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#pounditFriday, March 29, 2024

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Drew Brees may not return until Week 16 at earliest

Drew Brees

The New Orleans Saints have won their last three games with Taysom Hill as their starting quarterback, and they may be hoping the dynamic playmaker can give them at least two more solid performances.

There were rumblings last week that Drew Brees might be able to play in Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the 41-year-old will not be active. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Saints are not setting a timetable for Brees to return.

Brees was hoping to play in next week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the team wants to be certain he is 100 percent recovered.

Brees is dealing with multiple rib fractures and an injury to his throwing shoulder. The Saints want to make sure he has full range of motion before inserting him back into the starting lineup. It also helps that — like last year with Teddy Bridgewater — New Orleans continues to win games with a backup quarterback.

Hill has never been known for his passing ability, but he has completed an impressive 71.6 percent of his passes this season. His rushing ability also adds an element to the Saints’ offense that Brees cannot provide, though defenses have a tendency to catch up to that in the NFL.

The Saints are 10-2 and in a position to not rush Brees back. If they beat the Eagles on Sunday, their worst-case scenario will be a one-game lead over the Green Bay Packers for the top seed in the NFC heading into Week 16. A report this week shed light on how confident the Saints are in Hill, so it makes sense that Sean Payton is content letting Brees fully recover.

Eagles have reportedly made decision about Carson Wentz’s future

Carson Wentz

The Philadelphia Eagles finally decided to bench Carson Wentz in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but that does not mean they are giving up on the former No. 2 overall pick.

The Eagles still believe in Wentz and think the 27-year-old can return to the MVP-caliber quarterback he once was, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. One team source told Schefter that Wentz’s poor play this season and benching do not change “the belief that people have in Carson.”

Wentz’s $22 million base salary for 2022 will become fully guaranteed in mid-March. His $10 million roster bonus for 2021 will also be paid out at that time, so the Eagles do have a timeline of sorts for deciding his future with the franchise. They could save the $22 million for 2022 if they cut him and designate him a post-June 1 release, but Philly would still owe Wentz the $10 million roster bonus plus his $15.4 million base salary for next season if they go that route.

Of course, the Eagles could also trade Wentz. If that happens before the third day of the league year in mid-March, they would not owe him his $10 million roster bonus.

It’s easy for the Eagles to say they still believe in Wentz before Hurts has made a start. If the former Alabama star struggles, Philadelphia will be more likely to keep Wentz. If Hurts ignites the team and puts his funny wardrobe mistake in the past, Wentz’s future with the Eagles will be in serious question.

Nate Oats apologizes to Coach K for criticism

Nate Oats

Nate Oats on Saturday apologized publicly to Mike Krzyzewski for criticizing the legendary Duke coach.

After Duke lost to Illinois at home on Tuesday, Coach K questioned playing during a pandemic. Duke later announced that they wouldn’t play any more non-conference games.

Oats, who is in his second season as Alabama’s head coach, threw some shade at Coach K, saying he wouldn’t say that if Duke hadn’t lost two non-conference games.

On Saturday, Oats walked it back.

“I want to publicly apologize to Coach K for what I said. … I actually felt terrible about it after the press conference. I reached out to him. He was gracious enough to return my call. I have the utmost respect for him as a coach,” Oats said.

Oats made his remarks after Alabama lost in Atlanta 64-56 to Clemson to fall to 3-2. Oats says he learned from his remark.

“It was unnecessary. It was wrong. I apologized to him. We had a good talk. I understand now a lot better where he’s coming from. What’s best for one program might not be best for another. I learned lessons from it.”

Maybe Oats made his remarks impetuously and once he started seeing how many headlines he made, he felt the need to make peace.

Photo: SneakinDeacon/Flickr via CC-BY-SA 2.0

Dan Mullen takes jab at Ohio State, CFP over schedules

Dan Mullen

Dan Mullen was left with nothing other than a big visor full of heartache after Florida’s 37-34 loss at home to LSU on Saturday night. And he vented a little after the game.

Mullen’s Gators lost after one of their players threw an opponent’s shoe in the fourth quarter, helping LSU extend a drive and get the lead. The Gators entered the game 8-1 and neck-and-neck with Texas A&M for a possible spot in the College Football Playoff.

Florida’s hopes of making the playoff probably were lost with the defeat. Mullen lamented that Florida probably shouldn’t have played so many games this year because teams are rewarded for playing fewer games.

He’s talking mostly about Ohio State and also the likes of USC. Ohio State will play in the Big Ten Championship Game despite only being 5-0. The same is the case for USC in the Pac-12.

Is the system fair this year? It’s worse than usual due to complications from the pandemic.

Does Florida deserve a spot in the CFP even if they beat Alabama? No. Sorry, Dan.

LSU staffer jokes Kole Taylor’s shoe is going into Hall of Fame

LSU shoe

The Shoetastrophe. The L-S-Shoe game. We’re already getting some clever suggestions for what to call LSU’s 37-34 victory over Florida at The Swamp in Gainesville on Saturday night. And LSU is grateful for what happened.

Late in the fourth quarter, Florida defensive back Marco Wilson threw Kole Taylor’s shoe after getting a stop on a critical third down. Wilson received a penalty for the play, which gave LSU a first down (video here). The Tigers ended up kicking a tie-breaking field goal later in the drive to win the game.

Taylor’s shoe was the subject of discussion after the game. One LSU staffer joked that the shoe would go into the Hall of Fame.

The cleat in question is a Nike Vapor Edge Pro 360 in size 14, according to Ross Dellenger.

Some may see that penalty as a cheap way to get a win, but LSU’s Ed Orgeron was more than happy to take it.

At 3-5 entering the game, Orgeron was probably thrilled to just have something go his way.

What a terrible way for Florida to lose.

Mike Leach had clever response for reporter

Mike Leach

Mike Leach had a clever response for a reporter on Saturday night.

Leach’s Mississippi State Bulldogs lost 24-10 to Auburn to drop to 2-7. The 10 points marked the team’s fewest since the shutout loss to Alabama five games ago.

Mississippi State reporter Tyler Horka asked Leach whether the offense took a step back. After saying he didn’t believe so, Leach turned the tables on Horka. Leach humorously asked to see Horka’s articles to make sure the writer wasn’t regressing either.

That’s a good response from Leach.

His team beat LSU in the opener and then didn’t win again until beating winless Vanderbilt. It’s been a rough season, but Leach knows it takes time for new players to pick up his system.

Marco Wilson costs Florida by throwing shoe after late stop

Marco Wilson shoe

Florida defensive back Marco Wilson cost his team badly with a stupid penalty committed late in the Gators’ upset loss to LSU on Saturday night.

Florida and LSU were tied at 34 with 2:08 left in the game. The Tigers had a 3rd-and-10 at their 25 and threw a dump-off pass that only gained a few yards. Wilson was one of the players who made the stop on Kole Taylor.

Wilson then grabbed Taylor’s shoe and chucked it about 20 yards down the field.

Wilson was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the act. That gave LSU 15 yards and a first down. The Tigers later improbably made a 57-yard field goal to take a 37-34 lead. The Gators barely missed a 51-yard field goal to end the game and lost by three.

Florida will still face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, but this second loss will likely take them out of the running for a College Football Playoff spot even if they beat Bama.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone throw a shoe during competition. It never ends well.

Jaylon Smith: Cowboys’ effort issues ‘unacceptable’

Jaylon Smith

The Dallas Cowboys are 3-9 this season and have not looked good at any point in the year. They have dealt with injury issues at quarterback in particular, but their effort has also been lacking.

Cowboys first-year head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the team’s effort during a meeting Thursday morning. He also talked about the matter with reporters on Friday, though he used the term “finish” instead of “effort.”

Linebacker Jaylon Smith says it’s “unacceptable” that McCarthy had to address the team about its effort.

“At the end of the day, we can all give more effort,” Smith said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “We shouldn’t be (discussing this in December). I think it’s just non-negotiable. Your effort has to be there. It’s non-negotiable.

Effort is something that should be a given and shouldn’t have to be coached, much less reinforced late in a season. But that’s where Dallas is. They also haven’t been properly backing their players either.

Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia via CC-BY 4.0

Damian Lillard sends message to Kyrie Irving about media

Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard sent a message to Kyrie Irving on Saturday about the media, and he did so unconventionally.

Lillard popped in an Instagram Live session Irving was hosting Saturday with his Brooklyn Nets teammate, Caris LeVert. The Portland Trail Blazers star then left a few comments telling Irving to do his media sessions.

“Ky bra do your media sessions,” Lillard said, adding some crying laughing emojis.

“Sir please do your media,” he wrote in another comment, also with some laughing emojis.

Irving was fined during the week for not fulfilling his media duties, which are a contracted responsibility for players. Irving later defended himself with a comment disparaging media members.

It’s unclear to what extent Lillard was being serious or joking, but he’s probably trying to at least talk some sense into Irving.

Photo: Frenchieinportland/Wikimedia via CC-BY-SA 4.0

Video: Steph Curry shows off new pregame shot from tunnel

Steph Curry

Stephen Curry is known for making a shot from the tunnel before games, but he took things to another level on Saturday.

Curry’s Golden State Warriors hosted the Denver Nuggets in their first preseason game. Without fans in attendance, Curry went through a tunnel in the stands a level above the floor. He then swished a sweet shot from the elevated spot.

That was pretty awesome, though we doubt Curry keeps it up once fans begin attending games.

The 32-year-old only played in five games last season due to a hand injury and the Warriors failing to qualify for the restarted season in Orlando. Golden State is probably eager to get things going this year after last season was a disaster.

Photo: Cyrus Saatsaz/Wikimedia via CC-BY-SA 4.0