Dec 19, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) brings the ball up court against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Fans of Lonzo Ball received some welcomed news on Monday.
Ball is expected to play in the Chicago Bulls’ preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. This would be a huge deal considering Ball has not played since January 2022 due to knee surgeries and complications.
The Bulls have a preseason game on Monday night and then home preseason games on Wednesday and Friday. Chicago is hoping that Ball will be able to play in Wednesday and Fridays games.
The 26-year-old Ball has been hoping to be ready for the start of the regular season. He experienced some knee soreness after a team shootaround on Saturday, but the team is still shooting to have him available for the October 23 opener.
Ball has only played in 35 games for the Bulls since they acquired him in an August 2021 trade. Ball was the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers in 2017.
Nov 5, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) warms up prior to a game against the Arizona Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Utah quarterback Cam Rising is losing yet another season to an injury.
Utes coach Kyle Whittingham announced Monday that Rising will be out “indefinitely” due to a lower leg injury. Whittingham did not sound optimistic that Rising would be able to play again in 2024.
Whittingham even went as far as to say that another medical redshirt could be an option for Rising, which would potentially allow the Utah quarterback to return for an eighth year of eligibility.
The quarterback suffered the injury Friday against Arizona State, when his leg rolled up awkwardly on Utah’s first drive. Though he remained in the game, he was clearly limited and largely ineffective, going 16/37 for 209 yards and three interceptions.
Rising’s college career has been derailed by the brutal knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl in January 2023. He took a medical redshirt in 2023 and returned for 2024, but he has been plagued by other injuries and has appeared in only three games so far.
Rising redshirted as a freshman all the way back in 2018 with Texas, then sat out in 2019 after transferring to Utah. There aren’t many 26-year-old college football players, but he has a chance to be one if he seeks and is granted another medical redshirt.
Oct 31, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) warms up before an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis have a rivalry that seems to be getting more bitter by the day.
During an offseason appearance on “The Pivot Podcast,” St. Brown was asked to name his least favorite cornerback in the NFL. The Lions star mentioned Lewis. St. Brown recalled a 2022 game between Dallas and Detroit where Lewis was supposedly “talking crazy, like some s– I’ve never heard before.”
“I’m trying to make plays, win the game. I’m not worried about him. But once he starts talking like that, it’s like, all right, if I do get a chance to kill him, I’ma kill him,” St. Brown said.
Lewis responded at the time by saying he doesn’t “want to be friends with everyone, especially a Detroit Lion not from Detroit.” He was asked about St. Brown’s comments again last week.
“I honestly don’t remember,” Lewis said. “Sometimes I just black out, just go somewhere else with it. But if I said anything disrespectful, I’d probably say it again.”
That brings us to Sunday, when the Lions embarrassed the Cowboys in a 47-9 blowout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. At some point after that game, Lewis sent St. Brown a direct message on Instagram and called the Pro Bowl wideout “a b–ch” (edited by LBS for profanity). St. Brown shared a screenshot of the message on his Instagram story:
Obviously, that is a bad look for Lewis after his team just lost at home by 38 points. He clearly did not expect St. Brown to expose him, however, which was evident with his response.
“That was between me and him. He decided to show the world,” Lewis wrote on X.
St. Brown had a quiet game against Dallas with 4 catches for 37 yards, but he was barely needed. There were no personal victories for Lewis or any other Cowboys players given how lopsided the game was.
The Lions improved to 4-1 with the win while the Cowboys fell to 3-3. There is a decent chance the two teams will see each other in the postseason, so the war of words between St. Brown and Lewis might not be over just yet.
Jun 10, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo walks to the microphones for to hold a press conference at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots have shown very few signs of improvement this year after undergoing major offseason changes, and many people feel Bill Belichick is to blame for the current state of the roster. Does Jerod Mayo agree?
The Patriots fell to 1-5 with their 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday. During his appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Monday morning, Mayo was asked why New England’s roster was in such a bad place entering the offseason.
Mayo chuckled and did not take the bait.
“You tell me,” he said. “I’m not doing that. Not doing that one.”
The question was certainly a loaded one. Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal felt Mayo’s response could be interpreted as a swipe at Belichick, though Giardi noted that executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf should share some of the blame.
Mayo was asked about the roster entering the offseason, not the season. Anything that happened — or did not happen — prior to the 2024 offseason would have been on Belichick, as he was the Patriots’ general manager in addition to head coach.
Belichick made a lot of mistakes and failed to have a contingency plan in place for the Patriots after Tom Brady left. Mayo was left with a poor collection of skill players and a terrible offensive line, but he knew that when he took the job. He knows blaming Belichick for anything that has happened this season would be a bad look, which is why he was careful answering the question.
Mayo worked under Belichick on the Patriots’ staff, but there have been some signs that the relationship between the two is not in the best place.
Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks on before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Miami Dolphins on Monday provided a significant update regarding Tua Tagovailoa as the quarterback recovers from his latest concussion.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters during his media availability that he expects Tagovailoa to play again this season. McDaniel said there is no specific timeline for when Tagovailoa might return.
The comments marked the first time that the Dolphins acknowledged that they are planning to have Tua back in 2024.
“There’s still information that he’s seeking this week. As far as timelines go, I know he’s not playing this week,” McDaniel said. “I do expect to see him playing football in 2024, but where that is exactly, we’ll let the process continue since we still have time before we could even entertain anything. We’ll make sure he’s diligent this week and assess after that.”
Tagovailoa is on injured reserve and not eligible to resume practicing until Oct. 23. It sounds like there is at least a chance he could suit up against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27.
Tagovailoa suffered his most recent concussion on what looked like a routine tackle in Week 2. That was at least the third concussion of his NFL career, and he also suffered at least one in college at Alabama. Many prominent members of the NFL community have urged Tagovailoa to retire, but we now know for sure that is not going to happen.
The Dolphins beat the New England Patriots in Week 5 to improve to 2-3. They then had a bye and will travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in Week 7.
A recent report provided a lot of reason for optimism surrounding Tagovailoa’s recovery. McDaniel’s update on Monday was perhaps the most positive one the Dolphins have given since Tagovailoa went down.
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Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks off the field after win against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Sirianni appeared to get into it with some Philadelphia Eagles fans at the end of the team’s 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but the coach played coy about the exchange after the game.
As the Eagles put the finishing touches on their victory at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., FOX cameras showed Sirianni having some words with fans who were seated behind Philadelphia’s bench area. You can see the video here.
During his postgame press conference, Sirianni was asked what was said during the interaction. The coach, who had his kids with him, repeated the same six-word response. He said he was “just excited to get the win.”
Sirianni then praised Eagles fans for their support.
“Our fans created a couple of false starts that really helped us win this football game, but just excited to get the win and appreciate The Linc’s support,” Sirianni said.
Obviously, Sirianni did not want to share what was said to him or what he said back.
The Eagles had a bye in Week 5, so many expected them to look a lot better at home against the Browns. Sirianni’s team was booed by the home fans when Cleveland blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown at the end of the first half. Some “fire Sirianni” chants could also be heard during the game, so perhaps Sirianni was responding to that.
As they say, a win is a win. The Eagles improved to 3-2, but this is hardly the first time fans have been frustrated with Sirianni. The 43-year-old coach might be tired of hearing it.
Aug 3, 2023; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick during practice at Novacare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Haason Reddick recently parted ways with his agents amid his holdout, and the star pass-rusher has hired some very notable new representation.
Reddick has hired Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha as his new agents, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Rosenhaus said the agents have already spoken with the New York Jets and will attend the team’s game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
“We look forward to working with the Jets to get this resolved as soon as possible,” Rosenhaus said. “Haason would like to be a New York Jet for years to come and our goal is to make that happen.”
Rosenhaus is one of the most powerful agents in sports, so it would not be a surprise if he is able to finally bridge the gap between Reddick and the Jets.
The Jets acquired Reddick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles during the offseason. Reddick is currently in the final year of his contract and was set to make $14.25 million, but he has forfeited much of that by skipping training camp and refusing to play in regular-season games. A report on Sunday claimed the Jets offered Reddick a significant raise earlier this season. The 30-year-old is seeking a multi-year deal, however.
Reddick was supposedly dumped by his former agents because of his holdout, but ending up with Rosenhaus is a nice consolation. Some recent comments that Aaron Rodgers made also raised the question of whether it was Reddick who fired his former representation, not the other way around.
Apr 22, 2023; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first half of the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes lost to the Kansas State Wildcats 31-28 on Saturday night at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., and it wasn’t a great night for Shilo Sanders.
Shilo, who is one of Deion’s two sons on the team, had 7 tackles in the defeat. It wasn’t about the tackles he made, but rather the tackles he didn’t make.
Shilo was clowned on social media for being completely fooled upon meeting DJ Giddens in the hole and failing to make a tackle:
This video clip shows two more tackles Shilo missed:
And another video shows Shilo over-pursuing on a slant route:
It’s no surprise after a game like that that Deion was critical of his son.
“I thought he played horrible. I thought he was rusty and I thought he didn’t have his footing. I thought he wasn’t breaking down and he was coming up and trying to make a play … but he’s doing to do better. I know what he has in him,” Deion said after the game.
Shilo may have been rusty because he did not play for over a month due to a broken forearm. But he sure wasn’t at his best in the game — Deion’s not wrong about that.
Maxx Crosby cleared the air Sunday after a clip of him shoving a Las Vegas Raiders coach went viral on social media.
Crosby’s Raiders lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 32-13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. It was the Raiders’ third loss over their last four games.
Late in the contest, Crosby was seen shoving Raiders linebackers coach Mike Caldwell as the former walked back toward the sideline. The push appeared to catch Caldwell off guard.
Fans online began to speculate that the shove was a sign of Crosby’s growing frustration in Las Vegas. But Crosby explained on X that the moment was taken out of context.
“Mike Caldwell Is My Guy,” Crosby wrote. “One Of The Best People In The Business. Thats [sic] A Love Push, Stop Reaching.”
Crosby also spoke to reporters after the game to clarify things further. The three-time Pro Bowler explained that Caldwell had been hyping him up and Crosby was just returning his coach’s energy. Crosby blamed the camera angle for making the incident look more contentious than it really was.
With the Raiders already facing trade rumors surrounding Davante Adams, it’s no surprise that spectators are paying close attention to Crosby. The 27-year-old pass rusher was similarly criticized last week for his no-show during the Raiders’ Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
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’ postseason pitching excellence hit historic levels Sunday in a Game 1 win over the New York Mets in the NLCS.
The Dodgers mauled the Mets in a 9-0 drubbing at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty was completely locked in for the series opener. He shut out the Mets’ hitters, giving up just three hits across seven innings pitched. The Dodgers’ bullpen kept the scoreless streak going over the final two innings.
Dodgers pitching entered Sunday’s game with 24 straight scoreless innings, extending to the team’s NLDS matchup against the San Diego Padres. After another nine spotless innings against the Mets, the Dodgers’ pitching staff tied the 1966 Baltimore Orioles for the longest run of scoreless innings in MLB postseason history.
The feat is all the more impressive given the abundance of injuries that have plagued the Dodgers’ rotation throughout the year. Top-end starters Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Gavin Stone have all been ruled out for the rest of the season. The Dodgers also lost one of their top relievers to injury in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres.
The Dodgers are going with a bullpen game for Monday’s Game 2. Whichever pitcher Dave Roberts opts to go with for the first inning will have a chance to make MLB playoff history.
