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#pounditFriday, March 29, 2024

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Report: Arch Manning’s high school OC lands NFL job

Arch Manning looks on

Oct 30, 2021; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Recruit Arch Manning, right, and his father Cooper Manning before the game between Clemson and Florida State at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Everything Arch Manning touches turns to gold, at least so far in his budding football career. That is true even of his high school offensive coordinator.

Logan Kilgore, who served as offensive coordinator at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans last season, will be taking a job on Sean Payton’s staff with the Denver Broncos, according to Zach Barnett of Football Scoop. Kilgore will serve as a quality control coach involved with the passing game, and will assist Payton in adapting a scheme to fit quarterback Russell Wilson.

Beyond the direct New Orleans connection, Kilgore spent time working with Payton before. He was an undrafted quarterback in training camp with the Saints in 2014.

Manning finished his senior season in the fall and planned to enroll early at Texas. He and Kilgore fostered a positive relationship, judging by the 34 touchdowns and two interceptions he threw in 2022, and now both are on to bigger things.

Hunter Dickinson’s trash talking effort backfired against Wisconsin

Hunter Dickinson at a press conference

Mar 23, 2022; San Antonio, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) answers questions from the media after a team practice for the NCAA Tournament South Regional at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan star Hunter Dickinson’s attempts at trash talk did not go according to plan Tuesday against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Dickinson had pledged that Michigan was going to “steal a win at Wisconsin,” and he arrived at Kohl Center wearing a ski mask to punctuate the point. That would have been a good line had the Wolverines been able to follow through.

Instead, Michigan lost 64-59 despite carrying a lead into halftime and holding Wisconsin without a field goal for the final 10:45 of the game.

Dickinson didn’t make any friends in Madison. In addition to the ski mask stunt, many Badgers fans remembered when he referred to the team as “scumbags” in a podcast appearance several months ago.

Dickinson was booed every time he touched the ball, and did not really respond with a big game. He scored 12 points and added 12 rebounds while shooting 4-of-9 from the field.

Dickinson has a history of being brash and bold, but that only works when you back it up. Michigan’s inability to come away with a win here makes him look pretty bad.

Patrick Beverley tries to explain what went wrong with Lakers

Patrick Beverley in a sweatshirt

Oct 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley (21) warms up prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Beverley’s time with the Los Angels Lakers did not go as he hoped, and he is doing his best to explain what went wrong.

The Lakers acquired Beverley in a trade with the Utah Jazz over the offseason. Beverley averaged 6.4 points in 26.9 minutes per game over 45 contests this season before the sub-.500 Lakers decided to trade him. Beverley was traded to the Orlando Magic as part of a four-way deal. He has already been waived by the Magic and is looking for a new team.

During this week’s episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” Beverley discussed why the Lakers didn’t win more games.

“It wasn’t basketball,” Beverley said. “It was other s– but wasn’t other s— that you really couldn’t point out. It comes and go.

“The vibes were sometimes on and sometimes off, and inconsistent vibes leads to inconsistent play.”

Those are somewhat general terms, but at a lot of factors could contribute. You had Russell Westbrook taking issue with his role. LeBron James was dissatisfied with the roster. Anthony Davis was unavailable frequently. The Lakers just didn’t (and still don’t) have consistency. Plus, on top of all that, everything that happens on the Lakers gets magnified due to them being in the spotlight. It all makes for a tough environment when people aren’t on the same page.

Derek Carr being recruited by 1 star defender

Derek Carr yelling

Dec 26, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) warms up before a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

One star defender is putting on his recruiting pants this week.

Veteran quarterback Derek Carr was officially released on Tuesday by the Las Vegas Raiders, making him a free agent. New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan wasted zero time recruiting Carr. Tagging Carr in a tweet, Jordan asked him if he wanted to “swap out black and silver and fall in luv with BLACK & GOLD.” Jordan also posted an edited photo of Carr in a Saints uniform.

The eight-time Pro Bowler Jordan knows what his team needs. Ever since Drew Brees retired, the Saints have gotten underwhelming quarterback play from Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton. While Taysom Hill is also on the roster and is a fine talent, he is more of a gadget player than a true QB.

Indeed, Carr has had pretty strong links to New Orleans since he fell out of favor with the Raiders. But the Saints will face some competition for him from at least one other quarterback-needy team.

Rangers have concerning update on Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom ready to throw

Sep 3, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers’ spring training efforts got off to a poor start with a somewhat concerning update about pitcher Jacob deGrom.

deGrom, the Rangers’ big free agent acquisition, is being held back for the start of spring camp after experiencing tightness in his side. Rangers general manager Chris Young stressed that the decision was purely precautionary.

Even if this is a precautionary move, it is unlikely to make Rangers fans feel good. deGrom has had a lengthy history with injuries, and has made only 26 regular season starts over the last two years as a result. This is not exactly a sign that things are going to get better.

The Rangers will be paying deGrom a huge sum of money after signing him in the offseason. Their top priority is making sure he can pitch meaningful games and is healthy enough to do so. You can certainly understand their cautiousness as a result.

Bills spark Odell Beckham Jr rumors with latest hire

Odell Beckham Jr with his mouth open

Jan 13, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers former player Odell Beckham, Jr. in attendance before the College Football Playoff national championship game against the Clemson Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Another round of Odell Beckham-Buffalo Bills rumors is starting up less than 72 hours after the Super Bowl.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Wednesday that the Bills have hired veteran coach Adam Henry. A longtime wide receivers coach, Henry spent last year as co-offensive coordinator and WRs coach at Indiana University.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes that Henry is close with the the three-time Pro Bowler Beckham. He coached Beckham at LSU and also had two separate stints as the WRs coach on Beckham’s NFL teams (the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns).

After tearing his ACL in last year’s Super Bowl, Beckham did not end up signing with a team for the 2022 season. But the Bills did show some big interest in Beckham a few months ago, and now they could be mounting another recruiting push.

Report reveals what Ravens told OC candidates about Lamar Jackson’s future

Lamar Jackson looks on

Sep 13, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) reacts against the Las Vegas Raiders during Monday Night Football at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens have the power to prevent Lamar Jackson from playing for another team next season, but that does not mean they are fully confident that the star quarterback will be under center for them in Week 1.

The Ravens on Tuesday hired former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new OC. According to a report from Jordan Schultz of The Athletic, none of the offensive coordinator candidates that interviewed with Baltimore were given assurances that Jackson will be the team’s quarterback in 2023.

Jackson will likely receive the franchise tag if he and the Ravens cannot work out a long-term extension. All that would mean is he could not play for another team next season unless the Ravens decided to trade him. The former MVP could still choose not to sign the franchise tender and sit out for either some or all of 2023, which players have done in the past.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the season that he is “200 percent” certain Jackson will be the team’s quarterback next year. However, a recent report claimed Baltimore could be tempted to trade Jackson depending on how the situation unfolds.

It is unclear what the Ravens would do if Jackson demanded a trade. The quarterback has been representing himself in contract negotiations, and the two sides do not seem anywhere close to a long-term agreement.

If Harbaugh truly did tell OC candidates that he is not certain Jackson will be Baltimore’s quarterback next season, that could be a bad sign about where things currently stand.

Brian Flores makes surprising admission about taking Vikings job

Brian Flores on the field

Dec 19, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores runs off the field after winning the game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Flores accepted the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator job even though he was technically still in the frame for a head coaching position.

Flores said Wednesday that he had not been ruled out of contention for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching position when he chose to accept the Vikings’ offer based on a “gut feeling.”

To be clear, there is no suggestion that Flores was explicitly offered the Arizona job. However, he is saying he had not been told he was no longer a candidate when he decided to take the Minnesota job.

Perhaps that is a surprise, but Flores may have seen where things were trending. The Cardinals delayed their coaching search until after the Super Bowl and ultimately hired Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, which may have been the plan all along. Flores may have had an inkling of that and decided there was no use hanging around and waiting for a position he probably wasn’t going to get.

Flores was wanted by more than one team in the defensive coordinator role. The Vikings won the race and will be happy to have him.

Mike Trout reveals important goal for 2023

Mike Trout in his Angels uniform

May 14, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) jogs to the dugout during the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout has accomplished a great deal in his MLB career, but he is taking on a new and different role for the 2023 season: salesman.

Trout said he plans to make it his mission in 2023 to try to convince Shohei Ohtani to remain with the Angels long-term. Ohtani is entering the final season of his contract, and could become a free agent at the end of the season.

“I’m going to do everything I can to keep Shohei here for sure,” Trout said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Trout added that Ohtani has to make the right decision for himself, but that he would try to convince the Japanese superstar that the decision should be to stay where he is.

“I haven’t really talked to Shohei about his future, but he’s got to do what’s right for him, and what he feels is right,” Trout added. “That’s all up to him. So, if he feels like staying in Anaheim is the right move, he should do that. If he thinks otherwise, I’m going to do as much as I can to convince him to stay.”

The big key for the Angels is probably to win. Ohtani has made it clear that is his top priority is winning, which is part of the reason he has been linked to a potential free agency exit. A good season from Trout might be the most he can do to convince Ohtani to stay, since that would probably at least give the Angels a chance of sniffing the playoffs.

Bears could make surprising trade ahead of NFL Draft?

Ryan Poles meets with the media

Jan 31, 2022; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears General new Manager Ryan Poles speaks during a Press Conference Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears are in a tremendous position of strength heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and some executives reportedly believe the team could make a surprising decision with the No. 1 overall pick.

According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, there were multiple general managers at the Senior Bowl earlier this month who left the event convinced that the Bears are planning to trade Justin Fields.

Fields made significant improvements in his second NFL season, and all indications have been that the Bears are committed to him. The expectation is that Chicago will trade the first overall pick, and they should receive huge offers from multiple teams.

Of course, the Bears might be quietly spreading the word that they are thinking about trading Fields in an attempt to drive up the price for the No. 1 pick even further. If teams that need a quarterback think Chicago is considering keeping the pick, they might become desperate and up their offers.

At least four teams that pick in the top 10 — the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers — badly need a quarterback. You could also add the Atlanta Falcons to the mix, though they drafted Desmond Ridder last year. Any or all of those teams might be interested in trading up to No. 1 to land the QB they like the most.

It makes sense for the Bears to explore all options, even trading Fields.