Eric Williams NFC West Writer At the heart of a surprising 8-7 record for the Los Angeles Rams has been the emergence of inside linebacker Ernest Jones. However, his rise is no surprise to coach Sean McVay, who has watched the South Carolina product grow from an athletic player full of potential as a rookie to one of the best …

If you’re feeling nostalgic and wondering why, don’t immediately pinpoint the holidays — it might very well be Joe Flacco making the world feel like it was 2013 all over again. A decade ago, January Joe set the world on fire with an all-time playoff run that netted the Ravens a Super Bowl victory and Flacco a couple of big …

Dec. 29—This has been a banner year for Northeast Mississippi football prospects. We’ve had 10 seniors sign with FBS programs, including seven with Power 5 teams. And we’re still waiting to find out where Starkville receiver Braylon Burnside — a former Mississippi State commit — will end up. We might not see such a deep pool of elite talent in …

FRISCO, Texas —  Across all of professional sports, some athletes are simply officiated differently because their physical gifts are incomparable even amongst their peers.  This contrast is most noticeable in the NBA where a player like Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal back in his Los Angeles Lakers prime had to be officiated another way. O’Neal’s speed and agility down …

What’s your traditional New Year’s Eve dinner? Do you go out? If you stay in and cook — do you make your favorite dish? Do you splurge on filet mignon or NY strip and seafood? Crack open some top-shelf drinks to usher in the new year in style? The latter is what my in-laws always do — steak, crab legs, …

NEW ORLEANS — Way back in August when the Texas football team first gathered for summer workouts, the offensive line made no secret about its ambitions. Right tackle Christian Jones said the team wanted to win the Big 12 and put itself in position for the College Football Playoff. Mission accomplished for Texas, which faces Washington in a CFP semifinal …

Carmen Vitali NFC North Reporter The Minnesota Vikings’ plan for a “competitive rebuild” would have worked this year… if it wasn’t for those meddling injuries.  Between a former quarterback at head coach, one of the best receivers in football among myriad other skill players and a revamped defense with a fear-instilling reputation, the Vikings are just one question away from …

The Big Ten figured to have some tough matchups on its hands this bowl season, but the conference got off to a nice 3-0 start this bowl season thanks to wins by Northwestern, Minnesota, and Rutgers. Rutgers held on to bring home the Pinstripe Bowl victory on Thursday night with a win against the Miami Hurricanes of the ACC to …

They make good, often great, money — some in the millions and millions — and their livelihood is playing a game. But their futures typically are etched in sand, with the tide always threatening to rush in with little notice. “It’s a strange life to live,” Chargers tight end Gerald Everett said. “It’s a strange career to have. Most people …

You have waited all bowl season for the Big Ten to start going head-to-head with the SEC, and that moment has finally arrived. Ohio State will take on the Missouri Tigers in the Cotton Bowl Classic, the first New Years Six bowl on the schedule this bowl season, on Friday evening. Ohio State will have a new starting quarterback and …

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is on track to play against the Commanders this Sunday despite leaving the team’s Christmas night loss to the Ravens with a stinger and that means he will have a chance to show how he responds to as rough an outing as he’s had in the NFL. Purdy threw four interceptions for the first time in …

In the final year of the Pac-12, it was not the program with the second-year coach who made the most headlines upon his arrival, the program with a returning Heisman Trophy winner as its quarterback, the program that was among the coveted first two out the door to the Big Ten. But if you were paying attention entering 2023, it …

Here’s what to understand about the 90th Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Friday’s game between No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 19 Oregon State features two rosters full of players who want to be in El Paso. Those who didn’t are gone by now, preparing for the draft or a new school in the transfer portal. The Beavers and Fighting …

In the process of pondering the failure of teams to try to sign quarterback Lamar Jackson to an offer sheet in March, we were reminded of the grievance filed by the NFL Players Association in November 2022 over the refusal to give fully-guaranteed contracts to “certain quarterbacks,” following the five-year, fully-guaranteed Deshaun Watson deal with the Browns. After last night’s …

Bowl season rolls on into the final week of 2023, and one of the final bowls features what is essentially a home game for one Tennessee-based team. The Memphis Tigers (9-3) are the “visiting” team when they play the Iowa State Cyclones (7-5) in this year’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl. However, the stadium that hosts the bowl is none other than …