Redskins name Dwayne Haskins starting QB for rest of the season

The Redskins finally bit the bullet and said that their rookie QB will be named the starter from here on out.

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The Washington Redskins have officially named rookie QB Dwayne Haskins the starter for the rest of the season.

It was reported earlier last week that Haskins would at least accrue two-straight starts after being named QB1 in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, as interim coach Bill Callahan said that he would be the guy going into Week 11 against the New York Jets, but now Callahan says that they will be going with the rookie for the rest of the season.

This can be seen as a great move by the Redskins, as they need to get Haskins as many reps as possible during the remaining games this year as the team has no hopes to reach the playoffs.

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How Chris Evans return to Michigan adds explosiveness to backfield

Michigan football will have running back Chris Evans return to action next year, how will his explosiveness change the backfield?

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Back in February of this year, Michigan football simply announced that running back Chris Evans was “not a member of the football team at this time.” Evans would later post on Twitter that he was going through some academic issues and would continue his career at Michigan.

In July, there wouldn’t be any changes and he would be suspended for the entire 2019 season, as he would explain on Twitter that he was no longer enrolled in the university. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said the decision was made by the university, not the football team. Also that Evans had a chance to rejoin the team in the spring, but that wasn’t able to get resolved by then. Evans said the situation was “an academic mistake. Not my grades. I’m on pace to graduate.”

Since then we haven’t heard much about Evans, until last week.

Evans posted this on Twitter, hinting at his return to the field in Ann Arbor in 2020.

That talk continued today, as Harbaugh spoke to the media and addressed the Evans situation.

“Chris will be reinstated for the winter term,” Harbaugh said. “When he gets back in school he will be able to participate fully in football again. My knowledge of the situation is that he had a productive meeting to see if he could be reinstated back into school and my understanding that he will be for the winter term. We’ll welcome him back to the football team.”

The winter term begins in January, and no that doesn’t mean that if Michigan plays in a bowl game in January that he will be on the team. Michigan doesn’t start their winter academic term until Monday, January 8.

What does this do for the 2020 running back room? Only make it better. Evans was looked at as a possible starter heading into his senior year this year with running back Karan Higdon graduating and the other being underclassmen or freshman and not having much playing time.

The Wolverines have missed Evans speed in the backfield, and his ability to be a shifty receiving back as well. The running game has been fine without him though, as Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet have stepped up big this season.

Haskins has 72 carries for 426 yards and two touchdowns, while Charbonnet has 117 carries for 559 yards and 11 touchdowns. While they have been able to score and get some nice carries, the receiving aspect hasn’t been the same without Evans. Haskins and Charbonnet have a combined 11 catches for 39 yards.

In his three years at Michigan, Evans has a total of 304 carries for 1,722 yards for 14 touchdowns, along with 40 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns. Evans saw an increased workload after his freshman year in 2016 and was seen as a threat on the ground with his speed, and as a receiver.

In 2020, Haskins and Charbonnet will return and with the addition of Evans means the Wolverines will have a nasty trio in the backfield. The elusive back in Charbonnet, the bruiser in Haskins, and the speed and receiving back in Evans.

Another year learning the playbook will be huge for the younger guys. Having Evans being used as a weapon in the passing game can help the spread offense out as the Wolverines haven’t used the running back much as a receiving threat this season. Evans returning will be a big shot in the arm to the backfield next year, and something everyone will be talking about heading into the 2020 season.

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Texas A&M lands commitment from 4-star Miami DE Donell Harris

Jimbo Fisher’s latest huge recruiting catch is Donell Harris, a four-star defensive end from Miami who is among the nation’s top-50 overall recruits, according to 247Sports.

Texas A&M’s spread into the heart of SEC recruiting grounds continues apace as the Aggies added their latest major coup, a four-star defensive end prospect from Miami.

Donell Harris, a star at Gulliver Prep (Miami, Fla.), picked the Aggies ahead of scholarship offers from “The U” (University of Miami), Alabama, Auburn, LSU and plenty others. He is a top-50 overall recruit in the Class of 2020 and a top-five defensive end prospect, per 247Sports.

The national recruiting hype around Harris crystalized after a monster junior season in which he finished with 73 tackles, 21 sacks and three forced fumbles (one of which he recovered) for Gulliver Prep.

Harris made his commitment official with a Tweet that concluded with, shall we say, some colorful language:

Now, he’s decided that his future is best served in the Lone Star State, the All-American Bowl selection can focus on Gulliver Prep’s run in and his final games as a high school player ahead of December’s Early Signing Period. The Raiders kick off the playoffs with a first round matchup against legendary Miami program Booker T. Washington on Friday.

Jags sign DE Chuck Harris to practice squad

The Jags filled out their practice squad with some help on the edge by adding DE Chuck Harris.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars filled their last practice squad spot by signing defensive end Chuck Harris to the unit. The team announced the move Monday though Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle previously announced it last week.

Harris, 21, played collegiately at the University of Buffalo where he accumulated 149 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks while participating in 40 games. Afterward, he went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears. While there he played in all four preseason games and accumulated four tackles.

According to the Jags official page, he’ll wear the No. 96.

David Fizdale isn’t the one who should take the fall for the Knicks’ woes

What are the Knicks thinking here?

The New York Knicks spent the last year trading Kristaps Porzingis to create cap space, whiffing on all the big-name free agents they hoped to attract with that room and then putting together a hodgepodge collage of one- and two-year contracts to surround the few valuable pieces they have.

They’re 2-8, and after a surprise press conference with president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry after Sunday’s awful loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, there’s writing on the wall.

But it’s not about their front office. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews, Mills is starting “to lay the internal groundwork for the eventual dismissal of coach David Fizdale.”

I would say that’s a shock, considering Fizdale is in his second year with the franchise. But a backwards move like this is nothing shocking when it comes to the Knicks.

It’s not Fizdale’s fault that the previous regime couldn’t see eye to eye with Porzingis, who has resumed looking every bit like the star he was in his limited Big Apple time. It’s not his fault that the marquis names took their talents elsewhere, including over the Brooklyn Bridge. And it’s certainly not his fault that he was saddled with a roster that any coach would struggle with, one that includes a plethora of power forwards, disappointments and iffy fits.

Yet he might be the one to take the fall? Really?

Who out there believed this was the roster that would compete in the East? No one should have. It’s supposed to be a year of development for RJ Barrett — who actually looks like he’s living up to the billing of being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft — Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Frank Ntilikina. The Knicks were going to be bad no matter what, although they could have taken that route by taking on bad contracts in exchange for first-round picks. It would have produced the same result with long-term dividends.

But here we are. And the kicker is part of that ESPN report:

“Rival coaches and executives see a mismatched Knicks roster slow of foot, without legitimate NBA guard play, but Mills is selling (owner James) Dolan on a poorly coached team that is underachieving at 2-8 to start the season, league sources said.”

As it seems to always be with the Knicks, it goes up the ladder. If it’s Dolan who’s demanding the franchise compete NOW and Mills has to save his job by throwing Fizdale under the bus, that’s what’s ultimately crushing any chance at putting together a winner in New York. This will keep happening — the Knicks will create cap space, no one notable will be sold on joining all this dysfunction, coaches will be axed, front offices will be remade, lather, rinse, repeat. There’s no process to trust.

This is not on Fizdale. It barely has anything to do with him — he’s just a pawn for an owner who has repeatedly failed to figure any of this out.

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