Mike McCarthy rejuvenated in return to coaching with CowboysVideo
Mike McCarthy surely didn’t envision returning to coaching amid a global pandemic when he spent much of the last year dreaming about getting back to the NFL. And he’s loving it. Every. Single. Minute. The Greenfield native rarely left the team’s headquarters at The Star in Frisco before the NFL...
Browns return to past, unveil classic uniformsVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns will look better next season. There’s still no guarantees how they’ll play or when. With a salute to their past, the Browns unveiled new uniforms Wednesday to replace old ones that had grown stale and become symbolic with losing. The “new” jerseys and pants were...
Green Bay Packers hall of famer Willie Davis dies at 85Video
Willie Davis, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman who helped the Green Bay Packers win the first two Super Bowls, died. He was 85. The Packers confirmed Davis’ death to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday, as did his former teammate and fellow hall member, Dave...
First Call: Watt brothers star on ‘Tonight Show’; sports movie ideas for Stephen King’s list
For “First Call” Wednesday, we try to help out renowned horror writer Stephen King. And the Watt brothers take over “The Tonight Show.” The offseason of the Watt brothers continues. Steelers T.J. and Derek Watt joined older brother J.J. Watt during a segment on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday. It was...
Bill Polian on possible MVPs of NFL Draft: IT departmentVideo
Bill Polian ran many NFL drafts, making him the main man in the room for several successful franchises. Next week, the Pro Football Hall of Famer knows who the guys in demand will be for all 32 teams: the techs. “I would say simply, I-T I-T I-T,” Polian explains. “Make...
Free agency spending spree sets stage for Las Vegas Raiders’ draftVideo
The Las Vegas Raiders spent most of the free agency period bolstering one of the NFL’s worst defenses with one glaring exception. While the Raiders added a pair of starting linebackers in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, a new free safety in Damarious Randall and rotational players on the defensive...
Panthers make McCaffrey highest paid running back in NFLVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension with All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, a person familiar with the contract negotiation told the Associated Press, making McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Details on how much of the contract is fully guaranteed were unavailable....
Ex-NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, 36, dies in car crashVideo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has died in a one-car crash outside Montgomery, authorities said Monday. He was 36. The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro that Jackson was driving went off the road, struck a tree and overturned at 8:50 p.m. Sunday, Trooper Benjamin “Michael” Carswell, an Alabama Law...
ESPN and NFL Network will combine for NFL Draft telecastVideo
NEW YORK — ESPN and NFL Network will join forces for this year’s NFL Draft. They will produce a broadcast that will air on both networks over all three days. The April 23-25 draft originally was scheduled to be in Las Vegas but has been moved because of the coronavirus...
Ex-NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, 36, dies in car crashVideo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson died in a one-car crash outside Montgomery, authorities said Monday. He was 36. The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro that Jackson was driving went off the road, struck a tree and overturned at 8:50 p.m. Sunday, Trooper Benjamin “Michael” Carswell, an Alabama Law Enforcement...
First Call: Watt Bros. own Siblings Day; J.J. backs Cam Heyward; more noise about Jameis Winston and Steelers
In “First Call” on Monday, the Watt brothers latch onto National Siblings Day. One of them speaks out for snubbed Steelers star Cam Heyward. Another national voice pipes up about the Jameis Winston-to-Pittsburgh talk. And an update on the socially distanced NFL Draft. Friday was National Siblings Day. With so...
Column: If NFL cancels 2020 season, it should call on NHL for help
The prize was future Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, one of the greatest prospects anyone had seen since Wayne Gretzky. And the method to determine who got him, as best as then-Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Doug MacLean can recall, was hashed out over a few meetings as the NHL...
Clemson star Isaiah Simmons do-it-all talent for NFLVideo
Several years before building a Super Bowl roster in San Francisco, John Lynch the broadcaster was pining for a new kind of defensive playmaker. What the NFL needed to counter all the offensive innovations driving up scores, he said back in 2013, was a hybrid linebacker/safety who could stay on...
Former Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix expected to sign with the ColtsVideo
Former Steelers Pro Bowl fullback Roosevelt Nix will sign a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple reports. Nix, a 5-foot-11, 248-pounder, played with the Steelers for five seasons. He was released last month after the Steelers signed fullback Derek Watt. Nix played in just three games last...
Broncos star Von Miller polishing deejay and pass rush skills
Von Miller longs to make a name for himself scratching vinyl just like he has sacking quarterbacks. DJ Sauce Von the Don is the Denver Broncos star linebacker’s alter ego, one whose fledgling club concert career has been thwarted by the coronavirus outbreak. Miller said he spends part of each...
New coach Ron Rivera aims to start changing culture around RedskinsVideo
WASHINGTON — Ron Rivera made plenty of mistakes as a first-time NFL head coach that he hopes not to repeat this time around. Rivera also did enough good things early on with Carolina in 2011 that he’s trying to duplicate now with Washington. The new Redskins coach took some big...
Browns new GM Andrew Berry prepared for unique, ‘virtual’ draftVideo
CLEVELAND — With degrees from Harvard in economics and computer science, Browns general manager Andrew Berry would seem perfectly suited to handle any pitfalls or problems he might encounter in his first NFL Draft — a draft like no other. He’s a one-man IT department. Cleveland’s new general manager said...
Dallas Cowboys sign cornerback Saivion Smith, former XFL player
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys signed cornerback Saivion Smith on Friday, adding the former XFL player about the same time the spring league announced it was suspending operations. Smith played for Houston, which was the only undefeated team in the XFL when the league stopped playing last month after...
Rams trade WR Brandin Cooks to TexansVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams are trading receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans, according to a person familiar with the deal. The NFL Network reported the Rams will get a second-round pick while sending a future fourth-rounder to Houston. Cooks will help the Texans replace DeAndre Hopkins,...
Tua Tagovailoa’s agent says he’s healthy, will be ready for campVideo
Tua Tagovailoa’s agent said the quarterback is healthy and will be ready for training camp. Tagovailoa held a virtual pro day with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer on Thursday after the former Alabama star’s personal pro day was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Video of Tagovailoa’s workout will be...
New Eagles DT Javon Hargrave discusses leaving Steelers: ‘It was real tough’Video
Of course, Javon Hargrave said, he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh. The Steelers were the team that brought him into the NFL with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He felt he was part of a “winning” culture, and he had developed...
Chiefs bring back CB Bashaud Breeland on 1-year dealVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back cornerback Bashaud Breeland on a one-year deal that could be worth up to $4.5 million, helping to alleviate one of the Super Bowl champions’ biggest concerns ahead of the NFL Draft. The deal was confirmed to the Associated Press...
Oddsmakers like Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes to win MVP, but big money is on another QBVideo
Assuming the 2020 NFL season begins on time, Thursday marked 154 days until the first game would kick off. Although a lot can happen between now and Sept. 10, oddsmakers in Las Vegas have handicapped the NFL MVP race. According to William Hill Sports Book, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has...
Tim Benz, Jeff Erickson: Will golf lead return to TV sports?; Steelers draft trade talk; MLB Arizona idea
The biggest fantasy in the sports world right now is getting through this global pandemic and getting real games back on the field of play. But in lieu of that, Jeff Erickson of RotoWire and I do our weekly fantasy sports podcast anyway. We talk about how golf could lead...
Zac Taylor encouraged by free-agent haul as Bengals rebuildVideo
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati had a list of top targets heading into free agency, and coach Zac Taylor says the Bengals got the players they wanted. The Bengals announced Wednesday they had reached agreements with eight unrestricted free agents since the new league year started March 18, though all eight still...