Tag: CBS Sports

CBS rightly ripped for not showing extremely bad shot at key moment of PGA Tour event

How do you not show this shot?

Harold Varner III was tied for the lead during Sunday’s final round of the Genesis Open in Los Angeles when he hit one of the worst drives on the iconic 10th hole that you’ll ever see a professional golfer hit, especially one who was in FIRST PLACE.

Well, actually, nobody even got to see that tee shot because CBS – whose golf broadcasts continue to be a dreadful experience for golf fans who choose to sit through them – didn’t show it.

Varner, who’s playing the second-to-last group, topped a 3-wood on the par-4 10th hole. When coverage went to his second shot they asked if he had laid up but the on-course reporter said no, that he had topped it and now faced a long shot into the hole.

Varner would double-bogey the hole and fall off the lead.

This was was bad the tee shot was:

Fans were rightly furious that CBS wouldn’t show such a bad shot that was also such a pivotal shot in a tournament. It’s a huge part of the storyline of a tournament and there’s no video of it? On one of the most iconic holes in all of golf and you can’t show it?

They didn’t even show a replay of it!

Twitter blasted CBS:

CBS slots Jags at No. 27 spot of power rankings

Occasional Jags radio analyst Pete Prisco slotted the team at the No. 27 spot of his power rankings, which is actually better than others.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2019 season was one in which was hard to watch and fans actually rejoiced its end. They only bested their win total from 2018 by just one win with a 6-10 record, well below their expectations.

Someone who watched them extensively throughout the process was CBS Sports and occasional Jags radio analyst Pete Prisco, who recently released his post-Super Bowl power rankings with the Jags slotted at the No. 27 spot.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

Even after the bad showing last season, coach Doug Marrone is back. They have a new offensive coordinator in Jay Gruden, who has to decide on Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles as his quarterback.

The Jags named Jay Gruden to their staff last month, and as Prisco pointed out, he’ll be an important part of the Jags’ season if they are to have a turnaround. While his run with the Washington Redskins ended unimpressively, his success as on offensive coordinator certainly indicates that he can get the Jags’ offense right.

In addition to deciding on who will be the better option behind center, the Jags will need to find pieces around which ever quarterback is declared the winner. The Jags’ offensive line needs boosting, they need significant upgrades at tight end, and could use a receiver to pair with DJ Chark Jr., so Gruden will have his work cut out for him. If Gruden can overcome the Herculean task, however, the Jags could find themselves further up Prisco’s power rankings this fall.

As for the rest of the AFC South, Prisco slotted the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans at the No. 10 and No. 11 spots, respectively. The Indianapolis Colts came in behind them at the No. 20 spot.

CBS Sports sends Bills CB in Round 1 (2020 NFL Draft)

Buffalo Bills select Clemson CB Krisitan Fulton in this CBS Sports mock draft.

When the description of a mock draft pick starts with “somewhat of a surprise,” that might be an indicator that fans are going to be upset. The Buffalo Bills faithful might not enjoy one of CBS Sports‘ latest mock drafts.

This particular slate of guesses has the Bills taking LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton with their first-round pick at the 2020 NFL Draft:

Somewhat of a surprise pick here for Buffalo, but the club does have a sizable need at No. 2 cornerback, and Fulton is one of the cleanest prospects at that position in this class.

It’s tough to forecast how awful or how great any mock draft will be in February. To be fair, there’s pros and cons to Fulton going to the Bills. While “sizeable” isn’t exactly an accurate description for the Bills’ need for a No. 2 cornerback, Buffalo could stand to try and upgrade there.

The Bills had an up-and-down year from incumbent Levi Wallace, and while Kevin Johnson provided some solid depth, he was never much of a game-changing player. Just steady, and he’s a pending free agent.

Wallace will likely be back since he’s an EFRA, and by comparison, Johnson will likely be a more cost-efficient player to re-sign rather than going the first-round pick route. But having said all that, free agency does happen before the draft. A lot of needs can change.

In addition, Fulton’s selection by the Bills in this mock could be a factor of who goes off the board first.

At this point of the offseason, most would argue the Bills’ top “need” is a receiver. The next? Perhaps a pass rusher.

In terms of wideouts, five, in total, are drafted before the Bills are on the board. Those include CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, Laviska Shenault and Tee Higgins. In regard to potential defensive ends, Chase Young naturally is gone early, but other frequently-tabbed Bills targets in K’Lavon Chaisson and AJ Epenesa are also already selected by pick No. 16.

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2020 NFL Draft: Bills opt for Round 1 DB in CBS Sports mock

Buffalo Bills select defensive back in CBS Sports’ latest 2020 NFL Draft mock.

Could the Bills actually take a defensive back in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft? CBS Sports seems to think so.

Buffalo’s secondary has led the way under the team’s current coaching staff led by Sean McDermott, since his 2017 hiring. Still, that unit is refreshed with Alabama safety Xavier McKinney. Here’s why:

Buffalo exceeded expectations this season, which is a testament to their coaching staff. When you look at the roster, there are several areas in need of an upgrade. In an ideal world, the best prospect available would be a wide receiver but that is not the case. Instead, they build out their secondary with Xavier McKinney, who is capable of playing the boundary and field cornerback positions as well as either safety role.

Of all the position groups the Bills might need refreshed least, safety could be up there. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer roam that area for the Bills and while Poyer is entering a contract year in 2020, he still has plenty of game in him at 28. Draft McKinney, who is touted as a first-round talent at the upcoming draft, wouldn’t make much sense for the Bills, even if he was moved to cornerback.

Especially since the likes of edge defenders K’Lavon Chaisson and Yeter Gross-Matos are still on the board, along with receivers Justin Jefferson and Laviska Shenault.

The Bills’ projection in this particular mock are certainly among the most questionable so far this offseason. Do the Bills like to put themselves in the best position to take the best player in any position when their pick comes along? Of course, but it’s still a scenario that’s hard to imagine.

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2020 NFL Draft: Bills take new WR in latest CBS Sports mock

Buffalo Bills select Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III in the latest CBS Sports mock draft.

Wide receiver is a popular pick for the Buffalo Bills in early 2020 NFL Draft mocks. Following the Senior Bowl last week, CBS Sports thinks that won’t change for the Bills.

However, there is a new name attached to Buffalo’s first-round pick at No. 22 overall. The selection is Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III.

Here’s how the pick is broken down:

John Brown can stretch the field and Cole Beasley can man the slot, but Josh Allen needs another downfield target. Ruggs is one of the fastest players on the Alabama roster and he’s a threat to take it to the house from anywhere on the field.

In this mock draft scenario, Ruggs is the third receiver selected, with none going in the top-10 picks like many mock drafts predict. Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy go ahead of Ruggs to the Bills at 11 and 12, respectively.

Other top wideout prospects such as Colorado’s Laviska Shenault and Clemson’s Tee Higgins are selected after Ruggs.

Ruggs, a junior, did not suit up in the recent Senior Bowl. He’s also not the type of playmaker many peg for the Bills. He’s only 6-feet tall, as Buffalo could stand to use a taller threat.

Still, the Bills could use an additional talented player, in general, on offense and there’s a reason why Ruggs is touted as a first-round talent. He might not be tall, but he’s lightning fast as he ran a 4.25 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in March. At the combine, Ruggs will gun to beat the 40 record for 4.22, set by the Bengals’ John Ross.

Ruggs used that speed to average 17.6 yards per reception in his career at Alabama. Draft Wire also compliments Ruggs’ route running and ankle-breaking abilities.

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Seahawks select defensive lineman in latest CBS mock draft

CBS has the Seattle Seahawks selecting defensive tackle Justin Madubuike from Texas A&M in the first round of their latest 2020 mock draft.

The Seattle Seahawks rarely do things conventionally, and that is particularly true of the NFL draft.

Trading down and out of the first round has become almost the norm for this team, and when they do make first round picks they are often players who many pundits didn’t consider first round caliber (L.J. Collier) – or were players that didn’t seem to fit Seattle’s positional needs (Rashaad Penny).

Thus, folks who are making mock drafts are trying their best to calibrate to Seattle’s unpredictability in the first round, a difficult task at this stage of the draft process when player values are still a long way from decided.

Still, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson went with a rather unheralded selection in his mock draft, projecting the Seahawks to select Texas A&M defensive tackle Justin Madubuike at No. 27 overall.

Madubuike certainly fills a positional need for Seattle as a versatile defensive lineman with the requisite strength and athleticism to excel as a gap penetrator and an interior pass rusher, but he is not often viewed as a first round talent.

Of course, a strong showing at the combine could change that.

Madubuike is an interesting name to keep an eye on in a draft that lacks elite talent across the defensive line.

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New TV Deal Ensures Exposure For Mountain West Basketball

New TV deal ensures exposure for Mountain West hoops CBS, FOX will carry as many as 75 basketball games Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire The new agreement lays out a more prominent platform for Mountain West basketball Last week, the …

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New TV deal ensures exposure for Mountain West hoops

CBS, FOX will carry as many as 75 basketball games

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

The new agreement lays out a more prominent platform for Mountain West basketball

Last week, the Mountain West announced a new television rights deal with CBS and FOX that will pay the league a total of $270 million for the rights to broadcast its football and menā€™s basketball games. Though the league did not disclose the specifics of how the rights fees would be split between the two networks, CBS Sports will remain the primary broadcast partner for the conference.

The six-year deal goes into effect at the beginning of the next college football season and runs through the 2026 menā€™s basketball campaign.

The most significant aspects of this massive joint venture pertain to the gridiron. In addition to football being the major source of value in the deal for all parties, the MW also has two very unique situations at Boise State and Hawaiā€™i that pertain only to the football programs at those schools.

But while football may be what brought everybody to the table, the inclusion of the TV rights for menā€™s basketball should not be overlooked.

The deal not only lines the coffers of the conference for years to come, but it also ensures increased exposure for menā€™s hoops. To that end, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson was quick to dispel the notion that basketball was an afterthought in the agreement.

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ā€œBasketball is a valuable commodity to the Mountain West and was an important part of these negotiations,ā€ Thompson noted during the media call announcing the deal.

Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of CBS Sports, echoed those sentiments.

ā€œThere was absolutely an emphasis placed on the high-quality basketball thatā€™s played across the league,ā€ Weinberg said, adding that the sport was ā€œforefront in the discussionsā€ and ā€œabsolutely part of the process.ā€

The result of that process is that CBS and FOX will now combine to show as many as 75 games across all platforms.

The deal guarantees that 32 regular-season Mountain West games will be shown on either CBS or CBS Sports Network. The network will also have the option to select 10 games for its burgeoning digital arm, CBS All Access. Importantly, the network will be able to select what it considers to be the 12 best games to add to its programming schedule.

At least two games will be broadcast annually on CBSā€™ flagship network television channel, under the terms of the agreement. This is up from zero broadcast games under the current media rights deal.

The Mountain West Championship Game will continue to be broadcast on CBS, though an interesting wrinkle in the new deal offers the network a way out of that obligation.

The deal stipulates that the contest ā€œmust be played on NCAA Tournament selection weekend.ā€ That clause may have been spurred by the unusual circumstances of the 2020 MWC Tournament, which will be played one week earlier than normal due to the massive 2020 Conexpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas the week of Selection Sunday.

UP NEXT: EXPLAINING FOX SPORTS AGREEMENT

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Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo predict where Tiger will win No. 83

Tiger Woods needs one PGA Tour title to break a tie with Sam Snead for the all-time win total on Tour.

CBS Sports tees off its 2020 PGA Tour season next Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Farmers Insurance Open (3-6 p.m. ET) from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California.Ā 

The network, which will air 20 Tour events, debuts its new announce team with host Jim Nantz, and lead analyst and six-time major champion Nick Faldo anchoring coverage from the 18th tower. Davis Love III makes his CBS Sports debut, alongside analysts Ian Baker-Finch, Frank Nobilo, Dottie Pepper, Mark Immelman and reporter Amanda Balionis.

When asked during a media conference call to predict when Tiger Woods would break the record he shares with Sam Snead and capture his 83rd Tour title, Faldo picked the Masters, where CBS will broadcast for the 65th consecutive year. Woods has won five times and is the defending champion.

“Heā€™s only good when he plays golf courses that have got minimal rough and pine trees left and right,” Faldo said, noting those circumstances happened to be three victories. “I donā€™t know how he can create the emotion again of what it meant to win his 15th (major)… If the weather is good ā€“ it needs to be warm for his back ā€“ heā€™s got a shot at Augusta… You never know what might happen at Augusta again.”

Nantz looked into his crystal ball and predicted Tiger may win even sooner.

“Hardest thing in the world to do in sports is to try to predict who will win a golf tournament, but Tiger in his prime was the surest bet,” he said. “I know when he got 82 I was walking into a stadium and someone came over to me and said, ‘Any regrets you didnā€™t get to call No. 82?’ My knee-jerk reaction was, ‘No, weā€™ll be happy to call No. 83.’ Iā€™d rather have 83 than 82.

“Iā€™m always looking for context and heā€™s signed up to play the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Yes, heā€™s never won at Riviera. I think that would be the coolest story if he won at the site where he first competed as a 16-year-old high school kid in the 1992 L.A. Open. He never won there and he started his exposure to professional golf as a 16-year-old amateur there so maybe he comes back 28 years later and wins it for the first time to take over first place on the all-time win list.”

Woods, who matched Snead with a victory at the Zozo Championship in Japan in October, is scheduled to make his season debut next week at the Farmers Insurance Open, too.

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CBS Sports analyst predicts Bills win AFC East

Buffalo Bills will win 2020 AFC East, says CBS Sports’ Adam Schein.

Could the Bills win the AFC East next season?

They were awfully close in 2019.

Buffalo lost their Week 16 meeting with the Patriots in a close game and in their season finale, had nothing to play for. Plenty of rest for starters.

Had the Bills won, they could’ve been playing for the AFC East title. The Patriots went on to lose in Week 17 to the Dolphins, and had the Bills beat the Jets and finished 11-5, not 10-6, they would’ve won the division.

It was that close.

Perhaps that closeness gave CBS Sports analyst Adam Schein confidence in the Bills once again. On Tuesday, he predicted the Bills would win the AFC East next season.

“We’re not waiting until March for the big predictions. I’m going bold right now. The Buffalo Bills will win the AFC East next year. That’s right, Bills Mafia, you don’t have to wait for the offseason,” Schein said.

The analyst cited some “transition” in New England and a possibility that quarterback Tom Brady leaves, plus growth from quarterback Josh Allen, along with the Bills’ stout defense, as some of his reasons why he thinks so.

For what it’s worth, Schein was the same guy who predicted the Bills would win 10 games this year and make the playoffs, which they did.

Check out the full prediction here:

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WATCH: Urban Meyer reportedly could be target to take over Browns

In keeping with the tradition of 2019, Urban Meyer has been named as a possible replacement for a coach that hasnā€™t been fired yet.

In keeping with the tradition of 2019, Urban Meyer has been named as a possible replacement for a coach that hasnā€™t been fired yet.

CBS Sportsā€™ Jason La Canfora writes that the former Ohio State coach is a possibility to lead the Cleveland Browns, a job that currently belongs to first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens.

La Canfora cites a ā€œvery strong bondā€ between Meyer and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, calling the two confidants. La Canfora also notes that Meyer is still highly respected in the area for his run with the Ohio State Buckeyes, who won a national championship for the 2014 season under his guidance.

Meyerā€™s name has been tossed into conversations for the Dallas Cowboysā€™ job (still occupied by Jason Garrett) and the Washington Redskinsā€™ job (occupied by interim head coach Bill Callahan). He was also mentioned in speculation to take over at USC before the Trojans opted to retain Clay Helton.