Rams rule out WR Brandin Cooks, RT Rob Havenstein vs. Bears

The Rams have already ruled out two offensive starters for a Week 11 game against the Bears in WR Brandin Cooks and RT Rob Havenstein.

The Los Angeles Rams are banged up heading into a pivotal Week 11 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

After losing center Brian Allen for the season with an MCL injury, the Rams will also be without receiver Brandin Cooks (concussion) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (meniscus) come Sunday’s primetime game against the Bears.

The Rams’ offensive line is a mess due to an influx of injuries, which doesn’t bode well for quarterback Jared Goff, who will face a Bears defense that mauled him last season.

Cooks’ absence will heighten the pressure on receiver Cooper Kupp, who failed to catch a pass for the first time in his NFL career last Sunday in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with Cooks out.

The Bears defense might be catching the Rams offense at the right time. Although the Bears offense will have to face a dominant Rams defense led by All-Pro Aaron Donald.

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Damion Lee will be sidelined at least 2 weeks with right hand fracture

With a date against the Lakers on tap, the Warriors will head to Los Angeles somewhat shorthanded with Damion Lee headed to the shelf.

First Stephen Curry, now Damion Lee.

On Tuesday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported that Warriors third-year man Damion Lee has suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be out of the lineup for the Dubs for at least the next two weeks.

In the early goings of the season, Lee has averaged 10 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Warriors in 21.9 minutes per contest, so his loss will be felt.

The unfortunate news comes shortly after Stephen Curry also fractured a bone in his hand. Curry, however, required surgery and, as a result, will be out until at least February. Fortunately, Lee’s injury doesn’t seem to be nearly as serious.

In the early goings of the season, Steve Kerr has seemingly been playing musical chairs with his bench. Draymond Green, D’Angelo Russell and Eric Paschall have each missed time, and obviously, Curry is out for the foreseeable future.

On Monday night, Golden State suffered its fourth consecutive loss and entered play on November 12 with the league’s worst record. To make matters even worse, they have a date with the Los Angeles Lakers—owners of the league’s second best record—on Wednesday.

With Green rejoining the lineup on Monday, reinforcements have arrived, but now, Kerr’s team has one less body to turn to.

How Brad Stevens and a maniacal Marcus Smart have saved the Celtics defense

Marcus Smart’s fantastic start to the season is fueling the Celtic’s defense.

Count me as one of those people who thought the Celtics would be terrible after losing Al Horford. Kyrie Irving was their best scorer, sure. But Horford was their Swiss Army knife.

He defended, stretched the floor and, in some cases, would even guard the best player on the opposing team.  It’s rare that we see a 3&D big man scampering around the NBA, but Horford was exactly that for the Celtics.

Over his three seasons with Boston, he shot 38 percent from 3-point range, anchored their defense and spent time in May locking up Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was a fulcrum offensively with his passing and screen setting. He constantly set the table for the team on both ends.

It’s not easy to find a guy who is a plus on offense, and who can guard Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo if you needed him to. It should be impossible not to take a step back after losing a player like that — especially when you replace him with a player like Enes Kanster.

No disrespect to Enes, but his most notable moment in the NBA might be this:

It’s reasonable to expect a big dip in defense, especially as the Celtics also lost a rim protector in Aron Baynes. But not only have the Celtics survived — they’re thriving. They’ve racked up eight straight wins and are sitting atop the East, and the defense has actually … improved.

Here’s how they’ve done it.

Brad Stevens has trusted Daniel Theis and Robert Williams

The Celtics 102.4 defensive rating so far ranks 8th in the league this season, but it’s a more stingy rating than they ever had through three seasons with Horford on the back end of their defense.

Part of the reason why, ironically enough, is that they haven’t played Horford’s theoretical replacement: Kanter. Kanter has been hurt — he played in the season opener against the 76ers and didn’t play again until last night’s game against the Mavericks.

His absence has allowed Daniel Theis and Robert Williams to blossom as a one-two punch at center. They’re averaging a combined 3.7 blocks per game so far this year. Brad Stevens is asking them to do what they’re comfortable doing — protecting the rim. So far, it’s working.

They’re leaning into it. Their top five most played lineups feature either Theis or Williams at center. Stevens will have to figure out how to get Kanter minutes without sacrificing their rim protection, but it’s a good problem to have.

Marcus Smart is a maniac

Smart just likes to terrorize things. Watching him on defense right now is an adventure, and Stevens has given him the green light to wreak havoc. It’s fun.

Dribbling around him is a no-go. Don’t do it. Just ask RJ Barrett what happens when you do.

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It’s not just that, though. He also willingly guards power forwards. That’s insane already. But that’s before even considering the fact that he’s actually good at it.

When they try to face up against him, he gets up underneath them and doesn’t allow them to put the ball down.

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He also stonewalls dudes in the post as a 6’4, 220-pound guard.

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That’s special stuff that you can’t really replicate with any one player. He’s been the Swiss Army knife that Horford was for them, but in guard form.

I literally cannot think of another guard that can do this. I’m also pretty sure that there isn’t one that actually WANTS to do this. Smart is just insane.

Just look at these numbers. So far, he’s forced 24 turnovers so far this season. He’s only committed eight of them himself. Players are shooting a mere 28.8% when being guarded by Smart this season. That’s a Defensive Player of the Year resume if I’ve ever seen one.

It’s tough to say whether the Celtics will keep this up on defense — especially as Kanter eases his way back into the lineup. It’s worth keeping an eye on, though.

Every special defense has a special player. Right now, Smart is looking like that guy in Boston.

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Saints lose ground on reeling 49ers in the latest NFL power rankings

The New Orleans Saints fell in the latest NFL power rankings, trailing the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Ravens.

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The New Orleans Saints took a fall in the latest NFL power rankings from Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire, slipping from the No. 3 spot to No. 4 after an ugly home upset to the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time, with the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers suffering their first loss of the year. If the Saints had handled their business, they could have seized the top spot in the NFC. Now, they’re behind both the 49ers and Green Bay Packers, with seven games left to play.

Here’s some of what Farrar wrote about the Saints’ underwhelming day against Atlanta, and what he’s looking for out of them in the coming weeks:

Does this game portend larger issues, or was it an anomaly? The Saints have struggled with slow starts this season, and their offensive line is struggling with ineffectiveness, perhaps exacerbated by injuries. The most disconcerting injury right now, though, is the hamstring strain suffered by top cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore is week to week at this point, and the Saints next face a Buccaneers offense that knows how to exploit weakened secondaries

The 49ers are still ranked above the Saints in Farrar’s power rankings, but barely. The New England Patriots are sandwiched in between both of them, and the only team to have beaten New England this year — Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens — owns the No. 1 spot. It’s easy to see a path for the Saints to make a late bid for the highest spot in these power rankings, but they need to rebound in a big way after the speedbump they hit on Sunday.

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NFL odds: Broncos are 10.5-point underdogs vs. Vikings in Week 11

The Broncos are considered double-digit underdogs on the road against the Vikings this week.

The Denver Broncos (3-6) are considered 10.5-point underdogs on the road against the Minnesota Vikings (7-3) in Week 11, according to BetMGM. The over/under line for combined points scored between the two teams has been set at 39.5.

Before their bye last week, Denver scored 24 points in a 24-19 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 9. Minnesota scored 28 points in a 28-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday evening. That’s 52 combined points in their last games, which would be over this week’s over/under line.

The Broncos and Vikings have met 14 times in the past and the series is tied 7-7. Denver has won all of the last three meetings, including a 35-32 win in Minnesota in 2011. The Broncos are 50-45 coming off their bye over the last 10 years and will look to improve that record in Week 11.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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NCSA: Five social media lessons for coaches

Any coach who’s looking to brush up their social media skills should look at these tips and tricks from NCSA.

Nelson Gord is a former collegiate and professional ballplayer, successful high school head coach and the founder of the largest travel baseball club in Illinois. Nelson is just one of many former college and professional athletes and coaches who are part of the Next College Student Athlete team. Their experience, along with NCSA’s history of digital innovation and long-standing relationship with the college coaching community, helped create NCSA Team Edition, the free recruiting platform for club and high school coaches and their teams.

Social media can be a tremendous tool for growing the reach and influence of your team or organization, but it also must be utilized properly in order to really help. That’s why NCSA Team Edition (our recruiting platform built for high school and club coaches) recently hosted a social media education webinar that covered many tips and issues that coaches and athletes may not be familiar with. It is a highly recommended watch for any coach who’s looking to brush up their social media skills. In this article, you’ll find just a few of the takeaways from this webinar.

Athletes and parents: You can also apply much of this information to your own social media presence, especially the section about dos and don’ts. 

Click here to watch the full social media education webinar.

Celebrate achievements

When your team and athletes are doing well and others see that, it’s a great boost for your brand and reputation. That’s why when athletes have an impressive game, cap off a solid season, win an award, etc., you should share that achievement, whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. This can also extend to academic achievements, college commitments, service projects and other related activities. Make sure to use hashtags and tag other teams in your region to help expand your reach.

Market your athletes

Outside of celebrating achievements, social media presents plenty of opportunities to market your athletes and help them get noticed throughout the college recruiting process. You can announce the arrival of new athletes when they join your team or create introduction or highlight videos that show off your athletes. If that seems a bit too time-intensive, keep an eye out for any tweets or posts that athletes and families share. You can share and retweet those to show support and also add content to your page.

Share alumni highlights

Few things make your team look better on social media than alumni getting recruited and playing for a college program. That’s why you should keep following your former athletes and sharing what they’re doing at the next level. This is especially effective when sharing posts about your alumni that have been posted by their college team or university accounts. To get the best possible reach, you’ll ideally want to follow every single college program in your sport—or at least the ones that recruit in your region.

Make sure your Twitter bio stands out

Twitter is the main social media platform used by college coaches and programs when it comes to communicating with potential recruits. To effectively stand out, you’ll want your team’s Twitter handle to actually be representative of your team. So, if your baseball team is the Washington Stars, you may want to name it @StarsBaseball. You’ll also want to make sure the bio is informative and includes any accolades that your team has recently won. Having a recognizable name and informative bio will help your account get more traction.

Educate athletes about dos and don’ts

As you already know, your athletes don’t always make the best decisions. When it comes to social media, once you post something online, it’s out there forever. Help educate them about proper social media usage with these tips:

Do:

  • Stay positive
  • Adopt a 24-hour rule (don’t post when emotions are running hot)
  • Consider what you’re liking and retweeting
  • Make your Instagram and Snapchat accounts private
  • Post highlight and skills clips
  • Announce your commitment

Don’t

  • Use bad language
  • Post anything you wouldn’t want your parents to see
  • Engage with fans of opposing schools or teams
  • Post anything negative about a school that is recruiting you
  • Post personal contact information

When you find success, keep going

Even top clubs still lean on social media after they’ve become household names. After the seminar, we asked some of our top NCSA Team Edition partner clubs about their approach to social media.

Coach Ryan Silver of West Coast Elite—the largest youth travel basketball organization on the West Coast—shared that “Social media is very important for highlighting our players’ accomplishments on and off the court. We believe that off-the-court accomplishments—community service, strong academic resume—are just as important as an athlete with a 40-inch vertical being recruited by the top college programs in the country. The foundation of our program is built around the 40-year plan: setting yourself up for life after basketball. Social media allows us to help each athlete who is a part of our program by highlighting their accomplishments.”

Vince Muscat, Club Director of Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy, shared that “Social media is an important way for us to communicate and market to our customers and their families. We use social media to help promote the individual athletes as well as the team’s accomplishments. We utilize social media to market upcoming programs, lessons, training, tournament schedules and to highlight our alumni as they continue their collegiate careers.”

When utilized correctly, social media can be a tremendous tool for you and your team. Do you need help expanding your social media reach? Have any topics which you’d like to see covered in this column? Reach out to NCSA Team Edition directly at teamedition@ncsasports.com and we’ll let you know how we can help.

2020 Pro Bowl voting now open

It’s time to cast your vote to send your favorite Charger to the 2020 Pro Bowl.

Voting for the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl is officially open.

Fans can vote on NFL.com/ProBowlVote from Tuesday, Nov. 12 until Sunday Dec. 12. The rosters for the AFC and NFC will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17 on NFL Network.

During the final two weeks of 2020 Pro Bowl voting — November 28-December 12 — fans will also be able to vote on Twitter. To cast a vote, fans should tweet the first and last name of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle, or a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. It must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote.

Fans, players and coaches will each account for one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl

Even though it hasn’t been the sunshine and rainbows for the Chargers, the team still has several players worthy of Pro Bowl consideration this season.

Running back Austin Ekeler has been a force as a ball carrier and as a pass-catcher. Ekeler has totaled 899 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. Wide receiver Keenan Allen has cooled down a little bit the past few weeks, but he has still amassed 62 receptions for 725 yards and three touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, cornerback Casey Hayward continues to shut down some of the league’s best receivers on a weekly basis. In the trenches, defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa remain as one of the top pass-rushing tandems, combining for 13 sacks.

Fullback Derek Watt and linebacker Drue Tranquill have done their fair share of work on special teams. Watt leads the league in special teams tackles with 12, while Tranquill is third with nine.

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Tyron Woodley has ‘perfect scenario’ of fights but might first have to settle for Leon Edwards

Tyron Woodley is on a mission to be the greatest of all time, wants to fight the top welterweights like Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman.

[autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] is on a mission to become the greatest of all time.

Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC), the former UFC welterweight champion, last competed in March at UFC 235, where he lost his title to [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]. It was Woodley’s first loss in over four years, and during his championship tenure he successfully defended his title four times.

During a Monday appearance on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show,” Woodley said he has his eye on the two top 170 pounders, Usman and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who are set to square off for the title at UFC 245.

“My perfect scenario, to be honest: I want to fight the best the UFC has to offer right now,” Woodley said. “I want to fight obviously Colby, I want to fight Usman, (expletive) I want to fight Israel Adesanya after I wipe out the division. If I can get past that test, I want to fight Khabib (Nurmagomedov).”

Woodley was briefly scheduled to face Covington on numerous occasions, but the fight never came to fruition. With the history of once sharing the same gym in American Top Team and all the trash talk, it would have certainly been a big fight for Woodley, But instead, Usman will get that opportunity Dec. 14.

“I never got showered with the praise,” Woodley said. “I got booed in Madison Square Garden. If I was fighting Colby, I would have gotten the most obnoxious cheer ever, but when you think about it, Colby is an (expletive). He turned down a fight with me three times. Usman should have never fought me first. You’ve got to recognize, Usman was not even the next person to fight me, nor was Darren Till.”

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Right now, it appears all signs are pointing to a potential matchup with Leon Edwards, who has amassed an impressive eight-fight winning streak. However, Woodley is finding it hard to get motivated for Edwards.

While he recognizes his skillset, he’s just not the big name he’s looking for at this point in his career.

“The (expletive) up part is my son was like, ‘Who is that?,'” Woodley said of Edwards. “My kids know everybody. They play the video game, so when you got to explain to somebody who the person is and how good they really are, I have to pump up to the fact, to the people, and to the peers on how dope Leon is, because he is dope. He got super crazy strategic striking, super sharp, great cardio. He has good IQ, switched things around in the (Rafael dos Anjos fight), in the middle of the fight, so he’s dope as (expletive) as a fighter, but I’m going to have to sell the fact on how dope he is.”

Woodley is targeting a January return and has left it up to his management and team to figure out the right opponent. He is not ruling out a fight with Edwards but says the money and stipulations for the fight have to suit him if he were to take the fight.

“Meanwhile, I’m going to have to continue to promote myself. I ain’t getting paid to promote him, so if it makes sense and the UFC makes it make sense with the dollar amount, and my coaches and my team think it’s the best move, then I’m going to go default to them. Because they know me and they know what my end goal is. My goal is to be the greatest of all time, so I’ve got to go and get back my retaliation, the people that defeated me, that I still can. I got to beat Colby’s (expletive) up, because he clearly ran from me three times after making his Instagram page 90% me, extremely unmanly.”

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Dan Quinn impressed with Kaleb McGary’s fight against Cam Jordan

Prior to the Falcons’ Week 10 defensive outburst, they had recorded just seven total sacks through their first eight games. In contrast, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan had personally tallied eight sacks entering Sunday’s game.

Prior to the Falcons’ Week 10 defensive outburst, they had recorded just seven total sacks through their first eight games. In contrast, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan had personally tallied eight sacks entering Sunday’s contest.

Atlanta’s shocking six-sack performance become the biggest headline from the team’s 26-9 upset win over New Orleans, although the offensive line deserves some credit as well.

The Falcons kept the Saints’ powerful offense off of the field by winning the time of possession battle, thanks in large part to the way they played up front against one of the best defenses in the NFL this season.

Atlanta’s offensive line allowed just one sack and kept an injured Matt Ryan upright for most of the day. Rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary has been solid for most of the year, but was especially good on Sunday.

He held Jordan in check and never once shied away from the challenge. Watch for yourself as Brian Baldinger breaks down the team’s offensive line play below:

Falcons coach Dan Quinn noticed as well, appreciating the way McGary battled against one of the league’s best defensive ends.

Atlanta could get their other first-round pick, guard Chris Lindstrom, back in a few weeks, although it may take another season to know what the team has in the former Boston College standout.

For now, the Falcons have to feel pretty good about what they’ve seen from McGary.

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