Eagles’ DC Jim Schwartz has high-praise for Redskins rookie WR Terry McLaurin

Jim Schwartz has high-praise for Redskins rookie WR Terry McLaurin

When the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Washington Redskins on Sunday, they’ll have a closeup view of what could have been. During the 2019 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected JJ Arcega-Whiteside with the 57th pick in the 2nd round.

So far on the season, Arcega-Whiteside has 8 catches for 130 yards and one touchdown. He’s slow ascension isn’t bust worthy, but it’s concerning considering how the wide receivers drafted after him have performed this season.

Seattle took DK Metcalf with pick No. 64, and he’s accumulated 50 catches, 783 yards, and five touchdowns.

Pittsburgh took Toledo’s Diontae Johnson at No. 66 and he’s accumulated 42 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns.

The player the Eagles will deal with in Week 15 has done the most damage thus far out of all the rookies. Terry McLaurin was selected with pick No. 76 out of Ohio State, and he’s racked up 46 catches for 703 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Against the Eagles in the season opener, McLaurin torched the Eagles for 5 catches on 125 yards and a TD, including a 70-yard bomb. With the Eagles having to win out, the focus of Philadelphia’s defense will, in fact, be the star wide receiver.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz addressed the media on Wednesday, and he spoke about what impresses him the most about McLaurin.

“He’s a guy that can make a big play … he’s proven that he’s a good player in this league.”

McLaurin leads the team in receptions, yards, and TD receptions and on Sunday it’ll be hard not to say what if and daydream about what could have been in regards to Wentz chucking bombs to the former Ohio State star.

Instead, it’ll be up to Jim Schwartz to put his cornerbacks in position to not be embarrassed by the youngster on Sunday.

New Orleans Pelicans at Milwaukee Bucks odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s New Orleans Pelicans at Milwaukee Bucks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Milwaukee Bucks (21-3) shoot for a 16th straight win Wednesday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (6-18) at Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is set for shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Pelicans-Bucks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Pelicans at Bucks: Key injuries

Pelicans

  • PF Derrick Favors (personal) questionable
  • PF Zion Williamson (knee) out

Bucks

  • PF Dragan Bender (ankle) out

Pelicans at Bucks: 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 Wednesday at 12:45 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Bucks 136, Pelicans 108

Moneyline (ML)

The Bucks (-1250) are coming off a 110-101 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday. The Eastern Conference leaders are 11-1 at home for the season and outscore the opposition by a league-high 13.3 points per game in all locales. The Pelicans are on a nine-game losing streak and are 2-9 on the road for the season. They’re outscored by an average of 6.7 PPG.

The Bucks win this easily, but make it a more exciting and more profitable wager by playing the spread. A $10 bet for the simple outright victory returns a profit of just $0.80.

Against the Spread (ATS)

The BUCKS (-12.5, -115) is the largest spread on Wednesday’s slate. Milwaukee is 12-12 ATS overall and 6-6 on home court. New Orleans is 9-15 ATS overall and 3-8 on the road. Seven of Milwaukee’s last 15 wins were by margins of at least 13 points and three of New Orleans’ last nine losses were by at least 13 points.

These teams aren’t in the same class, and the Bucks have the home-court advantage to boot.

Over/Under (O/U)

Both teams have hit the Over just 11 times through 24 games, but the Bucks top the projections by an average of 1.7 points per game and the Pelicans top the number by 0.9 PPG. The two teams combine to score 233.3 PPG and allow 226.7. The line will be tight, but take the OVER 235.5 (-110). The Pelicans allowed at least 130 points three times during their losing streak.

Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Esten’s NBA betting record: 74-63

Follow @EstenMcLaren 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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Cowboys legend Troy Aikman wants to be a GM though doesn’t see it under Jerry Jones

The Dallas Cowboys former quarterback Troy Aikman dishes on his future as an executive in the NFL, but not with his former team.

Jerry Jones owns the Dallas Cowboys, that much is clear. He can do whatever he wants whenever he wants and there’s nothing anyone inside or outside the Star can do about that. He named himself the general manager upon the firing of longtime executive Tex Schramm andawon three Super Bowls and will likely maintain that title for as long as he lives.

That rules out former Cowboys quarterback and current top Fox analyst Troy Aikman from a job he seems to be posturing for in the NFL. In a recent interview with Dallas’ 1310 The Ticket, Aikman was asked about being the man in charge of personnel and was open about how he believed he could be successful in that role, but not in Dallas (via NFL.com).

Aikman was asked by 1310 The Ticket hosts if he could envision himself taking a player personnel role in the Cowboys’ front office and quickly shot down the idea, saying it’s unlikely Cowboys owner Jerry Jones brings anyone in in such a capacity, citing Jones’ being “real stubborn and steadfast in that he’s the one in charge.”

“I think in a lot of ways, until that changes, this team’s going to have some problems,” Aikman said.

The bullheaded approach has served Jones well in the business world. It may have served him well early in his tenure with the Cowboys, though how much control he had over the roster in comparison to his head coach at the time Jimmy Johnson isn’t really up for debate at this point.

With Johnson at the helm, the Cowboys took the league by storm by winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Ultimately, egos ran wild and Johnson left. Jones thought he had the last laugh when Barry Switzer came in and won the last championship this franchise has seen in the 1996 season.

Who’s laughing now? Nobody in the Metroplex, that’s to be sure. There is no franchise on earth that holds the same weight that the Dallas Cowboys do. Forget the Super Bowl, the Cowboys haven’t advanced past the Divisional Round since the 1995 playoffs.

Maybe Aikman will be a successful general manager as soon as next year, but it won’t be for the team he captained for more than a decade.

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Which Saints must the Colts game plan for in Week 15?

These Saints must be in the gameplan in Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts, currently sitting at 6-7, travel to “The Big Easy” to take on the 10-3 Saints on Monday Night Football. New Orleans is coming off a tough loss in what was perhaps the game of the year last week against San Francisco where they lost in the final minute of the game 48-46.

Colts fans have a special type of resentment towards the Saints. The obvious reasoning behind it would be the Super Bowl in 2010 where the Saints beat the Colts 31-17. The game was filled with high-powered passing offenses, an onside kick to start the second half, and the haunting Tracy Porter pick-six that sealed the win for New Orleans.

The Saints have already clinched the NFC South while the Colts are fighting for their lives in the AFC playoff race. If the Colts want to avenge that brutal Super Bowl loss and have a last-ditch effort to save their season, here are seven Saints the Colts must gameplan for in Week 15 in order to pull off the upset:

QB Drew Brees

Another piece of distain comes from Drew Brees breaking Peyton Manning’s regular season records for passing yards and passes completed. Monday night Brees has a chance to break yet another record held by Manning. Currently, Peyton sits at 539 passing touchdowns while Brees is closely behind him with 537.

You have to respect Brees and what he has been able to accomplish throughout his career. This season he missed five games with a broken thumb but has come back strong with 1,072 passing yards and 12 touchdowns over the last four games.

Getting after Brees and forcing him to move out of the pocket will be huge for the Colts pass rush led by Justin Houston. If Brees has all day to throw, it will be a long game for the Colts defense.

LB Demario Davis

Davis has revitalized his career after coming to New Orleans last season. He leads the team in tackles in 2019 with 95 total on the year. Contributing to his impressive stat sheet are also three sacks, 9.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception.

Davis is a talented linebacker with great pass rushing and run stopping abilities. The Saints love to send a combination of players on blitzes so it will be crucial for the Colts offensive line to pick up Davis and others coming off the edge and up the middle.

RB Alvin Kamara

Kamara’s season has seen limited production due to injury, but he is not to be underestimated. The third-year running back out of Tennessee took the league by storm his rookie year in 2017 and has been adjusting to team’s gameplans for him. He currently has 612 yards and one touchdown on the ground so far this season.

Where Kamara gets dangerous is in the pass game. He is a very talented receiver and has a great connection with Drew Brees. He has 68 receptions for 462 yards and a touchdown through the air as well. Stopping this dual-threat target will be huge in slowing down this Saints offense.

CB Marshon Lattimore

Another player who took the league by storm in his 2017 rookie campaign was Lattimore. He and Kamara took home the Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards that year respectively. Lattimore is considered one of the best shutdown corners in the league.

He has only one interception on the season but when teams purposefully do not throw to your side, that is expected. If T.Y. Hilton is still not healthy enough to go Monday night, look for Lattimore to be on Zach Pascal down the field. He is not impossible to beat, but Jacoby Brissett has to be careful when throwing to the talented corner.

WR Michael Thomas

His Twitter handle “@Cantguardmike” says it all. Thomas is one of the best, if not the best receiver in the game currently. His size and speed makes him a matchup problem for just about anyone in the league and his impressive season has landed him in the MVP conversation.

So far on the year, Thomas has 121 catches for 1,424 yards, both of which lead the league for all receivers. He has also found the endzone eight times this year and he and Drew Brees have been clicking as of late.

Pierre Desir will likely be on Thomas but he will need some help over the top, possibly from Malik Hooker or Khari Willis. Stopping Thomas from catching everything thrown to him should help slow own this aggressive Saints pass game.

DE Cameron Jordan

The Colts have faced some good pass rushers this season (Von Miller, T.J. Watt, Yannick Ngakoue) but Jordan is by far the biggest challenge they will face up front in 2019. With 46 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and 13.5 sacks, Jordan is an absolute monster off the edge.

He typically lines up on the right side which will be a matchup problem for Braden Smith and Mark Glowinski on that side of the line. Look for the Colts to either run to the side Jordan is not on or pull Quenton Nelson to that side to try and move the ball on the ground.

Safety Marcus Williams

Williams is a very talented safety but makes mistakes in big moments. Last week against San Francisco he grabbed a hold of George Kittle’s face mask and gave the 49ers 15 extra yards which put them into easy field goal range to win the game. You may also remember Williams botched the coverage that led to the Stefon Diggs “Minnesota Miracle.”

With four interceptions on the year and 53 total tackles, Williams is having a great year. This Saints secondary has really stepped up this season and can cover just about anyone down the field. Williams is very skilled, but attacking him and getting him frustrated will be vital for the Colts passing game that is limited already due to receiver injuries.

UGA football: ESPN sets Sugar Bowl broadcast crew

The fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and the seventh-ranked Baylor Bears are facing off in the 2020 Allstate Sugar Bowl.

ESPN announced the 2020 Sugar Bowl broadcast crew: Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe. The crew will be on-hand for the game between the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and the seventh-ranked Baylor Bears.

Georgia is back in the Sugar Bowl after falling to Texas last season in the same game. Kirby Smart and the Dawgs will look to bring home a win this time around. There’s a late 8:45 P.M. kickoff for this New Year’s Day game.

It should be a fun one. Baylor had the best defense in the Big 12 and Georgia had the best defense in the SEC. Expect a slugfest.

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Cardinals sign defensive lineman to practice squad

Edwards spent part of the season on the practice squad with the Houston Texans.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a minor roster move on Wednesday ahead of the start of their first practice of the week. They announced that they added defensive lineman Javier Edwards to the practice squad.

Javier is a rookie this year, having signed originally with the Houston Texans after going undrafted. He spent much of the season on the Texans’ practice squad.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds, played two seasons at Colorado after transferring from Blinn College where he began his collegiate career. While at Colorado, Edwards played in 23 games (21 starts) and had 69 tackles, three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

He joins Lyndon Johnson as the only two defensive linemen on the practice squad. The Cardinals have five on the 53-man roster.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Chicago vs. Green Bay: Which Packers player would you want on the Bears?

It’s an impossible question, but if you had to choose which Packers player would you like see playing for the Bears?

The Chicago Bears (7-6) are preparing for their biggest game of the season when they head to Lambeau Field to face their rivals Green Bay Packers (10-3) on Sunday.

While their first meeting didn’t go so well for the Bears — foreshadowing of what would be a difficult season — this second meeting feels like it could go in Chicago’s favor. That is, if they continue what they’ve been doing over the last two weeks.

The Packers look primed to win the NFC North following a season where they missed the playoffs. While they’ve hit some speed bumps over the last few weeks, they’re still a team loaded with talent.

Now, this is certainly not going to be a popular question. But if you absolutely had to choose, which Packers player would you want on the Bears?

VOTE!

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Brett Favre believes Eli Manning can be ‘huge’ for another team

Brett Favre believes New York Giants QB Eli Manning can be a “huge” asset for another team in 2020 and beyond.

No one knows what the future holds for New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning past this season. He is in the final year of his contract and with the Giants turning the keys over to rookie Daniel Jones, if Manning wants to continue his career, he’ll likely have to do it elsewhere.

After watching Manning toss two touchdowns on Monday night against the Eagles, there are some who think Eli can help a team become a winner next year should he decide to play on.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre thinks Manning can definitely put the right team over the top. Favre came out of retirement after his career with the Packers to play with the Jets and then the Vikings so he knows there is life after 40 in the NFL.

Eli chose not to waive his no-trade clause in his contract this past October so he can stay close to his family and the Giants, should they have needed him, which turned out to be the case.

In March, he’ll be a free agent and if he gets signed by a team, will count towards the compensatory draft pick formula for 2021.

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Buccaneers vs. Lions: Time, TV and how to watch online

Find out how you can watch and listen to all of Week 15’s action between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play a meaningful game in the month of December, and this year won’t be any different as the Bucs were officially eliminated from the playoffs last Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions.

But, even though Tampa Bay won’t be making a trip to the postseason for the 12th-straight year, they are riding a three-game winning-streak as they head to Detroit to face the same Lions team who ruined their playoff hopes.

The Bucs had perhaps the league’s toughest schedule in the first half of the season, playing five-straight games away from home, including one in London. But, since returning to Raymond James Stadium in Week 10, they’ve gone 4-1, with their lone loss being to the New Orleans Saints, which is nothing to be ashamed of.

Tampa Bay will unfortunately be without wide receiver Mike Evans for the rest of the year due to a hamstring injury, and quarterback Jameis Winston is dealing with a fractured thumb. Still, the red-hot Bucs are favored over the Lions on the road.

Find out how you can watch and listen to all Week 15’s action.

Game information:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions

Kickoff: Sunday, December 15, at 1:00 p.m. E.T.

Venue: Ford Field

How to Listen:

98ROCK (97.9 – Tampa)

The Boot (103.9 FM – Brooksville)

ESPN SW Florida (99.3 FM – Ft. Myers/Naples/Punta Gorda)

Citrus (95.3 FM – Homosassa)

WLKF (96.7 FM and 1430 AM – Lakeland)

WYGM (740 AM/ 96.9 FM – Orlando and Melbourne)

ESPN Tallahassee (97.9 FM – Tallahassee)

En Español

WTMP-FM 96.1, 101.9 and WMGG-AM 1470 (Tampa)

WIXC – AM 1060 (Melbourne/Orlando)

Satellite Radio

Sirius/XM Channel 88

Stream

You can stream the game live on Fubo TV. (Start your free trial).

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