Jul 28, 2021; Orchard Park, NY, United States; Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane on the field after practice at the Buffalo Bills Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane offered up an interesting quote on Thursday regarding the status of the team’s wide receiver room.
The Bills have no clear-cut No. 1 option at wide receiver, leading many to wonder whether the team might target one in the upcoming NFL Draft. Beane cast some doubt on that possibility Thursday, acknowledging that the team would like to add another receiver, but that he did not see a “glaring hole” from the lack of a true No. 1.
Beane may be throwing up a smokescreen here. After all, it is hard to believe the Bills are totally satisfied with the state of the roster, especially when he admitted that the team is not actually better off after trading Stefon Diggs. It does the team no good to come off as desperate, however.
Curtis Samuel is the most accomplished receiver on the Buffalo roster at the moment. It remains to be seen if the team tries to move up in the draft to address that need, but it is tough to imagine the Bills standing pat for the entire offseason.
Hailey Van Lith has decided to transfer just one state over.
Talia Goodman of The Next reported on Thursday that the former LSU guard Van Lith has decided to transfer to TCU. Van Lith will be playing out the final season of her college eligibility with the Horned Frogs.
The 22-year-old Van Lith first rose to prominence during her first three collegiate seasons at Louisville. She was a two-time First Team All-ACC selection there, culminating in a 2022-23 season in which she averaged a stellar 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
But Van Lith decided after that season to transfer to LSU, the then-reigning national champions, and saw her numbers take a big hit. She went down to 11.6 points per game as she took a backseat in the LSU offense to the likes of Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow, and Flau’jae Johnson.
It didn’t help either that Van Lith’s final game at LSU consisted of her getting mercilessly cooked on defense by Caitlin Clark. But now Van Lith will be getting a fresh start with a TCU team looking to build on a 21-12 season (their first winning campaign in nearly a half-decade).
Oct 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A Washington Commanders helmet on the bench against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Commanders are essentially on the clock in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it does not sound like they are entertaining any trade offers for their pick.
With Caleb Williams a virtual certainty to be taken first overall by the Chicago Bears next Thursday, the Commanders are working to decide which quarterback they want at No. 2. General manager Adam Peters spoke with reporters on Thursday about that process, and he made it clear that the pick is not for sale.
“We feel great about staying at No. 2. Don’t see a lot of scenarios where we trade down,” Peters said.
Peters added that the Commanders are “real close” to deciding which player they want to take. He anticipates a final decision being made early next week, though Peters emphasized that there is no rush.
If Washington’s brass has truly yet to settle on a quarterback, they are likely deciding between LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Recent reports have indicated that Commanders executives have already made up their minds, which could be the case.
Even if a team blows the Commanders away with an offer, it does not sound like they have any intention of trading back in the draft. The same cannot be said for the team that is slated to pick right after them.
Oct 3, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs off the field after loss against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is looking forward to working under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but he is hoping this is the last time he has to come to grips with a new offensive coordinator for quite some time.
Hurts made clear that he is tired of the “revolving door” of offensive coordinators he has experienced in his time with the Eagles, and that he would like to see some continuity in the role going forward.
“I think as a player, I definitely yearn for the sustainability and the consistency there,” Hurts said, via Tim McManus of ESPN. “As a quarterback, I yearn for those things in a playcaller and a quarterback coach because you kind of see how consistency in those areas can breed excellence.
“I find myself in a situation very similar to college in terms of having a constantly revolving door in terms of coordinators and coaches. But I’ve always managed to have success in it, so that’s always been a good thing, because you’ve been able to learn from people and apply it.”
Hurts will have his fourth offensive coordinator in five seasons with the Eagles in 2024. Head coach Doug Pederson largely ran the offense in his rookie season, followed by two years of Shane Steichen. Steichen then left to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and was replaced by Brian Johnson, who did not last through the 2023 season.
Hurts’ stance is totally reasonable. It has been hard for him to establish any real continuity when he has to learn a new playbook every year. The risk is that the Eagles become victims of their own success, as Moore has been considered for head coaching vacancies before. That may happen again if the offense performs well in 2024.
Despite the changes, Hurts has performed no matter who has been running the offense. He threw for a career-high 3,858 yards in 2023 despite the unit’s issues, with 38 total touchdowns.
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws the ball during warmups before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
CJ Stroud proved during his outstanding rookie season last year that he is capable of making every throw at the NFL level, but the Houston Texans quarterback is certainly no Bo Jackson.
Stroud threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Houston Astros prior to their game against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. A video of the former Ohio State star warming up for the pitch went viral, largely because of the way Stroud was short-arming the ball.
It looked like Stroud was throwing a baseball the exact way he would throw a football, which makes perfect sense. You can tell he was not a two-sport star in high school like Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and some other quarterbacks.
For what it’s worth, the throwing motion worked just fine for Stroud. He fired a perfect strike.
Stroud was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl last season. He threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. We know another star quarterback has some big baseball aspirations, but Stroud will probably just stick to throwing a ceremonial first pitch every now and then. Texans fans should be just fine with that.
Oct 24, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed (44) warms up before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers got the first-round playoff matchup they wanted by winning their Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, and Paul Reed is not bothering to downplay it.
The 76ers earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 105-104 win over Miami at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. By avoiding a second play-in game, the Sixers will now face the No. 2-seed New York Knicks in the first round. Had they lost, they would have had to win another play-in game for a chance to take on the No. 1-seed Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.
During a Thursday appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back,” Reed was asked if the 76ers felt a sense of urgency to win on Wednesday night so they could avoid the Celtics. Reed admitted that believes the Knicks are “the easier team.”
“I feel like we ain’t ducking smoke, but yeah we wanted the Knicks matchup, of course. That’s the easier team, I guess,” Reed said. “But, you know, it’s gonna be fun. We match up pretty well with them.”
Reed paused and smiled immediately after he made the “easier team” comment. He probably knew right away that he had created a headline and potentially given the Knicks some added motivation.
Of course, Reed was just stating the obvious. The Celtics went 64-18 in the regular season and finished 14 games ahead of the Knicks in the East. There is no question New York would be an easier matchup for the 76ers or any other team. Most players probably would not have come out and said it the way Reed did, though.
Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (WO19) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Former Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is widely considered to be one of the most talented players at his position, but scouts have expressed some unique concerns about him ahead of the NFL Draft.
Mitchell has been diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic. Apparently, there is a belief among some talent evaluators that the 21-year-old does not take the condition seriously enough. Bob McGinn of Go Long wrote on Wednesday that multiple scouts expressed concern to him about the way Mitchell handles having diabetes.
“You’ve got to look out for it and he’s got to take care of himself,” one scout said. “Every diabetic does. There’s some questions but at the end of the day he’s a good player that hasn’t done anything overly malicious. He’s probably just immature.”
Another scout described Mitchell as “almost uncoachable” and having issues aside from his health. The scout said Mitchell is “a bit of a wild horse” and “doesn’t address the diabetic stuff in a mature way.”
“When his blood sugar’s off, he’s rude, he’s abrasive, he doesn’t pay attention in meetings,” the scout told McGinn. “It’s why you get really, really sh—y character reports coming out of Georgia and Texas. But when his stuff is normal, and they get him normal by lunch time, he’s out at practice high energy, best practice player, loves football…”
One prominent NFL player who is a Type 1 diabetic is Mark Andrews. The Baltimore Ravens shared an eye-opening video last season that showed just how much attention Andrews has to give to his condition during games.
Mitchell, who transferred to Texas from Georgia, had 55 catches for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns with the Longhorns last season. Many analysts have predicted that he will be drafted in the first round, but he is part of an extremely deep wide receiver class. He may have to do a better job of convincing teams that he takes his medical condition seriously.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks had a rough outing on Wednesday night, and no one seemed more disgusted about it than him.
Fairbanks came on in the top of the ninth inning with the Rays leading 4-3 in their game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. After getting Luis Rengifo to ground out, Fairbanks surrendered a single to Nolan Schanuel and then walked Zach Neto. The runners advanced to second and third on a double-steal before Anthony Rendon’s single tied the game at 4-4.
The Angels then intentionally walked Mike Trout. Taylor Ward followed with an RBI single to drive in Rendon and give L.A. a 5-4 lead before Fairbanks got out of the inning. The Rays were unable to orchestrate a comeback in the bottom of the ninth.
After blowing the save, Fairbanks was asked in the clubhouse if there was anything specific he felt he did wrong. The right-hander said he “generally sucked.”
“I thought it generally sucked. I didn’t think it was a specific suck, I thought it was like an all-encompassing type of suck,” Fairbanks said. “So, we’re gonna try and rectify that, but right now I’m gonna be pretty pissed about it.”
Fairbanks also said he was not going to beat himself up over the outing for too long but would give it at least 16 more minutes “of sulk” until the clock hit 10 p.m.
Though he has three saves this season, Fairbanks has not pitched well overall. He has given up 8 hits and 7 earned runs in 7 appearances. That is why he was so frustrated after blowing the game on Wednesday night.
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the sideline during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots have a chance to land a potential franchise quarterback with the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but they may feel that they can move back in the draft and still get whom they want.
Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf met with the media on Thursday and made one thing very clear — the team is listening to offers. While the odds still heavily favor New England selecting a quarterback at No. 3, Wolf said the Pats are “open for business in the first round and any round.”
Wolf did indicate, however, that the Patriots would need to be blown away to trade the third overall pick. He said there have been discussions about moving back from No. 3 but that no team has offered a “bag” for the pick.
Following the press conference, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe said his biggest takeaway is that the Patriots are genuinely hoping for a big offer for the No. 3 pick but are content using it on a quarterback.
Caleb Williams is a lock to go first overall to the Chicago Bears. There is very little consensus on how the rest of the quarterbacks in the draft should be ranked. As many as five others could be taken in the first round. If the Patriots would be happy with Michael Penix Jr., they might be willing to trade back. They would still need a significant offer from a team that is desperate for a QB, however.
There have been a lot of recent rumors that the Patriots are eyeing one specific quarterback at No. 3, but those reports could have been leaked by them or any other team for strategic purposes. We will not know for certain until the first round is underway next Thursday.
Mar 3, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) in action against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Indy Star columnist Gregg Doyel was widely criticized on Wednesday over some awkward behavior toward Caitlin Clark, and he has since issued an apology.
Clark was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft on Monday by the Indiana Fever. She spoke with the local media in Indianapolis on Wednesday. Doyel is obviously excited about the opportunity to cover Clark, but he had a weird way of showing it.
Doyel asked Clark about the heart gesture she makes with her hands. Clark said she does it at her family after every game. Doyel then followed up by saying Clark should “start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.” Doyel also told Clark “I like that you’re here.” A clip of the exchange went viral.
A few hours later, Doyel shared an apology via X.
“Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature (hand gesture). My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better,” Doyel wrote.
Doyel also wrote a column in which he apologized to Clark again and noted how he is known for “having awkward conversations with people before asking brashly conversational questions.” He said he should have realized it would come off differently when interacting with a female athlete.
It seems like Doyel was trying to be friendly toward Clark and express that he is looking forward to following her career. Next time, he should probably make less of an effort to stand out above his peers.
