Jorge Masvidal blasts Colby Covington for selling out: ’13th disciple is a b—h’

Jorge Masvidal blasts Colby Covington for selling out ahead of his UFC 245 title fight.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] wasn’t about to let [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]’s comments slide.

Masvidal has made it clear that he thinks Covington sold out, and was using him all along. The two are former training partners at American Top Team, as well as former roommates.

Covington challenges UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on Saturday at UFC 245 and continued to trash Masvidal during fight week, referring to him as “Journeyman Jorge” and “Street Judas.”

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Masvidal has lashed out at Covington by digging up some past memories from their early days at ATT.

With Masvidal having a remarkable 2019, and in the running for “Fighter of the Year,” he and Covington could cross paths should things go Covington’s way Saturday in what could have the makings of a massive grudge match.

UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

4 bold predictions for Bears’ Week 15 matchup vs. Packers

Bears vs. Packers is always different. Anything can happen, including these four bold predictions.

The Chicago Bears (7-6) are riding a three-game winning streak and, most importantly, confidence heading into Sunday’s game against rivals Green Bay Packers (10-3) at Lambeau Field.

While things didn’t go as planned in the season opener, where the Packers squeaked out a 10-3 win, this time the Bears are ready to face their foes with playoff aspirations on the line.

Bears-Packers is always different. Anything can happen, including these four bold predictions.

1. Leonard Floyd will record 2 sacks

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

No one likes playing the Packers more than linebacker Leonard Floyd, who in 5 games against Green Bay has logged 7.5 sacks. In three of those games, Floyd registered 2 sacks.

While Floyd hasn’t lived up to expectations as an edge rusher opposite Khalil Mack, he does always manage to show up against the Packers — that is, when he’s healthy. In the season opener, Floyd accounted for 2 of the Bears’ 5 sacks of Aaron Rodgers. Chicago’s defense managed to contain Rodgers and the Packers’ offense, giving up just one touchdown.

The Bears will need Floyd, who has 4.5 sacks in the last two games against Green Bay, to, once again show up against the Packers with Chicago’s season on the line. And while I wouldn’t bet on Floyd’s long-term future with the Bears, I will be on Floyd getting after Rodgers on Sunday.

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Broncos nominate Justin Simmons for 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

The Broncos have nominated safety Justin Simmons for the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

The Denver Broncos have nominated safety Justin Simmons for the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, the team announced Thursday. The award “recognizes a player for his outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community,” the team said in a statement.

Each of the league’s 32 teams nominates a player for the award each year and the nominees receive a donation up to $50,000 to the charity of their choice. The winner will be announced during “NFL Honors” on the eve of Super Bowl LIV (Feb. 1) on Fox. The winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

Simmons has logged over 3,500 minutes of volunteer work this year with 20 different local organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Denver Rescue Mission. Simmons won the team’s Community Ambassador Award in 2017 and 2018.

Simmons will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal in the team’s final three games of the season.

Denver’s most recent nominees for the award were outside linebacker Von Miller (2018) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (2017). John Elway is the only Broncos player who has won the award, back in 1992.

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Leonard Fournette calls Antonio Brown out after he tweets about his arrest

Leonard Fournette may not have been a fan of AB’s latest rant after he called him out in a group in which he didn’t deserve to be labeled with.

Despite being out of the league, former All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown has found a way to continuously ruffle the feathers of the nation, including those of his former comrades in the NFL. That was the case Wednesday morning as Brown took to Twitter for another rant where he called out the NFL for their inconsistency dealing with players who’ve faced negative allegations.

Long story short, the rant led to Brown posting a list of NFL players who were recently arrested (that’s now deleted), and it included Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette for a minor arrest during which he was booked for driving with a suspended license. Upon seeing the tweet, Fournette responded with a message of his own, calling the veteran receiver out for throwing him under the bus.

It’s important to note that while Brown isn’t wrong about there being an issue with the league’s widely varied response to allegations, however, Fournette’s arrest situation was clearly not like those of the other cases listed. They’re also nowhere near comparable to the allegations against Brown, who faces serious accusations stemming from a series of alleged incidents in 2017 and 2018 (though he has not been charged). It’s safe to assume that Fournette will not be the only player to call Brown out for his rant as he tries to make a case for himself as the victim and assigns blame to others for his exit from the league.

Regardless of the league’s inconsistency with players accused of criminal conduct — an issue that has warranted concern amongst fans and media alike — Brown is unlikely to get much sympathy from the sports world if other players become collateral damage in his arguments. At this point, it’s also unlikely that he’ll find himself back in the league, a possibility he’s on record for saying he’s fine with.

Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Portland Trail Blazers (10-15) and Denver Nuggets (14-8) will do battle at Pepsi Center at 10:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Trail Blazers-Nuggets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

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

Trail Blazers at Nuggets: Key injuries

Trail Blazers: SG/SF Rodney Hood (Achilles) suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon during a game on Friday and he is done for the season, a tough blow for a team already shorthanded in the frontcourt with PF Zach Collins (shoulder) out until March and C Jusuf Nurkic (leg) still months away from a return.

Nuggets: SG/SF Jamal Murray (trunk contusion) is expected to be able to play, while PF Paul Millsap (foot) isn’t as much of a certainty.

Trail Blazers at Nuggets: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Nuggets 118, Trail Blazers 107

Moneyline (ML)

The Nuggets (-250) come with a steep price on the moneyline, and they’re not worth the risk with only a $4 return on a $10 bet to win outright.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The NUGGETS (-6.5, -105) are nearly even money if you’re willing to lay the points, and you should. The last time these teams met in Portland Oct. 23, it was Denver coming away with a 108-100 win.

Fast forward to Thursday … the Blazers are just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 road games and 1-4 ATS in the past five as underdogs. While the Nuggets are 1-4-1 ATS in their past six overall, they’re 4-1 ATS in the past five against losing sides. The boys from Rip City are just 4-10-1 ATS in the past 15 meetings with the Nuggs, too.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 213.5 (-115) has cashed in nine of the past 12 meetings, but go lightly until it is determined whether or not the Blue Arrow (a.k.a. Murray) is able to play.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, 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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3 things to know about Eagles WR Robert Davis

3 things to know about Eagles WR Robert Davis

The Philadelphia Eagles announced a couple of roster moves on Thursday, promoting Robert Davis to the active roster, after placing Alshon Jeffery on Injured reserve.

With only two healthy receivers on the roster, Davis will get his chance to make a late-season name for himself.

Here are three things to know about the speedy wideout.

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1. Davis has been productive

The former Georgia State wideout finished his collegiate career with 222 catches for 3,391 yards and 17 touchdowns in four seasons on 15.3 yards-per-catch. The 2017 sixth-round pick played in three games earlier this season for the Washington Redskins.

Davis’ older cousin is linebacker Thomas Davis, formerly of the Carolina Panthers.

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Lorenzo Alexander is Bills’ nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is the team’s 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee. 

Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is the team’s 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee.

It’s the third-straight year that Alexander has been tabbed the Bills’ nominee for the award.

The award is honored to a player in the NFL who displays excellence on and off the field in their community.

Here’s the full list of players nominated for the award across the NFL.

The Bills have yet to have a player win the award. Alexander, 36, has 44 tackles, nine passes defended and one forced fumble in 13 games this season. The 2019 winner will be announced during the NFL Honors show on Feb. 1.

Alexander took to Twitter upon the announcement:

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XFL blocked Steelers from signing 2 quarterbacks

Pittsburgh tried to bring back Landry Jones.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger halfway through the second game of the season, no one knew what was going to happen with the position. What ended up happening was the Steelers turned to Mason Rudolph before benching him and opening up Duck season with Devlin Hodges.

But according to Jordan Heck of Sporting News, this wasn’t Plan A. In an interview with XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck, he admitted the Steelers tried to sign two XFL quarterbacks and was blocked by the league in both cases.

Luck noted the Steelers inquired about signing Landry Jones, who spent his first five NFL seasons backing up Roethlisberger and has five career starts. Luck said the Steelers also checked on the availability of Phillip Walker as a potential scout-team quarterback to simulate Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Again the XFL declined.

Things all worked out as they should with the Steelers and their quarterback position. If the Steelers had signed Jones they might have just lived with his mediocrity and Hodges would have never gotten his opportunity.

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Jacob Green, Dennis Erickson inducted into College Football HOF

The College Football Hall of Fame welcomed former Seattle Seahawks head coach Dennis Erickson and defensive end Jacob Green on Tuesday.

The College Football Hall of Fame inducted their 2019 class on Tuesday night, and a pair with ties to the Seattle Seahawks – defensive end Jacob Green and coach Dennis Erickson – were among those honored.

Green is a Ring of Honor member of the Seahawks, having spent 11 of his 12 NFL seasons in Seattle. The two-time Pro Bowler was with the Seahawks from 1980-1991 after getting selected 10th overall out of Texas A&M.

Green becomes the 11th A&M Aggie to get inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, where he starred from 1977-1979.

“This is a universal award for my family, coaches and Texas A&M,” Green said of making the Hall. “I could have never done it without them. Aggies all over the country are excited for me—at least the ones I’ve talked to—which is pretty good.”

Erickson coached the Seahawks from 1995-1998, leading them to a 31-33 record. Three of his four seasons finished with an even 8-8 finish.

Erickson is being awarded thanks to his extensive career as a college head coach, which included stints at Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami, Oregon State, and Arizona State.

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Gimme Him: One player Giants would steal from Dolphins

Who would the New York Giants steal from the Miami Dolphins? How about this wide receiver who would immediately improve their team.

The New York Giants will square off against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon is one of their final two home games. And in doing so, provides those of us here at Giants Wire a unique opportunity to theoretically steal a player from a roster we rarely see.

Of course, that seems far less exciting than usual on the surface because the 3-10 Dolphins have an extremely thin roster and are undergoing a major rebuild. However, there are some gems to be had…

Of course, by “some gems” we really just mean “one gem.”

The Giants certainly need work along their offensive line, at the linebacker position and at the safety position, but Miami really doesn’t have the spare parts necessary to address those areas. What they do have however, is a tall game-breaking wide receiver, which is the only offensive weapon New York lacks.

At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, DeVante Parker is a red zone target capable of creating distinct mismatches, but that’s hardly where his talent begins and ends. With 4.45 speed to go along with his size, Parker is capable of stretching the field and hauling in long passes, while also opening up opportunities for his teammates.

With the Giants, Parker would be able to start outside opposite of Golden Tate, while Sterling Shepard handles the slot and Evan Engram creates nightmares at the tight end position. And with Saquon Barkley at running back? Phew boy, would that be some sort of talented group.

In 13 games (11 starts) this season, Parker has hauled in 55 receptions for a career-high 882 yards and six touchdowns to go along with a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.0.

What say you, Giants fans? Would you steal Parker from Miami or would you go with a different player?

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