Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy called outside linebacker Odafe Oweh a “specimen”
The Ravens selected outside linebacker Odafe Oweh in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. While he’s had impressive moments in a Baltimore uniform over his first three seasons, he hasn’t had a true breakout yet, which many people are hoping will come in Year 4.
Oweh is one key to the Ravens’ defense reaching its full potential this year. Baltimore outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was asked about Oweh’s progression to this point and called the fourth-year pass rusher a “specimen.”
“He’s impressive, man. He’s a specimen. [I’ve] really enjoyed working with him, building that relationship. I try to keep him next to me all the time and make sure he’s always pressing and doing the right thing. I expect high, high … I expect more from him than myself. I really expect him to bounce off the charts this year. He showed a lot of signs last year, but I think [with] him gaining confidence, understanding who he is – he’s still maturing. I just asked him how the hell old was he today, and he said ’25.’ It’s amazing to see how mature he’s gotten already. I’m excited to see his future, and I’ll be his cheerleader, that’s for sure. I’m sorry I’m saying this again, but I’m really excited to see how high of a ceiling he can get to.”
Oweh has 13 sacks in his three-year NFL career. The Ravens lost fellow outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney to the Carolina Panthers in NFL free agency, making Oweh’s hopeful breakout even more important.
If he would become a free agent, Alec Lewis views Robert Woods as a good option at receiver for the Vikings.
Some question marks still surround the Vikings’ roster construction heading into the 2024 football season. While training camp may answer some of those questions, it probably won’t answer all of them. One of those question marks is around the Minnesota receiving corps.
After allowing KJ Osborn to walk during free agency, the Vikings didn’t do much to add talent to the room. Minnesota did add Trent Sherfield, but he hasn’t been very productive in the NFL. The Vikings re-signed Brandon Powell, who did a good job when asked in 2023, but is he a No. 3 for the entire year?
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis brought up an interesting name. 32-year-old veteran Robert Woods. Now, Woods is still a member of the Houston Texans, but there is a chance he will be cut in the coming weeks. If Houston would waive the former USC standout, is there a scenario Woods would make a good option for the Vikings?
Woods, a former Buffalo Bills draft pick, was most productive with the Los Angeles Rams from 2017 to 2021. He caught over 1,000 yards in back-to-back years and was a staple of the offense.
There is a question of whether Woods has anything left in the tank though. He hasn’t caught for more than 556 yards in the past three seasons. But if he came to the Vikings, he wouldn’t be asked to do much with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson on the roster.
Ian Machado Garry thinks it’s pretty clear he beat Michael Page at UFC 303.
[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] thinks it’s pretty clear he beat [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] at UFC 303.
Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) picked up a unanimous decision win over Page (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, winning Rounds 1 and 3 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Garry almost cinched in a rear-naked choke in Round 1, but Page was able to rally in Round 2 and land the more significant strikes. Round 3 was close, with Page controlling the start, and Garry regaining momentum to close out the fight strong.
“Livid – absolutely livid,” Garry said about his performance on The MMA Hour. “It should have been done in the first round. There should have never been a second, there should have never been a third. It should have been, ‘Ian Machado Garry takes his back and subs him unconscious.’
“That’s what it should have been. I’ve already lost sleep over that and I just have this burning sensation in my brain that is just – it’s the competitor in me. It’s the perfectionist in me that goes, ‘Tthat was where the fight should have been done and dusted.'”
“You’re full of sh*t,” Garry said. “You need to go back and watch the fight. First round was mine. Here’s the thing: There is more of a case to say that I won all three rounds than than there is to say it was a draw. That’s the way I look at it. First round, dominated. No one in the world is arguing that. Third round, it’s pretty obvious I won.
“I ended up on bottom somehow. It was just a weird exchange of punches, ended up on bottom, I used elbows from the bottom, in tight, dirty. I had the damage when I was off my back. I went, ‘OK, I’m going to stand up.’ Then I ended up taking him down, getting his back, and dusting him up a little bit. It wasn’t a massive amount of damage, but there was absolutely nothing from ‘MVP.'”
The top uncommitted player on LSU’s board is set to make a decision in the next two weeks.
The top uncommitted player on LSU’s 2025 recruiting board is set to decide within the next two weeks.
DJ Pickett, a five-star safety from Zephyrhills, Florida, and the No. 1 defensive back in America will decide on July 17 between a final four that includes LSU, Georgia, Oregon and Miami.
On3 ranks Pickett as the No. 6 player in the nation and top player in Florida. LSU hosted him for an official visit on May 31 and seemed to have the momentum for a while, but after a busy month in which he officially visited his other finalists, it seems to be a wide-open race.
🚨NEWS🚨 Five-Star Plus+ CB DJ Pickett will announce his commitment on July 17, per @ChadSimmons_‼️
There are no crystal ball projections for Pickett, and while LSU has a slight lead per the On3 recruiting prediction machine, it’s far from decisive as Miami and Oregon continue to push for the elite prospect.
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Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth believes it’s “Super Bowl or bust” for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
The Baltimore Ravens are looking to win their first Super Bowl since 2012-2013 when they defeated the San Fransisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Since then, the team has only made one AFC Championships game, no Super Bowls, and continues looking for answers to return to the big dance.
Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth has been under fire for his recent comments on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on his podcast “Stinkin’ Truth.” More videos have surfaced of Schlereth talking about Baltimore and Lamar Jackson, saying that this is “Super Bowl or bust” for the star quarterback.
More Mark Schlereth thoughts on the Ravens and Lamar Jackson
“How are you giving [RBs] six carries and basically saying ‘Lamar, beat everybody from the pocket’, which Lamar, that’s just not been the way they’ve been wired, the way they’ve been created”pic.twitter.com/Zjs9ljqxy7
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) July 5, 2024
Schlereth also questioned the Ravens’ strategy during the AFC Championship game, saying that the team isn’t wired to have Jackson throw from the pocket to beat everybody. He did acknowledge growth from the quarterback, but his comments have Baltimore fans outraged at how Jackson is being criticized.
What are your expectations for Badger basketball this season?
The Wisconsin basketball program posted a lengthy sit-down conversation with head coach Greg Gard on X earlier this month. The video includes an exclusive look at the Badgers’ upcoming 2024-25 campaign, paired with Gard’s thoughts on expectations and excitement for the group.
“As you look at the new roster now, I’m excited about…” Gard said. “We bring in three experienced players and a fourth coming in that’s played at a really, really high level…Individually, on paper, they look really talented. We’re big. We’re deep. The pieces are here to be a really, really good team.”
The Wisconsin head coach went on to explain the reality of the current age of college basketball. No longer will the starting lineup be comprised of four-year players who tangibly improve each season. Now, rosters are more of a year-to-year situation.
The Badgers’ 2024 offseason perfectly embodies that dynamic. The program lost stars Chucky Hepburn (portal, Louisville) and A.J. Storr (portal, Kansas), plus fifth-year senior Tyler Wahl (graduation) and depth pieces Connor Essegian (portal, Nebraska) and Gus Yalden (portal, Seton Hall). Gard’s response: commitments from experienced transfers John Tonje, Camren Hunter and Xavier Amos. That trio, paired with an incoming freshman class led by top-ranked point guard Daniel Freitag, and several returning contributors including Max Klesmit, Steven Crowl and John Blackwell, has expectations high entering the upcoming season.
Gard’s preview focused on those new transfer additions and what he and his staff are now required to do in order to compete in the modern college basketball landscape.
Excitement for the season is growing with tipoff now nearly four months away.
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Pierre Gasly will start from the back of the grid at this weekend’s British Grand Prix due to exceeding the maximum number of power unit components allowed per season. The Alpine driver has already taken a fifth internal combustion engine (ICE), …
Pierre Gasly will start from the back of the grid at this weekend’s British Grand Prix due to exceeding the maximum number of power unit components allowed per season.
The Alpine driver has already taken a fifth internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K — exceeding the limit of four — as well as a third control electronics that is outside the maximum permitted two. With more than a 15-place grid penalty in total, the regulations state that Gasly must start from the back of the grid.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
The Frenchman is on a run of four consecutive point-scoring finishes for Alpine stretching back to his 10th place in the Monaco Grand Prix, finishing ninth in Canada and Spain and tenth again last weekend in Austria.
Gasly is the first driver to take a grid penalty for exceeding power unit components so far this season, with Alpine opting to do so at Silverstone due to the fact it’s a power-sensitive track. The weather forecast has also been taken into account, with rain impacting Friday’s track running and more showers expected at different stages on Saturday and Sunday.
Oklahoma’s first road SEC test will be at Jordan-Hare Stadium in September. Are the Sooners in for a rude welcome?
The Oklahoma Sooners are now official members of the SEC and will be met with the conference’s toughest slate to begin their campaign.
The Sooners will open SEC play on September 21 at home with SEC contender Tennessee and face tough opponents away from home in Texas and Ole Miss in October. However, their first true “welcome to the SEC’ experience will come on Sept. 28 when Oklahoma visits Jordan-Hare Stadium for its first road game as an SEC member.
“I wish they would get the night-version of Jordan-Hare,” Freeze said. “But Jordan-Hare will be rocking either way and I think they’ll enjoy that for sure.”
September’s matchup between Auburn and Oklahoma will be the third all-time, and the first-ever in a regular season setting. The Sooners hold a 2-0 lead over Auburn, most recently defeating Auburn in the 2016 Sugar Bowl, 35-19.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
Darbon comes with a mightily impressive CV and will assume command in November.
I’ve never been particularly bothered about getting on in years. In fact, I view the aging process as a sign of continued success. Congratulations to me, I haven’t keeled over yet.
We all, of course, have to leave our youth behind at some point. Look, there it is, waving and sobbing in the rear-view mirror as you pull out of the layby you dropped it off in and accelerate away down the road towards crotchety, pained middle age and beyond. That’s quite an elaborate way of putting it, but you get the idea.
Anyway, the reason I’m waffling on about miles on the clock is that a press release arrived recently announcing the appointment of a new chief executive of the R&A, and it actually gave me something of a jolt.
The reason? Well, the new man at the helm is younger than me.
All of a sudden, my whole ‘aging doesn’t bother me’ nonchalance evaporated. I’m 48. Mark Darbon, who is the highly qualified gentleman taking over at the R&A, is a mere 45.
In my head, people like chief executives, or senior politicians for that matter, are supposed to be older than I am. Indeed, no matter how much I age, part of their job is to remain older than me. Yes, I know that’s ludicrous, but it’s the way I think.
At 45, Darbon feels too young for the world of golf administration. At 48, I now feel too bloomin’ old for the world full stop.
I’m being typically flippant, of course. Darbon comes with a mightily impressive CV and will assume command in November when Martin Slumbers leaves after nearly a decade in charge.
Darbon held key roles in the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and, most recently, was the acclaimed CEO of the Premiership rugby club, Northampton Saints.
According to our rugby scribbling brethren, the Englishman was the man the Scottish Rugby Union desperately wanted as their head honcho, but the oval ball game’s loss is the dimpled ba’ pursuit’s gain.
Darbon will come into golf at a time of ongoing tumult in the men’s professional scene and various to-ings and fro-ings in leadership. Only the other day, Seth Waugh, the main man at the PGA of America, announced that he would be stepping away.
With Slumbers departing later this season, and Keith Pelley, the former DP World Tour chief executive, already off, the changing of the golfing guard continues.
Darbon, who will also become the secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, has some fairly sizeable shoes to fill but he looks like the kind of young (there, I said it), dynamic and driven individual who will be perfectly suited to a constantly evolving R&A.
Let’s face it, the St Andrews-based governing body used to be as stuffy and austere as a taxidermist’s scullery but, over the years, has transformed itself into an extremely progressive organisation.
During a tenure that promoted innovation and inclusiveness, Slumbers has accelerated that process of modernization. I once saw him wearing a hoodie, for goodness’ sake.
A few years ago, such a sartorial statement from the head of the R&A would’ve been punishable by a public whipping with the cat o’ nine tails on the Bruce Embankment.
Chief Executive of the R&A Martin Slumbers during a press conference ahead of The Open at the Royal Liverpool, Wirral. Picture date: Wednesday July 19, 2023. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
Golf has never been more focused on engaging with new audiences than it is now. It continues to be an eye-opening period.
I mean, here’s the opening paragraph from another R&A press release sent last week which just about left me choking on my own brain.
“The Gang, a full-service gaming studio building best-in-class branded immersive activations, has partnered with The R&A to launch ‘Just Swing’, a new virtual golf experience on Roblox designed to reach new, diverse audiences and drive engagement and participation in the sport.”
Forget the Royal & Ancient. It’s the Radical & Awesome. I was trying to be down with the kids there but have probably only heightened my own crushing irrelevance. Radical & Awesome? Dear me.
In a game that often embraces change with about as much gusto as the three-toed pygmy sloth embarking on a ponderous and reluctant mating ritual, Slumbers helped haul it into a bold new era.
The merger of the R&A and Ladies Golf Union was a major milestone while a modernizing of the rules of golf, the implementation of the World Handicapping System – yes, I know that has divided opinion – and the collaborative yet contentious Distance Insights Project, which will usher in a rolled back golf ball, were all done on Slumbers’ watch.
The 63-year-old has championed disabled golf, through the G4D Open, and helped the AIG Women’s Open grow into a hugely lucrative showpiece while his hands-on approach to the development of the pioneering, community-based, family-focussed Golf It facility in Glasgow underlined his passion and commitment to the grassroots.
Darbon, then, has plenty to build on. There will be plenty on his plate, too. Who knows what state the fractured men’s game will be in when he starts in November. The rollback of the ball, meanwhile, still faces strident opposition from the big-hitting PGA Tour and the PGA of America.
There will be bountiful challenges ahead, but Darbon seems up for them. Now, how old is he again?
In his look at each teams’ talent under 25, ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz has the Minnesota Vikings at 24th, down six spots from the 2023 team.
If you want to have sustained success in the NFL, the best way to do it is with young talent. It’s great to go out and pick up high-quality free agents on the market, but if you want to be able to guarantee consistent success, the free agent market should be a supplement, not the backbone of your team.
Largely, that means building your team through the NFL draft, something the Minnesota Vikings have been trying to do over the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tenure — with mixed success. While some are high on the potential of incoming rookies, such as J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, others- like ESPN, for example- aren’t as high on the young talent the Vikings general manager has been able to amass.
ESPN data analyst Aaron Schatz recently took a deep dive into the rosters of each team to determine which ones are best set up for success with their young talent. Schatz took many factors into account, including starts and snaps by players under 25, age-adjusted quality of play, value and lengths of contracts, and many other factors. Where he has the Vikings may surprise some of the more optimistic fans out there.
Last season, the Vikings came in at number 18 on this list, but this year, they slide down six spots to 24. The slide comes in part because players like Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw “graduated” out of consideration for the list.
The other key factor is simply the lack of high-end talent that qualifies. Schatz has the qualifying “blue-chip” players for the Vikings: last year’s rookie standout Jordan Addison and McCarthy, who will likely start the season behind Sam Darnold on the depth chart.
As Schatz points out, the only other player the Vikings have who qualifies for the list and started more than one game for the team is Ivan Pace, Jr. Pace has been lavished with praise this offseason for his breakout rookie season as an undrafted free agent, but that fact underscores just how much work is left to do to get fresh, young talent on the roster.
