MSU star Cassius Winston shares emotional message to brother on Instagram (Spartanswire)

MSU star Cassius Winston shared an emotional message to his brother, Zachary, who died by suicide Saturday night.

MSU star Cassius Winston shared an emotional message to his brother, Zachary, who died by suicide Saturday night.

Browns starting to do the little things well more consistently

The Browns are protecting the ball, committing fewer penalties and focusing on the little things much better since the bye week

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Perhaps the most impressive figure from the Browns’ 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills was the zero in the turnover department. Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense protected the ball and did not give it away for the second week in a row.

Sure, there were a couple of shaky moments. Mayfield once again mistimed a shovel pass that was initially ruled a fumble and Bills TD before being correctly overturned. Dontrell Hilliard muffed a punt he badly misjudged, but the Browns fell on the loose grenade before it exploded and the Bills could recover.

For weeks, Freddie Kitchens has been preaching accountability and focus on the little details. Taking care of the ball was a big point of emphasis. Putting action where his words rang out, Kitchens replaced Hilliard as the return man for the rest of the game. Tavierre Thomas took over for Hilliard and while Thomas wasn’t very impressive as a returner, he protected the ball and didn’t make mistakes.

The same is true on the penalty front. The Browns committed one bad penalty, the taunting foul that Jarvis Landry deserved after scoring the first touchdown. They were guilty of just four accepted penalties on the day:

  • Landry’s unsportsmanlike conduct
  • Denel Ward pass interference on Buffalo’s first offensive play
  • Chris Hubbard false start
  • Larry Ogunjobi roughing the passer

Ogunjobi’s foul was letter-of-the-law; more egregious infractions go uncalled in every game, but he was technically guilty.

Hubbard’s foul, which wound up forcing the Browns to kick an important field goal instead of going for it, was the only pre-snap penalty in the game. No offsides (a T.J. Carrie encroachment was negated by a Bills penalty), no illegal motions, no illegal shifts.

This was the second game in a row the opponent committed more penalties than the Browns. Buffalo was guilty of seven accepted penalties, roughly one-third of the number of times they were guilty of illegal blocks on Myles Garrett.

The little things, like wideout KhaDarel Hodge finishing his block to the whistle on a nice Nick Chubb run instead of the token effort too often seen from others (read: Antonio Callaway), make a huge difference. Kitchens’ Browns still commit some mistakes, but the attention to detail is striking in the three games since the bye week. It didn’t result in a victory until Sunday, but the Browns are definitely playing better, smarter football.

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Ravens Week 10 snap counts: Some interesting substitutions going on

The Baltimore Ravens made some interesting substitutions against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10 according to the snap counts.

The Baltimore Ravens beat up on the Cincinnati Bengals so bad, we got the see the backups enter the game and play nearly a full quarter. In their 49-13 drubbing of the Bengals, the Ravens managed to score both on offense and defense, throwing some new wrinkles on the field for future teams to have to gameplan against. When looking at the snap counts for Week 10, we see some interesting changes occurring on both offense and defense.

Offensively, we’re beginning to see tight end Hayden Hurst dip into Mark Andrews’ snap counts at times. The same thing happened last week where Hurst played 40% of the offensive snaps compared to Andrews’ 34%, compared to Week 10’s 57% to 51%. As previously predicted, Hurst offers value as both a pass catcher and blocker, allowing offensive coordinator Greg Roman to use more misdirection and catch defenses off guard rather than lining Andrews up and tipping off the play.

It’s also interesting to see how the wide receiver snap counts adjusted this week with Chris Moore inactive and a gameplan that favored the tight ends. By looking at the box score, it seemed pretty obvious the tight ends got far more looks in the passing game, catching 12 of Lamar Jackson’s 18 completions. Naturally, they got far more playing time than the wide receivers to fit that narrative.

Marquise Brown seems to still be on a limited snap count as he returns from injury, playing just 40% of the offensive snaps. But fellow rookie Miles Boykin supplanted Seth Roberts this week, getting the second-most snaps behind Willie Snead. Though Boykin didn’t get targeted in this game, it could point to the team’s growing comfort level with him in the lineup. Given his size and speed, he seems like a natural for cold-weather football to help spell both Moore and Roberts down the stretch.

Ravens offensive snap counts:

Player Position Snaps Snap %
Bradley Bozeman G 47 100%
Orlando Brown T 47 100%
Matt Skura C 47 100%
Nick Boyle TE 36 77%
Ronnie Stanley T 36 77%
Lamar Jackson QB 36 77%
Marshal Yanda G 36 77%
Hayden Hurst TE 27 57%
Mark Andrews TE 24 51%
Mark Ingram RB 23 49%
Willie Snead WR 22 47%
Miles Boykin WR 21 45%
Marquise Brown WR 19 40%
Patrick Ricard FB 18 38%
Seth Roberts WR 18 38%
James Hurst G 14 30%
Justice Hill RB 12 26%
Robert Griffin III QB 12 26%
Gus Edwards RB 11 23%
Patrick Mekari G 11 23%

Click on the next page to see the defensive snap counts and analysis on what it means.

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Stock up, down after Giants’ 34-27 loss to Jets

Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ loss to the New York Jets in Week 10?

The emotions are still settling in after the New York Giants lost to their equally inept co-tenants, the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Several players flashed while others crashed. Here’s quick rundown from Sunday’s game.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Wide receiver Darius Slayton

Slayton, coming off a down week against Dallas (one reception for six yards), exploded all over the Jets’ secondary grabbing 10 of 14 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Slayton, a fifth round pick out of Auburn in this year’s NFL Draft has forged a sold rapport with quarterback Daniel Jones and now has five receiving touchdowns on the season, tied for the NFL lead among rookies.

Stock Down: Running back Saquon Barkley

No question Barkley’s performance is concerning. He’s been back from his high ankle sprain for three games now and does not appear to have fully recovered from the injury.

Barkley carried the football 13 times against the Jets, gaining just one yard and his pass blocking, an aspect of his game he prides himself in, has taken a step back. He was blown up twice by Jets safety Jamal Adams, with both plays resulting in fumbles by Daniel Jones. One was recovered by Barkley. The other was taken on for a touchdown by Adams.

Nuggets rookie Bol Bol appears to be nearing his G League debut

Two-way rookie Bol Bol has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls of the G League, the Nuggets announced Monday afternoon.

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Denver Nuggets two-way rookie Bol Bol has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls of the G League, the team announced on Twitter Monday afternoon.

With Bol set to join the Bulls, it appears as though the 7-foot-2 center is nearing his debut for the organization. Of course, Bol did not play in Summer League and hasn’t suited up yet for the Nuggets after suffering a foot injury last season at Oregon.

Since the Nuggets are one of two NBA teams without a direct G League affiliate, it was recently reported that Bol would play this season with the Bulls. Signed to a two-way contract, Bol will spend the majority of the season in the G League.

The report on Oct. 27 also indicated that Bol would be under a heavy minutes restriction to begin the season. Though it is unclear on how much time Bol will see initially, the Nuggets will certainly be cautious with their rookie as foot injuries have proven to be problematic with big men.

Bol has been seen practicing some with the Nuggets throughout training camp after he said in August that his foot injury has fully healed and he is completely healthy.

The Bulls play next on Friday against the Canton Charge.

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CeeDee Lamb named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

CeeDee Lamb went off against Iowa State, earning him Big 12 offensive player of the week.

Expect anything different?

CeeDee Lamb went off against Iowa State, earning him Big 12 offensive player of the week.

Being the main offensive weapon against the Cyclones, Lamb could not be contained even if he was covered by three defenders.

Not only was he a threat through the air with his eight catches for 167 yards and a touchdown, but he was a huge help in the run game. Lamb is one of the best blocking wide receivers in the nation, proving his abilities once again last Saturday.

This is the fourth time this season that the offensive player of the week is a Sooner and the second time this season that Lamb has been recognized as the offensive player of the week.

Jalen Hurts has also won offensive player of the week twice and newcomer of the week twice. Safety, Brendan Radley-Hiles and linebacker, Kenneth Murray have each been awarded Big 12 defensive player of the week once. In total, players from Oklahoma have been recognized eight times this season.

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Seahawks have yet to make a decision on tight end Ed Dickson

The Seattle Seahawks have not decided if veteran tight end Ed Dickson will be activated off the injured reserve in time for Monday’s game.

The Seattle Seahawks are just a few hours away from taking on the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday night football.

In typical Pete Carroll fashion, he is keeping his roster decisions as close to the chest as possible, which includes the potential activation of tight end Ed Dickson off the injured reserve.

“You have to wait and see on that one,” Carroll said on Saturday. “I’m not calling that one yet.”

Dickson was placed on the injured reserve in Week 1, so he is now eligible to return for Seattle. However, the team opted to keep him out last week while he got his legs under him in practice.

Now, with two full weeks of practice under his belt, it appears Dickson is ready to help this team on the field.

However, Seattle has not made room for him on their active roster just yet. The team will need to release someone, likely either receiver John Ursua or backup tight end Jacob Hollister, in order to clear a spot for him.

It seems they are waiting until the last possible moment, perhaps hoping they’ll be able to squeeze whomever they release through waivers and re-sign them to their practice squad.

Regardless, Dickson’s veteran experience and strong run-blocking will be a big boost for the Seahawks, whenever they feel he is ready to contribute on the field.

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Michigan State basketball falls to No. 3 in AP poll

The Michigan State men’s basketball team’s run as the AP No. 1 team was short lived. After losing to then-No. 2 Kentucky in the Champions Classic, the Spartans have slipped to No 3 in the latest AP poll. Kentucky-not a surprise-took over as the new …

The Michigan State men’s basketball team’s run as the AP No. 1 team was short lived.

After losing to then-No. 2 Kentucky in the Champions Classic, the Spartans have slipped to No 3 in the latest AP poll. Kentucky–not a surprise–took over as the new No. 1 team with Duke also jumping the Spartans into the No. 2 spot.

Louisville and Kansas round out the top five.

Michigan State rebounded from the Kentucky loss with an emotional win over Binghamton the day after Cassius Winston’s brother Zachary was killed after being hit by a train.

The Spartans will now travel to take on No. 12 Seton Hall this Thursday in the Gavitt Tipoff Games.

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