Former Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler has landed a new analyst job with ESPN.
ESPN announced on Thursday that Osweiler will be working for them this college football season. Osweiler will team with Anish Shroff and Taylor McGregor to call a package of college football games.
“College football is so special, and there’s nothing like the pageantry and excitement that takes over the stadium on a fall Saturday. I can’t wait to be part of the team at ESPN and share the perspective and passion I have for the game I love. Since retiring, I’ve thought about football every day and I’m truly excited for this next chapter,” Osweiler said in a statement.
Osweiler played three years at Arizona State from 2009-2011. He passed for 4,036 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior before entering the NFL Draft. The Broncos selected him in the second round (No. 57 overall) in 2012. Osweiler served mostly as Peyton Manning’s backup before securing a big contract with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2016 season.
Osweiler passed for 7,418 yards and 37 touchdowns over seven NFL seasons. He took home an estimated $41 million in career earnings.
May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
For a man who once picked Allen Iverson No. 1 overall in an all-time draft, Charles Barkley may have somehow topped himself yet again.
The retired Basketball Hall of Famer Barkley went viral this week for his take on the greatest point guards of all-time. Barkley said that he believes Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry is now one of the two greatest ever at the position along with Isiah Thomas.
“I said after [Curry] won this [NBA title], that puts him on the list with Isiah Thomas,” Barkley said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s at the table in the Hall of Fame with Isiah Thomas as probably the best point guards. Those two are probably the two best points to ever play the game.”
But in naming Curry and Thomas as the two best point guards ever, Barkley had a big snub (and one of his contemporaries, no less) — Magic Johnson.
When pressed about leaving Johnson off his list, Barkley responded, “Magic Johnson is a little unique because he’s a 6-foot-10 point guard. He played it differently. But I put Steph right up there with Isiah Thomas as the best little guards to ever play the game.”
Indeed, Johnson, a five-time champion and three-time MVP who completely revolutionized the transition game, is the point guard whom most see as the greatest ever. Curry, who is now up to four rings, has a good argument of his own as a player who reframed the way that we think about the game with his unparalleled combination of volume and efficiency from three. But while Thomas was an excellent two-way point guard who won two rings of his own, few to none rank him above Johnson in the all-time conversation.
It appears Barkley was making a point here about the greatest point guards ever who were of traditional point guard size (though he only did so when pressed by the interviewer about excluding Johnson). But Barkley did recently show some love to Johnson in a different “GOAT” context.
Nov 27, 2019; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward Carmelo Anthony (00) warms up prior to tip off against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
After 19 years of searching for his first NBA title, it may be time for Carmelo Anthony to queue up Survivor’s “The Search Is Over.”
Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney spoke this week with an anonymous league GM, who mentioned the defending champion Golden State Warriors as a possible landing spot for the ten-time All-Star Anthony.
“Golden State has the room for him,” the executive was quoted as saying of Anthony. “He can make shots and they can hide up his defense, which is one of the big problems with adding him. He’d take the minimum.”
Though he is now a grandfatherly 38 years old, Anthony still put up good offensive numbers for the Los Angeles Lakers last season (13.3 points per game on 44.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep). True, he can’t stay in front of a turkey sandwich on defense these days. But as a veteran gunner off the bench who makes the most of his shot attempts, Anthony is a serviceable option, especially on a minimum salary.
The Warriors do have some forward depth to recoup after Otto Porter Jr. left for Toronto and Nemanja Bjelica chose to go back to Europe this offseason. Anthony also got experience playing with Golden State stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green during the 2016 Olympics in Rio. At the very least, the Warriors will give Anthony a better shot at the title than this team that has also been linked to him.
Aug 28, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) jogs off the field after a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady thrives off people doubting him or making bad predictions about his decline. One ESPN personality found that out the hard way on Thursday.
Barstool Sports shared a video of Max Kellerman on ESPN’s “First Take” from July 28, 2016, exactly six years ago to the day. Kellerman is seen predicting that Brady is “just about done” and about to “fall off a cliff” and “be a bum in short order.” Brady took notice of the clip and made sure to share it, all while tagging Kellerman in the tweet and pointing out that the quarterback now has a swimwear line, too.
This is brutal, but Kellerman absolutely brought this upon himself. Even at the time, it was not as if Brady was just barely skating by, as he was fresh off a season that saw him finish second in MVP voting. He was suspended for the first four games of that 2016 season due to Deflategate, then came back and guided the Patriots to their epic comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Brady has won two more Super Bowls since then.
This is hardly the first time Brady has referred to the “cliff” line since Kellerman said it. And for whatever it’s worth, Kellerman did ultimately admit he’d been way wrong about the quarterback. He did so too late to avoid getting roasted for the original take, though.
Dec 5, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Kyler Murray publicly addressed the much-discussed study clause in his contract on Thursday, but what he did not say might be more notable than what he did say.
Murray made a surprise appearance in front of the media at Arizona Cardinals camp on Thursday and spoke about the clause in his new deal that requires him to complete four hours of “independent study” before each game. Murray said questions about his work ethic were “disrespectful” in light of the success he has had in the NFL.
However, when asked if he was mad at the organization for inserting the clause, Murray notably refused to answer.
It would have been pretty simple for Murray to simply say no and kill the question. That he did not do that will certainly lead some to believe that he’s not terribly pleased with both the clause and the fact that it became public.
The Cardinals have sought to downplay the clause, but Murray’s responses may well have the opposite effect. It certainly does not help him that this went public, no matter how much he or the organization tries to explain it away.
Miami Marlins pitcher Daniel Castano was involved in a scary incident Thursday during his start against the Cincinnati Reds.
In the bottom of the first inning, Castano was hit in the lead by a line drive off the bat of Reds infielder Donovan Solano. According to Statcast, the ball came off Solano’s bat at 104 MPH, and hit Castano’s head so hard it deflected in the air all the way to third baseman Joey Wendle, who caught it on the fly to record the out.
Castano remained down for several moments as he was attended to, but appeared to be alert and did not show any signs of bleeding. He was able to walk off the field under his own power.
Solano was visibly shaken and even went to check on Castano before the Marlins pitcher left the field.
Castano, a 27-year-old lefty, had been called up specifically to start Thursday’s game. He has a 3.81 ERA over 39 career appearances with the Marlins spread across the last three seasons.
Dec 11, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Aron Baynes (12) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
A former NBA champion is heading to Australia in a bid to get his NBA career back on track following a freak accident.
Veteran center Aron Baynes has agreed to a two-year contract with the Brisbane Bullets with the ultimate goal of playing in the NBA again, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The nine-year veteran has not played since last summer, when he suffered a spinal injury while running to the locker room during Australia’s game against Italy during the Tokyo Olympics.
Baynes initially had to re-learn how to walk and spent two months in multiple hospitals. He went through a rehab process that will allow him to play again, and he was able to take part in a showcase for NBA teams earlier this month in Las Vegas.
The 35-year-old center last played in the NBA in 2020-21, when he played for the Toronto Raptors. He won an NBA title in 2014 as a backup for the San Antonio Spurs.
Aug 31, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh before the game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
The implementation of name, image and licensing rights deals across the college football landscape has been somewhat chaotic and criticized by some figures within the sport. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has a suggestion that might cut down on some of that chaos.
Harbaugh said Tuesday at his Big Ten media day press conference that he believes the Big Ten should allow players to directly share in conference revenues by directly signing players to NIL deals.
“They use their name, image and likeness on the TV broadcasts,” Harbaugh said, via Aaron McMann of MLive. “They’re the ones signing the mega-TV deals. And a new one’s coming in 2024. Why can’t that be an NIL deal right from the Big Ten? Because that’s who’s negotiating the TV deals, and that’s where the big money is.”
Harbaugh’s suggestion is quite bold, as he is essentially saying the Big Ten should cut out the middle man and pay the players itself. There is certainly an argument to be made that it’s the safest, most controlled way of making sure players profit without things getting too messy.
On the other hand, some schools might have reservations about such a plan depending on how it would be implemented. Larger schools like Michigan which are featured on national television more often would likely want a bigger slice of the pie going to their players. Smaller, less successful schools would probably argue that such an arrangement might only serve to widen the gap between themselves and the conference’s elite teams.
Harbaugh has always been a bit more of a purist than some others when it comes to NIL discussions. This isn’t a bad idea on his part, but there would be lots of hurdles to clear before it could become a reality.
Jun 11, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto (22) stands in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
With a Juan Soto trade looking realistic before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, the big question is which team is best positioned to land the young superstar. A new report suggests that a National League rival might be poised to pull it off.
Some rival executives believe the San Diego Padres are the frontrunners for Soto, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Still, no deal appears imminent.
The Padres certainly have a general manager in A.J. Preller who is famous for being aggressive in the market. They also have some top prospects they might be willing to move in the deal, though previous reports have indicated that Fernando Tatis Jr. is not on the table.
The Padres will face stiff competition, as pretty much every team will feel obligated to at least check in with the Washington Nationals on Soto. Things can change as well, as it was not long ago a different team was being touted as a potential frontrunner.
Oct 14, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen (66) during warmups against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have suffered the first significant injury of NFL training camp.
Various reports indicated that Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen suffered a significant-looking knee injury during Thursday’s practice. The injury was painful enough that Jensen was observed slamming his helmet in frustration, which is often seen as a bad sign.
At his press conference, head coach Todd Bowles revealed that Jensen suffered a knee injury, but the team was not yet sure how severe it was.
Jensen, a Pro Bowler last season, has been an iron man for the Buccaneers, and has started every regular season game for five years running. He was set to be a free agent this past offseason, but the Buccaneers retained him, in part because Tom Brady’s return announcement was timed in part to ensure that Jensen was aware of it. That signifies how important Jensen is to the team.
