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Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner is thankful for those who advocated for her release while she was detained in Russia. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner experienced the power of advocacy firsthand while detained in Russia. Now that she's back in the United States, Griner is urging fans to continue to push for the release of Paul Whelan and other Americans who are wrongfully detained.
Griner posted a handwritten letter on Instagram on Wednesday thanking fans for their support during her detainment. Griner also urged fans to write to Whelan and continue to fight for the release of other Americans.
Her full note read:
"Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after 10 months. You took time to show me you cared and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered. Your letters helped me to not lose hope during a time when I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Because of you I never lost hope.
"Your letters were also bigger than uplifting me. They showed me the power of collective hands. Together, we can do hard things. I'm proof of that. My family is whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together. However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained.
"Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the WeAreBG campaign to bring me home and it's our turn to support them. I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families.
"Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I hope your holiday season is full of joy and love.
"Sincerely, Brittney Griner."
The letter contains an address so Griner's fans can send mail to Whelan.
The United States attempted to include Whelan, a retired marine currently detained in Russia on espionage charges, in offers to release Griner. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the United States sent offers to Russia that involved both Griner and Whelan.
Th U.S. offered to free arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" and was jailed in the United States. Russia eventually agreed to the swap, but only for Griner. The two were exchanged Dec. 8.
Following the swap, U.S. President Joe Biden received criticism from the DEA agent who put Bout behind bars. Tom Pasquarello, who was part of a sting operation to catch Bout, wondered why the United States wasn't able to get two citizens in exchange for Bout, whom Pasquarello called "the world’s most notorious weapons trafficker."
Whelan's family spoke after Griner was returned to the U.S. and said Biden "made the right decision." The family was also "devastated" that Whelan remained detained in Russia.
Following her release, Griner hopes to keep the focus on getting Whelan home. Days after Griner came home, Biden reportedly met with Whelan's family to discuss "next steps" to get Whelan back to the U.S. | 2022-12-22T07:08:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner thanks fans for support, urges them to advocate for release of Paul Whelan, other Americans | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-thanks-fans-for-support-urges-them-to-advocate-for-release-of-paul-whelan-other-americans-203342989.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-thanks-fans-for-support-urges-them-to-advocate-for-release-of-paul-whelan-other-americans-203342989.html?src=rss |
Brandin Bryant’s rotation with the Bills has taken another turn this week.
On Monday, the team announced that offensive lineman Ike Boettger was activated to the 53-man roster form the PUP list. Bryant was released in order to make room for Boettger.
But Bryant isn’t going far as he has since re-signed with the club via their practice squad.
Bryant spent training camp with the Bills but was cut at the end of the summer. He eventually returned… multiple times.
At one point he was let go and signed by the Texans in early November. Then once he was released there, Bryant was brought back by the Bills once more.
Round and round we go, but Bryant is back on the team’s taxi squad.
Bryant being taken off the active roster this week was likely a sign of something more. Fellow defensive lineman Jordan Phillips (shoulder) was sidelined for two games.
Phillips has been back at practice this week ahead of the team’s matchup with the Bears (3-11). One could anticipate Phillips being back in the lineup, which made Bryant initially expendable. | 2022-12-22T07:25:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bills re-sign Brandin Bryant to the practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-sign-brandin-bryant-practice-064542786.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-sign-brandin-bryant-practice-064542786.html?src=rss |
Purdy feeling 'a lot better' after gutting through injuries originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Kyle Shanahan said after the 49ers' 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field last Sunday that Brock Purdy earned more respect from the locker room after battling soreness in his obliques and ribs area.
However, a few days have passed since the 22-year-old helped lead the 49ers to their seventh straight win and Purdy feels better ahead of San Francisco's matchup against the Washington Commanders on Saturday at Levi's Stadium.
"Yeah, I feel a lot better compared to last week going into the game," Purdy told reporters Wednesday. "Just compared to how I felt going into the game and then obviously having a good three days before doing anything of just rest and recovery, I feel a lot better."
Even if there's still lingering pain after gutting through the game against the Seahawks, the Iowa State product isn't going to let that get in the way of being an effective starting quarterback when facing the Commanders, and the thought of aggravating his injury doesn't come to mind.
RELATED: The "Purdy household" shared the holiday spirit in the 49ers locker room
"I knew that I was going to start out the game," Purdy said. "I didn't know if I got hit or if something happened.
"If things got worse with my oblique and whatnot if I would have to come out of the game, that kind of thing. I knew that I was going to start the game and roll from there and see how it felt, but there was never a question of if I was going to play or not." | 2022-12-22T07:25:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brock Purdy feels 'a lot better' after gutting through injuries vs. Seahawks | https://sports.yahoo.com/brock-purdy-feels-lot-better-052459015.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brock-purdy-feels-lot-better-052459015.html?src=rss |
As we near three years since the start of the pandemic, we are learning new information about the mental toll from COVID-19.
DALLAS, Dec. 21, 2022 — Identifying early risks and treatments among children and mothers, continued health disparities and finding new ways to use medications already on the market are among some of the significant scientific research developments in ... | 2022-12-22T08:00:56Z | sports.yahoo.com | Nick Krass talks Oregon State’s second-half rally in win vs. Denver | https://sports.yahoo.com/nick-krass-talks-oregon-state-063303333.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nick-krass-talks-oregon-state-063303333.html?src=rss |
"Everybody has to pull their weight.”
“We’re just taking it day by day, trying to be as cautious as possible,” Ham said. "We don't want to put him in a position where, if he's feeling something, then it leads to a bigger issue or a bigger problem. That's the biggest thing for us, just to get out in front of it.” | 2022-12-22T08:22:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | LeBron James, short-handed Lakers struggle to fill holes in lineup in loss to Kings | https://sports.yahoo.com/lebron-james-short-handed-lakers-054200101.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lebron-james-short-handed-lakers-054200101.html?src=rss |
Disney’s “Avatar: The Way Of Water” created a tidal wave at the U.K. and Ireland box office in its opening weekend washing away almost everything in its path. James Cameron’s much-anticipated return to Pandora debuted at No. 1 with a gargantuan £11.1 million ($13.5 million), per numbers released by Comscore. The film’s opening is 68% […] | 2022-12-22T08:53:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Week 16 Fantasy Football Stats: New starting QBs for Cardinals, Colts & Eagles could mess up the fantasy playoffs | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-16-fantasy-football-stats-mcsorley-foles-minshew-mike-evans-gabe-davis-080242549.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/week-16-fantasy-football-stats-mcsorley-foles-minshew-mike-evans-gabe-davis-080242549.html?src=rss |
On Wednesday, the league released its entire roster of Pro Bowlers, which was decided by the fans, the players and the coaches around the league.
Chargers edge defender Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James were named to the AFC Pro Bowl Games team.
Named to his seventh Pro Bowl, Mack has proven to be a valuable addition to the team. He has 45 tackles, ten for loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles.
Named to his third Pro Bowl, James, the do-it-all defender, has 106 tackles, five for loss, four sacks, four passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception in 12 games this season.
This year’s Pro Bowl will have a new format, including a skills challenge and an AFC vs. NFC flag football game. It will be held on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.
Several Chargers players were listed as Pro Bowl alternates: Running back Austin Ekeler (first), center Corey Linsley (first), quarterback Justin Herbert (second), long snapper Josh Harris (second), punter JK Scott (fourth) and returner DeAndre Carter (fifth). | 2022-12-22T10:27:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Pair of Chargers named to 2023 Pro Bowl | https://sports.yahoo.com/pair-chargers-named-2023-pro-045508264.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/pair-chargers-named-2023-pro-045508264.html?src=rss |
Few schools love recruiting and developing linebackers the way Penn State does. And Linebacker U added quite the trio of linebackers in the Class of 2023 with the additions of Tony Rojas, Kaveion Keys, and Ta'Mere Robinson. If there is one thing James Franklin likes about his three new linebacker recruits, it is the athleticism that allows for positional flexibility moving forward.
“[We] really like to recruit kind of three outside backers, then whoever makes sense at the end to move to Mike, do that,” Franklin said when asked about the new linebackers in the Class of 2023 in his early signing day press conference on Wednesday. “You really don’t want to play with an old school true Mike on the field. You’d rather have three outside linebackers that create position flexibility.”
Did Penn State accomplish that in the Class of 2023? Franklin seems to think so.
“We’ve got three guys that we think could really play all three positions,” Franklin said. Franklin went on to suggest Robinson would probably be the one most likely to be molded into the Mike position on the defense.
“If I had to kind of put it on the board right now, Ta’Mere probably at Mike. With his size, he’s a big, big, big young man, but has the athleticism and movement and leadership qualities,” Franklin explained.
“The good thing is we have flexibility with all three of those guys,” Franklin said, referring to Robinson, Rojas, and Keys. “All three have really good tape. All three of them are really good students. I know they’re excited about the opportunity of coming here, coming in and competing in what’s going to be one of the better linebacker rooms in the country, especially the way we’ve been able to get Abdul [Carter] to develop in his first year on campus.”
If nothing else, the future of the linebacker position appears to be pretty well-stocked for the Nittany Lions in the coming years. With Abdul Carter coming off a stellar freshman season and the addition of these three new potential options to work into the mix, Linebacker-U will be living up to its namesake.
“It’s going to be a fun position to watch over the next year,” Franklin said. Yes, it certainly should be. | 2022-12-22T11:22:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | James Franklin likes athletic flexibility of Class of 2023 linebackers | https://sports.yahoo.com/james-franklin-likes-athletic-flexibility-103433570.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/james-franklin-likes-athletic-flexibility-103433570.html?src=rss |
Penn State officially inked 22 new members to its Class of 2023 with the start of the early signing period on Wednesday. The early signing period closes after Friday so there could still be more to come for Penn State in an official capacity before the holiday weekend, but James Franklin can now focus on plugging the last holes on the roster that need to be plugged between now and the traditional national signing day in February. On Wednesday, Franklin outlined what is next on the agenda for the Nittany Lions from a recruiting perspective.
“If you look on the offensive side of the ball, we’d like to get another offensive lineman if we could, specifically an offensive tackle, or a guy that’s like the guys that we signed in this class that have position flexibility,” Franklin mentioned. Penn State signed a pair of offensive linemen studs with J’ven Williams and Alex Birchmeier to set a tone for this recruiting class in the trenches. But as Penn State has seen the last few years, you can never have a lack of depth on the offensive line later in the year.
“I’d like to see us get another offensive lineman and then wide receiver,” Franklin said. “That’s a position where I could see us signing a couple more guys at that position just to make sure that we have the competition at that position on a similar scale that we do at tight end and running back. I think that’s going to be important for us moving forward.”
Penn State will be going into 2023 with the loss of Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, two of the team’s top receiving targets in 2022. Washington declared for the NFL with a year of eligibility remaining and Tinsley is exhausting his eligibility as a graduate.
Penn State added one four-star wide receiver in its Class of 2023 haul with Carmelo Taylor out of Virginia. The Class of 2022 added some young players with good potential as well with Kaden Saunders, Anthony Ivey, Omari Evans, and Tyler Johnson.
The good news for Penn State is there are still some players out there to be signed or added through the transfer portal that can help Franklin address these two needs. And given Franklin’s comments, you can fully expect Penn State will be active in those areas moving forward.
Franklin is also keeping an eye out for more bodies on the defensive side of the ball as well, specifically on the defensive line. Franklin said he would like to add another defensive tackle or defensive end to pad the depth a bit more on the line. But Franklin is also focused on the defensive back position as well as Conrad Hussey has not signed with a school yet despite being committed to Penn State. Hussey was reportedly set to announce his final college decision at an event on Wednesday evening but that decision remains in limbo as Miami and Florida State have appeared to enter the conversation.
“Depending on how this thing plays out in the back end at defensive back, we could be in the need for one or two more defensive backs,” Franklin said. | 2022-12-22T11:22:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | What positions will James Franklin focus on after the early signing period? | https://sports.yahoo.com/positions-james-franklin-focus-early-101304944.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/positions-james-franklin-focus-early-101304944.html?src=rss |
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Brock Purdy wasn't sure he'd make it through his second NFL start or if a hard hit to his sore ribs and oblique would force him out.
''I feel a lot better compared to last week going into the game,'' he said Wednesday. ''Just compared to how I felt going into the game and then obviously having a good three days before doing anything of just rest and recovery, I feel a lot better.''
''My goal coming in was to earn the respect of the guys that have been here and as a rookie, you can't just come in and be a rah-rah guy and try to act like you're the guy already, so I just try to do my part, pay my dues and earn my stripes,'' he said. ''That still hasn't changed. I still have to do that kind of stuff as a rookie now, but my whole thing was, I'm going to go in and support the quarterbacks, compete and push them to make them better. And if my opportunity comes, then obviously make the most of it. I feel like the guys have seen that, the older guys have seen that, and they respect that.
''I appreciate them for that. And honestly, we all want to win and if that takes a rookie quarterback, so be it.'' | 2022-12-22T12:01:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | Extra days off leave Brock Purdy in good shape for 49ers | https://sports.yahoo.com/extra-days-off-leave-brock-105618541.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/extra-days-off-leave-brock-105618541.html?src=rss |
Hillman's family announced his death in a message posted to his Instagram account.
Hillman stayed on the field in 2015 and turned in his most productive year as a pro. He rushed for a career-high 863 yards and scored a career-high seven rushing touchdowns. Hillman got the start in two of the Broncos' three playoff games that season, rushing 32 times for 54 yards. He received five carries in Super Bowl 50, which the Broncos won 24-10 over the Carolina Panthers. | 2022-12-22T12:01:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman dies at 31 | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-broncos-running-back-ronnie-hillman-dies-at-31-114157198.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-broncos-running-back-ronnie-hillman-dies-at-31-114157198.html?src=rss |
PITTSBURGH (AP) ''The Steeler Way'' did not exist at 3:28 p.m. on Dec. 23, 1972. If it had, it would have been synonymous with one thing and one thing only.
They call Harris' iconic snatch, grab and sprint to the end zone in the final seconds of the 1972 divisional playoff ''The Immaculate Reception,'' a title that hints at the divine.
''(Harris) has an unbelievable play and you just saw the trajectory take off from there,'' Heyward said. ''It wasn't just a tough group, it was a tough and winning group ... but they didn't just win on the field. They won off the field. The way they interacted with people. The way the city always got behind them.''
''He felt a real burning passion to use that celebrity to bring about change to the people who need it,'' former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said. ''And he identified he would have the greatest impact in staying here in Pennsylvania.''
At the time of his death, he was serving as the board chair for ''The Pittsburgh Promise,'' a nonprofit dedicated to ''high educational aspirations among urban youth and scholarships for post-secondary access,'' among other things. It was just one of the many charities he dedicated his time to long after he entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
''(They) set the way for any player (that came after),'' Heyward said. ''We were just fortunate enough to be part of an organization that great men are a part of. You walk in and you see those six Lombardis and you say, 'Franco is the real reason (for) that.''
He'd try to steer others to that point eventually, but not at first. Harris knew perhaps better than anyone what it mean to turn Pittsburgh into the ''City of Champions'' during a time when the steel industry was crumbling. He never took his role in the area's symbolic rebirth for granted.
''The feeling is there and there is a deep, just good feeling,'' Harris said in September after the team announced it would retire his No. 32 this Saturday when the Steelers host the Raiders, now based in Las Vegas. ''And what an honor it was to be a part of that and to contribute to that.'' | 2022-12-22T12:01:34Z | sports.yahoo.com | In Franco Harris, the Steelers found a hero ... and a Way | https://sports.yahoo.com/franco-harris-steelers-found-hero-105929917.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/franco-harris-steelers-found-hero-105929917.html?src=rss |
Logan Paulsen, a guest on the Kevin Sheehan Show podcast, Monday was asked directly to start the dialog, “Why did they (Commanders) lose last night?”
“Obviously, a question like that is multi-factorial, but I am going to start off with Scott (Turner), and the offensive staff got away from who they wanted to be and what they have been offensively.”
Paulsen felt the staff had watched film of how the Eagles scored big in their easy win over the Giants the previous week and attempted to incorporate that into the Commanders offense Sunday.
“I think it was a travesty in some ways that Brian Robinson only ended up with 17 carries.” Sheehan quickly countered, “12 carries, 12 carries.”
“The running game was being super-efficient, and I feel like they outsmarted themselves… that was one thing that really stuck out to me offensively. Obviously, the two turnovers were gigantic.” Paulsen distinguished between the two fumbles stating the first one was certainly not on Taylor Heinicke, but the last one certainly is.
As a north-south back, Brian Robinson’s leg drive at contact is extremely tough to deal with. Dude can just churn out tough second-level yards.
pic.twitter.com/GeTfnaNbKp
“It felt like the offense had regressed back to what they were before Minnesota. A lot of dropbacks, a lot of off-gun runs, as opposed to a down hill attacking style, which they have become so good at the last few weeks, and the offensive line has gotten good at…It surprised me they came out departing from that.”
Paulsen illustrated by pointing to a 3rd & 3 in the red zone in which the call was a toss to Curtis Samuel. “I thought, man, you have one of the most efficient power runners in the NFL; why is he not on the field in this situation?… Give it to your best back, and let him make the play for you.”
“It’s easy for me to be a Monday morning quarterback and I am sure Scott had some good intel on why he wanted to call that in that situation.” But Paulsen continued that he thought that play call hurt more then helped.
“I think Washington is the more talented team, and that is one of the reasons why this is so frustrating. You want this team to make the playoffs, make a push. This is the game they had to win against a team they should have beaten.”
A determining factor right now is Daniel Jones is playing a little better than Taylor Heinicke right now. I think it was schematics and them (Giants) making plays when they needed to make them quite frankly.” | 2022-12-22T12:01:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | Logan Paulsen: ‘Daniel Jones better than Taylor Heinicke right now’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/logan-paulsen-daniel-jones-better-114554180.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/logan-paulsen-daniel-jones-better-114554180.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants waived linebacker Tae Crowder on Tuesday, two weeks after he tweeted, “free me.” He later apologized to his teammates and coaches for the tweet.
Crowder cleared waivers without a claim on Wednesday, making him an unrestricted free agent. And it didn’t take him long to find a home — a familiar one at that.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Crowder will re-sign with the Giants, joining their practice squad.
It is expected that the Giants will sign safety Landon Collins from the reserve unit to their active roster, effectively swapping the two. Collins had paired with fellow safety Tony Jefferson to handle inside linebacker duties against the Washington Commanders in Week 15.
It’s a bit of a fall for the former Mr. Irrelevant, but perhaps some time on the practice squad will allow for the opportunity to correct his execution issues.
Penn State vs. Quinnipiac men’s basketball: TV and live stream info for Thursday
Penn State vs. Quinnipiac has been moved up to Thursday afternoon. Here's how to watch on TV or live stream. | 2022-12-22T12:01:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Report: Giants to re-sign LB Tae Crowder to practice squad | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-giants-sign-lb-tae-105551077.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-giants-sign-lb-tae-105551077.html?src=rss |
“Obviously, it’s an extremely important day and a great day for Tennessee football and the future of Tennessee football,” Heupel said. “It was a great practice with our guys today that are currently here. Some of those are new enrollees, and then obviously the signing day that took place this morning for most of those guys. It’s been a lot of fun going through the process with these guys. We believe in, obviously, their athleticism but just as importantly who they are. I’d like to thank their families for entrusting us with their sons for the next three-to-five years. I want to congratulate our staff. That’s our full-time coaches, everybody inside the building, our personnel department, our on-campus recruiters and our training staff. It takes everybody inside of the building to recruit elite players. I’m really proud of the effort that everybody put into it. I think it speaks to who we are.
Heupel’s break down of the Vols’ 2023 signing class is listed below from a transcript provided by the University of Tennessee.
“For everybody that’s here, I’m proud of the class that we put together. I think it’s 28 guys. For the guys that are here currently, Nico included, you’re not going to walk into the backend of the season, learn an entire playbook and know what to do. You get a chance to sit in meetings. You get a chance to go out there and do a lot of individual work. You get a chance to compete in some 1-on-1 situations. As much as anything, I think they learn the tempo of the game. They learn what it feels like to be a college athlete. I think it creates urgency in the way they prepare when they get back to campus. Even during the down time, for us, our guys don’t arrive until later in January. There’s a lot of time between now and then. I think it speaks to the urgency that they feel they have to have. It changes the way they approach the weight room. It changes the way they prepare, their understanding of our playbook, some of the fundamentals and technique that they’re going to need to go compete at a really high level during spring ball. I just got done talking to those guys after practice and I’m really proud for the guys who have been here already and gotten a couple of bowl practices underneath their belt. First of all, you notice their athleticism, their speed, their length and their size, particularly for the guys up front. In this class, we were able to go get guys who we think can help compete, grow and have an opportunity to play. They have to earn it, learn it and take it, but help us take a step. In particular, (help us) defensively. Two years ago, we were hit heavy in the portal. For us, continuing to recruit that defensive side of the ball to add the depth that we need, along with the athleticism that we want, that’s extremely important. For everybody that’s here, I think it helps create urgency in preparing for spring ball. Those guys have had an opportunity to spend time with our players. Our players that are inside of our building have been awesome with them by showing them what it means to be a Tennessee football player and what the culture is inside the building. They’ve had an opportunity to hang out with them outside of this building. We’ve done some team building stuff and I think it’s been a great experience for all of them.”
“Arion is super athletic, smart and competitive. He’s one of the most mature guys that I’ve gone through the process with, just with what he was looking for and the questions that he asked every time that we had a conversation. He pays attention to details. You can notice that by the questions he’s asking about a previous game that we played and also by the way that he prepared for the games that he was going to play. That linebacker position is somewhere that we had to add a bunch of guys to depth-wise. I’m proud of the recruitment of Arion. That was big for us as a program. To get two of the top players inside the state and guys that will be able to help us for a long time is important. This group of guys is highly talented. I believe that there are going to be dynamic, elite players inside of this group. We were recruiting this off of a lot of outside noise still when we began this process with these guys. I think it speaks to our guys’ ability to evaluate inside of our building, look at where they’re at, where they’re going, their athletic traits and project where they’re going to be by the time you get to signing day. That’s true with Nathan. He’s long. He’s athletic. He’s already made plays out on the practice field. The thing I’ve loved about him so far is his ability to take a rep, take coaching and then incorporate that into his next rep. That’s what you’re looking for in your young guys.”
“All of our secondary guys that we brought in, all five of them are here on campus competing already. From day one that they stepped on the practice field, without intentionally trying to watch them, they would pop out. You notice their athleticism, their ability to play balls and be in great body position. They’re going to continue to grow fundamentally, but as a skill guy coming in on the defensive side of the ball, their ability to blend right into what we’re doing has been really impressive from all of those guys. You look at the corner position for us this year, the injuries that we’ve had and the lack of depth, it’ll be important for all of those guys to learn quickly and be ready to go compete by the time we hit the grass in spring ball.”
“To me, if you’re going to start from scratch and build a program, it starts up front. We’re not starting from scratch, but that’s the quickest way to affect the game. It affects the way the game is played defensively, which changes the entire scope of the game in all three phases. Those guys are all high-level athletes. A lot of them play multiple sports. They’re explosive. You can see them jump off the floor if they’re playing basketball. You see short area quickness. They have great length. They have those physical traits that you’re looking for when you design your program. These are the measurements and the specifics that you’re looking for. Those guys all fit the criteria. Then, I think they’re highly competitive individuals who are about the right things and fit the culture too. It’s hard to find all of those things in one student-athlete that you’re able to sign. I think that class up front has a chance to help us change the way the game’s played.”
“At the tight end position, with the roster we inherited, being limited with the amount of guys we could sign a year ago and all of those things, that’s a real position of need for us. McCallan is athletic, has the ability to play in space, has physical size, strength, want-to and explosive power to play in the core as well, which is something that we have to have. You guys know that’s a huge part of our game. He’s smart, competitive and fits the traits. He’s already here. I think he blends into the culture of that tight end room extremely well, too. He’s already connected with those guys. We’re looking forward to getting him healthy and rolling here when we get back in January.”
“Dynamic player. You look at his junior tape, (it) was electric as a defensive player as well. He’s a football player. Instincts and then athleticism. Has the ability to help you in the return game as well. He’s a guy that has position flexibility, so for us in our tempo that gives you formation flexibility, it gives you the ability to find a matchup and put him in the position to go win. A guy that is a skill guy offensively. You have a dynamic, explosive athlete that you feel like will eventually have the ability to be a home run hitter. You have a lot of different ways to get him the football and obviously in what we do offensively, the creativeness that we have, we can find ways to use that weapon.”
“Huge for us. Length, explosive power, he’s another guy that’s a football player. He’s extremely tough, he’s about the right things. I love the intangibles that he’s going to bring into the building. Can’t wait to get him here. It’s important that we recruit this state at a really high level. I mentioned that in my press conference the first day that I got here. Taking the right players that fit who we are and what we’re about that also have the ability to play at a high level. I like what our staff has done here inside of this state in this recruiting class as we continue to build it. Trevor is a huge part of that. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
“A lot of things. Got a chance to see him in person and on tape, too. He’s athletic, and I say that meaning that he understands his body. He can self-correct and get himself in the position as he’s learned what it should feel like in the pocket in a few short days. He can already start to correct himself, he understands when something happens, why it’s happening. That’s only going to continue to heighten. Obviously, the raw skills are there. Arm talent and extremely athletic and explosive inside of the pocket. Can make plays with his feet. In a short amount of time, we’ve been able to see those things already.”
“In year one there was a lot of outside noise that we couldn’t control. You’re trying to talk about what you’re going to do, then you have proof of the growth of the program in year one. You’re still speaking to that growth in year two. These guys, a lot of them were already on board, some of them came on board as the season unfolded. I think they understand the trajectory, where this program is heading. The fact that you can compete for championships, winning national individual awards and achieve all your on-field goals right here while you’re wearing the Power T and you get to do it while you’re having a heck of a lot of fun competing every day with guys inside of the building. You put those things together, you got a really powerful product to go sell. As we continue to build here, I truly believe we’ll only continue to recruit at a more elite level as we continue down that path.”
“Year one, a lot of those guys were taken after spring ball. Just where our roster was at and trying to patch some things up as we were getting ready to go compete and play on the field. A majority of what we’re going to do is going to be through the high schools. I think you got to bring in kids that are going to develop. That gives you stability and growth inside of your program, gives you leadership inside of your program. There’s a culture piece to this game that’s extremely important. I think that has to live within your high school kids that you’re recruiting. At the same time, because of the transfer portal, there’s things that you may need to patch inside of your roster. Portal and junior college give you the ability to do that. But at the end of the day, I think it’s about roster development and the development of your players inside your program and that starts with the high school kids that you’re bringing in.” | 2022-12-22T12:55:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Early signing period: Josh Heupel breaks down Vols’ 2023 class | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-period-josh-heupel-115040443.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-period-josh-heupel-115040443.html?src=rss |
The Clemson football coach said at his early signing day news conference that Clemson’s program has been built on “God’s name, image and likeness” while he’s been the head coach. The deeply religious Swinney has long been outspoken against what he thinks is the “professionalization” of college sports while being one of the highest-paid coaches in college football after Clemson won two national titles on his watch.
You can see on Swinney’s face just how proud he was of his Wednesday one-liner.
"As things have changed, God has always been the foundation of what I do," Swinney continued (via On3). "We’ve been dealing with his name, Image and likeness for a long time. I think as this new era has come forward, God just continues to bless us here at Clemson.”
You can read the entirety of Swinney's answer to the question that prompted the quip about God's name, image and likeness at the link above.
I am against anything that devalues education. That's what I'm against. I am for anything that incentivizes education. People will come after me because I've always said that I'm against the professionalism of college athletics, and I am. Kids don't know what they don't know. That's a slippery slope if you professionalize college athletics, and now you've got salaries and taxes and you can fire kids on the spot and they've got to pay for their tuition and they pay for their housing and everything else. Athletic directors would sign up for that in a heartbeat. They'd save that money.
And while Swinney has and will likely continue to be outspoken against the current college system, he and other coaches have to adapt to keep reeling in top recruiting classes by making sure that players who play for them have the ability to earn what they’re worth off their image rights. Clemson currently sits No. 9 in Rivals’ team recruiting rankings and it's fair to believe that its success on the field isn't the sole reason why its class ranks in the top 10.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been an outspoken critic of the rules surrounding players' ability to profit off their name, image and likeness. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) | 2022-12-22T12:59:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | Clemson's Dabo Swinney: 'We built this program in God’s name, image and likeness' | https://sports.yahoo.com/clemsons-dabo-swinney-we-built-this-program-in-gods-name-image-and-likeness-201344578.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/clemsons-dabo-swinney-we-built-this-program-in-gods-name-image-and-likeness-201344578.html?src=rss |
Travis Hunter is following Deion Sanders to Colorado.
Hunter was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022 who backed out of his Florida State commitment to play for Sanders at Jackson State. And now that Sanders has left JSU for Colorado, Hunter announced Wednesday night that he will join his head coach in Boulder.
“I committed to Coach Prime at Jackson State when he was there and I want to honor my commitment and stay with him,” Hunter said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “I felt like I learned a lot with him at Jackson State so I’m going to stick with him so I can continue to grind, continue to show love, continue to put the work in so I can get to the next level.”
Hunter put his name in the transfer portal Sunday, a day after Jackson State’s season ended with a loss to NC Central in the Celebration Bowl. Hunter’s primary position is cornerback but he also caught four passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Hunter finished his freshman season with 20 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions as a defensive back and 18 catches for 188 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver.
Travis Hunter, pictured scoring his second TD in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday, is following Deion Sanders to Boulder. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr. )
After putting his name in the portal, Hunter said following Sanders to Colorado was something he was considering but he also wanted to weigh all of his options. Hunter is from Suwanee, Georgia, and the reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs were a program rumored to be in pursuit of him. Others, like USC and Miami, were also mentioned.
With the early signing period opening on Wednesday, Sanders and his staff added a slew of new players to the program — both from the high school ranks and the transfer portal. A few of Hunter’s Jackson State teammates have already signed with CU, including quarterback Shadeur Sanders (Deion’s son) and offensive lineman Tyler Brown.
JSU has seen a significant exodus of players to the transfer portal, so there could be others who follow suit.
Colorado went 1-11 in 2022, so Sanders has work to do from a roster-building perspective if he wants to field a competitive team in the Pac-12 next fall. Adding a player like Hunter will certainly help his cause.
Jeremy Reaves made the Pro Bowl as a special-teamer after 3 years on the practice squad. | 2022-12-22T12:59:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former No. 1 recruit Travis Hunter commits to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-no-1-recruit-travis-hunter-commits-to-play-for-deion-sanders-at-colorado-041129472.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-no-1-recruit-travis-hunter-commits-to-play-for-deion-sanders-at-colorado-041129472.html?src=rss |
That's the dream for the Jets anyway. Their unexpected entry in the playoff race this season has been overshadowed at times by the struggles of their second-year quarterback. Instead of a young star leading them to a winning record, the team benched Wilson because they figured Mike White was an upgrade. Then they had to turn back to Wilson when White got injured.
There's still time for Wilson to become a great quarterback — look at how Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen among others took off in their third seasons — and a chance for him to end this season on a very positive note. That starts Thursday night in a huge game for the Jets against the surging Jacksonville Jaguars.
At 7-7, the Jets can still make the playoffs. They'll need to start winning, and for that to happen they need Wilson to play well. A lot is on the line these last three weeks.
Wilson simply hasn't been good enough. He can make scramble plays when everything breaks down, and that's when you see his immense athletic gifts. But play-to-play he hasn't been consistent. It seems fairly obvious he hasn't won over the locker room either.
On Thursday night, it'll be especially tough to see the difference between Wilson and Lawrence as they near the end of their second seasons. Lawrence has 14 touchdowns and one interception over the Jaguars' last six games. He was dominant in a win last week over the Dallas Cowboys. It's easy to envision him winning an MVP in the next few years.
The Jets never had a shot at Lawrence, so it's not like they can regret passing on him or anything. But one team has a bright future with an exciting young quarterback. The Jets have a lot of questions.
The Jaguars have won three of four and suddenly find themselves in the AFC South race. They're 6-8, one game behind the 7-7 Tennessee Titans, but beat the Titans once and have a Week 18 matchup with Tennessee at home. The Jaguars need to stay within a game of the Titans until Week 18, and a win over the Jets would be a huge step toward that.
The Jets were in great shape during a 5-2 start, but they keep sliding. They've lost four of five since a huge win over the Buffalo Bills right before their bye week. Wilson got benched because the offense wasn't good and while White has made some plays, the Jets haven't been winning. White took a lot of punishment two weeks ago in a rematch against the Bills and hasn't played since.
In a perfect world, Wilson would come alive beginning on Thursday night and White wouldn't start for the Jets again. The Jets' best-case scenario still involves the second pick of last year's draft becoming a star. What they've seen so far has been disappointing. There's still time for a turnaround. | 2022-12-22T13:00:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Thursday Night Football: As Jets' promising season fades away, they need Zach Wilson to save them | https://sports.yahoo.com/thursday-night-football-as-jets-promising-season-fades-away-they-need-zach-wilson-to-save-them-120022382.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/thursday-night-football-as-jets-promising-season-fades-away-they-need-zach-wilson-to-save-them-120022382.html?src=rss |
The Detroit Red Wings celebrate a goal by left wing Elmer Soderblom, second from left, during the third period of against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.
Red Wings center Dylan Larkin smiles after scoring during the second period against the Lightning on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings juiced up with 'pretty good morale' after Bolts win | 2022-12-22T13:12:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | How Detroit Red Wings maintain 'pretty good morale' whatever the outcome | https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-red-wings-maintain-pretty-110654092.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-red-wings-maintain-pretty-110654092.html?src=rss |
The Baltimore Ravens have plenty of talent on their roster that they’ve constructed for the 2022 season. Baltimore currently has a 9-5 record and is one game back of the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals in the division.
On Wednesday, the NFL Pro Bowl rosters were announced, with six Ravens on the AFC Roster in fullback Patrick Ricard, wide receiver/return specialist Devin Duvernay, tight end Mark Andrews, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and kicker Justin Tucker. Each player was deserving of their selection, as they’ve contributed to the success of the team in a big way.
Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay is out for at least four weeks. Duvernay, who suffered a foot injury in practice today, was placed on injured reserve today. That means he has to miss at least four weeks, which would mean he’s out through the wild card round of the playoffs. Given that the Ravens made [more] | 2022-12-22T13:34:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | 6 Ravens players selected as 2023 Pro Bowlers | https://sports.yahoo.com/6-ravens-players-selected-2023-045910209.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/6-ravens-players-selected-2023-045910209.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears (3-11) will host the Buffalo Bills (11-3) on Saturday, where Chicago is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. But it won’t be easy against a top NFL team.
The Bears’ Week 16 game will air on CBS at Noon CT. The television commentators for the game are Greg Gumbel (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst) and AJ Ross (sideline).
Chicago is coming off a narrow 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, where they managed to keep up with one of the best teams in the NFL for four quarters. Now, they face another difficult matchup against an impressive Bills team in what’s expected to be rough weather conditions.
The Bears have a number of injuries piling up, including both starting guards — Teven Jenkins (neck) and Cody Whitehair (knee) — along with receivers Chase Claypool and Equanimeous St. Brown, along with cornerback Kindle Vildor. The goal to wind down the season should be getting out as healthy as possible.
Like the previous week, these teams are headed in opposite directions. The Bills are contending for a Super Bowl while Chicago is trending toward a top-two draft pick. | 2022-12-22T13:34:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | Announcers set for Bears vs. Bills Week 16 game | https://sports.yahoo.com/announcers-set-bears-vs-bills-124007611.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/announcers-set-bears-vs-bills-124007611.html?src=rss |
The Denver Broncos scored a touchdown through an unlikely source against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
In the fourth quarter, Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien pulled off a clever play-action pass to find tight end Eric Tomlinson in the end zone for a score.
That marked Tomlinson’s eighth catch of the season, and his first touchdown as a Bronco. He’s not typically a receiving threat for Denver, but the coaching staff wanted to reward the hard work he’s put in this year.
“We call him the Viking,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said of Tomlinson after a 24-15 win. “He does not say anything. He is primarily a run-blocker and pass-protector. He puts his head down every day and comes to work. He wants to know how he can do the next blocking pattern. He never asks about catches or anything. …
“To be able for him to get that touchdown is huge for a guy that puts his head down, works every day, does everything that he can, does not talk much. He just uses his play to show the type of person he is. It is great to see a guy like that get a touchdown. It just rallies the whole group together.”
That marked just the second touchdown of Tomlinson’s career — his first came in his second season with the New York Jets five years ago. Blocking tight ends are often overlooked by fans, but Tomlinson’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by his coaches and teammates this season. | 2022-12-22T13:34:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos were happy to get ‘viking’ Eric Tomlinson a touchdown | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-were-happy-viking-eric-130030300.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-were-happy-viking-eric-130030300.html?src=rss |
When the rosters for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games were released on Wednesday night there seemed to be a glaring omission, as Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s name was nowhere to be found.
The former Crimson Tide signal caller led the NFL in fan voting, receiving 306,861 nominations from fans around the league. However, it was Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow who were selected to appear in this year’s new edition of the event.
While many in the Dolphins facility are probably bummed that Tagovailoa won’t be going to the Pro Bowl unless it’s as a replacement, the front office can’t be too upset about it.
Teams who selected a player in the first round of a draft can place a fifth-year option to keep them under contract for another year. The normal fifth-year option for a player selected in the 2020 draft would be $19.85 million. That number can continue to go up based on incentives for snaps and Pro Bowl appearances.
Tagovailoa has hit the playtime incentive, meaning his option would cost $22.67 million. However, if he had been named to the Pro Bowl, that number would’ve jumped up to $28.05 million.
Miami will have to make a decision on the fifth-year option for Tagovailoa this offseason. If they believe that he’s the future at the quarterback position in South Florida, the Dolphins may pick up the option and work on an extension.
Even if they don’t believe in him as a long-term solution, picking him up could guarantee another year under contract, and they could always trade him if they found a better option and a willing trade partner.
This season, Colton Vasek registered 71 tackles and a team-high 14 sacks. He took down 10 quarterbacks during his junior year. He signed with Texas. | 2022-12-22T13:34:51Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dolphins’ silver lining in Tua Tagovailoa’s Pro Bowl snub | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-silver-lining-tua-tagovailoa-130027013.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-silver-lining-tua-tagovailoa-130027013.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants had two players — running back Saquon Barkley and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence — named to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games NFC roster.
Barkley was chosen as a starter, while Lawrence has been chosen as a reserve.
This is Barkley’s second Pro Bowl selection and Lawrence’s first. Barkley’s other selection came after his Rookie of the Year season back in 2018.
“What would it mean making the Pro Bowl?” Barkley said on Wednesday before the announcement. “I can’t sit here and be like, ‘Oh, it wouldn’t mean anything,’ because that’s part of the fans. The fans vote and give you an opportunity to get in there and also coaches and players vote. So, it just shows a respect of your peers and the respect of the fans out there.
“So, I’ll just be more thankful, show more gratitude to those people, because the only way you get in is because of that. Obviously, it’s determined with the play that you do on the football field, but I’ll just be more thankful and show gratitude to the people that voted me in.”
Lawrence was selected for the first time in his four-year career. Like Barkley, he was a first-round pick of the Giants (No. 17 overall in 2019). Barkley was taken second overall in 2018.
Lawrence is the first Giants defensive lineman to be named to the Pro Bowl since defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was selected for the second time back in 2012, and the first interior lineman since nose tackle Erik Howard was honored in 1990.
Four other Giants are alternates to the Pro Bowl: placekicker Graham Gano (second alternate), tackle Andrew Thomas and center Jon Feliciano (both third alternates), and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (fourth).
Many believed Thomas would be named after a breakout season. Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson, San Francisco’s Trent Williams, and Tristan Wirfs of Tampa Bay are the NFC’s tackles this year. | 2022-12-22T13:35:04Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants’ Saquon Barkley, Dexter Lawrence named to 2023 Pro Bowl Games | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-saquon-barkley-dexter-lawrence-115538048.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-saquon-barkley-dexter-lawrence-115538048.html?src=rss |
New York Giants rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his dominant performance against the Washington Commanders last Sunday night.
“You love recognition,” Thibodeaux said when asked by reporters about the honors. “When you’re doing the dirty work and you’re working hard, you sacrifice your body to glorify your soul. It definitely does feel good.
“It definitely does give me a few stripes. I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I came here to play, and I came here for a purpose. Just not trying to let it get too ahead of me, not trying to live in the moment, not trying to get too high on myself but just continue to realize that the steps I took all week, and all year is what got me there. So, I’ve just got to hone in on that and that’s going to keep them coming.”
The fifth overall selection in this year’s NFL draft out of Oregon knows he has the talent but also is not oblivious to the fact that football is a team game.
“I would say the only reason I was able to have a game like I had is because of the rest of the front,” he said. “If you noticed, once we all came together and we all start playing great then we started to see that production and we started making plays. I think the credits to all of us and we’ve just got to continue to stay healthy, continue to get better, and continue to get more cohesive as rushers.”
This week, Thibodeaux and his linemates will be facing a tough challenge in Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (last week’s NFC Offensive Player of the Week), running back Dalvin Cook, and a talented group of wideouts led by Justin Jefferson.
“They have one of the best wide receivers in the league right now,” Thibodeaux said. “We’ve talked about it as a unit — the only way we’re going to be able to stop him, not the only way, but one of the ways that we can affect playing against the best wide receiver in the league is affecting the quarterback.”
Getting to the quarterback might not be as easy for Thibodeaux going forward now that the league has seen the havoc he can create. It was suggested that teams might start double-teaming him or at the least using a ‘chipper’ to slow him down.
“I wish you didn’t even ask me that on camera because hopefully, they keep giving me the one-on- one’s, we keep giving these different looks, so it gives me some opportunities to make plays,” he said. | 2022-12-22T13:35:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | Kayvon Thibodeaux on Player of the Week honors: Teammates deserve credit | https://sports.yahoo.com/kayvon-thibodeaux-player-week-honors-125528106.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/kayvon-thibodeaux-player-week-honors-125528106.html?src=rss |
Bears quarterback Justin Fields has blossomed into a star in his second season, where he’s impressed and made NFL history despite not having a strong supporting cast around him.
And people around the league are taking notice, including one of the NFL’s best edge rushers in Buffalo’s Von Miller.
Miller, who is done for the year with a torn ACL, won’t get to face Fields on Saturday. But he had high praise for Fields in only his second season in the league. Safe to say, he thinks Fields can be a dominant force in the NFL for years to come.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Justin Fields and the things that he’s done,” said on his podcast, The Voncast. “He’s only the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards. He’s reading, and if it’s not there, he’s gone. And that’s what you should do. That’s what he should do, man. He’s not going to spend a lot of time back there and just let guys tee off on him and sack him. They’re playing to his skillset, and he’s a great runner.”
But Miller saved the best for last.
“He has all the tools to be one of the best quarterbacks ever in NFL history,” Miller said.
(via The Voncast) pic.twitter.com/j62nIImvLk
That’s high praise from Miller, who’s faced a number of great quarterbacks over the years. And the crazy thing is, Fields is only in his second season and has started just 23 games. Not to mention, Fields has been impressing with an underwhelming supporting cast.
The best is yet to come with Fields. And Miller certainly believes it. | 2022-12-22T13:35:42Z | sports.yahoo.com | Von Miller: Justin Fields ‘has all the tools to be one of the best QBs ever in NFL history’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/von-miller-justin-fields-tools-130026531.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/von-miller-justin-fields-tools-130026531.html?src=rss |
For the second time in the 2022 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars will play a game that is nationally broadcast via a streaming platform.
In Week 8, the Jaguars’ London game against the Denver Broncos was exclusively on ESPN+. On Thursday night, the Jaguars will play the New York Jets with coverage provided by Amazon Prime.
While many of the games on the Thursday Night Football slate acquired by Amazon have proven to be stinkers, the meeting of the Jaguars and Jets comes with surprisingly high stakes.
The Jaguars are knocking on the door of an AFC South title after winning three of their last four, while the Jets are battling to get back into the wild card picture after three straight losses dropped them to the outside looking in.
The matchup will also pit the top two picks of the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, against each other for the second time in their young careers. Wilson got the better of the first matchup with a 26-21 win in December 2021.
Jaguars Vs. Jets, Week 16
Kickoff Time: 8:20 p.m ET
Television: Local only (FOX 30 in Jacksonville and FOX 5 in New York City)
Live Stream: Prime Video
Odds: Jaguars +1.5, over/under 37.5 (via BetMGM)
The Perry Public Library, Carnegie Library Museum, and McCreary Community Building will close at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec, 21 due to the upcoming weather-related emergency.
The cold and often dreary winter months have a bright side if you look for it—the in-season fresh fruits that are often on sale this time of year!Sure, your summer may be overflowing with fresh berries and fruit salads, but if you look closely, you'll see a huge variety of fruit that's freshest in winter. Not only does winter produce taste the best when eaten in season, but some winter fruit, like persimmons, may only be available at your grocery store for a few months out of the year.While some
Score Champion joggers for just $12, a beloved air fryer at a $44 discount and more. | 2022-12-22T13:35:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | How to watch Jaguars vs. Jets: TV channel, time, stream, odds | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-jaguars-vs-jets-tv-124537704.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-jaguars-vs-jets-tv-124537704.html?src=rss |
The Vikings trailed the Bills by 17 points in the third quarter of their Nov. 13 meeting in Buffalo before beginning a rally that would culminate with a 33-30 overtime victory in what appeared certain to be Minnesota’s greatest comeback of the season.
The win gave the Vikings an 8-1 record and a chance to keep the momentum going the following Sunday against the Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. Only that didn’t happen. Dallas jumped out to a 23-3 halftime lead and never took its foot off the gas. The Vikings’ 40-3 loss to the Cowboys was their most embarrassing defeat of the season.
Coming off an emotional win, the Vikings clearly hadn’t been in the right frame of mind to play a solid Cowboys team.
So what did first-year coach Kevin O’Connell and his players learn from that experience? We’re about to find out.
Minnesota’s incredible rally from a 33-0 halftime deficit for a 39-36 overtime victory over the visiting Colts last Saturday was the biggest comeback in the NFL’s 103-year history. The Colts aren’t nearly as good as the Bills, but that doesn’t make the Vikings’ ability to dig themselves out of a huge hole any less remarkable.
What the Vikings must prove now is they know how to move on from that emotional victory. The New York Giants (8-5-1), who are the sixth seed in the NFC playoff race, will face the Vikings on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings (11-3) clinched the NFC North by beating the Colts but are only one game ahead of the San Francisco 49ers for the second seed in the conference.
The NFL’s playoff structure no longer gives the second seed a first-round bye, but the Vikings would have home-field advantage for their first two games if they can retain their current seed. The Vikings are 7-1 at home this season and the noise generated by their fans in the indoor stadium gives them an important advantage.
With only three regular-season games remaining, O’Connell gave his players Sunday and Monday off in hopes of having them rejuvenated when they returned to work on Tuesday.
“We talked after the Buffalo game about handling the success and being able to handle the emotional toll of games like that,” O’Connell said. “Our team, we’ve got some experience now with that game and some of the others coming back, pouring everything into the ends of games to try to get
that bump. It’s definitely something we’ve talked about this week.”
The Vikings’ overall resilience has been impressive this season. Ten of their 11 wins have come by one score, and Kirk Cousins has an NFL-leading seven fourth-quarterback comebacks. That’s what made the one-sided loss to Dallas surprising. It wasn’t that the Vikings didn’t win the game so much as it was how they lost. Dallas was coming off a 31-28 overtime loss in Green Bay before dominating the Vikings in every area.
O’Connell has talked all season about his need to grow and learn from mistakes and that doesn’t appear to be lip service. While that might be mainly focused on his play calling and in-game decisions, there’s plenty to be gleaned when it comes to team chemistry and getting the most from players in a long season.
The Colts win, or the one against the Bills, are interesting examples because as joyous as the team felt afterward, there also was a ton to learn from in the negatives of getting behind by 17 or 33 points. Getting caught up in the excitement, or taking a deep breath and thinking the work is done, are detrimental to the goal of continued success.
“I think it’s two-part, right?” O’Connell said of the process. “I think you acknowledge the emotional toll that it takes when you put everything you’ve got in you to achieve something, but also to absolutely acknowledge the accountability and the ownership of the things we need to get better at. And that starts with me. There’s a ton I can do better for our team.
“They know that, but they also know I’m demanding the level of standard of how we need to play football and how we need to worry about doing our jobs at a level that will continue (to lead to playing) winning football and helping the guy next to you play winning football. It all works together, and that message is clear, and we’ve got to put it into action.”
How that looks come Saturday will go a long way toward showing what O’Connell and Co., learned from the Dallas debacle.
The Pacers saw a 30-point lead nearly slip away but held on to beat the Celtics, who have the second-best record in the NBA.
Since buying the Mets, Steve Cohen has developed an approachable reputation and a Twitter following. | 2022-12-22T13:35:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Zulgad: Vikings need to show that they’ve put remarkable comeback in the rear-view mirror | https://sports.yahoo.com/zulgad-vikings-show-ve-put-120536601.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/zulgad-vikings-show-ve-put-120536601.html?src=rss |
It has taken a while, but the 2022-23 North Carolina men’s basketball team is beginning to look like what it was always supposed to look like.
Playing against Michigan on Wednesday night in the inaugural Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, UNC won an entertaining game, 80-76, by relying on its stars to be stars. Although the site was officially neutral, this was very much a home game for the Tar Heels, who were cheered for by at least 90% of a fired-up crowd of 19,236 that wore Carolina blue and filled nearly every seat in the Spectrum Center.
“It felt like an NCAA tournament game,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said.
It was the Tar Heels’ fourth straight win after their surprising early struggles, which included a four-game losing skid. And it came at a nice time. It wouldn’t have been ideal had the Tar Heels men’s team lost a game in the first year of a new holiday tournament that owed its existence to the fame and global reach of Michael Jordan, UNC’s most well-known basketball player and shoe salesman.
UNC (9-4) is still unranked in The AP Top 25 after beginning the season at No. 1. But the Tar Heels are starting to find their way, primarily by understanding that leaving big man Armando Bacot out of the offense never does anyone any good.
Said Davis of Bacot: “We have to feed him the ball. It has to go inside-out. ... Our first, second and third option is to throw the ball down to him.”
Bacot had 26 points and five rebounds against Michigan, shooting 11-for-15 from the floor. Bacot fooled the 7-1, 260-pound Hunter Dickinson inside with a dazzling repertoire of low-post moves, even though Michigan’s Dickinson was two inches taller and 25 pounds heavier.
Michigan (7-4) kept it close all the way. But UNC also got two huge defensive plays late from Concord’s Leaky Black, as well as 19 points from R.J. Davis and 18 from Caleb Love.
North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (5) and Leaky Black (1) celebrate their 80-76 victory over Michigan on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
In other words, the players who led UNC to the NCAA tournament final last year emerged, outplaying Michigan by just enough late in what Bacot called a “chippy” game. He sustained a bloody lip, and after one scrum a rare quadruple technical was called (two players on each team were T’ed up).
The game was the marquee matchup in the newly minted, two-day Jumpman Invitational at the Spectrum Center. One of the coolest parts: It was a joint men’s and women’s tournament, as the original four schools that partnered with Jordan Brand in both basketball and football — UNC, Michigan, Florida and Oklahoma — brought both squads to Charlotte. UNC’s women had lost to Michigan on Tuesday night, but the Tar Heel men got revenge Wednesday.
North Carolina’s Caleb Love (2) reacts after sinking a three point basket and drawing a foul to tie the game in the first half against Michigan on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Love scored 18 points in the Tar Heels’ 80-76 victory.
Although this was the 192nd time UNC’s men’s team has played in Charlotte — they’ve now won 165 of those, or 85.9% — it was the first time the team had played in the Queen City in three years.
The last time UNC played in Charlotte had been particularly notable. It came in the ACC tournament semifinals in March 2019 and featured Zion Williamson (31 points, 11 rebounds) leading Duke to a 74-73 nail-biter of a win over UNC. Both teams were ranked in The AP top 5 at the time. It was one of the best college games I’ve ever seen in person.
This one didn’t have the same stakes, and it mattered nowhere near as much as the two teams’ most significant game ever — the Tar Heels’ “Chris Webber timeout” win over Michigan in the 1993 national championship.
Oddly, that 1993 game ended up with UNC winning, 77-71, and this one had the exact same score with 36 seconds left.
At this first Jumpman, the crowd was loud, the games were mostly competitive and the new black-and-white floor color scheme was striking.
“I loved this event,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. Davis said several times it felt like “a home game” and that “the fan support was “fantastic.”
North Carolina’s Caleb Love (2) forces a turnover by Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin (2) in the first half against Michigan on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
The same four teams are scheduled to come to Charlotte each of the next two Decembers as well, although the matchups will be flipped.
Former UNC coach Roy Williams was part of the pro-UNC crowd, sitting about 10 feet away from the Tar Heel bench with his wife, Wanda. Ol’ Roy got up and shook his fist in excitement after Love converted a massive dunk off an open-court steal.
It was a fine moment on a fine night, as the Jumpman Invitational made a successful debut and the Tar Heels made a successful return to form.
Photos: North Carolina vs Michigan in college basketball action
The Tar Heels defeat the Wolverines on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 in Jumpman Invitational. | 2022-12-22T14:07:51Z | sports.yahoo.com | ‘It felt like an NCAA tournament game’: UNC basketball wins a big one in Charlotte | https://sports.yahoo.com/felt-ncaa-tournament-game-unc-035335912.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/felt-ncaa-tournament-game-unc-035335912.html?src=rss |
“It’s been a lot of fun going through the process with these guys,” Heupel said Wednesday. “We believe in, obviously, their athleticism but just as importantly who they are. I’d like to thank their families for entrusting us with their sons for the next three-to-five years. I want to congratulate our staff. That’s our full-time coaches, everybody inside the building, our personnel department, our on-campus recruiters and our training staff. It takes everybody inside of the building to recruit elite players. I’m really proud of the effort that everybody put into it. I think it speaks to who we are.
Following the first day during the early signing period, Vols Wire looks at the top-10 classes ranked by the 247Sports composite. The top-10 classes are listed below.
Trevor Duncan in his own words explains why he signed with Tennessee football.
Rick Barnes records 100th home win at Tennessee
Rick Barnes records 100th home win as Tennessee's head coach. | 2022-12-22T14:25:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | Early signing period: Ranking top 2023 football signing classes | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-period-ranking-top-130506358.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/early-signing-period-ranking-top-130506358.html?src=rss |
Tommy Deas, Nashville Tennessean
Jan. 1, 1979: Under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, left, Alabama relied on a goal-line stand to beat Joe Paterno's Penn State team in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 'Bear' Bryant's son reveals how he planned to spend his retirement
Alabama football carried a heavy weight to deliver "Bear" Bryant's final victory in the 1982 Liberty Bowl.
French convicted serial killer Charles Sobhraj was ordered released from prison in Nepal where he was serving a life sentence for the murders of an American and Canadian backpackers.
Where the 2022 Upstate Dandy Dozen high school football players signed on early signing day
See what college football programs our 2022 Upstate Dandy Dozen signed with during the December national signing period. | 2022-12-22T14:33:56Z | sports.yahoo.com | What was 'Bear' Bryant's retirement plan? It involved the Red Sox and Penn State football | https://sports.yahoo.com/bear-bryants-retirement-plan-involved-110146602.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bear-bryants-retirement-plan-involved-110146602.html?src=rss |
Google and the NFL officially agreed to bring the popular service to YouTube starting next season, the league announced in an official statement Thursday. "Sunday Ticket" will be available on YouTube TV and on YouTube Primetime Channels.
"YouTube has long been a home for football fans, whether they're streaming live games, keeping up with their home team, or watching the best plays in highlights," Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, said. "Through this expanded partnership with the NFL, viewers will now also be able to experience the game they love in compelling and innovative ways through YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels. We're excited to continue our work with the NFL to make YouTube a great place for sports lovers everywhere."
"For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement.
YouTube TV has emerged as the favorite to land the NFL's “Sunday Ticket” package of out-of-market games, but the sides have not finalized a deal, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday evening. A deal could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss financial matters and the contract is still being negotiated. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that YouTube TV, owned by Google, was the front-runner for the package that allows fans to watch any Sunday afternoon game. | 2022-12-22T14:33:58Z | sports.yahoo.com | Google and NFL officially agree to bring NFL's 'Sunday Ticket' to YouTube | https://sports.yahoo.com/google-and-nfl-officially-agree-to-bring-nf-ls-sunday-ticket-to-you-tube-142852260.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/google-and-nfl-officially-agree-to-bring-nf-ls-sunday-ticket-to-you-tube-142852260.html?src=rss |
In the middle of the night, Carlos Correa and the New York Mets agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract, the New York Post's Jon Heyman first reported, after his deal with the Giants fell apart over medical issues. This comes just weeks after the San Francisco's other failed free-agency attempt fell short when Aaron Judge opted to remain with the New York Yankees for the rest of his career.
“I saw Judge yesterday in our hotel in New York and I said 'Can I at least get an explanation?' and he started laughing,” Myers said on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” on Wednesday morning. “It was Kerr and I in the lobby of our hotel in New York and he walked by, I don't know what he was doing there.
“He walked by and Steve and I looked at him and we were nice, [we] said 'Hey, congratulations' and I joked with him. I said 'Hey, can I get an explanation?' and he just started laughing.”
RELATED: Judge reacts to reports of Correa's astonishing Mets deal
And like Myers, Giants fans haven't gotten answers, although, in a press conference held Wednesday morning after finalizing his nine-year, $360 million contract at Yankee Stadium, Judge did admit that the free-agency process reassured him that playing in the Bronx is where his heart was.
“I got to stop coming on here," Myers joked.
For the sake of the rest of the Giants' offseason, that might be a good idea.
Knicks vs Raptors Betting Forecast
Yahoo Sports looks at the latest betting information as the New York Knicks host the Toronto Raptors | 2022-12-22T14:34:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | Warriors GM Bob Myers shares funny Aaron Judge exchange in New York hotel | https://sports.yahoo.com/warriors-bob-myers-shares-funny-230941499.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/warriors-bob-myers-shares-funny-230941499.html?src=rss |
The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the verge of pulling off the impossible: rallying from a 2-6 start to the year to make the playoffs. If the Jaguars can avoid losing ground on the Tennessee Titans in the next two weeks, they’ll play their division rival for the AFC South title in Week 18.
But that means there isn’t much room for error and stakes are high in a Thursday Night Football contest against the New York Jets.
The Jets have plenty of incentive to show up too with a 7-7 record that has them currently just outside an AFC Wild Card berth. New York was in the driver’s seat not too long ago, but a three-game losing streak has the team scrambling to pull out of its tailspin before it’s too late.
So what do the Jaguars need to do to make it three wins in a row and keep climbing closer to the Titans? Here are three keys to success on Thursday:
Take care of the football in the rain
When the Jaguars traveled to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4 everything was going fantastic early in the game. Andre Cisco recorded a pick six off Jalen Hurts and Jacksonville’s second possession of the game was an 80-yard touchdown drive.
Then the early 14-point lead evaporated when Trevor Lawrence couldn’t hold on to the ball. The Jaguars’ second-year quarterback fumbled four times and lost all of them. He also threw an interception in the red zone.
It was the start of a very rough month of October for Lawrence. But since that month ended, Lawrence has been stellar. He has 14 touchdowns and only one interception in his last six games.
With cold temperatures, wind, and plenty of rain in the forecast Thursday, the Jaguars need more of the Lawrence who has been shredding the league and less of the one who self-destructed in Philadelphia.
Coaches can help him by not putting too much emphasis on the pass game, but regardless if it’s Lawrence dropping back to pass or fumble-prone Travis Etienne getting carries, the Jaguars have to avoid putting the ball on the ground.
Make Zach Wilson beat you
The Jets are only starting the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft because the Buffalo Bills forced them by fracturing three of Mike White’s ribs.
Wilson spent three weeks watching from the sideline because the Jets desperately needed a change at quarterback. In his last performance before the benching, Wilson completed only nine of his 22 passes for 77 yards in a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
While Wilson managed to throw for 317 yards in his return performance last week against the Lions, he still completed only 51.4 percent of his passes. Not once in his career has Wilson thrown for at least 300 yards and completed at least 60 percent of his passes. Lawrence did that three times in the last four weeks.
All of that to say, the Jaguars defense’s best chance at getting off the field is forcing Wilson to throw because that often results in incompletions and interceptions.
Sustain drives
The over/under total for Thursday opened at 43, but has slowly dwindled down into the mid-30s as it’s become increasingly apparent that the weather is going to be horrible.
Jacksonville has managed to score 76 points in the last two weeks, but lighting up the scoreboard at MetLife Stadium could be a challenge. What the game may devolve into is a battle for field position.
While the Jets offense is nothing to write home about, the team’s defense is built for the challenge of a sloppy game. Opposing offenses average just 26.3 yards per drive against the Jets defense, the lowest in the NFL. Those drives last just two minutes, 38 seconds on average, fourth lowest in the league.
Stringing together a 15-play, 80-yard drive in the cold, wind, and rain could be too much to ask from the Jaguars. But Jacksonville can’t win a field position battle if it allows that stout Jets defense to rack up three-and-out after three-and-out.
The Jaguars have to find a way to scratch and claw their way to first downs.
High wind warning, coastal flood watch issued in Massachusetts ahead of pre-Christmas storm
A high wind warning and a coastal flood watch have been issued in Massachusetts ahead of pre-Christmas storm that’s expected to bring heavy rain, strong wind gusts, and the possibility for widespread damage to the region beginning Thursday night. | 2022-12-22T15:08:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | 3 keys to a Jaguars victory vs. Jets in Week 16 | https://sports.yahoo.com/3-keys-jaguars-victory-vs-141537348.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/3-keys-jaguars-victory-vs-141537348.html?src=rss |
The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the NFL’s hottest teams all season and had seven players selected to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games roster. Among their representatives in the league’s new-look end-of-season event will be QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, LT Orlando Brown Jr. and DT Chris Jones, along with a handful of new faces.
What is even more remarkable than the raw number of Chiefs that made the final roster is that they had a handful of players who had a good case for inclusion that were left out of the event.
Here are four players who should have made the cut to represent Kansas City in the 2023 Pro Bowl Games:
Smith is the Chiefs’ steadiest presence on the offensive line and has been since his rookie season. His violence in the run game shows up on a weekly basis. The decision to elect Orlando Brown Jr., but not the outstanding guard is nothing short of ludicrous. Fortunately, veteran Joe Thuney will represent the interior of Kansas City’s offensive line alongside center Creed Humphrey, the starter at his position. If there were a fourth guard carried on the Pro Bowl roster, it feels likely Smith would’ve been the next selected.
KR Isiah Pacheco
The Chiefs’ lackluster defense has given Pacheco ample opportunities to pad his stats in the return game, and he entered selection night as the conference’s leader in kickoff return yards (578). Pair that fact with the role he has played in the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, and Pacheco should have been a no-brainer to represent Kansas City on special teams. Instead, punter Tommy Townsend will be the only member of the Chiefs’ special teams unit to participate in the occasion.
Sneed has been the best player in the Chiefs’ secondary all year and is a game-changer for the team’s defense on a weekly basis. His sneaky ability to rush the passer, elite coverage skills, and versatility to play in multiple spots on the field are all characteristics that set him apart from the other cornerbacks who were selected this year. Kansas City’s defense has, for the most part, played down to their opponents this season. Sneed’s play, however, has been the least of their concerns and has helped keep the team within striking distance of the AFC’s top playoff seed.
A tackling machine, Bolton has put up some great numbers this season and got the raw end of the league’s decision to only have two inside linebackers on the Pro Bowl roster. The two players selected ahead of him, C.J. Mosley and Roquan Smith, are great players in their own right, but Bolton has a legitimate case to be made to be the third-best behind them. If the Pro Bowl roster were made of 53 players instead of 44, the Chiefs’ talented linebacker would’ve had a real shot at making the team. | 2022-12-22T15:08:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4 Chiefs with a case to be considered Pro Bowl Games snubs | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-chiefs-case-considered-pro-144555620.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-chiefs-case-considered-pro-144555620.html?src=rss |
The playoff picture is almost never clear until it’s finalized in the NFL.
As of now, the Buffalo Bills (11-3) and Tennessee Titans (7-7) wouldn’t faceoff in the playoffs… but you never know.
Because of that, there’s a huge injury update to note.
The Titans, who won the conference just last season, have struggled as of late. Losers of four-straight games, they’ve been dealt a tough blow.
Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s season is “likely” over.
In Week 15, the Titans lost 17-14 to the Los Angeles Chargers. Tannehill sustained an ankle injury but returned to the contest.
Turns out, he’s going to need surgery which will end his 2022.
Any time a team loses a starting QB it’s bad news. In the case of Tennessee, it’s very bad.
Any time Tannehill has left the lineup, the Titans become extremely one-dimensional on offense. Rookie quarterback Malik Willis has play sporadically throughout the year and when he does, the team leans on running back Derrick Henry.
Smartly so, but at least with Tannehill, opponents respect their passing attack.
With Willis in… they don’t. Willis has completed only 44.7 percent of his passes. He’s safe with the ball, throwing only one pick, however, Willis has not recorded a touchdown pass at all.
It Titans still hold the No. 4 spot in the AFC standings and lead the AFC South. However, the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) have won two-straight games and are right in the thick of things now.
In one way or another, Tannehill’s injury will shake up the AFC postseason picture.
…And the Bills could hopefully be watching it all from the No. 1 seed.
Review: Tom Cruise's excellent 'Top Gun: Maverick' takes to the skies, sticks to the formula
More than 35 years after the original, Tom Cruise's macho sequel 'Top Gun: Maverick' is an aerial extravaganza that knows how to stick to a plan.
Jenna Bush Hager’s 9-year-old daughter, Mila, stopped by ‘Today With Hoda & Jenna’ on Tuesday and trolled her famous mom, dropping some hilarious ‘truth bombs.’ | 2022-12-22T15:08:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | AFC postseason picture: Titans’ Ryan Tannehill ‘likely’ to miss rest of 2022 | https://sports.yahoo.com/afc-postseason-picture-titans-ryan-134508604.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/afc-postseason-picture-titans-ryan-134508604.html?src=rss |
“Just how detailed he is,” Mayfield said. “I mean, talking about, you know, even when a play looks good in practice, somehow fine tuning it afterwards to the ‘what if look.’ ‘What if we get this certain look, how do we want to teach the guy?’ I mean, it’s pretty special to watch how detailed he is and just getting to know him and how he wants to put guys in good positions, not to ask anybody to do something they’re not capable of and just making sure he’s putting guys in a great spot.”
When Mayfield first signed with the Rams off of waivers following his release from the Carolina Panthers, he had less than two days to prepare for the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night in Week 14. Despite not starting the contest against the Raiders, Mayfield would replace John Wolford, completing 22 of his 35 attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown.
Besides Mayfield deserving credit for delivering a game-winning drive despite his lack of practice with the Rams, it was a testament to how good McVay is at putting players in the best positions to succeed. Even though the Rams could not defeat the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, we continued to see McVay implement more plays that Mayfield has excelled with in his career.
With Mayfield set to hit free agency in the offseason, he’ll have three more weeks to prove that he deserves to remain a starting quarterback in the NFL. While it’s been a struggle for the former No. 1 overall pick in recent years, he could benefit from working with McVay to end this season. | 2022-12-22T15:08:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | Baker Mayfield speaks on what he’s learned from Sean McVay thus far | https://sports.yahoo.com/baker-mayfield-speaks-learned-sean-134458692.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/baker-mayfield-speaks-learned-sean-134458692.html?src=rss |
For the first time in five years, the Chicago Bears were shut out of the Pro Bowl. They joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as the only two teams who don’t have a representative in the All-Star event.
It’s not a huge surprise considering Chicago has one of the worst rosters in the NFL. But following the emergence of second-year quarterback Justin Fields, there was a belief that perhaps Fields should garner a nod in an underwhelming NFC quarterback group.
The NFC representatives at quarterback were Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Seattle’s Geno Smith. There’s no questioning the Hurts nod. But you could make an argument for Fields to crack that top three.
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm compiled a list of the league’s biggest Pro Bowl snubs, and Fields topped the list for the NFC.
Fields was also declared one of the most egregious Pro Bowl snubs by the folks over at For The Win.
Stiff competition here too, with Jalen Hurts, Geno Smith and Kirk Cousins getting the nods at the NFC quarterback position.
But I could make an argument for Fields over Smith.
Fields has been magic on the field since the mini-bye week, where he’s made the most of a bad situation in Chicago. Fields has one of the worst offensive lines in pass protection and an underwhelming supporting cast at receiver. Still, he’s singlehandedly kept the Bears in games while making NFL history on an almost-weekly basis.
While we don’t know if Fields was named an alternate (that will be announced later), it’s safe to say Fields will no doubt be in contention to make the Pro Bowl in 2023. Especially when GM Ryan Poles starts surrounding him with a strong supporting cast.
The Tigers fired up their fanbase with their 10th win of the season.
Aalborg, 22 December 2022 Sanistål A/S ("Sanistål") has received a major shareholder notification submitted pursuant to chapter 7 of Consolidated Act no. 2014 of 1 November 2021 on capital markets (the "Capital Markets Act"), as amended. As announced in company announcement no. 8 / 2022, Ahlsell Danmark ApS ("Ahlsell") announced on 24 May 2022 that Ahlsell had entered into conditional share purchase agreements with Danske Bank A/S, Nordea Bank Abp, Jyske Bank A/S and Nykredit Bank A/S to acquire | 2022-12-22T15:08:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bears QB Justin Fields dubbed one of NFL’s biggest Pro Bowl snubs | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-qb-justin-fields-dubbed-142555426.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-qb-justin-fields-dubbed-142555426.html?src=rss |
The Los Angeles Rams have endured an endless number of injuries this season, allowing some of the younger players to get more opportunities. On the defensive side of the ball, Bobby Wagner revealed that it’s been exciting to see some of the young guys get more snaps amid all of the injuries along the defensive line.
“They’re just stepping up. They’ve got some big shoes to fill. Obviously one of them is a shoe you can’t fill (in DT Aaron Donald), but they’re coming in, they’re making plays, they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, having energy, they’re playing in the back field and playing fast,” Wagner said. “That’s really all you can ask for. You don’t want to go out there and think and overthink, because the game is not complicated at the end of the day. You find the person that has that, whatever color the ball is brown, whatever you want to look at. They’re going out there, they’re making plays, they’re knowing and understanding the defense. As they progress and as they play, they’re understanding what the teams are trying to do to them from different schemes and different run scheme perspectives. It’s been fun.”
With Aaron Donald sidelined with an ankle injury and A’Shawn Robinson on season-ending injured reserve, guys like Michael Hoecht and Bobby Brown have gotten more snaps on defense. Jonah Williams has also gotten more reps at defensive end in recent weeks.
In his three starts, Hoecht has accrued 13 combined tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble. Meanwhile, Brown saw a season-high 63% of the defensive snaps in Week 15 versus the Green Bay Packers.
Considering all of the injuries the Rams have had and the fact that they are no longer in playoff contention, the team will have an opportunity to get a good look at some of the young players ahead of the 2023 season. While there have been some ups and downs, Wagner has enjoyed seeing the growth of the inexperienced players in recent weeks.
The cost of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics is 20% higher than organizers said when they announced officials figures more than a year ago, according to a report by the Board of Audit of Japan. The report, which was released this week, said there was a lack of full disclosure and transparency on the part of the government and the organizing committee. "It should set up a system that allows full disclosure to contribute to the people's understanding about the hosting and execution of the event.”
According to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 78.5% of Ukrainian citizens are optimistic about the future of Ukraine. Source: survey of the KIIS Details: According to the survey, despite the full-scale war and the social, economic and energy problems caused by it, 78.
France’s Macron Calls on Europe to Reduce Reliance on U.S. for Security
The French president stresses that he doesn’t see his push to develop European defense as an alternative to NATO. | 2022-12-22T15:08:35Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bobby Wagner: ‘It’s been fun’ watching younger guys step up on defense | https://sports.yahoo.com/bobby-wagner-fun-watching-younger-133244065.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bobby-wagner-fun-watching-younger-133244065.html?src=rss |
The Denver Broncos are part of the 2022 class for Front Office Sports’ annual “Best Employers in Sports” award. The Broncos, who also won the award in 2021, join the Miami Dolphins (2019 and 2020) as the only professional football franchises to win the award multiple times.
This award aims to award organizations for displaying leadership while leading the charge in diversity in the workforce.
Nancy Svoboda, the Broncos’ executive vice president of human resources, commented on her organization winning the award for the second year in a row.
“It’s a great honor for the Broncos to be included on this list alongside so many other impressive organizations across the sports industry,” Svoboda said. “To be included on this list for consecutive years is a testament to the Broncos’ leadership and employees, who constantly encourages one another to improve.”
Congratulations on the Broncos front office for their leadership and vision to push the organization toward a great future. | 2022-12-22T15:08:41Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos named among ‘Best Employers in Sports’ by Front Office Sports | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-named-among-best-employers-140019299.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-named-among-best-employers-140019299.html?src=rss |
This includes a couple of overtime losses, but the facts remain the unit isn’t performing as well as their record-setting pace to start the season. Injuries are certainly a major factor; two of three starting corners are out for the year while the defensive line’s depth has been impacted as well. But fans would love to see the return of a strong unit. That may happen over the final three games, but it may be fool’s gold.
Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles and Gardner Minshew
All of the talk for the last several days has been surrounding the fact that Pro Bowl QB Jalen Hurts may miss the rest of the regular season. The dual-threat QB who has tortured defenses all season has a sprained right throwing shoulder, after being landed on in the team’s win over the Chicago Bears in Week 15.
Sitting at 13-1, the Eagles have a two-game lead over Minnesota for the NFC’s best record with three to go and the head-to-head tiebreaker. They also have a three-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys to win the division, so Philadelphia would have to lose out in order to lose the top seed and the bye.
They should be able to withstand the loss of Hurts for now for the best chance to have him right when they take the field in the playoffs.
For Dallas, there’s no compassion. The Eagles revealed Cooper Rush’s flaws in the first matchup, ending Rush’s personal five-game winning streak and making him 4-1 on the season; a remarkable feat to keep Dallas’ season afloat.
In Hurts’ absence, veteran Gardner Minshew will likely start on Saturday against Dallas. Minshew has a career 8-14 record as a starter, but is 1-1 with the Eagles with a 68.3 completion percentage, throwing four touchdowns and just one interception.
He is better than most backups and gives his team a chance to win, similarly to Rush.
Week 17: Tennessee Titans and Malik Willis
A report is in that Ryan Tannehill’s bum ankle is going to require surgery and he is not going to suit up this week, next week or at all. Via ProFootballTalk, Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky is reporting the veteran is done for the season.
The Titans haven’t been a very good offense all season, averaging just 18.2 points per contest. Tannehill hasn’t been very good, but his backup has been abysmal. Rookie Malik Willis has appeared overwhelmed in his two starts and seven appearances. He’s thrown for just 177 yards on the season and has no touchdowns against a lone interception.
The Titans’ offense simply takes the ball out of his hands. Tennessee has now lost four in a row and could be under .500 by the time the two teams meet in Week 17.
Week 18: Washington Commanders and Taylor Heinecke
Heinecke won the job from Carson Wentz while Wentz was injured, but the switch was likely coming anyway. Wentz never seems to win over a locker room and after his 2021 performance, it was easy for Heinecke to convince his teammates and the coaching staff what gave them a chance to win.
The problem is the team feels better about him, but the offense isn’t much better with him.
The club averaged 17.2 points per game with Wentz, and 20.3 with Heinecke. But again, he allows the entire team to believe they can win and that spirit shows itself and is tangible, even if barely reflected in the stats.
Narratives Shmarratives
Outside of Dak Prsescott and Rush, 56 different quarterbacks have started games through 15 weeks of NFL action. That’s 24 backups; to this point Dallas has not faced a single replacement starter in 2022.
Yet, rest assured, the narrative will be about how they didn’t play anyone down the stretch despite other teams getting the chance throughout the season to feast on lesser competition.
The talk won’t matter, but the chatter will come. The Dallas defense’s mission is simply to focus on what they can control and make sure none of these backups have explosives outings against them. The Cowboys themselves have shown the blueprint to winning games when the offense is limited, through Rush’s four-game winning streak.
If Dallas gets a bump heading into the playoffs because they finally get a break from starting QBs who can put the team on their shoulders, there’ll be nothing to be embarrassed about.
If they lose to any of them, though… whoa buddy. | 2022-12-22T15:09:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cowboys defense may end season facing run of backup QBs before playoffs | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-defense-may-end-season-142140795.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-defense-may-end-season-142140795.html?src=rss |
If the Immaculate Reception happened today, most of us wouldn’t remember it for more than a week. Sad but true.
The most famous play in pro football history, as engineered by Franco Harris, unfolded 50 years ago this weekend. It’s an absolute tragedy that Harris died just days before what was to be a celebration of a magnificent moment, but thankfully he received all the acclaim he was due, from a berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to a life-sized, crouching, mid-Immaculate-Reception statue in Pittsburgh International Airport.
As for the play itself, it lives on in football lore, thanks to its preeminent role in the smashmouth era of 1970s football, as well as that divinely-inspired nickname. It altered the trajectory of an entire season, shaped the fortunes of several of the league’s most notable dynasties, and bestowed immortality on Harris. Not bad for a play we’re still not entirely sure was even legal.
Here’s a refresher on the play. The Steelers were trailing the Raiders 7-6 in a 1972 AFC divisional playoff game. This was pre-Steelers dynasty; Pittsburgh, to this point, had never even won a single postseason game, much less a Super Bowl. With 22 seconds remaining and the Steelers looking at fourth and 10 on their own 40, Terry Bradshaw took the snap, dropped back and targeted halfback John Fuqua at the Raiders’ 35-yard line. Oakland brute Jack Tatum arrived in Fuqua’s personal space at the same time the ball did, and in the ensuing collision, the ball bounced up in the air and backward.
Right at that moment, who should come along but Harris, streaking upfield just in time to snare the floating ball and run it in for a decisive touchdown. It was a brilliant moment, a joyous moment, a transcendent moment … and it could have been blown dead right then and there.
If the ball hit Fuqua in the hands, or if it grazed the ground as Harris was grabbing it, the pass would have been ruled incomplete based on the rules at the time. In the famous video of the catch — the one you’ve seen a hundred times — you’ll note that the ball drops below the eye of the camera at the exact moment Harris snares it.
While one official signaled touchdown, others gathered and discussed just what the hell had actually happened. The NFL did not have an instant replay protocol back then, but the referees nonetheless conferred with their colleagues upstairs before rendering the final decision. (Raiders players of the day contend — maybe joking, maybe not — that the officials were trying to determine if there were enough police to protect them if they ruled the play wasn’t a touchdown.)
As soon as the referees signaled that the touchdown was good, Pittsburgh fans stormed the field, and the play ascended to legendary status. The Steelers would go on to lose to the famous undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins the next week, but would win four Super Bowls over the rest of the decade. The Raiders and their fans still grumble about the “Immaculate Deception,” and the play only fed into the us-against-the-world mentality that defined the 1970s Raiders of Tatum, Ken Stabler and the immortal Al Davis.
Imagine if the same play unfolded today. First off, we’d know instantly if the ball touched the ground, because one of the dozens of cameras around the stadium would spot the blades of grass moving. We’d be able to isolate whether the ball hit Fuqua’s hands or shoulder pads. We’d watch the replay a dozen times on TV, and a hundred times over the next few hours on social media. There would be no uncertainty, nothing to debate. And then we'd move on to the next shiny object.
The mystery about the Immaculate Reception is what keeps it fresh in our minds, even 50 years later. Compare that to last week’s Patriots-Raiders lateral debacle, in which New England literally threw the game away. Replays of that one were everywhere Sunday night, digested and gone by Monday afternoon. (At least the Raiders ended up on the high side of that one.) The exact same thing would have happened to the Immaculate Reception — and yes, you just know that someone would pitch a Twitter fit about the nickname, too.
The closest competitor for Best NFL Play of All Time — excluding the Butt Fumble, of course — has to be Manning-to-Tyree in Super Bowl XLII. But even that lacks the essential mystery and controversy of the Immaculate Reception, since even the most diehard Patriots fan had to concede that, yes, David Tyree did actually catch that ball against his helmet. (Plus, let’s be honest, branding matters. “Helmet Catch” isn’t even in the same galaxy, nickname-wise.)
The perfect play, with the perfect name, in the perfect moment, executed by the perfect player to set off a perfect rivalry. That’s as immaculate as it gets. | 2022-12-22T15:09:26Z | sports.yahoo.com | Franco Harris will live on forever | https://sports.yahoo.com/franco-harris-will-live-on-forever-143846309.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/franco-harris-will-live-on-forever-143846309.html?src=rss |
The New York Giants will go on the road in Week 16 to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve.
Big Blue is coming off the dramatic win against their division rival Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football. The win on Sunday night significantly improved the Giants’ chances of advancing to the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Vikings will be playing on Saturday for the second consecutive week, giving them one more day of rest than the Giants will have had. The Vikings are also coming off the biggest comeback in NFL history this past Saturday after falling behind 33-0 to the Indianapolis Colts.
Coincidentally, the Giants will play the Colts in Week 17 on New Year’s Day.
The Vikings have already clinched their division but are playing for playoff seeding at this point.
Although a lot has to happen, there is a way the Giants could clinch a postseason berth in Week 16.
The Vikings will be no easy task for the Big Blue. Here are some causes for concern heading into the game.
Justin Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in the game and he is playing as well now as he has all season. He has had a touchdown in five of his last seven games and is coming off his second consecutive game with double-digit receptions.
Jefferson leads the league in catches (111), yards (1,623), targets (158), and catches of 20-plus yards (26).
With the Giants likely without Adoree’ Jackson again this week, this will certainly be a tough matchup for Big Blue. Wink Martindale will have his hands full having his defense prepared for Jefferson in the passing game.
Vikings rushing attack
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via USA TODAY Sports
The Giants have struggled against the run all season long. They have a strong defensive line and have only gotten stronger since Azeez Ojulari came back, racking up plenty of sacks. Big Blue is still really struggling against the run. The Giants have given up the third-most rushing yards in the league heading into Week 16.
Dalvin Cook has the sixth-most rushing yards in the league while trailing two running backs that the Giants have already played. The Giants allowed 82 yards to Derrick Henry in Week 1 and 144 yards to Miles Sanders in Week 14.
Cook’s running ability alone could pose a massive problem for the Giants’ defense.
Vikings' momentum
The Vikings have been one of the best teams in the NFL and are currently the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They are coming off the biggest comeback in NFL history and that second-half performance may carry over to Week 16.
This could pose a threat to Big Blue, especially when you considered the Vikings scored 39 points after halftime. The Giants have not surpassed 30 points scored all season long. | 2022-12-22T15:09:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants vs. Vikings: 3 reasons for concern in Week 16 | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-vs-vikings-3-reasons-145519260.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-vs-vikings-3-reasons-145519260.html?src=rss |
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins signals at the line of scrimmage against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins: Game predictions, picks, odds | 2022-12-22T15:09:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins: Predictions, picks and odds for NFL Week 16 matchup | https://sports.yahoo.com/green-bay-packers-miami-dolphins-141602500.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/green-bay-packers-miami-dolphins-141602500.html?src=rss |
The Pro Bowl news has dropped and the starters have been named. While the Philadelphia Eagles had eight players named to the all-star affair, the most in the NFL, the Browns also had three named from their unit. Defensive end Myles Garrett, left guard Joel Bitonio, and running back Nick Chubb were all named to the Pro Bowl for the Browns this season.
Additionally, the Browns had a massive five others named alternates. Stay peeled here to see who those other five are, including what they have done to get them in this position to be recognized for their 2022 seasons.
Browns Myles Garrett Joel Bitonio Nick Chubb Pro Bowl
Feb 6, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; AFC defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns (95) reacts after making an interception against the NFC during the Pro Bowl football game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Myles Garrett was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl in his young career. Garrett has racked up 13.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, four passes batted down, and two forced fumbles in just 13 games this season for the Browns.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – JANUARY 26: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans and Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns take the field prior to the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium on January 26, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Onto his fourth Pro Bowl in just five seasons, Chubb is on pace to set career-highs in carries, yards rushing, and touchdowns for the Browns in 2022. He has racked up 1,252 yards and 12 touchdowns this season on the ground.
Now heading to his fifth-straight Pro Bowl, the Browns’ Walter Payton Man of the Year has been one of the very best guards in all of football this season.
Cooper was named as a Pro Bowl alternate as he is on pace for another 1,000-yard season, and after eclipsing 8,000 career receiving yards this season.
Despite missing games with both an ankle and knee injury, tight end David Njoku is in the midst of a breakout campaign after signing a massive contract extension this offseason. Named as a Pro Bowl alternate, Njoku has tallied 551 yards and three touchdowns on 51 catches in just 11 games this season.
While Teller has had a bit of a down year dealing with a calf injury, he has been named as a Pro Bowl alternate after making his first Pro Bowl last season.
Despite a down year, Ward has found some success down the stretch. He has been named as a Pro Bowl alternate as well.
The two-time All-Pro right tackle has been named as a Pro Bowl alternate for the Browns.
Here's Why We Think Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Might Deserve Your Attention Today | 2022-12-22T15:10:16Z | sports.yahoo.com | Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb named to Pro Bowl as 5 others named as alternates | https://sports.yahoo.com/myles-garrett-joel-bitonio-nick-141159992.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/myles-garrett-joel-bitonio-nick-141159992.html?src=rss |
Ronnie Hillman talks to the media before Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
"Soft-spoken with a warm smile and quiet intensity, Ronnie was drafted by the Broncos in 2012 and grew into a dynamic player and well-respected teammate," the Broncos said in a statement. "Ronnie will be fondly remembered by our organization, which extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the Hillman family during this difficult time."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ronnie Hillman dies of cancer: Broncos, San Diego State RB was 31
Cameron shot the "Avatar" sequels at the same time to avoid the younger actors' growth spurts, he said in a recent interview.
UPDATED with Gunn reaction: Dwayne Johnson took to social media today to make it official that he’s heard from DC Studios co-head James Gunn and that Black Adam won’t be a part of the first phase of DC’s new plans. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black […] | 2022-12-22T15:10:42Z | sports.yahoo.com | RB Ronnie Hillman, who won Super Bowl ring with Broncos, dies at 31 after cancer bout | https://sports.yahoo.com/rb-ronnie-hillman-won-super-134532356.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rb-ronnie-hillman-won-super-134532356.html?src=rss |
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has come a long way in his 10-year career to finally earn his first nod onto a Pro Bowl roster. Smith is among four Seattle players who were named to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games.
Smith was originally selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of West Virginia. He was inconsistent throughout his first two seasons as a starter before serving in a backup role his last two years in New York. He next spent time as a backup with the Giants and the Chargers before signing with Seattle in 2019.
After backing up quarterback Russell Wilson for three seasons, Smith earned his chance to start for Seattle in 2022 and has never looked back. He now heads the league in completion percentage with a whopping 71.4. In addition, Smith has the second-best passer rating (105.3), ranks fourth in passing touchdowns (26), sixth in completions (337), seventh in yards (3,671) and is tied for ninth place in attempts (472).
All that from a guy who many considered a career backup at best.
“Honestly, my focus is on this week and this game,” Smith told reporters Wednesday before hearing of his honor. “Obviously, those things are personal accolades, but I’m focused on the team part of it. It’s really important for us to go out there and get a win. It’s a crucial part of our season. We got three games left to figure out what we are going to do here.
“I’ve just been focused on that and locked in on that.”
Congrats to Smith and the rest of the Seahawks who will be representing Seattle and the NFC in the 2023 Pro Bowl Games. | 2022-12-22T15:10:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | Seahawks veteran QB Geno Smith earns 1st Pro Bowl nod of his career | https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-veteran-qb-geno-smith-140051301.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/seahawks-veteran-qb-geno-smith-140051301.html?src=rss |
No one needed to be in the New England Patriots’ locker room, following their humiliating loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, to know that it probably wasn’t the most pleasant conversation with coach Bill Belichick.
However, it’s still fun to hear rap legend Snoop Dogg do his best Belichick impersonation of what the post-game speech to the team must have been like after watching them blow it against the Raiders.
“Cussing them the [expletive] out right now. ‘Do your job. Dammit, I’ve said it over and over again, and you just won’t listen,'” said Snoop.
The impersonations didn’t just stop with Belichick, either. Snoop Dogg snuck in a line from owner Robert Kraft as well.
“I can hear Mr. Kraft, ‘Bill, I told you I don’t know what these guys are doing. They should have just took a knee and went to overtime,'” Snoop said.
It’s easier to laugh being days removed from the situation, but there’s no question that loss was a big hit to the Patriots’ playoff hopes. Here’s to hoping they can turn things around with less drama in Saturday’s Christmas Eve showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. | 2022-12-22T15:10:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | Snoop Dogg’s Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft impressions are must-see | https://sports.yahoo.com/snoop-dogg-bill-belichick-robert-134826085.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/snoop-dogg-bill-belichick-robert-134826085.html?src=rss |
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson laid out why Williams hasn’t made a bigger splash in the Lions offense beyond his 41-yard touchdown reception in the win over the Vikings — still his only catch in the NFL.
“Yeah, it’s a weekly process, and I think it is coming along,” Johnson told reporters in his press conference on Wednesday. “We try to push Jamo a little bit more every week in terms of the routes we’re asking him to run, not just for the game, but also for his development and for Jared’s chemistry with him.”
That chemistry hasn’t been there just yet. Even on the touchdown connection, Goff’s throw had a wide open Williams waiting a bit for the ball. The two failed to connect in the Jets’ game with Williams well beyond the defense when Goff couldn’t get the ball there on time.
“We’re trying to see what he’s capable of, and what he’s comfortable with at this point coming off that injury,” Johnson continued. “So, I think we’ll continue to see a growing connection between those two. It’s just time on task.”
How to Find a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) For 2023
With so many online resources to choose from, finding a financial advisor has become easier. However, there’s a lot to sift through when it comes to picking one. Every financial advisor tends to have different types of certifications, such as certified … Continue reading → The post How to Find a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) appeared first on SmartAsset Blog. | 2022-12-22T15:11:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Working WR Jameson Williams more into the lineup ‘a weekly process’ for Lions OC Ben Johnson | https://sports.yahoo.com/working-wr-jameson-williams-more-140127613.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/working-wr-jameson-williams-more-140127613.html?src=rss |
While there are still remaining moves to be made the fans now have a decent idea of what Napier’s first full recruiting class will look like. A good way to evaluate a program’s status is to compare it to others, such as 247Sports’ updated 2023 team recruiting rankings, in which the Gators saw a two-spot improvement moving up to No. 12 overall in the consensus.
Essentially, the Orange and Blue leapfrogged over the Penn State Nittany Lions for the position while the spot was opened up when the Clemson Tigers moved up a rung. The Southeastern Conference has a total of four teams in the top 10, led by the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, followed by the LSU Tigers (No. 6) and the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 10).
The Gators currently have 18 four-star and two three-star players committed in this recruiting cycle, making them the second-highest-ranking team without a five-star signee behind the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which ranks at No. 9. | 2022-12-22T15:58:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | Florida football inches up in updated 247Sports 2023 recruiting rankings | https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-football-inches-updated-247sports-153316452.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-football-inches-updated-247sports-153316452.html?src=rss |
Michigan State linebacker Jacoby Windmon (4) tackles Western Michigan quarterback Jack Salopek (6) during the second half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.
Michigan State's Jalen Berger, center, celebrates his touchdown with Nick Samac, left, and J.D. Duplain during the third quarter in the game against Akron on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne attempts a pass before the game on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in State College, Pennsylvania.
From left, Michigan State's defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton, head coach Mel Tucker and tight ends coach Ted Gilmore look on during the Meet the Spartans open practice on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football reinforced by several returning linemen
A massive winter storm system enveloped a vast stretch of the United States on Thursday, threatening to upend the travel plans of millions of Americans ahead of what could turn out to be one of the coldest Christmas days on record in many cities. Leading into the holiday weekend, the system is expected to bring blizzard conditions to the Great Lakes region, up to 2 inches of rain followed by a flash freeze on the East Coast, wind gusts of 60 miles (100 km) per hour and bitter cold as far south as the Mexican border. As the storm moves over the Great Lakes, a weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone is expected to develop due to "the abrupt deepening of this low pressure system," the National Weather Service said. | 2022-12-22T15:58:22Z | sports.yahoo.com | Michigan State football reinforced by several returning linemen. Who else's coming back? | https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-football-reinforced-several-151112431.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-football-reinforced-several-151112431.html?src=rss |
The primary sorting tool used to determine the strength of Division I men’s basketball teams is the NET ranking, which plays a major role in a school’s NCAA Tournament résumé and is updated regularly throughout the year. As the numbers are revised on a daily basis, Florida moved up four spots to No. 64 on Thursday despite sitting idle.
The Gators are now 0-5 in Quadrant 1 matchups while still having not faced a Quad 2 team; Florida is a perfect 1-0 and 6-0 against Quad 3 and 4 programs, respectively. The Sooners — who handed Todd Golden’s squad their most recent loss — moved up to No. 50 (from No. 55) immediately following their win while inching up another four spots to No. 46 on Thursday.
Next up for the Orange and Blue is the Southeastern Conference opener against the Auburn Tigers, who are currently ranked No. 30 in the NET, on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Neville Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Madi Williams had a double-double, Taylor Robertson added 18 points on six 3-pointers, and No. 23 Oklahoma defeated Florida 95-79.
Columbia football's Amare Ferrell and Jaden Robinson made one more memory together as Tigers Wednesday morning. | 2022-12-22T16:02:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Florida basketball takes a tumble in NET rankings following OU loss | https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-basketball-takes-tumble-net-134513252.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-basketball-takes-tumble-net-134513252.html?src=rss |
Bryan Reynolds / Charles LeClaire - USA TODAY Sports
“He can be an everyday a lot of things,” Boone said earlier this offseason. “I love the player. I love his makeup. He showed this year that whatever situation you put him in, he's equipped to handle it.”
Slugging outfielder Max Kepler is an interesting name as the Minnesota Twins just signed Joey Gallo, making the two redundant in that lineup. The 29-year-old is still pretty young and although his power numbers have declined in recent years, perhaps a change of scenery -- and the short porch at Yankee Stadium -- can do this lefty some good.
However, the cream of the crop is the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds. The 27-year-old is coming off a season where he slashed .262/.345/.461 with a career-high 27 home runs. He’s just a year removed from making his first All-Star team -- when he hit .302 -- and has proven to have the perfect mix of contact and power.
It's odd that Pittsburgh would compare Reynolds to Juan Soto, but the Yankees do have the prospects to make it happen. Let’s just hope they can package Josh Donaldson with it.
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" is the kind of lavish all-stops-out biopic you either give into or you don’t — and if you do, you may find yourself getting so emotional, baby. | 2022-12-22T16:06:59Z | sports.yahoo.com | Analyzing Yankees' left field options to replace Andrew Benintendi | https://sports.yahoo.com/analyzing-yankees-left-field-options-145042968.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/analyzing-yankees-left-field-options-145042968.html?src=rss |
These past few weeks, they’ve been creeping and now they’re on the come-up, making themselves relevant in the Eastern Conference. But Kevin Durant notices the lack of attention his team has received.
“I get that other people don’t look at our roster as a championship roster, but when we get wins the way we get wins, you gotta pay attention to that,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “When Kai [Kyrie Irving] and Ben [Simmons] didn’t play, we beat teams by [nearly] 40 points. Any other team, it’s, ‘Hold on, what they doing over there?’
Over his last 11 games, he’s been in a groove that rivals some of his best work, averaging 32 points on 63% shooting, 43% from 3-point range and adding 6.5 rebounds and five assists per game.
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets have won 10 of their last 11 games, and nary a controversy is in sight for once. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The Nets have rebounded from the ashes of a coaching change and an Irving-fueled controversy to climb to fourth in the East, winning 11 of 12 with a current seven-game streak, the longest in the league.
Perhaps the coaching change from Steve Nash to Jacque Vaughn has simplified things. Perhaps it’s a function of the schedule, too, as a large portion has been home games and against less-than-stellar competition.
Boston’s had drama with Ime Udoka, the champion Warriors have had to endure a championship malaise along with Draymond Green’s altercation with Jordan Poole. It feels like that received proper scrutiny in context.
He knows being with Irving adds its own layer of complications, even saying, “Obviously, I wasn’t fond of him not being in the lineup last year,” referencing Irving being ineligible to play home games in New York because he wasn’t vaccinated.
But Durant said Irving is “locked in” and reiterated that he trusts him. It seemed like a far cry from the summer when Durant issued a trade demand that he later rescinded.
The Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant celebrate after scoring against the Washington Wizards on Dec. 12, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)
Irving hasn’t taken a sabbatical and hasn’t said anything to cause trouble recently. His relationship with Nike has ended and short of a few jabs on social media, Irving has been quiet.
For Durant, the game has been his obsession and his refuge. Much of his gripe with the media has been about basketball being minimized in favor of other controversies. | 2022-12-22T16:07:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Nets' run up the standings comes without controversy or noise. Kevin Durant on 'standard' for Brooklyn drama | https://sports.yahoo.com/nets-run-up-the-standings-comes-without-controversy-or-noise-kevin-durant-on-standard-for-brooklyn-drama-001322745.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nets-run-up-the-standings-comes-without-controversy-or-noise-kevin-durant-on-standard-for-brooklyn-drama-001322745.html?src=rss |
Alabama football is known for winning championships and producing star talent at the next level. There’s no better way to display how successful the former Crimson Tide players are in the NFL than seeing how many made the annual Pro Bowl.
This year, the NFL is not hosting a Pro Bowl game, but will instead host numerous small games in hopes of improving fan viewership.
In total, 11 former Alabama players were selected to both the AFC and NFC rosters. With both the offense and defense represented, there aren’t too many surprises. However, the absence of one player, in particular, is the cause for much debate.
(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
d Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Notably left off: Tua Tagovailoa | 2022-12-22T16:40:14Z | sports.yahoo.com | 11 Alabama players named to NFL Pro Bowl rosters | https://sports.yahoo.com/11-alabama-players-named-nfl-161133355.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/11-alabama-players-named-nfl-161133355.html?src=rss |
The NFL on Wednesday announced the rosters for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games – a series of skills competitions and a non-contact flag football game that will replace whatever version of football used to get played during the Pro Bowl.
The 49ers are well represented among the NFL’s all-stars with six selections. There could’ve, and in some cases should’ve, been more than that though. By our count, as many as 10 49ers could’ve been headed to Allegiant Stadium on February 5. These are the four players who were left out of the Pro Bowl festivities who had a real case for making it:
This one speaks for itself. McCaffrey was having a good season even before getting traded to the 49ers. Since arriving in San Francisco he’s dragged their offense out of mediocrity and helped catalyze their run to seven consecutive victories and an NFC West championship. This season he’s leading NFC running backs in receiving yards and scrimmage yards, and ranks fourth in total touchdowns.
The Rams’ Bobby Wagner is the only LB with a higher PFF grade than Greenlaw among linebackers with at least 480 snaps. There are only four NFC LBs with more tackles, only one with more run stops, and he ranks sixth in passer rating allowed. There aren’t many LBs in the NFL playing better than Greenlaw, whose coverage in the middle of the field alongside his Pro Bowl teammate Fred Warner is a large reason the 49ers’ defense has been so dominant. Greenlaw should be a Pro Bowler.
This is one that’s hard to call a snub because removing CBs from the roster is difficult, but Ward has been the bona fide No. 1 cornerback on the NFL’s No. 1 defense. San Francisco’s pass defense has more interceptions than touchdowns allowed this year thanks in part to Ward, who has allowed 509 yards, 42 catches and two TDs on 69 targets. Of those 509 yards, just 107 have come after the catch per Pro Football Focus. His physicality and ability to travel with No. 1 receivers makes him invaluable to the 49ers’ dominant defense and makes him worthy of a Pro Bowl nod.
KR/PR Ray-Ray McCloud
There have been perhaps half a dozen times this year where McCloud has been a step from breaking a return for a touchdown. It feels inevitable that he’ll house one before the season ends. He deserved a Pro Bowl nod on special teams thanks to his prowess on punts and kickoffs. He’s second in the NFC in punt return yards, fourth in kick return yards, and first in All-Purpose yards among players whose primary role is on special teams. The bigger deal for the 49ers is they finally have an effective return man – something they haven’t consistently had during most of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure.
Jill Biden reveals the Christmas gift that Joe Biden gives her every yearThe Drew Barrymore Show | 2022-12-22T16:40:27Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2023 Pro Bowl: 49ers have 4 players snubbed from initial roster | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-49ers-snubbed-pro-bowl-154304078.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-49ers-snubbed-pro-bowl-154304078.html?src=rss |
The Cincinnati Bengals are once again favorites, this time on the road against the New England Patriots in Week 16.
Those Bengals have won six straight and have a shot at both the AFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so it’s hardly a shocker to see they’re favored over the .500 Pats.
According to the numbers at Tipico Sportsbook, the Bengals sit as three-point favorites on the road. That’s nearly a touchdown in favor of the Bengals when taking into consideration the home team usually gets spotted roughly three points.
Now is a good time for the Bengals to catch the Patriots, too. New England has lost two of its last three, the only win over a four-win Cardinals team. In their last outing, they lost on one the worst lateral players of all time, literally. | 2022-12-22T16:40:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bengals stand as road favorites vs. Patriots in Week 16 | https://sports.yahoo.com/bengals-stand-road-favorites-vs-152530442.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bengals-stand-road-favorites-vs-152530442.html?src=rss |
It isn’t often one hears New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick go overboard with praise for a player, especially on an opposing team.
But he just did for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Before the Bengals visit the Patriots, Belichick detailed what impresses him about Burrow’s game:
“First of all he’s tough. He’ll stand in there throw the ball, take a hit to make a play. Accurate, hits all the throws. Tough to tackle. Manages the game well. Sees the game well. Productive in critical situations. Red area, third downs, big games. He makes a lot of his best plays at the right time.”
That’s big praise for Burrow from one of the greatest-ever minds in the sport.
It also comes at an opportune time, considering Burrow’s playing at a near-MVP level and his team has a serious shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC. | 2022-12-22T16:40:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bill Belichick has huge praise for Joe Burrow before Bengals vs. Patriots | https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-belichick-huge-praise-joe-150149894.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-belichick-huge-praise-joe-150149894.html?src=rss |
Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion running back Ronnie Hillman has died at age 31, his family announced Thursday.
Hillman died of Renal Medullary Carcinoma, a rare kidney cancer. Hillman’s family wrote on Instagram that the former running back “quietly and peacefully transitioned today in the company of his family and close friends.”
Hillman was drafted by the Broncos in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft out of San Diego State. Hillman was inactive in his second season when Denver reached Super Bowl XLVIII — a game the Broncos lost 43-8 — but he was a key player two years later during the team’s run to Super Bowl 50.
Hillman rushed 207 times for a team-high 863 yards and seven touchdowns during the team’s 2015 season. He rushed five times in Denver’s 24-10 win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, which was his final game as a Bronco.
The following year, Hillman joined the Minnesota Vikings. He went on to spend time with the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys before hanging up his cleats in 2017.
In five NFL seasons (56 games), Hillman rushed 494 times for 1,976 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 74 receptions for 524 yards and another score as a receiver out of the backfield. His 1,845 rushing yards with the Broncos ranks 16th on the team’s all-time list.
In a new Gucci ad, Harry Styles dons a T-shirt with a pink teddy bear and poses with a mattress. Critics allege the photos sexualize children. | 2022-12-22T16:40:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion Ronnie Hillman dies at age 31 | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-super-bowl-50-champion-153059614.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-super-bowl-50-champion-153059614.html?src=rss |
Sirianni on Jalen Hurts: “We felt it’s for the best he doesn’t go on Saturday.” The #Eagles HC lauded Hurts for how tough he was and how hard he worked to be ready this week. https://t.co/TRIFpvl4Pd
After some early week gamesmanship, the Eagles have confirmed that Jalen Hurts will miss his first start of the season with a shoulder sprain.
Head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the media moments ago, telling the media that “It’s looking like it’s going to be Gardner” Minshew when asked for an update on Hurts’ availability.
“He’s disappointed because he wants to play. But we have to do what’s best as an organization to put us in a safe spot because he will play through anything. Those are hard conversations we have to game sometimes.”
In 2019 Minshew started 12 games for the Jaguars and had a passer rating of 91.2 with 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in 14 games as a rookie.
During his start against the Jets last season, Minshew finished 20 of 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns (133.7 rating), leading the Eagles to scores on their first seven offensive possessions. | 2022-12-22T16:41:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles coach Nick Sirianni confirms Gardner Minshew will start vs. Cowboys | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-coach-nick-sirianni-confirms-152331311.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-coach-nick-sirianni-confirms-152331311.html?src=rss |
#eagles head coach Nick Sirianni says Gardner Minshew will start at QB Saturday at #Cowboys
The suspense appears over, and the injury concern appears legitimate. The Dallas Cowboys will be squaring off against Gardner Minshew on Saturday. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has announced that the backup will be in the starting lineup for Week 16 after Pro Bowler Jalen Hurts suffered an injury during last week’s win over the Chicago Bears.
Hurts was driven into the ground on his throwing shoulder in the third quarter and will miss his first game of the season. The Cowboys are all too familiar with having to navigate the waters without their starting quarterback. When the two teams met in Week 6, the Eagles ended Cooper Rush’s four-game win streak. It will be the fifth time in six meetings between the two division rivals where at least one of the two teams will be without their primary signal caller.
Hurts is enjoying a remarkable second season, throwing for over 3,400 yards in 14 games while tossing 22 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He also has 747 yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns on runs as a dual-threat QB with nine fumbles on the negative side of the ledger. He’s led the Eagles to a league-best 13-1 record.
The contest appears to be the first of three consecutive games to close out the season where Dallas will face backup QBs, after facing all intended starters through their first 14 contests. For a defense that has struggled to get pressure as of late, this may be a needed reprieve.
Minshew has an 8-14 record as a starter overall, and is 1-1 as the Eagles’ starter. His loss came in the 2021 season finale when Philadelphia was resting most of their starters in a 51-26 win. The game was competitive until the end of the second quarter when the Cowboys scored twice in the final two minutes to stretch a 17-17 tie into a 30-17 halftime lead.
Minshew finished 19-for-33 for 186 yards passing, two scores and one interception.
He poses little threat in designed runs, a staple of the Eagles’ offense and a thorn in the Cowboys’ side. It will be interesting to see what the Philadelphia offense looks like with him at the helm, as Dallas doesn’t have much film to study and prepare for.
Alexa Bliss Talks Working With Bray Wyatt Again: 'He's A Creative Genius'
Alexa Bliss’s sinister actions last night on Monday Night RAW confirmed to the WWE Universe that she has fallen under the evil and demonic spell of Bray Wyatt once again. Bliss was paired with The Fiend in 2020 and 2021 and has been outspoken about enjoying her time working with The Eater Of Worlds, but upon Wyatt’s shocking WWE release, Bliss slowly transitioned back to a singles competitor and made major progress in behavioral therapy to disconnect herself from Wyatt’s teachings and her Lilly | 2022-12-22T16:41:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles coach says Jalen Hurts won’t start against Cowboys | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-coach-says-jalen-hurts-154013767.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-coach-says-jalen-hurts-154013767.html?src=rss |
Nick Sirianni: 'It's going to be Gardner' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nick Sirianni announced what we all already suspected.
Jalen Hurts won't play.
Sirianni said Thursday that backup quarterback Gardner Minshew will start for the 13-1 Eagles against the 10-4 Cowboys Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a crucial NFC East game that will go a long way toward determining the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff bracket.
If the Eagles win, they lock up the top seed and a first-round bye. If the Cowboys win, they keep alive their hopes of securing the No. 1 seed and relegating the Eagles to the No. 5 seed, although it would take Eagles losses to the Saints and Giants and Cowboys wins over the Titans and Commanders to do it.
"It's looking like it's going to be Gardner," Sirianni said Thursday morning. "Jalen did everything he possibly could to get his body ready to go, and at the end of the day, he's not going to be able to do it.
"He tried like crazy and I know he still wants to go. Jalen Hurts is the toughest player I've ever been around. My brother and I talked last night, and he's like, 'Man, how did he play through that? He did that to his shoulder? How did he throw any passes after that?'
"I said because he's the toughest son of a gun that I've ever been around, and for him to go out there and do what he did after he had that sprained shoulder, it was really, truly remarkable that he was able to play but not just play but play really well.
"He's so tough, but we just felt like it's the best thing that he doesn't play this week. His body's just not there yet."
Sirianni wouldn't get into how confident he is that Hurts will be ready in case he needs to play a week from Sunday, when the Eagles face the Saints at the Linc.
"You know I'm not going to go there yet," he said. "We'll take it one day at a time, one game at a time. He's worked his butt off to try to get himself back. We'll see day by day where he is."
Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder near the end of the third quarter of the Eagles' win over the Bears Sunday in Chicago when he was slammed to the ground by Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson.
He was very slow to get up, but he didn't miss a snap and went 7-for-10 for 110 yards the rest of the way, including a 68-yard completion to A.J. Brown with 5½ minutes left that set up the clinching touchdown -- a one-yard Hurts TD run.
Hurts on Tuesday said he felt like he had a chance to play against Dallas. He's one of only 13 quarterbacks to start every one of his team's games this year.
"Definitely a chance," said Hurts, named to his first Pro Bowl team Wednesday. "I'm feeling fine, feeling fine. It's a week where we're keeping everything business as usual. We're playing a really good team, a really good opponent and doing everything we can on a short week to be at full health."
But Hurts didn't participate in Tuesday's walkthrough or Wednesday's full practice, and with the short week leading up to Dallas, the odds that he'd be ready seemed remote.
"Obviously, he's disappointed," Sirianni said. "He's disappointed because he wants to play. Like I said, toughest guy I know. But we have to do what's best as an organization to put him in a safe spot because he played through anything and he showed that in that fourth quarter against Chicago because he did play through it, he played through everything.
"So he's disappointed, he wants to be out there with his teammates, but those are hard conversations that you have to have sometimes."
Minshew won his only meaningful start as an Eagle, against the Jets late last year at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, with two touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert.
He's got 41 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in his career and trails only Aaron Rodgers in NFL history in interception ratio with one every 72 passes.
"Gardner will be our guy, Gardner will be ready," Sirianni said. "Gardner worked his butt off for this opportunity against a really good football team, had a great practice (Wednesday), a lot of energy out there, and he's ready to go." | 2022-12-22T16:41:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles' Gardner Minshew to start in place of Jalen Hurts vs. Cowboys | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-gardner-minshew-start-place-160100173.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-gardner-minshew-start-place-160100173.html?src=rss |
The decisions made in the front offices of every team in the NFL have direct effects on the product on the field. The Kansas City Chiefs’ success on the field during the 2022 NFL season has a direct correlation with some of the decisions made this past offseason.
Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with former NFL executives Mike Tannenbaum and Joe Banner to get their thoughts on the Chiefs this season. The executives spoke on behalf of The 33rd Team and assessed Andy Reid and Brett Veach’s most recent work and how it has led to consistent success.
“Yeah, I think what they did is really impressive from a standpoint. Like, I think when you move on from a guy like Tyreek Hill, it’s a little bit of a resource allocation discussion,” said Tannenbaum. “There’s other guys, (Marquez) Valdes-Scantling or (JuJu) Smith-Schuster. Taking Skyy Moore in the second round, and we’re gonna serve to allocate that money to other areas of the team, be it offensive line or certainly on defense.”
Tannenbaum spent years as an executive for multiple NFL teams, most recently from 2015 – 2018 with the Miami Dolphins after 15 years in the New York Jets organization. As the founder of The 33rd Team, he constantly evaluates decisions made around the league, including the Chiefs trading up for Trent McDuffie during April’s NFL draft.
“I thought what was interesting in the draft was, you know, when they traded for (Trent) McDuffie,” said Tannenbaum. “That was with New England. I thought Belicheck was gonna take McDuffie; I thought he was like the perfect New England corner. I think him and (George) Karlaftis have a chance to be foundational players. And I think (Willie) Gay and (Nick) Bolton can both run. So I like what they’re doing defensively. And I agree with what Joe said about Spags (Steve Spagnuolo). He’s a really good coach. So I think over the course of the season, like they’re getting better, which is obviously being really well-coached. And I think they have a chance to be there again at the end.”
Andy Reid’s head coaching career began in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was hired by the then-team executive and later president Joe Banner. The Eagles, under Banner’s leadership, went to five NFC Championship games in eight seasons and played in Super Bowl XXXIX. Banner weighed in on the Chiefs’ progress as well but gave tremendous praise to Reid and his staff.
“It’s not a mistake that — or a coincidence that all of Andy Reid’s teams — they do two things: They get better as the season goes and they win after (bye weeks),” said Banner. “So assume what you’re seeing right now is that the team will be much better over the next two and four weeks.”
As the 2022 season winds down, the Chiefs will be in the mix for another Super Bowl title. A trip to another AFC Championship game alone is a tremendous badge of honor for those that don’t wear the pads in the organization, but they’ll look to go the distance again come playoff time.
At a woodsy retreat center in Oregon, some 30 men and women are seated or lying down, masks covering their eyes and listening to serene music. Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 109 on psilocybin by an 11% margin in 2020. In November, Colorado voters also passed a ballot measure allowing regulated use of “magic mushrooms” starting in 2024. | 2022-12-22T16:41:27Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former NFL executives Mike Tannenbaum, Joe Banner evaluate Chiefs’ season | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-nfl-executives-mike-tannenbaum-154557122.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-nfl-executives-mike-tannenbaum-154557122.html?src=rss |
The National Football League announced Thursday a seven-year agreement with Google granting YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels the right to exclusively distribute NFL Sunday Ticket starting with the 2023 NFL season.
Beginning in 2023, NFL Sunday Ticket will be available on two of YouTube’s growing subscription businesses as an add-on package on YouTube TV and standalone a-la-carte on YouTube Primetime Channels. | 2022-12-22T16:41:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL announces $2 billion annual deal with YouTube for ‘Sunday Ticket’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-announces-2-billion-annual-160503523.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-announces-2-billion-annual-160503523.html?src=rss |
This morning Tom Pelissero at NFL Network broke the news on Twitter: the league has agreed to an exclusive multi-year deal with Google to stream Sunday Ticket games on Youtube TV starting in the 2023 season.
Commissioner Roger Goodell had this to say about the deal, per the league website:
The league also put out a lengthy press release.
Full press release. pic.twitter.com/uhTMympqZv
DirecTV has angered many fans due to service interruptions, particularly at the start of this season.
The NFL and Google have sealed a multi-year agreement giving YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket package in the U.S. The pact, which takes effect in 2023, replaces a partnership between the league and DirecTV since the introduction of the Sunday Ticket package — which delivers a full […]
Yahoo Finance’s Rick Newman joins the Live show to discuss Ukrainian President Zelensky’s meeting with President Biden and U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday. | 2022-12-22T16:42:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL announces new home for Sunday Ticket | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-announces-home-sunday-ticket-160028230.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-announces-home-sunday-ticket-160028230.html?src=rss |
In normal conditions, there wouldn't be much worry about the Bills beating the Chicago Bears. The Bills are 8.5-point favorites at BetMGM. Buffalo still is likely to win but their pass-first offense won't be happy to play in horrible weather. Here's the National Weather Service's winter storm warning, which goes from Thursday to Saturday morning: "Snow and blowing snow producing occasional white out conditions expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph expected. Wind chill values of 25 to 35 below zero expected."
Even if it's not that bad by kickoff at noon on Saturday, it's not going to be good. The Bills want to pass the ball. They have the third-highest pass rate over expectation in the NFL; the Bears have the lowest PROE. No matter how strong Josh Allen's arm is, if winds are gusting to 40 miles an hour in 10-degree weather as expected, the Bills aren't going to want to pass the ball.
It's mostly a pick of the hotter team and much better quarterback, though as stated in today's Daily Sweat, there's a good case to be made for the Jets too.
This game will be brutal. Just remember before taking that or any other under due to the bad weather: Awful conditions also lead to interceptions, fumbles, bad punts and other mistakes that lead to short fields and quick touchdowns. For the side, I'm surprised the Browns are just a field goal. Cleveland seems built for this type of game.
The Seahawks have some extra rest and will be happy to be facing a defense much easier than the 49ers, who bottled them up last week. The Seahawks have faced a few tough defenses during their slump. The Chiefs are clearly capable of covering this big spread but I'll take a Seahawks team that really needs wins.
For a while it seemed like this would be one of the games of the year. But after Dallas lost last week, the Cowboys are 94 percent to be the No. 5 seed in the NFC and the Eagles are 97.9 percent to be the No. 1 seed per Football Outsiders' playoff odds. In other words, there's not a lot to play for. Jalen Hurts' injury also changes things of course. I do believe the Eagles will rally around Gardner Minshew, who might be the best backup quarterback in the league. Philly is really good around the quarterback position. I'll take the Eagles. | 2022-12-22T16:42:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL picks against the spread: Frigid weather will affect many games, like Bills-Bears | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-picks-against-the-spread-frigid-weather-will-affect-many-games-like-bills-bears-155540450.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-picks-against-the-spread-frigid-weather-will-affect-many-games-like-bills-bears-155540450.html?src=rss |
The NFL announced Pro Bowl rosters on Wednesday and despite all the struggles, the Pittsburgh Steelers landed two on the defensive side of the football.
Pittsburgh got safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker T.J. Watt on the team despite Watt missing seven games with a torn pectoral. Watt’s season has been nothing close to the standard he has set over the course of his career and this placement is as due to reputation as anything. Nevertheless, Watt remains a top defender and is looking forward to a strong finish to the season. Watt has four sacks on the year.
Fitzpatrick is having a strong season and currently leads the team with four interceptions. He is third on the team with 75 tackles and is third on the team with nine passes defended.
The arctic blast is less than 24 hours away! FOX 4 meteorologist Kylie Capps walks through what we can expect from the cold and when things will start to warm up again. | 2022-12-22T16:42:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | Steelers land 2 players on AFC Pro Bowl roster | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-land-2-players-afc-153032563.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-land-2-players-afc-153032563.html?src=rss |
Malachi Nelson is the ESPN number one overall recruit in this 2023 class. The California native is also a consensus top-three quarterback alongside Dante Moore (UCLA) and Arch Manning (Texas).
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound quarterback is drawing comparisons to former Oregon Duck and Heisman Trophy Winner Marcus Mariota.
Nelson received offers from schools such as Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia, but chose to stay in his home state of California and head to USC with teammate Makai Lemon, a five-star receiver.
Nelson will sit behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for a year, before taking the reins as the Trojans’ signal-caller in Lincoln Riley’s offense. It is notable that Nelson was willing to accept that his freshman season in 2023 will be a learning experience behind Caleb. His time to shine will be in 2024, when the Trojans move to the Big Ten. It will be very important for him to soak up knowledge from Caleb and Lincoln Riley next year, in words but more centrally in how they carry themselves on the field during games.
Malachi Nelson will need to study Riley’s offensive concepts, but more than that, he will need to see how Caleb Williams studies defenses and makes pre-snap reads. All of that is coming Nelson’s way in 2023, and we’re not likely to see the fruits of that process until the Trojans are in the Big Ten.
Nelson threw for more than 2,800 yards while compiling 35 touchdowns and only four picks, completing a career-high 67.1 percent of his passes and setting a career-best in yards per attempt (9.73).
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound QB has elite arm talent and has a smooth yet quick delivery. He has shown he can make all the NFL-level throws down the field.
Recapping Early Signing Day with scouting reports on USC's signees
Five-star quarterback signee Malachi Nelson. Most of the intrigue in USC recruiting has shifted to the transfer portal, where the Trojans have already plucked a handful of notable additions yet again, but the spotlight belonged to the Class of 2023 high school prospects on Wednesday.
WEST POINT, NY – Army Head Coach Jeff Monken has announced the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Drew Thatcher. | 2022-12-22T17:32:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Malachi Nelson, USC’s No. 1 recruit in 2023, begins the ultimate football education | https://sports.yahoo.com/malachi-nelson-usc-no-1-153400016.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/malachi-nelson-usc-no-1-153400016.html?src=rss |
KRAKOW, Poland, Dec. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ryvu Therapeutics [WSE:RVU], a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focusing on novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology, announced the completion of its public offering of 4,764,674 Series J common shares (“Public Offering”). As a result of the Public Offering, Ryvu has obtained gross proceeds of PLN 250.3 million from institutional and individual investors as well as BioNTech and The Leukemia & L | 2022-12-22T17:40:02Z | sports.yahoo.com | Fantasy Football Week 16 Bust Candidates: Bengals stars could disappoint when needed most | https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-football-week-16-bust-candidates-bengals-stars-could-disappoint-with-title-trips-at-stake-171606823.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-football-week-16-bust-candidates-bengals-stars-could-disappoint-with-title-trips-at-stake-171606823.html?src=rss |
Even though the Houston Texans are 1-12-1, factually worse than they were entering Week 16 a year ago with a 3-11 record, they are doing better in another area.
Houston had a player named to the Pro Bowl in left tackle Laremy Tunsil. It marks the first time since 2020 that the Texans had a player make the AFC roster.
The Texans also had four players who were named Pro Bowl alternates. If the AFC has players who don’t want to take part in the Pro Bowl games, these Texans could be called upon to take their place — and then the “alternate” part is dropped and the term “Pro Bowler” becomes official.
DE Jerry Hughes
nfl-week-2-reasons-watch
Hughes has produced 28 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, 8.0 sacks, a forced fumble, a pass breakup, and an interception through 14 games, 13 of which he has started.
The AFC defensive ends who made the team were the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett, and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson.
texans-dameon-pierce-75-yard-touchdown-chargers
The rookie generated 220 carries for 939 yards and four touchdowns while also catching 30 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown through 13 games, all of which he started.
Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs were named to the AFC roster for the Pro Bowl.
K Ka'imi Fairbairn
Fairbairn has connected on 25 of his 27 field goals and has yet to miss an extra point out of 20 attempts.
The Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker was named as the AFC’s kicker.
P Cam Johnston
texans-frank-ross-cam-johnston-gotten-better-gone
Johnston is tied for ninth in the NFL with a 48.8 yards per punt average. With four touchbacks on 73 punts, his 5.5% touchback percentage is the 11th-lowest in the NFL.
Tommy Townsend of the Kansas City Chiefs was named the AFC’s punter. | 2022-12-22T18:13:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4 Houston Texans who were named Pro Bowl alternates | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-houston-texans-were-named-170348520.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-houston-texans-were-named-170348520.html?src=rss |
Donovan Mitchell wasn't going to let that happen again. Mitchell scored 36 points and Cleveland finally put together a complete game against Milwaukee, withstanding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's season-high 45-point performance in a 114-106 victory Wednesday night. Darius Garland added 23 points and Jarrett Allen had 19 for the young Cavs, who lost their first two games against the Eastern Conference's top team this season — both times caving in the third quarter and losing by 15 in Milwaukee. | 2022-12-22T18:13:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | Aaron Jones looks to duplicate stellar 2018 performance vs. Dolphins | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-jones-looks-duplicate-stellar-174009070.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-jones-looks-duplicate-stellar-174009070.html?src=rss |
How to watch Commanders vs. 49ers Week 16 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
After losing in crushing fashion to the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, the Washington Commanders badly could use a victory this Saturday.
Washington (7-6-1) will need to play one of its best games of the 2022 season, however, as they travel across the country to take on the red-hot San Francisco 49ers, winners of seven straight. The Commanders currently hold the seventh and final wild-card spot in the NFC, but the Seahawks and Lions lurk just a half-game back.
COMMANDERS vs. 49ERS WEEK 16
Who: Washington Commanders vs. San Francisco 49ers
When: Saturday, December 24, 2022, at 4:05 p.m. ET
COMMANDERS vs. 49ERS TV SCHEDULE:
3:00 p.m: Commanders Pregame Live (NBCSW) | 2022-12-22T18:14:03Z | sports.yahoo.com | Commanders vs. 49ers Week 16: How to watch, date, time, TV channel, live stream | https://sports.yahoo.com/commanders-vs-49ers-week-16-164458041.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/commanders-vs-49ers-week-16-164458041.html?src=rss |
The 2023 Pro Bowl will feature at least four players from the Buffalo Bills.
The NFL announced the initial rosters for the event on Wednesday.
Initially, the Bills (11-3) had no one lead in fan voting. However, players and others around the league have a say in who goes too. That’s how Buffalo go their representation for the game.
Later on down the line players could drop from attending and others will be added to rosters so the initial amount could be increased.
Here’s who is representing the Bills at this season’s Pro Bowl:
Number of Pro Bowls: 1
Fans will have to Google it beginning next season if they want to access the NFL's “Sunday Ticket” package. The NFL announced a multiyear agreement on Thursday for Google to distribute the package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. The NFL was seeking $2.5 billion per season for the package, which has been on DirecTV since 1994. | 2022-12-22T18:14:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | Four Bills players named to 2023 Pro Bowl roster | https://sports.yahoo.com/four-bills-players-named-2023-164504146.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/four-bills-players-named-2023-164504146.html?src=rss |
Facing his former teammate Russell Wilson on Sunday in a Christmas afternoon matchup, Wagner should be primed for a big game against the struggling Denver Broncos. A reporter asked him in the Rams’ Wednesday press conference about the advantage that he might have against Wilson, and Wagner told the media that he will have to wait for the game to know whether the quarterback’s game will be the same as it was when they played together in Seattle.
“To an extent,” Wagner explained. “When you see somebody for 10 years, you kind of know what they like and what they don’t like. But he’s evolved as a player and especially as he moved there, there’s little things that he does differently. But at the end of the day, once you get going and you start hitting and all this stuff, it slows down. The concepts that he likes and the things he likes to do will come to surface and hopefully we’ll be able to take advantage of those things.”
Whether Wagner’s experience against Wilson will play out in such a way that provides him a distinct advantage or not, the All-Pro linebacker will make a difference either way. The Broncos have had a supremely disappointing season with Wilson under center, and even as Los Angeles has faced their own adversity in 2022, with Wagner on their side, they should be able to pull out a win against Denver in Week 16. | 2022-12-22T18:14:30Z | sports.yahoo.com | Linebacker Bobby Wagner on how experience may help him keep Russell Wilson in check | https://sports.yahoo.com/linebacker-bobby-wagner-experience-may-175423352.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/linebacker-bobby-wagner-experience-may-175423352.html?src=rss |
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Frank James, the man accused of a shooting attack on the New York City subway in April 2022, told a court through his public defenders on Wednesday that he intended to plead guilty to federal terrorism charges. James has been charged in an attack on April 12 that injured 23 riders on a Manhattan-bound N-train as it passed through Brooklyn during the morning rush-hour. This month, federal prosecutors filed new charges against James in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, including 10 counts of a terrorist attack and other violence against a mass transportation system. | 2022-12-22T18:14:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | A look at Aaron Rodgers’ track record vs. Miami over the course of his career | https://sports.yahoo.com/look-aaron-rodgers-track-record-172558249.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/look-aaron-rodgers-track-record-172558249.html?src=rss |
Things certainly change quickly in the NFL. After Week 11 of the NFL season, the Tennessee Titans were 7-3. It looked like Mike Vrabel was once again working his magic and getting the very best out of a Tennessee team that looked somewhat questionable on paper. On the flip side, the Jacksonville Jaguars were 3-7 at that time. It looked like another losing season and some were beginning to question whether Trevor Lawrence was overhyped as a prospect. The Titans were -1000 favorites to win the division. The Jaguars winning the division paid out at 10-to-1.
Fast forward to now. The Titans have lost four straight games, being outscored by over 11 points per game during that span. The opposite has been true for the Jaguars. They've won three of four games, scoring nearly 30 points per game. As a result, Jacksonville is within a game of Tennessee. They have a head-to-head meeting remaining. On top of all of that, the Titans are now expected to be without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill for the rest of the season.
Jacksonville now favored to win AFC South
The Titans opened the week as slight favorites to win the division. However, after the Tannehill news broke, that quickly changed. Jacksonville is now a -145 favorite to win the AFC South at BetMGM.
Jacksonville is in action on Thursday, as it is a 2-point underdog on the road against the New York Jets. It's certainly a winnable game for the Jaguars, but even with a loss, they are in a solid position to win the division.
Both Jacksonville and Tennessee have a game remaining with the Houston Texans. The Texans have just one win on the season, but they have been extremely pesky in recent weeks against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. Tennessee is just a 3-point favorite over Houston at home this weekend. Nonetheless, it's a game that both teams need to win. At this point, you'd have to feel more comfortable with the Jaguars taking care of business than the Titans.
The Jaguars have the Jets on Thursday night as already mentioned. Next weekend, the Titans will play host to the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas will be a sizable favorite in that game, especially with Willis under center for the Titans. If you assume the Titans lose to the Cowboys, then Jacksonville's game against the Jets on Thursday becomes slightly less important.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are now favored to win the NFL's AFC South. (Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)
It's very likely the division will come down to Week 18, when the Titans and Jaguars meet head-to-head. Jacksonville will be the home team in that game after beating Tennessee on the road in Week 14. As long as Jacksonville enters the Week 18 game within a game of the Titans in the standings, it will be a win-and-in situation for the Jaguars. Based on the fact that Tannehill is injured and the Jaguars are home, it's safe to project the Jaguars to be favored in that game.
Put all of those factors together and you'll see why Jacksonville has taken over as the betting favorite to win the division. If the Jaguars beat the Jets on Thursday night, they'll be in phenomenal shape. Of course, wild things happen in the final weeks of the season. Just last year, these Jaguars ruined Indianapolis' season in Week 18 when they beat the Colts as a 14.5-point underdog.
However, if you're a Jaguars fan or are the owner of a betting ticket on the Jaguars to win the division, you're probably feeling rather confident right now. That's crazy to say when just a month ago, they were 3-7 and had 10-to-1 odds to win the division. | 2022-12-22T18:14:57Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL betting: Jacksonville Jaguars take over as betting favorites to win AFC South | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-jacksonville-jaguars-take-over-as-betting-favorites-to-win-afc-south-172638417.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-jacksonville-jaguars-take-over-as-betting-favorites-to-win-afc-south-172638417.html?src=rss |
Tyreek Hill celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during the second half against the Buffalo Bills.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) attempts to catch a pass for a touchdown against Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer (21) during the first half at Highmark Stadium.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami Dolphins' NFL playoff hopes hinge on accountability
Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn’t willing to say that starting quarterback Mac Jones‘ job is safe. Asked directly whether the plan is for Jones to start the final three weeks of the season, Belichick didn’t answer, instead just saying they’re focused on this week’s game against the Bengals. “Yeah, the plan is to try to [more] | 2022-12-22T18:16:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | 'We've got the talent, baby': Dolphins' postseason hopes hinge on accountability | https://sports.yahoo.com/weve-got-talent-baby-dolphins-172113233.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/weve-got-talent-baby-dolphins-172113233.html?src=rss |
Today’s guest columnist is labor and employment attorney Iciss Tillis. The NIL policy is personal for me. I missed out on a lot of opportunities in the late ’90s when I was a high school basketball star and an All-American power forward at Duke University. Back then, players like me who went on to become […]
With 11 signees on signing day, Ole Miss football's work in the Class of 2023 isn't finished, Lane Kiffin said. | 2022-12-22T19:04:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cormani McClain delays signing with Miami, Colorado in contact | https://sports.yahoo.com/cormani-mcclain-delays-signing-miami-173536292.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cormani-mcclain-delays-signing-miami-173536292.html?src=rss |
Part of why many pundits and analysts predicted that USC would go 9-3 or 8-4 in Year 1 of the Lincoln Riley era was the simple calculation that this would be USC’s worst team under Riley. That was a fair reading of the situation. This did figure to be a year in which Riley and his staff fought a noticeably uphill battle on a lot of fronts.
They didn’t have the depth. They didn’t have the benefit of a full recruiting cycle. They had to change the culture from Clay Helton and purge the program of players who weren’t up to par. This was a year to clean up the mess Helton left behind and essentially start fresh. Riley loaded up in the transfer portal, having to coach a lot of new arrivals to the program, even if they were experienced players with ample gameday reps at other schools. Riley and his staff had to handle a lot of moving parts in Year 1 at a new place. Making the adjustment from Oklahoma certainly carried the possibility of chaos, disorganization, and failure. That’s why a 9-3 or 8-4 season seemed likely for a lot of football experts.
Yes, we know how this season turned out: Riley and his staff exceeded expectations, going 11-2 and making the Pac-12 title game. USC was picked to miss the Pac-12 Championship Game, but the Trojans got there and reached a New Year’s Six bowl. Lots of preseason and midseason bowl projections had USC going to the Alamo or Holiday Bowls.
Yet, as well as this season went, the comparisons with the 8-4 or 9-3 predictions remain relevant for one simple reason: Even though USC went 11-2 and not 9-3, Lincoln Riley agrees with the football pundits.
He firmly believes 2022 will — and should — become his worst USC season. If there’s a worse USC season than this one, Riley will have underachieved. Riley admitted it himself:
#USC HC Lincoln Riley says he will be disappointed if this is not the worst team the Trojans have in his tenure at USC.
#USC HC Lincoln Riley: 'This [season is] just the tip of the iceberg. This is so bottom level of what this program can be.'
Added that this could be the start of something special and the message being sent to recruits is that they better jump on to be a part of it.
This was not a bad USC season, but the full expectation is that the program will only get better from this point onward. No more Year 1 chaos. No more “settling into the program” limitations. No more worries about “changing the culture.” That has already happened. It’s now time to be better on a consistent basis. | 2022-12-22T19:04:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | Lincoln Riley makes it clear in early signing period remarks: 2022 was the floor for USC football | https://sports.yahoo.com/lincoln-riley-makes-clear-early-165945033.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lincoln-riley-makes-clear-early-165945033.html?src=rss |
"While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos' physical examination," Zaidi said in a statement put out by the team. "We wish Carlos the best."
Zaidi and the rest of San Francisco's front office had hoped to make Correa the centerpiece of the franchise after agreeing to terms on a 13-year, $350 million deal. The Giants never officially announced it because they were waiting on the results of a physical taken Monday in San Francisco, and there was a disagreement during that process about a past injury.
It's not unusual for old injuries to concern teams during physicals, but it's rare that deals aren't completed because of something seen during testing, and it's unprecedented for a deal of this magnitude to be shut down. The Giants, having already scheduled a press conference and advertised tickets using Correa's image, saw enough that they felt they needed to hit the pause button.
Correa's team moved quickly after the Giants raised concerns, and by the end of the day Tuesday, he reportedly had a 12-year, $315 million contract with the Mets. While that deal is pending a physical, Mets owner Steve Cohen has been so open about it publicly that the team is unlikely to hit any bumps in the road.
Correa's agent, Scott Boras, also has been forthcoming. He told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal that he informed the Giants that they had been given a reasonable timeframe to come to a decision.
"You're talking about a player who has played eight major-league seasons," Boras said. "There are things in his medical record that happened decades ago. These are all speculative dynamics.
"Every team has a right to go through things and evaluate things. The key thing is, we gave [the Giants] medical reports at the time. They still wanted to sign the player and negotiated with the player."
Boras and Cohen negotiated a new deal late Tuesday night, leaving the Giants to try and pick up the pieces after they backed away from what would have been the second-richest contract in MLB free-agency history. It's unclear what their next step will be, and there isn't an obvious move to save what has become a very disappointing offseason, but when it comes to Correa, the Giants might simply have to wait.
RELATED: Aaron Judge reacts to Correa's reported stunning Mets agreement
Years from now, one side will have regrets, but that knowledge won't make the current situation any easier to handle. Giants players and staffers woke up Wednesday to the news that Correa wouldn't be coming to San Francisco. After a day of uncertainty, most were left with nothing but disappointment and anger.
Ukrainian troops uncover ancient Roman settlement while digging trenches in Kherson Oblast
While conducting defensive earthworks on the banks of Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian border guards have uncovered remnants of an ancient Roman settlement, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said in a message on its website on Dec. 20. | 2022-12-22T19:12:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Why Giants backed away from Carlos Correa's franchise-altering agreement | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-giants-backed-away-carlos-191904875.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-giants-backed-away-carlos-191904875.html?src=rss |
An off-duty Chicago police officer was found dead in an apparent suicide Thursday morning, officials said, making him at least the third officer from the department to take their own life within a week. The officer was found dead on the Southwest Side, police said. Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern said the officer died by suicide, but an official ruling on the officer’s cause of death won’t ... | 2022-12-22T19:50:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bears injuries pile up ahead of Bills Christmas Eve game | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-injuries-pile-ahead-bills-185740270.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-injuries-pile-ahead-bills-185740270.html?src=rss |
The Arizona Cardinals were busy earlier in the week bringing in players for a look. They had several workouts and brought in a player for a visit.
According to Tuesday’s NFL transaction report, former Los Angeles Rams running back Darrell Henderson was in the facility for a visit.
There was no signing to announce, but the team did bring him in.
Henderson was recently released by the Rams, in his fourth season with the team.
In four seasons, the 5-8, 208-lb Henderson has averaged 4.4 yards per attempt and has 1,742 career rushing yards to go with 13 rushing touchdowns.
He has played in 50 games, starting 28 of them.
His most productive season was 2021. He had 688 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 4.6 yards per attempt. He also caught 29 passes for 176 yards and three scores, giving him 864 total yards from scrimmage. | 2022-12-22T19:51:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cardinals brought in former Rams RB Darrell Henderson for visit | https://sports.yahoo.com/cardinals-brought-former-rams-rb-182533958.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cardinals-brought-former-rams-rb-182533958.html?src=rss |
The Arizona Cardinals have been active in trying out and evaluating players not on their roster. This week was no exception.
They brought in six players on Tuesday for tryouts, one of whom they signed.
They brought in two quarterbacks, two receivers and two defensive backs.
Check out who they were, according to the NFL transaction report.
QB James Morgan
Morgan was signed to the practice squad this week.
Rourke played three seasons collegiately for Ohio University. He is 6-2 and 209 lbs.
In three seasons, he passed for 7,457 yards and 60 touchdowns. He also rushed for 2,634 yards and four scores, never rushing for fewer than 860 yards.
Since then, he has played in the Canadian Football League for British Columbia. In 2022, he passed for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 304 yards and seven scores.
Baker is 6-1 and 215 lbs out of South Alabama, drafted in the seventh round in 2021 by the Saints.
He played two games for New Orleans as a rookie, playing only 27 special teams snaps.
In college, he had 126 receptions for 1,829 yards and 16 touchdowns in four seasons for South Alabama.
Schoen is a 6-1, 209-lb wideout who never stuck on an NFL roster after his college career at Kansas State.
He spent time with the Chiefs, Commanders and Chargers in 2020 and 2021.
In 2022, he played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He caught 70 passes for 1,441 yards and 16 touchdowns.
S Daniel Isom
He played collegiately at Washington State and was an undrafted rookie in 2022. He signed with the Rams and spent time with them in the preseason.
He is 6-0 and 194 lbs.
S Nate Meadors
Meadors is a 5-11, 194-lb safety.
He played three games in 2019-2020 for the Vikings and then spent time on the practice squads of the Giants and Browns.
He played for UCLA in college. | 2022-12-22T19:51:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cardinals worked out 2 QBs, 2 WRs, 2 DBs | https://sports.yahoo.com/cardinals-worked-2-qbs-2-192022787.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cardinals-worked-2-qbs-2-192022787.html?src=rss |
In Week 16 the Kansas City Chiefs return home after a three-game road trip to host the Seattle Seahawks.
It wasn’t an easy road trip for Kansas City as it lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and beat the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans by six points each. However, at the end of the day, the Chiefs are 11-3 and the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a shot at the No. 1 seed if the Buffalo Bills slip up.
As for the Seahawks, they are in a slump as they have lost four of their last five games, including their last two. They are currently on the outside looking in on the NFC playoffs, trailing the Washington Commanders by a half-game.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup and see what it will take for the Chiefs to keep rolling.
Chiefs' defense vs. Seahawks' offense
Shane Waldron is the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and play-caller. His offense is multiple and among the league leaders in shotgun and pistol formation use. This allows the quarterback to see the field more clearly when making his reads and the running backs to hit the line of scrimmage with a head of steam.
Quarterback Geno Smith is enjoying a career resurgence in 2022, ranking first in the NFL in completion percentage and seventh in passing yards. He has done a great job of utilizing his two big weapon receivers in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, both of whom rank in the top 20 in receiving yards.
Unfortunately for Lockett, he broke his finger last week and will not play in this game. That’s a pretty big blow for Seattle as Lockett has been its most consistent playmaker this season. This will put more burden on Metcalf, who is a matchup nightmare at 6-foot-4 with 4.3 40-yard dash speed.
The Seahawks will also look to veteran receiver Marquise Goodwin to step up, who may not still have the 4.2 speed that he had in his heyday but is still a deep threat. Noah Fant and Will Dissly make up one of the better tight end duos in the league, combining for 744 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season.
Seattle is no slouch running the football either, ranking 10th in the NFL in yards per carry average. Rookie Kenneth Walker III is already developing into one of the most complete running backs in the league with a rare combination of speed and power who can also catch the ball.
One area that the Chiefs’ defense can exploit is the Seahawks’ offensive line. Both of their tackles are rookies and Austin Blythe (former Chief) is the third-lowest graded center in the league per Pro Football Focus. Seattle has struggled to run block over the past several weeks and Geno Smith has been sacked the sixth-most times among all QBs.
Chiefs' offense vs. Seahawks' defense
Head coach Pete Carroll and first-year defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt run the Seattle defense. Carroll has been a defensive genius throughout his career, from his time at USC to his early days in Seattle, creating the “Legion of Boom.” At its core, it is a base 4-3 with single-high coverages (Cover 3 and Cover 1) in the secondary.
To keep things fresh Carroll and Hurtt have evolved their defense and actually run more 3-4 nowadays. It’s been a tough transition, however, as it seems much of the Seahawks’ defensive personnel is still more of a fit for the 4-3. The front seven has struggled mightily as Seattle ranks 31st in run defense.
The Seahawks have allowed at least 100 rushing yards in six-straight games. Last week the San Fransisco 49ers ran for 170 yards against them and Las Vegas Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs rushed for a 2022 league-high 229 yards on the Seattle defense.
Last week the Chiefs rushed for a season-high 189 yards against a poor Texans’ run defense. It makes sense that they would want to carry that momentum over against the Seahawks, especially since this game will be played in artic-like temperatures. Isiah Pacheco and Jerrick McKinnon have become one of the best 1-2 punch running back tandems in the NFL.
Back in the Seahawks’ secondary, they rank in the middle of the pack in pass defense at 17th. They have a great safety duo in Quandre Diggs, who is a two-time Pro Bowler, and Ryan Neal, who is PFF’s No. 1 ranked safety. It should be interesting to see how Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce matches up with Diggs and Neal.
Seattle has talent at cornerback, but also inexperience with rookies Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant as well as third-year man Mike Jackson. Expect Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes to test the young Seattle corners, but he’ll have to be leery of Diggs and Neal roaming the field. | 2022-12-22T19:51:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | How the Chiefs should game plan for Week 16 vs. Seahawks | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-game-plan-week-16-184512542.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-game-plan-week-16-184512542.html?src=rss |
Boredom is beginning to set in for former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski after retiring from football.
There’s always the opportunity to return to the NFL. But how much of an impact could he really have at this point? That whole dream of him throwing on the red cape and flying in to save Tom Brady and the flailing Tampa Bay Buccaneers is dead and gone this season.
And let’s be honest, at 33 years old, Gronkowski has endured enough pain and punishment to last a lifetime. He’d have to be a madman to come back to football.
But never say never when it comes to arguably the greatest tight end that ever played the game. People were losing their minds on Wednesday after Gronkowski sent out a cryptic Twitter post admitting to boredom in retirement.
Of course, speculation started to run wild with the thought that he’d return to Tampa Bay or possibly even join legendary quarterback Tom Brady for one last run in New England.
Neither ended up being the case with Gronkowski officially revealing a partnership with FanDuel on Thursday.
I’ve been waiting for this call. Let’s do this @FanDuel pic.twitter.com/I5i2whjcO7
Those still holding out hope for Gronkowski’s big return will have to keep on waiting. As long as Brady is still playing, there’s always a glimmer of hope that the band could get back together.
But for now, it seems as if Gronkowski is content with moving on and trying new things. Good for him. | 2022-12-22T19:52:59Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rob Gronkowski is admittedly bored, but an NFL return isn’t on the agenda | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-admittedly-bored-nfl-182054173.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-admittedly-bored-nfl-182054173.html?src=rss |
Derrick Henry had his way with the Houston Texans on Oct. 30.
The three-time Pro Bowl running back churned 219 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries as the Tennessee Titans strangled the Texans 17-10 at NRG Stadium.
Coach Lovie Smith believes the Texans should be able to contain Henry in the Dec. 24 rematch for one simple reason.
“We’re healthier,” Smith said. “Did we have all our guys the first time around? No is the answer. Maliek Collins didn’t play. So, we had a few things like that.”
No matter who plays — even J.J. Watt — Henry has his way with the Texans defense. In his last four games against the Texans, Henry has posted at least 200 yards rushing. The former 2019 and 2020 NFL rushing champion missed the two games against the Texans last year, and it can be argued that may be why Houston was able to pull off the upset at Nissan Stadium and hang close in the season finale at NRG Stadium.
However, Smith isn’t simply hoping that the availability of injured players will be the factor; the rookies and younger defenders who have been given opportunities throughout the season have to step up.
“Christian Harris is older,” said Smith. “Some of the younger players that were playing then, they’ve played a lot more football. We feel like we’ll be healthier starting with that.”
Former Texans running back Dontrell Hilliard was also able to have his way with Houston’s defense as he carried eight times for 83 yards, 51 of which he gained on two carries on Tennessee’s first drive of the third quarter.
“We didn’t play our best ball last time, and we’re playing better football right now,” Smith said.
The last time the Texans held an opponent under 100 rushing yards was Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins when they had 66. | 2022-12-22T19:53:30Z | sports.yahoo.com | Texans coach Lovie Smith hopes healthy defense can contain Titans RB Derrick Henry | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-coach-lovie-smith-hopes-182545014.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/texans-coach-lovie-smith-hopes-182545014.html?src=rss |
After a phenomenal first season at LSU, quarterback Jayden Daniels is coming back for Round 2.
Daniels — a transfer from Arizona State who started three years for the Sun Devils — announced his return for a fifth season on Twitter. Daniels was one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC this fall, throwing for 2,774 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added 818 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
“This has been an amazing ride and honestly, I am not ready to get off just yet,” Daniels said in his announcement post. “That is why it is important that I announce I am returning for the 2023 season to fulfill the goal of an LSU Tiger and bring our fans another championship.”
The move wasn’t exactly seen as a surprise, as Daniels had another year of eligibility and a chance to build up his draft profile a bit. Assuming he’s healthy, it’s expected that he will suit up against Purdue in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2.
It’s unclear what this move will mean for Garrett Nussmeier, a sophomore who spent most of the year as Daniels’ backup before having something of a breakout performance against Georgia in a losing effort in the SEC title game.
It seems the two are set to battle it out once more in spring ball. | 2022-12-22T20:36:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels announces his decision for 2023 season | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-quarterback-jayden-daniels-announces-201429647.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-quarterback-jayden-daniels-announces-201429647.html?src=rss |
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Standout Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi had a season that was even better than his dreams.
''They will always be my brothers even though they're no longer with us,'' Oluwatimi said quietly in a recent interview with The Associated Press. ''I know they're definitely looking down on me, and hopefully they're proud.''
Four days after the tragedy, his father had surgery to remove a brain tumor a year after having major heart surgery. ''It was a tough week,'' Oluwatimi said.
''I think back to being that age and there's no way I could have handled that,'' Harbaugh said. ''But he has the strength of 10 men and thank God that that was a successful surgery.''
''I knew I wanted to be here before I hit the portal,'' Oluwatimi said in an office on the second floor of Schembechler Hall. ''It was here or Clemson, but it wasn't close. Michigan is so prestigous, the program is ascending and needed a center.
''When I watched them play and saw the physicality of the offensive line, as a lineman, it was the perfect culture to try to be a part of for my last year.''
''He's very powerful,'' said Michigan tight end Joel Honigford, who played on the offensive line before switching positions two years ago. ''If he gets his hands on you, it's pretty much over for you that play. He's a really good communicator and he allows the guys around him to play thought-free and just play football.''
''When I committed to Michigan, the only thing I didn't expect was to win the Outland,'' he said. ''I don't say that in a cocky way, but I was a finalist for the Rimington last year and I expected us to be 13-0 with a chance to compete for the national championship.''
''If we stop here, we're not any beter than last year's team that lost in the playoff,'' he said. ''It all starts with TCU, which has a Hesiman finalist at quarterback and an unorthodox defense with a three-man front that can present problems. We're really good, too, and we're trying to be immortal as one of the best teams in college football history.''
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap-top25 and sign up for the AP's college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 | 2022-12-22T20:36:45Z | sports.yahoo.com | Michigan's award-winning Olu Oluwatimi endured a heavy heart | https://sports.yahoo.com/michigans-award-winning-olu-oluwatimi-193327304.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/michigans-award-winning-olu-oluwatimi-193327304.html?src=rss |
Sacramento picked up the pace in the second quarter, outscoring Los Angeles 41-32 to take a 66-58 lead into the halftime break. The Kings went up by as many as 23 while outscoring the Lakers 40-28 in the third quarter. With that, the rout was on as fans beganto chant “Light the Beam” midway through the fourth quarter.
HawgBeat lists the players that will need to step up for the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl against Kansas.
Keegan Murray with a dunk vs the Los Angeles Lakers
Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) with a dunk vs the Los Angeles Lakers, 12/21/2022
Neemias Queta with an alley oop vs the Los Angeles Lakers
Neemias Queta (Sacramento Kings) with an alley oop vs the Los Angeles Lakers, 12/21/2022 | 2022-12-22T20:44:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Domantas Sabonis posts triple-double; joins historic company in Kings’ win over Lakers | https://sports.yahoo.com/domantas-sabonis-posts-triple-double-080808033.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/domantas-sabonis-posts-triple-double-080808033.html?src=rss |
One of the best quarterbacks in the SEC is staying in college.
Jayden Daniels announced Thursday that he will return to LSU for the 2023 season. Daniels played his first three seasons at Arizona State before landing in Baton Rouge to play for Brian Kelly in his first year as the Tigers’ head coach.
Daniels had a strong season and helped LSU win the SEC West title. Along the way, he's thrown for 2,774 yards and 16 touchdowns with just three interceptions while completing 68.5% of his attempts. He also has 818 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing entering LSU’s bowl game.
“This has been an amazing ride and honestly, I am not ready to get off just yet. That is why it is important that I announce that I am returning for the 2023 season to fulfill the goal of an LSU Tiger and bring our fans another championship,” Daniels wrote.
Daniels started all three seasons he played at Arizona State and threw for 6,025 yards, 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,288 yards and 13 scores at ASU.
But with the ASU program in turmoil amid an NCAA investigation, Daniels decided to transfer in the offseason. He landed with Kelly in Baton Rouge and ended up winning the starting quarterback competition.
LSU opened the season by losing to Florida State. From there, the Tigers won nine of their next 10 games — including a dramatic overtime upset over Alabama. LSU would go on to win the SEC West but lost to Georgia 50-30 in the SEC title game.
Daniels injured his ankle late in the season, but indicated that he plans to play in the Citrus Bowl vs. Purdue on Jan. 2.
“Let’s focus on getting this Citrus Bowl victory and securing our 10th win of the season to set up even more success,” Daniels said.
Oregon transfer Bradyn Swinson gives LSU needed veteran pass rusher
LSU needed an edge rusher in the portal. It got one in Bradyn Swinson. | 2022-12-22T20:44:32Z | sports.yahoo.com | LSU QB Jayden Daniels announces return for 2023 season | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-qb-jayden-daniels-announces-return-for-2023-season-194020315.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-qb-jayden-daniels-announces-return-for-2023-season-194020315.html?src=rss |
Jones said it was about a "sense of urgency" and "trying to do everything right." He acknowledged he can play better as well. Patricia said earlier this month that he and Jones are passionate and "you love to see that stuff," so maybe it's all being overblown by the body language police. Football is a game of emotion. Quarterbacks are supposed to be leaders, not wallflowers. Sideline arguments are often much less of a big deal than they're made out to be. | 2022-12-22T20:44:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | Vince Wilfork doesn't like Mac Jones' frustrated outbursts: 'I'm tired of it' | https://sports.yahoo.com/vince-wilfork-doesnt-like-mac-jones-frustrated-outbursts-im-tired-of-it-201012026.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/vince-wilfork-doesnt-like-mac-jones-frustrated-outbursts-im-tired-of-it-201012026.html?src=rss |
The Green Bay Packers have a 68 percent chance of making the playoffs if they win out, according to the New York Times’ playoff scenario generator. Yet one loss could end all hope and leave players pondering what will happen this offseason. That includes Aaron Rodgers, who holds the future of the franchise in his hands if he decides to play another year or retire.
All along, Rodgers has maintained that his decision will come down to how he feels physically and mentally. However, earlier in the season, he stated that the development of rookie receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson will factor into his decision.
“There’s some moving pieces, but that’ll factor in for sure. Seeing the development of those guys can’t help but be a part of the decision,” he said at the beginning of October.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rodgers also values the relationships with his veteran teammates. Rodgers’ best friends on the team include Marcedes Lewis, Randall Cobb, and David Bakhtiari, who are all in their 30s and have a pending status with the team heading into 2023. On Wednesday, Rodgers wasn’t afraid to admit that their futures, among others, are also a part of his decision.
“Those relationships are really important to me,” said Rodgers. “It’s more than just those guys, I think there’s three or four other guys on offense who have kind of unsettled futures, so I’m sure keeping those guys around would definitely give me something to look forward to.”
Age is probably the biggest concern for both Lewis and Cobb. Both players are in the twilight of their careers but may be candidates for one-year contracts. Rodgers, of course, lobbied to bring Cobb back in 2021, and at age 32, Cobb has shown he can still be a reliable target with 29 catches on 44 targets for 381 yards.
Meanwhile, Rodgers uses every chance he gets to praise Lewis for his work ethic and leadership. There’s no denying that Lewis is invaluable to the locker room and still a reliable blocker, but it is hard to ignore his 39th birthday in May. Perhaps the team will be open to giving Lewis the veteran minimum if he doesn’t want to retire.
Bakhtiari is also a very unique case study. He and Rodgers are famous for cruising around on a golf cart to and from practice, but Bakhtiari has been troubled by a knee injury ever since he was made the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history just over two years ago.
When healthy, Bakhtiari has proven he can still play at a high level. However, the uncertainty around his availability makes it tough to justify paying him the $62 million he is due in 2023 and 2024. Earlier this month, general manager Brian Gutekunst notably stated “left tackles don’t grow on trees” when asked about the future of Bakhtiari. That certainly sounds like the team would want to have him on the roster, even it if means restructuring his current deal.
The other three or four players Rodgers is referring to are open to debate but most likely include the likes of Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Aaron Jones, and Elgton Jenkins. Three of those players are scheduled to become free agents, while Jones’ contract will have a $20 million hit on next year’s salary cap. With limited space to work with, it will be hard to bring everyone back.
Rodgers knows as well as anyone that football is a business that requires tough decisions. His desire to keep playing next year will be the talk of the offseason, but there are plenty of moving parts to consider.
The Great Lakes region alredy excels in medical imaging and radiation therapy. More focus and money could take Wisconsin and the region to a new level.
Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has been sidelined since undergoing an appendectomy on Dec. 2. But he could be returning to the field very soon. Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters in his Thursday press conference that Bakhtiari is on track to play again this season and could practice as soon as Friday. “We’ll see [more] | 2022-12-22T21:22:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | The futures of veteran teammates will impact Aaron Rodgers’ decision to keep playing in 2023 | https://sports.yahoo.com/futures-veteran-teammates-impact-aaron-204112203.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/futures-veteran-teammates-impact-aaron-204112203.html?src=rss |
The return of wide receiver Jarvis Landry was a big talking point in Cleveland this week as the Browns get set to take on the New Orleans Saints. However, as the final injury report dropped today, Landry has been ruled out with an ankle injury for the Saints as they travel to FirstEnergy Stadium on Christmas Eve.
Wide receiver Chris Olave, linebacker Pete Werner, and running back Dwayne Washington have also been ruled out by the Saints this weekend. As the Browns got good news on their starters battling injuries, the Saints did not for this Week 16 matchup in Cleveland.
Wil Myers signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, joining his third big league club after spending the previous eight seasons with San Diego. Veteran catcher Curt Casali also signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati. The contracts for Myers and Casali have a mutual option for the 2024 season. | 2022-12-22T21:23:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Saints WR Jarvis Landry will not face his old teammates | https://sports.yahoo.com/saints-wr-jarvis-landry-not-202937345.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/saints-wr-jarvis-landry-not-202937345.html?src=rss |
More importantly, it’s the first game of the day. It should be over by 4 p.m. ET, which is more than enough time to celebrate with the people who make the holidays so special. Don’t tarnish those memories by hiding out to watch Broncos-Rams, with both teams far out of the playoff at 8-20 combined, or Tom Brady and the Bucs slog their way to an ugly win against Trace McSorely. It’s just not worth it. It’s a coal-in-the-stocking level offense.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Kremlin is looking to bolster its nuclear armaments including a nuclear warhead it is reading for 'combat duty.' | 2022-12-22T22:17:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL's Christmas slate is not worth upsetting your family to sneak away to watch: Meet me at the logo | https://sports.yahoo.com/nf-ls-christmas-slate-is-not-worth-upsetting-your-family-to-sneak-away-to-watch-meet-me-at-the-logo-202709635.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nf-ls-christmas-slate-is-not-worth-upsetting-your-family-to-sneak-away-to-watch-meet-me-at-the-logo-202709635.html?src=rss |
Extreme wind is expected in the Saints-Browns game, which is why the total is at 32.5, the lowest total since Week 8 of the 2007 season. You back the Saints because of the defense. In the past four weeks, the Saints have allowed the fewest yards per play in the league. In the last three game, New Orleans has allowed no more than 18 points per game, while giving up 12 total touchdowns since Week 7. The Browns' offense is not efficient with Deshaun Watson behind center. Since Week 9, the Browns are 29th in points per drive, and with Watson are 31st in drives to gain either a first down or a touchdown. In two of his three games, Watson has thrown for 160 yards or less with two interceptions and six sacks. The Saints' defense has a big opportunity to capitalize against a Browns offense that’s slipped with Watson starting.
Wall Street's major averages closed lower on Thursday with technology-heavy Nasdaq's 2% drop leading losses as investors worried that data showing a resilient economy would lead the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep hiking interest rates for longer than feared. Micron Technology Inc's glum forecast added to the downbeat mood and caused the semiconductor index to sharply underperform the broader market for its biggest daily decline in over a month. Losses in rate-sensitive growth stocks saw technology and consumer discretionary indexes the hardest hit among the S&P 500's 11 industry sectors. | 2022-12-22T22:17:54Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL betting, odds: Week 16 teaser depending on some key underdogs | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-odds-week-16-teaser-depending-on-some-key-underdogs-215615787.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-odds-week-16-teaser-depending-on-some-key-underdogs-215615787.html?src=rss |
The Chandler Stephenson trade has been an absolute steal for the Golden Knights, while the Bear-Foegele swap has been a flop for the Oilers and Hurricanes
Two of those goalies made up the Washington Capitals' tandem just last season, and they elected to sign a full-fledged starter in Darcy Kuemper instead. Instead of paying up in net, each team is paying up to bolster the playing roster and create environments where goalies can have success. They're relying less on a goalie to bail them out and more on the team around them to limit chances — all three are top 10 in shots against per game and top 10 in expected goals against per game.
This is almost too easy. The second Stephenson deflects the puck it’s over. Nobody is catching him. The fact that he can bounce between centre and wing is a luxury, especially as the Golden Knights manage Eichel. Stephenson can centre their top line respectably when Eichel is out and slide over to the wing and keep it humming while he's playing. And he’s doing that for one of the best teams in the league, all for a fifth-round draft pick. It’s larceny.
Criticism of Thompson-O'Reilly deal is unwarranted
On the flip side, there surprisingly seems to be a lot of hand-wringing about the Tage Thompson-Ryan O’Reilly trade between Buffalo and St. Louis in 2018. Simply put, the Blues won a Stanley Cup. It is the only Stanley Cup they have won in the history of their franchise. O'Reilly led their team in scoring, was the bus driver down the middle, and rightfully won the Conn Smythe in 2019.
We seem to be in this time of "What have you done for me lately?" but a Cup win lasts forever. If anything, it’s a trade that’s now finally working out well for both teams.
The thing that surprises me is how long Lalonde has stuck with this. At 5v5, Seider-Chiarot have played 424 mins together and have a 5v5 GF% of 33%. In the last 5 years only 3 D pairings have played as much together as Seider-Chiarot and had a worse 5v5 GF% | 2022-12-22T22:18:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | NHL's most lopsided trade keeps paying dividends for Golden Knights | https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-most-lopsided-trade-keeps-paying-dividends-for-golden-knights-203944885.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-most-lopsided-trade-keeps-paying-dividends-for-golden-knights-203944885.html?src=rss |
Canada's main stock index fell on Thursday, giving back some of the previous day's advance, in a broad sell-off as U.S. economic data triggered fresh concerns over the Federal Reserve's campaign to raise interest rates. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended down 221.44 points, or 1.1%, at 19,349.66, after notching on Wednesday its biggest gain in nearly six weeks. Wall Street's main indexes also fell as U.S. data pointed to a still tight labor market that could encourage the Fed to continue to tighten aggressively.
States have already agreed to cut more than a million acre-feet of water on the Colorado River. It's time to make good on that agreement. | 2022-12-22T22:32:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Detroit Red Wings' Friday game at Ottawa postponed till February | https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-red-wings-friday-game-161806755.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-red-wings-friday-game-161806755.html?src=rss |
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Tampa Bay's Tom Brady and Arizona's Trace McSorley are two quarterbacks making their Christmas Day debut on Sunday.
''(Brady is) the G.O.A.T. and there's no two ways to put that, but I've just got to focus on what I can control,'' McSorley said. ''I'm going against their defense, not against him, so that's kind of the way I try and look at it. But it is cool to kind of look back and realize that I'm starting against him the first time.''
''Any division you win, regardless of whether you're 17-0 or whether you're 4-13, you win the division and you have a division banner,'' Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. ''Then you try out for your next goal to get to the Super Bowl. Our first goal is to win the division, so we're trying to do that. If we can win the division, then we'll try and focus on getting playoff games and winning the Super Bowl.''
''I hate to use the term gamer, but he's got a lot of moxie,'' Kingsbury said. ''He plays with a lot of confidence. Teammates respond to that well. He's mobile and can move around. He had a couple of throws he'd like to have back, but he had a couple scoring drives and like I said after the game, I just want to see how he does with some reps.''
Hopkins could still hit 1,000 yards receiving this season despite missing the first six games after being suspended for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Conner has run for 268 yards over his past three games.
Brady has been among the NFL's best at protecting the football over the course of a record-breaking 23-year career that's included seven Super Bowl championships. The league's all-time leading passer turned the ball over just four times in Tampa Bay's first 11 games this season, including only two interceptions.
Over the past three games, though, he has seven giveaways, including two picks and a pair of fumbles in last weekend's 34-23 loss to the Bengals.
''Turnovers hurt any team. It's hurting us big time, whether it's the quarterback, whether it's a fumble by the running backs, whether it's special teams or whether it's defense not getting them,'' Bowles said.
GODWIN'S COMEBACK
While Tampa Bay's Mike Evans is closing in on becoming the first player in NFL history to begin a career with at least 1,000 yards receiving in nine consecutive seasons, Chris Godwin has a team-leading 81 catches for 785 yards and three touchdowns. What's even more impressive about what he's done is he's less than a year removed from surgery to repair both the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He has five-plus receptions in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the league.
''It's just self-determination. ... He tried to get back as fast as he could. He didn't take days off. He worked overtime, triple-time probably,'' Bowles said. | 2022-12-22T22:51:27Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brady, Bucs push for playoffs against struggling Cardinals | https://sports.yahoo.com/brady-bucs-push-playoffs-against-220545862.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brady-bucs-push-playoffs-against-220545862.html?src=rss |
Javon Hargrave, James Bradberry react to Pro Bowl snubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
James Bradberry has the lowest opposing QB passer rating in the NFL. Javon Hargrave has the most sacks among NFC interior linemen.
Both are having monster seasons for the NFL’s No. 2-ranked defense.
Bradberry and Hargrave were both left off the NFC Pro Bowl team, which was announced Wednesday evening.
Both have been Pro Bowlers in the past – Bradberry in 2020 with the Giants and Hargrave last year. But that didn’t make the news any easier to take.
“Definitely disappointing, but there’s nothing I can really do about it right now,” Hargrave said at his locker Thursday. “Just focus on this game and trying to get better. There’s still three more games left, just a little more fuel, a little more motivation going into these games.”
Darius Slay and Haason Reddick are the only members of the Eagles’ defense represented on the Pro Bowl team.
The Eagles, 13-1, are ranked No. 1 in the NFL in pass defense at 172 yards per game, No. 2 in yards allowed at 293 (the 49ers are at 286), No. 1 with 15 interceptions and No. 1 with 55 sacks.
Hargrave said he, Bradberry and Sweat allowed themselves a few minutes to be disappointed before moving on.
“Yeah, we just cried for a little bit,” he said. “Then we kind of laughed about it.”
What makes Hargrave’s snub more surprising is that he was the leading vote recipient in the fan vote, which counts one-third of the total vote. Coaches and players make up the other two-thirds.
Hargrave’s 10 sacks are 7th-most ever by an Eagles interior lineman and just 1 ½ off the club record of 11 ½ set in 1993 by Andy Harmon – another Pro Bowl snub from three decades ago.
What else does he have to do to get recognized?
“I don’t really know,” he said. “I don’t understand. But that ain’t for me to understand, I guess. I would think (I did enough), but I guess they don’t feel that. So use it as a little motivation and get myself right for the game.
“I got to go earn that respect,” he said. “Got to earn that respect.”
Josh Sweat, whose 9 ½ sacks are 3rd-most among NFC edge rushers; T.J. Edwards, who is Pro Football Focus’s 3rd-ranked linebacker; and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who still leads the NFL in interceptions despite missing the last three games, are also glaring Pro Bowl snubs just on the defensive side of the ball.
“I wasn’t the only one that missed out,” Bradberry said. “I can’t be too upset.”
But Bradberry has been lights out this year, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 42.2 passer rating when targeting him. Next-best in the league is a 53.5 mark belonging to Tariq Woolen, a rookie 5th-round pick of the Seahawks who shares the NFL interception lead with Gardner-Johnson.
That 42.2 mark is lowest among cornerbacks since Pro Football Reference began tracking defensive passer rating in 2018.
Darius Slay, the Eagles’ other cornerback, did make his fifth Pro Bowl team.
“It was a little disappointing,” Bradberry said. “I think I played well enough to be selected for it. But it’s not a huge thing. Didn’t make me cry or anything. I figured they weren’t going to take both of us.”
Five members of the defense - Hargrave, Bradberry, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Sweat – were named alternates, although nobody seems to know yet what number alternate each one is.
And the nature of this year’s game – it’s a skills competition instead of an actual football game – could reduce the number of players who opt out with injuries.
But the Pro Bowl isn’t what anybody on this team is really concerned with right now.
There’s a huge game against the Cowboys Saturday and a No. 1 seed to secure.
“I’m just looking forward to going down to play Dallas,” Bradberry said. “I’m not even thinking about the Pro Bowl anymore.
“The results came out, it is what it is, I’m trying to move on. Still got the playoffs and I still got free agency after the season.” | 2022-12-22T22:52:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles' Javon Hargrave, James Bradberry react to Pro Bowl snubs | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-javon-hargrave-james-bradberry-214000915.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-javon-hargrave-james-bradberry-214000915.html?src=rss |
Edelman criticizes Mac Jones for outbursts, tackle attempt on lateral play originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Vince Wilfork isn't the only former New England Patriots player who hasn't liked seeing Mac Jones' on-field outbursts in recent weeks.
The Patriots' starting quarterback has not been shy about voicing his frustration with his words -- like screaming about the offense on the sideline during a Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills -- or throwing up his hands.
The latest episode of "Inside the NFL" aired Wednesday night, and the crew consists of several former players, including ex-Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
The conversation surrounding the horrendous lateral play that cost the Patriots in their Week 15 game against the Las Vegas Raiders was intense.
Ray Lewis and Edelman wanted Jones to do a better job trying to tackle Raiders linebacker Chandler Jones, who steamrolled past the Patriots QB and ran into the end zone for the game-winning score.
Edelman said of Jones, "You've gotta trip him."
Fellow panelist Brandon Marshall noted that Jones doesn't practice tackling people. Edelman wanted none of that reasoning, and then criticized Jones even more.
“He doesn’t practice all the antics after plays, and waving off coaches and all these little pissy faces and stuff,” Edelman said. “He doesn’t practice that and he does it. Why can’t he make the play?”
Wilfork said on NBC Sports Boston's "The Gameplan" on Wednesday night that he's "tired" of Jones' antics.
"I'm tired of that, honestly. I'm tired of it," Wilfork said. "You're the leader of this team. You're a quarterback. So you can't be frustrated every single week, every single play. I don't care if you're getting the play called in late or whatever it may be. At the end of the day, you have to show some poise because you operate the ship. You're the head of the ship when you're out there. ... Control what you can control. That's all you can do. But I'm tired of seeing him throwing a fit."
Vince Wilfork is tired of seeing Mac Jones' frustrations on the field
Jones and the Patriots face an important Week 16 game against the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. A loss wouldn't mathematically eliminate the Patriots from playoff contention, but it would make their path back to the postseason extremely narrow.
Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels knew his team was in trouble even while holding a 17-3 halftime lead over the New England Patriots last Sunday. The Raiders didn't have either of their starting guards, and McDaniels' concerns proved to be well-founded as the Patriots shut down Las Vegas' offense in the second half and forced Derek Carr to pass quickly or scramble, sacking him three times. New England rallied to take the lead before the Raiders scored two touchdowns in the final 32 seconds of the zany 30-24 victory topped by Chandler Jones' return of the Patriots' ill-advised lateral. | 2022-12-22T22:52:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | Julian Edelman criticizes Mac Jones for outbursts, tackle attempt on lateral play | https://sports.yahoo.com/julian-edelman-criticizes-mac-jones-212310340.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/julian-edelman-criticizes-mac-jones-212310340.html?src=rss |
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