Former RB Le’Veon Bell defends Mike Tomlin amid rising calls for the Steelers’ head coach to be fired following the team’s Week 12 loss.
In what has resulted in a terrible Pittsburgh Steelers blame game, the team’s Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns has taken a toll on players and fans alike.
While much discussion over who is more directly responsible for the 24-19 loss to Cleveland has resulted in several prominent names being thrown under the bus, such as HC Mike Tomlin, OC Arthur Smith, QB Russell Wilson, and P Corliss Waitman, former Steelers All-Pro RB Le’Veon Bell is sick of hearing it.
This blame game has recently turned into a Tomlin witch hunt, with fans calling for the head coach to be fired. Bell, who spent the majority of his career under Tomlin’s leadership, recently made it clear on social media that any fans calling for the coach’s firing are “not real Steelers fans.”
Out of everything Bell touched on, the truest statement he made is that everyone is clearly overreacting to the Steelers’ Week 12 loss. Within a few weeks, fans will forget this stinging defeat, and the 8-3 Pittsburgh Steelers can prove why the 2024 season will finally lead to a deep playoff run.
Seven games is the longest losing streak of Dennis Allen’s career, and it’s the most games he’s lost consecutively in a season:
The New Orleans Saints have lost seven games in a row, with the last game being to the Carolina Panthers. This is the hottest Dennis Allen’s seat has ever been from outside voices, and the pressure is mounting from the front office at this point.
This is the longest single season losing streak of Allen’s coaching career. As coach of the Raiders, he suffered six game losing streaks in both of his first two seasons but he never reached seven in one year.
Allen’s longest skid was 10 games and extended over two seasons. This led to his departure from Oakland. He hasn’t made it to 10 games, but it’s possible if Allen even makes it that far.
NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported “everything is on the table after that loss” including a firing. The bye week always seemed like the point where a decision on Allen’s future would be made. This loss to Carolina could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Purdue has fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after a 1-3 start to the 2024 season, the latest loss a 28-10 defeat at the hands of Nebraska.
Head coach Ryan Walters makes this significant move ahead of the Boilermakers’ upcoming matchup against the struggling Wisconsin Badgers.
Harrell joined the program with Walters in 2023. He previously held offensive coordinator positions at North Texas (2016-2018), USC (2019-2021) and West Virginia (2022).
Purdue averaged just 21.8 points per game during the first four games of the young season. It began with a 49-0 win over Indiana State, then followed with point totals of 7, 21 and 10 respectively in its next three losses. The team is 1-3 through four weeks and ranked No. 89 overall in ESPN SP+. Its offense is down at No. 84 in the nation.
Walters has his own issues to fix on the defensive side of the football — Purdue has allowed point totals of 66, 38 and 28 over the last three weeks as well. This change will likely be one of many to come as the Boilermakers continue to struggle in the post-Jeff Brohm era.
Wisconsin will host Purdue at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. It is a must-win for the Badgers if they have any chance at bowl eligibility. Purdue’s coaching change should shake things up entering the contest. For the Boilermakers, the on-field product can’t get much worse.
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When firefighters arrived, the fire was coming through the roof of the building.
GRANGER, Indiana — Several fire departments worked together Monday morning to extinguish a clubhouse fire at Juday Creek Golf Course, which sits minutes from Notre Dame.
The clubhouse’s fire was first reported by a person walking in the area, Clay Township Fire Chief Jaren Killian said. When firefighters arrived, the fire was coming through the roof of the building, he said. An investigation by the Indiana State Fire Marshal is underway.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any determination on what caused the fire at this point in time,” Killian said.
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at Juday Creek Golf Course in Granger on Monday, Aug. 26. (Photo: Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune/USA Today Network)
Ten fire departments joined to diffuse the fire and prevent spread, including firefighters from Clay, Edwardsburg, Cleveland, Baugo, Mishawaka and South Bend. Firefighters contained the fire in the building, but the newly renovated clubhouse now stands in ruins.
The course was built in 1989.
Golf course general manager Michelle Wittig arrived at the scene at 5:50 a.m., Monday. By 9:30 a.m., firefighters were working at extinguishing the last of the flames.
One firefighter did experience minor injuries, Killian said, and was treated on the scene. No one else was reported injured.
Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.
From @ToddBrock24f7: The fire was put out quickly and without injury, but “a couple” of players reportedly had to change rooms for the final two nights of camp.
In all of Mike McCarthy’s training camps, he said, he’d never seen anything quite like this.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and although the team’s practice schedule was not affected, ESPN’s Todd Archer is reporting that a couple of Cowboys players had to move to new rooms for the final two nights of camp.
“It was a very unfortunate situation,” McCarthy continued. “No one was injured, but it’s definitely something we can learn from.”
It’s not known which players were displaced or whether any of their personal items were lost or damaged.
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“Fire, it’s scary, the damage it can do and has done. Some individuals have been affected by it, no doubt about it.”
McCarthy did not go into any further detail about the incident, but he did suggest that team staffers were among the first to respond, even using fire extinguishers, presumably before firefighters arrived on the scene.
“Thankful that we had people that jumped right in there and were on top of it,” he said.
Michigan basketball announced the firing of head coach Juwan Howard Friday afternoon.
The Wolverines just finished a disastrous 8-24 season with a 66-57 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament. The team ended the year on a nine-game losing streak, and lost 14 of 15 going back to mid-January. The program reached a crater after Howard’s steadily worsened after the team’s Elite Eight trip in 2020-21.
Howard’s tenure at Michigan finishes with an 87-72 record, one Big Ten regular season title and five NCAA Tournament wins.
For the interest of Wisconsin Badgers fans, the news comes 755 days after February 20, 2022 — the day of the famous altercation between Howard and Greg Gard.
Michigan’s record since that date is 31-44, including this year’s disaster of a season. Wisconsin’s record, on the other hand, is 45-30 and could improve if the team goes on a run in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Breaking: Juwan Howard is out as Michigan's men's basketball coach, the school announced. pic.twitter.com/iHdFxKHBZj
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Saints assistant coaches Kodi Burns, Bob Bicknell also let go after Pete Carmichael dismissed
More changes are coming for the New Orleans Saints after firing offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. The team announced that assistant coaches Kodi Burns and Bob Bicknell will not be returning for the 2024 season.
Dennis Allen commented on the staff changes in a statement from the team: “I would like to thank Pete, Bob and Kodi for their service to the New Orleans Saints and to this coaching staff. These types of decisions are never easy to come to, but are necessary as we move forward.”
Both hired in recent years after Allen took over as head coach, Burns coached wide receivers while Bicknell worked as a senior assistant on offense. The Saints had too many miscues with their receivers and struggled to pick up first downs or score points for long stretches this year, so change was necessary.
And more departures may be coming. Stay tuned for updates as the 2024 Saints coaching staff continues to take shape.
The fire occurred at one of just three Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses in Canada.
The clubhouse at the site of the PGA Tour Americas’ ATB Classic went up in flames recently, and firefighters were contending with temperatures of 40 below while battling the blaze.
The Northern Bear Golf Course in Sherwood Park, Alberta — one of just three Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses in Canada — has a deal to host the PGA Tour Americas event through 2025. But the iconic clubhouse at the course, which sits about 40 minutes from downtown Edmonton, caught fire on Saturday morning.
The course is one of the longest on the PGA Tour Americas schedule and is known for tree-lined fairways, five lakes and huge greens. This year’s ATB Classic is scheduled for June 27-30.
There were no injuries, but the building is a total loss with just the skeletal remains standing in the Alberta cold for the foreseeable future. Temperatures in the region are not expected to get above zero Fahrenheit until Friday.
A message on the club’s Facebook page gave thanks to the crews that fought the fire in such difficult conditions.
“We are all devastated about the loss of our beautiful clubhouse. We are so grateful no one was at the clubhouse and there was no one injured. We want to thank the Strathcona fire department for their work in treacherous weather. Thank you to everyone for their well wishes and we vow to rebuild better than it was before,” the post said.
“If not for a heavy south wind, this could have put our house up in flames quickly.”
Gerald Knight is a heavy sleeper. His wife, Marci, is often quick to wake, worried that one of the couple’s two kids could find themselves in a predicament. So on Dec. 22, when Marci heard a loud bang, she was quick to get up in case her little ones had fallen or found some trouble.
But instead, she noticed a red glow outside. Since the couple lives across from the Dream Valley Golf Course they own — in a remote area outside Springfield, Missouri — this wasn’t a good sign.
“Next thing I know, she’s screaming for me to get up,” Gerald told Golfweek on Wednesday. “The cart barn was completely on fire. We think the noise she heard was part of the roof caving in. We called 911 and didn’t know what to do.
“It was a hard thing to stare at.”
The damage was significant, but Knight is uncertain on a dollar figure yet as insurance representatives have been off for the Christmas break. More than 50 carts were lost in the blaze, as well as everything else in the course’s maintenance area. Tables, chairs, even fishing poles were all charred after fire crews finally extinguished the flames.
On Dec. 22, the cart barn and new pro shop at Dream Valley Golf Course in Buffalo, Missouri, caught fire in the middle of the night. (Photo courtesy of Marci Knight/Dream Valley).
The couple purchased the 18-hole course back in April 2019 with another couple, Ryan and Dara Knight (no relation).
Gerald Knight said business has been good since taking over, even though the ownership group has kept prices far below the national average of most public-use golf courses. Weekday rates for 18 holes start at just $13 and a full year’s membership, including unlimited golf with a cart, costs just $1,100.
“We’re a rural golf course,” Knight said. “We need to keep it affordable for people.”
The group had big plans for the Christmas holiday weekend as temperatures were warm enough to allow golfers to get out on the course. The local cart distributor moved into high gear and quickly brought replacement carts so the course could remain open through the weekend. But a new pro shop, which had just been in the framing stage of construction, was also lost in the fire.
On Dec. 22, the cart barn and new pro shop at Dream Valley Golf Course in Buffalo, Missouri caught fire in the middle of the night. (Photo courtesy of Marci Knight/Dream Valley).
Even though the fire has created quite a setback for the group, Knight is thankful that things weren’t worse.
“Hopefully, the insurance gets settled and we get back to normal,” he said. “We were a little behind on the pro shop and that might have been a blessing. We’ll have to tear down the framed walls, but our construction crews are due to get working very soon on this.
“But if not for a heavy south wind, this could have put our house up in flames quickly. And the amount of play we’ve had has been really, really good since we took over. So it’s been nothing but positive. This is the first major setback we’ve faced.”
The project will be funded through insurance proceeds, member assessment and member dues.
Nearly two years after a devastating fire that caused $80 million in damage to the clubhouse and surroundings at one of North America’s cathedrals of golf, the smiles were wide on Wednesday when members from Oakland Hills Country Club put shovels in the ground to start a construction project that will bring new life to the facility.
The club in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills is home to two highly-rated golf courses. The South Course, designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1918, ties for No. 22 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of classic courses built before 1960 in the U.S. The club’s North Course had previously been on the list, but slipped out in 2023.
The club has hosted 14 golf majors or USGA championships, including six U.S. Opens, two U.S. Senior Opens, a U.S. Women’s Amateur, two U.S. Men’s Amateurs and three PGA Championships — including the 90th PGA Championship in 2008. The club has also hosted the 1922 Western Open, the 1964 Carling World Open, and the 35th Ryder Cup, in 2004.
The original clubhouse was designed by C. Howard Crane and opened in 1922. It had undergone several renovations and housed irreplaceable golf tournament memorabilia and art going back a century.
The Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, on fire on Thursday, February 17, 2022. (Photo: Eric Seals-USA TODAY NETWORK)
That backstory led the smiling faces on Wednesday as the club broke ground on a new project entitled the “Next 100 Project,” which will include a replica clubhouse, a new greens and grounds complex, changes to the practice range and updated parking. The $96.5 million project was approved by the club’s membership this month and will be funded through insurance proceeds, member assessment and member dues.
The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
“Today is a momentous day for Oakland Hills members and staff who stand together, much like we did nearly two years ago watching flames rise from our clubhouse, but with a renewed excitement for the future,” Oakland Hills President K. Dino Kostopoulos said. “The ‘Next 100 Project’ is the result of significant planning by the entire Oakland Hills family that will define the Championship golf experience for generations to come at our Club and beyond.”
Here’s a look at some renderings of the updated facilities as well as pictures from Wednesday’s groundbreaking.
