Tag: The Athletic

Notre Dame Students Sell “Catholics vs. Corona” T-Shirts

The legacy of the iconic “Catholics vs. Convicts” T-shirt has taken on a life of its own and shows no sign of being forgotten anytime soon.

The legacy of the iconic “Catholics vs. Convicts” T-shirt has taken on a life of its own and shows no sign of being forgotten anytime soon. Nearly 32 years later, four Notre Dame freshmen have taken that legacy and applied it to a foe more dangerous than Miami ever was: COVID-19. Out of this pandemic, the “Catholics vs. Corona” T-shirt was born.

On Tuesday, Pete Sampson of The Athletic published a story describing how four of the most recent Sorin Hall residents, Jackson Mallot, Mitchell Johnson, Matt Englehart and Leo DePole, came together to design this shirt. It continues to be sold for $19.95, and roughly $14 from that is donated to the United Way and evenly split between the local and national organization. The students are hoping to raise $10,000, and as of Monday night, they had sold 420 shirts. That brought them more than halfway to their goal at $5,880.

Major props must go to these young men for coming up with such an idea during this time of crisis. If they’re lucky, just as many people will pack Notre Dame Stadium wearing their shirt as people wearing The Shirt. Of course, that depends on whether they and the rest of the student body will even be able to return to campus for the fall semester. Until then, they’re making a difference in one of the best ways anyone could have thought of under the circumstances.

The Athletic ranks Saints uniforms among the NFL’s finest looks

A recent NFL uniform ranking from The Athletic heaped praise on the New Orleans Saints for their iconic black and gold color scheme.

[jwplayer lLUY4G25-ThvAeFxT]

New Orleans Saints fans might be biased, but the black-and-gold jerseys they put on each week have to rank among the best in the NFL.

Fortunately, an NFL uniform ranking from Matt Barrows and Daniel Brown of The Athletic vindicates those feelings. They placed the Saints among the NFL’s elite, praising New Orleans for the history woven into their color scheme and its timeless synergy with the logo.

Compare that to the sorry also-rans in the NFC South, like the bottom-ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31), Carolina Panthers (30), and Atlanta Falcons (28). You’ll struggle to find a collection of worse color palettes and designs around the NFL, which helps the Saints stand out even more for how great of a job they’ve done in putting their own kits together. Here’s a summary from The Athletic’s writeup:

7. Saints. The black-and-gold combo used by the team represents oil – “black gold” — and indeed the Saints struck it big with this surprisingly flexible color palette. The fleur-de-lis logo adds a distinctive only-in-New Orleans touch. It’s like a Mardi Gras for your eyes.

Best look: Thanks to vital journalism by John Sigler of Saints Wire, we know that during the Sean Payton era, New Orleans’ best winning percentage (10 games or more) is black jerseys/gold pants (.639).

And hey, look at that shoutout. It’s good to know that the hard work we put in here at Saints Wire is appreciated — you can check out each uniform combination used by the Saints since Payton was hired back in 2006 by following this link, which also details the 2019 results.

Everyone knows that the weeks of practice, planning, and preparation pale in comparison to great uniforms, which is what really determines the better team on any given Sunday. That’s just common knowledge. And if the Saints are smart, they’ll continue to capitalize on it.

[vertical-gallery id=32968]

NFL execs offer praise, caution with the Browns draft class

NFL execs offer praise, caution with the Browns draft class and Andrew Berry’s first turn as the team’s GM

In his annual report chronicling the viewpoints of several unnamed NFL executives and their unfiltered thoughts on the 32 draft classes across the league, Mike Sando of The Athletic dredged up some guarded optimism about the Browns.

Sando’s anonymous executives praised certain aspects of rookie GM Andrew Berry’s performance, but also offered up some skepticism as well.

Most of the critique is directed at top pick Jedrick Wills. And based on the fan reaction to the Alabama right tackle taken at No. 10 overall, it might be a fair critique.

“How will his transition be going from the right side to the left?” an evaluator said. “I feel expectations for him are too high coming in, especially when you consider the last time Cleveland took a tackle this high, it was Joe Thomas.”

The tone changes regarding second-round pick, LSU safety Grant Delpit. His underwhelming 2019 season caused Delpit to fall from being a preseason top-10 projection. His personal loss was viewed as Cleveland’s gain.

“If you would have told me last fall that Delpit would be the third safety taken, I never would have believed it,” an evaluator said. “A lot of scouts had him as the top safety going into the season. He fought some injuries and that is part of why he had a down year.”

Another source told Sando that Berry deserved praise for acquiring a third-round pick next year from the Saints in a draft-day trade, noting,”the fact they wound up with a third-round pick next year was great. The guys they ended up picking I thought were good too.”

Unnamed sources are always to be taken with a proper grain of salt, but it’s still a good look at what the league at large thinks of the Browns.

 

Texas Football: D’Shawn Jamison among top returning cornerbacks

Texas Longhorns cornerback is ranked the third-best returning Big 12 cornerback according to Pro Football Focus.

Over the last several decades specifically, the Texas Longhorns have produced plenty of secondary talent to make the jump into the NFL. Which has sparked some debate on whether or not they should be considered DBU (defensive back university). Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on there is no denying that this secondary in 2020 has talent. One such player who should garner some attention is D’Shawn Jamison. He was rated the third-best returning cornerback in the conference according to Pro Football Focus.

Last season Jamison hauled in three interceptions with six passes defended for the Longhorns. On top of his duties as returner on special teams. Over the past two seasons, Jamison has returned one punt and one kickoff for touchdowns. With a new look defense in 2020, the Longhorns boundary defender could have an even bigger year upcoming. The junior cornerback came in just behind Kalon Barnes of Baylor and Zech McPhearson of Texas Tech according to PFF.

Alongside Caden Sterns, this duo hopes to bring the defense to new heights. They have combined for seven interceptions over the past two years. With an added emphasis on the pass rush, the secondary should be even better in 2020.

What scouts said about Chargers QB Justin Herbert ahead of draft

The first scout raved about Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert prior to the draft.

The scouting reports and analysis on quarterback Justin Herbert were a mixed bag prior to the draft.

While many had him pegged as a top-10 caliber prospect, there were some that wouldn’t take him until the third-round.

Rather than what the media thought of the former Oregon and now Chargers signal-caller, how did NFL evaluators feel about Herbert?

The Athletic’s Bob McGinn spoke with a few scouts ahead of the draft to get their opinions on Herbert.

Here is what one scout, who seemed really bullish on Herbert, said:

If the Oregon kid had Alabama’s receivers or Oklahoma’s receivers or LSU’s receivers he’d be the best one. He had nobody helping him. He’s got a cannon arm. He runs 4.6. He’s smart as a whip. He’s not a dynamic leader, but remember, Troy Aikman was not a dynamic leader. I’m not saying this guy’s Troy Aikman, but there’s no difference in this guy and the guy at Duke (Daniel Jones) last year. In fact, this kid is a better athlete. He’s got everything, plus he’s a great kid. If you don’t like that damn quarterback at Oregon put the Rose Bowl on and the Pac-10 championship.

Here what another scout said, debunking all of the talks of Herbert not being able to lead a team because he is “too quiet”.

He took some knocks about his personality. The word ‘introvert’ was thrown around. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s just a nice, genuine kid and is comfortable in his own skin.

The third scout isn’t as high on Herbert as the first scout, but he still believes he is a decent player.

I like him, to a degree. I don’t think he’s an elite player. He’s kind of robotic and mechanical. Accuracy’s off. He has the classic looks of an NFL quarterback. That’s that guy that has burned a lot of people in the past. Big, tall, good-looking, interviews well, smart, throws the ball a mile, all that stuff. (Blaine) Gabbert. Jared Goff. Not a lot of vision. Not a really good playmaker.

Overall, Herbert possesses NFL-style tools with his size, athleticism, arm talent, intelligence along with above-average accuracy but he needs to improve his decision-making, passing instincts and consistency.

He is in the perfect situation to clean up the woes to his game, as he will be able to sit in Year 1 while Tyrod Taylor starts and he will be able to clean up any mechanical or mental issues with new quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton.

Also, unlike at Oregon, Herbert should benefit from a slew of proven pass-catchers.

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel appreciates the classics

Athletic college football writer Stewart Mandel appreciates those schools who have stuck with originality much like Texas.

In the world of college athletics it seems to be that schools are trying to put out as many variations of college football uniforms as possible, some schools are sticking to tradition. The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel* recently published an article giving appreciation to those schools who have kept with the classics. The schools of mention being Southern California, Penn State, Alabama, Auburn and of course Texas.

* article requires subscription

Oregon was unique when it first started rolling out its futuristic looks around the turn of the century. Today, there are so many schools wearing so many wild distortions of their school colors that it only makes the traditionalists stand out more.

Texas AD Chris Del Conte and coach Tom Herman, whose school literally invented the color “burnt orange,” have both made similar comments when asked about alternate uniforms.

“I’m not one to mess with tradition,” Del Conte once tweeted about the subject. “As DKR (longtime Texas coach Darrell K Royal) once said, dance with the one that brung ya.”

With some schools who have gone the way of changing up from the classics, it is necessarily a bad thing. For a school like the University of Texas, I think it is important to keep it classic with their look. Obviously an ongoing debate among a small portion of the fanbase. However, the Texas Longhorns have a classic look. One that is easily recognizable not only in American but across the globe.

Coaches say it’s all about appealing to today’s recruits. But somehow Alabama’s rigid adherence to the same color scheme Joe Namath donned in 1964 has not prevented Nick Saban from signing No. 1 recruiting classes.

While it may be appealing to the youth, these recruits aren’t going to the schools for the different jerseys they could wear on Saturdays. It is about the coach who built that relationship and the prestige of the university they sign their National Letter of Intent to attend.

The Athletic ranks Texas No. 14 in post-spring top 25

Despite no football, The Athletic has put together his post-spring top 25. They have Texas ranked at No. 14, just ahead of Texas A&M.

[jwplayer VLDsqrHu-er0jUifI]

Spring football usually gives teams a better understanding of where they stand before the fall. Position battles can sort themselves out, freshman have the opportunity to make an impact, and if you have new coaches on your staff, their systems can be implemented.

Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and defensive coordinator Chris Ash were hoping to get some time with their new team throughout March, but have been shut down thanks to the coronavirus. There will be no spring practice for any team across the country.

Despite no football, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic has put together his post-spring top 25 going into next season. He has ranked Texas at No. 14, just ahead of former arch-rival Texas A&M.

(The story requires a paid subscription)

Here is what Mandel had to say about the Longhorns:

Tom Herman made solid hires with new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and defensive coordinator Chris Ash. QB Sam Ehlinger quietly finished No. 4 nationally in total offense last season but threw too many INTs. RB Keontay Ingram averaged 7.0 yards per carry over his last seven games. Redshirt freshman WR Jordan Whittington could become a weapon at receiver. OLB Joseph Ossai and S Caden Sterns lead a defense that needs to get stronger up front.

Mandel’s ranking and judgment of the Longhorns seem to be fair. Not receiving top 10 hype as they have in the past, he points out Texas still has some questions to answer both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Joseph Ossai is expected to be an instrumental part of the defense “that needs to get stronger up front.” When he moved to a designated pass-rushing role in the Alamo Bowl against Utah, Ossai recorded three sacks and six tackles for loss. He will be the biggest factor for the Longhorns going into the season.

Two other Big 12 teams make the cut, with Oklahoma coming in at No. 6 and Oklahoma State at No. 18. It is expected to be a three-team race for the two spots in the Big 12 championship game.

Texas will face Oklahoma October 10th in Dallas, while their regular-season finale will be on the road to Oklahoma State on November 27th.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Bills 2020 NFL draft class ranked 2nd in return on investment

In recent years, The Athletic has used a tool dubbed the “Consensus Big Board Draft Rankings.” 

In recent years, The Athletic has used a tool dubbed the “Consensus Big Board Draft Rankings.”

It’s a bit of a complex system that’s based off of compiling the opinion of more than 60 NFL draft evaluators and pegs prospects into one final big board based on the findings. So kind like a final prospect ranking chart combining the thoughts of all those “experts” melted into one.

Using that, The Athletic reflected on the 2020 NFL Draft. Calculating that into another detailed formula which involves the value of individuals picks held by NFL teams, the outlet pegs which draft picks were “steals” and which were “reaches.”

After using that blueprint  for every NFL team and stacking them up against one another, the Bills’ 2020 draft haul to be the one that will have the second-best “return on investment” in the future.

In regard to the Bills’ draft specifically, one player wasn’t touted as one of the best of the bunch:

As for Buffalo, San Francisco and Houston, there are three different stories. Analysts were high on Buffalo’s draft but not nearly high enough — Buffalo gained value with every single pick except kicker Tyler Bass. A first-round talent in the second, a third-round talent in the fifth and a pair of fifth-round talents in the seventh highlight their draft.

Additionally, individual picks that were pegged steals, which would have gained the Bills the most stock here. Maybe a bit of a surprise, it’s quarterback Jake Fromm, Buffalo’s fifth-round pick. Meanwhile, Bass did appear as one of the biggest reaches of the draft.

 

[lawrence-related id=60474,60460,60451,60309]

Panthers 2020 NFL draft class ranked No. 11 in return on investment

Panthers 2020 NFL draft class ranked No. 11 in return on investment, per the Athletic.

After losing several key starters on defense, the Carolina Panthers needed to field a strong 2020 draft class if they’re going to have any chance of competing next season. Once the draft was over, new head coach Matt Rhule admitted to the media that they’ll have to lean on their rookie class.

Obviously it’s going to take a couple of seasons at least to fairly evaluate these players. However, the early reviews for Carolina’s picks have been generally positive. The math seems to back that up.

According to The Athletic’s inimitable Arif Hasan, his model for calculating return on investment for the 2020 NFL draft shows that the Panthers’ class ranked 11th-best in the league this year. Here is how he explains the math.

“Here, we calculated the expected value each team earned on the pick and subtracted the capital of the pick, using an equation that weighs the value of the team’s selections (capital) against the draftees’ rankings in the Consensus Big Board (value). We also take into account positional needs — if a team, for example, drafts a running back because he’s the highest-ranked player on the board but then never plays that running back because there are five better ones on the roster, that wasn’t a good pick.”

The team that did the best was the Arizona Cardinals, who picked Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons at No. 8 and wound up with a 143.90% return – just barely edging out the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.

Carolina’s draft class came in just ahead of the No. 12-ranked Houston Texans’, earning a 117.50% return.

Their best value pick according to Hasan’s model was Yetur Gross-Matos in the second round. The Panthers wound up taking Gross-Matos at No. 38 overall, but the Consensus Big Board had him ranked at No. 24.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Seattle Seahawks got the worst ROI this year at just 72.20%.

[lawrence-related id=621927,621863]

[vertical-gallery id=621805]

Saints go back to Ohio State in Dane Brugler’s 2021 NFL mock draft

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler released his first 2021 NFL mock draft which linked the New Orleans Saints to Ohio State Buckeyes WR Chris Olave

[jwplayer ZBVGB3fE-ThvAeFxT]

It’s far too early to predict which prospects the New Orleans Saints will pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. This year’s rookies haven’t even signed their contracts yet. But that’s not going to stop us from putting together a watch list of names to remember when the college football season eventually kicks off.

That’s the approach taken by Dane Brugler for The Athletic, who connected the Saints to a wide receiver he’s very excited about: Ohio State Buckeyes junior Chris Olave. Here’s what Brugler had to say:

The Saints have a pretty good track record with Ohio State players, especially at wide receiver. Olave is leaner than ideal, but his route running skills and ball skills are NFL ready, and whenever the Buckeyes needed a big play, it was usually Olave making it happen.

Annual All-Pro wideout and Buckeyes alum Michael Thomas would certainly love that move, and it would make sense with veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders having signed only a two-year deal. The Saints could use a long-term fix in the receiving corps, even if Drew Brees isn’t around to benefit from it.

Olave, listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, broke out last season with 48 receptions for 840 yards and a dozen touchdown grabs. While he trailed teammate K.J. Hill (a seventh-round pickup by the Los Angeles Chargers this year) by nine catches for the team lead, Olave gained 204 more yards through the air, leading the Buckeyes in both receiving yards and touchdown catches.

Here are five other prospects connected to the Saints in way-too-soon 2021 mock drafts:

  • CB Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Mukuamu is a lanky prospect with ball skills. He intercepted four passes and totaled nine passes defensed as a sophomore, and is one of the few Gamecocks starters returning from last year on defense.
  • QB Jamie Newman, Georgia. A transfer expected to replace Jake Fromm, Newman has good size (listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds) and athleticism. He threw for 2,868 yards and gained 574 yards on the ground in his junior year at Wake Forest, but should exceed those numbers thanks to a strong Bulldogs supporting cast.
  • RB Travis Etienne, Clemson. Etienne returned to school for his senior year, driven to seek payback after Clemson’s loss to the LSU Tigers in the national title game. Monstrously productive, the Louisiana native has already scored 62 combined touchdowns in just 43 games played.
  • LB Dylan Moses, Alabama. Moses lost his junior year to a torn ACL in preseason, and he’s looking to bounce back in a big way. The next great Crimson Tide linebacker prospect has all the ability in the world, he just needs to prove he can remain healthy.
  • WR Devonta Smith, Alabama. Smith outplayed both Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs, who were each drafted in the first round last week. He should be even more dominant in 2020 with less-established options around to take touches from him.

[vertical-gallery id=32704]