Author: nfltalk

  • Car crash victims not on university duties

    Car crash victims not on university duties

    In Georgia’s most extensive comments on the wreck that killed football player Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member, athletic director Josh Brooks said Tuesday the two were not on department business at the time of the incident, which occurred after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national title.

    The fatal wreck also left offensive lineman Warren McClendon with minor injuries and seriously injured another member of the recruiting staff.

    The incident, which occurred in the early morning hours of Jan. 15 not far from the school’s Athens campus, has raised questions about the relationship between athletes and those who work in the athletic department.

    “Out of respect for the families involved, we have refrained from making any public statements up to this point regarding the circumstances of the tragic accident that claimed two lives and injured two members of our campus community,” Brooks said in a statement.

    “However, we want the public to know that the athletic department is conducting a thorough review, in coordination with appropriate legal counsel, to fully understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic event. We want to emphasize that these individuals were not engaged in athletic department duties around the time of this incident.”

    An SUV driven by 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, who worked in the recruiting department, left the road on a turn, sliced through a pair of utility poles, struck two trees and finally came to rest against an apartment building.

    The 20-year-old Willock was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead the scene. LeCroy died a short time later after being taken to a nearby hospital.

    McClendon, who had announced hours earlier he was entering the NFL draft, received a laceration to the middle of his head. The other university employee, Victoria Bowles,…

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  • Record 45.7M viewers watched Cowboys lose to 49ers; 2nd most for Divisional playoff since Cowboys’ 2017 loss

    Record 45.7M viewers watched Cowboys lose to 49ers; 2nd most for Divisional playoff since Cowboys’ 2017 loss

    The Dallas Cowboys’ season ended on a bizarre final play with 45.7 million people watching.

    The team’s 19-12 loss to the 49ers on Sunday was the most-watched matchup of the weekend and the second most-watched NFL divisional playoff game on record, according to Fox Sports.

    It’s not the first time a record number of viewers have tuned in to watch the Cowboys lose. Dallas’ 2017 playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers drew 48.5 million viewers, the most-ever for a divisional playoff game.

    The Cowboys’ most recent loss is unique in that it was the most-watched telecast of any kind since the last Super Bowl and peaked with 51.5 million viewers.

    Sunday’s AFC showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals garnered 39.3 million viewers in comparison, per Show Buzz Daily.

    Dallas and San Francisco once had a strong rivalry and it saw a revival on Sunday. 49ers tight end George Kittle made a suspenseful catch in the third quarter that teetered between his hands as he dodged cornerback Trevon Diggs and somehow secured the ball before the dive landed him on the field.

    It took Kittle nine yards to secure possession of the pass, a reception that set San Francisco up for a 91-yard touchdown drive later.

    “I was just trying to be dramatic,” Kittle joked, via The Athletic. “It was just for TV. Just trying to get the ratings up.”

    Tough 27 years for the Cowboys franchise

    For the past 27 years, the Cowboys have not managed to make it out of the divisional round, an unfortunate stretch for a team that has goals to win it all.

    Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein wrote that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told media members that he and the team were “sick” about the loss, a word he used six more times in a 2-minute span.

    Still, he communicated that Sunday’s showing did not deter him from quarterback Dak Prescott or head coach Mike McCarthy.

    “I would like to be right back here [next year] with the same hand, the same opportunity, with Prescott as the quarterback, and go get…

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  • Early look at the top 20 NFL Draft-eligible college football players taking the field in 2023

    Early look at the top 20 NFL Draft-eligible college football players taking the field in 2023

    The deadline for college football players across the country to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone. I’m sorry if you intended to throw your name into the mix but slept through your alarm (college kids, am I right?), but it’s too late. Your punishment is that you have to stay in school for another year.

    The NFL’s loss is college football’s gain, however. Some players weren’t eligible for the draft — the NFL has a rule requiring all players to be at least three years out of high school before entering the draft — while others took advantage of name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities to return for another season. Players return to iron out some kinks in their game and to make actual, legitimate money — perhaps more than they would’ve made as mid to late-round picks.

    Who are the players coming back for another season that will be the talk of the draft process a year from now? I’ve put together a list of 20 names to follow ordered by position. No, I did not include every player in the country, so I’m sorry if the player on your team didn’t make the list. It does not mean I hate them. But I do love these players, so let’s get to them. 

    Caleb Williams, QB, USC: If Williams was eligible to go to the NFL this spring, odds are he’d be the favorite to go No. 1 overall. NFL teams are always looking for comps with prospects, and Williams is truly the most Patrick Mahomes-like quarterback in the college game. That’s not to say he’s as good as, or will be as good as, Mahomes in the NFL. But Williams does a lot of similar things to Mahomes. Oh, and he won the Heisman while playing for a coach in Lincoln Riley who has helped mold multiple Heisman winners and No. 1 draft picks. Rest assured, NFL scouts will spend the next year picking him…

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  • 2023 NFL playoff schedule: Updated bracket, dates, times, TV channel, live stream for championship round

    2023 NFL playoff schedule: Updated bracket, dates, times, TV channel, live stream for championship round

    The NFL playoffs roll on to the conference title games after the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals routed the Buffalo Bills on the road on Sunday and the San Francisco 49ers held off the Dallas Cowboys. 

    The divisional round of the 2023 NFL playoffs kicked off on Saturday as the Kansas City Chiefs and a hobbled Patrick Mahomes held on to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-20, and the Philadelphia Eagles absolutely destroyed the New York Giants, 38-7. 

    After a week off, each conference’s top-seeded teams entered the fray this weekend and both moved on. The Chiefs, the AFC’s top-seeded team each of the last four years, will now be playing in the AFC Championship Game for a record fifth straight year. On the NFC side, after their convincing win over their rivals, the top-seeded Eagles will be making their first appearance in the NFC title game since the 2017 season. 

    Two more teams look to punch their tickets into the conference championship today.

    This year will mark the fourth Super Bowl played in Arizona and the first since the Patriots rallied to defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. 

    Super Wild Card Weekend

    Saturday, Jan. 14

    (4) 49ers 41, (7) Seahawks 23(4) Jaguars 31, (5) Chargers 30

    Sunday, Jan. 15

    (2) Bills 34, (7) Dolphins 31(6) Giants 31, (3) Vikings 24(3) Bengals 24, (6) Ravens 17

    Monday, Jan. 16

    (5) Cowboys 31, (4) Buccaneers 14 

    Divisional Round

    Saturday, Jan. 21

    (1) Eagles 38, (6) Giants 7(1) Chiefs 27, (4) Jaguars 20

    Sunday, Jan. 22

    (2) 49ers 19, (5) Cowboys 12(3) Bengals 27, (2) Bills 10

    Championship Sunday

    Jan. 29
    NFC Championship
    Eagles vs. 49ers, 3:05 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV)

    AFC Championship
    Chiefs vs. Bengals, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, stream on Paramount+)

    Super Bowl LVII

    Feb. 12
    AFC champion…

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  • The Athletic looks at Florida’s transfer portal movement

    The Athletic looks at Florida’s transfer portal movement

    With the first transfer portal window coming to a close, The Athletic looked at how each SEC East team fared, with the Florida Gators categorized as a “turnstile team”.

    The transfer portal’s first six-week winter window closed on Jan. 18, meaning that all nongraduates who wished to enter the portal had to do so by that date. Graduate transfers are eligible to enter the portal at any time.

    But just because there are limits to when you can enter your name in the portal, doesn’t mean that’s the only time a player can sign with a new program — players who are currently in the portal can sign with any school of their choice. So don’t expect the commitment announcements to slow down any time soon.

    Here is what The Athletic’s G. Allen Taylor had to say about the roster turnover in Gainesville:

    Total portal arrivals/departures: 7/23

    Key portal arrivals: QB Graham Mertz (Wisconsin), G Micah Mazzccua (Baylor), T Damieon George (Alabama), CamRon Jackson (Memphis), DL Caleb Banks (Louisville), LB Teradja Mitchell (Ohio State), LB Deuce Spurlock (Michigan)

    Key portal departures: G Ethan White (undecided), DB Tre’Vez Johnson (Missouri), T Michael Tarquin (USC), CB Avery Helm (TCU), DT Jalen Lee (LSU), Donovan McMillon (Pitt), TE Nick Elksnis (South Carolina)

    The outgoing volume looks jarring. In reality, many of the players leaving were caught up in a rebuild and weren’t courted intensely to stay. Among the exceptions were White and Johnson, both multi-year starters. Tarquin struggled to distinguish himself in four years at Florida but certainly factored into next season’s plans, given the depth issues at tackle.

    The analysis Taylor writes up here is spot on. The roster turnover was to be expected. The number discrepancy is also aligned with Billy Napier’s “quality over quantity” approach…

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  • We’ll see, we’re hopeful this week

    We’ll see, we’re hopeful this week

    The Eagles remained without cornerback Avonte Maddox in Saturday night’s win over the Giants, but head coach Nick Sirianni isn’t closing the door on the chances of a return against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

    Maddox missed the last two games of the regular season with a toe injury and he did not practice at all last week. At a Monday press conference, Sirianni said the team would like to see that change in the coming days.

    “We’ll see. We’re hopeful. But he’s still got to get out there and run on the field. There’s some unknowns there,” Sirianni said, via Josh Tolentino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

    Maddox also had a stint on injured reserve after hurting his hamstring earlier this season and he was limited to a total of nine games in the regular season. He had 43 tackles, a sack, an interception, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in those appearances.

    Nick Sirianni on Avonte Maddox: We’ll see, we’re hopeful this week originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

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  • Most head-scratching moments from NFL divisional round: Patrick Mahomes playing, coaching blunders make list

    Most head-scratching moments from NFL divisional round: Patrick Mahomes playing, coaching blunders make list

    On Saturday, we witnessed Patrick Mahomes hobbling up and down the field at Arrowhead Stadium to lead the Kansas City Chiefs back to their fifth consecutive AFC Championship in a 27-20 win against the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars. We also saw the Philadelphia Eagles tie their biggest margin of victory in a playoff game in franchise history with their 38-7 curb-stomping of their NFC East rival, the New York Giants.

    Sunday around the NFL was pretty wild as well. The Cincinnati Bengals marched into Buffalo and trounced the Bills, 27-10, to prevent a neutral site AFC Championship Game. The Cowboys had multiple chances, but they couldn’t overcome an injury to running back Tony Pollard, as well as their poor execution, in their season-ending 19-12 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. 

    The second week of the NFL playoffs included the league’s eight most elite teams, so there was obviously some high-level football being played. However, there was also plenty of confounding football as well across the weekend. Here are some of the head-scratching decisions that occurred this divisional round weekend.

    Chiefs’ handling of Patrick Mahomes’ injury

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  • The Hunt Report: What to know from Tropical Bowl week, including top prospects, standout performers, more

    The Hunt Report: What to know from Tropical Bowl week, including top prospects, standout performers, more

    Back on the road again to another all-star event, this time it’s the Tropical Bowl in Orlando, Florida. What makes this game unique this year is that they’ve added two additional days to the front end of the week, where guys who just missed the regular Tropical Bowl roster got to compete in a two-day practice and scrimmage format in front of the scouts from all across the professional football ranks.

    Some guys who performed well were rewarded with a call up to the regular Tropical Bowl week. Don’t forget that we will have scouting reports on all of these guys, which you can at www.footballgameplan.com/2023DraftGuide.

    With a lot on the line for these guys, it yielded some spirted and competitive days of work under the Florida sun.

    Tropical Bowl scrimmage

    CB Prince Washington: 5-7 175, Sacramento State

    Don’t let the size fool you — Washington plays a big man’s game out on the perimeter. He competes really well, and competed extremely well during 1-on-1s, 7-on-7s and team periods. Really impressive week for the former Hornet.

    CB Darius Williams: 5-9 189, Texas A&M-Commerce

    The Lions had three defensive prospects in this game, and all three guys put TAMU-Commerce on the map. Williams, the son of the late, former Denver Broncos star Darrent Williams, was simply outstanding in coverage. At times you thought he was the receiver with how well he covered the route. I also thought his ball skills were top notch.

    CB Natrone Brooks: 5-9 165, Southern Miss

    Speaking of top-notch ball skills, Brooks showed that he had that as well with his requisite ball instincts and awareness in coverage. He was in the running for the best defensive back of the week with how well and consistent he performed. 

    CB Tye Freeland: 5-9 191, William & Mary

    My colleague and…

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