Tag: Justin Smith

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans could have Justin Smith with Lukas Van Ness

The Houston Texans could get a Justin Smith starter kit with Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness.

The Houston Texans will need a dominant edge defender if they want to elevate the defense under new coach DeMeco Ryans.

According to Michael Renner from Pro Football Focus, if the Texans are looking for a defensive end similar to former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro defensive end Justin Smith, then Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness is worth the consideration.

The 4/5-technique role has length as a pre-requisite. You’ll be doing your battle with offensive tackles that sometimes have upwards of 36-inch arms snap after snap. If you have stubby 32-inch arms, that won’t get the job done. You also better be able to establish leverage quickly in the run game because tackles are firing into you without more than a gather step. Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith was an animal in this role due to his ability to outmuscle men 50 pounds heavier than him. Sadly, the Smiths of the world are dinosaurs to a degree, as the position has gone out of vogue in the NFL since he retired.

Van Ness shares a few similarities with Smith as an athlete. While Smith developed into a 285-pound block of granite, he was drafted fourth overall out of Missouri as a 267-pound true defensive end. Van Ness tips the scales at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds with a frame to get bigger. He also has a uniquely low get-off for a man his size as well as 11-inch hands that are tailor-made to grab a hold of jerseys and never let go. That’s why you’ve seen him rise up boards this spring.

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Van Ness falls anywhere between top-10 and top-25 depending on the mock draft. No doubt the Texans would have to make a decision at No. 12 overall as to whether they wanted to grab Van Ness or go with a receiver to pair with their new quarterback at No. 2 overall.

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Here’s to 37

Thank you for being a bright spot of year 36 for me.

I was excited a few weeks back when key Notre Dame target [autotag]Justin Smith[/autotag] of Chicago announced he would be making his commitment on his birthday, January 31.  I thought it meant good things for Notre Dame but it also meant I had another birthday buddy out in this world.

Smith later came out and declared that he didn’t want to rush things and instead will be holding off on making a commitment to any school anytime soon.  Shucks, that would have been fun.  I do hope he’s enjoying his birthday despite it being literally -2 when I woke up this morning.

Anyway, 37 years ago today I came into the world on what was a pretty big week.

To review –

  • Sunday that week, the ’85 Bears put a bow on their season by roughing up the Patriots in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls to date.
  • Tuesday saw an American tragedy play out on live television as Space Shuttle Challenger blew up just after lifting off, killing all of the crew.
  • And I Friday I decided to show up a couple weeks early from when I was supposed to see the outside world.

If you’re doing the math at home that makes me 37.  In full disclosure, 36 brought one incredible joy as my son born this past summer.   The other positives of the past year could probably all be counted on one hand, however.

With that said, I just want to take a moment on my birthday to thank each of you for visiting this site and making it take off like you all have.  I’m excited for what’s to come with a few plans the team and I have come up with for this next year.

  • A podcast is in the works, recordings are in fact already taking place.  We’ll post it here for your consumption when we stack a few more episodes.
  • More in-person coverage at games is to come, something we’re all excited about.
  • And what about a Fighting Irish Wire tailgate before a Notre Dame home game this year – is that something you’d be interested in?

Thank you all for making this site work as it’s become more than just a hobby for me and instead a passion that I look forward to working on each day.  A big shoutout to my team of Jeff Feyerer, Geoffrey Clark, Michael Chen, and John Kennedy as well.  These guys make this site go with their ideas and passions and I can’t thank them enough (even if Mike is trying to pull a James Laurinaitis and head home to Buckeyes Wire).

Thank you all again as well and in my Mike Anello year (the greatest special teams player in Notre Dame history…I’m not kidding), I look forward to shaking down the thunder with all of you some more.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Nick on Twitter: @NickShepkowski

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Sixers waive Patrick McCaw, 2 others to clear way to join Blue Coats

The Philadelphia 76ers will waive Patrick McCaw and two others in order for them to join the Delaware Blue Coats.

With the Philadelphia 76ers steamrolling toward opening night at the Boston Celtics on Oct. 18, they are tweaking their roster to put their young players in a position to succeed in the future.

The Sixers announced on Tuesday that they have signed and then waived Patrick McCaw, Mac McClung and Justin Smith in order to send them to the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. They will be with the team in time for G League training camp.

McCaw was signed on Tuesday morning before being waived. McClung was brought in on Saturday. Smith was with the Sixers in the Las Vegas Summer League, during which he averaged 5 points per game.

McCaw is a three-time NBA champion, who is looking to earn a spot in the NBA again sooner rather than later. McClung and Smith are looking to eventually earn a spot on an NBA roster.

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Former Razorbacks Joe, Smith named to 76ers Summer League Roster

There’s another NBA team with two former Hogs on their roster…

Arkansas fans were ecstatic to find that former guard [autotag]JD Notae[/autotag] had been named to the Golden State Warriors Summer League Roster, as he would be teaming up with a former teammate in [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag].

It appears that the Warriors will not be the only NBA roster that features two former Razorbacks.

The Philadelphia 76ers revealed their Summer League roster over the weekend, and they also feature two former Hogs in [autotag]Isaiah Joe[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Smith[/autotag].

Joe has played in 96 total games since joining the 76ers in 2020. He played in a career-high 55 games in 2021-22, where he averaged 3.6 points per contest. For Smith, he is getting a chance with the 76ers after spending a season with the Toronto Raptors, where he played in just two games with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, Raptors 905.

The 76ers will be playing in a two-city Summer League competition beginning Tuesday, July 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah against the Memphis Grizzlies. They will then move to Las Vegas beginning Saturday, July 9 to play the Toronto Raptors.

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Three Indiana players Badger fans need to know

Wisconsin kicks off Big Ten play against Indiana in Madison on Saturday. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.

Wisconsin (4-4) will look to snap its three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon in its Big Ten opener against Indiana (8-0) in Madison.

The Badgers fell to the Hoosiers in a 75-73 double-overtime thriller in Bloomington in last season’s matchup between these programs and based on the disparity between how the two teams have performed as of late, they could be in for an uphill battle to reverse their fortunes in this one.

Wisconsin is coming off of an ugly 69-54 loss at NC State on Wednesday, while Indiana has yet to lose this season and just earned their most impressive win of the season against No. 17 Florida State on Tuesday. While Bucky has looked like a much more dangerous team at the Kohl Center than on the road so far this season, Indiana boasts a deep and talented rotation that could give Wisconsin some problems, with four players averaging over 12 points per game.

Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout tonight’s contest.

Trayce Jackson-Davis – Forward

2019 stats: 15.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 65.6 FG%,

A McDonald’s All-American and the nation’s No. 30 overall recruit in the class of 2019, Jackson-Davis has lived up to the hype so far in his freshman season and looks like a potential one-and-done candidate.

The 6-9 power forward leads Indiana in both rebounds and blocks by a wide margin and is the team’s second-leading scorer. He lives near the rim and isn’t going to stretch the floor, but Jackson-Davis makes the most out of his opportunities in the paint, leading the Big Ten with a 65.6 percent field goal percentage that ranks No. 12 in the NCAA. He also gets to the line a ton, attempting more free throws than anyone else in the conference to this point in the season.

Jackson-Davis has already been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice this season.

Devonte Green – Guard

2019 stats: 15.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 54.0 FG%, 51.9 3P%

Nov 20, 2019; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Devonte Green (11) dribbles the ball against Princeton Tigers center Richmond Aririguzoh (34) in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana’s leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, Green appears to have taken a major leap in his final season in Bloomington based on his play in the five contests he’s appeared in since returning from an injury that kept him out of the Hoosiers’ first three.

The senior guard has always been a fairly reliable three-point shooter throughout his career, knocking down over 40 percent of his looks from downtown as a freshman and junior. However, he has taken his reputation as a sniper to a whole new level this year, drilling 14 of 27 shots (51.9 percent)  from long range and 27 of 50 (54 percent) overall.

Green has been more than just a shotmaker as well, ranking second on the team in both assists and steals.

Justin Smith – Forward

2019 stats: 14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 spg, 0.5 bpg, 57.3 FG%, 33.3 3P%

Similarly to Green, Smith has taken a big step forward for the Hoosiers this year.

The 6-7 junior swingman is averaging career-highs across the board in points, steals, rebounds, three-point percentage, and field goal percentage. Smith’s scoring average of 14.3 is the third-best on the team and is more than six points higher than his mark last season, while his rebounding average is better than every Hoosier not named Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Smith has also been one of the Big Ten’s better defenders so far, leading Indiana in steals and ranking second in the conference in that category.