Leonard Floyd, the Rams’ outside linebacker, has been released.
Floyd and seven others were cut by LA on Friday, according to statements released by the organization.
TE Roger Carter, DB T.J. Carter, WR J.J. Koski, TE Jared Pinkney,WR Jaquarii Roberson, WR Jerreth Sterns, and DE Brayden Thomas were cut as well.
Floyd, 30, was in Los Angeles for three seasons. In 50 games, he recorded 29 sacks, logged 59 quarterback hits, and 184 tackles. In each of those three seasons, he produced at least nine sacks, including a career-high 10.5 in his debut season with the Rams in 2020.
He started all 17 games in 2022 and had a team-high nine sacks and 59 total tackles. Floyd recorded 9.5 sacks, 70 total tackles, and an interception in 17 games for the Rams in 2021, en route to winning Super Bowl LVI.
Whether or not the Rams are using Floyd’s post-June 1 designation remains a mystery. If they don’t, they will incur a $19 million cap hit in dead money while only saving $3 million on the cap.
For the Rams, a dead cap charge of $6.5 million in 2023 would be offset by a $15.5 million savings in cap space if the designation were made after June 1.
Stephen A. Smith to Tee Morant: ‘You’re Not One of His Boys, You’re His Dad’
Ja Morant has reached a bit of a crossroads due to a near-impressively lengthy string of deplorable actions. He can assess the situation and determine that he would rather be the face of the NBA than throw it away. However, we could revisit this after a couple of years and ponder what could have been. Let’s hope that is not the case.
Now, Morant is not with the Memphis Grizzlies and there is no schedule for his return.
This sort of material might be a challenge for sports debate programs thought, as we saw Skip Bayless, of all people, bring up the Crips. Stephen A. Smith took a different approach, equating Morant’s predicament to Allen Iverson’s early years.
Then he offered Ja’s father, Tee Morant, some parenting advice:
“Now in the case of pops, only thing, I’m not throwing any shade on somebody’s parent or anything like that,” Smith said. “I’m simply trying to highlight and illuminate to Tee Morant the importance of him being a dad. You raised him. You helped get him to this point. Make sure that you don’t let anybody get in the way of what he is on the verge of accomplishing. Make sure you do your part to protect him instead of joining in to have a good time like you one of his boys. You’re not one of his boys. You’re his dad.”
The world is at Ja Morant’s fingertips, and he must choose between doing the right thing or jeopardizing what looks to be like a hall-of-fame career when its all said and done.
Grizzlies Vet Preached Discipline Before Morant Incident
Following the Saturday morning Instagram Live that appeared to show Grizzlies player Ja Morant brandishing a pistol in a nightclub, the NBA and Colorado police have opened investigations into the matter, and the organization has confirmed that the 23-year-old will miss time.
Since, sources report that Memphis sought to right the ship ahead of Morant’s most latest issue. This included a players-only meeting, in which highly respected veteran Steven Adams spoke out.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania stated yesterday in a video the following information on the situation:
“I’m told there was a players-only meeting recently,” Charania said. “Steven Adams, their veteran center, he spoke out about how the team needs to show better discipline on the road and how they need to avoid going out on the road.”
Shams also reported that everyone in the room understood that the remark was intended for Morant, who has been a teammate of Adams’ since the Grizzlies acquired him from the Pelicans in August 2021. Adams is not just some grizzled veteran either, Lebron James, Paul George and Giannis Antetokounmpo have all suggested he’s possibly the strongest player in the NBA right now.
Charania noted that Memphis is an astounding 26–5 at home, but a sour 12–20 on the road this season. With that being said, if they want a chance of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy soon, they are going to have to start taking care of business on the road.
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76ers Star James Harden Helps Paralyzed Michigan State Shooting Victim.
After hearing that one of his biggest followers had been paralyzed in the terrible shooting at Michigan State a few weeks ago, Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden acted swiftly to show his support.
John Hao, one of the people shot at Michigan State who was also left paralyzed from the waist down, is still in a Michigan hospital where he is healing.
Harden FaceTimed Hao and sent the 20-year-old student a variety of different pairs of sneakers, including some worn in a game, in an effort to inspire and “brighten John’s day, even if it was just for one minute.”
“Everything will work itself out, be strong,” Harden said to Hao. “You’re alright. You’ll be alright. I promise you are … I love when you’re smiling, alright? I’m with you. I know it’s tough right now but you have to stay physically strong, you know what I mean? You gotta just think positive things and keep pushing and keep fighting.”
Three students were killed and five others were critically injured, including Hao, when a single shooter allegedly opened fire at two locations on Michigan State’s campus earlier this month. Later that same evening, the alleged shooter committed suicide. It happened to be the 67th mass shooting in the United States this year alone; which lead MSU leadership to cancel classes in wake of this tragedy.
Tom Izzo, the head basketball coach at Michigan State almost three decades, spoke at a candlelight vigil a few days later. Izzo, who has been with the program for 28 years now, recently watched his daughter receive her degree. His son Steven, a basketball walk-on, was on campus the night of the massacre.
Visibly upset and in distraught, Izzo told the crowd,
“Steven was at one of the buildings two nights ago about 10 minutes after things happened,” Izzo said. “So sometimes we don’t understand because we haven’t been through it. That little moment brought me a little closer to understanding … Our hearts are heavy. Our loss has been great. Our lives have been permanently changed. With a shared commitment to help each other and a promise to remember those we have lost, we will find joy again.”
At the vigil, Izzo also called for gun regulation, as have many other athletes in recent years.
“I think everybody spoke that something has to be done in our society,” Izzo stated. “Gun violence is insane right now. We all have a platform. Some are small, some are high. But we all have a platform. I hope each and every one of you use your platform to help others so other families don’t have to go through what these families are going through right now.”
Even though Hao was left crippled and still has a long way to go before he can fully recover, the gesture that Harden made was very much appreciated by him and his family, during what has otherwise been an extremely challenging time for them and their community.
OutOfSightSports NBA Draft 2023 Player Profile: Anthony Black
This year before the 2023 NBA draft, we are going to publish 60 articles on who we believe are the top 60 players headed into the upcoming draft before. With this being said, this list is in no order so do not be up in my DMs complaining. The rankings will come at the conclusion of the 60 player list. Anyways, lets dive into our first prospect of the OutOfSight NBA Draft 23 player profiles! We will start with the versatile Razorback freshman, Anthony Black.
Physicals
Height: 6-7
Weight: 190
School/Class/DOB
College: Arkansas
Classification: Freshman (T)
Birthdate: 1/20/2004
Draft Prediction: Lottery Pick
Pros
Given his frame and physicals, he is is a relatively good scorer off the dribble.
Black gets after it and hustles like a dawg, a trait every NBA front office looks for in a potential draft pick.
Has a fantastic ability to get to the line, especially when he plays to his strengths.
He is a better than average passer for a freshman
Black overachieves at his size on the boards, thanks to his hustle and toughness.
Legit all around defender that can defend the perimeter and create takeaways. Black also possesses the ability to defend the paint and swat away shots.
Good athlete for a college player, but a GREAT one for a true freshman.
Has the ability to play multiple positions due to his versatility.
Cons
He needs to work on his shooting.
He needs to expand his shooting range.
Can have chaotic shot selection. Sometimes appears careless on offense, leading to turnovers. This creation can lead to a selfishness that some people criticize him for.
Seems to have a tough time defending faster players.
Player Profile Summary:
Anthony Black is a quick, skilled point forward who can run the offense and make hustle plays on both ends of the court. He’ll need to work on his shooting and scoring, but he’s a tall playmaker who could and should be a lottery pick in 2023, even with Arkansas being disappointing like they to this point of the season.
The Giants have nothing to play for, as they have already secured the sixth seed in the NFC. The likes of Leonard Williams, Daniel Jones, and Saquon Barkley are likely to stay out. However, the Eagles have continued to be good without superstar right tackle Lane Johnson. Without him, they are 9-22 straight-up all-time. Jalen Hurts will likely keep playing even through his shoulder injury, although he may run less than usual.
New York should be competitive, as the Giants’ backup QB Tyrod Taylor is slated to start.
Does TCU stand a chance against UGA? │CFB Title Game Preview 2023
Ask anyone who knows me; I tell it like it is. If a player lets UGA down, I’m going to bring it up. Accountability is key to building the championship standard the Dawgs are trying to create at Georgia.
If you truly enjoy winning, whether it’s one championship or three, they’re all equal to me. I don’t know, but I would assume it got sweeter for Mike and Kobe with each passing parade. The Dawgs are looking to bring a title back to Athens for a second straight year, while TCU has a chance to make history and shock the world. In such an unlikely yet intriguing championship game, we must consider what each team must do if they want to be remembered in CFB lore forever.
After two highly contested and chaotic College Football Playoff national semifinal games on Saturday, the matchup has been determined: the reigning champs and unbeaten Dawgs will face the Cinderella TCU Horned Frogs.
The No. 1 Bulldogs (14-0) and No. 3 Horned Frogs (13-1) will battle on January 9 at SoFi Stadium in Southern California. Here is an early look at the matchup between the undefeated Bulldogs and 13-1 Frogs.
KEY MATCHUP:
TCU’s wide receiver Quentin Johnston and QB Max Duggan vs Georgia’s secondary:
In the Fiesta Bowl, Johnston caught six passes for 163 yards and one touchdown against Michigan’s impressive defensive secondary. Johnston, a junior from Temple, Texas, has caught 65 passes for more than 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns on the year. He has had a great season so far. Duggan and his go-to receiver have shown that they can win no matter who their opponent is or how good they are. They are a Cinderella team, but they really aren’t after what I saw from everyone on Saturday. These Frogs certainly are not to be taken lightly, and UGA is highly mistaken if they think TCU got this far to lay down and die. They will come out swinging; they don’t care who you are. This isn’t free money if you plan on betting.
Unfortunately for my Dawgs, they have us right where they want us if they want ANY chance:
Georgia’s secondary is coming off two of its worst performances of the season, surrendering 502 passing yards to LSU in the SEC title game and 348 passing yards to Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. In those games, opponent quarterbacks completed 54 of 86 passes (63%), threw two interceptions, and scored seven touchdowns against Kirby Smart’s team. He is also very aware that this pattern must stop against TCU. UGA will have to mix it up, throw a multitude of different defensive packages, fire zones, and much more to get to Duggan before he makes his reads in time. Jalen Carter got locked up last week, and Ringo looked clueless last weekend. Both definitely lost some NFL stockto me…
The X-Factor:
Tight ends are rarely game changers in big games, but that will be the case in the championship game.
Darnell Washington, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound mammoth of a man for Georgia, left Saturday’s semifinal game with an injured left ankle and did not come back. He was observed entering the locker area with the assistance of two staff members. Smart told reporters later that he didn’t know what was wrong, but that some people thought it was an ankle sprain.
“We’ll have to evaluate and see,” said Smart. “The good news is he’s got more than a normal week [in between games]. I know he’ll do everything he can to get back. He’s headed out west toward where he’s from [he was born in Las Vegas]. It will be important to him to try to get back.”
Washington is a terrific blocker and receiver at the tight end position. This season, he has 25 receptions for 403 yards. Washington and No. 1 tight end Brock Bowers offer Georgia one of the best 1-2 punch combinations at the position. The primary edge Georgia has over TCU is on the lines of scrimmage. Washington is a core part of this. If he is unable to play against TCU, Georgia’s power rushing game and red-zone passing will suffer, but I think UGA will have another player step up if he does not play.
What the Bulldogs need to do to repeat:
The Bulldogs were quite harsh in their assessment of their performance vs Ohio State. Their defense was sliced and diced for the most of the game, quarterback Stetson Bennett IV admitted to playing “about 30 minutes of bad football,” and Georgia missed two field goals. Therefore, this squad will not enter the championship game with a feeling of being superior and disregard TCU. Even with a 14-0 record, the Bulldogs fully understand the importance of what it will take after practically being dead in the water against OSU Saturday.
“If we want any chance of winning a national title, we have to play a lot better,” HC Kirby Smart stated in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Georgia needs to do a much better job of covering receivers and hurrying the quarterback this week. Ohio State’s wide receivers bullied Georgia’s secondary, and quarterback C.J. Stroud had much too much time to read coverage and space to scramble. TCU’s Duggan is a faster runner than Stroud, therefore Georgia will have to keep him in line.
Georgia will likely want to improve its offensive run-pass balance from what it had against Ohio State. The Bulldogs only ran the ball 26 times, which is their fewest since their season-opening game against Oregon. Additionally, offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s approach heavily relies on play-action passing. There is less to fool defenders when there is less of a running-attack. Championship offenses must be multidimensional.
With that being said, Georgia can pass and run, and on a crucial Peach Bowl night, the strength of its receiving unit was on exhibit. Bennett has a wide range of options for how to move the ball with Adonai Mitchell playing at full strength and Arian Smith showcasing his lightning speed. There are plenty of plays that can be made against the TCU defense, as Michigan and some other opponents have illustrated.
What the Frogs need to do to make HISTORY:
In last year’s SEC title game defeat and Saturday’s close call in the Peach Bowl, Georgia appeared vulnerable to having to face a truly exceptional wide receiver. Quentin Johnston has this power to help the Horned Frogs make plays, and they are not afraid to use it. Garrett Riley, the offensive coordinator, came up with the screen pass plays that led to the touchdown against Michigan on Saturday. Riley is a master at coming up with creative ways to get the ball ton Johnston. Johnston will likely need a game-changing effort to win the game.
But if the championship game becomes a track meet, it will be difficult to play a one-dimensional game against Georgia. Consequently, TCU will also need better output from its running game, regardless of which running back starts (Kendre Miller or Emari Demercado). This is easier said than done against a Georgia defensive front headed by defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who is due for a massive game.
The Horned Frogs’ defense was strong against Michigan’s run game, but it still allowed over 40 points while playing complementary football with two interceptions of their own. The defense may have to stand up without receiving gifts like it did from Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but it is unknown how it will hold up because it is tough to predict which version of the Georgia offense we will watch. If Georgia has Washington, TCU will need to really, really step up like they did vs. Michigan.
MyConclusion: I’m rolling with the Dawgs in what I expect to be a really intense, competitive, and hard-hitting game.
Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox said this about Joel Embiid
Last season, the Sacramento Kings traded one of its young and promising talents, Tyrese Haliburton, to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, a seasoned All-Star.
While the move drew a lot of attention for the Kings since Haliburton prospered right away in Indiana, and Sabonis didn’t take the Kings above and beyond, the transaction is starting to look much better for Sacramento through the 2022-2023 NBA season.
According to EuroHoops.net, Sacramento star guard De’Aaron Fox believes Sabonis is a top-three big guy in the league as well.
So, in Fox’s opinion, who is Sabonis up there with?
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
“For me, it’s (Nikola) Jokic, (Joel) Embiid, and (Sabonis). Those are the top three centers in the league.“
Jokic is without a doubt one of the top centers in the league. The Nuggets’ star has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the past two seasons.
It’s difficult to argue against Embiid being in the same conversation yet, given that he lost to Jokic both times despite being named the league’s MVP runner-up. I honestly would flip a coin and take either though. Both unreal talents. Anyways, Embiid was able to establish himself last year as the NBA’s scoring champion, elevating his offensive game to a level not seen at the center position since the legendary Shaquille O’Neal.
Fox joins a lengthy line of NBA players who see Embiid as one of the game’s most dominant big men. There isn’t much to argue about as the Sixers star continues to rack up All-Star appearances while being in the running for seasonal accolades and All-NBA selection.
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Free Early Rose Bowl Pick 01/02/2023 | PSU vs. Utah | 5:00 PM EST
What a bowl season and CFB playoff we have gotten so far this year, and the last day of the 2022 calendar year HAD to have been the best two semi-final matchups in CFB playoff history. As a Georgia fan, I thought my Dawgs were out for the count and still don’t know how the guys pulled it off. Also, there is absolutely nothing fraudulent in TCU. Anyways, let’s talk about who we are rolling with in this year’s Rose Bowl, everyone loves “The Granddaddy of Them All”
Analysis and key takeaways:
Elite Utah CB, Clark Phillips lll, has made the choice to miss out this year’s Rose Bowl in order to focus on training for the draft. However according to Football Outsiders, Penn State has a superior defensive line (ranked seventh as opposed to Utah at 58th), special teams (ranked twenty-three as opposed to sixty-fourth), and overall defense (ranked fifth as opposed to seventeenth). During the season, Utah had a record of 2-3 SU and 0-5 ATS when the line was 7 or less.
PSU S Ji’AyirBrown
Penn State has a record of 8-1 SU and 6-2 ATS when playing on grass, while Utah has a record of just 3-2 SU and 3-2 ATS when playing on grass as well. Penn State has a sharper record against other bowl teams, especially on defense, and has played on a more difficult schedule this season. (ranked 10th compared to Utah at 21st). Take the underdog Nittany Lions.
THE PICK: PSU +1.5 (-110)
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In his initial, unfiltered thoughts, Mavericks star Luka Doncic reacted to one of the most extraordinary performances in NBA history and the most spectacular game of his young career.
It’s easy to see why.
Simply taking in the magnitude of his contributions to Tuesday’s overtime win over the Knicks is exhausting.
He scored 60 points, more than Dirk Nowitzki’s previous franchise record of 53, and he hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds to drop the first 60-20 triple- double in NBA history. He also served out 10 assists to ultimately give him a total of 52 total triple doubles in his career already.
All of this was not for nothing though, as it resulted in the Mavericks coming back from a nine-point deficit in the final 26.8 seconds of regulation (more on that below) and then winning the game in OT by a score of 126-121.
The highlight was at the conclusion of that comeback run, when Dallas desperately needed a basket and all of Doncic’s skill, experience, and a bit of luck came into play.
With 4.2 seconds left and the Mavericks down by three, Doncic went to the line. After making his first free throw, Doncic purposefully missed his second in the vain hope that a Mavs player would somehow corral it and force overtime.
Someone, it turned out, and that someone was Doncic, who… well, just watch,
Doncic, who finished with 21 points on 31 shots, scored seven of Dallas’ eleven points in overtime to help secure the comeback and put the finishing touches on his generational performance.
Along with Harden’s 60-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist performance for the Rockets in 2018, Luka became just the second player in NBA history to record a 60-point triple-double of any kind.
A 50-point triple-double is an INCREDIBLE accomplishment alone. Only Wilt Chamberlain (twice) and Elgin Baylor grabbed 20 boards in theirs, making them two of only six players to ever do so, according to ESPN’s Stats & Info.
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