DE Charles Omenihu likes the Texans hiring OLB coach Chris Rumph

Houston Texans defensive end Charles Omenihu endorses the recent hiring of Chris Rumph as outside linebackers coach.

Defensive end Charles Omenihu is in favor of the Houston Texans’ recent hiring of Chris Rumph to be the team’s outside linebackers coach in 2020.

According to a tweet from the former 2019 fifth-round pick from Texas, Rumph attempted to recruit Omenihu in high school at Rowlett (Texas) High School in 2014 when he was the assistant head coach and defensive line coach under Charlie Strong.

While Rumph did end up getting Omenihu to commit to Texas, the defensive line coach was on to a new job in 2015 with the Florida Gators as their defensive line coach, and eventually serving as co-defensive coordinator in his last year of 2017.

Rumph previously spent the past two seasons as the Tennessee Volunteers’ outside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator.

Omenihu collected 3.0 sacks, 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two pass breakups in 14 games played for the Texans. While new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will continue to coach Omenihu and other defensive linemen, at least Houston brought into the fold a coach that could be well-respected by the players.

‘Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight’ – Honolulu: Where the UFC boss has to admit defeat

“Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” is back, and scenic Hawaii serves as the latest backdrop for the online series.

“Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” is back, and scenic Hawaii serves as the latest backdrop for the online series.

UFC president White hosts the series with former UFC champion [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] and MMA vet [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag], using the show to search for future UFC talent, though there are plenty of pitstops along the way.

The crew visits Honolulu in the latest episode, with cameos from former UFC champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], as well as women’s flyweight [autotag]Rachael Ostovich[/autotag], and an up-and-coming prospect secures a UFC deal. Here’s the full episode description, courtesy of the UFC:

UFC President Dana White, Hall of Famer Matt Serra and fighter-turned-coach Din Thomas head to The Aloha State, a longtime hub for mixed martial arts. The guys ride mopeds along the North Shore with UFC flyweight Rachael Ostovich, eat famous shave ice with former featherweight champion Max Holloway, pick pineapples, go flyboarding, and try to talk each other — and themselves — into cliff diving. Then they scout up-and-coming athletes at a Trinity Sport Combat event along with Holloway and his son Rush.

Check out the full episode above.

Does a Michael Bennett reunion make sense for the Seahawks?

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett recorded 6.5 sacks last year at age 34, and would be an upgrade to this team in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks proved near the end of the 2019 season they are not afraid to bring back former players – who are past their prime – if they believe they can come in and help this team win.

While Robert Turbin and Marshawn Lynch are probably not candidates to be back again in 2020, the Seahawks could have their eye on another 2013 Super Bowl champion who is a free agent, and would help them at their biggest area of need.

While Michael Bennett is 34 years old and clearly not the player he once was, he still recorded 6.5 sacks last season, split between the Cowboys and the Patriots. That’s 2.5 more than anyone on Seattle had, and is nearly 25 percent of Seattle’s 28 total sacks from last year.

He had nine sacks back in 2018 with Philadelphia as well, and even if he continues to regress as age catches up to him, there’s little doubt he could have an impact on this Seattle pass rush that is expected to lose Ziggy Ansah and potentially one of Jarran Reed and Jadeveon Clowney to free agency.

Bennett flashed potential interest in a return by retweeting an article at 710 ESPN suggesting Seattle consider re-signing him, and he responded negatively to Brock Huard’s argument against bringing him back – although that tweet has since been deleted.

Bennett does have a checkered past, with reports of him reading books during Pete Carroll’s meetings and run-ins with law enforcement – although Carroll denied the book story and Bennett was never charged with any crimes. Plus, his veteran presence, familiarity with the team’s defensive schemes, and performance last year point to a player who could help this team right away.

The Seahawks don’t want to finish with less than 30 sacks two years in a row.

Bennett will be an affordable way to help ensure that doesn’t happen.

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Report: Bengals have told Andy Dalton they’ll work with him on trade

The Bengals will work to trade Andy Dalton this offseason Cincinnati figures to pick Joe Burrow with the first overall pick, so trading Dalton would make sense Dalton threw 16 TD passes and 14 INTs last season, at one point getting benched for Ryan Finley

The Bengals will work to trade Andy Dalton this offseason Cincinnati figures to pick Joe Burrow with the first overall pick, so trading Dalton would make sense Dalton threw 16 TD passes and 14 INTs last season, at one point getting benched for Ryan Finley

Report: Bengals have told Andy Dalton they’ll work with him on trade

The Bengals will work to trade Andy Dalton this offseason Cincinnati figures to pick Joe Burrow with the first overall pick, so trading Dalton would make sense Dalton threw 16 TD passes and 14 INTs last season, at one point getting benched for Ryan Finley

The Bengals will work to trade Andy Dalton this offseason Cincinnati figures to pick Joe Burrow with the first overall pick, so trading Dalton would make sense Dalton threw 16 TD passes and 14 INTs last season, at one point getting benched for Ryan Finley

Ohio State vs. Rutgers 2019 basketball preview and prediction

Ohio State comes back home to host a Rutgers team that’s having a whale of a season. Here’s a preview, prediction, and odds for the game.

Have you ever seen a season with so much inconsistency as what we are witnessing with this Ohio State basketball team? There are some really, really good wins in there, but also some stinkers in which the team failed to show up.

Now Ohio State hosts a Rutgers team that it’s looking up at in the standings, but one that it really needs to beat at home. The Scarlet Knights have been a far different team on the road, winning just one time at Nebraska, and losing its other five. But they’ve all been close.

A win by the Buckeyes would get them back to just one game under .500, while a loss would probably put this team pretty close to the bubble with time running out before the postseason.

It’s life in the big, bad Big Ten.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 9:00 a.m. ET. 

Records

Ohio State 15-8, (5-7), Rutgers 17-7, (8-5)

All-time series record

7-3 Ohio State leads

Last meeting

Ohio State won 76-62 last season at home on February 2

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Wednesday, February 12
Game Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
Network: BTN

Next … The Ohio State Game Plan

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Report: Bengals have told Andy Dalton they’ll work with him on trade

The Bengals will work on a trade for Andy Dalton.

The Cincinnati Bengals will indeed try to find a trade partner for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.

It has sounded for a while like the Bengals will do right by Dalton on his way out the door as it seems clear the team heads toward making Joe Burrow the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Now Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has followed up with a report confirming this, noting the Bengals have been in communication with Dalton and won’t put him in a situation he doesn’t like.

Meaning, a trade will happen at some point, though it won’t figure to be a deal that sends the veteran to a needy rebuilder without a chance of contending. What might complicate matters is a free-agent quarterback class including Philip Rivers, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater and Tom Brady.

Dalton leaving would mean the Bengals need to be on the market for a veteran backup, too.

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Marquette vs. Villanova Basketball Fearless Prediction, Game Preview

Marquette vs. Villanova college basketball fearless prediction and game preview.

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Marquette vs. Villanova college basketball fearless prediction and game preview.

Marquette vs. Villanova Broadcast

Date: Wednesday, February 12
Game Time: 8:30 ET
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)
Venue: Finneran Pavillion, Villanova, PA
Network: FS1

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Marquette (17-6) vs. Villanova (17-6) Game Preview

If want in on this week’s games, sign up with BetMGM

Why Marquette Will Win

The Golden Eagles got out to a huge start and coasted from there in a 71-60 win over Villanova several weeks ago. Things are a wee bit different now, starting with the the Wildcats coming into this on a three-game losing streak.

They’re still fine from three, and they still have the explosiveness to go on a run at any time, but they’re not doing enough defensively in key spots, they’re not hitting the boards well enough, and the D isn’t coming up with the key stop.

Marquette is every bit as good from the outside, it hits all of its free throws, and it’s dominant on the boards. The team has the right mix and blend to take down the win on the road, but …

Why Villanova Will Win

Marquette turns it over way, way too often.

It’s partly due to the team’s style – a lot of high risk, high reward – but just assume it’ll turn it over at least 13 times. The defense doesn’t generate enough mistakes to come up with easy points, either.

Villanova might not be playing at its normal level, but it doesn’t give the ball away, is fantastic at making the extra pass to keep things moving around, and the three is always a thread.

The Golden Eagle D might be okay overall and solid from the perimeter, but Villanova’s loss to Butler last week was the first time all year it lost when it hit 40% or better from three.

8-1 when making 40% of their shots, Villanova has to get hot at home.

What’s Going To Happen

Villanova is way overdue to pull up out of the nosedive, but Marquette is too good and playing too well in too many areas.

The Golden Eagles will win on the boards, keep the Wildcat shooters from getting into a groove, and they’ll pull out the big road win in a fun shootout that’ll be a whole lot tighter and more interesting than the first meeting.

Marquette vs. Villanova Prediction, Line

Marquette 77, Villanova 74
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 
Villanova -5.5, o/u: 125.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
– Get Tickets For This Game

Must See Rating: 4

5: Election analysis
1: Election speeches

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As Rockets go small, Westbrook grows his scoring, shooting rates

Russell Westbrook has scored 36+ points on 54%+ shooting in three straight games, matching the longest such streak in over 20 years.

One of the big benefits of the suddenly smaller lineup for the Houston Rockets is supposed to be floor spacing, which provides more opportunities for All-Star guards and former MVPs Russell Westbrook and James Harden to drive to the basket.

In particular, Westbrook is taking full advantage. In three games since the Feb. 5 trade of traditional center Clint Capela, Westbrook has scored at least 36 points in each game on 54% shooting or better from the field.

That matches the longest such streak in the NBA in over 20 years. The last player to do it for four games was Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal, who accomplished the feat way back in November 1999.

O’Neal, of course, was a 7-foot-1 big man. For Westbrook to have that type of shooting accuracy as a 6-foot-3 guard is almost unprecedented.

Prior to Tuesday’s win over Boston, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens referred to Westbrook as “like a jet engine flying into the paint.”

Westbrook and Harden then combined for 78 points on Tuesday, becoming the first pair of Rockets in franchise history to each score 35 or more points in regulation during a regular-season game.

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The increased shooting efficiency for Westbrook has come amid a dramatic change in his shot profile. In his last 10 games entering Tuesday, Westbrook’s average shot distance had dropped by more than four feet relative to his first 34 games in Houston.

In that 10-game stretch, Westbrook’s rate of shots in the paint increased from 52% to 71%, while his attempted 3-pointers fell from 23% to 5%.

Over his last 14 outings, Westbrook is averaging 34.0 points (53.0% shooting), 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. That makes him the NBA’s No. 2 overall scorer over that span on a per-game basis, trailing only Portland’s Damian Lillard (35.5).

Westbrook will play in his ninth All-Star Game on Sunday in Chicago, and then he and the Rockets (34-20) will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Golden State (12-42). That game will tip off at 9:30 p.m. Central, with an exclusive national broadcast on TNT.

Houston enters the All-Star break having won five of its last seven games, and it could be six if not for Bojan Bogdanovic’s stunning buzzer-beater.

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