Category: Sports

HOW THEY FINISHED

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THREE SUPERLATIVES

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TOP THREE SEC RECRUITERS

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WHO WON …

CHICAGO — Before adding players who could help the Chicago Bears take the next step toward becoming a winning franchise, general manager Ryan Poles has to evaluate players currently on the roster and determine whether they fit into his vision for 2023 and beyond.

As with every NFL team, that plan ultimately centers around the starting quarterback. Last month at his season-ending news conference, Poles expressed excitement over Justin Fields’ trajectory.

“He showed the ability to be impactful with his legs, and there’s flashes with his arm,” Poles said. “Now if we can put that together, I think we have something really good.”

Poles said he plans on Fields being the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2023, and he made it clear that despite having the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, the GM would have to be “blown away” by a prospect to select a quarterback and move on from Fields.

The process of building the 2023 Bears began in earnest last week. Poles and members of his scouting department got an up-close look at draft prospects during the Senior Bowl, where offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was the head coach of the American team.

It was also an opportunity for informal conversations surrounding Chicago’s options with the No. 1 pick. With so many quarterback-needy teams slated to draft in the top 10 — namely Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Carolina — Poles is in prime position to remain firm on his commitment to Fields and trade back to garner more draft capital for other positions of need.

The reason Poles can feel confident in considering trading down is because of Fields’ improvement and potential. But there are areas in which the former No. 11 pick out of Ohio State still needs to develop.

The biggest improvement

Total QBR adds context behind why every play was or was not successful to measure a quarterback’s efficiency. After ranking last among 31 qualified quarterbacks as a rookie, Fields made a considerable jump from 31.4 to 53.9 in Total QBR, which ranked 17th in 2022. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that’s the third-highest increase in Total QBR from a quarterback’s rookie season to second season since 2018, 7.1 points higher than the jump made by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, who was drafted 10 spots ahead of Fields in 2021.

Fields’ next largest area of improvement came via his touchdown-to-interception ratio. As a rookie, Fields threw seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions (ranked 30th) in 12 games. In 2022, he threw for 17 touchdowns and had 11 interceptions (23rd).

One catalyst behind these improvements was Fields becoming more proficient with his progressions and reads based on his timing and footwork in the pocket. It’s an area coaches emphasized while installing a new offense last spring and one they hope will progress as Fields and his receivers work together during the offseason.

“In the passing game, that’s all we really talk about is timing and rhythm,” Getsy said. “Receivers got to be where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there. The quarterback’s feet have to match the progression of the play.”

Where he can improve as a passer

Fields holds on to the ball too long, which is one reason he tied the Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson for the most sacks with 55, and both played in 15 games.

As a rookie, Fields averaged the sixth-longest time before passing (2.91 seconds) in 12 games. In 2022, he averaged the second-longest time before passing (3.12 seconds) and led the NFL in time in the pocket (2.66 seconds) per pass play.

But there were times this season when Fields improved his ability to get rid of the ball more quickly. Some of that has to do with improvement from Chicago’s offensive line, in addition to Fields utilizing his protections more efficiently.

Chicago owned the league’s worst passing offense at 130.5 yards per game. Only twice did Fields throw over 200 yards, a figure the quarterback and his coaches hope to improve on next season with an eye on creating more balance offensively. Still, the Bears don’t see a limited menu of passing plays as a hindrance in evaluating Fields’ ability to throw the ball.

“[There are] deep-ball throws that we know he can make,” Poles said, referring to several long passes during the season. “Now it’s just closing the gap and being consistent with it.”

On passes 20-plus yards downfield, Fields’ completion percentage dipped from 43% as a rookie to 34% in 2022. The ability to connect with receivers downfield plays into the slight decline in accuracy, but where Fields did see improvement with his deep ball was on his touchdown-to-interception ratio. After being 0-4 in that area as a rookie, Fields threw four touchdown passes of at least 20 yards against three interceptions on such plays this season.

Dynamic rushing ability

Fields finished his second season with 1,143 rushing yards, just 64 yards away from setting the single-season quarterback rushing record. He may have broken the mark if not for a hip injury that sidelined him in Week 18. His 7.1 yards per rush led all players in the NFL.

“It’s a rushing record, and I’m a quarterback,” Fields said. “Of course, it would’ve been cool to have, but I’m not really into records like that. If there was one record I’d like to break, of course, it’d be a passing record, so we’ll see if we can get that done in the near future.”

The Bears tapped into Fields’ rushing ability when they were averaging nearly 30 points per game during Weeks 7-11 and went through a learning curve on how to not put too much weight on Fields as a rusher to protect him from injury and overuse. The influx of designed runs, from 2.2 per game during Fields’ first six games to an average of 8.8 per game in Weeks 7-11, dipped back down to 5.0 per game in Weeks 13-17.

Developing as a leader

By season’s end, Bears quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko saw how seriously Fields took his role as a leader.

“He wants this to be his franchise,” Janocko said. “He wants this to be his city.”

Coach Matt Eberflus called Fields’ leadership “outstanding” after the quarterback calmed wide receiver Chase Claypool down in a loss at Detroit in which frustrations boiled over on the sideline.

His ability to self-evaluate stood out to Janocko, who said Fields took it upon himself to come to the facility on Mondays with a list of things to improve on from the previous game. After cleaning out his locker in January, Fields has already begun to make plans with receivers for offseason throwing sessions before the Bears meet back up in April for OTAs.

“Resilient” was the word Poles used to describe the lasting image he has of Fields from 2022. Through the ups and downs of a 3-14 season, the clarity Chicago’s brass has of its quarterback situation will allow for Poles to be aggressive in building around a player who has shown the capability of being what the Bears need to take the next step.

“A guy that has ownership,” Poles said. “He has a growth mindset. The amount of time that he put in with the coaches to continue to get better, the guy is hungry to be successful in this league.”

Manchester City have been charged by the Premier League over breaking financial rules across nine seasons, the league announced on Monday.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Premier League confirmed a number of alleged breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons have been referred to an independent commission following the conclusion of a four-year investigation.

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The statement read: “In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.”

ESPN have approached City for comment.

In July 2020 City had a two-year suspension from UEFA club competitions overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after initially being found guilty of “serious breaches” of financial fair play regulations between 2012 and 2016.

City were first charged by UEFA in March 2019, prompting the Premier League to launch their own investigation.

In their verdict clearing City, CAS ruled that much of the evidence had fallen outside of a five-year time limit. The Premier League have not been bound by the same limit.

City could be at risk of severe punishment. The Premier League’s rule book gives a disciplinary commission powers to impose a range of sanctions plus the wider scope of “such other penalty as it shall think fit.”

Last season, City won their sixth Premier League title since their takeover in 2008. Roberto Mancini managed the club to a league title in 2011-12 before a Manuel Pellegrini-led City side won the league in 2013-14.

Pep Guardiola has guided the club to three league titles since his appointment in 2016.

They have also won two FA Cup titles and five League Cup trophies since their new ownership was instated.

Guardiola’s side sit second in the Premier League table this season, five points behind leaders Arsenal.

Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.

LAS VEGAS — No one was going to mistake this for a serious football game. Not with celebrities Snoop Dogg (AFC) and Pete Davidson (NFC) serving as honorary team captains.

But the revamped Pro Bowl Games resulted in greater intensity than recent years and the first NFC victory since the AFC vs. NFC format was reintroduced in 2017. In front of 58,331 fans at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, the NFC won 35-33 in the reimagined event that now consists of a series of skills competitions and three separate flag football games.

The flag games themselves were noticeably more competitive than the standard games of recent years, despite not being of the traditional tackle variety. The reduced risk of injury seemingly motivated players to go harder.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I think it turned out pretty well,” Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said. “It got very competitive at the end, and I think that’s what they wanted.”

With the AFC entering the final flag game leading the overall scoring 21-15, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins led an NFC rally with three touchdown passes in the final game, which consists of two 10-minute halves. Cousins hit 49ers teammates Kyle Juszczyk and George Kittle for two of his scores, with Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown accounting for the other.

The move to flag football was a product of lengthy discussions between the NFL and its players and union, with all sides agreeing that the tackle format marked by uncompetitive play was not cutting it and turning off fans.

But the game was not without a somewhat unfortunate event, with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett suffering an injury during one of the skills competitions. Reportedly a dislocated toe, the injury left Garrett limping badly.

Then there was Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey slamming into Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill, forcefully knocking Hill out of bounds at the goal line. Hill was fine, but the play drew an unnecessary roughness penalty — something no one expected to see in a contact-free version of the Pro Bowl.

Still, the idea of a game that doesn’t subject players to additional hits after a 17-game season was compelling to the participants.

“I definitely don’t need to take more hits,” San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. “So, I’m a proponent for it.”

The day featured what was likely Derek Carr‘s final appearance in this city as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. He drew a loud ovation from the locals during player introductions before having a mixed performance during Game 3 (two touchdown passes and an interception).

Smith, who played in the first flag game, led NFC quarterbacks with 239 yards and five touchdowns on 14-of-16 passing. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caught six passes for 102 yards to lead all NFC pass-catchers.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley had the AFC’s best passing performance, completing 15 of 20 passes for 192 yards and four touchdowns. Stefon Diggs led the AFC in receiving with four catches for 99 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown.

The AFC had the edge in the skills events, winning five of the eight competitions spread out over two days (including the Kick-Tac-Toe and move-the-chains events on Sunday). But the NFC’s ability to win two of the three flag football games put it over the top.

Look for the event to take a similar shape in the future as the league takes feedback from the players and fans.

“Overall, it was a very cool experience,” Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker said. “It was definitely a good experience for the fans to be able to see our faces, since we’re always in helmets. It was really good to interact with them.

“So, yeah, let’s keep it going, for sure.”

Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday that contract talks with the Seattle Seahawks are underway and the prospects of the two sides reaching a deal are “looking very good.”

Smith, 32, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

“We’ve had talks and we’re in the process of getting all that settled right now,” Smith said from the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas in an interview that aired Friday afternoon. “It’s looking very good. We think we can get some things done, but obviously those things take time. This is the process that I hate about the NFL because I just want to play football, but it’s a business as well, so we’ve got to take care of business and then we’ll get back to the football.”

Smith was one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 NFL season. A backup for most of the past seven years, he won the Seahawks’ starting job following the Russell Wilson trade and delivered a Pro Bowl season, leading the league in completion percentage, finishing sixth in Total QBR and breaking several of Wilson’s single-season franchise records.

The one-year deal he signed last April included a base value of $3.5 million. Smith made another $3.5 million incentives.

Coach Pete Carroll said multiple times he hopes the Seahawks can bring back Smith, though he stopped short of declaring it would happen, even though Seattle could assure that outcome via the franchise tag in the absence of a multiyear deal. More recently, Seahawks general manager John Schneider told Seattle’s Sports Radio 93.3 KJR-FM that he thinks they’ll re-sign Smith.

Smith’s contract also came up during his appearance on The Pivot Podcast, which was published to YouTube on Friday. Smith declined to specify the size of the contract he’s seeking but said he “would love to be in Seattle” and expressed confidence that he’ll be back.

“I love Seattle,” Smith said. “We have a great relationship and I think we’ll work things out. When it comes to contracts, I think every player just wants to get paid his worth. And it’s funny because a great friend of mine tells me, no matter what check they write, it’ll never be your worth because your worth isn’t in money, it isn’t in monetary things. So you just want to be respected. Your contract just wants to say, we respect you, we understand what you bring to the table, we understand what caliber of player you are, and we appreciate you. That’s really all it comes down to.”

An employee at the arena named Anita, who would not give her last name but said she had been working there for 10 years, was nervous that the record might be broken on the Pelicans’ home floor. “We can’t let him do it here,” she said. “It ain’t about the King tonight.”

No one, really, should have thought that James, at this point in his career, would score 63 points on Saturday. (His career high is 61 points, in a game against Charlotte in 2014.) But James has provided many miracles in his career. That he is competing at such a high level at 38 seems to be just one more — a feat that is altering perceptions of athletic limits and athletic primes.

James fell short of the scoring record on Saturday, finishing with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, and the Lakers (25-29) lost to the Pelicans (27-27), 131-126. James is now 36 points away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 38,387 points from 1969 to 1989, and tickets for the Lakers’ home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night have soared in anticipation that James will break the record then.

On Saturday, James made plays that explained why many supporters will always believe that another miracle is on its way. He played 40 minutes, more than any of his teammates. It was the third time in his last four games that he played at least 40 minutes, a figure, he said, that was “catching up to him.”

“I’m tired as hell,” he said after the game. “But I’ll be ready to go on Tuesday.”

“I think it’s historic on a lot of different levels,” Lakers Coach Darvin Ham said earlier this season. “For him to be at this point of his career and still able to produce at the level in which he’s producing, I just think all of us, just really being able to witness it, be a part of it — it shows his competitive spirit, his no-quit mentality.”

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A former NFL player was arrested on a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge after troopers say his vehicle rear-ended a pickup truck that was on the side of a South Florida highway because of a flat tire, injuring the truck’s driver who had been standing outside.

Vontae Davis, 34, allegedly smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes and could barely stay awake while being interviewed by a trooper after the accident early Saturday on the Florida Turnpike in Hollywood, Florida, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

According to troopers, Davis lost control of his Tesla sedan and it collided with the parked pickup truck on the side of the turnpike. The impact of the collision sent the pickup truck spinning into a concrete barrier, and the truck struck its driver, who had been waiting outside. The driver was taken to a hospital with multiple injuries, the report said.

Davis refused to provide a blood or urine sample and wouldn’t agree to perform a field sobriety test, the report said. He told the trooper that he had consumed two drinks at a club.

No attorney was listed for Davis in an online court docket.

Davis is perhaps best known for announcing his retirement in 2018 in the middle of a game between his team at the time, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Davis, a cornerback who was selected to two Pro Bowls in his career, also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PHOENIX — The festivities for Super Bowl LVII can begin.

The participating teams arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Sunday afternoon, with the Kansas City Chiefs arriving first and the Philadelphia Eagles about 45 minutes later.

Both planes stopped on the tarmac with their respective team flags dangling outside from the cockpit window. Players and coaches descended and were greeted by one of their former stars: running back Christian Okoye for the Chiefs and defensive back Eric Allen for the Eagles.

They then filed on waiting buses and were gone to begin preparation for next Sunday’s game (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).

The week of events will get started in earnest Monday with Super Bowl opening night at 7 p.m. ET at the Footprint Center.

The Eagles won their first Super Bowl following the 2017 season. The Chiefs will make their third Super Bowl appearance in the last four years.

All the top stories and transfer rumours from Monday’s papers…

DAILY MAIL

Liverpool, Real Madrid and Man City will fight it out to sign Jude Bellingham this summer.

TELEGRAPH

West Ham manager David Moyes says England midfielder Declan Rice will command a British transfer record if he ever leaves the London Stadium.

France suffered an almighty scare before rallying to edge Italy in the Six Nations.

DAILY MIRROR

David de Gea is confident that new signing Marcel Sabitzer can fill in for Manchester United midfield general Casemiro during his three-game suspension.

Manchester United expect bids will be submitted next week to take over control of the club from the Glazers, according to reports.

Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, are no longer interested in a full sale of the club, it has been claimed.

Liverpool’s painful mid-season form can be summed up by the fact that their top league scorer since the World Cup is Leicester City defender Wout Faes.

Gemany national team boss Hansi Flick was in attendance for Chelsea’s 0-0 home draw against local rivals Fulham on Friday night as speculation over current Blues boss Graham Potter’s future continues.

DAILY EXPRESS

PSG sporting advisor Luis Campos has reassured fans that contract discussions with Lionel Messi are ongoing, and the club still hope to tie him down to a new deal.

Manchester United would be willing to pay £107m to sign Victor Osimhen at the end of the season, according to reports.

Mason Mount has rejected Chelsea’s offer of a new contract and is unhappy at the terms that were put on the table, according to reports.

DAILY STAR

Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay will lead an exodus of six big-name Manchester United players in a fire sale this summer.

Jesse Marsch admits he is concerned by the way in which Leeds seem to “find ways to lose matches”.

Manchester City are to hand teenage starlet Rico Lewis a new bumper long-term deal with a 400 per cent pay rise.

THE SUN

Manchester United fan and billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to be among those bidding for the club this week, according to reports.

GUARDIAN

Great Britain ended an 84-year wait for a four-man bobsleigh world championship medal after Brad Hall, Arran Gulliver, Taylor Lawrence and Greg Cackett claimed silver in St Moritz, Switzerland.

LAS VEGAS — The revamped Pro Bowl Games get underway at 3 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, as some of the NFL’s brightest stars square off in a series of competitive skills challenges and three flag football games that will cap the week’s events.

On tap for Sunday is a continuation of the skills portion that began Thursday. Still to come is the completion of the best-catch competition, the gridiron gauntlet, kick tac toe and a move the chains event that is a test of strength.

The AFC won three of Thursday’s four events, so it will enter Sunday with a 9-3 lead (skills competitions are worth three points each). The combined scores will roll over into the flag-football portion to raise the stakes in the games, which players expect to be rather competitive given the reduced risk of injury.

“I think guys are gonna get after it,” Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “I think it’s gonna be a level up competition-wise. It’s the best of the best.”

Tweets from the 2023 Pro Bowl Games