ja Page 209 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

We didn’t even get four hours of optimism
I, and every other Bears fan, have become far too used to this Black Monday cycle. Third time in eight years, seventh time in my lifetime. And there’s supposed to be a routine to it. News of whichever dope your team is firing leaks in the morning. You then hear of a press conference scheduled later ...

Week 18 Takeaways: This one day in the NFL in which every second truly mattered
That’s all folks. The sad moment of the year when Scott Hanson signs off and the final RedZone touchdown montage plays. You’re momentarily hypnotized by the best catches, throws, and runs of the day, and then one moment the Miami Dolphins are in a dogpile in the end zone, and the next Nicki Minaj’s ...

The world felt a just a bit less chaotic with Klay Thompson back on an NBA floor last night
Those lovable, plucky underdogs, the Golden State Warriors. A couple of tough seasons — really one terrible season and another season that ended in disappointment, proved to be a mere traffic jam on the Warriors’ freeway of dominance....

Kevin Garnett compared Steph Curry to Michael Jordan and the NBA universe almost exploded
Transcendent athletes are the rarest of birds. Blue-Eyed Golden Doves, if you will....

White coaches owned the NFL’s ‘Black Monday’ before it even started
Even when you’re twice – and sometimes three times – as good, it still doesn’t matter. Because in the NFL, owners would rather lose with someone that looks like them instead of winning with a Black head coach....

Aston Villa shows ambition by signing Philippe Coutinho, but for what exactly?
It may not be possible to feel sorry for someone who got to rake in tens of millions of dollars to live in Barcelona (with a brief sojourn to Munich) and not have to do much. And certainly Liverpool supporters won’t have any sympathy for Philippe Coutinho given the way he exited Anfield for the Nou ...

The Celtics need to wake up and move on from either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown
The Boston Celtics have one of the richest legacies in North American sports, but as of late, they have not been able to get over that hump to capture another NBA championship. In recent years, their two young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have led them to multiple Eastern Conference Finals a...

Can Tuukka Rask play center?
It is cute, if not delicious, that Tuukka Rask’s imminent return to the Boston Bruins is being greeted as something of the cavalry arriving. Because Bruins fans (and media) have never hesitated to throw whatever available cutlery was around at Tuke Nuke ‘Em every spring because he wasn’t Tim Thomas,...

Week 18 NFL Betting Primer: Best Over/Under, Spread, Teaser and Prop Bets
Unfortunately, the last week of the year has arrived. On a brighter note, the column has produced nine straight over/under victories, so technically, we’re actually seeking a sweep of the second half of the season in totals. Soak it in as we enter the historic first-ever “Week 18.”...
![Fire when ready, Broncos [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/06ce103a532ef6cdcee8875d9e305d70.jpg)
Fire when ready, Broncos [Updated]
Generally, when there’s talk about interest in hiring you as a coordinator before you’re even fired as a head coach, it’s a sign that you’re seen as a good football mind. It might even be a sign that the team you’re about to be fired from ought to rethink things. Clearly you’re in demand, and maybe ...

Coach of the Year should come down to two guys
Across all sports, the Coach of the Year Award has a misleading title. It’s not about who the best coach is; it’s about which team stunned the most people, or which team overcame the most adversity while staying near the top of the league. That’s what voters are really looking for. By that criteria,...

That’s a clown lawsuit, bro
The Jacksonville Jaguars were a joke long before this season. They’ve made the playoffs seven times in their 27-year history, and four of those were in the first five seasons of their existence. This season will be Jaguars’ fifth in the last six years in which they’ve finished last in the AFC South,...

Unvaccinated man can’t come to work, co-workers suffer
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of Kyrie Irving’s own actions....

Let’s talk about Julius Randle and the thumbs down
“Shut the fuck up.”...

7 NFL records that could be broken this weekend — thanks to the extra game
2021 marked the first NFL season with each team playing 17 games in the regular season. Many people were quick to state their displeasure with the expansion, claiming that adding a 17th game hurts the sport and is merely a cash grab only meant to benefit the owners and put the players at greater ris...

WAR isn’t perfect, but don’t disregard it entirely
Advanced analytics are a touchy subject in the baseball world. Some people love how the game has been broken down into a series of numbers that let even casual fans understand the game better. Others don’t share the same sentiment....

Antonio Brown is out in Tampa, but feel free to tell everyone in this situation to kick rocks
Feel free to speculate on exactly why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waited until Thursday afternoon to make this decision, but it is now final, they have released Antonio Brown....

It’s been the best and worst of AEW this week
If a newcomer to the wrestling world wanted an exhibition on why AEW makes so much noise for such a new company in the industry, this past week would be it. It has showcased everything the company does well, as well as exemplified the problems it has, and more importantly how it addresses those prob...

This will eventually bite the Nets in the ass
Kyrie Irving is back with the Nets but that doesn’t mean a fairy tale ending to the season is guaranteed...

Derrick Henry and his stiff arm are coming back! Break out the ice packs
One more win for the Tennessee Titans. All they need is to win one more game and they can clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. With an 11-5 record, a low mark for a team in first place but that speaks to a lack of a clear best team in the AFC, a home victory against the 4-12 Houston Texans — wh...