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

Five players with the most to prove in Saturday's NFL preseason action

Week 2 of the NFL preseason heats up on Saturday with 13 games. Here are five players with the most to prove during a loaded day of preseason action.

Floated MLB rule could be a bigger change than pitch clock

A recently floated MLB rule could lead to massive shifts in the sport, arguably even bigger than the spate of changes the league ushered in 2023.

Falcons recent defensive moves could mean trouble for Saints

As significant as Atlanta's additions of outside linebacker Matt Judon and safety Justin Simmons are, what makes them even sweeter for the organization is how much they sting the division-rival Saints.

Falcons address biggest need with massive Patriots trade

The Atlanta Falcons may have found a solution to arguably their biggest problem.

Five most valuable people for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024

With three weeks to go until the NFL regular season begins, here are Tampa Bay's five most valuable people for 2024.

J.J. McCarthy loss could be more damaging to Vikings' future than present

 The Vikings were already a long shot to make the playoffs before the team announced quarterback J.J. McCarthy (meniscus) would miss the regular season. The impact of the injury beyond 2024 could be even more significant for the team.

Top five most valuable people for New Orleans Saints in 2024

Expectations for the New Orleans Saints entering 2024 are tempered. They're in the midst of a three-year playoff drought and coming off a disappointing 9-8 season in their first year with quarterback Derek Carr.

QB J.J. McCarthy's injury puts Vikings in all-too-familiar territory

The Vikings' 2024 season is already starting to feel much like 2023.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and more top WNBA storylines for the second half of the season

The WNBA season resumes on Thursday following the month-long Olympic break. Here are five storylines we're watching as the race for the postseason intensifies.

Rangers continue to fade in playoff race with walk-off loss to Red Sox

Last year's World Series champions, the Rangers (55-64) are 8.5 games behind the Astros (63-55) for first in the AL West. They're even further back in the AL wild-card race, sitting 10 games behind the Royals (65-54).

Watch: Dodgers' Mookie Betts hits home run in first game back from IL

It's as if Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts never left.

Astros' three-time Cy Young winner shares injury update after rehab start

He hasn't made an MLB start since June 9. In 10 starts this season, he has gone 3-2 with a 3.95 earned run average (ERA).

Top five most valuable people for the Carolina Panthers in 2024

The Panthers enter 2024 at the bottom of the NFL's totem pole. No team has fewer wins than Carolina (31) since the start of the 2018 season, which is why it finds itself on its fourth full-time head coach in seven years.

Watch: U.S. women's 4x400 relay team leaves competition in dust with incredible run

The Team USA women's 4x400m relay team left no doubt in its breathtaking gold-medal performance on Saturday. Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes finished the relay in three minutes, 15.27 seconds, 4.23 seconds ahead of the silver medalists, the Netherlands (3:19:50).

Watch: QB Caleb Williams flashes USC form in Bears preseason debut

Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked like a No. 1 overall pick in his preseason debut.

Watch: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels checks all boxes in NFL preseason debut

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels passed his first NFL test with flying colors on Saturday.

Commanders' preseason Week 1 inactive list puts QB Jayden Daniels at risk

The Commanders revealed their inactive list for their Week 1 preseason game against the New York Jets on Saturday (12 p.m. ET), and it doesn't bode well for Daniels' first NFL action.

French men's volleyball team joins rare company with gold-medal match result

The gold is staying in France. The French men's volleyball team won its gold medal match against Poland on Saturday, finishing first in the event for a second consecutive time in the Olympic Games.

Watch: Shohei Ohtani blasts NL-leading 35th home run to straightaway center

The ball traveled an estimated 448 feet, making it Ohtani's ninth-longest home run this year, per Baseball Savant. Earlier in the day, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna hit his 34th home run to tie Ohtani for the NL lead.

Preseason NFL takeaways: Steelers snapping woes overshadow Justin Fields' debut

Week 1 of the NFL preseason continued on Friday night with three games. Here are five takeaways from Texans-Steelers, Falcons-Dolphins and Eagles-Ravens.

Brazil wins first women's beach volleyball gold in 28 years in historic match

The 2024 Paris Olympics women's beach volleyball gold-medal match was one for the ages.

Nick Foles has strong case to be known as best backup QB in NFL history

The 11-year veteran has a legitimate case to be called the greatest backup quarterback of all time.

Firing Pedro Grifol is only the start of challenging White Sox rebuild

The White Sox dismissed second-year manager Pedro Grifol on Thursday, but now comes the hard part: finding someone to turn around the worst team in baseball.

Cardinals, others unveil wild additions to 2024 stadium food offerings

The award for most unnecessary menu addition to an NFL stadium in 2024 goes to the Arizona Cardinals.