[ad_1] People knew Brian Kelly could win. But could he recruit well enough to win titles? The winningest active coach in college football came down to the Bayou, and the No. 1 question became his ability to connect with players in the south. Kelly won the SEC West in his first year at LSU, showing he can change a program, but what will determine what Kelly achieves over the next decade in Baton Rouge is whether he holds off top powers in accumulating talent. Louisiana is a rare territory with…

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[ad_1] How have the American League Central teams fared this offseason, what is left for each to do in the roughly eight weeks before spring training, and what way-too-early prognostications can we make about the 2023 season? We asked our writers —  James Fegan (White Sox), Zack Meisel (Guardians), Dan Hayes (Twins), Cody Stavenhagen (Tigers) and Jayson Jenks (Royals) — to answer five questions about the division midway through the offseason. Is your team better or worse than it was two months ago? Fegan: Answering this question would have been…

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[ad_1] At long last, we can repurpose a famous John Madden quote from yesteryear to lambaste the Patriots for something that happened yesterday. Take a knee. Take a knee. TAKE A KNEE! The Patriots famously declined Madden’s suggestion two decades ago in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXXVI. Instead, Tom Brady moved the ball up the field and Adam Vinatieri kicked the closing-time field goal that toppled the St. Louis Rams. But on Sunday, in Las Vegas, against the Raiders, a healthy dose of knee-taking could have helped New…

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[ad_1] THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Baker Mayfield crashed, hard. The Rams quarterback led his new team to a historically-improbable Thursday night win against Las Vegas in Week 14, driving 98 yards and throwing a go-ahead touchdown in about a minute and a half, all after being claimed by them off waivers from Carolina just 40 hours prior. After that, Mayfield said, he slept for “probably about a day and a half.” He has since processed that night in a series of flashes — “guys communicating with me … clocking the…

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[ad_1] LAS VEGAS — Chandler Jones couldn’t move, was unable to see much and was struggling to breathe. The Raiders edge rusher had jumped, high-pointed an ill-advised throwback from Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers and caught it with the game tied at 24 and no time remaining. He then stiff-armed New England quarterback Mac Jones into the shadow realm, regained his balance after stumbling and sprinted 40 more yards for the walk-off touchdown. He was immediately swarmed by his teammates, pressed back and pinned against the wall near the Raiders’ tunnel.…

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[ad_1] LAS VEGAS — The back of Jakobi Meyers’ white jersey was covered in grass stains, remnants from a hard-fought game. He sat in silence in front of his locker, jersey and pads still on, left to comprehend one of the most bizarre, mind-numbing conclusions to an NFL game ever. He hung his head, tears welling, surely replaying in his mind the sequences that led to Chandler Jones catching Meyers’ inexplicable cross-field throw and bulldozing his way to a walk-off, 30-24 Raiders win over the Patriots. What just happened?? The…

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[ad_1] Before Chandler Jones made like he was a Madden video game character and stiff-armed Mac Jones, before his 48-yard “Lateral Damage” touchdown run that will go down with all the wild plays in Raiders history … The Raiders offense faced a fourth-and-10 at its own 19-yard line with 1:54 left, trailing the Patriots 24-17. The offense had been putrid in the second half and the Raiders were on the verge of blowing a fifth double-digit lead this season, extending the NFL record they set 10 days earlier with their…

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[ad_1] TAMPA — Tom Brady has been rewriting NFL standards for more than two decades, but the history he made Sunday night was almost too staggering to attempt to comprehend. Brady tied a career high with four turnovers — on four consecutive possessions in the second half Sunday night — resulting in a blown 17-point lead and a 34-23 loss to the Bengals at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers missed a chance to put a stranglehold on an anemic NFC South Division after losses by the Falcons and Panthers earlier…

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[ad_1] United States forward Christian Pulisic has revealed he still dwells over a missed first-half chance over two weeks after his side’s loss to the Netherlands. In the third minute of the last-16 tie, Pulisic was through on goal, presented with a one-on-one chance against Netherlands keeper Andries Noppert. His weak effort was saved however, and the Netherlands took a 2-0 lead by the end of the first-half after goals from Memphis Depay and Daley Blind. Haji Wright’s goal could not spark a comeback, and the Netherlands completed a 3-1…

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