Packers plan to use versatile Tyler Ervin as kick and punt returner

Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed newcomer Tyler Ervin will take over as the team’s primary returner.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed running back Tyler Ervin will be the team’s new primary punt and kick returner.

The Packers claimed Ervin off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday.

In addition to becoming the No. 1 returner, LaFleur also likes what Ervin can potentially provide on offense.

“He’s an elusive guy, he’s got some juice, he’s pretty fast,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “And I also like his versatility in terms of adding some depth to our running back position and he’s played a little in the slot as well.”

Ervin, a fourth-round pick in 2016, has over 500 career punt return yards and 700 career kick returns over his four NFL seasons. In college, he returned three kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns and produced as both a runner and receiver (73 catches his last two seasons).

Ervin will bring speed and explosiveness to the returner and running back positions. At the scouting combine in 2016, Ervin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds and had top numbers in the vertical leap (39″) and broad jump (10-10).

For his career, Ervin has averaged 21.1 yards per kick return and 8.3 yards per punt return, with longs of 36 on kicks and 57 on punts.

The Packers have used Trevor Davis, Darrius Shepherd and Tremon Smith as returners this season. Davis was traded, Shepherd is on the practice squad and Smith was released. It’s now Ervin’s turn to attempt to fix one of the NFL’s worst return groups.

Giants’ Daniel Jones disappointed in injury, ready to learn from Eli Manning

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones expressed disappointment in his injury, but vows to watch and learn from Eli Manning.

New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones will do one thing Eli Manning has never done in his entire career this Monday against the Philadelphia Eagles — he will miss a game due to injury.

Jones suffered a “moderate” high ankle sprain in a Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and despite playing through the injury that afternoon, the rookie was confined to a walking boot on Wednesday and has returned to QB2.

After yielding way back to Manning, Jones expressed a disappointment in his injury, but vowed to learn as much as he could from the two-time Super Bowl MVP for however long he remains out.

“I knew something was wrong with my ankle but didn’t know how bad. It’s disappointing. I’m going to take it day by day to heal as quick as I can,” Jones told reporters. “There is an opportunity to learn and watch and I’ll try to do the best I can to do that.”

Jones revealed that he previously played through an ankle sprain during his time at Duke, but acknowledged he’s unlikely to be able to do it this time around, but wouldn’t rule himself out for the season.

“A real good chance,” Jones said when asked if he’d play again this season.

In the mean time, Jones is back in the pupil role and has no intentions on making a stink or trying to force his way back under center.

“I have a ton of respect for Eli Manning,” Jones said.

Head coach Pat Shurmur said the team has absolutely no intention on shutting Jones down for the season and said that when healthy, he will once again replace Manning.

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Kareem Jackson is giving the Broncos intel on his old team, the Texans

Former Houston Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson is helping the Denver Broncos prepare for the Texans ahead of their Week 14 matchup.

For nine years, Kareem Jackson roamed the streets of Houston as the Texans’ 2010 first-round pick and starting cornerback. That is no more. In March, the 31-year-old signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Denver Broncos to play safety.

On Sunday, Jackson will return to Houston, as his 4-8 Broncos attempt to upset the 8-4 Texans. Denver is using his experience with the Texans to their advantage, as his fellow teammate and safety Justin Simmons alluded to on Wednesday.

“Just this morning, you have our coaching staff break down their personnel a little bit, but we had Kareem get up there. He was with them the longest obviously and he knows what they do—he [saw] it every day in practices when he was there,” Simmons told reporters Tuesday. “Just having him break down personnel, talking about what they like to do and don’t like to do—things like that, it’s a real benefit for game plan preparation going into the week.”

Broncos Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris doesn’t need the Texans advice as much as others, he’s played them four times. Nevertheless, Jackson is helping him with information that isn’t as visible on film or as memorable in previous matchups.

“For me, I’ve played against ‘Hop’ and those guys a lot of times,” said Harris. “Really, he just gives me a few more tidbits of what they can do. Just overall on the offensive scheme and Bill O’Brien and how he thinks, K-Jack can definitely help with that.”

Jackson is thriving in the Broncos’ defense, starting 11 games while tallying 58 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, five pass deflections and an interception. According to Pro Football Reference, he has allowed 248 passing yards in coverage in 2019.

On Sunday, expect Jackson to be a pro-active defender against Deshaun Watson and Co. After all, he knows what to look for.

Ravens are heavy favorites over Bills for Week 14

The Baltimore Ravens have blown so many teams out this season that they’re early heavy NFL odds favorites over the Buffalo Bills for Week 14

The Baltimore Ravens have steamrolled quite a lot of opponents this season en route to a 10-2 record and a top seed in the AFC playoff picture. By beating quality teams by large margins, Baltimore has announced itself as the best team in the league. So when they’re going up against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, oddsmakers are giving them quite the spread.

According to BetMGM, the Ravens are 5.5-point favorites over the Bills this week. While only tied for the fifth-largest spread of Week 14, 5.5 points is nothing to sneeze at for an away team. Considering oddsmakers typically gift the home team three points due to the effects the crowd and familiar field can mean to a game, it makes Baltimore’s odds even greater in theory.

But this is a tough bet to make this week. While the Ravens have absolutely obliterated good teams in recent weeks, beating their opponents by a combined score of 222-79 since Week 7, Buffalo has the third-ranked defense. With the struggles Baltimore had last week against the San Francisco 49ers’ defense, it’s unclear how that will translate to yet another stout front like the Bills.

On the flip side, Buffalo hasn’t exactly faced a bunch of tough teams. They could very well have an inflated defensive ranking thanks to playing against New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins (twice) and Tennessee Titans. And with a mediocre offense that relies far too much on quarterback Josh Allen picking up the slack, they should struggle to keep up with the Ravens’ offense. As we’ve seen often this season, that could lead to a blowout win.

If you’re the betting type, use the link for BetMGM but you’d probably be best served to find a better matchup that offers a little more certainty than Buffalo vs. Baltimore in Week 14.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Colts’ Marlon Mack returns to practice, could play vs. Bucs

Marlon Mack returns to practice.

While the injury front hasn’t been kind to the Indianapolis Colts, they did get some encouraging news in running back Marlon Mack returning to practice on Wednesday.

As the Colts look to shake off their divisional loss against the Tennessee Titans, Mack appears to have a chance to make his return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, but it remains to be seen if that will happen.

Mack suffered a broken hand in the Week 12 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had already rushed 14 times for 106 yards and a touchdown in that game before leaving midway through the third quarter.

Mack is enjoying a career year and likely would have been heavily involved in the Pro Bowl voting had it not been for the broken hand. On the season, he has 192 carries for 862 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

The Colts have been running the ball well this season, much in part due to the offensive line and Mack running behind them. If all goes well this week, Indy could see the return of their starting running back.

Tyler Herro was forced to guard Jimmy Butler in Heat pick-up games

Several Heat players, including Bam Adebayo, arranged for Herro to guard Butler on the court to see what the rook had and how he’d react.

As the case is each year, rookies often face a tough transition from college to the NBA. That process can be even harder if you’re immediately forced to guard four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, as Tyler Herro found out.

After joining the Heat, Herro was around the organization for much of the summer as he adjusted to his new team. He often played pick-up games with his teammates and even joined Butler for his infamous 4 a.m. workouts.

Once Butler officially arrived in Miami, several Heat players, including Bam Adebayo, arranged for Herro to guard Butler on the court to see what the rook had and how he’d react. The three players discussed that, and more, in an interview with Slam Magazine as they grace the Slam 225 cover.

Adebayo: We threw him in the fire, Day 1. First day of pickup, we made him guard Jimmy.

Butler: I was killing you, too.

Herro: I wasn’t scoring?

Butler: You weren’t scoring on me. I’m not going for that [expletive].

Herro: Was I scoring?

Butler: You were not scoring on me.

Adebayo: We threw him in the fire and we wanted to see how he’d react. He didn’t shy away from it.

The team chemistry with Butler in the picture now has been strong as he has fit in seamlessly so far. He has been seen joking around with his teammates and has been impressed by what he has seen in Herro and fellow rookie Kendrick Nunn.

“Jimmy has taken me under his wing since the summer and really just pushed me and showed me the right way and has given me confidence and has really put me in the right spots,” Herro said.

As for that time he guarded Butler in practice, Herro said he thought he did well until Butler started taking it seriously. He is likely happy he doesn’t have to guard him when the games really matter.

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UFC on ESPN 7 pre-event facts: Alistair Overeem is the most accurate striker in UFC history

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 7, which features a Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik heavyweight main event.

The UFC returns to Washington D.C. for the first time in more than eight years on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 7. The card is set to air on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

In the headliner, two heavyweights on winning streaks will attempt to take another step up the divisional pecking order when perennial contender [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who stepped in on short notice as a replacement for Walt Harris.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the 12-fight card, check below for 50 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 7.

* * * *

Main event

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Overeem, 39, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Overeem’s two-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Rozenstruik (three), Francis Ngannou (three) and Augusto Sakai (three).

Overeem is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn 10 or more heavyweight wins.

Overeem has earned 40 of his 45 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 10 UFC wins.

Overeem lands 73.8 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC competition, the highest rate in company history.

Overeem has been on the losing end of the fifth and sixth largest statistical comeback finishes in UFC heavyweight history. He out-landed Antonio Silva by 30 significant strikes before being knocked out at UFC 156, and he out-landed Travis Browne by 27 significant strikes before his demise at UFC Fight Night 26

Overeem’s 13 knockout losses in MMA competition are the most of any active member on the UFC roster.

Overeem’s 11 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are the most in combined organizational history.

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Rozenstruik makes his second UFC appearance in a 35-day stretch. He defeated Andrei Arlovski at UFC 244 on Nov. 2.

Rozenstruik’s three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Ngannou and Sakai for the longest active streak in the division.

Rozenstruik has earned eight of his nine career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.

Rozenstruik’s three-fight knockout streak in UFC competition is tied with Ngannou, Amanda Nunes, Maycee Barber, Jared Cannonier and Justin Gaethje for the longest active streak in the company.

Rozenstruik’s nine-second knockout at UFC on ESPN+ 12 is the second fastest in UFC heavyweight history behind Todd Duffee’s seven-second finish at UFC 102.

Co-main event

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[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]’s (13-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) three-fight UFC unbeaten streak at strawweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (four) and Zhang Weili (four).

Rodriguez fought to the first draw in UFC strawweight history against Randa Markos at UFC Fight Night 137 in September 2018.

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[autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag]’s (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) five wins since 2017 in strawweight competition are tied for most in the division.

Calvillo’s three submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Rose Namajunas for most in divisional history.

Calvillo has completed at least one takedown in five of her six UFC appearances.

Calvillo’s nine submission attempts in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.

Calvillo attempts 2.02 submission attempts per 15 minutes in UFC strawweight competition, the most in divisional history.

Remaining main card

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[autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 13-9 UFC) returns to competition after announcing his retirement from MMA following a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in February.

Struve competes in his 23rd UFC heavyweight bout, the third most appearances in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (31) and Frank Mir (27).

Struve’s 13 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Arlovski (17), Mir (16) and Junior Dos Santos (15).

Struve’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Arlovski and Gabriel Gonzaga for second most in divisional history behind Mir (13).

Struve’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Mir (eight).

Struve’s 21 submission attempts in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Mir for most in divisional history.

Struve’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC heavyweight fights are second most in divisional history behind Stipe Miocic (nine).

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[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag]’s (36-12 MMA, 6-6 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2016.

Rothwell is 0-2 since he returned from a nearly three-year layoff in March.

[autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag]’s (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) two knockout victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Nunes (six), Ronda Rousey (three) and Germaine de Randamie (three).

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[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is 2-0 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.

Kunitskaya’s two-fight UFC winning streak at women’s bantamweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Nunes (eight), de Randamie (four) and Ketlen Vieira (four).

[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC), 22, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

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[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Dec. 15, 2018. The 357-day layoff is the longest of his more than eight-year career.

Font has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on FOX 31 in December 2018.

Font’s five stoppages victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (eight), Urijah Faber (seven), Marlon Vera (seven) and Pedro Munhoz (six).

Font’s four knockout victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Dillashaw (seven) and Eddie Wineland (five).

[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]’s (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) victory at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 128 is the latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight.

Preliminary card

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[autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag] (23-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) competes in his 26th UFC welterweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.

Alves’ 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are the third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).

Alves’ nine stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Hughes (12) and Matt Brown (12).

Alves’ eight knockout victories in UFC welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Brown (10).

Alves’ 13 knockdowns landed in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Alves’ four knockout victories stemming from knee strikes in UFC competition are most in company history.

Alves has landed 380 leg kicks in UFC competition, the second most in company history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (430).

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[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (28-11-1 MMA, 10-8 UFC) is 8-6 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

[autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] (23-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is 17-1 in his past 18 fights dating back to March 2015.

Muradov enters the event on a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since December 2016.

[autotag]Trevor Smith[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 5-6 UFC) has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision. He hasn’t earned a stoppage victory since June 2012.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Raiders begin prep for what figures to be final Oakland home stand

Raiders begin prep for what figures to be final Oakland home stand

Today the Raiders hit the practice field to prepare for their game against the Titans on Sunday. Following a 2-game road trip to New York and Kansas City, they return home for a 2-game stint. But this isn’t just any two-game homestand. This is very likely the last homestand ever for the Oakland Raiders. It’s a difficult reality for someone like head coach Jon Gruden who loves the Black Hole and has fond memories of Oakland where his head coaching career began over 20 years ago.

“That’s tough, man. It is tough,” Gruden said of looking at the final two games in Oakland. “You know it’s tough driving in here seeing these fans. It’s tough, the thought of all the change that’s happening on our roster and in our future, but it’s exciting at the same time. So, you try to again just focus on what we can control and play it one snap at a time, one game at a time, and try to be very, very respectful of where we come from. We come from Oakland and we’d like to finish strong.” 

Currently the Raiders sit at 6-6 on the season, which means they aren’t out of the playoff hunt. And so long as they are still in that hunt, there’s always at least a slight possibility they could host a playoff game in Oakland. But most likely even if they do make the playoffs, it would be as a wild card, which means they would be on the road the first round and most likely the rest of the way as well.

No one is going to take the next two weeks against the Titans and Jaguars for granted. In part because every game is crucial to the Raiders playoff hopes, but because that stadium and the diehard fans who have filled it for all but 13 years since 1960 deserve the Raiders best effort.

Oddly, the Raiders have kind of been here before. Late last season, Mark Davis was threatening to take the Raiders away from Oakland for the 2019 season over a dispute with the City of Oakland for filing an anti-trust lawsuit. The possibility of that led to a resounding and exhilarating week 16 win over the Broncos. Just their 4th and final win of the season. Obviously, the Raiders didn’t play anywhere else this season as Davis eventually realized there were no other venues.

These games are much more likely to be the final ones. While this may offer added pressure, it should also inspire this team to play outside of themselves. The Titans sit at 7-5 and are on the upswing. They are coming in having won three in a row and five of their last six. No easy win. Some inspiration is just what this Raiders team needs right now.

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