Category: New England Patriots

New England Patriots

Teddy Bridgewater looks good in 1st Jets OTA, says knee ‘feels great’

Jets quarterback Teddy Bridgewater addresses the media after his first practice with the team.

and not really getting any information from anybody on how to fix that and how to address it.”

While Hackenberg claimed he wasn’t blaming the coaching staff for his struggles, he noted that he’s happy “someone stepped up” to help him. That someone was former NFL quarterbacks coach David Lee, who worked with him and introduced him to Christensen. Coincidentally, Lee was the Jets’ quarterbacks coach in 2013 and 2014.

Chan Gailey and Kevin Patullo in 2016, and John Morton and Jeremy Bates in 2017. Bates was promoted to coordinator after the season.

Donald, who turns 27 on Wednesday, has not taken part in any voluntary work with the Rams this offseason. He held out of the offseason program, training camp and the preseason in 2017, reporting to the team a day before the Rams’ season opener.

Donald is scheduled to make $6.89 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract.

“Aaron is a vet, man,” the Rams’ other new cornerback, Aqib Talib, said. “He’s going to take care of his own business. What’s his business is his business.”

Broncos linebacker Von Miller currently is the league’s highest-paid defensive player, with a $114.5 million deal that pays him $19.083 million per season. The Rams already have said they expect Donald to surpass Miller’s deal and have expressed optimism at getting something done.

But so far the sides have not reached agreement on an extension.ravens_016

Terrell Davis, Michael Robinson grade the Los Angeles Rams’ 2018 draft class

The NFL isn’t exactly progressive in many areas. It took decades for the league to realize that touchdown celebrations aren’t the end of civilization. The NFL’s inflexibility might be at its worst when it comes to uniforms. An NFL team changing its uniforms is a multi-year task, and in the case of the Los Angeles Rams, not much leeway is given. Here’s the Rams’ issue: They aren’t fond of their current uniform scheme, including the navy uniforms that everyone seems to hate, and they want to more often wear the blue-and-yellow Eric Dickerson-era kits from the 1980s and 1990s. They won a Super Bowl wearing those uniforms.

We forwarded them all of the fan complaints, the emails we get, so I think they’re well aware of our fans’ preferences. There aren’t many situations on the schedule in which the team would have to wear the navy jerseys it apparently hates. Demoff looked at the schedule and found no situation in which the team would have to wear dark jerseys on the road (If we can avoid wearing our Navy jerseys next year, we will, he told the Los Angeles Times).

The Rams are in the process of a uniform overhaul, but that won’t happen until 2019 or 2020 the Times reported. The team originally wanted to unveil new uniforms with the anticipated 2019 opening of its new stadium in Inglewood, but the opening of the stadium was delayed a year, which also might change the release of the uniform rebrand. In the meantime, the Rams will keep trying to get the league to let it wear the blue and yellow more often, which everyone seems to want.

They have history of running the ball and using backs in certain ways. I think with the power in my game with a little bit of quickness to break tackles and the leadership I can bring, with the football IQ on top that I can bring to Carolina hopefully puts them over the hump.

Anderson has a point on Carolina’s commitment to the running game, of course.

The Panthers finished the 2017 season ranked fourth in rushing, averaging 131.4 yards per game. Carolina’s ground attack has also proven consistently good during the Cam Newton era, ranking 10th in 2016 (113.4 yards per game), second in 2015 (142.6) and seventh in 2014 (127.2).

Shields made a name for himself with the Packers over the last eight years. The former undrafted free agent earned both a Super Bowl ring and a Pro Bowl nod with Green Bay, and he was a starter for the majority of his time there.
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The Texans weren’t alone in their pursuit of Mathieu.Odd as it sounds, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots need a win this offseason, too.

They lost Malcolm Butler, Solder and Lewis, which is quite a bit to cough up in one offseason.

And while the team got an extension done for safety Nate Ebner, it shouldn’t stop the Pats from grabbing a playmaker in the defensive secondary—though it can’t be Mathieu after his deal in Houston.

As usual, the Patriots are an attractive destination for a free agent. If the Patriots are willing to pay the necessary cash, they’ll add a player on a market that has yet to really develop while waiting on Mathieu to find a landing spot.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman made a solid trade for linebacker Alec Ogletree.

The Los Angeles Rams apparently didn’t like Ogletree’s fit with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, though one could guess the team didn’t like his $10 million cap hit in 2018 either.

There is an out in Ogletree’s contract after this year, but a team with hardly $1 million in free space as of this writing is bound to need some relief.

Grabner’s second goal in as many games was the Devils’ 10th shorthanded goal of the season.

The Devils doubled their lead at 13:27 when defenseman Damon Severson threaded a long pass to center Nico Hischier at the Kings’ blue line. Hischier entered the offensive zone and snapped his 16th goal of the season past Quick.

After the Devils failed to capitalize on three second-period power plays, they added a third goal in the third period. Brian Boyle set up a 2-on-1 rush for Miles Wood and Drew Stafford, where Wood kept the puck and beat Quick for his 17th goal of the season at 6:06.

The Devils continue their California swing with the second leg of a back-to-back on Sunday, when they play the Anaheim Ducks at 9 p.m. Eastern at Honda Center.

They then play the San Jose Sharks at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday at SAP Center in San Jose, and the Devils end their marathon six-game road trip against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. patriots_145

After no contract talks with Twins, Brian Dozier says ‘I will be a free agent this fall’

Brian Dozier reiterated that he expects to become a free agent after not having any talks with the Minnesota Twins on a contract extension this offseason.

“I will be a free agent this fall,” Dozier told the Star Tribune in an interview published early Monday morning. “That’s the bottom line. You can only say you want to be here so much, and nothing gets done.

Dozier has emerged as one of baseball’s best offensive second basemen, combining to hit 76 home runs with 192 RBIs and an .871 OPS over the last two seasons. He belted 42 homers in 2016 — an American League record for a second baseman — and had another outstanding season in 2017, batting .271 with 34 homers and 93 RBIs while helping Minnesota reach the postseason for the first time since 2010.

Despite a slow free-agent market this winter, Dozier is not concerned about hitting the open market. He would join a potentially historic free-agent class that could include Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel and Andrew Miller.

“I think teams have gotten a lot smarter, and they really break down the numbers,” he told the Star Tribune, referring to this offseason’s lack of free-agent activity. “The biggest thing in free agency is really making sure agents know their players’ value, and that their players understand that. … I think my better years are ahead of me, because of the way I feel and what I put into my body.”

“I’ve spent enough of my career in the minor leagues,” he told the Chronicle.

Sunday’s move involving Labourt is the second time in three days he has been claimed off waivers. The Reds have claimed him off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

Labourt, 23, had a 4.50 ERA in six appearances for the Tigers last season. In three stops in the minors last season he was 1-1 with four saves, posting a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings.

Eric Karabell: The starting pitcher I will be most interested in for drafts will depend on the options secured earlier, to some degree. I will mostly look for strikeout options, of course, and for the middle rounds I have tended to avoid injury risks, thus I have no shares of Leo Howell’s coveted McCullers. Godley’s performance looks legit to me, and now that the humidor is in effect in Arizona, I could see him repeating his numbers. I suppose Weaver could have a season like Godley just did, but if each is available I would likely go with the more proven option.raiders_009-223x223

By the time Ramsey reached Jacksonville in 2016, the transition was complete.

He feuded with Baltimore receiver Steve Smith Sr., later calling Smith an “old man” and that he didn’t respect him as a man. Later that season he was ejected for fighting with an Oakland wideout and last spring he called out Houston star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Then came the confrontation with Cincinnati’s A.J. Green this season. Lamont Ramsey, watching from the stands in early November as his son burrowed his way into the receiver’s head, loved it.

“He’s got A.J.,” the elder Ramsey told someone that day when he knew the battle had been won, and a short time later, Ramsey shoved Green and Green put the cornerback in a chokehold before suplexing him to the ground. Ramsey, after all, always did identify with wrestling’s bad guys.

Kraft went with “Elton John,” but Blank may actually have hit the bull’s-eye. The Patriots owner has spoken about his close relationship with Trump, who praised Kraft, plus New England quarterback Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick, in remarks at a dinner the night before his inauguration.

“I will always be grateful to him for his thoughtfulness and his continued friendship,” Kraft said of Trump in March of last year, noting that he had attended the 2005 wedding of the then-businessman to Melania Trump. Brady has also spoken of his friendship with Trump, although he has tried to downplay that relationship in recent months, as the president emerged as a highly polarizing figure.

But as great as the Patriots are, their win doesn’t come in such a dominant fashion if they’re not as prepared.

“Tennessee’s a good team,” Belichick said after the game. “We saw what happened last week in Kansas City when Kansas City had a lead at the half similar to the one that we had. Our guys did a real good job of kind of keeping their foot on the gas and keep pressing it.”

Part of the Patriots’ preparation for the Titans game was the recognition of Tennessee’s stout run defense. That helps explain why Brady threw 53 passes Saturday, a big jump from his average of 36.3 attempts per game in the regular season. New England running backs, on the other hand, carried the ball just 23 times combined.

Orleans Darkwa, RB, Giants: Following three consecutive games with 70 yards or more, Darkwa was a dud in Week 12, tallying just 39 yards from scrimmage. New York has benched Eli Manning and the offense is not very good. The Giants visit Oakland this weekend and while the Raiders have improved their run defense significantly in recent weeks, it would seem doable that Darkwa could produce 60-70 yards again, and perhaps a touchdown. Darkwa is owned in 72 percent of ESPN leagues, but has only been started in 40 percent of lineups.
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Jimmy Garoppolo sprained his AC joint in his throwing shoulder according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.

All eyes will be on quarterbacks Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, this week. It’s a chance for the two most intriguing quarterbacks in this class to get in front of NFL scouts, coaches and front-office executives to show why they should be high first-round picks. Apart from the on-field aspect, they will both be able to do interviews and classroom sessions to prove themselves off the field. This is a huge week for both in the battle of who’s going to be the top pick in the 2018 NFL draft -and Allen and Mayfield will be coached up by the staff of the Denver Broncos, who have the No. 5 overall pick.

Bottom line: After his huge Week 1, Riddick is long gone from waivers in competitive leagues. Washington is 100 percent worth a look and should be claimed off wires ahead of whatever backs are available in Miami or Carolina.

Other news and notes: Thomas Rawls got kicked in the leg Sunday versus the Rams and suffered a leg contusion, but should be fine moving forward. Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett both left that game as well but both returned and should be relatively fine.

Rashad Jennings will be limited in practice this week, according to the team, and was seen with a wrap around his left hand and wrist.

This response to the kneeling controversy tells us something about the state of American civil religion and the way it accommodates — and then deforms — traditional religious communities.

The tropes of “God and country” or “faith and the flag” are almost always instances where country and flag domesticate faith in God. Or, to put this in terms that religious folk should understand: These liturgies of civil religion are covert modes of idolatry. The rank and priority are reversed; our political identities trump all others.

O’Hara: Coughlin’s general mindset is more about the physicality of the game than the X’s and O’s. There are a lot of similarities in personnel between this year’s Jaguars and the 2007 Giants, who reaped the benefits of Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, among others. The success of the 2017 Jaguars stems from the defense, with a ferocious front that features a bevy of beasts, including Defensive Player of the Year candidate Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus and Dante Fowler. jaguars_005

I think he realized he wasn’t done yet. He’s got a story that he’s still writing

It all confirmed what Nill already knew. Seven years ago, between jobs after getting fired by Columbus, Hitchcock had attended Red Wings training camp at the invitation of Mike Babcock. Then with Detroit’s front office, Nill saw similarities in how Hitchcock approached their airport interview, which stretched from early afternoon into evening. He hadn’t lost his passion at all, Nill says. That’s what makes Hitch special. He still had that same fire in his eyes.

The Saints (12-5) did lose starting guard Andrus Peat in the first half with a broken fibula. He was replaced by versatile veteran Senio Kelemete, who appeared in every game this season and made eight starts. Kelemete will likely start next Sunday’s divisional round game at Minnesota.

Pick your poison against the Saints The Saints had a pair of Pro Bowlers in the backfield with running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. The Panthers came in with the NFL’s third-ranked rush defense and held the Saints to 41 rushing yards. But that just put the ball in the hands of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was nearly flawless.

Gano’s missed 25-yard attempt was preceded by a drop by Kaelin Clay in the end zone. The miss punctuated a 15-play, 63-yard drive that took 7:37 yet yielded zero points. Two plays later, Brees hit former Panthers receiver Ted Ginn for an 80-yard touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter.

3. Saints-Vikings winner will likely represent NFC in Super Bowl The Saints and Vikings met in the season opener in Minneapolis and the Vikings (13-3) handed the Saints a 29-19 defeat. With the top-seed Eagles missing Carson Wentz and an underdog to the sixth-seeded Falcons next Saturday, the Saints-Vikings winner would host the NFC championship game if the Falcons win.

Would they try to draw a line between his patio outside Baltimore and his mother’s home New Jersey?You can only renovate much.That’s just what they do.Chandler had 23 points and eight rebounds and Faried had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets .

Rodgers has Montgomery move from the backfield to the slot position on the right side.His parents and family were the stands.We remain poised to move quickly as consumers begin to shop for what they want as well as need.We needed a spark, something to get us going and there he is.” Sproles scored two touchdowns, , one on the 89-yard return and another on a one-yard run.patriots_110_474143b5877a2ea6-180x180

There is no indication in the historical record that the members of that subcommittee then ascended to heaven in golden chariots.

After a hearing on the law, one congressional subcommittee intoned, Sports gambling is a national problem. The harms it inflicts are felt beyond the borders of those States that sanction it.

was ‘one of the best 7th, 8th, 9th-inning hitters with the game on the line I’ve ever encountered,’ Hemond said.As the series shifts to Citizens Bank Park, the results are expected to be much of the same.I can’t say right now, Archer said.

Iverson’s financial empire was collapsing under a mountain of growing debt and a refusal to abandon a lifestyle that, whether he accepted it or not, he could no longer afford.’ message is always yourself and that it isn’t all about what you look like and not about what you have.Offensively, Couturier had a career-high eight shots while the Flyers got goal production from two lines and their struggling power play.Track of development.

Then there’s José Altuve. This year belonged to him, in deed and in meaning, more than any other athlete. The Astros’ second baseman won the American League batting title and its MVP Award and led the 56-year-old franchise to its first World Series championship. Now he shares SI’s Sportsperson of the Year honor with 6′?5″ Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, his Houston brother in charitable spirit. At 5′?6″ and 165 pounds, Altuve is shorter than every male athlete to win the award except a jockey, Steve Cauthen, and a race car driver, Jackie Stewart.

Therein lies Altuve’s greatest accomplishment in 2017. He redefined what it means to be among the most heroic of athletes—a modern twist on Heracles. At 3.7 inches below average height, he does not have the classic physique fit for marble and the sculptor’s chisel. Watt outweighs him by 125 pounds. Indeed, when Altuve was 16 the Astros, the only team interested in signing him, told him not to bother to come back after just one day of tryouts at their Venezuelan academy.

The story written by Seth Wickersham and appearing under the headline For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end? asserts that dysfunction finally has reared its head, after nearly two decades of virtually unparalleled success in New England.

Hunt, a third-round pick (No. 98 overall) out of Toledo, rushed 272 times for a league-leading 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season as he was the second Chiefs rookie to rush for over 1,000 yards.

He was third in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 1,782 yards, an average of 111.4 yards per game. He also caught 53 passes for 455 yards and three TDs. Hunt scored 11 overall touchdowns and set a NFL rookie record with 100 or more scrimmage yards in seven consecutive games to begin his career.

Kamara, a third-round pick (No. 67 overall) out of Tennessee, led all rookies with 81 receptions (third-most by a rookie running back in NFL history) and ranked second among NFL rookies with 1,554 scrimmage yards.patriots_052_441c637feb272616-180x180

Marcus Mariota sealed the Titans’ comeback win with an incredible block

Marcus Mariota helped clinch a 22-21 Wild Card Round win for the Titans against the Chiefs by blocking, not long after he caught his own touchdown pass.

On a third-and-10 in the final two minutes, Titans running back Derrick Henry broke off a 22-yard run for a first down. Mariota keyed the play with a block:

On this play, the Titans got the best of both worlds. The outside linebacker stayed somewhat set, prompting Mariota to give the ball to Henry. But this was a counter run, whether by pre-snap intent or not, and Henry quickly darted back toward Mariota once he got the handoff. Mariota had time to get in front of his running back and put his body into Zombo.

Whether or not Ball’s “speak it into existence” approach helped land Lonzo on the Lakers, his willingness to be a heel has unquestionably raised his son’s profile. It seems like he’s just getting started. While Ball’s longer-term impacts remain to be seen, he should not be written off as a clown or a loudmouth, even if some of his recent statements and decisions—like publicly questioning Lakers coach Luke Walton and sending his two younger sons to play in Lithuania—look misguided. By mounting challenges to traditional powerbrokers like the NCAA and the major sneaker companies, Ball could wind up as a trailblazer.

This year, Gregg Popovich directed his harshest words to the president of the United States, but Zaza Pachulia was a not-too-distant second. The triggering event: Kawhi Leonard was forced from Game 1 of the West finals with an ankle injury after Pachulia slid underneath the Spurs forward as he shot a jumper. Popovich pulled no punches in response to the since-outlawed defensive action, which keyed Golden State’s big comeback win and kept Leonard out of the rest of the series, which ended in a 4-0 Warriors sweep. “I’m not a happy camper,” Popovich said. “The two-step lead with your foot closeout is not appropriate. It’s dangerous. It’s unsportsmanlike. … This particular individual has a history with that action. … Who gives a damn about what his intent was? You ever heard of manslaughter?”

So sure, it’s food coloring. But I can’t shake the mental image of Lisa Frank in the kitchen, surrounded by her bright binders and notebooks, as she dumps an entire bottle of Hpnotiq into the batter, stirs it, and kisses her fingertips.

Anyway, I hope none of you eat this thing. If you do, though, please let me know what happens to you. Just not in too much detail.

Davis played in 11 games this season for the Titans and had 34 receptions for 375 yards after being drafted No. 5 overall this past April.

The drive leading up to the touchdown was a wonderfully executed one. The Titans started with the football on their own 5-yard line, and used 11 plays to march down all 95 yards in just over five minutes.

It was tied for the longest drive the Patriots have given up in the postseason under Bill Belichick. It put the Titans up 7-0 as the first quarter was coming to its conclusion.
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Speaking with Dempsey on a non-game day can be a far different sort of experience.

One-on-one, he can affable, earnest, and unafraid to reveal his inspiration—whether it’s his childhood, or the Champions League, or the list of stats and accomplishments that might indicate that he has, indeed, made up for lost time. Dempsey did one such interview in the spring with Seattle’s local Fox affiliate. And he described in detail his heart palpitations, the uncertainty and treatment, his gratitude to the Sounders and, months before the playoffs even began, what winning a championship on the field might mean.

Kootenay Ice BY THE NUMBERS 5% WHL clubs aren’t relying on the shootout to settle as this .It can be because the defense doesn’t know where the ball is going, there can be a lot of wasted energy.- Nice to see Tomsula be back doing what he was born to do, teaching those big boys up front Washington to plug those gaps and not have to worry about doing any more press conferences.At 31 years old, he’s probably got one big contract left.In the football pools he always finishes the top three we figured he rigged the voting as well, Schneider said.The most likely scenario his career path continue playing for Erie until their is over and then make the AHL jump to Tucson.

I’m a good place right now, but I still have to do work.Larmer scored the first period to help the Rangers take a 2 lead, then added his second goal the second period with one of the team’s two shorthanded goals.With already congested big man rotation, there’s a possibility that this isn’t the end of Milwaukee’s trades, although according to Stein, early indications suggest that both Hawes and Hibbert not be on the move.Turning Plumlee into a first round pick and a center with presumable upside while mitigating the 2017 luxury tax hit was a win.With exciting guns and reliable vets almost equal measure, fantasy managers have plenty of flexibility.It’s not a problem.

Like many others in Seattle, Dillon can imagine this future. He sees rabid fans “who can’t get enough hockey,” trekking from Canada to catch their favorite teams on back-to-backs, provided of course that locals haven’t already gobbled up all the tickets. He thinks it’d be awesome to visit on a road trip and take a bus between cities, or maybe the Amtrak train that winds along the coastline. The Golden Knights received the most favorable expansion draft format ever and currently sit only four points out of first place in the Pacific Division; one assumes Seattle would receive a similar deal, if not better given the extra $150 million in expansion fees.

“I don’t see why it can’t succeed,” Dillon says, “for sure.”

Marang: A lot of this depends on team scheme and who he’s on the floor with.Detailed route-runner who understands how to fool defensive backs his routes, using timing to bait and get the hips of defenders turned his breaks., who started eight at right tackle, seven at left guard and one at left tackle for the Titans 2015, had re-signed with the team and was supposed to swing between tackle and guard this .To ensure authenticity, the hologram can be verified online.bears_080-223x223