Yardbarker

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans. You can find him on Twitter/X and Threads at @ericsmithling and at Bluesky at @ericsmithling.bsky.social.

EXPERTISE:

NFL, College Football, NBA, Men's and Women's College Basketball, NHL

New Auburn HC Hugh Freeze suffers first loss as Tigers coach

After visiting with Auburn, former NC State QB Devin Leary is transferring to the SEC after all. Only it won't be at Auburn. Instead, he'll be wearing Kentucky blue.

Masters Tournament opens a door that should be bolted shut

Because the Masters caved, LIV golfers Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson are among the six former winners who will get another shot at a green jacket in the 2023 tournament.

Tom Brady points figure at himself for Buccaneers' blown 17-point lead

Brady turned the ball over four times against the Bengals, leading to a 34-23 loss that dropped the Bucs to 6-8 on the season. His poor play allowed the Bengals to roar back from a 17-0 second-quarter deficit. Beginning in the third quarter, Brady turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions. At the beginning of the sequence, Tampa Bay led 17-6. The Bucs trailed 27-17 afterward.

Upcoming slate of NFL games scheduled for brutal forecasts

The weather is going to be frightful at several NFL stadiums this weekend.

Rams match most losses by defending Super Bowl champ in NFL history on MNF

There goes Sean McVay's "Chunky Soup" money. The Los Angeles Rams (4-10) tied the 1999 Denver Broncos for most losses by a defending Super Bowl champion with its 24-12 loss to Green Bay Monday night.

Minshew Mania could potentially hit Philly this weekend

Minshew has an 8-14 record in 22 starts. For his career, he is 544-for-861 (63.2%) for 6,003 yards with 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Trevor Lawrence following in footsteps of Hall of Famer Troy Aikman

Trevor Lawrence's start to his NFL career resembles Hall of Famer Troy Aikman's, but the two QBs could diverge significantly in two weeks.

Nikola Jokic inserts himself into MVP discussion after he puts up Wilt-like performance

Jokic had one of the best games of his career on Sunday.

Twitter roasts Patriots for colossal mistake against Raiders

New England's all-time sports blunder against Las Vegas was the talk of the town online Sunday night.

Bengals latest win reminds us that they shouldn't be forgotten in loaded AFC

The Cincinnati Bengals don't have the best record in the AFC or a former MVP. What they do have is the longest winning streak in the conference and are playing their best football at the right time.

Latest Anthony Davis news puts an end to his incredible run

Davis suffered a foot injury on Friday night against the Nuggets.

Eagles win a bad sign for the rest of the NFL

Hurts was 22-of-37 for 315 yards with two interceptions on Sunday. It was his first multi-interception game of this season and first since Nov. 28, 2021, against the Giants.

Watch: Lionel Messi's seventh goal at 2022 World Cup gives Argentina lead in extra time

Lionel Messi scored two goals in the World Cup final, the second in the 108th minute to give Argentina a 3-2 lead in extra time. The call via Telemundo was absolutely incredible.

Frank Gore Jr. sets bowl record with incredible performance

Southern Miss (7-6) beat Rice (5-8) 38-24 in the LendingTree Bowl on the back of Gore Jr.'s record-breaking performance.

If only we could have seen the Colts train wreck coming

The decision to hire Jeff Saturday as interim head coach looked ridiculous then and looks like the kind of move that should disqualify Jim Irsay from making football-related decisions in the future. But no one could have possibly known that hiring someone with more experience on TV than they have coaching could lead to a laughable, once-in-a-lifetime defeat.

Former Oklahoma QB transfers to Wisconsin

Luke Fickell wasted no time improving Wisconsin's depth at QB.

Deion Sanders coaches in final game as Jackson State head coach

NC Central won the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Deion Sanders's last game as Jackson State's head coach. The game went to overtime after Shedeur Sanders connected with Travis Hunter for a 19-yard touchdown as time expired.

College bowl season off to strong start with Friday games, Saturday slate

Bowl season in college football is in full swing with six games set for Saturday after two were played on Friday. The games were thrilling on Friday and there are plenty of excellent storylines to watch out for ahead of Saturday's slate.

The wide receiver people are forgetting about when discussing the NFL's best

A golden opportunity awaits Diggs to remind everyone he belongs in the conversation for the NFL's best wide receiver against Miami. Per NGS, Diggs's matchup against the Dolphins' secondary ranks as the third biggest mismatch of Week 15.

Alex Ovechkin's tie to Putin takes luster off one of NHL's greatest stars

A picture of Alex Ovechkin with Russian president Vladimir Putin, the ruthless thug who invaded Ukraine, is front and center on the Washington star's Instagram page.

Time to pump the brakes on talk of Lions winning the Matthew Stafford trade

Plenty needs to happen before the Lions are anointed the winner of the trade that helped the Rams win a Super Bowl. There is reason to be excited about Detroit's future, but we should wait until the team has a winning record before we unthaw this debate. 

How Arby's helped the Panthers win in Seattle, stay afloat in NFC South

ESPN's David Newton reported offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo discussed how the "Arby's package" -- which requires eight offensive linemen -- came to be on Wednesday.

Aidan Hutchinson, Sauce Gardner meet for first time in game between surprising playoff hopefuls

Two of the NFL's top rookie defensive players square off in New York on Sunday. Thanks to the promising early returns on both Aidan Hutchinson and Sauce Gardner, there is optimism for the future for both the Detroit Lions and New York Jets for the first time in years.

Cleveland Browns hope third time's the charm as they bring back white facemask

The Cleveland Browns are honoring the past by throwing it back to the halcyon days of Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb this Sunday. Yeah, it's been tough being a Cleveland fan over the years.