tom Page 14 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Steelers made Brock Purdy look like Joe Montana and Steve Young rolled into one
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense made Brock Purdy look like the second coming of Joe Montana and Steve Young rolled into one. Seriously, Mr. Purdy was nearly flawless during the first two quarters, completing over 66 percent of his passes, connecting for two touchdowns with Brandon Aiyuk and 154 yard...

Coco Gauff will write her own story
When Coco Gauff beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019, a flood of expectations followed considering she was 15, American, Black, and had just ousted tennis royalty. The talent and potential was obvious enough, yet there are too many variables and unknowns to account for that calling anything a fo...

Ever wonder what the worst team of NFL starters would look like? Here it is
On an individual level, NFL Top 100 Player Lists are what get people excited. We get it. Patrick Mahomes is number one and the most competitive race is the scrum for number two. However, half of NFL fandom is groaning about the weak links on each unit. There’s enough glowing coverage of the NFL out ...
![Cincinnati Bengals take care of their franchise QB, but won't retain one of his top targets [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/ecb00f7342943ac5112c91c3e9bc0591.jpg)
Cincinnati Bengals take care of their franchise QB, but won't retain one of his top targets [Updated]
Well that was easy, and Joe Burrow didn’t even have to pull the old fake injury/shadow holdout move. According to reports, the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the team. The deal comes with $219 million guaranteed, making Burrow the highest ...

Ben Shelton's moment has arrived
I went to the US Open last night. First time inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and on the grounds in Flushing. It was also my first professional tennis event since attending the semifinals of the 2003 Legg Mason Tennis Classic and watching Andre Agassi lose in a third-set tiebreaker. The US Open dangles be...

What do the Cleveland Guardians want to be?
To hear Larry Dolan tell it, the Cleveland Guardians are the poster child for the unfairness in MLB. They can’t run with the big boys of the American League, even though there are no big market teams in the AL Central, at least when the Tigers suck eggs (and the White Sox will never act like they pl...

College football on Labor Day has always been a sick joke
Labor Day Weekend serving as the official kickoff for college football is still the biggest oxymoron in sports. For decades, college football was the most abhorrent, openly accepted form of free labor. Unlike their basketball counterparts, NFL-caliber athletes are forced to push themselves through t...

Life without Tom Brady: For the first time since 1999, here are all the things we (thankfully) never have to think about again
As far as we can tell, Tom Brady is retired from the NFL. That doesn’t mean he definitely won’t change his mind once Week 1 is underway and Brady is sitting at home, asking people if they think he can throw a football over them there mountains, or whatever. He’s kinda sorta retired before, only to c...

Saturday's 'Coach Prime' coverage was off the charts
Now that it’s evident Deion Sanders and Colorado are unavoidable, there needs to be some parameters in place. The Buffs upset No. 17 TCU, 45-42, on Saturday in a thrilling game regardless of what you think about Coach Prime....

The Nebraska football sellout streak is a lie
One of the biggest farces running in sports is Nebraska football’s sellout streak. The Big Red has been a shadow of its former self for going on two decades, but the streak, currently at 389 games, persists because this is all Nebraska football fans have left, and the seats get bought solely to keep...

It’s OK to feel uneasy about Damar Hamlin’s return to football
Damar Hamlin’s return is almost complete. Bronny James is “doing extremely well” in his recovery. You’re not a bad person for wondering if playing again is the best idea for both of them....

After 30 years (!!), it is finally time for Venus Williams to call it a career
Unlike at this time last year, the central figure of the US Open isn’t a Williams sister. Serena’s matches were all appointment television, maybe because of the known stakes, being one of tennis’ all-time great’s last event. And Flushing lost its luster after Serena’s third-round exit, until the sta...

So long, Stephen Strasburg, we hardly knew you
Stephen Strasburg’s announced retirement due to thoracic outlet syndrome isn’t so much a sad time as it is a prophecy fulfilled. Strasburg emerged from San Diego State and the minors as the most highly touted flamethrower in a generation. ...

Indianapolis Colts still trying to find themselves 4 years after Andrew Luck's retirement
Once upon a time, Andrew Luck was on his way to a Hall of Fame career as quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Then he up and retired out of nowhere, walking away from the game forever. Today marks four years since Luck called it quits on a career with much more to offer. He dealt with a myriad of ...

Jerry Jones thinks Sam Williams arrest on weapons, substance and speeding charges is sign of 'maturing'
While half of America’s electorate swoons over a reprobate ex-president, a man who was once nicknamed “America’s Mayor,” and his loyalists’ mugshots, America’s Team has embraced the same recidivism in a desperate bid to halt the Cowboys’ 30-year Super Bowl drought. Jerry Jones’ response following Da...

Don’t be like Kevin Hart, especially if you’re over 40
Here’s a bit of advice for everyone. If you did not play in a professional sports league, association, or alliance, you have no business challenging former pro athletes in anything that requires athleticism. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Kevin Hart learned this lesson the hard way while hanging out w...

Trey Lance ends up behind Mr. Irrelevant, Jets draft bust on 49ers depth chart
Kyle Shanahan has been watching Trey Lance practice for three years. He knows a great deal more about the young man than I ever will. If Shanahan is willing to write off the loss of first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023, and be done with Lance on the San Francisco 49ers, he must certainly have a ...

Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are hurt — how else would the Angels season end?
Neil Young told us that it was better to burn out than to fade away. In the same fashion, some things are just meant to divebomb so hard into the dirt that they cause a smoldering crater that affects all life on the planet rather than just saunter out to the woods to die in peace. That quickly appro...

Baker Mayfield’s whiteness keeps getting him NFL starting QB jobs
Baker Mayfield didn’t do anything wrong. The crime that keeps getting committed is done by the owners, general managers, and coaches who keep giving him endless opportunities. If Mayfield can keep being named a starter in the NFL, then Nathan Peterman will always have a shot at being on a team’s pay...

What if there was a Mendoza Line for other baseball stats?
Mario Mendoza put together nine nondescript major league seasons from 1974-1982 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. He was good for -2.7 WAR and finished with a career .215 batting average....