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NFL admitted to costly officiating mistake in Steelers-Ravens game

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The Baltimore Ravens were unable to capitalize on numerous opportunities to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but they were on the wrong end of a crucial officiating blunder as well.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Monday that the NFL admitted to him that a significant officiating mistake was made during the team’s 27-22 Week 14 loss to the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The call came in the second quarter and helped Pittsburgh score a touchdown.

Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones was called for unnecessary roughness on a 32-yard field goal attempt for the Steelers in the first half. The officials ruled that Jones made forcible contact with long snapper Christian Kuntz, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. Pittsburgh scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown on the next play.

Replays showed that Jones appeared to split the gap and did not make any forcible contact to Kuntz’s head and neck area, which is what officials are supposed to watch out for.

Harbaugh said the NFL admitted to him that Jones should not have been penalized.

“We did discuss the Travis Jones call as well. And the Travis Jones call, they told me, and they told me I had permission to state this, that it was a wrong call. It should not have been called,” Harbaugh said on Monday.

Harbaugh was also asked about the controversial overturning of a late touchdown catch from Isaiah Likely, which wound up being the difference in the game. He said the current rules for what constitutes a catch are “about as clear as mud” and that he did not receive a sufficient explanation from the NFL.

The Ravens had issues on both sides of the ball against Pittsburgh, and they have all season. That is why they are 6-7 and fading from playoff contention. There were certainly some big calls that did not go their way on Sunday, but they still had plenty of chances to win.

Joe Theismann sounds off on Notre Dame’s ‘disgusting’ CFP snub

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Former Notre Dame standout Joe Theismann is among those who feel the Fighting Irish were robbed of a College Football Playoff berth, but he thinks the Miami Hurricanes should not have been omitted instead.

In an appearance on SiriusXM on Monday, Theismann vented about the “disgusting” decision to leave Notre Dame out of the playoff field. He went on to question why the Alabama Crimson Tide were included despite having three losses.

“It was disgusting. It really was,” Theismann said. “Notre Dame and Miami should have been in, but what is Alabama doing in this? They’ve lost three games. The first three-loss team that’s ever been in. To leave Notre Dame out — Notre Dame was ranked above Miami all year until ‘the committee’ decides who winds up in the CFP. It’s insulting, it’s deplorable, and it’s just flat wrong.

“People talk about the system being broken. You don’t need to look very deep into the system to realize there’s no three-loss team that should be in the playoffs. If you wanted to put somebody in, BYU only lost two games. Texas lost three games. Yet Alabama still is at No. 9 with three losses. They lose to Florida State.”

Alabama entered Saturday with two losses before losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship. The committee decided not to punish the Crimson Tide for playing that extra game, as they did not even move in the final rankings.

Much of what Theismann is saying has been echoed by other Notre Dame supporters, with some going the extra mile. The point about Alabama is reasonable, but it makes it more challenging to judge the Crimson Tide off that one extra game that other teams like the Fighting Irish and Hurricanes did not get to play in.

Notre Dame has every right to be mad, though, especially since the committee’s explanation for suddenly flipping them with Miami did not make much sense.

Browns fans all had the same reaction to the big Shedeur Sanders news

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The Cleveland Browns have decided to stick with Shedeur Sanders as their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, but many fans are still hoping the team will make a different significant change in the coming weeks.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday that Sanders will start against the Chicago Bears in Week 15 and remain the team’s starting QB going forward. Stefanski said Sanders has “constantly and consistently gotten better” in recent weeks and has earned the job.

Most fans would agree with Stefanski, but many of them feel the same cannot be said for the coach. There seems to be a consensus that Sanders should keep his job while Stefanski is shown the door.

Sanders put up big numbers in the Browns’ 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The rookie went 23/42 for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 29 yards and a score, becoming the first Cleveland QB since 1950 with 300-plus passing yards, 3 or more passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the same game.

Prior to Sanders taking over for injured fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel last month, there had been a narrative that Stefanski was trying to sabotage Shedeur’s career. Sanders was recently asked about that and stopped short of defending his coach.

The Browns went 3-14 last season and are 3-10 this year, which is Stefanski’s sixth with the team. Stefanski led Cleveland to the playoffs in his first year in 2020 and again in 2023, and he was named AP NFL Coach of the Year both seasons. The problem is the Browns still have not been able to solve their quarterback issue, which some feel is the front office’s fault more than Stefanski’s.

Still, this is not the first time Browns fans have banded together to call for Stefanski to be fired. There is a definite chance they will get their wish at the end of the season.

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz had great reason for accepting bowl invitation

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The college bowl system has been slowly imploding since the College Football Playoff was first introduced a decade ago, but Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz says his team is embracing the opportunity to play one more game this season.

Missouri finished the regular season 8-4. The Tigers have accepted an invitation to face Virginia in the Gator Bowl, which will be played on Dec. 27 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. During an interview with OutKick’s Dan Dakich on Monday, Drinkwitz was asked about Missouri’s decision to play another game.

“People say anytime, anywhere. I guess some people mean it and some don’t. For us right now, we’ve got an opportunity to go play in a bowl game. I’m fired up about the opportunity,” Drinkwitz said. “Everybody’s different. Everybody’s season is totally different. Our goals got changed when our quarterback got dinged up and injured. For us, this is a heck of an opportunity.”

Drinkwitz added that he is excited to be able to play in Jacksonville at an NFL stadium against a quality opponent in ACC regular-season champion Virginia. He also noted that there are some players who never know when their last game is going to be played.

“I love to play. I know our seniors love to play the game. I think the reality of it is you never know when the last time you get to play football is,” Drinkwitz said. “I’ve spoken about this a lot, I don’t like this playoff-or-bust mentality. I think it’s bad for college football. I think it’s bad for the sport. I think the playoffs are awesome. I don’t think it’s nearly inclusive enough. … Committees have totally screwed up American government. They’ve screwed up most everything that’s good, and now we’re letting committees screw up college football.”

Several schools have declined bowl invitations for a variety of reasons. The most notable is Notre Dame, who are furious over their College Football Playoff snub.

With the College Football Playoff now at 12 teams, many of the nation’s top programs view it as not worth their time to take part in a postseason game if they are not part of the tournament. Drinkwitz sees it differently, and it sounds like Missouri players agree with their coach.

Notre Dame athletic director unloads on the ACC

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Everyone associated with Notre Dame is furious with the College Football Playoff selection committee for leaving the Fighting Irish out of this year’s tournament, and athletic director Pete Bevacqua says those feelings of frustration extend toward the ACC as well.

During a Monday appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Bevacqua said the way the lead-up to the College Football Playoff was handled by the ACC has caused “permanent damage” to the relationship between Notre Dame and the conference. The ACC openly campaigned for Miami to be included in the playoff over Notre Dame with posts on social media and by repeatedly showing the regular-season matchup between Miami and Notre Dame — which the Hurricanes won 27-24 — on the ACC Network.

“We were mystified by the actions of the conference to attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports. I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say that they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said. “We didn’t appreciate the fact that we were singled out repeatedly and compared to Miami, not by Miami.

“Miami has every right to do that, but it raised a lot of eyebrows here that the conference was taking shots at us. That’s just not something we chose to do. We wouldn’t do that in the future. People might disagree with us, but that’s just not something we’d be comfortable with.”

Notre Dame does not have a conference affiliation for football, but the majority of their other teams are in the ACC. They also have a scheduling partnership with the ACC for football.

Bevacqua felt that the ACC could have campaigned for Miami without trying to diminish what Notre Dame accomplished this season. Some prominent people believe both Notre Dame and Miami should have gotten into the playoff.

Notre Dame was No. 10 in the final regular-season College Football Playoff rankings. Miami was No. 12. Following conference championship weekend (which neither Notre Dame nor Miami took part in), the Hurricanes inexplicably jumped ahead of Notre Dame and made the CFP. Bevacqua sounded off about that decision on Sunday, and the CFP selection committee chair’s bogus explanation did not add any clarity.

Dan Orlovsky shares his 1 problem with the College Football Playoff field

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There has been a lot of debate over whether Notre Dame should have made the College Football Playoff over Miami, but Dan Orlovsky believes there was room for both in the 12-team field. Alabama fans will not be pleased with the ESPN analyst’s explanation as to why.

Miami and Notre Dame both finished the regular season 10-2. Notre Dame was ranked ahead of Miami in the final regular-season rankings that were released last Tuesday, but the two teams flipped places in the final standings and the Hurricanes made the playoff. Most people agree with that outcome since Miami beat Notre Dame during the regular season, but the College Football Playoff committee offered a completely bogus explanation for why the two teams flipped places despite neither playing a game last week.

During Monday morning’s edition of “Get Up,” Orlovsky argued that both Miami and Notre Dame should have made the playoff. He thinks Alabama, which finished the season 10-3, should have been left out. While the argument for including Alabama is that the Crimson Tide should not have been penalized for playing in the SEC Championship Game and losing to a team they already beat this season, Orlovsky feels they simply are not playing championship football.

“Alabama hasn’t played good football in a month. I was on Friday’s show and I said if Alabama gets boat-raced (in the SEC Championship Game), I would leave them out. They got boat-raced,” Orlovsky said. “They were down 21, it’s the third quarter with like 3 minutes to go, it’s 4th-and-1 on their own 40 and they punt it. Why do you think they punted, America? So they don’t get smoked by more. They didn’t look good in that game. They didn’t look good against Auburn. They didn’t look good against (Oklahoma). Shoot, they didn’t look good against LSU like five weeks ago.

“I think Notre Dame, unequivocally, is a team that people can sit there and say, yes, they can win a national title. The way Alabama has played, at least in the last four or five weeks, they are not a team that can win a national championship.”

Alabama was ranked No. 9 in the final regular-season CFP rankings, and they remained there after the SEC Championship Game despite their 28-7 loss to Georgia. One of the biggest issues with the CFP is that the committee needs to figure out how to handle conference championship games. In this instance, the decision was made that Alabama should not be penalized for playing an additional game and losing to a top-three team.

Notre Dame’s athletic director unloaded on the CFP selection committee over the decision to put Miami in the playoff over the Fighting Irish. Orlovsky feels the real argument is whether Notre Dame should have been given a spot over Alabama.

DK Metcalf was hospitalized following Steelers’ win over Ravens

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DK Metcalf had one of his best games of the season in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but it sounds like his day took a bit of a turn following the victory.

Metcalf spent the night in the hospital after the Steelers beat the Ravens 27-22 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. A team spokesperson said Metcalf had been experiencing stomach pains, so the star wide receiver was taken to a hospital in Baltimore as a precaution.

Fortunately, it does not sound like the issue was anything serious. Metcalf was released and cleared to fly back to Pittsburgh on Monday.

Metcalf had 7 catches for 148 yards — both his best totals of the season — against the Ravens. He even played on special teams to help cover a crucial punt late in the game, which is almost unheard of for a No. 1 wide receiver who makes more than $30 million per year.

The Steelers improved to 7-6 with the win and are now in first place in the AFC North. There has been a lot of negative talk surrounding the team in recent weeks, but they are in good position to make the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers also showed on Sunday that he is still capable of playing at an elite level. The 42-year-old quarterback had a defiant message for the media after the game.

Metcalf’s status for Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins should not be impacted, but it is worth watching.

Travis Kelce coughs up game-losing interception to end ‘SNF’

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Travis Kelce had a night to forget on Sunday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ clash against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

All eyes were on Kelce as Patrick Mahomes went to him twice to open their penultimate drive of the fourth quarter. Trailing 17-10, the Chiefs still had a fighting chance to force overtime against a formidable Texans defense. But that chance slipped away just like the 2nd-down ball Kelce bobbled that turned into a game-sealing interception for the Texans.

Kelce was seen stewing on the sidelines as the Chiefs’ defense went back on the field.

The Texans managed to milk the clock down to 30 seconds before kicking a field goal to put the game out of reach. Houston held on for the 20-10 victory. Kelce caught just one of his five targets on Sunday for eight yards — his worst output of the 2025 season.

While Kelce has had a resurgent year as far as stats go, the Chiefs star has had some miserable lowlights throughout the campaign. Sunday’s game won’t quiet the speculation that Kelce may retire at year’s end.

Josh Hart dumped his son off to Knicks teammate in hilarious scene

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New York Knicks guard Josh Hart is not going to win any Parent of the Year awards after Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic.

Hart checked out of the game as his Knicks led the Magic 104-92 with 1:35 left at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y. With his night seemingly over, Hart had one of his twin sons sit on his lap to watch the conclusion of the game.

The Magic did not go out quietly. Orlando mounted an 8-2 run to chop the lead in half with under 20 seconds to play. The scoring run pushed Knicks head coach Mike Brown to reinsert Hart, who was completely caught off guard by the move. Hart grabbed his son like a rag doll and plopped him onto Knicks center Mitchell Robinson’s lap before running onto the court.

Robinson can now officially add “babysitter” to his LinkedIn profile if he so chooses.

Hart’s lone box score impact during the final 19.1 seconds was a loose-ball foul he committed that gave the Magic two bonus free throws. The Knicks held on for the 106-100 victory.

Hart finished with a pretty unique stat line: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 abandoned child on the bench.

Video shows Russell Westbrook again confronting a fan over ‘Westbrick’ name

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Russell Westbrook has once again encountered his biggest opp — the “Westbrick” nickname.

Video went viral over the weekend from the Sacramento Kings-Miami Heat game at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. on Saturday. The clip, which was originally posted to TikTok, was filmed from behind the basket where the Kings were shooting at.

With Westbrook standing by the baseline during a stoppage in play, a fan called out to him by saying “Westbrick.” While the fan’s voice was not that loud, Westbrook immediately turned around and glared at the fan, asking, “What you say? What you say?”

The former NBA MVP was then seen on video saying, “Don’t play around with me. Don’t play on me.” Notably, Westbrook then proceeded to inbound the ball and receive a return pass before immediately hitting a turnaround midrange jumper.

You can see the video of the moment at the link here.

Now 37 years old, Westbrook is averaging 13.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game for the Kings so far this season. Though Sacramento is a miserable 6-17 overall on the year, they did win Saturday’s matchup against Miami by a final of 127-111 (with Westbrook scoring 12 points on 5/11 shooting and also dropping 10 assists).

That said, it is well-documented how much Westbrook loathes the “Westbrick” nickname, which is a play on the word “brick” (a basketball slang term for a badly missed shot) and refers to Westbrook’s tendency to misfire on the court. Westbrook has slammed media personalities over their use of the “Westbrick” jab (including Skip Bayless), and he has also already confronted multiple fans over the years upon hearing that particular heckle.

Ben Johnson, Matt LaFleur had the iciest handshake after Packers beat Bears

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There was no love lost on Sunday between Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and his Green Bay Packers counterpart Matt LaFleur.

The two had faced off several times before when Johnson was still the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. The Lions had dominated their matchups under Johnson’s offense, going 5-1 against the Packers from 2022 to 2024.

Johnson didn’t have the same success on Sunday in his first game versus the Packers as a head coach. Green Bay beat Chicago 28-21 in a contest that had serious implications on the divisional race.

The tension was palpable as LaFleur and Johnson shook hands after the game. There were no pleasantries exchanged as the coaches quickly parted ways.

LaFleur had a succinct message when asked about the moment after the game.

“It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in 2 weeks,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur wisely refused to spark any additional controversy when asked if he felt any personal satisfaction over the victory, responding with “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”

While LaFleur stayed quiet about feeling any animosity toward Johnson, the Packers coach was fully aware of the comments his Bears rival made earlier this year. In January, Johnson boldly stated that he “enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” as a reason for taking a job that kept him in the NFC North. LaFleur was reportedly caught off guard by Johnson’s comments, as the two are not said to be close friends.

Unless the two teams meet in the playoffs, Johnson will have to wait until next season to get a chance to beat LaFleur twice.

Ja Morant linked to a new playoff contender in trade rumors

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Ja Morant may be getting a lifeline from the ultimate reclamation project destination.

The Miami Heat have had internal discussions about potentially trading for the Memphis Grizzlies star Morant, veteran NBA writer Jake Fischer reported to Substack on Sunday. Fischer notes that the Heat have discussed how their infrastructure might potentially benefit the mercurial Morant.

With the Grizzlies struggling to tread water at 11-13 this season, trade rumors involving the two-time NBA All-Star Morant, 26, have been widely circulating for weeks now. While Morant has not played since mid-November due to a calf strain, he is said to be unhappy with the team’s leadership and even got suspended by the Grizzlies last month after a confrontation with head coach Tuomas Iisalo.

As for the 14-10 Heat, they are seventh in a wide-open Eastern Conference and sit just 2.5 games back of the No. 2 seed. Miami also has an unbalanced backcourt with no true point guard since Tyler Herro and Norman Powell are natural shooting guards and Davion Mitchell is more of a defense-first role player.

Meanwhile, the Heat have long been known for a heavy emphasis on discipline and conditioning. Dubbed “Heat Culture,” the Miami zeitgeist has helped the franchise turn numerous misfits or otherwise outcasted NBA players into thriving pieces on championship-caliber teams.

When it comes to trade assets, the Heat have a real plethora of talented young players to potentially offer to the Grizzlies as well, including Herro (25), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24), Pelle Larsson (24), Nikola Jovic (22), Ke’lel Ware (21), and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis (19). While Memphis might be able to field some competitive offers from other playoff contenders as well, a Morant fit in Miami could make sense for a number of different reasons.

Chiefs LT suffers gruesome knee injury on opening drive of ‘SNF’

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The Kansas City Chiefs lost a key player Sunday as he suffered a gruesome leg injury.

Disaster struck for the Chiefs on their opening drive against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Chiefs left tackle Wanya Morris got his left leg bent in an awkward angle as he tried to block for running back Isiah Pacheco.

Morris collided with center Creed Humphrey and appeared to hyperextend his left knee before falling to the ground.

NBC did not show a replay of the incident out of respect for Morris. NBC announcer Mike Tirico described the injury as “not pleasant.” Judging by the reactions of Patrick Mahomes and other Chiefs players, Tirico’s words were a huge understatement.

The Chiefs soon ruled Morris out with a knee injury.

Morris earned his first start of the season on Sunday as a replacement for injured rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, who was placed on injury reserve this week after fracturing his wrist.

Losing Morris to a serious knee issue would be a huge blow to a Kansas City offensive line already dealing with a slew of injuries.

Matt LaFleur throws shade at referees over their treatment of Micah Parsons

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Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur did not hide his frustration with how Micah Parsons was being officiated on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

The Packers outlasted their division-rival Bears 28-21 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc. But judging by how LaFleur spoke about the officiating after the game, one might have assumed the game had a different result.

LaFleur beefed with officials all game, with much of his anger stemming from the lack of holding calls against Bears players lining up against Parsons. The veteran coach was asked about a particularly heated confrontation with the referees during his postgame press conference.

“I’m not going to get into what we were talking about,” LaFleur said of the exchange, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “Officials, I don’t think their jobs are easy by any stretch — I think it’s a difficult job — but I guess I don’t know what holding is anymore because I thought it was a pretty clear and obvious hold. But I guess I don’t know what that means.”

Parsons has long been one of the most difficult players to officiate, with offensive lines laying out to keep him from making plays. That didn’t change Sunday, as Parsons arguably got hold on multiple occasions without a call.

One instance even resulted in Parsons getting his jersey sleeve ripped.

Parsons finished the game without a sack. He tallied one tackle and two quarterback hits.

Desmond Bane has another bizarre crash-out in middle of game

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Desmond Bane once again let the intrusive thoughts win during Sunday’s game.

The Orlando Magic guard bizarrely lost his cool again in the middle of his team’s showdown against the New York Knicks. In the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., Knicks forward OG Anunoby went up for a layup attempt in transition.

Anunoby got the ball blocked by Orlando’s Anthony Black, and the play remained live. Bane then proceeded to pick up the loose ball and [checks notes] chuck it off Anunoby as if he was in “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.”

Here is the unusual video.

Take a look at another angle of the bizarre moment.

The ball did go back to Orlando since it (technically) last touched off Anunoby, who was partly upset and partly just confused at Bane and responded with a light shove. But Bane was ultimately hit with a technical foul on the play after the refs determined upon review that he had committed a “hostile act” with the White Goodman chuck.

That may have been a frustration play from Bane, whose team was trailing by double digits at the time (later falling 106-100) and saw their All-Star candidate Franz Wagner suffer a knee injury back in the very first quarter. But Bane is not doing his reputation any favors these days, especially since he was also ejected for a similar crash-out during a game last month.

Jameis Winston appears to take a shot at his former team Browns

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The New York Giants are on bye this week, and Jameis Winston thus apparently had some time to hate-watch his former team.

The Cleveland Browns lost again on Sunday, falling to the fellow bottom-feeder Tennessee Titans by a final score of 31-29. In a pivotal moment during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, the Browns controversially decided to pull quarterback Shedeur Sanders for a potential game-tying two-point try in favor of running some trickery instead.

A direct snap to running back Quinshon Judkins quickly devolved into a comical disaster as Cleveland completely faceplanted on the two-point attempt. You can see the video of the ludicrous sequence here.

In a post to social media posted just minutes after the two-point attempt occurred, the Giants quarterback Winston penned a shady message.

“Watched and played a lot of football and that’s just not right,” wrote Winston. “No way.”

The rookie quarterback Sanders had a strong game on Sunday, throwing for 364 yards and three touchdowns on top of adding another 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground. But it appears that the Browns did not trust him enough on the key two-point attempt in the clutch, only furthering the theory that Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski is supposedly sabotaging Sanders.

As for the former Pro Bowler Winston, he himself played for Stefanski and the Browns during the 2024 season. That year was characterized by some quarterback turmoil as well with Winston moving in and out of the starting lineup over the course of the season. Now it appears that Winston is more than happy to criticize the Browns’ handling of the QB spot from afar.

Cam Ward had one of the sickest incompletions ever

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Cam Ward showed the world Sunday that he does not go down without a fight.

The Tennessee Titans quarterback went viral in Week 14 for an incompletion of all things during his team’s clash against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Browns safety Grant Delpit had Ward all but wrapped up for a sack, but Ward refused to go down.

The rookie QB used his off arm to slam Delpit to the ground and managed to throw a pass with the defender clinging to his legs. The play still made waves on social media despite Ward failing to complete the pass.

It wasn’t the only flashy incompletion Ward had in the game. He also threw a sidearm missile to Van Jefferson that the Titans wide receiver failed to catch.

Ward’s stat line did not look pretty against the Browns. He went 14/28 for 117 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. His numbers paled in comparison to his counterpart, Shedeur Sanders, who threw for 364 yards with a trio of TDs and an interception.

However, Ward did enough to earn his team a 31-29 victory in the battle of the bottom feeders. The result ended the Titans’ seven-game losing streak and finally got them to two wins this season.

Ed Orgeron could be good fit for Tulane job

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Ed Orgeron has not coached since 2021, but he might actually have a chance to land a new job close to home.

Video recently emerged of Orgeron attending Tulane’s win in the American Conference Championship game on Friday night. He even let loose a “Roll Wave” for the cameras in his distinctive style.

Tulane, notably, has a head coaching vacancy to fill. While current coach Jon Sumrall will remain with the Green Wave through the College Football Playoff, but he has already accepted the Florida job. That has led some to wonder if Orgeron, a Louisiana native, could be a candidate for the Tulane opening. This will do nothing to quiet that chatter.

Orgeron, 64, has indicated he would be interested in coaching again. He was linked to two other head coaching jobs, but both ultimately went to other candidates. The Tulane job would allow him to stay close to home and recruit in Louisiana, a state he obviously knows well.

Orgeron is still beloved at LSU for leading the school to a national title in 2019. There has even been some talk that Lane Kiffin could consider adding him to the staff again moving forward.

Barry Bonds’ Hall of Fame chances appear finished

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Barry Bonds’ chances of making the Baseball Hall of Fame appear to be dead once and for all.

The Hall of Fame on Sunday announced the results from the 2025 round of balloting by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee, a 16-member committee that reconsiders players who have dropped off the traditional balloting process. Bonds was up for consideration in 2025, but received fewer than five votes and did not come close to being selected.

The committee meets every three years, but by receiving so few votes, Bonds will not be eligible for consideration in 2028. The next time he could be considered will not be until 2031.

Second baseman Jeff Kent, Bonds’ former San Francisco Giants teammate, was the only player selected for induction in 2026. Like Bonds, Kent’s initial candidacy was hurt by his reputation as a poor teammate, but unlike Bonds, Kent was not linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds is an easy Hall of Fame choice on paper, as his 762 career home runs are still the most in history. However, he has never come close to being selected due to his alleged PED use. Bonds has claimed he never knowingly took any illegal substances, but was indicted for perjury in relation to the BALCO case in 2007. He was not convicted, and a later conviction for obstruction of justice was eventually overturned on appeal.

Bonds himself has essentially given up on ever being elected to the Hall of Fame. Based on these numbers, he was right to do so.

Ben Johnson ripped for his clock management in Bears’ loss

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Once again, the Chicago Bears are facing questions about clock management in a heartbreaking loss.

Bears coach Ben Johnson’s clock management was questioned after Chicago lost 28-21 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc. The Bears put themselves in position to tie the game in the final two minutes, but let a huge amount of time drain off the clock that significantly limited how many plays they had to score a game-tying touchdown.

Chicago appeared to have set themselves up nicely with the ball at the Packers’ 23-yard line at the two-minute warning and all three timeouts. Chicago then dialed up back-to-back runs, but did not call timeout after either of them.

The Bears finally used their first timeout after a third consecutive run left them with a 4th and 1 and 27 seconds left. Chicago essentially burned a minute and a half off the clock and did not even get a first down for their troubles.

On fourth down, quarterback Caleb Williams threw an interception in the end zone, ending the game. The Bears still had two timeouts that went unused.

Johnson and the Bears took a lot of heat on social media for how they handled the clock on that drive.

The Bears likely wanted to make sure the Packers would have virtually no time left to do anything if they did tie the game on that drive, or went for two and the win. The notion of leaving themselves with extra timeouts in the event that they failed to score did not seem to be in consideration.

This is not the first time the Bears have been singled out for questionable clock management. This was nowhere near as bad as that, but Johnson still opened himself up to some questions.

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