Category: Video

What does Nikola Topic’s ACL tear mean to the San Antonio Spurs’ draft plans?

Will Topic be on the board at No. 8?

The San Antonio Spurs might get multiple cracks at drafting coveted Serbian point guard Nikola Topic with picks at Nos. 4 and 8 in the 2024 NBA draft. But the reason why that may be the case could also be a good reason to pass, pending how the Spurs’ front office sees his medicals after news broke that Topic has a partially torn ACL.

Evidently the same knee that had Topic sitting out for four months while he was playing overseas, the news will likely make the projected top-five draft pick slip in his 2024 cohort. Would it be enough to slip to No. 8 and let San Antonio use their No. 4 pick on a player like UConn’s Donovan Clingan?

Of course, this depends on how that knee looks, but this is an intriguing development should the best outcome of this being a minor injury as far as ACL tears can be, and the folks behind the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel took some time to talk it over on a recent episode.

Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: The making of the modern NFL safety

Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar explore the making of the modern NFL safety, and discuss some of the best safeties in the game today.

In the 2023 NFL season, there were as many great safeties playing most of their snaps in the deep third as there were great safeties playing over 300 snaps each in the box, in the slot, and in the deep third.

More is being asked of safeties than ever before. Now, it’s not about whether you’re best in the box or as a pure free safety. Now, it’s likely that your team will require you to play multiple positions at a plus level just to get and stay on the field. Collegiate defenses are preparing these players for this reality, and when the NFL hits, all one can do is to expand those skills as much as possible.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and the USA Sports Media Group) explore what makes a modern safety, what positions and schemes matter most, and some of the best to do it all these days.

Greg and Doug also attempt to have a rational, nuanced discussion about Trevor Lawrence’s play on the field, as impossible as that may seem these days.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here, and like and subscribe on YouTube:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

San Antonio Spurs 2024 NBA offseason preview

NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie has put together an offseason guide for all the change that could be coming.

The San Antonio Spurs have star French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama already on their roster, a feat (unlike that of the Phoenix Suns) that pretty much any other team in the NBA would likely swap their rosters just to have the generational talent on their team.

But to jump start the winning such a player demands, the Spurs actually have a fair amount of work to do this coming 2024 offseason, at least if the winning is to start happening in San Antonio’s 2024-25 campaign. The Spurs could make more forward-looking moves that would delay that leap forward another season and reap a good lottery pick as a result, but whatever the team does, this summer will be a key part of the rebuild.

NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie has put together an offseason guide to help us fans smooth the path mentally for all the change that could be coming.

Check it out for yourself in the clip embedded above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Why defensive tackles matter more than ever

Why are defensive tackles more important in today’s NFL than they’ve ever been before? Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar are here with the answers.

In today’s NFL, with as much quick game as teams are using, it’s more important than ever to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible. Often, the shortest distance between the line of scrimmage and the quarterback is a straight line, and when your edge-rushers don’t have time to get home, it’s up to your interior defensive linemen to make those sacks and pressures happen.

It’s why the NFL has placed an increasing importance on those inside guys, and the money has gone up accordingly.

In 2019, there were 15 interior defensive linemen with in-season cap hits of more than $10 million, led by Aaron Donald at $17,108,000. In 2024, there are 22 such players. Now, a lot of those contracts are ones in which the cap hit happens to explode in this league year, but the point still stands – the NFL is placing an increased financial priority on interior defensive linemen. 

It’s also why NFL is paying more centers and guards more money and selecting more higher in the draft, as well.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into all the reasons why interior defensive linemen are of such crucial importance, the techniques they use to pester enemy quarterbacks, and the best players at creating pressure in the shortest possible time.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

You can also listen to and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Steve Wilson was the best player to wear No. 45 for the Broncos

Steve Wilson helped the Broncos reach two Super Bowls and he retired with the ninth-most interceptions (16) in franchise history.

Steve Wilson was the best player to ever wear jersey No. 45 for the Denver Broncos.

Wilson spent time at both a cornerback and safety, entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Howard with the Dallas Cowboys in 1979. After three seasons in Dallas, Wilson signed with the Broncos in 1982. He went on to play seven years in Denver, recording 16 interceptions, five fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.

Wilson dressed for 92 games with the Broncos, earning 18 starts. He helped the team reach back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1980s.

Former Denver linebacker Alexander Johnson also deserves a shout-out as an honorable mention. Johnson played for the Broncos from 2018-2021, recording 249 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, eight pass breakups, 4.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception in 38 games.

Wilson played three more seasons in Denver than Johnson and he started for the team in Super Bowl XXII. Wilson ranked ninth on the Broncos’ all-time interceptions list when he retired in 1989. He now ranks 16th.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Reacting to the San Antonio Spurs landing the Nos. 4 and 8 picks in the 2024 NBA draft

Should they use both picks to take players to surround Wemby with, or combine them to move up for a player with a higher ceiling?

The San Antonio Spurs now know where they will be picking in the NBA’s 2024 draft, with this year’s draft lottery having been done on Sunday (May 12) afternoon. As the Spurs look to surround star French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama with the right players to maximize his otherworldly abilities, they will do so armed with the Nos. 4 and 8 picks in the draft.

Should they use both picks to take players to surround Wemby with, or combine them to move up in the draft for a player with a higher ceiling? Or might it make more sense to use one or both to land the sort of player San Antonio needs via trade?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with San Antonio Sports Star’s James Pledger to discuss the Spurs landing picks No. 4 and 8 in the coming NBA draft.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Breaking down the Chicago Bulls’ cap situation

What kind of moves can they make given the contracts they have on the books moving forward?

Fans of the Chicago Bulls have been given big promises about the future of their favorite ball club from Bulls general manager Arturas Karnisovas after Chicago underwhelmed yet again. And rightfully so after three NBA offseasons and subsequent trade deadlines without the team making any significant moves.

But what is the Bulls front office actually working with in terms of roster cost and flexibility? What kind of moves can they make given the contracts they have on the books moving forward? And how might they be constrained by various courses of action?

To get a better idea of the Bulls’ cap situation, the hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast put together a clip breaking it all down for us.

To get up to speed on Chicago’s financial outlook for next season and beyond, take a look at the clip embedded above.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Highlights of new Bears EDGE Austin Booker

The Bears traded into the fifth round to land EDGE Austin Booker, who has an incredibly high ceiling. See him in action:

The Chicago Bears need help with their pass rush and they didn’t address with any of the four picks that they had scheduled coming into the 2024 NFL Draft. Because of this, Ryan Poles took a risk and traded into the fifth round to select Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker.

The Bears traded a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Buffalo Bills for their original No. 144 pick (traded to Buffalo for Ryan Bates), which tells you Poles must’ve thought highly of Booker.

Kansas isn’t exactly a football powerhouse, but they are very capable of producing good NFL talent from time to time. The Bears are hoping that this is something that happened with Booker, who has a limited sample size but extremely high ceiling.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]

It’s unclear how much playing time he’ll have as a rookie, but Booker will have a star like Montez Sweat to look up to as he begins his NFL career. Having Sweat and defensive coordinator Eric Washington should be great for Booker as he develops.

These highlights from Kansas show exactly what Booker has been able to do in his career:

Highlights of new Bears punter Tory Taylor

The Bears landed the best punter in college football with Iowa’s Tory Taylor. See him in action:

The Chicago Bears made a statement with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

This came after overhauling the offense with quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Rome Odunze and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie between Days 1 and 2.

General manager Ryan Poles did something that some consider to be foolish in the NFL draft. He selected a punter. In the fourth round. However, this isn’t any old punter. This is Taylor, who was the best punter in college football.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]

He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and earning recognition as the Ray Guy Award winner as the nation’s top punter.

Taylor is a great punter with impressive leg strength and the ability to be a game changer that flips the field. He could wind up being one of the best in the NFL at some point.

These are some of his highlights from Iowa that show just how good he is:

Highlights of new Bears WR Rome Odunze

The Bears added to their explosive receivers room with Rome Odunze. Here’s a glimpse at what Chicago is getting in the No. 9 pick:

There was a lot of speculation about what the Chicago Bears would do with the ninth overall pick. While all the top defensive players and talented offensive tackles, they couldn’t pass up wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Odunze was incredible during his college career at Washington. He had over 1,100 yards in both 2022 and 2023. Last year, Odunze totaled more than 1,600 yards as Washington made it to the College Football Playoff. He has some great high-pressure experience as a result along with all of these great stats. It is a home run of a pick.

This is a wide receiver that can be explosive and he can go up and catch a football. With DJ Moore and Keenan Allen already in place, this is going to be an incredible receiver room. It could be both the best in the NFL and the best in Bears history.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]

The Bears selected Odunze’s friend Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick to kick off the night. Now, they get to come to Chicago together to start their careers in the NFL. These highlights are what Bears fans have to look forward to from Odunze:

[afflinkbutton text=”Pre-order Rome Odunze Chicago Bears jersey” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/Wqo1nA”]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Bears Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.