Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Danica Patrick, Ketel Marte Posted in Los Angeles Rams

Luck spent his first three seasons in the NFL taking every significant snap for the Colts.

Yeah, so I’m in the middle of sort of a little bit of throwing, but strengthening and preparing my shoulder to be able to handle the throw load that is part of being an NFL quarterback, Luck said. So the focus right now is still strengthening all those muscles and making sure that my shoulder can handle it. … And as much as I have to catch myself — as much as I want to grab a ball and throw it a million times — I know I have to build up to be able to handle that point, and right now I’m in that building phase still.

His past three seasons, though, have been full of injuries. He has missed 26 games over the past three seasons because of shoulder, rib, kidney and concussion injuries. He hasn’t played in a game since Week 17 of the 2016 season.

It’s a similar problem on defense with Seabrook and Keith. The latter remains a solid top-pairing defenseman even though he clearly doesn’t have the same legs as he used to, but Seabrook looks like a fraction of himself on the ice. And while the coaching staff has at times worked to ease the load on Seabrook to make him more effective, he’s averaged nearly 22 minutes per game this month. Unsurprisingly it hasn’t gone great.

Man, we connected right away, Souza said. His personality and mine kind of match up, the way we think. What an amazing man he is.

Lovullo wouldn’t say what would be done at second base with Drury gone to the Yankees. The Diamondbacks still have plenty of middle infield help.

One possibility would be to shift Ketel Marte from shortstop to second. Ahmed would mostly play at short with Chris Owings filling in all over the infield as well as in the outfield. Daniel Descalso also can play just about anywhere.

Earnhardt, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, will serve as the grand marshal and give the command for drivers to start their engines. Other notables in attendance include former NFL quarterback and five-time MVP Peyton Manning, Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron, and Chipper Jones, one of baseball’s newest Hall of Famers.

As anticipated, the scene surrounding Danica Patrick’s car prior to the race was chaotic. Among those wishing Patrick well before her final NASCAR race was her family and close friends, along with boyfriend and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Johnny Unitas Posted in Los Angeles Rams

Howley is the only Super Bowl MVP from a losing team, on the Cowboys’ side in a mutually ugly 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Colts.

Howley did record two interceptions in the game, but it wasn’t like the Colts, even with QBs Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall struggling as much Dallas’ Craig Morton, didn’t have a worthy winning offensive candidate.

That was Mackey, the transcendent Hall of Fame tight end. Not only was Mackey’s effort strong with two catches for 80 yards — including a 75-yard TD that tied the game in the second quarter — but it also would have been a bonus to further the legacy of well-respected competitor.

“Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country!” he wrote. And a few hours later, he posted a video to demonstrate what standing for the anthem looked like.

Come Sunday morning, again weekending at his resort in New Jersey, Trump lurched between topics. His administration’s “great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico.” His “wonderful Secretary of State,” who was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with North Korea.

The president had not mentioned the NFL again by noon, as football fans across the country prepared for pregames, and perhaps more knee-drops.

But his tweets had done their work. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) was pushed to weigh in on the protests on a Sunday news show.

Taylor finished with six catches for 81 yards — a cleaner line than that of Dawson. It was hard to figure out who to dub MVP since everybody on a star-studded defense came through.

As Trump castigated football players, a humanitarian crisis unfolded in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which had been left without power and isolated by a hurricane the previous week.

As The Washington Post reported, top White House aides had gone dark for days as the island’s residents struggled to survive — as Trump “fixated on his escalating public feuds with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with fellow Republicans in Congress and with the National Football League.”

By Thursday, the administration was defending itself against accusations of negligence. The acting homeland security secretary spoke of Puerto Rico’s recovery as a “good news story” on TV.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Aaron Donald Posted in Cleveland Browns

The Rams are in the playoffs as the NFC West champ.

The Saints and Panthers have secured postseason spots. The Saints will be the NFC South champions if they beat the Buccaneers, which would relegate the Panthers to a wild card and the No. 5 seed.

The competition for the second wild card and the NFC’s sixth seed comes down to the Falcons and Seahawks. The Falcons, the defending NFC champs, are in with a win at home over the Panthers. The Seahawks need to beat the Arizona Cardinals and hope the Falcons lose.

Rosen and the Browns … The Browns already are on the clock, having wrapped up the top overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Their new general manager, John Dorsey, presumably won’t repeat the mistakes of his predecessors and go out of his way to avoid drafting a prospective franchise quarterback.

Defensive player of the year: Aaron Donald, DT, Rams … The rise of the Rams brings Donald’s excellence into the spotlight. He is the game’s most disruptive force on defense, causing turnovers and applying pass-rush pressure from the interior. Donald gets the nod over Jacksonville’s Calais Campbell and Dallas’s Demarcus Lawrence.

Coach of the Year: Sean McVay, Rams … The youngest head coach in modern NFL history turned Jared Goff into a franchise quarterback, made the most of Gurley’s talents and transformed the Rams into contenders. If anyone had suggested when McVay was hired that he’d accomplish all of that in Year 1, it would have seemed far-fetched. McVay finishes ahead of Philadelphia’s Doug Pederson, Jacksonville’s Doug Marrone and Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer.

That player is still going to be monitored by the medical staff as the game progresses. They are going to touch base with that player, they’re going to look at the emergence of any new symptoms, they’re going to continue to maintain contact with that player both verbally as well as visually. They are going to watch that player as they go back on the field and make sure there are no visible signs of head trauma as they go on.”

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott Posted in Seattle Seahawks

Both of these players were a flaming mess last season, but not inside McVay’s fascinating offensive machine.

Dallas takes over the top spot in the rankings and went 4-0 against AFC teams in 2016, but second-year pros Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott haven’t faced a defense like the Broncos.

Opposing quarterbacks had a league-low 69.7 passer rating against Denver in 2016 and it finished the season as the No. 1 rated defense per Football Outsiders’ Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, which measures a team’s efficiency by comparing success on every single play to a league average based on situation and opponent. Prescott and Elliott also saw their production suffer when facing a Top 10 DVOA defense last season compared to their production against everyone else.

Not unlike Patriots teams past and present, this season’s Rams have the ability to score in bunches. There’s scant playoff experience on this roster, but that simply doesn’t matter with McVay at the wheel. This squad is ready to fly.

Weakness: One of the league’s sauciest special-teams units has lost its ultra-reliable kicker. Greg Zuerlein was shipped to injured reserve with a back injury in late December, and his absence generated immediate on-field consequences — and looms as a genuine concern. Signed-off-the-street booter Sam Ficken hails from a brokerage firm in Connecticut. No lie. While he nailed a pair of field goals in Sunday’s loss to the Niners, Ficken also botched an extra point and missed a 36-yard attempt in a tight win over the Titans in Week 16. Color me concerned.

The Packers are re-signing third-string quarterback Joe Callahan, Rob Demovsky reports. It seems like a trivial move, but it could signal the Packers’ intention to shut down Aaron Rodgers for the season. The Packers’ playoff hopes have evaporated, and so it would make no sense to risk his health in the final two games of the season. Rodgers underwent surgery to repair a broken collarbone. He returned this week in a 31-24 loss in Carolina after missing eight weeks.

Hernandez is not the first high-profile CTE case, but it could be one that resonates with both fans of the NFL and parents of youth players. Recent studies have shown that playing football before age 12 could result in long-term mood and behavioral issues. Some of the most high-profile CTE cases involved players who committed suicide, such as Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and Andre Waters, but Hernandez marks the first former NFL player who was diagnosed after being convicted of a heinous crime.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Billy Hamilton Posted in Seattle Seahawks

It has been a season overflowing with controversies for the PR-conscious league.

As always, these rankings combine my first-hand evaluation of players, copious input from MLB scouts and executives, and the player’s performance to date. Age and position also factor heavily into rankings, as players up the middle are more valuable (as they’re scarcer) than those on the corners, and players who succeed while young for the levels where they play tend to become better big leaguers.

Player rankings are team-agnostic: A prospect would get the same ranking or evaluation if he played for Miami that he would if he played for Colorado. Any numerical grades assigned to players are on the 20-80 scouting scale, where 50 is major-league average and 80 is Billy Hamilton’s speed or Joey Gallo’s power.

“Given that dynamic, I knew we had to get more aggressive about getting our message out and more agile in promoting and protecting the game and the league. I believe we’ve accomplished much of that by becoming a more transparent organization that every day tries to drive the narrative we all believe in so strongly. I emphasize ‘try,’ as we’ll always have days where our best offense requires playing tenacious defense.”

Trump said at a speech in September that owners should fire any players who protest during the anthem, igniting a passionate national debate about the protests and patriotism. The league and many owners expressed support for players, although Jones said he would bench any player who protested during the anthem.

When did you start getting so disillusioned?

Oh, it’s been a long time. Like a lot of people, during the Snyder ownership I’ve not always been real happy. It’s been a long time coming. You put your heart and soul into being a fan. People want to be a sports fan to bring a little joy into their lives. And when you realize it doesn’t, you’re just like, “Why am I still doing this?” I mean, I still hold out hope that this thing turns around and it’s not a disaster every year, but they just never seem to take any steps forward. Just up and back all the time. It’s just a culmination of years of there not being a whole lot of fun associated with being a Redskins fan.

I don’t know. I’m not really sure. Partway through the last couple of years, all my T-shirts and hats — and I only have one jersey now — I’d literally have them in a stack in my closet, ready to just get rid of everything.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Brian Hoyer Posted in Seattle Seahawks

The Chiefs are known for rolling through the regular season only to fail spectacularly in the playoffs.

That didn’t change Saturday when Kansas City dropped a 22-21 heartbreaker to the Titans.

The Chiefs have won just one playoff game since the 1994 season, and they haven’t won a single playoff game at home in that span. Saturday was the team’s fifth home playoff loss in a row, dropping the Chiefs’ postseason record to 2-6 all-time in Arrowhead Stadium.

Alex Smith has gone 1-4 in postseason play in Kansas City. That one win was a 30-0 beatdown against a Brian Hoyer-led Texans team two years ago. Smith said the latest loss was the worst yet.

He’s part househusband and part bodhisattva.If you inappropriate comments, then please report them by clicking the report abuse link aside the comment.Was the 2nd double-digit win streak of his career ; he & Gibson are the only Cardinals with two or more winning streaks of 10 or more…His 0 after first six starts was the lowest ever by a Cardinals pitcher first six starts to begin a .I take some comfort having spoken to barely two weeks ago though, and feel sure you, his dear wife, are finding comfort your and with your loving family..Patricia Patsey Susannah Ortego, Crestone, CO Aunt Deanie and family, I’m sorry to hear about Uncle .

If you don’t want to see Seguin’s injury, stop scrolling.This is what we call poor asset management.of his most memorable moments came at the end of games, when the defense needed a stop to secure victory.There not be one that we have to load up with the backer spot and also play , said.on Saturday suspended Laimbeer of the Detroit Pistons and Daugherty of the Cavaliers for 1 game each without pay.Cle had four tackles and a fumble recovery @ NO posted -high six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble @ Cin tallied three tackles, a sack and a forced fumble vs.

Helfrich didn’t coach a team during the 2017 season and will venture into the NFL for the first time in 2018.

Connor Grossman: In this case I’ll take the bait on a small fish nabbing a relatively big one. Hosmer will sign a sizable deal with the Padres. Yes, the Padres. They hardly have any payroll commitments outside of first baseman Wil Meyers, who reportedly OK’d a move to the outfield if the team signs Hosmer. Despite losing 91 games, San Diego played better than most expected them to in 2017 and they just handed manager Andy Green a contract extension through the 2021 season.

Clearly the franchise is excited about the direction it’s headed. With the surprise emergence of teams like the 2015 Cubs and the 2017 Yankees, both of which blossomed sooner than expected, don’t be stunned if the Padres believe they’re next and take a chance on signing an expensive asset like Hosmer.?

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Brandin Cooks Posted in Seattle Seahawks

There are six time-related viewing windows the NFL measures every week.

What you didn’t see is consistency in how the numbers sunk across the board, something the owners showed concern over inside those meetings rooms. Consider these:

Through six weeks, the NFL’s ratings were down in 22 of 36 windows.

Various players have stepped up to fill those voids. Brandin Cooks, traded by the Saints at the cost of a first-round draft pick, had his third straight 1,000-yard receiving season. Danny Amendola tied a career high with eight starts thanks to a healthier-than-normal season. And, of course, Gronkowski was there to roast AFC rivals and achieve a personal dream with 69 receptions for the year.

One major player from the 2017 playoffs won’t join the Patriot huddle this weekend. Edelman’s ACL injury has robbed the Pats of last year’s leading receiver throughout their entire 13-3 run this season.

Edelman finished that year with 1,106 receiving yards, but his biggest contributions came after the regular season. In three playoff games, the veteran wideout had 21 receptions for 342 yards — including what may go down as the greatest catch in the history of the Super Bowl.

His absence will be missed, but the Pats will be buttressed at wide receiver with Amendola — whose Super Bowl per-game yardage (63.0) is significantly higher than his regular season average (37.0) — playoff debutante Cooks, and a back-from-injury Hogan. More importantly, Brady will have a mismatch machine at his disposal at tight end.

The NFL’s average household rating is currently 25.1, down from 26.9 over the same period last year, and the 28.1-28.7 range where it sat from 2013-15.

Twenty-five of 31 teams (excluding the Chargers, because of the move) are drawing lower local numbers than they did in 2016. Nineteen have dropped 5 percent or more, including brand name teams like the Cowboys (7% drop), Patriots (8%) and Steelers (6%), and both New York clubs (the Giants are down 7%, the Jets are down 37%). Conversely, only three teams (Chiefs, Bucs, Lions) have improved by more than 5 percent.

Digital streaming numbers are improving, but not at the rate that TV numbers are falling. ESPN counts the stream crowd as 3 percent of its viewership of Monday Night Football, which is the best of all the game-carrying networks.

Before the end of the 2017 season, Browns fans planned to hold a “perfect season” parade if the team finished 0-16. And welp, Cleveland did just that last Sunday, joining the 2008 Lions as the only two teams to finish 0-16 in NFL history.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Marcus Mariota Posted in Seattle Seahawks

In an outcome that few expected, the Tennessee Titans bested the Kansas City Chiefs during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Marcus Mariota and Tennessee will now head to Massachusetts for the AFC Divisional Round against the New England Patriots on Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS (live streams at CBS All Access, Yahoo! Sports, and FuboTV).

Opening as the biggest favorites among in the Divisional Round, the Patriots are heavily favored (13.5 points) over the Titans heading into the matchup. With the inconsistent play from the Titans this season, it’s not surprising that the Patriots — who have much more experience in postseason play — are expected to win by quite a bit.

On November 1, Plante stopped a shot with his face and went to the dressing room for stitches, refusing to return unless he could wear his mask.most of the .The whole story with Winslow isn’t his shooting struggles.becomes the 11th player to sign a futures deal with the Redskins since their ended.He made some good pitches to Bautista and Encarnacion, and they flipped a couple there.But rankings and odds can be misleading.

He’s one of us, you know what I mean?It means something to the offensive linemen when expressed confidence them, especially when the Cardinals have delved deep into the depth chart.dad and uncle are amazing jazz musicians, they performed our first dance, with dad on guitar and vocals, uncle on the keyboard, and our band backing them up, says .Kerr can play.

Aaron Donald came after Matt Ryan relentlessly, as he does. And the best way to slow down that pressure is to establish a ground game. The Falcons were able to get some traction on the ground, especially in the third and fourth quarters. They dominated time of possession, holding onto the ball for nearly two-thirds of the matchup.

Devonta Freeman finished with 66 yards and one touchdown, despite slipping and sliding on the horrible turf conditions in the Coliseum. Tevin Coleman had 40 yards, and Julio Jones even had a nifty 13-yard end around.

Atlanta couldn’t have done this without its offensive line. Freeman even had some help on his second-quarter touchdown. Center Alex Mack physically tackled Freeman into the end zone to take a 13-0 lead.

This Falcons team has been up-and-down all year. But now they’ll go to Philadelphia to take on an Eagles team that hasn’t looked quite the same with Nick Foles behind center instead of Carson Wentz.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Minnesota Vikings Posted in Seattle Seahawks

The New Orleans Saints are 0-3 straight up and against the spread over their last three road games.

After advancing to the divisional round with a win at home, the Saints will now be tasked with breaking their road losing streak this Sunday when they visit the Minnesota Vikings.

New Orleans is a 5-point road underdog in Minneapolis at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The betting underdog is just 3-16 SU in the last 19 NFL divisional games.

“I’m trying to make our country stand for what we say we stand for,” Still says. “We say we believe in justice for all, we say we believe in equality, and freedom of speech and then when people are currently protesting, people have an issue with that, or when a police officer kills a young man or a young woman, they don’t serve any time. So, it’s just my goal is to hold this country accountable to the standards that we say we believe in.”

It doesn’t matter that this contract is nearly unprecedented at this level, because the Raiders set their own market, and they decided Gruden’s worth $10 million a year. This could change the entire head coach salary landscape.

Jay Jaffe: While Boston seems to be the obvious answer given their desire for power and a right-handed bat—not to mention the presence of Dave Dombrowski, who as Tigers GM plucked him off the scrap heap in 2014—they’ve got a full outfield and a pricey designated hitter in Hanley Ramirez. Since neither Ramirez nor Martinez can play first base, the Sox would either have to eat much or most of the $22 million the former is owed in order to make the transaction work, or trade Jackie Bradley Jr. and move Mookie Betts to centerfield.

What we’re seeing now from Ryan is a QB who is comfortable doing everything. He’s fine taking a back seat to the running game if the situation calls for it. When needed, he can throw the ball up and down the field and carry the team with his arm. Ryan can also show off his mobility, executing play-action fakes and buying extra time on bootlegs and rollouts.

Much of the Eagles hopes lies with Foles, and he’ll have to find a way to jump start the offense if they hope to make a long run in the postseason.

Foles is going to need to push the ball down field more often in the playoffs in order for the Eagles to win. Teams are going to put eight men in the box and try to stop the run. Defenses are going to try to take away Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor in the underneath passing game. The Falcons have the speed and talent do as much.

Posted by 0 Comments Tagged with Pat Shurmur Posted in Cleveland Browns

Matt Patricia: Patricia is less likely to land a spot than McDaniels after his defense floundered early in the season.

The Jaguars broke out of some droughts of their own this season, putting together their first winning record at 10-6 SU and 9-7 ATS and advancing to the postseason for the first time since 2007 and winning their first division title since 1999.

But his unit turned things around in the second half. Now the Patriots are only allowing 19.3 points per game, which warrants him consideration.

Pat Shurmur: His 9-23 record as the head coach of the Browns in 2011 and 2012 doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence … but it was also the Browns. As the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, Shurmur’s role in turning Case Keenum into a viable NFL starter this season is a shining addition to his resume.

Some fans are finding unconventional ways to watch, some are watching much less football, and some have stopped watching the NFL altogether. Here’s a sampling of the people who are contributing to the NFL’s ratings decline:

I stream everything off Reddit because there’s no way to guarantee you’ll get to watch what you want, when you want. With a cable or satellite provider, it’s always some package of channels and stuff I don’t want to watch. I simply want to buy live sports. I’ve moved around a bunch for work and it’s just not worth dealing with blackouts and having to rush to a sports bar. I’ve lived in L.A. then San Francisco and now D.C., and I haven’t gotten actual cable in any of the places.

I know it is not just me that feels this way. Every fall I go away to a hunting camp with a group of guys. In the past, we’d always find a bar in the nearest town and spend Sunday afternoon watching football. This year, nobody wanted to go into town to watch football. We just went hiking and nobody went in to watch football like we always had.

The only game I have watched since Week 2 was the Steelers-Bengals Week 13 Monday night football game. My son and I really didn’t have anything else to do, so we turned it on. That game may have not been a good game to come back and watch because it was a really dirty game. Lots of unsportsmanlike conduct. Then you see the replays of the dirty hits and I’m just like, O.K., I wasted my time.

I’m not saying that I’ll never watch the Steelers again, but they are a lower priority. I have no plans to watch any games the Steelers aren’t involved in. If the Steelers are playing and I have something better to do, I won’t be watching. I honestly found that life goes on without sitting in front of a TV on a Sunday afternoon in the fall.