USATSI

The Houston Texans got their first look at their new prospective franchise quarterback on Thursday night, as rookie signal-caller C.J. Stroud started Houston’s first preseason matchup against the Patriots in New England. He played just two series in the Texans’ 20-9 victory, and unfortunately did not get the offense moving in his first professional action. 

Stroud played 11 snaps, and completed 2 of 4 passes for 13 yards and one interception. The Ohio State product also rushed twice for 6 yards, and took a 15-yard sack on the fourth play of the game.

Stroud’s interception came on Houston’s first drive of the night on a third-and-21. Veteran defensive back Jalen Mills read the rook like a book, and stole possession away for the Pats. New England then capitalized on the short field with a successful 44-yard field goal.

“Got to make a play smarter and not put my defense in a bad situation, put them right in field goal range, and that’s my mistake,” Stroud said. “Even though I’m a rookie, still trying to play as a vet and play sound football and not only protect my offense but to protect the defense, as well.”  

Stroud didn’t get much of a chance to show what he’s capable of in his first 11 preseason plays. A big reason for this was the play of his offensive line — which struggled immensely against the Patriots’ pressure.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist during his time in Columbus, and recorded the most passing touchdowns in a two-year span in Big Ten history with 85. Stroud led an offense that ranked No. 1 in the FBS in points per game (45.0) and yards per game (526.0) over the past…

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MADISON TOWNSHIP — In 2023, the Madison Rams are looking for one simple thing — consistency.

After hiring their third head football coach in three years, gaining some consistency will start from the very top.

Madison brings in veteran coach Brent Besancon, a Smithville product who coached his alma mater as an assistant and head coach, to bring that consistency. And Besancon has a lot to work with. The Rams return 10 lettermen on offense and seven on defense to make 17 total lettermen back from last year’s 1-9 squad.

“We look to improve every week,” Besancon said. “Getting better every week is key for our program and our kids’ success. Most importantly, being physical every play is going to be a major factor this season.”

The Rams have the luxury of bringing back their starting quarterback to run Besancon’s pro-style offense. Junior Camron Kuhn was an honorable mention All-Northwest District player in Division III last season. He threw for 1,266 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago and will look to flourish under a new head coach and a year of experience behind him.

Eli Lewis slides into the starting running back role after seeing limited action last season, but he has fullback Will Kepple ahead of him leading the way. Kepple earned first team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference and honorable mention All-Northwest District honors a year ago on defense.

Grayson Sasis and Owen Wigton will be the starting receivers with Brady O’Brien at tight end. Sasis had 112 yards receiving and a touchdown last year.

Gage Masters and Jaxin Stancombe are locked in a position battle at left tackle while Rico Palacios will start at left guard. Michael Shanberger and Landyn Young will both see time at center with Cooper Balas and Nate Weightman battling it out at right guard. Preston Martin will play right tackle.

“The offensive line is big and will bring a physical attitude to the line of scrimmage,” Besancon said. “We also have some explosive players out wide with big play capability.”

Travis…

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The 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class was inducted on Saturday, as eight former players and one former coach joined the 362 members already enshrined in Canton, Ohio. 

While the party has just started for this year’s induction class, let’s turn our attention to what the 2024 induction class could look like. Here’s a look at the 40 players who will be eligible for the first time (keep reading below to see who we think will get in). 

EDGE Julius PeppersTE Antonio Gates S Eric BerryDL Haloti Ngata RB Jamaal CharlesWR Brandon MarshallG Josh SittonDT Kyle WilliamsC Max UngerLB Derrick JohnsonDE Muhammad WilkersonCB Brent GrimesK Phil DawsonP Donnie JonesRB Doug MartinDB Adam JonesS Reggie NelsonS Glover QuinK Sebastian JanikowskiLB Telvin SmithDE Greg Hardy OLB Connor BarwinLB Brian OrakpoWR Jordy NelsonP Marquette KingQB Andrew LuckCB Leon HallWR Doug BaldwinTE Jermaine GreshamG T.J. Lang CB Vontae DavisQB Matt CasselCB Sam ShieldsRB Chris IvoryWR Mike WallaceRB Jonathan StewartFS Corey GrahamOL Jermon Bushrod QB Derek AndersonLS John Denney

Of these players, Peppers and Gates have the best shot at being inducted in their first year of eligibility. Both enjoyed highly decorated careers. Peppers was a nine-time Pro Bowler who made the 2010s All-Decade Team after racking up 159.5 career sacks. Also a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team, Gates was a Pro Bowler for eight straight years. He’s currently first all time among tight ends with 116 touchdown receptions, while his 11,841 receiving yards are the third-highest total. 

Berry, Charles, Marshall and Nelson may have a shot at induction in later years. While injuries cut his career short, Berry was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who twice led the league in interceptions returned for touchdowns. Charles — Berry’s former teammate in Kansas City — retired with a whopping 5.4 yards-per-carry average. Marshall was a six-time…

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The Arizona Cardinals had an off day in Friday but did make a roster move.

They added veteran running back Marlon Mack, signing him to a one-year deal. To make room for him on the roster, the Cardinals released long snapper Jack Coco.

Mack is a 6-foot, 210-pound back entering his seventh NFL season.

He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round in 2017 and played for them for five seasons, surpassing 900 rushing yards in 2018 and 1,000 yards in 2019.

However, since 2019, he has appeared in only 15 games and has rushed for only 211 yards.

He split last season between the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers.

He adds experience to an otherwise inexperienced group of running backs behind starter James Conner.

This signing is not the running back addition many expected. It doesn’t feel like the running back room got much better unless Mack is something close to what he was in 2019.

An offer for Cardinals fans

For the best local Phoenix news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to azcentral.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Story originally appeared on Cards Wire

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The NFC is certainly a mixed bag heading into the 2023 NFL season. There are few Super Bowl contenders in the mix (Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys), but the rest of the conference is a wild card. 

Plenty of playoff spots are up for grabs in a conference that isn’t as deep as the AFC. The NFC South is wide open without Tom Brady, ditto with the NFC North without Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, the NFC East hasn’t had a repeat champion in in 18 seasons. 

In what should be an intriguing year for the NFC, what is the biggest challenge for each team heading into 2023? These obstacles could be the difference between being a little competitive, a legit playoff contender or challenging for a Super Bowl title (depending on the team and the situation). 

Is Kyler Murray coming back anytime soon? 

Murray is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season, electing to have surgery in January. The Cardinals quarterback admitted Saturday he doesn’t have a definitive timeline for his return to the practice field or how long he’ll need to practice before he’ll return to game action. 

Until Murray comes back, it’s Colt McCoy at quarterback. Murray is learning Drew Petzing’s offense and gathering all the information he can before actually returning to the field — whenever that may be. In a season where the Cardinals are patiently punting, they’ll be taking their time with their $160 million (guaranteed) investment. 

Is the pass rush any better? 

The Falcons defense have just 68 sacks over the last three seasons. To put this in perspective, the Philadelphia Eagles had 70 sacks last season. 

What did the Falcons do to bolster the pass rush? New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen has new pass rushers in Bud Dupree, Kaden Elliss, David Onyemata, Lorenzo Carter and Calais Campbell (from free agency) along with incumbents Arnold Ebiketie and Grady Jarrett.

The pass…

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On Monday, XFL Media Relations posted that former XFL running back John Lovett had agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lovett played for the Vegas Vipers.

Lovett played his college football at Princeton where he was a quarterback, running back and wide receiver during his career. In the NFL he’s settled in as more of a fullback/tight end type and at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, looks the part.

When the news of Lovett being signed first came out, the first thought was he was coming in to replace running back Alfonzo Graham. Graham went down in training camp with a torn labrum. But Lovett is likely the replacement for Monte Pottenbaum who chose to retire last week.

More Steelers Wire News!

Steelers release OT Jarrid Williams

New Steelers LB Kwon Alexander ready for anything with Pittsburgh

Should the Steelers re-sign FB Derek Watt?

Story originally appeared on Steelers Wire

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LATROBE, Pennsylvania — Steelers fans who crammed into Chuck Noll Field on Sunday were treated to the best of the four practices during Pittsburgh’s first week of training camp. It was also the best practice so far for Kenny Pickett, who is expected to take a significant jump during his first full season as the team’s starting quarterback. 

Pickett was on the money early. After not being able to connect with Pat Freiermuth on the first play of Seven Shots (a seven-play drill between the offense and defense from the two-yard-line), Pickett hit George Pickens for a wide open touchdown (there appeared to be a miscommunication on the play between Joey Porter Jr. and Chandon Sullivan) to tie things up. The offense took the lead one play later when Pickett hit tight end Zach Gentry on the far side. 

Pickett continued to look for his tight ends on the following play. He and Freiermuth hooked up for a score — against the second-team defense — as the offense took a commanding 3-1 lead. The defense, though, came back to win the drill after Pickett exited following his touchdown pass to Freiermuth. 

The sun — which beat down on the field throughout practice — continued to shine on Pickett and the starting offense during the next phase of practice. Pickett evaded pressure before hitting Diontae Johnson, who then displayed some nifty running after the catch. Moments later, Pickett unleashed a wicked pump that was bought hook, line and sinker by rookie cornerback Cory Trice Jr., who was guarding Pickens on the near side. The pump fake led to an easy completion. 

Pickett wasn’t done testing Trice, who one day earlier came up with two big plays to…

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