Tag: interaction

Darren Rizzi explains late-game conversation with Payton Turner

Some Saints fans noticed Darren Rizzi stumbling into Payton Turner late in their win over the Falcons. The coach said a congratulatory shove gave him a stinger:

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi drew a lot of questions after his team’s 20-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but one of them focused on what exactly happened in his late-game interaction with defensive end Payton Turner.

Toward the end of the game, it almost looked as though the coach’s legs had gone numb and that he had lost his balance before he hugged Turner and spoke with him. It also appeared that Rizzi lost balance during the moment, though he walked off the field normally following the incident.

Rizzi said he yelled at Turner with roughly 30 seconds left in the contest because Turner was celebrating before the game had ended.

“So, (I was) screaming at him. So, he’s spraying water and I ripped his (redacted), quite frankly,” Rizzi began. “So, when the game was over, he wanted to get me back, so he came up to me and I wasn’t looking and he jacked me up from the back.”

The interim coach, who won his first game in the position and has instilled a new sense of optimism within the team and the fan base, said that he’s fine after his left arm went numb and that it is nothing new considering that he’s had a “history of stingers.” Still, the sudden loss of balance almost brought his legs out from under him, so he grabbed onto his player for support.

Rizzi and the Saints will look to build upon this statement victory as they head through the final stretch of the season. That journey will start with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for Noon CT at the Caesars Superdome.

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Terrion Arnold and Kalen DeBoer share a heartfelt moment

Terrion Arnold tells Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer something that Crimson Tide fans will be happy to hear.

With the Alabama Crimson Tide’s annual A-Day spring game taking place just a few weekends ago, it was the first chance we’ve had to see new head coach [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] on the sideline. The reality that the legend [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] is no longer with the program still doesn’t sit right, however, it seems like there is more of an overwhelming feeling of excitement for what DeBoer brings to the table.

As part of the A-Day festivities, former Alabama cornerback [autotag]Terrion Arnold[/autotag] was in town to speak to the team and enjoy the atmosphere ahead of this week’s NFL draft. Arnold is widely projected to be taken in the first round on Thursday night as he led the Crimson Tide with 12 pass breakups and five interceptions in 2023, but he will also go down as one of the most beloved players of the Saban era.

In a wholesome mic ‘d-up moment between DeBoer and Arnold, you can hear Arnold telling the new Crimson Tide coach, “Bro, I would’ve wanted to play for you. Bro, I like you.”

There is no question that DeBoer is an entirely different personality and coach than Saban, but that is just fine. DeBoer is very much a player-friendly coach who is adapting very well to the NIL and transfer portal era and is probably the perfect guy to guide Alabama through those ventures while Nick Saban tries out some new endeavors and enjoys a well-earned retirement.

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Sea otter catches shark in extremely rare species interaction

A sea otter surfaced with a large shark in its grasp recently, to the astonishment of onlookers. But what happened next is not clear.

A sea otter surfaced with a large shark in its grasp recently, to the astonishment of onlookers. But what happened next is not clear.

The accompanying images, captured last Tuesday by Don Henderson and Alice Cahill inside California’s Morro Bay, represent the first documentation of a southern sea otter catching a horn shark, according to Michael D. Harris of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“To my knowledge (and a group of colleagues), this is the first documented horn shark capture by a sea otter,” Harris, a sea otter biologist, told For The Win Outdoors. “There are reports of sea otters capturing skates and rays, but this is the first report of a shark. Sea otters will feed on fish, but it’s a very rare observation in California.”

Photo: Don Henderson

Southern sea otters off Central California prey largely on invertebrates, such as urchins, crabs, abalone, and clams. Northern sea otters, from Washington to Alaska, more commonly prey on fish, which could include sharks.

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The images were shared via social media Saturday by the nonprofit, Sea Otter Savvy.

“If you watch sea otters long enough you will see a reasonable sample of bottom-dwelling sea life brought to the surface out of hunger or curiosity,” the group, dedicated to sea otter conservation, wrote on Facebook. “We are not sure which was the case here but these ‘jaw-dropping’ images are the first known record of a ‘foraging-like’ interaction between a sea otter and this creature.”

Photo: Alice Cahill

Followers were asked to guess the identity the shark species.

Horn sharks are solitary predators that shelter during the day. By night they hunt mollusks and crustaceans, which they crush with strong jaws and molar-like teeth.

It’s not clear if the otter was attempting to prey on the horn shark, since the observation was brief. However, sea otters do feed on the surface, using their chests as trays.

Social media followers also wondered if it was a playful, curious, or defensive behavior.

Sea Otter Savvy, noting the size of the shark, stated on Twitter: “Not surprisingly, while some nibbling may have occurred, the prey was not consumed.”

Harris, who was called to the scene but missed out on the observation, could not provide an answer.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know the outcome,” he said. “Was this a foraging event?  Did the otter eat the shark or attempt to eat it?  If not a foraging event, what was driving this sea otter behavior?”

After reviewing the photos, Harris said he was “fairly certain” that the otter is an adult female.

One person, referring to the face-to-face embrace in the photos, joked on Twitter: “They are star-crossed lovers, and no reality can convince me otherwise.”

–Images courtesy of Don Henderson (top two) and Alice Cahill