Month: December 2017

Players who could surprise in bowl season

adminLeave a comment

Alexander is more recognizable than others on this list, but after injury limited him to six games, this is his final chance to make a mark in 2017. The bowl also marks Alexander’s last opportunity to impress NFL scouts in a game setting if he elects to skip his final season. Alexander had five interceptions in 2016 and can change games, especially as he takes on a young quarterback in Keytaon Thompson.

Derrius Guice, RB, LSU — Guice had a huge game in a 45-21 win over Texas A&M. The 5-11, 212-pound junior ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries and added an 18-yard reception. Guice now has 1,153 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

B.J. Hill, DT, North Carolina State — While Bradley Chubb garners most of the headlines for the N.C. State defense, and deservedly so, Hill was the one who dominated Saturday against rival UNC. The 6-4, 315-pound senior clogged up the middle with eight tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss and a sack. Chubb had six tackles, one for loss, in the 33-21 N.C. State victory.

Whether the Senators trade Karlsson is almost two different questions, depending entirely on Karlsson’s aspirations. If it seems like he’s most interested in greener pastures than being a career Senators, then Ottawa has to entertain the idea. If he wants to remain in Ottawa, and the question is whether they should flip one of the best defensemen in NHL history before he’s 30 in exchange for rebuilding blocks, then the answer is a resounding “no.”

The Chargers have won all three of their home games (with their nonexistent home-field advantage) in their run of six wins in eight games. Their offense has only had to not ruin things for their defense … but that could change against Washington, which somehow allowed depleted Dallas’ offense to get better last Thursday. Washington also is scraping the bottom of its roster barrel on its offensive line, and this is one of the last teams they need to see in that situation.
chargers_032-180x180

The two penalties allowed the Steelers to kick the go-ahead field goal in an 18-16 win.

adminLeave a comment

“Listen, that was a good streak,” said James, who earlier in the week said he wouldn’t start zeroing in on the string of success until it reached at least 25 games. “We never talked about it, we just played each game, executed each game. Streaks are meant to be broken, obviously. We came in, we knew this was going to be a tough game for us, they’ve been playing extremely well at home. But we gave ourselves a chance. That’s all you can ask for. Best thing about this league is you always, most of the time, you’ve got another one less than 24 hours. We definitely have that.”

Burfict appeared to have made a game-winning interception, but Jeremy Hill fumbled on the ensuing drive to give the Steelers one more chance. On the game’s final drive, Burfict knocked out Antonio Brown with a hit to the head and was called for a personal foul. Pacman Jones was assessed a personal foul after the play.

Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco 49ers (40.5 percent): Among the biggest beneficiaries of Garoppolo starting in San Francisco has been Goodwin, who has 14 catches for 205 yards on 20 targets in Garoppolo’s two starts. Goodwin has incredible speed and with a relative lack of pass catchers in San Francisco, his volume is too good to ignore. He’s an add for any size league.

Let’s get one thing straight about Tomlin’s comments: He’s saying what every Steeler (and, yes, every Patriot) is thinking. New England coach Bill Belichick, the master of coachspeak, would never utter such words.

But I guarantee Belichick is watching the Steelers’ every move.nike_chargers_549-180x180

It isn’t clear what Jefferson did to earn an ejection on the following play.

adminLeave a comment

“It’s just bulls—,” Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “There’s no room in the game for that. You see we’re kneeling. You can get somebody hurt. We’re out there trying to kneel, there’s no timeouts, you guys can’t stop the clock. Like, why try to hurt somebody?”

Lewis added: “We had 60 minutes to handle that. The last 30 seconds while we’re kneeling, you’re going to spear somebody in the legs? That’s not cool.”

The Rams have proved of late they can put up points against anybody, but they continue to make mistakes on offense against swarming defenses. They will try to play a lot better in Seattle with the division title on the line.

The Falcons survived the Saints for a monumental victory, but their work is far from done. There’s a road rematch against that team in Week 16, plus a home sequel with the Panthers in Week 17. Matt Ryan needs to get hot before it’s too late.

Don’t be fooled by Seattle’s payroll. Between the money the Mariners already have committed for 2018 ($126 million) and the money they’re expected to spend on arbitration guys and rounding out the roster ($29 million), they are already slightly above the team-record $154 million payroll they had on Opening Day last year. But as long as GM Jerry Dipoto is the one pulling the strings, the M’s will be movin’ and shakin’. — Eddie Matz

Which NFL teams are rising and falling in the quest for Super Bowl LII? A wacky, entertaining Week 14 provided a few more twists and turns.

The Steelers are doing their absolute best to win with offense while their defense is falling apart. They can’t let up in another potential shootout in Heinz Field.lakers_002

Eli Manning’s options: Archie hints other teams, CBS would hire him ‘in a second’

adminLeave a comment

So, what now for Eli Manning?

The team, however, made it clear this week, for this season, it doesn’t love him playing for the Giants.

So what teams might be interested in Manning? Already lists have been formulated that include the Broncos, Jaguars and Vikings, among others.

But that’s all just speculation.

“There is no way of knowing,” Archie said. “It will all shake out.”

And it doesn’t factor in another potential option: a Tony Romo-like move to the TV booth.

CBS gives Manning a ringing endorsement.

“We’d take him in a second,” network president and CEO Les Moonves told TMZ Sports Wednesday, adding that Manning “absolutely” has it in him to slide over to the broadcast booth.

This week, Philadelphia is joined by six more teams that can clinch playoff berths, three of which can win their respective divisions.

As the NFL enters the final four weeks of the 2017 regular season, 10 teams currently out of the playoff picture are within two games of a spot in the postseason. SN has pinned the Chargers and Falcons as such teams with the best chances of making the playoffs.

As for the Week 14 clinching scenarios, four teams — Minnesota, New England, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — can clinch division titles. Three others — Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans — can secure playoff berths.

Wood scored 13 seconds later to pull the Devils within two goals. Defenseman Will Butcher picked up his 17th assist, good for second in the league amongst all rookiespanthers_114

Former Giants WR Victor Cruz: Ben McAdoo firing a couple weeks ‘too late’

adminLeave a comment

“As far as Coach McAdoo being fired, being released, I think it was long overdue, I think it was a couple weeks already too late,” he said. “Once you see guys in that locker room start to give these anonymous reports about how he’s handling them бн that’s when you know he’s completely lost the locker room and completely lost the players.”

McAdoo benched Eli Manning before Sunday’s matchup with the Raiders, ending the 2004 No. 1 overall pick’s consecutive regular-season games started streak at 210 games. The former Giants coach said he had the support of the powers that be to make the move, but after going down this road he was fired less than a week later.

Manning now could be the starting quarterback again, and McAdoo is no longer with the team.

Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell’s multiyear contract extension, signed earlier this year, appears to provide less job security than initially believed, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Caldwell has been on and off the hot seat since the middle of the 2015 season, when the Lions started 1-6 and he fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive line coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan, promoting Jim Bob Cooter to offensive coordinator and Ron Prince to offensive line coach.

“We had an agreement to acquire Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins, subject to him waiving his no-trade clause,” Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “While we are disappointed in his decision, we will continue to make every effort to improve our club for the upcoming season.”royals_003

SDSU, Wieneke overwhelm New Hampshire to reach FCS semis

adminLeave a comment

To some it would be ridiculous to say South Dakota State wide receiver Jake Wieneke could be overshadowed by anybody.

SDSU racked up 265 rushing yards against a surging New Hampshire defense that forced eight sacks and eight turnovers in two playoff wins. Isaac Wallace led the way with 79 yards and two touchdowns, while Christion and Mikey Daniels also scored on the ground. Christion’s 238 yards of total offense pushed the junior’s career total to a school-record 9,478 yards.

When UNH finally scored on Trevor Knight’s 75-yard pass to Kiernan Presley to make it 35-7 in the third quarter, SDSU’s Cade Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.

The win was the 148th of SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier’s 21-year career. To get to 150 this season, well …

Smith started in place of Manning in the 24-17 loss to the Raiders. It ended Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts and sparked an outrage among Giants fans.

His teammates noticed the negative attention it drew for Smith.

After the game, the Steelers made sure their defensive leader was part of the celebration although he couldn’t be at Heinz Field.

Ryan Shazier was able to FaceTime with his Steelers teammates from his hospital room as he continues to recover from Wednesday’s spinal stabilization surgery, stemming from a hit Monday against the Bengals. panthers_003

The Saints aren’t even close to being there yet with half the 2017 campaign remaining.

adminLeave a comment

Try to comfort yourselves about the star players and starting quarterbacks continuing to drop like flies … by celebrating something of a throwback weekend in Week 11.

But if what New Orleans has accomplished following double-digit defeats against the Vikings and Patriots is proof, the Saints may very well have a legitimate shot at ending their season playing in Super Bowl 52 inside the same venue (U.S. Bank Stadium) where their season opened with a 29-19 road loss to the Vikes.

“Our coaches did a good job keeping us focused,” Saints linebacker Craig Robertson told Sporting News following the blowout of the Bucs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. “They said just worry about the next game. It’s hard to lose, but we played two good teams. After we got that first win, guys relaxed a little bit and just played football after that.

As his competitors either falter or find their season over due to injury, Kamara (who leads the NFL in yards per carry) keeps going from strength to strength and as ESPN Saints writer Mike Triplett notes, is on pace to finish the season with 700 yards rushing and 700 yards receiving.

“Younger generations of NFL fans have grown accustomed to watching football from this angle through their love of video games. This telecast will have a look and feel akin to that experience. We’ll still have our full complement of cameras and will revert to traditional coverage when situations dictate, but the primary viewing experience of the game will come from the SkyCam angle.

“‘Thursday Night Football’ has always been about technical innovation and new technologies, and this production will fit perfectly with that.”
nike_steelers_2107

None of the brands offered a signature shoe during the course of his rookie shoe deal — no 2017 draft pick received such an offer.

adminLeave a comment

Following up his second triple-double, which featured a career-high 16 rebounds, Ball snagged 13 boards to go with eight points, four assists and only one turnover, none coming in the second half. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Ball and Magic Johnson are the only starting rookie point guards with 13 or more rebounds in back-to-back games since the ABA-NBA merger.

The shoes, which are being designed with suggestions from Kristen, will emphasize various CMV internet hashtags as well as the foundation’s website and Bucs-themed colors. CMV resonated with Marpet on multiple levels, including his own prior charitable endeavors spending time with sick children.

Given how strong their strengths are — power running, pass rushing, shutdown coverage — they don’t need to be perfect in the areas where they are weak. That doesn’t even account for how much their special teams have provided a boost the past two weeks.

“You see the numbers and the players that are affiliated [with the brand], and you know which shoes you’ve liked in the past and you see the progress that everyone has made,” Fox said. “If a brand hasn’t made that progress, it’s like, ‘Well, how much further can I help with that progress?’ ”

“Nike was very straight,” said Happy Walters, Fox’s agent. “[Nike] said, ‘Hey, we do have other big athletes here, and if you become a great athlete, maybe you’ll get your own shoe. But that doesn’t mean you will.’ That wasn’t as important to him.”
nike_steelers_715

The Packers go for it on fourth down near midfield trailing by 17.

adminLeave a comment

The Packers go for it on fourth down near midfield trailing by 17. Hundley throws an incomplete pass on the play and Green Bay turns it over on downs.

Touchdown, Detroit. The Lions quickly answer the Packers’ touchdown with one of their own. Stafford connects with Theo Riddick on a screen pass that goes for 63 yards. Two plays later, he finds Marvin Jones Jr. for an 11-yard score as the Lions increase their lead to 27-10.

Philadelphia leads the second-place and defending division champion Cowboys (5-5) by four games with six to play after handing Dallas its worst home loss at 8-year-old AT&T Stadium.

“We’re winning those close games that in the past we would lose because we weren’t playing sound football,” Woodyard told Sporting News in a telephone interview.

“Coach (Mike) Mularkey said it best: Good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose.”

The final push is upon us. Not only are we past the bye weeks portion of the NFL season — something that makes setting your lineup a less complicated process — but we are also down to the last two weeks of the ESPN Fantasy regular season. Pretty crazy, right?

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Houston Texans: At the tail end of a 34-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Foreman appeared to take an awkward step, and after diving into the end zone, he remained on the ground where ankle was attended to by Texans medical staff. He was subsequently carted off the field. The early diagnosis is that Foreman has a torn Achilles tendon, pending further tests on Monday.nike_bills-084

Tom Brady plans to visit Mexico City again; Bill Belichick not so gung-ho on a return

adminLeave a comment

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said after Sunday’s victory over the Oakland Raiders at Estadio Azteca that he plans on visiting again.

For coach Bill Belichick, there isn’t the same strong desire to return.

Losers of five of their past six games before Sunday’s win, the Raiders moved out of a three-way tie behind the Chiefs to enter their bye week before a game against the Patriots in Mexico City. The Dolphins’ ineptitude continued despite a solid game from Jay Culter, which kicks off our takeaways from the game.

Sunday’s night cap was an NFC East showdown in Dallas, where the shorthanded Cowboys lost to the powerful Eagles, who improved their NFL-best record to 9-1.

The warning apparently is other NFL owners — particularly those on the Compensation Committee — firing back at Jones’ threat to sue the NFL and individual owners over the five-year contract extension and negotiations in which he claims the committee has misled to the rest of the owners.

The expectations for Matt Ryan were extremely high coming off his MVP season and Super Bowl appearance. Even Ryan would tell you that he hasn’t played his best ball yet, but that it’s “close” based on certain moments when the offense has looked like last year’s high-octane attack. Adjusting to new coordinator Steve Sarkisian could be one reason Ryan didn’t start off as sharp as he wanted to.

Not working a lot with Julio Jones (foot surgery) and Taylor Gabriel (lower leg injury) leading into the season is another factor. And dropped balls plagued the Falcons through the first nine games, contributing to Ryan’s eight interceptions — one more than he had all of last season. That said, Ryan remains among the top quarterbacks in the league and has all the tools to lead the Falcons back to the postseason. But the critics likely won’t give him a pass until he wins a ring. — Vaughn McClure
nike_cardinals-011