FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — After a season marked by profound struggles on offense and the regression of quarterback Zach Wilson, the New York Jets and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur parted ways on Wednesday, according to a source.
The recent speculation about LaFleur’s job status prompted teams to inquire about his availability, a source said, and the Jets allowed him to pursue those opportunities. The search for a replacement begins Thursday.
The move came as no surprise, as the Jets showed no statistical improvement under LaFleur, 36, one of the first to join coach Robert Saleh’s staff in 2021.
This likely was difficult for Saleh, who has known LaFleur for about 20 years. LaFleur is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, one of Saleh’s closest friends. A week ago, Saleh publicly advocated for Mike LaFleur, fueling speculation that owner Woody Johnson was pressuring to make a change. The Jets claimed that wasn’t the case, with general manager Joe Douglas saying Monday that Saleh has the final say on coaching-staff decisions.
This means they will have at least two positions to fill on the offensive staff. Saleh indicated he “definitely” wants to hire a senior offensive assistant, essentially to fill the role that was created in 2021 for the late Greg Knapp. Former Houston Texans and Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has been rumored as a possibility, but he’s not expected to come out of retirement.
“This is a production-based business; you’re not going to run from that,” LaFleur said last week. “I grew up in a family of coaches — my dad’s been fired, my brother’s been fired. Every coach is going to be fired at some point and rehired. It’s just the cycle — that’s what it is. That doesn’t keep me up at night or put me to sleep.”
Saleh’s hope was that LaFleur, a first-time coordinator, would grow with Wilson, drafted second overall in 2021. For a variety of reasons, Wilson struggled in both seasons and was benched twice in 2022.
The offense bottomed out during the homestretch, as the Jets failed to score a touchdown in the final three games — the team’s longest drought since 2010. All told, they went the final 31 possessions of the season without a touchdown, the league’s longest streak in 2022.
Without much offensive support, the Jets (7-10) ended on a six-game losing streak, costing them a playoff spot.
LaFleur presided over an offense that finished 29th in scoring and 25th in total yards. In 2021, they were 28th and 26th, respectively.
The Jets showed promise early, but a season-ending injury to running back Breece Hall and a spate of offensive-line injuries made it difficult to sustain. They were 5-2 with Hall in the lineup, 2-8 without him.
They did some good things under LaFleur — wide receiver Garrett Wilson was one of the top offensive rookies in the league — but Zach Wilson’s acute struggles proved too much for LaFleur to overcome. Garrett Wilson hinted the Jets’ offense became too predictable.
“I seemed like [opponents] had an idea of what we were trying to do, and they did a good job of stopping us once they got the film together,” Garrett Wilson said. “At the end of the year, it got real hard for us as an offense.”
Adversity hit early, as Zach Wilson injured his right knee in the first quarter of the first preseason game, resulting in arthroscopic surgery and causing him to miss the first three regular-season games. The Jets opened with Joe Flacco, who was replaced by Wilson, who eventually was benched for Mike White. They went back to Wilson when White was injured, but Wilson played poorly and was benched again.
“Through two years, yeah, we haven’t done our job with him,” LaFleur said of Wilson. “… The players have to meet you in the middle with it, but you want all these guys to play at their absolute best and we all know that Zach hasn’t played at his absolute best.”
Changing coordinators isn’t a new trend for the Jets. LaFleur was their eighth offensive coordinator in an 11-year span.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After his first three seasons resulted in him sitting at home this time of year, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones says he isn’t content with simply making the playoffs. He wants more. He’s not viewing a surprising first playoff appearance as playing with house money.
The underdog and sixth-seeded Giants play on the road against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in their first trip to the playoffs since 2016.
“We’re definitely not satisfied just to make the playoffs. That’s not how we see it as a group,” Jones said. “We were confident dating back to training camp and knew what we were able to accomplish. We are by no means satisfied to be in the playoffs. We expect to play well and to win and that is our expectation every week. That hasn’t changed.”
The Giants (9-7-1) reached the playoffs in their first year under coach Brian Daboll, even if it wasn’t necessarily expected. General manager Joe Schoen and Daboll tempered expectations publicly this summer.
But behind the scenes, it appears to have been different.
“[Daboll] said it from Day 1: We’re going to be humble about it; we’re going to go about our work while everyone sleeps on us,” fourth-year safety Julian Love said.
Love is also in the playoffs for the first time in his career. He said in a radio interview Tuesday that he’s confident in his team and believes they can make a run in the postseason.
It begins in Minnesota, where the Vikings beat the Giants three weeks ago on a 61-yard Greg Joseph field goal as time expired. So they’re aware nobody is sleeping on them anymore.
“Now that we’re in the playoffs, no one is under the radar. … Teams know who we are,” Love said.
Jones, 25, in particular has shown the league what he can do under the tutelage of Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. He finished seventh in the NFL in QBR (60.7) and had perhaps his best game of the season in the previous meeting against the Vikings. The fourth-year quarterback threw for a season-high 334 yards in the 27-24 loss in Minnesota.
The playoffs are an opportunity to reach that next level. This is where Giants fans have seen their team do damage in the past. Twice Eli Manning led the wild-card Giants to a Super Bowl victory.
Jones told ESPN on Wednesday that he plans to reach out to Manning later this week for advice. The two are still friendly after playing together during the 2019 season.
In the meantime, Jones has asked around to others about what to expect in the postseason.
“I’ve spoken with some of the older guys, some of the coaches,” he said. “A lot of guys talk about the speed of the game and that increasing in the playoffs and just how critical each play is. And it’s one or two plays here or there that’s going to make the difference. In a regular-season game, maybe it’s a handful. But in the playoffs, these are good teams that you’re competing against. It’s one or two plays that’s going to make the difference. So, we understand that. We understand what’s at stake. We’re going to stick to what’s gotten us here. We’re going to stick to the routine, the preparation that we’ve been putting in.”
That is the Daboll influence. He has been steadfast about maintaining a sense of normalcy. He called the first practice day of this playoff week a “normal Wednesday.” He referred to Sunday’s matchup as the “next game.”
Unlike many of his players, this is not Daboll’s first playoff game. He has been an assistant in 30 postseason games with the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. His teams have a 23-7 record, and he’s 5-0 in Super Bowls.
So the Giants coach knows a little something about making a run.
“It just goes back to being consistent and doing the things that we need to do to prepare for this game. That’s really what it comes down to,” Daboll said. “How we play on Sunday and how we prepare during the week, those are the most important things.”
And maybe it can lead to another game next week and the week after that.
{{ timeAgo(‘2023-01-11 22:21:57 -0600’) }} football Edit
Adam Gorney
• Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
THE LATESTAaron Butler was coming up on his one-year anniversary as a commitment to USC but a few weeks short of that mark, the 2024 four-star athlete backed off his pledge to the Trojans.After vis…
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But don’t expect Denver to shake Memphis easily. The Grizzlies have won seven in a row. While those wins have come against lesser competition than the Nuggets’ recent stretch, Memphis will have plenty of opportunities to prove it can be the top team in the West with two more contests against the Nuggets to come in the next few months.
Memphis has already proven it can fend off the third-place New Orleans Pelicans, having won the past two games between them. Still, the Pelicans have a claim in what is shaping up to be a three-team race in the West, as New Orleans is still just two and a half games behind Memphis and Denver.
Meanwhile, the Celtics managed to outlast the Nets’ recent hot streak to keep hold of the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston could also be getting a huge break in its quest to keep that spot with Kevin Durant set to miss a month of action just in time for two high-stakes meetings between the Nets and Celtics in the coming weeks.
Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.
1. Boston Celtics 2022-23 record: 29-12 Previous ranking: 1
Robert Williams III has moved back into the starting lineup, and Boston, after a monthlong offensive swoon, has gotten back on track at that end. The Celtics still remain the league’s best offensive team, in addition to having the NBA’s best record at the halfway point. — Bontemps
The Nuggets are tied for the best offense in the league, and they’re still getting better and healthier. Jamal Murray scored a season-high 34 points on Monday night, Aaron Gordon is playing at an All-Star level, Michael Porter Jr. is coming into his own, and then there’s Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets have won 11 of their past 13, and there are no signs of slowing down any time soon. — Andrews
Tyus Jones averaged 22.5 points, 6.0 assists and only 1.5 turnovers while filling in for Ja Morant (thigh soreness) the past two games. He has scored more than 20 points in his past four starts — all wins. The Grizzlies are 23-7 when Jones has filled in as a starter the past two seasons, which is why Memphis made re-signing him a top priority last summer. — MacMahon
The hottest team in the league has rattled off 18 wins in its past 20 games — but lost Kevin Durant to an MCL injury in Sunday’s win over the Heat, and he is expected to miss several weeks before he returns to the floor. In the short term, T.J. Warren and Joe Harris are going to have to pick up a little more slack offensively. Ben Simmons is also going to have to provide more on both ends of the floor to take some pressure off Kyrie Irving. — Friedell
Since starting the season 9-0, the Bucks have played just over .500 ball (17-14) for most of the past two months. While Milwaukee’s defense remains one of the best in the league, its offense ranks 25th in the NBA in points per 100 possessions, and Khris Middleton has missed 12 straight games. — Collier
Donovan Mitchell continued his storybook first season with the Cavs with a memorable night in his return to Salt Lake City to play his former squad on Tuesday. The Jazz fans showed their former star love all night, and Mitchell made the price of admission well worth it, finishing with 46 points for his fifth 40-plus-point game this season. Those Jazz fans also got to see the home team use a late 13-0 run to win. “The reception was phenomenal, and I’m appreciative of it,” Mitchell told reporters afterward. — McMenamin
It’s never a good thing to hear about Joel Embiid having foot soreness, but after the big fella returned in a dominant win over Detroit on Tuesday, Philadelphia is sitting 10 games over .500 after a slow start. The 76ers have had only nine games this season in which their top three players — Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey — have all been available to play together. — Bontemps
After setting a career high with 23 points on Jan. 6 against Brooklyn, Naji Marshall broke that mark again the next night with 24 against the Dallas Mavericks. Jose Alvarado also broke out of a slump and is averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the past four with Zion Williamson out. Over that stretch, the two are tops on the team in plus-minus — Alvarado is plus-43 and Marshall is plus-36. The next highest Pelican who played in all four games is Devonte’ Graham at plus-7. — Lopez
The Mavs have allowed 116.0 points per 100 possessions since defensive anchor Maxi Kleber tore his right hamstring, falling to 22nd in defensive efficiency for the season. Dallas is 9-6 in that span because the Luka Doncic-led offense is scoring 116.3 points per 100 possessions. Doncic rested in two of the losses. — MacMahon
The Pacers have won six of their past seven games and eight of their past 10. During that stretch, Tyrese Haliburton has put up 22.7 points and 9.2 assists while shooting 51% from the field and 45% from 3-point range. — Collier
The Warriors finally have their starting five back together, with Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry back on the floor, and they believe they can finally start putting all of their pieces together. They went 5-3 on their homestand, but now comes the real test: What can they do on their five-game road trip? — Andrews
The beam is still bright in Sacramento. The Kings’ offense has been able to make up for their shaky defense, and Domantas Sabonis is still on an absolute tear. Besides Jokic, Sabonis is the only other player to be in the top 19 in both rebounds and assists. Sabonis also leads the league in double-doubles. — Andrews
13. New York Knicks 2022-23 record: 22-19 Previous ranking: 17
New York, fairly, is not seen as a championship-caliber team. That said, the Knicks currently sit 10th in both offensive and defensive rating — a sign of at least a contending team. That’s the good news for the Knicks. The bad news: Three of the other four teams that qualify for that honor — the Celtics, Nets and 76ers — reside in the Atlantic Division alongside them. — Bontemps
Jimmy Butler and the Heat set an NBA record in Tuesday’s win over the Thunder by going 40-for-40 from the free throw line. Miami has back-to-back showdowns at home this week against the Bucks, which should provide another chance for the Heat to get back on track against one of the East’s elite teams. — Friedell
15. LA Clippers 2022-23 record: 22-21 Previous ranking: 10
The Clippers halted a six-game losing streak — the longest of the Kawhi Leonard–Paul George era — with a much-needed win over old nemesis Luka Doncic. With George and Luke Kennard out because of injuries, head coach Ty Lue benched Reggie Jackson and put Terance Mann in the starting lineup. In his two starts, Mann has given the Clippers extra energy, especially at the start of games. Leonard continues to build as he has played 35 or more minutes in five of his past six games. — Youngmisuk
Devin Booker has missed 11 of the Suns’ past 12 games because of a pesky hamstring injury, and Phoenix has gone just 3-9 in that stretch. It stopped the bleeding for one night with Tuesday’s win in Golden State — with not only no Booker, but no Chris Paul or Deandre Ayton either — thanks to a near triple-double from Dario Saric and a stellar two-way performance from Mikal Bridges. — McMenamin
Rudy Gobert finally had a big night while wearing a Timberwolves uniform, and things have been improving for Minnesota over its past four games, but how all of the pieces will fit together whenever Karl-Anthony Towns returns is still a big question. — Andrews
The Blazers continue to sink in the standings, losing their fourth straight after Orlando won in Portland. The Blazers have now dropped nine of their past 12, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. Portland faces Cleveland and Dallas back to back, along with Denver and Philadelphia in its next five games. — Youngmisuk
We’re entering into circling-the-calendar territory when it comes to LeBron James and the all-time scoring title. He’s 423 points away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for No. 1. At his current 29.1 points-per-game average this season, he’ll need 15 games to get there if he doesn’t miss any time. That would be Feb. 9 at home against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. “I don’t even know how I’m going to feel, I guess, until that moment,” James told ESPN when asked about the record last week. — McMenamin
20. Atlanta Hawks 2022-23 record: 19-21 Previous ranking: 19
Atlanta was able to put a winning stamp on its four-game West Coast road trip with a 112-108 win over the Clippers on Sunday night. The Clippers led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter before Atlanta stormed back for the win behind 14 fourth-quarter points by Trae Young — the most he has scored in a fourth quarter this season. It was also the 750th victory of Nate McMillan’s coaching career, making him the 18th coach to reach that mark. — Lopez
21. Utah Jazz 2022-23 record: 21-23 Previous ranking: 18
Jordan Clarkson stole the show during Donovan Mitchell’s return to Salt Lake City, scoring 15 of his 32 points during the fourth quarter as the Jazz rallied for a comeback win. Utah is 10-2 when Clarkson scores at least 30 points during his Jazz tenure. Clarkson is averaging a career-best 20.7 points per game this season after transitioning from sixth man to fill Mitchell’s old spot in the starting lineup. — MacMahon
The Bulls have started to right the ship lately, winning eight of their past 12 games after a disastrous loss to the Timberwolves. Chicago’s offense has finally woken up and ranks sixth in the NBA in offensive efficiency during that span. Zach LaVine is starting to look like his old self, averaging 26.9 points on 52% shooting (47% from 3) in the past three weeks. — Collier
23. Toronto Raptors 2022-23 record: 18-23 Previous ranking: 23
For as disappointing as this season has been for Toronto, the Raptors are only one game out of 10th place in the Eastern Conference. With games against Charlotte and Atlanta at home the rest of this week, the Raptors could be within the top 10 spots in the East by this time next week. — Bontemps
The up-and-down Wizards are on another slide, losing three straight with Bradley Beal injured. Beal hasn’t played since the first half of Washington’s loss at Milwaukee on Jan. 3. Beal will be out for at least one more game against Chicago and is expected to have his hamstring injury reevaluated later this week. — Youngmisuk
The Thunder performed well in their first national television appearance since Aug. 14, 2020, when they played the Clippers in the bubble. Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, the Heat didn’t miss a free throw. Miami went 40-for-40 from the line — the most makes in NBA history without a miss. Josh Giddey had 18 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for the sixth triple-double of his career. That ties LaMelo Ball for the third most in NBA history for a player under age 21, behind Luka Doncic (21) and Magic Johnson (seven).— Lopez
Orlando continues to show signs of improvement, especially after a nice road win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Franz Wagner is averaging 20.7 points this month, Paolo Banchero continues to look like the Rookie of the Year, and the Magic appear to be on the verge of finally getting back Jonathan Isaac, according to reporting by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Magic should be on a very good path heading into the second half of the season. — Friedell
Zach Collins played in just 39 games over three seasons while dealing with various injuries and missed 10 games earlier this season because of a non-displaced fibula fracture. But since returning from that on Nov. 25, Collins has been a solid rotational player for the Spurs. On Jan. 7 against the Celtics, Collins had one of the best games of his career with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He set or tied career marks in points (18), assists (five), field goals made (eight) and was one off his career high in rebounds. — Lopez
Charlotte is giving up an average of 121.8 points over its past five games. The defense continues to have major problems finding any rhythm. One of the lone bright spots is the offensive play of Terry Rozier, who is averaging 26.5 points per game over five games this month. — Friedell
29. Detroit Pistons 2022-23 record: 11-33 Previous ranking: 30
Inserted into the starting lineup as a result of Cade Cunningham‘s season-ending injury, Killian Hayes is finally showing signs of development this season. He matched a career high with 26 points this weekend against the Sixers and is averaging 12.3 points and 6.6 assists on 42.8% shooting and 36.5% from 3 as a starter. — Collier
Houston has lost 13 of its past 14 games. Kevin Porter Jr. has by far the Rockets’ worst plus-minus (minus-121) during that stretch, despite outstanding individual production (21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game). — MacMahon
It was free agency disguised as a teen-drama series: hookups and breakups, jilted suitors, broken promises, whirlwind courtships on both coasts. The saga of Carlos Correa’s next contract seemed so implausible — deals with three teams, each worth hundreds of millions of dollars, all in a 30-day span — that it must have been fiction.
And perhaps it was all just a dream, a swirl of unfinished plotlines that ended up in the same place. On Wednesday, Correa rubbed his eyes, looked around and saw Minnesota. Again. He seemed to like the view.
“Kylo is going to grow up to be Minnesota Nice, which I love, and we’re very excited,” Correa said, spotting his 13-month-old son in the crowd at a news conference at Target Field. “I get more Jucy Lucys, also.”
The Jucy Lucy, a Minnesota-style burger with the cheese tucked inside the meat, goes for $9.50 at Matt’s Bar & Grill in Minneapolis, meaning Correa could afford more than 21 million of them with his new six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins. That would be before taxes and agent fees, of course — and Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, worked hard for this commission.
On Dec. 13, Boras reached a 13-year, $350 million agreement for Correa with the San Francisco Giants, pending a physical exam. A week later, on the eve of a scheduled news conference, the Giants still had not made the deal official. They were concerned about Correa’s right leg, which was surgically repaired in 2014.
Boras then pivoted to the Mets, whose owner, Steven A. Cohen, agreed to pay Correa $315 million for 12 years — again, pending a physical exam. The Mets, it turned out, were just as wary as the Giants, and conversations about reworking the deal stretched into the new year.
Fortunately for Correa, his old team was indeed Minnesota Nice: As Correa spanned the country looking for a new home, the Twins left the light on for him.
“I do feel fortunate to be sitting here today,” said Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations. “But it was always part of our mission from that point forward, when we found out there was potential uncertainty around the first landing spot, that we could figure out a way to bring him back here.”
Correa, a shortstop who starred for the Houston Astros in his first seven seasons, signed with Minnesota last March for a then-record annual salary for a position player ($35.1 million) and the ability to opt out after one season. He had a typical Correa season — strong defense, solid on-base percentage (.366), decent power (22 homers) — and hit the market again.
Boras could confidently cite Correa’s durability; he had played in 342 of a possible 384 games since the start of the 2020 season. But the 2014 injury, which occurred when Correa was a 19-year-old Class A prospect and caught his spikes while sliding, had surprising staying power as an issue. Correa had a fractured fibula and ligament damage from the incident, but his leg has been sound ever since.
“It was shocking to me, because since I had the surgery, I never missed a game, I’ve never gotten treatment on my ankle, my ankle’s never hurt,” Correa said, adding later, “Throughout that whole month when people were speculating, I was running sprints, I was working out, I was taking ground balls, I was hitting. So it was more funny to me.”
Boras said the Twins’ medical director, Christopher Camp, had a better understanding of Correa’s “functional fitness” than surgeons who might base their opinions strictly on magnetic resonance imaging exams.
The Mets were in no mood to elaborate Wednesday. General Manager Billy Eppler declined an interview request, and the team issued only a terse statement that was almost comical in its brevity: “We were unable to reach an agreement. We wish Carlos all the best.”
Correa, who would have played third base in Queens, was something of a luxury item for the Mets, who went 101-61 last season and retained all of their starting position players from the postseason. But the Mets’ inability to finalize the deal cost them a highly motivated star who spoke openly Wednesday of wanting to reach the Hall of Fame.
Correa, 28, said he knew he needed many more productive seasons to get there. But as the Twins pointed out in a tweet after the news conference, Correa is off to a strong start: Only three shortstops in the expansion era (since 1961) have more wins above replacement through age 27 — Alex Rodriguez and the Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Cal Ripken Jr.
Falvey said the Twins’ familiarity with Correa made them comfortable with the risk of the deal, which could stretch to 10 years and $270 million based on options triggered by plate appearances or awards in the prior season.
“This was us trying to balance some of the information we have and we’ve learned through this process, but also our belief in the athlete, how he prepares, how he goes about his work on a daily basis,” Falvey said. “He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of taking care of himself and influencing others to take care of themselves in a way that’s special and different.”
Minnesota finished 78-84 last season but spent 108 days atop the American League Central before the Cleveland Guardians passed them for good in early September. Correa said he had stayed in regular contact with teammates and staff, and spoke hopefully of winning a championship.
If he does carry the Twins to the World Series — they have not been since 1991, three years before Correa was born — fans may forget his free-agent wanderings. In the spirit of Minnesota Nice, they may already forgive.
“All that matters is that I’m here,” Correa said. “I’m going to represent the city. I’m going to represent the organization. I’m going to do it the right way.”
Unlike in college football, where Georgia romped to the national championship this week, there is no clear dominant team in men’s college basketball this season.
As many as 10 teams could cut down the nets on April 1 at Houston’s NRG Stadium, with No. 1 Houston, No. 2 Kansas (the reigning champion) and even No. 9 Arizona among the top favorites.
“The balance is so good in the country, it’s going to be hard to get into the tournament this year when you look at the number of teams,” Jim Boeheim, now in his 47th season coaching at Syracuse, said Monday. “People want to say it’s mediocrity, but it’s not. There’s just good balance. There’s a lot of good teams.”
The No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 poll has already rotated several times, with North Carolina, Purdue and Houston all holding the top spot. Purdue remained undefeated through the start of 2023 but suffered its first loss on Jan. 2 at home to Rutgers, a team that beat thethen-No. 1 Boilermakers last season, too.
New Mexico remained unbeaten through Jan. 3, when it lost at Fresno State, and then proceeded to lose its next game against U.N.L.V. Connecticut started the season with 14 consecutive wins before dropping back-to-back Big East contests on the road against Xavier and Providence, surging teams now ranked among the Top 25.
Here are several themes to keep in mind as the college basketball season heats up.
The Big 12 is loaded.
As expected, the Big 12 Conference is absolutely stacked from top to bottom, and it’s possible that eight or nine of the league’s 10 teams (yes, there are 10 teams in the Big 12) could make the N.C.A.A. men’s tournament. Half of the conference is ranked: No. 2 Kansas, No. 10 Texas, No. 11 Kansas State, No. 14 Iowa State and No. 17 T.C.U.
The past two national champions have come from the Big 12 — Baylor in 2021 and Kansas last year. Texas Tech reached the championship game in 2019, losing in overtime to Virginia.
Kansas Coach Bill Self and his team look like the potential overall No. 1 seed this year, especially after roaring back from a 10-point second-half deficit Tuesday to beat Oklahoma at Allen Fieldhouse.
“We’ve been battle tested so much this year, especially with close games. We always find a way to stay composed,” said Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, a contender for national player of the year honors. “We just continued to play our ball. There’s no 10-point play, so there’s no point in rushing the shots.”
The Big Ten is still eyeing its first title since 2000.
The Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship since Michigan State in 2000. Since then, the Atlantic Coast Conference has won eight championships, the Big East six (Louisville’s 2013 title was later vacated) and the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference three apiece.
Boeheim didn’t mince words when he called out the Big Ten to reporters at the start of the season, saying that the league was not good in last year’s N.C.A.A. tournament.
The Big Ten put nine teams into the 68-team field last season, and only two — Purdue and Michigan — reached the round of 16, where they both lost.
“If you can’t play in the tournament, then you’re just not good,” Boeheim said.
The Big Ten has just two ranked teams in No. 3 Purdue and No. 18 Wisconsin but is projected to put more than half of its 14 teams into the N.C.A.A. tournament.
Purdue, with its 7-foot-4 center, Zach Edey, a national player of the year candidate, may be the league’s best hope to end the championship drought.
Several top-tier programs are struggling.
After reaching the N.C.A.A. championship game last season and returning four of five starters, North Carolina was ranked as the preseason No. 1 amid expectations that it could win the program’s seventh national championship.
“I want them to cut down the nets on that Monday night, and I want them to have long N.B.A. careers,” Hubert Davis, who led the Tar Heels to the title game in his first season as head coach, said in an interview in September.
The Tar Heels tumbled out of the national rankings altogether in early December after losing four straight games. They returned briefly, dropped out again and fell to 11-6 after losing Tuesday at Virginia. U.N.C.’s star center Armando Bacot sustained an ankle injury during the team’s first possession of the game.
If there were a silver lining for North Carolina fans, it would be that they began last season with a similar record (12-6) before discovering their mojo during March Madness.
Kentucky, winner of eight national championships, began the season at No. 4 and is also unranked while fans grow increasingly disenchanted with Coach John Calipari.
Despite having the reigning national player of the year, Oscar Tshiebwe, and plenty of supporting talent, Kentucky (10-6, 1-3 SEC) has lost back-to-back games, at Alabama by 26 points and at home to South Carolina. Kentucky still doesn’t own a single win in Quad 1, a metric that rates an opponent’s quality for the N.C.A.A. selection committee.
Fans booed Calipari at Rupp Arena on Tuesday, and one was kicked out for refusing to give up a sign directed at the coach that read, “Please go to Texas.”
Texas last week fired Coach Chris Beard nearly a month after he was arrested on a felony domestic violence charge. Calipari, who has a lifetime contract at Kentucky, had been loosely linked to the job, but he said this week, “I haven’t talked to anybody.”
As for his message to Kentucky fans: “We’ve got to be better, and that’s on me. We’re on a mission.”
Duke, under the first-year coach Jon Scheyer, 35, who replaced Mike Krzyzewski, isn’t in such dire straits, but his team has fallen to No. 24 after starting the season at No. 7. The Blue Devils (12-4) have lost two of their past four games.
Villanova (8-9), a new-age blue blood that won two national championships under Coach Jay Wright, is also struggling under the first-year coach Kyle Neptune, 37, who had just one year of head coaching experience at Fordham before taking over for Wright when he retired in April. The Wildcats have lost four of their past five games and continue to play without senior guard Justin Moore, who tore his right Achilles’ tendon during Villanova’s run to the Final Four last year. Unless the Wildcats win the Big East Conference Tournament, it appears they will miss the N.C.A.A. tournament for the first time since 2012.
Historically tough times at Georgetown.
Calipari isn’t the only coach on the hot seat.
Patrick Ewing, the former Georgetown and Knicks star, has lost 27 straight Big East regular-season games as his alma mater’s head coach. On Tuesday, the Hoyas again collapsed in the second half, being outscored by 15 points at home in a 66-51 loss against Seton Hall.
Some fans chanted “Fire Ewing” in the waning moments of the game. The Hoyas last season became the first team to go 0-19 in the Big East, and they haven’t won a regular-season league game since March 2021, the same year they won the Big East Tournament.
“My future is my future,” Ewing, 60, said last week. “I’m here to be the head coach at Georgetown until the president or the board decides for me to move on.
“But until that time — a friend of mine sent me a quote today, ‘It’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get up.’ So we got knocked down, all we going to do is keep getting up.”
Some Georgetown fans are calling on social media for the school to replace Ewing with Iona Coach Rick Pitino, one of the most successful and controversial coaches in recent history and Ewing’s former coach with the Knicks. Some fans at St. John’s and other schools are also calling for their programs to hire Pitino, one of three coaches to lead five programs to the N.C.A.A. tournament.
This year, another New Jersey school, Rutgers, is making headlines.
Coach Steve Pikiell has the Scarlet Knights on track for a third straight N.C.A.A. tournament appearance after the program hadn’t been since 1991. For a second straight season, Rutgers beat No. 1 Purdue (this time on the road), and it has earned a reputation as a tough, defensive-oriented team that is extremely hard to beat at home. It is currently ranked No. 21 in the NET rankings used to help determine the tournament field.
New Jersey continues to churn out elite high school talent as well. The state has six players in the mix for the Naismith boys’ high school national player of the year, including players committed to blue bloods like Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.
The second-year running back told the rookie he had a great year, appreciating the effort and improvement Pickett showed after taking over the starting job in Week 4.
The Steelers finished short of their postseason goals, but led by their first-round pick at quarterback, the rookie class laid building blocks for the future with significant contributions throughout the 2022 season.
“We can just see how our future is,” Harris said Sunday. “We’re young, but we’re also really talented, and I think that for us to come together through all that adversity that we had early on in the year, for us to finish out the season the way we did, man, that should be motivation for us. We should be hungry for next year.”
All but two of the Steelers’ seven 2022 draft picks played in the regular season. Quarterback Chris Oladokun, the Steelers’ final selection, was cut during training camp before landing on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, while fourth-round wide receiver Calvin Austin III spent the year on injured reserve after a training camp foot injury.
“We’ve got some quality play from some young guys, which is exciting, but boy, there’s a lot of meat on the bone, and we’re excited about being a part of their process, too,” coach Mike Tomlin said Monday. “That’s another component of our business model that we don’t run away from, we run to — the development of players. To be a component of their growth and development is significant for us and for them.”
Led by Pickett’s 804 snaps, the Steelers finished the season ranked third in offensive snaps by rookies with 2,103, behind only the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Though Pickett finished the season with nine interceptions to just seven touchdowns, the rookie showed significant improvement after the bye week, throwing five touchdowns to just one pick.
“I felt like the offense started to become my own the more I was playing in it, taking real ownership of it instead of just kind of playing catch-up when I got thrown in there a little bit earlier and I was just worried about executing the plays,” Pickett said Sunday. “Now I felt like I had everything at my disposal when I was coming to the line of scrimmage. I felt like I made a good jump there in the learning curve, and I want to make that leap into Year 2 now.”
In his rookie season, Pickett appeared in 13 games, starting 12, and threw for 2,404 yards and completed 63% of his passes. By comparison, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 2,621 yards and completed 66.4% of his attempts in 14 appearances with 13 starts as a rookie, but he had 17 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions.
Pickett was especially effective targeting other members of his draft class. Pickett had four passing touchdowns and no interceptions targeting second-round wide receiver George Pickens, and no passing touchdowns to six interceptions when targeting all other wide receivers (not including running backs and tight ends), per ESPN Stats & Information. He also completed 9 of 13 passes for 89 yards with a touchdown and an interception when targeting sixth-round fullback/tight end hybrid Connor Heyward, and he was 22 of 26 for 180 yards when he threw to rookie UDFA running back Jaylen Warren.
Pickett also had a 97.6 QBR when targeting Pickens, the best QBR by any quarterback targeting any receiver this season with a minimum of 50 attempts, per ESPN Stats & Information. “Our rookies have been great,” center Mason Cole said recently. “They haven’t been perfect, but they’ve been great, and they come to work every day. They’re really coachable which is important. … It’s been cool to watch them grow. If you would’ve asked me maybe Week 3 or 4, maybe I would’ve said that, but as the season’s gone on, they’ve kept their nose in the grindstone and just gone to work.”
And it’s not just the offensive rookies who’ve had an impact this season. After returning from injured reserve in December following a knee injury, third-round defensive end DeMarvin Leal steadily earned more snaps. He started in the second game against the Ravens and played 52% of defensive snaps, recording three combined tackles. And inside linebacker Mark Robinson, a seventh-round selection, played 50% of defensive snaps in that Ravens game, often over former top-10 pick Devin Bush.
“I’m excited for guys like Mark Robinson, who hasn’t really had a chance to show what he can do,” defensive end Chris Wormley said Monday. “And then that Ravens game, he had a pretty good game. I think seven tackles helped stop the run, which is the reason why he got elevated that week and started and played a bunch. I’m also excited for guys like Leal. He’s a knucklehead rookie, but most rookies are. You could see his transformation over the 17 weeks, especially in camp. He was doing a lot of, like, college rookie stuff, as far as his technique. He stuck with it and learned from the older guys. And I’m excited to see his progress over the next three or four years.”
But for as many contributions as the rookie class made in its first year, veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward cautioned them to not rest on this year’s accomplishments, echoing his head coach.
“You’re not defined by one season,” Heyward said. “We had a lot of great plays from all of those guys, but man, there’s a lot of meat on that bone as Coach likes to say. They’re off to a good start. But I challenge all of them: ‘Don’t let this just be it for you. Don’t let this be the ceiling. You guys got a lot of big business to do, and I’m looking forward to watching it.’”
Nathan Jones hit back at his critics after steering Southampton past Man City in the Carabao Cup, saying how baffled he was at a non-League manager criticising him.
Southampton knocked out the favourites to reach the semi-finals as Jones’ side pulled off a remarkable 2-0 win to book a last-four clash with Newcastle.
The Saints boss lost his opening four matches and his side still sit bottom of the Premier League, however, he has put together back-to-back wins in cup competitions at Crystal Palace and this victory over City.
Jones referenced a comment made by Paul Doswell, manager of Havant & Waterlooville, who said he was out of his depth on BBC Radio Solent.
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Highlights of the Carabao Cup quarter-final match between Southampton and Manchester City
He said: “I don’t know if I changed perceptions. Within 10 minutes of the Brighton game, I was inept.
“The non-League manager criticised me the other day. It baffled me. I don’t speak about Havant & Waterlooville. I don’t speak about levels I don’t know about.”
“I’m really pleased with the performance,” said Jones. “I thought we were excellent as a team.
“We were aggressive, we were organised, we went after the game, it wasn’t a smash and grab.
“I’m proud of the players and proud of the staff. I’ve had people calling me out, I’ve even had non-League managers calling me out saying I’m not good enough.
“It’s a proud moment for me. To be on the same level as him (Guardiola) is wonderful, it’s what I’ve worked very, very hard over my 33-year career to do.
“I’ve believed I’ve earned the right to be here. Whether people think I’m good enough or not doesn’t really affect me because I’ve been questioned at every level I’ve been at and I like to respond.
“It’s been tough but it’s what you’re paid for as a manager.”
Image: Jones’ Southampton have secured back-to-back wins in cup competitions against Crystal Palace and Man City
Guardiola feared poor Man City performance
Pep Guardiola felt his Premier League champions were destined to struggle on the south coast regardless of the team he picked.
He said: “Who knows whether with Kevin and Erling it would have been different? I don’t know it.
“We tried to do our best and we rotate the team when we played against Chelsea after the Premier League and it’s good.
“I understand how this business works. Always we try to have everybody involved and everybody has to do it but today was not the case.
“I had the feeling today it doesn’t matter what line-up I am selecting, we are performing this way. Don’t ask me why. This is my experience.
“It doesn’t matter today the line-up we choose, it would happen because we were not here. And that’s why when this happen, they deserve it.”
With Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley acquiring AFC Bournemouth last month, the number of American-owned Premier League clubs now stands at eight of 20, including four of the so-called Big Six (Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea). And every time a Premier League club goes up for sale, a gaggle of U.S. billionaires and private-equity types pops up to kick the tires.
Chelsea were the most recent example back in the spring, when the bid process shortlisted offers from Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca, a consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, the Ricketts family (who own the Chicago Cubs) and another group that included Josh Harris and David Blitzer (who own the Philadelphia 76ers).
Most American owners — indeed, most foreign owners, who represent 75% of the Premier League — have done little thus far to rock the boat in terms of how the league does business. But with a changing sports and media landscape — and with the league making an operating profit in just two of the past 10 years according to Kieron O’Connor, who writes the Swiss Ramble newsletter on football finance — you wonder how long that will be the case. (Note that operating profit/loss is different than accounting profit, which includes player trading, i.e. the cost of acquiring players vs. the revenue from letting them go.)
And given that the Premier League’s shareholders are the 20 member clubs themselves, there is no question that they have the clout to make radical changes — such as introducing salary caps, reducing or abolishing relegation and changing revenue distribution — if they so choose.
Why might they choose to do so? Well, because conditions have changed and because this set of owners (not just the American ones) is different from the sort of folk who owned European clubs in the past.
Historically, teams were bankrolled by individuals or corporations who weren’t necessarily looking to make a bottom-line return. Many clubs ran at a break-even level, while those who made losses were OK with it because their owners got a return in other ways. Sometimes, they were simply rich super-fans akin to wealthy boosters in NCAA sports; sometimes they were businessmen looking to raise their profile or gain political clout.
None of the current U.S. ownership groups fit this profile, but still, they invested because conditions looked favorable. The rationale was simple: acquiring a Premier League club was relatively affordable, and that gave you a foothold the most popular league (one with a genuine global footprint) in the world’s most popular sport.
Many were convinced that with some U.S. commercial sports know-how, they could monetize the game more effectively and the league’s popularity would continue to grow, and heck, if it ever cracked the U.S. market in a meaningful way, you were set for a pay day. Plus, with money being cheap at the time — and with many of these investors sitting on piles of it — acquiring unique assets like a sports team (or a piece of art or real estate) was a natural hedge against inflation.
Things have changed a little bit. Money isn’t quite as cheap (interest rates have risen), the economy has taken a hit and folks are realizing there is no quick U.S. fix to boost revenue. (Well, most anyway…)
There are basically three criteria that may lead an ownership group (not a nation-state, who have other reasons) to acquire an asset. One is vanity/philanthropy/personal enjoyment (like the historical owners of football clubs), but that generally doesn’t apply here. Another is profitability and cash flow, but as O’Connor shows, Premier League clubs made operating losses of £1.4 billion ($1.7bn) in the eight years pre-pandemic (and a whopping £2.3bn — or $2.8bn — of losses in the two subsequent years that were impacted by COVID). The third is capital appreciation: what you make back when you sell the asset will be far more than it cost you, both to acquire it and to run it over the years (if you made operating losses).
That last factor seems to be the only one that still applies. Perhaps it’s driven by the fact that both Fenway Sports Group and the Glazers are open to selling all or part of their stakes in Liverpool and Manchester United at reported valuations of $3bn and $5bn to $7bn — several multiples more than what they paid for them. But as the fine print says, “Past performance is not an indicator of future results.” It’s not something you want to take for granted.
The main reason so many Premier League clubs continue to make operating losses is that wages and acquisition costs continue to rise each year, more than doubling from around £2bn ($2.4bn) to £4.8bn ($5.8bn) in a decade.
Another way to think about this — and to understand the losses — is to consider the percentage of revenue that goes on labor costs, i.e. the amount that is paid to players in salaries. In the NFL, it’s capped at 48% as a result of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). In the Premier League, just one of the 20 clubs (Tottenham, at 39%) was below that threshold in 2018-19, the last season before the coronavirus pandemic. Excluding the three newly promoted clubs that year, the league average stood at 65.6%.
And bear in mind that unlike in the NFL, where money doesn’t change hands when players change teams, in the Premier League you pay a transfer fee when you sign a player from another club. In that 2018-19 season, the Premier League’s net spend — the difference between the costs incurred to sign players and the revenues gained from sending them elsewhere — was a whopping $1.15bn … which is a lot more than the NFL’s figure of, well, zero.
Simply put, the quickest way to profitability is controlling your costs, a concept that’s very familiar to owners in U.S. sports, all of which have some version of a salary cap or luxury tax. It seems plausible that Premier League owners will push for something along those lines, most likely linking squad expenses (not just player salaries, but transfer spending, agent fees and coaching staff remuneration) to a percentage of revenue. Indeed, a comparable system already exists in Spain’s LaLiga and UEFA, the governing body of European football, is implementing new regulations for teams competing in continental tournaments like the Champions League that aim to cap squad expenses to 70% of revenue by 2025-26.
So the appetite for something like this is already out there, and you’d expect Premier League clubs — including those not involved in European competition — to follow suit in some way. Of course, limiting your spending increases your exposure to relegation, which can be financially disastrous.
Is it possible there might be a push to reduce the number of relegation spots? Why not? It’s the quickest, easiest way to increase the value of all Premier League clubs, especially the smaller ones.
Also, why stop there? Could we see more revenue sharing like in the NFL, where virtually all revenue other than corporate sponsorships, concessions and 60% of gross ticket sales is split evenly among the 32 teams? In the interest of parity and sustainability and with certain safeguards (such as no relegation), who knows?
The main argument against this model is that it might hamper English clubs in the Champions League — another problem that the NFL doesn’t have to worry about. And sure, if UEFA’s new regulations aren’t properly enforced or unworkable, it would hurt Premier League team’s performances in Europe. But even for clubs that qualify for Europe, revenue from UEFA competitions represents no more than 15-20% of the total. And it’s not as if English clubs would suddenly stagnate and disappear if they spent a lower proportion of revenue.
Don’t think it will ever happen? Maybe you’re right. When times are good, the cash keeps rolling in and club valuations continue to rise, maybe there’s no need for all this. But it’s worth remembering that the Premier League’s Big Six all signed up for the Super League, and that Liverpool and Manchester United were behind Project Big Picture. Both projects were abandoned amid public outcry and political pressure, but the willingness was there. And if they’re willing to lawyer up and face political pressure, all it takes is for 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs to rewrite the rulebook. And no, given the success and profitability of the NFL, it’s not just American owners who might look favourably on this.
Every single owner, regardless where they’re from, knows how things work across the pond and how successful the NFL and NBA are. Every single owner got where they are by knowing how to run a business. And not every owner is wedded to the long-standing pyramid model of the European game.
England trailed by 10 goals against Jamaica before eventually clawing their way back into the match to seal an emphatic 73-52 victory in World Cup year; Netball World Cup takes place this summer from July 28- August 6, all live on Sky Sports
By Raz Mirza
Last Updated: 11/01/23 9:18pm
Jo Harten was on target for England as they dominated Jamaica in the final quarter
England’s Vitality Roses made an impressive start to 2023 by seeing off rivals Jamaica with a ruthless 73-52 display at Manchester’s AO Arena on Wednesday.
England began the first of their three-match series by dismantling the Commonwealth Games silver medallists in the final quarter to seal a fabulous victory.
Head coach Jess Thirlby admitted the matches against Jamaica are all geared towards the Netball World Cup this summer.
She told BBC Sport: “It’s definitely about the longer-term but everything we do, you have to have intent to do both. Part of learning how to be better at the World Cup is learning how to win these games. We’ve ticked off so many new things there.
“World Cup always has to be our destination but we want to win as well.”
Helen Housby (left) and Malysha Kelly in action at Manchester’s AO Arena
The Sunshine Girls made a storming start, producing neat court transition through to goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler for a 19-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Thirlby’s side worked hard in a fast-paced encounter, with Jo Harten and Helen Housby gelling neatly together to enable England to stay in contention.
Jamaica’s lead was cut to three goals by half-time following another lively quarter in which they began to show a few signs of nerves.
With the visitors losing momentum, the Roses took advantage to close the gap to 34-31.
The tide turned England’s way midway through the third quarter with the home side moving ahead and building a slight cushion, leading 49-47 in a roller-coaster ride heading into the final quarter.
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The Roses went on to show all their experience to run away with the contest in the last 15 minutes.
Natalie Metcalf, Harten and Housby toyed with the Jamaican defence to add to their tally and close out an emphatic win between the teams who are ranked third and fourth in the world, respectively.
What’s next?
The teams travel down south to the Copper Box Arena in London for back-to-back games on January 14 and 15.
The series forms part of the Roses’ preparations for July’s World Cup in South Africa – live on Sky Sports.
The tennis player Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant.
She posted a photograph of an ultrasound on Instagram, and added, “One thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom,’ haha.”
She said in the post that she would be at the 2024 Australian Open.
Three days ago, Osaka, 25, dropped out of this year’s Australian Open, which begins Monday. She has not played a tournament since September. Because of the missed time, she is currently ranked No. 47 in the world.
Osaka won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. She also won the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020. She has been involved in a relationship with the rapper Cordae since 2019.
Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open while she was roughly two months pregnant. Osaka did not reveal how far along she was in the Instagram post.
Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open after declining to attend news conferences, saying that she found them detrimental to her mental health, and she revealed that she had struggled with depression. She took a break from the game and also missed time with an Achilles’ tendon injury last year.
Though she has lived in the United States since she was a toddler, Osaka, whose parents are Haitian American and Japanese, represents Japan and was given the honor of lighting the cauldron to begin the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Because of numerous endorsement deals, Osaka is one of the top 20 earning athletes in the world and the highest-paid woman, Forbes has reported.
Her business portfolio includes a skin care products company focused on people with darker skin tones, and she has written a children’s book. Last year, Osaka and her longtime agent, Stuart Duguid, left IMG, the sports and entertainment conglomerate, to begin Evolve, which manages Osaka’s business interests as well as other clients.
{{ timeAgo(‘2023-01-11 13:37:10 -0600’) }} football Edit
Adam Gorney
• Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
SAN ANTONIO – Stone Saunders is a 2025 prospect so he has plenty of time to figure out his recruitment but some schools are already standing out.Including the back-to-back national champs.“I love t…
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Just nine days after going into cardiac arrest during an N.F.L. game, Damar Hamlin was released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday.
“We have completed a series of tests and evaluations,” said Jamie Nadler, the physician who led Hamlin’s care at Buffalo General Medical Center. “And in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills.”
Hamlin, a 24-year-old defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, continues to make steady progress after collapsing on the field following a tackle on Jan. 2. He spent nearly a week in the intensive care unit at a Cincinnati hospital, where he began breathing on his own and walking and talking again late last week. On Monday, he was transported to the facility in Buffalo after his condition had improved and he no longer needed intensive care.
Hamlin’s return home marks the next milepost in his recovery. The Bills said Hamlin was released after he underwent a comprehensive medical evaluation on Tuesday, including cardiac, neurological and vascular testing.
The doctors who cared for Hamlin in Cincinnati said in a news conference Monday that recovery from a life-threatening event like the one Hamlin experienced usually takes weeks or months. While his progress has been a little bit ahead of the usual recovery trajectory, they said it was too early to speculate on how far Hamlin is from returning to normal life and that any discussion of whether he could play football again would be “significantly into the future.”
There has been no public announcement on the cause of Hamlin’s medical emergency. He was undergoing tests and evaluations to determine what caused the cardiac arrest and to treat any potential underlying conditions.
Bills Coach Sean McDermott said he was “grateful” Hamlin is able to be home with his parents and his younger brother. The Bills are preparing this week for a playoff game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and McDermott said they’ll wait to see if or when Hamlin is ready to visit his teammates in person.
“We’ll leave it up to him,” McDermott said. “His health is first and foremost on our mind.”
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has backed Mike McCarthy one more time.
Asked on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday whether a wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football” could impact McCarthy’s status as head coach, Jones was emphatic.
“No. I don’t even want to … No. That’s it,” he said. “I don’t need to go into all the pluses or minuses. I’ve got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game.”
The last coach who took the Cowboys to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons was Chan Gailey in 1998-99. He was fired after a 27-10 loss in the wild-card round to the Minnesota Vikings after a two-year run with an 18-14 record.
Jones has called the quick decision to move on from Gailey so quickly a mistake.
Immediately after last year’s wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Jones appeared to leave open the possibility of a change; however, he later said he was doing that in part to keep defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on the staff, as he interviewed for a number of head-coaching vacancies.
The Denver Broncos have asked for permission to speak to Quinn for the second straight year.
“I can’t tell you how much confidence I’ve got in Mike and our coaching staff of being on top of where we are with this team right now,” Jones said. “They’ve got every nuance. They understand every frailty that we might have or we might have shown Sunday [in the loss to Washington]. They’ve got everything in their grasp and in their understanding, and I have complete confidence in this coaching staff. It’s outstanding. We’ve got a great chance to go down there and have success.”
McCarthy, who has two more years on his contract, has directed the Cowboys to consecutive 12-5 records, winning the NFC East in 2021. It’s the first time since 1994-95 the Cowboys have had back-to-back 12-win seasons. The record this year includes a 4-1 mark with backup quarterback Cooper Rush taking over for an injured Dak Prescott, who fractured his right thumb in the season-opening loss to the Buccaneers.
With that win, Tom Brady improved to 7-0 all time against the Cowboys, which Jones attempted to downplay on Tuesday.
“When you really think about it, we’re not playing Brady,” Jones said. “We’re playing Tampa Bay, the team. And it’s conceivable that we could make Brady not play well and get our tails beat by the rest of the team. And I’m not trying to be cute. But we’ve got to go play the entire team. And this Brady thing has got to be sensitive. I know it’s there and I respect that. Gives us a challenge to do something we haven’t done before, and that’s beat Tom Brady.”
Christian Pulisic is expected to be out for up to two months with a knee injury, Chelsea head coach Graham Potter confirmed on Wednesday.
The United States international limped out of last week’s Premier League home defeat to Manchester City and has since undergone a series of tests to determine the extent of the problem.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s trip to Fulham, Potter told a news conference: “Christian is a couple of months we think, hopefully less, but that’s the timeframe there.”
The news will come as a significant blow to Pulisic, as sources had told ESPN the 24-year-old was eyeing a move away from Stamford Bridge this month.
Contact has been made with Manchester United and Newcastle over a possible loan deal, but Pulisic’s latest fitness setback will severely damage the prospect of a temporary switch.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has recovered from a back problem, while Raheem Sterling is undergoing examinations on a hamstring problem with an as yet unspecified return date.
Chelsea travel to Craven Cottage sitting in 10th place, 10 points behind fourth-placed United. Potter is under mounting pressure as supporters chanted the name of his predecessor, Thomas Tuchel, during last weekend’s 4-0 FA Cup third-round defeat at City.
Speaking about the criticism he has faced, Potter said: “You have to understand that it is part of the job. You only have to look at some of my colleagues in a similar position. Pep [Guardiola] for example in his first season would have been criticised quite heavily. Mikel Arteta has had to endure a period of criticism. Jurgen Klopp in the first few years would have got some criticism as well and these guys are fantastic.
“Football is emotional. When you lose, you don’t really think about it — you feel it. You feel the suffering, the discomfort. Sometimes it is hard to understand the why, and it is easy just to blame someone. I am not sitting here saying I’ve been absolutely perfect so they are not completely wrong but I think it is always very complex.
“You try to put it into perspective, you try to remember that you are capable. You try to remember how you got here. Two months ago I was considered to be a top coach and if you consider the people I’ve played against and played with, they would probably say the same but at the same time I acknowledge the results we have had are not good enough and you have to deal with that as best you can, put it into perspective and keep moving forward.”
{{ timeAgo(‘2023-01-11 12:21:33 -0600’) }} football Edit
Adam Gorney
• Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
SAN ANTONIO – Deyjhon Pettaway is a 2025 four-star cornerback so he has plenty of time to figure out his recruitment but he already has a handful of schools that have left an impression.One is Texa…
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Fallon Sherrock into Final Stage at Q-School; tournament will be played each day from Thursday to Sunday, with the winner receiving a PDC Tour Card; There will also be an Order of Merit with points available for wins with nine more players receiving a PDC Tour Card for 2023 and 2024
Last Updated: 11/01/23 4:49pm
Fallon Sherrock has confirmed her place in the Final Stage at UK Q-School
Fallon Sherrock has made it through to the Final Stage at UK Q-School following a brilliant run in Milton Keynes on Wednesday.
The Women’s World Matchplay winner joins 104 players in qualifying for the final stage, which, supplemented by the 24 players who were automatically qualified, means that a total of 128 players will compete for the 13 available Tour Cards from Thursday.
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Sherrock, who made history by becoming the first woman ever to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship in 2019, is pleased with her progress but is also aware of the hard work ahead to earn her Tour Card.
She said on Twitter: “Very pleased with my game the past 3 days, especially today – but nothing won yet as the hard work starts tomorrow.
“But win or lose I’m just pleased to be part of QS and playing my game the best I can. Good luck and well done to everyone else who plays tomorrow.”
Sherrock says the ‘hard work’ starts on Thursday when she will look to earn a PDC Tour Card
Sherrock joins the likes of Christian Perez, Jamie Lewis, Josh Payne, Andy Hamilton, Nick Kenny, former UK Open runner-up Corey Cadby and Arron Monk in managing to secure a spot for the remainder of Q-School.
Meanwhile, Jelle Klaasen, Nico Kurz, Diogo Portela and Ronny Huybrechts will feature in the final stage at European Q-School.
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Sherrock said she was getting used to this ‘history-making thing’ after winning the Women’s World Matchplay
Sherrock said she was getting used to this ‘history-making thing’ after winning the Women’s World Matchplay
A total of 32 PDC Tour Cards will be on offer in Final Stage from January 12-15, with each of the daily winners in the UK and Europe receiving an automatic Tour Card.
The remaining 24 Tour Cards will be allocated to players from the UK and European Q-School Final Stage Orders of Merit, and split on a pro-rata basis of total participants in each region.
Any ties in the Q-School Orders of Merit will be split as follows based on all match results: Leg Difference, Legs Won, then DartConnect average. If players still cannot be split, a play-off would be organised.
