Blog

  • Bill Belichick shows support for new team: NFL coaching legend shows up to college football practice in hoodie

    Bill Belichick shows support for new team: NFL coaching legend shows up to college football practice in hoodie

    USATSI

    Since parting ways with the New England Patriots in January, Bill Belichick has managed to keep a pretty low profile. 

    The six-time Super Bowl winning coach hasn’t been seen on a football field in nearly three months, but that changed over the weekend, when he showed up at the University of Washington for a spring practice. Not only did Belichick make an appearance at practice, but he showed full support for the team by wearing a Washington hoodie and hat. 

    After 24 years in New England, it’s almost jarring to see him wearing a hoodie that doesn’t have the Patriots’ logo on it.  

    This is the first time we’ve seen Belichick in a Washington hoodie, but it probably won’t be the last. Belichick’s son, Steve, was hired in February to be the team’s defensive coordinator. 

    Steve seemed pretty thrilled to have his dad around for practice. 

    “It was cool. I’m glad he got to come out here,” Steve told the media when asked about his dad’s attendance at practice. I look up to him in so many different areas. To have him out here, it’s been awesome.”

    Steve had worked on the Patriots’ coaching staff since 2012, so this is the first time that he’s had a job in football where his dad isn’t his boss. 

    It appears that the elder Belichick had a busy weekend at the school. Not only did he attend practice, but he was also the featured speaker at a coaching clinic that the school held on Saturday. 

    The 71-year-old Belichick has some free time this spring, which is rare for him. This year will mark the first time since 1974 that the six-time Super Bowl winner doesn’t have an NFL…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Seahawks, Panthers, Patriots, Titans open offseason programs Monday

    Seahawks, Panthers, Patriots, Titans open offseason programs Monday

    Four more NFL teams kick off their offseason programs on Monday.

    The Seahawks, Panthers, Patriots, and Titans will begin Phase One of their programs. That two-week phase is limited to conditioning work and meetings.

    For all four teams, it will be the first chance that their new head coaches have to work with players. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, Panthers head coach Dave Canales, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, and Titans head coach Brian Callahan are all first-time head coaches.

    The Falcons, Chargers, and Commanders all started their offseason work last week. The other 25 teams will get the ball rolling next week.

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • What is the state of the Rutgers football quarterback competition? Greg Schiano sees ‘a healthy competition’

    What is the state of the Rutgers football quarterback competition? Greg Schiano sees ‘a healthy competition’

    For the first time since Rutgers entered the Big Ten in 2014, there is a quarterback competition that features two experienced players who each have deep Power Five starting experience.

    The offseason addition of Athan Kalaikmanis, who started every regular season game for Minnesota last year, certainly changes the look and feel of the Rutgers quarterback room. With the incumbent starter, Gavin Wimsatt, back from a year where Rutgers won a bowl game, there is a level of depth and competition that hasn’t existed around this program in quite some time.

    Of the four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, Wimsatt and Ajanni Sheppard spent last season at Rutgers and with offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.

    “For two of them, it’s their second year in the system now so you would expect a better understanding from a whole offseason of studying yourself,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Saturday.

    “But yeah, there’s a healthy competition in the room. I think it’s deeper so we’ll just let it play out.”

    Rutgers has had inconsistent quarterback play for much of the last decade and the hope this offseason is that Kalaikmanis or Wimsatt will step up and manage the offense effectively.

    While Sheppard is promising and A.J. Surace, a three-star quarterback who arrived on campus in January, the quarterback competition is likely to favor the most experienced players.

    Wimsatt and Kalaikmanis both have significant starting experience in the Big Ten and that is likely what is needed with this veteran roster.

    “Well, Athan I saw do things in Big Ten games, so I’m not really surprised – I think he’s doing well, but it’s not a surprise,” Schiano said.

    “AJ only saw (him) play in high school and yes, he’s pleasantly surprised me. I mean, AJ is a really fine young quarterback prospect. Very excited about…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • 2024 Auburn football spring game live stream, TV channel, watch online, start time, storylines to follow

    2024 Auburn football spring game live stream, TV channel, watch online, start time, storylines to follow

    Auburn will be one of the first major programs to close practice as the Tigers host their annual A-Day spring game on Saturday. The Tigers will give fans a first glimpse of the 2024 roster as Hugh Freeze’s squad enters its second season. 

    The Tigers struggled in Freeze’s first season, finishing 6-7 with an embarrassing three-touchdown loss against New Mexico State. Freeze’s signature passing unit finished worst in the SEC, mustering just 162.2 yards per game. Mississippi State was the only SEC West program to average fewer points per game. 

    Of course, the roster that takes the field on Saturday may not be the final version. Four additional high school prospects arrive on campus in the summer, including national top-40 wide receiver Perry Thompson. The Tigers could also be active in the post-spring transfer portal. Still, the spring game provides key evaluation time for both fans and coaches. 

    The format of the spring game is meant to build excitement and competitiveness. In the offense-defense battle, the defense will start with a 27-0 lead on the scoreboard. The offense has four 10-minute quarters to try and surpass the total in order to win the game. Whichever unit has the most points at the end of the 40-minute game will be declared the winner. Here are some spring game storylines as well as information on how to watch the Tigers 2024 debut. 

    How to watch 2024 Auburn spring game live

    Date: Saturday, April 6 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
    Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium — Auburn, Alabama
    Live Stream: SEC Network+ 

    2024 Auburn spring game storylines 

    1. Has Payton Thorne taken a step? Auburn weighed some quarterback options in the transfer portal but ultimately decided to ride into 2024 with the returning group of signal callers. Incumbent…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Mayor says Chiefs have “serious opportunity” to return to Dallas

    Mayor says Chiefs have “serious opportunity” to return to Dallas

    Dallas mayor Eric Johnson seems determined to bring the Chiefs home.

    The franchise started as the AFL’s Dallas Texans, before surrendering the city to the NFL’s Cowboys and moving to Kansas City in 1963.

    On the heels of the landslide decision by Jackson County, Missouri voters to reject the extension of a sales tax to help pay for the renovation of Arrowhead Stadium, Johnson is openly courting the Chiefs back to Dallas.

    Via Lukas Weese of TheAthletic.com, Johnson called it a “serious opportunity” for the Chiefs to solve their stadium situation.

    “The connections are so deep, the history is so rich,” Johnson said. “We actually could put together the deals that would make sense for them to get them here.”

    Johnson declined to say whether he has spoken to Chiefs owner Clark Hunt about a possible relocation to Dallas.

    “I’m not really at liberty to say other than I have a good open line of communication with Clark Hunt,” Johnson said. “And that line of communication remains.”

    Cowboys owner Jerry Jones surely wouldn’t want another team in the area, especially if it wouldn’t be playing in his stadium. Johnson seems to be optimistic that Dallas will eventually be deemed big enough for two teams.

    “When the NFL looks at the next round of expansion, they will not find an American city where there is not an NFL franchise currently that will be a more lucrative or faster-growing market to put a team,” Johnson said.

    Johnson made a separate case for sharing the market, one that will cater to Jones’s ego.

    “You never say never because he’s a businessman and he’s in the business of making money,” Johnson said. “There is a strong argument to make that the Cowboys’ franchise value is not tied to the city it plays in or is connected with. It’s an international phenomenon at this point.”

    He’s right. The Dallas Cowboys will continue to draw massive crowds and TV audiences regardless of whether Dallas has two or 20 teams.

    If/when the NFL grows and/or reshuffles,…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Alabama State football: Full analysis from 2024 Black and Gold Spring Game

    Alabama State football: Full analysis from 2024 Black and Gold Spring Game

    MONTGOMERY — Alabama State football held its Black and Gold Spring Game on Saturday at Hornet Stadium.

    Entering the third year under head coach Eddie Robinson Jr., the Hornets kicked off their 2024 campaign, dazzling fans with the new offensive skill players acquired during the offseason.

    Team Gold (the ASU offense) was dominant and won the spring game, 34-24. Here were the major takeaways from Saturdays game:

    More: Alabama State football: Former Auburn quarterback Dematrius Davis to enter transfer portal

    Dominant first half for offense

    The offense for the Hornets came out firing, scoring on its first three offensive series en route to taking an early 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

    Running back Daquon Kincey netted the first score of the game with a 5-yard rush on the opening drive. Andrew Body followed up launching a 70-yard touchdown pass to Eric Horn on the next series for the second score. In the closing minutes of the first quarter, Jamari Hotclaw sprinted down the sideline for a 35-yard score — extending the lead for the Gold team.

    Team Black (the ASU defense) only allowed a field goal in the second quarter, as the offense led 24-6 at the halftime mark.

    Offensive standouts

    In their debut at Hornet stadium, quarterbacks Andrew Body, Zachary Sims, and Jayvious Langford gave fans a preview of what they could see in the fall. Body got the start and led the offense to touchdown drives in his first two series of the game. He completed four of his seven passes with a touchdown. Sims also showed flashes of being a possible starter leading the offense down the field for a second half score.

    Wide receiver Bakari Daily was doing it all in from the slot position, catching passes out of the backfield and down the field. His open-field vision allowed for several yards after catch opportunities. Eric Horn and tight end Derrick…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More