Author: nfltalk

  • Oregon’s 3 keys to victory against Montana State

    Oregon’s 3 keys to victory against Montana State

    The time is almost here for another highly anticipated season of Oregon Ducks football at Autzen Stadium. The roster looks drastically different this year, but with potentially more talent spread around the field, the expectations remain exorbitantly high. The Ducks will be led into battle by first-year starter Dante Moore as they look to build on the school’s most successful campaign in recent memory.

    They’ll be taking on the Montana State Bobcats Saturday in what should be an exciting start to the season. Oregon will have many new faces on the field at once, so it’s fortunate they’ll be playing an opponent who isn’t quite on their level. You can’t make the College Football Playoff in Week One, but you can certainly eliminate yourself.

    The Ducks have the decided advantage, favored by 27.5 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook, so they need to follow these three key strategies to ensure they keep the upper hand.

    Hang onto the football

    If you listen to a head coach at any level of football, the one thing that they always preach is the turnover battle. It’s always important to hoard possessions, and that practice is even more crucial when playing an inferior team. Turning the ball over is just about the only way the Ducks can lose this game, so Dan Lanning is sure to drill that into the team’s head before they take the field Saturday.

    Get Dante Moore into a rhythm early

    As we discussed earlier, Week 1 sets the tone for the entire season, but in Moore’s case, it sets the tone for his Oregon collegiate career. The game’s mental aspect is just as important as the physical portion, and there are many past examples of rocky starts to a quarterback’s career paving the way for unimpressive football journeys.

    Lanning will need to get Moore in rhythm early with quick, short passes that get him feeling good and…

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  • ESPN Is Forever Changed With NFL Equity Deal

    ESPN Is Forever Changed With NFL Equity Deal

    Today’s guest columnist is Laura Gentile, former executive vice president and chief marketing officer at ESPN and founder of LauraGentile.Studio.

    The one thing sports fans could always bank on was ESPN being ready to serve—putting the fan first. From its earliest days, ESPN was seemingly ubiquitous, available on cable TV 24 hours a day, then on your computer, across the country’s radio waves, in the form of a magazine, and eventually as a constant companion on your phone.

    At its best, it was the friend sitting next to you at the bar, the buddy nudging you on your couch—Did you see that?!—and the pal yelling at the screen along with you. It functioned as the world’s biggest sports fan and the arbiter of what was news. It was the sidekick helping you through your alma mater’s stunning loss and celebrating your favorite player’s record-breaking performance.

    As a lifelong sports fan, and someone who made her dream come true by working at the company, I experienced first-hand how ESPN made sports moments feel big, real and personal: from Mo’ne Davis’ emergence at the Little League World Series to Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. We shared such moments with ESPN. We felt validated in our fanaticism as ESPN provided context for us alongside millions of other fans. We grew to trust, and even love, ESPN.

    Now ESPN has sold itself to the NFL, once and for all. The NFL enabled ESPN to emerge as the Worldwide Leader in Sports with the advent of Sunday Night Football in the 1980s, long before Faith Hill and Cris Collinsworth on NBC. The original SNF put NFL games on cable TV for the first time, breaking the stranglehold of the broadcast networks, adding a new and prosperous rightsholder to the mix, driving up player salaries and ultimately enabling the NFL to become the dominant sports league in America.

    The NFL is propelled by ESPN’s billions, with ESPN often outspending its competitors 3-to-1 for the rights to televise games…

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  • Travis Hunter injury update: Jaguars GM says No. 2 pick ready for Week 1, details plans to play both ways

    Travis Hunter injury update: Jaguars GM says No. 2 pick ready for Week 1, details plans to play both ways

    If there were any concerns about Travis Hunter’s availability for Week 1, they wiped away on Wednesday by Jaguars general manager James Gladstone. Gladstone provided a positive update on Hunter, the team’s rookie receiver/cornerback who missed Jacksonville’s final two preseason games after he sustained an upper-body injury on August 14. 

    “Oh, that’s not the case,” Gladstone said when asked about the possibility of Hunter being unavailable for the opener against the Panthers. “He’s on the grass today and and rolling full speed.”

    Hunter, who the team traded up to choose with the No. 2 pick, did not play in the Jaguars’ last two preseason games. First-year coach Liam Coen said last week that the team was treating the injury cautiously and did not want to risk Hunter further aggravating the issue. 

    “Could he have probably gone? I think so,” Coen said. “If this was Carolina, would he have probably played? Yeah, so we’re moving in the right direction.”

    Ranking 10 NFL rookies most important to team’s success: Can Ashton Jeanty, Travis Hunter live up to the hype?

    Josh Edwards

    Beyond his preseason health concerns, the question all offseason has been how the Jaguars plan to use Hunter, who flourished on both sides of the ball at Colorado. Last fall, Hunter won the Heisman Trophy and the Biletnikoff Award (given annually to college football’s top receiver) and was also tabbed as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. 

    Hunter played 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps last season. As a receiver, he…

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  • Longhorns Daily News: Is Texas AD Chris Del Conte one of college football’s ‘most powerful’ people?

    Longhorns Daily News: Is Texas AD Chris Del Conte one of college football’s ‘most powerful’ people?

    USA Today recently published a top-25 ranking of college football’s top powerbrokers. Perhaps predictably given the Texas Longhorns brand power and recent strength on the actual gridiron, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte was ranked No. 17 on the list.

    “[Del Conte] oversees a department that generated the most total operating revenue nationally in fiscal year 2024 at $331.9 million with $325 million in operating expenses. Helped spearhead Texas going to the SEC where it started league play in 2024. That move set off a round of conference realignment.”

    Not to mention the fact that Del Conte hired current football head coach Steve Sarkisian.

    WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS

    Dallas Morning News: The Arch Manning Era Is Here: After organic rise at Texas, QB is ready for what’s ahead

    Dallas Morning News: Why No. 1 Texas’ season-opening showdown with No. 3 Ohio State could be historic

    Dallas Morning News: Dak Prescott, Bijan Robinson pay tribute ahead of Lee Corso’s ‘College GameDay’ retirement

    247Sports: Four Downs: Chris Del Conte moves away from tradition, Steve Sarkisian’s time is now and more

    247Sports: Chip Shots: Can Texas shut down Ohio State All-American WR Jeremiah Smith again?

    247Sports: College Football Insiders: Texas, Ohio State differ in internal D-line confidence

    247Sports: What Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said about playing Texas

    Inside Texas: The past and the future of Texas football’s red zone identity

    Inside Texas: ‘I’m going to take it all in’: Steve Sarkisian speaks on the SEC coaches teleconference ahead of Ohio State

    ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION

    247Sports: 2027 WR Antayvious Ellis sets two fall visits

    247Sports: The best TXHSFB matchups for Horns fans to see each in-state Texas commit

    Inside Texas: Texas Longhorns Recruiting Intel: 2027 No. 1 TE sets Austin visit,…

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  • Bills bring back Jordan Poyer

    Bills bring back Jordan Poyer

    Veteran safety Jordan Poyer said this offseason that the fantasy ending to his career would be a return to Buffalo. He’s getting his wish.

    Poyer is signing with the Bills today, his agents told Jordan Schultz.

    The 34-year-old Poyer played for the Bills from 2017 through 2023 and now will get a second shot in Buffalo in what could be his final NFL season. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 with the Bills and was a team captain and leader of their defense.

    After originally entering the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2013, Poyer was waived during his rookie season and claimed on waivers by Cleveland, where he stayed with the Browns through 2016. After his seven-year stint with the Bills, Poyer played in Miami in 2024.

    Last year Poyer started 16 games for the Dolphins, and the Bills will expect him to contribute right away despite missing all of the offseason. Poyer knows the defense, knows his coaches and knows his teammates, and he should be able to fit right in.

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  • College football QB battles 2025: Michigan taps Bryce Underwood, Hauss Hejny wins Oklahoma State job

    College football QB battles 2025: Michigan taps Bryce Underwood, Hauss Hejny wins Oklahoma State job

    With Week 1 of the 2025 college football season fast approaching, the quarterback dominoes have mostly fallen. With Week 0 in the books and the first full weekend of competition days away, some coaches are still in decision-making mode when it comes to naming a starter. 

    Some competitions are still ongoing when the actual games kick off as teams will use early season tune-up contests to see if one signal caller can pull ahead of the other in a live setting. But there are some prominent programs that have already announced who will be leading their offenses in 2025. 

    Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee are just some of the Power Four programs that have tabbed their starting quarterbacks already. The Buckeyes are trying to repeat as national champions, while Tennessee would like to build on its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. 

    Bryce Underwood named Michigan QB: Prized recruit is fourth true freshman to start for Wolverines in Week 1

    David Cobb

    Alabama, in an effort to bounce back from a somewhat lackluster first season under coach Kalen DeBoer, is turning to a veteran at quarterback. Even major Group of Six programs like Memphis have made a decision. 

    There’s still some to be settled, but here’s a rundown of the quarterback battles that have been decided. 

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  • Trey Lance wins Chargers backup QB job: Former No. 3 pick beats out Taylor Heinicke, DJ Uiagalelei

    Trey Lance wins Chargers backup QB job: Former No. 3 pick beats out Taylor Heinicke, DJ Uiagalelei

    Getty Images

    As the Los Angeles Chargers trimmed their roster to 53 players on Tuesday, they decided to carry just two quarterbacks. With the release of Taylor Heinicke and DJ Uiagalelei, that means former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance has earned the right to back up Justin Herbert.

    Lance exhibited growth in his three preseason outings with the Chargers, completing 56.1% of his passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers. It’s possible he may have found a home with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman after a rough start to his pro career.

    Lance spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, but was the third quarterback on the depth chart behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. He started just one game for Dallas, the regular-season finale in 2024.  

    Chargers elevate RB Najee Harris to active roster ahead of Week 1, per report

    Will Backus

    The North Dakota State product was once viewed as the future of the San Francisco 49ers. General manager John Lynch traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up from No. 12 overall to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, where San Francisco selected Lance over Mac Jones and Justin Fields. 

    Lance was handed the keys to Kyle Shanahan’s offense in 2022, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the second game of the year. After Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending injury of his…

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  • Seahawks trade OT Michael Jerrell to the Falcons

    Seahawks trade OT Michael Jerrell to the Falcons

    Injuries have left the Falcons thin at offensive tackle heading into the opening weeks of the regular season, so they agreed to a trade on Tuesday to bolster their depth.

    Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Seahawks are sending tackle Michael Jerrell to Atlanta. The Falcons will send back a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick.

    Jerrell was a sixth-round pick last year. He played in 10 games and made three starts for the Seahawks during his rookie season.

    Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that right tackle Kaleb McGary will miss “significant time” after injuring his leg in practice last week. Swing tackle Storm Norton is also out for an extended period of time after having ankle surgery.

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