Eric Weddle nominated by Rams for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Eric Weddle is the Rams’ nominee for the prestigious award.

Eric Weddle is one of the most well-respected players in the NFL and it was evident right away after he signed with the Rams. He was quickly voted a captain and called a “genius” by his teammates, emerging as a leader right out of the gates.

On Thursday, he was honored by the Rams as their nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award recognizes players who best exemplify sportsmanship on the field, which Weddle certainly does.

Last year, the Rams nominated Todd Gurley, though Drew Brees went on to win the award.

The winner will be announced before the Super Bowl at the NFL Honors show and will be determined by a vote from current players. Eight finalists will be selected in December.

Indiana-Penn State odds: Nittany Lions face tough test at home

Previewing Saturday’s Indiana-Penn State college football matchup, with college football betting odds, picks and best bets

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The Indiana Hoosiers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) and Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1) will do battle in Happy Valley on Saturday at noon ET, with the Lions looking to bounce back after a narrow loss at Minnesota last weekend and the Hoosiers going for their first 8-win season since 1993.

We analyze the Indiana-Penn State odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Indiana at Penn State: Three things you need to know

1. Indiana has quietly rolled up seven victories, with their two losses a 51-10 setback to Ohio State on Sept. 14 and a 40-31 loss at Michigan State on Sept. 28. The Hoosiers have won four in a row and are 5-1 against the spread in their last six.

2. Hoosiers RB Stevie Scott III is one of the most underrated runners in the Big Ten, racking up 737 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. Penn State WR KJ Hamler of Penn State has 739 receiving yards and eight scores to lead the Lions.

3. Penn State ranks 13th in the country at 300.0 yards per game allowed, with its rushing defense (74.2 yards per game) ranking third. And the Lions’ scoring defense (12.0 points per game) is fifth in the nation.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Indiana at Penn State: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Penn State 31, Indiana 24

Moneyline (ML)

Penn State (-834) is going to bounce back and return to the win column. However, it won’t be a rout, and the Nittany Lions are certainly not worth putting up more than eight times the return. If anything, Indiana (+440) would be worth a small-unit bet to more than quadruple your lettuce.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Penn State to win would return a profit of $1.20.

Against the Spread (ATS)

INDIANA (+14.5, -115) is a sharp play catching more than two touchdowns in this one. If you were to tease it up and combine it with a handful of other games, even better. It will be interesting to see how Penn State (-14.5, -106) rebounds. Its defense was bludgeoned by a team which wasn’t getting very much respect in Minnesota. Now against the Hoosiers, that sounds all too familiar.

Over/Under (O/U)

The total (54.5) is going to be super close. Avoid playing the O/U in this one, as Vegas has this right and the game will come in right around the projected total.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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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Nate Gerry a person of interest as Patriots gameplan for Eagles’ defense

Philadelphia linebacker Nate Gerry will play a huge role in the Eagles matchup with the Patriots

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Any Eagles related conversation focusing on Nate Gerry is certain to bring a variety of opinions centered on his value as a linebacker in Philadelphia’s defense. Gerry for the most part, is either beloved or severely questioned by local fans and media on a weekly basis.

This week, the Eagles face the king of getting the most out of key matchups, when Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots come to town.

With the Patriots practicing and preparing for a tough Eagles front-7, ESPN’s Mike Reiss pointed out New England focusing and preparing specifically for Fletcher Cox, and Gerry.

With Belichick having a highlighted jersey for Gerry at Patriots practice, Belichick is either concerned about the Birds inside linebacker or, he’s sees something he can obviously exploit early and often.

With Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead in the backfield, Josh McDaniel’s and the Patriots could choose to center their offensive game plan around targeting Gerry’s man whenever he’s forced into pass coverage.

Gerry has shown himself to be the Eagles’ most versatile linebacker, playing upwards over four positions during the past five or six weeks. He’s amassed 33 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, and a pick-six over that time span.

Rockets center Clint Capela to miss at least one game with head injury

Houston Rockets center Clint Capela is out for Friday’s game versus Indiana and doubtful for Saturday in Minnesota with a head injury.

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The Houston Rockets (8-3) have won five consecutive games, but they’ll likely need some players near the end of their bench to step up this weekend against strong competition to keep the streak going.

Starting center Clint Capela is out for Friday’s home matchup versus Indiana (7-4) with a head injury and doubtful for Saturday’s road game at Minnesota (7-3), head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed at Thursday’s practice. The 25-year-old left Wednesday’s win over the Clippers in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to his head in a collision with Los Angeles big man JaMychal Green.

Capela was evaluated postgame for a concussion,  and the Rockets say he will be re-evaluated before Saturday’s game. However, as of Thursday, Capela had not been diagnosed with a concussion.

Capela has grabbed at least 20 rebounds in each of his last three games played, making him the first Rockets player to do so since Moses Malone in 1982. His rebounding presence has been a big part of the Rockets’ remarkable defensive turnaround, with Houston going from the NBA’s second-worst team in defensive rating over the first six games (3-3) to the league’s No. 1 defense over the current streak.

The timing of the 6-foot-10 big man’s absence is not ideal for the Rockets, who have the weekend back-to-back against two teams led by elite big men. Indiana has Domantas Sabonis, who is averaging 19.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game this season, while Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 25.8 points and 12.0 rebounds.

Tyson Chandler finished Wednesday’s game at center after Capela exited, posting an impressive nine rebounds in 16 minutes. At practice, D’Antoni said Chandler would start in Capela’s place.

At 37 years old and in his 19th season, however, Chandler is unlikely to play anywhere close to Capela’s average of 30.2 minutes per game. And with Sabonis and Towns looming, it seems doubtful that D’Antoni would play the majority of both games without a center.

Moreover, D’Antoni’s preferred smaller lineups with P.J. Tucker at center are complicated at the moment by the back injury to Danuel House Jr., who often slides to power forward when Tucker is in the middle. House is doubtful for Friday after sitting out Wednesday.

Thus, the Rockets may have no choice but to turn to young seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein to fill at least some of Capela’s usual minutes. The third-year center has averaged 24.0 points (59.6% shooting), 16.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game this season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBA G League affiliate.

Hartenstein has yet to play in the NBA this season, though he did play sparingly in 28 games in the 2018-19 season. Given the size and skill of this weekend’s opposing bigs, D’Antoni could be forced to roll the dice and experiment with Houston’s athletic 21-year-old prospect.

Veteran forward Ryan Anderson could be another short-term option, but he’s relatively undersized for a center at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds and doesn’t provide much rim protection or defensive value.

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Pelicans vs. Clippers Preview: Injuries tell tale of two sides on different paths

The New Orleans Pelicans welcome in the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George’s potential season debut in an anticipated clash.

Who: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers

When: Thursday, Nov. 14, 8:00 p.m ET

Where: Smoothie King Center

How to watch: Fox Sports New Orleans

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While the New Orleans Pelicans continue to struggle with injuries as Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart each will be out on Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers enter on an entirely different injury-related path. After going through the opening weeks of the season undermanned, Paul George is expected to make his Clipper debut on Thursday, offering another weapon to one of the sides expected to be amongst the conference’s elites.

George’s status is still officially uncertain for the night but whether it’s Thursday, Saturday or into next week, George will add to the Clippers’ loaded roster. New Orleans, meanwhile, continues to lose players at an alarming rate this season. Hart is the latest edition in the injury report, joining Ball on the sidelines tonight while Brandon Ingram could join them with his status still uncertain. With Zion Williamson still out, the Pelicans are quickly developing a starting five on the injury report that could rival the one put on the court.

There remains the possibility that George doesn’t play on Thursday. With Kawhi Leonard not playing back-to-backs this season and having played on Wednesday, the possibility also remains neither are on the court on Thursday.

The depth the Clippers have, though, can help them absorb the lack of George and Leonard on the court, though they’ve struggled in Leonard’s absence this season. In 236 minutes without Leonard on the floor this season, the Clippers have an offensive rating of 101.3, a defensive rating of 109.3 and a net rating of -8.0. That would rank them the 28th-best offense and the 19th-ranked defense without Leonard this season.

The opportunities will be available with or without George on the court. Whether an undermanned Pelicans team can take advantage of those opportunities will be the key tonight.

Wisconsin should revel in Nebraska’s failures

An explanation of why Nebraska’s failures are meaningful to the Wisconsin Badgers, and should give UW fans a measure of satisfaction.

Let’s be clear at the outset of this piece: When I say that the Wisconsin Badgers should revel in the failures of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, I don’t mean to imply or suggest that Wisconsin fans should laugh at Nebraska. No. This is not about spitting at or looking down on an opponent. I wish to convey the point that Nebraska’s inability to rise to the top tier of the Big Ten should make Wisconsin fans happy. This is an important reality to grasp on the eve of the latest football reunion between the two schools on Saturday.

Wisconsin fans, everyone else in the Big Ten, and all other college football fans in the United States know that Nebraska is immersed in an identity crisis. The Huskers were solid under Bo Pelini, often winning nine games in a season and coming close to winning a conference championship on a few occasions, but they have never regained the top-tier status they had under Frank Solich in 2001. Nebraska has played in a handful of huge games this century, but the Huskers have clearly lost their status as a program which is annually relevant in college football.

This is not funny. This is not worth laughing at. It is a reality Wisconsin fans should cherish because of what the Badgers have been able to achieve… and how they have achieved it.

What was the foundation of Nebraska’s elite status in college football, in the Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne years? Big offensive linemen knocking the snot out of the opposition. What is and has been Wisconsin’s calling card since Barry Alvarez remade and transformed the program in the early 1990s? Big offensive linemen knocking the snot out of the opposition (much as the Badgers did against Iowa this past Saturday).

The thing which made Nebraska great is the thing which made Wisconsin great… and Wisconsin is continuously winning with this identity firmly intact. Nebraska can’t get those farm-grown linemen. Nebraska can’t develop elite offensive line play. Nebraska can’t regain sledgehammer force in the trenches. That is WISCONSIN’S brand. That is WISCONSIN’S identity.

Here is something for Wisconsin fans to briefly contemplate: Yes, Minnesota might win the Big Ten West this year (though hopefully, Iowa will rise up and enable the Badgers to win the division on Nov. 30 in Minneapolis), but even if the Gophers do win the division, Wisconsin could go 10-2 in this 2019 regular season. Do you want to know how many 10-win regular seasons Nebraska has had since 2001, when it played Miami for the national title? Two.

Want to know how many 10-win (or more) regular seasons Wisconsin has had since 2014? Three. Want to know how many 10-win regular seasons Wisconsin has had this decade? Five. It will be six if the Badgers can beat Nebraska, Purdue, and Minnesota to round out their 12-game slate in 2019.

Nebraska fans would kill for Wisconsin’s level of success. Think about that. Nebraska was playing for national championships 25 years ago, when Barry Alvarez got the Badgers off the ground and roaring. The 1995 Nebraska team is the greatest team I have personally witnessed in my years following college football. Who would have possibly imagined 20 years ago that in 2019, Wisconsin — and not Nebraska — would be nationally relevant?

Nebraska’s failures magnify Wisconsin’s successes. Wisconsin’s successes make it all the more striking that the Huskers haven’t been able to replicate their own formula, the formula Barry Alvarez used and passed along to both Bret Bielema and now Paul Chryst.

No one needs to laugh at Nebraska’s misfortune. Simply know that each year Nebraska fails to recover or revive itself, is a year in which Wisconsin retains the identity of being the foremost program with a commitment to muscular and punishing line play. What Nebraska used to be is what Wisconsin now is — maybe not to the extent that the Badgers are playing for national titles, but certainly when viewed through the prism of being nationally relevant and a good bet to win 10 games a year.

Wisconsin fans don’t have to be happy due to Nebraska’s struggles. They should be happy, however, that Nebraska’s failures make it easier to marvel at and appreciate the Badgers’ successes over an extended period of time.

Semar Melvin out for the Game Against Nebraska

Semar Melvin and Bryson Williams set to miss game against Nebraska.

When Wisconsin released its preliminary injury report on Monday freshman cornerback Semar Melvin was listed as questionable with a head injury. On Thursday when Wisconsin released its injury report heading into their game against Nebraska, Melvin was listed as out.

This will mark the second straight game Melvin has missed as he and nose tackle Bryson Williams will also miss the game with a left leg injury.

Williams a native of Lincoln left the game early with a leg injury against Iowa as he will be replaced by freshman Keenau Benton. Williams has struggled to stay healthy at times this year as this will mark the fourth game he will miss this year.

The Badgers and Cornhuskers will play for the Freedom Trophy as the game can be seen on the Big Ten Network at 11 a.m.

Caris LeVert’s thumb surgery successful

The Brooklyn Nets have yet to establish a timetable for Caris LeVert’s return.

The Brooklyn Nets will be without Caris LeVert for some time following his procedure on Thursday. Surgery was performed on his right thumb to repair damaged ligaments.

The surgery was conducted by Dr. Michelle Carlson and was deemed a success. Though, the Nets have not announced a timeline for LeVert.

The signing of free agent guard Iman Shumpert indicates LeVert could be out for an extended period of time. Brooklyn signed Shumpert on Thursday following the news of the ligament damage in LeVert’s thumb.

Shumpert is taking the added 16th spot on the roster, which the Nets have as a result of Wilson Chandler’s suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy. The only way the Nets can keep Shumpert past December 14 — the day before Chandler returns — is by waiving or trading someone else.

RELATED: Kyrie Irving questionable against Denver Nuggets

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WR DeAndre Hopkins is a leader for younger Texans players

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins may not be the most vocal player playing his position, but he is a leader for the team.

DeAndre Hopkins lets his actions do the talking. Never one to create a frenzy out of thin air, the Houston Texans wideout hailing from South Carolina rarely enters conversations for the words that come out of his mouth.

Though silent playing a position that is anything but mute, Hopkins is a leader for the Texans. Specifically, those younger players hoping to share the field with him snap-to-snap.

“Hop’s a really good teammate. I think he does a good job with the younger players. I think he’s very football smart,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Wednesday. “He’s played a lot of football, he’s got a lot of experience versus a lot of different coverages, a lot of different corners, so he can help a younger player relative to what the look might be.”

Hopkins, 27, is in his seventh year in the NFL. During those seven seasons, he has racked up 596 receptions, 8,102 yards and 51 touchdowns. He has missed just one game in his career, starting all 104 others.

Hopkins, otherwise known as “Nuk,” knows football. If he can share the knowledge that he has picked up over the years, he will do just that. As stated multiple times, the only goal of his is to win; progressing his teammates’ knowledge only helps achieve that goal.

“He helps even the running backs when they’re out there with him in the formation, ‘hey, this is what it might be, this is what it might be.’ So, I think he just does a good job of communicating all of his knowledge based on how much he’s played,” O’Brien said. “He’s been a successful player, but he’s successful for a lot of reasons, and one of him is his football savviness, his ability to understand what’s going on X’s and O’s wise.”

On Sunday, Texans-Ravens spectators may not see Hopkins chat as much as other receivers. When he does, however, it’s for a good reason.

Falcons are 5.5-point underdogs vs. Panthers in Week 11

The folks over at Bet MGM have the Panthers as 5.5-point favorites over the Falcons Week 11, with the over/under set at 49.5.

The Falcons earned their second win of the season last week against the heavily-favored Saints in New Orleans. After making some minor coaching changes during the bye week, Atlanta’s defense dominated up front, sacking Drew Brees six times.

The team will look to keep the momentum going when it takes on another divisional foe in the 5-4 Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The folks over at Bet MGM have the Panthers as 5.5-point favorites over the Falcons in Week 11, with the over/under set at 49.5.

It isn’t surprising that Carolina is favored. Running back Christian McCaffrey has been a one-man show this season, making a legitimate case for the 2019 MVP award.

With starting QB Cam Newton out for the season, Panthers backup Kyle Allen has played well above expectations. Allen has cooled off a bit in recent weeks, though.

Carolina has slowed down since winning four straight games, and has lost two of its last three.

This could be the perfect chance for the Falcons to win their second straight NFC South matchup and keep their extremely thin playoff chances alive for another week.

[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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