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Wilkin Formby went through some growing pains in his second game as a starting offensive tackle for Alabama.
The former four-star was called for holding four times in the Tide’s win. He was eventually taken out of the game and replaced by Elijah Pritchett.
Booker made sure his teammate knew he and the other members of the Alabama football family were still behind him after the game.
“First and foremost, I told him to not even look at social media because nobody really knows what’s going on,” Booker said. “If it’s not coming from somebody within this building, don’t even pay attention to it because everybody in this building has your best interest in mind. So, everybody on social media, they don’t matter. So don’t even look at it. As far as just lifting him up, just make sure Hayden learns from it and understands that there’s nothing he could do about last week, but he can control how he prepares this week to perform a lot better this coming weekend.”
Alabama travels to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers on the road this weekend.
More must-reads:
- North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
- Major changes coming to transfer portal, but challenges still remain
- The 'Most NFL QB two-rushing-TD games' quiz
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North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
Who Is Bradford M. Freeman? All About $50M Stanford Donor’s Football Career Before & With the Cardinal
Major changes coming to transfer portal, but challenges still remain
College football's transfer portal window is undergoing a significant overhaul, with two major changes on the horizon that will substantially impact how programs recruit players. The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee has approved specific dates for a one-time-only transfer portal that will replace the two existing windows. The new transfer portal will be open for 15 days, from Jan. 2-16. Previously, there was a winter portal window in December and a spring transfer portal in April. The committee's approval of these dates was expected to become official at the conclusion of its October meetings on Wednesday, per NCAA News on X. The problem with a December window is that it occurred while many teams were involved in bowl games, along with those invited to play in the College Football Playoff. The spring portal, meanwhile, was challenging for coaches because it fell toward the conclusion of most squads' spring practices. Eliminating these two transfer portal windows and sticking with just one window moving forward is logical, although it presents issues. Huge changes are coming to the transfer portal window The biggest challenge with this one-time-only transfer portal in early to mid-January is that some athletes will still be competing in the CFP. For those participating in the event, they will have five days after their team's final postseason game to enter the portal. The new portal window closes on Jan. 16. The CFP national championship game this year is on Jan. 19. That means players who suit up in the title contest could enter the portal from Jan. 20-24, even though the portal will have officially closed on Jan. 16. Depending on where a player in the portal might want to transfer to, he could run up against challenges due to classes at his new school starting before he can enter the portal and make a decision about where to head next. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship last season, is among those who are opposed to a one-time-only transfer portal. "I don't think it's a good idea at all," Day said last month. "In the conversations that we had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree. I just don't quite understand how teams that are playing in the playoffs are expected to make the decisions and sign their upcoming players while they're still getting ready to play games. It doesn't make any sense to me." Day's argument is valid, but there's no perfect solution here. Moving back a single window after the CFP title game won't work, and the transfer portal being in December during bowl season or in April after spring practices is flawed. While there are challenges that will arise with the transfer portal being open from Jan. 2-16, it's the best option of the three. Another significant change that will be enacted is the Division I Administrative Committee's decision to limit athletes to 15 days to enter the transfer portal after a head coaching change occurs. Currently, it is 30 days. Athletes must also wait five days after a new head coach is hired or announced to enter the portal, although players whose head coaches have already departed are grandfathered in under previous rules. That's a massive change, as athletes would often flock to the portal in droves once a head coach left or was fired. Now, they have to wait.
Packers could see breakout star emerge on defense in weeks ahead
The Green Bay Packers’ secondary got lit up by Dak Prescott in a 40-40 tie against the Dallas Cowboys before heading off to the bye week, but help could be on the way. Through the season’s first five weeks, the Packers rank 11th against the pass, but they allowed 319 passing yards and three touchdowns to Prescott in their final game before the bye week. Help, though, could be on the way. Could Nate Hobbs elevate Packers’ secondary? With a showdown against the likes of wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on Sunday afternoon, a breakout star could be about to emerge. Mike Spofford of the Packers’ official website suggests that cornerback Nate Hobbs getting healthier could be a major asset for coordinator Jeff Hafley and Green Bay’s defense moving forward. “Nate Hobbs,” Spofford writes, when asked the player he’s most looking forward to see the rest of the season. “He’s getting further removed from his knee procedure during training camp, and he’s also back on the practice field after leaving the Dallas game to be evaluated for a concussion. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Hobbs yet in this defense.” Hobbs has appeared in three games for the Packers this season, posting 10 total tackles, one pass breakup and one tackle for loss. Given that the 26-year-old had the added time during the bye week to get further away from the injury he suffered during the summer, he could be a player whose best football this season is still in front of him. That would be huge for a defense looking for consistent playmakers to step up.
Bengals QB Jake Browning angry about being benched for Joe Flacco, but team had no choice
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has officially been benched, and he is not taking it lightly. Browning has started the last three games for the Bengals in the wake of a toe injury that Joe Burrow suffered in Week 2. After going 0-3 in those games, the Bengals decided to acquire Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced on Wednesday that Flacco will start in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. That means the new guy is taking Browning's job right away, which is hardly a surprise. Jake Browning is not happy about losing his job Browning spoke with reporters shortly after Taylor revealed that Flacco will start in Green Bay. The 29-year-old quarterback said the situation "sucks" but that he understands how the business of the NFL works. "I think it sucks but, like I said, everyone's in the middle of a season. I think, 'Welcome to pro football,'" Browning said. "If you don't play well, you're gonna get replaced, and that's what I'm going through." Browning also admitted he is angry over being benched. Though, he said he is not willing to shoulder the blame for everything that has gone wrong for Cincinnati since Burrow went down. "For me, I'm trying to respond the right way. Obviously, I'm pi--ed. If I wasn't pi--ed, then I shouldn't be in this locker room," Browning added. "I'm aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles over the last few weeks, but I'm also not shouldering the entire situation. I went through yesterday, watched my throws, tried to come up with some stuff I want to work on, and just doing that." Zac Taylor had no choice but to make a switch Browning threw three interceptions in Cincinnati's 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns as well, but anything positive that the veteran did came when the game was essentially out of hand. In his two starts prior to the Lions loss, Browning threw for a total of 265 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals scored 13 points in the two games combined. Ja'Marr Chase looked extremely frustrated at times and even had a heated exchange with Taylor on the sideline. Taylor had been facing tremendous pressure from fans to make a quarterback change. It would not be a surprise if Cincinnati's front office and some players expressed a desire for Browning to be benched, as well.
Why HC Andy Reid is to blame for Chiefs' collapse vs. Jaguars
The Kansas City Chiefs seemed to be in total control on "Monday Night Football." They jumped to an early 14-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars and were dominating on both sides of the ball before it all went downhill. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was 29-of-41 with a touchdown and an interception, while Jaguars signal-caller Trevor Lawrence was 18-of-25, also with a TD and an interception. Despite similar stat lines, it was Lawrence who rallied his squad to a 31-28 win. The difference? The Chiefs drew a whopping 13 penalties, making it incredibly difficult for them to pull out a win as they constantly went backwards and gave up yards. That said, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid didn't seem to agree with some of the calls: "We had 13 penalties, to their 4," Reid said, per Harold R. Kuntz. "Whether I agree with them or don't agree w/ them, it doesn't matter. They called them. So, you have that many penalties, you give up field position, you can out stat them to death, but that doesn't matter. It's the score that matters." Andy Reid must be held accountable Reid is entitled to his opinion, but Monday night's game wasn't an outlier. The Chiefs have become one of the most undisciplined teams in the league, and that ultimately falls on the coach. Reid has also stuck with Jawaan Taylor at right tackle, even though he's leading the league in penalties for yet another season. As pointed out by Josh Dubow of Associated Press, the Chiefs are currently tied sixth for the most enforced penalties per game (8.4), fifth in enforced penalty yards per game (70), tied for the second-worst penalty differential (-13) and the third-worst team in penalty yard differential (-90). It's too early to sound the alarms, but undisciplined teams rarely go the distance. Reid is one of the greatest NFL head coaches of all time, but he needs to be held accountable and, more importantly, get to work to fix these issues.
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