Tag: reaction

Louisville Slugger tabs Bri Ellis player of the week

Ellis is being rewarded following a sensational week at the plate.

Auburn sophomore [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag]’ amazing week caught the attention of the SEC’s front office as she was named the conference’s player of the week after batting .714 with seven multi-base hits and four home runs.

Her efforts went beyond the SEC, as she has been named National Player of the Week by Louisville Slugger and the NFCA. Ellis posted amazing numbers in Auburn’s 6-0 week which moved them to a 15-1 record heading into this week’s action.

Leading the the 19th-ranked Tigers to six wins, including a sweep of the Plainsman Invite, Ellis hit .714 (10-for-14) with seven extra-base hits and a 1.786 slugging percentage. The sophomore registered three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored. Ellis also drew four walks and posted a .788 slugging percentage. The Houston, Texas native knocked in a season-high four runs against Brown and added three more RBI versus Merrimack.

Ellis becomes the first Auburn hitter to receive the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I player of the week honor, and the first player since Emily Carosone in 2015 to win a national player of the week award. Maddie Penta won the pitcher of the week award last March.

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

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

10 takeaways from Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman at the NFL Combine

We’re looking at 10 takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman during his media session at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles are in Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and before the players take the field for workouts, coaches and GM held their annual press conference.

Howie Roseman addressed the media first and held things close to the vest in regard to a new contract for quarterback Jalen Hurts, and how Philadelphia will prioritize 18 pending free agents.

With the coaching staff finally rounding into form, here are 10 takeaways from Rosemans’ presser.

Eagles announce updates to offensive coaching staff headlined by Brian Johnson’s promotion to OC

The Eagles announce Brian Johnson as OC. Alex Tanney as QBs coach, Marcus Brady as a senior offensive assistant, and T.J. Paganetti as run game specialist/asst TE coach.

The Eagles announced four moves on Tuesday, including officially naming Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator in place of the departed Shane Steichen (Colts HC).

The team named Johnson as their new offensive coordinator, along with Alex Tanney as quarterbacks coach, Marcus Brady as a senior offensive assistant, and T.J. Paganetti as run game specialist-tight ends coach.

Philadelphia is also expected to name Sean Desai as defensive coordinator in replace of Jonathan Gannon.

Stephen Jones: Cowboys looking to extend CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs

Diggs would be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2023; Lamb can be given a fifth-year option. The team wants to keep both. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The to-do list for the Cowboys this offseason seems to be growing longer by the day.

Executive vice president Stephen Jones huddled with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, and for the second day in a row, he found himself talking about extending some of the team’s star talent.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and cornerback Trevon Diggs are both now eligible for contract extensions. And Jones says both fourth-year players stand to be key components of the roster moving forward.

“Obviously, they’re in our plans long-term,” Jones told media members, echoing the sentiment he used in a Monday report when talking about the club needing a plan “to ultimately extend” quarterback Dak Prescott.

“You’re always looking at something like that,” he said regarding doing the same with Lamb and Diggs.

The Cowboys selected both players in 2020’s draft. Lamb was a first-round pick, so the team can simply place a fifth-year option on him, locking him up for one extra season before having to re-work his financials for the 2025 campaign.

It is expected the Cowboys will go this route with last year’s 1,300-yard receiver. The fifth-year option- due by May 1- would bump Lamb’s salary up to just under $18 million in 2024. That’s a massive raise over what he’s getting now, but still below what the league’s top receivers are hauling in.

Diggs will be entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal unless he were to get an extension this offseason.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but the organization’s recent history of proactively reaching extensions is not particularly good.

They did it three times in 2019, extending linebacker Jaylon Smith, right tackle La’el Collins, and running back Ezekiel Elliott. Smith made it just two years and change into his five-year extension before getting cut; Collins played only another 27 games on his before being released. Elliott’s six-year extension made him the highest-paid rusher in the game at the time, but his production has declined dramatically since then and put his future with the team very much up in the air.

It’s thought that Diggs, who led the league in picks in 2021 and is tied for the most interceptions leaguewide since turning pro- would be in line to earn over $15 million per year if he were to hit the open market now. Give him another season of terrorizing opposing quarterbacks (and time for more corners to shift the market price at the position), and that dollar amount would rise even higher in 12 months’ time.

According to Jones, it sounds like the Cowboys are willing to write a check now to keep Diggs from hitting free agency after 2023.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01gtbyzdp62jazvxtdmq playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtbyzdp62jazvxtdmq/01gtbyzdp62jazvxtdmq-3991c790daac5daea9d54dd2aa8620f0.jpg]

NFL Combine: What to watch for as the Eagles look to retool on defense

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium and how to watch the on-field drills

The path to the 2023 NFL draft started in Mobile and continues in Indianapolis with the start of the NFL Scouting Combine. General managers, head coaches, and scouts will be looking at the 319 prospects looking to improve their draft stock.

For Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni, they’ll get an up-close look at some of the prospects that could be joining their team in the next couple of months.

With the festivities underway, here’s everything you need to know.

Hugh Freeze shares first thoughts on QBs following opening day of spring practice

Did Hugh Freeze like what he saw out of Auburn’s quarterbacks on Monday?

The day that head coach Hugh Freeze and Auburn fans alike have waited for has finally arrived…  it is officially spring football time.

One of the many questions surrounding Auburn football this spring is the quarterback battle between [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and incumbent [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]. Fans expect to see a change in the lineup or an improvement in skills from those three candidates, but what needs to be done?

Freeze got his first chance to truly evaluate the position on Monday, and shared his genuine assessment of what he saw with the media.

“I thought our quarterbacks threw some decent balls, at times, and other times where our mechanics were really bad,” Freeze said following Monday’s spring practice opener. “But I kind of expected that.”

Freeze said earlier this month that it was difficult to evaluate Auburn’s returning options because of the inadequate time they had in the pocket last season. Auburn now has a revamped offensive line, which may solve some of the issues. Freeze also has two great consultants on staff in offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] and quality control analyst [autotag]Kent Austin[/autotag] that will aid in the effort of finding ways to improve each quarterback.

Despite the less-than-ideal start to the spring for Auburn’s quarterbacks, Freeze says that their attitude towards improving leaves him feeling optimistic.

“If they’ll keep giving the same energy and effort that they gave today, we’ll get better throughout spring,” Freeze said.

Auburn will continue their spring practice on select dates from now until Saturday, April 8, when the annual A-Day game is set to take place.

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]

Four CU Buffs women earn Pac-12 honors

These four #cubuffs were given some hardware

Winning brings respect and with a 13-5 record to wrap Pac-12 play, four CU Buffs women took home a total of six conference awards.

As announced Tuesday, Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 team while Frida Formann and Aaronnette Vonleh were honorable mentions. Vonleh was also named co-most improved player of the year along with Arizona’s Shaina Pellington, and Sherrod made the all-defensive team.

Colorado, which was ranked No. 20 in the latest AP college women’s basketball poll, finished third in the Pac-12 and will enjoy a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The No. 3 seed Buffs are set to challenge either No. 6 USC or No. 11 Oregon State on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

After the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado is essentially an NCAA Tournament lock for the second consecutive season.

“I’m so proud of every member of our team for all that they have poured into our program all year long,” head coach JR Payne said. “It is truly an honor for several members of our team to be recognized as all-conference players. The Pac-12 is full of incredibly talented young women. For our players to be recognized in such an elite group speaks to the talent that we have here at Colorado and the amount of time that they have poured into their craft.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h5x4enxt6nsr4 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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

[lawrence-related id=18626,18569,18523]

Cowboys find WR size, speed in homegrown package in Bucky Brooks’ latest mock draft

TCU’s Quentin Johnston would be the Cowboys’ tallest WR and one of the fastest players on the team; he could be a star of the combine. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted on Monday that the team needs to make a priority out of inserting “a playmaker” into the Dallas offense as a way to boost the passing game that rarely got out of first gear in 2022.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has just the guy.

The analyst unveiled his latest mock draft as the scouting combine gets underway in Indianapolis, and he thinks the Cowboys don’t need to look too far from home to find a first-round pick that could, as Jones put it this week, “add a little juice.”

Brooks likes TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston to Dallas with the 26th overall pick. He specifically cites the junior’s speed and big-play potential, noting that those attributes could help him shine against one-on-one coverage on the outside.

And Brooks believes the 6-foot-4-inch Temple, Tex. native will emerge from this week as one of the breakout stars of the combine.

“Everyone is going to see the height,” Brooks said on NFL Network. “Everyone is going to see the athleticism. This is a guy, in high school, who was a big-time jumper. So when you see the explosive numbers- he’s going to broad jump over 11 feet, vertical is going to be well over 40 [inches], he’s fast as all get-out.”

Brooks listed Johnston among the 10 prospects he is most excited to see at the combine.

Both Brooks and former NFL running back LaDanian Tomlinson feel Johnston may need to show off his hands and improve his route-running, but both are intrigued by the big 21-year-old’s potential at the pro level.

“He didn’t really get a chance to show the entire route tree at TCU,” Tomlinson- himself a former Horned Frog- agreed. “He’s going to have to show how fluid he is in and out of his breaks. And then catching the football: can’t be catching the ball with his body; he has to show exceptional hands catching the football.”

At 6-foot-4, Johnston would be the tallest receiver on the Cowboys roster. And with 4.4 speed (some project he could even post a 4.3 40-yard dash on the turf at the combine), his wheels would put him in the same tier as Trevon Diggs and KaVontae Turpin.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01gtcf0f88hcc758v0we playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtcf0f88hcc758v0we/01gtcf0f88hcc758v0we-bc0a33ddbf712ced32627176f55050ff.jpg]

Michigan State gymnastics wins first ever Big Ten championship

MSU gymnastics has taken home the 2023 Big Ten championship!

History was made within Michigan State athletics on Monday night. The MSU women’s gymnastics team has officially taken home the regular season Big Ten championship for the first time in program history. The Spartans closed out the championship in Champaign against Illinois, beating the Fighting Illini 197.450-196.425 in the meet.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Eagles bulk up in the trenches in Mel Kiper’s latest 2023 NFL mock draft

The Philadelphia Eagles land an offensive and defensive tackle in Mel Kiper’s latest first-round mock draft for ESPN

The 2023 NFL draft is fast approaching and all 32 teams are at Lucas Oil Stadium this week and are doing their due diligence on potential prospects.

Thanks to some draft night wizardry from Howie Roseman, the Eagles traded the No. 16 overall pick, No. 19 overall pick, and a 2022 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 18 overall pick, a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 seventh-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.

We tracked Philadelphai’s picks via Tankathon, and after New Orleans went 7-10, Philadelphia locked down a top-ten selection.

ESPN’s legendary draft guru, Mel Kiper, Just released his second mock draft of 2023, and he has the Eagles reloading in the trenches with their two first-round picks.