly. He's gotten the vast majority of the first-team reps. He'll get all the reps today, he'll get all the reps tomorrow.
''So, we feel very comfortable about Zach's preparation as the first-string quarterback and that he has gotten his normal workload as a starting quarterback would normally get.''
''I think our guys trust him,'' Saleh said. ''I feel like he's had a really good week of practice. I feel like he's been very good over the last three weeks in being deliberate and attacking the moments that we've asked him to attack and all the different things with regards to footwork and fundamentals.
''I don't know that there's a trust issue. He's got to go out there and do the best he possibly can.''
NOTES: WR Corey Davis was also ruled out for the game while remaining in concussion protocol. ... Saleh said the Jets are ''hopeful'' DT Quinnen Williams (calf) will play. ''He is still going to be 50/50,'' the coach said, ''but D-linemen don't need to practice to be ready for game day.'' ... CB Brandin Echols will sit out the game with a quadriceps injury.
At 58, Elle Macpherson Looks So Strong Dancing in Black Bikini in Latest Video
Elle Macpherson, 58, danced in a bikini, showing off toned legs and abs in a recent video. The model also shared her “daily practice,” including meditation. | 2022-12-16T18:21:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Wilson to start at QB for Jets; White not cleared by doctors | https://sports.yahoo.com/wilson-start-qb-jets-white-161211883.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/wilson-start-qb-jets-white-161211883.html?src=rss |
The Bobby Dodd Trophy has named the five finalists to win the coach of the year award. The Dodd Trophy does not allow first-year coaches to win the award, so TCU’s Sonny Dykes is not in the running for the award despite taking the Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoffs.
Michigan‘s John Harbaugh, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Tulane’s Will Fritz, Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, and Georgia’s Kirby Smart are the five finalists for the award.
John Harbaugh helped Michigan make the CFP for a second consecutive year. Kyle Whittingham and Utah won the Pac-12. Tulane won the American Athletic Conference and is 12-1 under Will Fritz. Kansas State and Chris Klieman won the Big 12. Lastly, Georgia’s Kirby Smart is 13-0 and won a SEC championship.
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh won the Big Ten championship again. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Dodd Trophy winner will be announced at the CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. The award factors in community service and academics as well as on-field performance.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has already been named as the SEC’s coach of the year.
Why does Kirby Smart have a chance to win the Dodd coach of the year award after winning a national championship? Because Georgia lost 15 players to the 2022 NFL draft and numerous other players to the transfer portal.
Despite the roster turnover, the standard remained the same for the Bulldogs. Georgia finished a second consecutive regular season undefeated and won the SEC championship against LSU. This combination of accomplishments is why Kirby Smart is in the running to win the Dodd Trophy despite having a stacked roster. | 2022-12-16T19:15:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | Finalists named for Bobby Dodd coach of the year award | https://sports.yahoo.com/finalists-named-bobby-dodd-coach-185733021.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/finalists-named-bobby-dodd-coach-185733021.html?src=rss |
Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust's nice gesture towards a die-hard Penguins fan turned sour after the fan lost the valuable memorabilia on the flight back home. (Getty Images)
"When I met him at the airport he was just sobbing his eyes out," said his mother Lynn to local media. "This was Rob's dream trip and he has been planning it for months. He is very unwell and for Rob to fly all the way there took so much out of him. He pushed himself to the limit but it was the chance of a lifetime.”
According to the National Health Service, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is "a rare condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system. This leads to muscle weakness, often with visible wasting. MND happens when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, called motor neurones, stop working properly and die prematurely. This is known as neurodegeneration."
'Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon' will air on December 21 at 9pm ET on CBS.
The Blackhawks fell to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 at the United Center on Thursday. Here are10observationsfrom the loss. | 2022-12-16T19:41:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | NHL: Penguins fan loses signed sticks from Crosby, Rust | https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-penguins-stars-kind-gesture-for-die-hard-fan-goes-horribly-wrong-185441529.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-penguins-stars-kind-gesture-for-die-hard-fan-goes-horribly-wrong-185441529.html?src=rss |
“I think it's easy for us to look at and just say, 'Well, his dad played in the NFL and then became a Hall-of-Famer,'” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said earlier this year. “There's a lot that comes with that, a lot of expectations, especially when you share the same name as your dad. And I just think that Marvin has done a great job of kind of blazing his own way, but I think the expectations have always been there for him and not easy. But his work ethic, his approach, his attitude, who he is as a person, his parents raised a really great young man.”
'Y’all might have just made a monster'
“He's blessed with a tremendous amount of talent,” Day said. “But really, skill and discipline are off the charts, too — and that's hard to find, because some guys are just blessed with great talent but they have a harder time finding that skill and that discipline. He has it both.”
"As you watch week in and week out, and his determination to play and get better, it's like he's doing everything he needs to do as long as he stays focused and keeps his head level," the senior Harrison told Fox’s "Big Noon Kickoff" in October. "Week in and week out, just forget about last week and focus on this week."
Georgia's weakness could benefit Marvin Harrison Jr.
Ohio State's best shot at an upset of Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal might come down to Marvin Harrison Jr.'s hands. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | 2022-12-16T19:41:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Marvin Harrison Jr. is Ohio State's best chance against Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-phenom-marvin-harrison-jr-is-so-much-more-than-a-name-180458428.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-phenom-marvin-harrison-jr-is-so-much-more-than-a-name-180458428.html?src=rss |
The NFC West has been won. The San Francisco 49ers clinched the division title Thursday night with their 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. They improved to 10-4 on the season.
They started the season 3-4 and now have won seven straight games, including the last two with seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback.
They are 5-0 in division games with only one remaining in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals.
They have done it with great defense — ranked No. 1 in yards and points allowed — and a top-10 offense.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are now just trying to stay out of the cellar and make improvements for the rest of the season. They might be eliminated this weekend completely from playoff contention.
Nipsey Hussle Course To Be Offered At Loyola Marymount University, A School Where He Was An Adjunct Professor
Nipsey Hussle’s love for education continues even in the afterlife. | 2022-12-16T19:49:42Z | sports.yahoo.com | 49ers are NFC West champs after win over Seahawks | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-nfc-west-champs-win-190401374.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-nfc-west-champs-win-190401374.html?src=rss |
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Recently fired Arizona Cardinals assistant coach Sean Kugler has hired a law firm to investigate the ''mysterious allegations'' that he inappropriately touched a female security guard when the team was in Mexico last month for a game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The law firm claims Kugler was fired for ''unsubstantiated allegations that he inappropriately touched a female security guard.''
The popular 56-year-old Kugler - who was the team's offensive line coach and run game coordinator - had been with the team since 2019. The Cardinals were in Mexico to play the 49ers on a Monday night. The Cardinals said the incident happened on the Saturday before the game and he was sent home by the team.
''The allegations against Coach Kugler are simply untrue and have caused Sean, his wife and family enormous personal and professional damage,'' said attorney Michael Pettini. ''Coach and his family have been desperate to understand from the Cardinals front office and others what rationale or evidence was used to terminate him for cause.''
''Respecting women is a core value for me, and something I have instilled in my children and the players that I coach,'' Kugler said in a statement. ''The mysterious allegations by the Cardinals are untrue, and I want to clear my name. Be it a miscommunication or mistaken identity, my family and I will cooperate fully and honestly with the NFL, Cardinals, or any other agency to get to the truth in this matter and restore my reputation.''
The Cardinals released their own statement on Friday: ''As an ongoing legal matter, we are going to refrain from comment other than to say that the team is confident the process will result in a much different set of facts than those presented today and that it had good cause to terminate Mr. Kugler's employment.'' | 2022-12-16T19:51:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | Fired Cardinals coach hires law firm, requests arbitration | https://sports.yahoo.com/fired-cardinals-coach-hires-law-182216392.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/fired-cardinals-coach-hires-law-182216392.html?src=rss |
Robert Saleh insisted Zach Wilson's career with the New York Jets was not over when he benched the 2021 first-round pick last month. Now, Saleh and the Jets are turning to Wilson to help keep their playoff hopes alive.
"I mean, we kind of had an idea, so we’re ready," Campbell said. "We knew he was going into the game anyway, so we figured they were going to play him. So it’s really same thing, man, it’s about being disciplined. We know what kind of game this’ll be, what they’re going to want to do offensively. We got to play our keys, we got to be disciplined. We got to run, we got to hit, all the same things that we know here."
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson passes against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Jets benched Wilson last month after a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots when the offense managed 103 total yards and six first downs and Wilson took little accountability for the unit's poor play.
"The good thing about them, they have a system there and they're going to run what they're going to run regardless of who the quarterback is," Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said. "The mobility element does factor in and you know that’s things that we've had issues with this year as far as these mobile quarterbacks, so that's something that obviously we have to deal with in the game. But our guys all year has progressed and gotten better and better and better as far as caging in these mobile quarterbacks and things like that. So our plan isn't going to change whatsoever. We've been preparing all week and we're going to MetLife with our plan."
For Wilson, who was demoted to third-string after his benching, Sunday's game marks a shot at redemption and maybe one final chance to live up to his billing as a No. 2 overall draft pick.
"I’m sure he’s a competitor like most players in this league, so he’ll want to go out there and play well," Campbell said. "He’s certainly talented and they’ll have a good gameplan designed for him to where he can succeed and get it to their weapons and control the game and play good defense. They’re going to try to take the pressure off of him as much as possible and just let him be him. Use his talents, his skills."
The Lions got some of the help they needed in their chase for a playoff spot Thursday, when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks, 21-13, to clinch the NFC West.
The Seahawks (7-7) remain ahead of the Lions in the standings, and hold the tie-breaker by virtue of their October win at Ford Field, but the Lions (6-7) can pull within a half-game of the final wild card spot in the NFC with a win over the Jets and a non-tie in Sunday's New York Giants-Washington Commanders game.
The Giants-Commanders winner will control the second wild card spot, while the loser will have the seventh seed in the NFC. Both teams are 7-5-1.
"We know we’ve got a chance, but we also know we feel like we need to win out here and it all starts with the Jets," Campbell said. "If we don’t handle our business it’s all for naught. But no, it does – it’s nice to be able to look up there and see that’s a team that’s in front of us that did get a loss, and so it’s hard to ignore that. But also we know, our guys know we have to do our part."
The Seahawks visit the Kansas City Chiefs next week and close the season with home games against the Jets and Los Angeles Rams; the Commanders visit the 49ers and host the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys to close the season; and the Giants have games remaining at the Vikings, against the Indianapolis Colts and at the Philadelphia Eagles.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dan Campbell says Lions 'need to win out;' Jets to start Zach Wilson | 2022-12-16T19:51:14Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jets to start Zach Wilson at QB; Dan Campbell says Lions 'need to win out' to make playoffs | https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-start-zach-wilson-qb-191957647.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-start-zach-wilson-qb-191957647.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their final four games of the 2022 NFL season, which starts when they welcome the Philadelphia Eagles to Soldier Field on Sunday.
Chicago is coming off a much-needed (albeit late) bye week, which gave them some time to regroup and get healthy before the final stretch of games. It also happens to be the toughest remaining strength of schedule in the league, which will only help the Bears inch closer to a top draft pick.
As the Bears gear up for a Week 15 game against the Eagles, host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) discussed some popular topics at the bye week on the latest episode of our Bears Wire Podcast.
From who is the Robin to Justin Fields’ Batman to the potential free agent target that makes the most sense to which NFC North teams presents the biggest challenge in 2023, we’re breaking it down: | 2022-12-16T19:51:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Podcast: 6 questions coming out of the Bears’ bye week | https://sports.yahoo.com/podcast-6-questions-coming-bears-191012798.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/podcast-6-questions-coming-bears-191012798.html?src=rss |
It seems illogical to suggest that the Rams’ best chance of winning a game is by leaning on the thing they do worst, but that’s oddly true this week as they gear up to face the Packers in Green Bay. If the Rams are going to pull off the upset, they may need to feature the running game pretty heavily despite the team’s struggles in that department.
There are two reasons for that. First and foremost, the Packers have been atrocious against the run this season. According to Football Outsiders, the Packers rank last in rush defense DVOA. They’ve allowed the third-most rushing yards and the third-most yards per carry this season, struggling all year to stop opposing rushing attacks.
Pro Football Focus grades the Packers’ run defense as the seventh-worst in the NFL, too. Just about every statistic puts the Packers among the worst teams in the league in terms of stopping the run.
The second reason Los Angeles may have to lean on the run is the weather. Throwing the ball in below-freezing temperatures is difficult, and though the forecast has improved, the temperature is supposed to be around 17 degrees with 3 mph winds.
That’s not to say Baker Mayfield can’t throw the ball successfully in those conditions, but even he admitted this will be the coldest game he’s played in. As a quarterback, the best remedy for chilly conditions is a steady running game.
Cam Akers has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, averaging a healthy 3.9 yards per carry in his last four games. Kyren Williams also broke off runs of 8 and 9 yards on his first two carries last week against the Raiders, providing a spark on offense.
If Akers and Williams can keep the offense in manageable situations on second and third down, it’ll go a long way toward allowing the Rams to sustain drives and maintain possession, thus keeping the ball away from Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense.
The Rams shouldn’t force the run against Green Bay, but successfully running it will give Los Angeles its best chance to win and pull off the upset. They’ll need Akers and Williams more in this game than they have in any other contest this season.
Steph Curry suffered a left shoulder injury in Wednesday's loss against the Indiana Pacers. ESPN's... | 2022-12-16T19:51:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rams’ best chance to upset Packers hinges on running game | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-best-chance-upset-packers-191157418.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-best-chance-upset-packers-191157418.html?src=rss |
Alabama stars Bryce Young and Will Anderson appear to be bucking the trend of potential top-10 picks skipping bowl games.
Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN that he isn’t expecting any players to opt out of the Crimson Tide’s Dec. 31 Sugar Bowl matchup against Kansas State. That means that Young and Anderson are set to play. Both are widely expected to be among the first off the board in the 2023 NFL draft.
It’s obvious why many star players have chosen to skip non-College Football Playoff games in recent years with the potential of NFL contracts on the horizon. For many players, the risk of getting injured in a game that’s basically an exhibition isn’t worth it. It’s also fun to see players like Young and Anderson also choose to play in the game so we can watch them play one last college football games.
Young, the 2021 Heisman winner, has already missed a game due to injury this season. He injured his right throwing shoulder against Arkansas and missed the team’s subsequent game against Texas A&M in early October.
Young has been the Crimson Tide’s best offensive player again in 2022 and has thrown for 3,007 yards and 27 TDs while rushing for four more in 11 games.
Anderson was one of the most dominant defensive players in college football in 2021 with 31 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks across 15 games as Alabama lost to Georgia in the national championship game. With more teams focusing their offensive gameplans around stopping him in 2022, Anderson has 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2022.
A win for Alabama over Kansas State would give the Crimson Tide 11 wins on the season. Alabama has won at least 11 games in 11 consecutive seasons since finishing 10-3 in 2010. Alabama last failed to win 10 games in 2007 when it went 7-6. That was Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama QB Bryce Young looks set to play in the Sugar Bowl. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File) | 2022-12-16T20:46:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | Alabama's Will Anderson and Bryce Young appear set to play in the Sugar Bowl | https://sports.yahoo.com/alabamas-will-anderson-and-bryce-young-appear-set-to-play-in-the-sugar-bowl-203251191.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/alabamas-will-anderson-and-bryce-young-appear-set-to-play-in-the-sugar-bowl-203251191.html?src=rss |
Christian Robinson had a short time at Auburn but it made quite an impact on him.
Robinson will not be retained by head coach Hugh Freeze and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts after spending last season as Auburn’s linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator.
He took to Twitter to say goodbye to Auburn and the players.
“To the players, I hope you carry the lessons we shared and cherish the days you are given to impact others. Auburn is built on work, hard work. I can’t wait to see the great things you do on and off the field!”
Robinson has spent plenty of time in the SEC after his playing days at Georgia ended in 2012. He was a graduate assistant at Georgia (2013-14), Ole Miss (2015-16), and Mississippi State (2017) before becoming Florida’s linebacker coach in 2018.
War Eagle! pic.twitter.com/PEwFQC1m3t
Many college football luminaries, including Lincoln Riley, mourned the death of Mike Leach, whose central legacy is his influence on the evolution of offense in the sport. | 2022-12-16T20:46:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Christian Robinson shares farewell message to Auburn | https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-robinson-shares-farewell-message-192923259.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-robinson-shares-farewell-message-192923259.html?src=rss |
Typically, Billy Napier anoints four captains per game this season but decided the buck the trend in the bowl game — perhaps due to the roster attrition experienced as the regular season came to a close.
Nonetheless, unlike some of his peers, the offensive lineman will still play in Florida’s bowl game as well as the Senior Bowl. Burney’s future after Florida is still largely unknown.
Building up anticipation for his next film, Oppenheimer, director Christopher Nolan has been... | 2022-12-16T20:46:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Florida football sets team captains ahead of Las Vegas Bowl | https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-football-sets-team-captains-194237342.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-football-sets-team-captains-194237342.html?src=rss |
Brown could become first Celtics player to achieve this feat since Bird originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown is enjoying the best season of his NBA career, and he's on pace to become the first Boston Celtics player to accomplish an impressive statistical feat since Larry Bird.
Brown enters Friday's matchup against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden averaging 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game with a 50.3 field goal percentage.
If he maintains those numbers through the entire 2022-23 campaign, the star guard will be the first Celtics player to average at least 26 points and seven rebounds per game, while also shooting 50-plus percent from the field since Larry Bird in 1987-88.
A Celtics player has achieved this stat line four previous times, and Bird accounts for three of them.
One of the best games of Brown's career came Monday night versus the rival Lakers in Los Angeles. He scored 25 points with 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals as Boston earned a 122-118 overtime win.
Brown became the first player with 25-plus points, 15-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and three-plus steals in a single game this season. He's the first Celtic to do it since Antoine Walker in 1999-00. Before Walker, Bird was the last player to accomplish that in 1987-88.
Brown is currently averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists per game, while also shooting a career high from the field. His excellent play, combined with teammate Jayson Tatum performing at an MVP level, is one reason why the Celtics lead the league with a 22-7 record.
Henry Cavill has confirmed he will not return as World of DC's Superman.
How did the Cal alumnus hone his craft to such a sharp edge? On many nights, Brown has been the best player on the floor for Boston.
The Celtics will face a resurgent 9-20 Orlando Magic whose record belies the fact they have won four games in a row, including contests over the Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Clippers. | 2022-12-16T21:12:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jaylen Brown could become first Celtics player to achieve this feat since Larry Bird | https://sports.yahoo.com/jaylen-brown-could-become-first-172319317.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jaylen-brown-could-become-first-172319317.html?src=rss |
The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans released their third and final injury reports of the week on Friday. You can find the injury reports from earlier this week here: Wednesday — Thursday.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about the team’s injury situation after practice. You can read his comments here.
I’d be surprised if Chris Jones missed the game with an illness, but watch the team’s practice squad elevations tomorrow. If they bring up Danny Shelton, you’ll know that he’s trending toward not playing.
With another limited practice on Friday, expect Kadarius Toney to miss another week. A full practice would have given some more hope that he’d be available and active.
It’ll be a stretch for Mecole Hardman to be activated ahead of Sunday’s game. It sounds like while he’s eager to get back out there, the Chiefs want to ease him back into things. He could be back out there on Christmas Eve against the Seahawks if all goes well in practice next week.
Steven Nelson won’t play against his former team in Week 15 due to a foot injury. Same gig for Taylor Stallworth, who is out with a calf injury.
Rookie OL Kenyon Green, the No. 15 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, was a non-participant on Friday after two limited practices to start the week. He won’t play in Week 15. | 2022-12-16T21:21:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Final injury report for Chiefs vs. Texans, Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/final-injury-report-chiefs-vs-210457580.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/final-injury-report-chiefs-vs-210457580.html?src=rss |
The “Trash Can Full of Dirt” is headed to New York.
The Giants signed former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Jack Heflin to the team’s practice squad.
The Packers released Heflin, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, from the practice squad on Tuesday.
An anonymous scout lovingly referred to Heflin as a “trash can full of dirt” during the pre-draft process ahead of the 2021 draft, and the young Packers interior defender embraced the moniker during his two seasons in Green Bay.
Heflin played in four games and was on the field for 30 total snaps (17 defense) for the Packers in 2021. He returned on the practice squad for the 2022 season but was released this week. The Packers never elevated him for a game this year despite issues stopping the run.
Heflin proved to be a tough player along the defensive line during two years of preseason play. In 2021 and 2022, Heflin produced 10 stops and eight total pressures over six preseason games. In 2021, he was selected as one our “stars of the preseason” for the Packers, helping him make the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.
In New York, Heflin will get a chance to help out a team competing with the Packers for a final playoff spot in the NFC.
Planners are rewarded at these unique getaways, with reservations often booking out multiple years in advance. | 2022-12-16T21:21:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants add former Packers DL Jack Heflin to practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-add-former-packers-dl-204948255.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-add-former-packers-dl-204948255.html?src=rss |
Mac Jones: No preference on shotgun vs. under center originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Earlier this week, we took a deep dive into some of the numbers on the Patriots offense. How have things looked when they've used shotgun formations? How have things looked when they've been under center?
The data, courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, was fairly staggering. The Patriots have gone with shotgun looks on over 70 percent of their plays in the last four weeks since their bye week, yet there's an argument to be made that the Patriots are a much more efficient offense when they place quarterback Mac Jones under center.
Asked if the reliance on the shotgun lately was something he preferred, Jones said no.
"As I always say, I played in the wing-T in high school, so I was under center in every situation," he explained. "In college, it was the opposite. So I’ve done both. Then obviously in the NFL, done both. Like both. Don’t have a preference. I think either one is good. It’s all about executing the plays."
If it wasn't his preference, then why has there been so much shotgun called lately?
"I’m not sure," he said. "You’d have to ask the coaches. I know there’s specific things, but you’d have to ask them about it."
So we did. Bill Belichick was asked on Friday why leaning on shotgun looks was the best approach for his offense in the last month.
"A lot of those decisions are just [part of the] game plan," Belichick said. "Those types of questions of, 'This happened the last couple of weeks...' If you shuffled the schedule around, it would turn out differently.
"I think we're comfortable under center, shotgun. There's a variety of things we can do from either of those locations. Try to do what we think is best."
Is it about the offensive line?
The Patriots have used a variety of combinations up front this season, and lately they've had a hard time protecting against edge rushers as Isaiah Wynn and Yodny Cajuste have missed time with injury and Trent Brown has dealt with an illness that caused him to lose more than 10 pounds.
Would playing out of the shotgun help protect that group, Belichick was asked?
"[Under center] is about as quick as you can get it," Belichick replied. "If you want to get it out quickly, it's in his hands in a tenth of a second...
"But, again, those kinds of things, if you take any two or three games at the end of the year and group them together and say, 'Oh, this guy got a lot of targets in this game. This guy blitzed a lot in that game. We played a lot of odd front in these other couple games. If you group them together, then it looks like that's a big trend, I would say it's more likely the way the games happened to fall." | 2022-12-16T21:22:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | Mac Jones: No preference on shotgun vs. under center | https://sports.yahoo.com/mac-jones-no-preference-shotgun-210100286.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mac-jones-no-preference-shotgun-210100286.html?src=rss |
Week 15 of the NFL season got underway on Thursday with the San Francisco 49ers earning the road win and cover as a 3.5-point favorite over the Seattle Seahawks. Fantasy football playoffs are underway, bye weeks are over and Saturday NFL action is back. It's a good time to be a fan of football.
Between Saturday afternoon and Monday night, we have 15 more NFL games to feast on this weekend. Today, we're taking a look at three pairs of games on this weekend's slate and deciding which side we'd rather be on if we were forced to make a choice.
Detroit Lions or New England Patriots?
With Zach Wilson under center for the Jets, the Detroit Lions are now 1.5-point road favorites at MetLife Stadium. It's a huge game for both teams as they both sit just outside the playoffs if the season ended today. Elsewhere, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are 1.5-point road underdogs against the Las Vegas Raiders. Of course, Raiders' coach Josh McDaniels spent a long time as the Patriots' offensive coordinator under Belichick. The Patriots are right in the thick of things in the AFC playoff race. Which road team would you rather back in basically a pick'em spot?
Greg: The Raiders were on a mini-roll before their Rams implosion, winning on the road in Denver and Seattle, then beating the Chargers at home. Recency bias has bettors flocking to the Patriots, smashing the confirm bet button on a line that seems too good to be true. I see a lot of analysts on the fence for this game, who end up using Bill Belichick versus Josh McDaniels as a tie-breaker to flip over to New England’s side. I have no problem with that, but I think the fact that McDaniels was Mac Jones’ offensive coordinator and quarterback coach last year gives him the edge here. He knows how to rattle the second-year QB, the question is whether he has the personnel to pull that off with a defense that ranks dead last in dropback success rate.
Jared Goff’s home and away splits are rough. I’m talking Jekyll and hide your kids, hide your wife. New York blitzes at the lowest percentage in the league, yet they’re pressuring quarterbacks at the eighth-highest rate. If Quinnen Williams is a go for Sunday, I’m all about the Jets. I’d say this team’s closest comp is the Patriots, and we saw what New England did to Detroit at home. This streak where the Lions have won five of their last six games has been fun and I’m rooting for them to make the playoffs, but here are the defensive DVOA rankings of those five teams they’ve recently defeated: 22, 28, 29, 32, 23. The party stops against a Jets defense that ranks sixth and will get constant pressure on Goff while locking down his pass-catchers. Square me up with the Patriots.
Pete: As you mentioned, taking the Patriots here is a rather simple and perhaps square handicap. It's an extremely important game for the Patriots against a losing team. It has all the makings of a prototypical "Belichick business trip." Josh McDaniels had a brutal game last week and in general, in these situations, I prefer taking the teacher over the student. We saw it with Kyle Shanahan scheming circles around Mike McDaniel a few weeks ago. It'll probably be extremely ugly, but I think the Patriots pull it off on the road.
Zach Wilson starting this game certainly makes the Jets less appealing, but I think of the four units on the field in this game, the Jets' offense is the least influential. The Lions are 1-5 in games where they score less than 28 points. The Jets have allowed one opponent to score 28+ all season, and that came in Week 2. As Greg mentioned, cold weather, on the road Jared Goff and home, in a dome Jared Goff are not the same quarterback. Goff struggles immensely at the hands of the Jets' defense in this one. I'm with Greg, give me the Pats.
Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels go head-to-head with the Patriots as a slight road underdog in Week 15 of the NFL season. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Cincinnati Bengals or Dallas Cowboys?
The Cincinnati Bengals have won five straight and seven of their last eight contests. On the season, they have the best record against-the-spread of any NFL team at 10-3. This week, they're on the road in Tampa Bay. The Bengals are 3.5-point road favorites. Tampa Bay is back under .500 at 6-7 and have covered the spread in just 3 of 13 games, the worst mark in the league. Elsewhere, the Dallas Cowboys survived a near disaster with a late game-winning drive against the Houston Texans as a 17.5-point favorite last week. This week, they are 4-point road favorites against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that has proven to be dangerous at various points this season. Which road favorite would you rather back?
Greg: Does Tampa Bay have a single impressive win since Week 1? I guess you could count the game in Germany when they beat the Seahawks, but that’s about it. The Bucs are running unopposed in the ghost town that is the NFC South, and that’s the only reason why we aren’t hearing more about how they’re dropping off a cliff. Tampa can’t run the ball, which means Tom Brady will have to try and noodle his way past a Bengals defense that’s fifth in dropback success rate.
Trevor Lawrence has been on a heater, so I’m excited to see how he fares against the NFL’s best defense this week. This is looking like another huge game for Tony Pollard and RB2 Ezekiel Elliott versus a Jags defense that’s 25th in rushing success rate and deteriorating like Spider-Man at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” It doesn’t feel so good watching them, but it will this week if you’re a Cowboys fan. This is one of the toughest WYR decisions I’ve had to make this year. I’ll take the Bengals.
Pete: Why is Cincinnati only a 3.5-point favorite in this game? Am I missing something or is this just respect from oddsmakers for Tom Brady? Based on Tampa Bay's record against the spread this season, I'd guess it's the latter. This Bengals team is buzzing on both sides of the ball. They've consistently won games and covered spreads all season long. If this was any other 6-7 team that was bottom five in points scored per game, I feel like this line would be closer to a touchdown than a field goal.
I'm willing to throw out last week's performance by Dallas against Houston. It's a classic no-show, low motivation spot that every team has in a season. However, I'm somewhat nervous about the lookahead aspect for Dallas this week as well. Dallas hosts Philadelphia on Christmas Eve and Micah Parsons is already disputing Jalen Hurts' MVP candidacy. Jacksonville is no pushover and they can keep this game close, especially if Dallas is even a little distracted by their upcoming opponent. Give me Cincinnati as well.
Los Angeles Chargers or Cleveland Browns?
The Los Angeles Chargers put themselves in a good spot after beating the Miami Dolphins last weekend as an underdog. However, anyone who knows football knows that nothing ever comes easy for the Chargers franchise. This week, Los Angeles is a 3-point favorite at home against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have lost three straight games, giving up 71 points over their last two games. Elsewhere, we get a classic AFC North rivalry on Saturday. The Cleveland Browns are 3-point home favorites against the Baltimore Ravens, who will be without Lamar Jackson again. Which home favorite would you rather lay the field goal with?
Greg: Are the Chargers back or is this yet another twist in the “will they/won’t they” arc we’ve seen play out for the last six seasons? They’ll be forced to throw the ball against a Titans defense that’s league-best at stopping the run. That’s no problem with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen back. I’m such a fool for believing in the Chargers once again, but I just can’t quit them. They get the win and cover versus a Tennessee team that’s fading faster than a busy barber.
Deshaun Watson looks exactly like a quarterback who hasn’t played in years. I don’t see Nick Chubb running all over the Ravens’ defense, so I’m not sure how they’ll find many points in this game. Of course, they may not need to score a ton against a Baltimore team that’s topped 16 points once in their last four games. This will be an ugly contest. The Ravens win this one on the ground versus the Browns’ terrible run defense, making it six victories in their last seven meetings. I’m ready to have my heart broken yet again by the Chargers.
Pete: Is this a rare 3-for-3 agreement from us? For me, this question is a simple fade of Kevin Stefanski. Under Stefanski, the Browns are 9-14 against the spread at home. He's 4-12 against the spread when going against AFC North competition in the regular season and he's 1-4 both straight up and against the spread against the Baltimore Ravens. His lone victory came last season in a game where Lamar Jackson was knocked out in the first half. Stefanski has dealt with wild quarterback situations the last two seasons, but he's struggled at home, against his division and against the Ravens. In addition, the Browns have struggled to run the ball since starting center Ethan Pocic went down. Baltimore gets just enough from Tyler Huntley and wins outright.
Like you, I'm extremely nervous about believing in the Chargers. They've hurt me plenty of times over the last few years. On paper, this seems like a good matchup for the Titans as they could run the ball down the Chargers' throat, but Derrick Henry hasn't been good for over a month. On the other side of the equation, the Titans' secondary is exploitable as we've seen from Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence the last two weeks. Justin Herbert and his receivers should be able to put up points. Give me the Chargers as well. | 2022-12-16T21:22:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL Would You Rather? Breaking down Week 15 betting lines | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-would-you-rather-breaking-down-week-15-betting-lines-210207696.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-would-you-rather-breaking-down-week-15-betting-lines-210207696.html?src=rss |
The Minnesota Vikings get both a rare Saturday and primetime early afternoon game when they take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
The Vikings have an opportunity to win the NFC North division with a win or a loss by the Detroit Lions against the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
The game is loaded with storylines, including the Vikings not having won against the Colts since 1997 when Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback.
Due to the game being on Saturday, the coverage is a little different. Make sure you know how to watch the game.
Saturday, December 17th, 12:00 pm central
NFL+ (mobile phones)
KSTP Fox-9 | 2022-12-16T21:22:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Week 15 Colts vs. Vikings: How to watch, stream & listen | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-15-colts-vs-vikings-204826947.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-15-colts-vs-vikings-204826947.html?src=rss |
Brittney Griner flies to Abu Dhabi on Dec. 9 after her release from a Russian prison. (Associated Press)
"I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon," she said.
To view past editions of The Hill’s 12:30 Report, click here: http://bit.ly/1M1mIfw To receive The Hill’s 12:30 Report in your inbox, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/1Tt4hqN –> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* *Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically. TALK OF THE MORNING…
At a meeting on Thursday, 15 December, European Union heads of state agreed to increase further military support for Ukraine, as well as to direct efforts to hold Russia accountable for war crimes. Source: Conclusions of the EU summit, published on Thursday, reported by European Pravda Quote: "The EU remains committed to providing political and military assistance to Ukraine, notably through the European Peace Facility and the EU Military Assistance Mission, and by stepping up the bilateral prov | 2022-12-16T21:34:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner expresses gratitude in first statement after release from Russian prison | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-expresses-gratitude-first-164847549.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-expresses-gratitude-first-164847549.html?src=rss |
Brittney Griner intends to play basketball this season for the Phoenix Mercury. That was the emphatic takeaway from an Instagram statement Friday, her first since she was released from a Russian prison.
Upon her arrival in the United States after 10 months behind bars in Russia, the WNBA star was medically evaluated at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base, where she worked out for the first time and went straight for a dunk while her basketball future remained unknown.
"I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey," Griner wrote.
Griner was detained at a Moscow area airport in February due to possession of vaping cartridges that contained hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia. She pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 7. She appealed the sentence, and it was denied in October.
The U.S. swapped the WNBA star for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8.
Griner also addressed President Joe Biden in the statement, expressing plans to aid efforts to bring retired Marine Paul Whelan home as well.
"You brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too," she wrote. "I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole."
Friday on Instagram, Brittney Griner made her first statement since her release from Russian prison. (Photo by Mike Mattina/Getty Images)
Starbucks workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain's stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. Starbucks, which opposes the unionization effort, said Friday that the strike was having a limited impact on its stores and most remained open. | 2022-12-16T21:34:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner releases first statement since return from Russia, intends to return to Phoenix Mercury this season | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-releases-first-statement-since-return-from-russia-intends-to-return-to-phoenix-mercury-this-season-163721361.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-releases-first-statement-since-return-from-russia-intends-to-return-to-phoenix-mercury-this-season-163721361.html?src=rss |
A lot of young girls dream about playing in the WNBA. One suburban athlete got to see it up close when she was in elementary school. Now helping her Carmel Catholic High School team to succeed among the best in the state, all while still chasing that dream
Police have charged Robert Miller III with two counts of vehicular homicide, one for reckless driving and the other for drag racing.
A judge dismissed the 2021 kidnapping case against the Colorado gay nightclub shooter even though she had previously raised concerns about the defendant stockpiling weapons and explosives and planning a shootout, court transcripts obtained Friday by The Associated Press reveal. Relatives, including the grandparents who claimed to have been kidnapped, had also told Judge Robin Chittum in August last year about Anderson Aldrich's struggles with mental illness, during a hearing at which the judge said Aldrich needed treatment or “it's going to be so bad," according to the documents. The revelation that Chittum regarded the defendant as a potentially serious threat adds to the advance warnings authorities are known to have had about Aldrich's increasingly violent behavior and raise more questions about whether the recent mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs could have been prevented. | 2022-12-16T21:34:57Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner said she intends to play the upcoming WNBA season in emotional message to her supporters | https://sports.yahoo.com/nets-ben-simmons-leaves-game-142823432.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nets-ben-simmons-leaves-game-142823432.html?src=rss |
It was almost a foregone conclusion by most analysts that Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide would be competing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl without some of its star players.
It is now being reported that Alabama will not be experiencing any opt-outs including stars Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. who are both projected as top-five picks in the 2023 NFL draft.
Ever since the college football playoff era has been around, most teams that missed out on the playoffs have experienced opt-outs from some of its top players.
Young and Anderson are making quite a statement about their commitment to the Crimson Tide and their teammates by competing in the Sugar Bowl.
Chris Low of ESPN made the announcement on Twitter earlier this afternoon. | 2022-12-16T22:17:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. are expected play in Allstate Sugar Bowl | https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-young-anderson-jr-expected-220745749.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-young-anderson-jr-expected-220745749.html?src=rss |
It’s been quite a while since we got a chance to talk to Oregon Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning, and a lot has transpired in the meantime.
It’s a busy time of year for any college football coach with the early recruiting cycle rolling on and prep for bowl games taking place. On top of that, the Ducks were faced with an offensive coordinator hire, where they tabbed UTSA’s Will Stein to be the next gut to run Oregon’s offense after Kenny Dillingham’s departure for Arizona State.
The Ducks are in full bowl-prep mode as they get ready to face the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Holiday Bowl on December 28. After practice on Friday, we got a chance to talk to Lanning and some select student-athletes.
Lanning: Our guys prepare like that for every game. We train everybody on our program we try to develop our by our program. So that’s that’s great to hear. When you have less people here there are more opportunities for the people that are here and we’re excited about the guys we have.
Lanning: It’s the name of the game, right? I mean, it’s that you gotta go out here and adapt. And I think right now in college football, one of the biggest things about college football is who can adapt the best and who can handle the adjustments that it’s required, and we’ve got a great staff that’s done a good job of that.
Lanning: There’s a lot of people that touch our organization that helped us have successful wins and do well on the field and it’s not just the coaches. It’s not just myself. It’s academic help, it’s our football ops staff, it’s the analysts. Thre are a lot of people that are able to help and have a role in our program that help us be successful.
Lanning: We were really thorough. I think as a coach, you always have to be prepared for transition, especially when you’re successful. And when you talk about having a staff that you want, to be able to reach their goals and aspirations. You want to create those opportunities. That he’d be prepared for those moments, but after going through a real detailed search, and working through with our staff, where we thought the direction we wanted to head is a perfect fit. He’s not just an elite coach. He’s experienced as a player and a coach. I love hiring people that have high school coaching experience as well because you see it from a different lens. So he’s done that and he’s done it a really high-level. The guy has won everywhere. He’s been so excited, I’m glad he’s on our team.
Lanning: It was more through people than anything and not a direct friendship. For me, it’s about hiring the best people. It doesn’t mean they’re always somebody that you spent intimate time with, but you can recognize from afar and there are a lot of people I could connect with that were able to point me in the right direction to about what I thought he was and he certainly is that.
Lanning: He’s helping us as a coach. But it’s a different role than what it’ll be next season, but certainly, we’re gonna lean on everybody’s expertise. You got an opportunity to have an extra set of eyes that can help you and an extra set of years on the field. Coach Mehringer and Coach Adams and the offensive staff gonna work together and put together a plan.
Lanning: When you’re in a school like Lake Travis and some of the stops he’s been, but it’s programs like Louisville. He understands what it looks like. He’s seen a lot of guys walk through those halls. He’s been a part of signing some great players and developing great players and recruiting. Recruiting is about relationships and if you’re a guy who’s driven by relationships with Will, you’re gonna be really successful.
Lanning: The illusion of time is kind of what really exists, right? You feel like you have time because the game is a long way away, but there are so many other things that are going on within the organization, whether it be early Signing Day, transition of players in and out, finals, bowl practices, but the fact that you get to go hit the reset button, really attack some of your weaknesses, treat it almost like an extra spring ball. We can get some additional practices and grow and then just getting healthy. At the end of the season, a lot of guys are banged up gives you an opportunity to get that.
Lanning: I’m not talking about that. We’re gonna go to the field and we’re gonna play with who we got and we’re going to come back. Right now our focus is winning this football game. So whoever goes on this trip is gonna to have an opportunity to go play in the game for us.
Lanning: It’s a good team. We got a lot of respect for Coach (Mack) Brown and the job that he’s done there. They were playing for a championship in their conference. Really explosive on offense … got a great quarterback. They’ve done a lot of things. I’ve worked with some of the guys that they have on their defensive staff. I think they do a really good job. So it’s a great opponent. You wanna play a good team, and we got fortunate enough to play a good team in a bowl game.
Lanning: Not a ton. You’re playing the team, you’re playing this game, you’re playing the players, and certainly, there are some differences. But you know, just like every one of us, nobody really goes into the bowl game with the same group that they had anymore, and that’s what’s changed in college football. So they have to adapt. We have to adapt.
Lanning: He’s a good quarterback man. There are a lot of things that go into being a good quarterback but the decision making, the ability to throw the ball into tight spaces and they have an offense where he gets the opportunity to make decisions and he’s shown that he can do that at a really high level. He has the ability to run and he’s a dynamic player.
Lanning: Finish. We want to go finish. We will finish the season with an exclamation point and do a great job of it.
Lanning: We will continue to look for opportunities to enhance our program if opportunities come across the board, but we’re also really excited about the guys you know. We’re still going to be a team that develops our talent on a roster and grows from the ground up. So we’re a team that’s still gonna sign freshmen that we think that we can develop within our program and grow over time. We have several guys on board that we’re really excited about. I can’t really talk about them yet but those guys have to deal with coming to make an impact as well.
Yes, There's a Difference Between Roasting and Baking—and It Involves Temperature and What You're Cooking
The terms are often used interchangeably, but each has its own defining characteristics. | 2022-12-16T22:18:14Z | sports.yahoo.com | Notable Quotes: Dan Lanning talks recruiting, Will Stein, and Holiday Bowl vs. North Carolina | https://sports.yahoo.com/notable-quotes-dan-lanning-talks-212724949.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/notable-quotes-dan-lanning-talks-212724949.html?src=rss |
Oregon Duck fans have been waiting patiently for several weeks now, and it looks like they will have to continue to wait for the ultimate decision from quarterback Bo Nix.
On Friday after Oregon’s Holiday Bowl practice — the first time media members have had an opportunity to speak to Nix since the Oregon State game in November — the Ducks’ QB stated that he is still undecided on whether or not he will return for another year in Eugene or head off to the NFL. Nix will still play in the Holiday Bowl with the Ducks on December 28, but beyond that, his future at Oregon is unclear.
There have been a lot of questions about whether or not Nix will return for his final year of eligibility or not, and a lot of factors that will likely go into his decision. After finding such success in Eugene following his transfer, many believe that he will take advantage of his boost in draft stock and declare for the NFL Draft. With that option, plus the departure of former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, the person who brought Nix to Eugene in the first place, it’s entirely possible that No. 10 will only play one season with the Ducks.
However, the other factors hold a lot of weight. as well. After an incredibly hot start to the season, Nix saw his name floated in the Heisman Trophy conversation, and the Ducks were on the doorsteps of a College Football Playoff appearance. In the end, an ankle injury suffered against the Washington Huskies derailed the end of Oregon’s season and may have left a sour taste in Nix’s mouth.
It’s a very real option and one that Nix might choose to ultimately exercise in the end. However, it appears that we won’t know what he decides for at least a little while longer.
For the third year in a row, the Sea Island Club on St. Simons Island, Ga., will be the host site for the Henry Tuten Gator Bowl Pro-Am. | 2022-12-16T22:18:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Oregon QB Bo Nix still undecided on NFL future or return to Ducks | https://sports.yahoo.com/oregon-qb-bo-nix-still-210328708.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/oregon-qb-bo-nix-still-210328708.html?src=rss |
On3 recently released a top-10 list of the top junior college recruits in the country. The top two spots were filled by Alabama commits Malik Benson and Justin Jefferson. Benson was listed as the No. 1 junior college player in the country while Jefferson was listed as No. 2.
As for Benson, he was recently listed as a four-star recruit but was listed as a five-star in the latest rankings. The Kansas native spent the past two seasons at Hutchinson Community College. He hauled in 102 receptions for 2,206 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns as a Blue Dragon.
Benson recently played in the Junior College National Championship against Iowa Western Community College. Unfortunately, his team did lose. However, he was able to record five receptions for 54 receiving yards.
On the other hand, Jefferson is listed as a four-star recruit. In two seasons at Pearl River Community College, he tallied 139 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and five sacks. The Tennessee native is an intriguing commit for the Alabama recruiting class with linebacker Henry To’oTo’o and Jaylen Moody likely leaving for the NFL. He could come in and make an instant impact a season from now.
The two are set to be early enrollees and sign on early National Signing Day next week.
Updated 2023 Top Football Junior College Recruits⭐️
More from @CharlesPower: https://t.co/5QfNTMM6uq pic.twitter.com/x3vldss72A | 2022-12-16T22:18:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | Two Alabama commits ranked atop latest top JUCO recruits list | https://sports.yahoo.com/two-alabama-commits-ranked-atop-220639836.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/two-alabama-commits-ranked-atop-220639836.html?src=rss |
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