Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We break down the players on the roster, the major questions at the position, the position battles and roster outlook at outside linebacker.
We have seen some practices of training camp for the Arizona Cardinals. We continue our preview of each position group, breaking down the roster, the questions, position battles and roster outlook.
Next up are the outside linebackers.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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Najee Harris wants to get on the field and see what he can do.
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#Steelers RB Najee Harris wants to play Thursday against Dallas. I asked him about that. @937theFan pic.twitter.com/TlbORKQIQT
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) July 31, 2021
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Najee Harris is ready to play some football. Harris told head coach Mike Tomlin he wanted to play as many snaps as possible in next week’s Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys.
When Harris spoke to the media after Saturday’s practice he talked about why it is important to get that experience.
“It’s a new way to get your feet wet and let the game slow down for you,” Harris said. I’m trying to play as much as I can that game. But you know what I really want to do is take as much game reps as possible.”
Harris is being asked to bring the Steelers struggling run game back to life. He seems to have embraced this role early in his career and understands the pressure on him and what his responsibility is to this team.
The Steelers will take on the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 5.
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The main event of Bellator 263 delivered, as A.J. McKee made quick work of Patricio ‘Pitbull’.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – For six years [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] said time and time again he would one day be Bellator champion.
Saturday in front of his hometown crowd, with a $1 million win bonus on the line, McKee accomplished that dream when he submitted [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] via standing guillotine choke at 1:57 of Round 1.
Bellator 263 took place Saturday at The Forum. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
The two fighters entered the arena to opposite receptions. The challenger, McKee walked out first to raining applause and fans singing his walkout song. The champion, Freire, was met with harsh boos.
When the fight began, both fighters came out slow and methodical. The early staring contest was broken when McKee landed a high kick that stunned “Pitbull” and sent him against the cage. A violent punching combination dropped Freire and McKee celebrated.
The celebration was a bit premature for referee Mike Beltran who did not step in. “Pitbull” tried to spring to his feet but McKee grabbed hold of the Brazilian’s neck and cranked a standing guillotine choke. From there, the submission was locked and the technical submission came.
The Million Dollar Submission! 💰@AJMcKee101 stops @PatricioPitbull to become the Bellator Featherweight World Champion. WOW!
A historic moment at @TheForum. #Bellator263 pic.twitter.com/fg75zEKrta
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
The tournament began in September 2019 with 16 fighters. Freire defeated Juan Archuleta by decision, Pedro Carvalho by knockout, and Emmanuel Sanchez by submission to advance. McKee, meanwhile, finished Georgi Karakhanyan by knockout, Derek Campos by submission, and Darrion Caldwell by submission.
With the victory, McKee keeps his career unbeaten streak alive – and extends it to 18. All of his professional fights have come under the Bellator banner with 13 finishes in that stretch.
MONEY 💰#Bellator263 pic.twitter.com/5gByAT8GhJ
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
As for Freire, the long-reigning Bellator featherweight champion loses at 145-pounds for the first time since he dropped a unanimous decision to Daniel Straus at Bellator 145 in 2015. The defeat snaps a seven-fight winning streak for “Pitbull,” which included an out-of-tournament against Michael Chandler.
Although he lost the Bellator featherweight title, Freire still holds the promotion’s 155-pound championship.
The Bellator 263 results include:
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We rank the four NFC West teams in terms of their group of edge defenders.
The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers both have edge defenders among the very best in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks also have quality pass rushers.
Which team has the best?
We continue our rankings of the NFC West — both players at their positions and the teams at each position.
Below are our 2021 rankings for the NFC West in terms of edge defenders.
Cardinals fans will be happy.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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See the top Twitter reactions to A.J. McKee’s quick title win over Patricio Freire at Bellator 263.
[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] journey to the top reached its apex on Saturday when he claimed the featherweight title from [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] in the Bellator 263 headliner.
McKee’s (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) run from inexperienced debutant to undefeated champion came full circle when he beat Freire (32-5 MMA, 20-5 BMMA) by first-round technical submission in the main event matchup at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
Not only did McKee claim the 145-pound belt with his performance, but he also won the promotion’s 16-man grand prix and received a $1 million prize.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to McKee’s title victory over Freire at Bellator 263.
Sean Strickland wasn’t impressed by his dominant win over Uriah Hall at UFC on ESPN 28.
[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] had his way with Uriah Hall in the UFC on ESPN 28 main event, but it wasn’t enough to appease him.
Despite winning a lopsided unanimous decision by scores of 50-44, 50-45, and 49-46 in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) wasn’t entirely pleased. Mainly because he couldn’t put Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC).
“I need to learn how to hit harder,” Strickland told MMA Junkie and other media at the UFC on ESPN 28 post-fight news conference. “I kind of hit like a pansy. I kind of sucked. They’re like, ‘You know you won the middleweight striking record.’ I’m like, ‘What does that mean? That means I can’t hit that hard.'”
Strickland’s victory over Hall elevates his status as a contender at 185 pounds. He’s never lost a fight in 17 divisional appearances dating back to his MMA debut, but he’s not getting particularly caught up in the moment.
The win is likely to land Strickland a place in the top 10 of the rankings, but he said it doesn’t mean a whole lot to him to be considered top tier in his weight class.
“It is what it is,” Strickland said. “I’ve been training for so long. There’s always going to be another killer. It is what it is. I’ll fight somebody again in the next few months. I might win. I might get knocked out. I just like making money.”
Because of Strickland’s mentality, he said he has no preferred next opponent. He admits he’s not particularly familiar with his fellow athletes, so he’s going to be willing to take whatever the UFC gives him.
“I know like two fighters in the division,” Strickland said. “Brad Tavares because we train together and Israel Adesanya. I don’t really watch fights. I just like to do it.”
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Washington coach Ron Rivera covered a number of topics in his final press conference from Richmond.
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera met with the media after Saturday’s final practice in Richmond. Rivera began his presser by answering a question about right guard Brandon Scherff and reserve offensive tackle David Sharpe, who were not on the practice field.
He wasn’t too happy in announcing that Scherff and Sharpe were placed in “the protocol,” meaning the reserve/COVID-19 list. Washington now has six players on the list.
Rivera noted how players going into the COVID protocols impacted the coaching staff and their ability to properly evaluate the players.
Ron Rivera said players going into covid protocols makes it more difficult for coaches to evaluate players. There are domino effects — Brandon Scherff gets pulled from practice, Wes Schweitzer goes to RG, etc. — and this is the first show of competitive disadvantage.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) July 31, 2021
Rivera did feel a bit more optimistic because multiple players were scheduled to get vaccinated on Sunday. However, some players were “dug in” about not getting the vaccine.
Rivera said some players asked them to set up appointments for vaccinations on Sunday… He said he's talked to players about the issue; said some players are "dug in so hard so much, they're not gonna back down."
— John Keim (@john_keim) July 31, 2021
Another potential area of concern could be backup quarterback Kyle Allen. Allen, who dislocated his ankle last season, went down on Saturday. Rivera said Allen “tweaked his ankle.”
Rivera on the QB2 battle. "Kyle (Allen) is starting to come on and get back into the mix." Added that Allen tweaked his ankle today.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 31, 2021
Rivera continues to praise safety Landon Collins.
Landon was balling out today with two picks. Rivera said he has more understanding of the defensive concepts. Praised the work Collins did in the off-season working with Harris behind the play to get mental reps
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) July 31, 2021
Saturday was Washington’s final day in Richmond, but Rivera was extremely pleased with the city.
Ron Rivera on holding camp in Richmond: "I like what we had out here. I thought the fields were wonderful and well-prepared. … We'll sit down and we'll discuss it, but I did like the fields. I really did. I thought this was a very worth-while facility for us."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 31, 2021
Washington now returns to Ashburn for the remainder of training camp.
In the co-main of Bellator 263, Mads Burnell emerged victorious in a high-volume bout against Emmanuel Sanchez.
[autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] kept his undefeated Bellator run alive with an impressive showing against a high-volume opponent.
Although [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] offered punches in bunches, Burnell found a way to adjust throughout the fight to earn a unanimous decision victory.
The bout served as the co-main event of Bellator 263 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and aired on Showtime.
The two immediately began trading strikes once the fight began, and Sanchez (20-6 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) appeared to get the better of the first few exchanges.
Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) began offering a few kicks in return, but Sanchez kept putting together punching combinations that found the mark. The striking output from Sanchez continued at a high clip, mixing in punches to the body as he marched forward.
.@MatadorSanchez_ throwing some serious combos early in this fight!
We are LIVE on @SHOSports with #Bellator263👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/Fyf7qhJwrD
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
Burnell landed a nice counter of his own and decided to take the fight to the canvas by securing a nice takedown.
This fight is 🔥@BurnellMMA forced to secure the takedown on @MatadorSanchez_.
Tune in LIVE with @SHOSports to catch this bout NOW! 👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/TegpfJj790
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
The fight returned to the feet moments later, where the furious striking pace continued. Burnell secured another takedown before the round expired, but nothing came of it.
The second round started with the same high offensive output from Sanchez that was seen in the first round. Burnell once again wanted to slow his opponent down by securing a takedown, but Sanchez popped back up before any damage could occur and continued to let his fists fly.
Burnell realizing he could get the fight to the mat if he wanted, continued to close the distance and brought the fight back to the canvas to close out the round.
Burnell looked for a takedown quickly at the start of the third round and found himself on Sanchez’s back. While he had a dominant position for a moment, Burnell couldn’t find the opening for a submission attempt before Sanchez created a scramble to escape.
Sanchez found himself on top briefly, but Burnell reversed position, putting his opponent on his back yet again. The fight would come to a conclusion with Burnell on top, landing punches as Sanchez did his best to defend.
Respect 👏#Bellator263 is LIVE on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/QXQznnwapy
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
All three judges saw the bout in favor of Burnell with scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.
The former Cage Warriors champion extends his win streak to seven while putting himself on the shortlist for a title shot in the featherweight division.
Sanchez drops his second fight in a row, but turned in a strong performance in a losing effort.
Up-to-the-minute results of Bellator 263 include:
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