Sep 5, 2024; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley at press conference at the Neo Química Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Saquon Barkley is leaving no stone unturned as he looks to make it to the first conference championship game of his career.
Speaking with reporters this week ahead of his team’s divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles star running back Barkley revealed that he is taking an unusual step to prepare. Barkley said that he is summoning for help from an expert on how to play in cold weather (with the possibility of snow in the forecast for Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field). That expert? Ex-Eagles running back LeSean “Shady” McCoy.
“Watching Shady, his highlights, probably one of his most memorable games [came in the snow against Detroit in 2013],” said Barkley, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of WIP in Philly. “He had another one in Buffalo too, where he played in a snow game.
“I’m definitely going to call Shady just in case we do get some snow and see what he did,” Barkley added. “It don’t make sense how he was able to cut in that snow. You could just see he was on a whole different level.”
The three-time Pro Bowler Barkley is in his first season with Philadelphia, so he could definitely take some pointers here from McCoy, who played for the Eagles from 2009-14 and was part of three different playoff berths. As Barkley hinted at too, McCoy’s single-game career-high in rushing came during a snow game at Lincoln Financial Field when McCoy went for 217 yards against the Detroit Lions in Dec. 2013.
Barkley has already done something that McCoy was never able to, which is help lead the Eagles to a playoff victory. But it is clear that Barkley has a lot of respect for the now 36-year-old McCoy, who already notably came to Barkley’s defense earlier this season.
Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Steve Sarkisian is shutting down any speculation about his future with the Texas Longhorns.
Sarkisian turned down two requests to interview for NFL head coaching jobs and is signing a contract extension with Texas, according to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network. ESPN’s Pete Thamel added that Sarkisian’s new seven-year deal adds one year to his current contract and includes a significant raise.
Texas has agreed to a new seven-year deal for Steve Sarkisian, which adds a year to his deal and includes a significant raise, per a source. He remains one of the highest paid coaches in the sport, as he’d ranked No. 3 at $10.6 million. Action Network first reported new deal. pic.twitter.com/8J38LI2JHu
Reports had suggested Sarkisian was likely to draw some NFL interest, but he clearly was not interested. He is fresh off a season that saw him take Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinal for a second straight season, lifting his overall record with the Longhorns to 38-17.
Sarkisian faced some questions over key decisions in Texas’ semifinal loss to Ohio State, but the school’s faith in him is clearly as strong as ever. They will also love that he did not even consider NFL interest and remains fully committed to the Longhorns.
Aug 16, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Los Angeles Dodgers hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers may not be done trying to beat the rest of Major League Baseball into submission.
The defending champion Dodgers continued their victory lap on Friday by winning the sweepstakes for Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old Sasaki now joins an offseason haul for the Dodgers that already included the additions of Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, and Hyeseong Kim as well as new deals for Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman.
But in an appearance on AM 570 in Los Angeles after the Sasaki news broke, David Vassegh of SportsNet LA revealed that the Dodgers’ latest spending spree might not be over just yet.
“Don’t rule out Tanner Scott,” said Vassegh. “Sasaki signing an international minor-league contract does not take up a 40-man roster spot. The Dodgers are at 39 [men] right now. That is a spot for a Major League reliever, which the Dodgers are on the record as saying they are looking for, and Tanner Scott is the best on the market right now.”
— steven | LAD (2024 World Series Champs) (@brokeboysteven_) January 18, 2025
The left-hander Scott, 30, is the indeed the top remaining reliever on the free agent market. He was an All-Star in 2024 (splitting time between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres) and posted a microscopic 1.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts over 72 total appearances.
Several weeks ago, the Dodgers were already linked to Scott in free agent rumors, which is interesting given Scott’s history with Shohei Ohtani. Even with all of the spending that the Dodgers have (again) done this winter, it looks like the eight-year veteran Scott is still very much in play for them.
Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after a Fighting Irish touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is attracting interest from NFL teams, and he offered a public response to that interest on Saturday.
Freeman has been linked to the Chicago Bears head coaching position, but brushed that interest aside when asked about it at his press conference Saturday. He said the interest has been “humbling,” but he has paid no attention to it.
“The reality is that with team success comes individual recognition,” Freeman said. “To hear that the Bears have interest, it’s humbling. It’s the NFL. But it’s also a reminder that with team success comes individual success.
“I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL. All my attention has just been getting this team prepared for the opportunity in front of us.”
The Bears have not yet interviewed Freeman, but reports suggest they would like to. They may get that chance after Monday’s national title game, as this is not a flat rejection from the Notre Dame coach.
Freeman is 33-9 in three-plus seasons at Notre Dame. He played linebacker for the Bears in 2009, so he does have some pre-existing ties to the franchise.
Nov 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the Dallas Mavericks logo during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Charlotte Hornets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Less than a year after he helped them make the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks could be parting ways with their starting center.
Christian Clark of The Athletic reports this week that the Mavs have “dangled” big man Daniel Gafford in recent trade talks. Clark notes that Dallas is hoping to acquire an impact perimeter defender ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Thus, the Mavs appear to be willing to part with Gafford in the right deal.
The 26-year-old Gafford was acquired by Dallas at last year’s trade deadline, and along with fellow trade deadline pickup PJ Washington, gave the team enough frontcourt firepower to make it out of the Western Conference and into the Finals. This season, Gafford is averaging 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game and continues to make a strong impact in the paint on both ends of the floor.
But while Gafford was Dallas’ starting 5 throughout their NBA Finals run, he is essentially platooning at the position now with teammate Dereck Lively II, who is both younger (20) and taller (7-foot-1) than the 6-foot-10 Gafford is. With Washington and Maxi Kleber also capable of playing small-ball center minutes, Gafford, who is signed through 2025-26, is no longer extremely pivotal to the Mavs.
We already heard there was one specific defender that Dallas was targeting via trade. With less than three weeks to go until the trade deadline, Gafford could now be a part of their intensifying efforts to upgrade on that front.
The executive director of the College Football Playoff suggested that big changes could be coming to the event in the future based on how one particular feature went over in 2024.
CFP executive Rich Clark was asked Saturday about the possibility of having more playoff games on college campuses in the future. Clark was enthusiastic about the idea and said it would be looked at, noting that the on-campus games were “amazing.”
CFP executive director Rich Clark, asked about the possibility of having additional rounds on campus in the future: “We’ll talk about it for sure. The campus games were amazing.”
Under current rules, only the first round of playoff games are played as home games on college campuses. From the quarterfinals on, the games are played as neutral site bowl games. That meant the top four conference champions who received a first-round bye did not actually get to host a playoff game, while several of their quarterfinal opponents did.
Adding more campus home games could help address one big format issue that popped up this year. However, the various bowl games would have to be compensated somehow, and it is not clear how that might be addressed.
Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders senior defensive assistant coach Rob Ryan watches the game against the Kansas City Chiefs Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Longtime NFL defensive assistant Rob Ryan has landed a new coaching job.
Ryan, who is the twin brother of Rex Ryan, is joining the USC Trojans as an assistant head coach and linebackers coach, the school announced Saturday. The 62-year-old will be dropping down from the NFL level to join the Big Ten program.
We got our guy🤝
NFL veteran coach and 2X Super Bowl champion @flowlikerob has been hired as Assistant Head Coach for Defense/Linebackers coach🏈 pic.twitter.com/qX8OgT3oro
Ryan has not coached at the college level since the 1990s. But he has three decades of coaching experience, most of it in the NFL.
Ryan has spent the last three seasons as a senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders. He has also served as a defensive coordinator with the Raiders, Cowboys, and Saints during his career. Like Rex, Rob is also known for his big personality and bold takes.
Nov 9, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus looks on before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Eberflus has his first interview lined up since being fired as head coach of the Chicago Bears.
The Atlanta Falcons confirmed Saturday that they have interviewed Eberflus for their vacant defensive coordinator position. It is the first interview for Eberflus since he was fired the day after Thanksgiving.
Eberflus served as the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021, where he built a solid unit anchored by a stout rush defense. His tenure as Bears head coach was not a successful one, as he went 14-32 and became infamous for high profile clock management errors, including one that effectively ended his tenure there. Those responsibilities would largely be taken out of his hands in a coordinator role.
The Falcons are looking for a new defensive coordinator after firing Jimmy Lake at the end of the season. Eberflus is the seventh candidate to interview for the job since it opened up.
Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ poor end of the season might have opened the door to a change at quarterback for the 2025 season.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offered his predictions for the Steelers’ 2025 roster, and made a pretty bold prediction about the quarterback position. He writes that Russell Wilson’s poor end of the season, combined with a disconnect with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, makes it less likely that he will be brought back next year, and that the Steelers will instead re-sign Justin Fields and start him instead.
“Wilson was brought here to help end the playoff victory drought, and it didn’t happen,” Dulac wrote. “Bringing in another veteran quarterback does not make sense. That’s why Fields, in all likelihood, will be given the job. He’s only 25, and he showed big development from his stay in Chicago.”
Fields and Wilson are both poised to become free agents this offseason, and the Steelers are not expected to retain both of them. Not too long ago, the Steelers were said to be very pleased with Wilson, but things certainly changed toward the end of the year. The Steelers lost five straight, including a playoff game to Baltimore, with Wilson averaging just 174.5 passing yards per game and four total touchdown passes over the last four regular season contests.
It should be noted that Fields started the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 QB and went 4-2 in the role. However, he lost the job to Wilson at that point, and even he felt he did not play all that well during that stretch.
Whatever the case, the Steelers looked like they had settled their quarterback situation a month ago. Things have changed since then, and the long-term doubts are back.
Nov 21, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts before the Steelers play against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
At least one NFL team recently inquired about the possibility of trading for Mike Tomlin, and we now know which team that was.
The Chicago Bears contacted the Pittsburgh Steelers to request permission to speak with Tomlin about a possible trade, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday. The Steelers did not give the Bears the green light.
Even if the Steelers were open to trading Tomlin, the longtime coach has control over his future. Tomlin reportedly has a no-trade clause in his contract. When asked this week about teams potentially wanting to trade for him, Tomlin had a very blunt three-word response that made it clear he has no interest in leaving Pittsburgh.
At least one team other than the Bears also reached out to Pittsburgh about trading for Tomlin, according to Schefter. That team was also told that the former Super Bowl champion is unavailable.
Tomlin has been the head coach in Pittsburgh since 2007. He has never had a losing season, and the Steelers have been to the playoffs in four of the past five years despite having a revolving door at quarterback. They lost in the first round each time, however, which has led to some criticism for Tomlin.
The Steelers lost 28-14 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round last Saturday night. They trailed 21-0 at halftime of a game that was never particularly close. The loss led to Tomlin getting the meme treatment, but there has been no indication that he is on the hot seat.
