Matthew Schmidt Articles - Page 13

In the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam is just the latest professional athlete to speak out on the nation’s situation as a whole. A Cameroonian born player, Siakam said he was profiled when he came to the United States because of his skin color, something he obviously […]

Portland Trail Blazers superstar CJ McCollum doesn’t appear to be a huge fan of the proposed NBA plans for a return to the season. More on that in a second. Times are crazy in the NBA right now. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2019-20 campaign was suspended back in mid-March and has yet to […]

Dallas just found yet another reason to love Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks legend took to the streets on Wednesday morning, helping with the cleanup of the city following a night of protests: Taking action together to rebuild our community 🤝 #MFFL pic.twitter.com/D1kGS6lWPm — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 3, 2020 Dallas is one of many cities […]

There was a time when Derrick Rose was considered one of the best players in the NBA. He was an MVP. He was explosive. He was exciting. He was changing the point guard position. But one fateful afternoon in April 2012 altered the course of his career forever. This is the sad story of the […]

The philosophy of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has generally been to give his featured running back the vast majority of the carries, but given James Conner’s injury history, will he roll with that strategy again in 2020? Conner, for one, isn’t worried about it, saying he just needs to do his job regardless […]

The Dallas Cowboys slapped the franchise tag on Dak Prescott back in March, which was a move that did not surprise a whole lot of people. In fact, just about everyone expected it. The Cowboys and Prescott obviously were not going to come to terms on a long-term deal ahead of free agency, as the […]

In the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, the Cleveland Browns held a team meeting on Monday to try and assess the situation going forward, and offensive guard Joel Bitonio shared details on the discussion, along with Jarvis Landry giving an emotional speech: “We had a team meeting … yesterday to kind of […]

In honor of Blackout Tuesday, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has canceled team meetings, he told NFL Network. Blackout Tuesday is being promoted as a day to mourn George Floyd, who was tragically killed by a police officer in Minneapolis last week. Activists hope that the day can help bring about policy change in […]

On Saturday, the NFL released a statement regarding the protests across the country following the tragic death of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis last week. Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league was “greatly saddened” by the events and that there “remains an urgent need for action.” Minnesota Vikings […]

The New Orleans Saints are coming off of yet another heartbreaking playoff exit, as they fell to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime in the Wild Card Round this past January. It marked the third straight year the Saints were eliminated in the playoffs in gut-wrenching fashion, with two of those losses coming at the hands […]

Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown was in the midst of a breakout year this season before the 2019-20 NBA campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, but perhaps his biggest contribution has come off the court. This past weekend, Brown drove from Boston to Atlanta—near his hometown of Marietta, Ga.—to lead a peaceful march […]

In the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn is appreciative of the statements he has seen released by other head coaches around the NFL and sports in general. But he wants more. “I’ve read some good statements,” said Lynn, according to LZ Granderson of The Los […]

Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald has already won a pair of NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, so it’s no surprise he is considered one of the frontrunners to win another one. As a matter of fact, MGM has Donald listed as the betting favorite to take home the honor in 2020, […]

Many of you are not going to like what I have to say: the NBA should cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign. No shortened season. No ridiculous group stage playoff format. No bringing back 20-24 teams instead of all 30. Just eliminate the thing and put it out of its misery. Will that happen? […]

Could the Philadelphia Eagles bring back LeSean McCoy? At least a couple of Eagles players want to see it happen. Both Lane Johnson and DeSean Jackson support the idea of McCoy returning to Philadelphia. Both players played with McCoy during his original tenure with the Eagles from 2009 until 2014. “I want to see it,” […]

Expectations are high for Tua Tagovailoa, given that the Miami Dolphins took him with the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft last month. However, Tagovailoa isn’t worried about putting up numbers or impressing with his arm. He is more concerned about building camaraderie with his teammates: “Just creating relationships,” Tagovailoa said when asked about […]

The Dallas Cowboys were one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams in 2019, going just 8-8 and missing the playoffs in spite of entering the season with Super Bowl aspirations. But the Cowboys are starting fresh heading into 2020, having let go of head coach Jason Garrett in favor of the more seasoned Mike McCarthy. […]

The Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East division title this past season, but there was nothing pretty about it. They won just nine games and really only won the division crown because of the Dallas Cowboys’ ineptitude. As a result, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the Eagles heading into 2020. Are they […]

With the 2019-20 NBA campaign still in limbo, players need to find a way to stay in shape. The problem is, given the quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic, gyms are closed and players can’t even practice with one another. You know what that means: Home workouts galore. Players have been posting their home workout […]

The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off of a 2019 campaign—which happened to be the franchise’s final season in Oakland—in which they won seven games and briefly contended for a playoff spot before the wheels came off. While there isn’t much reason to believe the Raiders will be in the postseason in 2020, there is […]

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of a Super Bowl, and heading into 2020, there is no reason to believe they don’t have a great shot of repeating. Of course, a repeat is something that hasn’t occurred since the New England Patriots did it during the 2004-05 campaign, so it’s difficult, but if anyone […]

It has been a long road, but Aldon Smith is back in the NFL. Smith, who last appeared in an NFL game with the Oakland Raiders in 2015, signed with the Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason and is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play football again: “I lost my way along the way. I […]

Times are tough in Minnesota, as residents are rioting after the tragic death of George Floyd. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins took to social media on Friday to express his support for Minneapolis, particularly for African Americans in the city: “My heart breaks for our city, but especially for my African American brothers and sisters, who […]

Throughout much of Stefon Diggs’ five-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, the perception was that he wasn’t exactly a great influence in the locker room. But head coach Mike Zimmer says that couldn’t be further from the truth. Zimmer spoke about his relationship with Diggs on The Rich Eisen Show this week and said, “Really, if […]

When Kirk Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings in March 2018, the deal was met with immediate backlash. An underwhelming debut season for Cousins in Minnesota only caused those voices to grow louder. However, Cousins bounced back with a strong 2019, resulting in the Vikings handing him a two-year, $66 […]

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is forever in the news. We’ll get to that in a second. First… The NBA is attempting to make its way back for the 2019-20 campaign, with July 31 being named as the target return date on Friday. However, not every player may be so eager to return. Boston Celtics […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are known for making bad decisions. Outside of drafting Kevin Garnett in 1995, you would be hard- pressed to name more than a couple of examples of the Timberwolves actually making good moves. Yes, Minnesota also selected Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. But let’s be real here: […]

The NBA is targeting July 31 at its date to resume the 2019-20 campaign, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office informed Board of Governors that July 31 is a target date for return of season, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2020 […]

By now, you have probably heard the Brooklyn Nets are interested in Bradley Beal as they try and find and third star to put alongside of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Of course, Beal is kind of a pie-in-the-sky kind of choice, because there is no indication that the Washington Wizards are even attempting to […]

This offseason has been a tough one for NFL teams, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced clubs to have virtual programs rather than actually physically being at their facilities, but that hasn’t changed Deshaun Watson’s approach one bit. Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has been very impressed with how Watson has handled the offseason […]

As NFL facilities slowly open, players are gradually getting back into the groove. Take Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, for example, who is already training with his wide receivers, via his YouTube channel. What a difference a year makes. Around this time last offseason, Carr was preparing to spend the season throwing to Antonio […]

New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa suffered a neck injury in the first of quarter of his team’s Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills this past season and ended up missing the rest of 2019. It was hardly the first time that Enunwa had a neck injury, which has his NFL future on […]

Could “The Match” become an annual thing, complete with other stars from the NFL, NBA and beyond? It looks like we are working toward that. After Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning teamed up to defeat Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in “The Match: Champions for Charity” on Sunday while raising $20 million for COVID-19 relief […]

Over the year, Portland Trail Blazers star Carmelo Anthony has become renowned for not only his prolific scoring ability, but for how much he has given back to the community. Even with the 2019-20 NBA campaign in limbo, Anthony is continuing to live up to that reputation. The Portland Trail Blazers forward, an ambassador for […]

With Melvin Gordon gone, Austin Ekeler is now officially the Los Angeles Chargers‘ featured back. Not only that, but on a rebuilding team, he is actually an elder statesman. Ekeler, who originally joined the Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Western State in 2017, has used his experience to help the younger players […]

Devonta Freeman was cut by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this offseason and is having considerable difficulty finding a new home. Does that mean the running back’s NFL career is over? Not necessarily. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes that while Freeman has not gotten any offers that match his asking price, he is more likely […]

Let’s for a second assume that the 2019-20 NBA campaign will ultimately resume in July. Nothing has been solidified just yet, and talks to bring back the season are just exploratory at this point, but the league is mulling over some ideas. If the NBA does return, how will things work in terms of the […]

The New York Jets signed Joe Flacco to be their backup quarterback late last week, a move that should provide some terrific insurance behind Sam Darnold. While Flacco won’t be the opening day starter, his experience against the rest of the AFC East could end up doing the Jets some good if they need to […]

The Dallas Cowboys have yet to come to terms on a long-term deal with quarterback Dak Prescott, which has created a rather messy situation. The two sides have been talking about a contract extension since last year, and nothing has come of it. Legendary Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman gave his two cents on the topic […]