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New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder (48) reacts after a play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field / Nathan Ray Seebeck - USA TODAY Sports
The Giants announced on Tuesday night that they have waived linebacker Tae Crowder.
Crowder started all 17 games last season for the Giants. He was used as an every-down linebacker for Wink Martindale’s defense for the first eight games of the season. However, over the past few games, the linebacker’s snaps have gone down significantly.
After not playing a single defensive snap in the Giants’ Week 13 20-20 tie with the Washington Commanders, the linebacker tweeted ‘Free Me.’ He was a healthy scratch this week on Sunday Night Football.
Crowder was taken with the final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, making him ‘Mr. Irrelevant.’ In his three years with the Giants, he appeared in 41 games and made 232 tackles, had two interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
This move frees up a roster spot for the Giants to potentially add Landon Collins to the active roster. Head coach Brian Daboll said that would be something the team will explore following Collins’ strong play Sunday night.
In just his third game of the season, Collins played 43 percent of the defensive snaps and made three tackles in the crucial win over the Commanders. | 2022-12-21T03:43:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants waive LB Tae Crowder, potentially opening spot for Landon Collins | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-waive-lb-tae-crowder-225854855.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-waive-lb-tae-crowder-225854855.html?src=rss |
Tyler Lockett may be back on the field next week.
The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is already eyeing his return after he underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand on Monday. Coach Pete Carroll said the team’s leading receiver shouldn’t be out long — even potentially for next week’s matchup with the New York Jets.
"He had his surgery and the doc said it was perfect," Carroll said Tuesday, via ESPN’s Brady Henderson. "He had a lot of work done, but it's very, very secure. So they feel very good about him coming back quickly."
Lockett sustained a small crack in the bone that connects to his index finger in their loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.
The 30-year-old has a team-high 964 yards and eight touchdowns this season, his eighth season in the league with the Seahawks. He had 68 yards on seven receptions against the 49ers, which marked Seattle’s fourth loss in five games.
The Seahawks will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. They’ll then close out the season with games against the Jets — where Lockett hopes to return — and against the Los Angeles Rams.
Seattle, sitting at 7-7, is just one spot back from the NFC’s final wildcard spot headed into its game with the Chiefs. A quick Lockett return could make all the difference amid the late playoff push.
"That's the first thing that came out of them — that there's a chance [he can return] — from the docs. So we'll see what happens,” Carroll said. “That sounds crazy miraculous, but they secured it in a way that they know that he can already start moving his hand and stuff like that. So we'll see what happens. We'll keep our fingers crossed."
Tyler Lockett broke a bone in his hand in Seattle's loss to the 49ers last week. (AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | 2022-12-21T03:44:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett eyeing quick return after hand surgery, may miss just 1 game | https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-wr-tyler-lockett-eyeing-quick-return-after-hand-surgery-may-miss-just-1-game-032028816.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-wr-tyler-lockett-eyeing-quick-return-after-hand-surgery-may-miss-just-1-game-032028816.html?src=rss |
Ducks pick up new predictions to flip 4-star QB Austin Novosad from Baylor
With the news on Monday that 5-star quarterback Dante Moore was going to flip his commitment from the Oregon Ducks to the UCLA Bruins, a lot of fans started to wonder what Dan Lanning and his staff were going to do going forward.
It has since become clear that the staff has been working on a contingency plan for a bit now, knowing that there was a chance that Moore was going to flip. That plan may be working.
A pair of 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions came in on Tuesday night that show Baylor Bears’ 4-star QB Austin Novosad, the No. 9 QB in the 2023 class, is likely to flip to the Ducks.
Novosad has a relationship with new Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, and the two have kept in touch since Stein came to Eugene.
With Bo Nix returning for the 2023 season, it has become clear that the Ducks are set at the starting QB spot for this season, but they need players to fill out that room and compete for the starting job in 2024. Should they be able to pull off the flip from Baylor and land Novosad, who is the No. 86 overall player in the 2023 class, it would be an impressive pivot from Lanning and his staff after suffering a blow with the Moore decommitment.
Committed to Baylor Bears on December 16, 2021
Offered by Oregon Ducks on December 20, 2022 | 2022-12-21T04:09:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ducks pick up new predictions to flip 4-star QB Austin Novosad from Baylor | https://sports.yahoo.com/ducks-pick-predictions-flip-4-034432320.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ducks-pick-predictions-flip-4-034432320.html?src=rss |
After choosing the Wolverines just before national signing day proper in 2021, the two-year Michigan football defensive tackle didn’t see much playing time for the maize and blue. After a first-half fumble recovery in Week 3 against UConn, it seemed to be an omen that he would be seeing more and more playing time, but it never came to fruition. He ended up being passed on the depth chart by two true freshmen — Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. | 2022-12-21T04:09:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Michigan football DT chooses transfer destination | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-michigan-football-dt-chooses-025201899.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-michigan-football-dt-chooses-025201899.html?src=rss |
Kyle Shanahan: 49ers unlikely to rest starters before final game
The 49ers have locked up a playoff spot after clinching the NFC West in Week 15. They’re also locked into no worse than the No. 3 seed with a real shot at climbing to No. 2, and a very, very distant chance of getting up to the No. 1 spot.
Given their injury situation this year there was some speculation the 49ers could use their favorable playoff positioning as a chance to rest some starters over the final three games. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that’s not how the team would proceed at least for the first two of the last three.
“I think that’s one of the biggest mistakes people make just watching it over the years,” Shanahan said in a press conference before Tuesday’s practice. “That’s my opinion, I would understand if you were getting ready for a seven-game series, I don’t think football is like that. It’s three and a half hours. It’s one shot. I’ve been on a lot of teams where you rest guys or give guys a few more weeks and those are usually the guys who struggle the most in that first playoff game. But I think what situations are different is like last year when it came down to our last game you have guys that are fighting to play because they’re right on the bubble of not being able to play. And in this situation those guys you would definitely rest, so anybody who has an injury that could risk them for the following week or something like that, that’s to me the decisions now that there is no decision. Definitely rest them.”
Last year the 49ers had to win their final two games to get into the playoffs. It’s why left tackle Trent Williams played on a high ankle sprain. In the same situation this year, Williams would likely sit in Week 18.
The 49ers host Washington this week before traveling to Las Vegas for Week 17. Their season finale is against the Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium.
It’ll be interesting to see how the 49ers handle that final game if they need a win to get the No. 2 seed. Shanahan indicated the club will aim for the highest seed possible, but it would certainly be enticing if they can effectively treat Week 18 like a bye before the wild card round.
One extra week would allow players dealing with some injury issues to get right before a playoff run without falling victim to the rust that comes with multiple weeks off.
Either way, the 49ers will definitely not be resting starters in the next two weeks as they aim to gear up for another deep postseason run. | 2022-12-21T05:18:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kyle Shanahan: 49ers unlikely to rest starters before final game | https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-shanahan-49ers-unlikely-rest-040032375.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-shanahan-49ers-unlikely-rest-040032375.html?src=rss |
LB Christian Kirksey says Texans have to prepare for both Titans quarterbacks
The Houston Texans’ season wasn’t in the septic tank just yet when they prepared for the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 30 at NRG Stadium. That has changed with Houston’s 1-12-1 record.
The Texans were preparing to face rookie quarterback Malik Willis, but had to keep in mind the possibility that incumbent Ryan Tannehill may recover quickly enough to start against Houston.
That has remained the same, even as the two AFC South rivals gear up for their Week 16 encounter at Nissan Stadium.
Tannehill was listed on the injury report with an ankle injury, and was listed as a “non-participant” in Tuesday’s walkthrough.
According to linebacker Christian Kirksey, even though it appears it could be Willis’ time again, the Texans are getting ready for both scenarios.
“We know how they both play, so, we have to prepare as if they’re both going to be playing the game,” Kirksey said. “Obviously, they have two different styles, but really we have to look ourselves in the mirror and tighten up things in on our end. That’s what we’re focusing on right now.”
Willis wasn’t actually the one who did Houston in during their Week 8 encounter. The third-rounder from Liberty went 6-10 for 55 yards and an interception while adding five carries for 12 yards on the ground.
It was Derrick Henry with his 32 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns that strangled the Texans 17-10.
The Texans defense has done well to take playoff contenders such as the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs down to the wire in the past two weeks. Kirksey wants to see if the Texans can do the same with the Titans, frontrunners in the division with a 7-7 record.
Said Kirksey: “How can we play better ball for all four quarters, or five quarters if we go to overtime? It’s all about that. That’s been our main focus, is how can we get better. Right now, we’re trying to figure that out.”
The Texans split the season series with Tennessee last season as they earned a 22-13 win over the Titans in Week 11 at Nissan Stadium in a downpour.
LOOK: 4 Houston Texans recognized with off-field awards
4-houston-texans-off-field-awards | 2022-12-21T05:18:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | LB Christian Kirksey says Texans have to prepare for both Titans quarterbacks | https://sports.yahoo.com/lb-christian-kirksey-says-texans-034040594.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lb-christian-kirksey-says-texans-034040594.html?src=rss |
Derek Stingley is done. The rookie will not see the field for the rest of the 2022 season after being placed on injured reserve in Week 15 with a hamstring injury.
Stingley has not played a down for the Houston Texans since Week 10 when he left the 24-16 loss to the New York Giants. The hamstring injury was so bad Stingley was sitting in the press box the week after.
Nevertheless Stingley showed enough for coach Lovie Smith to like over his nine games played, all of which he started.
“We’ve liked everything about Derek Stingley when he has played,” Smith said. “Another one of our guys who came in behind a little bit with his injury. But now, those guys have a chance to really develop their bodies and get healthy.”
Stingley can still display his passion for the game and dedication to the team, which is what is taking place inside NRG Stadium, according to Smith.
Said Smith: “I know they’re into ball. Derek is all meetings, all the guys are getting as many mental reps as they can, which will only help them to see what it takes to win, and it takes an awful lot. How hard it is to win in this league. All these things to help them as they go forward.”
Stingley collected 43 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, five pass breakups, and an interception in his rookie campaign. | 2022-12-21T05:19:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans coach Lovie Smith says CB Derek Stingley is still in all the meetings | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-coach-lovie-smith-says-044848057.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-coach-lovie-smith-says-044848057.html?src=rss |
Texans coach Lovie Smith says RB Dameon Pierce ‘was everything we’d hoped for’
The rash of injuries that hit the Houston Texans offense cut short an exciting rookie campaign.
Running back Dameon Pierce had tallied 220 carries for 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns while catching 30 passes for 165 yards and a score through 13 games, all of which he started. The fourth-rounder from Florida brought big-play potential to the Texans’ offense that had been missing since at least 2020.
Coach Lovie Smith was impressed with the abbreviated season from Pierce.
“He had an outstanding year,” Smith said. “Let’s start with that. Anytime you are a rookie and you get playing time, is saying an awful lot.”
Pierce led all Texans running backs with 508 snaps on offense. His season was cut short with an ankle injury sustained in the fourth quarter of the 27-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.
Smith considers Pierce finishing in the top-10 in rushing yards entering Week 15 as a testament to the year he had and a peek at the future.
Said Smith: “To be one of the best running backs in football during that rookie year says even more. He was everything we’d hoped and wanted him to be. Just excited about his future.”
While Smith said they don’t decide starting jobs in the spring, the 64-year-old is doing so for 2023 even though the 2022 campaign has three games left.
“He’ll eventually get well and be back in the backfield for us, being our starting tailback,” said Smith. | 2022-12-21T05:19:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans coach Lovie Smith says RB Dameon Pierce ‘was everything we’d hoped for’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-coach-lovie-smith-says-045845778.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-coach-lovie-smith-says-045845778.html?src=rss |
Why Brock Purdy has surprised George Kittle since taking over as 49ers QB
Why Purdy has surprised Kittle since becoming 49ers' starter originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
When Brock Purdy took over as the 49ers' starting quarterback, there was uncertainty as to what the No. 262 and final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft would bring to the table.
The rookie signal-caller was thrust into action when Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13. Since then, Purdy has surprised many with his performance, including teammate George Kittle.
"I would say a total surprise," Kittle told Eli Manning and Peyton Manning during ESPN's "Manning Cast" on Monday. "I think when we first drafted him, I've seen him play a couple of times. I'll pay attention to things going on in Iowa, but since Day 1, he's been a professional."
Kittle explained how Purdy had prepared himself for when the 49ers needed him to step in under center since he joined the organization this past offseason.
"He throws balls throughout OTAs," Kittle said. "He's made plays in preseason, preseason games he stood [out]. And then the last 14 weeks has been going against the number one defense in the NFL [in practice].
"... When he first got in, we're all like, 'OK, he's prepared. He can do this.' And he's been behind Jimmy. He's been learning, but he's been playing at an unreal high level, making plays left and right. So it's just fun to see someone like that take advantage of this opportunity."
RELATED: Brock Purdy rib, oblique injuries in 'good spot' entering 49ers-Commanders
Purdy has made six appearances this season, with his last two coming as a starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks. The former Iowa State quarterback has a 66.7 completion percentage with six passing touchdowns, 678 passing yards and two interceptions.
The 22-year-old hopes to continue his excellent form when the 49ers face the Washington Commanders on Saturday at Levi's Stadium. | 2022-12-21T05:19:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Why Brock Purdy has surprised George Kittle since taking over as 49ers QB | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-brock-purdy-surprised-george-023803849.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-brock-purdy-surprised-george-023803849.html?src=rss |
Leonard Williams on Giants' playoff hopes, 'can see the parade' | Giants News Conference
Giants DL Leonard Williams discusses the team's mentality in the final weeks of the season with a playoff berth on the line. Williams has yet to play in a playoff game in his career and says he can already see the parade and how crazy it would be if the Giants won the Super Bowl. | 2022-12-21T06:54:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Leonard Williams on Giants' playoff hopes, 'can see the parade' | Giants News Conference | https://sports.yahoo.com/leonard-williams-giants-playoff-hopes-035408467.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/leonard-williams-giants-playoff-hopes-035408467.html?src=rss |
It also feels like a bad decision to former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger talked about it on his podcast Footballin’ and feels like it might be smart to shut down the team’s future franchise quarterback with two concussions rather than play him in three more meaningless games.
“I don’t ever give up. I don’t want to say ever ‘listen I’m done for the season’, but at some point, if you’re the franchise and you’re not gonna make it, you’re not going anywhere, it might be smart to shut him down,” Roethlisberger said. “If he’s your guy of the future, which obviously he is, maybe it’s smart to do that.”
Let us know in the comments if you want to see Pickett keep playing this year or not.
Firebirds fall in second game at Acrisure Arena as Tucson pulls out 3-2 win
The power play went cold on the Firebirds in this one, and Tucson took advantage to eke out a one-goal victory | 2022-12-21T06:54:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | Playing Kenny Pickett is a mistake and Ben Roethlisberger thinks so too | https://sports.yahoo.com/playing-kenny-pickett-mistake-ben-063052331.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/playing-kenny-pickett-mistake-ben-063052331.html?src=rss |
Kings' poor defense vs. Hornets leaves Mike Brown feeling 'disappointed'
Brown 'disappointed' in Kings' poor defense vs. Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Kings scored 119 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, and stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the charge with 37 and 28 points, respectively.
In Mike Brown’s eyes, that was more than enough to win. But Sacramento’s ultimate 125-119 loss at Golden 1 Center had little to do with its offense, and everything to do with the team’s defense.
“I’m disappointed in our weakside defense,'' Brown told reporters after the game. “It was not good at all tonight. There were countless times that guys were either late, or they were there, and they moved out the way and they didn’t want to take the hit or take the charge for the team.”
Brown was frustrated in a Kings defense that failed to protect the rim, as Sacramento was outscored 72-58 in the paint and 24-6 in second-chance points.
“So for me, it’s going to be a fun film session tomorrow, because we’ll see who did what on the back side,” Brown said. “We didn’t have anybody who could guard tonight. They were collapsing our defense, our weakside wasn’t there to help out.
“And then when we did have somebody come over and help out on a drive, we didn’t help the person going to help.”
In short, Brown said, the Kings’ defensive performance was “a recipe to get our behinds kicked.”
And it came against a Charlotte team that was on an eight-game losing streak before coming to Sacramento, though Brown knew the Hornets’ losing record (7-23 coming into Monday) didn’t indicate who they are as a team.
The Kings certainly know what it’s like to be a bad-record team that upsets a winning one. But in the middle of a season where their playoff hopes are very much alive, they were on the other side of that coin Monday night.
If the Kings want to end their 16-year postseason drought, they can’t be a good team that loses to the bad ones.
It starts and ends with a full-team effort on defense.
American Express (AXP) closed the most recent trading day at $145.01, moving -0.88% from the previous trading session. | 2022-12-21T07:16:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kings' poor defense vs. Hornets leaves Mike Brown feeling 'disappointed' | https://sports.yahoo.com/kings-poor-defense-vs-hornets-020311382.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kings-poor-defense-vs-hornets-020311382.html?src=rss |
The early signing period is upon us as the 2023 recruiting class puts pen to paper and makes their once-verbal commitments official. The Crimson Tide’s first national letter of intent signed is by four-star offensive lineman Olaus Alinen.
Alinen has been committed to Alabama since July of 2022 and has not wavered in his intent to play in Tuscaloosa.
He held offers from other prominent programs such as Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Miami. However, he was firm in wanting to be a member of the Crimson Tide and play under Nick Saban.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman is originally from Finland, but has been playing high school ball in Connecticut.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover early signing day and which prospect will be joining the Crimson Tide.
Antitrust experts and analysts say Kroger's proposed $25 billion acquisition of rival Albertsons may wind up getting decided in court. | 2022-12-21T07:20:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 4-star OL Olaus Alinen officially signs with Crimson Tide | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-ol-olaus-054619710.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-ol-olaus-054619710.html?src=rss |
Following the Buffalo Bills’ 32-29 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, here’s where the team sits in the AFC East and conference standings:
1-Buffalo Bills*
10-Jacksonville Jaguars
Carlos Correa's agreement with the Giants appears to be off and the All-Star shortstop reportedly has agreed to a deal with the Mets. | 2022-12-21T08:30:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | AFC standings: Conference, division remains Bills to lose after Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/afc-standings-conference-division-remains-065513482.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/afc-standings-conference-division-remains-065513482.html?src=rss |
For Christian Veilleux, he perhaps grew impatient, and for good reason. He made appearances in just five games, including three this past season, but never received meaningful reps. Because of that, he decided to enter the transfer portal and pursue greener pastures and in no time at all, it appears he found a fresh start.
Veilleux’s playing time this fall was limited to three appearances, completing 7 of 9 passes for 44 yards against Ohio, Auburn, and Maryland. Coach Franklin and the staff seemingly loved him but at the end of the day when you are a quarterback who was heavily recruited out of high school, especially out of Canada, you know those options should still exist.
The 2022-23 college wrestling season reached the unofficial halfway point on Tuesday night — and Iowa State and UNI both probably feel pretty good. | 2022-12-21T11:11:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Christian Veilleux stays in Pennsylvania, transfers to Pittsburgh | https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-veilleux-stays-pennsylvania-transfers-094810853.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/christian-veilleux-stays-pennsylvania-transfers-094810853.html?src=rss |
The big day is finally here! No, not the College Football Playoff, but a day where all schools focus on new blood.
Early signing day recently replaced the February national signing day as the premier recruiting event, as the majority of high school prospects sign their national letter of intent, officially making them members of their higher institution of choice.
For Michigan, all eyes will be on the higher-end commits like Enow Etta to ensure they end up in the class. There are a handful of players making their commitments, as well.
We’ll have updates below whenever Michigan football officially announces that they’ve received a player’s NLI, as well as a link to more information on each signed commitment. | 2022-12-21T11:11:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | Early Signing Day: 2023 Michigan football signee tracker | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-day-2023-michigan-110042829.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-day-2023-michigan-110042829.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears might not be the most daunting opponent on the Buffalo Bills’ remaining schedule. However, they are getting a good reinforcement back ahead of the two team’s Week 16 matchup.
The team announced that Herbert has been designated to return from injured reserve. That does not mean that Herbert will play as it only opens a 21-day window where he can practice with the team before a final decision has to be made…
But he’s going to.
According to Bears Wire, Chicago head coach said on Monday he expects Herbert to be active against the Bills (11-3).
A young team in rebuilding mode, the Bears (3-11) have mostly found successes with their ground attack in 2022.
Herbert, a second-year pro, missed four games due to a hip injury.
Prior to his injury, Herbert was the Bears’ most effective running back. In 10 games played, Herbert had 643 rushing yards, five total touchdowns (four rushing) and has averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
The Bills will certainly have to be prepped and ready to go for Herbert as they’ve been susceptible against the run on defense, at times, this year.
Carlos Correa removes Giants Twitter header after Mets contract report
Well, that didn't last long. | 2022-12-21T11:35:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bears designate Khalil Herbert to return from IR ahead of Bills matchup | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-designate-khalil-herbert-return-105518108.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-designate-khalil-herbert-return-105518108.html?src=rss |
There are just three games remaining in the 2022 NFL regular season, which means we’re getting closer to knowing the order of picks for the first 18 selections in the 2023 NFL draft.
The Denver Broncos’ original first-round pick now belongs to the Seattle Seahawks following the Russell Wilson trade. Right now, that pick is on pace to be third overall behind the Houston Texans (1-12-1) and Chicago Bears (3-11).
Denver does have a first-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers that was acquired through the Miami Dolphins in the Bradley Chubb trade.
The 49ers have won seven-straight games and right now their first-round pick is 26th overall, but that is subject to change depending on their results in the playoffs. A first-round exit could see their pick climb up to 19th overall, but no higher. A Super Bowl win would drop San Francisco’s pick to 32nd.
So if Broncos fans want the highest possible draft pick in 2023, they’ll have to root for the 49ers’ downfall the rest of this season. | 2022-12-21T11:35:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL draft order: Seahawks watch Broncos while Denver eyes 49ers | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-draft-order-seahawks-watch-110011947.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-draft-order-seahawks-watch-110011947.html?src=rss |
BOLLORÉ PRESS RELEASE December 21, 2022 SALE OF BOLLORÉ AFRICA LOGISTICS TO THE MSC GROUP Following Bolloré SE’s press releases of March 31st and December 1st, 2022, Bolloré SE announces the completion today of the sale to the MSC Group of 100% of Bolloré Africa Logistics, comprising all of the Bolloré Group transport and logistics activities in Africa, on the basis of a 5.7 billion euro enterprise value, net of minority interests. The sale price of the shares is 5.1 billion euros ; 600 million | 2022-12-21T11:36:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Vikings news roundup: Car crashes, comebacks, and power rankings | https://sports.yahoo.com/vikings-news-roundup-car-crashes-100554432.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/vikings-news-roundup-car-crashes-100554432.html?src=rss |
Nov 4, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
This was a few weeks ago, before the Knicks reeled off eight straight wins. Quentin Grimes was just starting to play significant minutes. His defense was there, but his shot wasn’t falling. In his first eight games as a rotation player, Grimes hit just 25 percent of his threes.
Some Knicks fans may have been worried about Grimes’ shooting at the time. There might have been a few people in the organization who were concerned about it.
You know who wasn’t worried? Tom Thibodeau.
“He shot 38 (percent) as a rookie, so we already know where that’s going. We see him shoot everyday,” Thibodeau said earlier this month.
A few weeks later, Thibodeau’s confidence in Grimes look prescient.
The second-year guard is shooting 50 percent from three in his last seven games, including a 4-for-8 night against Golden State on Tuesday.
Grimes’ shooting, defense – and overall health – are big factors in the Knicks’ eight-game winning streak.
Forty-eight players have logged at least 250 minutes since the start of New York’s winning streak. No player has a better plus/minus than Grimes (+112) in that span, per NBA.com.
If you go back a little further to when the Knicks re-inserted Grimes into the starting lineup, the numbers are just as impressive.
Grimes re-entered the starting lineup Nov. 21 vs OKC. Sixty-eight players have played 10 games in that span and averaged at least 30 minutes in those games. Grimes and Zion Williamson have the best net rating among that group (+9.1).
Again, none of this would surprise Thibodeau.
“Last year, he showed us how good he was defensively. So I think he’ll only get better and better as he gains more knowledge, becomes more familiar with each guy,” Thibodeau said earlier this month. “He studies and he’s just got a knack for it, he’s got a tenacity about him. He’s a big multiple effort guy. Great intensity all the time.”
Thibodeau loves intensity, so it’s no surprise that he loves Grimes. He was among the Knick decision-makers who were adamant in keeping Grimes out of the package New York sent to Atlanta for Cam Reddish last January.
No, Grimes wasn’t untouchable in the Knicks’ talks with Utah about Donovan Mitchell. New York didn’t want to give up both RJ Barrett and Grimes. But would they have given up Grimes in a package that returned Mitchell if they felt it was the right deal? Of course they would have.
Still, you can see now why Thibodeau and others place such a high value on Grimes.
He and a healthy Mitchell Robinson have been keys for the club’s defensive renaissance.
“He has great body position. He has great discipline,” Thibodeau said a few weeks ago of Grimes, who missed the first two months of the season due to a foot/heel ailment. “He knows how to challenge shots, and he flies around the whole time. He’s everywhere.”
He’s been everywhere for the Knicks during their current winning streak. And if Thibodeau has any say in it, Grimes will be everywhere for the Knicks for a long time to come.
Jalen Brunson on Knicks' 132-94 win over Warriors, how team continues to stay hungry | Knicks News Conference
Knicks Jalen Brunson likes what he saw from the team's dominating win over the Warriors but knows Golden State was down some key players. Brunson wants to continue to see the same hunger and drive from the team who he says isn't focusing on their current 8-game win streak. | 2022-12-21T12:29:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | Quentin Grimes is showing why Knicks think so highly of him | https://sports.yahoo.com/quentin-grimes-showing-why-knicks-062855305.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/quentin-grimes-showing-why-knicks-062855305.html?src=rss |
Why Eagles are confident if Minshew starts vs. Cowboys originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
This moment is why Gardner Minshew is on the team.
It’s why the Eagles didn’t trade him in the offseason, it’s why he gets reps during the week throughout the season and it’s why the Eagles invest so heavily in the backup quarterback situation in the first place.
So in the likely even that Jalen Hurts can’t play through a shoulder sprain on Saturday against the Cowboys, the Eagles will be confident going out there with Minshew as their starter.
Head coach Nick Sirianni said the Eagles will create two game plans this week; one for Hurts and one for Minshew. Maybe all this is in the name of competitive advantage but that’s the story the Eagles are sticking to for now.
But if Minshew is needed on Saturday, the Eagles will be confident in him, just like they were last year when he quarterbacked them to a crucial win against the New York Jets.
In that game last year against the Jets, Minshew completed 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns. His favorite target in that game was Dallas Goedert, who went off for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns.
After the Eagles’ activated Goedert to their 53-man roster on Tuesday, he’s is excited to return to the lineup no matter who the quarterback is on Saturday. But Goedert said he might remind Minshew this week about all their success together last year.
“He’s just a smart football player,” Goedert said. “He’s going to take what the defense gives him. Maybe the Cowboys will playing a little soft inside, worrying about DeVonta (Smith) and A.J. (Brown) and hopefully they forget about me so he can just dump it to me over the middle. That would be pretty nice.”
When asked about Minshew on Tuesday, plenty of his teammates brought up his football intelligence. That’s a really valuable trait for a backup quarterback to have. Minshew takes what’s there and doesn’t try to do too much. That shows in his career touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio of 41-12.
While Hurts was a non-participant because of injury to start the week, Minshew missed Tuesday’s walkthrough as he attended the funeral of his former college coach Mike Leach. But Minshew has been getting a lot of reps all season.
The Eagles make sure to get their backups plenty of work, which should help this week. In addition to scout team, the Eagles hold a developmental 7-on-7 at the end of each practice that really allowed Minshew catch up on the Eagles’ offense last season following his arrival after training camp.
But most of his practice reps this season have come on scout team and the guys catching passes from him on that unit have been really impressed by the 26-year-old veteran.
Rookie Britain Covey said Minshew is one of the smartest football players he’s ever been around.
“Here’s what I think about Gardner too: What he might lack in the measurables — he’s fast but he’s not the fastest, he’s got a good arm but not a cannon — he makes up for it with intelligence and getting the ball out extremely quickly,” Covey said. “He can get the ball out. He won’t get sacked because he’s always got the ball out in the right spot. I love playing with Gardner.”
Former college quarterback and Eagles practice squad receiver Greg Ward said Minshew’s intelligence shows up for him too. He sees it in Minshew’s checks, when he talks to the receivers after plays, the way he reads defenses, how he understands where soft zones are and where he expects his receivers to be.
And then Minshew has the ability to communicate all that to his teammates.
“I think he’s definitely ready,” Ward said. “He’s very smart, man, his anticipation, his touch on the ball. I think he’s a good quarterback and I think he’ll be good to go.”
The Eagles have also enjoyed everything that comes with Minshew, even off the football field. The force behind Minshew Mania has a unique personality that’s always on display.
There’s no question that Minshew is a character and the Eagles appreciate his quirky demeanor.
“Everything you see about him, that’s how he is,” Covey said. “Really good person and just a goofball.”
A pretty good player too. Minshew is one of the top backups in the NFL and might be better than a few starters across the league.
After Minshew’s impressive performance against the Jets last year, he approached Sirianni to find out if he had any chance to win the starting job from Hurts. Sirianni told him no and since then Hurts has turned into an MVP-level quarterback.
While Minshew obviously still has aspirations to be a starter in the NFL — and might get that chance to compete for a job next season somewhere else — he’s accepted his role as the backup. Knowing and attacking individual roles is something very important to Sirianni.
“I’ve noticed that he takes his role really seriously,” tight end Grant Calcaterra said. “He’s done such a good job on scout team. And even when he’s not getting reps in practice, he’s always locked in and knows his stuff. I know he’s going to do great if his number’s called this week.”
Of course, if Minshew is the starter, the offense will look different. Because he’s a different player than Hurts, who has a unique set of skills.
It’s up to Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to come up with a good plan for Minshew if he’s the guy on Saturday. As long as they do that, the Eagles will be confident going into a game that could clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
“We all have got reps with Gardner before,” Brown said. “If that’s the case, I think we’ll be fine.”
Jan. 6 Committee holds final public hearing
In its final public hearing, the House Select Committee made clear they believe the evidence they've revealed through their investigation shows former President Donald Trump was responsible for the events surrounding the deadly January 6th Capitol attack. | 2022-12-21T13:06:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles confident if Gardner Minshew starts vs. Cowboys | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-confident-gardner-minshew-starts-120000521.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-confident-gardner-minshew-starts-120000521.html?src=rss |
Dallas Goedert explains which game hurt the most to miss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
You thought he was going to play. I thought he was going to play. Everybody thought Dallas Goedert was going to play against the Bears.
Even Dallas Goedert.
“I knew that the MRI looked good,” he said Tuesday. “And then it was just left in the hands of the trainers and the coaches.
“Obviously, I wanted to be out there with the guys. That was probably the hardest game for me. You know, the first four were kind of checked off on the IR. I knew I couldn’t play. That fifth one was where I had my mind set on being back for.
"Watching that game was harder than the first four, but it all works out. I’ll be feeling good for Saturday.”
Goedert hasn’t played since Nov. 14, when he fractured the glenoid bone in his left shoulder during the loss to the Commanders at the Linc. After practicing last week, he was optimistic about returning last weekend, but instead he was inactive for a fifth straight week.
This week, there’s no doubt.
The Eagles already activated Goedert to the 53-man roster, he’s fully cleared and on Saturday in Dallas he’ll play for the first time in a month and a half.
“My thing is the combination of work I put in throughout the rehab,” he said. “I attacked that the best I could the last couple of weeks when I’ve been able to run, get my conditioning in, get back in the weight room. Just focusing on things that I looked at throughout the year that I can get better at.
“Talked to the strength staff, who were basically doing all my workouts and stuff. Just told them what I wanted to improve on, and how I can get better. I used this time (and) hopefully I can come back better than I was five weeks ago.”
Despite missing five games, Goedert still ranks 8th among all NFL tight ends with 544 receiving yards and 3rd among NFC tight ends, behind only T.J. Hockenson (730) and George Kittle (593).
Not only did the Eagles go 5-0 in Goedert’s absence, they ranked second in the NFL with both 33.0 points and 425 yards per game.
“For me, I was lucky my body handled it really well,” he said. “It healed up really good. It was interesting because (since) about a week after the (Washington) game, I haven’t had any pain or discomfort. Just a matter of just making sure everything (that) was wrong had healed back up.”
Although we know Goedert will be back this weekend, we can’t be sure who will be throwing him the ball.
Jalen Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder in the Bears game and while it seems unlikely he’d be able to play against the Cowboys, the Eagles won’t rule him out. Gardner Minshew gets the nod if Hurts can’t play.
“For me, I’ve got to make sure my body’s ready, my mind’s right, not having played in five weeks,” Goedert said. “So I just have to worry about myself. And whoever’s back there at quarterback, I’ve got to have full faith in.
"Jalen, he’s a special person, a special talent. He’s a rare breed. So if he hurt his shoulder during the game, he played well with it. Nagging him a little bit, and the fierce competitor that he is, he’s going to be on the field if he can be. So he’s going to attack rehab, and I expect him back as soon as possible.”
What about Minshew?
Goedert caught five passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in Minshew’s late-season start against the Jets at MetLife Stadium last year.
“Everybody’s got a lot of respect for Gardner,” Goedert said. “He came in here after he was in Jacksonville, you know, Minshew Mania. He kind of had that legend behind him. He came in here and didn’t disappoint.
“He’s been himself since the day he got in here. And he’s always been a little different in the best way possible, and I love that about him. He’s just got a lot of respect because he comes in here to work every day, prepares like the starter even though he knows he’s the backup.
"He knows his role, and he just waits for an opportunity like this, and we all have faith that he’s going to make the most of it.” | 2022-12-21T13:06:27Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles' Dallas Goedert explains which game hurt the most to miss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-dallas-goedert-explains-game-120000938.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-dallas-goedert-explains-game-120000938.html?src=rss |
Eagles impressed, not surprised by Hurts’ toughness originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It was pretty hard to tell Jalen Hurts was in pain.
Sure, Hurts was slow to get up after taking a huge shot late in the third quarter of Sunday’s 25-20 win in Chicago, but he got up.
And then he balled out.
After the hit that sprained his shoulder on Sunday, Hurts completed 7 of 10 passes for 110 yards, including that beautiful deep ball on a 68-yard catch-and-run to A.J. Brown. And he also ran 6 times for 9 yards and a touchdown.
“I didn’t even see the play,” his top receiver and best friend A.J. Brown said. “I just seen him get up like usual and get back to the huddle. I had no idea anything was bothering him, that he was fighting through something.”
We didn’t learn until Monday that Hurts suffered that shoulder sprain and that his status for Christmas Eve vs. the Cowboys is in doubt.
The only reason Jason Kelce knew about the injury was because Hurts mentioned something about it in passing on the sideline.
“He mentioned that his shoulder was bothering him,” Kelce said. “It was like a mention on the sideline. Stayed in there, though, so I didn’t really think much of it. Didn’t look like it affected him much either. I don’t think I really noticed much on the field from him.”
The fact that Hurts threw one of his best passes of the game after suffering that injury is pretty impressive. That 68-yard pass to Brown traveled about 40 yards through the air.
Not bad with an injured shoulder.
“Yeah, whenever you’re hurt and able to still play at a high level (it’s impressive),” Kelce said. “Shoulder is a pretty big deal for a quarterback. But that guy’s tough. He’s played through injuries before, played through things last year. So I don’t think it’s surprising.”
Hurts is a tough guy. We saw that last year when he finished the Week 12 game against the Giants with an ankle injury that forced him out the next week and eventually needed surgery in the offseason.
But there’s a difference playing through pain in a game and playing through an injury the following week.
“There’s a lot going on in the game,” Kelce said. “You’re already warmed up, you’re feeling good. I think certainly finishing the game is a good sign whenever you’re hurt is a good sign. The fact that you don’t have to come out is a good sign. There’s definitely adrenaline going in there … anti-inflammatories, there’s certainly things going on, on game day. Tuesday, little things that you didn’t know pop up. Usually Tuesday is the big day you start feeling pretty sore.”
Hurts on Tuesday said he’s played through plenty of injuries before. The difference this week is that everyone knows he’s dealing with a shoulder sprain.
It seems somewhat unlikely Hurts will be able to play on Saturday in Dallas, although the Eagles won’t rule out that possibility. If he can’t go, it’ll be Gardner Minshew getting the start.
Hurts’ recent injury has re-sparked a longstanding debate about his usage in the Eagles’ offense. Head coach Nick Sirianni explained that the zone-read — how Hurts was injured on Sunday — is a really important part of the Eagles’ offense. And they’re clearly not going to give that up.
But during the game in Chicago, Hurts was hit pretty hard several times before the blow that injured him.
It was tough for Brown to watch.
“I can’t try to change the way he play,” he said. “But as a receiver you don’t want to see your quarterback get hit. Sometimes I just wish he would slide but that’s just how he plays. And I can’t try to say he needs to do this, he needs to do that. It worked this long so it’s kind of like a freak accident.”
Sometimes players need to be protected from themselves. That’s what happened last season when Hurts said he would play against the Jets and then the Eagles held him out.
We might be heading toward a similar situation on Saturday in Dallas on a short week. But the Eagles aren’t ready to make that call yet … and Hurts’ toughness is one of the reasons why.
“He is one of the toughest guys I know and he heals fast,” Sirianni said. “He's a freak. His body is not like - pardon me - yours or mine. I'm shaming myself there a little bit, too. His body is not like ours. He heals fast. He came back fast from his injury last year, and I will not rule him out, will not put a timetable on him, and we'll see. We'll see what happens this week.”
Game Recap: 76ers 104, Raptors 101
The 76ers defeat the Raptors, 104-101, in overtime. Joel Embiid recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the 76ers, while Tobias Harris (21 points, four rebounds, five 3PM) and James Harden (14 points, seven rebounds, eight assists) added a combined 35 points in the victory. Pascal Siakam led all scorers with a season-high 38 points and 15 rebounds, along with six assists for the Raptors in a losing effort. The 76ers win their 5th consecutive game and improve to 17-12 on the season, while the Raptors fall to 13-18. | 2022-12-21T13:06:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles impressed but not surprised by Jalen Hurts’ toughness | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-impressed-not-surprised-jalen-120000310.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-impressed-not-surprised-jalen-120000310.html?src=rss |
With 22 seconds left in the game, the Raiders up 7-6, and the Steelers facing fourth-and-10 at their own 40-yard line, Terry Bradshaw threw over the middle to running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum hit Fuqua hard as the ball came in, and what seemed like a game-ending deflection happened.
Harris passed away just before his “Football Life” special on the NFL Network, which will be shown on Friday, December 23 — the 50th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception.” | 2022-12-21T13:06:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | Franco Harris, Steelers Hall of Fame running back, dies at 72 | https://sports.yahoo.com/franco-harris-steelers-hall-fame-125328672.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/franco-harris-steelers-hall-fame-125328672.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants hosted a trio of running backs for tryouts in East Rutherford on Tuesday, including former Los Angeles Ram Darrell Henderson.
The 25-year-old Henderson was a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft and spent his first three-plus years in Los Angeles. He was waived in late November before promptly being claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That stay was short-lived as the Jags waived Henderson just two and a half weeks later.
In 50 career games (28 starts), Henderson has rushed for 1,742 yards and 13 touchdowns with a 4.4 ypc average. He has also caught 66 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns.
In addition to Henderson, the Giants worked out running backs Abram Smith and Nate McCrary.
Smith is an undrafted rookie who currently plays for the DC Defenders of the XFL, while McCrary is a two-year journeyman with just a single NFL carry.
None of the three were immediately signed to a contract. Their workouts do not appear to be a reflection on the health of the Giants’ backs, none of whom appeared on Tuesday’s projected injury report. | 2022-12-21T13:06:46Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants work out Darrell Henderson, other running backs | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-darrell-henderson-other-running-115521781.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-darrell-henderson-other-running-115521781.html?src=rss |
Harris’ death comes just days before the 50th anniversary of the Steelers’ 50th anniversary celebration of the “Immaculate Reception.” Harris made one of the most iconic plays in NFL history on Dec. 23, 1972 against the Raiders when he swooped in and grabbed a pass from Terry Bradshaw intended for John Fuqua before it hit the ground.
After grabbing the ball, Harris ran it in for a game-winning touchdown with just seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Steelers won that divisional playoff game 13-7 before losing the AFC title game to the undefeated Miami Dolphins.
With the Raiders visiting Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the Steelers are having a ceremony to honor Harris’ play at halftime of the game. Harris’ iconic No. 32 is also set to be retired by the team.
Franco Harris made one of the most legendary plays in NFL history. (via the NFL)
Harris was a rookie in 1972
Harris’ legendary play immediately made him a member of Pittsburgh Steelers’ lore as a rookie. He rushed 188 times for 1,055 yards across 14 games in his first season with the team in 1972, though hardly anyone remembers those rushing yards or his 10 rushing touchdowns from that season.
Harris went on to rush for more than 1,000 yards in seven of his ensuing 11 seasons in Pittsburgh. He averaged 5.6 yards a carry as a rookie in 1972 and scored a league-leading 14 rushing touchdowns in 1976. After one season in Seattle after 12 years in Pittsburgh, Harris finished his career with 12,120 rushing yards and 91 TDs. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Before he was selected by the Steelers with the 13th pick in the 1972 NFL draft, Harris played collegiately at Penn State. Harris rushed for over 600 yards in each of his three seasons on the field for the Nittany Lions and scored 25 total touchdowns while pairing with Lydell Mitchell in the backfield.
Steelers emerged as a powerhouse in the 1970s
The Steelers went 11-3 in 1972 after drafting Harris 13th overall in the NFL draft. It was Pittsburgh’s first winning season since a 7-4-3 campaign in 1963 and the third straight year of improvement after the Steelers bottomed out at 1-13 in Chuck Noll’s first season as head coach in 1969.
That 11-3 season set the standard for what the Steelers became in the 1970s. After losing to that immortal Dolphins team in the AFC title game, the Steelers went 10-4 the following season before the Raiders got revenge in a 33-14 divisional playoff game a day shy of the first anniversary of Harris’ catch.
With Harris as a central figure of the Raiders’ rushing attack, the Steelers went on to win four of the next six Super Bowl titles. The Steelers beat the Vikings 16-6 to win Super Bowl IX in January of 1975 and then beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl X. Harris rushed 34 times for 158 yards in the win over the Vikings and had six rushing touchdowns in the playoffs that season.
After beating the Cowboys again in Super Bowl XIII, the Steelers then capped off their 1970s Super Bowl run with a 31-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Harris played in 19 postseason games with the Steelers and finished with 400 carries for 1,556 yards and 16 rushing TDs to go along with that one receiving TD against the Raiders. The Steelers were 14-5 in the playoffs when Harris was on the field.
Since that Super Bowl after the 1979 win, the Steelers have had just eight losing seasons and two more Super Bowl victories. The Steelers enter Saturday’s game at 6-8 and must win out to avoid their first losing season under coach Mike Tomlin.
In a wild twist overnight, Carlos Correa has agreed to sign with the New York Mets hours after his pending deal with the San Francisco Giants fell apart, according to media reports. The New York Post, citing anonymous sources, was first to report early Wednesday that the prized free agent agreed to a $315 million, 12-year contract with the big-spending Mets, subject to a medical evaluation — which became an issue with the Giants. ESPN also reported the terms of Correa's agreement with New York, citing an anonymous source. | 2022-12-21T13:07:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Legendary Steelers RB Franco Harris dies at 72 | https://sports.yahoo.com/legendary-steelers-rb-franco-harris-dies-at-72-123247304.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/legendary-steelers-rb-franco-harris-dies-at-72-123247304.html?src=rss |
All season the NFC East has shone brightly above the other seven divisions.
Until Week 15. Last Sunday, the Giants and Commanders played a hard-fought, competitive game. However each team further revealed they are limited offensively, they are going to battle for a playoff spot, but both teams look like they will be overmatched in a playoff game.
The Eagles won a battle defeating the Bears in Chicago, but might they have lost the war to come later in the playoffs with quarterback Jalen Hurts injuring his shoulder?
Dallas is fighting the Eagles for the NFC East title and managed to somehow lose to the Jaguars in overtime?
The Eagles now travel to face the Cowboys on Christmas Eve at AT&T stadium, and it looks like Hurts will not start for the Eagles Saturday. X-Rays were negative on the Hurts shoulder, but it cannot be overlooked; this is his throwing shoulder.
Suddenly, the Eagles may be led by Gardner Minshew in the next few weeks. How significant of a drop-off will occur in the Eagles’ offense? If the Eagles win one of their final three games, they will be the NFC overall top seed in the playoffs.
Dallas’ Micah Parsons last week was talking down Hurts, and the Dallas defense Sunday revealed they indeed were thinking about the Eagles and not entirely prepared for the Jaguars. Consequently, the Cowboys blew a 17-point lead, and Dak Prescott threw two huge picks, and the game was lost to the Jags.
Dallas has been the most impressive team in the NFL, crushing the Vikings in Minnesota. But the other side of the coin is just as true: Prescott since returning from his injury has the most interceptions in the NFL (10). Additionally, he has the most interceptions in the last four weeks (7).
Suddenly, has the NFC East fallen back to the rest of the pack? | 2022-12-21T13:07:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFC East unimpressive in Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfc-east-unimpressive-week-15-120018953.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfc-east-unimpressive-week-15-120018953.html?src=rss |
Looking for a way to spice up your treadmill workout this week? This session comes from coach Katie Malone, the owner of Malone Coaching based in Landrum, S.C. "The great part about this workout is you can shorten or lengthen the distances to fit any level athlete, and still keep the workout right in the one-hour range," Malone says. After a short warm-up, you’ll run five miles in total, alternating between two minutes at a hard effort (the “on” portion of the workout) and two minutes at an easy effort (the “off”).
Matt Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Open in June but was left off the shortlist for BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award. | 2022-12-21T14:01:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Golf legend Gary Player sues son, grandson over memorabilia dispute with 'great' reluctance | https://sports.yahoo.com/golf-legend-gary-player-sues-100318297.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/golf-legend-gary-player-sues-100318297.html?src=rss |
While the Miami Dolphins opted to sign offensive lineman Lester Cotton to their practice squad, replacing Lamont Gaillard, he wasn’t the only player they worked out on Tuesday.
Miami also hosted offensive tackle Derek Kerstetter and center Jon Toth for tryouts.
Toth, 28, was originally undrafted in 2017 out of Kentucky. He’s bounced around from the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Washington Football Team/Commanders during his six-year career, appearing in six games. Toth is currently rostered by the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL after playing for the DC Defenders back in 2020.
Kerstetter, 24, signed with the Buffalo Bills after going undrafted this year out of Texas. He played started in 49 of his 58 games played at Texas earning All-Big 12 second-team honors in 2021.
The practice squad may be full now, but that’s not to say that one of these guys couldn’t find their way to Miami if an injury were to occur. | 2022-12-21T14:39:51Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dolphins worked out two other OL before signing Lester Cotton to practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-worked-two-other-ol-130013750.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-worked-two-other-ol-130013750.html?src=rss |
Every quarterback is a system quarterback.
No matter how you want to divide the performance of a quarterback in and around the system he’s in, and the players around him, no quarterback just goes out there and throws the ball around with no thought to all of those things. Ask Tom Brady, who has seen dips in performance when the Buccaneers go away from play-action and pre-snap motion over the last three seasons, about that.
When we say “system quarterback,” however, we generally use it in a pejorative sense, and it means that the quarterback in question relies too much on those schemes and the players around him to succeed. That quarterback is not “elite,” because he couldn’t be as successful in another situation, and another quarterback would be just about as successful in that same environment.
This is now what Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts faces. Despite a season in which he’s completed 67.3% of his passes for 8.2 yards per attempt, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions, Hurts has been lumped into the “system quarterback” bin by a lot of people.
Hurts does benefit from the NFL’s best offensive line, and the addition via trade of former Tennessee Titans receiver A.J. Brown has been franchise-altering. But when you look at how Hurts has taken command of the Eagles’ offense, both as a thrower and as a runner, the idea that he’s a system guy who can’t transcend anything is a bit ridiculous.
Unfortunately, the Eagles may be about to find out how well they fare without the 2022 version of their franchise quarterback. Hurts suffered a sprained throwing shoulder in Philadelphia’s 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears last Sunday, and that might mean Gardner Minshew starting for the team in its crucial game against the Dallas Cowboys this Saturday.
“He is one of the toughest guys I know, and he heals fast,” head coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday of Hurts’ recovery timeline. “He’s a freak. His body is not like – pardon me – yours or mine. I’m shaming myself there a little bit, too. His body is not like ours. He heals fast. He came back fast from his injury last year, and I will not rule him out, will not put a timetable on him, and we’ll see. We’ll see what happens this week.”
It’s clear that his own head coach thinks of Hurts as more than a replaceable cog, and he’s absolutely right. But if you don’t think that Hurts is a legitimate MVP candidate above and beyond what’s around him, the tape tells a very different story.
Continuity makes a difference.
Through his time at Alabama and Oklahoma from 2016-2019, and with the Eagles since 2020, this is the first time since his high school days that Hurts has had the same play-caller two seasons in a row.
“For whatever reason, since I was in college, freshman at Alabama, every year I’ve had a different play caller,” Hurts said in January. “Every year I’ve had all these different changes. I’ve had so much I’ve had to adjust to.
“To have some consistency coming into next year and having coach Sirianni back, having that will do us a huge benefit in every aspect of our game and do us a huge benefit as a football team.”
It’s working very well, and everybody is taking notice.
“I think you see that a lot in his reads, because that’s where it’s going to show up the most because you’re running similar plays that he’s been running for two years,” Sirianni said on December 14, when asked about that new continuity. “He’s seeing different defenses. He’s going to different places with the football based off of what the defense is doing. One of my favorite plays that he made in the game [against the Giants in Week 14] was a four-yard gain to [WR] Zach Pascal. Well, why? Why would that be your favorite play? Because it was designed to go one place with the ball. We actually got the coverage we thought we were going to get, and it didn’t go there because it was just a little cloudy over there. So he, hey, oh, man, they’re probably in the coverage that we thought we were going to play on this one; I’m going to deliver a ball there, eh, looks cloudy, ball to Zach Pascal for a four-yard gain. That’s a sweet play.
Another reason Sirianni probably liked this play is that it was a conversion on second-and-1. The Giants were playing Cover-6 (Cover-2 to the boundary and Cover-4 to the field), and as there was 9″40 left in the first quarter, Hurts didn’t have to press for the completion. The idea here was to take the profit, and that’s what he did.
On December 13, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen pointed to another throw against the Giants which turned his head.
“It was just a great throw by him,” Steichen first said of the Watkins out route. “And then the other one that I thought was awesome was that first third down of the game, the drive to [WR] DeVonta [Smith], the quick out. He threw that ball with such great anticipation and accuracy. The guy was right on his back hip, and he let that thing go before DeVonta broke out, and it hit him right there. That was a huge play in the game.”
It was, and it was also an impressive throw. The Eagles had third-and-6 from the New York 38-yard line with 8:08 left in the first half. The Giants were playing Cover-1, and sending a five-man pressure because Wink Martindale is Wink Martindale. The guy Steichen referred to who was right on Smith’s back hip was cornerback Fabian Moreau, and Hurts zinged the ball to where his receiver could get it, and the defender could not.
Offensive continuity has turned Hurts into the type of quarterback that coaches and teammates can’t stop raving about. System quarterbacks generally don’t get that action.
Creating big plays outside the system.
If we’re going to posit that Hurts isn’t a system quarterback, we’ll need to show examples of his ability to create big-time plays as a thrower and as a runner outside of the structure of the offense. Fortunately, Hurts has a lot of work to help us prove our case.
We’ll start with this 21-yard completion to DeVonta Smith against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Eagles had third-and-3 at their own 39-yard line with 7:47 left in the first quarter, and Hurts was facing a compressed pocket from the Bears’ four-man rush and double stunts. So, he rolled to his left, which gave Smith the go-ahead to employ scramble rules. Smith did this by turning cornerback Jaylon Jones inside out on his way to the boundary, but the star of this play was Hurts. When you can square your shoulders to the target on the run, against your own momentum, and feather a perfect timing pass downfield into a tight window… well, this isn’t how the Eagles drew it up. This is what Hurts did on his own.
For all the legitimate talk about Philadelphia’s offensive line this season, Hurts had been pressured on 30.2% of his dropbacks this season, and when pressured, he’s completed 45 of 99 passes for 555 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 72.6. Against five or more pass-rushers this season, Hurts had completed 75 of 124 passes for 890 yards, seven touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 97.8.
So, we are not dealing with a quarterback who’s utterly reliant on excellent protection to succeed. In addition, there’s what Hurts does as a runner — both on designed runs and scrambles — that makes him even more of a system-transcendent cheat code.
Winning as a runner.
(Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports)
Hurts’ abilities as a runner allow Sirianni and Steichen to tie the run game and the passing game together in some interesting and novel ways. The Eagles are by far the NFL’s most effective team when running out of passing personnel, and this is particularly true when they’re lined up in 11 personnel — one running back, one tight end, and three receivers. They have 279 rushing attempts out of 11 personnel this season for a league-high 1.511 yards, 5.7 yards per carry, and a league-high 16 touchdowns. Hurts has 94 of those carries for 529 yards, 5.6 yards per carry, and a league-high eight touchdowns.
Against the Green Bay Packers in Week 12, Hurts ran 15 times out of 11 for 116 yards, which made him the NFL’s most productive runner out of 11 that week, regardless of position. I would count just four of those runs as quarterback scrambles; the Eagles have a nice package of designed run concepts for their young quarterback.
On this 28-yard Hurts run with 12:09 left in the first quarter, and the Eagles with third-and-6 at the Green Bay 34-yard line, Philly tricky with its pre-snap look. It was a 2×2 set with running back Kenneth Gainwell motioning from the backfield to the flat, and the Packers showing Cover-1 (single-high man) with their response. Gainwell’s motion took Barnes out of the middle of the formation, and against a light box, Hurts knew what was up.
“You’ll see it when we watch it again,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said after the game. “We had two guys in the same gap. Safety is supposed to be in the other gap. We should have had that. That’s unfortunate that that happened.”
They should have had that, but it also shows how Hurts can burn you if you make but one mistake.
Gaining the trust of the team.
Hurts’ third-down throw to De’Vonta Smith against the Bears might have been his best throw of the season. He followed that up on the very nest play with what might been his worst throw of the season — this howler to cornerback Kyler Gordon in which Hurts failed to account for Gordon dropping in coverage.
The interesting part of that play was what Sirianni said about it after the game.
“He controls what he can control. He can’t control a bad play earlier. He moves on to the next play. It’s no surprise. That’s who this guy is. And we’ve seen that over and over again. I’ve mentioned it a thousand times… he has a stone-faced look on his face, and he makes a bad play and he still has that same look it. It doesn’t matter. Like he continues to put himself in the moment and learn from the past and try to repeat the good things and get better from the things he messed up. But he’s completely in the moment, and I think that’s what great players do.”
That’s a coach speaking about a franchise quarterback, not a system quarterback.
“You just never want to waver,” Hurts said of that play, and about when things go wrong in general. “You never want to waver. And I always say, never try and get too high, never get too low. Just try and stay the same. You want to find your way in all of these different moments because they are all teachable moments and they all form what’s to come. So I think I’ll never have a doubt in the outcome of what we want.
“I know what we work for, and I never have a doubt in that. And I want those guys to look me in the eye and know there’s not a doubt; know that with the preparation that we put in together that we’ll find a way. I want them to have that trust in me.
“You look at A.J. Brown stepping up and making big-time plays down the field, Smitty. Everybody showed up — everybody showed up when it was needed. And that’s what the great players and great teams do, and I commend this whole entire team for staying together through everything that we endured today, being able to persevere through it.”
If that’s a system quarterback, there are a lot of other NFL teams who would love to have the Jalen Hurts version. | 2022-12-21T14:40:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jalen Hurts is the system, and the system is Jalen Hurts | https://sports.yahoo.com/jalen-hurts-system-system-jalen-142148098.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jalen-hurts-system-system-jalen-142148098.html?src=rss |
Raiders WR Davante Adams ranked as the No. 3 receiver in NFL by NGS
Davante Adams is having a monster season in his first year with the Raiders. He leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with 12 and he’s totaled nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage. But how does that compare to the other top receivers in the league?
In a recent article by NFL.com and their Next Gen Stats team, they ranked the top ten receivers of the 2022 season. Not surprisingly, Adams made the list. He came in at No. 3, just behind Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill.
Here is what the site had to say about the two-time All-Pro receiver in his first season with the Raiders:
“Speaking of top-end receivers who switched teams in the offseason, Adams presents another great case study in positional value. The Packers’ offense has faltered for most of the season without Adams to create explosive plays. Meanwhile, the veteran wideout has scored a league-high eight touchdowns on deep targets for his new team, two more than any other player. Again, Adams’ impact is felt beyond just the box score.
The Raiders have faced Cover 6 at an outlier rate this season (17 percent, the only team over 13 percent), as defenses “cloud” Adams’ side of the field, drawing a safety farther away from the ball. This makes fitting the run more difficult for defenses, helping Josh Jacobs run away with the rushing title (so far) this season.”
Adams has been exactly what the Raiders had hoped for and more this season when the team traded their top two picks before the NFL Draft. He already has seven games of 100 or more receiving yards and he’s scored multiple touchdowns in four different games.
Adams is one of the best receivers in the league and he should get some All-Pro consideration again this season. | 2022-12-21T14:41:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Raiders WR Davante Adams ranked as the No. 3 receiver in NFL by NGS | https://sports.yahoo.com/raiders-wr-davante-adams-ranked-141400323.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/raiders-wr-davante-adams-ranked-141400323.html?src=rss |
PITTSBURGH (AP) Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored ''The Immaculate Reception,'' considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. He was 72.
''We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet,'' Pro Football of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement. ''Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways.''
''That play really represents our teams of the '70s,'' Harris said after the ''Immaculate Reception'' was voted the greatest play in NFL history during the league's 100th anniversary season in 2020.
''When (Noll) drafted Franco Harris, he gave the offense heart, he gave it discipline, he gave it desire, he gave it the ability to win a championship in Pittsburgh,'' Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann said of his frequent roommate on team road trips.
The city's large Italian-American population embraced Harris immediately, led by two local businessmen who founded what became known as ''Franco's Italian Army,'' a nod to Harris' roots as the son of an African-American father and an Italian mother.
The ''Immaculate Reception'' made Harris a star, though he typically preferred to let his play and not his mouth do the talking. On a team that featured big personalities in Bradshaw, defensive tackle Joe Greene, linebacker Jack Lambert among others, the intensely quiet Harris spent 12 seasons as the engine that helped Pittsburgh's offense go.
''You see, during that era, each player brought their own little piece with them to make that wonderful decade happen,'' Harris said during his Hall of Fame speech in 1990. ''Each player had their strengths and weaknesses, each their own thinking, each their own method, just each, each had their own. But then it was amazing, it all came together, and it stayed together to forge the greatest team of all times.''
Harris also made it a habit to stick up for his teammates. When Bradshaw took what Harris felt was an illegal late hit from Dallas linebacker Thomas ''Hollywood'' Henderson in the second half of their meeting in the 1978 Super Bowl, Harris basically demanded Bradshaw give him the ball on the next play. All Harris did was sprint up the middle 22 yards - right by Henderson - for a touchdown that gave the Steelers an 11-point lead they would not relinquish on their way to their third championship in six years.
Despite all of his success, his time in Pittsburgh ended acrimoniously when the Steelers cut him after he held out during training camp before the 1984 season. Noll, who leaned on Harris so heavily for so long, famously answered ''Franco who?'' when asked about Harris' absence from the team's camp at Saint Vincent College.
''I don't even think about that (anymore),'' Harris said in 2006. ''I'm still black and gold.''
Harris remained in Pittsburgh following his retirement, opening a bakery and becoming heavily involved in several charities, including serving as the chairman of ''Pittsburgh Promise,'' which provides college scholarship opportunities for Pittsburgh Public School students.
Reflecting on Harris' legacy on Tuesday, before Harris' passing, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin called it ''an honor to be in proximity to it, to know the man involved.''
Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer in overtime that put Philadelphia ahead to stay, and Joel Embiid had 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists as the 76ers extended their winning streak to a season-best five games with a 104-101 win over the struggling Toronto Raptors on Monday night. “He’s a star in his role,” Embiid said of Harris’ performance. Harris put the Sixers ahead with 2:12 left in OT and finished with 21 points, making five of his seven 3-point attempts.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) The Baltimore Ravens put Devin Duvernay on injured reserve Tuesday in another blow to their increasingly maligned wide receiver group. Duvernay was limited in practice by a foot injury, and the team announced a short time later that he was going on IR. The Ravens claimed veteran receiver Sammy Watkins off waivers. | 2022-12-21T14:41:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris dies at 72 | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-hall-fame-running-back-115406993.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-hall-fame-running-back-115406993.html?src=rss |
This has been a whirlwind week for Michigan State football, as the Spartans have added a flurry of commitments from 2023 recruits and transfers over the past week. Last night, they received a commitment from 3-star wide receiver Jaelen Smith, and this morning, he signed his national letter of intent during the early signing period, presumably locking in that commitment.
Smith is the No. 73 ranked wide receiver by 247Sports, but many are saying that his film looks much better than his ranking. | 2022-12-21T15:23:51Z | sports.yahoo.com | 3-star wide receiver Jaelen Smith signs NLI with Michigan State football | https://sports.yahoo.com/3-star-wide-receiver-jaelen-150209766.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/3-star-wide-receiver-jaelen-150209766.html?src=rss |
4-safety Daeh McCullough signs with the Oklahoma Sooners
After the season ended, the Sooners turned their attention to the transfer portal and the recruiting trail. In the McCullough brothers, the Sooners found two highly-regarded players. Dasan from the Indiana Hoosiers via the transfer portal and younger brother Daeh as a flip from the Cincinnati Bearcats.
With Luke Fickell taking the Wisconsin job, the door opened for the Sooners to add the athletic Daeh, a four-star safety in the 2023 cycle to their recruiting class.
Daeh McCullough committed to the Sooners just over a week ago and will be a force in the Sooners’ secondary of the future. McCullough is the No. 4 player in the state of Indiana and the No. 37 safety in the class. He held offers from across the country, including Cincinnati, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Penn State, and Oklahoma State. | 2022-12-21T15:24:04Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-safety Daeh McCullough signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-safety-daeh-mccullough-signs-143218216.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-safety-daeh-mccullough-signs-143218216.html?src=rss |
4-star CB Chris Peal signs with Georgia
4-star cornerback Chris Peal committed to UGA back in October. He committed to Georgia over Michigan, NC State, and South Carolina.
On Wednesday, he officially became a Georgia Bulldog when he sent his National Letter of Intent on the first day of the early signing period.
Georgia football and defensive backs coach Fran Brown offered Peal a scholarship on Feb. 25, 2022.
Peal plays high school football for Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Peal plays alongside several other elite recruits at Providence Day.
He ranks as the nation’s No. 198 overall recruit and the No. 24 ranked cornerback in his class. | 2022-12-21T15:24:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star CB Chris Peal signs with Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-cb-chris-peal-150502128.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-cb-chris-peal-150502128.html?src=rss |
4-star cornerback Daniel Harris originally committed to Georgia back in July, choosing UGA over Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.
In November, Harris de-committed from the Bulldogs and reopened his recruitment. Penn State would emerge as a contender for Harris, but on Wednesday, the Miami native decided to re-commit to Georgia and send in his National Letter of Intent.
He announced his commitment to Georgia on Wednesday morning, and also stated in a separate tweet that he will not be enrolling early.
Harris ranks as the nation’s No. 153 overall player and No. 17 ranked cornerback in the class of 2023. He played his high school football at Gulliver Prep in Miami.
As a defensive back, Harris does a good job of reading the quarterback. He pins receivers to the sideline and uses his length well in coverage. Harris is a willing run defender, but could improve upon his tackling form before playing at the highest level of college football. | 2022-12-21T15:24:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star CB Daniel Harris recommits, signs with Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-cb-daniel-harris-144736540.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-cb-daniel-harris-144736540.html?src=rss |
4-Star DL Derrick LeBlanc signs with the Oklahoma Sooners
Another big pass rusher has officially signed with the Oklahoma Sooners. This time, another young man from the state of Florida put pen to paper. Four-star defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc from Kissimmee is joining the Sooners in 2023. LeBlanc has been committed to Oklahoma since late July.
He’ll need to add a bit of weight to his 6-foot-4, 270-pound frame, but he’s got the get-off to be an explosive interior defensive lineman for Brent Venables’ defense.
According to MaxPreps, LeBlanc had 11 sacks in 11 games during his senior season at Osceola High School. He had 28 sacks in 42 games in his high school career.
This is a big win for the Oklahoma Sooners. Todd Bates had some stiff competition during LeBlanc’s recruitment. He had offers from Florida, Penn State, and Alabama.
#OUDNA | #CHO23N pic.twitter.com/L9sTYmT06P
LeBlanc’s signing echoes a theme that is present throughout this recruiting class for the Sooners. OU went into SEC territory and went head-to-head for blue chip prospects. The entered recruiting battles with the big boys in the SEC and won their fair share. | 2022-12-21T15:24:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-Star DL Derrick LeBlanc signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-dl-derrick-leblanc-143341395.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-dl-derrick-leblanc-143341395.html?src=rss |
4-star LB Troy Bowles signs with Georgia
On Wednesday, 4-star linebacker Troy Bowles signed his national letter of intent to play with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Bowles (Tampa, FL) committed to UGA in July, choosing Georgia over Oklahoma and Ohio State.
He is ranked as a four-star recruit and is one of the best linebackers in the class of 2023. Bowles, who is the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, is ranked as the No. 51 recruit in the country and No. 5 ranked linebacker.
At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, 247Sports describes him as “one of the more complete three-down linebacker prospects to come out of Florida recently given his ability to not only take on blocks and blitz, but also cover tight ends and running backs.” | 2022-12-21T15:24:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star LB Troy Bowles signs with Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-lb-troy-bowles-143821647.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-lb-troy-bowles-143821647.html?src=rss |
Four-star offensive lineman Clay Wedin became the first signee of the Hugh Freeze era when he sent in his national letter of intent Wednesday morning.
The Tampa, Florida native is ranked as the No. 28 interior offensive lineman and No. 412 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rating.
Wedin was originally committed to Michigan State before backing off his pledge and flipping to Auburn on Oct. 14, when interim head coach Cadillac Williams was still in charge of Auburn. Checking in at 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds he projects as a guard once he arrives on the Plains.
He is expected to enroll in January and will need time to build up his technique and strength before he sees the field for Auburn. | 2022-12-21T15:24:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star offenive lineman Clay Wedin signs with Auburn | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-offenive-lineman-clay-143528351.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-offenive-lineman-clay-143528351.html?src=rss |
Before the Oklahoma Sooners exploded into the top ten of the recruiting rankings, they were sitting much lower, with only a few commits to their name for the 2023 recruiting cycle. Keyon Brown, a wide receiver from Tallahassee, Fla., was one of those commits.
After being committed since Jun. 5, the four-star wide receiver put pen to paper, officially becoming an Oklahoma Sooner. Brown also had offers from Auburn, Alabama and Florida State.
Brown is yet another OU signee that ran track in high school. He ran the 4×100. He brings a good amount of size, clocking in at 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds.
During his final season at James Rickards High School, Brown caught six touchdown passes and also had a kickoff return touchdown. The 247Sports composite has Brown as the No. 48 wide receiver and the No. 65 player from the state of Florida. | 2022-12-21T15:25:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star wide receiver Keyon Brown signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-wide-receiver-keyon-144537924.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-wide-receiver-keyon-144537924.html?src=rss |
The Georgia Bulldogs added some serious speed to its 20223 recruiting class when four-star wide receiver Anthony Evans signed with UGA on Wednesday.
Evans committed to Georgia in November, flipping his commitment from Oklahoma after a visit to Athens.
Evans plays high school football for Judson High School in Converse, Texas. Evans first committed to Arkansas in April 2022.
Evans ranks as the nation’s No. 223 overall prospect and No. 28 wide receiver in the class of 2023, per 247Sports. He is considered the No. 41 recruit in Texas.
At 5-foot-11, and 165-pounds, he also competes in track and field for Judson High School, where he ran a personal-best 10.27 second 100-meter dash in the spring of 2022. Evans took a visit to the University of Georgia for the Tennessee game.
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann discussed the health of his team and, yes, those final seconds of regulation against UNC on his weekly radio show. | 2022-12-21T15:25:14Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star WR Anthony Evans signs with Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-wr-anthony-evans-142525711.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-wr-anthony-evans-142525711.html?src=rss |
#115 CB
Youngstown (Ohio) Chaney
Teammate with fellow commit Jason Hewlett. Was originally committed to Toledo.
• Helped the Cowboys reach a 10-2 record his senior year in 2022 including a playoff appearance, the school’s first 10-win season in more than 20 years
• Part of a 4-5 team during his junior season (2021)
• Also lettered in basketball with the Cowboys and helped the team win a district title as an All-SVC performer
• Totaled 47 tackles as a senior with seven tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception
• A two-way player at wide receiver who also amassed 215 receiving yards with a pair of touchdown catches in 2022
• In six games as a junior, recorded 29 tackles, including four tackles for loss with three sacks and one interception; also caught 20 passes for 322 yards with five touchdowns
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of three stars; the No. 1,239 overall player nationally, the No. 115 cornerback, and the No. 37 player in the state of Ohio
• Named a three-star prospect by 247Sports; the No. 67 cornerback in the nation, and the No. 21 player in the state of Ohio
• Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, the No. 102 player in the region, the No. 70 safety and the No. 33 player in the state of Ohio
• Rivals.com three-star prospect, the No. 35 athlete in the nation and the No. 20 player in Ohio
• On3.com three-star consensus prospect, the No. 688 player nationally, the No. 63-ranked safety and the No. 23 player in the state of Ohio
• On3.com three-star prospect, the No. 95 safety in the nation and the No. 28 player in Ohio
• First-team all-state defense, Division III OPSWA All-Ohio
• D’Juan (DJ) Waller was born May 24, 2004
• Son of D’Juan Waller Sr.
• High school teammate of Wolverine linebacker Jason Hewlett
A month after being denied a federal grant to reopen Palisades Nuclear Plant, owner Holtec International announced its intention to reapply.
BREAKING: Ducks flip 4-star QB Austin Novasad from Baylor Bears | 2022-12-21T15:25:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Early Signing Day: D’Juan Waller signs with Michigan football | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-day-d-juan-142536544.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-day-d-juan-142536544.html?src=rss |
#38 IOL
Cumming (Ga.) South Forsyth
6-foot-3.5
Already has prototypical size, but outside of special teams, due to the loaded position group, isn’t likely to be a key contributor for some time.
• Attended South Forsyth High School (2023) coached by Troy Morris
• Voted a team captain his senior year
• The War Eagles posted a 6-5 record and reached the playoffs in his senior season
• Helped South Forsyth reach the Region 6 Class 7A state championship with an 8-3 record his junior season
• Part of a 5-4 playoff season as a sophomore
• Also lettered in track and field for the War Eagles
• Helped the offense average 23 points per game his senior year in 2022 and nearly 27 points per game in wins
• Part of an offense that posted more than 28 points per game his junior year including more than 36 points per game in wins
• Also played along the interior defensive line, where he was a disruptive force making tackles in the backfield with four TFLs, two sacks, and a forced fumble his senior year
• As a junior, posted 20 solo tackles with seven tackles for loss including three sacks
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of three stars; the No. 464 overall player nationally, the No.33 interior offensive lineman and the No. 45 prospect in the state of Georgia
• Named a three-star prospect by 247Sports; the No. 97 interior offensive lineman and the No. 120 player in the state of Georgia
• Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, the No. 259 player in the region, the No. 32 guard and the No. 56 player in the state of Georgia
• Rivals.com three-star prospect, the No. 35 guard in the nation and the No. 81 player in Georgia
• On3.com three-star consensus prospect, the No. 612 player in the country, the No. 54 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 59 player in Georgia
• On3.com three-star prospect, the No. 123 player in the country, the No. 10 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 10 player in Georgia
• RecruitGeorgia Honorable Mention All-State as a junior (2021)
• Two-time Region 6-7A All-Region (first team) his junior and senior years (2021-22)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-Metro honoree (2021)
• Nathan Efobi was born May 6, 2005
• Son of Ifeoma and Chinenye Efobi
Athletic, powerful two-way lineman who projects on the offensive interior long-term. Measured at 6-foot-3.5, 285 pounds with a 6-foot-9 wing-span prior to his junior season. Lines up at both offensive tackle spots for his high school. Strong at the point of attack, using his considerable upper body strength to stun and quickly neutralize opposing defensive linemen. Does a nice job getting low as a run blocker. Works to finish blocks. Needs to continue working on his hand placement and technique. Moves well at the second level. Also flashes his athletic ability and movement skills as a defensive lineman. Shows high-end movement skills on that side of the ball, chasing down plays in pursuit. Looks like a nimble, explosive athlete. Doubles as a top thrower in the shot put, finishing 4th in the state meet with a throw of 52-8.75 feet. Also younger for the class, not turning 18 until May of his senior year. Should tap into his upside once focusing on the offensive line at the college level. | 2022-12-21T15:25:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Early Signing Day: Nathan Efobi signs with Michigan football | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-day-nathan-efobi-150546028.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-day-nathan-efobi-150546028.html?src=rss |
Next to submit his national letter of intent for the Oklahoma Sooners is Kade McIntyre out of Fremont, Neb. McIntyre, the No. 43 athlete in the nation, is projected to play tight end for the Oklahoma Sooners.
At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he has the natural size for the position and was incredible on the offensive side of the ball for the Knights. He recorded 11 rushing touchdowns and five touchdown receptions. He even threw a touchdown pass in 2022.
McIntyre was second on the team in rushing with 540 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry while leading the team in receiving yards with 413. He averaged 106.5 total yards per game.
#OUDNA | #CHO23N pic.twitter.com/CKP7jO9bLW
He comes to Oklahoma as the only projected tight end in the 2023 recruiting class. Arriving in Norman, he’ll be behind Austin Stogner and 2022 signees Kaden Helms and Jason Llewellyn on the depth chart. However, McIntyre’s dual-purpose ability could help him find opportunities on special teams or in Brayden Willis’ wildcat package if it reappears in 2023.
McIntyre is the No. 4 player in the state of Nebraska and has been committed to the Oklahoma Sooners since mid-June after his official visit on June 8. The Sooners earned McIntyre’s signature over Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas State, Minnesota, North Dakota State, Tennessee, and Wyoming. | 2022-12-21T15:27:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kade McIntyre signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/kade-mcintyre-signs-oklahoma-sooners-142846418.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kade-mcintyre-signs-oklahoma-sooners-142846418.html?src=rss |
LSU just landed a litany of major additions in the transfer portal in the form of three defensive linemen.
Bradyn Swinson transferred from Oregon, Paris Shand transferred from Arizona, and Jalen Lee transferred from Florida.
The Tigers just filled some big needs depth-wise as all three of these guys are likely to see playing time on the defensive line next season. LSU just lost a couple of high school defensive line recruits last week so Brian Kelly came out swinging in the transfer portal just a day before the early signing period starts.
LSU now has four transfer commitments for the 2023 class with these three guys joining Aaron Anderson. Here’s the rundown on each.
Swinson comes to Baton Rouge after spending three years playing for the Oregon Ducks. He played in 30 games for the Ducks amassing 35 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and three sacks. Swinson is originally from Douglasville, Georgia, so this move brings him a lot closer to home and back to SEC country.
Shand comes to Baton Rouge after playing for the Arizona Wildcats for three years. Shand played in 23 games and finished with 41 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five sacks. Shand got better every year in Arizona and if his production continues at that rate, LSU may have gotten a steal.
Welcome back to the Boot, Jalen Lee. Kelly has once again brought a Bayou boy home! Lee played his high school ball at Live Oak High School in Watson, Louisiana. During his three seasons in Gainesville, Florida, Lee played in 25 games and finished with 19 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. | 2022-12-21T15:27:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | LSU lands three transfer defensive linemen in the portal | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-lands-three-transfer-defensive-150023879.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-lands-three-transfer-defensive-150023879.html?src=rss |
The Sooners kept the ball rolling to finish the cycle strong as Kalib Hicks signed his national letter of intent with the Oklahoma Sooners. Hicks committed to the Sooners back on June 15 as a part of Oklahoma’s massive summer on the recruiting trail.
Hicks, a three-star prospect, hails from Denton, Texas where he played for Ryan High School. Over the course of three seasons on varsity, Hicks amassed 3,228 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns. He averaged 7 yards per carry on 455 rushing attempts in high school.
Out of the backfield, he added 28 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per reception.
He was a dynamic player in high school, and DeMarco Murray is banking on that big-play ability finding its way to Norman. Hicks runs with ease and displays good vision. He’s a patient runner, allowing for the blocking in front of him to get going before hitting the hole.
#OUDNA | #CHO23N pic.twitter.com/zLDJLrL4c7
With Eric Gray heading to the NFL Jovantae Barnes and Marcus Major are the only guys on the running back depth chart with significant experience. Gavin Sawchuck is expected to make a splash in 2023, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see Kalib Hicks make an impact. | 2022-12-21T15:28:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | Running back Kalib Hicks signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/running-back-kalib-hicks-signs-151048680.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/running-back-kalib-hicks-signs-151048680.html?src=rss |
SIGNED: 4-star athlete Kenyon Sadiq is officially an Oregon Duck
It’s unusual to find one of the best athletes in the state of Idaho, but here we are.
Kenyon Sadiq, out of Idaho Falls, is one of those athletic players that can play almost anywhere he wants on a football field. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Sadiq is projected to be a tight end once he arrives in Eugene. But he could end up as a linebacker. It all depends on where the Ducks happen to need him.
All of the recruiting services say Sadiq is the No. 1 player in Idaho and a Top 5 athlete in the nation. Oregon was able to beat out Michigan and Iowa State for Sadiq’s services and his rise up the depth chart, whether it be on offense or defense, should be an interesting story once the 2023 season arrives.
Electric athlete joining the tight end group.
It’s official, @KenyonSadiq is a Duck!#GoDucks x #NSD23
This is one true freshman that could see a lot of time on the field immediately. Sadiq is projected to be a tight end at Oregon and could eventually wind up at that spot. But the depth chart at that position is crowded.
But coaches usually find a place on the field for pure athletes, whether it’s on special teams, at linebacker, at receiver or a combination of several spots on the field.
Tight End/Linebacker
Tesla has been in a downtrend for much of 2022 but there are reasons to be optimistic. Valuation, earnings relative to its peers and new product launches have potential to re-ignite shares. | 2022-12-21T15:28:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | SIGNED: 4-star athlete Kenyon Sadiq is officially an Oregon Duck | https://sports.yahoo.com/signed-4-star-athlete-kenyon-141501492.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/signed-4-star-athlete-kenyon-141501492.html?src=rss |
The Miami Dolphins were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, handing them their third straight loss to postseason contenders on the road. However, they did look better in this game than they had in the previous two.
Throughout the year, Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane has been producing weekly NFL power rankings, and even though they lost another contest, Mike McDaniel’s team remained at No. 9.
Ahead of the Dolphins are the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), San Francisco 49ers (10-4), Buffalo Bills (11-3), Minnesota Vikings (11-3), Kansas City Chiefs (11-3), Cincinnati Bengals (10-4), Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) and Detroit Lions (7-7).
The Lions are probably a bit high, but they’ve put together a solid stretch. If Miami can defeat the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, they should jump up again. | 2022-12-21T16:11:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dolphins remain in top-10 in power rankings despite Week 15 loss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-remain-top-10-power-150012052.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-remain-top-10-power-150012052.html?src=rss |
Dean Blandino spent over 20 years working for the NFL. In 2013, Blandino was named the NFL’s vice president of officiating, meaning he oversaw all NFL officials.
Blandino left the NFL after the 2017 season and signed with FOX Sports as a rules analyst. Essentially, anytime there is a questionable call that involves replay, the game’s announcers will bring in Blandino, or Mike Pereira, to give their opinion on the play. It adds a different perspective for the viewers.
Blandino also does a show with The 33rd Team each week called “Make the Call,” where he discusses some of the controversial calls from the previous week’s games.
By now, you’ve heard about the controversial calls at the end of Washington’s Week 15 loss to the Giants. One call that Blandino discussed was the illegal formation penalty on Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin that wiped out a Washington touchdown. McLaurin said after the game, he checked with the official if he was lined up correctly; the official told him to move up and, when he did, signaled he was good.
Video evidence supports McLaurin’s assertion.
Blandino weighed in on the call and sided with McLaurin.
“McLaurin looks at the line of scrimmage official, and this is the deal; you’ll see this throughout every level of football,” Blandino said. “Receivers are taught to look to the line of scrimmage official to establish where the line of scrimmage is.”
That’s interesting. Remember after the game how the head official said it wasn’t their job to help players line up?
“The official and McLaurin do have an exchange, and the official appears to show McLaurin where the line is, and McLaurin does move up,” Blandino states. “He gets sets, the ball is snapped, and the official throws the flag.
When you have that exchange with a player, and we always talk about in this situation, when you have two receivers that are split out wide, we just want to see a slight stagger. We call it a blade of grass philosophy. And if they’re not directly on the same line, and one is a little bit forward, and one is a little bit back, we don’t want to call that. There’s no advantage; the defense knows that both of those players are eligible players.”
Finally, Blandino ends it with this statement:
“I don’t care if it’s in the first quarter or the fourth quarter, it’s too technical. It’s not a foul for what McLaurin did.”
"I don't care if it's in the first quarter or the fourth quarter, it's too technical. It's not a foul for what McLaurin did."
Our #NFL rules analyst @DeanBlandino breaks down the highly controversial penalty on @TheTerry_25 that negated a #Commanders TD late in the game pic.twitter.com/C6QU4DF7wf
Washington would have scored the touchdown and gone for the two-point conversion if this had not been called. Two plays later, wide receiver Curtis Samuel was mauled in the end zone, and the officials used their judgment [insert joke here] to keep the flag in their pocket. | 2022-12-21T16:11:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former NFL head of officiating and current rules analyst didn’t agree with Terry McLaurin call | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-nfl-head-officiating-current-143341364.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-nfl-head-officiating-current-143341364.html?src=rss |
Former Patriots exec slams hiring of Patricia, Judge as huge mistake originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots decided to forego naming an official offensive coordinator for the 2022 NFL season and that move has, predictably, resulted in a disaster.
Matt Patricia calling plays and Joe Judge serving as the quarterbacks coach has been a colossal failure through the first 15 weeks.
The passing attack has been particularly awful. The Patriots rank 23rd in pass yards per game, 30th in passing touchdowns and 20th in QB rating. Starting quarterback Mac Jones has taken a huge step back from his impressive rookie campaign a year ago. He's been unable to contain his frustration on the field and on the bench the last couple weeks.
One former Patriots executive, Mike Lombardi, criticized Bill Belichick's hiring of Patricia and Judge as a huge mistake during the latest episode of his podcast, "GM Street".
"There’s going to have to be a really hard self-evaluation, and it’s going to have to start with the head coach because they can’t throw the ball. Let’s just put it out there. They cannot throw the football. This whole Matt Patricia-Joe Judge, it’s not working," said Lombardi.
"We’re in Week 16. You want to say ‘Mac Jones sucks,’ but you watched him last year with Josh McDaniels. He didn’t suck. So, you decide. They can’t throw the ball. They have no passing game. They just run plays. I’ve been saying this for how long? It’s bad, and it’s not working. It’s just not working."
Patricia's background, particularly in New England, has primarily been focused on the defense. He was the defensive coordinator from 2012 through 2017 before leaving in 2018 to become the Detroit Lions' head coach.
"Just because he coaches defense, doesn’t mean he can call offensive plays or set up an offense," Lombardi said. "It’s not there. I think what Vance Joseph said was true. He was being honest."
One of the worst aspects of the Patriots offense is the lack of consistency each week. They don't build off good performances (Week 12 vs. the Minnesota Vikings, for example) and take a step forward the next game. The self-inflicted mistakes we saw early in the season -- play clock mismanagement, poor play-calling, penalties, etc. -- are still an issue in December.
"For them not to be able to throw the football half effectively, it’s mind blowing," Lombardi said. "We see it in the league, there’s a reason why (Bill) Walsh said years ago, ‘there’s a reason why very few people can evaluate the quarterback and even fewer can coach them.’ This experiment is a failure – it just doesn’t work. It’s not there. It’s not getting any better. There’s no continuity from week to week to week."
Despite all of these issues offensively, the Patriots still control their own destiny in the AFC playoff race. The Patriots will secure a wild card spot if they win out, but doing that will be quite difficult with the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills left on the schedule. | 2022-12-21T16:11:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Patriots exec slams hiring of Matt Patricia, Joe Judge as huge mistake | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-patriots-exec-slams-hiring-155658533.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-patriots-exec-slams-hiring-155658533.html?src=rss |
Thibodeaux had a breakout performance in the national spotlight against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night. The Oregon product finished the night with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery for a touchdown on the same play in the second quarter.
Thibodeaux’s first pro season got off to a slower start due to a knee injury suffered in the preseason, but he’s recorded 3.0 sacks in 12 games, totaling 38 tackles, four tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits.
After a string of records broken on the Netflix Top 10, “Wednesday” has arrived on the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 to do the same. The Tim Burton-directed series starring Jenna Ortega as the iconic Addams family daughter was watched for nearly 6 billion minutes during the Nov. 21-27 viewing window, during which it was only […] | 2022-12-21T16:11:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux named NFC Defensive Player of the Week | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-kayvon-thibodeaux-named-nfc-145849011.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-kayvon-thibodeaux-named-nfc-145849011.html?src=rss |
Kalif Raymond wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Give it up for Lions wide receiver and return man Kalif Raymond. The hero of Detroit’s Week 15 win over the New York Jets won the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week honor for his efforts.
Raymond returned a punt for a 47-yard touchdown after the New York Jets’ opening drive, giving the Lions a 7-0 lead. His touchdown, Detroit’s first punt return TD of the season, held up in the end of the 20-17 win in New York.
It was the only time Raymond fielded the ball, but he also deserves credit for some saved yardage on another Jets punt. Raymond successfully diverted the coverage team away from a punt that should have been downed by the Jets inside the Detroit 5-yard line. It instead went for a touchback.
Raymond is the fifth Lions player to win a Player of the Week award this year. Kicker Michael Badgley also won the Special Teams Player of the Week award back in Week 13. Rookies Kerby Joseph and Aidan Hutchinson won Defensive Player of the Week awards, while wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown earned an Offensive honor back in Week 2. | 2022-12-21T16:11:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kalif Raymond wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week | https://sports.yahoo.com/kalif-raymond-wins-nfc-special-154121685.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kalif-raymond-wins-nfc-special-154121685.html?src=rss |
After leading a comeback on what seemed to be an insurmountable lead, it’s no surprise to see awards come his way as quarterback Kirk Cousins was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
The first half wasn’t great for Cousins, nor was it for any of the Vikings. They turned the ball over twice and were down 33-0 at halftime. That led to a massive chorus of boos from the home crowd.
The second half had Cousins on a different level. Of his 460 yards, he completed 417 of those yards and all four touchdowns after halftime. His second-half performance will go down as a legendary one in the pantheon of the National Football League.
Cousins became the sixth player this season to win a player of the week award, joining Greg Joseph, joining Justin Jefferson, Za’Darius Smith, Kene Nwangwu, Greg Joseph and Ryan Wright.
Captain Kirk! https://t.co/QLFScN79hv pic.twitter.com/dWojuoGb3F
'General Hospital' star Sonya Eddy has died. She was 55. The actress was most known for her portrayal of Epiphany on the soap opera. In a tribute on Instagram Tuesday, Sonya's friend and fellow actress, Octavia Spencer, revealed she died Monday night. | 2022-12-21T16:11:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kirk Cousins named NFC Offensive Player of the Week | https://sports.yahoo.com/kirk-cousins-named-nfc-offensive-144808138.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kirk-cousins-named-nfc-offensive-144808138.html?src=rss |
After Week 11, the Tennessee Titans were 7-3. They had a four-game lead on the 3-7 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars weren't even in second place of the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts held that spot.
Four weeks later, the Jaguars are in a pretty good position to steal the division title.
The Jaguars have gained three games on the Titans over the past four weeks, including a 36-22 beatdown of the Titans in Nashville two weeks ago. The Jaguars are a game behind the Titans with a Week 18 rematch in Jacksonville looming. If they can at least match the Titans' record over the next two weeks, that finale will be for the AFC South championship.
Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill's ankle injury is another factor in the AFC South race. It's unclear if he's going to play this week against the Houston Texans. If the Titans get upset by the Texans, that's huge for the Jaguars in the race.
Before Week 18, the Jaguars play at the New York Jets on Thursday night and at the Texans. The Titans host the Texans and the Dallas Cowboys. The Titans might need to upset the Cowboys to avoid playing for the division title in Jacksonville to finish the season. Though it won't matter if Jacksonville wins its next two games.
Another problem for the Titans is the Jaguars have been the far better team lately. The Jaguars got back into the AFC South race by knocking off the Cowboys in overtime last week. Trevor Lawrence has been on fire, leading this Jaguars surge. When the Titans lost in the final seconds to the Los Angeles Chargers later in the day, which was Tennessee's fourth loss in a row, Jacksonville knew the path in front of them. It's easier said than done, but if the Jaguars win out they'll be the AFC South champions. In that scenario they'd take the head-to-head tiebreaker over Tennessee (on the other side the Titans can't be eliminated before Week 18; they'd still have the divisional record tiebreaker if they beat the Jaguars in Week 18).
The Jaguars are our AFC South champs in this week's projection. The Jaguars have a tough game against the Jets on Thursday night, but they should beat the Texans. The Titans have been struggling and it's hard to see them beating the Cowboys next week, and maybe the Texans could upset them if Tannehill doesn't play. If Week 18 is for the division title, that game is in Jacksonville and the Jaguars are playing well.
The Titans looked like a lock to win the division a month ago, but not anymore.
The Lions can't afford losses. They'll need to finish ahead of the Seahawks (Seattle has the head-to-head tiebreaker) and get ahead of the Commanders too. The Panthers still aren't dead in the NFC South race, though last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't help. With the Buccaneers playing a winnable game at the Cardinals this week, the Panthers can't afford a loss either.
This matchup is good news for the Lions. The Seahawks are tied with Detroit at 7-7 and have a tough game Sunday at Kansas City. The Seahawks have been struggling and another loss on Sunday drops them under .500. The Chiefs need to keep winning for their hopes of passing the Bills for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so it's not like Seattle will catch them napping.
The Giants were big gainers in the wild-card race after last week. They beat the Commanders and are in good shape to make the playoffs. The Vikings are in a weird position with three games to go. They are almost guaranteed to be the No. 2 or 3 seed in the NFC, and there probably won't be a big difference in those two spots.
The Bengals took over first place in the AFC North, though it still seems likely the division will be settled when they play the Ravens in Week 18. This game is probably more important for the Patriots, who gave one away last week against the Raiders with a startling blooper, and now need to string wins together to get a wild-card spot.
It's not just the bad home loss last week that's a problem for the Commanders. It's that they get the 49ers next. The 49ers have a small chance at the No. 1 seed, though realistically they'll be the No. 2 or 3 seed, with the Vikings taking the other spot. It will be hard to gauge how locked in the 49ers and Vikings will be the final three weeks, though the 49ers are playing as well as anyone in the NFL.
This game has to be on the list, but surprisingly, it probably won't affect the field that much. Unless you believe that Jalen Hurts' injury causes the Eagles to lose out (matched with the Cowboys winning out), we're still looking at Philly winning the East and the Cowboys as a wild card. The Eagles have a three-game lead with three to go. Still, an Eagles loss here would keep the Cowboys alive for a division title.
The Packers know this is the biggest game in their playoff push. Even if the Packers win out they're not guaranteed a playoff spot, but if they beat the Dolphins they'd have two home games (vs. Minnesota, vs. Detroit) to end the season. They'd still need some help even if they win out, but they'd have some hope with a win over the Dolphins on Christmas. | 2022-12-21T16:11:57Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL Playoff Projection: After upsetting the Cowboys, the Jaguars could win AFC South | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-playoff-projection-after-upsetting-the-cowboys-the-jaguars-could-win-afc-south-155828419.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-playoff-projection-after-upsetting-the-cowboys-the-jaguars-could-win-afc-south-155828419.html?src=rss |
Another week, another embarrassing loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who followed up a blowout against the San Francisco 49ers by squandering a 17-point lead and giving up 34 straight points Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite those back-to-back crushing defeats, the Bucs remain in first place in the dismal NFC South, and still control their destiny to be the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs with three games left in the regular season.
Tampa Bay could even lose this week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals and still win the division by beating the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons to close out the year.
Heading into Week 16, let’s see where the Bucs land in the latest NFL power rankings, courtesy of Touchdown Wire: | 2022-12-21T16:12:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL power rankings: How far do the Bucs fall heading into Week 16? | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-far-bucs-151519625.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-far-bucs-151519625.html?src=rss |
Alright, there has to be a flip side to this, right? Can the Packers be eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16?
The answer is yes. And it doesn’t take much. In fact, the Packers’ Christmas Day showdown with the Miami Dolphins can be a win-or-be-eliminated scenario if just one result happens on Christmas Eve.
Here’s the one and only elimination scenario for the Packers this week:
– Commanders win over 49ers (Dec. 24)
– Packers loss to Dolphins (Dec. 25)
If both results happen, the Packers are officially out and the final two weeks of the 2022 season won’t matter.
Can the Commanders, who lost 20-12 at home to the Giants in Week 15, rebound with a win over the surging 49ers, who just locked up the NFC West crown? It’s a long flight to San Francisco, and the 49ers look like one of the best teams in football, but Kyle Shanahan’s team is starting a rookie quarterback, so any outcome is possible.
The Packers are also going into a tough contest: Not only does Green Bay have to make the long flight south to Miami, but the Packers will be facing an explosive offense and talented football team while also dealing with a significant rest/recovery/prep disadvantage (Dolphins played Saturday, Packers played Monday). Miami has lost three straight games, but this is a good football team that will be very happy to be playing at home after three tough games on the road.
The Packers are still alive but will live on the brink of elimination the rest of the way. In Week 16, LaFleur’s team will once again be big fans of the 49ers (two weeks ago, the 49ers helped out by taking down the Seahawks) on Christmas Eve, and then the Packers have to take care of business in Miami. For all intents and purposes, one more loss by Green Bay has to be viewed as an elimination event.
Latest on winter storm timing, totals
James Cameron Conducted a Forensic Study to Put the ‘Titanic’ Door Debate to Rest
Today marks 25 years since Titanic arrived in theaters and became an instant Hollywood classic, but it also marks 25 years of people arguing about whether both Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) could've survived in the end. (And if you've somehow never seen this movie or heard about the ending, then this is your warning for spoilers ahead.) As fans remember well, Titanic ends with the R.M.S. Titanic...well, plunging into the sea, and as passengers in the ocean are dying of hypothe | 2022-12-21T16:12:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Can the Packers be officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16? | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-officially-eliminated-playoff-contention-151801854.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-officially-eliminated-playoff-contention-151801854.html?src=rss |
Seemingly every week, the Los Angeles Rams have lost another player to injury. The offensive line has been a revolving door of new starters, the receiving corps looks vastly different than it did at the start of the year and just about every position on defense has endured an injury or two.
What’s been so shocking about the Rams’ never-ending injuries is that they were one of the healthiest teams in the NFL during Sean McVay’s first five seasons. Sure, they suffered their share of injuries, but nothing like this season.
McVay is running out of ways to describe the Rams’ injuries woes this year, and he also hasn’t uncovered a reason behind them. He and head trainer Reggie Scott have talked about what might be causing the number of injuries Los Angeles has endured, but they haven’t been able to pinpoint it.
McVay has a few theories, however, from the simple nature of it being a contact sport to the shortened offseason the Rams had after winning the Super Bowl.
“Reggie and I have talked about that. I know he’s done a lot of work behind the scenes for when we get through the season,” McVay said. “In a lot of instances, just based on the nature of the amount of new players that we have to our systems, it’s restricted our ability to even just go walk through where you need to say, ‘Alright, we need to get some actual repetition so that they can feel like it, rather than the first time they’re going is in a full speed setting in a game.’ So, those are things that are kind of reserved for after the season, even though there is consistent ongoing dialogue, but there are a lot of things that could contribute to it but sometimes you chalk it up to unfortunate things happen, but whether it be the types of injuries. The main thing that you want to look into is the soft tissue and the accumulation of yardage and how that relates to some of the injuries that that we’ve suffered and even just the quick turnaround with the amount of corrective surgeries that we had after the Super Bowl and then how quickly you’re starting up training camp. So all of those are things that we’ve kind of touched on briefly, but to say that we’ve really dove into it the way that you need to, to really be able to attach some solution-oriented things as far as how you move forward, we haven’t gotten to that yet.”
For McVay, soft-tissue injuries are the biggest concern because the team wants to prevent those as much as possible – and you’re able to avoid those more than you can a sprained ankle or a broken bone.
“I think it’s more about some of the contact issues. Those are the things that consistently come up that sometimes you can’t necessarily attribute to anything other than a part of the game, but there’s been so many. We’d have to talk about all of them individually, but the main ones that we want to try to look at are the soft tissues that have occurred a lot more frequently than what has been our history and how we can do everything in our power to try to prevent those. Some of the injuries that occur just based on the contact or what occurs within the game, I’m not sure that you can do a whole lot other than hopefully avoid those types of collisions during the course of the game or in practice.”
In all likelihood, the Rams just had bad injury luck this year. No one could have predicted that Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Brian Allen, Joe Noteboom, David Edwards and Troy Hill would all miss time, among many other players.
Hopefully with a more normal offseason that starts in early January, the Rams can get healthy and come back in better shape for 2023.
Despite a Tough Year, Women Are Still the Future of Sustainable Investing
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2022 / GreenMoney Journal: by Leah Cantor, Sustainability Associate at Longview Asset Management As a woman who is passionate about gender equity and fighting climate change, the last year has been a ... | 2022-12-21T16:12:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rams haven’t uncovered the reason behind their never-ending injuries | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-haven-t-uncovered-reason-144907160.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-haven-t-uncovered-reason-144907160.html?src=rss |
Report: YouTube to pay $2.5 billion per year for Sunday Ticket originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
(St. Louis Blues) with a Goal from Seattle Kraken vs. St. Louis Blues, 12/20/2022
After 25 years in the spotlight, Pikachu and trainer Ash Ketchum will no longer be the protagonists of the “Pokémon” TV series. On Friday, the Pokémon Company shared a teaser trailer to announce a new TV series and signal the end of Ash and Pikachu’s time as the franchise's main characters. "Ash and Pikachu have had many encounters, many battles, and many exciting and memorable times,” the trailer declares.
Tennessee is among a number of states considering legislation that would restrict where, when and in front of whom drag artists can perform. | 2022-12-21T16:12:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Report: YouTube to pay $2.5 billion per year for Sunday Ticket | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-youtube-pay-2-5-144947331.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-youtube-pay-2-5-144947331.html?src=rss |
Former New England Patriots legendary corner Ty Law had an epic rant prepared, following the embarrassing Week 15 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
With three seconds left in the game and the score tied in the fourth quarter, the Patriots ran a play that ended in Rhamondre Stevenson tossing a lateral pass to Jakobi Meyers, who then tried another lateral that was picked off and taken back for a game-winning touchdown by Chandler Jones.
Law gave the coaching staff a pass and noted that coach Bill Belichick makes a point, more so than any other coach he’s ever had, to teach good situational football. So this particular rant was directed solely at the players involved.
“You have an opportunity to play another series. The strength of your team is the defense,” said Law, when appearing on The Greg Hill Show. “How in the hell can you not go down? Do you see Rhamondre Stevenson’s stat line? 172 yards and 19 carries. But don’t nobody talk about him. But he’s the one that got the damn party started. He’s the one that pitches the first pass.
“Now Jakobi Meyers should have looked at that and been like, ‘You big dummy. What are you doing?’ And land the ball and got down, but he was like, ‘Oh, I guess it’s a party.’ And he goes and does the same thing, and then he’s going to try to throw it back to Mac Jones. I don’t know what kind of throw that was. They say he was a quarterback. I can’t tell. I can see why he’s the wide receiver.”
Most would have expected Law’s rant to be finished after going after both Stevenson and Meyers, but he had his eye on one more player he viewed as directly responsible for the way the game ended.
And that player was Mac Jones.
After Chandler Jones picked off the lateral pass attempt from Meyers, Mac Jones had an opportunity to make a tackle in the open field, and he didn’t even come close. The lasting image of the game is the Patriots’ quarterback being stiff-armed into the dirt.
“Now, Mac Jones, let’s get on him. He must have never—I’m talking about ever, ever, ever in his life played defense,” said Law. “You know how you were born to play quarterback, and you didn’t play no other position ever, ever in football? That was Mac Jones. That’s what he looked like on that tackle right there. That was absolutely awful. It was embarrassing. I want to know if he ever even in Pop Warner played on the defensive side of the ball.”
The loss against the Raiders didn’t completely put the Patriots out of playoff contention, but it drastically lowered their odds considering their last three games are against the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
That’s a massive uphill battle for a good football team, which the Patriots haven’t necessarily proven themselves to be this season. | 2022-12-21T16:13:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ty Law spares no one in epic rant on players involved in Patriots’ botched lateral play | https://sports.yahoo.com/ty-law-spares-no-one-151300208.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ty-law-spares-no-one-151300208.html?src=rss |
The interaction sensor is employed to operate electronic devices without any physical contact, eliminating the necessity for knobs and buttons on the surface of phones, watches, and radios.New York, Dec. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Interaction Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Vertical, By Technology, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06374142/?utm_source=GNW Th
Donald Trump paid no income tax during the final full year of his presidency as he reported a loss from his sprawling business interests, according to tax figures released by a congressional panel. The records, released late on Tuesday by the Democratic-led House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee after a years-long fight, show that Trump's income, and his tax liability, fluctuated dramatically during his four years in the White House. The records cut against the Republican's long-cultivated image as a successful businessman as he mounts another White House bid. | 2022-12-21T17:08:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5-star defensive back committed to Miami doesn't show at school's signing ceremony | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-star-defensive-back-committed-to-miami-doesnt-show-at-schools-signing-ceremony-163514402.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-star-defensive-back-committed-to-miami-doesnt-show-at-schools-signing-ceremony-163514402.html?src=rss |
Mets agree to a deal with Carlos Correa for 12 years, $315 million | Mets Breaking News
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino breaks down how the Mets came to a 12-year, $315 million deal with Carlos Correa a day after he was supposed to be introduced by the San Francisco Giants. | 2022-12-21T17:08:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | MLB free agents tracker: Ranking top stars left on market as Dansby Swanson, Andrew Benintendi head to Chicago | https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-free-agents-tracker-ranking-top-stars-left-on-market-after-carlos-correas-stunning-mets-turnabout-213940392.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-free-agents-tracker-ranking-top-stars-left-on-market-after-carlos-correas-stunning-mets-turnabout-213940392.html?src=rss |
Welcome to the weather portion of the NFL schedule, where freezing temperatures and heavy wind gusts become the major players in our handicaps. The forecast shows up to seven games that could fall below freezing this week, but the heavy wind gusts, not the snow, attract the type of money that moves the market and sends totals free-falling into the 30s. Cleveland and Chicago expect massive winds from 25-40 mph on game day. If you beat the market and hammered the under in either game, you will likely hold a valuable ticket. So rather than force a bet on a stale number, I'm avoiding the weather the best I can for this week's totals. We are on a 5-0 run over the last two weeks, so here are three more to see if we can extend the streak.
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings (Over 48)
Minnesota's miraculous comeback might have masked the second-most shocking part of that game. The Colts scored how many points? Thirty-six? The scoring output for the Colts marked their season high and was only the third time they scored more than 20 in a single game. The Vikings' defense continues to spiral to new lows as it remains dead last in total yards allowed and has given up just under 33 points per game in the previous six weeks.
The Giants' offense isn't a juggernaut by any means, but we just learned that even the most inept offenses are good for 25-30 points against Minnesota. Considering this one is played indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium, both teams should go up and down the field. The Vikings have hit four straight overs, and I'm betting the streak hits five.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins are in a good spot to put up some points this weekend. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins (Over 49.5)
The Dolphins just finished a brutal stretch in which five of their last seven games were on the road, including their last three. Now they come back home to the Florida sunshine to take on a Packers team that has figured things out offensively. Since WR Christian Watson emerged as Aaron Rodgers' favorite target, Green Bay is eighth in the league in EPA per play, averaging 25 points per game. The Packers should be able to score in that range against Miami's 26th-ranked scoring defense.
I like the Dolphins to get out to a big lead at home and set the stage for a shootout. Neither of these defenses is better than league average, and the Packers are traveling off a big win on "Monday Night Football." The Dolphins will be able to run the ball with enough success to keep the Green Bay pass rush off-balance, giving Tua Tagovailoa enough time to get the ball in the hands of the most explosive WR tandem in the league. I see this closer to 28-24, making it easy to fire on the over.
Los Angeles Chargers at Indianapolis Colts (Under 47)
OK, it's probably not a great idea to expect every game without crazy weather to go over the total. However, this number at 47 feels like an overreaction to the Colts' defensive performance last week. The Colts defense was really bad in the second half, but I don't want to put too much weight on a game in which Indianapolis held a 33-point lead. The Colts are still seventh in the league in EPA per play allowed since Week 8, and I am willing to bet they give maximum effort for all four quarters this week.
The Colts' offense will still have success running the football even with Jonathan Taylor out, but as I previously mentioned, they hardly ever score into the 20s. Penciling in the Colts for 17 puts L.A. on the hook for most of the heavy lifting on this total. Expecting 30-plus points from the Chargers is a very big ask, considering they only hit that mark twice and average 22.3 points per game. PFF's Arjun Menon detailed how Justin Herbert has struggled against Cover 3 this season, the primary scheme run by Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. That's enough to get me involved in the under and fade both these offenses facing tough situational spots.
Stats provided by PFF, Rbsdm (based on 90-10 W.P.), Teamrankings, Football Outsiders.
The New York Jets are running out of time in their race for a playoff spot. “I think I got about a half-hour's worth of sleep last night,” Saleh said Monday. The Jets are 7-7 and on a three-game skid, with their once-promising postseason hopes now teetering on the brink of vanishing.
Monday’s late game followed up a rare lackluster finish at home from the Coyotes in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
A judge rejected eight out of ten claims of election fraud made by former Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. | 2022-12-21T17:08:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL odds, betting: Here are three totals to target for Week 16 | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-odds-betting-here-are-three-totals-to-target-for-week-16-162436568.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-odds-betting-here-are-three-totals-to-target-for-week-16-162436568.html?src=rss |
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
After signing Aaron Judge to a record-breaking nine-year, $360 million deal this offseason, the Yankees did the inevitable and named the slugger their 16th captain in team history.
Announced by chairman Hal Steinbrenner during Wednesday morning’s press conference welcoming Judge back to New York, the 31-year-old joins the ranks of iconic Yankees such as Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, Willie Randolph, Don Mattingly and, most recently, Derek Jeter.
"It’s a blessing and an honor," Judge said. "Getting a chance to continue something the Yankees are so big on, which is legacy, getting a chance to continue my legacy here in pinstripes in the best city in the world, the best baseball city in front of the best fans, this is an incredible honor.
"Hal, what you just said about getting a chance to be the captain of the Yankees now, it goes without saying what an honor that is. I look back at the list of Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, that’s a pretty good list right there. Not only great baseball players, but great ambassadors of the game and great ambassadors of the New York Yankees, how they pride themselves on the field day in and day out, how they take pride in what they do off the field to represent this organization and represent these pinstripes.
"This is an incredible honor that I don’t take lightly and I’m going to continue to try to be the same leader that I’ve been the last six years, continue to lead by example, and I know there’s probably going to be a couple more responsibilities with this, but I’m here to embrace every single obstacle and continue to lead this team and this city to not one but multiple championships down the road."
Making Judge captain not only makes sense since he’s been the Yankees’ best player for many seasons now, but he’s a home-grown talent too, as New York selected him in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
Judge had a season to remember in 2022. Not only did he break the American League single-season home run record with 62 dingers, he led the majors in RBI (135), runs scored (133), slugging (.686) and OPS+ (211). And he led the majors in WAR (10.6). The slugger also finished second in the AL with a .311 batting average.
Filling up the stat sheet and leading the Yankees to an American League East division crown and the second-best record in the league also resulted in Judge winning his first AL MVP award, becoming just the second Yankee to win an MVP and Rookie of the Year. | 2022-12-21T17:09:23Z | sports.yahoo.com | Yankees name Aaron Judge captain | https://sports.yahoo.com/yankees-name-aaron-judge-captain-153559227.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/yankees-name-aaron-judge-captain-153559227.html?src=rss |
Despite taking visits to Auburn and Texas A&M, 2023 defensive back Tony Mitchell will be signing with Alabama. The Alabama native had been committed to the Tide since June.
Mitchell is ranked as the No. 54 recruit in the country, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He is listed as 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. With his size and versatility, Mitchell is expected to be in the mix at safety next season. The only true cornerback that Alabama has on board at this time is Jahlil Hurley.
Mitchell recorded 56 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and one sack in his senior season at Thompson High School. He will be a huge help to Alabama’s secondary for years to come. | 2022-12-21T17:18:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 4-star DB Tony Mitchell signing with Alabama after visits to Texas A&M and Auburn | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-db-tony-162113923.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-db-tony-162113923.html?src=rss |
2023 4-star DL Jordan Renaud officially signs with Alabama
Alabama’s coaching staff has a history of landing some of the top recruits from the Lonestar state over the years. On Wednesday, the Tide landed a signature from 2023 four-star defensive lineman Jordan Renaud.
Renaud is ranked as the No. 62 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He is listed as 6-foot-3.5-inches and 245 pounds.
His ability to play along the interior or as an edge rusher makes him very valuable to Alabama’s defensive scheme. Renaud’s versatility could give him a good opportunity to make an impact in some capacity as a true freshman. | 2022-12-21T17:18:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 4-star DL Jordan Renaud officially signs with Alabama | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-dl-jordan-170641742.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-dl-jordan-170641742.html?src=rss |
Alabama is slated to lose three linebackers next season with Will Anderson, Henry To’oTo’o, and Jaylen Moody all slated to enter the NFL Draft. The Tide were able to sign the nation’s best junior college linebacker, however. 2023 four-star Justin Jefferson officially signed with Alabama on Wednesday.
Jefferson is ranked as the No. 1 linebacker at the junior college level, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He is listed as 6-foot-1, 215 pounds.
The Tennessee native spent two seasons at Pearl River Community College. He tallied 139 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and five sacks for the Wildcats. His versatility to play inside or outside the box will likely allow him a chance to see early playing time in Tuscaloosa.
The Process Begins Here. @JustinJ1_ pic.twitter.com/4Wvp3QD6hG | 2022-12-21T17:18:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 4-star JUCO LB Justin Jefferson officially signs with Alabama | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-juco-lb-163855050.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-4-star-juco-lb-163855050.html?src=rss |
One of Alabama’s biggest concerns this season was wide receiver production. Although the Tide possessed a lot of talent, it seemed like they lacked a true deep-ball threat. On Wednesday, the Tide officially signed 2023 five-star junior college wide receiver Malik Benson.
Benson is ranked as the No. 1 junior college wide receiver in the country, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He is listed as 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. The Kansas native was a staple at Hutchinson Community College for two seasons in a row.
As a Blue Dragon, he hauled in 102 receptions for 2,206 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. Those numbers are quite impressive considering that Benson helped lead his team to an NJCAA National Championship appearance this season.
Benson will likely be one of the Tide’s top receiving targets next season. His ability to create separation and cause problems on opposing secondaries will help him see the field early and often. The Alabama coaching staff got a gem with Benson jumping on board.
The Process Begins Here. @Leek_leek5 pic.twitter.com/1KaDNZAIgN | 2022-12-21T17:19:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 5-star JUCO WR Malik Benson officially signs with Alabama | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-5-star-juco-wr-162722710.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-5-star-juco-wr-162722710.html?src=rss |
Alabama landed a signature from one of the nation’s best running backs on Wednesday with five-star Justice Haynes. The Georgia native had been committed to Alabama since July.
Haynes is ranked as the No. 25 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He is listed as 5-foot-11, 200 pounds. His father, Verron, played running back for Georgia. However, he ultimately decided to sign with Alabama instead.
Haynes will join fellow 2023 five-star Richard Young in Alabama’s running back room. The two of them could be the Tide’s feature backs for years to come. This was a great haul for the Alabama coaching staff.
The Process Begins Here. @justicehaynes6 pic.twitter.com/AkzBLbslvR
It isn't everyday that someone as big as Leroy (Ala.) DT Bryston Dixon goes under the radar. After dominating at an All-Star game last week, Georgia Tech reached out and was able to get him on campus prior to the dead period. Fast forward a few days, and Dixon went from future Sun Belt All-Conference to Georgia Tech commit and signee. | 2022-12-21T17:19:23Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 5-star RB Justice Haynes officially signs with Alabama | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-5-star-rb-justice-161316683.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-5-star-rb-justice-161316683.html?src=rss |
Back in 2014, an unheralded, 3-star wide receiver out of Virginia committed to Michigan State football and ended up being one of the best players of the decade for the Spartans. His name was Felton Davis III. Now, the Spartans will hope for some similar magic with another 3-star wide receiver from Virginia, as Aziah Johnson signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday.
Johnson comes out of Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, Virginia and is the No. 903 ranked player in his class, but is yet another 3-star player in this class who many view as under-rated. | 2022-12-21T17:19:42Z | sports.yahoo.com | 3-star wide receiver Aziah Johnson signs NLI with Michigan State football | https://sports.yahoo.com/3-star-wide-receiver-aziah-162925873.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/3-star-wide-receiver-aziah-162925873.html?src=rss |
4-star CB Justyn Rhett signs with Georgia
Back in December of 2021, 4-star cornerback Justyn Rhett committed to Notre Dame, choosing the Fighting Irish over Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M and Florida State.
In April of this year, Rhett attended the UGA spring game. He decommitted from Notre Dame the same day. It was just nine days later that he would announce his commitment to Georgia.
On Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, Rhett signed his national letter of intent to play for the University of Georgia.
Rhett ranks as the nation’s No. 270 overall player and No. 30 ranked cornerback. He hails from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Microwave ablation is one of the latest advances in the field of ablation technologies for tumors. This technique enables flexible approaches to treatment, such as laparoscopic, open surgical access, and percutaneous.New York, Dec. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Microwave Ablation Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By End-user, By Component, By Application, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.re | 2022-12-21T17:19:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star CB Justyn Rhett signs with Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-cb-justyn-rhett-155216972.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-cb-justyn-rhett-155216972.html?src=rss |
4-star linebacker Raylen Wilson committed to Georgia back in July. On Wednesday, Wilson officially signed to play collegiate football with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Wilson was a one-time Michigan commit, before backing off that pledge in June.
At 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, he ranks as the nation’s No. 39 overall player and No. 3 ranked linebacker in the class of 2023.
Wilson hails from Tallahassee, Florida. | 2022-12-21T17:20:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star LB Raylen Wilson signs with Georgia | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-lb-raylen-wilson-154407697.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-lb-raylen-wilson-154407697.html?src=rss |
On Wednesday, 4-star running back Roderick Robinson II signed with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Robinson committed to Georgia back in October after decommitting from UCLA.
He ranks as the nation’s No. 231 overall player and No. 15 ranked running back in the class of 2023. He also doubles as a track star and ran a 52.88 400 as a junior.
Out of San Diego, Robinson stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 230 pounds.
During his junior season, he ran for 1,273 yards 17 rushing touchdowns. | 2022-12-21T17:20:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4-star RB Roderick Robinson II signs with Georgia football | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-rb-roderick-robinson-165247020.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-rb-roderick-robinson-165247020.html?src=rss |
Auburn made a push to flip 4-star safety Tony Mitchell from Alabama but was unable to do so as he signed with the Crimson Tide Wednesday.
Mitchell committed to Alabama back in June but visited Auburn multiple times since then and the Tigers were able to make it interesting right up until the end.
Checking in at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds he starred at Thompson High and actually played his final high school game in Jordan-Hare Stadium, where he won his fourth state championship.
He is the No. 5 safety and No. 54 overall player in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 7 player from the state of Alabama.
Keon Keeley is officially a member of the Crimson Tide! | 2022-12-21T17:20:56Z | sports.yahoo.com | Auburn safety target Tony Mitchell signs with Alabama | https://sports.yahoo.com/auburn-safety-target-tony-mitchell-162637041.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/auburn-safety-target-tony-mitchell-162637041.html?src=rss |
BREAKING: Ducks flip 5-star Peyton Bowen from Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Oregon Ducks are pulling out some massive wins during the end of the early recruiting period, this time by landing a massive flip of 5-star safety Peyton Bowen, who was previously committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Bowen is rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 safety and No. 14 overall player in the 2023 class.
Down the stretch over the past few weeks, it became clear that the Ducks were working hard to close with Bowen, who was among their top targets in the class. It became a three-team race with the Ducks battling the Oklahoma Sooners, who were also trying to flip Bowen, while Notre Dame worked hard to hold onto the elite defender.
In the end, Dan Lanning and the Ducks were able to come out on top and land Bowen, who is now one of the staples of the 2023 class and among the biggest wins for Lanning in his young tenure at Oregon.
Committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 1, 2022
Visited Oregon on Oct. 22, 2022 | 2022-12-21T17:21:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | BREAKING: Ducks flip 5-star Peyton Bowen from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-ducks-flip-5-star-170730751.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-ducks-flip-5-star-170730751.html?src=rss |
The Oklahoma Sooners added another defensive tackle prospect to the 2023 cycle, with Markus Strong signing his national letter of intent with the Sooners.
Strong is a three-star defensive lineman out of Lake Butler, Fla. The Sooners issued an offer to Strong on Oct. 30, and he was in Norman for an official visit on Dec. 16. Less than a week later he signed with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Strong is an under-the-radar athlete on the rise. He didn’t receive many offers in his recruitment, but this fall added offers from the Sooners, West Virginia, Rutgers, and UCF. He ranks as the No. 174 player in the state of Florida in the 247Sports composite.
While he may not have much of a profile, there’s something there that Brent Venables, Todd Bates, and Miguel Chavis believe can make him an effective defensive lineman at the collegiate level for the Oklahoma Sooners.
#OUDNA | #CHO23N pic.twitter.com/XKoS9QDrIt | 2022-12-21T17:21:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Defensive lineman Markus Strong signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/defensive-lineman-markus-strong-signs-155346445.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/defensive-lineman-markus-strong-signs-155346445.html?src=rss |
Perhaps not the most heralded prospect in the class, Erik McCarty is certainly one of the most intriguing. His ability as both a runner and defender for McAlester helped the Buffaloes to a 12-3 record in 2022.
He’s been committed to the Sooners since Jan. 29, 2022. Now that commitment becomes official as McCarty signed with the Oklahoma Sooners during the early signing period.
For his part, McCarty averaged 77.4 rushing yards per game, according to Max Preps. He also combined for 25 total touchdowns. As a defender, he averaged 7.2 tackles per game at strong safety.
Projecting as a Cheetah for the Oklahoma Sooners, Erik McCarty has a chance to be an impact player for the Sooners on defense and on special teams. He’s simply a good football player.
#OUDNA | #CHO23N pic.twitter.com/LyYia4fee7
McCarty’s season was cut short after suffering an ACL injury in the Oklahoma state playoffs. It’s unlikely he’ll be ready for spring ball, and looks like a redshirt season will be on the horizon for one of the best players in Oklahoma.
A three-star prospect, McCarty is the No. 9 player in the state of Oklahoma in the 247Sports composite and ranks as the No. 52 athlete in the country.
The Oklahoma Sooners earned McCarty’s commitment and signature over Baylor, Kansas State, Nebraska, Pitt, and TCU.
Which players have committed to Oklahoma State football's 2023 recruiting class?
Here’s a look at the players committed to Oklahoma State for football in the class of 2023: | 2022-12-21T17:21:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Versatile athlete Erik McCarty signs with the Oklahoma Sooners | https://sports.yahoo.com/erik-mccarty-signs-oklahoma-sooners-151558491.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/erik-mccarty-signs-oklahoma-sooners-151558491.html?src=rss |
The Heisman Trophy legacy being created by Lincoln Riley is genuinely astounding. Riley has already joined Pete Carroll as a USC head coach with three Heisman winners to his credit. Riley has become the second head coach in the history of college football to coach Heisman winners at two different schools. Tommy Prothro, who coached in the AAWU (later named the Pacific 8 Conference) in the 1960s, is the only other man to pull off that feat.
Riley has coached four top-two Heisman vote-getters over the past six seasons. He also coached Dede Westbrook to a top-four Heisman vote at Oklahoma. Riley’s imprint and reach in Heisman circles are already very large.
Riley isn’t yet 40 years old. His Heisman achievements are likely to continue to grow. If he stays at USC for at least 10 years, he is likely to become the all-time leader in most Heisman winners coached. Only Nick Saban (four) has more Heisman winners than Riley does, and Saban is over 30 years older than Riley. | 2022-12-21T17:22:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Just call Lincoln Riley the ‘Heisman Whisperer’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/just-call-lincoln-riley-heisman-151701148.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/just-call-lincoln-riley-heisman-151701148.html?src=rss |
Buckle up, folks, we have some early signing day fireworks in Ann Arbor.
While all eyes were on certain prospects — like Malachi Coleman, Jeremiyah Love, and others — another shocked the world with a late commitment to Michigan football.
Formerly committed to Auburn, 2023 Phenix City (Ala.) Central four-star wide receiver Karmello English is a top-flight player with one of the most impressive offer sheets in the country. He has both the home-state schools Auburn and Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, and Miami, among others. But he pulled the trigger on early signing day for the Michigan Wolverines, pledging his commitment to the maize and blue.
He announced his commitment on Instagram Live. Kentucky was considered the chief competition for his services.
English is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 178 player in the country, regardless of position, the No. 25 wide receiver, and the No. 15 player in the state of Alabama.
The scouting report, per On3:
Productive possession receiver who stars for one of the top high school programs in Alabama. Measured at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds as a junior. Primarily worked out of the slot as a junior, catching 70 passes for 1,059 yards and 18 touchdowns. Advanced in his ability to locate and track the ball. Has a large catch radius with the ability to win in contested situations. Coordinated and nimble in the air. Shows good physicality as a runner after the catch. Has adequate straight-line play speed but no athletic testing to speak of. Not overly explosive in terms of change of direction. Older for the class, turning 18 years-old as a junior.
English is Michigan’s 22nd commitment in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and the third wide receiver in the class, with Fredrick Moore and Semaj Morgan already signed.
He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 182-pounds according to On3. Ron Bellamy recruited him for Michigan. | 2022-12-21T17:22:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Michigan football reels in a big-time playmaker out of SEC country | https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-reels-big-time-152810915.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-reels-big-time-152810915.html?src=rss |
The defensive tackle position is a spot that needs depth and Chandler, Ariz native A’mauri Washington will provide that and a possibility of much more.
Oregon will also lack experience along the defensive line in 2023. At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Washington will be one of the largest defensive lineman in the program. Assuming Brandon Dorlus leaves the program for the NFL, Washington could ascend up the depth chart fairly quickly.
Many big-time schools such as Michigan State, Oklahoma, and LSU all wanted Washington’s talents and he decided to come to Eugene instead.
The recruiting services say Washington is a Top 25 defensive lineman recruit and one of the best recruits to come out of Arizona in the Class of 2023.
Beefin’ up the trenches.
Let’s go to work, @MauriWashington!#GoDucks x #NSD23
Washington is one of the few true freshmen who could see some significant playing time in 2023, especially if Dorlus decides to move on to the NFL.
He would battle with the likes of Sir Mells, Jordon Riley, Taki Taimani and Ben Roberts for playing time as soon as next season for the Ducks.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2VCALovts5w | 2022-12-21T17:22:56Z | sports.yahoo.com | SIGNED: 4-star defensive tackle A’mauri Washington is officially a Duck | https://sports.yahoo.com/signed-4-star-defensive-tackle-152146686.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/signed-4-star-defensive-tackle-152146686.html?src=rss |
The longest-tenured commit in the 2023 class made his pledge official on Wednesday, signing his national letter of intent for the Oklahoma Sooners. Joshua Bates, a Colorado native, and Buffaloes’ legacy never waivered in his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners. Despite the coaching change, Bates wanted to play for the Sooners and for offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.
Bates is a physical player at the point of attack, not simply looking to win his rep, but punish his opponent. He plays with good leverage and a low center of gravity and moves quickly off the snap.
When on Locked On Sooners during the Summer, Bates was asked what the message from his dad was. “‘You know Josh, Oklahoma’s the right place for you,'” Bates relayed the conversation between he and his father. “‘I played those teams, you know, with (strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt) back in the day,’ and he said, ‘I’d never played another team that was as strong and as tough as them. That’s the way you play. That’s the best spot for you.”
#OUDNA | #CHO23N pic.twitter.com/lMurdFjNoh
There’s an attitude that comes with Joshua Bates. One that he’s proud of. “I’m just gonna say it cause it’s true, you’re gonna get a mean nasty (expletive) talker up front for sure. You’re gonna get a player that’s tenacious, and violent, and angry. I play angry and pissed a lot of people off on the football field, but it’s just something I do. And film speaks for itself. And I can’t wait to do it in front of 90,000 people every Saturday,” Bates described himself. “And I can’t wait. And y’all are getting one good player and try to make the best of my opportunity.”
Bates is the No. 3 player in the state of Colorado and the No. 21 interior offensive lineman in the 247Sports composite. He earned his fourth star late in his senior season.
The Sooners earned Bates’ signature over Colorado, Colorado State, Michigan State, Miami, Oregon, and USC. | 2022-12-21T17:23:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | ‘Tenacious, Violent, and Angry’: 4-star center Joshua Bates signs with Oklahoma | https://sports.yahoo.com/tenacious-violent-angry-4-star-152540614.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/tenacious-violent-angry-4-star-152540614.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears are getting their fill of elite competition this holiday season. Last weekend, they faced off the NFC’s best in the Philadelphia Eagles. This week, it’s the AFC-best Buffalo Bills in a game that could feature frigid temperatures and snowy conditions.
Not only will the Bears (3-11) need to battle the elements, but they have to contend with a loaded Bills (11-3) roster that is looking to hold onto the top seed in the AFC. Like the Eagles, they’re dangerous on both offense and defense and are well coached in all phases of the game.
Here are five Bills players we’ll be watching on Saturday when they face the Bears.
1. QB Josh Allen
Sep 20, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) signals prior to the play against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears missed out on playing against Josh Allen in 2018 when he was still a raw rookie quarterback. Four years later, he’s evolved into one of the best in the league, boasting a rocket arm and mobility in the pocket despite being 6-foot-5 and nearly 240 pounds. Allen has 3,857 passing yards with 30 touchdowns on the season, while also totaling 705 rushing yards with six scores.
He’s one of the most dangerous quarterbacks out there and like Hurts, can beat you in different ways. The defense will have their hands full with him this weekend.
2. WR Stefon Diggs
Bears fans remember the days when Stefon Diggs would torch their defense back when he was a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Since he was traded to the Bills, however, he’s taken his game to a new level playing with Allen. Diggs is in the midst of his third season in a row with more than 1,200 yards receiving and has double-digit touchdowns for the second season in a row.
He’s far and away Buffalo’s top offensive weapon, but hasn’t topped 100 receiving yards in over a month. This could be a big week for him facing a Bears secondary that, while playing well against the Eagles receivers, still allowed A.J. Brown to total 181 yards receiving.
3. G Ryan Bates
Nov 15, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates (71) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Remember the Ryan Bates saga? For a couple weeks earlier this offseason, Bears fans were dialed in on the restricted free agent guard, believing he would be coming to Chicago to fill the vacancy at right guard. But after the Bears signed him to an offer sheet, Buffalo made a surprising move and brought him back.
Things seemed to work out in the Bears’ favor, though. Teven Jenkins filled the spot and has played exceptionally well with a Pro Football Focus grade of 80.0. Comparatively, Bates is graded at 60.2 but has played well as of late. Assuming he’s able to play with his ankle injury, Bears fans can see what they almost had at guard.
4. LB Tremaine Edmunds
The Bills defense took a hit when they lost Von Miller for the season due to a torn ACL, but they still have talented linebackers, including Tremaine Edmunds. The former first-round pick has been a solid contributor for the Bills and is looking for his fifth season in a row with over 100 tackles. He has 86 total tackles, including five for a loss, one sack and four passes defensed.
The other reason to watch Edmunds? He will be a free agent at the end of the year and at just 24 years old, could be a target for the Bears to consider. He won’t command as much money as Roquan Smith and could fill the role nicely, perhaps playing next to Jack Sanborn in 2023?
5. CB Tre'Davious White
Dec 17, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) catches a pass for a touchdown against Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White (27) in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills secondary has a good mix of veterans and younger players, notably safety Jordan Poyer and rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam. But one name that has been missing for most of the year is former All-Pro Tre’Davious White, who recently returned from a torn ACL. White hasn’t had the same success as he’s used to having from previous years as he continues to shake off some rust, but he’s coming off a game in which he had three passes defensed against an elite Dolphins receiving corps.
White could have a big game going against a Bears receiving corps that lacks the top-end talent like Miami or the New York Jets. It will be interesting to see how often he’s tested. | 2022-12-21T17:41:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 Bills to watch on Christmas Eve vs. the Bears | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-bills-watch-christmas-eve-160536224.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-bills-watch-christmas-eve-160536224.html?src=rss |
When the 2022 schedule was released, the Rams-Broncos matchup on Christmas Day seemed like a fun one. Both teams looked like legitimate contenders before the season began, but what we’re getting instead is a game between two 4-10 teams that can’t find ways to score on offense.
Despite each team’s struggles, it’ll still be good to have football on during the holiday, even if it does wind up being a slow-moving 6-3 game devoid of touchdowns.
To get you ready for Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium, here are five stats and facts to know.
Battle of the two lowest-scoring offenses in the NFL
If you like offense, this isn’t the game for you. The Broncos have scored the fewest points in the league this season, averaging just 15.6 per game. The Rams have barely been better, ranking 31st in scoring offense (16.4 points per game).
The Rams have the fewest yards in the NFL and the Broncos rank 27th in total yards, so they don’t exactly move the ball well on offense. Throwing the ball has been a struggle, too, with the Rams ranking 31st in net yards per pass attempt and the Broncos coming in at No. 25 in that department.
Broncos have worst third-down offense, 2nd-best third-down defense
The Broncos are on opposite ends of the third-down spectrum when it comes to their offense and defense. they’ve been abysmal on third down offensively, converting only 28.6% of the time, which is the worst rate in the league. Defensively, they allow opponents to convert on just 32.1% of their third-down attempts, second-best in football.
The Rams aren’t as polarizing on third down as the Broncos, but they’re also not very good on that crucial down on offense or defense. They’re 18th in third-down conversion rate and rank 23rd on defense.
Two best red zone defenses in football
If and when these teams get into the red zone, scoring touchdowns won’t be easy. These are the two best red zone defenses in the NFL. The Broncos are first in the league, allowing touchdowns on just 37.5% of opponents’ trips inside the 20-yard line. The Rams have the second-best red zone defense, allowing touchdowns only 43.5% of the time.
Offensively, the Broncos only score touchdowns 50% of the time when reaching the red zone, so they’re near the bottom of the league in that area (25th).
Rams are 9-5 vs. Broncos all-time
The Rams and Broncos have only met 14 times in their history, which isn’t surprising considering they’re in different conferences. The Rams have won nine of the 14 meetings with Denver, including each of the last four games since 2006.
When playing at home against the Broncos, the Rams are 5-2; Sunday’s game will be in Inglewood so the Rams will be at home once again.
Russell Wilson is 8-13 in his career vs. Rams
Wilson is very familiar with the Rams, having played them 21 times in his career as a member of the Seahawks. He hasn’t had much success against them, though. Since coming into the NFL, Wilson is only 8-13 against the Rams, losing each of his last three games against them.
He hasn’t lost more than eight games to any other opponent in the NFL, so the Rams have had his number. Wilson is also in the midst of the worst season of his career, only throwing 11 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 12 starts. | 2022-12-21T17:41:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 stats and facts to know for Rams vs. Broncos on Christmas Day | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-stats-facts-know-rams-161300416.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-stats-facts-know-rams-161300416.html?src=rss |
The Jets have lost five of their last seven and will be looking to avoid the first four-game losing streak of the Robert Saleh era on Thursday night. Unfortunately, for the second week in a row, they’ll need to beat an emerging young team that enters with momentum. Jacksonville has won three out of four since their bye week and if they win Thursday night’s game, both of these teams will be 7-8.
Has Trevor Lawrence finally arrived?
Trevor Lawrence’s career as a former No. 1 pick got off to a slow start in Jacksonville as he only won five of his first 25 starts. Since then, he has finally been able to put an extended period of quality play together and is in the best form of his career heading into this match-up.
Lawrence has passed for over 300 yards in each of the Jaguars’ post-bye wins, with 10 touchdown passes and another on the ground in those three games.
Although he threw an interception in Sunday’s win over Dallas, this was Lawrence’s first since October. He does, however, lead the league in lost fumbles, so perhaps this could be the week the Jets break their fumble recovery drought.
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) reacts after failing to convert on downs in the second half. The Lions defeat the Jets, 20-17, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 / Danielle Parhizkaran - NorthJersey.com - USA TODAY NETWORK
Can the Jets exploit another poor pass defense without turning the ball over?
Jacksonville has the fourth-worst pass defense in the NFL in terms of yardage surrendered so it’s another opponent the Jets can probably attack through the air.
Zach Wilson was inconsistent against the Lions, but had four completions of over 30 yards and ended up with over 300 passing yards for just the second time in his career. The Jets might need a similar output from him (assuming he starts again) to keep pace with Lawrence.
The Jaguars have forced at least one turnover in six of the past seven games, including eight in four games since the bye week. They won Sunday’s game on a Rayshawn Jenkins pick-six in overtime. Wilson must therefore be careful to avoid the kind of mistake he made on Jerry Jacobs’ interception on Sunday.
Sep 12, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Corey Davis (84) celebrates his touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
What kind of a role will injuries play?
After both teams faced a tough matchup that went down to the wire on Sunday, they face a quick turnaround to get ready for Thursday night. No doubt players will be banged up and, in some cases, unavailable.
There is a chance the Jets might be healthier than they were on Sunday though, with Corey Davis and Quinnen Williams potentially available to play, which would provide a boost on either side of the ball.
The Jaguars, on the other hand, lost left tackle Cam Robinson for the rest of the season to a knee injury on Sunday. Robinson had started every game, so they will need to regroup and reshuffle on the offensive line.
Will the Jaguars be able to run the ball as effectively as they did on Sunday?
Travis Etienne, who is averaging five yards per carry, needs just 83 rushing yards for his first 1,000-yard season. Entering Sunday’s game, he had been held to 3.1 yards per carry and 33.5 yards per game over the previous month, but he broke out with a 100-yard game against Dallas; his fourth of the season.
The Jaguars’ team rushing total was 192 yards, which represents their second-biggest total of the season. In addition to Etienne, they got good production from Jamal Agnew, who is better known as a kick return specialist. Have they found the formula to control the clock in Thursday night’s game?
Can the Jets find a way to win a close game?
Early in the season, the Jets were the league’s best fourth quarter team with late come-from-behind wins over Cleveland and Pittsburgh and a win over the Bills that saw them drive downfield for a late field goal to win it.
Since the bye week, this late-game magic has disappeared as they’ve lost games to New England, Minnesota, Buffalo and Detroit, all of which went down to the wire.
The Jets have to figure out a way to win if Thursday night’s game is a competitive one as anticipated. Otherwise, they will be lamenting what could have been at the end of the season.
The Bills clinched a playoff berth with their 32-29 victory over the Dolphins on Saturday and quarterback Josh Allen was a big reason why. Now he’s been named the AFC offensive player of the week. Allen put together one of his best performances of the season, completing 25-of-40 passes for 304 yards with four touchdowns. [more]
Robert Saleh says Mike White not cleared for contact, Zach Wilson will start Thursday | Jets News Conference
In this Jets news conference, Robert Saleh says QB Mike White will not be cleared for contact in time for the team's Thursday night matchup with the Jaguars, meaning Zach Wilson will get the start. | 2022-12-21T17:41:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | 5 things to watch as Jets face Jaguars in Week 16 | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-jets-face-161955177.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-jets-face-161955177.html?src=rss |
It has been a rough week for the New England Patriots.
If losing a pivotal game wasn’t bad enough, the team has had to listen to fans and talking heads heckle and lambaste them relentlessly for committing one of the most embarrassing game-ending blunders in NFL history.
A clearly emotional Jakobi Meyers has said his piece on the ill-fated mistake that handed the Las Vegas Raiders a Week 15 victory.
The veteran receiver tried to heave a lateral pass to quarterback Mac Jones with the game tied at the end of the fourth quarter, and the throw was picked off by Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones, who took it in for a touchdown.
That one play might have sealed the Patriots’ fate as possible playoff contenders. However, there’s still a mathematical possibility for them to get in, but it could take some major upsets for things to fall their way.
Here’s what the AFC playoff picture looks like after Week 15. | 2022-12-21T17:41:27Z | sports.yahoo.com | AFC playoff picture: Where things stand for Patriots after Week 15 | https://sports.yahoo.com/afc-playoff-picture-where-things-171012941.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/afc-playoff-picture-where-things-171012941.html?src=rss |
Police were looking to arrest Brown since the beginning of December. According to the notice, Brown will not need to appear for “any further proceedings in this matter.”
BREAKING NEWS: The recent misdemeanor battery charges against Antonio Brown ( @AB84 ) have been dropped...and the arrest warrant has been recalled. pic.twitter.com/dHQaOqGG60
The police report alleged that Brown threw a shoe at a woman and struck her in the ponytail. Before police arrived, Brown also reportedly threw the woman's belongings out of the house.
This news comes after Brown was reportedly hiding out in his Tampa home while police attempted to get him to come out and be arrested. Though police reportedly told Brown they were “not going anywhere” until he came out, they eventually left and declared the situation an "active investigation."
Brown, 34, won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. He said in May that he didn't plan to play in 2022.
He made his last NFL appearance on Jan. 2, when he made a dramatic exit from the Buccaneers' Week 17's game against the New York Jets in New Jersey.
Prior to that, Brown requested a trade from the Steelers after the 2018 season and landed with the Oakland Raiders in the 2019 preseason.
He was cut a few weeks into the season after being signed by the New England Patriots amid accusations of sexual misconduct and allegedly sending threatening text messages to one of his accusers. | 2022-12-21T17:41:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Antonio Brown no longer facing domestic violence charge, arrest warrant after police standoff outside house | https://sports.yahoo.com/antonio-brown-no-longer-facing-domestic-violence-charge-arrest-warrant-after-police-standoff-outside-house-170713575.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/antonio-brown-no-longer-facing-domestic-violence-charge-arrest-warrant-after-police-standoff-outside-house-170713575.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants (8-5-1) are preparing to visit the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) at U.S. Bank Stadium for a Week 16 matchup.
The Giants are coming off a much-needed win versus the Washington Commanders, while the Vikings recorded the largest comeback in NFL history against the Indianapolis Colts.
Those in the blue region of the TV map will get the game on the local FOX channel.
Getting the call for this game will be Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mark Schlereth (color analyst), and Kristina Pink (sideline).
Logan Duncomb's progress has been stunted by several factors, but he performs when he gets the opportunity against Elon. | 2022-12-21T17:42:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | If you’re in the blue, you’ll get Giants vs. Vikings on TV | https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-ll-giants-vs-vikings-165533241.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-ll-giants-vs-vikings-165533241.html?src=rss |
Brock Purdy, a true diamond in the rough, is saving the 49ers’ season
It almost seems like an unbelievable Hollywood movie when you talk about Brock Purdy’s story this season.
Going from the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft as “Mr. Irrelevant,” to suddenly being the most successful rookie quarterback this season and a potential future star that just might save the season for the San Francisco 49ers, seems just a little too good to be true.
On the season, Purdy has proven to be a legitimate starter, with six touchdowns to just two interceptions in his three-game undefeated run as the 49ers’ signal caller. He and Aaron Rodgers are the only two quarterbacks in NFL history to have a passer rating of over 115 in their first two starts, with Brock hitting an amazing 134.0 rating against a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in his first start.
Purdy has played like a savvy veteran within a complicated Kyle Shanahan system, and while it’s known to be a somewhat quarterback-friendly scheme, the tape and production tell us that this is so much more than a system-dependent quarterback managing games. Purdy has made multiple plays in clutch moments, with laser throws and quality decision-making.
If Purdy continues this rocket-level ascension, and can limit the natural mistakes that come with being a rookie, it would be hard to imagine the 49ers not making a deep playoff run with him at the helm. With a ton of playmakers on offense, and a dominant defense to lead the way, Purdy will be anything but irrelevant the rest of this season, and perhaps longer. | 2022-12-21T17:42:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brock Purdy, a true diamond in the rough, is saving the 49ers’ season | https://sports.yahoo.com/brock-purdy-true-diamond-rough-163657584.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brock-purdy-true-diamond-rough-163657584.html?src=rss |
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are traveling to the desert to take on what’s left of a Cardinals roster that has disappointed mightily this season.
Tampa Bay was projected to be one of the top dogs in the NFC, but are anything but that with their 6-8 record. While they technically have the No. 4 seed based on how terrible the NFC South is, they have not looked like a Super Bowl contender this season.
The Bucs have been defeated by double-digits in each of their last two games, those being the 49ers and Bengals. Their most recent win was a late 13-point comeback against the New Orleans Saints at home, which is far from an impressive team to beat.
In the offseason, the Bucs had a scare with Tom Brady retiring for a few weeks. He ultimately returned to the team, which was followed by an influx of free agent signings and re-signings. It essentially prevented a rebuild, or at least postponed it another year.
In training camp and throughout their first few games, the Bucs suffered numerous key injuries to their offensive line, which has led to what is statistically the worst rushing offense in the NFL.
Despite having two talented backs in Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White, the Bucs cannot move the ball on the ground, which leads to unfavorable passing situations for Tom Brady. They aren’t particularly great at pass blocking either, which has contributed to their struggles.
The Bucs have three games to go, with the Panthers and Falcons on the schedule following their matchup with the Cardinals. This is a playoff-type game for them in terms of importance with the Panthers just one game behind them. | 2022-12-21T17:42:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | What’s new with the Buccaneers in 2022? | https://sports.yahoo.com/buccaneers-2022-161756022.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/buccaneers-2022-161756022.html?src=rss |
Kansas City Chiefs P Tommy Townsend has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 15.
This marked the third-career Special Teams Player of the Week award for Townsend, who has now won weekly awards in each of his first three NFL seasons. He won in Week 15 as a rookie in 2020 and won again in Week 9 last season.
Despite some controversy surrounding his job as the holder for Harrison Butker, Townsend maintained his dominance as a punter in Week 15. He had four punts during the overtime win over the Houston Texans with two inside the 20-yard line and a net average of 42.5 yards. Houston’s average starting field position following Townsend’s punts on Sunday was the 17.5-yard line, good for the best mark in the AFC conference in Week 15.
Last season, Townsend became the first punter for Kansas City to win an AFC Player of the Week honor twice. He now extends that record with his third career win. He also tied with kicker Bengals K Evan McPherson for the most Special Teams Player of the Week awards by a former Florida Gator. McPherson was named Special Teams Player of the Week back in Week 4.
Chiefs special teams film review, Week 15: Kadarius Toney's back on punt returns
Russia's space agency will borrow up to 50 billion roubles ($710 million) in 2023 to fund a mass satellite-building programme to catch up with the United States and China, the organisation said on Tuesday. Roscosmos said it would place publicly traded bonds on Russia's financial markets throughout next year to boost its capacity to produce and launch satellites both for the Russian government and private companies. The space agency has this year launched a number of satellites into orbit, including for Russia's GLONASS radio-based satellite navigation system - seen as a potential rival for to U.S. global position system (GPS) - and Iran's Khayyam imaging satellite - a launch that raised fears in the West it could boost Russia's military capabilities in Ukraine. | 2022-12-21T17:42:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs P Tommy Townsend named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-p-tommy-townsend-named-155816682.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-p-tommy-townsend-named-155816682.html?src=rss |
The Eagles missed out by about five weeks, but former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will make his 2022 debut as the Colts have named him the starting quarterback for the final three regular season games.
Documentary shows how Gaggle prevents suicide, violence, bullying and harassment, but does it have a negative impact on LGBTQ students?Dallas, Dec. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new in-depth documentary on student monitoring software from VICE News highlights how Gaggle helps K-12 districts manage student safety and plays a significant role in saving student lives and keeping our nation’s schools safe. A representative of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) views this as an invasion of pr | 2022-12-21T17:42:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | Colts name former Eagles’ QB Nick Foles starter for Week 16 matchup vs. Chargers | https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-name-former-eagles-qb-170837241.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-name-former-eagles-qb-170837241.html?src=rss |
The Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1) are just three weeks away from the end of the 2022 regular season where they will begin to regroup and focus on the future.
There are a lot of decisions to be made over the course of the next few months, starting with general manager and head coach. While Chris Ballard is currently under contract, his job is far from safe. Meanwhile, the search for a new head coach will be one of the top priorities this offseason.
Coming off a historic collapse in the 39-36 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, there’s not much more to say about this team. They are limping to the finish line without showing much life under the current regime.
Author’s Take: “No matter how long Jeff Saturday’s NFL coaching career turns out to be, he’ll almost surely be a part of league lore for years to come — as the guy who oversaw the biggest one-game meltdown of all time.”
Author’s Take: “It is almost like the Colts are a team without a coach. That is the only way to explain how Indianapolis was able to blow a 33-0 halftime lead. Either that or the ghost of Jack Pardee possessed Jeff Saturday for the last half and overtime against the Minnesota Vikings. Proper game management would have been able to protect this lead and not give Matt Ryan a revisit of his lone Super Bowl appearance.”
Author’s Take: “Matt Ryan needs a hug.
Believe it or not, it gets worse. In January 2013, Ryan’s Falcons blew the largest lead in NFC Championship Game history. He was also part of the largest blown lead in any game played outside of the U.S. when the Falcons squandered a 21-0 lead in London in 2014.
After the loss, Ryan was worried more about the plays the Colts didn’t make than the historic significance of their collapse.
“I’ve played in this league a long time to know that a lot of different things can happen,” Ryan told reporters. “Anything can happen. You just have to keep your head down and keep going and find ways to make plays when they present themselves. It’s not much. It’s a handful of plays in a game. It’s three or four plays from an offensive perspective that we’ve got to find ways to execute, and it’s a win. We just didn’t make them.”
Given how the season has gone, Ryan’s first year in Indy will probably be his last. Head coach Jeff Saturday’s chances of losing his “interim” tag go down with every loss. This is a team headed for another offseason rebuild after having its sixth different starting quarterback in as many year.”
Author’s Take: “Pleasant surprise: LB Zaire Franklin
The 2018 seventh-round draft choice had never played more than 18% of defensive snaps in his career. But this season, with injuries to Shaquille Leonard, he was forced to handle a massive increase in playing time, and he has been a revelation. While playing 100% of defensive snaps, Franklin has become a playmaker, ranking fourth in the NFL with 141 tackles. Only five off-the-ball linebackers have more than Franklin’s nine tackles for loss this season, as his impact is finally being felt beyond special teams.”
Author’s Take: “The Colts’ nightmare season appropriately involved a Saturday meltdown under Jeff Saturday. The offensive underachieving has really dragged down an often stingy and playmaking defense. That D unraveled with little help in the second half in Minnesota.”
Author’s Take: “Time heals wounds, but it’s also what caused them for the Colts on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. Because of the nature of the Vikings this season, even a 20-0 deficit felt surmountable for the one-score kids.
But Indianapolis got up by 33 at halftime. It would take the single greatest collapse in NFL history to lose that lead. And that’s exactly what happened. The Dallas Cowboys put up 33 points in the fourth quarter of their game against Indianapolis.
The Vikings scored four touchdowns in less than 15 game minutes, completely erasing a 36-7 lead. There are no words of encouragement or beratement. All we can do is sit in awe.”
Author’s Take: “An unthinkable collapse by the Colts, who jumped out to a stunning 33-0 halftime lead over the Vikings on Saturday only to end up on the bad side of the biggest comeback in NFL history. Indianapolis helped Minnesota get back into the game with an extremely conservative second-half game plan that ultimately produced three points in the final two quarters and overtime. Not to be outdone, the defense was sliced and diced by Kirk Cousins, giving up 417 of Cousins’ 460 passing yards — and all four of his touchdown passes — after the break. We’d say this is the kind of loss that gets a head coach fired … but the owner already flipped that emergency lever a month ago. This is a Colts season that needs to end.”
Author’s Take: “Any chance they had to make the playoffs disappeared by blowing a 33-0 lead Saturday to the Vikings. That’s about it for Jeff Saturday.”
The injury report looks a lot better than it has in past weeks | 2022-12-21T17:42:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Colts’ power rankings roundup Week 16: Wrong end of history | https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-power-rankings-roundup-week-164741392.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-power-rankings-roundup-week-164741392.html?src=rss |
If you're still alive in the fantasy semifinals, perhaps you've got the NFL fully solved. It's possible you don't need any additional statistical nuggets to help decipher the league. For everyone else, here's a six-pack of stats that may not actually help you, but also can't hurt...
100.8 - Justin Fields has averaged 100.8 rushing yards per game over his last eight, dating back to mid-October when the Bears finally began leaning into his strengths as an offensive playmaker. Josh Jacobs is the only running back in the NFL averaging over 100 rushing yards per week for the season. Fields currently leads the league in yards per carry (7.0) and he's one of only seven players to have already reached 1,000 yards. If he or his team care at all about snatching Lamar Jackson's single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,206), it's his. Runs like this from Fields have simply become every-week occurrences:
HOW did Justin Fields do this?! 😱pic.twitter.com/GJoQa43SwF
30 - Travis Kelce ranks fifth in the league in total targets at the moment (127), but he's the across-the-board leader in terms of the most high-value opportunities. His 30 red-zone targets put him well in front of the pack. He also leads the NFL in targets inside the 10-yard line (17) and inside the 5 (11). And, of course, we're not just talking about generic pass attempts here — these are premium targets, via Patrick Mahomes. As we've discussed before, Kelce offers the greatest possible positional advantage in fantasy. He may have actually wrecked the position for future generations.
23 - Drake London has been targeted 23 times over Atlanta's past two games, which might not be notable in a standard-issue offense, but it certainly is when a team averages just 23.3 throws per week. He saw 11 chances Sunday in Desmond Ridder's first pro start on only 26 pass attempts. With 165 yards over his last two games, London is definitely surging at the right time. Even in a run-committed offense, he's approved for flexing. He's drawn an absurd 46% of the available targets over his last two, a throwback to his USC days.
18.0 - After Jaylen Waddle's three-catch, 114-yard performance Saturday, he's averaging a league-leading 18.0 yards per reception for the year. Many aspects of Miami's season have been delightful for fantasy purposes and we probably haven't spent enough time applauding Waddle's usage. His average depth of target in 2021 was just 7.1 yards, which never seemed appropriate to his skill set. This year, his aDOT has jumped to 12.2. Generally speaking, it's nice to see uncoverable burners like Waddle drawing high-yield targets.
Jaylen Waddle (17) is one of the many aspects of the Dolphins' season that has been delightful for fantasy purposes. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
14.98 - This is the average weekly fantasy total delivered by tight ends facing the Arizona Cardinals' defense this season in Yahoo default scoring. If an individual player was producing this way at tight end, he'd be the second highest-scoring guy at the position, behind only Travis Kelce (16.6). The Cards have actually allowed the most receptions (91), receiving yards (994) and touchdowns (10) to opposing tight ends, an impressive triple crown. Either Cameron Brate or Cade Otton (or both) should visit the end zone this week, just in case you're streaming this dreadful position in a deep league.
4.42 - Tyler Allgeier has averaged 4.42 yards after contact per attempt over the past four weeks, the fourth-best rate in the league among backs with at least 20 carries during that stretch. For the season, the rookie is picking up 3.52 yards after contact per carry, the eighth-highest mark in the league. So this is definitely a case in which the advanced stats match the eye test. Allgeier is excellent, a powerful runner who basically never goes down without a messy skirmish. He's still stuck in an unfortunate RBBC arrangement, sure, but at least it's a high-volume committee. The Falcons are running the ball 32.6 times per game, making them the third most run-heavy team in the league.
Jackson was taken into custody at the Bristol County Jail & House of Correction on Monday afternoon. | 2022-12-21T17:43:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | Fantasy Football Six-Pack: Justin Fields makes a run at history | https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-football-six-pack-justin-fields-makes-a-run-at-history-170549937.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-football-six-pack-justin-fields-makes-a-run-at-history-170549937.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants are 8-5-1 this season and if things break right for them this weekend, they will clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2016.
Much of that has been due to the play of fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones, who the team chose not to extend for a fifth season (via option), leaving him to sing for his supper, so to speak.
Jones has done just that, and more. In the face of a shifting roster and another spate of excessive, inexplicable injuries to key contributors, the former first-round pick has played admirably and followed the direction of his new coaching staff.
First-year head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have worked their respective magic on Jones, who has turned the corner on his inconsistent career.
“Well, give Daniel credit, first and foremost,” Daboll told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s an extremely hard worker. I think he understands what we’re trying to accomplish each week. Every week, it’s a little bit different. But he works extremely hard. He studies. He understands the teams that we’re playing, and he makes good decisions for what we ask him to do. Last week was a little bit different than the week before. He’s taking care of the football. He’s done a good job.”
Jones had been a notorious turnover machine in his Giants career. That was goal No. 1 for Daboll and Kafka — get Jones to take better care of the football. His touchdown to interception ratio is 12-4 and he has lost only three fumbles despite being sacked the second-most times in the NFL this season (41).
“Give credit to him. He’s got to take care of the ball in the pocket, and he’s got to be the one to make good decisions when he’s under pressure,” said Daboll. “I think (quarterbacks coach) Shea (Tierney) has done a really great job with him in the quarterback room. We try to do things that accentuate his strengths. I think he can throw it on all three levels, but there’s a way to play each game against each opponent based on what they have defensively, how their rush is, what their corners look like. He’s done a good job of operating and executing our offense.”
Jones’ strong performance has earned the respect of not only the coaches but of his teammates.
“I think when I got here, just talking to some of the skill guys and even the defensive guys, they’ve always had that respect for Daniel because of the way he approaches his job, he’s a true pro. And he’s a good leader,” Daboll said. “I know he’s kind of a quiet guy. But in the huddle, he’s a good leader with those guys. He knows everybody’s responsibilities. He can get things lined up; he can correct mistakes. He’s a problem solver. So, I think the guys have a lot of respect for him.”
Whether the Giants choose to extend Jones after this season is unknown. If they don’t act by the league’s year-end in March, Jones will become an unrestricted free agent.
The Giants could simply slap the franchise tag on him to keep him in the fold for another season until they work out a longer deal, but it may not come to that.
Jones is not an elite NFL quarterback, one can change the course of a game in an instant or stage a huge comeback such as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert.
But he is the next level below, and that’s not an insult. He’s come a long way and Daboll recognizes that. What he lacks in natural talent, he makes up for in other areas.
“I think he’s just very levelheaded and that helps too when sometimes there’s chaos in the game; whether that’s in the pocket, whether you’re down,” said Daboll. “I think he’s really been the model of consistency with his attitude and his approach and that’s what I appreciate about him.” | 2022-12-21T17:43:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants’ Brian Daboll against heaps praise on Daniel Jones | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-brian-daboll-against-heaps-155512131.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-brian-daboll-against-heaps-155512131.html?src=rss |
The Minnesota Vikings’ historic comeback over the Indianapolis Colts didn’t come without controversy.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins’ initial PFF grade came in at 57.4, which by PFF’s grading is slightly below average. That doesn’t make much sense considering that Cousins won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award with a stat line of 34-54 for 460 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions that PFF both deemed not his fault.
On Wednesday morning, PFF now shows his grade to be 3.4 points higher, which is now at 60.8.
What could have changed his grade? This can happen from time to time, as a second look at a game can change a grade, just like a teacher rereading a student’s essay can do the same.
One thing that cannot be overlooked is the fan outrage for how low he was graded. Fans were up in arms about it and analysts were a little confused why it was low due to his excellent performance in the second half with me among them.
Why the grade changed we don’t know for sure, but it did and that’s due to the positive play from Cousins. | 2022-12-21T17:43:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kirk Cousins’ PFF grade rises over 3 points since Tuesday | https://sports.yahoo.com/kirk-cousins-pff-grade-rises-164428623.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kirk-cousins-pff-grade-rises-164428623.html?src=rss |
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins is the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after a career day against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.
Jenkins, 28, was a pretty easy choice for the NFL after he became the first player ever to record at least 18 tackles and two interceptions in a game. His second pick Sunday was returned 52 yards for a game-winning overtime touchdown.
How ‘bout them Jags?#DALvsJAX | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/hFyq6xknZZ
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season, but Jenkins is the first player on the team to win on the other side of the ball. Last year, Josh Allen was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording a sack, interception, and a fumble recovery against the Buffalo Bills.
Jenkins began his career with the Los Angeles Chargers and joined the Jaguars in 2021 as a free agent. After Sunday, he has three interceptions on the season with 11 pass deflections and 95 total tackles. | 2022-12-21T17:44:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rayshawn Jenkins named AFC Defensive Player of the Week | https://sports.yahoo.com/rayshawn-jenkins-named-afc-defensive-164949563.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rayshawn-jenkins-named-afc-defensive-164949563.html?src=rss |
Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams dumped Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford in 2021, and the blockbuster trade couldn’t have had a better immediate return. The Rams won the Super Bowl in Stafford’s first season, the best possible outcome in Year 1 of this new partnership.
Goff and the Lions had a rough first season together in 2021, but they too are having success now in Year 2. Goff has led Detroit to a 7-7 record through 14 games after starting the year 1-6, clawing their way back into playoff contention.
The split between McVay and Goff wasn’t the cleanest, but it’s good to see McVay giving Goff credit for the job he’s done in Detroit. | 2022-12-21T17:44:12Z | sports.yahoo.com | Sean McVay happy to see Jared Goff playing well for Lions | https://sports.yahoo.com/sean-mcvay-happy-see-jared-165050973.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/sean-mcvay-happy-see-jared-165050973.html?src=rss |
Pittsburgh Steelers team President Art Rooney II released the statement below in response to the tragic death of Steelers icon Franco Harris. Harris was 72 years old and played 12 of his 13 NFL seasons with Pittsburgh.
Prince Andrew was famously forced to step down from duties as a working member of the Royal Family after his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, including allegations that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was a minor at the time of the incidents. As part of his demoted stature, he is no longer able to enjoy some of the afforded luxuries that come with being a Royal. For example, he can't attend certain events, wear his military uniform to those he can, and one of th | 2022-12-21T17:44:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | Steelers president Art Rooney II statement on the death of Franco Harris | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-president-art-rooney-ii-164037919.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-president-art-rooney-ii-164037919.html?src=rss |
Trevor Lawrence has arrived, and here’s how it happened
Last month, we asked if Trevor Lawrence had arrived.
The answer, we can confidently say, is yes!
Over the last six games, Lawrence has 1,680 yards, 14 touchdowns, one interception and has helped his team go 4-2. According to rbsdm.com, Lawrence has performed alongside Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts among the NFL’s best and most valuable quarterbacks.
Let’s dive into the film and see what has changed from the first half of the 2022 season to the second half!
Confidence is key!
Confidence brings consistency.
Here is what coach Doug Pederson had to say when asked about Lawrence’s consistency, “If the defense allows a touchdown, the offense is like, ‘Hey, we got to go score.’ It’s the complementary aspect of the game, but for Trevor, as the leader, guys really like how he’s playing and how he’s leading, his toughness, and that goes a long way with the guys in the locker room.”
The one thing Lawrence has been able to do is hit his receivers when running key plays that are designed to target his guys open.
Against the Dallas Cowboys, Lawrence saw a lot of man coverage in key situations. It was the third quarter, and the Jaguars were on the wrong side of a 17-point deficit.
When the Jaguars motioned the running back out wide, the defense was forced to shift matching up the WLB Anthony Barr against Christian Kirk who was in the slot. With only one safety over the top, a switch to get Kirk to the sideline was critical.
It’s important for the Jaguars to get one of their best players in open space attacking a weak spot in the defense.
This is where Lawrence showed consistency, being able to deliver a similar ball when the time was right.
Now when facing zone defenses, Lawrence’s confidence and anticipation has also grown. Earlier in the season he was waiting for his receivers to turn around before making his throws. Which led to sacks, pass breakups and/or contested catches.
Last week, it was second and long, and in order to cut the yardage to convert in half, he threw the short curl route to Evan Engram who was in the middle of the field.
Even though the coverage looked like ‘man’, Lawrence was able to notice it and get the ball out quickly.
Currently Lawrence is averaging a 2.57 second time to throw average, which is the ninth-fastest in the league. The longer quarterbacks hold onto the ball, the more time left for defensive linemen to make a play.
Adjusting to the defense.
(Syndication: Florida Times-Union)
Lawrence deserves a lot of credit for how he has been moving within the pocket. He’s showing incredible poise while going through his reads, and also when moving out in space.
Earlier in the season, when Lawrence saw something that he didn’t like, he would try and just use his legs to get out of that situation. Now, he is constantly moving his feet while keeping his eyes downfield.
Finishing strong!
Lawrence looks like a completely different player when watching him in his first eight games from his last eight games. It’s great to see a player really gain the confidence without the coach making any drastic changes.
Early on in the season, Lawrence went 14/19 for 78 yards on RPO plays. Which isn’t much. Half of those 14 completions were screens.
So, in the second half of the season, instead of forcing the slant routes that are often paired with RPO reads, they let Lawrence throw what he does best, and the receivers run what they do best. From week eight, Lawrence went 9/10 on RPO passes for 62 yards with now -22 air yards, and all nine of those completions were screens.
So, the overall gameplan hasn’t really changed, just small adjustments tailored to Lawrence’s and the offenses strengths.
It’s not often that you get a 6-foot-6 quarterback with his athleticism outside the pocket. They started letting him loose and look how his confidence changed from the Philadelphia Eagles game in week four, to the Tennessee Titans game played in week 14.
He went from trying to make a play with his legs, to trusting his arm.
Here is what Pederson had to say when asked what has changed from October to December, “I just think we’re just learning each and every week. Learning from our mistakes, learning the positives. We’re not coaching any differently. Maybe running some similar concepts offensively and defensively that we did earlier in the season where guys have time on task. We’re just growing as a football team and the more time we spend together, the tighter you become. I think the more you overcome some of the adverse situations, it’s just part of the growth process of where we’ve come from and what we’ve learned from it.”
Lawrence has gone from starting strong, to finishing strong.
Can Trevor Lawrence lead the @Jaguars to a playoff berth? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/UcTejRhYbH
It’s safe to say that Lawrence has arrived! It’s great to see him paired with a quarterbacks coach and offensive mind like Doug Pederson who can help him grow and utilize his natural skillsets.
The Jaguars are now on the fence of the playoffs and the Thursday Night Football game against the Titans will now determine the AFC South.
No matter what happens, Lawrence has put himself firmly into the high-level quarterback conversation. | 2022-12-21T17:44:25Z | sports.yahoo.com | Trevor Lawrence has arrived, and here’s how it happened | https://sports.yahoo.com/trevor-lawrence-arrived-happened-170618873.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/trevor-lawrence-arrived-happened-170618873.html?src=rss |
Former Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops reflects tells a few stories about the impact of his relationship with the late Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach, during his memorial service in Starkville, Miss., Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. Leach died, Dec. 12, 2022, from complications related to a heart condition at 61. He was in his third year as head coach. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bob Stoops pays tribute to ex-OU football OC Mike Leach at memorial
Zach Arnett has his first major assignment since becoming Mississippi State football coach: The early signing period. Follow along for updates.
Charlie and James on when the Blackhawks will be playoff contenders again, whether Chicago is better positioned than Anaheim to finish last and more.
The Eagles appear unlikely to have Jalen Hurts when they take on the Cowboys this weekend. But they will have one of their key offensive weapons back. Dallas Goedert has been activated to the 53-man roster, Philadelphia announced on Tuesday. Goedert has been dealing with a shoulder injury and has not played since Week 10. [more] | 2022-12-21T18:13:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bob Stoops pays tribute to ex-OU football assistant coach Mike Leach at memorial service | https://sports.yahoo.com/bob-stoops-pays-tribute-ex-231600294.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bob-stoops-pays-tribute-ex-231600294.html?src=rss |
Warriors' time for roster changes not now, but it's close originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
This was to be the road trip that would provide a means by which to measure the Warriors. It would expose the best and worst of themselves and, in the process, offer considerable insight into their potential.
And it is providing nothing of the sort. It has been a nightmare, from the blowout in Milwaukee, to Stephen Curry being struck down in Indiana to the ongoing absence of Andrew Wiggins and the sight of a perplexed Klay Thompson trapped in a web of despair.
After being demolished, 132-94, by the New York Knicks – the hottest team in the NBA – on Tuesday, the Warriors are 1-4 on the six-game roadie that ends Wednesday night against another of the league’s second-hottest team: Brooklyn, winners of seven straight, led by superstar and former Warrior Kevin Durant.
As it stands, the Warriors (15-17) are 11th in the Western Conference – and no more than three weeks away from diving deeply into significant decisions about their roster.
By the evening of Jan. 10, Golden State will have played 41 games, precisely half a season. At least a third of those games will have been without Curry. Mid- to late January is a good guess about his return, but until there is more clarity it would be imprudent to make dramatic changes. General manager Bob Myers is fond is saying he’d “like to see what our team looks like” before planting both feet in the trade bazaar.
That gives CEO Joe Lacob, Myers and their lieutenants nine more games to know what the Warriors look like without Curry. Eight of those games will be at home.
“We know what it takes for us to win without Steph,” Kevon Looney told reporters Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. “We know what the formula is going to have to be. We just got to go out there and execute. We’ve got to start with defense and rebounding and limiting the turnovers.”
That has been the Warriors’ problem. Mr. Knowing and Miss Doing can’t seem to connect, much less forge a lasting relationship.
While it’s too early to spread anxiety, 32 games are plenty enough to realize that aside from a stirring home win over the Celtics 11 days ago the Warriors have not found anything remotely resembling magic.
Their longest win streak is three games, and their longest losing streak is five games. Their 3-15 road record is the worst in the league – and the worst ever through 18 games for any defending NBA champion. As their defense has improved – they’re ninth in defensive rating over the past three weeks – their sloppiness on offense has remained steady; only the young and erratic Rockets commit more turnovers and allow more points off the empty possessions.
The Knicks, for example, piled up 36 points – nearly 30 percent of their total – off 20 Golden State turnovers.
The Warriors will face Kyrie Irving and KD without Curry, without Wiggins and without Thompson. Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green weren’t available against the Knicks and might not be available against the Nets. Draymond Green played 26 minutes against the Knicks but might sit this one out.
There are scheduled losses, and this one, sending a skeleton crew to face a team finally finding its contender’s wheels, has all the elements. The best reasonable hope is that there will be a great many teachable moments for the youngsters who don’t get much run.
This much we know: Chase Center never looked so good to the Warriors.
RELATED: The evolution of coaching, through Steve Kerr's eyes
Once they return to the Bay Area on Thursday, they will be home for three full weeks, taking them through Jan. 10, with the first game coming on Christmas Day against the upstart rivals from Memphis.
The highest of hopes remain alive, but this trip through the best of the Eastern Conference has had the charm of a 6 a.m. jackhammer. It’s not a wake-up call but a wicked paddle to the rump.
And Curry’s return, whenever that is, should not be viewed as a panacea.
“We were trying to figure stuff out with him,” coach Steve Kerr conceded on Sunday in Toronto. “We haven’t really gained any traction this year, especially on the road. We have a lot of balls in the air with this team.”
Indeed, they do. Sore backside and all, it won’t be long before the Warriors will be forced to decide how they will approach the second half of the season.
Recently, Baltimore police are noticing a rise in catalytic converter thefts. It's not a new crime, but it is becoming more common in many areas because of what the precious metals inside converters are worth. 11-News spoke with experts from AAA about how to keep your car safe. Ben Perricone knows a catalytic converter like the back of his hand. "Why are thefts on the increase? Money," Ben Perricone, the territory manager for AAA Approved Auto Repair Program, said. "They'll just hack through and take that canister and off they go." | 2022-12-21T18:13:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Why Warriors can buy some time before considering any roster changes | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-warriors-buy-time-considering-163842221.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-warriors-buy-time-considering-163842221.html?src=rss |
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