Author: Mikesportz
Alex Anzalone wasn’t sure he was going to watch the Super Bowl. But then Dan Campbell told him why he HAS to in an excellent essay to The Players’ Tribute. Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone penned an article for The Players’ Tribune this week, and it’s absolutely a must-read. In fact, stop reading this right now and go over and consume it right now. I’ll wait Okay, if you didn’t follow directions, let me summarize. First, Anzalone staunchly defends Dan Campbell’s fourth-down decisions against the 49ers with this all-time bar: “I feel like if you shy away from your identity in that moment, then you’re…
Grayson Allen has been one of the best shooters from deep in the league this season, and simply must be in the 3-point competition at All-Star weekend. Phoenix Suns have almost arrived at this year’s All-Star break, although there is plenty of work to be done between now and the mid-season exhibition. The Suns will have two players in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker playing in the All-Star game itself, which is a fair reflection on how their season has gone to this point. Durant goes in as a starter and first-half MVP for the Suns this season,…
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports E might be keen on reuniting with [checks notes] a five-point-per-game scorer. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer wrote this week in his latest column that the Denver Nuggets are considering bringing back veteran guard Monte Morris, currently with the Detroit Pistons, in a trade. O’Connor notes that Denver is need of a backup off the bench. The 28-year-old Morris obviously isn’t a flashy name. But he is still pretty well-loved in Denver, having been a homegrown Nugget who spent the first five seasons of his career with them. Granted, Morris was…
The Ravens are hiring Michigan defensive analyst Doug Mallory as their defensive backs coach, Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports reports. Mallory will work under John Harbaugh after three seasons working for former Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh. It’s a return to the NFL for Mallory, who previously spent six seasons with the Falcons. He was a defensive assistant (2015-16), the defensive backs coach (2017-19) and senior defensive assistant/defensive backs (2020) before going to Ann Arbor. The Falcons reached the Super Bowl in 2016. Mallory won a national championship with LSU in 2007 and with Michigan in 2023. He has served as…
The Toronto Raptors played an excellent 30-or-so minutes against the Western Conference’s best team. They will have to match the same effort and discipline against the Pelicans — only this time, they will have to do it without RJ Barrett while facing a different opponent style, with Zion Williamson and old friend Jonas Valanciunas looking to inflict some pain in the paint. To make it worse, the shorthanded Raptors will have to dig deep and play through lactic acid to win tonight, as they clearly looked gassed in last night’s 2OT thriller (letdown?) against the Thunder Speaking of Zion, he…
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been doubted a lot in his career, and even given up on by his old team, the Los Angeles Rams, but now he is loved in Detroit and general manager Brad Holmes admitted that he has always believed in him. The Lions received Jared Goff from the Rams in a trade that shipped Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles. It was the perspective of many that Goff would be a placeholder for the Lions. Holmes’ comments and Goff’s performance over the last few years demonstrate that the team believes in him to lead them.…
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been connected to lots of different quarterbacks through potential trades, free agency and the draft early this offseason. That’s to be expected based on the team’s production at quarterback in 2023. But more surprisingly, the media has also linked the Steelers to numerous assistant coaches in staff rumors, including Eric Bieniemy. Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders argued on February 5 that Bieniemy appears to be the best possible candidate to be Pittsburgh’s new pass game coordinator. “Once considered the top of the crop of NFL offensive coordinators and a sure-fire head coach prospect, Bieniemy’s star…
With the trade deadline occurring this Thursday, things are beginning to heat up around the league. Buyers, sellers, rumors, and leaks. It’s a whirlwind week filled with all of the above. The Phoenix Suns are right in the middle of it all as they attempt to increase their chances of bringing a title to the Valley of the Sun for the first time in their 55-year history. The Suns sit at 29-21 through 50 games, which puts them on pace to win 48 games. Per Basketball-Reference, the team has a 75.3% chance of making the playoffs. Their highest probable…
The Chicago Bears are likely to trade a starting quarterback in the next couple of months. The trade could come in one of two forms: They move on from Justin Fields, their first-round draft pick in 2021 and starter ever since. They trade the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is overwhelmingly likely to be USC quarterback Caleb Williams. According to CHGO’s Bears insider Adam Hoge, the Bears are unlikely to hold onto both players. “I think that locker room right now is too far in Justin Fields’ corner and it would really create a…
If the Chicago Bears draft a rookie quarterback in 2024, they will have already done him a favor with last year’s trade for DJ Moore. Would they be willing to do him another if the cap-strapped Buffalo Bills are looking to trade Stefon Diggs? Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton proposed exactly that scenario for the Bears during the 2024 offseason after Diggs appeared to cast uncertainty on his future with the Bills with the comments he made at the 2024 Pro Bowl Game this past weekend. “I’m ready to go no matter which way it goes,” Diggs told ESPN’s…