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We've already covered the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators so let's conclude our look at the Atlantic Division today by examining the Montreal Canadiens.
Going into the campaign, the Canadiens were something of an X-Factor. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 and that commanded a certain level of respect. However, that playoff run was largely fueled by Nick Suzuki, Tyler Toffoli, Cole Caufield, and Corey Perry leading the team offensively, Shea Weber driving the defense, and Carey Price playing some of his best hockey between the pipes.
Before the 2021-22 campaign even began, the Canadiens knew that Weber probably wouldn't be able to ever play again, and Price's status for the upcoming campaign was very much in question. Without going into too much detail about Price in 2021-22, which could be an article on its own, he ultimately started in just five games, so the Canadiens lost both an elite goaltender and top-tier defenseman.
Perry was also gone, having signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and initially Caufield struggled terribly. Even Suzuki and Toffoli were leaving something to be desired. Through Feb. 8, Montreal was the second worst team in the league offensively at 2.20 goals per game and the easiest team in the league to score on at 3.98 goals against per game. Under those circumstances it's not surprising that Montreal had a league-worst 8-30-7 record up to that point.
The next day Montreal decided it was time to fire head coach Dominique Ducharme. While not everything could be blamed on him, it's clear that he deserved some of the blame for the Canadiens woes, especially when measured against the performance of his successor, Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis.
Under St. Louis, the Canadiens weren't suddenly good, but they were better. He helped Caufield find his game, who scored 22 goals and 35 points in 37 contests the rest of the way. Suzuki also saw a bump in production, scoring 12 goals and 34 points in 37 games under St. Louis. As a team Montreal jumped to 3.22 goals per game during St. Louis' tenure and the Canadiens posted a 14-19-4 record.
They still finished with the worst record in the NHL, but at least Canadiens fans were given some reason to be optimistic about the direction of the team.
They've been creative. First off, they dealt Shea Weber, who isn't expected to play again, to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Evgeni Dadonov. Vegas has been desperate for cap relief, and they got it in this deal. Weber they can just place on the LTIR while Dadonov has one season left on his contract at a $5 million cap hit. Dadonov provides the Canadiens with another solid top-six forward to add to the mix.
Not content to settle things there, the Canadiens dealt fan favorite Alexander Romanov and a 2022 fourth-round pick (Isaiah George) to the Islanders for the 13th overall selection (Frank Nazar), which they could then bundle with a third-round pick (Gavin Hayes) in order to get Kirby Dach. Losing Romanov hurts. He was a young, physical defenseman who was getting top-four minutes last season, but Dach is a 21-year-old forward with a lot of offensive upside, so it could work out for the Canadiens in the long run.
Finally, Montreal dealt Jeff Petry to Pittsburgh, fulfilling the veteran defenseman's request. The main return the Canadiens got was defenseman Mike Matheson. He's not Petry, but he does contribute offensively from the blueline. He scored 11 goals and 31 points in 74 games last season.
When it came to the draft itself, the Canadiens had the first overall pick and went with the surprise choice of Juraj Slafkovsky. Shane Wright, who some thought would be taken with the top pick, ended up slipping to fourth. It will be very interesting to see how that plays out over the years to come.
The Canadiens haven't made any noteworthy UFA signings, but with all that's gone on this summer, it's fair to say that the team looks different now.
The Canadiens are going into the season with a lot of X-Factors. Will Dach take a step forward under St. Louis' guidance? Will Slafkovsky be able to jump straight into the NHL and shine? Can Caufield build off his explosive finish to the season? What about Price? At his best, he can practically win some games on his own, but is he even going to be an option next season, or will his health keep him out of the lineup?
Even if everything breaks the Canadiens' way though, they're in for a tough season. In the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay, Florida, and Toronto remain at the top of the pack and Boston is likely going to remain up there too. Throw in the major additions that Ottawa and Detroit made over the summer and there isn't much room for Montreal right now. Under ideal circumstances, Montreal could surprise a lot of people by competing for a Wild Card spot, but the more likely outcome is that they finish in seventh or eighth place in the Atlantic Division. In a couple years though, Montreal could be a serious playoff contender.
As Adidas skates away from its relationship with the NHL, the apparel giant faces another federal lawsuit over the authenticity of jerseys it sells to hockey fans. On July 26, a New Yorker named Ryan Smith filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Smith contends that Adidas […] | 2022-08-04T00:18:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | What's Next: Montreal Canadiens | https://sports.yahoo.com/whats-next-montreal-canadiens-220233497.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/whats-next-montreal-canadiens-220233497.html?src=rss |
The Mercury haven’t been able to collect a win on their three-game road trip yet, but the playoff hopes remain alive.
Sitting at the seventh seed, the Mercury’s 87-63 loss to the Connecticut Sun didn’t damage their position. The Dallas Wings (14-16) are trending upward at the sixth seed after defeating the Chicago Sky on Tuesday, while the New York Liberty moved up to No. 8 after defeating the Los Angeles Sparks that night. The Liberty have won their last two games, including Sunday’s matchup with the Mercury. The Mercury will meet the Liberty again to close out the season series on Saturday at Footprint Center.
With the Sun (21-10) on Thursday at 4 p.m. to conclude its road portion of the season, the Mercury hope to make the right adjustments from Tuesday’s game against the Sun and gain more control over its playoff destiny.
“I think just building on some of the positives from (Tuesday) and making some adjustments based on what Connecticut likes to do and being ready to battle. Anytime you play Connecticut, you know it’s going to be a tremendously physical game. Our players really matched that physicality (on Tuesday),” Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard said after Tuesday’s loss.
The fight was soured for the Mercury during the second quarter when Diana Taurasi exited the game after showing signs of discomfort on the bench. She played over 11 minutes and grabbed five rebounds and one assist. Taurasi remains questionable for Thursday and is dealing with a right quad issue.
“This is the next thing,” Nygaard said. “Dee has been in every game for us this season and losing her in that quarter and trying to figure that out for the rest of the game was a struggle, but I was very happy with the team’s fight. I know the score didn’t reflect it, but we had a lot of balls that seemed to go halfway down and pop right back up. The team continued to fight throughout.”
Losing a starter this season isn’t anything new for the Mercury, but the team will gain a valuable presence in Diamond DeShields. DeShields missed the last five games with a left hip injury and will add some critical minutes to the bench.
After going scoreless against the Liberty on Sunday, the bench contributed more in the last game with 10 points. If Taurasi is ruled out, DeShields will certainly help ease the pressure whether she is slotted in the starting five or is the first player off the bench. DeShields has averaged 12.5 points and has been crashing the boards more with 3.9 rebounds per game.
After Thursday’s game in Connecticut, the Mercury will return for a four-game homestand to conclude the season and try to clinch a playoff berth.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Thomas posts another triple-double as Sun beat Mercury 87-63 | 2022-08-04T00:36:10Z | sports.yahoo.com | Mercury lead early before falling to Sun | https://sports.yahoo.com/mercury-lead-early-falling-sun-222050658.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mercury-lead-early-falling-sun-222050658.html?src=rss |
“I’m not sure why (the national attention hasn’t come), but that’s OK,” Montgomery said in a featured story by the York Daily Record’s Frank Bodani. “I like to be the underdog, I like to work harder.”
Montgomery will join Penn State in the Class of 2023. The recruiting class is currently ranked in the top 10 nationally according to 247Sports, and Penn State is on track to secure its first back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes in the era of recruiting rankings. The addition of Montgomery helped that cause, as Penn State continues to rank second in the Big Ten recruiting rankings behind only Ohio State, and the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions appear to be separating themselves from the Big Ten pack.
Read the full story from York Daily Record.
The field for the 2022 Charleston Classic is set. See who Penn State could be facing. | 2022-08-04T00:40:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Penn State commit London Montgomery: I’m the baddest running back in the state | https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-commit-london-montgomery-231521745.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-commit-london-montgomery-231521745.html?src=rss |
The Brooklyn Nets are a team that is constantly in the news as they look to figure out how to handle the situation surrounding their star duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. At the moment, both players are on the roster, but that could change at any moment.
Durant, of course, requested his trade back on June 30 right before free agency began and the Nets have had to decide what they are going to do with their superstar forward. They have received offers, but they have not been up to their standard so therefore, he has remained on the roster.
The Boston Celtics are a team that has popped up recently and they even made a trade offer to the Nets for Durant. A mock trade from Bleacher Report has Brooklyn sending Durant to the Cs in a big deal:
Nets receive: Kevin Durant
Celtics receive: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and a 2029 first-round pick swap
Boston was already sitting in pole position (or at least close to it) in the East, just by bringing everyone back. And with Tatum and Brown as your top two, you have the potential to contend for around a decade. Swapping Brown for Durant opens the window wider, but it shortens the amount of time it’ll stay that way.
The Celtics have certainly considered all of that already, though. Pushing their chips in for KD would make the Milwaukee Bucks less of a worry. Ditto for the Philadelphia 76ers. And it’d probably eliminate the Nets from the analysis for the foreseeable future.
Losing Smart is a big deal too, but the addition of Malcolm Brogdon for a pick and fringe rotation players softens that blow. And Boston could probably get away with adding fewer picks than most teams, since its package includes a 25-year-old All-Star.
At this point, the Nets should wait this out as long as they can. There isn’t much point in moving Durant and giving up on this experiment. Brooklyn can go into the 2022-23 season in a pretty position as they are led by Durant, Irving, and Ben Simmons and they figure to be much healthier.
The vaccine mandate is not in the way of Irving playing anymore either so that will allow him to be on the floor and then there is the injury Simmons is working his way back from. On paper, the Nets have one of the strongest and most complete rosters in the league. They might as well try and run this back one more time with durant in tow.
Will the Celtics acquire KD before the start of the season? | 2022-08-04T00:56:06Z | sports.yahoo.com | New mock trade has Nets sending Kevin Durant to Celtics in a deal | https://sports.yahoo.com/mock-trade-nets-sending-kevin-201411038.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/mock-trade-nets-sending-kevin-201411038.html?src=rss |
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t shy about piling on the praise for rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who has been an early standout for Matt LaFleur’s team through the first week of training camp.
At his locker on Wednesday, the four-time NFL MVP said Doubs has made the most of his early opportunities during camp, and the consistency of the “wow” plays made by the rookie has Rodgers thinking about some of the recent greats at receiver in Green Bay.
“It’s never been too big for him. I really like the approach,” Rodgers said. “He’s a very humble kid, but you’re starting to see the personality come out a little bit, which is fun to see. He’s had a lot of opportunities, which has been great. With Sammy not practicing a couple of days, and Christian being out, a lot of opportunities for him, and he’s made the most of it.”
Day after day, Doubs is putting himself into the spotlight by making big plays, like a leaping catch over Eric Stokes during a team drill on Day 2, a win against Stokes in a one-on-one drill and an acrobatic catch in the corner of the end zone from Jordan Love on Tuesday.
LaFleur complimented Doubs’ routine as a rookie. Randall Cobb thinks Doubs has a “special” ability to make contested catches. Love said Doubs makes tough catches look easy.
Count Rodgers among those impressed with what Doubs is putting on tape every day.
“It’s not just the team stuff. I thought he ran good routes yesterday in the one-on-ones against Stokes,” Rodgers said. “It’s just a matter of the mental stuff. He’s still making some mental mistakes, but you expect those. It’s the approach, his release patterns, he catches the ball with his hands.”
A lot of good receivers have come through Green Bay since Rodgers has been the starter. Donald Driver. Greg Jennings. Jordy Nelson. James Jones. Cobb. Davante Adams.
All the “wow” plays from Doubs so far had Rodgers reminiscing about some of the past greats.
“Every single day, there’s been at least one ‘wow’ play. And that’s rare for a young guy like that,” Rodgers said. “We’ve had some guys over the years do that, but they are all in the top 10 of Packers receiving history. Good start for him.”
That’s big praise. It’s early, but the Packers’ fourth-round pick has fully captured the attention of the future Hall of Fame quarterbac
k. Is the next great connection in Green Bay already in the early stages of forming?
All about former Nationals outfielder Juan Soto with stats and contract info
Heres a look at the contract status, free agent outlook, latest stats and more for former Nationals outfielder Juan Soto. | 2022-08-04T01:50:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Aaron Rodgers: Rookie WR Romeo Doubs doing ‘rare’ things to start camp | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-rookie-wr-romeo-004637592.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-rookie-wr-romeo-004637592.html?src=rss |
Brandon Aiyuk’s acrobatic catches have been the talk of the 49ers’ offense in training camp. His elevated level of play has been noticeable to observers, and free safety Jimmie Ward went so far as to say Aiyuk is having the best camp among all the 49ers.
Ward, 31, is entering his ninth season and he’s not one to mince words or dance around a subject. In a post-practice press conference Wednesday he was straightforward and effusive in his praise of the third-year wide receiver.
“Right now he’s having an outstanding camp,” Ward said. “I feel like he’s having the best camp out of everybody on the team, offense and defense.”
There was on caveat.
“Oh. Besides Bosa. Bosa gonna be Bosa,” he said. “But I’m just saying, B.A. is taking his game to another level. It’s crazy. I didn’t win a one-on-one rep with him yet. I wanna say last year there were a couple reps that I won against him, but not this year. I’ma get him soon though.”
Here’s a video of one of those one-on-one reps Aiyuk won:
A big year for Aiyuk would be huge for the 49ers for a couple of reasons.
First, he’s been on the cusp of a breakout since his rookie season. His slow start to last year put him in a dangerous spot for a career turning point. He finished the season very strong and appears to have taken lessons learned in last year’s camp and applied them to put together his best camp this season.
Last year some poor practice habits led Aiyuk to exist in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s “dog house,” which culminated in the 2020 first-round pick posting just 141 yards and one touchdown on 13 catches in the first seven games. He busted out over the final 10 though and put up 43 catches, 685 yards and four touchdowns in those contests.
Second, a big year for Aiyuk probably means Trey Lance is settling in well. It’s clear through a week-plus of practices that the two have a good rapport. Having a go-to receiver that he trusts would be paramount for Lance’s development.
Camp won’t tell the whole story of the season, but this is a very good start for Aiyuk in what could be a crucial year for him in San Francisco’s offense. | 2022-08-04T01:50:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Jimmie Ward says 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk is having best camp of any player | https://sports.yahoo.com/jimmie-ward-says-49ers-wr-011758391.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/jimmie-ward-says-49ers-wr-011758391.html?src=rss |
Your teammates appreciate you, @TomBrady! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/sZMdI81AE7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady turned 45 years old Wednesday, as he prepares for his 23rd NFL season, and a chance to win his eighth Super Bowl.
At Wednesday’s training camp practice, Brady’s teammates took a few moments to wish the GOAT a happy birthday, sharing a few laughs along the way.
Brady may be twice as old as some of his fellow Bucs, but they’re all hoping to finish this season the same way they did two years ago, with another Lombardi Trophy.
ATLANTA, Aug. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced its regular quarterly dividend of $1.52 per share on all outstanding Class A and Class B shares. The dividend is payable September 1, 2022 to shareowners of record on August 15, 2022. Commitment to the dividend is one of UPS’s core principles and a hallmark of the company’s financial strength. UPS has either maintained or increased its dividend each year since going public in 1999. About UPS UPS (NYSE: UPS) is one of the | 2022-08-04T01:50:56Z | sports.yahoo.com | WATCH: Bucs players wish Tom Brady a happy 45th birthday | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-bucs-players-wish-tom-004050226.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-bucs-players-wish-tom-004050226.html?src=rss |
"I think a huge step in this, as I look, was when Deebo made the decision to come -- albeit he didn't participate -- but just to show up at the mandatory minicamp," Lynch said to reporters on Tuesday.
"I was coming regardless, so I think that was the first step of figuring everything out," Samuel said Tuesday to reporters.
Lynch concluded by saying that the first thing Samuel said to him after agreeing on the contract was that it was "time to go to work" and is proud of Samuel for not paying attention to all the outside noise and for staying in shape.
With Samuel back developing chemistry with Trey Lance, it'll interesting to see how the 49ers will do with an all-world talent headlining the offense. Regardless, both sides have to be happy that the tumultuous chapter in the offseason book is now closed. | 2022-08-04T05:05:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Deebo Samuel's small gesture showed John Lynch contract would get done | https://sports.yahoo.com/deebo-samuels-small-gesture-showed-030121597.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/deebo-samuels-small-gesture-showed-030121597.html?src=rss |
The Baltimore Ravens saw one of their draft picks hold out for a few days in second-round outside linebacker David Ojabo. There was reportedly a difference between the two sides about third-year guarantees, but they were able to hammer out the details and work something out.
In signing Ojabo, the team added him back to the 90-man roster on Wednesday, which meant that Baltimore had to make a corresponding move. They ended up deciding on waiving undrafted wide receiver Trevon Clark from the 90-man roster, who the Ravens signed out of the University of California after the 2022 draft had ended.
Ravens roster move:
✂️Undrafted rookie WR Trevon Clark (California) has been waived
➕OLB David Ojabo is back on 90-man roster after signing his rookie deal
Many are excited about the potential of Ojabo, who tore his achilles during his Pro Day in March. He was widely regarded as a top-15 player in the 2022 draft class before his injury, but fell to the second round after the achilles tear. When healthy, he could form a fearsome pass rushing duo with former high school teammate Odafe Oweh, who Baltimore drafted in the first round of the 2021 draft.
In three college seasons, Clark totaled 58 catches for 931 yards and six touchdowns. | 2022-08-04T05:05:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ravens waive WR Trevon Clark after OLB David Ojabo signs rookie contract | https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-two-roster-moves-wednesday-035929681.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-two-roster-moves-wednesday-035929681.html?src=rss |
With that being the case, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and outside linebacker Travon Walker recently got to sit down with NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor to discuss their respective journeys so far in the NFL and the upcoming season.
In Taylor’s interview with Lawrence, he specifically discussed his growth both on and off the field after his first season in the NFL, overcoming adversity early in his career, and building a bond with teammates. As for Walker, he discussed the draft process before and after his selection, his relationship with fellow No. 1 pick Lawrence, and his mindset when on the gridiron.
To listen to both interviews, check out the links below. | 2022-08-04T05:05:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | Watch: Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker talk with NFL on NBC about upcoming season | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-trevor-lawrence-travon-walker-040629462.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-trevor-lawrence-travon-walker-040629462.html?src=rss |
"I don't think it's a coincidence," Rodgers said about winning his third and fourth MVPs in 2020 and 2021 following an ayahuasca experience in South America. "I really don't. I don't really believe in coincidences at this point. It's the universe bringing things to happen when they're supposed to happen.
Rodgers got emotional talking about the importance of self-love, his "ego death" during another ayahuasca experience with Marcus and how he feels the experience helped him achieve self-love. He paused several times to fight back tears.
Tom Brady was Bill Belichick's best player. Was Richard Seymour Belichick's best defender?
Richard Seymour rues the no-calls that kept him and his pal Tom Brady from winning what should have been their fourth Super Bowl in seven years. | 2022-08-04T05:27:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | Aaron Rodgers says taking ayahuasca helped improve mental health and spurred MVP seasons | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-says-taking-ayahuasca-021911398.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-says-taking-ayahuasca-021911398.html?src=rss |
San Diego State has a lot to celebrate in 2022, but in between accolades and milestones the Aztecs must take care of business.
After 50+ years of games in the cavernous San Diego Stadium, the Aztecs will finally play at home before a sold-out crowd.
San Diego, CA – For two seasons the Aztecs played their home games 113 miles north of SDSU’s campus in Carson, California. Now the Aztecs return home- to their TRUE Mission Valley home- to the brand new Snapdragon Stadium.
Prior to their temporary home of two years, Dignity Health Sports Park, the Aztecs played at SDCCU; formerly known as Qualcomm Stadium, formerly Jack Murphy Stadium, formerly San Diego Stadium. The Aztecs could never, EVER fill the cavernous 70,561 seat multi-sports venue, even when superstar future NFL Hall-of-Famer Marshall Faulk graced the field as tailback. Rarely could the Padres or Chargers sell out the monstrous stadium. It just was too damn big.
The”Murph,” as some called San Diego Stadium, indelibly left its mark. It was the only venue to host the Super Bowl and World Series in the same year (1998). Yet, it was an imperfect venue for Aztecs football.
Before San Diego Stadium: from 1935 to 1966 the Aztecs played on the Mesa in the Aztec Bowl. Thirty years later, in 1996, Viejas Arena was built literally into the center of the Aztec Bowl.
1966 would mark the last season the Aztecs sold out their own football venue, when maximum seating capacity was just 12,592. At the time, the Aztecs were seriously contemplating constructing a 45,000 seat stadium on campus, however San Diego Stadium was announced, and ultimately became the one-stop destination for the Padres, Chargers and Aztecs.
Going back even before 1935, the Aztecs played football at Balboa Stadium, dating back to the team’s inception 100 years ago- a time that even pre-dated the Aztecs spirit warrior and the scarlet and black university colors.
This season, after five-plus decades: Aztecs football hosts its own bespoke venue. $310,000,000 was spent on 35,000 seat Snapdragon Stadium. The stadium is designed to be expandable up to 55,000- large enough for an NFL team, or a major NCAA bowl game. The stadium represents a massive investment for the future of Aztecs football and SDSU Athletics.
Snapdragon Stadium will eventually be surrounded by a Mission Valley SDSU campus extension enabling the university to increase total enrollment from 36,000 to 50,000. The College Area atop the Mesa will connect to the Mission Valley campus by way of a light rail.
What To Expect This Fall
The Aztecs open 2022 on the heels of a 12-2 season, one in which they lost the Mountain West Championship to Utah State, after 20 starters were sidelined due to Covid. After the non-climactic loss to the Aggies, SDSU went on to the Frisco Bowl in Texas and hammered the UTSA Roadrunners 38-24. Who knows what may have been, had Covid not struck.
This fall, the Aztecs keep the momentum, with many returning players and with some additional imported talent, as they celebrate the program’s 100th Anniversary. SDSU kicks off their second century in style.
Now, whether conference re-alignment becomes a part of this historic year remains to be seen, but it could further punctuate the special season.
SDSU has been known for its powerhouse defense, elite run game, and “very” special teams. SDSU wins consistently even with an underwhelming offense. The role of quarterback has been something of a novelty to the team, and even the most staunch Aztecs fans are hard pressed to refer to any of our quarterbacks in the modern era as “elite.” Sorry, guys.
This year, however, might be a departure from convention. The Aztecs have the combination of two highly talented passing play callers- one a veteran, the other a rookie, while managing the absence of a 1,000-yard tailback.
This season, Virginia Tech graduate transfer quarterback Braxton Burmeister will call plays for the Aztecs. He’s from San Diego, and he started all 12 regular-season games last year, passing for 1,960 yards with 14 touchdowns and four picks. He is P-5 battle hardened.
His backup will be redshirt freshman Will Haskell. There’s a lot of sizzle with Haskell. Rumor has it there’s some steak along with it. He is athletic, and he will play a big part in the evolving powerhouse offense program.
Both veteran and rookie stand to benefit from the dazzling dexterity of senior wide receiver Jesse Matthews who made 57 catches for 642 yards and nine touchdowns, along with senior Tyrell Shavers. Shavers, a 6’6″ wide receiver transfer from Mississippi State, has length and will be the second point man.
The run game will be led off by seniors Chance Bell who ran for 341 yards, and four touchdowns and Jordan Byrd who managed 246 yards and three touchdowns. USC transfer Kenan Christon suits up for the Aztecs. Also, 220-lb redshirt freshman Jaylon Armstead will be in the roster at Running Back University this fall.
Last year the Aztecs ranked 12th in total defense (324.4 ypg) and 17th in scoring defense (19.8 ppg). The team sallies forth without Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Thomas, who went third round in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals. Three other starters have graduated, but the transfer portal has yielded some strong talent in turn.
Two transfers are siblings of existing Aztecs. Senior Justus Tavai (Hawaii) joins brother Jonah Tavai on the defensive line. In addition, junior Cooper McDonald (Washington) joins fan favorite Caden McDonald at linebacker.
Call it double trouble.
Notably, Patrick McMorris is a first-team All-Mountain West safety who led the Aztecs last season with four picks, helping the Aztecs’ reach a conference-high 17 interceptions. The Aztecs have a deep and formidable secondary this season.
Junior Jack Browning backfills Matt Araiza, a.k.a. Punt God, who went sixth round in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Buffalo Bills. Araiza set a national record with a 51.2-yard punting average. The Aztecs have done extremely well with punting, place kicking and field goal productivity (don’t forget Araiza’s predecessor, John Baron II), and Browning continues that legacy.
Browning turned heads last year with a surprise 13-yard touchdown run during a faked field goal attempt when the Aztecs defeated Hawai’i. The play rattled the ‘Bows- players and fans alike, and blew up social media.
All-MW kick returner Jordan Byrd is capable of going coast to coast.
So, perhaps the second century of Aztecs football opens up with a surprise offensive air assault capability, and maybe the Aztecs start to augment their offense to match its elite defense (like what Brian Dutcher has done with men’s basketball in recent years).
The Aztecs are expected to achieve another 10-win season. Is it possible for them to match- or even beat last year’s 12-2 season? It’s not unimaginable. The Aztecs will have an incredible amount of momentum this fall. They kick off the season at home in their new stadium on Sept. 3 against Arizona.
The Aztec Nation congratulates San Diego State on their historic 100th Anniversary, and the debut of the amazing Snapdragon Stadium. | 2022-08-04T05:31:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | Aztecs Primed For Historic 100th Anniversary Season: A Preview | https://sports.yahoo.com/aztecs-primed-historic-100th-anniversary-040414335.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/aztecs-primed-historic-100th-anniversary-040414335.html?src=rss |
Dodgers' Julio Urías pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning in San Francisco on Wednesday. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
Urías, 25, has converted his potential as a teenager to reality over the past 13 months, posting the lowest ERA in the majors since July 1 last year. The major injuries are behind him. He is one of the most important players on the Dodgers’ roster. He supplied more evidence Wednesday.
The left-hander limited the Giants to four hits with six strikeouts and no walks over six scoreless innings until he yielded three singles — two that didn’t leave the infield — to start the seventh at Oracle Park.
He was visibly angry about his misfortune when Roberts emerged to pull him after 96 pitches with a 3-0 lead, giving Roberts the ball without looking at him on his way off the field. Roberts chose to play it safe.
It was the right move: Evan Phillips slithered out of the jam with help from boneheaded Giants baserunning. When it was over, Urías’ ERA this season had dropped to 2.57, the fourth-best mark in the National League. He’s reached another level over his last four starts, giving up three runs in 26 innings behind a fastball that has gained velocity since the start of the season.
“We’ve made some adjustments during my bullpens,” Urías said. “And I feel like that’s been a key to the results lately.”
Injuries have limited Andrew Heaney to five starts. Tony Gonsolin is showing cracks after an unforeseen All-Star first half. Tyler Anderson has never pitched in a playoff game. Clayton Kershaw has spent a month on the injured list with a back injury after suffering a major elbow at the end of last season that nearly required Tommy John surgery.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws to first base after fielding a ball hit by Colorado Rockies' Brendan Rodgers on Saturday in Denver. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
So, the front office would have preferred to trade for a frontline starting pitcher – in addition to outfielder Juan Soto — by the trade deadline to bolster the group. Luis Castillo, Frankie Montas, and Pablo López headlined the options available. But the team found the market too expensive. Castillo went to the Seattle Mariners. Montas was sent to the New York Yankees. López stayed with the Miami Marlins.
On Tuesday, Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, projected confidence in his pitching staff anyway, pointing to the talent sitting on the injured list that should improve the bunch, in some combination, for the playoffs.
“We have a really talented group that some combination of those guys coming back, and it’s really high end to add that quality to the guys we have in place right now,” Friedman said. “It just spoke to having a high bar. We feel really good about the potential of what our pitching staff can look in October. We’re not relying on all of them coming back and being great.”
“It’s collectively,” Roberts said. “It’s about the pitching staff. And when you’re talking about winning one game or 11 games in October, we just feel with the compilation of pitchers that we have we can prevent runs for 27 outs. And there’s no one way to do it. It’s essentially just confidence in how we can do this collectively.”
Of those seven pitchers on the IL, only Buehler and May are starters, but may return as relievers. The others, if healthy and effective, could help lighten the burden on the rotation.
May made his third start on rehab assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The hard-throwing right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May, gave up one run on two hits with six strikeouts over four innings. He’s surrendered two runs with 15 strikeouts in nine innings across his three starts. Roberts said he expects May to make one more before returning to the Dodgers.
Buehler’s prognosis is far hazier. He started throwing less than two weeks ago, six weeks after he was shut down with a flexor tendon strain. There probably won’t be enough time to build him up for more than three or four innings before the postseason. A relief role is on the table.
“I think anything is possible,” Friedman said. “A lot of it depends on when he gets off the mound and when that progression starts.”
Buehler solidified himself as a playoff star in his first four seasons. He was given the start in Game 1 in 2020 and again in 2021. It’ll be Urías’ turn in 2022 if he stays on track. | 2022-08-04T06:59:13Z | sports.yahoo.com | Julio Urías is fast becoming the ace the Dodgers need | https://sports.yahoo.com/julio-ur-fast-becoming-ace-050107767.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/julio-ur-fast-becoming-ace-050107767.html?src=rss |
Webb has great response to Soto's warning to NL pitchers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Giants pitcher Logan Webb had a simple response to Juan Soto's warning to the rest of the NL when the San Diego Padres lineup is fully healthy.
"It's going to be really exciting, it's going to be really tough to go through," Soto said in his introductory press conference. He then wished good luck to the rest of the NL pitchers.
The 25-year-old Webb has been the Giants' second-best pitcher behind Carlos Rodón, amassing a 3.20 ERA in 22 games. He's pitched 135 innings, which leads the Giants' pitching staff and perhaps is San Francisco's most prominent building block. | 2022-08-04T06:59:19Z | sports.yahoo.com | Logan Webb's perfect response to Juan Soto's warning to NL pitchers | https://sports.yahoo.com/logan-webbs-perfect-response-juan-011219105.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/logan-webbs-perfect-response-juan-011219105.html?src=rss |
It's not a secret that the Power Five programs receive more attention and that players from these conferences are typically ranked higher than others because of the stiff competition they face week in and week out.
But there is plenty of talent to be found both within the Group of Five conferences and the FCS, with both having produced successful quarterbacks who have gone on to make names for themselves at the next level. That's something that isn't changing, with multiple small school quarterbacks expected to be early-round picks between next year and following seasons in the near future.
Here's a look at the five best G5 quarterbacks and how they stack up with the 2022 season approaching:
“I was battling through some injuries and some things I needed to get over… I had some problems with my lower leg and my hip and stuff like that was kind of lingering and it was really an issue for me,” Haener told me earlier this year. “I had to wear different cleats and do a bunch of things with my cleats and find ways to get out there and play and tough it through things. It was just a matter of responding. Even the best of players have bad games, everybody has bad games. You learn from your failures and try to be more successful down the road.”
There's no question Haener checks all of the boxes on the intangibles and has leaves everything he has on the field. He's received some knocks for his size at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, but where the tangibles are concerned, he's show he is an accurate passer with plenty of pocket presence. Haener's film reflects his ability to make plays out of structure, complete difficult passes, put the right amount of touch and arm strength on different throws, though he can afford to improve his ball placement a bit.
3. Michael Pratt, Tulane.
Pratt may be one of the best kept secrets in college football, lacking national attention despite being potentially being the most underrated quarterback in the sport. He dealt with injury issues last season -- something that began to appear to affect him mechanically -- and he suffered a concussion against SMU. The play from the supporting cast and offensive line also left much to be desired and the effects of that always extend back to the quarterback. Pratt finished the 2021 season with a 57.6% completion rate, 2,381 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions, numbers that could have been a lot better if circumstances were more ideal.
Though the numbers themselves don't reflect it, Pratt has shown a high ceiling as a passer and is much more accurate than his completion rate would imply. He looks to be mentally more mature than several other quarterbacks with the same amount of of experience and should continue to speed up his already strong mental processing. From a mobility perspective, Pratt has shown the ability to evade pressure, make plays on the run and beat defenses with his legs. And he brings a true element of speed, with head coach Willie Fritz describing him to me earlier this year as a legitimate 4.6-second 40-yard dash player. All of these things fit the modern era of the NFL, which is headed out of the era of the hyper-athletic quarterback to one that first and foremost demands a quarterback be successful passing from the pocket with some degree of mobility, putting a preference on real dual-threats.
4. Clayton Tune, Houston.
Tune flashed a lot in 2021, recording a season of personal-bests as he completed 68.2% of his passes for 3,546 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He ranked second in the conference in QBR (158.1), third in YPA (8.4) and first in completion percentage.
He presents adequate arm strength and has shown the ability to sufficiently evade pressure with enough mobility to get the first-down for his team in short-yardage situations. That being said, this isn't an incredibly athletic quarterback who is going to be a consistent threat with his legs, though. Tune takes care of business as a passer within the Cougars' offense that features a lot of Air Raid elements under head coach Dan Holgorsen -- who comes from the Mike Leach coaching tree -- and he's already drawn comparisons to players who have had NFL success like Ben Roethlisberger. (Though this is a player who can move around a bit more than Roethlisberger).
5. Tanner Mordecai, SMU.
Mordecai is another quarterback who operates within a pass-happy offense. That's part of the reason why he had the 12th-highest passing yards total in the nation, but as anyone who has extensively studied explosive passing offenses like this one know, it takes a reliable passer who gets the ball out quickly and has a high level of mental processing to have a stat line like that even if they do have several opportunities to throw the ball.
Mordecai brings another element to his game with his mobility, and while he's asked to throw the ball more often than not, he's not a pure dropback passer and could be successful in multiple different offenses using his legs. Passing-wise, Mordecai is consistently accurate, sees the field well and releases the ball fast. He does, though, need to improve downfield ball placement and putting the right amount of touch on certain throws -- both areas he could grow in this season.
Mordecai completed 67.8% of his passes for 3,628 yards with 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2021. Expect him to only build upon that in 2022 as Mordecai continues to project as a quarterback who can thrive in both a scheme like the one he's in and a bit more complicated pro-style system at the next level. | 2022-08-04T08:12:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | 2022 G5 QB Rankings | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-g5-qb-rankings-074155446.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/2022-g5-qb-rankings-074155446.html?src=rss |
Shanahan has long admired Lance's dual-threat capabilities originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has experience working with the dual-threat and pocket passing quarterbacks from his time as an assistant coach with the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons.
While speaking with NFL Network's Steve Mariucci and Michael Yam on Tuesday, Shanahan discussed his admiration for Trey Lance's ability to use his arm and legs since his time at North Dakota State as the 22-year-old now takes over as the 49ers starter.
"That's what I enjoyed watching him in college so much for because you were able to see both [skill sets]," Shanahan said about Lance.
"It was at a much lesser level, and it was only for a year of football, so you didn't have a ton to go off of, but you saw, the offense that they ran when he did do drop backs, you saw him play in the pocket, go through progressions, and then you saw him be unbelievable as a runner."
During his time as Washington's offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013, Shanahan worked with Robert Griffin III, who didn't hesitate to get outside the pocket to make a play with his arm or legs.
Then with the Atlanta Falcons, Shanahan had Matt Ryan, the prototypical quarterback who remains in the pocket regardless of the chaos and looks to make the pass.
As a result, Shanahan understands how to get the best out of a dual-threat and pocket passing quarterback, which is why the franchise felt confident in selecting Lance despite having limited tape at the college level.
RELATED: 2022 NFL preseason: 49ers' Drake Jackson is a top rookie to watch
Nonetheless, what the 49ers did see on film was enough for them to trade up from the No. 12 to No. 3 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Although Lance has the keys to the franchise, Shanahan understands that the young quarterback still has room to grow while possessing the tools to be successful.
"That's what I like with Trey because I've seen both [skill sets]," Shanahan said. "I know he understands that he's got to work at both, and that's something him and I, and the rest of this team, will work through together."
With Lance now as the full-time starter, Shanahan is taking a risk since the young signal caller is replacing a veteran quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the team to Super Bowl LIV in 2020 and the 2022 NFC Championship Game.
However, Shanahan might feel having a quarterback that can hurt defenses with his arm and legs is a risk worth taking that allows his squad to reach another level this upcoming 2022 NFL season. | 2022-08-04T08:12:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | Trey Lance's dual-threat skill admired by 49ers' Kyle Shanahan since college | https://sports.yahoo.com/trey-lances-dual-threat-skill-030207940.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/trey-lances-dual-threat-skill-030207940.html?src=rss |
'Still on the run': ZZ Top returns to Cape Cod after death of longtime bassist + 6 more concerts worth a listen
Blake Shelton Headed To 'Barmageddon' Home In Nashville For Grand Ole Opry Performances
Blake Shelton is returning to the greatest stage in country music: The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. On Monday, Shelton shared a post from The Opry’s page announcing that he’s going to be headlining a show for not one, but two performances on September 10, 2022. The first show will kick off at 7p.m. with another starting right up at 9:30, according to the venue’s website. Shelton will be performing alongside fellow country artists Callista Clark, Kolby Cooper, Natalie Grant, and Todd T | 2022-08-04T09:30:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | College Football Playoff: Top 20 Ranking Of Teams With A CFP Path | https://sports.yahoo.com/duke-blue-devils-preview-2022-183056327.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/duke-blue-devils-preview-2022-183056327.html?src=rss |
Dodgers' Joey Gallo walks in the dugout before the team's game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco on Wednesday. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
“My time in New York didn't go as well as I wanted it to,” he said. “It's nice to start over.”
But while speaking with reporters at Oracle Park before the Dodgers' game against the Giants on Wednesday — he wasn't in the lineup as he's still getting "up to speed" with his new club — Gallo seemed much more at ease.
Dodgers' Joey Gallo takes batting practice before a game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco on Wednesday. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
“[His talent] is in there, it's not gone,” said Bellinger, who met Gallo through their mutual agent, Scott Boras. “He's a gifted athlete, man. Can hit for power, great defense, really good dude as well. So I know I'm excited to have him in the clubhouse."
Roberts said he had a simple request for Gallo on his first day: "Just to kind of embrace this new opportunity, fresh start."
"Obviously I want to get back to being a threat at the plate again and doing damage," Gallo said. "I think I learned a lot about myself in growing through those struggles. I want to be a good hitter, though. I definitely need to hit a little bit better." | 2022-08-04T10:03:02Z | sports.yahoo.com | Joey Gallo looking forward to fresh start with Dodgers | https://sports.yahoo.com/joey-gallo-looking-forward-fresh-033555150.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/joey-gallo-looking-forward-fresh-033555150.html?src=rss |
The folks at ESPN recently named their choices for the best players in NFL history at each defensive position.
At edge rusher, the choice was an easy one — New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor. That is because Taylor was the first player to be called an edge rusher. He wasn’t really just an edge rusher, however. LT was more like a force of nature. He simply took over games.
Jeff Legwold said it all:
All of the experts polled are all younger than me, so I will chime in with my take. Forget the numbers. The guy was unlike anything anyone had ever seen in this league. He was operating on a higher level — like a Michael Jordan, a Wayne Gretzky or even a Babe Ruth.
To illustrate how special Taylor was, they are still looking for the next “L.T.” 41 years later. No one has come close.
The Giants were a sorry excuse for a franchise in 1981 when they selected Taylor second overall in the NFL draft. All of a sudden, they became relevant, qualifying for the postseason for the first time in 18 seasons and his presence was the reason why.
From there, the Giants built their team around Taylor — a defensive player — which was unheard of and became champions, something none of us who endured the ‘wilderness’ of the 1960s and 70s thought we’d ever see. | 2022-08-04T11:15:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | ESPN names Lawrence Taylor the best edge rusher of all-time | https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-names-lawrence-taylor-best-105517093.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-names-lawrence-taylor-best-105517093.html?src=rss |
“You would watch the guy when he would come back to the sideline, and if it was a bad play, just seeing in his eyes that he was pissed and wanted to be more aggressive after that,” Shanahan said. “He didn’t want to go find some place to hide. So, you see you have a guy made of the right stuff.”
Lance rebounded to record 249 passing yards and two touchdowns, guiding the 49ers to a 23-7 win to preserve their playoff hopes. Lance returned to his backup role the following week, and a recovered Garoppolo helped lead San Francisco on a playoff run that ended in a 27-24 NFC championship game loss to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams.
NFL RECORD PROJECTIONS: Can 49ers make a Super Bowl run in 2022?
However, with his response to adversity, Lance made a statement that has changed the course of one of the NFL’s most storied franchises.
Seven months after that performance, and on the eve of 2022 training camp, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch announced they had turned the team over to Lance, the North Dakota State product for whom they gave up three first-round picks and a third to acquire in 2021.
They’re betting on Lance — a passer with limited experience but supreme physical gifts and tantalizing intangibles — to help a Super Bowl caliber roster reach its full potential. Although there currently are more questions than answers about his game, the 9ers believe because of the resilience they have seen.
“We say all the time, ‘You don’t know if a guy can play in the NFL until he gets his ass kicked’,” Shanahan told USA TODAY Sports, seated behind his desk minutes before heading out to Monday morning’s practice. "You want to see how they do, if they can handle it. … So, that was cool to watch him do it — to see that, to get through the whole offseason where he’s improved at everything, it’s given us the confidence to do this.”
Shanahan admitted, “Yeah, it’s a gamble. But we didn’t think we’d be able to keep a Super Bowl roster if we didn’t make that gamble.”
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) throws the football during Training Camp at the SAP Performance Facility near Levi Stadium.
So the move to Lance is two-pronged. The 49ers anticipate Lance developing into an upgrade over Garoppolo, who remains on the roster as the team seeks a trade partner. And San Francisco officials also believe operating with a quarterback on a rookie contract will help extend this window of opportunity to compete at an elite level.
After inheriting a roster that in 2016 that ranked 31st on offense and 32nd on defense, Shanahan, Lynch and Co. embarked on an aggressive overhaul that featured a bevy of smart draft picks who have developed into franchise cornerstones. Retaining that homegrown talent hasn’t been cheap, but the 49ers have committed to rewarding their own. Rolling with Lance, whose contract pays him $34 million over four years in a league where several quarterbacks make more than that in a single season, offers great financial flexibility, Shanahan explained.
“Our third year, when we exceeded everyone’s expectations and the team (started) 8-0 and we had a really young team, we built that,” Shanahan said. “You get that close to winning a Super Bowl (losing to Kansas City), I was so excited. But you start to learn things: ‘How are we going to keep all these guys? How are we going to do that and improve in a couple of other areas?’ It was going to be tough, and when you look at all that stuff, you go into a (rookie) quarterback contract like that, it’s allowed us to do some things and keep our team.
“Yeah, it’s a gamble,” he reiterated, “but I’ll gamble with keeping a good team before I say, gamble on one (exorbitantly paid) person.”
But Shanahan never would have turned the team over to Lance if he didn’t think the 22-year-old Marshall, Minnesota, native could handle it, or if he didn’t think the veterans, who all backed Garoppolo, would support the youngster.
The latter wasn’t a concern. The same day that Lance’s response to adversity cemented his future in the mind of his coach, he also impressed his veterans, who watched him morph from overwhelmed rookie to confident playmaker in a single game.
“Playing NFL quarterback is a lot on anybody’s plate, especially a rookie, and in the Houston game, one of his first starts, I’m sure he was feeling it,” Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk told USA TODAY Sports. “You could sense it, and it was after that first touchdown we scored.
"We were all celebrating together in the end zone, and he kind of said to the group, ‘All right, I got that one off my back. I feel it. I’m good now!’ And it wasn’t just words. You could feel it. You could see it going forward, you could see it in the huddle that he was settling in. And I think that’s going to carry over for him into this season because he’s seen game action, and even if it was limited, it was very valuable.”
Lance may remain a mystery to the NFL world. Some believe that he can develop into another big-armed, dual-threat quarterback capable of taking the league by storm. For now, even his coaches and teammates are still learning about his capabilities.
“He’s different than all the guys I’ve worked with,” Shanahan said. “Some of the running guys I’ve had, he’s shown with how he played in college that he’s more capable of playing in the pocket like that. But he’s not as fast as some of the running guys I’ve had, but he’s a little bit bigger.
"We’ll see how it plays out. We’ll see how his style is. But what I like about him is every part of his skill set, he’s capable of doing what all the quarterbacks I have had do. No, he’s not there in every area yet, but he’s capable of it, and that excites me.”
Meanwhile, others who have watched Lance operate behind the scenes share their coach’s belief.
As Juszczyk put it, “You’ve seen it every single day that he’s working his ass off. He has a humble confidence to him, and as veterans, we respect that a lot. It’s important to come in and have confidence, but nobody wants that rookie that’s talking all day. He says things when he needs to, but he does a good job of leading by example and with his energy.”
Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, one of the most respected members of the locker room, explained, “The way he handled the noise last year, coming into training camp and it being a quote-unquote competition that the outside kind of made up, although we had a good understanding in the locker room of how it would go. For him to ignore the noise and keep following the commands of Kyle and his higher-ups and not think, ‘Hey, I’m your guy. Let me compete.’ To me, that’s something little, but it’s something that I noticed, and it says a lot about his character and it says a lot about his maturity.”
Lance has long embraced hard work. From his seventh-grade year all the way through high school, the quarterback worked out with his father at 5 a.m. each day at the local YMCA, hoping the pre-school-day strength training would give him an edge.
And Lance remained unfazed by having to prove himself behind Garoppolo after fighting for every opportunity to this point. His experience at North Dakota State, where he started just 17 games total before jumping to the NFL, only fortified Lance’s drive.
“North Dakota State University, there was this underdog mentality,” Lance told USA TODAY Sports. “Yeah, we beat everyone in FCS, but nobody planned on being there. Nobody planned on going to North Dakota State, coming out of high school. Everyone has a chip on their shoulder, feels like they should be somewhere bigger, somewhere better.
“I’ve never lacked confidence in myself, so at this point, it’s just coming in as prepared as I possibly can,” Lance added. “Go to work and get better every single day. I have great coaches and great teammates. This roster is special, and I have a lot of guys I can get the ball to and sit back and see what they do with it.”
Lance has gone from overlooked college prospect to holding one of the most desirable starting jobs in the NFL. But will we see him follow the paths of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, who in back-to-back seasons went from former rookie reserves to league MVPs in their first year as full-time starters?
It’s far too early to know as Lance certainly remains a project on the field after attempting just 71 passes in his first year. He threw at least one interception in each of the first four days of training camp, and he still is honing his accuracy and consistency on certain throws.
But the 49ers know patience is necessary, and because of everything they see in Lance, they believe their reward is coming.
“Reality is, he’s going to make mistakes,” Williams said. “He’s young. But just like Houston, we didn’t expect him to go in, throw for 500 yards. We went in expecting him to give us a chance to win and he gave us a chance and we won the game. Every snap from then on, he’s going to progress, and he’s going to improve. He’s taken a huge step, and he’s not going to be perfect, but the way he’s approaching this game is perfect.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trey Lance is NFL's ultimate QB 'gamble,' but 49ers are embracing risk | 2022-08-04T11:16:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Trey Lance is the ultimate NFL QB 'gamble' – with a potential Super Bowl payoff for 49ers | https://sports.yahoo.com/trey-lance-ultimate-nfl-qb-101023794.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/trey-lance-ultimate-nfl-qb-101023794.html?src=rss |
Lakers forward LeBron James is eligible for a two-year contract extension starting Thursday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Any clues about James' preferences, at this point, are merely guesses.
The Lakers have never shied from paying aging stars late into their careers, once extending Kobe Bryant's contract while he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon. Critics of that decision said it handcuffed the Lakers as they began to rebuild. Supporters have pointed to the Lakers’ culture, and their willingness to take care of stars, as reasons why they’re regularly a top-tier player destination.
It's part of a pivotal summer with the Lakers trying to recapture glory. After winning a championship in 2020, the team lost in the first round of the playoffs the following season before finishing 11th in the West last season, when injuries led to James and Davis missing 26 and 42 games, respectively. | 2022-08-04T11:34:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Lakers and LeBron James can begin contract-extension talks | https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-lebron-james-begin-contract-103011726.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-lebron-james-begin-contract-103011726.html?src=rss |
The Tennessee Titans made four roster moves during their off day from training camp on Wednesday.
The team announced it has placed backup center Daniel Munyer on Injured Reserve and waived cornerback Chris Williamson with an injury designation after both players suffered undisclosed injuries during Tuesday’s practice.
In corresponding moves, the Titans inked offensive lineman Willie Wright and former USFL defensive back Terrell Bonds, who also played at Tennessee State.
Wright, who can play both guard and center, went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2019 and has spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, but has never played in a regular season game.
Bonds has spent time with both the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins during his NFL career, appearing in four games for the former in 2020.
He then went on to play for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2021, playing in 10 games and totaling 18 tackles and one interception.
Both Wright and Bonds will have an uphill climb in making the roster.
Former Tennessee State defensive back Terrell Bonds was added to the Tennessee Titans roster Wednesday. | 2022-08-04T12:47:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Titans place Daniel Munyer on IR among 4 moves | https://sports.yahoo.com/titans-place-daniel-munyer-ir-120436389.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/titans-place-daniel-munyer-ir-120436389.html?src=rss |
Jemal Singleton
The one area Kenny Gainwell has improved the most originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
You hear a lot about the 1-on-1 linemen drills at training camp, and it’s always a lot of fun to watch those big dudes clash full-speed, head-to-head.
But those aren’t the only 1-on-1 drills at camp that are engaging to watch. On Tuesday, linebackers coach Nick Rallis and running backs coach Jemal Singleton put their guys through 1-on-1 blitz-pickup drills, and one of the stars of the show was Kenny Gainwell.
The 23-year-old second-year pro stands only 5-foot-9, but he is a solid 200 pounds and, at least judging by his reps at this practice, he’s come a long way when it comes to blitz pickup.
Not that he was terrible at it last year. He wouldn’t have gotten 298 offensive snaps as a rookie fifth-round pick if he was. But he looked way more powerful and stout blocking linebackers on Tuesday than he did a year ago.
“Man, I’ve come a long way,” Gainwell said after practice. “Coming from Memphis, where it was just zone pickups and things like that where we didn’t have to have a whole lot of man protection up front of the line, and knowing protections, I’ve come a long way from that.
“Just working with coach Singleton each every day and learning my points, knowing everything I had to do to take it to the next level to pick up those blocks.”
Boston Scott is also very good at blitz pickup. Miles Sanders has gotten better at it. Jason Huntley is still a work in progress.
“Practice makes perfect,” Gainwell said. “Handle it on the practice field and take it over to the game field.”
Gainwell had a promising 2021 season, becoming only the sixth rookie in Eagles history with 250 yards both rushing and receiving.
He also became only the sixth rookie running back league-wide since 1990 with seven offensive touchdowns on 101 or fewer touches.
But he knows that none of that means anything if he’s not picking up blitzes and protecting the quarterback.
“It’s very important,” he said. “You’ve got to know your protections. If you can’t block, you won’t set foot on that field at all. You give up a blitz, give up a sack on the quarterback, that’s an L. That’s an L for the team.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles use Gainwell, who is probably the most complete back on the team when it comes to running, receiving and blocking.
Nick Sirianni has made it clear that Sanders will be the bell-cow runner, but when you have a talent like Gainwell, you find ways to use him.
Gainwell is the best receiving back on the team. His 33 catches last year are fifth-most ever by an Eagles rookie running back. But he also averaged 4.3 yards per carry, ninth-highest in Eagles history by a rookie running back and fifth-highest among all NFL rookies last year.
You heard about Miles Sanders running with the second team? That’s because all the backs need to get reps with the first group. All three are going to play, so they need to get used to practicing with the first unit.
“Feel great going into Year 2,” Gainwell said. “I feel comfortable with each and every spot on the field, so I’m taking advantage of my opportunities and whatever comes to me, I’m going to take advantage of it and go.
“Be myself, continue to work hard and everything else is just going to fall in line.”
Lawrence and Etienne won’t play in the Hall of Fame game
Clemson fans will have to wait a bit longer to see these two on the field together again.
Eagles training camp 2022: Brandon Graham still never-ending source of energy
Brandon Graham is entering Year 13 in the NFL but he's still a source of never-ending energy for the Eagles. By Dave Zangaro | 2022-08-04T12:48:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | Training camp 2022: The one area Kenny Gainwell has improved the most | https://sports.yahoo.com/training-camp-2022-one-area-120000382.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/training-camp-2022-one-area-120000382.html?src=rss |
Aug. 4—If you look strictly at the big picture, Chaim Bloom's plan is working.
So why doesn't it feel that way?
What the Red Sox are missing is a sense that anything is possible. Fairly or not, it's often felt like one of the richest clubs in the sport is being tied down by self-imposed limitations, and that feeling has left players and fans alike frustrated with the direction of the franchise.
The bad vibes have clung to the Red Sox like a stench, and they've clouded what should be a time of promise and opportunity.
The seeds of discontent were first planted when the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts, a foundational homegrown superstar who the Red Sox could have built around for the next decade. That decision has loomed large over the franchise ever since, and it's heightened the anxiety over Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers' own uncertain futures.
Basically, if the Red Sox wouldn't commit to Betts, and they seemingly won't commit to Bogaerts or Devers, then will they commit to anyone?
It hasn't helped that fans are seeing other contenders across the sport lean into their resources, and now the San Diego Padres, hardly one of baseball's marquee franchises, are suddenly throwing around their weight like they're the George Steinbrenner-era New York Yankees. They'd already signed Manny Machado and homegrown superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. to $300 million contracts, and now they've gone and brought in future Hall of Famer Juan Soto too. Heck, they even added elite closer Josh Hader, slugging first baseman Josh Bell and found some extra cash to extend starting pitcher Joe Musgrove too.
That's a problem.
Even when the Red Sox have made a splash there's been a lingering undercurrent of unease. Signing Trevor Story this past March was a big move, one the club badly needed to make. Yet without a resolution to Bogaerts' situation it also felt a bit off, as it was hard not to wonder if Story was brought in as Bogaerts' replacement.
Bloom has often said his goal is to build a club that can compete for a championship every year, and by freeing up financial resources and building a strong farm system he's effectively laid the foundation for what's to come. But at some point the club also needs to erect the central pillar that everyone else will be built around.
The Reds loaded the bases in the first inning against Sandy Alcántara. They didn't get another chance. | 2022-08-04T13:04:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Bloom's approach is working, but are bad vibes dragging club down? | https://sports.yahoo.com/blooms-approach-working-bad-vibes-111900759.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/blooms-approach-working-bad-vibes-111900759.html?src=rss |
The offseason negotiations between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. didn’t culminate in a deal, but there is no love lost between either side.
Brown Jr. reported for camp a little later than most of his teammates, holding out for the first week of practice. When he decided to rejoin the team, he arrived in good shape and ready to participate in practice. The Chiefs were forced to move Wednesday’s practice indoors due to the weather, but that didn’t change much for Brown Jr. or the rest of the team.
Brown Jr. continued his acclimation plan, taking more snaps than he did during Tuesday’s practice. The offensive lineman hasn’t missed a beat on the field, participating in drills without any reported issues. Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid took notice of Brown Jr.’s performance at camp thus far and shared his thoughts with reporters after practice.
“That’s a big fish,” said Reid. “He looks good. I know he’s been working hard down in Miami, and I mentioned that earlier. So, kind of keeping tabs on that as he’s going. It looks like he’s in good shape. We’re ramping him up, so we’re trying to be smart with that the best that we can and get him the work that he needs. But he’s handled it very well. (It’s) good to have him back.”
You can rest assured that Patrick Mahomes, who briefly left practice earlier this week when he was stepped on by one of his offensive linemen, is happy to have his starting left tackle back in the fold. Negotiations will undoubtedly continue in the future, as both sides seem committed to making something work. For now, the franchise tag will have to suffice as Brown Jr. works to help the Chiefs in their pursuit of another Super Bowl title. | 2022-08-04T14:18:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Andy Reid pleased Chiefs LT Orlando Brown Jr.’s performance at training camp | https://sports.yahoo.com/andy-reid-pleased-chiefs-lt-134530384.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/andy-reid-pleased-chiefs-lt-134530384.html?src=rss |
As training camp rolls on, the New York Giants continue to pile in their fans for practices while they prepare for the upcoming season.
Last year, the organization hosted their first-ever Fan Fest where the Giants held a scrimmage and welcomed fans to a bigger event than their usual training camp practices.
This Friday, the Giants will welcome fans once again for the second annual Fan Fest at MetLife Stadium. The event will feature a team scrimmage as well as Giants legends signing autographs and a fireworks show following the event.
The Giants offered the tickets to Fan Fest for free. However, fans have reserved the maximum amount of tickets and they are now sold out. The fact that it is being held on a Friday rather than last year when it was held on a Wednesday could contribute to a bigger turnout.
Giants first-year head coach Brian Daboll is excited about his first Fan Fest with the team.
“Yeah, I think it’s awesome. I think it’s, you know, again, the more fans you have, the more juice you get as a player and as a coach,” Daboll told reporters on Wednesday. “And I think it’s good. It’s the next step.
Daboll & Co. have a different feel than the previous series of the coaches that have been brought in since the departure of Tom Coughlin. Friday night will be his first exposure to Giants fans in the stadium.
Friday night will be a great night for the Giants and their fans. As the season inches closer to Week 1 where the Giants will open up in Tennessee against the Titans, Fan Fest will be an enjoyable checkpoint for Big Blue prior to their preseason games.
Chat Transcript: Camp predictions, navigating ND's recruiting potholes
Also why a two-QB system doesn't appeal in 2022 and what to make of season opening-opponent Ohio State.
Trey Mancini's two-run homer
Trey Mancini crushes his first homer with the Astros, scoring Kyle Tucker and increasing the lead to 4-0 in the 2nd inning | 2022-08-04T14:18:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brian Daboll on Giants Fan Fest: More fans equals more juice | https://sports.yahoo.com/brian-daboll-giants-fan-fest-125538505.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brian-daboll-giants-fan-fest-125538505.html?src=rss |
While Seahawks coach Pete Carroll sets the tone for the team, offensive line coach Andy Dickerson’s focus is on his men up front. Dickerson is in his first season at his new position after joining the team in 2021 as the run game coordinator.
It was no surprise he was asked about Seattle’s offensive linemen during his press conference on Wednesday.
“A lot of the playbook is in, but you see Charles (Cross) rolling with the ones and we’ve had Abe (Lucas) rolling with the ones, so we give them the information and we let them fly,” Dickerson said. “We have extra meetings with the rookies, myself or Keli’i (Kekuewa) will meet with them extra. We have rookie meetings, but then he will grab them early in the morning sometimes, so you just keep giving them the information. Again, we had the rookie minicamp and there weren’t different plays then, so they have had that knowledge.”
Like the rest of the roster, there are a number of starting spots up for grabs on the offensive line and Dickerson is busy watching the competition play itself out under his tutelage.
The Seahawks have an off day on Thursday before returning to the practice field on Friday. | 2022-08-04T14:18:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | ‘Correction is direction’ for Seahawks’ young offensive linemen | https://sports.yahoo.com/correction-direction-seahawks-young-offensive-130038884.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/correction-direction-seahawks-young-offensive-130038884.html?src=rss |
The Miami Dolphins are well into 2022 training camp, and second-year stud safety Jevon Holland seems to already be a seasoned professional and team leader.
Seen leading the defensive team stretches, which could be indicative of a leadership designation via post-training camp captain vote, the versatile defensive back is coming off of a tremendous rookie season.
Holland played it down when asked about it.
“One of our strength coaches isn’t here, so I was like I’ll do it,” he said. “That’s basically it. There is nothing to it. It’s cool. I can just guide everybody. There is nothing crazy. It looks like it has a different meaning, but it’s really just our strength coach isn’t here so I was like I’ll do it.”
Mentioned on the pod that Jevon Holland leads the defensive stretch line – now I’ve got video pic.twitter.com/J2oXlOGGfW
Holland isn’t just proving to be one of the Dolphins’ better defenders, but he’s also gaining a reputation of being a top league safety overall, despite being just 22 years old. He proved he could excel in coverage, rush the passer in blitz schemes and lay vicious hits on ball carriers during his rookie season.
Entering 2022, Holland is one of the young core leaders of this team and met with Miami media on Wednesday.
Right off the bat, he led with a confident answer to his thoughts on the defense so far.
“I think the defense is shaping up very well,” he said with his normal swagger.
Holland and fellow safety Brandon Jones form a dynamic duo to anchor the defensive backfield that could be one of the better pairs the Dolphins have had in years. The former Duck was asked about each of their roles on the defense and how they lean on each other.
“Without a doubt, growing with a team and coming into a second year in the same type of room, it helps a lot because of the chemistry you have, a connection, collective thought process, hive-mind type thing,” Holland said. “It’s definitely great, for sure.”
He was also asked about his position essentially being the quarterback of the defense, and he went on to share his thoughts in detail.
“I think it’s about confidence and understanding the defense,” Holland said. “I know, as a safety, that’s kind of the guy pushing to be the quarterback of the defense, as a lot of people might say, or the middle linebacker. One of the two.”
Holland then added a teammate into the mix.
“But me and ‘E-Rob,’ [Elandon Roberts] we try to bring everybody in a collective mind,” he said. “I don’t necessarily do it because I have to. I do it because I want to, and I want everybody to be on the same page so that we’re an oiled machine.”
He started his NFL career off with a bang and was asked if there was a certain point where he felt he took more of a leadership role.
“Yeah,” Holland responded plainly. “Coming in, of course, I felt like I had to earn my stripes. My biggest thing was understanding the defense so that we all can be on the same page.”
Adding to his selfless and leadership mentality, he went on to say, “It was never for personal gain. It was always because I want everybody to be on the same page, and if somebody doesn’t know something and they look back at me, I don’t want to be standing there not knowing what they have to do. I want to be able to communicate to them so that everybody is on the same page so that we’re all moving forward together.”
Whether by volunteering or by potential team designation, it’s clear that the Dolphins have a young leader at a position of mass importance on a defensive unit that could challenge to be among the very best in the league.
Pune, Aug. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foodtech Market research report is an expert’s analysis that mainly includes companies, types, applications, regions, countries, etc. Also, the reports give analysis on sales, revenue, trade, competition, investment, forecast. Foodtech market research covers COVID-19 impacts on the upstream, midstream and downstream industries. Also, this study offers detailed market estimates by emphasizing statistics on several aspects covers market dynamics like drivers | 2022-08-04T14:18:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dolphins’ Jevon Holland taking on leadership role in second season | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-jevon-holland-taking-leadership-131546952.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-jevon-holland-taking-leadership-131546952.html?src=rss |
The Green Bay Packers know rookie Christian Watson is missing valuable time as he recovers from a knee injury on the PUP list, but everyone is confident he’ll catch up quickly – given his intelligence and athleticism – once he’s back on the field.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he’s not worried at all about Watson’s absence.
“It’s not a big concern. He’s a really smart kid,” Rodgers said. “He is a smart kid. It’d be nice to get him off the PUP so he could do some of the walkthrough stuff, but he’ll be fine. He’s super athletic. He went through the entire offseason program with us, the OTAs, minicamp. He’s been in my hip pocket, asking questions after periods and during individual time. I’m not worried about him.”
The Packers took Watson with the 34th overall pick. He figures to play a big part in the Packers passing game once he’s back on the field, but he’s currently missing the important on-field opportunities working with Rodgers and the rest of the offense.
Watson needed surgery on his right knee to correct an issue that popped up during the offseason program.
“Not too concerned with it long term,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday. “Any time a player misses the time they are missing now, they are going to be in catchup mode. He’s a really smart guy, I know he works really hard, he’s got really good work habits, so I know he’ll get there. But you’d love to have him out there right now. Again, he’s a young player that we have a lot of hope for, and expect him to be a big part of what we’re doing moving forward, so we’re not going to rush it.”
Rodgers said receivers build trust with him through “performance” and “preparation,” and it’s clear Watson is doing what he can on the preparation front.
The Packers haven’t provided a specific timeline on Watson’s return.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but I’ve tried not to let that affect me too much,” Watson said. “There are still things I can do to get better and still be a part of everything, taking mental reps and still being in the playbook. So I try to look at positives and kind of stay away from the negatives.”
Conor McGregor Is Set to Join Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Road House' Remake
Conor McGregor is set to make his movie debut with Jake Gyllenhaal in Amazon Prime Video’s Road...
Charli D'Amelio has a new boyfriend. But that doesn't mean the drama with her ex Chase "Lil Huddy" Hudson is over just yet. | 2022-08-04T14:19:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers aren’t concerned about rookie WR Christian Watson missing time | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-aren-t-concerned-rookie-132059896.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-aren-t-concerned-rookie-132059896.html?src=rss |
New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is heading into his third training camp with the team. Although camp can be a grind, he still enjoys one aspect of it in particular.
Meyers figures to be a key weapon for New England, and should be able to bring a leadership presence to a room that is filled with new faces. Those new receivers are part of the reason why Meyers loves training camp so much.
“Teammates. We come out here, we kind of grind together, workout together, eat together,” Meyers said Wednesday during his time with the media on Wednesday. “You know what I mean? So, you spend a lot of time with the boys, and it’s a lot of fun. I mean we do all types of things. We just compete in everything we do, even within the room we compete. But at the same time, we all love each other, so that’s definitely my favorite part.”
He will look to have another strong year, in what has been an upward-trending career. However, he will make sure to have fun along the way, as the Patriots offense looks to continue the positive momentum from last season both on and off the field.
Bill Belichick dodges questions on Tom Brady, Dolphins' tampering scandal | 2022-08-04T14:19:27Z | sports.yahoo.com | Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers likes one aspect of camp in particular | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-wr-jakobi-meyers-likes-125113642.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-wr-jakobi-meyers-likes-125113642.html?src=rss |
Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt not only tided the single-season sack record but finally won Defensive Player of the Year. It was a huge season for him from an individual accolades standpoint. But if you have followed Watt’s career at all, you know it is never about individual acclaim and all about the team.
Watt was asked how he follows up such a huge season and Watt made it all about the team. “We’ve got to win a Super Bowl,” Watt said. “Simple as that.”
Pittsburgh is going to lean heavily on Watt again this season to keep opposing quarterbacks under duress and help a secondary with some new moving parts.
Watt has 72 career sacks in his five-year career and is third on the team’s all-time list. With what would be considered a down season of only 9 sacks, Watt will become the career franchise sack leader in the upcoming season. Considering how well he has played, he could break that record by Halloween. | 2022-08-04T14:19:39Z | sports.yahoo.com | Steelers LB T.J. Watt keeps goals for 2022 simple: ‘We’ve got to win a Super Bowl. Simple as that’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-lb-t-j-watt-125232407.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-lb-t-j-watt-125232407.html?src=rss |
A Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Las Vegas Raiders showdown in the Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio isn't exactly a thrilling matchup, but it's football. Unless you were really into the USFL, we haven't seen football in a long time.
Because it's football and there are betting lines, it will get some action. And there was a pretty significant line move this week. The Jaguars were 1.5-point favorites at BetMGM on Tuesday. By Wednesday the favorite flipped and the Raiders were -2.5. The total is a scant 30.5.
The total stands out because it's very low. That's getting ahead of a trend. The under has cashed in seven of the last nine Hall of Fame Games. Last year the over/under was just 33 points for the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers won 16-3, comfortably going under the total. Because very few starters, if any at all, play in the Hall of Fame game it's usually not an offensive show.
The Jaguars have already ruled out Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne from the Hall of Fame Game, and that's no surprise. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard has a minor injury too so Jake Luton will likely start at quarterback for Jacksonville. That's likely the main reason for the big line move between Tuesday and Wednesday. Luton was a 2020 sixth-round pick and started three regular-season games as a rookie. He posted a meager 54.5 passer rating.
Plenty of Jaguars starters will sit or play a series at most, because that's how most teams approach the Hall of Fame Game. While the Raiders aren't going with a full game plan, it sounds like they won't scale everything back.
“I’ve had many discussions like that over many years about what we should or shouldn’t do or what’s too much or not enough to show," new Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said, via The Athletic. "I think it’s important for us to go out there and let the players play and be aggressive."
Neither team will be taking it too seriously. But it's football. And betting on football.
The Raiders kick off the 2022 NFL preseason with the Hall of Fame Game against the Jaguars. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A big Braves-Mets series
The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets are battling for the all-important No. 2 seed in the NL, and the Mets lead that race. But the Braves can cut the Mets' lead in the NL East over the next four games during a monster series in New York. The Mets are small -120 favorites in the opener and rightfully so, but it should be a fun four days at Citi Field.
Plenty of other MLB action
There's one early start with the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates facing off at 12:35 p.m. Eastern. The Brewers are big -250 favorites but they will be hard to bet on until we see how they react following the Josh Hader trade to San Diego while Milwaukee was in first place of the NL Central. We get the Los Angeles Dodgers at the San Francisco Giants in another afternoon game, part of a fun 12-game MLB slate.
There's also the Wyndham Championship golf tournament getting started and two WNBA games, if baseball and a preseason football game aren't enough.
It's almost impossible to have a strong opinion on the Hall of Fame Game because most starters won't see the field. Though, that is becoming the norm for most preseason games. I'll lean toward the Raiders on the side, mostly because they're a deeper team. Since both teams have new coaches you'll see the game have a slightly more serious tone than most Hall of Fame Games. A better bet for the game is the over, not because there should be much scoring but 30.5 is a very low number. It won't take too much to get to 31.
Is Francisco Lindor underrated? | Baseball Night in NY
On Baseball Night in NY, Sal Licata, Anthony McCarron and John Jastremski discuss whether or not Mets SS Francisco Lindor is underrated. | 2022-08-04T14:19:46Z | sports.yahoo.com | The Daily Sweat: Betting the Raiders vs. Jaguars Hall of Fame Game | https://sports.yahoo.com/the-daily-sweat-betting-the-raiders-vs-jaguars-hall-of-fame-game-125133299.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/the-daily-sweat-betting-the-raiders-vs-jaguars-hall-of-fame-game-125133299.html?src=rss |
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been under a ton of scrutiny from fans and talking heads for his lack of arm strength, a narrative that really took off this offseason.
Earlier in the program, the Dolphins’ social media account posted a video of Tagovailoa underthrowing wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and the quarterback was dragged for it online.
Since then, he’s defended himself a bit more, and he’s had the opportunity to show fans that his arm is better than they may believe.
On Saturday, Tagovailoa completed a 65-yard touchdown pass to Hill in practice that traveled at least 50 yards in the air, and the clip went viral on social media.
After Wednesday’s practice, the Dolphins quarterback was asked why he thought that clip took off the way that it did.
“I think people don’t think I can throw the ball far,” Tagovailoa said. “I would say that’s the fascination. Like, ‘Wow! He can throw the ball!’ It’s hard to be in the NFL if you can’t throw the ball, right?”
Rich Eisen has coined the nickname “Salty Tua” for Tagovailoa this offseason, and it seems to be fitting. It’s not meant to be a negative, it’s just Tagovailoa finally holding people accountable for their feelings about him as a player.
If he continues to display some of that confident side during media availability and performs like the quarterback that he’s shown flashes of being, this could be a really fun season in South Florida. | 2022-08-04T14:20:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Tua Tagovailoa takes shot at detractors after deep pass goes viral | https://sports.yahoo.com/tua-tagovailoa-takes-shot-detractors-135559847.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/tua-tagovailoa-takes-shot-detractors-135559847.html?src=rss |
In the Giants' 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Oracle Park, the latest baserunning error by González ended what was the best scoring opportunity San Francisco had through seven innings against lefty Julio Urías.
Gonzalez's recent mishap comes less than 10 days after he was both doubled-up and picked off on the bases in a shutout loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 25, which resulted in a private postgame meeting with manager Gabe Kapler.
Luis Gonzalez explains what he was thinking during his baserunning error pic.twitter.com/zn3DcC6g7B
"As soon as the crack of the bat happened, I was kind of thinking four all the way, I thought Mookie had no chance of catching that fly ball and it ended up staying up in the air a lot longer than I thought," González told reporters postgame. "By the time I decided to go back it was a little late."
Gabe Kapler says he spoke to Luis Gonzalez about his baserunning error in the 7th inning pic.twitter.com/5UNH9ZTT28
"It's very similar to when he got picked off the other day," Kapler said. "Essentially, we really want Luis to understand the game state and the value of his out on the bases relative to the score. He's the second run, not the third run, so he doesn't particularly have to be aggressive there. What we want our baserunners to do is run the game scenario through their brains right before they take their lead.
"So what that will do for Luis, it will help him back off some of his aggressiveness -- which he don't want him to lose -- but being aggressive at the right times is critically important and in that case, it's totally fine. Ball goes up in the air, he can go base-to-base. Most important thing is his out because we want to get ourselves as many chances as possible to drive the runs in with a base hit."
Wednesday night's blunder resulted in the second meeting with Kapler in less than two weeks, this time, a chat in the dugout, where the Giants manager stressed a similar message.
"He's just saying you gotta know the situation of the game right there, like it's OK to go base-to-base and not be so aggressive and try and get to home there," Gonzalez explained. "Because that was my ultimate goal, to try and score on that play and kind of went with my instincts and ran with it. Just gotta learn from it and evaluate the play as it's going on rather than going with my instincts so hard."
González consistently has been one of the Giants' better offensive players this season and his speed and aggressiveness on the bases is a key weapon in a lineup that looks to get things going sooner rather than later. | 2022-08-04T14:38:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Another Luis Gonzalez baserunning blunder hurts Giants in loss to Dodgers | https://sports.yahoo.com/another-luis-gonzalez-baserunning-blunder-055120863.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/another-luis-gonzalez-baserunning-blunder-055120863.html?src=rss |
However, it seems like this could be a season in which we get a first-time winner. Buffalo hopes so.
The Buffalo Bills are the Super Bowl favorite and in a month when you see preseason picks rolling in, you'll see the Bills as the most popular pick to win the championship this season. But the Bills aren't the only team with a shot.
The Los Angeles Chargers are loaded and perhaps this is finally the season in which their talent leads to a deep postseason run. Nobody would be surprised. The Cincinnati Bengals are looking for their first title and while it seems they'll regress a bit from last season's magical run to the Super Bowl, they have plenty of exciting pieces.
And yes, the Cleveland Browns are a possible first-time winner too.
It never feels right to talk about Deshaun Watson and the Browns in football terms, but there will still be a football season and as of right now, Watson will be playing most of it. His six-game suspension seemed light and make no mistake, it was a huge win for the Browns from a football standpoint. Then came news that the NFL appealed the decision, which means anything is possible.
If it sticks at six games, the Browns have a pretty favorable schedule with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. Here's the slate Brissett will face: at Carolina, N.Y. Jets, Pittsburgh, at Atlanta, L.A. Chargers, New England. If the Browns just beat the Panthers, Jets and Falcons, they would come out the first six games of the season at 3-3. But we don't know how long Watson will be out.
Whatever can be said about Watson, the last time we saw him he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Browns' roster could be ready to take a big leap with some improved quarterback play. We just don't know when their QB1 will be on the field until the NFL rules on it. It's possible whenever Watson returns he doesn't simply pick up where he left off after not playing a game for almost two years on the sideline, but if he's near his old level by the end of the season the Browns will be dangerous in the playoffs ... if they make it. Let's assume the NFL isn't exactly rooting for Watson to be the focus of Super Bowl week. But it could happen.
While other franchises who have never won have a chance too — the Titans are usually better than expected, the Cardinals have an untapped potential with Kyler Murray at quarterback — the season will begin with an intense focus on the Bills.
Buffalo is primarily known for its fun offense around quarterback Josh Allen, which means the defense is overlooked. The Bills led the NFL in many defensive statistics last season including points allowed and yards allowed. There's a real chance Buffalo ends this season with the best offense and best defense in the NFL. Josh Allen is the betting favorite to win MVP. There's even some positive regression coming after the Bills finished 0-6 last season, including playoffs, in games decided by seven points or less. The Bills are a rightful preseason favorite.
Of course, nobody walks to a Super Bowl title. There are a few franchises who have never experienced a championship that are hoping this is the season that changes.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) and the Bills are hoping to deliver a Super Bowl title to Buffalo. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Here are the pre-preseason power rankings for the 2022 NFL season. They are unchanged since our team-by-team preview countdown over the summer, though we'll see a few teams moving by the next power rankings before Week 1 of the regular season (click on any of the team names below for an in-depth season preview on that team):
The Texans got terrible news when rookie receiver John Metchie III was diagnosed with leukemia. He'll likely miss the season. In a football sense it's tough to lose the No. 44 overall pick in this year's draft. Hopefully Metchie can fully recover for reasons beyond football.
One player who can move up the depth chart with a big preseason could be rookie running back Tyler Allgeier. He is already getting good reviews in camp. The Falcons don't have much at running back. He's a big back who can take some pressure off the rest of the offense if he pans out.
Rookie receiver Wan'Dale Robinson got off to a good start in camp. He was a controversial second-round pick because he is just 5-8, 175 pounds and was picked over other highly-touted prospects. But it seems his quickness and versatility could be a good fit for Brian Daboll's offense.
There has been a steady drumbeat of positive news regarding running back Travis Etienne out of Jaguars camp. James Robinson is back from an Achilles tear, but it has been historically tough for running backs to bounce back from that injury. Etienne, a first-round pick last year who missed his rookie season due to a foot injury, has a chance to shine.
Bears offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, a second-round pick last year, has been missing from training camp practice with an unspecified injury and plenty of skepticism over what's really happening. The Bears are reportedly fielding trade offers. The Bears offensive line isn't good and won't get better with their 2021 second-round pick looking like he won't work out.
Second-year quarterback Zach Wilson isn't off to a great start in training camp. That might mean nothing considering it's just a few practices and the New York media can overblow things, but it's certainly not the best news after Wilson's struggles as a rookie.
Geno Smith has been working with the starters ahead of Drew Lock in the Seahawks' quarterback competition. But it doesn't seem either one has been too impressive.
It's good to hear the positive camp reports on second-year receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was great down the stretch last season, and it's rare for a player to perform to that level and have it be a fluke.
There's a quarterback competition and I'm not sure why. The Panthers know what they have with Sam Darnold. Unless Baker Mayfield can't pick up the offense at all in a short time, why pick Darnold over him? At least Mayfield might have some potential going forward.
Receiver Curtis Samuel, who played in just five games last season, has been missing time in camp. Coach Ron Rivera said the team has concerns about Samuel's “overall football conditioning and shape.” Samuel was an exciting addition from the Panthers before last season, but it has not gone well at all.
Kenny Pickett will have to work his way up the depth chart. He started third behind Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph because Mike Tomlin still has old-school values and doesn't want to hand anything to a first-round pick. That's also a good reason to believe Pickett won't win the job by opening day, but we'll see.
Tight end Irv Smith Jr. had thumb surgery, though it's minor and the team said he might be back by Week 1. It's a step back for a popular breakout pick. Smith, who was out due to injury all of last season, is going to miss a lot of valuable time on the field this month.
The Dolphins lost a couple picks, including a 2023 first-round pick, for tampering with Tom Brady. Owner Stephen Ross was suspended. There are a lot of crummy owners in the NFL so Ross flies under the radar in that category, but he's not a positive asset to the Dolphins.
Alvin Kamara was supposed to be in court this month on a battery charge from an incident in Las Vegas, but the court date was pushed back 60 days. There has been no word of NFL suspension yet. Is it possible Kamara avoids suspension all season?
This piece by Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson on Josh McDaniels was a great read. Will McDaniels revert to his old ways once the pressure is on? We can't know. But he does sound like a man who learned from a lot of mistakes in his first head-coaching stint.
A lot was said of the Kyler Murray homework clause, and it's funny the Cardinals thought it could be stricken from the record and we'd never talk about it again just because they took it out of their contract. Maybe it's nothing, but now there will be an ongoing scrutiny on Murray and his study habits that puts added pressure on the franchise quarterback. Arizona really screwed that up.
Through the offseason a lot of negative headlines followed rookie first-round pick Treylon Burks, particularly in regards to his conditioning. But he has had several highlights in camp and it looks like the offseason noise was probably overblown.
"He's done some good things. He's making plays for me," Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said, according to the Tennessean. "It started off early in training camp, and he's just continued to show up, so I'm excited about the progress he's made."
Well, the Browns were stuck near the middle of the rankings because of the unsettled Deshaun Watson situation. Lo and behold, we're still stuck without a final answer after the NFL appealed the decision of a six-game suspension.
All of the news from Colts camp on Matt Ryan is that he looks sharp and the offense looks much better. Ryan doesn't need to be great for the Colts to have a fine season. He just needs to be an upgrade from Carson Wentz.
A.J. Brown got most of the attention, but don't underestimate what rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis, the team's first-round pick, can do for the defense. The 336-pound Davis has been impressing onlookers at Eagles camp.
"He's huge. I ain't never seen a guy like that," linebacker Kyzir White said, according the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Definitely I'm glad he's on our side. He's going to make things easier for us."
It's fine that the team said Trey Lance would be the starting quarterback, but that's no surprise. It still doesn't address the endgame for Jimmy Garoppolo, which as confusing as ever.
The Broncos lost receiver Tim Patrick to a torn ACL in camp. They still have plenty for Russell Wilson to work with, but Patrick is an underrated player and his injury is not the best news for the Broncos offense.
Quarterback Joe Burrow had appendix surgery, and all indications are he won't miss Week 1. The timing was good for the Bengals in that regard. But we'll have to keep an eye on Burrow as this month goes on, to see if he is suffering any aftereffects.
One regret I had since the countdown of team previews was not having the Patriots behind the Bengals and Broncos. But the same reasoning I had for initially putting the Patriots here does stand: They were much better for a majority of last season than people give them credit for now, and it's still Bill Belichick. They're going to be better than we think.
One name that keeps coming up in Chargers camp is rookie running back Isaiah Spiller. The Chargers have been looking for a back to take some pressure off Austin Ekeler, and it seems like they might have found him. Spiller could be yet another weapon in an explosive offense.
Let's check in on Lamar Jackson, shall we?
“He’s throwing it better than I’ve ever seen him throw it,” Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said, via the Baltimore Sun. “He’s really worked hard in the offseason, and it's showing.”
Jackson looks to be in great shape, too. It's a reminder: Jackson is just 25 years old and theoretically still ascending.
Rookie receiver Christian Watson is falling behind. The second-round pick had minor knee surgery and hasn't been practicing. Watson could have helped right away at receiver but it will be tougher as he misses critical practice time with Aaron Rodgers.
One thing stood out from unveiling the team-by-team previews: People are angry the Cowboys are this high. Yikes. There is a lot of negativity surrounding Dallas. Yes, they did not have a great offseason, but everyone is forgetting how good they were last regular season. Let's not bury them quite yet.
Offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. signed his franchise tag tender and reported to camp despite not having a long-term extension locked up. He's still hopeful something will get done.
“I want to be here,” Brown said, via Arrowhead Pride. “I want to finish my career here in Kansas City. I’m sure [there are] questions out there. But to me, with the contract situation, there just weren’t enough guarantees — and I want to be here for the rest of my career in Kansas City. That’s really important to me.”
The loss of center Ryan Jensen is huge. The Buccaneers haven't ruled him out for the season but he'll miss multiple months after a serious knee injury. Considering Tom Brady is bothered most by pressure up the middle, the questions on the interior of the Bucs' offensive line are significant.
Matthew Stafford had an injection in his throwing elbow this offseason and early in training camp the Rams cut back on his workload due to "a little bit of pain," according to coach Sean McVay. It's probably not a big deal yet, but it will become one if it's still an issue in a few weeks.
The star of training camp seems to be slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie. McKenzie had a huge game against the Patriots late last season and was a reason the team moved on from Cole Beasley. If McKenzie becomes a legitimate factor out of the slot, the Bills offense gets even better. | 2022-08-04T14:39:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL Power Rankings: A first-time Super Bowl winner? Bills lead the list of candidates | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-a-first-time-super-bowl-winner-bills-lead-the-list-of-candidates-124743169.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-a-first-time-super-bowl-winner-bills-lead-the-list-of-candidates-124743169.html?src=rss |
Dye has been a major part of Oregon’s offense for the past four seasons. How major? He’s rushed for 3,111 yards while grabbing 83 catches for 869 yards in his Oregon career. His best season came in 2021 when he was the team’s feature back and had 211 carries for 1,271 yards and 16 TDs to go along with 46 catches and 402 receiving yards. Don’t let Dye’s addition to the USC offense fly under the radar.
From his colorful coats to his conversations at Regas on 17th, Lindsey Nelson left a big impression on the longtime "Vol Calls" host. | 2022-08-04T14:52:50Z | sports.yahoo.com | 20 non-QB transfers in line to make an impact during the 2022 college football season | https://sports.yahoo.com/20-non-qb-transfers-in-line-to-make-an-impact-during-the-2022-college-football-season-121833006.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/20-non-qb-transfers-in-line-to-make-an-impact-during-the-2022-college-football-season-121833006.html?src=rss |
Most coaches would consider an SEC Championship, a national title appearance and a Heisman Trophy wining quarterback a once-in-a-lifetime season. Alabama head coach Nick Saban calls it a rebuilding year.
The Tide had a lot of replacing to do after losing Mac Jones, Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith, Patrick Surtain II, Christian Barmore and others to the 2021 NFL draft. The program had to lean heavily on some inexperienced players.
Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy despite having zero career starts heading into 2021. Will Anderson Jr. led the country in tackles for loss and sacks after hardly seeing the field as a freshman.
The Tide didn’t lose a ton to the NFL Draft in 2022, and the team will be incredibly experienced heading into the season. The Tide stashed up on talent in the transfer portal and may have one of their best teams yet. | 2022-08-04T14:53:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Nick Saban calls 2021 season a ‘rebuilding year’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/nick-saban-calls-2021-season-135927563.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nick-saban-calls-2021-season-135927563.html?src=rss |
Both a verdict and potential sentence in the WNBA star’s drug-smuggling trial are expected Thursday, her attorney told reporters.
Closing arguments ended with Griner herself having the final word. Standing in the defendant's cage at the back of the tiny courtroom, Griner took responsibility for her "mistake" and apologized to her family, her teammates and her Russian club for "the embarrassment I brought on them."
"I never meant to hurt anybody," Griner said. "I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here. I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here.
"I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom," Griner continued. "I want to say again that I had no intent of breaking Russian laws. I had no intent. I did not conspire or plan to commit this crime."
For Griner, a guilty verdict has been a near certainty since even before the WNBA star confessed to packing in too great a hurry and accidentally taking vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Not only do Russian courts rarely acquit defendants under any circumstances, the Kremlin also has incentive to preserve its leverage in prisoner swap negotiations with the U.S.
Griner allegedly flew into Moscow on Feb. 17 carrying .702 grams of cannabis oil. That’s less than the weight of a pen cap or a stick of gum, yet prosecutors allege it’s enough to meet the “significant amount” threshold under article 229 of Russia’s criminal code, which is punishable with a prison term of 5 to 10 years.
For months, Griner and her supporters have pleaded with the Biden administration to broker a deal with the Kremlin to secure her release.
Thursday, Griner is expected to learn how long she could remain in Russian prison if those negotiations fizzle.
Yuval Weber, an expert in Russian military and political strategy, told Yahoo Sports that he expects Griner to receive the maximum possible sentence or close to it. The way Weber sees it, Russian government officials will dictate the length of Griner’s punishment based on what will allow them to extract the most out of the U.S. in negotiations for a prisoner swap or some other concession.
William Partlett, an associate professor at Melbourne Law School and an authority on Russian politics, told Yahoo Sports that the court doesn’t need to send Griner to prison for 10 years for the Kremlin to negotiate a favorable trade. A five-year sentence, according to Partlett, would allow Russia to portray itself as “lenient” and “forgiving” to the rest of the world while still maintaining the upper hand in negotiations with the U.S.
The one thing most experts do agree on is that the judge presiding over Griner’s case won’t be making an independent decision on her sentence. High-ranking Kremlin officials, they argue, will have the final say.
Describing Griner’s trial “entirely theater,” Dartmouth University foreign policy fellow Danielle Gilbert told Yahoo Sports “we shouldn’t trust it like we might trust a trial in the United States or other places around the world.” Gilbert said the “real purpose” of the trial is to lend a veneer of legitimacy to Russia’s efforts to hold Griner for as long as necessary while making demands for her release.
Brittney Griner, center, speaks to her lawyers in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP)
“I’m 100 percent convinced that this is all about foreign policy leverage,” Gilbert said.
While Russian officials have not shot down the possibility that a deal can eventually be reached, they have insisted they won’t entertain any offer until the conclusion of Griner’s trial.
Tom Firestone, the former resident legal adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, told Yahoo Sports that Griner’s legal team did "the right things under the circumstances” but admitted that it’s “hard to say” whether it will actually help reduce the WNBA star’s sentence. After all, recent marijuana cases involving Americans in Russia have yielded a wide variety of outcomes.
In 2019, New York college student Audrey Lorber spent less than two months in prison after she allegedly entered Russia carrying 19 grams of marijuana. A Russian court found Lorber guilty of attempting to import marijuana, but she was released with time served and exempted from paying a fine.
Last month, a Pennsylvania school teacher received a far harsher punishment. Marc Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in Russian prison after being caught with medical marijuana that he says he used to treat a back injury.
“The Marc Fogel case is the most similar to Brittney Griner’s,” Firestone said. “He had a doctor’s prescription, he expressed remorse and he still received a 14-year sentence. That doesn’t augur well for Brittney.”
Gilbert, the Dartmouth foreign policy fellow, once assumed a Russian court would stick Griner with a similarly exorbitant sentence. Then Gilbert began to reconsider after a couple of puzzling moments during Griner’s trial that didn’t fit the max-punishment narrative.
First, prosecutors revealed that Griner had less than a gram of hash oil in her luggage at the time of her arrest. Then, Griner’s defense team was allowed to call Russian witnesses to speak on her behalf.
“That, in some ways, is inconsistent with a show trial where they’re going to smack her with the maximum possible sentence,” Gilbert said. “It allowed me to imagine a scenario where they might go another route.”
To Gilbert, what that means isn’t that Griner has received a fair trial. It’s that Russia could be playing “3D chess.”
“It might also be part of a strategy to make it look like this trial is legitimate,” Gilbert said. “If they want to give her a lighter sentence, it would still be disproportionate to what she did and it might be their way of trying to pretend to the rest of the world that this isn’t a hostage taking. They want the rest of the world to believe their legal system is fair. A lighter sentence might be part of reputational management.” | 2022-08-04T15:19:02Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner verdict and sentencing imminent; prosecutors seek 9 1/2 years | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-russia-verdict-130830606.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-russia-verdict-130830606.html?src=rss |
STORY: Who is Brittney Griner, the American basketball star who has been detained in Russia since February?
The 31-year-old is a two-time Olympic champion
and star player in the Women's National Basketball Association, or WNBA.
Since 2014, she has also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during the WNBA offseason.
On February 17, she was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport
with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.
(Audio of Griner) "No, my rights were never read to me. No one explained any of it to me."
Griner pleaded guilty to the drugs charges
but insists she did not intend to break Russian law.
She testified that she did not know how the cartridges could have ended up in her luggage.
Griner has a prescription in the U.S. for medical marijuana to relieve pain from chronic injuries.
It's a common treatment method among athletes where the substance is legal.
But Griner has always denied intentionally bringing it into Russia.
U.S. officials and prominent athletes say Griner has been wrongly detained
and have accused Russia of using her as a political pawn
at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are the most strained since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
President Joe Biden is under pressure to intervene on behalf of detained Americans - including Griner.
"We are not ever going to be quiet until she's home safely. Thank you for your love, your voices, and for
your prayers. We are BG." | 2022-08-04T15:19:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Who is Brittney Griner and what's her fate in Russia? | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-whats-her-fate-144730892.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-whats-her-fate-144730892.html?src=rss |
Rhyne Howard with a First Basket of The Game vs. Indiana Fever
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream) with a First Basket of The Game vs. Indiana Fever, 08/03/2022
This season on America’s Got Talent, judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandell, and Sofia Vergara said yes to 138 acts and, of those, only 55 will get through to the Live Shows, which means that more than half of the acts will not move on, including the six Golden Buzzers—Avery Dixon, Madison ... | 2022-08-04T15:20:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rhyne Howard with a First Basket of The Game vs. Indiana Fever | https://sports.yahoo.com/rhyne-howard-first-basket-game-112346719.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rhyne-howard-first-basket-game-112346719.html?src=rss |
WNBA star Brittney Griner enters a cage in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Khimki, just outside Moscow, on Thursday. (Evgenia Novozhenina / Pool Photo)
An emotional Brittney Griner apologized for her actions as her drug-possession trial drew to a close Thursday in Russia, and a prosecutor urged that the American basketball star be convicted and sentenced to 9½ years in prison in a case that reached the highest levels of U.S.-Russia diplomacy.
With a judge set to issue an unusually swift verdict later in the day and a conviction all but certain, Griner made a final appeal to the court and said she had no intention to break the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil when she flew to Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Under Russian law, the 31-year-old Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, but judges have considerable latitude on sentencing.
If she is sentenced to prison, attention will turn to the high-stakes possibility of a prisoner swap, which was proposed last week by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to his Russian counterpart.
Griner said she had made “an honest mistake," adding to the judge: "[I] hope in your ruling it does not end my life.”
Lawyers for the Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist have pursued strategies to bolster Griner's contention that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage by mistake. They have presented character witnesses from the Russian team she plays for during the WNBA offseason and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment.
Boykov added that after her arrest, Griner has won the sympathy of both her guards and prison inmates, who supported her by shouting: “Brittney, everything will be OK!” when she went on walks at the jail.
Last week, in an extraordinary move, Blinken spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free.
Citi said it had cut down on loans and cash on deposits in the country, particularly those from its institutional clients group, but that was offset by the rouble's more than 40% surge in the quarter. The rouble has become the world's best-performing currency this year, boosted by Russia's high proceeds from commodity exports, a sharp drop in imports and a ban on households withdrawing foreign currency savings after the invasion of Ukraine in February. Citigroup has been looking to exit sanctions-hit Russia and is in talks with Russian private lender Expobank over a possible sale of some of its operations in the country, Reuters reported last month.
Jack Conklin still isn't able to participate in full 11-on-11 drills in camp. The Browns tackle, though, can see the finish line to his return.
Ryan Phillippe Says Son Deacon Is Focused on Being a Musician
Boyz II Men's Wanya Morris is one of Liamani Segura's biggest champions - and now a business partner. | 2022-08-04T15:20:59Z | sports.yahoo.com | Emotional Brittney Griner apologizes in court as Russian prosecutors seek 9½-year sentence | https://sports.yahoo.com/russian-prosecutors-seek-9-sentence-123841110.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/russian-prosecutors-seek-9-sentence-123841110.html?src=rss |
Over the weekend, former Buffalo Bills and Hall of Fame wide Andre Reed noted an interesting conversation he had.
Reed was evidently in Atlantic City. So was wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Whatever the occasion, a suggestion was made by Reed to OBJ: Sign with the Bills.
Beckham, 29, tore his ACL with the Los Angeles Rams during last year’s Super Bowl. Despite his injury, Beckham’s team took home the title over the Cincinnati Bengals.
During their postseason run, Beckham played a big role.
The wideout is still working his way back from the issue, but he remains a free agent–He’s one of the top still on the market.
Beckham heading to the Bills would be a huge addition by Buffalo. However, the team is strapped for cap space currently with only $5.5 millionso it might be tough.
Check out Reed’s post below:
The auto giant has delivered almost 31,000 EVs in 2022, up more than 90% from the same span of 2021.
After the Bills wrapped up their offseason program, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie said that he wanted to develop the same kind of chemistry with quarterback Josh Allen that former teammate Cole Beasley had in recent seasons. That effort appears to be going well. McKenzie’s work at training camp has earned good reviews for his work [more] | 2022-08-04T15:49:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Andre Reed was trying to recruit Odell Beckham Jr. to Bills | https://sports.yahoo.com/andre-reed-trying-recruit-odell-141419079.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/andre-reed-trying-recruit-odell-141419079.html?src=rss |
It’ll be time to put up or shut up for quite a few Carolina Panthers in 2022, including the head coach himself. But which individual is facing the most pressure out of them all this season?
Pro Football Focus reporter Doug Kyed brought this question around the league, asking various sources about who they believe has the most to prove. For the Panthers, they came up quarterback Baker Mayfield—who has been given new life after the Cleveland Browns unceremoniously moved on from the former No. 1 overall pick this spring.
“This must have been a humbling offseason for Mayfield, who was replaced as the Browns’ starting quarterback, had to take a pay cut and was dealt for a conditional future fifth-round pick,” Kyed writes. “A source close to the Panthers said they eventually made the trade because it was too good of a deal to pass up. Mayfield, who’s legitimately competing with Sam Darnold in training camp, must now show he’s still a starting-caliber quarterback.
That deal saw Carolina reel in Mayfield for just the conditional 2024 fifth-round pick—which will likely turn into a fourth based off his playing time—while eating only $4.8 million of what was once an $18.8 million salary. And although the fifth-year passer can earn back up to $3.5 million more in incentives, it’s still a heck of a bargain for a team so desperate under center.
As for Mayfield, this upcoming campaign will serve as a critical audition for his career. The 27-year-old, in what’ll be a prove-it campaign, still has the chance to show he’s an NFL-caliber starter—and a solid one at that.
Beavis Is a Member of BTS Army In Beavis and Butt-Head Revival: Watch
In a new episode of Paramount+'s revival, the two idiots watch the K-pop group's "Dynamite" music video. Beavis Is a Member of BTS Army In Beavis and Butt-Head Revival: Watch Abby Jones
Boater vanishes in North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound, prompting Coast Guard search | 2022-08-04T15:49:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Baker Mayfield named Panthers player with most to prove in 2022 | https://sports.yahoo.com/baker-mayfield-named-panthers-player-150538441.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/baker-mayfield-named-panthers-player-150538441.html?src=rss |
Every starting quarterback sits out team drills during training camp due to arm pain, right? That’s perfectly normal … right?
For Matthew Stafford, that’s the plan in place for the rest of camp. And if you ask Sean McVay, there’s no reason for concern.
On Wednesday, Stafford didn’t throw during any team drills as his workload continues to be limited due to the offseason injection in his elbow. Those reps were reserved for John Wolford, Bryce Perkins and Luis Perez. After practice, McVay told reporters that Stafford isn’t expected to throw in team settings for the rest of camp, though he will continue working in individual drills.
Stafford isn’t being completely shut down, which is good news. But it’s certainly disappointing that he won’t be participating in team drills when the level of competition and intensity is turned up a notch.
It’s also not great that he’s missing out on opportunities to develop chemistry and a rapport with teammates such as Allen Robinson and Tutu Atwell, who very well could be the No. 2 and 3 receivers come Week 1, given Van Jefferson’s knee injury.
McVay said Stafford “wants to be out there and do everything,” but the Rams are trying to be smart with him so he’s as healthy as possible for Week 1. And as of now, it’s not certain that Stafford will be pain-free for the season opener, and McVay acknowledged that “you could” have that concern about it.
“I think that’s one of those things that we talk about where, ‘Hey, all we can do is what we can control.’ We feel like this is kind of the best approach to be able to take. Is there a possibility that that conversation occurs? Sure,” McVay said. “But based on the medical experts and the plan in talking with Matthew, this is what we think is best. I am optimistic that it’ll give us the best chance for him to feel as good as possible. Would you say, ‘Hey, you’d love him to have no issues and be out here playing and getting all these reps?’ Of course. But this is the thing that we think is best. This is one of those deals where you kind of take your own advice where, ‘Hey, let’s just be right here in the moment, take it a day at a time,’ and I thought we got better as a team today and we’re getting some encouraging things. I think you want to be careful to say, ‘OK, well, it’s just been a couple days,’ but I think for us, being able to really give it a week, two weeks, is where you give it enough time to really see, ‘OK, is this new plan that we’ve implemented getting the results that we’re hunting up.’ I think everybody feels good about that and that’s the plan that we’re going to go with for the next couple weeks.”
In essence, the Rams are just being as careful as possible with their starting quarterback. It’s not a bad idea, and being a long season with Super Bowl aspirations, it’s best not to risk his health for a few training camp practices.
And McVay made a good point: Stafford has accumulated so much experience throughout his career that he doesn’t necessarily need a full workload in camp to be ready for the season.
“I don’t know that I would feel as comfortable taking that approach if it wasn’t for the experience that he’s accumulated and knowing how intentional he is about staying up to speed with his mental and his physical work that he can do in the absence of some of the stuff in the team settings,” he said.
What’s most worrisome about this entire development is the fact that Stafford went into camp with a full workload. He was throwing normally when the Rams arrived at UC Irvine. It wasn’t until recently that he began feeling pain in his elbow again, which resulted in him having his reps lessened the last two practice sessions.
McVay is telling us that this was the plan all along, but is that entirely true? Would the Rams really be holding Stafford out of team drills for two weeks if he wasn’t feeling pain in his arm? That’s hard to believe.
McVay said the Rams will reevaluate his status once they leave UC Irvine and begin prepping for their first preseason game next Saturday, so there will be further updates then. But in the meantime, don’t expect to see Stafford throwing much in camp.
“He’s always going to want to continue to be out here, be with his teammates,” McVay said. “But he is so intentional with his approach that you feel good about that. That’s kind of the situation that we’re in, so we’ll deal with it the best we can.” | 2022-08-04T15:50:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Dissecting Sean McVay’s latest update on Matthew Stafford’s arm: Cause for concern? | https://sports.yahoo.com/dissecting-sean-mcvay-latest-matthew-141728460.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/dissecting-sean-mcvay-latest-matthew-141728460.html?src=rss |
Even as the Eagles take steps to reduce soft tissue injuries, the day-to-day grind of training camp will also swallow up a casualty or two.
Philadelphia’s star second-year wide receiver DeVonta Smith has joined the walking wounded while dealing with a hamstring injury that’ll be monitored daily.
Smith is at practice and engaged, and the injury isn’t considered severe for an Eagles team that won’t play their first preseason game until next week against the Jets.
Doc Rivers discusses Sixers tampering allegations, James Harden and Joel Embiid's offseasons
Doc Rivers discussed the NBA's investigation into potential tampering by the Sixers on ESPN's The VC Show. | 2022-08-04T15:50:38Z | sports.yahoo.com | Eagles WR DeVonta Smith day-to-day with a groin injury | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-wr-devonta-smith-day-140610939.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-wr-devonta-smith-day-140610939.html?src=rss |
KHIMKI, Russia (Reuters) -A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia despite them being illegal. Griner earlier pleaded with a Russian judge not to "end her life" with a harsh prison sentence for bringing in vape cartridges containing hashish oil, before breaking down in tears in court. The Russian prosecutor called for Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, to be sentenced to 9-1/2 years prison if she was found guilty of bringing illegal drugs into the country. | 2022-08-04T15:51:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Wan’Dale Robinson excited over potential of Giants’ dynamic offense | https://sports.yahoo.com/wan-dale-robinson-excited-over-145532847.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/wan-dale-robinson-excited-over-145532847.html?src=rss |
American basketball player, shooting guard
Nigerian-American basketball player
It’s the Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians this Sunday, August 7 at 12:00 PM ET on Peacock. 18 MLB games will be featured on the streaming service this season. Live coverage begins at 11:30 a.m ET. See below for additional information on how to watch the game. RELATED: MLB schedule 2022: Every Sunday morning baseball | 2022-08-04T16:10:23Z | sports.yahoo.com | In halftime brawl, Vernon Maxwell recalls wanting to stab Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon | https://sports.yahoo.com/halftime-brawl-vernon-maxwell-recalls-151901549.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/halftime-brawl-vernon-maxwell-recalls-151901549.html?src=rss |
When Rollins' NBA future became clear to Warriors rookie originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
LAS VEGAS -- The Warriors have three future Hall of Famers on their hands in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Debate that on your own time.
Curry was a three-star recruit out of Charlotte Christian High School. His name wasn't seen on any top recruit lists. Thompson and Green both were four-star recruits in the class of 2008, with the Splash Brother out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School ranked as the No. 51 prospect in the country by Rivals, and the forward from Saginaw High School coming in at No. 122.
This year in the NBA draft, the Warriors' top pick, Patrick Baldwin Jr., once was seen as the top high school recruit in the country and finished No. 5 overall by ESPN in the class of 2021, one spot ahead of Jabari Smith, who was taken third overall by the Houston Rockets one month ago. But with their second selection, they went a different route.
Ryan Rollins, like Curry, was a three-star recruit. His name also wasn't on any top recruit lists. He then took a very similar college path out of Dakota High School in Macomb Township, Mich., as Curry.
“In high school, it was mainly mid-majors," Rollins said to NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest episode of Dubs Talk in an interview during the Las Vegas Summer League. "I had a lot of MAC schools. My final three were Kent State, Toledo and Ball State. I ended up picking Toledo.
"That was the best decision for me. It’s close to home, it was a nice roster, nice coaching staff. I just felt comfortable with the whole organization. I felt like it was the right fit for me, and it was.”
“It was a little bit draining, I'd say," Rollins says of being recruited. "We had open gyms in high school and they’d be coming back to back to all the open gyms in high school just recruiting me, talking to me. But I kind of got it off my shoulders.
"I committed early my junior summer before my senior year just to get that weight off my shoulder and just worry about basketball, not all the other stuff that comes with it."
And that's what opened his eyes to a future in the NBA.
"After my freshman year when I won Freshman of the Year, I knew it was a possibility for me in the future," Rollins said. "I didn’t think it was going to be this fast. But for sure for me to play basketball in the future professionally."
An eye-opening freshman season was only the start of something big. Rollins' NBA prospects took off as a sophomore. He led Toledo with 18.9 points and 1.7 steals, and was second in rebounds (6.0) and assists (3.7). The mid-range weapon dropped 35 on Coastal Carolina on his way to being named the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship MVP, and was a First-Team All-MAC honoree.
Those aren't exactly Curry-esque numbers, but Rollins certainly stood out amongst his college competition. Fellow stars that came from mid-majors like Curry and CJ McCollum inspire Rollins to be next in line with the Warriors.
There's one player who'll always inspire him the most, however. The long and lanky guard comes from the Church of Kobe Bryant.
"I just liked the way that he played, his mentality," Rollins said. "I love everything about Kobe and what he brought to the game. That was for sure my guy growing up."
They're true fans of the former three-star recruit, and believe he could be their latest savvy draft steal.
State’s attorney general ran as a MAGA diehard while promising to "blowtorch" Biden's "socialist agenda”
Jamel Johnson got the party started for Texas in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The Arlington (Texas) Seguin defensive back became the lone member of the Longhorns’ class back in November, choosing the home-state programs over a handful of other offers from around the nation. At one point, Johnson was interested in taking visits, seeing different programs, and enjoying the recruiting process while remaining a Texas pledge.
Commonwealth Games struggles to attract biggest names | 2022-08-04T16:10:29Z | sports.yahoo.com | When Ryan Rollins' NBA future became clear to Warriors draft pick | https://sports.yahoo.com/ryan-rollins-nba-future-became-142055683.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ryan-rollins-nba-future-became-142055683.html?src=rss |
The Kansas City Chiefs held their last training camp practice of the week on Thursday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. They’ll pick things up again on Saturday as they begin game-prep for Week 1 of the preseason against the Chicago Bears.
This practice was one of Andy Reid’s traditional 10-10-10 practices, which are typically shorter, quicker and lighter work. The team rotated through sets of 11-on-11 team drills, with 10 plays on offense, 10 plays on defense, and 10 plays on special teams. Overall, it seemed to be a good end to the practice week with some explosive plays and good competition on both sides of the ball.
Here are a few of the things we learned during the course of the team’s eighth practice:
Cornell Powell enters the show
Chiefs second-year WR Cornell Powell had a quiet training camp before Thursday’s practice session. With Daurice Fountain sidelined with a groin injury, Powell snuck into the starting rotation with the first-team offense. This was the first time during training camp that Powell had been spotted working with the first team.
These were important repetitions for Powell to have an opportunity to showcase what he has learned after spending the season on the practice squad in 2021. Powell even caught a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes against the second-team defense per KFEQ radio’s Tommy Rezac. The competition is fierce in the receiver room in Kansas City, and this serves as a reminder that even a minor injury could take a player out of the equation and thrust another into the spotlight.
Skyy Moore is the next Deebo Samuel
JuJu Smith-Schuster has put ideas into Andy Reid’s head.
Early on in training camp, Smith-Schuster said he could see rookie WR Skyy Moore playing some running back. He felt that Moore had the ability to be that type of versatile offensive weapon. Well, apparently Reid feels the same way. Over the past two days of practice, they’ve been practicing giving Moore some snaps in the backfield.
On Wednesday, they practiced him taking some carries in individual work (see the featured image above). On Thursday, he got to execute a play out of the backfield in practice.
A little Deebo Samuel-like action for Moore, who seemed to run right by the secondary for what would have been a long gain. It’s worth noting that effort isn’t always the highest between offense and defense in 10-10-10 practices. That said, with Moore getting opportunities to return kicks and punts, plus work in various roles on offense, it’s safe to expect a lot of snaps for the rookie in 2022.
Jaylen Watson continues reps with first-team defense
For the third time this week, Jaylen Watson took a lot of snaps with the first-team defense in place of Joshua Williams. Williams had got the early nod as one of the starters at outside cornerback, but it has been Watson taking the majority of the reps in each of the last three sessions.
“I thought he’s had two really good practices,” Spagnuolo said of Watson. “The first couple of snaps (yesterday), I thought he did a really nice job in coverage. He has come along. He was kind of a slow-mover early. I think he’s kind of figuring out that doesn’t really work at this level. You’ve got to practice everything fast.”
Outside of L’Jarius Sneed, it has been Trent McDuffie, Williams and Watson getting all the snaps at cornerback with the first-team defense. While Spagnuolo stressed that nothing is set in stone right now, it seems that Kansas City is going to rely heavily on their rookies at the cornerback position one way or another.
Isiah Pacheco showing shades of Kareem Hunt
The hype for seventh-round rookie RB Isiah Pacheco doesn’t look like it’s going to die down anytime soon. On Thursday, Pacheco continued to get the first look as the team’s starting kick returner. He also worked in with both the first- and second-team offense.
Pacheco had one play that elicited some comparisons to former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt. On a halfback seam route, isolated against a linebacker, he caught an over-the-shoulder grab in tight coverage.
This was a route that was highly successful with players like Hunt and even Damien Williams, but they weren’t really able to get it going with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams the past two years. If Pacheco is someone who can execute this route out of the backfield and variations of this play at a high level, he’ll be seeing the field often in 2022. | 2022-08-04T17:20:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | 4 takeaways from Day 8 of Chiefs training camp | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-takeaways-day-8-chiefs-164706335.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/4-takeaways-day-8-chiefs-164706335.html?src=rss |
Both Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur see running back A.J. Dillon as an ascending player who has improved greatly in the passing game since the Green Bay Packers took him in the second round of the 2020 draft.
Expect to see Dillon catch a lot of passes from Rodgers in 2022.
“When he came in here, he was a big back who you’d expect to be able to run power really well. I feel like, of all the people we’ve had the last three years, he’s gotta be on a very short list of guys who have improved so drastically,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “His pass-catching ability is really, really solid. He’s made difficult catches look easy over the last couple of years and this training camp. I couldn’t be more proud of 28 and his approach.”
Dillon caught only 21 passes over three seasons at Boston College and just two passes as a rookie in 2020. As a second-year player, Dillon made huge strides, catching 34 of 37 targets for 313 yards and two scores in the passing game in 2021.
A highlight reel of difficult catches made by Dillon can be viewed here.
Now, Dillon is entering a third season in which he could be a featured player on offense, especially in the passing game. During a practice this week, Dillon made a terrific leaping catch of a pass from Rodgers for a big play.
LaFleur and the Packers were confident Dillon had pass-catching potential coming out of Boston College, but the 247-pound back has gone above and beyond expectations so far.
“We knew he had pretty decent hands coming out, although they didn’t throw him the ball a whole bunch, but as a receiver out of the backfield, he’s exceeded all of our expectations,” LaFleur said Thursday. “It’s a great luxury to have a guy – because rarely do you see a back of his stature that has the body control he has, and the hand-eye (coordination) that he has. He’s done some damage in the passing game, whether it’s catching a flat route and turning up the sideline…he just has really good body control. We’re lucky to have him as a running back for us, and he’s done a great job in pass protection as well.”
Dillon said his goal entering the 2022 season is to be an “all-purpose back.”
“Coming in, I was always the big back, and still am to a lot of people, the big back, only good for third-and-short,” Dillon said earlier this year. “I really want to be — and I see myself as — an ‘APB’, all-purpose back, no matter what the situation. Last year was a good start…I’m happy with the improvement, but obviously still working on it.”
LaFleur said Dillon “goes about his business the right way” and has done “a hell of a job” since arriving in Green Bay.
Rodgers called him a terrific teammate who has become a beloved character in the Green Bay area.
Catching a few touchdown passes from Rodgers will only endear him to more fans and teammates in 2022.
“You see it on the field each and every day,” LaFleur said. “He’s extremely intelligent, he’s a great teammate. But you have seen him mature as a man over these last couple of years.”
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The Aug. 5 Brewers game vs. the Reds at American Family Field is streaming exclusively for free on Apple TV+. Here's how you can watch. | 2022-08-04T17:20:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Aaron Rodgers, Matt LaFleur thrilled with A.J. Dillon’s development in passing game | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-matt-lafleur-thrilled-155622391.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-matt-lafleur-thrilled-155622391.html?src=rss |
The Arizona Cardinals got back a key offensive player on Thursday. The team announced that tight end Maxx Williams was activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list Thursday, allowing him to practice for the first time in training camp.
Williams was recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 5 of last season.
Williams’ return comes a week before the team’s first preseason game. He likely will not play much in the preseason, but his return to practice makes it likely he will be healthy enough to play in the season opener.
Williams was having the start to what appeared to be a career season last year. He had 16 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown in the first five games of the season before he injured his knee.
Williams is a very good blocking tight end and the offense was at its best when he was part of it.
His return makes the tight end room very deep, as the Cardinals also have Zach Ertz and Trey McBride, a highly touted tight end they drafted in the second round this year.
Williams was suited up and in pads for Thursday’s practice.
Even his struggles last season were close, contested plays. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Wilson played very well as a rookie.
Taking your driving test is a rite of passage, but it’s not without its stresses. These 10 tips could make the difference between a pass or a fail. | 2022-08-04T17:20:59Z | sports.yahoo.com | Cardinals TE Maxx Williams activated from PUP | https://sports.yahoo.com/cardinals-te-maxx-williams-activated-163335327.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/cardinals-te-maxx-williams-activated-163335327.html?src=rss |
Wednesday was a big day for two former first-round picks of the New York Giants as quarterback Daniel Jones and left tackle Andrew Thomas both had substantial roster bonuses kick in.
Jones, the sixth overall pick in 2019, is in the fourth and final year of a fully-guaranteed $25,664,056 contract, which included a $16,684,768 signing bonus. This year, Jones will earn a base salary of $965,000 and now will enjoy a roster bonus of $3,229,644, while carrying a cap hit of $8,365,836.
Thomas, the fourth overall pick in 2020, is entering the third year of a fully-guaranteed $32,345,588 contract, which included a $21,084,064 signing bonus. In 2022, Thomas’ base salary is $3,550,508 and carries a cap hit of $8,821,524.
Both Jones and Thomas will be major pieces of the Giants’ offense in 2022. | 2022-08-04T17:21:33Z | sports.yahoo.com | Giants’ Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas cash in on roster bonuses | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-daniel-jones-andrew-thomas-155523799.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-daniel-jones-andrew-thomas-155523799.html?src=rss |
In addition to these preseason rankings, my 100 Facts heading into the season is already out. Plus, I will be making by debut on tonight's Football Night in America special at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, leading into the 2022 Hall of Fame Game to kick off the NFL season. | 2022-08-04T17:21:47Z | sports.yahoo.com | Matthew Berry's Preseason Positional Rankings | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-berrys-preseason-positional-rankings-170000066.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-berrys-preseason-positional-rankings-170000066.html?src=rss |
This week, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams voiced his displeasure with the lack of opportunities he’s received during the first few training camp sessions.
First, he took to Twitter, and then he doubled down in his media availability, but he said he hadn’t asked for a trade despite the situation.
If Williams is disgruntled, and it’s clear that he’s being beaten out for the fourth wide receiver role behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson Jr., it would be in Miami’s best interest to call other teams to try and get something in return for the former undrafted wideout.
One team that the Dolphins might want to check in with is the Chicago Bears. Chicago has looked to find talent to surround second-year quarterback Justin Fields with, even trading for former New England Patriots first-round pick N’Keal Harry.
Williams has better career numbers than Harry despite going undrafted in the same draft that Harry was taken 32nd overall. Talent has never been Williams’ problem. Injuries have limited him to just eight games in each of his first three seasons. To this point, he’s recorded 111 receptions for 787 yards and seven touchdowns.
Miami could take Williams and a mid-to-late-round draft pick and send them to Chicago in exchange for offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who appears to be on the outs with his team after a complete regime change and a mix of Riley Reiff, Braxton Jones and Larry Borom getting the starting reps.
Jenkins was drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft and played in six games last season, starting two.
According to ESPN, the Bears have been receiving calls on the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, and while the Dolphins seem set on having Austin Jackson start at right tackle this season, it can’t hurt to have that depth and competition.
At worst, Jenkins wouldn’t see the field for Miami in 2021, and they have a developmental tackle to work with and grow.
That’s a deal that could work for both sides. | 2022-08-04T17:21:53Z | sports.yahoo.com | Here’s a potential trade partner that could make sense for Dolphins WR Preston Williams | https://sports.yahoo.com/potential-trade-partner-could-sense-162122689.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/potential-trade-partner-could-sense-162122689.html?src=rss |
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Diontae Johnson have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension worth $36.71 million.
Reports are the total value of the contract is as high as $39.5 million and includes $27 million in guaranteed money. The team had already signed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and kicker Chris Boswell to lucrative new contracts this offseason.
This contract is the perfect example of paying for potential over production. Johnson is coming off his best NFL season and with a contract extension this short, he is hoping to continue improving and cash in big when he hits free agency in 2025. | 2022-08-04T17:22:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | Steelers signing WR Diontae Johnson to 2-year, $36.71 million extension | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-sign-wr-diontae-johnson-163546439.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-sign-wr-diontae-johnson-163546439.html?src=rss |
The Big 12 title is seemingly up for grabs this season.
With so many moving parts around the conference, it’s tougher than usual to determine which teams will rise to the top. It’s a solid bet that Oklahoma State and Baylor will remain near the top of the rankings, while Texas and Oklahoma have several new faces and question marks. Regardless, these four teams are the most talented on paper.
Kansas State is widely considered the dark horse of the Big 12 this year, as running back Deuce Vaughn is one of the best in the country and the Wildcats also brought in experienced quarterback Adrian Martinez via the transfer portal this offseason.
Sporting News recently predicted the order of finish for the Big 12 following the 2022 college football season, and Texas fans wouldn’t be too happy if the Longhorns indeed finished No. 4 in the conference for Steve Sarkisian’s second year with the program.
Here’s a look at how Sporting News believes the Big 12 rankings will look in December.
Auburn has a great shot to land three-star cornerback JC Hart.
Maliki Crawford became one of the most coveted West Coast defensive backs for a handful of Pac-12 programs this recruiting cycle, but he won't be going far from home after announcing his commitment to USC on Tuesday. Crawford chose the Trojans over fellow finalists Cal and UCLA, after previously cutting Oregon and Washington from his earlier top 5 list. The 6-foot-3, 171-pound Crawford was recruited as a cornerback, but he has the versatility to play safety down the road as well. | 2022-08-04T17:46:46Z | sports.yahoo.com | Big 12 Football: Sporting News’ predicted order of finish for 2022 | https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-football-sporting-news-154258246.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-football-sporting-news-154258246.html?src=rss |
One of the student-athletes currently pursued by the Gators is four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald from across the border at Suwanee (Georgia) North Gwinnett, who stopped in for the recruiting cookout last Saturday for his third visit to the Swamp this summer.
“I was only in Gainesville for a few hours but I had fun,” he told Swamp247. “I had practice Friday evening and had to be back home like before 7 a.m. Sunday. The coaches say I’m a priority for Florida.
“The whole staff makes me feel like I’m family. That’s important to me. Florida is still on top for sure.”
However, the 6-foot-3-inch, 310-pound lineman has a tough decision ahead of him. Florida is not the only school in pursuit of his talents, with the Clemson Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Georgia Bulldogs and Michigan State Spartans also heavily in the mix. Predictably, he plans on taking his time before announcing his choice.
“I’ll make a decision in October. I’m waiting until October because when I find a home my recruitment will be 100% locked down with no visiting other schools. My mom is coordinating with my big brother’s game schedule.”
McDonald is ranked No. 290 overall and No. 42 at his position in his class nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 329 and 43, respectively.
He currently holds a crystal ball prediction with 247Sports for Clemson and On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine also sees a Death Valley destination, giving the Tigers a 62.5% chance of signing him. The Gators are third at 2% after the Wolverines, who are in second place with a 29.4% chance of landing him.
listicle id=88668] | 2022-08-04T17:46:52Z | sports.yahoo.com | Blue-chip DL ponders decision timeline after recent Florida visit | https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-chip-dl-ponders-decision-173454431.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-chip-dl-ponders-decision-173454431.html?src=rss |
Rutgers football continues to wait on the case of Drew Singleton and the linebacker’s potential eligibility for the upcoming season.
A transfer from Michigan, Singleton has played the last three years for Rutgers. A former four-star commit, Singleton joined Michigan in 2017 where he spent a redshirt season and then contributed as a reserve player and on special teams the next season before transferring to Rutgers.
Singleton had declared for the NFL draft following the conclusion of the 2021 season. But when Rutgers (through unusual circumstances) got an invite to the Gator Bowl, Singleton decided to return and play in the game.
And, he got injured in the bowl game, complicating issues because he accepted money from an agent for training. His decision to do so means that he loses eligibility for his final season of college football.
However, due to the circumstances surrounding Rutgers’ participation in the Gator Bowl on short notice, there is hope that the NCAA will see that there was no intended impropriety on behalf of the player. Singleton is in the unique situation of having played in a bowl game but, due to injury, was unable to prepare for the NFL combine of his pro day.
On Wednesday, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano said there is no update on the Singleton case, even as he hopes that the NCAA will see clarity in the situation and that there was no intended impropriety on behalf of his player.
“I wish I did, we’re waiting to hear. I just – I don’t want to sound like I’m the know it all or anything; I just hope that they do the common sense thing,” Schiano told reporters on Wednesday when asked for an update on Singleton.
“I get the rules; t this kid…everybody wants people to play in the bowl games. We get urged as head coaches and want our players to play in the bowl game. We’re gonna do everything we can but you know, there’s this thing called the NFL and these guys want to be able to be ready for it.
“And I was so impressed that Drew came back and played in that game even though he had decided to go pro and then he gets hurt playing for Rutgers. And so his training got off track and he’s in a boot we get home on January 2 and he’s in a boot. So I don’t know; we’re just waiting to see the timeline.”
Singleton is currently with Rutgers, working as a volunteer assistant coach.
Last season, Singleton had 55 tackles and a fumble recovery as well as a half-sack.
C.C. “Doc” Dockery helped transform state politics in the 1980s and ’90s, and the company he built, Summit Consulting, transformed Lakeland’s skyline. | 2022-08-04T17:47:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Greg Schiano has no update on Drew Singleton’s NCAA appeal: ‘I hope they do the right thing’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/greg-schiano-no-drew-singleton-141026965.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/greg-schiano-no-drew-singleton-141026965.html?src=rss |
LSU could be about to land its quarterback commit in the 2023 cycle, as four-star quarterback Ricky Collins — a Baton Rouge native — recently decommitted from Purdue.
However, the Tigers are already making some moves with an elite signal-caller for the following cycle. Five-star Willis, Texas quarterback DJ Lagway is ranked as the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback in 2024 on the 247Sports Composite, and he told On3 that LSU is one of four schools standing out for him so far.
The Tigers join Florida, Texas A&M and USC on that list.
“I like how they do recruiting,” Lagway said of the Tigers, per On3’s Chad Simmons. “They have really good recruiters, who show a lot of genuine love. I feel like (quarterbacks) Coach (Joe) Sloan is heading in the right direction with the offense. I’m just excited to see what they do this year; it’s going to be fun to watch them, too.”
Lagway isn’t close to making a decision. Coaches aren’t even allowed to directly contact 2024 prospects until Sept. 1, and he said that he intends to make game-day trips to a number of schools during the 2022 season. He said he hopes to cut his list down by mid-season and plans on making a decision during the spring of 2023.
The Aggies are the early favorite, holding a 72.1% chance of landing him according to the On3 RPM. But LSU will hope to change things by getting Lagway on campus this fall. | 2022-08-04T17:47:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Tigers making an early impression on 5-star 2024 quarterback | https://sports.yahoo.com/tigers-making-early-impression-5-150028511.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/tigers-making-early-impression-5-150028511.html?src=rss |
As detailed in The Hollywood Reporter, The 31-year-old Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and a eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury listened with a blank expression as an interpreter translated the verdict by Judge Anna Sotnikova. The judge also fined her 1 million rubles (about $16,700).
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The disclosure in July that the U.S. government was seeking a prisoner swap involving Griner reflected the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring her home. The U.S. State Department had earlier declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained”—a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
The basketball star’s arrest and conviction on drug-smuggling charges have highlighted deep strains in U.S.-Russia diplomatic relations. | 2022-08-04T18:35:01Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner Convicted of Drug Possession, Smuggling in Russia Case | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-convicted-drug-possession-173310503.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-convicted-drug-possession-173310503.html?src=rss |
The U.S. will declare a public health emergency to bolster the federal response to the monkeypoxoutbreak that has infected more than 6,600 Americans, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The announcement will free up federal money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement. | 2022-08-04T18:35:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner found guilty in Russian court, sentenced to nine years in prison | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-found-guilty-in-russian-court-sentenced-to-nine-years-in-prison-152534083.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-found-guilty-in-russian-court-sentenced-to-nine-years-in-prison-152534083.html?src=rss |
Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA
Related: Russian court jails US basketball player Brittney Griner for nine years on drug charges
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison following a politically charged trial that came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine and could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the two world powers. As detailed in The Hollywood Reporter, […]
Get ready to crank up that polka music. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” the upcoming Roku original film starring Daniel Radcliffe as the beloved parody musician, will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film will screen Sept. 8, TIFF’s opening night, as the first film in the festival’s annual Midnight […]
It’s a rare thing these days for a studio comedy to get a theatrical release without a blockbuster intellectual property to back them up. That makes Easter Sunday feel like an event in some respects—certainly as a landmark of Filipino representation in mainstream American culture, but especially right now as a title that Universal Pictures thought was better suited for the communal theatrical experience than the couch-bound comfort of a streaming service. All that’s needed to make the experience | 2022-08-04T18:35:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Joe Biden condemns Griner sentence and calls for ‘immediate release’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/joe-biden-condemns-griner-sentence-165940721.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/joe-biden-condemns-griner-sentence-165940721.html?src=rss |
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has once again addressed the offseason trade that ended his tenure with the Tennessee Titans.
With NFL Network in town for Eagles training camp, Brown was asked about the deal, which saw the Titans send him to Philly for a pair of draft picks, including the No. 18 overall selection in the 2022 NFL draft.
Brown says he isn’t happy about how things went down, and in particular with how he has been blamed for the parting of ways.
“You know, it’s a business, and I’m not upset about the trade or anything because it is a business or whatever,” Brown told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “But to be honest, I just didn’t appreciate how it all went down, and they just kind of blamed me for it. I’m man enough to say that, however people may take it.”
Brown’s comments come on the heels of the young wideout reiterating that his trade from Nashville was not his fault in the wake of Deebo Samuel inking an extension with the San Francisco 49ers.
Back in April, the 25-year-old said the Titans’ offer to him was too low and claimed it “wasn’t even $20 million a year,” which helped lead to the divorce.
However, multiple reports have told a different side of the story, including Brown’s desire to be traded before he demanded more than the $25 million per year and $80 million guaranteed he got from the Eagles.
Adding to all that, Brown had stopped communicating with the team weeks before the trade went down and “wanted out.”
Despite the messy ending to his Titans career, Brown says he has no bad blood towards his old team, who he will face in Week 13 of the 2022 campaign.
“But I have no bad blood with Tennessee. I’m moving forward. I’m happy to be [in Philadelphia]. But [there are] a lot of things people don’t know about, and they’re just pointing fingers at me. But that’s OK.” | 2022-08-04T18:52:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | A.J. Brown ‘didn’t appreciate’ how Titans trade went down | https://sports.yahoo.com/j-brown-didn-t-appreciate-182337245.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/j-brown-didn-t-appreciate-182337245.html?src=rss |
In addition to these preseason rankings, my 100 Facts You Need to Know Before You Draft is already out. Plus, I will be making by debut on tonight's Football Night in America special at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, leading into the 2022 Hall of Fame Game to kick off the NFL season.
The Sharks took care of one of their biggest offseason priorities by signing Mario Ferraro to a long-term contract. | 2022-08-04T18:52:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | Matthew Berry's Preseason Positional Rankings | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-berrys-preseason-positional-rankings-170000193.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/matthew-berrys-preseason-positional-rankings-170000193.html?src=rss |
Matthew Stafford played through some pain in his throwing arm last season so in the offseason, he had an anti-inflammatory injection in his right elbow. The team didn’t allow him to throw during OTAs and minicamp, saving him for training camp.
And after starting training camp as he normally would, Stafford’s workload has since been limited after he felt some pain in his right elbow this week. He’s not expected to throw in team drills the rest of camp, as the team keeps the long-term goal in sight – and that’s having him healthy for the entire season.
Ian Rapoport shared an update on NFL Network Thursday and said Stafford’s injury is considered “bad tendonitis.”
“My understanding, this elbow issue – which actually cropped up in the spring – is described to me as bad tendonitis,” he said. “It is a tendon issue in his throwing elbow and a little bit of a procedure, not a surgery, but a procedure – more of a PRP-type deal – in the offseason to try to manage it. Did not get to a place where he really needs it to be. I think long-term, everyone in LA thinks this is going to be fine. I don’t sense any stress about it.”
Tendonitis can be painful, and one of the best ways to help alleviate the pain is by resting and icing the tendon. That explains why the Rams are limiting his throwing workload in camp, hoping the pain subsides and he can be a full-go as normal when the season begins.
Sean McVay hasn’t expressed much concern at all over the issue, but it will be monitored closely by everyone until Week 1.
Sony’s comic book tentpole “Morbius” is one of the biggest flops of 2022. The film, starring Jared Leto in the title role, hoped to pull in audiences on the back of record-breaker “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” as it’s set in the same extended superhero universe. And yet, critics and audiences mostly ignored “Morbius” when it […] | 2022-08-04T18:53:09Z | sports.yahoo.com | Report: Matthew Stafford’s elbow injury is considered ‘bad tendonitis’ | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-matthew-stafford-elbow-injury-180917041.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-matthew-stafford-elbow-injury-180917041.html?src=rss |
As the Cleveland Browns take Thursday off from training camp, the next step in QB Deshaun Watson’s process also waits another day as well. The NFLPA has until Friday to respond to the NFL’s appeal of Judge Sue Robinson’s decision. The NFL is looking for a stronger punishment for the quarterback.
Multiple reports say that the NFL wants at least a 12-game suspension to keep Watson from playing in Houston this year.
The response from the NFLPA is unlikely to add any new information to the process nor is an additional hearing likely for the appeal.
Instead, Judge Robinson’s report will be reviewed along with the NFL’s appeal and the NFLPA’s response to that appeal.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell holds the right to hear the appeal or to appoint someone to do so. According to multiple reports, Goodell is planning to appoint someone in his place to hear the appeal:
It is likely that someone inside of the league’s office would be appointed. Troy Vincent, a former player and now VP of Football Operations for the NFL, could fit the role.
It is possible that Goodell could appoint someone from outside the league office, as Breer’s tweet notes, but seems less likely given that Judge Robinson was an outside arbiter and they are appealing her decision.
There is hope that the appeal process will move along quickly following the NFLPA’s response but there is no time requirement laid out in the collective bargaining agreement. Following the appeal ruling, Watson could decide to file a lawsuit against the league. | 2022-08-04T18:53:15Z | sports.yahoo.com | Reports: Roger Goodell to appoint someone else to hear Watson appeal | https://sports.yahoo.com/reports-roger-goodell-appoint-someone-173548557.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/reports-roger-goodell-appoint-someone-173548557.html?src=rss |
Tennessee Titans 2022 third-round pick quarterback Malik Willis has had an up-and-down training camp thus far, but he might have had his best day on Thursday during the team’s latest practice.
Willis was able to get some No. 2 reps with Logan Woodside working on the side, and he was able to make the most of his opportunity with a strong showing during the seven-on-seven red-zone period.
“Very good [seven-on-seven] stretch for Malik Willis just now,” ESPN’s Turron Davenport wrote. “Showed arm strength driving ball from opposite hash to Terry Godwin by the pylon for a TD. Went [through] progressions, rolled left and found Josh Malone for a [completion] then showed anticipation/touch to Briley Moore on seam for TD.”
Before practice, quarterbacks coach Pat O’Hara went into detail about what Willis is doing well, and what he needs to improve upon.
“He’s able to retain information really well, and so his decision-making, which we monitor, has been very good for a rookie,” O’Hara said, according to Paul Kuharsky. “And things that he hasn’t had to do before, relative to working from the pocket, his feet need to catch up with his mind.
“It’s getting better; it takes time,” O’Hara continued. “Malik has a very strong arm and a really cool skill set, but you can’t always rely on that all the time. These windows are tight; the geography is different with the hash marks in the pro game, which makes a big difference, in my opinion.”
The point about Willis’ footwork catching up to his mental processing is nothing new, as the rookie himself admitted that was something he needs to work on moving forward.
“I’m processing faster than what I’m used to going within my footwork processing. I’m processing the information and knowing what I need to do, but in order to be on time and be able to throw with anticipation I need to help my feet get up with my processing abilities,” Willis explained, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “Knowing what to do but just getting the reps where you’re able to do it without thinking.”
Another positive O’Hara sees with Willis is his ability to operate outside of the pocket, which comes as no surprise after the dynamic plays he made during his days at Liberty.
“When you’re playing quarterback, the NFL provides protection for quarterbacks,” O’Hara said. “When you’re inside the pocket, which is the tackle box, you’re protected in the head/neck area, and you’re protected from being hit low. You’re also protected from body weight landing on top of you. That’s three different protections for a quarterback. Once you leave that tackle box, you’re only protected in the head and neck area. You need to operate outside the pocket, but you need to operate from inside the pocket as well. Operating outside the pocket isn’t a problem for Malik.”
Whether or not Willis can do enough to win the backup job over Woodside remains to be seen, but it appears the rookie is trending in the right direction in his development, which is paramount at this early stage of his career. | 2022-08-04T18:53:28Z | sports.yahoo.com | Titans QBs coach gives detailed assessment of Malik Willis | https://sports.yahoo.com/titans-qbs-coach-gives-detailed-171755856.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/titans-qbs-coach-gives-detailed-171755856.html?src=rss |
Along the road to return to Arlington for the Big 12 championship game, the Sooners will have to contend with some talented individuals in the conference. Most teams won’t have the depth of talent that the Sooners have, but they have talented individuals that can make life difficult Oklahoma each week.
With the season opener against the UTEP Miners 30 days away, let’s take a look at the best player the Sooners will face each week during the 2022 college football season.
Week 1: Praise Amaewhule, EDGE , UTEP Miners
UTEP’s Praise Amaewhule celebrates at a college football game against LA Tech at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. GABY VELASQUEZ/ EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK
Each season Praise Amaewhule has had better and better production for the UTEP Miners. He’s got back-to-back seasons of 5.5 sacks and in 2021 had 12 tackles for loss, earning first team All-Conference USA honors. According to Pro Football Focus, he was sixth in the conference in pressures.
Week 2: Dante Cepha, WR, Kent State Golden Flashes
Sep 4, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes wide receiver Dante Cephas (14) receives the pass from Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Dustin Crum (not shown) during the second quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
The MAC has no shortage of offensive talents, but one of their best was wide receiver Dante Cephas who recorded 82 catches for 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021, earning All-Conference first team honors. He recorded seven 100-yard receiving days, including an explosive performance against Buffalo, where he had 13 receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
Though Kent State will be outmatched against the Sooners in week two, Cephas has the talent to make some plays on the Oklahoma defense.
Week 3: Ochaun Mathis, EDGE, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Luke Reimer (28) celebrates after causing Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Jeremy Ruckert (88) to fumble during Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., on November 6, 2021. Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Leading a Nebraska Cornhuskers unit that was a big reason the team was in so many games despite their 3-8 record in 2021 was linebacker Luke Reimer. After starting his career as a walk-on, Reimer led the Cornhuskers in tackles, had an interception, and had six passes defended. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished 2021 with 42 stops on the season, good for eighth in the Big Ten among linebackers.
Week 4: Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State Wildcats
After just two seasons at Kansas State, it’s safe to say, we’re all familiar with Deuce Vaughn at this point. After totaling 1,000 total yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman, Vaughn took it to another level in 2021, rushing for 1,404 yards and 18 touchdowns. He added 49 receptions for 468 yards and four touchdowns in an electric sophomore season.
He’s a threat to score every time he touches the football and his ability to be a weapon in both the run and pass game makes him incredibly difficult to slow down.
The Sooners did a nice job against him in the running game in 2021, limiting Vaughn to 51 yards on 15 carries, but the Wildcats’ running back hurt the Sooners through the air with 10 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Week 5: Quentin Johnston, WR , TCU Horned Frogs
The Oklahoma Sooners got a taste of what TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston was fully capable of. He had seven receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the Sooners’ 52-31 win over the Horned Frogs to put himself on the map. A few weeks later, he followed that up with five catches for 142 yards and a touchdown in TCU’s upset win over Baylor.
He’s one of the best players in the conference, let alone at the wide receiver position and if the Horned Frogs can find some consistency at quarterback, Johnston could be considered one of the best wide receivers in the country by the end of the year.
Week 6: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas Longhorns
A strong case could be made for wide receiver Xavier Worthy who lit up the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown last year, but Bijan Robinson has been one of the best running backs in the country for the last couple of seasons. While Worthy is a fantastic player, every team that faces the Longhorns will be looking to take away Robinson and the running game.
Against the Sooners in 2021, Robinson ran for 137 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Coming off of a 1,100-yard season, the expectations remain high for Robinson.
Week 7: Kenny Logan, S, Kansas Jayhawks
Jalil Farooq #14 of the Oklahoma Sooners is tackled by Kenny Logan Jr. #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the third quarter at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 23, 2021 in Lawrence, Kansas. Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
The Kansas Jayhawks were one of the surprises of 2021 in Lance Leipold’s first season as head coach. One of the standouts for the Jayhawks last season was safety Kenny Logan.
Logan led all Big 12 defensive backs with 89 tackles. His ability to clean up the back end was huge for preventing big plays against the Jayhawks’ defense.
Against the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns, Logan allowed two combined receptions for seven yards on three targets. In four games against Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, and West Virginia, he recorded 54 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Week 9: Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State was supposed to contend for the Big 12 title in 2021, but fell short of expectations. The Cyclones lost a lot of talent from that team including Brock Purdy, Charlie Kolar, Mike Rose, and Breece Hall. One of the most important returning starters heading into 2022 is Will McDonald.
While a case can be made for Xavier Hutchinson, it’s hard to argue against McDonald, who’s had back-to-back double-digit sack seasons the last two years.
Over the last three seasons, he’s recorded 32 tackles for loss and 28 sacks for the Cyclones. According to Pro Football Focus, McDonald was third in the Big 12 in total pressures in 2021. Expect another strong seasons for the Cyclones’ edge rusher.
Week 10: Siaki Ika, DT , Baylor Bears
Nov 27, 2021; Waco, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders offensive lineman Weston Wright (70) attempts to block Baylor Bears defensive tackle Siaki Ika (62) during the second half at McLane Stadium. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nose tackles don’t often get a lot of pub, generally because of their position. Their impact on a football game isn’t always reflected on the stat sheet. And that could be said for Siaki Ika, the Baylor Bears nose tackle.
The Baylor Bears had one of the best defenses in college football in 2021 and Ika was a big reason for that. His presence on the interior made it incredibly difficult for teams to run against. And even if he only had 3.5 sacks on the season, that doesn’t fully reflect his ability to collapse a pocket for those around him.
In the Big 12 championship game, Ika recorded four total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks to help the Bears limit Oklahoma State’s offense to just 16 points. Ika tied with Akheem Mesidor (now at Miami) for 12th in the Big 12 in total pressures.
Week 11: Dante Stills, DT, West Virginia Mountaineers
Keeping with the defensive tackle trend, the West Virginia Mountaineers have one of the best interior defensive linemen in the country in Dante Stills. In 2021, Stills recorded 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks for a Mountaineers defense that was pretty good.
They held the Sooners to 16 points in Norman and got to Spencer Rattler for a sack. He and the Mountaineers held the Sooners to just 57 yards rushing on 28 attempts.
Week 12: Spencer Sanders, QB, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Nov 27, 2021; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners linebacker DaShaun White (23) tackles Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) as Oklahoma safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (32) closes in during the second quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Spencer Sanders might not be the best quarterback in the Big 12, but he’s done some good things in his time in Stillwater. Against the Sooners in Bedlam last season, Sanders was a big reason Oklahoma State could pull off the upset win.
He’s a roller coaster ride but provides some great moments. His interceptions against Baylor put the Cowboys in a hole in the Big 12 championship game, but his experience and poise helped Oklahoma State claw back into the game, and they came within inches of pulling off the comeback win.
If he can consistently put together performances as he had against Oklahoma and Notre Dame, then he’ll keep Oklahoma State in contention. If he’s unable to take care of the football, then it will be another roller coaster ride of a season reliant upon the Cowboys’ defense to keep them in Big 12 contention.
Week 13: Tyree Wilson, DL, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive lineman Tyree Wilson falls forward, grasping the ankles of Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Continuing with the theme of defensive linemen, we come to Tyree Wilson. Wilson recorded seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss off the edge for the Red Raiders in 2021. He had a sack against the Sooners. Wilson closed out the season strong against Mississippi State with four tackles and two sacks in the Red Raiders win. Wilson was tied for eighth in total pressure according to Pro Football Focus. | 2022-08-04T20:23:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | Best player the Oklahoma Sooners will face each week during the 2022 season | https://sports.yahoo.com/best-player-oklahoma-sooners-face-194912874.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/best-player-oklahoma-sooners-face-194912874.html?src=rss |
It’s finally here folks, the start of a new college football season, and more importantly, the beginning stages of the 2022 Texas A&M Football campaign as fall camp has officially begun. Earlier this afternoon, the annual first-day press conference was held, offering the media a chance to ask offensive and defensive team leaders wide receiver Ainias Smith, and defensive back Antonio Johnson questions regarding team philosophy, their outlook on the season, etc.
Right out of the gate, Ainias Smith, who is entering his senior season and final year with the team, described the 2022 offenses’ internal mindset, while continually learning from the mistakes they made during the 2021 season:
“Let’s just say all the keys are being put into motion that we need. Right now, the mindset is totally different. We came up short and lost some games we felt like we shouldn’t have. Now, we’re coming back for vengeance.
“We’re expecting to be very explosive. I’ll just say that.”
While discussing the talented 2022 class who are collectively gearing up to become heavy contributors on both sides of the ball as soon as the September 3rd opener, Smith opined on what they bring to the table, and his leadership role within the offense as the senior member of the wide receiver core:
“The young guys, they came in with a different mindset. It’s driving the older guys to compete a whole lot more. There is a whole lot of competition everywhere. This year, it’s like a brotherhood.”
“Our leadership is there. Our keys are there. Everything has been clicking.”
Finally, teammate and fellow speaker Antonio Johnson later described Smith’s leadership qualities and importance to the team moving forward in camp and leading into the season:
“He’s a leader. On offense, he’s that guy who will be whoever he needs to be… It shows his versatility. In the backfield, out wide, punt return. He’s just a leader and people look up to him.”
Whoever secures the starting Quarterback position this season for the Aggies will be heavily relying on Ainias Smith every week, but more so need his leadership qualities to lead a relatively young offensive unit within the treacherous SEC landscape. | 2022-08-04T20:23:37Z | sports.yahoo.com | New look offense? What we learned from Texas A&M’s fall camp press conference | https://sports.yahoo.com/look-offense-learned-texas-m-172302334.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/look-offense-learned-texas-m-172302334.html?src=rss |
After missing out on a couple of high-level defensive line prospects, Billy Napier and co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Sean Spencer have turned their eyes toward a pair of highly regarded in-state defensive line recruits.
The Gators currently have a 63.3% chance, according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), to land Will Norman, a 6-foot-4-inch, 276-pound Camden, New Jersey, native who plays his high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Norman has taken three unofficial visits to Gainesville in 2022, most recently attending last weekend’s Friday Night Lights and recruiting cookout event. He also took his official visit to Florida back in June, the only official visit he has taken thus far.
On3’s Corey Bender is confident that Norman will land in Gainesville, going so far as to say that he would be “very surprised” if Norman landed elsewhere. Norman has said that he plans to take full advantage of his remaining four official visits, listing Penn State, Tennessee, and Jackson State as potential locations. Bender also notes that sources close to the situation believe Norman will commit sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Kamran James has skyrocketed to the top of On3’s recruiting rankings, coming as the No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 23 overall player in the 2023 class. Spencer got in early on the 6-foot-5-inch, 265-pound Orlando native, offering him earlier this year.
The early attention seems to be a positive thing in James’ recruiting, with On3’s RPM giving the Gators a 96.2% chance to land the Olympia High School lineman. James was also in attendance at last weekend’s Friday Night Lights and recruiting cookout event, one of the four unofficial visits James has taken since March of this year. He also took an official visit to Florida in June, the same week he took an official visit to Georgia, the primary challenger in this recruiting battle. | 2022-08-04T20:23:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | On3’s RPM puts Florida in lead for these 2 defensive linemen | https://sports.yahoo.com/on3-rpm-puts-florida-lead-190751273.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/on3-rpm-puts-florida-lead-190751273.html?src=rss |
Ribbon cutting day is almost upon the Florida Gators. Previously expected to be ready by the end of July, The James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center is scheduled to open on August 14.
The $85 million facility broke ground in June of 2020 on the site of the old Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, the former home of the Florida Gators baseball team before they moved into the new Florida Ballpark for the 2021 season.
Located next to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, the new training center will be considered to be one of the best in the country, including brand new weight rooms, locker rooms, a rehabilitation facility with hydrotherapy, a cabana-style pool, a recording studio, barbershop, and much more.
While the football team and its staff will be housed in the new facility, it will also be open to all University of Florida student-athletes, with a new dining hall and lounge with the aim of connecting student-athletes across all sports.
While the project was funded, approved, and began construction during Dan Mullen’s time in Gainesville, the facility reflects a clear intention from Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin that the Gators will provide Billy Napier with whatever he needs to be successful at the highest levels of college football.
Missouri has plenty of questions to answer. Wide receiver is one spot the Tigers feel they have multiple solutions. | 2022-08-04T20:24:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Updated move-in date set for Florida’s $85M football facility | https://sports.yahoo.com/updated-move-date-set-florida-193152811.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/updated-move-date-set-florida-193152811.html?src=rss |
There’s a lot of excitement in Denver these days with Russell Wilson in the building. That excitement may be a bit tempered today as Wilson will be without a top target this season.
On Wednesday, the Broncos placed Tim Patrick on injured reserve.
The veteran receiver led the team in yards per catch (13.8), yards per game (45.9) and touchdowns (5) last season and his 1476 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns over the past two seasons, leading the team as well.
The combination of Patrick and Courtland Sutton was looking like a formidable duo on the outside. Now with Patrick out, it could mean third-year receiver Jerry Jeudy will have to step up and try to play up to the level expected of him when the team used the 15th overall pick on him in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jeudy had a solid rookie season, catching a team-leading 52 balls for 856 yards, but took a step back in his second season, while Patrick remained a steady presence in the offense.
Overall, without Patrick, the Broncos trio of Sutton, Jeudy, and KJ Hamler may be looking like the worst wide receiver group in the AFC West.
Even with Patrick, they took a back seat to the Raiders and Chargers, but the Chiefs could have a case for fielding a better overall unit now with the addition of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling to join Mecole Hardman. | 2022-08-04T20:24:40Z | sports.yahoo.com | Broncos lose leading receiver Tim Patrick for season | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-lose-leading-receiver-tim-193541391.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-lose-leading-receiver-tim-193541391.html?src=rss |
Here is a quick look at the crew via the team’s official press release:
The team also announced that Mitch Holthus will return as the play-by-play and Danan Hughes will return as the color commentator for the Chiefs Radio Network on 106.5 FM The Wolf. This is the third consecutive season that this particular team will be returning and the 29th season for Holthus as “Voice of the Chiefs.” He’ll call his 473rd career game when Kansas City faces the Chicago Bears in preseason Week 1.
“Chiefs Kingdom has become accustomed to having top talent leading both the club’s preseason TV broadcasts as well as the Chiefs Radio Network, and we’re happy to continue that trend this year,” Chiefs Vice President of Content and Production Rob Alberino said. “Fans will continue to enjoy familiar faces and voices as part of both broadcast teams, and we’re thrilled to bring a national television personality who happens to be a Kansas City native into the fold this year as well.” | 2022-08-04T20:24:46Z | sports.yahoo.com | Chiefs announce preseason broadcast teams for 2022 | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-announce-preseason-broadcast-teams-200521042.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-announce-preseason-broadcast-teams-200521042.html?src=rss |
The New Orleans Saints added a pair of former Kansas City Chiefs defenders this offseason, could a third be in the works?
The Saints signed both Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen to reinforce their safety position this offseason. Now, they’re working out a player who started 59 games for the Chiefs over the past for seasons. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Anthony Hitchens is in New Orleans working out for the Saints.
Hitchens, 30, was the Chiefs’ first cost-cutting move of the 2022 NFL offseason. The veteran linebacker was released after spending four seasons with the team, mostly as the team’s starting MIKE linebacker. He was entering the final year of a five-year, $45 million deal signed back in 2018. The contract made him expendable, especially alongside the emergence of Nick Bolton in 2021.
Hitchens finished his career in Kansas City as a Super Bowl LIV champion, with 381 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and four passes defended. He took a visit with the Chicago Bears earlier this offseason, but the market for his services has been pretty quiet.
Now, he’ll have a chance to rejoin some former teammates in New Orleans should his workout with the team go well. He’ll have some competition as they’re also working out veteran LBs Kiko Alonso and Jon Bostic. | 2022-08-04T20:25:05Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens working out for Saints | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-chiefs-lb-anthony-hitchens-193637570.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-chiefs-lb-anthony-hitchens-193637570.html?src=rss |
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has appointed former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the appeal of the six-game suspension levied by retired former federal judge Sue L. Robinson.
Under the terms of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, when the NFL decided to appeal the proposed six-game suspension, Commissioner Goodell had the authority to decide the appeal himself, or designate another person to decide the appeal:
Harvey is currently a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, practicing out of their office in New York City. According to his biography on the firm’s website, he “has been a central player in civil and criminal trials, government investigations and consumer fraud matters for many years. A gifted trial lawyer, his nearly 30 years of courtroom experience includes significant commercial matters, frequently within the hospitality, pharmaceutical and entertainment/sports industries.”
According to the same biographical page, he is also a member of the NFL’s Diversity Advisory Committee, where he serves as a “consulting expert with respect to the NFL’s effort to improve racial and gender diversity in the hiring of head coaches and senior executives throughout the NFL’s 32-member clubs and League office.”
As noted by the league, Harvey has “deep expertise in criminal law, including domestic violence and sexual assault, and has advised the NFL and other professional leagues on the development and implementation of workplace policies, including the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.” | 2022-08-04T20:25:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear Deshaun Watson appeal | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-jersey-attorney-general-peter-200721474.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/former-jersey-attorney-general-peter-200721474.html?src=rss |
Brown still a bit bitter with Titans about trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
A.J. Brown was the biggest offseason acquisition made by the Eagles, trading the 18th and 101st overall picks to the Titans for the veteran wideout, and signing Brown to a 4-year, $100 million contract.
While Brown has repeatedly expressed his excitement for playing with the Eagles and his good friend, quarterback Jalen Hurts, there’s also some resentment toward the team that traded him.
Brown was interviewed by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero Thursday, telling them that while he’s very much looking forward to playing for his new team this season, he feels let down by the Titans for how things ended.
"You know, it's a business, and I'm not upset about the trade or anything because it is a business or whatever. But to be honest, I just didn't appreciate how it all went down,” Brown said. “And they just kind of blamed me for it. I'm man enough to say that, however people may take it. But I have no bad blood with Tennessee. I'm moving forward. I'm happy to be here. But [there are] a lot of things people don't know about, and they're just pointing fingers at me. But that's OK."
All Brown did was lead his team in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in each of his first three NFL seasons. And when the time came to pay the man, rather than invest in his growth and development, they ship him out for two draft picks, one of which they use to draft a wide receiver. You can understand there would be some hard feelings there.
Brown can see what’s going on around the league, as well. Including Brown, four wide receivers heading into their fourth NFL season got new contracts: Brown, Terry McLaurin of the Commanders, Seattle’s DK Metcalf, and the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel. McLaurin, Metcalf and Samuel each got three-year contracts from the teams that drafted them, and all three for right around the same AAV as Brown got from the Eagles.
When he saw the deals come down last week for Metcalf and Samuel, he took to Twitter to take a shot at his old team. | 2022-08-04T20:25:17Z | sports.yahoo.com | A.J. Brown still a bit bitter with Titans about trade | https://sports.yahoo.com/j-brown-still-bit-bitter-185438473.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/j-brown-still-bit-bitter-185438473.html?src=rss |
There was the sense that safety Nasir Adderley was going to make a leap in Brandon Staley’s scheme when he took the Chargers’ head coach position.
Adderley, the 2019 second-round pick, did just that.
After having his rookie season hampered by an injury and experiencing highs and lows under former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley in his sophomore season, Adderley finally came into his own in Year 3.
Utilized as a deep safety, in the slot, and in the box, Adderley made plays in coverage and showed improvement as a tackler in open space, something he struggled with early on in his career.
Adderley played with more aggressiveness, the athleticism to match skill players, and the ability to anticipate well and trust his diagnosis skills to put himself in a position to make plays.
“You’re able to look at the quarterback’s tendencies,” Adderley said on Staley’s scheme. “You’re able to look at where the receivers align and the down-and-distances and all of that. When you’re not thinking about what you have to do, you’re able to look at a lot more.
As a result, Adderley set career-highs in tackles (99), tackles for loss (3), passes defended (5), and forced fumbles (1).
Nasir Adderley looked like a completely different player in Brandon Staley's scheme last season, which allowed him to play more aggressively.
Adderley was consistently around the football in coverage but did not produce any takeaways. I think that changes this season. pic.twitter.com/1jlwDPsTeV
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) August 4, 2022
While he was around the football a lot in coverage and had opportunities for a few interceptions, Adderley did not produce a single takeaway. For reference, he had 11 interceptions in his college career at Delaware.
Adderley has two picks at training camp. While Derwin James has sat out since the start of camp amid contract extension negotiations, Adderley has been the standout of the safety group.
“He’s earning it in camp here,” Staley said of Adderley. “He’s really flashing in the run game and in the pass game. Little things — command before the ball is snapped, helping his teammates out.”
Entering his fourth season, Adderley will play an integral role in a loaded secondary next to James, which features All-Pro J.C. Jackson and second-year Asante Samuel Jr.
With a revamped front that is bound to cause consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, an advanced understanding of the scheme, and his unique skillset, Adderley’s ball production should increase. | 2022-08-04T20:25:43Z | sports.yahoo.com | Nasir Adderley making strides towards big season for Chargers | https://sports.yahoo.com/nasir-adderley-making-strides-towards-170723453.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nasir-adderley-making-strides-towards-170723453.html?src=rss |
Entering the 2021 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals were 125-to-1 to win the Super Bowl. To illustrate how low the expectations were for the Bengals before last season, just take a look at the teams who are 125-to-1 to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season: Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville and the New York Jets.
While the Bengals didn't win the Super Bowl, they did shock the football world and make a run all the way to the big game. In fact, they had a lead in the Super Bowl until Cooper Kupp's touchdown with 1:25 left. It was a magical season for the Bengals and one that almost nobody saw coming.
Joe Burrow established himself as a franchise quarterback last season. Ja'Marr Chase broke rookie records and is already considered one of the top receivers in football. The Bengals made their mark on the national landscape last season. They will no longer be the underdog or overlooked this season. The expectations are much higher.
While the Bengals are far from the 125-to-1 long shots they were last offseason, they're also not one of the favorites. It seems like the consensus is that this team isn't quite as good as they were at the end of last season. Yahoo's Frank Schwab ranked the Bengals 10th in his preseason power rankings. The betting market seems to agree that while the Bengals should be good, they're not amongst the favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2022.
Can Bengals build on last season?
It's easy to forget after their playoff run, but the Cincinnati Bengals went just 10-7 in the regular season. It was the worst record for a division winner in football, and might not be as dominant a record as you'd expect from a team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
The Bengals' win total for the upcoming season is set at over/under 9.5 wins. While it may seem appealing to bet the reigning AFC champions to get to double digit wins, it's right in line with how the team performed last season. Bettors are siding with the Bengals, as 76% of the betting action is backing Cincinnati to go over 9.5 wins.
The Bengals are just -140 favorites to make the playoffs in 2022. Those odds say that Cincinnati makes the playoffs just over 58% of the time. It might seem a little low, but if you consider the improvements around the AFC, it makes sense. Oddsmakers are projecting the Bengals for right around ten wins, and that's usually around where the cut-off line is for a playoff spot.
The Bengals won the AFC North last season, but they aren't favorites to repeat that feat this upcoming season. The Bengals are +200 to win the division, the second best odds behind the Baltimore Ravens, who are +175. The Bengals are just ahead of the Browns, who are at +225. The Bengals are the most popular bet to win the division in terms of quantity of bets, but almost twice as much money has been wagered on the Ravens to this point.
According to the betting odds, the division is basically a coin flip between Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Cincinnati is +200 to finish first or second, and +225 to finish third in the division. The Bengals and Ravens are favored to occupy the top two spots at +200. Cincinnati is a -190 favorite to finish in a top two spot in the division.
Cincinnati is 10-to-1 to be the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Those are the sixth best odds behind Buffalo, Kansas City, Denver, Los Angeles and Baltimore. They are 20-to-1 to have the most wins in football at the end of the regular season. Those odds are tied for 12th best with the Colts. The Bengals are 12-to-1 to lead the NFL in points scored this season, tied for the fifth best odds with the Rams and Cowboys.
Can the Bengals make another run to the Super Bowl?
Entering the 2022 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals are 20-to-1 to win the Super Bowl. Those odds are tied for tenth best with Cleveland and Baltimore, two of their fellow AFC North counterparts. Those 20-to-1 odds are certainly appealing for a team that was under two minutes away from winning the Super Bowl last year, but it also suggests that the betting market might not be big on a repeat of last season for Cincinnati.
After winning the AFC last year, the Bengals are 11-to-1 to repeat the feat this upcoming season. Those odds are fifth best in the conference, tied once again with the Browns and Ravens. Buffalo, Kansas City, Denver and the Chargers all have better odds.
Bengals player props and awards
A lot of Bengals' players exploded onto the national scene last year due to their magical postseason run. What does the betting market think of these players entering the 2022 season?
Joe Burrow captivated the heart of football fans last winter with his cool outfits and calm demeanor. On the football field, he established himself as a true franchise quarterback in just his second NFL season. As a result, Burrow is 12-to-1 to win the NFL MVP in 2022. Those odds are sixth best in the league, tied with Dak Prescott. Only Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Aaron Rodgers have better odds than Burrow to win MVP. Burrow should be fully ready to go for the season opener after recent surgery on his appendix.
Burrow is 10-to-1 to lead the NFL in passing yards this upcoming season. Those odds are tied for fifth best with Derek Carr. Burrow finished sixth in the league last season. Burrow is just +900 to lead the league in passing touchdowns. Those are the fourth best odds behind only Herbert, Brady and Allen. He finished 8th in the category last season.
Burrow's over/under for passing yards this upcoming season is set at 4399.5 yards. He threw for over 4600 yards in 2021. His passing touchdown number is set at 34.5. Burrow had 34 last season.
Ja'Marr Chase broke most rookie receiving records last season, and a big sophomore season is expected for the Bengals wide receiver. Chase is +900 to lead the league in receiving, the third best odds behind only Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson. Chase finished fourth last season. He's also +900 to lead the league in receiving touchdowns. Those odds are tied for third best with Travis Kelce, Davante Adams and Jefferson. Chase is 30-to-1 to win offensive player of the year, making him an intriguing long shot bet.
In his rookie season, Chase had 81 receptions, 1455 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. His season-long props for this upcoming season are set at 84.5 receptions, 1199.5 receiving yards and 11.5 touchdowns.
Ja'Marr Chase is already one of the best receivers in the NFL. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
While maybe he didn't generate as many waves as Burrow and Chase, Joe Mixon quietly had a very good season last year. After finishing third in rushing yards last year, Mixon is 14-to-1 to lead the NFL in rushing this upcoming season. Those odds are tied for 5th best with Elijah Mitchell. Mixon is 11-to-1 to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns. Those odds are fourth best, tied with Najee Harris and Dalvin Cook. Mixon had the fourth most rushing touchdowns last season.
Mixon's over/under for rushing yards this upcoming season is set at 1049.5 yards. Mixon has gone over this number in all three seasons where he started at least 13 games. He had 1205 last season. His over/under for rushing touchdowns is set at 10.5 scores. He had 13 last season, but that's the only time in his career he's hit double digits.
The Bengals' offense gets a lot of attention, but on the defensive side, Trey Hendrickson had a great first season in Cincinnati. Entering 2022, Hendrickson is 40-to-1 to win NFL defensive player of the year. He's 12-to-1 to lead the league in sacks this upcoming season. Those odds are tied for third best with Aaron Donald. Hendrickson finished 5th in sacks last season with 14. His over/under for this upcoming season is set at 11.5 sacks.
Other Bengals players
Last season, Tee Higgins posted 74 receptions, 1091 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. His props for the upcoming season are set at 76.5 receptions, 999.5 receiving yards and 7.5 touchdowns. Higgins is 40-to-1 to lead the league in receiving. He finished 17th last season.
Tyler Boyd is about as good as it gets for a No. 3 receiver. His props for the upcoming season are set at 69.5 receptions, 799.5 receiving yards and 4.5 receiving touchdowns. He had just 67 receptions, but went over the three seasons before that. He had 828 receiving yards and has had at least 800 yards in four straight seasons. He had five touchdowns in 2021.
Zac Taylor received two votes for NFL coach of the year in 2021, but he's just 30-to-1 to win the award this upcoming season. Those odds are tied with reigning coach of the year Mike Vrabel, new Buccaneers' coach Todd Bowles and first year Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus.
Bengals open as big favorites
The Cincinnati Bengals open their 2022 season with a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals are 6.5-point favorites over a Pittsburgh team that's expected to finish the season in the basement of the AFC North.
Last season, the Bengals went 2-0 against the Steelers. The game in Pittsburgh was close, with the Bengals winning by just four points. However, the game in Cincinnati was a rout, with the Bengals coming out on top by a score of 41-10.
I'm down on the Steelers entering this upcoming season and I think the Bengals will be motivated to prove last year's run was no fluke. I don't love laying a lot of points early in the season, but if I had to pick a side here, I'm laying the points with the Bengals assuming Joe Burrow is ready to go. | 2022-08-04T20:25:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | NFL betting: Can the Cincinnati Bengals repeat last year's magic? | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-can-the-cincinnati-bengals-repeat-last-seasons-magic-193448537.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-can-the-cincinnati-bengals-repeat-last-seasons-magic-193448537.html?src=rss |
The Carolina Panthers are reportedly set to add more depth to their secondary. As Mike Kaye of Pro Football Network reported on Thursday, the team is signing cornerback Tae Hayes.
Former #Jaguars, #Dolphins and #Vikings cornerback Tae Hayes is signing with the #Panthers, pending a physical, per league source. Hayes played for the USFL champs, the Birmingham Stallions, this spring. He was briefly on Carolina p-squad last year. @PFN365
Hayes, 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds, played four seasons of college football at Appalachian State University. There, he started 33 games and appeared in 19 more—totaling 138 tackles, 24 passes defensed and nine interceptions. He received All-Sun Belt recognition in his junior and senior years.
Following the 2019 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Hayes as an undrafted free agent, then released him shortly after. He also had brief stints with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, where he totaled 10 combined tackles and two passes defensed over five games.
Last spring, Hayes joined the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions, who went on to win the inaugural league championship.
As he makes his NFL comeback, he will look to take advantage of a Panthers cornerback room dealing with several minor injuries. Jaycee Horn (foot soreness) was recently activated off the PUP list, Keith Taylor Jr. (strained hamstring) will miss up to two weeks and the recently-signed Duke Dawson was spotted in a red jersey on Wednesday. Veteran corner Rashaan Melvin also announced his retirement last week. | 2022-08-04T20:25:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Panthers reportedly signing USFL champion Tae Hayes | https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-reportedly-signing-usfl-champion-195050168.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/panthers-reportedly-signing-usfl-champion-195050168.html?src=rss |
To help alleviate the absence of Van Jefferson in practice for the next few weeks, the Los Angeles Rams added some help at wide receiver. The team announced Thursday that it has signed Austin Trammell, waiving tight end Kyle Markway to make room for the new receiver.
Trammell signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent last year, spending most of the year on the practice squad. He was active for two games at the end of the season, but he only played special teams. He was released on June 16.
Markway was signed to the Rams’ practice squad late last year, his second stint with the team. He has never appeared in an NFL game, however. | 2022-08-04T20:26:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Rams sign WR Austin Trammell, waive TE Kyle Markway | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-sign-wr-austin-trammell-195402633.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-sign-wr-austin-trammell-195402633.html?src=rss |
Matt Patricia is expected to serve as the New England Patriots’ de-facto offensive coordinator and play-caller, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.
Patricia, the team’s offensive line coach, has served as the play-caller for most of the team’s 11-on-11 drills, with quarterbacks coach Joe Judge relaying plays in 7-on-7 drills. Bill Belichick has leant a hand in both settings — and has sometimes even relayed the plays himself.
Patricia said that the plays have mostly been scripted ahead of time, with the team installing and experimenting with a new offense this offseason. The entire offensive staff has worked together to formulate that script. And though New England is working through a unique offensive coaching structure to start training camp, the Patriots are likely to lean more and more on Patricia as it’s de-factor offensive coordinator.
As Matt Patricia has called the vast majority of Patriots offensive plays in training camp — with Joe Judge and Bill Belichick occasionally working in — the continued expectation is for Patricia to be the play caller/de facto OC once the season starts, according to a source.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 4, 2022
Patricia served as the Patriots senior football advisor in 2021 after serving as the Detroit Lions coach from 2018 to 2020. Before that, he was the Patriots defensive coordinator and play-caller from 2012 to 2017. | 2022-08-04T20:26:14Z | sports.yahoo.com | Report: Matt Patricia expected to be Patriots’ de-facto offensive coordinator | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-matt-patricia-expected-patriots-184620768.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-matt-patricia-expected-patriots-184620768.html?src=rss |
Report: Matthew Stafford dealing with “bad” elbow tendinitis originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Will Have a Season 2 "On Steroids"
A new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is on its way. Here's everything we know about the new episodes including release date, interviews, cast, plot. | 2022-08-04T20:26:18Z | sports.yahoo.com | Report: Matthew Stafford dealing with “bad” elbow tendinitis | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-matthew-stafford-dealing-bad-185227565.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/report-matthew-stafford-dealing-bad-185227565.html?src=rss |
Unfortunately, Lewis hasn’t been able to shed that injury-prone label in his first two seasons. He’s played just 19 games, missing time due to a knee injury and also as a healthy scratch in 2021.
All that has added up to a massive chip on Lewis’ shoulder, one he’s using as motivation to hopefully propel himself to a breakout season in 2022.
“I feel like a lot of times, people have overlooked me off the stress of my health and things like that,” Lewis said Wednesday. “I feel like me and the people that watch me closely, if you watch me every time that I step on the field, you can tell that I have an impact when I’m on the field or you feel my presence in some way. I have a huge chip on my shoulder, but it’s not really to prove myself to anybody else other than me just to prove myself right. Like, ‘You say all this about yourself. If this how you feel, show it. Show it every day.’”
Lewis was unable to take advantage of his opportunity last year next to Leonard Floyd when the Rams were searching for a starter before Von Miller arrived in November. But there have certainly been flashes of his potential. He had a sack in three straight games in October, which propelled him into a starting role from Week 7-9. But after that, his snaps decreased and he was ruled out in Week 13 due to a knee injury.
It was a frustrating time for Lewis, whose knee appeared to be improving last season before the setback – and eventually, Miller’s arrival. Mentally, Lewis tried to remain positive and focus on football rather than what people are saying about his health and his knee.
“Hell yeah. I told him just now, like, ‘Man, I’m not trying to sit up here and just talk about my knee all day.’ Honestly, I feel like the mental things, just dealing with it on a daily and then even last year, I felt like I definitely overcame the whole knee obstacles and everything that people talk about,” Lewis said. “Then it’s like, I know I went through a stretch of just not being out there, just still being healthy, but not being out there to the point where it’s like, people would just assume, ‘Oh, it must be his knee.’ So, like certain things like that mentally, it would bother me. But I feel like I’ve gotten to a better head space to the point where I don’t let external factors control how I feel. I know who I am. I know how my body feels. If you’re out here, I’m pretty sure everybody will tell you, ‘Terrell looks like Terrell. He looks like the guy that we want out here’. I try not to think about the whole, ‘Oh, how’s your knee feeling?’”
He doesn’t want to be a player known for injuries, and through two seasons, he’s struggled to disprove that narrative. But he certainly progressed toward getting past that stigma until the Rams made him a healthy scratch down the stretch.
“I know at the end of the day, a lot of people from the outside looking in, that’s what they think about,” he said. “As soon as they see me, they hear about the knee, they think, ‘Oh, OK, knee issues, health issues.’ Things like that. I feel like once I got over the hump of not trying to please everybody else and more so just like each day I know what I have to deal with, with my body. I know how to take care of it.”
Being a healthy scratch was a different type of frustration for Lewis. Knowing he was healthy, it was painful to sit on the sidelines and not be able to playing during the Super Bowl run. But he learned from that experience and is coming back motivated.
It was just the first time he’d been held out of a game for something other than injury.
“It was frustrating. I feel like I learned a lot from that whole situation,” he continued. “I feel like that’s another reason why I feel like I have that kind of chip on my shoulder every day. Obviously with me, my biggest goal lately has just been, I want to play in a Super Bowl. So that kind of bothered me a lot. Mentally, it took me a while to get over it and say, like, ‘OK, what can you learn from that? What can you gain from the experience of not only just learning from a player like Von, but also learning just the business and how things go about throughout a season?’ Sometimes you may just have to be that odd man out depending on situations, but it definitely felt weird. I’ve never been out of a game other than health. It just felt like, now that I’m healthy, why the hell am I not playing?”
With Miller now a member of the Bills, the door is open once again for Lewis to be a starting edge rusher for the Rams. He’ll be competing with Justin Hollins for that role opposite Floyd, and the early reviews from training camp are positive.
Floyd has seen a more confident and healthy version of Lewis this year, saying he’s “real fluid right now.”
“I can tell he trusting (his knee) a lot more than he did last year,” Floyd said, adding that Lewis has had “some of his best rushes in training camp.”
It’s all set up for Lewis. He just has to capitalize on the potential he knows he possesses.
Two clubs that struggled with injuries last season meet on a Saturday that could go either way when Leicester City vs Brentford hits the King Power Stadium. | 2022-08-04T20:26:31Z | sports.yahoo.com | Terrell Lewis is tired of being overlooked because of his knee | https://sports.yahoo.com/terrell-lewis-tired-being-overlooked-191730115.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/terrell-lewis-tired-being-overlooked-191730115.html?src=rss |
While Kansas City Chiefs fans will have to wait another week for their team’s preseason debut, the NFL season officially kicks off tonight in Canton, Ohio with the 2022 Hall of Fame Game.
The Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first football game of the 2022 NFL season. It’s the first time that the Jaguars have participated in the match since their inaugural NFL season back in 1995. It’s the first time the Raiders have taken part in the game since they moved to Las Vegas, with their last appearance in the Hall of Fame Game coming in 2006.
Both teams will take the field with new head coaches, with former Chiefs OC Doug Pederson coaching Jacksonville and former Patriots OC Josh McDaniels coaching the Raiders. Both Pederson and McDaniels have said they’ll rest their starters for the game, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from watching. There are always a few exciting moments as the backups compete and work to earn a roster spot during the preseason.
You can find all the important details about how to watch and stream the game down below:
Start time: Thursday, Aug. 4, 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium – Canton, Ohio
Broadcast: NBC and Peacock
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There was also Toledo’s Diontae Johnson, taken out of Toledo in the 2019 draft. At 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, Johnson perfectly fit that prototype, and he’s coming off his first 1,000-yard receiving season, despite a passing game that was severely limited in the intermediate and deep levels.
Moving from Ben Roethlisberger to either Mason Rudolph or Kenny Pickett might not put too much of a shine on the quarterback position in the short term, but the Steelers made sure on Thursday to extend one of the better chips in their passing game.
It’s a relatively low-ball deal considering all the receivers who have secured the bag this offseason, but for Johnson, it may be an ideal way to go. It’s also good for the Steelers, as Johnson hasn’t quite proven to be on the same level as a Terry McLaurin or A.J. Brown or D.K. Metcalf, but you can see how the arrow is pointing up.
“Diontae is not a big talker,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Johnson in June. “He’s more of a doer, and I can appreciate that, and I’m aligned with that. Just putting his head down and working every day. He’s going to provide quality examples about how to go to work and there’s going to aid guys like [rookie receiver George] Pickens in the maturation process because he has visual examples of what he needs to do and how he needs to do it.
As far as what Johnson has done and how he needs to keep doing it, let’s go to the tape.
Winning deep in a limited offense.
How limited was the Steelers’ deep passing game in 2021? Per Pro Football Focus, Roethlisberger attempted 71 passes of 20 or more air yards in his final season, completing just 21 for 686 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. 28 of Roethlisberger’s deep targets went to Johnson, which led the team, and Johnson caught eight of those deep passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns.
When Big Ben decided to throw a go ball or a fade downfield, Johnson was his guy. This 29-yard play against the Vikings in Week 14 is proof of concept. Johnson is able to trail the helium throw and bring it in despite the fact that cornerback Kris Boyd is draped all over him.
I have hypothesized that the addition of Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft will give the Steelers a more expansive deep passing game down the road, and Johnson certainly has the tools to benefit from that.
How the Steelers created a much-needed deep passing game in the 2022 NFL draft
Creating after the catch.
In 2021, 542 of Johnson’s 1,195 yards came after the catch, and he can certainly succeed underneath. This touchdown against the Chiefs shows how he can take a quick pass to the house, and cornerback Deandre Baker is left hanging.
And here, Johnson scalds the Browns’ defense with the same concept.
With George Pickens and Calvin Austin in the fold, it will be highly interesting to see how Johnson will be used in multiple route concepts — both deep and underneath.
Where Johnson still needs work.
Is there room for further development in Johnson’s game? Certainly. He dropped five passes last season, and while some of those drops were due to the leaden nature of Big Ben’s release time, there were also instances in which catching the ball was the easier thing to do. This drop against the Browns in Week 17 may betray an aversion to impending contact in this particular case.
Pretty much anything in which Johnson was directed to head toward the middle of the field could be an issue at times.
It's a fair deal for both sides.
This was the offseason of big receiver deals. Is Johnson one of Those Guys? It’s fair to say that at this point, he’s not. He’s an excellent speed receiver with a nice route palette, but the physical and anticipatory aspects of his play lag behind a bit. Those are the things, in my opinion, that take him to a “B” level, which is why he got a “B” contract.
There’s nothing wrong with that, and if Johnson manages to move into the “A” tier in the next couple of seasons, he’ll be paid accordingly. For now, he has a short-term opportunity to do just that.
Clearly, the Steelers see the value in keeping him around.
“He’s becoming a veteran guy, and so it’s reasonable to expect him to get better physically, him to get better intellectually in terms of knowing and understanding the game and utilizing that knowledge for his good,” Tomlin said of Johnson last December. “And also, just being able to withstand the ups and downs that is a game or a series or a season. We’re appreciative of his growth and development, but I don’t think anyone’s surprised by it. As a matter of fact, we expected it and we needed it.”
At the same time, the Steelers selected two receivers in the 2022 draft, which speaks to their overall mindset at the position. They seem to see Johnson as a valuable cog in the machine. Johnson needs to prove that he’s the engine if he wants one of those other deals.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pro Bowl wide receiver agreed to a three-year deal on Thursday that runs through the 2024 season. The 26-year-old caught a career-best 107 passes for 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan said Tuesday the team wanted to keep Johnson in the fold “for a long time.”
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old first responder, was killed by Louisville police officers in her own home on March 13, 2020.
Mike Olivella has photos from FSU's seventh preseason practice on Thursday morning. | 2022-08-04T20:26:44Z | sports.yahoo.com | Why Diontae Johnson’s deal with the Steelers is perfect for player and team | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-diontae-johnson-deal-steelers-190401691.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/why-diontae-johnson-deal-steelers-190401691.html?src=rss |
Bucs training camp: Kyle Trask struggles in Wednesday’s practice
Wednesday's practice wasn't the best for Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year quarterback Kyle Trask
American Battery Technology Company Continues Acquisition of Top Technical Talent with the Hiring of Lane Belanger as Staff Analytical Chemist American Battery Technology Company welcomes Staff Analytical Chemist Lane Belanger. He joins the company's growing team of highly-competitive battery materials technical talent and is part of their expanded research and development division that focuses on battery metals extraction and qualification processes. Reno, Nev., Aug. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -
The U.S. women's national team is set to face England at Wembley Stadium, the first of two European matches as the United States prepares to defend its title at the 2023 World Cup. England is coming off a 2-1 overtime victory Sunday over Germany in the women's European Championships final. The match at Wembley drew a tournament-record 87,192 fans. “To get a chance to play the European champions in London at Wembley is an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often, so we’re all thankful that the match could be arranged, and we’ll be hoping that England finish their qualifying campaign in September,” U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a statement Tuesday. | 2022-08-04T20:44:48Z | sports.yahoo.com | Emma Raducanu vs Camila Osorio live: Score and latest updates from the Citi Open round of 16 | https://sports.yahoo.com/emma-raducanu-vs-camila-osorio-175132432.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/emma-raducanu-vs-camila-osorio-175132432.html?src=rss |
Donnie Collins, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Aug. 4—Just a few random thoughts on a hopeful, if confusing and also sad, day in baseball...
Turns out, Aaron Judge is on an historic home run pace, which is bound to happen when you're hitting one every day.
The mammoth Yankees slugger amassed 43 homers in 102 games. Only the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber is within 10 bombs of Judge's major league lead. If he keeps up this kind of slugging prowess, Judge is on pace for 67 home runs.
If he approaches that, September and October are going to be filled with some significant discussions about where Judge's 2022 season stands in baseball lore.
At minimum, Judge has a legitimate shot to break the American League's single-season home run record, set by another Yankees right fielder, Roger Maris, in 1961. Simply maintaining his current pace would give Judge the third-best single-season home run total in Major League history, behind the only two sluggers who set a more torrid pace than his: Barry Bonds in 2001 and Mark McGwire in 1998.
There will forever be a pall cast over the numbers from those handful of seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s that are now circled as the height of the steroids era, and let's be real: Baseball would love for someone who didn't play during that time to surpass Bonds' 73 homers from 2001.
For decades, that particular record stood as one of the most revered in sports. Maris surpassed the 60 that Babe Ruth swatted in 1927, and there were few sports fans who didn't know either of those numbers. You just don't hear "73" that often anymore in the discussion of great sports records.
Yet, it could also be that baseball simply doesn't like talking about a record so engrained with an era that sullied the game.
If Judge gets to 62, there will be plenty of old-school fans who consider that to be the single-season record. Major League Baseball won't, because it frankly can't. But if he somehow amps up the pace he's currently on, if he gets that number from 67 up to 70, it will be interesting to see how baseball promotes a Judge pursuit of Bonds as September approaches.
You can't promote a record that isn't "the" record. But you'd also love to convince fans that Bonds didn't put the home run mark out of reach.
The Yankees had a fairly terrific few days leading up to Tuesday's trading deadline. Until the last 10 minutes, anyway.
It's difficult to conjure any reason it made total sense for the Yankees to deal someone who had been a rock in their starting rotation for a defense-first outfielder who doesn't get on base a ton and who will be a free agent following the 2023 season.
For starters, where does Bader fit into the lineup when he does return from the injured list? Does he send Aaron Hicks to the bench? On a fully healthy team, do the Yankees play him in center and keep Giancarlo Stanton as a DH? And if so, how much does that cut into Matt Carpenter's at-bats?
Meanwhile, where do the innings Montgomery has so consistently given the Yankees the last few seasons come from? Domingo German has good stuff, but unreliable results. Clarke Schmidt has great stuff, but he has only thrown more than five innings in one game since the end of the 2019 season. Nestor Cortes is over 100 innings for the first time since 2018, and he'll blow past his career high in innings by mid-August. That's a lot of workloads to manage.
Montgomery is hardly Ron Guidry. But he takes the ball every five days, works deep into games and gives his team a chance to win. He gave the Yankees more than five innings 13 times this season, a big reason why manager Aaron Boone has been able to keep the bullpen reasonably rested. That's just not a number you can expect from anyone the Yankees are replacing him with.
As the nation mourns his death at 94, the amazing thing about Scully is how many fans have a similar relationship with the game because of him. How many were hooked on the game after listening to him call Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965? Or Henry Aaron's record-setting home run in 1974? Or Kirk Gibson's Game 1 homer in the 1987 World Series?
Hard to picture I'd be writing these words now, had 9-year-old me not been allowed to stay up late on a Saturday night to watch Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, getting the opportunity to watch Mookie Wilson hit a roller behind the bag that got through Bill Buckner.
First thing I did when I got this job was purchase a satellite radio subscription so I could listen to Scully call Dodgers games from a different coast. It was like listening to a voice as familiar as a grandfather's describe a simple game the way Shakespeare would. Scully had a penchant for saying he needed the fans more than they needed him.
But man, did we need Vin, too. He'll be as missed as anyone ever associated with the national pastime.
CMA Fest 2022: When will country concert special be on TV? Here's how to watch
CMA Fest returns to the small screen Wednesday night on ABC. | 2022-08-04T20:45:00Z | sports.yahoo.com | What if Judge hits 62? | https://sports.yahoo.com/judge-hits-62-190600400.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/judge-hits-62-190600400.html?src=rss |
The 31-year-old Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, listened with a blank expression as an interpreter translated the verdict by Judge Anna Sotnikova, but her lawyers said later she was "very upset." The judge also fined Griner 1 million rubles (about $16,700).
Former President Donald Trump's two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, have testified in New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil tax
Walter H. Clark faces manslaughter and child endangerment charges after his daughter was found to have cocaine and fentanyl in her system. | 2022-08-04T21:28:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | Brittney Griner sentenced by Russian court to 9 years in prison for drug possession | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-sentenced-russian-court-123841536.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/brittney-griner-sentenced-russian-court-123841536.html?src=rss |
The Evolution of Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner, WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has been landing dunks, blocking shots and scoring record high points per game since she was in high school. Griner was destined to succeed, using her skills on the court to lead her high school, college and professional basketball teams. | 2022-08-04T21:28:55Z | sports.yahoo.com | Reactions to Brittney Griner's conviction, 9-year sentence | https://sports.yahoo.com/reactions-brittney-griners-conviction-9-184950288.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/reactions-brittney-griners-conviction-9-184950288.html?src=rss |
The Chicago Bears have concluded their first full week of training camp practice at Halas Hall, where they conducted seven workouts, including two with pads.
There was plenty to take in from the first full week of practice, including the offense’s early struggles, the consistent shuffling along the offensive line, an improved secondary and the Teven Jenkins saga.
The Bears return to the practice field on Friday morning, where they’ll hold three straight practices before another off day on Monday.
But before we look ahead to the second week of practices, here’s what we learned after Chicago’s first full week of training camp:
It's too early to start worrying about the offense
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Bears offense is struggling. The defense has been the clear winners during the first full week of training camp, but it’s to be expected at this point of the summer.
There has been some overreaction to the offense’s struggles, which has included issues with timing, penalties and overall execution. It’s not uncommon given they’re learning a new offensive scheme. But quarterback Justin Fields believes that the offense is “progressing every day” as they aim to improve at pretty much everything.
“There’s not one thing that we’ve reached our full potential yet,” he said. “So as long as we continue to get better at each and every thing each day, we’re going to be in a good position.”
We’re just seven practices into training camp, and they’ve only worn pads twice. The regular season is still over a month away, so there’s plenty of time for the offense to fix their mistakes. If we’re hearing the same things several weeks from now, then it might be time to start worrying.
The offensive line is still a work in progress
There’s been plenty of shake-up along the offensive line over the first full week of training camp, which had to do with injuries and the fact that the coaching staff is trying out different combinations.
Rookie Braxton Jones has been taking most of the reps at left tackle with Riley Reiff switching from left tackle to right tackle, where he’s rotating with Larry Borom. Lucas Patrick’s injury has caused some shifting along the interior of the line, where Sam Mustipher has now kicked over to center, where he’s splitting reps with rookie Doug Kramer, while Michael Schofield and Ja’Tyre Carter rotate at right guard.
When examining Chicago’s concerns ahead of the 2022 season, the offensive line is near the top of the list. Sure, the Bears are getting a look at what they’ve got in both their veterans and rookies. But it’s concerning that we don’t appear any closer to a starting offensive line ahead of the first preseason game.
It certainly doesn’t help that the offensive line has allowed a fair amount of pressure on Fields during practices, which isn’t what fans want to hear after Fields was sacked 36 times in 12 games last season.
Kyler Gordon should thrive whether playing outside or nickel
The Bears haven’t been afraid to utilize rookie Kyler Gordon at multiple positions in the secondary. While it looked like Gordon was set to start on the outside opposite Jaylon Johnson, the team has been rotating Gordon outside and at nickel cornerback throughout the first seven practices.
But, here’s the thing, Gordon has impressed in both roles so far this summer. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to what overall combination — featuring Gordon and Johnson — they think makes the secondary stronger.
Chicago has started experimenting with different cornerback combinations. It’s been Johnson and Gordon on the outside while Tavon Young plays nickel. But when it’s Gordon in the slot, Johnson and Kindle Vildor have been playing outside. At one point, the Bears even had Kindle playing nickel with Johnson and Gordon outside.
We’re still early into training camp — and with preseason games to be played — so there are more developments on the way. But one thing has been made abundantly clear: Gordon will play a significant role in the secondary as a rookie, and he appears ready to thrive in whatever role that winds up being.
Justin Fields has shown improvement
Fields is entering his first training camp as the starting quarterback, and it’s already evident that he’s made improvements from the end of his rookie season to now. Whether it’s in his footwork and throwing motion or building connections with his targets or his taking ownership of the offense.
It’s hard to gauge exactly where he is without live reps, which will come in the preseason. But Fields is getting a better understanding of Luke Getsy’s scheme and continuing to progress in a pivotal second season.
“He’s come so far from where we started,” Getsy said. “We still have a long way to go, though. As far as attacking the system and the knowledge of the system and what’s going on around him, I think he’s done a great job of that.”
The receiver room is wide open
The Bears wide receivers have come under criticism throughout the offseason given Darnell Mooney is the only proven commodity. And so far in camp, it’s clear that Mooney is the clear-cut option for Fields. Which means there have been plenty of opportunities for other players to earn starting jobs or roster spots.
It’s easy to predict which wideouts will make the roster outside of Mooney. Byron Pringle and Velus Jones Jr. have long been considered near-locks. Jones has certainly been showing his playmaking ability so far in practice. But it’s Equanimeous St. Brown who’s emerged as a top option for Fields. St. Brown has the advantage of playing in Getsy’s offense, but he’s also establishing himself as a threat in the red zone.
Then there are some of the under-the-radar guys, including newcomer N’Keal Harry, who’s showing his versatility as a big-bodied receiver and as a contributor in the run game. Last year’s sixth-round pick Dazz Newsome has reminded everyone that he’s still in contention for a roster spot following some impressive catches, and David Moore is another veteran who’s stood out.
At this point, it’s clear the battle at receiver is wide open, and starting jobs and roster spots will be lost in the coming weeks.
Rookies are getting their opportunities
The Bears haven’t been afraid to give their rookies plenty of opportunities this summer, whether it’s high-profile names that will start immediately or others who are developmental players.
Top selections Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Velus Jones Jr. have been impressing this summer. Gordon and Brisker are quickly establishing themselves as turnover machines, and they’re a huge reason why the secondary has made significant strides this offseason. Jones has showed his playmaking ability on offense as he continues to build his connection with Fields. Running back Trestan Ebner has been making quite an impression as he looks to be a hybrid option on offense.
Then there’s the offensive line, which features four rookies who have seen reps with the starters at some point. Zachary Thomas saw action at left guard when Cody Whitehair had a veteran rest day. But it’s been Braxton Jones, Doug Kramer and Ja’Tyre Carter seeing their fair share of reps with the ones.
Jones is emerging as a contender for the starting left tackle job while Kramer and Carter have been rotating with veterans at center and right guard, respectively.
Defense is priding itself on taking the ball away
When examining Matt Eberflus’ H.I.T.S. principle, it’s hard to miss the takeaways portion of that acronym. The Bears have notably struggled with taking the ball away since their impressive 2018 campaign, where they led the league with 36 takeaways. In the three years that followed, they failed to hit 20.
But when looking at how the Bears are approaching taking the ball away in training camp, it’s clear that it’s a priority. Whether it’s specific drills or constantly running after a free ball, the hope is it translates to success in 2022.
“We have a lot of different takeaway drills and team reps also,” Brisker said. “Just always scooping up the ball and running 10 stripes. Just always make sure we’re doing something that involves turnovers, whether that’s ball in the air, we’re breaking at a 45-degree angle, or just scooping it in and tapping it back to our teammates. Just make sure we’ve got the ball in our hands. They always emphasize it in individual and team reps.”
The secondary is night and day from last year
Chicago had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL last season. Not that Bears fans need me to tell them this. But through the first seven practices of training camp, it’s evident just how improved the secondary is from just one year ago.
Poles made it a priority this offseason, and it shows. It started in free agency with the signing of veterans Tavon Young and Dane Cruikshank and bringing back DeAndre Houston-Carson. Then, Poles targeted Gordon and Brisker with his first two selections, finding immediate, quality starters at both cornerback and safety. Not only are Gordon and Brisker expected to make significant impacts, but they should help out veterans like Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson.
“Ball hawks; that’s what they are, that’s why we brought them here,” Eberflus said. “A person doesn’t change from college. If they have ball skills in college, they still have it. We enhance them by being fanatical and us practicing the way we practice and the drills we do that we’ve done forever and the new ones that we’re incorporating now. We’ll enhance that skill. But it’s got to be a want-to.”
That’s not to say the Bears are going to have the best secondary in the NFL this season. But, even at this point, it’s clear that this unit has been completely overhauled.
The Justin Fields-to-Darnell Mooney connection has the potential to be lethal
One thing that’s been made abundantly clear during this first week of training camp practices is that the Justin Fields-Darnell Mooney connection has been one of the highlights on offense.
Fields and Mooney spent most of the offseason program working on deepening their connection, and it’s shown in the trust that the two have between one another.
“I just feel like wherever the ball is, I’ve got an opportunity to get it,” Mooney said. “He’s throwing it to me for a reason—because he trusts me—so I have to make that play for him regardless of where the ball is.”
Mooney will be Fields’ top target, and opposing defenses know that. But Mooney has shown an ability to create separation and be a playmaker for Fields. Last season, we caught a glimpse of what this connection could become. Now, with a full offseason and summer to work together, we could finally see their true potential.
We need a resolution to the Teven Jenkins situation
This first week of training camp has felt like a major case of deja vu from last summer as offensive tackle Teven Jenkins once again is sidelined with an injury.
But this year, there’s so much more to this story.
Jenkins has missed six of the seven practices as he works through an injury with trainers. But there has also been a report about a disconnect between Jenkins and the new coaching staff, as well as news that the Bears are engaging in trade talks for last year’s second-round pick.
I think at this point we all just really want some clarity about what’s actually going on. Is it really just an injury with Jenkins? If so, why isn’t he on the sideline watching practice like others nursing injuries? But the trade talks certainly aren’t helping matters. Jenkins could very well be injured, but there are now two separate reports detailing how the Bears are actively trying to trade Jenkins. Him sitting out could be a way to keep him healthy should a suitor come knocking.
At this point, it doesn’t sound like we’re any closer to learning anything. So get ready for those “Teven Jenkins misses seventh straight training camp practice” posts on Monday. | 2022-08-04T21:54:36Z | sports.yahoo.com | 10 takeaways after the first full week of Bears training camp | https://sports.yahoo.com/10-takeaways-first-full-week-211505258.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/10-takeaways-first-full-week-211505258.html?src=rss |
The Buffalo Bills will be without wide receiver Marquez Stevenson for an extended period.
Head coach Sean McDermott announced on Thursday that Stevenson will miss “weeks.” During the team’s practice on Tuesday, Stevenson was spotted limping off the field with a lower-body injury which the coach described as a foot issue.
At the end of 2021’s camp, Stevenson was kept the team’s active roster at the end of training camp with the assistance of a backroom deal.
The Bills cut long snapper Reid Ferguson and kept Stevenson. Then when the roster was submitted to the NFL, Stevenson was placed on the team’s injured reserve list and Ferguson was re-signed as the team informed him that was the idea the entire time.
McDermott called Stevenson’s injury “unfortunate,” adding he has had a positive training camp so far in 2022. It will remain to be seen if Stevenson finds a way to return before the end of camp.
In his first season, Stevenson appeared in five games with the Bills, mostly as a return man. He fumbled twice during that spell. Stevenson is battling for the returner role again this year, in addition to a depth receiver spot on the roster.
Captain Shreve's Marquez Stevenson talks about Gators
Captain Shreve's Marquez Stevenson talks about a variety of topics including his quarterback
The Chevy Spark starts at $13,600, making it one of the last sub-$15,000 cars on the road. You can get a brand new Camaro or Colorado pickup for around $25,000 each. According to Cars.com, the Bolt EV... | 2022-08-04T21:55:08Z | sports.yahoo.com | Injury update: Bills WR Marquez Stevenson out ‘weeks’ with injury | https://sports.yahoo.com/injury-bills-wr-marquez-stevenson-211518001.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/injury-bills-wr-marquez-stevenson-211518001.html?src=rss |
In a wandering set of remarks that criticized the NFL’s investigation into Watson, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee expressed disappointment from some of Watson’s civil accusers over the quarterback’s initial six-game ban, which was delivered by independent arbitrator Sue L. Robinson on Monday. Buzbee went on to say victims of sexual assault are now “watching” Goodell and the NFL as the forthcoming appeal unfolds in the coming days. He went on to revisit past criticisms of the league’s disciplinary process, as well as how criminal complaints had been handled during Houston-area grand jury hearings.
Aside from a wide-ranging recap of several prior statements during his handling of civil litigation against Watson, Buzbee did confirm a handful of legal developments over the last few weeks. Among them: that Watson and 23 of 24 civil accusers have reached financial settlements in their cases; that one civil case continues to be pending and is planning to move forward; that the Houston Texans have reached financial settlements with 30 women related to Watson’s past behavior and Buzbee’s firm won’t be bringing any future litigation against the team relating to Watson; and that aside from the Texans’ settlement, Buzbee’s firm has not released the NFL from potential future lawsuits.
Surrounding confirmation of those developments, Buzbee detailed what he viewed as various failures in the NFL’s process of discipline and specific handling of the 10 Watson accusers who had spoken with the league’s investigators. He then closed with what appeared to be a verbal challenge to Goodell to deliver a more significant punishment to Watson in the league’s appeal, which will be determined by former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey.
Goodell named Harvey as the final arbitrator in the process on Thursday, handing him the power to determine Watson’s final suspension.
“We are here today with a message to the NFL,” Buzbee said. “Every victim of sexual assault is watching Roger Goodell and the NFL right now. This idea that Mr. Goodell is going to hand it off to someone else who is ‘independent’ — we don’t buy it. Mr. Goodell, what will you do? It’s never too late to do the right thing. That’s what these women and those watching are expecting.”
The lawyer for Deshaun Watson's accusers, Tony Buzbee, called on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to "do the right thing" in the league's suspension appeal as part of a meandering media conference on Thursday. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has chosen former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the appeal of the six-game suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson was suspended this week by independent disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, who concluded he violated the league's personal conduct policy after being accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women in Texas. The league, which had been pushing for an indefinite suspension for Watson, wanted further discipline and appealed Robinson's ruling on Wednesday. | 2022-08-04T21:55:21Z | sports.yahoo.com | Lawyer for Deshaun Watson accusers calls on Roger Goodell to 'do the right thing' in suspension appeal | https://sports.yahoo.com/lawyer-for-deshaun-watson-accusers-calls-on-roger-goodell-to-do-the-right-thing-in-suspension-appeal-211949361.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/lawyer-for-deshaun-watson-accusers-calls-on-roger-goodell-to-do-the-right-thing-in-suspension-appeal-211949361.html?src=rss |
With the third running back spot still up for grabs, the first preseason game will provide a great test for the Green Bay Packers backup ball carriers. Both Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon aren’t expected to play in next week’s exhibition against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I doubt you’ll see AJ or Aaron Jones in that first preseason game,” head coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday.
That means the Packers will get an extensive look at undrafted rookies Tyler Goodson and BJ Baylor. Patrick Taylor would also be a candidate for carries, but he landed on Wednesday’s injury report with a groin injury. If Taylor doesn’t heal in time, the team could end up adding another running back before the start of the preseason.
“That’s something Gutey (Brian Gutekunst) and I have talked about; certainly we don’t want to go into the first preseason game with two backs,” said LaFleur.
Taylor was Green Bay’s leading rusher last preseason but got released during final cutdowns. Instead, the team went with seventh-round draft pick Kylin Hill as the third back and signed Taylor to the practice squad.
Hill’s rookie season ended prematurely when he tore his ACL returning a kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. Taylor replaced Hill on the roster the very next week and remained there for the rest of the season, totaling 23 rushing attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown.
If Hill were healthy, he would likely be the frontrunner for the third running back spot. However, because the injury occurred mid-season, there is still no timetable for his return. Now that Taylor is dealing with an issue, that opens the door for Goodson and Taylor.
Goodson (5-9, 197) rushed for 2,551 yards and 18 touchdowns and caught 70 passes over three seasons at Iowa. He had a strong performance in practice on Thursday, producing multiple long runs and a 20-yard touchdown during the red zone 11 on 11 period.
Meanwhile, Baylor isn’t going away quietly. The Oregon-State product has also shown flashes in camp, being able to pick up blitzes and stringing together a few nice runs himself.
The Packers RB3 battle is still in its beginning stages, but competition will heat up quickly when the preseason is officially underway.
Packers RB Patrick Taylor, WR Osirus Mitchell miss Wednesday's practice with new injuries
Clouds and rain didn't stop football fans from enjoying the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fun Fest. | 2022-08-04T21:55:46Z | sports.yahoo.com | Packers to rest Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon during preseason opener, paving way for RB3 battle | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-rest-aaron-jones-aj-205547405.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-rest-aaron-jones-aj-205547405.html?src=rss |
Hamilton has shown some flashes during 2022 training camp, but on Wednesday had to leave practice with apparent cramping. However in good news, the safety returned to the practice field on Thursday, easing any doubts that he might have to miss some time to heal up.
Kyle Hamilton is back on field for Ravens
Hamilton is expected to play a big role on the Ravens’ defense, and will be working in tandem with a few other very talented safeties such as Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark. There have been times where Hamilton has looked like a rookie in camp, but that’s natural for first-year players, especially in the first few weeks of getting acclimated to the NFL game. He is an extremely talented player that should have a successful career as a professional for many years. | 2022-08-04T21:56:11Z | sports.yahoo.com | Ravens S Kyle Hamilton returns to practice on Thursday | https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-kyle-hamilton-returns-practice-201326590.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-kyle-hamilton-returns-practice-201326590.html?src=rss |
Alonso does bring a lot of NFL experience, which the Saints depth chart has been lacking. While Demario Davis is entrenched in the starting lineup, second-year pro Pete Werner is poised to start next to him with career backups Kaden Elliss and Zack Baun slotted in behind them. New Orleans must have wanted someone with more meaningful reps on the depth chart in case Davis or Werner miss time during the regular season, though it remains to be seen whether Alonso has anything left in the tank after three years out of pro football. Still, good for him to work hard and earn this opportunity.
With that said, this looks rough in light of Kwon Alexander’s signing with the New York Jets on the eve of training camp. The Saints traded Alonso to San Francisco in the first place as a salary-dumping move to acquire Alexander, who put together a very solid two-year run for New Orleans. But he and the team weren’t able to reach an agreement on a contract that would have led to a third year together, so he’ll be suiting up for his old coach Robert Saleh with the Jets this season. If the Saints had acted more aggressively to re-up Alexander, maybe they could have avoided this situation altogether. | 2022-08-04T21:56:24Z | sports.yahoo.com | Saints expected to re-sign Kiko Alonso after group tryout | https://sports.yahoo.com/saints-expected-sign-kiko-alonso-213220498.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/saints-expected-sign-kiko-alonso-213220498.html?src=rss |
Trent Brown: I put the work in during the offseason, so I’m expecting to reap the benefits originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
Injuries have thinned the ranks at wide receiver in Arizona, so the Cardinals moved to bolster the ranks with a new addition to the roster on Thursday. The team announced the signing of Marcell Ateman. Offensive lineman Eric Smith was cut loose in a corresponding move. Ateman was a Raiders seventh-round pick in 2018 and [more] | 2022-08-04T21:56:30Z | sports.yahoo.com | Trent Brown: I put the work in during the offseason, so I’m expecting to reap the benefits | https://sports.yahoo.com/trent-brown-put-during-offseason-203945512.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/trent-brown-put-during-offseason-203945512.html?src=rss |
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping to make another Super Bowl run this year, and if they do, their dominant defense front will have plenty to do with it.
That unit is anchored by Vita Vea, arguably the best nose tackle in the NFL.
A disruptive force with rare athleticism for his size, Vea is the anchor for the entire Tampa Bay defense, shutting down the ground game almost single-handedly at times.
Vea’s also one of the more entertaining personalities on the Bucs’ roster, which is why it makes sense to have him mic’d up during this year’s training camp practices:
Who wouldn’t want this guy for a teammate?
In furnace-like conditions in Washington and on an eerily quiet court, Emma Raducanu was subjected to the ultimate endurance test in her second-round match at the Citi Open. | 2022-08-04T21:56:49Z | sports.yahoo.com | WATCH: Vita Vea mic’d up at Bucs training camp | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-vita-vea-mic-d-210819230.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-vita-vea-mic-d-210819230.html?src=rss |
Pete Rose only spent five of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball in Philadelphia, but the all-time hits leader has some pretty strong opinions on what the city's sports fans are like.
The 1980 World Champion first baseman had a lot to say about the city's baseball fans, including what he told reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper before Harper made his move from the Nationals to the Phils in 2019.
"I think I talked to Bryce Harper before he went to Philly," Rose said, "and I told him, 'Bryce, bust your ass every day and they will never even start to think about booing you. I don't care how many times you strike out. If you bust your chops, they'll love you. You've got the talent.' And he's got the talent, he's showed it, okay?
"With Philly fans - you can't get offended [at boos] if you strike out in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded with two outs. They want a hit, they want to win the game. They don't want to see you strike out. Are you supposed to give them a standing ovation if you make an error or strike out? Hey, suffer the consequences based on your play. Make sure they don't boo, make sure that they yell for you because you've got a game-winning hit, you made a game-winning play, you got a game-winning save. Those are the things that make fans happy. Philadelphia fans, they aren't coming to the games to see the Phillies play, they're coming to the games to see the Phillies win."
It's hard to argue Rose's points!
Harper was asked after the game about the boos, and he said he'd "do the same thing" if he were a Phillies fan. The perfect answer. Harper understood the city immediately.
It's really not a complicated formula - try hard, help the team win, and we'll love you forever - but the city's ethos seems to elude some players for whatever reason.
To Rose's credit, he thinks it's the exact right way to be a sports fan.
"I've always loved the Philadelphia fans," Rose said. "They get a bad rap, because my philosophy with the Philadelphia fans is they want two things: they want you to bust your ass, and they want to win. Every fan in every ballpark should want the same thing. That's what Philly fans want. I knew that when I was getting ready to go there, and I found out firsthand once I was there.
"Philly fans, they're great fans. They're knowledgeable, they're passionate, and I guess that's why I fell in love with them because they stood for the same things that I stood for my whole career."
In anticipation of large crowds at municipal beaches, the city has extended lifeguard coverage at East and West Beach. | 2022-08-04T22:16:07Z | sports.yahoo.com | What Pete Rose told Bryce Harper about Philly before Phillies move | https://sports.yahoo.com/pete-rose-told-bryce-harper-202400498.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/pete-rose-told-bryce-harper-202400498.html?src=rss |
The 2022 Boston Red Sox aren't exactly World Series contenders, but at least the future looks bright.
The brightest star in Boston's farm system is shortstop Marcelo Mayer, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Mayer has lofty expectations as the No. 9 prospect in all of baseball per MLB.com, but he's been living up to the hype this season with the Single-A Affiliate Salem (Va.) Red Sox.
Here's a look at all five of Mayer's at-bats from Wednesday's game, which included two walks and two very hard-hit balls:
And here's a look at the laser of a home run Mayer hit the night before:
Marcelo Mayer 🚀
The California native, who doesn't turn 20 until December, is batting .286 with an impressive .907 OPS over 62 games for Salem with nine home runs, 39 RBIs and 15 steals.
Mayer likely is several years away from the major leagues, and the Red Sox shouldn't rush their top prospect's development. But it seems likely that Mayer gets the call-up to Double-A Portland next season, which would give fans in New England a chance to watch him in person.
The 23rd round draft pick recently earned a call-up to San Francisco's Triple-A club in Sacramento, playing with the Sacramento River Cats. | 2022-08-04T22:16:20Z | sports.yahoo.com | Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer continues torrid stretch in minors | https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-prospect-marcelo-mayer-194500403.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-prospect-marcelo-mayer-194500403.html?src=rss |
The Big Ten is one of the premier football conferences in the FBS. Big Ten teams are typically scattered throughout the top 25 rankings, and a lot of players are drafted out of the conference.
There’s a big team-first style of mentality that is attached to the conference, team’s playing football the “right way,” but that absolutely does not mean there aren’t superstars to be found. Even with rosters held to a high standard, there are still those few players that stand out and today we are going to rank them.
Here are the 10 best individual players Iowa Hawkeyes fans will see against their beloved squad in 2022.
Mo Ibrahim: Minnesota running back
Career stats: 547 attempts, 3,003 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry, and 33 touchdowns
Mo Ibrahim has been a Big Ten staple over the past four seasons, playing a significant role in the Golden Gophers’ offense. He looked to have his best year yet in 2021 before an injury derailed his senior season. Ibrahim will be one to watch out in a pivotal late-season clash at Minnesota.
Denzel Burke: Ohio State cornerback
Freshman stats: 35 total tackles, one interception, and 12 pass breakups
The first of many Ohio State Buckeyes on the list, Denzel Burke looks to be the next great Ohio State cornerback. A breakout freshman, Burke posted great coverage grades and got his hands on a ton of passes. Look for Burke to become a household name as a sophomore in 2022.
Aidan O'Connell: Purdue quarterback
Career stats: 506-for-740, 5,729 passing yards, 43 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions
Once Aidan O’Connell took over the starting job last year, there was a change in Purdue. The Boilermakers boasted one of the best passing attacks in the nation, and knocked off Big Ten giants Iowa and Michigan State. Coming in as the unquestioned starter, look for AOC to finish his career in West Lafayette, Ind. with a bang!
Nick Herbig: Wisconsin outside linebacker
Career stats: 87 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks
Wisconsin’s defense was fantastic last year. Like, better than you think. The Badgers only allowed 16.2 points per game and allowed only 4.17 yards per play. That was only .01 behind Georgia‘s historic unit. They also allowed the least amount of yards allowed both total (3,108) and per game (239). Outside linebacker and pass rusher Nick Herbig was a breakout star in his sophomore year with 14.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
Blake Corum: Michigan running back
Career stats: 170 attempts, 1,026 rushing yards, six yards per carry, and 14 total touchdowns
With Hassan Haskins off to the NFL, junior running back Blake Corum steps into the lead role. As Michigan’s second punch, Corum nearly hit 1,000 rushing yards and reached the end zone 12 total times. Watch for Michigan‘s rushing attack led by Corum, with assistance from sophomore Donovan Edwards, to be one of the best in football.
Peter Skoronski: Northwestern offensive tackle
The only offensive lineman on the list, Skoronski is one of the best returning lineman in both the conference and the NCAA. Starting early as a freshman, Skoronski showed early on his ability to handle his own and Northwestern’s left tackle play didn’t falter without first-round pick and NFL second-team All-Pro Rashawn Slater. His future may be in the NFL, but for now teams need to send extra men to the Wildcats’ left side if they hope to stop the Skoronski-led rushing attack.
Braelon Allen: Wisconsin running back
Freshman stats: 186 attempts, 1,268 rushing yards, 6.8 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns
Too big. Too fast. Too strong. That is the best way to describe sophomore running back Braelon Allen’s game. Looking like the next Derrick Henry, Allen was a breakout superstar as a freshman despite splitting work with Chez Mellusi. While Mellusi will receive his share, there’s no denying Allen’s talent. He will be the next in the Badgers’ long line of great college running backs.
TreVeyon Henderson: Ohio State running back
Freshman stats: 183 Yards, 1,248 rushing yards, 6.8 yards per carry, and 15 touchdowns
What TreVeyon Henderson managed to do last year as a true freshman was nothing short of incredible. It wasn’t just the raw physical talent on display for him as it was for Allen. While Henderson has physical ability to spare, his burst is incredible, his vision is next level. He was doing advanced stuff right out of the gate. He’s as complete a back as you’ll find and will be a massive thorn in the side of opponents for the next two years.
Jaxson Smith-Njigba: Ohio State wide receiver
Career stats: 105 receptions, 1,655 rushing yards, 15.58 yards per catch, and 10 touchdowns
Last year on a team with two wide receivers selected in the top 15 of the 2022 NFL draft, Jaxon Smith-Njigba outperformed both of them. As a true sophomore. That is scary. Arguably the best receiver in the nation, Smith-Njigba will lead one of the best aerial attacks in the nation as C.J. Stroud’s No. 1 option. Don’t be surprised when Smith-Njigba is also a top-15 pick.
C.J. Stroud: Ohio State quarterback
Career Stats: 314-for-441, 4,435 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, six interceptions
It is scary to think what C.J. Stroud is going to do in his junior year. With how great his sophomore stats were, it is important to note that he did struggle a bit in the very early stages of the season. Once he found his footing, it was lights out then.
He’s entering this season with a year of experience under his belt, with his footing found, and with one of the best rosters in the nation. This entire list was almost made up of his teammates. Even if it comes to the detriment of Iowa’s final record, make sure to enjoy what Stroud will do this season. It’s going to be special.
Betting: Is Kentucky the best win total in SEC?
Pamela Maldonado gives her best preseason win total for the SEC conference for the 2022 season.
Lars Nootbaar hit a tying sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and a game-ending RBI single in the ninth, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in the opener of a split doubleheader. St. Louis trailed 3-0 before rallying in the seventh against Marcus Stroman. Nolan Gorman and Paul Goldschmidt hit back-to-back homers before Nolan Arenado doubled and scored on Nootbaar's flyball to center. | 2022-08-04T22:46:46Z | sports.yahoo.com | The 10 best Big Ten football players the Iowa Hawkeyes will see in 2022 | https://sports.yahoo.com/10-best-big-ten-football-211559115.html?src=rss | https://sports.yahoo.com/10-best-big-ten-football-211559115.html?src=rss |
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