Demario Davis on reuniting with Kwon Alexander: ‘We waited all summer for this’

Demario Davis on reuniting with Kwon Alexander: ‘We waited all summer for this’

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Count Demario Davis within the chorus of New Orleans Saints welcoming Kwon Alexander back to the black and gold. The All-Pro defensive captain celebrated the return of his teammate on Twitter, and it’s clear the pair of linebackers are eager to work together again.

We’ll see if Alexander can hold up to extended action in a starting role. He has a history of injuries and is coming off an offseason spent rehabbing his surgically-repaired Achilles tendon. But there’s no doubting his playmaking abilities. With a pair of highly-drafted youngsters also in the competition (Pete Werner and Zack Baun), the Saints should have confidence that they can field the best set of linebackers possible.

In the meantime: Davis is known for his dynamic play style, but also his fiery pregame speeches. And that enthusiasm is infectious. See for yourself:

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The Wisconsin Badger family reacts to the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA title

Some of the best reactions from current and former Badgers to the Bucks’ Game 6 win last night:

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals last night, completing their quest for the franchise’s first championship in 50 years.

The Wisconsin Badger and Milwaukee sports family and fandom parallel each other in so many ways. And with this late-summer quest for a championship, we’ve seen numerous members of the Wisconsin Badger family express their support for the Bucks.

Some are Wisconsin natives, some just gained a Wisconsin identity through playing football or basketball for the Badgers. But in either situation, the feeling of elation was clear after last night’s win.

From Melvin Gordon, to Josh Gasser, to Tyler Beach and more, here are some of the best reactions from current and former Badgers to the Bucks’ NBA title:

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The Wisconsin Badger family reacts to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 5 win

The Bucks are one win away from an NBA title and the Badger family has a lot to say about it

The Milwaukee Bucks moved within one game of an NBA title last night on the heels of another great performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo and a miraculous late-game steal by Jrue Holiday.

The Wisconsin sports world rejoiced after the win, though I will save that reaction and analysis for those that cover the team.

For those in Madison, Wisconsin, though, we did see some of the Badger family react to the exciting win.

There’s a lot of crossover, obviously, between Bucks and Badger nation. You see many in-state guys come to Madison already as big Bucks fans, but you also see some from out-of-state adopt Wisconsin sports fandom as their own.

Here were some of the reactions we saw to the Bucks’ Game 5 victory last night:

All-Pro Saints special teams ace J.T. Gray celebrates Mississippi State’s national title

All-Pro Saints special teams ace J.T. Gray celebrates Mississippi State’s national title

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Let the cowbells ring. The Mississippi State Bulldogs won their first national championship in men’s baseball, which got one member of the New Orleans Saints amped up: safety J.T. Gray, a Clarksdale, Miss. native who celebrated his alma mater’s title-securing victory over Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.

It’s going to put some pep in his step, but Gray won’t lack for motivation in 2021. He was named a second team All-Pro in 2019 for his efforts on special teams, leading the Saints in tackles in the kicking game (16). Gray went on to play well enough in 2020 to earn a two-year, $4 million contract extension with New Orleans, and he’s in good position to take on a bigger role in the game’s third phase after Justin Hardee signed with the Jets in free agency.

That all followed his landing with the Saints as a dark-horse undrafted rookie back in 2018, when he surprised many fans by making the opening-day roster. Having earned all of his opportunities the hard way, Gray has put in the work to stick with one of the NFL’s most talented rosters in recent years, and it’s good to see him enjoying himself and taking some pride in his school’s success.

Still, speaking as a Southern Miss fan (To The Top!) and graduate: let me congratulate Gray and the Bulldogs on the school’s second-ever national championship, between this 2021 baseball win and and their famous 2009 disc golf title. Now they’ve won as many national championships between those two sports as the Golden Eagles have accomplished in football (1958 and 1962). Good for them!

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WATCH: Saints rookie Ian Book gets the call that he’s been drafted

Notre Dame QB prospect Ian Book shared footage of the moment he learned the New Orleans Saints would be picking him in the 2021 NFL draft.

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It’s always cool to see the moment a college prospect truly turns pro. New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Ian Book shared the moment he got the call that he was chosen with the 133rd pick in the 2021 draft, thanking Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, and the Saints brain trust for the opportunity while surrounded by his family. The winning quarterback in Notre Dame history is as qualified as anyone else with his draft status to carve out a role on the depth chart. It’s a great personal moment that fans are lucky to witness.

Other Saints draft picks shared their families’ reactions and celebrations of the good news, including New Orleans’ second-day selections Pete Werner and Paulson Adebo. Old-school Saints fans will remember when athletes weren’t too jazzed about playing for the black and gold; after years of hard work and great success with Payton at the helm, these days the Saints are seen as an ideal destination as rookies enter the league.

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WATCH: Pete Werner, Paulson Adebo’s families celebrate Saints draft picks

The families of New Orleans Saints draft picks Pete Werner and Paulson Adebo reacted to their selections with tremendous celebration.

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Here’s something you earnestly love to see: the families of New Orleans Saints draft picks reacting to the news that Pete Werner and Paulson Adebo will be wearing black and gold. For a franchise that once dealt with Reggie Bush pouting his way through his own draft night selection, seeing Werner and Adebo’s families so jubilant is something else.

And it goes to show how far the Saints have come since hiring Sean Payton, who successfully recruited Drew Brees to turn the team around on the fly. And years and years of success have changed New Orleans’ perception around the league radically, to a point now where rookie draft picks have to hurry to another room with Payton on the phone because their families are creating such an uproar. Now how about that?

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Gauging the reaction to the Browns signing Jadeveon Clowney

Gauging the reaction to the Browns signing Jadeveon Clowney

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It didn’t take long for the news of Cleveland finally adding defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to spread around the NFL world. The Browns signed Clowney to a one-year deal worth at least $8 million with incentives that can take it up to $10 million.

Despite the move being in the potential works for months, many still came away surprised that Clowney joined forces with the Browns. Others lauded the move as a stroke of determined genius for Browns GM Andrew Berry, who has sought after Clowney two offseasons in a row.

Here’s a sampling of the social media reactions from various national media outlets, fans and players around the NFL.

Not everyone is so thrilled, however. Note that many of these include reactions from other AFC North cities…

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It’s always interesting to see the preemptive reactions from professional provocateurs in the media. Let’s see if what Skip Bayless said earlier this week about the Browns signing Clowney holds true when next he speaks of it…

The Wisconsin community reacts to reports of AD Barry Alvarez retiring in June

Wisconsin athletic directorΒ Barry Alvarez is set to step down and retire on June 30, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal

Wisconsin athletic directorΒ Barry Alvarez is set to step down and retire on June 30, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus.

The date will mark the end of his masterful 32-year career with Wisconsin Athletics, first building a football power from scratch and then bringing Wisconsin Athletics as a whole to national prominence.

Related: Wisconsin Athletics releases a touching tribute to AD Barry Alvarez

His impact on the University of Wisconsin, on the state and on the people he worked with and coached is undeniable.

Many of those people took to Twitter today to express their thanks and congratulate the Wisconsin athletic director on a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ reaction to Joe Thuney’s signing is all you need to know

It’s safe to say that Mahomes is happy with the Chiefs’ choice to add Joe Thuney.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have a new stud offensive lineman on the way after agreeing to terms with former New England Patriots OL Joe Thuney on a five-year deal.

The lasting image from Super Bowl LV was Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes running for his life behind an offensive line decimated by injuries. The team was always going to be in the market for free-agent offensive linemen this year because of that image. However, when the Chiefs released starting tacklesΒ Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz it signaled that a lot of changes were coming.

We now know that one of those changes was for the team to go out and sign a blue-chip offensive guard to help protect the franchise. There was nobody more excited about this move than Mahomes and his reaction tells you everything you need to know about the signing

Mahomes probably could have added a few more grinning emojis to the mix, given that his team just signed one of the most reliable and consistent left guards in the game. That’s been a problem spot for the Chiefs for many years and now it seems they’ve got it solidified for the next five seasons.

The franchise quarterback appears to have a lot of input on the Chiefs’ plans when it comes to roster-building. Last year, Andy Reid and Brett Veach revealed that Mahomes had input on the Clyde Edwards-Helaire pick in the 2020 NFL draft. It’s safe to say that he was in their ear about getting some help on the offensive line ahead of the 2021 free agency period too.

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The Twitter world reacts to Wisconsin basketball’s controversial loss to Iowa

One of the unfortunate storylines of Wisconsin basketball’s 2020-21 season has become the Bo Boroski—Brad Davison saga.

One of the unfortunate storylines of Wisconsin basketball’s 2020-21 season has become the Bo Boroski—Brad Davison saga.

Boroski has officiated Big Ten basketball for some time, though his recent relationship with Wisconsin basketball and Davison has taken some shine away from the product on the court. As a referee, the last thing you want is for everybody watching to know your name.

During Wisconsin’s hard-fought loss to Iowa earlier today, his fame was on full display.

Related:Β Wisconsin basketball is now locked in to its Big Ten tournament seed

There were countless replay reviews, a questionable flagrant foul on Davison, Iowa being handed possession and more.

Here are some of the best Twitter reaction from the Badgers’ loss to Iowa, otherwise known as the stripes show.