Tag: la

The 6 best hikes in Los Angeles

Reconnect with nature.

Most big cities aren’t known for their hiking scenes, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t great trails to be found. In Los Angeles, there are actually tons of cool places to hike, if you know where to look. Let’s dive into where you can find these hot spots.

For scenic and engaging LA hikes, you’ll want to head out to local parks and peaks. The county’s ridges and green spaces provide optimal back-to-nature vibes and gorgeous wilderness views. From Griffith Park to Solstice Canyon, here are the six best hikes in LA, where you can find them, and why you’ll love them.

Austin Ekeler speaks on Chargers’ troubles in closing out games

Austin Ekeler discussed the Chargers’ problems in finishing games.

Austin Ekeler discussed the Chargers’ problems with inconsistency in finishing games in detail on Tuesday’s episode of “The Jim Rome Show.”

Inconsistency. It’s just straight-up inconsistency. And it’s not just the players, like when you look at the NFL, a lot of the players, yes, there’s outliers, but a lot of the players are very similar in talent, there’s not a huge gap. You might have a few outliers, and if your team has a few of these decent outlier players, then you have a chance to win games.

Ekeler followed up on his comments by indicating that he doesn’t think the Chargers’ struggles can solely be blamed on injuries to star players.

If you have no studs on your team, superstars that can hold the rope and make plays consistently, it’s going to be hard for you to win. And that’s what we have salary caps, and that’s why we pay these players, and you know, people have the contracts that they have. And for us, when we have our guys that are getting hurt that are being consistent for us, right, that plays a part into it. And we’ve had injuries over the past years, and you can’t blame everything on injuries. Our coaching hasn’t always been the best. Our play hasn’t always been the best. And when you have a combination of those, then guess what? You’re going to be inconsistent.

Ekeler has made similar comments regarding the consistency of last year’s offense. While it is not surprising to hear the veteran running back say some version of, “everyone needs to be better,” the coaching staff barb feels more pointed than vague after Sunday’s loss.

Ekeler had 117 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s effort as he looks to replicate that effort in Week 2 against the Titans. Thursday’s injury report will provide clarity on his ankle injury if he’s listed with any injury status. Meanwhile, Brandon Staley’s defense will look to rebound from a universally panned Week 1 effort.

Watch: Matthew Stafford throws smooth no-look pass at Rams practice

This was so smooth.

Matthew Stafford, the reigning Super Bowl champion, is back for another run at winning it all in 2022.

He’s battling through some elbow pain, but he looked perfectly fine slinging the football around on Saturday.

Check out this no-look pass he threw to Allen Robinson:

And here’s a much better angle:

Stafford battled with an elbow injury last season and received an injection in it this offseason. He did not throw during the Rams‘ spring workouts and he recently got a day off from throwing.

McVay told reporters on Thursday that it was because the quarterback was experiencing some pain in his arm. He added that Stafford’s injury is “a little bit abnormal for a quarterback.”

Fans and media went wild, but Stafford has had enough of the questions.

“You guys want to talk to me about something other than my right arm?” Stafford said after taking seven straight questions about his elbow to start Saturday’s press conference.

The reigning Super Bowl champ Stafford, who is on a workload management to ensure his health for Week 1, looked perfectly fine on Saturday, though.

McVay was thrilled with what he saw.

“He threw it all over the yard today, looked really good, felt good,” McVay said of Stafford’s performance on Saturday.

These no-look passes are nothing new for the former Georgia quarterback? Remember this one from the Super Bowl?

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Matthew Stafford discusses reaction to photographer’s fall at Rams parade

Matthew Stafford personally texted the photographer and apologized for his reaction

It was a strange moment at last week’s Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl parade.

Former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was accompanied by his wife and former UGA cheerleader Kelly Stafford, went viral for his reaction to photographer Kelly Smiley falling off the stage right in front of the two. The Rams superstar reacted by quickly turning away, while his wife, however, instantly went to check to see if Smiley was all right.

Stafford, who threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns in the Super Bowl win over the Bengals, expressed regret over his reaction while making an appearance Tuesday on wife Kelly’s podcast, “The Morning After.”

“We can’t not talk about what happened,” Kelly started. “There was a photographer, who stepped off the back of the stage, had asked if we wanted a picture and I was like, ‘Yes,’ because looking back at my camera roll I have literally zero of Matthew and I.

When she offered, she stepped back and fell. And it was an awful, awful moment. Matthew looked at me and said, ‘Check her please,’ and turned around.”

Kelly added that after the fall she went “straight to” Smiley, which can be seen in the above video, and “could see that she was OK.”

“We followed up with her, the moment we got in the car, Matthew actually looked at me and said, ‘Hey, will you contact the Rams, ask how she’s doing?’ Did that, they’re like, ‘We think she’s going to be OK.’ We sent her flowers. Next day we wake up, not OK,” Kelly explained.

Smiley would later reveal on social media that she had fractured her spine as a result of the fall. Following the incident, Kelly said that her husband “actually texted her himself.”

Kelly and Matthew shifted gears to talk about the quarterback’s instant reaction to seeing Smiley’s fall. Matthew noted that he wishes he “had a better reaction in the moment.”

“I do know that the reaction that the world saw in that split second, I do know that’s not what you wish would have been your reaction,” Kelly said.

Stafford then replied, “Yeah, I mean, that obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly, and wish I had a better reaction in the moment.”

The former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick added that he apologized to Smiley over text about the way he reacted.

“One of those things you try to train your reactions to be a little bit better next time,” he said.

The Staffords and the Rams organization will be covering Smiley’s medical expenses, telling People in a statement: “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”

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Lions vs Rams: D’Andre Swift and Matthew Stafford steal the show

D’Andre Swift and Matthew Stafford went back and forth in the Rams win over the Lions on Sunday.

It was Matthew Stafford’s first game against the Detroit Lions, the team that drafted him and employed him for the first 12 years of his career.

The former Georgia Bulldog and No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NFL draft was sent to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason in a blockbuster trade that included quarterback Jared Goff.

So of course this game meant something to Stafford — and he showed it on Sunday.

The Rams came away with a 28-19 win over Detroit and advanced to 6-1 on the season. The Lions drop to 0-7.

Stafford threw for 334 yards on 28/41 passing. He had three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also recorded his 300th career passing touchdown on Sunday.

There’s not been many bright spots this season for the struggling Lions. But if there’s one player who is getting Detroit fans excited, that would be former UGA running back D’Andre Swift. The second round pick in the 2020 NFL draft has been producing all season, and like his former teammate Stafford, he put up big numbers in Sunday’s game.

On Sunday, Swift had his best game of the season. He tallied 144 total yards and a touchdown. Of those 144 yards, 48 were on the ground and 96 of them came on his 10 catches. He had this 63 yard touchdown score early in the game.

It’s also worth noting that former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Leonard Floyd had a solid game on the Los Angeles defense as well, recording seven tackles. Rams running back Sony Michel, another former Dawg, did not do much on only two carries for four yards.

Stafford now has 2,172 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions through seven games this year. He’s on pace for 5,274 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. Both would be career highs.

Swift is getting done as well. He has 262 rushing yards to go along with his 42 receptions for 391 yards receiving. That’s a combined 653 total yards for Swift, who has also added five total touchdowns.

Warriors Rewind: With win over Lakers in 2015, Warriors become first team in NBA history to start season 16-0

With no hoops util December, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups and standout performances.

With no hoops on the calendar, Warriors Wire is rewinding the tape through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between. However, the Warriors are expected to be back in Chase Center soon.  

After an extended absence from the court, the Golden State Warriors end their eight-month layoff from game action in December. The Warriors are slated to start the 2019-20 campaign on Dec. 22.

With only 72 games on the calendar, how the Warriors start the season will likely play a significant factor in their return to postseason contention. 

In 2015, the Warriors started the season on a record-breaking clip. 

November 24, 2015

Following a scorching undefeated start to the season after 15 games, the Warriors welcomed Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers to Oracle Arena in late November of 2015. 

With the chance to make history, the Warriors delivered a stifling defensive effort to cruise by the Lakers with a 111-77 victory in Oakland.

Stephen Curry tallied a game-high 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field with nine assists, four rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes. Draymond Green added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field with seven boards, five assists, two blocks and a steal. 

Off the bench, Leandro Barbosa tallied 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three steals, a block and a steal in 17 minutes for Luke Walton’s rotation. 

After surpassing the 1947-48 Washington Capitols and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets in the record books, the Warriors extended their winning streak to a 24-0 record. A 108-95 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks ended Golden State’s impressive streak through the NBA. 

Watch highlights from Golden State’s historic win over the Lakers via YouTube: 

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Falcon’s GM comfortable with former Georgia star Todd Gurley’s knee injuries

Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff talks about newly signed former Georgia football running back Todd Gurley’s knee injuries.

Atlanta Falcons beat reporter Kelsey Conway recently spoke to the franchise’s general manager Thomas Dimitroff about newly signed running back Todd Gurley.

The former Georgia Bulldog recently signed a one-year contract worth $6m with the Falcons after being released earlier this year by the L.A. Rams.

Gurley was a two-time All-Pro in L.A. but after issues with arthritis in his previously injured left-knee, the team decided to move on from the 24-year old.

Unlike the Rams, the Falcons do not seem to be worried about Gurley’s injury history.

Dimitroff said:

He really takes care of his body well. We feel very comfortable with it. He’s a hard-charging runner and we’re counting on him being an excellent player for us.

Gurley being on just a one-year deal creates an easy out for Atlanta if he can’t meet expectations in 2020, but Falcons and UGA fans hope the Bulldog great can bounce back with a great season for Atlanta.

Stephen Curry wears Kobe Bryant jersey to Chase Center vs. Lakers

In the Golden State Warriors first game since the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry wore Bryant’s No. 24 jersey to the game versus the Lakers.

It’s been 20 days since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, and his impact is still making waves throughout the NBA.

Since the fatal helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter, Gianna and seven others, the Golden State Warriors have been on a five-game east coast road trip.

On Saturday, the Warriors had the opportunity to honor Bryant against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors paid respect to Bryant by giving away T-Shirts that labeled both his No. 8, No. 24 and his daughter’s No. 2 jersey numbers.

Before the start of the game, Golden State played a pregame video tribute featuring Bryant.

Stephen Curry, who’s spoken about his relationship with Bryant, also posted a social media commemoration in honor of the fallen NBA legend. On Saturday, Curry continued the Bryant tribute by wearing a special No. 24 jersey to Chase Center.

Curry’s missed all but four games for the Warriors and won’t have the chance to honor Bryant with his play on the court. However, the two-time Most Valuable Player is progressing through his rehab and could return from his broken hand injury in March.

If things go as scheduled, Curry could be in line to play in Golden State’s final game against the Lakers on April 9 in Los Angeles if he’s able to return healthy from his broken hand injury.