text
stringlengths 237
126k
| date_download
stringdate 2022-01-01 00:32:20
2023-01-01 00:02:37
⌀ | source_domain
stringclasses 60
values | title
stringlengths 4
31.5k
⌀ | url
stringlengths 24
617
⌀ | id
stringlengths 24
617
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Over the years, Alabama has become one of the best programs in the country for recruiting and developing players. The lowest recruiting class that Alabama landed since Nick Saban became the head coach was in 2007 when he brought in the No. 12 overall according to 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. Most programs would be ecstatic with a recruiting class that finishes just outside the top 10.
Recruiting is a key component of a program’s success. Coach Saban insists on creating good relationships and making sure that the recruits feel at home when they visit Tuscaloosa. That has certainly paid dividends over the years, as the recruiting classes every year seem to get stronger and stronger. Today, Roll Tide Wire will take a look at the top recruit that Saban has recruited each year that he has been the head coach at Alabama.
Eyabi Anoma
Alabama football-Antonio Alfano-Alabama summer enrollees
|
2022-07-05T15:25:39Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
The top-rated recruits from every recruiting class of the Nick Saban era
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/top-rated-recruits-every-recruiting-142629179.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/top-rated-recruits-every-recruiting-142629179.html?src=rss
|
American baseball umpire
Rodón critical of Giants' energy: 'Something needs to change' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Rodón looked at Morales and muttered that Luplow had made a full swing, and then he did what he often does when he gets mad: He reached back for 98 mph. That pitch didn't end the inning, but the next one did, and Rodón animatedly talked to himself the whole way back to the dugout.
The sequence was reminiscent of the fire that used to pour out of the other lefty who started Monday, Arizona's Madison Bumgarner. It was the type of passion that has largely been missing the last couple of months for a Giants team that has dropped 11 of 14 after Monday's 8-3 loss and is now just two games above .500.
It is dangerous to play the body language game, especially when you're talking about the oldest roster in the league, one full of guys who are used to riding the highs and lows of a 162-game season. But it's no longer just outsiders who feel like the Giants look lethargic.
Manager Gabe Kapler has talked in recent days about the lack of energy, and he was open Monday in discussing David Villar, a player Kapler hoped could bring a "ripple effect" of energy to the roster in his debut. Villar had two hits, but there wasn't much life Monday outside of those at-bats, and it was noticed from the man on the mound.
"I think something needs to change," Rodón said. "I think we're playing really bad baseball. You could say as much as you want, you know, but until we physically do something and make a change, I don't think we're going to see any results."
The Giants have not held any team meetings or done anything drastic, although Kapler did praise Brandon Belt for taking charge during the usual hitters' meeting on Monday and talking about the need to focus more during each individual at-bat. But that needs to translate to the other side, too.
The Giants have been one of the worst defensive teams in baseball all season long and one play Monday represented a new low point. In a tied game, Daulton Varsho scored all the way from first on a sacrifice bunt after infielders lost track of him and Wilmer Flores' throw to third sailed away. The Diamondbacks never trailed again.
The Giants went 17-2 against Arizona last season, a big reason why they won the NL West, but right now there's no team that isn't a challenge. After a 2-6 homestand against three teams under .500, they started their road trip with another dud.
Kapler has mostly stayed optimistic, but there's only so much hope you can put out there when your team is playing like this.
"I think things have a chance to turn very quickly," he said. "They only have that chance if we're very diligent about our work every day (and) we don't get too high or too low. This has been a really rough stretch and I think we've gotten our ass kicked quite a bit, but we're still in a position where we can play much better baseball and do so very quickly if we come to work every day and we're focused about our work and our energy levels are high."
The work ethic was there during batting practice on Monday afternoon, even on a 100-degree day in the desert. But once the game actually started, it was more of the same. Rodón said he sees a team that needs to "play with a little more fire."
RELATED: Bart could be recalled with Casali straining oblique
That's the natural state for Rodón, but not for many of these Giants. It is a group that's cool, calm and collected, but right now they're calmly playing baseball that's hard to watch.
"It's definitely frustrating," Rodón said. "I think all of us would like to play better and see different results. Sometimes I tend to voice some frustration and sometimes we need it and sometimes we don't, but I think right now, something has to change."
José Iglesias' solo home run
José Iglesias drills a solo home run to left field to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the top of the 5th inning
|
2022-07-05T15:25:58Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Carlos Rodon critical of Giants' energy, says 'something needs to change'
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/carlos-rodon-critical-giants-energy-023629772.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/carlos-rodon-critical-giants-energy-023629772.html?src=rss
|
When a team loses an extra-inning game, it can sometimes look back at a big play or two that tipped the scales in the favor of an opponent.
Such was the case Monday in the Twins’ 6-3 win over the White Sox in 10 innings.
Chicago had runners on first and second with no outs in the seventh inning when left fielder AJ Pollock crushed a ball into the right-center gap. The exit velocity was 101.9 mph and it had an expected batting average of .820.
The score was 2-2 at the time, so it seemed the White Sox were ready to break open the game.
Instead, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton ran down the ball, then hit the wall. Adam Engel took off from second base and Yoán Moncada left first, and only Moncada made an effort to retreat as Buxton’s throw reached the infield.
Twins third baseman Gio Urshela grabbed the ball and tagged Moncada for out No. 2, then stepped on second base to get the third out because Engel never tagged up.
And that’s how you get the very first 8-5 triple play in Major League Baseball history, per the SABR Triple Play Database, which goes back to 1876.
“I don’t know how much more stuff can be a first in MLB history, so at least it was something left for us in the middle age to kind of grab, I guess,” Buxton told MLB.com. “It’s cool. Ain’t too much thought into it other than the triple play got us out of the inning and it kind of got us a little momentum going.”
White Sox manager Tony La Russa told the Chicago Tribune his jaw literally dropped as the play unfolded.
“Never seen one like it,” La Russa told the Tribune. “Potential difference maker at that point. Yoán was really aggressive, which is not the worst thing you can do when you play this game. Judgment was wrong and costly.”
The Chicago White Sox talked to Major League Baseball on Monday about postponing their game against the Minnesota Twins after a gunman opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago, killing at least six people. After the team's conversation with MLB and contact with local authorities, the game was played as scheduled. The postgame fireworks show was canceled, and a moment of silence was observed before the first pitch of the Twins' 6-3 victory.
David Onama awaits new UFC on ESPN 39 opponent after Austin Lingo withdraws
UFC on ESPN 39 is down a man as David Onama awaits a potential short-notice replacement to step in for Austin Lingo.
|
2022-07-05T15:26:11Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Minnesota Twins turned a unique triple play that had never been seen in MLB history
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/minnesota-twins-turned-unique-triple-134018577.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/minnesota-twins-turned-unique-triple-134018577.html?src=rss
|
Filling in for Robert Mays on a recent episode of The Athletic Football Show podcast, the NFL senior writer proposed that Mayfield should probably steer clear of Charlotte in 2022. Although the Panthers have expressed some interest in acquiring the former No. 1 overall pick, their unstable situation heading into the upcoming campaign may not serve as an ideal relocation spot at the moment.
“I happen to think Carolina’s not a good fit for him,” Sando said. And I know Baker’s agents well, and they’re very competent people, they’re good people. They understand it too. But I think Carolina is a hornet’s nest—’cause I think the coach is under the gun, I think everybody there is under the gun. They’ve got an owner that is ready to press the button any day now on a reset. And if I’m Baker that could be ugly and messy. I don’t think that makes any sense to me.”
Co-host Randy Mueller—former NFL general manager of the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins—promptly agreed with Sando’s sentiment, adding that Carolina is “a terrible place” for Mayfield. And if we’re being frank, it really isn’t that optimal.
Surely, the outlook is more encouraging compared to what it was last year, especially offensively. The unit already seems to have a strong direction under new coordinator Ben McAdoo and has revamped its offensive line—an initiative highlighted by the addition of sixth overall pick Ikem Ekwonu.
What makes the Panthers a bit dicey, however, has much to do with where head coach Matt Rhule currently stands. If Rhule produces yet another underwhelming result this season, then him and a lot of his guys could be on the outs—including Mayfield and his expiring contract.
Will Panthers trade for Baker Mayfield? - Powered By PickUp
Ranking the Panthers' top offseason acquisitions
|
2022-07-05T15:26:17Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Panthers called ‘a terrible place’ for Browns QB Baker Mayfield
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-called-terrible-place-browns-114510560.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-called-terrible-place-browns-114510560.html?src=rss
|
President Joe Biden has yet to respond to a letter handwritten by WNBA star Brittney Griner while she remains detained in Russia, Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, said on Tuesday.
"I still have not heard from him. And honestly, it's very disheartening," Cherelle Griner told "CBS Mornings."
Brittney Griner has remained in Russian detention since February when she was arrested for allegedly having cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage, Russian customs officials said. Her trial began on Friday following multiple extensions of her detention and it will resume this week.
The WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist wrote a letter to Biden for the July 4th weekend and her agency released excerpts on the holiday. She wrote she is "terrified I might be here forever" and asked that Biden not "forget about me and the other American Detainees" and "do all you can to bring us home."
Cherelle, who has only been able to communicate with her wife through letters, said she believes Griner wrote it now because she "cherishes the Fourth of July." Griner's father was a Vietnam War veteran and Cherelle said Griner looks forward to using the day to honor her father and host friends and family. She also tells people she would join the military if she weren't a basketball player, Cherelle said on "CBS Mornings."
Cherelle Griner describes 'failed attempts' to talk to Biden
Cherelle Griner spoke on behalf of her wife, Brittney Griner, on why the WNBA star sent a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden for the Fourth of July holiday. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Those around Griner, including WNBA players and the WNBPA Players Association (WNBPA), have been pushing Biden to find a way to bring Griner back home. Nearly 50 civil and human rights organizations sent a letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urging them to bring Griner home "immediately and safely."
It is the first time that Griner has made a similar push to the president. Cherelle told "CBS Mornings" she isn't sure why Griner chose to write because they haven't been able to speak since, but feels "confident" it was because of the "failed attempts" the family has had at reaching Biden.
She was taken into custody on Feb. 17, more than 140 days ago, while at the Moscow airport. Griner, 31, was returning to her Russian team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, out of the international break. Most WNBA players go overseas in the league's offseason to make the bulk of their annual incomes. She faces 10 years in prison and the U.S. government switched her status to "wrongfully detained" in in May.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees," Griner wrote in the letter. "Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen and former Marine, was initially detained in December 2018 on espionage charges that he has consistently denied. He was convicted and given 16 years in prison in June 2020 and the U.S. government has said the trial was unfair. Trevor Reed, a fellow American and former Marine, was brought home in a prisoner swap in April.
White House in 'regular contact' with Griners
The White House reiterated its stance that Russia is "wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner" in a statement on Monday. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, via CNN:
Watson added that national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken "have spoken several times with Brittney's wife in recent weeks and the White House is closely coordinating with the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who has met with Brittney's family, her teammates, and her support network."
In a separate statement, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Blinken "has spoken to Cherelle in the last several days, and he will continue to remain deeply and personally engaged on this case.”
The initial tactic after Griner's detention was for family and friends to keep it quiet so as to not increase her "value" to the Russian government. That changed when the designation was switched to wrongfully detained. But Cherelle said she recognizes there's a line she has to carefully walk between the two still.
"I will find that balance of harm vs. help in pushing our government to do everything that is possible because being quiet — they're not moving, they are not doing anything and so my wife is struggling and we have to help her."
"Freedom means something completely different to me this year," Griner wrote in her letter, which was delivered to the White House on Monday.View Entire Post ›
Brittney Griner, the American basketball player who is on trial on drug charges in Russia, wrote to President Biden to ask him to work to free her and other Americans detained abroad.
|
2022-07-05T16:04:15Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Brittney Griner's wife says it's 'very disheartening' family hasn't heard from Biden, US government 'not doing anything'
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griners-wife-says-its-very-disheartening-family-hasnt-heard-from-biden-us-government-not-doing-anything-153353033.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griners-wife-says-its-very-disheartening-family-hasnt-heard-from-biden-us-government-not-doing-anything-153353033.html?src=rss
|
How will the depth chart shake out at training camp?
We break down the position by categorizing all the wide receivers into five tiers:
Veterans, likely starters
Sammy Watkins (11) is shown during Green Bay Packers minicamp Tuesday, June 7, 2022 in Green Bay, Wis.
Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins are expected to enter training camp as the top three on the depth chart and likely starters come Week 1. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Lazard will get a chance to be the No. 1 receiver and Watkins will get legit opportunities to contribute in the passing game. Cobb, who is returning for his 10th season in Green Bay, is a close friend of the quarterback and an accomplished slot receiver. All three have worrisome injury histories, including Watkins, who is looking to stay healthy and revive his career. The trio has combined to play in 283 NFL games, so there is experience at the top. Lazard and Cobb have been efficient complementary players in recent years, and Watkins, the fourth overall pick in 2014, has the talent. All three will be elevated by playing with Rodgers in a receiver-friendly offense, but the Packers need all three to stay healthy and play at a high level or this could be one of the most unstable receiver groups in football in 2022.
Returning veterans on the fringe
Juwann Winfree and Malik Taylor combined to play in 17 games and catch 10 passes last season but each will enter the 2022 season as fringe roster players. Taylor is going into his fourth season in Green Bay, while Winfree has been with the Packers since the 2020 season. Both are well-versed in the Matt LaFleur offense and hungry for a bigger role, but both will be hard-pressed to make the 53-man roster considering how the additions this offseason affected the current depth chart. Winfree and Taylor must be excellent on special teams this summer to have a shot. They will each get a chance to play a ton of snaps with Jordan Love during the preseason and must make the most of the opportunity. Remember, Winfree was the star of the offseason workout program last spring, while Taylor led all NFL players in receiving yards during the preseason last summer. Can one of the two take a big leap and beat out one of the rookies for a roster spot? The Packers may have to keep seven on the roster for one to be Winfree or Taylor.
The second-year wildcard
Amari Rodgers’ rookie season was nothing if not underwhelming, both as a receiver and a returner. He couldn’t get on the field for the offense, and he made more mistakes than splash plays on special teams. Rodgers cut weight and is more comfortable in the scheme, so the Packers are confident he’s ready to take a big step in Year 2. Can Rodgers earn snaps in the slot, provide some value on gadget touches and improve as a returner? As a third-round pick entering his second season, Rodgers’ roster spot should be mostly secure. But he’s got to prove his rookie season was a fluke and he’s ready to play a bigger role in 2022. The player we saw last season wasn’t ready to be an NFL receiver. This is a big summer for Rodgers and his development as a young player. Competition for roster spots will be fierce.
The three draft picks
Second-round pick Christian Watson, fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs and seventh-round pick Samuri Toure provided a long overdue infusion of young talent for the Packers’ wide receiver room. Watson, the team’s highest pick at receiver since Javon Walker, is an alien athlete with the deep speed to replace Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the versatility to get on the field in a unique role as a rookie. The Packers need his field-stretching ability right away. By most accounts, Watson had a strong spring. Doubs is a polished rookie receiver who dominated at the college level. His experience and big-play ability give him a real shot at playtime as a first-year player. Toure, who did nothing but create explosive plays at Montana and Nebraska, is a fascinating receiver prospect who is able and willing to play a bunch of roles on special teams. There’s a decent chance all three draft picks will make the 53-man roster and contribute in some way as rookies. Watson and Doubs could be the long-term future at receiver in Green Bay, but Aaron Rodgers turns 39 years old in December, is year-to-year in terms of retirement and needs the young receivers to get up to speed immediately.
The longshot UDFA
Danny Davis, the undrafted rookie from Wisconsin, is certainly the longshot of the group. He wasn’t highly productive as a Badger and lacks a defining trait in terms of size and athleticism. The Packers could see him as a long-term investment project, making the practice squad a legitimate option if Davis flashes during the summer.
Two police officers were shot in Philadelphia on Monday.
|
2022-07-05T16:59:11Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Breaking down Packers WR depth chart entering training camp
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-down-packers-wr-depth-154522291.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/breaking-down-packers-wr-depth-154522291.html?src=rss
|
Bryson DeChambeau possesses a formidable curiosity. Questioning everything about the golf game led him to transform himself during 2020’s quarantine from a promising young go-getter to a swollen-muscled hulk, winning himself a U.S. Open in the process.
Now, he’s turning his intellect to an even more daunting challenge: figuring out how to justify taking millions from the Saudi government to play on the controversial LIV Golf tour.
“Golf is a force for good,” DeChambeau said, “and I think as time goes on, hopefully, people will see the good that [the Saudis] are doing and what they are trying to accomplish rather than looking at the bad that’s happened before.I think moving on from that is important.”
DeChambeau meant to try to draw a line in the sand between the past and the present. He ended up unintentionally becoming the best possible example of how sportswashing works to scrub the sins of guilty nations.
Charl Schwartzel poses for a photo with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Saudi PIF governor, and Greg Norman, LIV Golf CEO, after winning the first LIV Golf event at The Centurion Club on June 11 in St. Albans, England. (Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)
Sportswashing from the Olympics to LIV
“I define sportswashing as when political leaders use sports to appear important or legitimate on the world stage,” said Jules Boykoff, a professor of politics and government at Pacific University, “while stoking nationalism and deflecting attention from chronic social problems back home.”
“Sportswashing” as a term is a relatively recent invention, but as a concept — the use of sports or other gaudy extravaganzas as a way to obscure a nation’s legal, moral, ethical or humanitarian flaws — sportswashing dates back nearly a century. Adolf Hitler staged the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and the resulting goodwill and national pride helped Hitler consolidate power and aim higher in the years leading up to World War II afterward.
More recently, Russia spent the equivalent of tens of billions of dollars to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup. China staged the Winter Olympics in Beijing earlier this year at a phenomenal human and financial cost, despite worldwide condemnation of China’s treatment of minority ethnic groups. Qatar will host the World Cup later this fall even though reported inhumane conditions have reportedly led to the deaths of thousands of workers constructing soccer stadiums.
Saudi Arabia has been more globally active, hosting a Formula 1 race in Jeddah. Saudi money now reaches the Kentucky Derby (Medina Spirit, the 2021 winner before being stripped of the title, was owned by a Saudi sheikh) and the English Premier League (Newcastle United is now owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the same fund that bankrolls LIV).
“What’s different with LIV Golf and Newcastle United is that it’s happening outside of their sovereign territory,” Boykoff said. “It’s tapping into already-established fandom. Something different is happening there.”
Thanks to LIV Golf, Saudi money has reached American shores. LIV will play a scheduled five tournaments in the United States this year, starting last week in Portland, Ore. Players who compete in LIV tournaments are guaranteed a paycheck — unlike PGA Tour events, in which players must make the cut each week in order to get paid — and that paycheck can be significant. Notable players such as Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson will reportedly be paid $100 million or more to participate in LIV events.
Saudi Arabia’s litany of documented and alleged human rights violations ranges from the bombing of nearby Yemen to mass executions of prisoners, from the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi to a brutally repressive and punitive societal structure. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens.
“Sportswashing isn’t just a mere exorbitant branding exercise,” Boykoff said. “It’s a conveyor belt of life and death, and that’s not an overstatement. Khashoggi, the Uyghurs (in China) — sportswashing can grease the path for horrible things to happen in its wake. History is very clear on that.”
“Sportswashing is a major tool of international image management — not least in the hands of the Saudi authorities who have considerable funds at their disposal and an atrocious human rights record to distract from,” Amnesty International said in a recent statement. “Riyadh’s new-found love of sports promotion has come at a time when the Saudi authorities have carried out mass executions, when numerous human rights defenders have been jailed in the Kingdom and when Saudi missiles are still raining down on civilians in Yemen.”
Saudi Arabia’s history means that anyone accepting a check from the sovereign wealth fund — known as the Public Investment Fund, or PIF — faces questions about the morality of taking that money. So far, the players have answered by not answering, redirecting the conversation to golf and golf alone.
“I respect everyone's opinion and decisions, just like I hope they would on our side as well,” DeChambeau said prior to the event in Portland. “Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, and from my perspective, we're golfers. We're providing entertainment globally, and we'll continue to do so as time goes on.”
Amr Zedan, Saudi Arabian businessman and owner of Medina Spirit, raises the trophy after winning the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
External vs. internal sportswashing
Against profitability, morality is overmatched. Sportswashing, in part, depends on finding international partners who focus more on revenue than humanitarian concerns.
Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” is a national initiative aimed at reframing the popular perception of the nation. Emphasis is on youth and investment, environmental responsibility, and economic opportunity. In the same way that tickets to the Super Bowl or badges to The Masters help grease the wheels of American business, a pro-am round with a notable LIV golfer or a pre-match walk around the pitch at Newcastle’s St. James’ Park will attract outside interests whose investment will burnish the reputation of Saudi Arabia.
The other half of the sportswashing equation is the way that an authoritarian government frames the story within its own borders. Sports fans in Russia, China or Saudi Arabia often don’t have the unfettered internet access of their Western counterparts, and must rely on official government narratives that can shape their perceptions of reality in a specific, targeted way. State news agencies can frame a major world event like the Olympics or the World Cup as a triumph for the host government — and, by implication, a validation of the existing power structure.
“We often tend to think of the global audience being western democracies,” Boykoff said. “That’s not always the case. We need to understand the complexities of what effect [sportswashing] is having at home. Look no further than Russia. Who did it fool in the West? But what we saw in Russia was that Putin’s [popularity] numbers went through the roof because of the Sochi Olympics.”
Authoritarian governments achieve this by restricting the flow of potentially disruptive information to their citizens. At the Beijing Olympics, for instance, while foreign journalists pressed Olympic officials for answers about the host nation’s human rights violations and the whereabouts of a missing tennis star, state media asked gentle, inoffensive questions about topics such as the scarcity of mascot dolls.
Sportswashing thus serves to quell dissent at home before it can reach critical mass. Look at how successful we are, the message goes. Even the world’s greatest want to join forces with us. It all serves to reinforce the authoritarian power base at its most important location: home.
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan (center with flag) is also the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. (Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)
If everyone’s corrupt, what’s the problem?
The fact that so much of sportswashing focuses on domestic, not international, concerns leads many sports fans to wonder whether it’s a problem at all. One element of the sportswashing backlash is purely financial: Wouldn’t you take $200 million to do what you’re already doing right now? It’s a question with no right answer; some would jump for $200, others wouldn’t budge even for $2 billion.
Beyond the financial incentive, though, there’s the question of relative guilt. The NBA does business with China, and will be playing preseason games in the United Arab Emirates this fall. Nike and Apple have faced scrutiny over their manufacturing practices. The United States’ own human rights record has some deep scars, and President Biden is headed to Saudi Arabia in mid-July to discuss energy policy in the midst of soaring fuel costs. So what’s so wrong with a few golfers taking some money from Saudi Arabia?
“If you’re not going to draw a [moral] line anywhere, then sure, sportswashing is a free-for-all,” Boykoff said. “For those who abide by ethical metrics, it’s too much and too obvious.”
Rory McIlroy has emerged as the PGA Tour’s strongest defender, but even he concedes that the complexity of the modern world prevents simple black-and-white answers. “I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and the vast majority of people that I've met there are very, very nice people, but there's bad people everywhere. The bad people that came from that part of the world did some absolutely horrendous things,” he said. “In this day and age everything is just so intertwined, and it's hard to separate sport from politics from dirty money from clean money. It's a very convoluted world right now.”
Others hone the complexity down to a single issue. 9/11 Families United, an advocacy group representing the interests of families who lost members in the September 11 attacks, has called on players to distance themselves from Saudi Arabia because of its deep connections to the terrorist attacks.
“We’ve been trying to educate [players interested in LIV],” 9/11 Families United chair Terry Strada said. “The entity partnering with them is not interested in the game of golf as a historic sport, not interested in growing the sport into something competitive. This is a shiny object with billions of dollars trying to poach players.”
Strada and others called on Mickelson in particular to understand what it means for them to take money from Saudi Arabia. At the U.S. Open in June, Mickelson tried to walk a line.
“I would say to the Strada family, I would say to everyone that has lost loved ones, lost friends on 9/11 that I have deep, deep empathy for them. I can't emphasize that enough,” he said during his strained press conference. “I have the deepest of sympathy and empathy for them.”
Mickelson did not, however, back away from LIV in any way or give any sort of justification for taking the Saudis’ money.
“I thought his offer of empathy was heartfelt,” Strada said. “But I was disappointed in his overall reaction and lack of interest in having anything to say to us. When you’re met with indifference, it’s tough to take.”
The truth: Sportswashing works
That moral calculus explains why sportswashing, on a broad level, works. With enough money, enough willpower and enough time, an authoritarian government can work its way into an existing sports structure and capitalize on its built-in loyalty.
There can be short-term consequences, as Mickelson discovered earlier this year when he attempted to downplay the severity of Saudi human rights violations. The backlash cost him sponsors and sent him into exile long enough to miss two majors. But he returned to the game, played the U.S. Open — briefly, at least — and is on track to compete at the Open Championship in July.
For fans of existing teams and sports, sportswashing can have a negligible effect. Most Newcastle supporters aren’t going to abandon their team because of its new ownership. Formula 1 fans will tune into the race in Jeddah just like races in Australia, Spain and the United States. No one’s boycotting the Kentucky Derby because a horse with Saudi financing is in the field.
Sportswashing “may well soften the views of everyday apolitical aficionados of sport,” Boykoff said. “It might turn off really politics-minded fans. But how many everyday Newcastle fans, golf fans, are just going to appreciate that this country ‘saved’ their team or their sport?”
Moreover, major international spectacles like the Olympics and the World Cup demand worldwide coverage. Purely by the nature of media and audience consumption, it’s impractical to remind viewers of the authoritarian tendencies of the host nation when reporting, say, the score of a Germany-Brazil match or the results of a bobsled heat. The sheer volume of information normalizes and validates the host nation.
All of which points to an inescapable conclusion: Sportswashing works, and it’s coming to American sports. Already, LIV is slated to play five of its eight events in its inaugural season at American courses. The NBA’s fraught interactions with China have been well-documented. And given the PGA Tour’s own arrangements with Saudi Arabia and China, it’s notable that the tour levels its criticism at the volume of money on the LIV tour, not the moral questions about the money’s origins.
How long will it be before a Saudi consortium makes a run at an NFL franchise? The Broncos just sold for $5 billion; the $600 billion PIF could double that price for, say, the Chargers or Commanders without a second thought. Any sale would require the approval of owners, but the entire history of sportswashing is a testament to the fact that money can paper over a whole raft of objections. And if the Saudi consortium decided to install a fan-friendly figure — a beloved former quarterback, for instance — as the public face of the franchise, objections would melt away to the margins.
For now, LIV stands as the most notable sportswashing effort of the moment, at least until the World Cup in Qatar begins later this year. LIV is a perfect example of sportswashing’s primary limitation: all the money in the PIF can’t create competition where none exists, and the Saudi government’s endless funds can’t buy legitimacy. The world’s top five players — Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas — have expressed solidarity with the PGA Tour. LIV players’ ability to compete in future majors is very much in doubt. The no-cut, shotgun-start, guaranteed-paycheck format of the LIV tour will benefit players’ bank accounts, but little else.
“Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It's that simple,” Rahm said just prior to the U.S. Open. “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that's been going on for hundreds of years. … I've always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that. There's meaning when you win the Memorial Championship. There's meaning when you win Arnold Palmer's event at Bay Hill. There's a meaning when you win L.A., Torrey, some of the historic venues.”
Last week’s event was held at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland. At the end of July, the LIV tour will travel to New Jersey, where former President Donald Trump’s Bedminster National will host the series’ third event.
The LIV roster has already swelled to include several major winners, with others likely to join, particularly if they can still play in majors going forward. It’s no longer a matter of if, but when, many players will make the jump for the enormous paycheck — and, like DeChambeau, how much they’re willing to rationalize to accept it.
|
2022-07-05T16:59:43Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
LIV Golf: Sportswashing comes to America
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sportswashing-comes-to-america-153014884.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sportswashing-comes-to-america-153014884.html?src=rss
|
The 2021 season wasn’t great for the Miami Dolphins’ offensive side of the ball. They struggled to find consistency throughout the year and were constantly putting their defense into poor positions.
With all of the moves that the Dolphins have made this season, including hiring an offensive-minded head coach, they’re hoping that the production will be much better.
At the quarterback position, the Dolphins are set to enter training camp with three options that should be able to perform in their roles and do so well. Here’s a quick look at all three signal-callers that Miami has on their roster at this point.
Mandatory Credit: Mary Holt/AP Photo
Entering his third season, Tagovailoa has a lot to prove this year. 2021 was disappointing for the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, as the former Crimson Tide quarterback struggled to produce up to the level of a first-round pick. Some of the issues were on him, while others can be contributed to the poor play-calling, lack of talent on the offensive line and health.
Despite those problems, the Dolphins still had a 7-5 record with him under center, not including the win against the Baltimore Ravens where he played nearly the entire second half.
With Mike McDaniel leading the team, an improved line and more talented weapons around him, Tagovailoa will be expected to take a step and lead this team to a postseason birth for the first time since 2016, and that’s a real possibility.
Bridgewater was brought in this year on a one-year deal worth $6.5 million to back up Tagovailoa. The 29-year-old spent 2021 with the Denver Broncos, leading the team to a 7-7 record in 14 games while completing 66.9% of his attempts for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Now, entering 2022, Bridgewater will serve as the veteran backup quarterback in Miami. While this normally wouldn’t be a job that’s super important for most teams, Tagovailoa has missed time with injuries in his short career. There’s a chance that Bridgewater is asked to play at some point in 2022, and he gives them a better chance to win than Jacoby Brissett did in 2021.
Mandatory Credit: Lynne Sladky/AP Photo
Thompson enters his rookie year after being drafted in the seventh round of this year’s draft out of Kansas State. In his short time with Miami, he’s already beaten out veteran backup Chris Streveler for the third-string, developmental quarterback role on the roster.
With two capable veterans ahead of him, it’s extremely unlikely that he says any real game time during the regular season, but he’ll get opportunities in preseason and training camp to show he deserves to make the 53-man roster over the practice squad.
|
2022-07-05T17:15:10Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
2022 Dolphins positional preview: There’s a QB rostered for each role
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-dolphins-positional-preview-qb-152836820.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-dolphins-positional-preview-qb-152836820.html?src=rss
|
German football official and former player
After securing international home marketing rights for Germany and Mexico in December, the Kansas City Chiefs were expected to be one of the teams chosen to play on the international stage in 2022. That didn’t end up happening, but new information suggests that the Chiefs could be getting a game in Germany during the 2023 NFL season.
Speaking with the cousin of german fullback Jakob Johnson in a YouTube video, Chiefs rookie CB Joshua Williams says that there will be a regular-season game played in Germany next year. In the video, Williams also shows his draft selection clip, where he was announced by former German soccer player Oliver Bierhoff.
“There will be next year,” Williams said. “And it’s going to be played in Germany. I’m not sure which city, but I’m excited. I’ve never been to Germany. I have family (who have) and they loved it there. They said it’s beautiful. I’m excited to go there and play a game.”
German NFL enthusiast René Bugner shared the clip on Twitter:
It’s unlikely that Williams has heard anything official from the NFL as scheduling announcements won’t come until next summer. The NFL will play three more games in Germany between 2022-2025, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Kansas City get one of those games. After all, team ownership has strong ties in the area, including a partnership with FC Bayern Munich, whose stadium will host the NFL match in Munich this year.
The Chiefs also recently established an international expansion advisory board comprised of leaders from a number of different German companies. That group includes FC Bayern board member Andreas Jung, who said the following in the press release:
“The Kansas City Chiefs have shown great commitment to the growth of American football in Germany. FC Bayern understands the value of having an international presence to learn and advise on how to better connect with local fans, which can be seen with our offices in New York, Shanghai and Bangkok. I look forward to working with the Chiefs Advisory Board, offering strategic guidance and support.”
Speaking to reporters during the 2022 NFL draft, Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt had this to add about playing in Germany:
“The league will be playing a number of international games. I’m hopeful that we’ll be one of them. If we’re notselected this year, I think we’ll be selected in the next two or three years. Obviously, we would be excited to play in Germany if the opportunity presents itself.”
Whether it’s 2023, 2024 or 2025, a game in Germany is likely coming for Kansas City.
Chiefs UDFA Spotlight: Maryland RB Tayon Fleet-Davis
|
2022-07-05T17:15:42Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Will the Chiefs play a game in Germany in 2023?
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-play-game-germany-2023-164532018.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-play-game-germany-2023-164532018.html?src=rss
|
It's been nearly seven months since former Denver Broncos star Demariyus Thomas died at age 33, just a half year after retiring from the NFL. On Tuesday we found out more information about what may have contributed to his death, but we may never know the full story.
Boston University doctors announced on Tuesday via the New York Times that Thomas had been posthumously diagnosed with Stage 2 CTE, which had impacted the final year of his life. But his day-to-day life was complicated by seizures, which began affecting him following a car crash in 2019.
While CTE has increasingly devastating effects on those with the disease, it will probably never be known whether that or the seizures truly caused Thomas' death. The BU doctors told the Times that it's likely Thomas died following a seizure, but the official cause of death has not been announced by the coroner's office in Fulton County, Ga.
A career of hits, then a car accident
Thomas's mother, Katina Smith, has a memory from the night the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 that stays with her. She recalls that Thomas, who had taken a major hit from a Panthers player earlier in the game, had a bad headache and didn't stay long at the victory celebration.
“He was like, ‘Hey, y’all, I need to leave and go by myself because I don’t feel too good,’” Smith recounted to the New York Times. “And so, you know, he left and didn’t even finish celebrating or anything like that.”
That was one rough hit in a career filled with them, and a car crash in 2019 would only complicate things further. Thomas rolled his car several times and cracked his head on the windshield after losing control while driving 70mph in a 30mph zone. The head injury he suffered eventually caused him to have seizures, often with no warning, that could cause him to fall down stairs or lose control of a car.
The seizures began in the fall of 2020 and stymied any hope Thomas had of returning to the NFL. When seizure medication didn't work, and neither did ozone therapy or a hyperbaric chamber, he began to isolate himself. He didn't return his parents' texts and was so paranoid that his father said he rarely left the house without a gun.
Demaryius Thomas, who helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50, died in Dec. 2021 at age 33, and has been posthumously diagnosed with Stage 2 CTE. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Thomas' parents find relief in remembering their son
Thomas' parents, Katina Smith and Bobby Thomas, were understandably shocked and devastated by their son's death. Bobby Thomas and Smith, who had Demaryius when she was just 15, never married, and the elder Thomas was in the army and often away. When Demaryius Thomas was 11, Smith was sentenced to 20 years in prison after refusing to testify against her mother in drug ring court case. Thomas was taken in by relatives and found solace from his mother's incarceration in sports.
Thomas spent 17 years lobbying for his mother's release, even writing a letter to President Barack Obama. It was the president who commuted Smith's sentence, which allowed her to be with her son and his father at Super Bowl 50. Thomas was thrilled and proud to have both of them watching him in person, and a moment from after the win is immortalized in a painting in Smith's home. Bobby Thomas keeps the same picture on his phone.
Both Smith and Hughes told the Times that they've started to find some relief by talking about Thomas and finding out how much he meant to the people around him. Thomas' teammates and friends were also devastated by his sudden and unexpected death, and have shared stories about how much he was both respected and beloved as a player, teammate, friend, and member of the community. Peyton Manning started two scholarships in his name, and the Broncos paid tribute to him several times in the final weeks of the 2021 season.
Smith has been helping to plan Demaryius Thomas Day, which will take place on July 16 in Dublin, Ga. To celebrate him, 88 balloons will be released to commemorate his jersey number.
DENVER (KDVR) – A new report released from the New York Times on Tuesday morning says that former Denver Broncos great Demaryius Thomas had Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died in December. Thomas died at 33 on Dec. 9, 2021 from what is believed to have been medical complications stemming from a 2019 crash. His official cause of…
|
2022-07-05T17:15:48Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
NFL news: Demariyus Thomas had CTE, but other factors complicated death at 33
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/demaryius-thomas-diagnosed-with-cte-after-death-but-thats-not-the-whole-story-160706106.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/demaryius-thomas-diagnosed-with-cte-after-death-but-thats-not-the-whole-story-160706106.html?src=rss
|
With training camp right around the corner, let’s take a look at the top 25 players on the Raiders roster. For these purposes, we do this countdown style, starting at the bottom of the top.
Deablo stepped up as a rookie, taking former start Cory Littleton’s snaps late in the season and proving he was a better option. The former college safety Deablo would start five games and compile 45 tackles.
Littleton was cut this offseason and Deablo will compete to keep his starting outside linebacker job.
New to the team, Brown is considered among the frontrunners to secure a starting linebacker spot alongside Denzel Perryman. Brown is coming off a season with his fewest appearances (10) and starts (6) of his career.
But prior to that, he was a full-time starter in Tennessee, including a career-high six sacks in 2018 and a career-high 105 tackles in 2019. While adding eight pass breakups per season.
23. G John Simpson
Simpson stepped in as the starter, replacing the injured Richie Incognito last season. He would prove reliable, starting all 17 games. It’s tough to say if he is the long-term answer, but for now, the Raiders will cling to whatever dependability they can muster along that line.
Abram put up a career-high 116 tackles last season, despite being lost to a shoulder injury for the second time in his career. Still, this offseason, the Raiders opted not to pick up Abram’s fifth-year option.
Despite being the cheapest of the three players up for it. He was a serviceable starter in 2021, but has never played up to his own hype as a rookie.
Hankins is coming off a down year with just 38 combined tackles and one tackle for loss. He was a late re-signing in free agency with the more highly touted Quentin Jefferson leaving to sign in Seattle.
Still, Hankins can be a lane clogger at the nose and figures to be the starter this season.
|
2022-07-05T17:16:07Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 21-25
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-top-25-players-raiders-160347424.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-top-25-players-raiders-160347424.html?src=rss
|
There’s a lot that goes into being a great head coach. Not only do you have to be a leader that players want to follow, but you must possess the ability to draw up smart plays and make wise decisions in crunch time.
Sean McVay checks all of those boxes (and others), but what sets him apart as one of the best coaches in football is his ability to put his players in the best spots to succeed. After losses, and even some wins, McVay often talks about his failure to put players in good spots.
He probably doesn’t give himself enough credit in that area because when it comes to setting up his receivers for success, no one’s better than McVay.
Timo Riske of Pro Football Focus shared some data about which receivers have the highest rate of their routes run against linebackers in coverage. Cooper Kupp came in at No. 1 with a rate of 21.3%, and Robert Woods was fifth (17.7%).
Getting receivers matched up on linebackers is easier said than done. It’s not as simple as lining up a wideout in the slot and hoping the linebacker takes him in coverage. McVay motions Kupp (and other receivers) around the formation constantly, even lining them up in the backfield where a linebacker is typically going to draw them in coverage.
Just look at this play from early in McVay’s tenure in 2018. It’s a tight formation and Kupp is in the slot, sending him on a shallow cross where Anthony Barr has no choice but to pick up the receiver and attempt to cover him down the field.
The result is a 70-yard touchdown.
McVay is the best coach in the league when it comes to giving his wide receivers favorable matchups, and it all goes back to his creativity when designing plays. Football is a game of matchups and when you have a 260-pound linebacker trying to cover a shifty receiver, the offense is going to win that battle more often than not.
Adrian Belew talks power trio tour headed here, plus memories of playing for Frank Zappa, David Bowie and King Crimson
|
2022-07-05T17:16:20Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Sean McVay is a master at getting Rams WRs matched up on LBs
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sean-mcvay-master-getting-rams-152823458.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sean-mcvay-master-getting-rams-152823458.html?src=rss
|
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire recently ranked the top 13 safeties in the NFL heading into the 2022 season, and Winfield came in at No. 5, despite having played just two years in the league:
Winfield is the Bucs’ primary free safety in Todd Bowles’ defense, but he can also run point in the box and the slot, and he’s an excellent blitzer. But let’s start with the coverage — specifically, the deep coverage. Winfield was a real problem for opposing offenses there, allowing two catches on targets of 20 or more air yards for 48 yards, and one of his interceptions.
Winfield is outstanding in his turns and transitions — not surprising for a guy who had his NFL dad teaching him the nuances of coverage from a very early age.
|
2022-07-05T17:16:52Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Why Antoine Winfield Jr. is already one of the NFL’s best safeties
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/why-antoine-winfield-jr-already-152453743.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/why-antoine-winfield-jr-already-152453743.html?src=rss
|
The battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf rages on, and most of the players on the PGA Tour aren’t too happy with those who have made the move to the Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led, blood-money-funded league.
Add Billy Horschel to that list.
During his press conference prior to this week’s Genesis Scottish Open, an event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour that isn’t allowing LIV players to tee it up at the Renaissance Club, Horschel ripped into the defectors.
“There’s a lot of guys that are hypocrites, that aren’t telling the truth, that are lying about some things, that I, just, I can’t stand to sit here anymore and be diplomatic about it, as I have been in the past.
“I don’t fault anyone for going to play the LIV tour. I don’t have any ill will for anyone going to play the LIV tour. I have ill will towards the comments that they’ve made.”
Watch his full comments here:
Billy Ho! pic.twitter.com/n731HOLbvu
Darren Bailey, a GOP state senator and the Republican candidate for Illinois governor, was in nearby Skokie, one of several surrounding communities forced to cancel their Independence Day parades in the wake of the massacre.
|
2022-07-05T17:36:40Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
‘There’s a lot of guys that are hypocrites’: Billy Horschel rips into LIV Golf Series defectors
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/lot-guys-hypocrites-billy-horschel-150858892.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/lot-guys-hypocrites-billy-horschel-150858892.html?src=rss
|
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) Brexten Green, a wide receiver on the Emporia State football team, died over the weekend in a cliff-diving accident at Grand Lake in Oklahoma, the university announced Tuesday.
''It's a terrible day for Emporia State football and just a devastating loss for the Green family,'' football coach Garin Higgins said in a news release. ''Brexten was a great teammate who cared so much about this football program. It showed in his competitive spirit, his work ethic and his willingness to be there for his teammates. He will always be a part of our Hornet football family.''
''He was committed to being the best player he could be and would have developed into a great player for us because of those characteristics,'' Higgins said.
|
2022-07-05T18:02:20Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Emporia State football player dies in cliff-diving accident
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/emporia-state-football-player-dies-165906005.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/emporia-state-football-player-dies-165906005.html?src=rss
|
The Pac-12 is looking to see what it can get on the open market for its television rights as the Big 12 is reportedly interested in adding some of the conference’s 10 remaining teams.
The conference said Tuesday that its board of directors had “authorized the conference to immediately begin negotiations for its next media rights agreements.” That formal announcement means that Pac-12 schools can see what the financial impacts could be from last week’s shocking departures of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten in 2024. The Pac-12's current media rights deal is up after 2024 and the conference is set to receive far less per school in its future media rights deal than it would with USC and UCLA still slated to be involved.
The Pac-12’s statement was released minutes before a CBS Sports report that said the Big 12 was in discussions to potentially add members from the Pac-12. The four Pac-12 schools primarily mentioned in the CBS report were Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. Those four are the closest Pac-12 schools to schools in the Big 12 and their possible addition would give the Big 12 five schools in the Mountain Time Zone along with BYU when the Cougars join the conference.
From CBS:
The Big 12 is set to be at 12 teams after Texas and Oklahoma head to the SEC and BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the conference. Adding up to six Pac-12 teams — per the CBS report — could make the Big 12 as large as 18 teams.
The Big Ten and SEC will each have 16 teams after their two new additions join. Oklahoma, Texas, UCLA and USC are all moving conferences for financial reasons. They’re set to get significantly more money from media rights deals in their new homes.
If more teams leave the Pac-12, it’s virtually impossible to see the conference surviving in any form. It’s down to 10 teams without the two Los Angeles schools and there are no obvious candidates for the conference to add in place of them. A potential dissolution of the Pac-12 if more teams leave for the Big 12 (or other conferences) would leave the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC as the four most powerful conferences in college athletics and give them even more leverage in collegiate decision-making.
The Pac-12 is facing an uncertain future. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
|
2022-07-05T18:02:45Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Pac-12 starts media rights talks amid Big 12 expansion interest
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/pac-12-starts-media-rights-negotiations-amid-big-12-s-reported-expansion-interest-171440922.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/pac-12-starts-media-rights-negotiations-amid-big-12-s-reported-expansion-interest-171440922.html?src=rss
|
The time to sit back and be patient is beyond the Big 12. A conference that has lost twice in the conference realignments of the last decade can’t afford to sit on its hands while the pieces are moved around the board by the Big Ten and the SEC.
USC and UCLA heading to the Big Ten has set off an expansion arms race in college football where the Big 12, Pac-12, and ACC are looking for a way to maintain whatever foothold they have left.
And the Big 12 is taking a big swing.
According to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, in addition to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State, the Big 12 is looking at the potential of adding two more schools in realignment talks.
The four that have been discussed make a ton of sense. If they can land Oregon and Washington, two of the 25 most valuable schools in the country according to a Forbes report in 2019, that would be a huge win for the Big 12.
New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark doesn’t start officially until August 1. If the conference is able to land the six proposed teams mentioned, the Big 12 will reassert their place in the college football power structure.
|
2022-07-05T20:02:09Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
According to CBS Sports, Big 12 looking to add as many as 6 Pac-12 teams in realignment
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/according-cbs-sports-big-12-185119423.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/according-cbs-sports-big-12-185119423.html?src=rss
|
In the modern fantasy baseball era, ERA isn’t such a hot thing anymore. We have better ways to measure how effective a pitcher has been, and better tools to try to predict — as maddening as pitchers can be — where the story is actually headed. Sure, ERA is one of the 5x5 categories, and we have to respect that. I’m not calling for an overhaul of the basic fantasy baseball scoring rules. But let’s try to take advantage of the data advancements.
MLB DFS: Fly with Blue Jays on Tuesday night
Mike Barner is going back to the well with several Blue Jays bats again on MLB Tuesday in Oakland.
An emotional Ozzie Guilln reacted to the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
|
2022-07-05T20:02:22Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Fantasy Baseball: Some good-luck pitchers to possibly trade now
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-baseball-some-good-luck-pitchers-to-possibly-trade-now-184124893.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-baseball-some-good-luck-pitchers-to-possibly-trade-now-184124893.html?src=rss
|
Tackett Curtis of Many, Louisiana, is choosing between three schools: Ohio State, USC Trojans, and the Wisconsin Badgers. Curtis is among the best linebackers in the country, according to 247Sports composite ratings he is the No. 7 linebacker nationally. He could join a school that has been known to produce top-tier linebackers and get them to the NFL.
Recently, Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports put in a crystal ball prediction for Curtis to join the ranks in Columbus. He is a talented player that produced as a running back, linebacker, and kick returner for Many. He projects to play on the defensive side of the ball at the collegiate level.
Should the Many product commit to Ohio State, he would be the first linebacker in the 2023 cycle to pledge to the Buckeyes. This cycle Ryan Day and the staff have offered a total of 13 linebackers. Three of the offered linebackers have committed to the Texas Longhorns, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Buckeyes are still in the running for three others outside of Curtis.
No timetable has been set for Curtis to narrow his list even further or to make his commitment.
Where Big Ten teams fall in recruiting rankings in late June
Reds outfielder Jake Fraley has been limited to 15 games with his new team after injuring his knee in April and breaking a bone in his toe in May.
|
2022-07-05T20:02:40Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Ohio State could be closing in on another top-tier recruit
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-could-closing-another-173608934.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-could-closing-another-173608934.html?src=rss
|
The 11th-ranked player in the world backed up his win at the Travelers Championship with a victory at the J.P. McManus Pro-Am.
The Pro-Am took place Monday and Tuesday at Adare Manor in Ireland, which will host the 2027 Ryder Cup, and featured a number of the world’s best, including Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Tiger Woods and more.
Woods is set to play The Open next week at St Andrews, the site of his first two Open Championship victories, coming in 2000 and 2005.
|
2022-07-05T20:03:05Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Xander Schauffele wins JP McManus Pro-Am as Tiger Woods struggles in first event since PGA Championship
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/xander-schauffele-wins-jp-mcmanus-144935131.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/xander-schauffele-wins-jp-mcmanus-144935131.html?src=rss
|
STORY: Writing from a Russian prison cell, U.S. WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner took her plea for help to the top – sending a direct, emotional letter to U.S. President Joe Biden.
In her letter to Biden, Griner wrote (quote), "As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I'm terrified I might be here forever…. I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home.”
Griner, the star center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has also played regularly in Russia.
In her plea to the President – excerpts of which were shared by her representatives - Griner added, “I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore.”
Griner’s next hearing in Russia is set for July 7.
|
2022-07-05T20:21:04Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
WNBA star Griner appeals to Biden for freedom
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-star-griner-appeals-biden-184356217.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-star-griner-appeals-biden-184356217.html?src=rss
|
Three-star offensive guard recruit RyQueze McElderry has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Alabama. McElderry decommitted from Georgia in early July and almost immediately changed his pledge to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
McElderry is a member of the class of 2023 and plays high school football for Anniston High School in Anniston, Alabama. Nick Saban and Alabama are always some of the best in-state recruiters in the country.
The three-star’s decommitment drops Georgia football down to 12 commitments in the class of 2023. The Bulldogs have secured commitments from a pair of 2023 offensive linemen.
Georgia currently has the No. 7 ranked recruiting class in the country per 247Sports. Alabama has the No. 19 ranked recruiting class. Both teams have plenty of room and time to improve upon their respective rankings.
RyQueze McElderry originally committed to Georgia in December 2021. The three-star offensive line recruit holds scholarship offers from numerous SEC programs, but his recruitment came down to Georgia and Alabama.
The 6-foot-3, 340-pound offensive lineman is very powerful. In his high school tape, the three-star offensive guard frequently locks into opposing defensive linemen and controls them for the rest of the play. The Anniston High School star played a lot of right tackle in his impressive highlights, but he is expected convert to offensive guard at the college level.
McElderry announced his commitment to Alabama on July 4:
|
2022-07-05T20:25:13Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
3-star OL RyQueze McElderry flips commitment from Georgia
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/3-star-ol-ryqueze-mcelderry-181138258.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/3-star-ol-ryqueze-mcelderry-181138258.html?src=rss
|
Alabama received some good news on Independence Day by landing a commitment from three-star offensive lineman RyQueze McElderry. The Crimson Tide continued their recent hot streak by landing junior college wide receiver Malik Benson on Tuesday. He chose Alabama over Tennessee, Oregon, Georgia and LSU.
Benson, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, is regarded as the top junior college prospect by 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. Last season at Hutchinson Community College, Benson hauled in 43 receptions for 1,229 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He creates separation in his route-running and is very dynamic when the ball is in his hands. The Tide has a good reputation for developing wide receivers and Benson could be the next elite wide receiver to come out of Tuscaloosa.
Recently, Alabama’s recruiting trail has begun to pick up steam. Several of the Tide’s top targets are expected to commit to Alabama.
Benson has been a big-time target for the Crimson Tide for quite some time and has the ability to have an immediate impact on the offensive side of the ball next season.
BREAKING: The No. 1 Player in JUCO, Malik Benson, has Committed to Alabama!
The 6’1 190 WR from Lansing, Kansas chose the Crimson Tide over Oregon, LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Had 1,229 yds/ 11 TDs and was named the JUCO Male Athlete of the yearhttps://t.co/CrvR3JM0Ok pic.twitter.com/t9VwY3raTX
|
2022-07-05T20:25:25Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Alabama lands commitment from top junior college WR prospect, Malik Benson
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-lands-commitment-top-junior-180930923.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-lands-commitment-top-junior-180930923.html?src=rss
|
The news of USC and UCLA heading to the Big Ten has sent massive shockwaves throughout college sports.
The latest buzz, however, has been regarding the Big 12 and which Pac-12 schools the Buffs’ former conference is considering. Well, we have some clarity on that situation, and it looks like as many as six teams are considered candidates for an invite from the Big 12, according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports:
So, there it is. The Big 12 is considering the Arizona schools, the mountain schools and possibly Oregon and Washington to add from the Pac-12.
The Colorado Buffaloes are an interesting case, considering they left the Big 12 for the Pac-12. However, it now makes sense to return with the expected decline of the Pac-12 in general when USC and UCLA leave.
With the Pac-12 starting to negotiate a new media rights deal, this needs to happen quickly and Dodd reported that anything can happen right now:
“Everything is on the table,” said one Big 12 source.
This is a very fluid situation. But, for now, it looks like the Big 12 is hoping to add up to six Pac-12 programs in an expansion process.
|
2022-07-05T20:25:38Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
REPORT: Big 12 considering to add multiple Pac-12 teams, including Colorado
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/report-big-12-considering-add-173708860.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/report-big-12-considering-add-173708860.html?src=rss
|
The 2022 college football season is still a few months away, but college football fans across the country are concerned about the current state of college football.
Before the 2021 season, Texas and Oklahoma announced future plans to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC. Recently, USC and UCLA mimicked the Longhorns and Sooners, except they are departing from the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
Conference realignment can be good for the game, but it also comes with hesitancy and criticism.
Since then, plenty of rumors are swirling around. Here’s what you need to know about the current state of college football with respect to conference realignment.
The Big 12 is making moves to absorb remaining Pac-12 teams
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard
The Big 12 was once seen as a conference near dissolution when Oklahoma and Texas announced their plans to leave. Today, the conference is making it clear that it isn’t going anywhere and is actually trying to improve. Other Pac-12 schools (Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Washington) are looking to follow USC and UCLA in leaving, the Big 12 may be the best possible landing spot for them.
Everyone's waiting on Notre Dame
Though Notre Dame‘s football program is independent, the other Fighting Irish athletic programs are members of the ACC. There is a growing belief that Notre Dame will make the move over to the Big Ten. Before extending invites to other programs, the Big Ten and likely others are waiting to see what Notre Dame decides to do.
Radio silence from the Pac-12
The USC-UCLA announcement was a catalyst in the Pac-12. It now seems as if just about every other program in the conference is exploring other opportunities with either the Big Ten or the Big 12.
When Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12, it immediately added four nationally relevant programs in UCF, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati. The Pac-12 has not done the same and doesn’t seem to be moving with any sense of urgency. Instead, it is attempting to land a new media rights deal, which, if lucrative, could lure programs back in.
The ACC remains untouched... for now
The ACC is the only remaining Power Five conference to not be impacted by conference realignment yet. However, there’s plenty of time for things the change and CBS Sports’ college football analyst Dennis Dodd believes Miami, Clemson and Florida State may soon “migrate” to the SEC.
“Breaking the ACC grant of rights might require a significant eight-figure exit fee, assuming the contract isn’t successfully challenged in court. However, such a penalty could be financed over a period of years while the new schools reap an annual windfall,” writes Dodd.
The SEC is quiet. Too Quiet.
The SEC seems to be playing a waiting game. Sure, a few ACC programs have been tied to the SEC, but nothing has come of it. The conference will likely wait for one of two things to happen: programs of interest reach out and request an invitation or the Big Ten makes moves that the SEC needs to match in order to keep up.
Former Boise State football player killed, 4 others injured in shooting near Sacramento nightclub
Greg Najee Grimes, 31, was a Sacramento native.
|
2022-07-05T20:25:44Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
The State of College Football: 5 things to know about realignment
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/state-college-football-5-things-185256859.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/state-college-football-5-things-185256859.html?src=rss
|
After adding four-star edge rusher TJ Searcy on July 4, the Florida Gators have once again improved their standings in various team recruiting rankings.
UF started Monday ranked No. 45 on 247Sports’ class of 2023 rankings and jumped up to No. 38 after adding Searcy, who took over as the team’s highest-rated commit. Florida is still at No. 7 in the conference rankings behind Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama and South Carolina, in that order. The Razorbacks are at No. 1 because they have 19 commits under their belt but that should change as more and more decisions come in.
On3, which ranks Searcy as a top-50 recruit in the class, bumped Florida into the top 15 after the commission came in. Five of those six same SEC schools are once again ahead of Florida in the rankings with the exception of South Carolina, which doesn’t appear in the top 25. UF lands at No. 14 directly behind No. 12 Arkansas and No. 13 Tennessee.
As the top-15 ranking may suggest, On3 has a fairly optimistic view of what Napier’s accomplished and thinks the class can still be as strong as fans expect it to be.
Despite losing out on recruits, including quarterback Jaden Rashada, Billy Napier earned a huge commitment from Searcy on July 4 to get Florida back on track. Searcy, one of the nation’s top defensive linemen, is the top-ranked prospect in the Gators’ defensive-heavy 2023 class. The group currently includes five four-stars.
Landing Searcy was a big win for the Gators, but Florida is far from finished in this recruiting cycle. With several targets deciding throughout the summer, UF could continue to climb these rankings.
|
2022-07-05T20:25:57Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Where do the Gators stand nationally after picking up latest commitment?
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/where-gators-stand-nationally-picking-174901809.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/where-gators-stand-nationally-picking-174901809.html?src=rss
|
Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos has been worth every penny of the four-year, $36 million contract he signed in 2019. He’s emerged into one of Green Bay’s most consistent performers on defense and should be a prime candidate for a new contract following the 2022 season.
Many thought Amos was in line for an extension this offseason, but instead, the Packers restructured his deal to create immediate cap space. They were able to lower Amos’ cap number by about $4.7 million, but he will now count $7.95 million against the cap in 2023.
Amos is one of several players who will have a voiding contract following this season.
Green Bay did not want to lose Amos in 2022, and they will certainly not want to pay him nearly $8 million next year if he is not on the team. It seems it would benefit both sides to reach an agreement in the next year or so.
Last season, Amos logged a career-high 93 tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections while appearing in all 17 games. Amos is one of the most dependable players on the team as he has yet to miss a game as a member of the Packers. However, availably isn’t the only thing he brings to the table as his play on the field is almost equally reliable. According to Pro Football Focus, over the past three seasons, Amos’ 89.5 grade ranks fourth among safeties. His 92.8 coverage grade is also fourth, and his 26 forced incompletions over that span are first for his position.
It may seem like a no-brainer to retain Amos past 2022, but a lot will depend on his play next season.
Amos did just turn 29, which isn’t exactly young. He could start to show signs of aging at any moment, and the Packers have always been cautious about paying players nearing 30. However, he is coming off one of the best years of his career, and Green Bay doesn’t have anyone remotely close to ready to take his place at the safety position.
Of course, a lot can change between now and next offseason, but if Amos stays healthy again next season and continues to play at a high level, there would be no good reason not to give him another contract.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministers' gathering in Bali this week, but no meeting with Russia's foreign minister is expected, the State Department said on Tuesday. Blinken is due to depart for Asia on Wednesday for a trip lasting until Monday. The meeting with Wang, expected on Saturday, will be the latest high-level contact between U.S. and Chinese officials as President Joe Biden weighs lifting tariffs on some Chinese goods to curb inflation.
|
2022-07-05T21:33:14Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Another consistent year from Adrian Amos should lead to new contract with Packers
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/another-consistent-adrian-amos-lead-194942070.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/another-consistent-adrian-amos-lead-194942070.html?src=rss
|
After a disappointing (but epic) end to their 2021 season, the Buffalo Bills headed into the 2022 offseason with a chance to add the finishing touches to a roster that’s favored by many to win the Super Bowl this time around.
The 2022 NFL draft gave the Bills a chance to add some promising young talent to that already-loaded lineup, and they did just that, grabbing some talented prospects in all three phases of the game.
Check out every pick the Bills made in this year’s draft:
Kinder Morgan (KMI) has an impressive earnings surprise history and currently possesses the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely beat in its next quarterly report.
|
2022-07-05T21:33:34Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Meet the Buffalo Bills’ 2022 NFL draft class
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-buffalo-bills-2022-nfl-192704087.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-buffalo-bills-2022-nfl-192704087.html?src=rss
|
Last year, Jones and Dillon combined to catch 86 passes on 102 targets for 704 yards and seven touchdowns.
It would be surprising if both the catches and targets didn’t increase in 2022.
With fewer plays designed specifically for one receiver in the playbook, coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers now have the freedom to find creative ways of getting the ball to Jones and Dillon in the passing game.
Having Dillon entering Year 3 after leading the Packers in rushing last season is a big reason why LaFleur should be able to use Jones in more creative ways, especially as a receiver. There are ways of getting both on the field together and using Jones in multiple alignments, and the Packers don’t have to fear overusing either player because the team sees both Jones and Dillon as legitimate No. 1 backs.
Jones hasn’t necessarily been dynamic in the passing game. He has averaged 7.9 yards per catch and 5.8 yards per target over his five-year career, and only once has he averaged more than 8.0 yards per catch or 6.0 yards per target during a single season. So the Packers do need to get better at maximizing the efficiency and production of Jones’ touches in the passing game. But everything about his skill set screams untapped potential as a receiver. He has terrific hands, an explosive lower body for winning within routes and the shiftiness to make people miss once he has the football.
The 247-pound Dillon was a revelation last season as a receiver. He caught 34 of 37 passes, averaged 9.2 yards per catch and 8.5 yards per target. Wanting to be an “all-purpose back” in 2022, Dillon said he’s put work into becoming a more well-rounded player, both as a runner and receiver. He already showed soft hands and an ability to make something happen after the catch in 2021.
Together, Jones and Dillon have the ability to carry more of the load for the Packers offense in 2022. They could each get more carries for a team that is configured to run the ball at a higher rate, but both are also capable of picking up some of the slack in the passing game. Most importantly, they have a coach who is willing and capable of designing plays to get them the ball in space.
Passes to running backs are generally safe, high percentage plays. Call them easy yards. The Packers should prioritize more of them in large part because Jones and Dillon are two of offense’s best weapons and LaFleur and Rodgers are going to need more easy completions without Adams’ ability to get open and Valdes-Scantling’s threatening downfield speed.
IMPACT DAY: Severe Storms Bring Damaging Winds and Hail Tuesday Afternoon
|
2022-07-05T21:33:46Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
More expected from Packers RBs Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon in passing game
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/more-expected-packers-rbs-aaron-194541991.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/more-expected-packers-rbs-aaron-194541991.html?src=rss
|
Norrie fought back from two sets to one down
Brit will play his first Grand Slam semi-final on Friday against defending champion Novak Djokovic
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were among the spectators on Court 1
More Mr Nice Guy. That’s what the Wimbledon faithful can look forward to, after Cameron Norrie – one of Britain’s most likeable and down-to-earth athletes – fought his way into the semi-finals.
Norrie was almost speechless at the end of his three-and-a-half-hour epic against David Goffin, struggling to spit out a full sentence during his on-court interview with Rishi Persad.
His primary emotion wasn’t triumph, for he is anything but a grandstander. Rather, he seemed humbled by the full-throated support he had received from the fans on No 1 Court, who – in the latter stages of the match – were supplemented by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Without that support, it seems entirely plausible – likely even – that he would have lost. Norrie’s engine had been firing on all cylinders against Tommy Paul in Sunday’s fourth-round match, but it was coughing and spluttering as if someone had poured sugar in his petrol tank.
His forehand was a disaster area from the beginning. He keeps his rackets loosely strung, at around 42lbs, because of the trampoline effect created when the fibres stretch and then rebound. But a loose racket is harder to control. And for the first three sets, especially on his forehand side, Norrie’s timing was all over the place: less marching band, more broken wind-chime.
The pressure of expectation surely played a part. Over previous seasons, Norrie has traditionally had a choke in him. In seven of his last 10 majors, he has lost to lower-ranked opponents. And in Goffin, the world No 58, he was playing a man he knew he ought to beat.
The match was far from straightforward for Norrie - GETTY IMAGES
But as Norrie matures, he has also begun to understand how to cope with off-days. The answer is to fall back on his legs and his lungs, where his greatest gifts lie. Best-of-five-set tennis could have been made for a man who covers 10,000m in under 37 minutes.
Having got off to a terrible start, Norrie was lucky to steal the second set, which found both men struggling to find the court at times. He was competing brilliantly, despite playing like a drain. The important thing was to stay in touch. And then, when the match moved past the hour-and-a-half mark, he switched on his reserve energy pack.
Now the scrambling and the scampering began to pay dividends. Norrie dialled back his ambition a little and focused on cutting down the freebies. Having lost one in three service games until that point – an alarmingly high percentage – he wouldn’t be broken at all in either the fourth or the deciding set.
This was far from being a classic, as we can see from the fact that both men struck 46 unforced errors – or one per game. Yet it did at least have an interesting dynamic, because of the contrast of styles. Norrie is an athletic left-handed scrapper whereas Goffin is much more of a stylist.
With his lavish hair and close-cropped beard, Norrie looks both rugged and dogged: a golden retriever in human form. Whereas Goffin appears fragile and curiously boyish by comparison. Standing just 5ft 11in, and weighing 11st, he resembles Harry Potter in whites.
That comparison extends to Goffin’s magical hands. Delicate touch, fast feet, a quick mind – he has all the attributes to win big titles apart from the extra height and strength that would allow him to blow opponents off the court. Skilful yet underpowered players like Goffin often find it difficult to close out matches, because they don’t have that one big weapon to fall back on.
David Goffin showed flashes of genius, but it wasn’t enough - GETTY IMAGES
Against Norrie, he began in fine fettle, skipping into the court and directing play like a conductor. But he has always betrayed a trace of self-doubt in these significant matches, especially at the death. This was his fourth major quarter-final, and his fourth defeat.
Perhaps Goffin’s previous match – a 4hr 36min struggle with Frances Tiafoe – had left him feeling a little jaded. But he was upbeat in his post-match press conference, describing his run here as far better than he could have expected, and crediting the crowd for their sportsmanship.
Norrie agreed with that assessment once he had been through his post-match routine. “The crowd definitely got me through that,” he said. “I was super fortunate to come through.”
Asked about his struggles in the on-court interview, Norrie said: “All the sacrifices and everything all hit me at once. The support here at Wimbledon, from my family and my friends, I didn’t know what to say. I got emotional there and it was just a crazy match to get through, especially after the way I started.”
And now for the world No 1, Novak Djokovic. For what it’s worth, Goffin gave his take on Norrie’s semi-final chances. “If he’s playing the tennis of his life maybe, and Novak is not feeling well, we never know. But Novak is Novak.
“He’s playing even better when the crowd is against him. Novak is just an alien, and to beat an alien, I don’t know how to do it.”
Cameron Norrie vs David Goffin, as it happened:
It has been a dramatic day, full of ups and down, twists and turns but at the end of it we have British representation in the men's singles semi-final on Friday.
Recap Norrie's five-set battle below!
Who will Norrie face next?
None other than defending champion Novak Djokovic, who came through his own five set battle earlier today on Centre Court.
You can read Kate Rowan's match report here.
This year's appearance will mark Murray’s third appearance at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.
|
2022-07-05T21:34:40Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Cameron Norrie sets up Wimbledon showdown with Novak Djokovic after thrilling comeback
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/cameron-norrie-vs-david-goffin-125329382.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/cameron-norrie-vs-david-goffin-125329382.html?src=rss
|
We're just over a week away from the opening of NHL free agency, and there are tonnes of rumors flying around the hockey world. With some superstars set for big paydays in the prime of their careers, and celebrated veterans looking for one last shot at the Cup, the anticipation is building towards July 13.
Here's the latest talk around town.
What's taking so long with Forsberg?
Nashville Predators star forward Filip Forsberg is due for a big raise from the six-year, $36-million deal that is set to expire when NHL free agency opens next week. Forsberg, 27, is coming off a stellar season, registering 42 goals and 42 assists for 84 points, all career-highs. According to The Athletic's Pierre Lebrun, the Predators and their top goalscorer have strong mutual interest in staying together on an eight-year extension, but the two camps seem to be at an impasse on salary demands. LeBrun reports that Forsberg is looking for annual dollar figure in the high eight-million range, while Nashville GM David Poile prefers to settle at about half a million dollars cheaper.
Filip Forsberg could become the biggest fish in the NHL free-agent pond if he doesn't come to agreement on an extension with the Nashville Predators before July 13. (Getty Images)
The longer these negotiations drag on, the more realistic the possibility of Forsberg hitting the open market becomes, where he would be arguably the most coveted free-agent forward available — depending on whether or not Johnny Gaudreau re-signs in Calgary.
Will Giroux settle in Florida?
LeBrun also reported that impending free agent Claude Giroux and the Florida Panthers, who he was traded to ahead of the deadline, have mutual interest in a deal keeping the 34-year-old in the Sunshine State. But because of the Panthers' tight cap situation, an agreement with the veteran forward may be out of reach.
According to LeBrun, the Edmonton Oilers are a team monitoring Giroux, in case they can't keep playoff standout Evander Kane. Another option would be the Ottawa Senators, a city where Giroux has family ties and where he spends his summers. The key to any negotiation with the former Philadelphia Flyers captain is term, as Giroux is likely looking for a multi-year deal, LeBrun reports. Having never won a Stanley Cup, he may also prefer to sign with a team that is currently in contention for a championship.
Kadri is going to get PAID
On Monday's episode of the "Real Kyper and Bourne" podcast, Nick Kypreos said that Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri will be looking for a minimum of $8 million per season on his next deal, but that number could go as high as $10 million. Kadri registered a career-high 87 points last season, and put up 15 points in 16 games in the playoffs en route to a Stanley Cup victory.
While the Avalanche may be priced out of the Kadri sweepstakes, the 31-year-old will have plenty of suitors around the league. Kypreos said that the Seattle Kraken and Boston Bruins would be good fits for Kadri, while also adding that the Arizona Coyotes could be a dark horse in the race to secure his services.
Podcast guest and Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman added that he sees the Washington Capitals as an option as well, considering veteran center Nicklas Backstrom is likely out for the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign after undergoing hip surgery in June.
All quiet on the Campbell front
On the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that "there's nothing going on" between the Toronto Maple Leafs and goaltender Jack Campbell. Friedman also mentioned that the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers are the current frontrunners to secure the 30-year-old's services.
Podcast host Jeff Marek added that Campbell is reportedly looking for, at minimum, a four-year, $20-million deal.
Campbell posted a record of 31-9-6, with a 2.64 goals against average and a .914 save percentage last season with the Leafs.
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. Nintendo Switch consoles gained massive popularity during the first wave of the pandemic, as many of us hunkered down with The Legend of Zelda or virtually moved to a remote island in Animal Crossings: New Horizons. The Japanese company even recently released a third iteration of the Nintendo Switch console — the Nintendo Switch OLED console — which quick
The situation raised fresh concerns over whether Russian players will be willing or able to join NHL teams that draft them this week as the war in Ukraine continues.
|
2022-07-05T21:35:08Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
NHL free-agency rumor roundup: Latest on Forsberg, Giroux, Kadri
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-free-agency-rumour-roundup-forsberg-giroux-kadri-campbell-184105818.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-free-agency-rumour-roundup-forsberg-giroux-kadri-campbell-184105818.html?src=rss
|
Woods isn’t taking any of it for granted – that he could even have a chance to compete again is a miracle in itself – after facing the possibility of having his right leg amputated following his serious one-car accident last February.
“I’ve always been shallow, that to me is how I’ve always played,” he explained. “The problem is now with my body banged up, I can’t keep my weight on my left side. I have to stay back. I have to shift over here. That naturally puts me into a lower ball flight, but I need to be in a spinnier ball, which offsets me. So, I’m able to do it. If I go to a hard ball and I hit the same (shot), the ball is (expletive) outta here.”
Country Living reveal which tea bag brands do and don't have plastic in their tea bags. Luckily, there are a number of plastic-free tea bags.
|
2022-07-05T21:35:20Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Tiger Woods shoots 74 in Ireland, says he’s ready for St. Andrews: ‘I want to be able to give it at least one more run at a high level’
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/tiger-woods-shoots-74-ireland-190401646.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/tiger-woods-shoots-74-ireland-190401646.html?src=rss
|
Warning: What you are about to see is deeply disturbing evidence of just how bad the Detroit Lions pass rush has been lately. It’s a graphic representation of ineptitude that may cause despondent and triggering behavior for some Lions fans.
The Lions’ pass rush, or lack thereof, has been a major issue for several years now. All Lions fans know that. Heck, the players and the team itself acknowledge it. Even so, seeing them atop the graph of the team with the most games since 2019 with less than three sacks from the defense is still disturbing.
No team has more games where the defense failed to record at least three sacks than Detroit. The Lions failed that litmus test in 26 of the 49 regular season games since the start of the 2019 campaign, per NFL Inside Edge.
The Lions posted just five of those 26 last season. Detroit managed 30 sacks in 17 games a year ago, the third-fewest in the league. While that was an improvement over the 24 sacks in the 2020 season, it’s still not nearly enough.
It helps explain why the Lions used the No. 2 overall pick on Aidan Hutchinson and a second-rounder on Josh Paschal, as well as bringing back the one effective pass rusher from last year in Charles Harris. The goal should be for Detroit to notch at least three sacks in 12 of the 17 games to get off ugly graphics like this next offseason.
Lions must lower the opposing QB Rating against the Detroit defense in 2022
|
2022-07-05T23:34:50Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Graphic evidence of the Lions woeful pass rush over the last 3 seasons
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/graphic-evidence-lions-woeful-pass-212150279.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/graphic-evidence-lions-woeful-pass-212150279.html?src=rss
|
The Tennessee Titans will have a difficult schedule to navigate during the 2022 season, and along with it, a tough slate of running backs.
Tennessee’s schedule will feature seven games against teams who made the playoffs in 2021, including the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
In addition to those teams, some of the Titans’ other opponents, like the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, for example, figure to be improved from last season.
As we already mentioned, with a tough slate of games comes a tough slate of running backs. The good news for Tennessee is that the defense thrived against the run in 2021, finishing as the No. 2 unit in the NFL.
If the Titans want a similar result in 2022, they’ll have to keep a lot of good running backs in check. Here are the backs Tennessee will face this coming season, ranked.
14. Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
It isn’t clear who will lead the Texans’ backfield out of the gate, but we fully expect Pierce to assume that role by the time the Texans and Titans meet for the first time in Week 8.
13. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
With James Robinson rehabbing a torn Achilles and uncertain for the start of the season, the job appears to be Etienne’s for now; however, the jury is still out on the second-year pro after he missed all of his rookie season with a Lisfranc injury.
Syndication: Democrat and Chronicle
After a disappointing 2020 season, Singletary was mostly the same in 2021, although he did show flashes near the end of the season. In 2022, Singletary could lose third-down snaps to rookie James Cook, which would limit his production.
11. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
Edwards-Helaire has been an effective rusher and pass-catcher when on the field, but injuries have been an issue, with the LSU product missing 10 contests over his first two seasons.
Jacobs has seen his numbers decline in each of the past two years since his impressive rookie campaign, and that’s even with him playing in more games than he did in 2019. In a contract year, Jacobs will have more competition for touches with Kenyan Drake and rookie Zamir White also in the mix.
9. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
When healthy and getting the rock consistently, Sanders is a big-play threat who can impact a game in multiple ways. However, the key words there are “when healthy,” as Sanders has missed nine games since 2020.
Williams was part of a two-headed attack in Denver last season along with Melvin Gordon, but he still managed to post over 1,200 total yards, 903 of which came on the ground. He should take on a slightly bigger role in 2022, but Gordon is still around to take touches from him.
After playing wide receiver in college, Gibson has transitioned to running back nicely. The Memphis product has tallied over 1,000 total yards in each of his first two seasons, including a career-high 1,331 (1,037 rushing) in 2021.
The Giants have done Barkley no favors with their putrid offensive lines in recent years, but injuries have also derailed the Penn State product. That said, Barkley has the skill set and potential to be one of the league’s best backs when healthy, something he proved over his first two seasons.
Ekeler remains one of the best two-way backs in the NFL thanks to his abilities as a rusher and pass-catcher, but his size isn’t exactly ideal for a workhorse role. Still, if he can stay healthy, another big year is coming.
Jones had his lowest rushing yards total since 2018 in 2021, but he also had to split work with A.J. Dillon and missed a pair of games. When at his best, Jones is capable of ripping off game-changing plays and posting monster production, and he has vastly improved as a pass-catcher.
3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Following a monster start to his career, Elliott has seen his production dip over the past few years. Once thought of as the league’s best back, the potential is there for the versatile Elliott to re-enter the conversation.
Mixon had a career year in 2021, posting personal bests in rushing yards (his 1,205 yards ranked third in the NFL), receiving yards, and touchdowns. Mixon’s production could suffer if he loses third-down work due to poor blocking, but he remains one of the league’s better pure runners.
Taylor ran away with his first rushing crown in 2021, but that’s only because Derrick Henry missed half the season. Some are already calling Taylor the NFL’s best back, but we need to see him post another big year, and do so while outproducing Henry over the course of a full 17-game slate.
Training camp preview: RB
Training camp preview: QB
|
2022-07-05T23:34:57Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Ranking the starting RBs the Titans will face in 2022
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-starting-rbs-titans-face-180034514.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-starting-rbs-titans-face-180034514.html?src=rss
|
Robert Tonyan’s availability for start of season remains uncertain originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
Yasmani Grandal will begin his rehab stint with the Double-A Birmingham Barons starting July 6. Grandal is recovering from a hamstring and lower back injury he sustained on June 11 while running to first base against the Texas Rangers.
Draft picks MarJon Beauchamp, Hugo Besson headline Milwaukee Bucks' summer league roster
In reference to the Highland Park mass shooting which left at least six dead and dozens injured, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D, IL) said the last time she heard such rapid gunfire was in Iraq and “not on American soil.” During a Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, Illinois, a shooter fired a “high-powered rifle” at a large crowd of watchers full of the elderly and children, from the rooftop of one of the buildings, according to police.
“I need a glass of wine for sure,” said Nick Kyrgios, after moving into only the third grand-slam quarter-final of his decade-long career.
|
2022-07-05T23:35:03Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Robert Tonyan’s availability for start of season remains uncertain
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/robert-tonyan-availability-start-season-211949440.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/robert-tonyan-availability-start-season-211949440.html?src=rss
|
Lance, Kinlaw among nine 49ers primed for breakout seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers have several returning players who are set to have a jump in production in 2022. On the latest episode of "49ers Talk," we took a look at the top nine.
Some players on this list have been under the radar, and others just have more to prove as veterans with the club. No matter the reason, each player on this list has the potential to have a breakout or comeback season this fall.
9. DL Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa is already one of the top producers on the defensive line with 19.5 sacks in 2021, and the 49ers would be happy if the Ohio State product had the same production for a second consecutive season. One year further removed from his ACL injury, however, will help the pass rusher be even better prepared.
Bosa might not be under the radar amongst 49ers fans and the NFC West, but he continually is left off of lists of best defensive players, including PFF’s latest Top 5 which included Joey Bosa but not Nick.
8. DL Charles Omenihu
Charles Omenihu could prove to be a value trade for the 49ers in 2022. The pass rusher, who was acquired for a 2023 6th-round pick, turns 25 in August and could have his best football still in front of him.
In his nine games with the club in 2021, Omenihu didn’t record any sacks. But with continued work with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek and playing in one of the deepest defensive line rooms in the league, Omenihu is set for a breakout season. At 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, the former Longhorn could be angling for more playing time.
7. DL Samson Ebukam
Another pass rusher who will benefit from a second season under Kocurek is Samson Ebukam. The sixth-year lineman recorded 4.5 sacks for a third season in a row for the 49ers and like Omenihu, will benefit from playing along a very talented line.
With attention constantly on Bosa, Ebukam could have his best season yet, even if only used on a rotational basis.
6. RT Mike McGlinchey
Prior to a season-ending knee injury in 2021, Mike McGlinchey was playing some of his best football. Utilizing a sports psychologist to help him be as strong mentally as he was physically was paying off.
The right tackle had platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in his knee during multiple offseasons, but finally had a surgical procedure done after an injury in the middle of last season. Now, in a contract year, McGlinchey is ready to prove he has what it takes for a sizable contract when he becomes a free agent in 2023.
5. WR Jauan Jennings
The physical wideout appeared in 16 games recording 24 receptions for 284 yards and five touchdowns in his first season on the field for the 49ers. An injury “red-shirt” 2020 appears to have helped Jennings be an instant contributor and that will continue in 2022.
The Tennessee product will likely be a third down and red zone target for Trey Lance as he was in 2021. Jennings will compete with Ray-Ray McCloud and rookie Danny Gray for the WR3 role, but the young receiver has already caught the attention of Charvarius Ward, who was surprised by the receiver's physicality and aggressive style of play.
4. TE George Kittle
George Kittle has not broken the 1,000 yard mark since his All-Pro season of 2019, and his breakout second season when he recorded 1,377 yards and five touchdowns. While the tight end’s 910 yards and six touchdowns in 2021 are nothing to scoff at, the Iowa product could see a resurgence in his sixth season.
Kittle’s former tight ends coach John Embry helped him develop his “no-holds-barred” aggressive nature on the field. Now, with Brian Fleury as his position coach, Kittle could be getting the best of both worlds and a new perspective on the meticulous details that will lead to even greater success on game day.
3. CB Emmanuel Moseley
Emmanuel Moseley is entering his fifth season with the 49ers set to compete for the starting cornerback spot opposite Charvarius Ward. Healthy and armed with experience, the Tennessee product will have to win the spot over Ambry Thomas and Jason Verrett.
Having started 28 games over four seasons, Moseley is the odds-on favorite for the spot and will have the challenge of being targeted more often than not. With that in mind, the veteran defensive back will have the opportunity to record a personal best in takeaways which is a focus of the defense in 2022. Moseley has recorded one interception in each of his last three seasons.
RELATED: Seven under-the-radar impact players for 49ers in 2022
2. DT Javon Kinlaw
The hulking defensive lineman has only appeared in 18 games since the club drafted him as the 14th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Now, after Kinlaw underwent a successful second procedure on his knee, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan report that he is happier and healthier than ever.
Armed with an incredible group of position mates, Kinlaw needs only stay healthy to have a breakout season after remaining in Santa Clara and dedicating his life to his football future. There's no reason the South Carolina product’s sack total won't be well above his 1.5 career high.
1. QB Trey Lance
The second-year quarterback is set up for success with one of the league’s most experienced and talented group of skill players at his disposal. After appearing in six games during his rookie campaign, Lance is likely to have ups and downs in his first true season as QB1 -- but expect much more good than bad.
Workout sessions with his wideouts away from the facility, taking all of the first-team reps during OTAs and another season in Shanahan’s offense will prove to be invaluable for Lance’s production, which was already notable in 2021.
In three games where the young play-caller made at least 15 pass attempts, Lance had a passer rating of at least 115.0 in two of them.
In comparison to other rookies, Mac Jones started under center for the New England Patriots in all 17 games and only had a passer rating of 115.0 or higher four times. In 12 games, Houston Texans QB Davis Mills hit the mark three times. Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence, Chicago Bears' Justin Fields and New York Jets' Zach Wilson did not hit the benchmark once.
|
2022-07-05T23:35:09Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Trey Lance, Javon Kinlaw among nine 49ers set for breakout seasons
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/trey-lance-javon-kinlaw-among-220053103.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/trey-lance-javon-kinlaw-among-220053103.html?src=rss
|
In the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles made a rare move, trading with a division rival to jump ahead of another one.
Philly moved up two spots from No. 12 overall, swapping with the Dallas Cowboys, and leap-frogging the New York Giants.
Their target? Alabama wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner, DeVonta Smith.
On a team desperate for a true No. 1 target to emerge for Jalen Hurts, Smith quickly proved that his historic 2020 campaign for the Crimson Tide was anything but a flash in the pan. Smith tallied nearly 1,000 yards and five touchdowns through the air, showing off the polish, explosiveness, and route-running ability that made him nearly uncoverable in college.
Relive Smith’s impressive rookie season with this highlight reel:
|
2022-07-05T23:35:16Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
WATCH: Top plays from DeVonta Smith’s rookie season
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-top-plays-devonta-smith-223612659.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-top-plays-devonta-smith-223612659.html?src=rss
|
Coca-Cola and Joe Gibbs Racing revealed Tuesday that Denny Hamlin will drive a classic, red-and-white No. 11 Toyota featuring the soft-drink brand in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
RELATED: Atlanta weekend schedule | Cup Series standings
The design — billed as Hamlin’s first with primary sponsorship from Coca-Cola — will hit the track for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM).
Hamlin has one career win (2012) and one pole (2010) at the Hampton, Ga., track, which was reconfigured and repaved ahead of this year’s racing events there. Coca-Cola is headquartered in nearby Atlanta.
Hamlin is among four active Cup Series drivers in the Coca-Cola Racing family, along with Austin Dillon, Joey Logano and Daniel Suárez. Hamlin’s most recent Cup Series win came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
Thomas' family released the findings of a Boston University CTE Center study where the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was diagnosed with stage 2 CTE.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has turned into a pressure cooker with five spots left up for grabs in the NASCAR Playoffs and just two races left for drivers to win their way into the postseason. And with five spots remaining and only two races to go, that means at least three spots this […]
|
2022-07-05T23:44:16Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota to sport Coca-Cola paint scheme at Atlanta
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/denny-hamlins-no-11-toyota-115348929.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/denny-hamlins-no-11-toyota-115348929.html?src=rss
|
Iowa landed a huge recruiting win by earning a commitment from five-star, in-state offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor out of Southeast Polk High School in Des Moines.
The Hawkeyes held off Alabama in Proctor’s final two and also won out over schools such as Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
In the process, the 6-foot-7, 330 pound tackle becomes Iowa’s highest all-time commit in the 247Sports composite rankings. The commitment from Proctor also continues a recent uptick in the Hawkeyes’ recruiting over the past several classes.
A look at Iowa’s top 25 all-time commits according to the 247Sports composite rankings illustrates that point. Four of the Hawkeyes’ top 25 commits since the year 2000 are from either the 2022, 2023 or 2024 classes.
In addition to Proctor, who joins him on Iowa’s top 25 all-time commits list per the 247Sports composite rankings since the year 2000? Let’s take a look below.
Greg Garmon, RB - McDowell (Erie, Pa.)
Recruiting class: 2012
247Sports composite ranking:
Four-star recruit / No. 180 player nationally / No. 15 ATH
How it played out at Iowa:
Greg Garmon was only in Iowa City for one season, rushing 38 times for 122 yards and pulling in eight grabs for 57 yards. The four-star recruit opted to transfer after his lone season and wound up at Butte College, a JUCO in California. He didn’t play there and his story took a sad turn when he was arrested for attempted robbery in the summer of 2014.
Jordan Walsh, OG - Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.)
Four-star recruit / No. 141 player nationally / No. 5 offensive guard
Jordan Walsh broke into the Hawkeyes’ starting lineup as a sophomore in 2013, starting all 13 games at right guard. The four-year letterman started 37 of the 46 games in which he played over the course of his Iowa career. Walsh earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition as a senior by the Big Ten’s coaches, the Associated Press and Phil Steele.
He was also named a third-team All-America honors by Athlon Sports. Now, he’s entering his second year as a graduate assistant coach for Iowa where he assists with the Hawkeyes’ offense.
Rodney Coe, RB - Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.)
Four-star recruit / No. 138 player nationally / No. 10 running back
Very simply, it didn’t. After committing to the Hawkeyes, Rodney Coe ended up going to Iowa Western Community College where he was converted into a defensive lineman. After several years there, he committed to Iowa State where he started the last four games of the 2013 season and registered 36 tackles and five for loss.
He was dismissed from the Cyclones in the spring of 2014 for a violation of team rules, sat out a year and ended his college career at Akron. After that, he found a home as an undrafted free agent with five different NFL teams over the course of the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
David Davidkov, OT - New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.)
Four-star recruit / No. 152 player nationally / No. 17 offensive tackle
David Davidkov’s career is still getting going with the Hawkeyes. He sat out and redshirted last season as he dealt with injuries. The redshirt freshman is currently listed as the backup left tackle behind Mason Richman. The 6-foot-6, 286 pound offensive tackle could play a part in Iowa’s 2022 season or the very near future.
Mike Jones, OT - Richards High School (Oak Lawn, Ill.)
Four-star recruit / No. 103 player nationally / No. 7 offensive tackle
Mike Jones started 43 games for the Hawkeyes and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in the 2006 season. He signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2007.
Rafael Eubanks, OG - Cretin-Derham Hall (Saint Paul, Minn.)
Rafael Eubanks began his Iowa career at center before some work at both left and right guard. In his final season, he returned to center where he started all 13 games and earned second-team All-Big Ten status by the league’s coaches and Phil Steele.
Christian Ballard, DE - Lawrence Free State (Lawrence, Kan.)
Four-star recruit / No. 106 player nationally / No. 9 strong side defensive end
Christian Ballard started 39 straight games over his final three seasons with the Hawkeyes at either defensive tackle or defensive end. Ballard earned third-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele in 2009 and honorable mention All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches and media in 2010. He finished with 152 career tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
Keenan Davis, WR - George Washington (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Four-star recruit / No. 117 player nationally / No. 15 wide receiver
Keenan Davis started at wide receiver in all 24 of the games he played in each of his final two seasons in Iowa City, finishing with 112 receptions, 1,470 receiving yards and seven touchdown grabs over the course of his Hawkeye career.
Cody Fox, IOL - East Buchanan (Winthrop, Iowa)
Four-star recruit / No. 102 player nationally / No. 3 interior offensive lineman
Cody Fox is just embarking on the upperclassmen stage of his high school career at East Buchanan High School in Winthrop, Iowa. The in-state commit has Hawkeye fans feeling great about what the 2024 recruiting class could ultimately wind up being.
Aaron Graves, DL - Southeast Valley (Gowrie, Iowa)
Four-star recruit / No. 128 player nationally / No. 18 defensive lineman
Aaron Graves just arrived in Iowa City as part of the 2022 signing class. The Southeast Valley product will have the benefit of learning and growing behind one of the Hawkeyes’ deepest position groups in 2022.
Kalvin Bailey, FB - Armwood (Seffner, Fla.)
Byron Hetzler-USA TODAY Sports
Four-star recruit / No. 93 player nationally / No. 1 fullback
Unfortunately for Kalvin Bailey, his time in Iowa City would fall under the “bust” category. He spent one season in Iowa City registering zero statistics before being ruled academically ineligible.
Jake Christensen, QB - Lockport Township (Lockport, Ill.)
Photo By Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Four-star recruit / No. 86 player nationally / No. 2 dual-threat quarterback
Jake Christensen started 15 games and won eight from the 2006 through 2008 seasons before being replaced by Ricky Stanzi. He ended his Iowa career with 2,950 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns against nine interceptions. Christensen finished up his college career at Eastern Illinois.
C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE - Johnsburg (McHenry, Ill.)
Four-star recruit / No. 64 player nationally / No. 4 tight end
C.J. Fiedorowicz made 29 starts while with the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning first-team All-Big Ten status in 2013 from the league’s coaches and Athlon Sports. He finished with 91 receptions for 899 yards and 10 touchdowns over the course of his Hawkeye career.
Bryan Bulaga, OT - Marian Central Catholic (Woodstock, Ill.)
Four-star recruit / No. 64 player nationally / No. 8 offensive tackle
Iowa fans are well-versed in Bryan Bulaga’s time in Iowa City. Bulaga wound up as a first-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 NFL draft. Manning the left tackle spot, Bulaga garnered first-team All-America status by Sporting News following the 2009 season and was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Jermelle Lewis, RB - Bloomfield (Bloomfield, Conn.)
Four-star recruit / No. 72 player nationally / No. 7 running back
Injuries really derailed what could have been a promising career with the Hawkeyes. Jermelle Lewis played in just 10 games over his final two years with Iowa as he dealt with ACL injuries. The high point for Lewis was the 2002 season where he rushed for 709 yards and eight touchdowns on 123 carries.
Xavier Nwankpa, S - Southeast Polk (Des Moines, Iowa)
Four-star recruit / No. 53 player nationally / No. 5 safety
Xavier Nwankpa is already turning heads with his performance throughout the spring as an early enrollee. While he isn’t currently listed atop the depth chart, it probably won’t be long before Nwankpa is making his presence felt on Saturdays.
Jeremiha Hunter, OLB - Harrisburg (Harrisburg, Pa.)
Matthew Holst / Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Four-star recruit / No. 50 player nationally / No. 2 outside linebacker
Jeremiha Hunter had a very productive career at Iowa, registering 269 total tackles, 10 pass breakups, nine tackles for loss and three interceptions. He started 23 games over his final two seasons in Iowa City and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the league’s coaches in 2010.
Dace Richardson, OT - Wheaton Warrenville South (Wheaton, Ill.)
Five-star recruit / No. 36 player nationally / No. 5 offensive tackle
Dace Richardson battled the injury bug throughout his Hawkeye career. After dealing with recurring knee ailments, Richardson had started every game and played three different positions along Iowa’s offensive line in the 2009 season. Then, against Michigan State, he broke a bone in his lower left leg and was sidelined until the team’s bowl game against Georgia Tech. He returned to action in that 24-14 Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech and earned first-team All-Big Ten status by the league’s coaches in 2009.
Dan Doering, OT - Barrington (Barrington, Ill.)
It never fully materialized for Dan Doering at Iowa after arriving as a five-star recruit in the 2005 class. However, he did see action in 19 games and made six starts over the course of his Hawkeye career. Doering was invited to try out with the Seattle Seahawks after being undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft.
Matt Roth, OLB - Willowbrook (Villa Park, Ill.)
Five-star recruit / No. 36 player nationally / No. 3 outside linebacker
Matt Roth turned into a team captain and was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection after moving to defensive end for the Hawkeyes in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He also garnered second-team All-American status in 2004 from the Associated Press. Roth finished his Iowa career with 30 sacks, which ranks third all-time.
Blake Larsen, OT - Atlantic (Atlantic, Iowa)
Blake Larsen arrived as a five-star, in-state talent that looked the part at 6-foot-7, 299 pounds. It was a big early recruiting win for Kirk Ferentz. Unfortunately, injuries played a role in Larsen’s Hawkeye career not reaching the lofty expectations he entered Iowa City with and he decided to walk away from the program after his junior season.
Anthony Moeaki, TE - Wheaton Warrenville South (Wheaton, Ill.)
Five-star recruit / No. 30 player nationally / No. 2 tight end
Tony Moeaki earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2009 and finished his Hawkeye career with 76 grabs for 953 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2009, Moeaki reeled in 30 receptions for 387 yards and four scores.
A.J. Epenesa, DE - Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.)
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register, Des Moines Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Five-star recruit / No. 27 player nationally / No. 1 strong side defensive end
A.J. Epenesa earned first-team All-Big Ten status in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons and was a first-team All-American by The Athletic in 2019. Epenesa finished his Iowa career with 101 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks.
Kyle Williams, OLB - Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.)
Kyle Williams never played a down for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Instead, after signing with Iowa in the spring of 2004, Williams initially failed to get the required ACT score to play college football. He eventually scored a 19 on his ACT in September of 2004 and then signed to play at Purdue where he appeared in eight games and recorded 29 tackles in the 2005 season. His life took a turn for the worse when he was involved in a series of grisly crimes that began in October of 2005.
Kadyn Proctor, OT - Southeast Polk (Des Moines, Iowa)
Reese Strickland/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Kadyn Proctor electrified the Iowa fan base when he made his commitment to the Hawkeyes official. The 6-foot-7, 330 pound offensive tackle headlines the Hawkeyes’ 2023 recruiting class. As is the case with any five-star recruit, the expectations are sky high for what Proctor can help build in Iowa City.
|
2022-07-06T00:37:41Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
How it played out with the Hawkeyes: Top 25 all-time Iowa football recruits per 247Sports
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/played-hawkeyes-top-25-time-234519850.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/played-hawkeyes-top-25-time-234519850.html?src=rss
|
“Free agency is finally coming to golf,” Greg Norman proclaimed at the debut of LIV Golf last month.
“I feel so happy for the fact that we’ve brought free agency to the game of golf,” he said on another occasion.
To hear Pat Perez, one of the LIV signees, tell it, he’s been rescued from being an indentured servant with the PGA Tour – albeit one who earned more than $28 million during his career.
“I missed my son’s birth last year. August 18, I get a call my wife’s going into labor. I’m in Jersey. I’m getting ready to start the FedEx playoffs. I’m 116 on the list. I can’t leave. I can’t miss it. I can’t get back. I can’t get there and back without spending 150 grand on a private flight. I’m not doing that. So I had to suck on it and I had to miss my son’s birth,” Perez said. “And, you know, fortunately, I made the cut and I moved up my status by playing all right, but it still sucked.”
Only thing is Perez didn’t actually have to miss the birth of his son. He chose to play the Northern Trust. He already had wrapped up his Tour card for the next season by finishing in the top 125. If he wanted to qualify for the BMW Championship the following week (top 70) or Tour Championship (top 30), he would have needed to continue on because he hadn’t played well enough that season to guarantee his spot. Tour veteran Billy Horschel took exception to what Perez had to say.
“PGA Tour says 15 events minimum, all you have to do is play 15 events and you keep your card in those 15 events then that’s fine. If you want to play better or you want to play more so you get a chance to win the FedExCup, so be it. So be it. No one has made you play that first Playoff event to go miss family obligations. No one has,” Horschel said. “Yes, we are independent contractors; we do sign a contract with the PGA Tour to meet certain requirements of the PGA Tour. But we have the opportunity to make our schedule.”
Horschel noted that by the time he played this week at the Genesis Scottish Open and the British Open next week, he will have been gone for five consecutive weeks from his family.
“I made that decision to not see my wife and kids for five weeks. Am I crying about it? No,” he said. “I understand. I’m living my dream trying to play golf professionally and support my family financially.”
Here’s the thing: Perez was an independent contractor; now he’s an employee. This is not an employer you want to piss off. He’s signed a contract to play in all eight LIV Golf events. Next year, that number has been announced to increase to 14. Has Norman really achieved this 30-plus-year-old dream of his?
The PGA Tour and the Europe-based DP World Tour both declined requests from members for releases to compete in LIV events and have since punished players who have violated its tour regulations. In one of the rich ironies, the same players who have said they want to play less have gone to court so they can play more on the DP World Tour. (By the way, I love the nickname for them – ‘The Sour 16.’)
“We want to coexist” with “all the current ecosystems within the game of golf, and we want to do that with the PGA Tour,” Norman told Fox News last month. How exactly would that look in his fantasy world? “I would say support the players … and give their members the opportunity to have other places to go,” he said. “They’re independent contractors. They have every right to do that.”
2022 JP McManus Pro-Am
Graeme McDowell watches his drive at the 10th tee during the 2022 JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland. (Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Except Norman’s circuit prevented Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell from playing in the Horizon Irish Open. Apparently, this notion of his doesn’t work both ways.
The circumstances of Graeme McDowell, who signed with LIV Golf, indicate that Norman isn’t allowing players to freely go and play elsewhere. McDowell, who had agreed to play the Horizon Irish Open, a tournament he had played the past 20 years anyway, in order to get a waiver to compete in the Saudi International in February. But he reneged on the deal because it conflicted with last week’s LIV event in Portland.
“I tried to be fair and I tried to be open with them and put all my cards on the table. Of course, I was very disappointed that the second event fell against the Irish Open. I would have loved to have been there last week,” McDowell told the Irish Independent. “The only thing I can say is I have to be all-in. I’m 43 and 380th in the world. My value to these guys is only so much. I have to try to commit the best I can to the LIV Tour, and that meant not obviously being able to play last week.”
He added: “Listen, I’d love to be back at the Irish Open next year and like I say I can only apologize to the Irish golf fans that I wasn’t there last week. And like I say, unfortunately, I had pretty good reasons for it regards what I have to commit to with the LIV Tour. I have to be all-in with those events. I can’t just dip my toe in.”
And here’s the rub. The same guys who have complained about how hard they had it on the PGA Tour no longer have the luxury of picking their schedule. They have been bought and paid for quite handsomely, and now have to show up when and where they are told (here’s hoping none of the wives of American players go into labor during the two-week swing to Bangkok and Jeddah).
Had McDowell still been an independent contractor, do you think he would’ve missed his homeland’s national open? When he was growing up, do you think he dreamed of winning the Irish Open or a 54-hole shotgun start in Portland?
Free agency in golf – before long it may have some players wanting to fire their agents Freddie Freeman style.
|
2022-07-06T02:05:13Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Schupak: ‘Free agency’ in golf is not everything Greg Norman dreamed it would be
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/schupak-free-agency-golf-not-215743200.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/schupak-free-agency-golf-not-215743200.html?src=rss
|
It was a big week for Mack Brown and the UNC football program, landing a handful of recruits and boosting their 2023 class to inside the Top 20. And the program may not be done yet, either.
With a long way to go in the recruiting cycle, UNC has a chance to add even more talent to the class.
One prospect they have their eyes on is four-star defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett out of Greensboro. Jarrett is set to make his decision on July 19th and many think it’s between UNC and Georgia to land him. But one recent UNC commit is ready to start recruiting him to join the Chapel Hill class.
Four-star receiver Chris Culliver committed on Monday and is hoping to bring Jarrett to the class as evident by this tweet:
@JamaalJarrett 🐏🐏
The 6-foot-6, 350-pound Jarrett is ranked No. 176 overall, the No. 26 defensive lineman and No. 3 player in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports recruiting rankings. However, looking at his crystal ball, it does appear as if Georgia has the lead.
UNC will have to make up some ground in a hurry.
A Fourth of July parade in one Burke County community is so big that more people come out to celebrate it than there are people who live in the town where it is held.
|
2022-07-06T02:32:46Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
UNC wide receiver commit already recruiting top 2023 target
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/unc-wide-receiver-commit-already-002924537.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/unc-wide-receiver-commit-already-002924537.html?src=rss
|
Emily Engstler with a 3-pointer vs. Seattle Storm
Emily Engstler (Indiana Fever) with a 3-pointer vs. Seattle Storm, 07/05/2022
Serbian forward Nikola Jovic scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help the Miami Heat beat the Golden State Warriors 94-70 on Day 3 of the California Classic on Tuesday. Jovic, the No. 27 overall pick, was 5 of 7 from 3-point range and shot 9 of 16 overall. Six of his rebounds were on the offensive end, helping the Heat to a 47-23 edge on the glass.
|
2022-07-06T02:54:58Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Emily Engstler with a 3-pointer vs. Seattle Storm
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/emily-engstler-3-pointer-vs-005812077.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/emily-engstler-3-pointer-vs-005812077.html?src=rss
|
President Joe Biden has read the letter that WNBA star Brittney Griner wrote him from Russia, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed on Tuesday.
It’s unclear how Biden reacted, however, and Griner’s wife, Cherelle, said she has still not heard from the president.
"The president did read the letter," Jean-Pierre said. "I was there when he read the letter ... This is an issue that is a priority for this president."
Griner sent a handwritten letter to Biden on Monday asking for her release from Russia, where she’s been detained since February 17.
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote, in part.
Griner is currently in the midst of a trial in Russia after officials claim they found vape cartridges with hashish oil in them in her luggage at a Moscow airport earlier this year. The United States has classified her as a wrongfully detained citizen.
Calls for Griner’s release have grown significantly in recent weeks, especially after the U.S. state department botched a scheduled phone call between Cherelle and Griner.
Cherelle has since been in contact with Griner.
“She’s like, ‘I’m okay, babe. I’m hardened. I’m not me right now. When I come home, it’s going to take a minute to get back to myself, but I’m holding on,'” Cherelle said on Al Sharpton’s 'Keepin’ It Real.'
“‘I won’t break until I come home. I won’t let them break me. I know they are trying to, but I’m going to do my best to just hold on until I can come home.'”
Griner’s trial is set to resume on Thursday. She is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Though Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that they are “going to use every tool we possibly can to” bring Griner home, Cherelle said she still has not spoken with Biden about her wife — which she said Tuesday was “very disheartening.”
"Initially I was told, you know, we are going to try to reserve, we're going to try to handle this behind scenes and let's not raise her value and you know stay quiet. You know, I did that and respectfully, we're over 140 days at this point. That does not work," Cherelle said Tuesday, via CBS. "So I will not be quiet anymore. I will find that balance of, you know, harm versus help in pushing our government to do everything that's possible because being quiet, they're not moving, they're not doing anything. So my wife is struggling, and we have to help her."
Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle, still has not heard from the president, which she said was "very disheartening." (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP)
|
2022-07-06T02:56:01Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
White House said Joe Biden has read Brittney Griner's letter
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/white-house-said-joe-biden-has-read-brittney-griner-letter-001050199.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/white-house-said-joe-biden-has-read-brittney-griner-letter-001050199.html?src=rss
|
While there are some kinks to iron out with starting jobs and whether defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans might deploy a third safety, it’s not a chore to discern which players from the offseason roster are looking at spots on the 53-man come September.
Let’s run through what that group will look like in the preseason and check for potential surprises:
Ward is a terrific player who does all the little things that make a free safety effective. His range and sure tackling have always stood out, as has his versatility to play up high, in the box and in the slot. Now he’s starting to generate turnovers after struggling in that area for the first six years of his career. Even if he’s not forcing fumbles and pulling down INTs though, Ward is a tremendous player in the back end of the 49ers’ defense.
The strong safety spot is where there’s some intrigue in the 49ers’ secondary. Moore, a natural free safety, was the frontrunner to earn the SS job after bulking up last offseason. A torn Achilles in the offseason program derailed his 2021 campaign before it could begin though and he wound up missing the year. Now he’s back in action and figures to be in the starting mix again. Former strong safety Jaquiski Tartt was a good athlete with versatility to play multiple spots. Moore figures to provide that versatility as well which may give him the edge in the starting race come Week 1.
While Moore may be the ‘frontrunner’ going into camp, Hufanga is more than capable of emerging as the starting strong safety for San Francisco. He nearly won the job out of camp last year after battling with Tartt. Hufanga wound up playing 399 defensive snaps per PFF, and had mixed results. He did break up two passes and only missed three tackles, but he allowed 11 completions on 17 passes thrown his way with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Those coverage numbers will have to improve if he’s going to see regular action in 2022. Even if Moore wins the starting job, Hufanga is a good enough player to work in as a third safety when Ryans wants to throw a wrinkle at the opposing offense.
Odum may also get in the mix at strong safety, but the 49ers added him because of his special teams chops. He was a First-Team All-Pro on special teams in 2020. In his four years with Indianapolis, Odum played more than 1,300 special teams snaps per Pro Football Reference. He did play nearly 1,000 defensive snaps, but his career-high came last year when he logged 471 snaps on that side of the ball. He’s certainly a capable defender, though the 49ers would probably like his main contributions to come on their struggling special teams unit.
The Texas A&M product had a pre-draft visit with the 49ers before signing as an undrafted free agent. If there was a player who is going to somehow shake up the safety group, he’s probably it. However, he’s more likely headed to the practice squad if he acquits himself well in training camp and the preseason. In four years with the Aggies he posted 161 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, six interceptions and 12 pass breakups in 40 games.
Hawkins is another UDFA who played his college ball at San Diego State. He had his best year as a redshirt-senior when he posted 62 tackles, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He’s another player who could find his way onto the practice squad if he puts together a strong preseason campaign.
|
2022-07-06T03:10:42Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
49ers offseason roster: Safety group seems set ahead of camp
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-offseason-roster-safety-group-021852500.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-offseason-roster-safety-group-021852500.html?src=rss
|
Jan. 1, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana; Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) warms up prior to the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Jan. 11, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) catches a touchdown pass against Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Brian Branch (14) in the third quarter in the 2021 College Football Playoff national championship at Hard Rock Stadium. Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
|
2022-07-06T04:25:23Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
With conference realignment at the forefront, who are the most valuable college football programs?
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/conference-realignment-forefront-most-valuable-140032000.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/conference-realignment-forefront-most-valuable-140032000.html?src=rss
|
Riley Greene drove in two runs and Eric Haase capped the Tigers' 5-3 win over the Guardians with a solo home run in Game 2 of the twin bill
The Absolute Best New Sunscreens That You’ll Actually Want to Wear Every Day — Starting at $10
It's exactly what you need for summer.
He spent the 2021-22 NHL season as the Rangers' hockey operations advisor.
When loud fireworks are going off, pet owners should keep their animals home and indoors to prevent them from escaping, shelter officials said.
|
2022-07-06T04:34:05Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Detroit Red Wings' Steve Yzerman: Ukraine war adds uncertainty about drafting Russians
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-red-wings-steve-yzerman-211533824.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-red-wings-steve-yzerman-211533824.html?src=rss
|
USC and UCLA are gone from the Pac-12 come 2024. There’s not much conference commissioner George Kilavkoff can do about that now. He and his 10 remaining schools are now fighting for their lives.
We previously checked out the Buffs’ potential opportunities, but it’s becoming clear that the Pac-12 will have to beg for a savior unless it wants a Mountain West merger. The Big 12 is likely the best choice for most of the remaining Pac-12 schools — with the exception of potential Big Ten fits Oregon and (maybe) Washington — and Colorado’s former conference also enjoys the freedoms that come with having the upper hand.
Some of the possible scenarios for a Pac-12-Big 12 merger were examined by Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. First of all, though, Dodd believes that not much will happen until the independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish make a move. But after that happens, Dodd and his industry source laid out the following option, which has the Big 12 poaching from the Pac-12 (h/t CBS Sports):
Next, Dodd put together a “mutual destruction” plan that features a 16-team, two-division conference. In the West, he has the Pac-12’s Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, Utah and Washington. The East Division would then basically be a smaller Big 12: Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech and UCF.
Colorado football state of the position: Offensive Tackle
Advocates for some of the biggest technology companies are scrambling to stop key legislation from moving before it’s too late. We’ll also look at growth in green jobs and deeper concerns among Americans about how Washington, D.C., is affecting the economy. But first, check your ice cream for listeria. Welcome to On The Money, your nightly…
Lobbying both for and against legislation to crack down on U.S. tech giants is intensifying as the Senate enters a critical month for the antitrust bills. All eyes are on Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who will need to decide whether to prioritize measures to regulate Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta over other key…
|
2022-07-06T05:11:07Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Looking at potential options for a Pac-12-Big 12 merger
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-potential-options-pac-12-114154479.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-potential-options-pac-12-114154479.html?src=rss
|
It says a lot about Novak Djokovic that a two-sets-to-none hole at Wimbledon on a day he was hardly at his best never seemed insurmountable. Djokovic spotted 10th-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy the huge lead Tuesday, then worked his way back to win 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 at Centre Court, earning an 11th semifinal berth at Wimbledon with his 26th consecutive victory at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. “I always believed,” said Djokovic, who faces ninth-seeded Cam Norrie of Britain next, “that I could turn the match around.”
|
2022-07-06T05:23:09Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Rivals must gang up on Pogacar, says Tour de France legend Hinault
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/rivals-must-gang-pogacar-says-015354177.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/rivals-must-gang-pogacar-says-015354177.html?src=rss
|
The 49ers may not have put together a particularly splashy offseason, but they could see some improvement on their roster by way of first-time Pro Bowl berths.
San Francisco had a slew of players head to Orlando for the NFL’s All-Star game last season. Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle and Nick Bosa were all named to the initial roster. Left guard Laken Tomlinson eventually made it in as well.
While last year’s Pro Bowlers could certainly go again this season, there are seven players on this year’s roster that stand out as candidates to go to a Pro Bowl for the first time in 2022:
Armstead finished the 2021 season playing the best football of his career. He racked up 39 of his 54 pressures from Week 13 through the NFC championship game. In that same span he notched 8.0 of his 10.0 sacks. Armstead has always been a more effective pass rusher from the interior and this year he’ll get more chances to do so alongside an edge group that might be the best the 49ers have had over the last five years.
2021 was a weird year for Aiyuk. Despite a rocky start that led some to wonder if he was going down the Dante Pettis career path, Aiyuk finished the year very strong. If we extrapolate his final 11 games out over a full season, he was on pace for 73 catches, 1,128 yards and six touchdowns. Perhaps the 49ers’ rushing offense takes center stage this season and receiving numbers are deflated some. There’s also a chance Aiyuk and Trey Lance have good chemistry though and the former first-round pick soars into a Pro Bowl berth.
A couple things need to happen for Al-Shaair to get into the Pro Bowl conversation. First, he has to play enough. Health and his role could keep him off the field too much to get a nod to the NFL’s All-Star game. Second, he has to make some improvements in coverage and with his missed tackles. If Al-Shaair emerges as an effective pass defender in the middle of the field, earns the starting Will LB job and continuing to rack up tackles at the rate he did last season (102 in 13 games), he’ll be hard to ignore for Pro Bowl voters.
Greenlaw is in a similar spot to Al-Shaair. He has to be healthy and grab the starting WLB job out of camp. From there it’s about posting the box score stats like tackles, forced fumbles and interceptions that help him stand out. Playing alongside Fred Warner will help too since there are always eyes on No. 54. There’s room for another playmaking linebacker to enter the national conversation in San Francisco.
Mitchell is in an interesting spot. He’s coming off an impressive rookie campaign where he piled up 963 rushing yards in 11 games. He missed action in three separate stints last year and still managed to put together an outstanding first-year campaign. Health is key No. 1 to his Pro Bowl path, but key No. 2 is volume. He has to get touches and be looked at as the team’s lead back. There are a ton of options to cut into his carries, and the 49ers may want to limit his workload to keep him healthier. Trey Sermon, Ty Davis-Price and Jeff Wilson Jr. are all options who could wind up splitting time with Mitchell. If he’s healthy and stays in the 18-20 carries per game range though, Mitchell could have a monster year that lands him in the Pro Bowl.
In the world where Lance hits the ground running and very rapidly fulfills the mountain of promise that came with him to the Bay Area from North Dakota State, then he would certainly be a Pro Bowler. Given the number of players that skip the game, he may not even need to be particularly great to go. If he’s just good and the 49ers are playoff-bound we could see Lance land in a Pro Bowl during his first year as a starter.
|
2022-07-06T08:14:57Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
7 49ers who could make 1st Pro Bowl in 2022
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/7-49ers-could-1st-pro-180033092.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/7-49ers-could-1st-pro-180033092.html?src=rss
|
Here is what they had to say about the addition of Wallace:
Wallace was an under-the-radar signing from Buffalo, where he turned in a strong 2021 season and allowed the Bills to survive the loss of Tre’Davious White to injury. Wallace was sixth in the NFL in yards per pass allowed, was 21st in coverage success rate and was a strong run defender as well. His numbers in a vacuum indicate an elite corner — so why was he available in free agency for two years and $8 million?
I’m not sure I’m ready to call Wallace the team’s best cornerback as they did but he should integrate fine into the defense. In terms of truly underrated players, it’s hard to get past cornerback Cameron Sutton.
Sutton is the guy in the secondary with the most scheme versatility and experience in the system. Yet everyone is just writing him off for a starting job. However, Sutton’s ability to play in the slot as well as safety gives him a role on the defense but further illustrates how underrated he is.
Who is your most underrated player on the Steelers roster? Let us know in the comments below.
|
2022-07-06T08:23:26Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
NFL analyst calls CB Levi Wallace the Steelers most underrated player
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-analyst-calls-cb-levi-190300917.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-analyst-calls-cb-levi-190300917.html?src=rss
|
Eagles 2022 season: James Bradberry on list of most important players
Late free agent signing lands on list of most important Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
For the second straight year, the Eagles waited to add their CB2 and for the second straight year, things worked out. This year, it worked out even better.
That’s not to say that Steve Nelson was bad last year. He wasn’t. Nelson was solid in his one season with the Eagles. But James Bradberry is a pretty clear upgrade and his addition to Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox gives the Eagles one of the best cornerback trios in the NFL.
Bradberry, 28, made the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Giants in 2020. While he didn’t play up to that level in 2021, he was still pretty good. In 2021, he played in all 17 games, had a career-high 4 interceptions, 47 tackles and 17 passes defensed.
https://twitter.com/dzangaronbcs/status/1526937195398823937
Having a legitimate No. 2 cornerback is important for this Eagles’ defense. Not only does it prevent teams from avoiding Slay on every play, but it also ensures that Maddox will continue to play in the slot, where he has been great.
After he signed with the Eagles, Bradberry pointed at scheme as a big reason why. During his career, Bradberry has excelled in zone coverage and the Eagles used a ton of zone during Jonathan Gannon’s first year as defensive coordinator.
“One of the things I love about him is the high football intelligence,” Gannon said. “He has a high football IQ and production, and he can cover. He can cover. That's what you want. You want people that can deny the football, and he can do that.”
The Giants held on to Bradberry through the initial waves of free agency and finally released him on May 9 after they couldn’t find any trade takers. The Giants released him for the cap room. Bradberry wasn’t thrilled about the timing of his release — after most teams had spent their free agency money — but understands the business side of things.
Bradberry had to settle for a one-year deal worth $7.25 million (another $2.5M available in incentives) with the Eagles. This is a chance for Bradberry to go to a team that will play to his strengths and put him on a path to another big contract after the season.
“I think, the sky’s the limit for me and Bradberry, man,” Slay said to SiriusXM this spring. “I’m here to help him. He’s here to help me. We both complement each other. We’re trying to really turn something into something great here.”
If Bradberry plays very well in 2022, it might be hard for the Eagles to hold on to him. But this is a team that wants to contend this season and Bradberry will definitely help.
|
2022-07-06T11:35:48Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Eagles 2022 season: James Bradberry on list of most important players
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-2022-season-james-bradberry-110000227.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-2022-season-james-bradberry-110000227.html?src=rss
|
The Minnesota Vikings haven't been bad. They aren't boring either; any team with Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson will be fun to watch.
They've just been stuck. Something had to change.
Whether Kevin O'Connell will be a better coach than Mike Zimmer, who was fired after last season, is debatable. Zimmer was 72-56-1 with the Vikings, which isn't bad.
“The guy was well over .500 there," former NFL coach Bill Parcells told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press when Zimmer was fired. "I might take the under on the next guy.”
O'Connell is 37 years old, with a resume highlighted by just three seasons as an offensive coordinator. He has just one partial and mostly unsuccessful season as a primary play-caller. No matter if O'Connell ends up being an upgrade, it was time for a shakeup in Minnesota, at least at the top.
Change for the sake of change isn't always the right thing, but the Vikings had to feel like there was no other choice. They had to do something, even if it wasn't a clean sweep of the organization. The roster is mostly the same as the one Zimmer oversaw. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, an easy punching bag, hasn't been the biggest problem and Minnesota wasn't going to move on despite weeks of trade rumors. He signed a one-year, $35 million extension through 2023. Instead of dumping players, Zimmer and longtime general manager Rick Spielman were fired. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired at GM, with the team embracing an analytically based approach, and O'Connell was brought on as head coach after a strange dalliance with University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
It's no mystery why O'Connell was hired. Everyone wants a piece of the Sean McVay tree, and O'Connell was the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator the past two seasons. He didn't call plays but nobody seemed to mind.
"Kevin is an impressive and respected leader who has been a part of some explosive offensive schemes," Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said in a statement.
O'Connell said he will call plays and the scheme will be similar to what the Rams ran. O'Connell spent most of the 2019 season with Washington calling plays after Jay Gruden was fired, and that undermanned offense finished 32nd in points scored and 31st in yards gained.
It doesn't matter to Minnesota. Like plenty of other teams, they just wanted to draft off the Rams' success.
The Vikings aren't bare, like some other teams that hired a new coach. Regardless of what you think about Cousins, he's not a bad quarterback. There is skill-position talent, highly drafted players across the offensive line and a defense that slipped badly the past two seasons but has blue-chip players. O'Connell steps into a pretty good situation, compared to most other first-time coaches.
The problem is mediocrity won't cut it. The Vikings have already had plenty of that.
The Vikings' biggest move, in regards to the roster, was signing pass rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Green Bay Packers to a three-year, $42 million deal. He and Danielle Hunter will be the keys to the Vikings' new 3-4 defense. The Smith signing adds to a pretty good front seven, as will former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks. The Vikings lost a few players like tight end Tyler Conklin, center Mason Cole and safety Xavier Woods, with outside linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson still unsigned. In the draft, the Vikings decided to load up on picks by trading down from the No. 12 spot, then again trading down from No. 34 overall. They ended up with four top-66 picks: Georgia S Lewis Cine, Clemson CB Andrew Booth, LSU G Ed Ingram and Oklahoma LB Brian Asamoah. All of them should contribute soon. It's a little odd to see a team change its coach, GM and not much else, but that's an indication the Vikings believe they're not far off.
Kirk Cousins isn't escaping the narrative that he's a quarterback who can't win, unless he at least gets Minnesota to a Super Bowl. Those who like criticizing Cousins will find his failures and ignore the accomplishments. Cousins was very good last season. The Vikings had the fewest interceptions in the NFL, and it wasn't because he was checking down. Cousins' AY/A (adjusted yards per attempt, a Pro Football Reference stat) was 8.1, sixth in the NFL. His Pro Football Focus passing grade was fourth among all quarterbacks. He gets blame for the Vikings not making a deep playoff run, and some of that is justified. He also wasn't responsible for a defense last season that gave up yards in bulk. He's typecast as a QB who isn't good enough to lead his team anywhere. Unfair or not, that's how he'll be remembered unless he and the Vikings change it.
The Vikings' win total at BetMGM is 8.5, right in the middle of the road. That is fitting for the Vikings. It's almost impossible to know how rookie NFL head coaches will do. Kevin O'Connell could be the next Bill Walsh, the next Ben McAdoo or anything in between. We don't know. But the Vikings have a pretty good roster. I'll lean under that win total with the uncertainty over the new regime, but without much conviction. Maybe O'Connell brings the spark the Vikings have lacked the past couple seasons.
From Yahoo's Scott Pianowski: "The early Yahoo ADP is a familiar drumbeat, a hoarding of running backs. Six of the top seven players off the Yahoo board are runners, with only Cooper Kupp breaking the trend. Justin Jefferson currently sits with a Yahoo ADP of 8.7.
"Let’s pound the table over this — grab that Jefferson discount while you can.
"The NFFC market is more proactive with big-name receivers, taking Kupp, Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase in the Top 7. Jefferson’s ADP in those rooms is a hair above 5. A three-pick difference would be insignificant in later rounds, but it’s notable when we’re talking about first-round options.
"Jefferson’s efficiency actually had a mild dip in his sophomore year, but that’s mostly a comment on how ridiculous he was in 2020. Jefferson has the most receiving yards in football over the last two years, and last year’s touchdown count (10) might be his floor this year, as he invariably gets better at scoring short-yardage and space-dominating touchdowns. Adam Thielen has been the collector of the short pitches in recent years, but no one suggests Thielen’s upside is remotely close to Jefferson’s.
"Jefferson also benefits from Minnesota’s especially narrow passing tree; this is not a team that throws to a cast of thousands. A first-round receiver isn’t for everyone — some fantasy managers become anxious if they’re not loading up the backfield in the first round — but Jefferson will be a proactive part of my 2022 portfolio."
Most career receiving yards prior to turning 23
1. @JJettas2 - 3,016
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster - 2,867
3. Randy Moss - 2,726 pic.twitter.com/vluilNoaAD
Jefferson has been a grand slam draft pick for the Vikings, and he's already in the discussion for the NFL's best receiver. Between Jefferson, Adam Thielen (still a productive No. 2 receiver entering his age-32 season), KJ Osborn and tight end Irv Smith returning off injury, there are plenty of pass catchers for Kirk Cousins. A more creative passing attack under Kevin O'Connell could lead to some huge numbers for everyone, especially Jefferson.
What will Kevin O'Connell's offensive and defensive schemes look like?
Sometimes it's wrong to assume a new coach changing teams will copy the schemes of his old team. But O'Connell hasn't been shy about incorporating most of what the Rams do on offense. That likely means pre-snap movement to confuse a defense, more three-receiver sets and plenty of play-action passing.
"Things people have seen our offense do in L.A. ... they’ll absolutely see our offense do here in Minnesota," O'Connell said, via the Daily Norseman.
Defensively, the Vikings will be shifting to a 3-4 look with new coordinator Ed Donatell, a 31-year NFL veteran, though Donatell said the team will use multiple looks up front. The Vikings defense had surprisingly cratered under Mike Zimmer, finishing 30th in yards allowed last season, but there's still talent. It starts with safety Harrison Smith, who O'Connell called "the perfect player for the defensive structure we want to play," in terms of versatility and disguising coverages. There are a couple of impact pass rushers in Za'Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter, good interior defenders and a solid inside linebacker in Eric Kendricks. There will be a transition period for the Vikings defense but perhaps the changes will have a quick and positive impact.
It's possible this ranking is way too low for the Vikings. There is some uncertainty about the new coaching staff and a roster that has stagnated, but that uncertainty could be a positive. Maybe a shakeup will lead to a big improvement. Kirk Cousins has plenty of talent around him on offense, and the defense should be much better than it was the past two seasons. The Green Bay Packers are very good but also perhaps a little vulnerable. It's not crazy to think the Vikings can win the NFC North. A deep playoff run from this Vikings group is hard to buy until we see it, but a division title would be a great way to kick off the Kevin O'Connell era. And it could happen if everything breaks right.
Mike Zimmer's message and maybe even his schemes might have gotten stale, but on the whole he was an above-average coach. We don't know what Kevin O'Connell is yet. If he's worse, or even a good coach who goes through some rookie growing pains, the Vikings could finish below last season's 8-9 record. There's some disconnect with this group or players, which should have done better than 15-18 the past two seasons. If there is a step back the franchise might wonder next offseason if it finally needs to tear down the roster, a year after changing out the coach and GM.
I'll be watching the Vikings closely early in the season, because it's the kind of team that could be a big surprise. I like many of the players. The Vikings have been frustrating because it seems like this group is capable of way more than it has shown. Nobody can know what to expect from Kevin O'Connell, but maybe a new approach unlocks something that has been missing. For now I'm projecting the Vikings to be below average, because that's what they've been the past couple seasons and O'Connell is an unknown, but that could change in a hurry.
|
2022-07-06T13:11:28Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
2022 NFL Preview: Vikings try again with a new coach
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-nfl-preview-vikings-turn-the-page-hope-kevin-o-connell-can-push-them-further-123709067.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-nfl-preview-vikings-turn-the-page-hope-kevin-o-connell-can-push-them-further-123709067.html?src=rss
|
We continue with the wide receivers, who are either going to shock people or be very underwhelming. There’s no in-between. With the loss of Allen Robinson this offseason, Darnell Mooney will officially be the top wide receiver for Justin Fields. With the quiet addition of Byron Pringle and the selection of rookie Velus Jones Jr, there are many questions going into training camp.
This is arguably the weakest wide receiver room the Bears have had since 2017. Still, before counting out this group, they need to play on the field. We’ll get a taste of that during training camp.
Let’s take a look at the wide receivers heading into training camp.
Darnell Mooney, a man who quickly turned into a fan favorite during his rookie season, is headed into his third season. Last year, he cracked the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.
The relationship Mooney has with Justin Fields is special. He was Fields’ go-to guy, and after an offseason of those two working out together, there should be some major improvements.
Mooney has big shoes to fill, filling Allen Robinson’s spot, after he was Mitchell Trubisky’s target for three seasons. With Robinson now with the Rams, Mooney goes into training camp as the clear WR1.
Despite a rocky start to his Bears’ career off the field, Byron Pringle was Ryan Poles’ “top” wide receiver signing this offseason. Coming from the Chiefs, who are loaded on offense, Pringle only started in eight games over three seasons.
Though he only started in eight games, Pringle played in 46, catching 67 passes for 898 yards and seven touchdowns. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but a fresh start in Chicago could turn his career around.
It’s worth noting that Pringle was used more this past season than in his previous two. He was targeted by Patrick Mahomes 60 times, with 42 catches for 568 yards. As he is likely coming in to be Fields’ second option, he will see more opportunities to be successful than he did last year in Kansas City.
Velus Jones Jr
Velus Jones Jr., the only wide receiver the Bears drafted this offseason, is slotted in currently as the third wide receiver on the depth chart going into training camp. Last season at Tennessee, Jones had 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns.
What is concerning about Jones is his age. He’s 25 years old going into training camp, an older age for a rookie. It took him until five seasons to be a successful wide receiver in college, with only 58 catches for 627 yards between 2017-2020, (four seasons). Despite the concerns, there’s a lot of excitement surrounding Jones. He has a chance to be a draft steal and help Fields out, a lot, on offense.
Former division rival, Equanimeous St. Brown, is now a Bear. St. Brown played in 37 games over the last three seasons for the Packers, catching 37 passes for 543 yards and one touchdown.
St. Brown has been a depth wide receiver for the Packers, having a decent career, so far. He found a lot of success as a rookie but never built on it after missing the 2019 season, due to an ankle injury. It’ll be interesting to see how the Bears use St. Brown. We’ll have a better idea as training camp comes around.
The Bears added another veteran wideout in Dante Pettis this offseason. He spent two full seasons with the 49ers, before being traded mid-season in 2020 to the Giants. Pettis played well during his rookie season in 2018, catching 27 passes for 467 yards and five touchdowns. Since his rookie season, he has just 21 catches over three seasons.
A change of scenery may be all the 26-year-old wide receiver needs heading into 2022, and he has a good chance to lock down one of those final receiver roster spots.
Five-year veteran Tajae Sharpe joined the Bears this offseason after one year with the Falcons. Before his time in Atlanta, Sharpe played for the Titans and Vikings.
In 2021, Sharpe had 25 catches for 230 yards. In his career, Sharpe has 117 catches for 1,397 yards and eight touchdowns. Those aren’t awful numbers, taking a look at his 11.9 yards per catch. If he can find the same success he did with the Titans, this would be a good signing by Poles. Like Pettis, he has a good chance to make the final roster.
Dazz Newsome didn’t see much playing time in his rookie season. In just three games, Newsome had two catches for 23 yards. In his second season, Newsome has a chance to play more, with a chance to make the roster given uncertainty on the depth chart.
Newsome came into last year with some excitement, after a solid college career at North Carolina. With a chance to play more this season, there’s a chance he could make a push for a roster spot in an otherwise unproven receiving corp.
David Moore comes to Chicago, after playing with both the Broncos and Packers last season. In his two games, he had zero catches. Despite the lack of success in 2021, Moore played well in four seasons with the Seahawks. In his Seahawks career, Moore had 78 catches for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns. If he can bounce back after a tough 2021, this could turn into a solid signing for the Bears.
Chris Finke is another depth player who is yet to see action in the NFL after a five-year college career at Notre Dame. Finke was with the Chiefs last season. Finke had 106 catches for 1,251 yards and eight touchdowns in his college career. He’ll be competing for one of those final two wide receiver spots.
Nsimba Webster joined the Bears last season, after two years with the Rams. Webster returned four punts for 13 yards last season in Chicago. He’ll be vying for one of those final roster spots at wide receiver, where his special teams ability would give him an advantage. But he faces a tall task locking down one of those final two spots.
Undrafted free agent Kevin Shaa will join the Bears for training camp this season. Shaa had a solid college career with 82 catches for 1,364 yards and 12 touchdowns over his four years at Liberty. Shaa will go into training camp looking for a roster spot. At best, he surprises the coaching and earns a depth role on the team. At worst, he can earn a spot on the practice squad if he’s not cut. No risk for Chicago with potentially a high reward.
Isaiah Coulter goes into his second year with the Bears after spending his rookie season in Houston. Coulter has been a practice squad player for the Bears, but did suit up for three games last season. Coulter had just one target against the Lions in 2021. Outside of that, he hasn’t seen much NFL action, outside of preseason.
Big question: Outside of Darnell Mooney, who will step up at receiver for the Bears?
Outside Darnell Mooney, the Bears are going to need other wide receivers to step up this season, especially as Mooney will be the focus of double teams. Bryon Pringle and Velus Jones Jr. have the potential to be just that.
Pringle had a huge jump in production last season with the Chiefs. He’ll likely start the regular season slotted as the second wide receiver on the depth chart, so he will see the most playing time he has in his NFL career. The chances will be there for Pringle, he just has to make the most of them, to step up and help second-year quarterback, Justin Fields.
Then there’s Jones, Chicago’s third-round pick, who has the potential to make a significant impact as a rookie. He’s impressed during the offseason program with his speed and run-after-the-catch ability, and there’s a belief he can develop into a true playmaker.
|
2022-07-06T13:11:41Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Bears 2022 training camp preview: Wide receivers
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-2022-training-camp-preview-124636375.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-2022-training-camp-preview-124636375.html?src=rss
|
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff speaks during media day July 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that the Big 12 is talking this week with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. The pitch to those schools — a few of which have publicly refuted Dodd’s report — would be that the Big 12 has a unified membership that already has accepted that the Big Ten and SEC will not be pursuing them in expansion efforts. In the Pac-12, proud programs like Oregon, Washington and Stanford are undeniably open for business and hoping to join USC and UCLA in earning a cut of the Big Ten's $1-billion-plus media rights package.
A sign for the Pac-12 baseball tournament sits above an entrance to Scottsdale (Ariz.) Stadium on May 25. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
So far, the Pac-12 is doing what all leagues do in this scenario. It announced that its schools authorized the conference office to seek expansion options and start negotiating the conference's next media rights package. The message being sent is that all 10 schools are committed to one another, which is what the remaining eight Big 12 schools did last summer. It ended up ringing true only because the league had no other options.
College football is heading toward a breakaway of the top schools, which are going to be positioned in the Big Ten and the SEC. There is no more Power Five to protect. That’s over. If the “Power Two” were going to stop at 16 members, one could argue that the Pac-12 and ACC should merge so that Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington could be under one roof, but it's unlikely the Big Ten (Fox) and SEC (ESPN) are done picking from that pool.
The Big Ten can afford to wait out a decision from Notre Dame. Until there's an answer out of South Bend, Oregon in particular is just going to have to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. And let's not forget Stanford could be more appealing as an 18th team. The Ducks could be pressured to commit to the Pac-12 or join a group of peers that head for the Big 12, but they might as well sign their name in pencil.
|
2022-07-06T13:36:26Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Commentary: George Kliavkoff got burned by USC and UCLA. Now he's chasing a Pac-12 miracle
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/commentary-george-kliavkoff-got-burned-120021494.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/commentary-george-kliavkoff-got-burned-120021494.html?src=rss
|
The Birds then won the draft weekend after landing defensive tackle Jordan Davis, center Cam Jurgens, and linebacker Nakobe Dean along with the blockbuster acquisition of wide receiver A.J. Brown, and the post-draft signings of cornerback James Bradberry and safety Jaquiski Tartt.
Hurts had a passer rating of 87.2 with 3144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 15 games in 2021 and he’s yet to start 25 games in his career, but the Eagles’ playoff and future Super Bowl hopes hinge on the quarterback and his development in year three.
In 2021, he earned a 75.5 overall PFF grade, putting in at least above-average numbers, while finishing as the team’s second-leading tackler with a career-best 130 combined tackles, 5 pass deflections, 5 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 fumble recovery.
|
2022-07-06T14:47:10Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
5 Eagles who are underrated entering the 2022 NFL Season
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/5-eagles-underrated-entering-2022-132138272.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/5-eagles-underrated-entering-2022-132138272.html?src=rss
|
Aaron Donald unanimously voted best DT in poll of NFL players, coaches and execs
Breaking news: Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in football. But, of course, you already knew that. Everyone does. Even his fellow players know it, as do coaches, executives and scouts around the NFL.
Every year, ESPN polls players, coaches, execs and scouts across the NFL and has them vote on the best players at each position. Unsurprisingly, Donald was unanimously voted the best defensive tackle again this year, receiving every single first-place vote. And ESPN polled more than 50 people for this exercise, so it’s not like this was a small group of voters.
Here’s what Jeremy Fowler wrote about Donald’s top ranking.
He’s a four-time Defensive Player of the Year with 98 sacks in eight seasons. His 26.7% pass rush win rate was nearly seven points higher than that of any other defensive tackle in 2021. And the Rams just gave him $40 million in additional contract money just for being him.
“I just try to appreciate his greatness,” an NFC scout said. “But I don’t have to play him as a guard.”
Donald will go down as one of the best defensive players in NFL history, regardless of position. He’s already a lock for the Hall of Fame and will get in when first eligible, potentially unanimously. And when it comes to the all-time great defensive tackles, none have accomplished what he has in just eight seasons: three Defensive Player of the Year awards, Defensive Rookie of the Year, seven first-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl nods.
Yeah, he deserves to be voted the best defensive tackle currently in the NFL, and there’s no debate about it.
|
2022-07-06T14:47:29Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Aaron Donald unanimously voted best DT in poll of NFL players, coaches and execs
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-donald-unanimously-voted-best-125155260.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-donald-unanimously-voted-best-125155260.html?src=rss
|
Broncos QB Russell Wilson has the NFL’s best-selling jersey this offseason
Russell Wilson’s among most popular players in the NFL, as demonstrated by jersey sales.
Wilson’s No. 3 Denver Broncos jersey has been the league’s best-selling jersey this offseason, according to NFL Shop.
It’s not surprising that a star quarterback switching teams has led to a huge sales boost with fans buying the jersey of his new team. The same thing happened when Tom Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with his No. 12 jersey breaking sales records.
Wilson might not end up breaking records like Brady, but it’s clear that Broncos fans are excited to have him in Denver.
Elsewhere in the AFC West, fellow quarterabcks Justin Herbert (No. 8) and Patrick Mahomes (No. 9) also made the top-10, and new Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (No. 3) ranked highest among non-QBs.
Here’s the list of the top-10 best-selling jerseys in the NFL:
|
2022-07-06T14:47:42Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Broncos QB Russell Wilson has the NFL’s best-selling jersey this offseason
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-qb-russell-wilson-nfl-120047292.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-qb-russell-wilson-nfl-120047292.html?src=rss
|
Cowboys’ Jourdan Lewis named one of NFL’s top slot defenders
The Cowboys signed Lewis to a three-year deal ahead of last season for $13.5 million. He’s certainly seemed to have paid dividends for them after one season. If Diggs continues to be the ball-hawking headliner and Anthony Brown’s improved play sticks, Lewis will make it extremely hard for 2021 second-round pick Kelvin Joseph to see the field.
Depth at cornerback, like at defensive end, is a staple of the league’s top defenses. If Farrar’s rankings are accurate it appears that the Cowboys are well equipped in the first part of the equation.
|
2022-07-06T14:48:07Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Cowboys’ Jourdan Lewis named one of NFL’s top slot defenders
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-jourdan-lewis-named-one-130029401.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-jourdan-lewis-named-one-130029401.html?src=rss
|
ESPN player poll: Jets’ Quinnen Williams outside of top-10 DT list
The New York Jets selected defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the third-overall pick at the 2019 NFL draft. Now entering his fourth season in the league, Williams is still just outside the top-10 realm of his position.
ESPN surveyed more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top-10 players at every position. At defensive tackle, there wasn’t much good news for the Jets.
In that poll from the former world-wide leader, Williams does not pop up in the top-10. He isn’t even in the honorable mentions.
However, he did get some love to an extent.
ESPN’s survey went on to mention any player who landed any votes at all. Williams was the first one mentioned there.
While still outside the top-10 list, it’s not all said and done for Williams. His six sacks tied for the team high in New York in 2021 (John Franklin-Myers) and Pro Football Focus highlighted his overall play in the middle by crediting Williams with over 35 defensive stop over the past two years combined. He is only one of two players to do so in the NFL.
Plus, Williams is young and he’s only in his second year playing under New York head coach Robert Saleh. Williams said during minicamp he thinks Year 2 in Saleh’s scheme is going to pay dividends.
“In Year 2, I feel a huge difference in chemistry and willingness to win,” Williams said via the team’s website. “I think we could be potentially real good, but we have to keep stacking the days.”
CBS Sports: Jets' Breece Hall named best rookie RB ahead of 2022
|
2022-07-06T14:48:13Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
ESPN player poll: Jets’ Quinnen Williams outside of top-10 DT list
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-player-poll-jets-quinnen-134909054.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-player-poll-jets-quinnen-134909054.html?src=rss
|
Looking at 10 critical decisions the Eagles will have to make
Looking at 10 critical decisions the Eagles have to make originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It’s never too soon to start thinking about some of the major decisions that will face the Eagles over the next seven or eight months.
Some of these decisions will be made this summer, some during the season, some not until the spring. But they’ll all have a significant impact on what the franchise looks like in the near future.
We’ve already spent a good chunk of the offseason talking about Jalen Hurts, so here’s a look at 10 other huge decisions facing the Eagles as 2022 training camp approaches:
What happens with Miles Sanders? You can’t argue Sanders’ ability. His 5.0 career rushing average is eighth-highest in NFL history among running backs (minimum 500 carries). The problem is injuries, and Sanders hasn’t been able to avoid them. Sanders’ rookie contract is up this year, and the Eagles need to figure out whether to offer him a new deal and how much that deal would be worth. It’s not easy to determine his value, since he’s been unavailable so much.
Our guess: I think the Eagles will be able to get Sanders on a fairly cheap short-term deal. Running backs don’t make much anyway, and as skilled as Sanders is, nobody is going to offer him a huge free agency deal until he proves he can stay healthy, and he understands that. I’d guess the Eagles sign Sanders early in the season as long as he has a healthy training camp and first few games. But if he’s looking for anything more than $4.5 million or maybe $5 million per year, it’s time to move on.
Is this it for Fletcher Cox?: Cox is playing on a one-year, $14 million deal as he goes into his 11th season with the Eagles. Cox is an all-time great Eagle — six Pro Bowls, one 1st Team All-Pro honor, 58 sacks as an interior lineman — and his decline has been slow but steady. It sure seems like a final year here for Cox, but it’s hard to say good-bye to an all-timer. That’s one of the reasons the Eagles overpaid for him for one more year.
Our guess: I just don’t see Cox being here beyond this season. How can the Eagles pay him next year? He won’t come cheap. Heck, they overpaid for him this year because he’s Fletcher Cox. It’s clear Milton Williams and Jordan Davis are the future at defensive tackle. Cox is a lock for the Eagles Hall of Fame and could one day find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But looks like his Eagles career ends this year.
What’s up with Javon Hargrave?: It’s a little surprising the Eagles haven’t extended Hargrave yet. It’s possible he’s asking for too much, and the Eagles would rather start the youth movement next year with Williams and Davis than overpay for Hargrave. But he’s a really good player, and at 29 he should be in his prime for a couple more years. The Eagles have some intriguing young interior linemen, but they’re a better team with Hargrave.
Our guess: Assuming the Eagles let Cox go, they should be able to lock up Hargrave at fair market value. Williams and Davis will be on rookie deals for a while, so there's no reason they can’t work out a deal with Hargrave and still have a reasonably priced defensive tackle room. I’ll be surprised if he’s not back.
James Bradberry: The only reason the Eagles were even able to sign Bradberry is because the Giants didn’t release him until the middle of May, and by then nobody had any money left to give him the long-term deal he was looking for. So the Eagles got him for one year at $7.25 million, and that’s great, but the problem with these one-year deals is they’re one-year deals. Bradberry fills a huge need as a CB2 opposite Darius Slay, but what happens next?
Our guess: If Bradberry plays well, he’ll want to break the bank when he hits free agency in March. If he doesn’t play well, the Eagles won’t want him back anyway. At some point the Eagles are going to need to figure out a new deal for Slay, so the odds they’ll be able to keep both of them are not great. You’d love to keep Bradberry, but I think it’s more likely than not that he’s one-and-done.
Isaac Seumalo: He’s due to hit free agency after the season and the Eagles like Seumalo, but if he finally stays healthy, he’s going to probably be looking for in the range of $8 million per year, and the Eagles will have to ask themselves if he’s worth it. Seumalo is solid, but with his injury history I’m not sure the Eagles want to take on the massive cap responsibility it will likely take to keep Seumalo.
Our guess: This could wind up like a Rodney McLeod type of deal. Yeah, he’s a good player, but if you can find a guy who’s cheaper and almost as good, it might make sense to do it. Maybe that’ll be Sua Opeta (who’s also a free agent after this year) or Jack Driscoll. But Jeff Stoutland loves Seumalo, and Howie Roseman generally doesn’t go against Stout. I’m thinking he stays.
Kyzir White: Another defensive player the Eagles landed only because they were able to get him on a one-year deal. Like Bradberry, White is betting on himself and will be looking for a long-term big-money deal this offseason, and the Eagles will have to figure out how his value lines up with their needs.
Our guess: I’m thinking the Eagles will build their linebacker corps around Nakobe Dean, T.J. Edwards and Davion Taylor and let White go via free agency for a price they’re just not in position to pay. It’s one of those situations where the better White plays, the harder it will be for the Eagles to keep him.
Anthony Harris: Another defensive guy on a one-year deal, Harris returns for a second season with the Eagles after starting 14 games at safety last year. Harris did not play particularly well last year, but the Eagles brought him back instead of McLeod, who’s now with the Colts.
Our guess: Harris feels like a stopgap, a guy the Eagles brought back because he knows the defense, he’s durable and he’s got a comfort level with Jonathan Gannon after playing for him for three years in Minnesota. But if they have a chance to replace him, they won’t hesitate to do it. I’ll be shocked if he’s back next year, and with just $1 million guaranteed it’s not a lock that he’s even here this year. If Jaquiski Tartt has a big preseason it could render Harris expendable before the season even begins.
Should they trade Andre Dillard? What do you do with the 2019 first-round pick? He’s got some value as a backup left tackle, but he’s never shown any form at right tackle, and nobody wants a backup tackle who can only play one side. It’s just not smart use of a roster spot. Dillard is going into a contract year and would have a modest $2.18 million cap figure for a team that acquires him, which makes him even more attractive.
Our guess: I would expect the Eagles to get Dillard some work at right tackle in the preseason games to try to boost his value. If he holds his own, he becomes a lot more tradeable. And I still think that’s what happens. I expect the Eagles to unload Dillard for a mid-range pick or two this summer and go with Jack Driscoll, Le’Raven Clark or Brett Toth as backup two-way tackle.
Is this it for Brandon Graham? B.G. is going into his 13th season with the Eagles and coming off a serious injury. It’s hard to imagine the Eagles signing him to another deal, but Graham is a unique case, an all-time Eagle, and if he shows he’s as productive as he was the few years before the injury — when he had the three best seasons of his career — anything is possible.
Our guess: B.G. is 34 now and he’s won a Super Bowl, he’s made a Pro Bowl, he’s earned over $80 million, he’s become one of the most popular players in franchise history. I think this is it for Graham. I just can’t see him going to some other team and playing out the string in a new town for a few paychecks. I think he retires after the season and goes to work for the Eagles in some capacity that makes use of his personality and devotion to the team and the city. Can’t imagine a better ambassador for the franchise.
They can’t keep Jalen Reagor, can they? The decision facing the Eagles is unloading Reagor, getting him out of the building, ridding themselves of the headache of having a first-round disappointment who’s not playing, letting him start fresh somewhere, and taking on a $2.5 million cap hit OR keeping him around in case of emergency and hoping things click if he does get a chance to play.
Our guess: The cap hit if the Eagles release Reagor is significant but not catastrophic. Could go either way, but I just think with a receiver corps of DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal — along with whoever else emerges — there’s really no reason to keep Reagor around and waste a roster spot just to save some cap space. Nobody wants to release a first-round pick two years later, but I think the Eagles will.
|
2022-07-06T14:48:38Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Looking at 10 critical decisions the Eagles will have to make
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-10-critical-decisions-eagles-134500189.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-10-critical-decisions-eagles-134500189.html?src=rss
|
ESPN surveyed more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top-10 players at every position. At defensive tackle, there was no good news for the Buffalo Bills.
None at all.
The defensive line was revamped in Buffalo this offseason. Tim Settle, DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips signed during free agency.
However, the top of the bunch for many is still Ed Oliver. The former first-round pick still isn’t getting love from his peers around the NFL, according to the poll.
At least not top-10 love.
Oliver did not appear in ESPN’s NFL-wide poll.
Not only that, he actually did not even receive a single vote. The former world-wide leader noted a few honorable mentions and any player that received a vote in general.
No Oliver to be found.
Despite that, this does shine some light on the team’s decision to sign Von Miller. The future Hall of Famer himself will be a big injection of talent on the D-line. However, there’s hope he makes those around him better, including Oliver.
The Bills have already picked up the fifth-year option on Oliver’s rookie deal. That keeps him locked into his contract in Buffalo for the next two seasons–Plenty of time for Oliver to crack such a ranking, especially after his breakout 2021 campaign.
|
2022-07-06T14:48:45Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
No votes for Ed Oliver in ESPN player poll to name best DTs in NFL
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/no-votes-ed-oliver-espn-131051732.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/no-votes-ed-oliver-espn-131051732.html?src=rss
|
Packers OLB Rashan Gary hasn’t yet earned elite status in eyes of NFL
Despite a breakout season in which he was one of the most productive and efficient edge rushers in football, Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary still isn’t universally viewed as a top player at edge rusher entering the 2022 season.
In a poll of over 50 NFL executives, coaches and players conducted by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Gary didn’t make the top 10 or even the honorable mention section among the league’s edge rushers. He was listed among those “also receiving votes.”
One poll doesn’t necessarily provide a perfectly accurate representation of the league’s viewpoint on where a player stands among peers, but this one does show that Gary – who led the Packers in sacks (9.5) and quarterback hits (28) in 2021 – isn’t yet viewed as a solidified star in the NFL after just one terrific season.
No wonder Gary is “hungrier” than ever to raise his game to even another level in 2022.
“If anything, it made me hungry,” Gary said about his 2021 season, per Mike Spofford of Packers.com. “It made me go back, watch film, see what I put on tape, see areas of my pass rush, my run defense and things that I could improve on.”
Another step forward from Gary and everyone in the league will consider him one of the game’s best.
The 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Gary finally became a full-time player for the Packers in 2021 after developing behind Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith for two seasons. It was worth the wait. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished second among NFL edge rushers in pressures (81), second in win rate (26.0), eighth in pass-rush grade (88.9) and third in pass rush productivity (10.4).
The key for Gary now will be maintaining his production and disruption now that everyone in the NFL is aware of his immense capabilities as a rusher. He must constantly evolve and improve as the league attempts to find ways to mitigate his impact as a player, both in terms of finding faults in his tape and assigning more attention to him on every play.
Every season is a chance for an ascending young player to prove his status among peers.
By this time next year, Gary could easily find himself cemented as a top edge rusher and in line for a massive new contract from the Packers.
|
2022-07-06T14:48:51Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Packers OLB Rashan Gary hasn’t yet earned elite status in eyes of NFL
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-olb-rashan-gary-hasn-134154244.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-olb-rashan-gary-hasn-134154244.html?src=rss
|
Wide receiver recruit Ny Carr has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs. Carr is a member of the class of 2024 and is ranked as a four-star prospect.
Carr is Georgia’s first commitment in the rising junior class. Georgia’s only class of 2024 commitment, Antione Jackson, flipped his commitment to Miami earlier in the month.
Ny Carr is ranked as the No. 220 recruit in his class and the No. 28 prospect in Georgia. The four-star receiver is ranked as the No. 35 player at his position.
The 6-foot, 170-pound receiver plays high school football for Colquitt County in Moultrie, Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs have one player on their roster from Colquitt County in running back Daijun Edwards.
The Colquitt County star committed to Georgia over Michigan, Ohio State, South Carolina, Arkansas, Penn State, Tennessee and USC. Ny Carr plans to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl.
The four-star receiver recently visited Georgia in March and then later attended the Bulldogs’ camp in June. Ny Carr also plays basketball and competes in track. Carr caught 40 passes for 856 yards and scored 13 touchdowns last season.
Carr announced his commitment to the University of Georgia via Twitter:
I would like to let the world know im committed to the University of Georgia!. go dawgs💯🐶 @KirbySmartUGA @CoachBmac_
— Ny Carr (@NyCarr1) July 6, 2022
|
2022-07-06T15:44:24Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
4-star WR Ny Carr commits to Georgia football
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-wr-ny-carr-133316668.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/4-star-wr-ny-carr-133316668.html?src=rss
|
Heard is ranked near the dividing line between three- and four-star prospects, with 247Sports placing him as the 245th ranked recruit and On3 pushing him to 315th. That means big-name programs see him as a developmental guy who can eventually fill a role, whereas small teams see him as one of the better players in the 2024 recruiting class they gave a shot at landing.
As a result, his offer list is as long as you’ll see outside of the top handful of players in any class. Teams from Grambling State to Georgia Tech to Michigan and everyone on the spectrum in between are all taking their shot.
Back in April, Heard told On3 that the teams recruiting him the hardest are Ole Miss, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arkansas and Kentucky. The first two on that list, Ole Miss and Florida State, seem to be the leaders for the defensive back at this early stage of the 2024 recruiting cycle, as Heard also divulged to On3 that Lane Kiffin is one of his favorite coaches in college football and he grew up dreaming of playing for the ‘Noles.
|
2022-07-06T15:44:36Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Blue-chip safety names Gators among top 12 schools
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-chip-safety-names-gators-140257539.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-chip-safety-names-gators-140257539.html?src=rss
|
New SEC head coach ranking places Harsin at bottom
Auburn fans may be feeling deja vu every time they see a new head coach ranking this offseason.
CBSSports recently dropped a new SEC head coach ranking on Tuesday, and Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin was ranked where most outlets typically place him after this offseason’s controversies — near the bottom. Harsin was ranked 13th on the new list, just above Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea.
Here is what writer Barrett Sallee had to say about Harsin:
“Year 1 was a disaster for Harsin at Auburn. The Tigers finished 6-7 (their first sub-.500 season since 2012), which was so unacceptable on The Plains that a group of influential boosters attempted a coup in attempt to fire him the week of National Signing Day in February. He has had a hard time retaining assistants and isn’t recruiting anywhere close to a level that he needs to in order to win the SEC. With that said, he did manage to beat an Ole Miss team that went to the Sugar Bowl and a very solid Arkansas team in 2021.”
Harsin has certainly been winning no favors after his first season on the Plains, and his recruiting class this year has been less than stellar even with the additions of two four-star players in the past few days. It’s almost certain that his tenure this year will be under a microscope, and any indication that he will repeat the shortcomings of his 2021 season could result in him not surviving into the 2023 season.
A look at each leading passer under Bryan Harsin
|
2022-07-06T15:45:02Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
New SEC head coach ranking places Harsin at bottom
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sec-head-coach-ranking-places-151847908.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sec-head-coach-ranking-places-151847908.html?src=rss
|
FILE - United States's Diana Taurasi, left, and Sue Bird pose with their gold medals during the medal ceremony for women's basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. Bird and aurasi have been linked for more than two decades, playing together at UConn and then helping the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team win five gold medals. Now the basketball greats will appear on the cover of the NBA 2K23 WNBA edition video game that will be released on Sept. 9.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
|
2022-07-06T16:10:36Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi on cover of NBA 2K23 WNBA edition
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sue-bird-diana-taurasi-cover-140501174.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/sue-bird-diana-taurasi-cover-140501174.html?src=rss
|
In 2021, the Miami Dolphins’ rushing attack was lackluster, to say the least.
Prior to Week 14 when Duke Johnson took over as the lead back, the Dolphins had averaged just 79.2 rushing yards per game, the second-lowest average in the NFL ahead of only Houston.
By the end of the year, Miami had improved to 92.2 yards per game, but that was still the fourth-fewest per game with Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Houston rounding out the league.
This offseason, the Dolphins made a number of moves to improve their rushing attack, including switching to a new offensive system and bringing in more talented players to block for the backs.
Before training camp starts, it’s fitting to look around and assess where the team is at each position and take stock of the players and their roles. After looking at quarterbacks on Tuesday, we’ll look at running backs.
Edmonds signed a two-year, $12.6 million deal with the Dolphins this offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. During his time with Arizona, he averaged 4.7 yards per attempt and was also a contributor in the receiving game.
At this point, it seems like Edmonds is going to be Miami’s lead back, but this backfield will obviously be splitting touches. With Edmonds’ versatility, he’ll probably see a majority of the opportunities.
Mostert is the biggest “boom or bust” player for Miami this season. He’s been extremely effective in his career, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt, but he’s also struggled to stay on the field, as he’s appeared in just 59 games in seven seasons.
Spending the last few seasons with Mike McDaniel in San Francisco, Mostert’s familiarity with the system should put him in competition with Edmonds for opportunities, but the former Boilermaker will need to prove that he’s healthy before that happens.
Miami has had some links to Michel in the past, and they were finally able to land him on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Last season, the former Georgia Bulldog was traded from New England to the Los Angeles Rams before the start of the season. He averaged 4.1 yards per attempt with Los Angeles last year, scoring four touchdowns in the process and having his most productive year as a receiver.
Michel doesn’t have the prototypical skill set that you’d expect in McDaniel’s offense, but he can be that bigger body, change-of-pace back that the offense needs. Plus, bringing in another player with a winning pedigree (two Super Bowl victories) can’t hurt.
Gaskin is the top returning back from 2021, but he’s expected to be dropped down to fourth on the depth chart, and he’ll be fighting for a spot on the roster during training camp.
Last year, he averaged a lowly 3.5 yards per carry, but he was able to score seven total touchdowns. Like Edmonds, Gaskin has the versatility, but he hasn’t proved that he deserves one of the top spots just yet. That could change in a month, or he could continue falling down the depth chart and give the Dolphins a reason to trade him.
Ahmed is also returning after 2021, as the Dolphins tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent this offseason. Since making the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Ahmed has totaled just 458 yards and three touchdowns on 3.6 yards per carry. Those numbers aren’t going to cut it.
If Ahmed wants to make this roster he’s going to have to really show up and show out during training camp and let everyone know that it wasn’t his ability that’s held him back in his first two seasons.
Doaks was a seventh-round pick in 2021 that ended up making it onto the practice squad. Despite all of the issues that the team had at the position throughout the year, the former Cincinnati Bearcat was never called up to the active roster.
This year, Doaks will once again be fighting for a spot, but there’s even more competition for the practice squad than there was last year. There’s a real chance he gets cut and finds a spot on another team’s practice squad.
ZaQuandre White
White was this year’s undrafted addition out of South Carolina. Prior to the draft, he was projected to go in the mid-to-late rounds, but fortunately for Miami, he was available to be signed afterward.
McDaniel has already talked White up during their brief work together through minicamps and OTAs, so it seems he’s already making an impression on the coaching staff. If he has a productive summer, he could find himself on the practice squad.
|
2022-07-06T16:19:18Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
2022 Dolphins positional preview: RB group has quickly become loaded
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-dolphins-positional-preview-rb-151953572.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-dolphins-positional-preview-rb-151953572.html?src=rss
|
30 Most Important Bears of 2022: No. 21 Khari Blasingame
Coming up at No. 22 is fullback Khari Blasingame, a new addition to the offense that could become the biggest asset in the run game.
Tennessee Titans fullback Khari Blasingame (41) is stopped by Chicago Bears linebacker Christian Jones (57) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) stuff arms Cincinnati Bengals cornerback LeShaun Sims (38) on a run during the first quarter of a Week 8 NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
Tennessee Titans At Cincinnati Bengals Nov 1
Blasingame was quite literally the unsung hero for the Tennessee Titans over the last couple of seasons. His role in the blocking game allowed star running back Derrick Henry to rush for historic totals in 2020 and make the Titans ground game arguably the best in the league. Blasingame’s 2021 campaign wasn’t as impactful since both he and Henry missed significant time due to injuries.
The fullback played in 11 games and was mostly used as a blocker, only carrying the ball three times for six yards and catching two passes on the season. But when he was blocking, good things happened for the Titans. According to Statmuse, Henry averaged 126 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry on the ground with Blasingame in six games during the 2021 season. In two games without him, that number dipped to 90.5 and 3.2 yards per game.
Blasingame is the first true fullback the Bears have had in four seasons, indicating a renewed commitment to the running game. He’ll be tasked with opening up holes for the Bears running backs, specifically David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. While neither player is at the level of Henry, both should see increased production across the board in part due to Blasingame.
The addition of Blasingame also takes some pressure off the offensive line, a position group that has more questions than answers at this point in the offseason. But while he’ll primarily be focused on blocking, don’t be surprised to see him steal a touch or two. The converted running back showed a nice burst last preseason against the Bears, taking a screen pass 50 yards down the field for a scoring opportunity. Perhaps the Bears can get creative with his usage from time to time.
Big question: What will Blasingame's usage look like?
A Chicago Bears helmet is seen on the field at the NFL football team’s practice facility in Lake Forest, Ill., Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
For some die-hard Bears fans, seeing the team run the I formation on every single snap might be a dream come true. But that’s not the reality in today’s game. Blasingame will haver a significant role on this team, but it’s still too early to tell just how much.
For the Titans last season, Blasingame averaged just below eight snaps per game. In comparison, fullback Kyle Juszczyk of the San Francisco 49ers averaged 36 snaps and played in all 17 regular season games. The Bears and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy are implementing a Shanahan-style system which both the Titans and 49ers currently run. The question is, just how involved is Blasingame going to be when fall arrives? It likely won’t compare to what the 49ers are running with Juszczyk, but if the Bears are going to feature a fullback, he better see the field more than eight times per game.
|
2022-07-06T16:19:24Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
30 Most Important Bears of 2022: No. 21 Khari Blasingame
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/30-most-important-bears-2022-121031615.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/30-most-important-bears-2022-121031615.html?src=rss
|
The New York Giants have logged in losing records in eight of the last nine seasons and they have been bucking the league trend where bad teams can turn things around quickly.
The incoming front office, led by new general manager Joe Schoen, has hired a new coaching staff under head coach Brian Daboll and they have a clean slate. There is little pressure this year for them to win. But the players won’t be so lucky.
Here is a list of five players who will be under the most pressure this season:
This is it for Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He needs to show considerable improvement this year or risk having the Giants find a replacement after this season.
Jones is in the final year of his rookie deal after the team declined his fifth-year option in May. Daboll and Schoen have given Jones votes of confidence but he still has to prove it on the field this year.
With a revamped offensive line and offensive philosophy, Jones should be better but that will also be contingent on his health. He has missed games to injury in each of his first three seasons.
Golladay is on the books for over $21 million both this year and next and isn’t likely to be cut should he underperform. But that doesn’t mean he has no pressure on him this year.
Golladay played through several injuries last season, missing three games and hobbling him in several more. He caught just 48.7 percent of his 76 targets for 521 yards and failed to score a touchdown. That’s not the player the Giants thought they were getting.
CB Adoree' Jackson
Jackson will be on an island this year after the Giants had to let James Bradberry go due to salary cap constraints. He is coming off a lukewarm year in 2021 after signing an over-the-market, three-year, $39 million deal last March.
Jackson had one interception and eight pass breakups in 12 starts last year, but he will be charged with covering opponents’ No. 1 wideouts this year with Bradberry gone.
Jackson is on the books for $19 million next ear and cutting him will incur a $10 million dead cap charge. But that may not deter the Giants to act should he fall flat in 2022.
RB Saquon Barkley
Don’t read this the wrong way. Barkley will be paying in the NFL for years to come if he stays healthy. It just might not be with the Giants and his days of making star money are likely behind him.
He is in the fifth year of his rookie deal and is coming off three seasons of battling injuries. Still, he can rescue his career with a decent showing in 2022 if he can stay healthy.
That is the pressure on Barkley. He has to show that he has some burst in the running game and that he is still an explosive player in the passing game. Otherwise, he could go unsigned for a long time after this season.
LB Blake Martinez
Martinez is entering the final year of a three-year, $30.7 million deal and is coming off a torn ACL injury that ended his season in Week 3 last year.
Martinez, when healthy, is one of the most prolific tacklers in the NFL. He’ll resume his rightful role in the middle of the Giants’ defense calling the signals this summer but his days could be numbered.
New defensive coordinator Wink Martindale may not be a Martinez fan should he not acclimate to the new defense. Throw in the fact that the Giants drafted two inside linebackers in this year’s draft (Micah McFadden, and Darrian Beavers) and Martinez’s seat gets a little hotter.
|
2022-07-06T16:19:30Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
5 Giants under the most pressure in 2022
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/5-giants-under-most-pressure-133037900.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/5-giants-under-most-pressure-133037900.html?src=rss
|
Jets fortify the trenches in early 2023 two-round mock draft
The Jets look like a team poised to make some steady improvements in 2022 after a rough season last year, mainly because Zach Wilson is entering his second season and should be noticeably better. But even if New York takes a sizable step forward this year, they’ll be looking to fill some roster holes in 2023.
It’s still early, but Luke Easterling of Draft Wire released his latest 2023 mock draft, going two rounds deep. The Jets’ first pick comes at No. 5 overall, and he has them taking Georgia standout defensive lineman Jalen Carter. At No. 37, the Jets select Washington offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland, fortifying the trenches in the first two rounds.
Carter played 14 games for the Bulldogs last season, recording 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks. He’s 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds and extremely athletic, showing good burst off the line when watching him play. He does need to play with better power, but if he improves on his 2021 season, he’ll be a top-10 pick in April.
Kirkland is a tall, long offensive tackle, standing 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds. He’s been a full-time starter since 2018, playing both right guard and left tackle, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors two years in a row in 2020 and 2021.
Both players would help the Jets in 2023, but as we said, it’s still very early and their draft stock – as well as the Jets’ draft positioning – will change between now and April.
|
2022-07-06T16:20:02Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Jets fortify the trenches in early 2023 two-round mock draft
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-fortify-trenches-early-2023-153539054.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-fortify-trenches-early-2023-153539054.html?src=rss
|
NFL betting, odds: Here's the best way to bet Tom Brady and the NFC South
One of my favorite things about the summer is knowing what's on the other side: NFL football. We are less than five months removed from the Super Bowl and only 29 days away from the first preseason game. Like the 32 NFL teams, we, as bettors, can't wait to put the lessons learned last season into practice with a clean slate. So we will spend the following two months putting our research to work, crafting our futures bets, and looking for edges in preseason totals. This time of year may not bring much entertainment for the casual fan, but bettors can find significant advantages in preseason games and the robust futures market.
The wide range of bets you can place on NFL futures gives us plenty of options in how we want to take a position on a particular team. Although most bettors are zeroing in on some of the more popular markets like win totals, MVP candidates, and whether teams will make or miss the playoffs, there is an excellent opportunity at BetMGM to bet into what I think is this year's most predictable division.
NFC South - Straight Forecast: 1st Buccaneers/2nd Saints (+100)
You don't have to outsmart the market or take a radical position in every bet. There are times when the cards fall as expected, and I think there is a better than 50% chance that happens here. A good description of the NFC South would be a division consisting of a favorite to reach the Super Bowl, a possible playoff team, and two of the worst teams in football. So my thought process starts with answering the question of whether the two remaining teams in the division can finish in second place.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) goes through a drill during the team's minicamp on June 9, 2022, at the AdventHealth Training Center at One Buccaneer Place in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Can the Panthers or Falcons surpass the Saints?
The betting market tells us that Carolina and Atlanta may be the two worst teams in the NFC. The Carolina Panthers Super Bowl odds are 150 to 1, and there are only two teams in the entire league with longer odds. Guess who is one of them? The Atlanta Falcons at 250 to 1. Both teams' win totals are set low at 5.5 and 4.5, respectively, and the odds (-115) reflect Atlanta under 4.5 wins is taking money.
One of the biggest reasons expectations are so low for these two teams is their inability to address the quarterback position in the offseason. Sam Darnold returns to Carolina after a nightmare season that led to the abrupt dismissal of promising offensive coordinator Joe Brady and positioned Matt Rhule as one of the betting favorites to be the first head coach fired this season. Among QBs with at least 200 snaps, Darnold ranked 31st in both EPA per play and CPOE. Unfortunately, Atlanta's QB situation isn't much better with former Titans backup Marcus Mariota replacing Matt Ryan.
Both teams drafted quarterbacks in the third round of this year's draft, but I think it's unlikely either can make a significant enough contribution to change the course of either team's season. Certainly not enough to catch New Orleans, which could be a 9- or 10-win team this season. It's easy to get comfortable with both these teams remaining at the bottom of the standings.
The Saints could be a sneaky playoff team
It's a new era in New Orleans with Sean Payton handing the keys to Dennis Allen. Now that we feel strong enough that Atlanta and Carolina are on the road to six or fewer wins, we need New Orleans to fall in that 7-10 win range to secure second place and cash our bet. The Saints' win total is currently sitting directly in the middle at 8.5. They are also +135 to make the playoffs and +375 to win the division. I like their chances of going over 8.5 wins and making the playoffs, making the +135 bet attractive as well. However, I would rather take the +100 with this bet and bank on them falling in that 7-10 win range.
New Orleans pulled together nine wins last season while overcoming numerous injuries. Per ClevAnalytics, they were 25th in adjusted games lost, including four straight losses without their best offensive playmaker in RB Alvin Kamara. The Saints added weapons for Jameis Winston in the passing game with veteran WR Jarvis Landry and Ohio State rookie Chris Olave. But New Orleans' selection of athletic OT Trevor Penning signals to me that the running game will remain the offense's focal point. According to PFF via Football Outsiders, the Saints ranked 29th last season in pass-play rate during non-garbage time situations. The balanced offensive philosophy that helped Winston post a 14-3 TD-to-Int ratio and reduce the turnovers that previously plagued him returns in 2022 with a much stronger receiving corp to support him. Adding Olave and Landry will only help Winston improve on last season's results and push New Orleans into playoff contention.
It's still Tom Brady's division
As much as there is to like about the Saints, they aren't a threat to Tampa Bay to win the NFC South. That's the beauty of the bet. There is a considerable gap between the talent above and below the Saints, making it easier than usual to slot the top two teams. New Orleans has given Tom Brady fits over the last two years, but the Saints would likely need to get to 12 or 13 wins to put this bet in jeopardy, and that still might not be enough. Six of eight division winners last season won at least 12 games, and the Bucs won 13 despite some significant injuries at the tackle and wide receiver positions. With Brady and Byron Leftwich taking over the offensive game-planning, Tampa Bay has more potential than ever. Based on the odds, we are getting even money for the Saints to fall between the projected best and two of the worst teams in the conference. I will take that bet every time.
Stats provided by PFF.com, ClevAnalytics, and Football Outsiders.
|
2022-07-06T16:20:15Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
NFL betting, odds: Here's the best way to bet Tom Brady and the NFC South
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-odds-heres-the-best-way-to-bet-tom-brady-and-the-nfc-south-144442420.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-odds-heres-the-best-way-to-bet-tom-brady-and-the-nfc-south-144442420.html?src=rss
|
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of training camp, where there are plenty of questions surrounding this team, especially on the offensive side of the football.
That has a lot to do with the development of quarterback Justin Fields, who’s entering a pivotal second season amid questions about his wide receivers and offensive line.
There are no shortage of players to watch when training camp kicks off, from new acquisitions to young guys looking to make an impact in 2022.
With that in mind, here’s one player to watch at each offensive position group at Bears training camp:
Quarterback: Justin Fields
Once again, all eyes will be on quarterback Justin Fields, who’s entering a pivotal second season. There are plenty of concerns surrounding Fields’ supporting cast heading into 2022, including an unproven receiving corp and offensive line. One thing that’s not in question is his status as the starting quarterback, where he’ll be looking to take a step forward in his development.
The Bears are implementing a new offense under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, one that promises to cater to Fields’ strengths, including getting him on the move, utilizing play action and letting him stretch the field with his deep ball. Fields noted the offense isn’t ready to play a game following mandatory minicamp, but that should change as the team gets more reps in training camp and preseason.
Running back: Trestan Ebner
Running back is a position group that appears all but set with David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, as well as the addition of fullback Khari Blasingame. But sixth-round rookie Trestan Ebner, who’s expected to lock down a roster spot, has a chance to carve out a nice role for himself on offense and special teams.
Ebner has been compared to former Bears running back Tarik Cohen, who proved to be versatile in three phases at running back, receiver and punt returner. Last year, Ebner has 148 carries for 799 yards (5.4 average) and two touchdowns, adding 28 receptions for 284 yards and a pair of scores. Ebner was the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year in 2021 for his work as a kick returner, where he’s expected to contribute as a rookie.
Wide receiver: Byron Pringle
Wide receiver has been a focal point this offseason, where the Bears have been criticized for their lack of proven weapons for Fields. Outside of Darnell Mooney, there are questions at the receiver position, and Chicago needs some guys to step up. One newcomer who has the potential to break out this season is free-agent acquisition Byron Pringle, who enters training camp as the clear-cut WR2 behind Mooney.
Pringle was buried on the depth chart during his time in Kansas City, and he’s someone who has the potential to have a breakout season in Chicago. Pringle is coming off a career year, where he saw more involvement on offense, catching 42 passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns. With Mooney likely to draw double teams, Pringle has an opportunity to capitalize.
Tight end: Cole Kmet
Cole Kmet is entering a pivotal Year 3, where the expectation is that he’ll take a step forward and show that he’s the future at tight end for the Bears. Kmet is coming off an encouraging season where he saw his production nearly double from his rookie season — nabbing 60 receptions for 612 yards, no touchdowns and ranked eighth in targets (93) among tight ends.
Following the departure of Jimmy Graham in free agency and the ushering in of new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, Kmet will the be the focal tight end on offense. Kmet is excited about his potential in this offense as guys like San Francisco’s George Kittle and Green Bay’s Robert Tonyan have thrived in similar systems. Kmet understands he has a lot to prove to this new coaching staff, but he’s looking to show that he’s a tight end who can do it all.
Offensive line: Braxton Jones
There’s no doubt that everyone will be watching the offensive line when training camp kicks off as there’s a question about what the starting unit will look like come Week 1. But if we have to pick one offensive lineman to watch — who will probably be the biggest catalyst in this starting combination — it’s fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones, who’s emerged as a contender for the starting left tackle job.
Jones saw time at left tackle with the starters during the final week of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, an indication that he’s made an impression on this coaching staff to warrant a look with the ones. But the true test won’t come until the pads come on, where Jones has a chance to further impress and perhaps earn a starting role from Day 1.
|
2022-07-06T16:20:21Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
One player to watch at each offensive position group heading into Bears training camp
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/one-player-watch-offensive-position-143519449.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/one-player-watch-offensive-position-143519449.html?src=rss
|
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby predicted to finish inside top five in sacks
Maxx Crosby is coming off his first Pro Bowl season as he led the NFL in multiple stat categories, including pressures, QB hits and hurries. But in order for him to take the next step as a pass rusher, he has to find a way to bring down the quarterback more often.
During the 2021 season, Crosby finished the year with just eight sacks. While sacks certainly aren’t the end-all, be-all for pass rushers, it would be nice to see him finish with double-digit sacks again.
So what are the odds that he could lead the NFL in sacks this season? In a recent piece by Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report, he made the bold prediction that Crosby would finish inside the top five in sacks during the 2022 season. Here is a snippet of his reasoning below:
“Crosby might not have always finished the play, but he finished 10th in pass-rush win rate, per ESPN, and led the league in total pressures, per Next Gen Stats.
Sack totals are typically the gaudy number that gets edge-defenders recognized, but it’s hardly the best tool for measuring a player’s impact.
Crosby got little support from the interior of the defensive line. That should change with the additions of Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols and rookies Neil Farrell and Matthew Butler.”
The addition of Chandler Jones should really help Crosby as offenses can’t just double him on every play. That will leave more one-on-one opportunities for Crosby, giving him more chances for sacks.
The Raiders don’t need Crosby to lead the NFL in sacks to have a successful defense. Instead, they just need him to continue to rack up the pressures and turn a few more of them into sacks. If he can do that, the Raiders should be just fine on that side of the ball.
|
2022-07-06T16:20:27Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby predicted to finish inside top five in sacks
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/raiders-maxx-crosby-predicted-finish-143333010.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/raiders-maxx-crosby-predicted-finish-143333010.html?src=rss
|
The second Atlanta race of the season has no clear favorite.
No driver has odds better than +1000 at BetMGM ahead of Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA). The race is the second at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, a track remodeled to make the racing look more like it does at Daytona and Talladega than at other 1.5-mile tracks.
The experiment worked as designed in March for the debut race at the redone track. There were 46 lead changes and 11 cautions as 12 drivers failed to finish because of crash damage and there was even a 12-car pileup.
William Byron won that race and he enters as one of the four co-favorites at +1000. Byron was the first of five Chevrolet drivers in the top six positions as the track and NASCAR’s car rules kept the cars close together.
Three of Hendrick Motorsports' four drivers are among the top six favorites ahead of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
It’ll be fascinating to see if cars can stick as close to each other on Sunday as they did a few months ago with all of the development teams have done on their new vehicles. While we’re not expecting a strung-out race thanks to NASCAR and Atlanta’s stated desire for pack racing, it’s not going to be totally surprising if a team or two is able to relatively drive away from the rest of the field because of its car advancements.
It also won’t be surprising if there’s another big pileup or two. That risk is a big reason why there’s no driver with low odds ahead of the race. We saw in March that crashes can happen anywhere in the field.
Here’s a look at what you need to know to bet the race. You can view the full list of odds here.
Elliott has finished in the top two in each of the last two races and was sixth in March. Blaney and Hamlin have proven to be two of the best at Talladega and Daytona in recent years and we already mentioned that Byron won at Atlanta earlier this year. Larson is near the top of the odds on a weekly basis with Chastain typically close behind. Chastain was second in March.
Alex Bowman (+2800)
Truex was eighth in March and we’re convinced he’s going to win a race sometime soon. Bowman was 10th and his odds relative to his Hendrick teammates make him a no-brainer selection if you’re looking to take a flier.
Don’t bet this driver
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+2500)
Stenhouse led 22 laps in March but isn’t worth betting at these odds. If he was at +4000 or so then it’s a no-brainer to take a risk on him.
Erik Jones (+3300)
Jones was 14th in March and is inside the top 20 in points. He probably needs to win to make the playoffs given there are already 13 drivers with wins so far this season and Atlanta could be his best chance.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering Says She Was Cub Scout Leader for Man Detained in July 4 Parade Shooting
The mayor of Highland Park, Illinois, where six people were killed during a mass shooting at a July 4 parade, says she was the person of interest's Cub Scout leader.
|
2022-07-06T16:42:09Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
NASCAR betting: There's no clear favorite ahead of Atlanta's redesigned second race
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar-betting-theres-no-clear-favorite-ahead-of-the-second-race-at-redesigned-atlanta-131759590.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar-betting-theres-no-clear-favorite-ahead-of-the-second-race-at-redesigned-atlanta-131759590.html?src=rss
|
ESPN Andscape's Marc J. Spears took it up a notch over the weekend when he reported, citing sources, that the Warriors have interest in bringing back the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
"I get it. It's the Warriors. It's Kevin Durant. It's going to create a firestorm anytime you bring those two names together," Spears said during an interview in KNBR with Greg Papa and John Lund. "But you know, essentially, basically I was saying more than half the league has reached out to the Nets about Kevin Durant. And the Warriors are one of them. Which is a smart thing to do, I mean, you should do. And that doesn’t mean anything is imminent, that doesn’t mean there’s any trade that they’ve talked about. Just the fact that there would be some interest in there, certainly I'm sure raised some eyebrows here. Whether in excitement or like 'Nah, nah, nah.'
Myers wouldn't be doing his job to the best of his abilities if he didn't call whenever a star player became available on the trade market. Every front office leader operates like that. So it makes sense that he would call Nets general manager Sean Marks.
Now, things got a little more interesting Sunday night when The Athletic's Marcus Thompson reported that while a deal was "highly unlikely, Durant has been in contact with some of the Warriors stars and the idea of a reunion did come up.
And while Durant's last moments with the Warriors during the 2018-19 season were icy and his departure was swift, the relationship between him and certain members of Golden State still is in good shape, leaving room for them to work out any differences and come back together.
"The Warriors did the right thing by not burning the bridge like the bridge was burnt in Oklahoma City," Spears said on KNBR. "Lacob did something smart. He said, 'Hey, we're going to retire his jersey one day.' Bob Myers kept a positive relationship with him. Steph Curry, who again is the most important person in the group, kept a positive relationship with him, and they’re cool.
"If this were to magically happen, which I don't think anything is imminent with Kevin Durant, but I think ultimately with each passing day, this is probably something that he would be more and more excited about."
The teams that have the most to offer the Nets in terms of young players -- the Warriors, the Phoenix Suns, the Miami Heat, etc -- all have players of interest to Brooklyn signed to that type of contract.
"The challenge is, I would guess, is that [Andrew] Wiggins would have to be included in such a deal," Spears said. "And you can only have two players on rookie max extension on a team. So whether it's the Warriors, whether it's Phoenix, whether it's Miami, because they have the same issues, I think the Nets are going to have to trade Ben Simmons in order to accommodate a major move like that for Durant because of the people that have the rookie extensions on each of those rosters."
"I think the most realistic places is where a combination where he wants to be and where the Nets would get the best value," Spears said. "That's why if you listened to what I said before I said ‘Just keep an eye on the Warriors.’ I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but they got the best assets. They don’t have the best draft assets, but in terms of young talent, in terms of having an All-Star, future All-Star, potential players, you know, that’s what the Nets are looking for.
"So if you’re getting a group of really talented young players, what do you need draft picks for. They’re better than draft picks. Forget the draft. Because those draft picks from the Warriors, if they were to get KD back, they're not going to mean anything. They're going to be in the late 20s, maybe 30, right."
RELATED: Latest on Nets' Durant asking price
A week after Durant put in his trade request, there has been no movement from the Nets -- no rumors of reported options on the table for Brooklyn. It's not easy to trade a player of KD's caliber who has four years left on an extension he signed last year.
Whether the Warriors' interest is legit, posturing or just kicking the tires, that remains to be seen. But it certainly is fascinating that after all they've been through the last three years, they are one of the best teams equipped to acquire Durant, even if it never happens.
Memphis Grizzlies, Jake LaRavia make it rain 3-pointers in Summer League — and other observations
Some of the Memphis Grizzlies' biggest offseason focuses were showcased in the Summer League debut, including Kennedy Chandler's game-winning steal.
|
2022-07-06T16:47:20Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Marc Spears: Kevin Durant-Warriors trade not imminent, but call was made
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/marc-spears-kevin-durant-warriors-234854321.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/marc-spears-kevin-durant-warriors-234854321.html?src=rss
|
After a five-year absence, we present our 2022 All-Bulletin golf and tennis teams, with players from Norwich Free Academy and Killingly.
Ian Anderson enjoyed an important bounce-back game after his recent woes kept him from fully enjoying the Atlanta Braves’ best stretch of the season. “I wanted to get in on the fun,” Anderson said. “I definitely felt a lot better about how this one went,” Anderson said, adding he felt better about “the total package, being more confident, throwing more strikes.”
|
2022-07-06T16:47:39Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
The Open 2022: When does it start, how to watch and and what to expect in St. Andrews
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/open-2022-does-start-watch-063507583.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/open-2022-does-start-watch-063507583.html?src=rss
|
Holmgren went head-to-head with Cockburn early, not letting him back him down in the lane. He continuously used his footwork and length to block shots and avoided getting buried on the block. When Fall checked into the game halfway through the first quarter, Holmgren kept him off the block and did everything he could to hold his position. The Thunder's length and speed, as well as Holmgren's do-it-all performance, was too much for the Jazz as the Thunder comfortably took the win, 98-77.
"I just wanted to battle with them [Cockburn and Fall]," Holmgren said after the game. "It was going to be nothing easy and everything hard and try to win the basketball game. At the end of the day, I wasn't trying to get into any personal feuds or matchups or trying to prove anything personally."
"The game plan was be aggressive with those guys in the post," Summer League head coach Kameron Woods added. "Our team was going to have support behind him so he could be aggressive just being who he is defensively, and I thought he did a great job just battling. He talked about wanting to be physical and coming out here and playing a certain style on both ends of the floor, and I thought he did that tonight."
Holmgren made it clear he was here to make a statement and wasn't going to shy away from any competition. In years past, high-profile players sat out games in Utah and waited to make their NBA debut under the bright lights in Las Vegas.
"I'm a professional basketball player playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder and I'm going to lace them up whenever or wherever," Holmgren said. "I was fortunate enough to play tonight, and I never take that for granted. If I can play, I'm going to play."
Chet was BALLIN' in the first half!
🔥 4-5 3PT
🔥 3 BLK
(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/xBvmdchzYZ
Holmgren led all players with 23 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and four assists. The six blocks were a SLC Summer League record. This was Josh Giddey's first time back on the court after suffering a hip injury in February; he posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists.
|
2022-07-06T16:48:04Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Thunder No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren silences critics in NBA debut with game-high 23 points, 6 blocks
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/thunder-no-2-pick-chet-holmgren-silences-critics-in-nba-debut-with-game-high-23-points-6-blocks-042751764.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/thunder-no-2-pick-chet-holmgren-silences-critics-in-nba-debut-with-game-high-23-points-6-blocks-042751764.html?src=rss
|
Elite junior college wide receiver recruit Malik Benson has committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide over Oregon, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee. Benson is rated as a four-star wide receiver prospect and the top JUCO recruit in the country.
The talented wide receiver has spent the past two seasons with Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. Now, Benson will get a taste of SEC football during the 2022 college football season. Could Benson see immediate playing time at Alabama?
The Crimson Tide do have a need at the receiver position.
Benson was originally a three-star recruit coming out of Lansing High School as a member of the class of 2021.
Benson has impressive speed and generates a lot of separation on tape. The four-star had scholarship offers from many of the top college football programs in the country.
The Hutchinson star has a track and field background. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver visited all of his top schools, but ultimately rolled with Alabama.
Kirby Smart and Georgia could still be looking for another addition to the roster ahead of the 2022 college football season.
Malik Benson announced his commitment to Alabama via Twitter:
|
2022-07-06T17:39:51Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
No. 1 JUCO recruit Malik Benson makes commitment
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/no-1-juco-recruit-malik-165334748.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/no-1-juco-recruit-malik-165334748.html?src=rss
|
Check out what Preston Carey had to say about his offers from Georgia, LSU and Michigan as well as from Rutgers!
“It went great. You know…I went there I connected with the coaches on Twitter and after that, I made a few phone calls and you know, going to all these camps, you know, you see it from the outside and it looks, it looks glamorous, and it looks good. But you know, it’s really been a struggle. My dad’s been struggling to get me to these camps. And we’ve only been able to go to so many but you know, I really want to play in the NFL and play DI so when these coaches reach out and it is a drivable distances like 10 hours away as Michigan, we had to go and I was going to perform our best and that’s what I did.
“But overall, Michigan was amazing. You know, I love the coaches. I love Coach Elston (Mike Elston, defensive line coach), he’s a great D-line coach and I was going against great competition. I was going against juniors, seniors, and I was putting out my best I was beating them and I’m only in eighth grade. So I’m only going to get better and the goal is ultimately to be a five-star.”
“Michigan was amazing. I mean, I love the culture. I love the history there, they have the All-American wall and you see [Aidan] Hutchinson, you see his dad and you just see the continuous culture of greatness at Michigan. And obviously, they’re a playoff contender this year and I think they’re just going to continue to get better.
“I think their locker room is the best in the country. And that definitely is amazing to me, and I also think their facilities are amazing.”
“Fran Brown is amazing. Obviously, he’s from New Jersey and that is important to me because he knows what it’s like to be up north and be from that environment. But he’s a great guy. When I met him, he was holding one of his kids and coach Scott (Tray Scott, defensive line coach) was also near one of his kids.
“And that kind of was…I was taken aback because you imagine the national champions and their coaches and they were just way, way more down to earth and I was expecting but that’s amazing for me. I’ve always loved Georgia and the SEC, so it was pretty amazing and surreal to get off the bus.”
“Honestly I had a really great camp. You know, I like to stay humble, but I did go up against a few college transfers there, they were college players, which I’d never experienced before
“But there was a rising sophomore from Old Dominion. He was probably the best competition there and I was banging heads with them every play and that was ultimately you know, the best competition you know, I was beaten and we were going at it. But you know, after that, I kind of knew the path but you know, you never really know what feeling you’re gonna get when you get offered by the national champions and I couldn’t even put it into words even a week after you know it’s just amazing to blessing and I can’t wait.”
“It was amazing. You know, right off the bat when I got the offer. The first thing I said to coach Cain (Jamar Cain), the D-line coach, when he offered me the first thing I said to him was, genuinely ‘Can I just give you a hug?’ Because me and my family like I was saying we’ve been through a lot and you know?
“Obviously, anybody’s first offer is going to be a surreal, emotional feeling, but I kept myself together. You can’t really put it into words. Ever since I was little I’ve been working towards this and I continue to work towards it. But you know, it’s like living the dream and when you’re in it, you can’t really speak about it. You just live it.”
“I went down to LSU and we did a visit and like the facilities were amazing, but then the camp and after that I got offered. I always get noticed of being my size but you know, the way I pull myself up against older competition is an amazing opportunity. I’m always going up against juniors and seniors, and you know that one rare time going up against a college player and it’s really a blessing how hard I’m able to play, but it’s just awesome for me. I’m gonna continue to do it.”
“It went amazing. You know, coach Schiano, he is an amazing man, you know, coaching-wise and just as a man. He sat down with me for an hour and spoke with me. And my father was there – and my father’s an advocate for being a great man off the field. Even though you have God-given talent on the field, he wants me to be a great man off the field.
“Coach Schiano was just basically repeating my father’s words and just saying all the right things and that was great to hear because at the end of the day, you know, football is going to be great for me and that’s one of the reasons I am where I am today. But at the end of the day football at some point ends and you always need to be a great man.”
“My interest level is definitely high…it’s very close to home. And also it’s the birthplace of football, which is very important. The stadium is amazing. That was my first time touring the stadium and the locker rooms and the whole facility and honestly, I was kind of blown away.
“It was really amazing to see and coach Vallone (defensive assistant Scott Vallone) – he’s a great coach, and he’s a great guy. And I very much loved it. And obviously, speaking with coach Schiano after the tour, just made me love it even more. So that definitely could be a top school for me.”
|
2022-07-06T17:40:10Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Rising freshman Preston Carey talks Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Rutgers offers
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/rising-freshman-preston-carey-talks-101916499.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/rising-freshman-preston-carey-talks-101916499.html?src=rss
|
In a few weeks, the Kevin O’Connell era will take shape underneath the Eagan sun at the Minnesota Vikings’ training camp.
That’s where the first-year head coach has the arduous task of whittling down the roster to 53 players, along with making key personnel decisions with the depth chart.
There are a slew of training camp battles awaiting the Vikings when they return to the practice field, and make no mistake, not all of them are set in stone.
One example of that is team commentator Paul Allen predicting running back/return man Kene Nwangwu could potentially push Alexander Mattison for lead backup duties behind Dalvin Cook.
So there might certainly be some surprises in store when the smoke settles. But as of right now, heading into camp, here are the three biggest position battles for the team.
What will the future hold for arguably the biggest trouble spot for the Vikings?
The team signed veterans Chris Reed and Jesse Davis in the offseason for right guard depth after Oli Udoh struggled last season. They also went out and spent a second-round draft pick on rookie Ed Ingram as a high-ceiling option to hopefully fortify the position.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he’ll take over the reins right out of the gates, as the Vikings could look at one of their veteran players to take over the role early on. It’ll be interesting to see how far along he is in comparison to Reed and Davis when the pads come on.
There’s still a long-shot hope that Wyatt Davis can somehow get into the mix as well, but it’s beginning to look like the ship has sailed on the second-year offensive lineman, who was selected No. 86 overall in the 2021 NFL draft by former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman.
With rookie safety Lewis Cine taking a significant number of snaps with the first-team unit in the spring practices, there’s been this growing assumption that the same will be the case when rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. returns to the practice field at 100 percent.
But Cameron Dantzler might have something to say about that.
The veteran corner has continued to improve and mature to the point where he could be one of the long-term fixtures for the Vikings in the defensive backfield. Yes, Booth is a smart player with a lot of talent, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to land a starting job right off the bat.
He was limited throughout the spring practices because he’s been on the mend from a hernia sports surgery he had back in March. The plan has always been for him to be ready to go by training camp.
But he’ll clearly have some catching up to do, along with competing with a more experienced player in Dantzler. Patrick Peterson is already locked in at the other cornerback spot, and Chandon Sullivan is expected to lead the slot corner role.
So the Booth and Dantzler battle is definitely the one to keep an eye on in future practices.
Kellen Mond has been one of the more intriguing players often highlighted through the early practices. There has been talk of him playing with more confidence within O’Connell’s offense.
Back in May, Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips referred to him as “very sharp” and having his “eyes in the right place” on the field.
He started off the spring practices strong, and then he ended things at minicamp by throwing an interception to Parry Nickerson.
The defense hasn't stopped celebrating this one. @_therealpnick pic.twitter.com/egUrfb9wYK
The Vikings already know what they have in Sean Mannion as a backup quarterback.
His ceiling on the football field has already been established. However, the same isn’t necessarily the case for Mond, who has some intangibles that makes him a worthy project for O’Connell and company.
But will he be good enough when the pads come on to be promoted from a third option to Kirk Cousins’ direct backup at quarterback? That will easily be one of the more fascinating questions heading into late July.
|
2022-07-06T17:51:59Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
3 biggest position battles for Vikings heading into training camp
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/3-biggest-position-battles-vikings-165951219.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/3-biggest-position-battles-vikings-165951219.html?src=rss
|
Josh Allen? Regressing?
It’s hard to imagine that happening, but it’s always possible and Bleacher Report is the first to consider that could happen for the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
B/R named one player on every NFL team with potential to disappoint next season. For the Bills, Allen was their pick and it comes as a surprise following his breakout over the past two years.
First, here’s how B/R came to that conclusion:
The Buffalo Bills offense, which is built around quarterback Josh Allen, could regress following the departure of former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who took the New York Giants’ head-coaching job in January.
Going into 2022, the Bills have a first-time offensive play-caller in Ken Dorsey. He served as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator over the last three years. With a hint of optimism, Allen shared a realistic outlook of the offense as he talked to reporters last month.
“And, again, it’s going to be a learning process for [Dorsey] as well,” Allen said. “We’re humans. We’re not perfect. We’re not expecting each other to be perfect. But as long as we’re on the same page, which I think we are and we’ll continue to grow with it, I think we’ll be just fine.”
The Bills may not start the season red-hot on offense. If they don’t, Dorsey and Allen will have to iron out some wrinkles to match the production rate of last year’s unit, which ranked third in scoring and fifth in yards.
Allen could have a decent year, though his development may plateau as the offense goes through changes. If he regresses like Ryan Tannehill after the Tennessee Titans lost offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to the Falcons last offseason, Bills fans can forget a shot at the Super Bowl.
While there is some reason for concern after Daboll was named the New York Giants head coach, B/R overlooks one particularly important thing Daboll couldn’t take with him: Allen’s confidence.
Having Daboll as his offensive coordinator for most of his NFL career helped Allen. However, only Allen can go out there and execute.
Even if there is a little bit of a learning curve or bumps in the road with Dorsey now calling the plays, there’s no reason to believe Allen would significantly hamper Buffalo’s Super Bowl ambitions.
In fact, Allen might soon be approaching the territory of a quarterback that calls his own plays at the line. Dorsey would still play a part in such a scenario, but Allen deserves that level of trust, especially if it helps the team.
But to B/R’s point, a lot of pressure is riding on Allen in 2022.
|
2022-07-06T17:52:05Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
B/R: Could Bills QB Josh Allen regress in 2022?
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/b-r-could-bills-qb-151525244.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/b-r-could-bills-qb-151525244.html?src=rss
|
Although Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t exactly great, he’s not exactly bad either—at least enough to deserve the purgatory he currently faces. It’s just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And, unfortunately for the former No. 1 overall pick, he may not find a new place any time soon.
NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport joined Tuesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show and gave us the latest on Mayfield—who has been most recently linked to the Seattle Seahawks. But when asked by McAfee if Baker to Seattle is a forgone conclusion, Rapoport had some different intel.
“It is not right,” he said. “There’s a couple times a year this happens where you get like an Internet rumor that kinda takes on a life of its own. And believe me, I always check. And I’ve heard nothing to corroborate Baker to the Seahawks at all. And, like, I don’t know what’s gonna happen at the end of all this. Like, maybe this guy announces he’s trolling us. It seems crazy to me, but they have never really been that interested in Baker. What they have wanted is a Drew Lock v. Geno Smith battle.”
Mayfield, of course, is just about on the outs with Cleveland—who have put all of their eggs, money and draft picks in Deshaun Watson’s basket. Last week, the 27-year-old told SoonerScoop.com that he believes it’s time for both sides—meaning he and the Browns—to “move on.”
So, what could all of this now mean to the Carolina Panthers? Do all roads for Mayfield (or just the one) lead to Charlotte?
“Ya know, obviously, it’s been the Carolina Panthers that have been most aggressive,” Rapoport went on to add. “I know most people thought a deal would happen by the end of minicamp. It did not. So we’ll see, as we get closer to camp, if things pick back up. If a trade is going to happen, it’s probably going to happen before training camp at some point.”
For the Panthers, players are set to report to training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. on Tuesday, July 26.
Carolina Panthers 53-man roster predictions: Pre-training camp edition
|
2022-07-06T18:19:05Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Panthers reportedly more aggressive than Seahawks in pursuing Baker Mayfield
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-reportedly-more-aggressive-seahawks-200052266.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-reportedly-more-aggressive-seahawks-200052266.html?src=rss
|
Billy Horschel will have played five weeks in a row after next week's Open Championship, a decision he and his wife Brittany made together before the start of the season. He said PGA Tour players who jumped to the LIV Golf League because of the desire to play less could have played as many or as few tournaments as they wanted.
David Duval, a Jacksonville native, won the 1999 Players Championship. He has a chance to return to the tournament as one of the perks if he wins this week's Senior Players.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Billy Horschel: Those who jumped to LIV Golf from PGA Tour 'hypocrites'
|
2022-07-06T18:19:18Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Tour Notebook: Billy Horschel unloads on LIV Golf players; David Duval looking for way back to Players
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/tour-notebook-billy-horschel-unloads-183505132.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/tour-notebook-billy-horschel-unloads-183505132.html?src=rss
|
The launch of the latest edition of NBA 2K is an exciting moment for all basketball fans, and the newest version of the game might be the most exciting iteration yet. Last year the franchise featured its first female cover athlete, showcasing Candace Parker on the front of the game. This year, 2K is back with two WNBA superstars.
Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird will grace the cover of NBA 2K23 WNBA Edition. Taurasi is the league’s all-time leading scorer, a three time champion, and a five-time Olympic gold medalist. Bird, meanwhile, is a four-time champ and a thirteen-time All-Star with five Olympic gold medals of her own. Taurasi and Bird join Michael Jordan and Devin Booker as cover athletes for NBA 2K23.
Along with elevating the profile of the women’s professional hoops in the US, NBA 2K announced it is partnering with the WNBA to make a $100,000 donation to Every Kid Sports, a group dedicated to lowering financial barriers of entry to youth sports. The donation is aimed at helping 550 young girls and women across the US in registering for neighborhood basketball programs.
The WNBA Edition of NBA 2K23 includes special Bird and Taurasi bonus jerseys as part of the standard gameplay. Pre-orders of the game go live on July 7th, while the official release is set for early September.
|
2022-07-06T18:48:25Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird named cover athletes for NBA 2K23 WNBA Edition
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/diana-taurasi-sue-bird-named-150008320.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/diana-taurasi-sue-bird-named-150008320.html?src=rss
|
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts on the sideline after being taken out of the game after a hit during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) stands during an NFL football practice in Berea, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Baker Mayfield trade seals book on QB: Too short, too slow, too cocky
|
2022-07-06T19:22:53Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Browns' Baker Mayfield era with final verdict on QB: Too short, too slow, too cocky | Opinion
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/browns-baker-mayfield-era-final-184122011.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/browns-baker-mayfield-era-final-184122011.html?src=rss
|
The Cleveland Browns are trading quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional pick in the 2024 NFL draft, per multiple reports.
That pick is currently a fifth-round selection that can convert to a fourth-rounder if certain conditions are met.
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, joins a Panthers quarterback room that features a fellow top-five pick from that same draft in Sam Darnold, as well as third-round rookie Matt Corral.
The blockbuster trade that brought Deshaun Watson to the Browns cleared the way for Mayfield to find a new place to continue his NFL career after a roller-coaster tenure in Cleveland.
|
2022-07-06T19:23:12Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Browns to trade Baker Mayfield to Panthers for conditional draft pick
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/browns-trade-baker-mayfield-panthers-175608163.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/browns-trade-baker-mayfield-panthers-175608163.html?src=rss
|
Hindsight has perhaps never looked so good for the Buffalo Bills.
At the 2019 NFL draft, Buffalo selected a raw quarterback prospect with their top-overall pick from a little school in Wyoming: Josh Allen.
Fast forward to today and that sentence has much different meaning than it once did. In that year’s first round, five quarterbacks were taken and only two of those remain with their original team.
Allen is one of them.
On Wednesday, a massive trade went down in the NFL. It’s always of that caliber when a No. 1 overall selection is traded and that’s exactly what happened with Baker Mayfield.
The Cleveland Browns traded him to the Carolina Panthers. The Browns received a fifth-round pick and will split finances of Mayfield’s contract with the Panthers to round out the deal.
Mayfield and Allen, who was taken No. 7 overall, were two of five total quarterbacks taken in the first round of that year’s draft. It was a highly-anticipated event with all the rumors and hype surrounding the QBs that could go in the first round.
Between Mayfield and Allen, Sam Darnold was selected third overall by the New York Jets. Darnold, like Mayfield, was traded to Carolina for draft picks and the two are now teammates.
The fourth off the board was Josh Rosen at 10. He’s currently a free agent.
And then there was Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens made him the final selection of 2019’s first round. He went at No. 32 overall.
There is one little thing that makes Allen standout above all else: Of all five QBs from his draft class, he’s the only one to sign a contract extension with his original team.
Jackson is working on one with the Ravens but has yet to finalize it.
Hindsight has sincerely been very nice to the Bills.
|
2022-07-06T19:23:44Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Josh Allen one of only two Round 1 QBs from 2019 NFL draft still on first team
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/josh-allen-one-only-two-184105687.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/josh-allen-one-only-two-184105687.html?src=rss
|
We're under three weeks away from NFL training camps opening across the league. We're also now just a little over two months away from the regular season kicking off. While football might not be on the horizon just yet, we can see the light from a distance. There's still plenty of time to go until kickoff, but bettors are already taking a stance on the upcoming season at BetMGM. Which teams in the NFC are favored to win their division, and which teams are receiving the most betting action in each division?
The favorite: The Green Bay Packers have won the NFC North for three straight seasons and eight of the last 11 seasons overall. Green Bay enters 2022 as a -175 favorite to win the NFC North, the third-highest odds of any team to win their division. Despite last year's 13-4 record and No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, there are certainly questions about the Packers this year. They went out of the playoffs quickly and quietly last season. The offense fed Davante Adams, but he's gone now. Even if the Packers take a step backward in 2022, they had plenty of cushion in this division last season. No other team in the NFC North finished with a winning record. It's hard to disagree with Green Bay being the favorite here, though its grip on the division feels less strong than it has the past few seasons.
The bettors' choice: There's reason to believe the Detroit Lions will improve on their 3-win performance from 2021. They'll be healthier, they added talent through free agency and the draft, they performed much better in the second half of the season, they play hard for coach Dan Campbell. However, bettors are predicting a bit more than "improved" for the Lions. Currently, over 61% of bets are backing the Lions to win the division at +900 odds.
The second-most popular bet in the NFC North is the Minnesota Vikings at +275. The Vikings are getting 22% of the bets as they enter their first season with new coach Kevin O'Connell. The favored Packers are only the third-most popular bet in the division. Almost nobody believes in the Chicago Bears, as they've received less than 5% of the betting handle to date.
Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions are one of the NFL's most popular bets to win their division. (Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The favorite: The Dallas Cowboys enter 2022 as a +120 favorite to win the NFC East. The Cowboys won the division in 2021, but if you look at recent history, that might not be a great thing. No team has won the NFC East in back-to-back seasons since the Philadelphia Eagles won it four straight years from 2001-04. Dak Prescott should enter this season healthier than he entered last season, but he'll be without some key pieces from last year. Offensive lineman La'el Collins has left for the Bengals, while Amari Cooper was traded to the Browns. Cedrick Wilson departed in free agency and Michael Gallup will miss the start of the season rehabbing a torn ACL. The Cowboys remain favorites, but the gap has closed.
The bettors' choice: "America's Team" is not America's bet in the NFC East. That role belongs to the Philadelphia Eagles, who have received over 61% of the bets and 71% of the total money wagered to date. The Eagles made the playoffs in 2021 and have added the likes of A.J. Brown, Haason Reddick, James Bradberry and Jordan Davis over the offseason. The Eagles are down to just +185 to win the division after opening the offseason at +300.
After adding Carson Wentz to improve their quarterback room, the Washington Commanders are the second-most popular bet in the NFC East, receiving over 15% of the bets. Washington is currently +500 to win the division in 2022. The Cowboys edge out the Giants (+650) in terms of number of betting tickets written, but there's actually more money backing the Giants than the Cowboys thus far.
The favorite: When Tom Brady retired earlier in the offseason, it looked like there would be some serious intrigue in the NFC South. However, when Brady ended his retirement, that intrigue went out the window according to the betting odds. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are -300 favorites to win the NFC South, making them the largest favorite to win their division in football. The Buccaneers went 13-4 in 2021, finishing four wins ahead of second-place New Orleans.
The bettors' choice: While it's hard to lay -300 and have your money held for an extended period of time in the futures market, most of the big-money bets are backing the Buccaneers to win the division. Currently, nearly 67% of the money is backing Tampa Bay to win the NFC South, though just 26% of total bets are on the Buccaneers. Of the other teams in the division, New Orleans is bettors' choice to win the division at +375. Fifty-three percent of all bets are on the Saints. The Panthers (12-to-1) are getting over 12% of the action, and that was before they acquired Baker Mayfield.
The favorite: As defending Super Bowl Champions, it's no surprise the Los Angeles Rams open as favorites to win the NFC West at +130. The Rams won the division last year, though they didn't clinch that honor until the last week of the season. A lot of last year's team returns for Los Angeles, though there are some notable acquisitions (Bobby Wagner, Allen Robinson) and departures (Robert Woods, Andrew Whitworth).
The bettors' choice: It appears bettors love the opportunity to get last year's champions at plus-money to win their division. Currently, over 66% of bets and 86% of the money is backing Los Angeles to win the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers (+190) are getting 15% of the action, while the Arizona Cardinals (+300) are getting 13% of bets. Less than 2% of the money is backing Seattle to win the division.
|
2022-07-06T19:23:56Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
NFL betting: Detroit Lions among popular bets to win division
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-detroit-lions-among-popular-bets-to-win-their-division-in-2022-182627726.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-detroit-lions-among-popular-bets-to-win-their-division-in-2022-182627726.html?src=rss
|
If you ever wondered how much Mayfield wanted out, there’s your answer. But Mayfield’s new home might not be as instantly hospitable as he would like.
Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, who will never be mistaken for Bill Walsh, had this to say about Mayfield in 2018, after Mayfield was drafted, and when McAdoo was between gigs after being fired as the Giants’ head coach.
(As the Post pointed out, McAdoo “took it upon himself” to evaluate these quarterback prospects).
In this case, McAdoo’s analysis can be considered specious at best, and bizarre at worst. Mayfield has never been a limited-to-the-pocket quarterback per se, and his athleticism is actually one of his more positive attributes. Even in his injury-plagued 2021 season, Mayfield was pretty explosive outside the pocket, completing 26 of 61 passes for 319 yards, 218 air yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. In 2020, when healthy and on the rise as a quarterback, Mayfield completed 70 of 126 passes outside the pocket for 970 yards, 666 air yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.
|
2022-07-06T19:24:02Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was not a Baker Mayfield fan in 2018
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-offensive-coordinator-ben-mcadoo-182804962.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-offensive-coordinator-ben-mcadoo-182804962.html?src=rss
|
Skyy Moore named X-Factor for Chiefs’ offense in 2022
The Kansas City Chiefs face some questions heading into the 2022 NFL season.
The folks at Pro Football Focus believe the biggest question the team faces is how the loss of Tyreek Hill will impact the team’s offense. They also see a potential answer to that question.
In a recent article, PFF’s Ben Linsey ranked all 32 rosters in the league, naming their biggest strength, weakness and a potential X-Factor for the team. The Chiefs ranked as the No. 9 roster in the NFL, which is a little surprising given some big offseason departures on both sides of the ball. The team’s X-Factor was rookie second-round WR Skyy Moore, who could be the answer to that pesky burning question.
Here is what Linsey had to say about Moore:
“The biggest question surrounding the Chiefs this season will be how the Tyreek Hill loss impacts their offense. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster will be asked to replicate various elements of what Hill added, but the most intriguing offseason addition at wide receiver might be Skyy Moore. The second-round pick out of Western Michigan led the FBS in missed tackles forced after the catch (26) in 2021, and he could operate both in the slot and outside in Kansas City’s offense this season.”
There is one problem with Linsey’s look at the Chiefs’ roster, which is that it seems to overlook Mecole Hardman in favor of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Moore. Besides that one oversight, this X-Factor selection feels like it’s right on target.
Moore’s ability to pick up the offense and contribute quickly in Kansas City could be the difference between fielding an average receiver group and an elite one. He won’t be replicating everything that Hill can do, but elusiveness is one of the bright spots of his game. In college, Moore got open with great releases off the line of scrimmage, but he also was one of the best receivers after the catch in the 2022 NFL draft.
Andy Reid’s offense has been considered one that is notoriously tough for rookie receivers to pick up right away. In Moore’s case, he won’t be under a ton of pressure to come in and perform immediately because of the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. I think that can be beneficial to his development, allowing him to take a more natural path to perhaps becoming that X-Factor in the offense. He’s already taking extra time to work and build chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, which is a good start.
|
2022-07-06T19:24:28Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Skyy Moore named X-Factor for Chiefs’ offense in 2022
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/skyy-moore-named-x-factor-185806988.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/skyy-moore-named-x-factor-185806988.html?src=rss
|
The Miami Dolphins are preparing for the start of training camp later this month, and they’ve done a lot to be ready for this moment.
With all of the questions that surrounded the team after firing Brian Flores on “Black Monday,” the franchise has brought in a head coach and a number of talented players that have fans frothing at the mouth for the start of the season.
Despite all of these moves, Miami still has $16.52 million to either acquire new players, pay some of their own or carry over to 2023.
Now would be as good of a time as any to look at where the Dolphins are spending their money, and how it compares to the other 31 teams in the NFL.
Total: $15.48 million
Biggest cap hit: Tua Tagovailoa ($8.26 million)
Biggest cap hit: Chase Edmonds ($5.5 million)
Total: $25.6
Biggest cap hit: Tyreek Hill ($6.49 million)
Biggest cap hit: Mike Gesicki ($10.93 million)
Biggest cap hit: Connor Williams ($5.66 million)
Biggest cap hit: Christian Wilkins ($4.91 million)
Biggest cap hit: Emmanuel Ogbah ($11.35 million)
Biggest cap hit: Jerome Baker ($9.73 million)
Biggest cap hit: Xavien Howard ($9.89 million)
Biggest cap hit: Eric Rowe ($5.08 million)
|
2022-07-06T19:24:34Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Where Dolphins rank in positional spending among rest of NFL
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/where-dolphins-rank-positional-spending-183718759.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/where-dolphins-rank-positional-spending-183718759.html?src=rss
|
Big 12 Looking To Add Up To Six Pac-12 Teams
Mountain West might not be raided
Time to pounce on the leftovers?
There are a lot of reports and rumors about college football realignment. One of the latest reports is how the Big 12 is attempting to land up to six Pac-12 schools in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Washington, and Oregon.
However, there are other reports saying that the Pac-12 is “tethered together.”
High-level Utah source tells @sltrib that a report over the weekend of Utah, CU, UA, ASU meeting w/Big 12 today is "blatantly false"
Furthermore, Utah remains in strong alignment with Pac-12 leadership, league insitutions.
"Tethered together" used to describe the suitauton
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) July 5, 2022
There could be some word play with “meeting” such as when a head coach says they never spoke with school X but their agent did. Perhaps it was over the phone or some met and some didn’t.
Regardless, this is a msess and could result in a dozen options at the moment with what happens to the Big 12 and the Pac-12.
All of these reports are surrounding these larger leagues and it is seeming more and more likely that the Mountain West and other smaller ones are not even in the conversation about realignment.
This makes sense as these other schools in the Pac-12 et al, are trying to save themselves. Once or if there are teams left behind is when the Mountain West could go in and grab some of these schools.
In this case, there would be Stanford, Cal, Washington State, and Oregon State left as options for the Mountain West to make a move and see what schools want a lifeline and join the conference.
That would give the Mountain West a 16-team conference that would make it the best among whatever we are referring to as a power conference.
|
2022-07-06T19:36:43Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Big 12 Looking To Add Up To Six Pac-12 Teams
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-looking-add-six-181826905.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-looking-add-six-181826905.html?src=rss
|
There was predictably a ripple effect. The Big 12 grabbed teams from the American Athletic and also Brigham Young. The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 created an alliance to address the worries of the SEC becoming too big to fail. That alliance lasted all of 10 months before the Big Ten poached two of the Pac-12 landmark schools - Southern California and UCLA - last week.
Now chaos rules with the era of the Power Five greatly in doubt.
How this all winds up is anybody's guess. But one thing is certain: There's more change to come and money and fear of being left out will drive the decisions by both conferences and schools.
Here's a look at where things stand now and an analysis of the biggest questions about where they could be headed.
Why did USC and UCLA head east?
The decision by two Los Angeles schools to leave a conference they have been associated with for almost 100 years for a league where there are no schools in the neighboring time zone and will feature road games in November with the likes of Minnesota, Michigan or Wisconsin tells you - if you didn't know already - how much money is driving college athletics.
The fact that it is the Big Ten raiding the Pac-12 is even more illuminating. The leagues have been sending its champions to play in the Rose Bowl for more than 60 years with modification for the playoff era. The value of playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day has been huge for the Trojans and Bruins. Now they'll have to do it as a member of the Big Ten.
How might the Big Ten divisions work?
The league will reach 16 teams when it adds Southern California and UCLA before the 2024 season. Stretching from New York to Los Angeles, it does seem an unwieldly setup. A split of East and West divisions helps mitigate those concerns for football.
The simplest move would put USC and UCLA with Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern. Purdue would move to the East with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Rutgers and Maryland. Or they could balance the divisions or eliminate entirely.
It's hard to see the league staying pat at 16 as it tries to extend its reach. Adding other Pac-12 schools - namely Oregon and Washington - would reduce some of the geographic issues and build football strength, but that might not add enough value. There's an obvious solution for one addition in its backyard, however.
What will happen to Notre Dame?
Football independence has benefited the Fighting Irish for more than a century. Even haters would admit Notre Dame retains a unique position in the sport and recent success has shown it can thrive on its own. Its own television contract and scheduling flexibility have been assets. The time where it can go alone, however, may soon be winding down.
The Big Ten is an obvious landing space should the school decide that it needs the stability of a league to secure its future for the next century. Along with the cash, there's geographic benefits and a multitude of natural rivals that would suit both sides. However, the history between the two sides has been frosty going back to the early quarter of the 1900s when Notre Dame tried multiple times to join the league and the last decade of the century when the Big Ten attempted and failed to lure the school.
How does the ACC figure in?
Complicating the move to the Big Ten is also the matter of Notre Dame being a member in the ACC for all other sports. The agreement between the two requires the Fighting Irish to play football in the ACC if they join a conference before the league's grant of rights expires in the summer of 2036. It'll take money to get out of that deal. That's not really a concern for either the Big Ten or Notre Dame given how much value each brings to the other. It would be a major coup for the conference and arguably put it with or above the SEC in terms of financial might.
Will the Pac-12 dissolve?
Having lost two of its landmark institutions in its biggest media market has put the Pac-12 in a precarious position. Down to 10 schools with two each in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington plus Utah and Colorado, the league must balance how to address its coming television rights negotiations with its current deal expiring in 2024 with the possibility of expanding and having its biggest members seek to find a secure landing spot in the current uncertainty.
The Mountain West would be an obvious place to look in order to replace two teams. San Diego State, Boise State, UNLV or even Colorado State would provide some balance of football and market improvement.
The other possible spot for additions would be the Big 12. Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU could be attractive. The bigger question may be whether the Pac-12 is attractive to those schools.
Big 12 making its move?
The smallest of the Power Five leagues had been content to stay at 10 teams until the defection of Oklahoma and Texas because it didn't want to split its financial pie with incoming schools that didn't do enough to increase its value.
With its coming departures, commissioner Bob Bowlsby set for step down later this year and Houston, Central Florida, Cincinnati and BYU set to join the league next summer, that conservative approach no longer remains. One aggressive action would be to seek out interested parties from the Pac-12, which now is in the weakest position of the Power Five.
Follow colleges reporter Erick Smith on Twitter @ericksmith
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big Ten expansion forces Pac-12, Big 12, and ACC to consider options
|
2022-07-06T19:36:55Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
What we know: College football expansion evolving as Big Ten, Pac-12 face more decisions
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/know-college-football-expansion-evolving-183018505.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/know-college-football-expansion-evolving-183018505.html?src=rss
|
Aaron Adeoye
The players that the Baltimore Ravens have brought in over the course of their organizational history. Some have turned into franchise cornerstones, other have had solid careers and some have moved onto other things shortly after their NFL journeys began.
For three former Baltimore players, they were able to secure a championship in the inaugural season of The United States Football League. Playing for the Birmingham Stallions, defensive tackle Willie Henry, defensive end Aaron Adeoye and wide receiver Michael Dereus were on the winning side, securing the first championship in the league’s history.
Henry was a fourth-round pick of Baltimore during the 2016 NFL draft, and played for the Ravens for two seasons. He totaled 36 tackles and 4.5 sacks during his time with the organization.
Adeoye spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons on Baltimore’s practice squad, while Dereus spent parts of the 2020 and 2021 off-seasons with the Ravens.
Adeoye was the third pick in the second round of the 2022 USFL draft for Birmingham, while Henry and Dereus signed with the Stallions in April.
A look at former Vols competing in NBA’s summer leagues
A look at former Vols competing in the NBA's summer leagues.
Michigan basketball players in NBA Summer League
Hope these guys shine during Summer League play! #GoBlue
|
2022-07-06T19:49:46Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Multiple former Ravens win USFL championship with Birmingham Stallions
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/multiple-former-ravens-win-usfl-175959804.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/multiple-former-ravens-win-usfl-175959804.html?src=rss
|
Pass Attempts + Sacks: 668 (T-5th)
Unaccounted for Carries: 87 (T-14th)
New Raiders’ coach Josh McDaniels has arrived in Las Vegas, and he’s brought a few friends with him. In a straight up jack-move, McDaniels has brought in (former Patriots’ WR coach) Mick Lombardi as his offensive coordinator, (former Patriots’ offensive assistant) Bo Hardegree as the quarterbacks coach, and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo has agreed to come over from New England for the same position. This is why the Patriots are scrambling to find a guy to call plays. Nonetheless, the Raiders’ offense will have a new look, led by an offensive mind with great success. Despite spending a total of 14 seasons in New England, McDaniels is not looking to bring the “Patriot Way” to the west coast.
This will be McDaniels’ second head coaching gig after he was the head man for the Broncos during the 2009 and most of the 2010 season. He will forever be known as the coach who drafted Tim Tebow in the first round. McDaniels has admitted that he tried to do too much in that situation. After the 2017 season, McDaniels was hired as the Colts’ head coach. He quit and ran back to the Patriots the same day. It’s safe to say that up until this point, his head coaching record doesn’t glow. In 2022, his situation with the Raiders will be his best one yet.
McDaniels’ offense will be coached and run based on his personnel. Don’t expect to see exactly what you saw when he worked with Tom Brady, and definitely don’t expect to see the conservative offenses you saw in the post-Brady era. In 2021, the Patriots ranked 25th in passing attempts (535) with McDaniels as offensive coordinator. That will change when your quarterback is not a rookie and you have multiple Pro Bowl-talented pass catchers. That’s not to say that the Raiders will line up and throw the ball 45 times a game, but if they need to, they can. With McDaniels calling the shots and the top-level talent, you can bank on the Raiders having an elite offense.
QB: Derek Carr
WR: Davante Adams, Keelan Cole
WR: Hunter Renfrow, Tyron Johnson
WR: Demarcus Robinson, Mack Hollins
TE: Darren Waller, Foster Moreau
This offense is going to be fun. Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller make up probably the best passing-catching trio in the NFL. Defenses will have to pick their poison, and it could get ugly for opposing teams fast. In 2021, Derek Carr was ranked a pedestrian 17th overall in fantasy points per game. A mid-level QB2 was nothing to scoff at considering the circumstances. The Raiders' offensive line ranked as the 28th best according to PFF. Carr ranked third in pressured drop backs (239) and in pressured attempts (186). With a few new linemen and a gap-heavy run scheme brought in by McDaniels, this will help him a great deal. Waller, his top target, missed six games. The tragedy that involved Henry Ruggs and Jon Gruden’s firing shook up and affected the team as well. With all of these factors, Carr had his team ready to play every week and they even secured a playoff berth. I expect Carr to improve on his 23-to-14 TD:INT ratio in 2022 and get into the top-10 QB range in fantasy.
There will certainly be a lot of mouths to feed in the passing game, but there’s room for everyone to eat. McDaniels will use every part of the field with all of his weapons and often. Renfrow has no problems getting open on his own, making defenders look silly on a weekly basis. What’s going to make him more of a PPR machine is the combination of coverage focused on Adams and McDaniels scheming him open. Despite this, there is no question about who the team's alpha receiver is. Adams signed a five-year, $141 million deal to team up with his college quarterback in Carr. I, for one, don’t think what they did together in college (on the field) will have anything to do with how successful they are this season and beyond. They are going to get the job done regardless, and while many feel Adams moving on from Aaron Rodgers hurts his value drastically, a great player is going to be great. Adams is back on the west coast (where he wanted to be), with a quarterback he has a relationship with, a hefty contract and a lot of football skills. He will be fine. Adams being a top-three and Renfrow a top-15 receiver is very much on the table.
Waller will be there to gobble up what’s left in what he hopes to be a healthy season for him. After two straight seasons with at least 1,100 yards, he missed six games with ankle and knee injuries. Waller was TE7 on a points-per-game basis in 2021, so we know he can still be an elite option. Elsewhere in the receiving group, Demarcus Robinson, Mack Hollins and Keelan Cole will compete for the team’s WR3 spot that Bryan Edwards held until he was traded to the Falcons. One of these guys could become a week-to-week filler if one of the starters goes down with an injury. Josh Jacobs hauled in a career-high 54 receptions in 2021. The arrival of Adams could see that number go down a bit.
RB: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden
OL (L-R): Kolton Miller, Jermaine Eluemunor, Andre James, Denzelle Good, Brandon Parker
The running game for the Raiders in 2022 will be less complex but more efficient. McDaniels’ scheme thrives with downhill runners and that should help Josh Jacobs improve on his rushing numbers (872 yards) from 2021. The offense also looks to get blockers down field more which should also help one of the worst lines in football. Kenyan Drake looks to be first in line to back up Jacobs this fall. When Drake was brought in, it was initially thought that he would be the pass-catching back. He was anything but, as Jacobs out-targeted him 4.5 to 3.3 per game for the first 13 weeks. In that 13th week, Drake broke his hand and missed the rest of the season. The pass-catching role out of the backfield could surprisingly go to Brandon Bolden. Jacobs’ career-high 54 receptions in 2021 was a big reason why he was able to finish as RB12. As I mentioned earlier, it’ll be hard to duplicate those numbers.
With that being said, the Raiders chose not to pick up Jacobs’ fifth-year option. A couple of days later, they drafted the tough-running Zamir White out of Georgia. What White does in 2022 remains to be seen, but he’s much more fitting for Mcdaniels' gap and power-running scheme (see Damien Harris and/or LeGarrette Blount). If he performs well in camp, don’t count him out from cracking the rotation and taking some short-yardage/goal line work early on. White is probably not someone you’re targeting in redraft leagues at this point, but things change fast within weeks on NFL rosters. Keep an eye out for reports out of Raiders’ camp when it comes to this backfield.
PointsBet Win Total - 8.5
By now we all know that the AFC West is loaded. You often hear “This division could have three playoff teams”. None of those teams are the Raiders in the minds of most. People tend to forget that it was the Raiders who ended the Chargers' season in 2021. Like the other AFC West teams, the Raiders made upgrades as well, including bringing in Chandler Jones to play alongside Maxx Crosby. The Raiders are being slept on heavily. They won 10 games in 2021 and they certainly did not get worse. Give me over 8.5 wins for the Raiders.
|
2022-07-06T20:53:36Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
2022 Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Preview
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-las-vegas-raiders-fantasy-192153140.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-las-vegas-raiders-fantasy-192153140.html?src=rss
|
Seemingly every year, we talk about the Rams’ need for pass-rush help – despite having Aaron Donald. They’re not alone in that, either. Just about every team needs pass rushers to get after the quarterback, being the foundation of a strong defense.
The Rams could use edge rushers this year after losing Von Miller, but significant help isn’t likely to come. Outside linebacker will be an even bigger priority in 2023 when Justin Hollins becomes a free agent.
Luke Easterling of Draft Wire projects the Rams to bolster their pass rush in his latest 2023 mock draft, sending Iowa State’s Will McDonald to Los Angeles at No. 61 overall. He would be their top pick considering the Rams are once again without a first-round pick next year.
McDonald fits the Rams’ mold as an edge rusher, possessing good size and length on the outside. He’s been quite consistent the last two years at Iowa State, recording 13 tackles for a loss in each season. He also had 10.5 sacks in 2020 and 11.5 in 2021, totaling 71 tackles across those two years.
Cornerback, edge rusher and the offensive line could be the Rams’ top positions of need in 2023, so no one should complain if they do wind up with a player such as McDonald in Round 2.
|
2022-07-06T20:53:42Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
2023 mock draft: Rams add to their pass rush in Round 2
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-mock-draft-rams-add-192008609.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-mock-draft-rams-add-192008609.html?src=rss
|
Two of the top three picks from the 2018 NFL draft are now members of the Carolina Panthers.
At least, in a sense, the New York Jets were trailblazers.
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns traded the 2018 No. 1 overall pick in quarterback Baker Mayfield to Carolina. That comes after the Jets previously traded their QB to the Panthers: 2018’s third-overall selection in Sam Darnold.
The two are now teammates vying for playing time against each other.
The Jets received three picks, including a Round 2 selection, for Darnold. Cleveland is getting a fifth rounder and splitting Mayfield’s salary with Carolina.
The Browns decision to trade Mayfield highlights how overlooked quarterbacks were back in 2018. That year’s draft was hyped as one that might be one of the best first round QB classes ever.
Hindsight is 20/20 and of the five quarterback selected in Round 1, only two remain with the team that selected them: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Allen was taken No. 7 overall and signed a long-term extension with his team, the Buffalo Bills. Jackson is still working on an extension of his own, but he does have a league MVP in his pocket. Jackson was taken with the final pick of Round 1 by the Baltimore Ravens.
All things considered, many teams in the league overlooked the likes of Allen and Jackson. But the Jets were not alone in getting it wrong as the Browns just showed us… not to mention the Arizona Cardinals who have long moved on from Josh Rosen, the No. 10 pick in 2018.
|
2022-07-06T20:53:48Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Baker Mayfield joins Sam Darnold on Carolina Panthers after trade
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/baker-mayfield-joins-sam-darnold-190956427.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/baker-mayfield-joins-sam-darnold-190956427.html?src=rss
|
Can the Carolina Panthers make the most out of Baker Mayfield?
After months of back-and-forth, the Cleveland Browns have finally granted quarterback Baker Mayfield sweet release from the franchise that selected him first overall in the 2018 draft, watched him develop into a near-top-tier quarterback in 2020, and then, saw it all collapse as Mayfield struggled last season through injuries, personnel attrition, and coaching inflexibility. The wisdom of the Browns’ trade for Deshaun Watson will be debated ad nauseam for all kinds of reasons, but now, Mayfield is out of that particular Dysfunction Junction.
If you ever wondered how much Mayfield wanted out, there’s your answer. It’s an absolutely abysmal deal for the Browns no matter how you slice it. The probability of Watson suiting up in Week 1 (when the Browns host… the Panthers) is somewhere between slim and none, and slim just left town. That of course is due to the upcoming suspension Watson faces for multiple accusations of sexual assault. Cleveland will most likely start backup Jacoby Brissett in Watson’s stead for however Watson is suspended — not the worst possible outcome, but certainly suboptimal for a team that was thought not too long ago to have Super Bowl aspirations. And the Browns have nobody to blame but themselves.
How Baker Mayfield can be a top-tier quarterback — in the right offense
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise indicated).
Mayfield might be swimming upstream with Ben McAdoo.
Jun 8, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule talks with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo during Carolina Panthers minicamp at Bank of America Stadium Practice Facility. (Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)
Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, who will never be mistaken for Bill Walsh, had this to say about Mayfield in 2018, before Mayfield was drafted, and when McAdoo was between gigs after being fired as the Giants’ head coach.
In that same article, McAdoo listed then-Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen as his seventh prospect. Allen was an unfinished player in college, but still… Whoops.
In any event, McAdoo’s analysis can be considered specious at best, and bizarre at worst. Mayfield has never been a pocket quarterback per se, and his athleticism is actually one of his more positive attributes. Even in his injury-plagued 2021 season, Mayfield was pretty explosive outside the pocket, completing 26 of 61 passes for 319 yards, 218 air yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. In 2020, when healthy and on the rise as a quarterback, Mayfield completed 70 of 126 passes outside the pocket for 970 yards, 666 air yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.
On this touchdown against the Colts in Week 5 of the 2020 season, Mayfield rolls to his right as he doesn’t see what he wants, and then hits running back Kareem Hunt for a two-yard touchdown as two defenders converge. This is an outstanding timing throw in random circumstances — which every NFL quarterback has to learn to deal with.
How the Panthers' tendencies align with what Mayfield does best.
As previously detailed, Mayfield has been better in the NFL with the benefits of play-action, pre-snap motion, and 11 personnel (three receivers, one tight end, one running back). The Browns, led by head coach Kevin Stefanski, were usually rowing in other directions.
How do the Panthers line up with these tendencies? Ostensibly, Rhule and McAdoo were doing what was best for quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, and P.J. Walker, so not everything is permanent.
But in 2021, Carolina ranked 21st in dropbacks with play-action, and their quarterbacks completed 93 of 149 attempts for 926 yards, 393 air yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions, a passer rating of 78.6, an EPA of -19.53, and a Positive Play Rate of 46.2%.
The Panthers finished ninth in the NFL with 298 dropbacks using pre-snap motion, and their quarterbacks completed 156 of 269 passes for 1,298 yards, 635 air yards, nine touchdowns, 12 interceptions, a passer rating of 65.0, an EPA of -81.53 (ouch), and a Positive Play Rate of 35.5% — only the Giants were worse in that category.
As far as 11 personnel? The Panthers also finished ninth in this category with 515 dropbacks, and their quarterbacks completed 256 of 447 passes for 2,226 yards, 1211 air yards, nine touchdowns, 19 interceptions, a passer rating of 62.4, a a league-worst EPA of -148.72, and a Positive Play Rate of 37.7% — again, only the Giants were worse.
This tells you a couple of things. One, there’s not a lot to go on here regarding comparative performance, as Carolina may have had the NFL’s worst quarterback situation in 2021. Two, you can see why the Panthers were so eager to make this deal, and at least get their heads above water at the game’s most important position.
Under pressure...
One thing Mayfield did have going for him in Cleveland was an outstanding offensive line. He will not have the same advantage with his new team, at least in the near term. In 2021, the Panthers allowed the NFL’s fourth-most pressures with 213 — only the Dolphins, Bengals, and Raiders were worse. The Browns allowed the NFL’s second-fewest pressures with 141, behind only the Patriots. Sadly for the Panthers, this has been by design, as the Rhule era has proven to be less than optimal when it comes to offensive line evaluation.
Right tackle Taylor Moton, by far that line’s best player, was a second-round pick in 2017, pre-dating Rhule’s arrival. And while 2022 sixth-overall pick Ikem Ekwonu projects well as an instant power upgrade at left tackle, he’ll have to put in the work as a polished pass-protector before he’s able to deal with the NFL’s best edge-rushers.
How was Mayfield under pressure in 2021? Not terrible, and certainly a lot better than Darnold was — Darnold completed 61 of 132 passes under pressure for 768 yards, two touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a passer rating of 47.8. Mayfield completed 38 of 91 passes for 592 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 61.2.
If we go back to the 2020 version of Mayfield — again, the one whose shoulders weren’t hanging by a string — he completed 113 of 155 passes under pressure for 525 yards, two touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 45.0. Pressured more often, Mayfield did what most quarterbacks do when that happens — he regressed.
Not a great sign for where he’s headed.
Well, at least he's got good targets... maybe?
Before we get to Carolina’s receivers, we have to discuss running back Christian McCaffrey. The Panthers are in a somewhat unique situation in that a back is the fulcrum of their offense, and when McCaffrey is hurt, things tend to go south pretty quickly. McCaffrey missed 13 games in 2020 and nine in 2021 due to injury. When he was off the field, things went very deeply south in a big hurry.
The Panthers had an Offensive EPA of 0.02 with McCaffrey, and -0.22 without. Their Passing EPA fell from 0.04 to -0.28. Their completion percentage dropped from 66.9 to 54.5. their yards per attempt went from 7.4 to 5.6, their passing touchdown rate went from 3.0 to 1.9, and their interception rate rose from 3.0 to 3.8.
How are things looking at this point?
Rhule indicates Christian McCaffrey will be held out of preseason games again, and Panthers are looking into taking a different approach with him during practices.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) May 24, 2022
Welp. Beyond that, there are some decent guys for Mayfield to hit downfield. D.J. Moore caught 93 passes on 163 targets for 1,157 yards and four touchdowns in that Factory of Quarterback Sadness, and Robby Anderson is a very good No. 2 and vertical target. There are things to like about third receiver Rashad Higgins (who played with Mayfield in Cleveland), second-year man Terrace Marshall Jr, and tight end Tommy Tremble. In this category, especially if McCaffrey can stay on the field, Mayfield might be shooting par or below when comparing what he had for receivers in 2021.
This had better work... for everybody involved.
Everybody is on the hook in this deal. For Rhule and McAdoo, Mayfield may provide them with enough juice to keep their jobs. Rhule is heading into his third season with the Panthers, and that current 10-23 record doesn’t hold much hope.
For Mayfield, it’s a redemptive opportunity. He’s in the last year of his rookie contract not long after he was seen as the next quarterback to get a mammoth deal. Now, he’s playing for his future, and the perception that he’s still worth that kind of scratch… or not.
It’s now up to all parties involved to work together, and come up with the best possible game plans. Status quo will not work. How far they can rise above it remains to be seen.
|
2022-07-06T20:54:01Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Can the Carolina Panthers make the most out of Baker Mayfield?
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/carolina-panthers-most-baker-mayfield-194716250.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/carolina-panthers-most-baker-mayfield-194716250.html?src=rss
|
Haslams, Berry but not Stefanski release statements on Mayfield trade
The divorce between the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield is now official with the trade to the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield’s tenure with the Browns is an interesting one but that chapter of his professional career is now closed.
Mayfield helped lead the team to respectability in 2020 with the playoff appearance and playoff victory. The 2021 season was less than positive for all sides due to the quarterback’s shoulder injury and clashes within the locker room.
Cleveland gets back just a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft while saving over $8 million in salary cap space. Mayfield gave up over $3 million in guaranteed salary to get the trade to happen.
Owners Dee Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry released statements on their former quarterback.
Haslam
“From the moment he was drafted, he gave his all for this organization and this city. With his fierce competitive spirit, he excited the fanbase and accomplished things that no player at his position had done in Cleveland for a very long time. He also made a difference in the community, whether it was hosting events at the Boys and Girls Club, honoring our troops, supporting the Special Olympics as well as countless other charitable endeavors. We are grateful for everything he did for this organization and wish him and Emily well in the future.”
Interestingly, head coach Kevin Stefanski did not have a statement included in the team’s release. It is possible that Stefanski was not available but the two seemed to have a falling out last year.
The Mayfield tenure is over but not going to be forgotten for awhile including Cleveland rooting for him to play to help the draft pick move up a round. The two teams also face off in Week 1 which means Stefanski will be asked about Mayfield multiple times between now and then.
|
2022-07-06T20:54:13Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Haslams, Berry but not Stefanski release statements on Mayfield trade
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/haslams-berry-not-stefanski-release-192250400.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/haslams-berry-not-stefanski-release-192250400.html?src=rss
|
A pair of predictions have been made on a four-star defensive back from the state of Florida.
Cornerback Ja'Keem Jackson out of Kissimmee (Florida) Osceola is slated to announce his commitment on July 28th, along with teammates Derrick LeBlanc and John Walker. According to On3’s Corey Bender and 247Sports’ Blake Alderman, the Gators are predicted to come out on top for Jackson’s signature.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound rising senior was offered by the Florida staff earlier this spring and has made multiple visits to Gainesville in the months since, including a trip on June 20 where he had a one-on-one workout with cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond.
Raymond is one of the reasons why Bender and Alderman are predicting that Jackson lands in Gainesville. The proximity to home is also a strong factor, with Gainesville around 110 miles north of Jackson’s hometown.
According to On3, Jackson is considered to be a top 50 player in the state of Florida and is considered a 4-star prospect on both On3 and 247Sports. He is also considering Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Penn State.
|
2022-07-06T21:14:59Z
|
sports.yahoo.com
|
Gators get recruiting predictions from 247Sports, On3 for 4-star CB
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/gators-recruiting-predictions-247sports-on3-204733933.html?src=rss
|
https://sports.yahoo.com/gators-recruiting-predictions-247sports-on3-204733933.html?src=rss
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.