jackson Page 35 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Three yards and a cloud of dust won’t cut it in AFC North anymore, and draft proves it
When I think of the AFC North, I think of smashmouth football. I think of Jerome Bettis vs. Ray Lewis. I think of physical, hard-hitting games, ending in scores like 13-9. I think of heavy-set run formations, with three yards and a cloud of dust, accompanied by some of the best defensive players acr...

If the Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t on Hard Knocks, HBO should just cancel the series
In 2019, the NFL and Home Box Office – I bet the kids had no idea that’s what HBO stands for – fumbled on the 1-yard line as the ball rolled out the back of the end zone....

Don’t expect the upcoming Lakers docuseries to be the next <em>Last Dance</em>
2022 will be the “Year of the Lakers.” Not on the court, necessarily, but definitely on our television screens....

If Luka Dončić were Black, he’d be labeled a troublemaker with all his technical fouls
This isn’t a column about Luka Dončić. But it is about how Luka Dončić is covered....

Watch Anthony Davis smoke Steph Curry jersey-wearer in GTA just 12 days before Play-In Tournament
Well, this is one way to send someone a message before the playoffs. ...

Browns fans have earned this Factory of Gladness
Take a bow, Browns fans. After years of torment, ridicule, bags over heads, a parade “celebrating” a winless campaign, and a Factory of Sadness, you have earned the right to be excited for this season, and the season after that, and the season after that. Yes, there was already excitement brewing in...

Surprises, smiles, and shiny shoes: An NFL Draft Round One recap
Night one was super fun. I’m so glad that we’re done speculating about where all the top prospects are going to go, and now can begin looking at actual fit and actual expectations. I was sitting at home looking like Joe Rogan in response to George Masvidal’s flying knee. There’s plenty to break down...

Please, please, send John Smoltz to a farm upstate
It was a slow, lazy Saturday afternoon. It would have to be for me to turn on the Mets when Jacob deGrom isn’t pitching (though Marcus Stroman can be a very entertaining watch, too). I grew up at a time here in Chicago when we hated the Mets as much as the Cardinals, and those instincts still flicke...

Ravens-Chiefs Orlando Brown trade could work brilliantly for both teams
Two of the best teams in the AFC just made a trade with one another that was absolutely brilliant for both teams. The Chiefs, who watched the best quarterback in the NFL run for his life in the Super Bowl, acquired Pro-Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown from the Baltimore Ravens. The two teams also...

Nope, sorry, I’m tired of hearing it — size does NOT matter when it comes to DeVonta Smith’s talent
Yes-yes, sure-sure … top-tier wide receiver prospect DeVonta Smith is 166 pounds — I know. And I don’t give a damn....

It's 4:20 on 4/20, let's fire one up for the sports heroes who smoke weed
With every 4/20 that goes by, sports leagues seem to care less and less about weed. As they should....

Why the hell is Grady Sizemore trending on Twitter in 2021, and what does it have to do with Bo Jackson?
People apparently enjoy painful memories, as the twitterverse is currently talking about a lot of “what could have beens.” Waking up this morning, not quite fully caffeinated, I saw that Grady Sizemore was trending, and immediately questioned the entirety of the space-time continuum. A tweet was pos...

Taking a look at QB-heavy draft classes, and why the best isn't always the guy who goes highest
In a quarterback league, this year’s NFL Draft looks like one of the most quarterback-rich talent pools in history. We know that Trevor Lawrence will be the No. 1 pick for the Jaguars, and after him, it’s likely that the Jets and 49ers will select signal callers, making this the first draft with qua...

With Jets trading Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson should be scared to death
If there were any questions about if the Jets were all in on Zach Wilson, they got answered on Monday....

Which team played the villain role best?
With the Houston Astros now wearing the crown as the most hated team in professional sports — as indicated by the chorus of boos and piercing screams of “CHEATER!” that rang through the Oakland Coliseum (whatever ridiculous name it has today) last night on Opening Day (ahh… welcome back baseball, an...

On Opening Day, the signs of how much we’ve lost were everywhere
After getting the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, I was pretty out of it on Thursday, which meant that Opening Day was a different experience than usual. I woke up in the morning, had breakfast and walked the dog, then went right back to sleep, setting an alarm to be able to watch the first inning...

Justin Fields, Dan Orlovsky, and the never-ending degradation of Black QBs with age-old stereotypes
I find myself often being perplexed by the way some things are happening. Currently, one of those situations is the seemingly-inexplicable decrease in draft stock of a quarterback prospect I love, Justin Fields, who before the season was the consensus second-best quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence. ...

Let Russell Westbrook’s comments be a lesson: Athletes don’t have to meet your expectations
Russell Westbrook had 35 points, 21 assists, and 14 rebounds in a 132-124 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night....

The NFL is hell-bent on returning to normal, starting with a live draft in scenic Cleveland
We’re kinda sorta trending towards normalcy, and the NFL Draft on April 29 in Cleveland will lean into that, consequences be damned. The NFL announced today in a press release that the draft will be live, in person, with actual live people, including commissioner Roger Goodell, prospects, and fans. ...

Duke? UNC? UConn? Ranking the best NCAA national champs over the past 20 years
Selection Sunday will be the first time we’ve been able to fill out a bracket in two years. A lot has changed since then, especially in college basketball, as it’s been as upside down as the rest of the world is. Juniors and seniors are the biggest draws this season, as only a few freshmen like Okla...