off Page 94 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Here are the Penguins again, hanging around, hanging around, can’t get rid of them…
In a world where the Patriots didn’t exist (and what a world that would be), perhaps the gold (and black) standard for bucking against the tides, refusing to be victims of a salary cap and system specifically designed to prevent sustained success, and just general obstinance would be the Pittsburgh ...

Tonight we'll find out who Matthew Stafford really is
The moment of truth has arrived....

Bengals’ win not just a whistling dick, see
It’s a bit shy of 50 years since the Raiders got knocked out of the playoffs by The Immaculate Reception, a play that wasn’t just dramatic, but controversial....

The Rangers are a mystery that analytics can't figure out
The best way to determine the best teams in any sport is to look at the standings, right? If they’ve been playing well, they’ll be near the top of the league. As Bill Parcells said, “You are what your record says you are.”...

Sorry Nate MacKinnon, but the NHL All-Star Game should be a Participation Game
What should an All-Star Game be: an opportunity to see the best players all playing in the same game, or a celebration of the sport and league that brings fans together?...

Death, taxes, and Kirk Ferentz
Speculation about Kirk Ferentz retiring from coaching has been going on since the Obama Administration, when Iowa inked its longtime head man to an extension through 2025. Even with the caveat that it was “a few years off,” we’ve seen ideas tossed out for who might eventually take the helm in Iowa C...

Who’s facing more heat on Monday night: Kliff Kingsbury or Matthew Stafford?
If the Cardinals had beaten the Lions, Arizona would be NFC West champs right now. Let me repeat that...IF THE CARDS HAD BEATEN THE 1-11-1 LIONS, THEY WOULD BE NFC WEST CHAMPS!...

Judging your QB by Instagram followers is just sad
Bears quarterback Justin Fields finished the regular season with a 2-8 record as the team’s starter. He threw 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, completing just 58.9 percent of his passes and averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt. ...

This is what happens when you get the aristocracy’s attention
A good portion of fans, most I would say, fail to recognize just how long the NBA season is. Goes for the NHL and MLB ones, too. It’s always hard to explain to a lot of them that there are nights in the middle, or maybe on the second of a back-to-back or the last of a four games in six nights, when ...

In a league of inconsistent-to-bad teams, Memphis is neither
There are currently nine NBA teams hovering around .500 and in or tied for the playoffs/play-in tourney. If that seems like an abnormally high number, that’s because it is, and the Mavs barely missed out on this list because they’re technically four games above .500....

Deadspin takes a look at every Black coach that’s been hired in the NFL since 2000 and how they fared
When Stephen Ross’ Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores on Monday, it sent shockwaves around the NFL. For some reason, fans of all genders and races were stunned that Flores was unemployed as if Ross doesn’t have a long history of being a contradictory figure. This is the NFL, a place where Black coac...

Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are totally concerned about the little guy
The NIL contracts for “student-athletes” have been an overwhelming success, according to many people, including us. They give an unpaid workforce access to a revenue stream, make for great stories when used right, and end this ruse that college athletics should be an altruistic endeavor because kids...

Don Maynard, Hall-of-Fame Jet, dead at 86
Don Maynard, a wide receiver who played in two of professional football’s landmark games during his Hall of Fame career and son of Texas, died on January 10 at the age of 86....

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...

The Cooperstown case for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, once and for all
Call me naive, an optimist....

Sorry Kirk Herbstreit, damn near all of the college football bowl season is meaningless
A postseason is not an exhibition, it’s a tournament to declare a champion — except in major college sports. Men’s college basketball has the NIT, and college football there’s bowl season. Both were more prestigious decades ago, but at least no one is harping about the sanctity of the NIT anymore. C...

Let there be mayonnaise
Well, there it was in all its glory. The much-anticipated mess of viscous white goop rained down upon the cap of South Carolina’s head coach, Shane Beamer, following his victory over North Carolina in what commentators called “the highest stakes bowl game outside of the college football playoff.” Th...

IDIOT OF THE YEAR #4: Chicago Blackhawks, equal parts heinous and incompetent
Welcome to Deadspin’s IDIOT OF THE YEAR festivities! Nos. 50 through 11 are available for your enjoyment here. And our top 10 thus far:...

Madden NFL paved the path for other video game sports franchises
When you think of video games and sports, you think of John Madden. (Thank god this is written, and I don’t have to try to do the voice.) The first sports video game I ever played was Madden NFL 92 when I was 6, and even though it’s not my preferred game anymore, there’s no doubt it’s still the de f...

Why do Rams quarterbacks always struggle in the second half?
Since Week 9 of the NFL season, Matt Stafford has thrown for 1,862 yards (266 yards per game), 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Those are good numbers. Not great, but good. From Weeks 1-8 though, Stafford was on a different planet. The move from Detroit to L.A. seemingly sparked new life into the...