Kurt Warner explains why he sees himself more as a Cardinal than Ram

Kurt Warner won a Super Bowl with the Rams, but he associates himself more with the Cardinals.

Kurt Warner helped deliver the Rams their most recent Super Bowl while the team was still in St. Louis. He was a cog in turning the offense into the “Greatest Show on Turf,” teaming with Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk on offense.

As good as he was with the Rams for those three years as the starting quarterback, he identifies himself more as a member of the Cardinals. He led Arizona to Super Bowl XLIII and was a Pro Bowler in 2008, playing at a very high level late in his career.

He was asked by Dan Patrick this week whether he sees himself as more of a Cardinal or Ram, and his reasoning for picking the Cardinals makes sense.

“I would probably say a Cardinal. As strange as that is with as much success and maybe the best years of my career being with the Rams, but I think a lot of it has to do with just where I ended,” he said. “The fact that I ended with the Cardinals, I’m still more connected with the team and the front office and stuff there. I still live in Arizona. Hard to say because I love both organizations and both of them were about equal for my career. I would probably say a little bit more with the Cardinals.”

Warner is a Hall of Famer, but he likely wouldn’t have made it to Canton if not for his Super Bowl with the Rams. Considering he lives in Arizona and still has ties to the Cardinals, though, it’s easy to understand why he associates himself with the last team he played for.

With the Rams, he threw 102 touchdown passes and only 65 interceptions, going 35-15 in 50 games as the starter.

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Michigan State Basketball signs two recruits during early signing period

AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko are officially Spartans

Today is the first day basketball players in the class of 2020 can sign their national letters of intent and Michigan State’s two basketball commits did just that.

AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko both announced on Twitter that they had signed and sent in their NLIs.

Hoggard is a point guard out of Huntington Prep in West Virginia. He is rated as the No. 13 point guard in the country and No. 71 player overall by 24/7 Sports’ composite rankings.

Sissoko will head to East Lansing from Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. The 6’9 center is rated as the No. 7 player at his position and the No. 37 player in the class of 2020.

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Steelers miss the mark in latest 2020 NFL draft

The Steelers needs to be smart with their second-round pick in 2020.

2020 draft picks are in short supply for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After trading away their first and third-round picks for 2020, the pressure to land an impact player in the second round goes up significantly. And unfortunately, in the latest three-round mock draft from Draft Wire, the Steelers miss the mark with their one all-important choice.

They have the Steelers drafting Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace. Don’t misunderstand, Wallace is an excellent receiver. He had 86 receptions for 1,491 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns in 2018. He’s a solid route runner and fits perfectly in a scheme designed to use his explosiveness.

But there are two things wrong with this pick. First off, the Steelers have a nice rounded out group of receivers. The Steelers have two second-round picks in JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington along with former third-round pick Diontae Johnson. There are greater positions of need on this roster to spend a pick this important on Wallace.

Second, and maybe more important is that Wallace suffered a torn ACL just two weeks ago. I understand how far medical technology has come but it is hard to see him being a contributor as a rookie at this point. Wallace could be a great player but with needs at other spots, it would be better to look elsewhere.

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Ohio State’s Chase Young only to miss one more game

Michigan fans that hoped that the Wolverines wouldn’t see star Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young – possibly the best player in college football – after what looked like an indefinite suspension, well, that dream is dead. In a statement released by …

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Michigan fans that hoped that the Wolverines wouldn’t see star Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young — possibly the best player in college football — after what looked like an indefinite suspension, well, that dream is dead.

In a statement released by Ohio State, after accepting and paying back a loan, determined to be against NCAA rules, Young will only miss one more game, making his suspension just two games.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The NCAA has concluded its review of The Ohio State University Department of Athletics’ reinstatement request for student-athlete Chase Young, and it has determined that Young should be withheld from playing in one additional game before being eligible to resume competition. Young was withheld from Ohio State’s Nov. 9 game against Maryland while the department looked into and reported a possible NCAA issue from 2018. Young will also miss Ohio State’s Nov. 16 game against Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.

“I want to thank and express my sincere gratitude to university staff members who worked so diligently and expertly to learn and understand the facts, and then to report these facts to the NCAA as part of our request to have Chase reinstated,” Gene Smith, Ohio State Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director, said. “This is the example of the culture of compliance we have at Ohio State.

“I also want to commend Chase Young and let him know how proud we are of him. He took responsibility for his actions, cooperated throughout the process and understood and accepted that there would be consequences. He’s a team captain and a leader and most importantly, a Buckeye. He wanted nothing more than an opportunity to play again and we’re pleased that he’ll get that chance.”

Ohio State had requested immediate reinstatement on behalf of Young in its formal report to the NCAA.

“I appreciate the expediency to which the NCAA reviewed and responded to our request for reinstatement,” Smith said. “We felt that based on the circumstances, the NCAA would use its leadership capacity to take an understanding approach on behalf of all student-athletes who find themselves in a similar position, and it certainly did just that.”

Ohio State plays on Rutgers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at SHI Stadium.

That means Ohio State will have him for both the home Penn State game and then again for the Michigan game in Ann Arbor.

The Game will take place Nov. 30 at The Big House at noon EST.

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Falcons TE Austin Hooper out for a month with MCL sprain

Falcons tight end Austin Hooper left Sunday’s win over the Saints due to a knee injury.

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Falcons tight end Austin Hooper left Sunday’s win over the Saints due to a knee injury. Hooper, who’s been one of the NFL’s elite tight ends this season, had an MRI which revealed he has an MCL sprain.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team will be without its star tight end for about a month.

With just seven games remaining, you have to wonder if Hooper will even make it back on the field this season. Backup TE Luke Stocker should get more time over the next few weeks, but he’s not the weapon Hooper is.

Stocker has just six receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown in 2019.

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2019-20 ALL-USA Girls Basketball Team

USA TODAY High School Sports has released the 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team. Here are some notable selections to this year’s team… Paige Bueckers, Point Guard Bueckers is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2020, she averaged 24.4 points per game, 5.5 assists and 4.7 steals per game. Cameron Brink, Forward The No. 3 player in the Class of 2020, averaged more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game last season. Sydney Parrish, Guard Parrish averaged 21 points per game as a junior and led her team to a state title in Indiana. Hailey Van Lith, Guard Named to the ALL-USA First Team as a junior, Van Lith averaged 24.4 poitns, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 5.2 steals per game. Jada Walker, Point Guard Led New Hope to the GEICO Nationals Championship, she finished her junior season averaging 23 points, three steals and five assists. For the full team, visit usatodayhss.com

USA TODAY High School Sports has released the 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team. Here are some notable selections to this year’s team… Paige Bueckers, Point Guard Bueckers is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2020, she averaged 24.4 points per game, 5.5 assists and 4.7 steals per game. Cameron Brink, Forward The No. 3 player in the Class of 2020, averaged more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game last season. Sydney Parrish, Guard Parrish averaged 21 points per game as a junior and led her team to a state title in Indiana. Hailey Van Lith, Guard Named to the ALL-USA First Team as a junior, Van Lith averaged 24.4 poitns, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 5.2 steals per game. Jada Walker, Point Guard Led New Hope to the GEICO Nationals Championship, she finished her junior season averaging 23 points, three steals and five assists. For the full team, visit usatodayhss.com

2019-20 ALL-USA Girls Basketball Team

USA TODAY High School Sports has released the 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team. Here are some notable selections to this year’s team… Paige Bueckers, Point Guard Bueckers is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2020, she averaged 24.4 points per game, 5.5 assists and 4.7 steals per game. Cameron Brink, Forward The No. 3 player in the Class of 2020, averaged more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game last season. Sydney Parrish, Guard Parrish averaged 21 points per game as a junior and led her team to a state title in Indiana. Hailey Van Lith, Guard Named to the ALL-USA First Team as a junior, Van Lith averaged 24.4 poitns, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 5.2 steals per game. Jada Walker, Point Guard Led New Hope to the GEICO Nationals Championship, she finished her junior season averaging 23 points, three steals and five assists. For the full team, visit usatodayhss.com

USA TODAY High School Sports has released the 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team. Here are some notable selections to this year’s team… Paige Bueckers, Point Guard Bueckers is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2020, she averaged 24.4 points per game, 5.5 assists and 4.7 steals per game. Cameron Brink, Forward The No. 3 player in the Class of 2020, averaged more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game last season. Sydney Parrish, Guard Parrish averaged 21 points per game as a junior and led her team to a state title in Indiana. Hailey Van Lith, Guard Named to the ALL-USA First Team as a junior, Van Lith averaged 24.4 poitns, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 5.2 steals per game. Jada Walker, Point Guard Led New Hope to the GEICO Nationals Championship, she finished her junior season averaging 23 points, three steals and five assists. For the full team, visit usatodayhss.com

New team atop Super 25 Volleyball Rankings in Week 12

Surprising losses and a new No. 1 team in the Super 25, see what happened in the volleyball ranks this week!

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Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) has won 11 consecutive matches, dominating the Texas high school volleyball circuit.

When other teams have slipped up, Byron Nelson has stayed consistent, notching its record to 44-2. And now the team is being rewarded.

The Bobcats are the newest No. 1 team in the Super 25 High School Volleyball Rankings.

FULL RANKINGS: Super 25 Volleyball Rankings, Week 12

Most recently, the team earned a victory over Flower Mound (Texas), which is third in the rankings this week.

“This feels like a state championship win, but we know we have more work to go,” Paige Flickinger told the Dallas Morning News about the win.

Flickinger, a Midseason ALL-USA select, is committed to LSU for next season. She’s been a big reason for Byron Nelson’s success so far. The Dallas Morning News reported that Flickinger tallied 27 kills en route to Byron Nelson’s win over Flower Mound.

Padua Franciscan (Parma, Ohio), after initially not making the Super 25 ranks, went on an upset run that included victories over Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) and Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky). Eventually, the team not only entered the rankings, but moved into the No. 1 spot after earning more wins.

Last week, Padua Franciscan’s impressive run came to a close, losing to St. Francis DeSales (Columbus, Ohio) in Ohio’s Division I state final. With the defeat, it dropped out of the No. 1 spot and into the 12th spot.

Eagan (Minnesota), which ranked No. 2 in the Super 25, also suffered a surprise loss. Wayzata (Plymouth, Minnesota) took down the Wildcats in five sets to win Minnesota’s Class 3A title.