Remember when you used to hang out with your friends and you'd ask each other what you were going to do after football season ended? We certainly don't have that problem anymore, do we? Our great game is a year-round business. No one knows that better than out Philadelphia Eagles, and for the second time in their history, they return to work as the reigning and defending Super Bowl champions.
Before that fantastic February night in New Orleans, there was a Senior Bowl. After the confetti fell, we enjoyed a Valentine's Day victory parade and the scouting combine. Pro Days are underway. Soon, Philly will host Top 30 visits. Eventual ly, we will descend on Green Bay, Wisconsin for the NFL Draft.
As we move from winter to spring, we share Happy New Year sentiments as the NFL's 106th season is officially underway. The new league year began on March 12 at 4 p.m. with the first wave of free agency. As you might expect, it's given us much to talk about
The Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach but the same quarterback, one who now seemingly shares his fan's delusion. The Washington Commanders added Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. The New York Giants were aggressive in free agency but lost Adoree' Jackson who is the latest former G-Man to defect to Philadelphia.
Stop us if you have heard this before. No NFC East team has won back to back division titles si nce the Birds did so from 2001-04. Andy Reid was pacing the sideline then, but we're predicting that Philadelphia will break the jinx.
No one else in this division is ready to soar with the Super Bowl 59 winners. Here's a look at each of their rivals' biggest weaknesses after the first wave of free agency.
Must read: Eagles with the most to gain following a wave of moves in free agency
At the risk of sounding crass, Dallas will continue to be a second-tier organization for as long as Jerry Jones runs the team. You know he isn't selling this team, don't you?
That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the Cowboys' chances.
If you're more interested in what's going on the field, this team has more than its fair share of limitations. They have nothing at wide receiver outside of CeeDee Lamb. They just added former Eagles RB Miles Sanders and their best player at that position is Javonte Williams.
They re-signed Osa Odighizuwa but are still limited along the interior of the defensive line. This is an awful football team that is poorly run, but you won't hear any complaints from us about that.
Let's make long stories shorter. We aren't
fearful of Jerry Jones, Brian Schottenheimer, or Dak Prescott and the Cowboys roster
The New York Giants re-signed many of their free agents who were on the 2024 roster. That includes WR Darius Slayton, WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and LB Dyontae Johnson. This is, however, a floundering organization with a seemingly clueless GM (Joe Schoen) and head coach who has to be asking himself what more he can do with a challenged roster.
Big Blue also added ten new faces. Cornerback Paulson Adebo, safety Jevon Holland, defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris, and offensive tackle James Hudson highlight that list.
There are many issues with this team though. We'll give you two. They don't have a quarterback anyone respects, and even if they had one, they need a center and another guard so they don't get him injured.
The Washington Commanders aren't pushovers anymore. New owner Josh Harris did exactly what is needed to build a good football team. He added a capable general manager (Adam Peters) and a good head coach (Dan Quinn) who might be the NFC's second-best behind Nick Sirianni.
Then, Washington made one of the best decisions they have made in years. They drafted a TRUE franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels.
How did Daniels do in year one, you ask? He did almost everything except win the MVP trophy and a Super Bowl. He helped lead Washington to the NFC Championship Game. The future looks bright, and the Commanders are already trying to add the necessary pieces to dethrone the champs.
Deebo Samuel traded the 49ers' red, white, and gold for the burgundy, gold, white, and black (for some reason) that Washington wears. Yeah... We still don't know why this team has a black jersey.
The questions are about whether or not Deebo's game has lost something. We'd name Laremy Tunsil as their best acquisition so far this offseason.
As any well-run team would, Washington has invested in protecting their franchise QB and keeping him upright. They still need a right tackle though. Andrew Wylie is the weak link on their offensive line.
The O-line isn't this team's biggest weakness though. They must find some edge rushers and generate a pass rush. Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise Jr. are currently the projected starters.
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
The Philadelphia Phillies received the update they did not want to hear on Saturday. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, the team announced. He will have surgery to correct the issue with a recovery time of six to eight months. There is no way to sugarcoat this for the Phillies — this is brutal news and a potentially crushing blow to their World Series chances in the National League. While they still have a strong rotation and two excellent front-line starters in Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, Wheeler is their unquestioned ace and has been one of the best overall pitchers in the National League since he joined the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. The Phillies are still pretty much a playoff lock at this point and entered the weekend with a six-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East standings. But taking a front-line starter away from them this late in the season is going to be impossible to replace. With Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez, they would have had a fierce trio to throw at teams in a short series (or a best-of-seven series) that could have stacked up with anybody. Sanchez and Suarez are still going to give them a great chance, but it's definitely not what they wanted. Prior to Saturday's announcement, Wheeler had a 2.71 ERA and was leading the league in both strikeouts (195) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.7) pitched. He also has the lowest WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) in the league (.935).
Last season was a tough one for veteran defenseman Jan Rutta. He dealt with some lower-body injuries, and when he was in the lineup for San Jose, he was often on the third pairing. That has certainly contributed to his going unsigned through the first seven weeks of free agency, but that is coming to an end. Earlier this week, Blick’s Gregory Beaud (h/t The Hockey News) reported that the blueliner is signing with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland. Rutta played in 54 games for the Sharks last season, picking up just three goals and six assists in a little over 17 minutes a night. However, he took a regular turn on their penalty kill and played some tough defensive minutes. Speculatively, NHL teams could be eyeing him as a PTO candidate to fill a sixth or seventh role if things went well in training camp but clearly, a full contract offer has yet to materialize and at some point, a guaranteed deal overseas could be viewed as a better option than trying to earn a contract off a tryout. Rutta debuted fairly late in the NHL with his first season coming at the age of 27 with Chicago. Since then, he has suited up in 417 regular-season games between four different clubs, putting up 23 goals and 75 assists along with 479 blocked shots. He also has a pair of Stanley Cup rings from his time with Tampa Bay. Rutta will be the third veteran NHL player to join that team this offseason. Previously, it signed wingers Jesse Puljujarvi and Jimmy Vesey and has one import slot remaining that it appears they want to use to bring in a veteran defender.
ATLANTA -- Tommy Fleetwood is still in position to win his first PGA Tour tournament — one of the biggest — but he's sure making it interesting. Fleetwood lost his lead at the Tour Championship after hitting it in the water on the par-3 15th hole in the third round of the FedEx Cup playoff finale at East Lake Golf Club on Saturday. He ended up making double bogey to fall to 14-under par. At the same time, Patrick Cantlay made the second of two straight birdies on the 17th hole to move to 15-under and take the lead that Fleetwood had enjoyed all day, at times by as many as three strokes. At the end of the day, Fleetwood overcame the mishap and he and Cantlay stand tied for the lead at 16-under going into Sunday's final round. Fleetwood (67) bounced back from the water ball with a birdie on the 16th hole to move back into a tie with Cantlay at 15-under. Cantlay (64) answered back with birdie on the 18th to move to 16-under. Fleetwood then birdied the 17th and parred the 18th. Cantlay, the 2021 FedEx Cup champion, birdied the final three holes and four of the last five. Russell Henley (69), who shared the second-round lead with Fleetwood, is third at 14-under. Keegan Bradley (63) is fourth at 13-under. Scottie Scheffler is still lurking. The world's No. 1 golfer and leader in the FedEx Cup point standings started the third round five shots back of Fleetwood and Henley. He trended in the wrong direction with bogeys on the first two holes. However, birdies in five of the next eight holes righted his round. He stands in fifth at 12-under (66). Bradley added suspense with big drama inside the tournament. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain stands at 13-under to move into serious contention. His round included an eagle from the fairway on the par-5 sixth hole and ended with three straight birdies. Bradley has six captain's picks to make for the Ryder Cup team on Wednesday. The question is whether he should choose himself, becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. That year's international competition was also played at East Lake. "I was so tired Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday," said Bradley, who admitted to being preoccupied with Ryder Cup decisions and strategy this week. "I was really just truthfully trying to get through this week. This is a bit surprising, but just I really played spectacularly today. I'm really proud of this round." Fleetwood is close enough to taste his first PGA Tour victory -- again. His near misses have been well documented. He entered the Tour Championship fifth in the points standings, the highest-ranked player in the 30-player field without a win. In the past two weeks, he has finished tied for fourth and tied for third in the playoff events, the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship. Fleetwood also has seven top-10 finishes this year and a total of 30 top-fives without a victory. Rain fell throughout the day, necessitating the preferred lie rule for the third straight day, but play was never in jeopardy of being halted. Scoring was up significantly in the third round after two days of record scoring. In the first two rounds, a tournament record was set with 13 rounds of 64 or better, reached after just 36 holes. Only Bradley and Cantlay went that low on Saturday. In the first two rounds, only five players shot over par. On Sunday, nine players did so. --Chris Vivlamore, Field Level Media