Jack Winter Articles - Page 61

The Cleveland Browns were supposed to be one of the greatest shows in football this season. They brought in a pair of All-Pro skill-position players to complement arguably the best young core of playmakers in football, and promoted offensive guru Freddie Kitchens to head coach. Two games into 2019, though, the Browns are still working […]

Mecole Hardman made a mistake early on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders that cost his team the chance to score. Fortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs, the rookie wide receiver more than made up for it later in the game after heeding some advice from Patrick Mahomes. The reigning league MVP explained after the Chiefs […]

Odell Beckham Jr. has already made quite an impression on the Cleveland Browns. So much so, in fact, that one die-hard Browns now has the superstar wide receiver’s signature indelibly marked on his body. Following Cleveland’s victory over the New York Jets on Monday night, Beckham signed autographs for fans who waited to greet him […]

Kobe Bryant’s career needs no embellishment. Few players in league history can match his level of both team and individual success. His unadulterated force of will on the court and in the locker room made him an archetype of a fading era that’s long since passed. He’s arguably the most popular player of the league’s […]

The New York Jets are down to their third-string quarterback, and the most accomplished free-agent signal-caller in football remains unsigned. Might the Jets be the team to finally put an end to Colin Kaepernick effectively being blackballed from the NFL? If so, the former San Francisco 49ers franchise quarterback wouldn’t expect to have the Jets’ […]

The Indianapolis Colts narrowly avoided starting the season with two frustrating losses. Frank Reich’s team beat the Tennessee Titans 19-17 on Sunday, getting its first win of 2019 despite the ongoing struggles of veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri, whose gaffes loomed large in the Colts’ 30-28 to the Los Angeles Changers loss in the season-opener. Despite […]

The Green Bay Packers won Matt LaFleur’s first official game as an NFL head coach. But after so much talk of how the rookie coach’s innovative offensive scheme would juice an attack that faltered in the final years under Mike McCarthy, the Packers’ play on that side of the ball in in their 10-3 victory […]

Damian Lillard’s focus is now on helping the Portland Trail Blazers build on last season’s surprising run to the Western Conference Finals. With training camp just around the corner, though, the NBA’s best rapper added a new track to his growing library. Lillard, who goes by DAME D.O.L.L.A. as a musician, released “End Of Summer” […]

Taco Charlton isn’t beating around the bush. After being inactive for the first two games of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive lineman voiced his desire to move on from the team on social media, responding with “Free me” in response to a tweet that included justification from management as to why he’s yet […]

To no one’s surprise, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hopes of winning the Super Bowl took a drastic hit upon news of future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger being shelved for the season’s remainder. Roethlisberger sat out the second half of his team’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, with Mason Rudolph replacing him under center. He […]

Andrew Yang, a candidate for President in 2020, is the only member of the sprawling field in the Democratic primary who regularly tweets about the NBA. While the overlap between basketball fans and likely voters in the Democratic primary is strong, it won’t be enough to tip the balance of the election one way or […]

The NBA has informed teams across the league of its updated salary cap projections for the next two seasons, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The league now forecasts the salary cap for the 2020-21 season to come in at $116 million, with a luxury tax threshold of $141 million. In the NBA’s previous […]

Jalen Ramsey knows DeAndre Hopkins better than most. As AFC South rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback has the unenviable task of trying to keep up with the Houston Texans wide receiver on two separate occasions every season. It’s no secret that Hopkins is among the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NFL. After all, he’s […]

Jason Verrett is all set to make his debut with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. What role he will play against the Cincinnati Bengals, though, still remains to be seen. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Friday that the veteran cornerback will make his 49ers debut in Week 2. Though signed to […]

Seattle Seahawks pass-rusher Ezkiel Ansah is listed as questionable for his team’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as noted by Pro Football Talk. If his absence from the season-opener is any indication, though, don’t expect the veteran to take the field on Sunday. Ansah was also deemed questionable on the injury report leading up to […]

Joe Haden is still recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered in his team’s embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. But with a Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks quickly approaching, the veteran cornerback is hopeful he’ll be able to play regardless. “Hopefully, I can go,” Haden said of Sunday’s game, […]

Marquis Brown’s NFL debut was one of the most impressive by a receiver in recent memory. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Ravens rookie may be a bit hobbled as he tries to replicate that historic performance in Week 2. Brown is listed as questionable for the Ravens’ game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday as he continues […]

So much for the notion of Melevin Gordon’s eventual return to the Los Angeles during the 2019 season. In response to a Friday report about the two-time Pro Bowler being resigned to the fact that Los Angeles would fail to honor his trade request or meet his contractual demands, leaving him with little choice but […]

Melvin Gordon might be returning the Los Angeles Chargers this season after all. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the star running back is of the belief that the Chargers will not honor his trade request, and thus is resigned to reporting to the team in 2019 – even though he plans to continue holding out […]

Aaron Colvin wasn’t without a job for long. Two days after his surprise release by the Houston Texans, the veteran cornerback has been signed by the Washington Redskins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Colvin was waived by the Texans after a dispiriting performance in a 30-27 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints […]

Christian McCaffrey is one of the most dangerous players in football with the ball in his hands. He’s especially effective in space, where he routinely uses an elite combination of burst and agility to embarrass would-be tacklers. But in a crucial moment on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers star came […]

The Green Bay Packers’ rebuilt defense far exceed expectations in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Green Bay held its longtime division rivals to just three points in a season-opening victory at Soldier Field, frustrating Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky while keeping coach Matt Nagy’s innovative rushing attack in check. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine discussed several […]

The season-opener against a longtime rival with hopeful Super Bowl aspirations went about how New York Giants fans expected. Despite a thorough and largely-expected 35-17 beatdown at hand of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, though, Saquon Barkley has a message to Giants faithful ahead of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Speaking with reporters […]

A.J. Green is currently sidelined as he recovers from minor surgery on his sprained ankle. When he’s healthy enough to return to the field, though, don’t expect the Cincinnati Bengals superstar to agitate for contract extension by holding out. Green reiterated on Thursday that he has “no intention” of sitting out upon reaching full health […]

The Houston Texans suffered a narrow defeat at hand of the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, falling 30-27 on a long field goal with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. The margin between winning and losing in the NFL can be razor thin. Just one more snap going in the Texans’ […]

The Cleveland Browns caught a break. Just because they’ll be facing the New York Jets on Sunday without Sam Darnold, though, doesn’t mean Freddie Kitchens is changing his team’s defensive approach. Journeyman Trevor Siemian will start under center for the Jets in Week 2, a switch that Kitchens is adamant hasn’t caused the Browns to […]

The New Orleans Saints insist they won’t be out for revenge on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. After all, it’s not the reigning NFC champions’ fault that New Orleans was robbed by perhaps the most notable no-call in NFL history the last time these two teams met. For all intents and purposes, the Saints […]

Lamar Odom has never made a secret of the personal struggles he was dealing with during his wasted season as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Though he ultimately apologized to his teammates, coaches, and the organization at large for off-court troubles and distractions that caused him to step away from the team without notice […]

Kobe Bryant did his best to squash criticism of an Instagram post on Wednesday in which the Los Angeles Lakers icon called out a player on the youth girls team he coaches for skipping a game in favor a dance recital. The internet mayhem began almost immediately after Bryant posted a photo of he and […]

Championship rings are a prized part of any trophy case. But just because personalized jewelry commemorating a title run is among the most valued prizes a player, coach, executive, or anyone else within an organization receives, doesn’t mean they don’t sometimes find their way onto the sports memorabilia market – fetching a hefty price, of […]

Nike and the league office faced swift and widespread criticism earlier this week when it was announced players would be banned from wearing the increasingly-popular “ninja-style” headbands in 2019-20. If the powers that be had contacted Robin Lopez, though, he’s certain they could have avoided the backlash resulting from this silly policing of on-court attire. […]

In August 2012, as Kawhi Leonard was coming off a promising yet nondescript rookie season in which he averaged 7.9 points per game, Gregg Popovich raised eyebrows by submitting that his team’s quiet, unassuming wing would eventually take up the mantle of Tim Duncan as “the face” of the San Antonio Spurs: “I think he’s […]

The New York Jets’ offense didn’t exactly thrive in first-year head coach Adam Gase’s debut. With Week 2 just around the corner, the Jets are dealing with a complication as they prepare to face the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. New York franchise quarterback Sam Darnold missed practice on Wednesday with an illness, according to […]

LeSean McCoy has been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs for less than two weeks. If how the six-time Pro Bowler acquitted himself in the season-opener is an indication of things to come, though, his presence will make the league’s most explosive offense even that much more dangerous. After rushing 10 times for 81 […]

The Carolina Panthers were without a pair of key veterans at practice on Tuesday. Stalwart tight end Greg Olsen and pass-rusher Bruce Irvin were held out of team activities as a result of nagging minor injuries, per Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. Olsen hurt his back during Carolina’s season-opening 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles […]

The New England Patriots are trading wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the New York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2021, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. More Antonio Brown fallout: Patriots are trading WR Demaryius Thomas in the division to the NY Jets for a 2021 sixth-round pick, sources tell ESPN. — Adam […]

Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints escaped their season-opener against the Houston Texans on Monday night with a game-winning, 58-yard field goal by kicker Will Lutz with 38 seconds remaining. It was a good start for the Saints, coming back from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat a fellow Super Bowl contender, giving them palpable […]

Free agent forward Joe Johnson worked out for the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, according to ESPN”s Dave McMenamin. Joe Johnson is in Detroit today for his workout for the Pistons, sources told ESPN. — Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 10, 2019 Johnson, 38, didn’t play in the league last season after going unsigned in free agency. […]

Kevin Durant opened up about the pitfalls of NBA stardom in a sprawling feature story by the Wall Street Journal’s J.R. Moehringer. Drawing the ire of the two-time MVP were the media, the Oklahoma City Thunder and their fans, and even the NBA at large. Durant didn’t quite spare the Golden State Warriors, either, insisting […]