Not only are cornerbacks becoming more important in the NFL due to the yearly increase in passing, but now teams need more corners than ever. Having two good corners used to be a luxury, and now it's a necessity to have at least three — two on the outside and one shifty nickel-slot corner. Because
The Falcons slid into the postseason with the flimsiest of 10-6 records, but they're surviving and advancing. Although they haven't been nearly as impressive as last season, a surprising path exists for them to return to the Super Bowl.
One year after losing an all-time great national title game, Alabama gave us a game in Atlanta that felt like one of those college football movies out of the past. Only the movie moment for Tua Tagovailoa and Nick Saban was better than anybody could have dreamed.
Trades have dominated the market for outfielders thus far this offseason, but in terms of the rumor mill, the market is starting to heat up. Here's the latest on the top six free-agent outfielders and two more compelling trade targets.
One play after making a freshman mistake by taking a sack, Tua Tagovailoa made a Hall of Fame play to win the national championship. The Alabama backup QB found DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard strike to topple Georgia in overtime.
Atlanta is known for sports heartbreak, and you can add "20-7" to the list after Georgia saw its blowout in the making during the third quarter Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium evolve into a 26-23 loss to Alabama for the national championship.
There are so many Georgia fans with their hearts broken right now, and it's OK. It really is. That gnawing, gaping pit in your stomach, after Monday's devastating national championship loss to Alabama, that's the thing that's going to keep you going.
Nick Saban made the boldest call of his career, and it won him a sixth national title. Freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa entered Monday's game with Georgia in the second half and led a stunning Alabama comeback, capped by a walk-off TD in overtime.
The National Hockey League now has the template for all future expansion franchises, and it's called the Vegas Golden Knights. In their first season, the Knights have the best record in the Western Conference and are playing in front of enthusiastic crowds.
The Chiefs were at one point considered the best team in the league early this season, but that all fell apart. They made the playoffs anyway, only for the season to end with a home collapse against the Titans on Saturday. So what's next?
Bye-bye, Blake -- Jacksonville will have a new quarterback in 2019. Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee could undergo big changes, too.
The Steelers resetting without Antonio Brown and the Bears bouncing their kicker are among the moves predicted.
It's been nine years since the Seahawks applied their last -- and only -- franchise tag, but that could change this offseason with Frank Clark.
The Steelers will not use the transition tag on running back Le'Veon Bell, according to general manager Kevin Colbert.
The Panthers could use a reliable backup QB, but is the risk of adding Colin Kaepernick worth the potential reward?
New Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman sees some similarities between his second-year QB and former Ravens signal-caller Steve McNair.
Moving on from one is tough; parting with both is a talent drain. Here are a few options for the Steelers to make the best of a bad situation.
The 2016 second-round pick spent the summer relearning how to throw a football. And at age 24, this might be his last shot to get back to the NFL.
Vikings receiver Adam Thielen and his agent Blake Baratz are "cautiously optimistic" about both sides agreeing to an extension -- but it won't come via a holdout. "Adam's not that type of person," Baratz said.
Tight end Charles Clay, who was released by Buffalo after a career-low 184 receiving yards in 2018, has signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Ravens have agreed in principle on a deal to trade Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos. Compensation is as yet unknown but will likely be a mid-round pick. The king of failed completions heads to Denver, and Case Keenum will likely be cut after just one season with the Broncos. This is an upgrade on throwing the deep ball, but is it an upgrade in any other way? Flacco last year was 16th in passing DVOA, which is nice but was also just half a season and was much better than his last three seasons.He had ranked 26th or lower in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
When the Ohio State offense was clicking last year, Haskins looked great -- but when things broke down, he looked like a different quarterback. Nonetheless, Derrik Klassen says that for all his flaws, Haskins is still the safest quarterback prospect in this year's draft.
Rob Weintraub picks the NFL's best player in 2018 from each school in the Big 12 Conference.
Rob Weintraub picks the NFL's best player in 2018 from each school in the Big Ten Conference.
The Patriots won another Super Bowl. The Rams led the league in wins and nearly brought a championship to Los Angeles. The Chiefs had the MVP. But it's the Indianapolis Colts who dominated our year-end awards, as voted on by you, the readers
The Alliance of American Football kicks off this weekend, with eight teams vying to be the inaugural champions. For now, the league's biggest stars are the coaches, including Rick Neuheisel, Mike Singletary, and Steve Spurrier
The Patriots won the Super Bowl on Sunday and have basically been partying non-stop ever since.
Surprise! This year, we're keeping the Off The Charts podcast going for the offseason. Today's podcast looks back at Super Bowl LIII with some numbers and some discussion of the Patriots' defensive game plan. Future podcasts this offseason will look at free agency and the draft. (Click for audio link.)
Here's a good primer from the AP on the rule changes in the new Alliance of American Football which starts this coming weekend. Kickoffs are gone, but there's an opportunity to "onside kick" by converting fourth-and-12 from the 28. However, you're only allowed to try this if you are down 17 points, or in the final five minutes of the game. There's also a "SkyJudge" official whose job is to monitor the broadcast and correct egregious errors made by the officials on the field.
Rob Weintraub picks the NFL's best player in 2018 from each school in the Southeastern Conference.
Le'Veon Bell's time in Pittsburgh is over but wide receiver Antonio Brown's departure is not quite so certain
The Chiefs have turned to Steve Spagnuolo to shore up their soft defense, and the former Rams and Giants head coach knows that it will be a process
Panthers running backs coach Jim Skipper has retired from coaching after 32 years in the NFL, including 15 with Carolina.
The Pro Football Retired Players Association donates $100,000 to a group that is pushing for better benefits for former NFL players who retired before 1993
The New York Jets have declined contract options on safety Terrence Brooks, defensive tackle Mike Pennel and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis
The Arizona Cardinals have signed veteran tight end Charles Clay to a one-year contract
Chiefs announce overhaul of defensive coaching staff
The Cowboys aren't picking up a team option on the final year of Terrance Williams' contract, making the receiver an unrestricted free agent
Brown meets with Rooney, saying 'it is time to move on'
Roman overhauls Ravens offense with QB Lamar Jackson in mind
Houston Texans left tackle Duane Brown was absent Tuesday as the team prepared to leave for training camp in West Virginia, according to NFL Network's James Palmer.
The Indianapolis Colts announced Tuesday that first-round draft pick Malik Hooker will open training camp on the PUP list. Hooker injured his hamstring during Monday's conditioning test.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead was arrested and charged with misdemeanor petty larceny in June after he was accused of shoplifting in Virginia, according to court and police records.
Ravens RB Kenneth Dixon enters Year 2 facing more adversity. After earning a four-game ban for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs, Dixon is slated for knee surgery Tuesday.
Former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned. For his ex-teammate in San Francisco, Jeremy Kerley, that's a shame. Because for Kerley, Kaepernick "knows how to get" a team back to the Super Bowl.
The Broncos have reached an agreement with general manager John Elway on a new five-year deal through 2021, the team announced Monday.
Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant may have shown up late to training camp, but that didn't stop him from professing his love for the organization that drafted him.
Veteran pass rusher Tamba Hali took to Twitter to vent some frustration he has with fellow Chiefs teammates. Coach Andy Reid said Hali "doesn't need to go there and do all that."
The Colts will open training camp with their franchise quarterback on the sideline. GM Chris Ballard announced Monday that Andrew Luck will be placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
The Falcons slid into the postseason with the flimsiest of 10-6 records, but they're surviving and advancing. Although they haven't been nearly as impressive as last season, a surprising path exists for them to return to the Super Bowl.
One year after losing an all-time great national title game, Alabama gave us a game in Atlanta that felt like one of those college football movies out of the past. Only the movie moment for Tua Tagovailoa and Nick Saban was better than anybody could have dreamed.
Trades have dominated the market for outfielders thus far this offseason, but in terms of the rumor mill, the market is starting to heat up. Here's the latest on the top six free-agent outfielders and two more compelling trade targets.
One play after making a freshman mistake by taking a sack, Tua Tagovailoa made a Hall of Fame play to win the national championship. The Alabama backup QB found DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard strike to topple Georgia in overtime.
Atlanta is known for sports heartbreak, and you can add "20-7" to the list after Georgia saw its blowout in the making during the third quarter Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium evolve into a 26-23 loss to Alabama for the national championship.
There are so many Georgia fans with their hearts broken right now, and it's OK. It really is. That gnawing, gaping pit in your stomach, after Monday's devastating national championship loss to Alabama, that's the thing that's going to keep you going.
Nick Saban made the boldest call of his career, and it won him a sixth national title. Freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa entered Monday's game with Georgia in the second half and led a stunning Alabama comeback, capped by a walk-off TD in overtime.
The National Hockey League now has the template for all future expansion franchises, and it's called the Vegas Golden Knights. In their first season, the Knights have the best record in the Western Conference and are playing in front of enthusiastic crowds.
The Chiefs were at one point considered the best team in the league early this season, but that all fell apart. They made the playoffs anyway, only for the season to end with a home collapse against the Titans on Saturday. So what's next?
With the first Spring Training report dates less than six weeks away, we feel reasonably confident asserting that this relative Hot Stove suspension won't last a great deal longer. So here's a refresher on the biggest needs yet to be satisfied going into 2018.
Britain's Dan Evans beats wildcard Lloyd Harris of South Africa 6-0 6-2 to reach the Delray Beach Open quarter-finals in Florida.
Former British number one Laura Robson says her comeback after eight months out with injury felt "better than expected".
Judy Murray meets up with a 10-year-old girl who wrote to her asking for advice about how to become a tennis coach.
Watch the best Novak Djokovic moments as he wins a record seventh Australian Open title and a third successive Grand Slam, sweeping aside Rafael Nadal in Melbourne.
Watch highlights as Japan's Naomi Osaka beats Petra Kvitova in a dramatic Australian Open final to win back-to-back Grand Slams and become the new world number one.
Top seed Novak Djokovic sets up a tantalising Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal after beating Lucas Pouille in a one-sided semi-final.
Watch five of the best shots from Rafael Nadal's 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over American Frances Tiafo in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Australian Open.
Petra Kvitova, who was attacked by a knife-wielding burglar just over two years ago, is set to player her first Grand Slam final since 2014 at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams misses four match points as Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova wins the final six games to reach the Australian Open semi-finals in Melbourne.
Serena Williams is forced to turn back as she walks on to court while her opponent, Simona Halep, is being announced to the crowd before their fourth-round match at the Australian Open.
Not only are cornerbacks becoming more important in the NFL due to the yearly increase in passing, but now teams need more corners than ever. Having two good corners used to be a luxury, and now it's a necessity to have at least three — two on the outside and one shifty nickel-slot corner. Because
Former Seattle Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman has never been afraid to share his thoughts, either out loud or on paper. Most recently, Sherman penned an article in the San Francisco Chronicle detailing his feelings toward the NFL's concussion policy and the “blatant disrespect” it shows
The Buffalo Bills were among the NFL's most-active teams in regard to their quarterback transactions last season. There was bringing Derek Anderson out of retirement and nabbing Matt Barkley once he was healthy. Plus, Nathan Peterman. But of all those moves, three were much larger: Drafting Josh
I don't remember what the exact question was or how it was phrased. I'm not even sure if it was before a practice or after a game. But a few months back, with Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett gone, and with Earl Thomas hurt and Kam Chancellor hurt, a reporter asked Bobby Wagner something to
Well, the Colts season is finished, and what a year it was. While I never doubted the team could be a playoff contender as long as Andrew Luck was healthy and at the helm, how they got there was certainly the best surprise of the year. A young up-and-coming defense, great offensive line play, and a solid
With free agency opening on March 14, the group of pending free agents will begin to inflate in the coming days and weeks. A wave of players will soon flood the market, deemed too expensive by their current teams to stick around. At some positions, it will be a welcome influx of talent. Count EDGE among
The 49ers are the favorites followed closely by the Colts. Brown, coming off his sixth consecutive season with at least 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards, has already publicly expressed his desire to play for San Francisco. The Giants are the longest shot to get him.
During his tenure with the Raiders, Bruce Irvin earned himself the nickname “Baby Reggie” for his penchant for taking to social media to publicly court free agents to join him in Oakland. Now that Irvin is no longer a Raider, a void has been left but it looks like his one time protege, Arden Key is picking
Russ Rymut had just five minutes to make his pitch, so he solemnly pointed out that a handful of college and high school football players died on the field a few years ago from entirely preventable conditions: Heat stroke, dehydration and water-toxicity from overhydration. And then he turned to the power
One of the big topics of discussion for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason has been what the team will do in terms of retaining the offensive linemen from 2018 who are not under contract for 2019. Both starting guards, J.R. Sweezy and D.J. Fluker, are set to be free agents once their contracts expire
Colin Kaepernick and the NFL put their differences aside (at least from a legal standpoint) last week when they agreed to a massive settlement. Now that the quarterback is no longer suing the league, could the next step be him returning to the field? According to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, Kaepernick’s chances of being signed by an NFL team are “higher now than at any time since he opted out of his deal with the Niners almost two years ago.” The settlement has a lot to do with that, but Freeman also notes that NFL owners no longer fear repercussions from Donald Trump. Even after the president blasted the league and its players for disrespecting the American flag, NFL ratings were better in 2018 than they were the previous season. That has eased the concerns of team owners who might consider signing a polarizing player like Kaepernick. Kaepernick’s lawyer recently predicted either the Patriots or the Panthers will sign the 31-year-old, but Freeman says the chances of...
Tony Romo became the latest former or current NFL player to address whether he will ever let his children play football, and he indicated during an interview with Dr. Phil that he’s leaning toward allowing them, albeit with one caveat. Romo, who has three sons — Hawkins (6), Rivers (4) and James (1) — with wife Candice, expressed some reservations about his three boys playing tackle football until later in their junior-high years at the earliest. “I don’t think I’ll ever discourage them from doing anything,” Romo said, via Dallas’ 103.5 The Fan . “Like to me, it goes back to what you said, ‘if you really like this go play it.’ What I won’t allow them, from my dad perspective, if everything’s the same as it is 10 years from now…they won’t play tackle football until 8th grade. That’ll be the first time we’ll let them [play].” Much obviously has changed since Romo started playing youth football, as the knowledge of brain injuries has become much more extensive, not to mention how...
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger turned some heads in 2018 with his public criticism of teammates. According to general manager Kevin Colbert, that’s fine. In fact, not only is Colbert okay with it, but he wants Roethlisberger’s teammates to listen to him. If 2018 was any indicator of what we can expect going forward, Roethlisberger’s teammates will have plenty of chances to listen to him. When the season was over, he talked publicly about how much the Le’Veon Bell distraction hurt the team. But his criticisms weren’t limited to absent teammates like Bell, either. Following an upset loss to the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger ripped rookie receiver James Washington and superstar Antonio Brown. Whether any individual player likes these comments is really irrelevant. We’d suggest that Big Ben’s teammates find a way to accept them. Roethlisberger has the backing of the front office. As such, we’ll assume that we’ll hear even more of these comments in the coming...
The New York Giants have a big decision to make with Landon Collins set to become a free agent next month, and it does not seem like the star defensive back expects to reach a new agreement that will keep him with the team. ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that Collins cleaned out his locker at the Giants’ facility on Wednesday and said goodbye to teammates, coaches and staff members. Collins is arguably the best safety in football, and he has led all defensive backs in tackles since the Giants drafted him in 2015. The former Alabama star has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, so it goes without saying that losing him would be a huge blow to New York’s defense. Of course, there is always the franchise tag. If the Giants can’t work out a long-term extension with Collins, they can use the tag on him and pay him around $11 million in 2019. Cleaning out his locker may have been a sign that Collins will not cooperate if the Giants use the tag on him. The Giants shopped...
Some semblance of a resolution was reached this week in the protracted Antonio Brown saga, and Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has now laid out how the team will approach trading the disgruntled wide receiver. “By no means will we make a trade that’s not beneficial to the Steelers organization,” Colbert said Wednesday, via Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola . “We’re not going to give a discount on the trade market, and we’re not going to release him. We’ve had no active trade talks with any team about AB.” Brown met with Steelers owner Art Rooney II Tuesday, and the two agreed that it would be best for both parties to go their separate ways, something documented by Brown on social media. Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, corroborated Brown’s version of events during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s “NFL Live” while also weighing in on myriad issues concerning the unceremonious split between his client and the Steelers. Rosenhaus also noted that he and Brown desire a mutually...
Antonio Brown met with the Pittsburgh Steelers this week and the two sides agreed that a parting of ways would be best for all parties, but that does not mean the team is willing to sell the star wide receiver for pennies on the dollar. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert acknowledged that trying to trade Brown is on the offseason agenda. However, he insisted that there will be no trade unless it benefits the team. In all likelihood, that is Colbert’s way of trying to gain leverage in trade talks. According to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, Steelers owner Art Rooney II urged Brown to stop hurting his own trade value when he met with him earlier this week. Brown has done his best to force his way out of Pittsburgh, but the controversial tweets he has sent about Ben Roethlisberger and others reportedly scared at least one team. His antics have limited the list of potential suitors, and they may also inspire interested teams to low-...
The Pittsburgh Steelers made it official on Wednesday. Le’Veon Bell will be an unrestricted free agent once the new league starts on March 13. “Le’Veon is still a great player,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “We can’t afford to use any other type of tags. Le’Veon will be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year.” That settles that. Now that we know Bell will be available to any team that wants him and has the cash to make him an offer he can’t refuse, it’s time to dive into which teams should make that move. Here are the six that make the most sense. Indianapolis Colts With the most cap space of any team in the league heading into free agency, the Colts are an obvious choice here. Those who oppose this move will point to the emergence of Marlon Mack last year. However, nobody knows if Mack is a flash in the pan, and there’s no doubt that Bell is a huge upgrade, regardless. Putting Bell into the same backfield as Andrew...
The Pittsburgh Steelers have no interest in dragging out the drama with Le’Veon Bell any further. On Wednesday, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert revealed that the team is not planning to use the transition tag on Bell, which means he will become a free agent next month. Although they have franchise tagged him for the past two seasons, the Steelers still had the option of using the transition tag on Bell this offseason. That would give them the right to match any contract offer the star running back receives on the open market, but it’s no surprise they’d rather avoid that altogether. There had been reports that Pittsburgh could consider bringing Bell back if no other team is willing to blow him away with an offer, but the relationship between the two sides is damaged beyond repair. Bell’s situation was a huge distraction for the Steelers in 2018, so it makes more sense for them to simply move on from him. While the Steelers are said to have made an effort to convince Bell to...
This year, Adrian Amos profiles as one of the best safeties available in free agency. Ideally, the Bears would like to keep him from the open market, and they’ve opened up talks with 25-year-old to try and keep him in the fold. “At this point it’s really the waiting game. I want to be back in Chicago. Chicago has been talking back and forth, they want me back,” Amos told SiriusXM. “But we’ll see how things shake out. Nothing is certain right now. It’s still a little early. Over the next couple weeks, I guess we’ll find out a lot more.” Amos, 26 in April, enjoyed the best season of his career at the perfect time. Starting in all 16 games, Amos finished out with 73 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defensed, a fumble recovery, and a sack. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus positioned Amos as the eighth-best safety in the NFL last year, though he placed even higher in 2017. For his part, Amos says he’d like to return to Chicago. “I would like to be back, but the...
The Miami Dolphins have not gotten anything close to what they expected from DeVante Parker since they drafted him with the 14th overall pick in 2015, and the expectation is that the wide receiver has played his last snap with the team. Parker is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2019, and he is owed more than $9 million after the Dolphins previously picked up his fifth-year option. Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald wrote this week about some of the changes that could be coming to the Dolphins’ receiver group, and he described Parker as “all but gone.” Many have been expecting a breakout season for Parker for the past two or three years, but the former Louisville star has never morphed into the No. 1 receiver the Dolphins hoped he would be. He battled some injuries in 2018 and ended up with just 24 catches for 309 yards, and Parker’s agent raised some questions about whether former Miami coach Adam Gase was lying about the receiver’s health. Though his time with the...
