News sport : Colorado reportedly hires former USF coach Jim Leavitt as d-coordinator

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Linebacke Ben Moffitt #59 of the University of South Florida Bulls enters the field for pre-game introductions as coach Jim Leavitt watches before play against the Louisville Cardinals on November 17, 2007. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) Colorado finally its defensive coordinator.


According to Football Scoop and BuffStampede.com, Buffs coach Mike MacIntyre has hired former South Florida Jim Leavitt to run the team’s defensive. Leavitt’s reported hire comes more than six weeks after Kent Baer left Colorado to join Tony Sanchez’s staff at UNLV.


Leavitt spent the past four seasons as linebackers coach on Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers staff. He previously was the head coach at South Florida for 13 seasons, where he had a 95-57 record and guided the Bulls’ transition from a Division I-AA program to the Big East.


Leavitt was fired in January 2010 after a school investigation found that he “grabbed one of his players by the throat, slapped him in the face and then lied about it.” Leavitt denied the allegation.


Before taking over at South Florida in 1997, Leavitt was an assistant at Kansas State, Iowa, Missouri, NAIA Morningside and Division III Dubuque.


He’ll take over a Colorado defense that was 119th nationally in scoring defense in 2014 in MacIntyre’s second season. Leavitt will also coach Colorado’s linebackers. Per BuffStampede.com, Leavitt is expected to arrive in Colorado on Friday.


In addition to Leavitt, Colorado is also bringing in former Central Michigan defensive coordinator Joe Tumpkin as defensive backs coach to replace Andy LaRussa, who also left for UNLV.


Before arriving at Central Michigan in 2010, Tumpkin coached linebackers at SMU from 2005-07 and Pittsburgh from 2008-09. He also had stints as a defensive assistant at Lakeland College, Northern Michigan, Defiance College, Western Michigan, Southern Illinois, and Sam Houston State.


Colorado went 2-10 in 2014.


For more Colorado news, visit BuffStampede.com.


- - - - - - -


Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1DJP4ca
Read More

News sport : The Orlando Magic have fired Jacque Vaughn, which makes sense

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

If you’re having a hard time getting a read on the Orlando Magic, understand that you’re not alone.


The team likes to run, we think, but it also seems to want to encourage a snail’s pace at times offensively. The squad was created to work as an athletic defensive juggernaut, but they also make critical errors on that end of the court while signing veteran free agents that absolutely do not play defense. For those of us that are charged with watching their games, the group appears to be attacking opponents with a new scheme both offensively and defensively far too often for any cohesion to develop. If a revamp didn’t take place every other game, then it was at least something close to it.


This is why word leaked last week that coach Jacque Vaughn’s time in Orlando was up. This is also why Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that Vaughn has been fired by the Magic. The report was filed a good half-hour before Magic officials met with their players to tell them the news. According to Woj, James Borrego will be named the team’s interim head coach.


Borrego has good timing, in spite of Orlando’s recent play. The Magic are attempting to shake off a 10-game losing streak, and a 2-16 malaise that dates back to the last days of 2014. Orlando had to play the Grizzlies and Thunder twice during this streak, along with the Mavericks and Spurs, and the team fell in one-sided fashion to teams in Detroit and Milwaukee – squads that many saw the Magic fighting this season in an attempt to grab the last playoff spot in the East.


At 15-37, the postseason is far out of reach, and it was truly out of reach even before the Magic lost 16 of 18. Borrego, a former college coach and San Antonio Spurs assistant under Gregg Popovich, will have the good fortune of taking on the lowly Lakers in his first game as a head man, followed by a contest against the struggling Chicago Bulls (a team the Magic are three weeks removed from beating) along with upcoming games against the Knicks and 76ers. He’ll also have the All-Star break to serve as a mini-training camp of sorts.


[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]


Whether Borrego is long for the Magic is up in the air. Wojnarowski reported that former Suns, Bulls and Bucks coach Scott Skiles could be in contention for the top spot in Orlando, something that makes sense if the Magic come into such a relationship with an understanding of who, exactly, Scott Skiles is.


He’s a guy that has gotten away from the modern NBA a little bit, with an offense heavy on long two-pointers and a paucity of free throws, and his over-active defensive schemes will send opponents to the line quite a bit. He can also turn a team around with his no-nonsense approach and obsession with detail – if history is any indication, the Magic will start to overachieve with Skiles at the helm. He took over the Suns midseason in 1999 and did exceedingly well in that post, and while he didn’t win much after taking over the Bulls in 2003-04, next year’s team shocked the NBA by going 47-26 after an 0-9 start to the season.


If history is any indication beyond that, Skiles will also start to wear on his players. He’ll start his passive/aggressive routine again, he’ll limit himself to intractable rotations, and he’ll fail to develop players he doesn’t care for.


If the Magic front office – helmed by Rob Hennigan and Matt Lloyd – understand this, then they’ll do well with Skiles. If they can anticipate Skiles’ breaking point and have a replacement ready to go, not Jim Boylan this time, the Magic won’t waste a season (or more) some years down the line.


If they don’t? Like the frog unknowingly sitting in that pot of water that is slowly reaching boiling point, they’ll have fallen for the same nonsense that teams in Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee fell for. Scott Skiles, as it is with all coaches both good, bad and middling, is not going to change his spots at his age.


The Hennigan era is a tricky one to document. He came to Orlando well-credentialed, stuck with absolutely no leverage with Dwight Howard wanting out of town. Hennigan did well to not saddle the Magic with big contracts when he eventually dealt Howard, nailing a stud in Nikola Vucevic that analytics types were hot to trot for after Doug Collins refused to play him in his rookie year. The Magic were hamstrung from the outset – rebuilding without the benefit of having a lottery pick to work around in the first rebuilding year, and the lottery pick that came from the first post-Howard season was plucked from The NBA’s Worst Draft Ever.


Victor Oladipo is a nice player, but unless another coach can build him into something special, he doesn’t appear to be your typical second overall NBA draft pick (wait …). Aaron Gordon’s rookie season has been hampered by a scary left foot injury, but he’s played well enough for a raw talent working through time on the shelf. Moving up to draft Elfrid Payton was a risk, but Hennigan is attempting to establish a culture and Payton definitely brings the nerve. Dealing to get younger in moving Arron Afflalo to Denver to Evan Fournier has been a bit of a wash, thus far.


The Magic could be criticized for bringing in scads of journeyman – past-prime types like Ben Gordon, Luke Ridnour, and Willie Green – but the team had to have some semblance of experience on the squad, and all three came at a rather cheap price. The Channing Frye signing has been a bust so far, but that’s what happens when you take the money and run. The moves haven’t worked out, but the team still has plenty of excuses and another chance with another coach.


Hiring Vaughn wasn’t a mistake. The guy was pegged as a future NBA head coach dating back to his college days, and cerebral NBA point guards who studied as coach under Gregg Popovich seem like readymade 60-game winners. Nobody criticized the move at the time, and nobody should in retrospect.


Vaughn had to go, though. The Magic were irresponsible in allowing leaks to hit the press about Vaughn’s looming brand of impermanence, but the guy was presiding over a 28th-ranked offense and a 25th-ranked defense. Jacque had to work with the rebuilding team that wasn’t in his first season, the prize of Oladipo in his second, and injuries to Gordon and inconsistent play from Payton in his third, but …



… yeah. It was time.


We sure hope the Magic know what they’re doing beyond this move, though.


- - - - - - -


Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1AwDgvX
Read More

News sport : Pete Carroll doesn't think he made the worst call of all time

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Pete Carroll has an interesting football legacy.


He has been on the losing side of perhaps the greatest college football game and the greatest NFL game ever (2006 Rose Bowl, Super Bowl XLIX), and in each he was criticized for a call near the end of the game.


In USC's loss to Texas, he gave the ball to LenDale White on fourth down, without even having Reggie Bush on the field. White was stuffed, Vince Young rallied the Longhorns to a win. And we know all about the decision to pass on second-and-goal at the 1-yard line in Sunday's Super Bowl.


It has been such a topic of conversation that Carroll sat down for a way-too-grave interview with Matt Lauer of NBC's "Today," in which the normally affable coach was asked questions like he had let down the entire universe.


And no, he doesn't think it was the worst call ever.


"It was the worst result of a call ever," Carroll told Lauer. "The call would have been a great one if we catch it."


Carroll has explained the call, and basically it was that the Seahawks didn't want to let Tom Brady have too much time if they scored, they ran down the clock and then had enough time (with less than 30 seconds left and one timeout) for only two Marshawn Lynch runs. They figured to pass on second down and run with Lynch on third and fourth if they didn't score on the pass. Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler made a great play to ruin the Seahawks' plans (the more removed we get from the game, the more Butler's play stands out as an unbelievable effort that is overlooked because of all the noise of the play call).


I'm not sure that's worth shaming Carroll into apologies, but it appears that's what he'll have to deal with for a while.


"We knew we were going to throw the ball one time in the sequence, so we did," Carroll said. "It just didn't turn out right."



- - - - - - -


Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1DJP4c1
Read More

News sport : College Football Playoff will not change its 2015 semifinal dates

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

The semifinal dates of the 2015 College Football Playoff are not moving.


ESPN asked the College Football Playoff to change its semifinal games, which are scheduled for Dec. 31, so that it didn’t have to compete for ratings with the various broadcasts celebrating the turn of the year. Also, New Year’s Eve falls on Thursday and ESPN claimed the games would do better on Jan. 2, a Saturday.


However, the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, which comprise the playoff’s management committee, decided against the request.


"We reviewed it and rejected it," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said. "We like the concept that we've developed for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Going forward we think that's the right model for college football."


The 2015 semifinals will be played at the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.


The playoff’s 12-year contract with ESPN has terms that allow tripleheader bowl games, including the semifinals on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.


- - - - - - -


Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/16vtQ6R
Read More

News sport : O.J. Mayo drills final-second corner 3 to force OT as Bucks beat Lakers

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

The Los Angeles Lakers clawed their way back from an eight-point fourth quarter deficit on Wednesday, rallying behind the interior play of Carlos Boozer (eight of his season-high 28 points in the frame) and Ed Davis (eight of his career-high 20 rebounds) and the dribble penetration of Jeremy Lin (seven points, two assists) to hold a six-point lead in the final minute of their matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. But after a Brandon Knight triple chopped the lead in half and Milwaukee's long-limbed defense helped force a Lin airball and an L.A. shot-clock violation, the Bucks had one last chance to tie. Seeking OT, they put the ball in the hands of O.J.:



[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]


Coming out of the timeout, Bucks coach Jason Kidd — who might have had just a teensy bit of extra motivation to stick it to Lakers counterpart Byron Scott, his former head coach with the New Jersey Nets, after Scott's rather choice pre-game comments — drew up a stack at the foul line with Knight triggering the inbounds and seven sceonds remaining. Wing Khris Middleton popped out to the left block for the inbounds pass, while Knight sprinted to the charity stripe, where he stopped and set the first of two staggered screens for Mayo, defended on the play by Lakers shooting guard Nick Young.


Knight got enough of a bump on Young to give Mayo a head start, triggering a switch on the perimeter as Boozer stepped forward to meet the curling Mayo. Middleton, who'd been pushed out off the block by defender Wayne Ellington, just turned his body and used his 6-foot-7 frame to shield off Ellington and Boozer long enough to both complete the dribble handoff to the streaking Mayo and give his shooter enough room to slide into a short-corner 3-pointer. It splashed through with 0.5 seconds still remaining on the clock, knotting the game at 94 and, after the Lakers failed to get a field-goal attempt off in their final half-second, the game headed to an extra session.


It might not have, of course, had Scott elected to instruct his players to foul a Buck before a 3-pointer could be attempted. There's a longstanding and ongoing argument about the benefits and risks of fouling up three, and it doesn't always work. But in this situation, the Lakers were already in the penalty and had ample opportunity with Middleton holding the ball waiting for Mayo on the curl; a trip to the line for two free throws that could have, at best, chopped your lead down to one sure seems like a more desirable outcome than allowing a game-tying attempt.


That wasn't how Scott saw things before. He might see it differently now, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:


“The philosophy is not to foul. I guess I might change that,” Scott said. “You have to give him credit. He hit an incredible shot and we had two guys directly on him.” [...]

Scott opted not for his players to foul on an inbounds pass with seven seconds left out of fear a Bucks player could either force three foul shots or convert on a four-point play.

But...

“He had a hell of a shot,” said Boozer [...]. “A fadeaway corner with two guys right in his face? That’s what you want them to take.”

More, from Mike Bresnahan at the Los Angeles Times: "'I just always believe in just playing good solid defense,' Scott said, though he added he might revisit his strategy of not fouling in future late-game situations."


While we take a moment to consider Scott's newfound willingness to consider adjusting his tactical approach — as well as his rage-against-the-dying-of-the-light belief that this Lakers team, without a single plus stopper on the roster and now 29th among 30 NBA teams in points allowed per possession, can and should just defend better — let's also praise a heck of a shot by Mayo, who bounced back from some early-fourth misses (including this woofer of a brick with 3 1/2 minutes left) to drill a gotta-have-it-shot with no margin for error. From Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:


"We were looking for Juice," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "He had just made a big three to cut the lead to three. He was the hottest player for us, so we wanted to give it a different look. I thought Khris did a heck of a job of getting the ball to him with the traffic. Then Juice does the hardest part. We executed late on both ends. That just shows our growth."

Given new life by Mayo's game-tying triple, the Bucks stormed the Lakers in overtime, with point guard Knight exploding for 12 points (3-for-3 from the field, 2-for-2 from 3, 4-for-4 from the line) in five minutes to seal a 113-105 overtime win, Milwaukee's fifth straight win, the franchise's longest string of victories in nearly three years.


Kidd's Bucks are now a season-high five games over .500 at 27-22, sitting just 2 1/2 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls for the top spot in the Central Division and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. They're full of youth, athleticism and daring that produces fun moments like this three-man, ball-doesn't-touch-the-floor fast-break leading to a flush by the trailing Henson:



They're getting contributions from up and down the roster, including a landmark outing on Wednesday by Greek phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored a career-high 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting to go with six rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal in 42-plus minutes:



The line of the night on Giannis, from Kidd, per Gardner: "I don't think this will be his career high for long."


Antetokounmpo led four Bucks with 20 or more points, the first time that's happened in nearly six years. Knight poured in 24, shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the line, with eight assists and seven rebounds. Middleton filled up the stat sheet with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting, seven boards, seven dimes and three steals without a turnover in 45 minutes of work. And Mayo, the hero of the final second, added 21 in 33 minutes off the bench (8-for-15 from the floor, 5-for-8 from 3) to score a win in the kind of game that a good team — or, at least, a team with aspirations of being good — pulls out simply because it decides that a loss would be unacceptable.


"We were talking about it earlier, and we thought this was a win we had to have," Knight said, according to Gardner. "Last year we never approached any game saying, 'We've got to have this win; we can't lose this game.' You could just tell the entire attitude of our team has changed."


More NBA coverage:



- - - - - - -


Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/16vePSl
Read More

News sport : Five-star DE CeCe Jefferson hasn't faxed his LOI to Florida yet

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Five-star DE CeCe Jefferson committed to Florida on National Signing Day but the Gators haven't received his letter of intent.


Jefferson's ceremony was broadcast on ESPNU and cameras showed him signing what appeared to be his LOI to send to Florida after he announced his decision. ESPNU host Rece Davis even made a joke about fax machines to Jefferson in reference to No. 1 recruit Byron Cowart. Cowart, who committed to Auburn earlier in the day, didn't have his letter faxed to Auburn until hours later.


Auburn was considered one of Jefferson's top options, while Florida was one of Cowart's. Former Florida coach Will Muschamp is now the defensive coordinator at Auburn.


Jefferson's high school coach told InsideTheGators.com that he couldn't answer why the fax hadn't been sent to Florida and said it was a family matter. Per Rivals' Mike Farrell, Jefferson's father said there was no truth to any rumors that he was refusing to sign his son's letter of intent. Recruits under 18 need a guardian's signature.



Jefferson is the No. 20 recruit in the country according to Rivals. Is a reason for a delay because of a coaching change at Florida? According to SI, defensive line coach Terrell Williams has left to become the defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins. Williams, a former assistant for the Oakland Raiders, joined Florida in early January.


The report apparently prompted this tweet from Jefferson.



According to SI, Florida has hired Texas DL coach Chris Rumph, who came to Texas with Charlie Strong. Rumph was the defensive line coach at Alabama in 2011 when new Florida coach Jim McElwain was an assistant there. The Gainesville Sun reports that Rumph hasn't accepted yet.



We'll see when or if Jefferson faxes his letter to Florida. Last year, five-star defensive tackle Malik McDowell announced he was signing with Michigan State, but his mother wasn't totally on board when he made the decision. McDowell eventually submitted his LOI to Michigan State in April.


For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/18RwyoJ
Read More

News sport : Brian Shaw is resorting to desperate measures in order to get through to his Nuggets

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

It’s pretty clear that Denver Nuggets head coach has had a hard time getting through to his players this season. The struggling team is 19-31, it has lost 11 of 12, and Shaw has openly admitted that he thinks his players are playing to lose.


As a result, Shaw is falling back on old, well-worn tactics to get through to the players he’s charged with leading. We’re just going to leave this aside from the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett right here:



He said he’s been trying everything to get his players motivated through a series of injuries and the trading of starting center Timofey Mozgov for draft picks (sound familiar?).




Shaw even admitted to rapping a pregame personnel report. Seriously.



Rapping. Rap-rap-rapping.


You’ll recall that Shaw has some experience in the genre …



… but if the Nuggets’ current woes are any indication, this certainly wasn’t a mic drop moment.


- - - - - - -


Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1zRQRwC
Read More

News sport : Tim Beckman wants the media to be more positive about his program

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

(AP Photo/LM Otero) Tim Beckman just can’t get out of his own way.


On the day the Illinois head was supposed to introduce and celebrate the addition of the best recruiting class in his three-year tenure with the program, the focus instead shifted to something he said.


Beckman, who is entering his fourth season in Champaign with a 12-25 (4-20 Big Ten) record, told the media that its coverage of the Illini program needs to be more positive.


Per the Chicago Sun-Times, here’s what Beckman had to say:



"And the last I’m gonna leave this up to you guys, k? We’re all in this state. We all want to build the best football team that we can. So I’m gonna put it on you. What are they (recruits) reading? Social media is big nowadays. What are you saying? So the challenge again, as I said after that Northwestern game, the challenge is still how important is the University of Illinois to you? Because it is very, very important to us. And we know that we can be successful if we’re all in it together. Because our intentions are to build a champion. Ok? One day at a time, whatever it takes. But our intention is to build a champion.”



It gets better.



“I think as much positive stuff as we can continue to broadcast about this great institution and the athletic programs we have and how our athletic programs are moving forward in, really, every category of sports that we play, what we’re doing academically. I think there’s a lot of things you can talk about positively with this program.”



Beckman then was asked specifically by a reporter if he’s asking the media to be more positive about Illinois football.



“Everybody. Everybody. Let’s build this thing into a championship, and the more positive stuff you can talk about, the better off we all are.”



Yeah. That’s not really how the media works, Tim. The media’s job isn’t to wave pom poms for the Illini. The media is supposed to be objective, so when you win four conference games in three seasons, there may be a few members of the press who think you’re not doing a very good job.


Illinois jumped 30 spots in the Rivals recruiting rankings from No. 75 to No. 45 with its 2015 class. The Illini even landed a surprising signing day commitment from running back KeShawn Vaughn, a four-star recruit who many thought would commit to either Louisville or West Virginia.


There surely would have been more positive press about the positive steps made in the program's recruiting efforts, but Beckman overshadowed it with the latest in his seemingly never-ending string of baffling comments.


Sure the program has improved from 2-10 to 4-8 to 6-7 under his watch, but his mouth hasn’t done him too many favors during his tenure.


For more Illinois news, visit OrangeandBlueNews.com.


- - - - - - -


Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1Fai2Tu
Read More

News sport : Which of the seven new NFL head coaches was the best hire?

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

When Dan Quinn could finally accept the Atlanta Falcons' head-coaching job after Super Bowl XLIX, there were no more NFL vacancies.


With the coaching carousel stopped (unless we get an unexpected firing this offseason), it's time to take a look at the seven teams that made a change, and figure out which team made the best hire. We're not just looking at the coach himself, but also if the team improved itself by firing its old coach and bringing in new blood:


7. Jim Tomsula, San Francisco 49ers


Tomsula might be the next Don Shula; I have no idea. But what we know now is this: The 49ers ran off Jim Harbaugh, who has been incredibly successful at every stop and a top 5 NFL coach, top 10 at worst. And they replaced him with a defensive line coach who has been a NFL head coach for one game, as an interim. There’s a lot to live up to there.


6. Jack Del Rio, Oakland Raiders


I felt bad for the Raiders fans when the “Jon Gruden will take the Raiders job! No, it’ll be Jim Harbaugh!” madness was happening. That was not realistic, but good job by their agents parlaying that into a lot of money for their clients. What the Raiders did get is a solid coach with a good reputation as a coordinator and some head-coaching experience (68-71 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have cratered since he was fired), and most importantly – Del Rio wanted the job. I’m not sure this was a grand slam hire or anything, but it was probably as good as the Raiders could have done.


5. Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons


I’m always a bit leery of just taking the coordinator from the top unit. It’s probably unfair to Quinn, but it’s also fair to wonder how he’ll do without Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, Michael Bennett, K.J. Wright, Cliff Avril … you get the idea. His players love him, he came off very well during Super Bowl week, and he was a hot name. We’ll see if Atlanta made the right hire.


4. Gary Kubiak, Denver Broncos


(AP) It was hard to pick between Kubiak and Fox. Fox has had better success, but how much of that was due to John Elway landing Peyton Manning? Kubiak has been a tremendous coordinator through the years, and was a solid head coach in Houston. But we have to factor in if the move was an upgrade, and well, was it?


3. John Fox, Chicago Bears


While Fox had a ton of success with Manning, he also won division titles with Jake Delhomme and Tim Tebow at quarterback. So maybe he’s better suited to win with an average quarterback like Jay Cutler than we generally give him credit for. He could end up being a great hire if he fixes the Bears defense, but that might take a miracle.


2. Todd Bowles, New York Jets


I’m ranking Bowles ahead of two guys who have won 180 games between them as NFL head coaches. This is a bit of blind faith, but I believe. Bruce Arians got a lot of credit for the Cardinals’ success, and rightfully so, but what about the defensive coordinator who lost Darnell Dockett to injury, John Abraham to retirement, Daryl Washington to suspension and Karlos Dansby to free agency and kept rolling right along? His schemes are very creative, he has a dynamic personality – I just think he’s going to be a very good head coach.


1. Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills


I give Ryan the top spot for two reasons: I think Ryan is a heck of a coach, and Buffalo wasn’t the easiest sell. The Bills have no quarterback (prove me wrong, EJ Manuel!) and haven’t been to the playoffs this century. If you take that job, you're also entering a tough division. But they landed Ryan, a brilliant defensive Xs and Os coach who also is a good motivator. He was given a talent-poor roster the past few years with the Jets and did a pretty good job getting the most out of it. This was a really good hire for the Bills.


- - - - - - -


Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1I9UmEb
Read More

News sport : Read 10-year-old fan’s heartfelt hockey answer on school quiz

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,


It’s been over 20 years since the Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas, which means that Pete Morrow’s daughter has only known a world with the Wild as Minnesota’s hockey team.


She’s 10 years old, but apparently wise beyond her years. Pete sent over this answer to a geography test she had in school recently about the American southwest. When asked to name where she’d like to visit there, she answered “Dallas.”


“I would like to visit Dallas because I would want to ask the Dallas Stars coach, ‘Why did you take the North Stars away from Minnesota?’”


WELL, LINDY RUFF, YOU MONSTER?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS 22 YEARS AGO WHEN YOU WERE RETIRING AS A MEMBER OF THE SAN DIEGO GULLS?! HUH?!


She went on to say that she’s like to see the differences between Dallas and Minnesota, presumably to understand why the North Stars met. Which essentially means she wants to look at Norm Green’s bank statements from 20 years ago, I guess.


Oh, the young hockey fan. Such wonder. Such curiosity. Such early acceptance that this sport will find new and exciting ways to break your heart and that life will become a never-ending quest to determine why…


MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY:









from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1BXtpe6
Read More

News sport : TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas to retire

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Aug 31, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas signals from the sidelines during the game against LSU Tigers at AT&T Stadium. (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports) After more than a decade at TCU, Dick Bumpas is retiring.


The 65-year-old Bumpas, the Horned Frogs’ defensive coordinator since 2004, helped the program lead the nation in total defense from 2008-10 while his 2014 defense led the nation in takeaways per game en route to a share of the Big 12 title. TCU also won the Mountain West three times during Bumpas’ tenure.


Bumpas has coached in the collegiate ranks since 1977, when he became a graduate assistant at Arkansas, his alma mater. From there he had short stints at Army and Air Force before being hired by Kansas State as the defensive line coach in 1981. That’s when he first crossed paths with TCU head coach Gary Patterson, who was a senior linebacker at the time. Patterson joined Bumpas on the KSU staff as a graduate assistant the following season.


Bumpas and Patterson also coached together at Tennessee Tech (1983-84), Utah State (1992-94) and Navy (1995) with Bumpas serving as defensive coordinator while Patterson coached the secondary.


Bumpas also had a stint as defensive line coach at Notre Dame and was the defensive coordinator at Houston and Western Michigan before reuniting with Patterson in 2004.


According to FootballScoop.com, TCU is expected to promote from within the staff for its next defensive coordinator.


For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com.


- - - - - - -


Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1BXtpdW
Read More

News sport : Richard Sherman and girlfriend have their son on fitting day

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Richard Sherman was right, his son was disciplined.


For all of the hoopla in Super Bowl week about if the Seattle Seahawks cornerback would play if his pregnant girlfriend Ashley Moss went into labor with their child, it all worked out. Sherman played in Super Bowl XLIX, and then four days later Moss gave birth.


MMQB.com's Peter King said the couple's child is named Rayden. He also had the perfect birthday. He was born on 2/5. Sherman wears No. 25 for the Seahawks.



Now Sherman has something a lot more important to remember from this month than the Seahawks' tough loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl.


- - - - - - -


Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1DITct1
Read More

Sanchez to miss Tottenham trip

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez will miss their trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.


|||

London - Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez will miss their trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday but manager Arsene Wenger can call on the returning Danny Welbeck for the north London derby.


Top goalscorer Sanchez, who has struck 18 in all competitions since his arrival from Barcelona in the close season, is continuing his recovery from a hamstring problem.


The 26-year-old Chilean missed Arsenal's 5-0 thrashing of Aston Villa last weekend. His team mates, however, proved they could pitch in with goals in his absence and they will have to do so again for the visit to their fierce local rivals.


“Alexis is not ready,” Wenger told the Arsenal website (www.arsenal.com) on Thursday.


“He is not far away, the Leicester game (on Tuesday) is a possibility. He is of course very difficult to keep quiet. He is training but it's light training.”


Wenger confirmed that England striker Welbeck, who has not played since Dec. 28 when he scored in a 2-1 win at West Ham United, has fully recovered from a thigh injury and will be available for selection.


Fifth-placed Arsenal will also have to make do without midfielders Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who are both yet to return to full training following injury lay-offs, for the match against Tottenham, who are one place and two points below them in the table.


Reuters






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/16G8u7j
Read More

Ronaldo returns to lead Madrid

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Real Madrid hope Cristiano Ronaldo's return will be enough to overcome a spate of injuries when they visit Atletico.


|||

Barcelona - Real Madrid will hope Cristiano Ronaldo's return from suspension will be enough to overcome a spate of injuries when it visits Atletico Madrid on Saturday in another rematch of last season's Champions League final.


James Rodriguez joined Madrid's list of injured players when he broke a bone in his right foot on Wednesday. Sergio Ramos is also likely to be out after injuring his leg.


Coach Carlo Ancelotti will have to look to his bench to field a starting 11 against an Atletico side that has bettered his team in three competitions this season.


While Madrid leads the league with Atletico seven points behind in third, second-place Barcelona enters the weekend four points behind the pacesetters and will wait until Sunday to visit Athletic Bilbao.


Here are some things to know about the 22nd round of matches:


Madrid's sickbay


Madrid's 2-1 win over Sevilla on Wednesday proved costly when both Rodriguez and Ramos went down in the first half.


Rodriguez was set to have surgery on Thursday, while the club was still waiting to determine the extent Ramos' thigh injury.


Madrid was already without midfielder Luka Modric (left leg) and defender Pepe (ribs).


Marcelo also saw his fifth yellow card against Sevilla. Ancelotti said the club would appeal the booking and that he will rely on center backs Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez to anchor his defense.


"We lose some experienced heads but sometimes an injection of enthusiasm is a good thing," Ancelotti said. "I'm not worried."


Simeone's edge


The derby at Vicente Calderon Stadium will be the sixth time the city rivals have met since Madrid prevailed 4-1 in extra time in May's Champions League final.


Diego Simeone's Atletico has yet to lose to Madrid in five meetings since, beating them in the league, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.


"We know our rival well," said Atletico midfielder Tiago Cardoso. "I don't think coach will change much. We will try to play strong in a tight unit and take advantage of our chances."


Rested Ronaldo


Ronaldo will return from a two-match suspension for kicking a Cordoba player.


Ronaldo, who turned 30 on Thursday, leads the league with 28 goals, but he hasn't shown the same brilliant form since he won his third Ballon d'Or award in early January.


Neymar's two sides


Barcelona's victory in the bidding war to sign Brazil striker Neymar in 2013 has proven to be a good investment on the pitch and a headache off it.


This week a judge named club president Josep Bartomeu a suspect in an ongoing investigation into Neymar's contract, alleging Bartomeu defrauded Spain's Tax Office of 2.8 million euros ($3.2 million).


Neymar, however, has become a superb strike partner for Lionel Messi.


Neymar, who turned 23 on Thursday, is the team's second-leading scorer behind Messi. He has 22 goals in 26 appearances this season, well above his total of 15 goals in his first campaign.


Messi has scored nine goals during Barcelona's seven-game winning streak, with Neymar right behind with eight.


Sapa-AP






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1xqkvmE
Read More

News sport : Les Miles has a message for recruits from Louisiana (Video)

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

LSU coach Les Miles wants Louisiana high school football players to know that he's not going to be incredibly happy if they decide to go play at a school other than LSU.


Speaking to a group of LSU fans Wednesday night after National Signing Day festivities had concluded, Miles issued the following declaration.



"If he finds a way to wiggle out of the finest state in America, if he finds a way not to enjoy Louisiana, if he doesn't want to stay home, to hell with him," Miles said..


Part of LSU's recruiting success under Miles has been because of the Tigers' ability to keep top recruits in the state. According to the Advocate, the Tigers have signed 64 of the 90 prospects from the state's annual top 10 rankings since 2006.


The Tigers' 2015 class is No. 8 in Rivals rankings and 13 of the 25 members of it are from Louisiana including RB Derrius Guice and WR Tyron Johnson, both five-star prospects.


We do realize that it's tough to take Miles' comments at face value – statements like this are like throwing a stack of steaks to a hungry pack of wolves. You know the audience will eat it up and it's made for the reaction. But there's likely some truth to the sentiments. LSU's success hinges on keeping players like Leonard Fournette, Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre in-state. And Miles obviously wants to keep the well pumping.


(H/T The Advocate)


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1zjE6dJ
Read More