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#pounditThursday, March 28, 2024

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Louisville RB Javian Hawkins did on-field push-ups after fumbling

Javian Hawkins

No running back ever wants to put the football on the ground. There’s the obvious reason, and then there’s the possibility of having to do some extra work to atone for their mistake.

Louisville running back Javian Hawkins decided to get that extra work out of the way as soon as possible. After losing a fumble in he third quarter of Saturday’s game against Florida State, he immediately dropped to the field and began doing push-ups.

Well, that’s one way to atone for a mistake. At least the fans knew right away that he was sorry. Plus, the fact that he ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns almost certainly made everyone forget the turnover.

Nobody’s very fond of doing push-ups. Hawkins probably wishes he could have been punished for something more like this instead.

Jaylen Waddle taken to hospital in ambulance with ankle injury

Jaylen Waddle ankle injury

Alabama star Jaylen Waddle was taken to the hospital in an ambulance on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury in the Crimson Tide’s game against Tennessee.

Waddle, who is both a threat as a receiver and kick returner, suffered an ankle injury on the opening kickoff.

Waddle was taken into the locker room for an examination. He was ruled out for the game. Later, CBS showed Waddle being loaded onto an ambulance where he would be taken to a hospital.

Waddle is Alabama’s leading receiver with 25 catches for 557 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Alabama later said that Waddle was out for the season with a broken ankle.

Lane Kiffin critical of officials after missed call costs Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin seemed to have every right to be angry after a controversial call cost his team dearly on Saturday.

The Rebels held a 28-27 lead over the Auburn Tigers with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter. After Ole Miss’ go-ahead score, Auburn return man Shaun Shivers appeared to clearly touch the ensuing kickoff as it bounced past him. Despite this, the play was ruled a touchback. That meant Auburn kept the ball, and ultimately rallied for a 35-28 win.

Not only does Shivers’ finger appear to move on contact, but the trajectory of the football changes slightly as well.

Had Shivers been ruled to have touched the ball, the play would have resulted in an Ole Miss touchdown. What’s more, the referees did not even review the play. That, in particular, angered Kiffin.

“I don’t know. These guys stop everything in the world,” Kiffin said on Ole Miss Radio Network postgame, via John Brice of Football Scoop, regarding the reason for no review. “We have 100 stops throughout the game. They stop every scoring play. That’s really a scoring play, potentially.

“I don’t know why. I asked why on a critical play like that would you not stop. And they said, ‘Well, someone looked at it upstairs and said he didn’t touch it.’ It looked like from our vantage point he did touch it.”

Kiffin is right on all counts. The correct call likely would have changed the game. There was no reason why the referees should have at least checked.

Auburn, meanwhile, caught another break, and it’s fair to say they’re living right so far this season as far as officiating goes.

Ole Miss fans! It’s time to jump aboard the Lane Train! This Lane Train shirt is a perfect gift for you or a friend – you can buy it here.

Video: Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba made the most ridiculous touchdown catch

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba has given us an early contender for catch of the season.

The freshman wide receiver reeled in a high pass from quarterback Justin Fields during the Buckeyes’ win over Nebraska on Saturday. The catch was good, but Smith-Njigba’s momentum was clearly carrying him out of the back of the end zone. Undeterred, he got down one of the most incredible toe-taps you will see.

The pass was originally ruled incomplete, but was overturned on replay. It’s easy to see why the original ruling was made. You would never expect anyone to get a foot down moving like that. The body control that was required here is ridiculous.

Smith-Njigba is a five-star recruit, and this was his first career touchdown catch. He’ll do well to top it in terms of pure athleticism.

By the looks of it, the Big Ten is shaping up to have some pretty talented freshmen this season.

Sean Payton responds to Michael Thomas trade rumor

Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton had a pretty firm response to rumors that the team could be open to trading wide receiver Michael Thomas.

On Saturday, reports emerged stating that the Saints could be willing to move Thomas under the right circumstances. Not long after, Payton used his Twitter account to issue a firm response to that story.

That’s a pretty firm and speedy denial. It also makes sense. Even if the Saints are frustrated with Thomas right now over his recent behavior, he’s one of the best and most productive receivers in the NFL. Plus, he’s a little over a year removed from signing a long-term contract. The Saints would have to absorb a significant cap hit if they did trade him.

Though this didn’t go nearly as far, it’s not the first bit of trade-related drama Payton has had to quiet this season.

Giants stars allegedly appear on video partying without masks

Daniel Jones

Two New York Giants stars could find themselves in significant trouble after a video made its way around social media depicting them partying at a club without masks.

On Friday, a New York City man who goes by the name DJ Lugghead posted a video to his Instagram account that shows him partying with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. According to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media, none of them were wearing masks, and the event appeared to be indoors.

The video has since been deleted, as has a screen recording of it that spread on social media. However, a picture of DJ Lugghead with Jones and Barkley that was also deleted was archived on social media.

After deleting the videos and pictures, DJ Lugghead claimed on Twitter that they were “from last year.” A man claiming to be DJ Lugghead repeated that claim in an email to NJ Advance Media. The email also claimed that the bar where the video was recorded, Common Ground in Manhattan, “isn’t even opened.” The bar’s website, however, states that it is open for outdoor and limited indoor dining.

The Giants are certainly aware of the video and are likely investigating privately. If the video is old, then there’s no problem. If it’s from Friday night, both Jones and Barkley could face discipline for violating the league’s safety protocols. That’s despite the fact that Barkley is currently awaiting surgery for a torn ACL.

The league has not been shy about punishing such violations. They won’t be here either, though more information is definitely needed.

Bengals’ Carlos Dunlap airs out frustrations with role on social media

Carlos Dunlap

Carlos Dunlap has long been a standout pass rusher for the Cincinnati Bengals, but his role has been reduced this year. He’s not at all happy about it, either.

On Saturday, Dunlap posted a picture of what appeared to be the Bengals’ defensive end depth chart. It depicted Dunlap as the team’s third stringer at both end spots. In the caption, Dunlap suggested coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had an “experiment,” but added “I don’t got time for this.”

Dunlap was relegated to third down duty two weeks ago. He made no secret of his displeasure with that move, and even added that he had not been told in advance of the decision.

The 31-year-old defensive end has spent his entire career with the Bengals. His 82.5 career sacks make him the franchise’s all-time leader. There’s been some chatter about a possible trade as a result of his reduced role and unhappiness. If Dunlap wants a move, he wouldn’t be the only member of the team who does.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Nolan defends scheme

Dallas Cowboys logo

Mike Nolan cannot be feeling great about his job security these days, but the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator seems to disagree with any talk of his scheme being too complicated for players.

The Cowboys have allowed an abysmal 36.3 points per game this season, which is by far the worst mark in the NFL. Following last week’s 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Nolan expressed frustration over the big plays Dallas allowed. He alluded to a 60-yard run and 80-yard pass the Cowboys gave up and said he was bothered by those plays because the defenses Dallas was in were so “simple.”

“We’ve got to eliminate those plays and keep them to a minimum, not only the number of them but when you have a 60-yard run on the last play of the game, and an 80-yard pass against a simple three-deep zone, things like that,” Nolan said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “When they happen to you, you got to find out why they are happening to you. Because those are defenses that everyone in the league has played and, in fact, many high schools play those same defenses. So it’s not like they are too complicated.”

It’s noteworthy that Nolan mentioned the simplicity of those particular defensive formations. One of the biggest knocks against the coach this season has been that his scheme is too complicated. Richard Sherman was highly critical of Nolan recently for that reason.

The bottom line is Nolan is not getting results. Whether his scheme is too complicated or not, the Cowboys are allowing points at a historic pace. That is a recipe for disaster and the main reason they are 2-4 after six games.

Tom Brady had Antonio Brown talk to Tony Robbins for counseling

Tom Brady Bucs

Tom Brady and Antonio Brown have maintained a seemingly close relationship since their brief time playing together with the Patriots. Brady has been trying to help Brown turn his career around since the star receiver squandered his chance in New England, and that apparently includes putting him in touch with a life coach.

According to Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640, Brady called noted life coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins and connected him with Brown earlier this year. Robbins and Brown are said to have had a long conversation about A.B. returning to the NFL.

Brady and Robbins are friends and made a public appearance together a few years back. They have promoted each other’s brands, and Brady obviously felt Robbins had valuable advice for Brown.

Brady was reportedly unhappy with the Patriots for releasing Brown last year, even though the All-Pro receiver was facing allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women. Brady has remained supportive of Brown publicly, which is why it is not really a shock that Brown is going to be playing for the Bucs.

Saints willing to consider Michael Thomas trade?

Michael Thomas

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has not played since Week 1 of the season, and we’re beginning to hear rumors about his standing within the organization.

According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, some around the NFL believe the Saints are open to listening to offers for Thomas, or that Thomas is interested in leaving the organization. He reasons that the Saints run a tight ship, and anything we’ve publicly heard about Thomas in recent weeks is the outcome of a leak the organization did not stop. He also wonders if Thomas is being held out of the Saints’ Week 7 game against Carolina to ensure that his potential trade value does not take a hit if he reaggravates an injury.

Thomas is two weeks removed from punching a teammate during practice. The fact that this leaked is interpreted as a sign that the Saints want to ensure the rest of the NFL world knows that Thomas is not in perfect standing in New Orleans. It’s worth noting, however, that a Thomas trade would add a $20 million cap charge for the Saints next season. To Florio, that simply means that the Saints would likely need to be blown away by any potential offer.

A Thomas trade does not feel likely. He’s 27, in the prime of his career, and has never failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season. In 2019, he set the NFL’s single-season record for receptions with 149. The Saints only just signed him to a five-year deal last year. He’s been one of the most consistently productive and reliable receivers in the game for the last four seasons. Still, it does sound like things aren’t perfect between Thomas and the Saints right now. That makes the situation worth watching.