Tuesday Night marked the fifth time this season that the last place Angels defeated the Astros.
Final Score LA 3 Houston 1
The Angels scored the first run of the night in the top of the third inning. Wade Meckler singled to center, stole second and came around thanks to a clutch two out RBI from Nolan Schanuel. The Astros had chances in the first. With two outs, Issac Paredes drew a walk and went to third on a single from Jose Altuve. However, each were stranded when Daulton Varsho struck out swinging.
Josh Lowe would add to the Angels lead, launching an opposite field home run in the fourth inning off Cristian Javier. It was Lowe's 10th home run of the season. Javier would last four innings, allowing 5 hits, a pair of runs and striking out five on 87 pitches. The 87 pitches would be Javier's highest total of the year. Bryan King would come on in relief and exit after a Nolan Schanuel single. King would give way to Enyel De Los Santos, who would promptly allow an RBI double to Zach Neto. Just like that, the Angels had posted runs in three consecutive innings.
In just his fifth major league start, George Klassen would pitch shut out baseball over seven innings, resembling Chuck Finley in his Halos prime. He'd earn the win. The Astros lone run came off the bat of Cam Smith who hit his 17 home run of the year of Jose Fermin.

#Angels #innings

A roundup of Manatee and Sarasota County high school sports for the week of August 17-21, 2026.
Bradenton Christian 3, Cardinal Mooney 1: Bradenton Christian's practice was so rough on Monday that head coach Zach VanDuinen had to stop it midway through. The Panthers' warm-up before facing Cardinal Mooney on Tuesday wasn't any better. But that offered no indication of how their first game of the season would go.
After dropping the first set, Bradenton Christian rebounded, winning the next three to defeat Cardinal Mooney at home 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 28-26). Junior Addelyn VanDuinen led the charge, recording over 15 kills and at least three aces. Junior Grace Hullinger also had over 15 kills.
Bradenton Christian's defense kept the Panthers in the game behind timely kills from junior Kendal Kleppinger and senior Kelsey Jerome.
"We have to execute," Zach VanDuinen said. "We have to pass well. We got to play good defense. And if we can do that, we give ourselves a chance. And tonight, we were able to serve just aggressive enough to keep them out of system, which for us was our game plan."

#cardinal #junior #zach

Another so-so Zach Wheeler outing was salvaged by the continued August heat wave of Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott as the Philadelphia Phillies (69-58) won their fifth straight game by a score of 6-4 against the Miami Marlins (64-63).
Wheeler gave up two runs across five innings, striking out seven but issuing four walks as 41 of his 98 pitches were called ******* .
Bohm and Stott accounted for a combined three runs scored, three hits and four RBI, aided by a pair of walks issued to Bryce Harper and a trio of hits by Luis Arraez to set the table.
The new corner infield tandem's torrid month included stellar play in the field to go along with the team-carrying offensive production, punctuated by an inning-ending unassisted double play by Bohm to end a threat in the seventh.
The Phillies were down 3-1 against the Marlins' bullpen ******* emblage going into the bottom of the sixth and they came out the other end up 5-3 after sending nine men to the plate.

#bohm #Phillies #runs

Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother were at the scene of her death, according to a police report obtained Tuesday by CBS News. The "Heroes" actor, 36, was found dead in a South Carolina apartment on Sunday.
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had a tumultuous relationship, including Hickerson being arrested multiple times over alleged abuse, according to Panettiere's recent memoir and media reports.
Hickerson and his brother, Zach, made the 911 call that brought first responders to the Greenville, South Carolina, apartment where Panettiere was found unresponsive, the partially redacted police report says. The report is attributed to Officer Matthew Bryan.
Firefighters and EMS were performing CPR on Panettiere when police arrived, Bryan wrote. Panettiere "did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive," Bryan said. He wrote that EMS performed life-saving measures "for an extended amount of time before they called a time of death." He did not specify how long they worked.
Zach Hickerson told Bryan that Panettiere was Brian Hickerson's girlfriend, the report says. Bryan said there is CCTV footage showing Panettiere and the Hickersons coming and going from the apartment.

#hickerson

So much more information is coming to light two days after Hayden's Panettiere's tragic death, including confirmation that her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, as well as his brother Zach, were with her when she passed. According to a heavily redacted incident report obtained by Access Hollywood, a responding police officer spoke to Zach first. The officer noted that Zach was "very emotional while EMS was working on Hayden" while Brian didn't get emotional until the actress was declared dead. The report went on to state that Brian showed police a "bag of medication" Hayden had been taking. Sources in Greenville, S.C., where Hayden was found unresponsive, reportedly told TMZ that opioid reversal drug Narcan was found on the scene.

#emotional

Wild Kyrie Irving trade proposal sends Mavs superstar to Raptors in package deal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kyrie Irving is one of the most exceptional basketball players in the NBA. The nine-time All-Star and 2016 NBA champion is still widely regarded as one of the best players in the league despite his advanced age.
Currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks, there are various trade rumors surrounding him in the offseason. Ahead of the next season, it looks like he could play for a new team though the Mavericks don't seem to be entertaining it. However, one hypothetical trade has been making the rounds on social media.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently outlined a hypothetical trade on August 17, 2026, in which the Toronto Raptors would acquire Kyrie Irving from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, Ja'Kobe Walter and a 2028 first-round pick that is top-five protected.
Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his left ACL on March 3, 2025. Buckley's proposal ***** umes the Raptors complete their pending acquisition of Kawhi Leonard and pairs the returning Irving with Leonard and Scottie Barnes. Toronto ranked fifth in defensive efficiency during the 2025-26 regular season but only 15th offensively, with notable weaknesses in isolation (25th) and pick-and-roll ball-handler efficiency (23rd).

#irving #leonard

When the term "sleeper" comes up in fantasy leagues, it can elicit an eye-roll or two. We get it. Your mileage may vary on where these players fit in your draft plan, but for us, it's all about value relative to draft position.
The Rotoworld Football crew put together their list of 2026 sleepers below, which runs the gamut from familiar names to ones where you have to scroll down a bit in your draft room. Stay tuned for our "bust" selections later this week.
GET YOUR FREE ROTOWORLD FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT KIT HERE!
Let's count the number of third or fourth-down snaps that Woody Marks played last year: It was 34. Dare Ogunbowale was getting third-down work for the Texans over Marks in most situations last year. Now I'm supposed to believe that the Texans, who traded a fourth-round pick for David Montgomery and gave him a new contract, are going to split third-down snaps off to a guy that did little empirically last year and who they clearly didn't trust? I'm sure Marks will have a role here, and I'm sure Montgomery won't play 85 percent of the snaps. But he might play 80, and the volume role in an offense that wants to run has me very optimistic that Montgomery will smash his RB20-ish ADP as long as he stays healthy. - Rivers McCown
As the resident Keaton Mitchell truther, I have no choice but to tout him as a sleeper for this upcoming season. Mitchell has been one of the most explosive players in the league since making the Ravens as a rookie UDFA in 2023. His career 6.8 yards per touch, which comes on a limited 140-touch sample, is tied for the highest in the league among 84 RBs with 140 or more touches, and now he has a chance to work with a coach who will value his abilities both as a runner and a pass-catcher in Mike McDaniel. Mitchell was underutilized during his time with the Ravens. Despite a college profile that included 60 receptions over three seasons, Mitchell managed just 19 receptions in three seasons with the Ravens and was used almost exclusively as a runner. Early training camp reports have suggested he will be much more involved in the passing game, which could make for a decent floor in PPR leagues, especially if he operates at the clear No. 2 back behind Omarion Hampton. - Zachary Krueger

#mitchell #Ravens #Third #last

The Blue Jackets are still negotiating a contract extension with star center Adam Fantilli and haven't revealed details about their new NHL-produced television broadcast, but they have released plans for training camp and the preseason.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski wants to stay with team 'long term'
Following the Blue Jackets' participation in a prospect tournament Sept. 12-15 in Detroit, they'll open NHL camp Sept. 16 with player medical evaluations. The first day of skating will be Sept. 17, followed by the preseason opener against the Detroit Red Wings on Sept. 21 at Nationwide Arena.
The Jackets will play only four preseason games before hosting the Buffalo Sabres to start the 84-game regular season Oct. 1 at Nationwide Arena.
Fantilli, 21, is the lone Blue Jackets player without a contract. He's a restricted free agent for the first time and is due a large pay raise coming off an entry-level contract signed shortly after the Blue Jackets selected him third overall in 2023.

#contract #fantilli #nationwide

After returning to the practice field on Monday following their weekend off, the Miami Dolphins held their 13th training camp session Tuesday morning at their Baptist Health Training Complex.
Miami has a joint practice scheduled with the New York Giants later in the week before they host John Harbaugh's team for a preseason matchup at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
Before we get there, though, here's everything that happened at practice on Tuesday, according to beat reporters on the scene.
The Miami Herald's Omar Kelly reported that cornerback JuJu Brents, who has been sideline with an injury for the past couple of weeks, was back practicing on Tuesday. Wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. also returned to team period.
Kelly also noted that Zach Sieler, Clelin Ferrell, ben Sims, Quinn Ewers, Jordyn Brooks, Kenneth Grant and Robert Beal Jr. were all practicing on the side while recovering from injuries. However, safety Dante Trader Jr. did return to 11-on-11s.

#practice #team #practicing

The New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game was a very interesting one to watch. The first half was exciting, and even with some of the struggles that were present, the Saints gave fans plenty of what they wanted to see. It was unfortunate that as the team got deeper into its reserves, the Saints were unable to hold the lead and finish the game.
Even though the Saints lost, there were still several players who showed up and showed out.
Zach Wilson was not thought to be in a battle for the backup quarterback job, but after this game, he certainly made his case. Wilson entered midway through the second quarter and finished 11-of-16 for 145 yards, one touchdown, a quarterback rating of 118.0, and a PFF grade of 81.2.
Wilson looked really good and efficient. He seemed in control and comfortable with the entire offense while he was in the game. But in my opinion, he was not the MVP of this game.
Let's talk about the primary target for the quarterbacks in the first half: Bub Means.

#first #jacksonville

The Dolphins made some changes to their defensive line on Tuesday.
They announced that they have signed defensive end Seth Coleman-Lyles to the 90-man roster. They waived defensive end Mason Reiger with an injury designation in a corresponding move.
Injuries to defensive linemen Zach Sieler and Kenneth Grant have increased the need for healthy bodies up front in Miami.
Coleman-Lyles signed a future contract with the Dolphins in January and was let go earlier this month. He signed with the Seahawks after going undrafted last year and went on to spend time on the Colts' practice squad during the regular season.
Reiger signed with the Dolphins this spring after going undrafted out of Wisconsin.

#coleman #lyles #undrafted

The Miami Dolphins have had some key players on the defensive side of the ball battling injuries through the first weeks of training camp, and now one of their most important members of their front seven will miss some time.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley revealed that defensive lineman Kenneth Grant is "week-to-week" after missing Monday's practice session. It's unclear exactly what the injury is that's keeping him from the field.
Grant, 22, was Miami's first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft after he spent three seasons at Michigan, earning All-Big Ten honors twice and All-American honors once. He also won a national championship in his second year with the Wolverines.
As a rookie, Grant appeared in 17 games and played 52% of their defensive snaps. He finished with 33 tackles, five quarterback hits, two sacks and a pass defensed.
With Zach Sieler also week-to-week with an injury, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, Matthew Butler, Alex Huntley, Fatorma Mulbah, Keith Cooper Jr. and Cam Rice will all have a chance to prove themselves with more opportunities.

#dolphins

PETOSKEY — For anyone who may have heard Jason Yonker was taking over the Petoskey High School soccer program, the name may have sounded pretty familiar.
But, just so the record is straight, Yonker has no relation to Petoskey's longtime boys and girls coach, Zach Jonker. **** ounced the same, it's only in seeing the names that you realize it.
That's been step one for Yonker since taking over the Northmen.
Step two took place on Monday, Aug. 17 at Northmen Stadium, when Yonker finally got to see his team compete against someone else, when Petoskey welcomed Grand Blanc in a scrimmage.
Petoskey, coming off a 6-9-1 season, dropped a 3-2 game against a massive program, while making some impressive plays throughout the 80 minutes.

#petoskey #yonker #taking

Sports Illustrated fantasy football ****** yst Michael Fabiano identified a few tight ends who might be a steal in fantasy drafts based on their current average draft position (ADP). Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo was one of the players who made the list. Fabiano said:
"Okonkwo never averaged more than 7.3 points per game in his four seasons with the ****** ans, but landing in Washington could make him more relevant in fantasy leagues. Jayden Daniels always liked to throw the ball to Zach Ertz, who Okonkwo will replace, and the Commanders aren't exactly flush with reliable receivers behind Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs. This makes Chig a nice late-round dart throw."
Tight end is always the hardest position to draft in fantasy football. There are a few elite players. But, if you are unable to get one of those elite tight ends, it can be difficult to find someone to fill the void. According to Fabiano, Okonkwo, whose ADP places him as the No. 16 tight end to come off the board, could be a steal.
The former fourth-round pick out of Maryland spent his first four years in the NFL with the Tennessee ****** ans. He played in every game for the ****** ans, though he never surpassed 600 receiving yards and has eight touchdowns over four seasons. However, as Fabiano points out, the change in scenery could change Okonkwo's fantasy outlook.
Ertz was a decent fantasy tight end in his own right during his two seasons with the Commanders, especially in 2024 when he had seven touchdowns. That could certainly be Okonkwo this season, although the ability to start him may depend on the matchup. One game to watch later in the season is when Washington faces the Cincinnati Bengals in late November. The Bengals were incredibly bad against tight ends last year, and if that trend continues this season, the Cincinnati game could be a breakout performance for Okonkwo.

#tight #fabiano #washington #ends

The Miami Dolphins are signing edge rusher Seth Coleman-Lyles, according to a report from the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. Coleman-Lyles was waived from the team earlier in the month, but now returns as Miami continues to churn the roster heading into Preseason Week 2.
Coleman-Lyles originally signed with the Dolphins on a futures contract after the 2025 season. He went undrafted out of Illinois in 2025, signing first with the Seattle Seahawks, but was waived in the final roster cuts. He had a brief stint on the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad during the season but did not make an appearance.
At Illinois, he appeared in 56 games, including 42 starts, recording 183 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 15 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
The Dolphins lost to the Washington Commanders last week in a game that exposed a lack of roster depth. After the game, the team made a series of roster moves, including signing defensive tackle Cam Rice. Miami was without defensive linemen Zach Sieler and Kenneth Grant during Monday's training camp practice.
Miami hosts the New York Giants in a joint practice later this week ahead of their Preseason Week 2 game this weekend.

#lyles #practice #game

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — While the University of Evansville women's volleyball coach, Zach Weinberg wants to continue to build the foundation of his culture he also wants to compete in year two with the Purple Aces.
UE welcomes a class of five new-comers this season including four freshman and one transfer.
After a (6-22) season in his first year at the helm of the program he said he focused on adding players with a lot of success to the group to bring a more competitive edge.
"We don't set out every single match to say alright, we're playing today let's go win," Coach Weinber said. "We set out to compete and the wins are a byproduct of that. But we feel like we're in a better position this year to win more matches. Our squad is deeper than it was a year ago, so for us it's about being more competitive more of the time and seeing those results translate to the court."
Despite losing some star players from a season ago and accepting that there will be hiccups this year his team echoed the sentiment about wanting to play at a higher level this upcoming season.

#season #compete #players #competitive

Despite a rough latter half of the game, the Tigers beat the Pirates 8-5.
After limping their way through a no-good-very-bad weekend series against the White Sox, the Tigers were hoping for a better result as they headed to Pittsburgh. The home of a bunch of yellow bridges, Primanti Brothers sandwiches, and the best view in baseball, the Tigers would have to best their NL rivals and they picked a good time to do it with Paul Skenes slumping terribly and the Pirates, but the Pirates actually have a nearly identical record to the Tigers at the moment, so truly no one knows how this road trip is going to pan out. The Tigers had Framber Valdez on the mound, up against Carmen Mlodzinski for the Pirates.
Gleyber Torres took a leadoff walk in the first to start the game. With two outs, Colt Keith singled, then Zach McKinstry singled to bring Torres home. A Hao-Yu Lee single then brought Keith in and the Tigers were up 2-0 at the turnover of the first.
Valdez made short work of the Pirates in the home half, getting them out in order.
In the second, with two outs, Torres singled. Kevin McGonigle then homered, quickly doubling the Tigers' run count. Dillon Dingler singled, but the Tigers weren't able to bring in any additional runs.

#pirates #home #half #good

PITTSBURGH — Carmen Mlodzinski was knocked around and the Pirates couldn't crawl out of an early deficit, falling 8-5 to the Tigers at PNC Park on Monday night.
Top 1st, 2-0 DET: The Tigers (61-64) plated a pair of runs off Carmen Mlodzinski (6-6) to begin the game. Zach McKinstry and Hao-Yu Lee delivered two-out RBI singles to give Detroit the early advantage.
Top 2nd, 4-0 DET: Kevin McGonigle hit a two-run home run to right-center with two outs. Mlodzinski grooved a cutter over the heart of the plate and the rookie third baseman did not miss it.
Top 5th, 5-0 DET: Following a Nick Gonzales error at second base, Max Clark singled home Lee against Isaac Mattson.
Bottom 5th, 5-1 DET: With two on and **** ody out against Framber Valdez (8-8), Henry Davis looked to have bounced into a double play to short. But Lee delivered a poor throw to first base, allowing Jake Mangum to score from second on the error.

#early

Michael Chiesa will get his shot at the big time at UFC Fight Night 286 when he enters the commentary booth for the first time on an official UFC event.
Chiesa, a longtime lightweight and welterweight veteran who retired from MMA in February, has been slowly groomed for the opportunity to work color commentary. He has appeared on LFA broadcasts in the role, but also worked numerous UFC events as a desk **** yst, as well as calling fights on "Road to UFC" and Dana White's Contender Series.
His work will soon be exposed to a much greater audience, however, when he works the Aug. 29 card at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China, which is headlined by a key bantamweight bout between Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong.
"I got the call last Wednesday from my boss Zach Candito that I'm going to get my shot at UFC Shanghai," Chiesa told MMA Junkie on Monday. "I was supposed to go there to commentate 'Road to UFC.' He called me and said, 'We're going to give you a chance.' So it's not like I have a contract in place. We're taking it one step at a time, but I get to do color commentator for my first official UFC event. I will be on the sticks with Brendan Fitzgerald and Dominick Cruz commentating UFC Shanghai.
"I'm super excited. I feel like the UFC has been building me up to this moment. They've given me so many opportunities starting me as an **** yst and then sliding me in on some Fight Pass Invitational Shows. Now I'm doing BJJ and Contender Series. They're building me up for this moment and I feel very prepared for it and I'm very excited for it.

#time #fight #series #commentary

PORTSMOUTH — A trio of familiar feature winners and a West Virginia native took home feature wins at Portsmouth Raceway Park on Saturday evening, with Wheelersburg's R.J. Conley winning the super late model feature, South Webster's Adam Jordan claiming the sport mod feature, Pedro's Brian Skaggs laying stake to the modified main and Poca, W. Va.'s Zach Milbee winning the Ohio Valley Dirt Late Model Series feature on Aug. 15 at the three-eighths mile oval.
Super Late Model
The Conley Motorsports duo of RJ Conley and Justin Cooper proved to be dominant again out front, with Cooper and Conley setting the quickest laps with times of 15.135 and 15.598, respectively in qualifying and both drivers winning their respective heat races.
Cooper led the field to the green flag and proceeded to lead the race's opening two laps, but going into the third turn on Lap 3, Cooper jumped the cushion and hit the outside wall.
From there, the race proved to be all RJ Conley, who led each of the final 17 circuits en route to a super late model feature win.

#super #winning #proved #laps

Why Eagles are more likely to trade Andy Dalton, not Tanner McKee originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Eagles have Jalen Hurts as their starting quarterback and have Day 3 rookie Cole Payton as their fourth QB on the depth chart right now.
But with the Eagles potentially preferring to keep the cheap rookie long-term, it might make more sense to move on from either Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee this summer. So, which is more likely to go?
As Zach Berman of The Athletic notes, Dalton is more likely to be traded for a simple reason: he's a much better plug-and-play QB than McKee due to their difference in experience in the NFL.
"I don't anticipate the Eagles will keep both McKee and Dalton, and I still believe Dalton has more trade value at this time of year," Berman writes. "... In August, a 16-year veteran with 169 career starts would be more appealing to a team seeking a patchwork solution - if either is traded."

#dalton #likely #sporting #rookie

After starting the season on the road against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors will have to wait to return home for their home opener in the Bay Area. In their second game of the 2026-27 slate, the Warriors will open the doors of Chase Center for the first time against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Oct. 23 in San Francisco.
While Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson have headlined Golden State's matchups with Memphis in the past, the 2026-27 home opener will give the Warriors their first chance at a new-look Grizzlies rotation that is littered with young talent, including the No. 3 overall pick from the 2026 NBA draft. Cam Boozer will lead a Grizzlies youth movement alongside Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells.
Since Chase Center opened its doors in 2019, the Warriors have struggled in home openers, posting a 2-5 record in seven seasons in San Francisco. However, the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak in home openers last year when Steph Curry dropped 42 points in an overtime win over the Nuggets.
The Warriors won all three contests against the Grizzlies last season, including a 17-point comeback led by Pat Spencer. Steph Curry only played in one of the three games against the Grizzlies last season.
Golden State's home opener will mark their first back-to-back of the season, with a game against Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and the Suns the very next day in Arizona. The Warriors will only play two games at home in San Francisco in October. However, November starts with a lengthy homestand at Chase Center.

#golden

The Florida State Seminoles had an impressive month of June with eight commitments gained in their 2027 recruiting class. However, just before that, on May 31, they lost four-star safety Mekhi Williams as he decommitted and then pledged to the Wisconsin Badgers.
Shortly after Williams left the program, he mentioned that he didn't want to completely close the door on FSU after he attended a 7-on-7 camp in Tallahassee in June. Per Zach Blostein of 247Sports, the Seminoles will do the same, as their pursuit of him hasn't stopped.
Florida State is still making an effort with Ruskin (Fla.) Lennard four-star safety Mekhi Williams, who flipped from the Seminoles to Wisconsin over the summer. Williams, however, says he is locked in with the Badgers and does not currently intend to take any other visits this fall.
Williams is the nation's No. 219 overall recruit and the No. 18 safety according to 247Sports composite rankings. He's ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the state of Florida as well.
FSU was able to add four-star Ta'Shawn Poole and shut down the recruitment of three-star Jemari Foreman at the safety spot. Plus, they added four-star athlete Za'Kari Johnson, who will play in the secondary as well. That clearly hasn't wavered them on Williams, and it'll be a situation to keep an eye on, especially if Florida State has a successful season.

#williams #Florida #four

The NFL preseason has begun and every team has played at least one game. We have some idea as to what teams will look like competitively in 2026.
NFL.com's Nick Shook has new preseason power rankings. We have to figure that the Arizona Cardinals are fairly low on the list, but let's see what the NFC West as a whole looks like, compared to the entire league.
You've heard the sound bites, read the headlines and drowned in the tidal wave of optimism. The Rams are Lombardi Trophy favorites, seemingly destined for a march to a Super Bowl that will be played in their home stadium, the same location in which they won their last ******* le. It's never that easy, of course, but GM Les Snead has built a monster in Los Angeles. With Myles Garrett trading brown and orange for royal blue and sol, Aaron Donald nearing a potential return from retirement to hop back onto the bandwagon he once captained, and Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP-winning season, this is a year the Rams go for it all. It will be up to them to make it through to the other side of a season-long gauntlet in their attempt to claim the throne.
This is no surprise. With the return of Matthew Stafford, an offense that was fantastic, and with the defensive additions of Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, the Rams are the team to beat in 2026.
The reigning champs lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency, don't yet have his former running mate, Zach Charbonnet, available as he continues on his journey back from a torn ACL, and are placing a lot of backfield responsibility on the likes of rookie Jadarian Price and backup George Holani. Star defender Nick Emmanwori remains on the physically unable to perform list, too, although there's hope Mike Macdonald's ultimate chess piece can return in time for Week 1. Otherwise, everything is great for the Seahawks. Continuity will reign early in 2026, thanks in large part to the return of a familiar starting offensive lineup. The suffocating defense lost some pieces to free agency in the offseason, requiring reinforcement that could be tested, but there's little reason to think the 'Hawks will be anywhere but right back in the thick of the NFC race.

#matthew

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA - JULY 30: Spencer Rattler #2 of the New Orleans Saints participates in drills during training camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on July 30, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) Getty
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 28: Spencer Rattler #2 of the New Orleans Saints warms up prior the game against the Tennessee ***** ans at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) Getty
With the 53-man roster crunch coming throughout the NFL, trade speculation links the New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler to the Indianapolis Colts. Rattler began the 2025 NFL Season as the starting quarterback for the Saints. While Rattler performed admirably, current starter Tyler Shough took over the position and almost won Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Prior to the 2026 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints shopped Rattler around the NFL but could not find an organization to take him. With so many teams in need of quarterbacks, he seemed expendable at the right price. Rattler is also still young and has shown respectable skills for an NFL starting quarterback.
However, the Saints also signed Zach Wilson this offseason, and he showcased some improvements in Saturday's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Per PFF, they gave Wilson a 81.2 grade in the contest while Rattler only earned a 49.8 grade. Wilson seems on track to earn the backup quarterback job, and Rattler could be on the way to another organization.

#wilson #metairie #louisiana

Coach Mark Few put the Gonzaga Bulldogs program and the university in Spokane, Washington, on the map. An underdog who built something that was never supposed to happen at a tiny Jesuit institution in the Inland Northwest.
Forget all the wins, championships, and NBA pedigree from its alumni for a second; his presence helped the school's enrollment and finances throughout the last 27 years. Helping grow other educational disciplines, such as mine with the Department of Integrated Media, and others. This situation for both parties was a match made in heaven from the beginning.
Along with Few, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 inducted coach Doc Rivers, coach Mike D'Antoni, forward/center Amar'e Stoudemire, forward Chamique Holdsclaw, forward Candace Parker, forward Elena Delle Donne, referee Joey Crawford, and the 1996 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team. The group received their "Naismith Orange" jackets the day before at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
In attendance for Few's ceremony were, first and foremost, his family: wife Marcy Laca, sons AJ, Joe, Colt, and daughter Julia. His presenters were Hall of Famer John Stockton, Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari, and Managing Director of USA Basketball Grant Hill.
Arizona Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd, former Villanova Wildcats coach Jay Wright, sportscaster Neil Everett showed their love for Few. As well as some of his past and current staff members like **** istant coaches Brian Michaelson, RJay Barsh, Zach Norvell, Dan Monson, Bill Grier, Ray Giacoletti, Ricky Fois, and Roger Powell.

#coach

The Seattle Seahawks lost to the Dallas Cowboys 17-7 on Saturday night, but the true takeaways reside in the lessons we learned. There might be no more relevant week to prioritize takeaways than preseason. You didn't need to win. You did need to come away with as many ways to improve your team as possible. Here were the five most obvious lessons.
First, the running back rotation ended up being fairly varied like I predicted, but George Holani received 12 carries. Velus Jones Jr. took 7, TJ Harden took 2, and Justin Jones took 1. None of Emanuel Wilson, Zach Charbonnet, and Jadarian Price played, with both of the latter two likely to supplant Holani at some point this season when they return from injury. Until then, though, last year's third-stringer Holani will start. Price will likely be back in the near future and regular season, might also need to show pass-blocking prowess to earn the every-down workhorse role some might envision.
While the rather excellent episode two of Hard Knocks has been the talk of the town the past week, the tape will reflect the team's focus on managing and controlling violence. Derick Hall was coaching up Jalan Gaines, who was relentlessly attacking Dallas' quarterbacks, and Mason Richman and Beau Stephens were taking the competition to the Dallas' defensive line, both getting great downhill push in the run game. The young offensive lineman are a product of the culture Mike Macdonald and company have created and prioritized.
Jalen Milroe is a good quarterback prospect who the Seahawks can just keep waiting in the wings until they might need him, and he showed enough improvement tonight compared to last preseason to justify the draft capital they spent on him. They won the Super Bowl, but they might end up with an extremely interesting ***** et here the longer he's allowed to wait. He's 23, has 1st-round level athleticism, and is hitting the middle of the field consistently. Watch out.
I know, you could say any DB is a perfect fit here and be right, but Arnold's first-round athletic profile seems like an anti-Puka Nacua device. Having both him and Devon Witherspoon would be such a ridiculous blend of aggression and athleticism with Nick Emmanwori and Julian Love, and although Josh Jobe has played great too, the team clearly needs more experienced depth behind them outside.

#might #need #took

The opening Friday night of the high school football season is in the books, and there was no shortage of outstanding games around the state.
Here's a few notes and highlights from some of those games.
Snow Canyon's 64-62 triple-overtime win over Spanish Fork on Friday night was an absolute barn burner — the definition of an instant classic.
"It felt a lot more like a basketball game than a football game, that's for sure," said first-year Snow Canyon coach Zach Tauteoli. "They would take a punch, we'd feel that punch and then kind of punch back, and then we just ended up on our end kind of a little more resilient."
The teams combined for 1,014 yards, most of those through the air — 784.

#snow

Joshua Dobbs is in his second stint with Detroit in the NFL. He signed with the Lions on Monday.
According to Friday's NFL transactions, the former Tennessee quarterback's jersey number changed from No. 12 to No. 6 after signing with the Lions. He wore No. 6 in Detroit's first preseason game on Thursday at Cincinnati.
The Bengals won the contest, 16-14, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tight end Zach Horton also had his jersey number changed with the Lions, switching from No. 40 to No. 43.
Dobbs completed 4-of-8 passing attempts for 32 yards in the preseason Week 1 loss to the Bengals. He also recorded nine rushing yards on one attempt. Dobbs led the Lions to field goals on two of his three series. He was sacked one time for five yards.
Dobbs played for the Vols from 2013-16, totaling 7,138 passing yards, 53 passing touchdowns, 2,160 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns, 62 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

#cincinnati #jersey

The New Orleans Saints' preseason will be about much more than just determining which players survive the final preseason cuts. Several of the team's younger players now have opportunities to earn significant roles before the regular season even begins.
Strong performances over the next three games could reshape the depth chart at several positions. Here are six Saints players with the most to gain this preseason.
Rattler has strengthened his grip on the backup quarterback job with a strong training camp. Playing well in the preseason would help him hold off Zach Wilson and rebuild his standing after losing the starting job to Tyler Shough last season. If Rattler can perform at a high level, another team might come calling to try to acquire him.
Brown entered the NFL with a direct path to contributing as a return specialist, but he's been one of the biggest offensive surprises for the Saints thus far. The preseason allows him to earn WR3 snaps alongside his special-teams responsibilities.
Dillon Radunz's season-ending ACL injury opened the door for Wright to become the Saints' top interior offensive line reserve. The fourth-round rookie must prove that his technique and pass protection are developed enough for the coaches to trust him during the regular season.

#saints #players #strong