Tag: reaction

4 takeaways from rookie WR Cedric Tillman’s media availability

Tillman is ready to prove himself in Cleveland.

Coaches and fans got their first glimpse of this year’s rookie class for the Cleveland Browns as rookie minicamp took place over the weekend in Berea. Seeing the images and videos from the workouts signal that football season will be here before we know it. Cleveland used their first pick in this year’s draft in the third round to take Tennessee wide receiver, Cedric Tillman.

On Friday Tillman was the first player to talk to the media before practice and the minicamp officially kicked off. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest takeaways and quotes from that media availability on Friday afternoon.

Auburn softball is headed to the Clemson Regional

The Tigers have a tough road ahead of them.

Auburn softball may not be hosting a regional but they will be getting a chance for some revenge. For the second-straight season, they will be heading to the Clemson Regional to take on the No. 16 seed Clemson Tigers.

Auburn finished the regular season third in the SEC with a 15-9 record in conference play and a 40-17 overall record but was not one of the five SEC schools chosen host. Auburn faced three of the SEC schools chosen to host and beat both No. 10 seed LSU and No. 5 seed Alabama two games to one. They dropped their series against No. 14 seed Georgia.

According to The Plainsman’s Matthew Wallace, Auburn is the first SEC school to win 15 conference games and not host a regional since Kentucky and LSU in 2012.

They will be joined by Cal State Fullerton and UNC-Greensboro in Clemson. Auburn is set to face Cal State Fullerton Friday in their first game of the regional. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT and it will be on ESPN+.

The Titans have a 33-19 record and finished second in the Big West Conference.

“No matter who you face in postseason, they are going to be a talented team,” said head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag]. “We’ve got to show up and play clean softball. We’ve been there before. We know what to expect as far as the stadium and the crowd noise. There’s some disappointment, but there is a lot of criteria that the committee goes over to make their decisions. You’ve got to brush that all aside and get ready to play.”

The winner of that game will face off against the winner of Clemson (46-9) and UNC-Greensboro (37-20) for a spot in the championship. The regional is double-elimination with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Norman Regional, which features No. 1 Oklahoma, Hofstra, Missouri and Cal.

Ticket information, times and broadcast information will be announced for the rest of the bracket at a later date.

[mm-video type=video id=01gzcgrg99gnb1s8k7na playlist_id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gzcgrg99gnb1s8k7na/01gzcgrg99gnb1s8k7na-b0d038f2d8e3c9239a66d835472040a2.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=692566218]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Cowboys DC Dan Quinn nixes talk of full-time position change for Micah Parsons

From @ToddBrock24f7: Despite the LB’s announcement that he’d be moving to DE full-time, Quinn plans to keep using Parsons in multiple spots from play to play.

Not so fast, young lion.

Despite making a pretty public statement earlier this month that he’s gearing up for a full-time positional change to defensive end in 2023, Micah Parsons is still considered a linebacker.

That’s not just according to the official team website… but also to the man actually running the defense in Dallas.

“Yeah, 100 percent. He is a pass-rushing linebacker, okay?” Quinn told reporters on Saturday at the club’s rookie minicamp. “So if you ever need position changes, come to me. Not through any of the guys. I think what he was probably trying to say is, ‘I’m really emphasizing some pass-rush into my offseason.'”

The former first-round draft pick explained that he had been training away from the team, specifically working to add bulk and weight in preparation for a permanent shift to the defensive line. Parsons played the majority of his 2022 snaps there anyway (859 on the line; 195 as an off-the-ball linebacker), but recently suggested that the team would no longer have him move around on defense.

Quinn confirmed, though, that having his most athletic players serve multiple functions will continue to be a staple of his defensive philosophy, not only for Parsons, but for several other guys, too.

“I’ve really tried to spend as much as I could on that, to make things for us where people could play dual roles,” Quinn said. “When we can get to that spot where you’re interchangeable pieces, it seems more complex. But really, I would say, the package can be easier; we’re just featuring people in different spots.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Just as on the offense, it’s all about putting the best players on the field, regardless of what position they’re technically listed at in the program.

“A receiver that can be a runner, a runner that can be a receiver, a tight end that can be a receiver, a D-end that can play ‘backer, a safety that can play nickel, those perimeter-type people, I think, is changing that way,” Quinn continued. “A lot of players are coming in: this guy’s fast, he’s athletic; get him on the field. And sometimes you’re seeing a guy who might traditionally have been a linebacker in the past, but he’s using his speed and his athleticism to go play, so I just want to try to incorporate that as often as we can.”

Quinn has stocked his unit with versatile playmakers who can multitask: Jayron Kearse. Malik Hooker. Donovan Wilson. DaRon Bland. Israel Mukuamu. He’s already hinted that rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has similar shapeshifting potential.

And Parsons is the best of them all.

So he may be bulkier this season. He may have more muscle on his frame. He may once again be the most effective defensive end the Cowboys have.

But Parsons will also still be a linebacker.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01h08xdzwxqxf2j1vscg playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h08xdzwxqxf2j1vscg/01h08xdzwxqxf2j1vscg-9aba86069bf184ee23ae8edc61c89575.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Reaction: 3 reasons Michigan State football will bounce back from Jamari Howard decommitment

While Jamari Howard’s decommitment was unfortunate, the Spartans are still in a good spot when it comes to DB recruiting in 2024:

Michigan State lost the commitment of Jamari Howard this past weekend. Howard had been committed to the Spartans since September, but has now backed off heading into the summer.

This decommitment comes as little surprise to the fans that heavily follow recruiting, and is something the Spartan coaching staff has expected to come.

Since the staff had a feeling, and saw the writing on the wall, they have prepared themselves for this to happen and thus, Spartan fans should not be concerned about what’s to come next.

The 5 easiest games on the Cleveland Browns 2023 schedule

Which games should the Browns be expected to win?

Rookie minicamp kicked off Friday in Berea the day after the Cleveland Browns learned of their 2023 schedule. The team will learn a lot about themselves right out the gate playing all three division rivals in the first four games. One advantage during that stretch is that they will play four of the first five games in Cleveland.

An early week five bye will also be tough to deal with as well knowing you will play 13 games in a row to finish the year. With two prime-time games and two to be decided let’s take a look at the five easiest matchups on the Browns schedule.

Browns give tryout to 6 during rookie minicamp

The Browns tried out former second round pick Quincy Wilson and five others during rookie minicamp

The Cleveland Browns have neared the end of rookie minicamp, the first time we have seen the 2023 NFL draft class in action since joining the franchise two weeks ago. We have heard from prospects like Ohio State’s Dawand Jones at the podium, but this is also a chance for players to try out for the team. Among those players in Berea for a tryout is former second round cornerback Quincy Wilson.

There were, however, five other players who joined Wilson in Cleveland for the opportunity to make the 90-man roster to join the Browns for training camp. Here are the six players who attended rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

Cowboys’ McCarthy missing from scaled-back minicamp after procedure

From @ToddBrock24f7: McCarthy was sidelined after a back procedure last week; Dallas assistants ran walkthrough sessions designed to be mainly instructional.

Rookie minicamp kicked off for the Cowboys on Thursday, but there’s been one notable absence from the sessions at The Star.

Head coach Mike McCarthy was only virtually involved in Saturday’s short practice after undergoing a back procedure on Friday, it’s been reported. According to the team website, the 59-year-old McCarthy has been a part of some meetings at the facility, but he will not be involved in on-the-field activities for a little while longer.

But even the on-the-field activities didn’t look the same Saturday.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News shares that there was no direct competition between offensive and defensive players in this minicamp. Most of the work has reportedly been instructional in nature, with some players not even putting on a helmet over the course of an hour and change spent on the field.

Special teams coordinator John Fassel, who helped run the proceedings in McCarthy’s place, explained the reasoning behind the less-is-more strategy.

“I think around the league, the trend is going into just walkthroughs, jogthroughs, a ton of meeting time, and just waiting to get the young guys in with the vets,” Fassel said, “to get the strength and conditioning part before we ask them to perform.”

The rookies and veterans will share the field starting Monday, but there will still be no direct-competition drills as the team enters Phase 2 of the offseason’s voluntary workout plan.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer called it a “ramp-up” designed to help limit the kinds of early-summer injuries that can sideline a player just as the real work is about to begin.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Cowboys assistants are hoping to make sure their head coach is the only one laid up in these early sessions, and to that end, they had no trouble implementing McCarthy’s minicamp plan.

“It’s easy because Mike is always so clear and, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to do,’ so we had a real vision for what we wanted to get accomplished this weekend with these guys,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “It’s mainly just taking those first steps, and I think Mike would agree: let’s not miss one step of their development and see what we have and how we communicate and testing them and seeing where we are at. And then we’ll begin with Mike and everybody else here this week of merging everybody together. So if there was a time to miss for him, there’s never a time he would feel comfortable, but we all know we got his back and we’ll get him back soon.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01h0b8cnq5ahh1eevygf playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h0b8cnq5ahh1eevygf/01h0b8cnq5ahh1eevygf-5dff37500872884690ac8c10d4fed04d.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Browns: 5 takeaways from rookie tackle Dawand Jones media availability

The Ohio State product is ready to prove himself in Cleveland.

For the first time this year, the 2023 rookie class for the Cleveland Browns is in Berea for the rookie minicamp. On Friday several players talked to the media including fourth-round pick Dawand Jones, the offensive tackle from Ohio State. He talked about the rumors surrounding his love for the game and his passion for basketball.

He also talked about the plan Bill Callahan and the team have for him overall this year and beyond. Let’s take a look at some of the quotes from Jones’s availability to kick off the minicamp in Berea and what takeaways you come away from them.

Maddie Penta earns SEC Pitcher of the Year honor

Penta wins the award after winning 20 games and striking out more than 250 batters in two straight seasons.

For the first time in program history, an Auburn Tiger has been named SEC Pitcher of the Year.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag], a junior from Chesapeake City, Maryland, won the award after putting together an impressive season that ranks among the best in SEC history as well as program history.

Penta finished the year with a 1.12 ERA, a 25-5 record, 16 complete games, and 283 strikeouts to 45 walks. She appeared in 38 games this season and started 32 of them, picking up three saves along the way. The ace right-hander logged 200.1 innings of work this season.

Additionally, Penta was named All-SEC First Team for the second year in a row, the first Tiger to do that since [autotag]Kasey Cooper[/autotag] in 2015-2016. Penta also earned Auburn’s first SEC All-Defensive Team selection since [autotag]Casey McCrackin[/autotag] in 2019.

The Tigers were carried by Penta in conference play, as Penta led them to their highest finish in league play since 2017. She is the first Tiger to record back-to-back seasons with more than 20 wins and more than 250 strikeouts since [autotag]Anna Thompson[/autotag] in 2009-2010.

Penta’s record-setting season also included having the lowest ERA in an SEC season and leading all pitchers with more than 65 innings pitched with a 1.02. Her six shutouts in SEC play tied [autotag]Kristen Keyes[/autotag]’ 2004 season for most in program history.

[autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] also earned All-SEC honors, being named to the league’s second team.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=692566218]

Colorado lands its fifth Florida State transfer

The #cubuffs are looking more and more like the Seminoles as another former Florida State player transferred in on Friday evening

Colorado is looking more and more like Florida State heading into next season as another former Seminole has decided to join the herd. Travis Jay, a defensive back originally from Greenville, Florida, committed to the Buffaloes on Friday night.

Jay spent four years at FSU, compiling 43 total tackles, three interceptions, seven passes defended while starting in three games. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound DB redshirted in 2019 before appearing in 16 games over the next two seasons. The former four-star recruit was on Florida State’s practice squad last season.

Jay brings more Power Five experience to the Buffs and some sorely needed depth in the secondary.

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=26]