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Giants' Robinson explains excitement about having Wilson as QB
New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson explains excitement about having Russell Wilson as starting QB

Before the New York Giants officially began voluntary springtime workouts, Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson got together with fellow wideout Darius Slayton, tight end Theo Johnson and quarterback Russell Wilson for some throwing sessions. 

Robinson recently spoke about how such drills have him excited about what Wilson could give the Giants during the upcoming season. 

"The first time we threw, me and Slay were both like, 'This is actually better than we expected.' And so we were ecstatic about it, and couldn’t be more happy that he’s our quarterback," Robinson said about what he's seen from Wilson, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. 

Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen seem convinced Wilson will be an upgrade over what the club got from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito last season. With the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson won six of his first seven starts after he didn't play over the first six weeks of the campaign because of a lingering calf issue. However, he then went 0-5 from Week 15 through the wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Per Pro Football Reference, Wilson ended this past regular season ranked 24th in the NFL among qualified players with a 51.3 adjusted QBR and 14th with a 95.6 passer rating. Over 11 contests, he tallied 16 touchdown passes and five interceptions.

While Wilson is on track to begin training camp as the Giants' QB1, some are convinced that rookie and first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart could replace Wilson in the lineup after only a handful of games. Robinson indicated that he and others in the locker room think the 36-year-old could start proving doubters wrong as early as during New York's Week 1 matchup at the Washington Commanders.

"The way he just commanded, even just that little session of just the three of us -- me, Slay, and Theo -- it was just kinda like, we haven’t had a quarterback that’s just gonna command everything, and you know exactly what you want. So, he’s been great," Robinson added about Wilson.

Wilson won't be asked to compete with Dart, DeVito and backup Jameis Winston for the Giants' starting job this summer. That said, Wilson realistically could be benched after only a couple of bad performances if Dart looks ready for live action during training camp and the preseason. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens
NFL

Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens

The Washington Commanders have a potentially significant problem on special teams. During Saturday's 30-3 preseason Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, kicker Matt Gay missed a 53-yard field goal wide left at the end of Washington's first offensive possession. Gay finished the preseason 3-of-5 on field goal attempts. He also missed a 49-yarder wide left in preseason Week 1 against the New England Patriots. Gay's struggles continue the chaotic journey for the Commanders at kicker. Last season's Week 1 starter, Cade York, went 0-of-2 in the opener and was promptly released. His replacement, Austin Seibert, was in the midst of a fantastic season through Week 9, going 25-of-27 on field goals and 22-of-22 on extra points before missing two weeks with a hip injury. He was later placed on injured reserve after missing three kicks in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, including a would-be tying extra point following a wild 86-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining. Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph combined to go 7-of-10 on field goals the rest of the season, including each missing a 50-yard attempt. Overall, Commanders kickers struggled from long distance, with the four combining to go 2-of-8 on attempts of 50 yards or more. Only the Philadelphia Eagles had a worse percentage (14.3%) on attempts of at least 50 yards, per Pro Football Reference data. Washington signed Gay to a one-year, $4.25M fully guaranteed contract in late April following the 2025 NFL Draft. Per CBS Sports, it's the largest guaranteed contract for a kicker on a one-year deal in NFL history. Last season while with the Indianapolis Colts, Gay was 3-of-9 on 50-yard field goals. The Commanders have the talent on offense to be one of the league's top scoring units, so they might not need to convert many tries from over 50 yards. Still, having a kicker who can reliably hit from that distance is an undeniable asset, particularly late in close games or on possessions that stall after crossing midfield. Washington largely has a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl. But following its final tune-up before the regular season, kicking is a notable flaw.

4 winners & 2 losers from Buffalo Bills' preseason finale win over Buccaneers
General Sports

4 winners & 2 losers from Buffalo Bills' preseason finale win over Buccaneers

Wins and losses in the preseason don't matter, but the Buffalo Bills had to be thrilled to get a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their 38-0 loss to the Chicago Bears the week before. Buffalo's opening drive covered 80 yards on 12 plays, with running back Frank Gore Jr. scoring a touchdown from one yard out. That set the tone as they won 23-19, giving themselves confidence heading into the regular season. With this game in the books, let's look at who stood out as both winners and losers in the preseason finale. Winner: Deone Walker, DT Fourth-round pick Deone Walker has been a standout throughout the preseason, something that continued on Saturday night. Walker was consistently pushing the pocket, even recording a half-sack when he and A.J. Epenesa brought down Kyle Trask in the backfield. The 6-foot-7, 331-pound Walker looks the part of a run-stuffing nose tackle, but his ability to rush the passer could make him a star. Winner: Zach Davidson, TE Punter Brad Robbins was under the weather on Saturday, so he missed the preseason finale. With him out, the Bills turned to tight end Zach Davidson as their emergency punter. His first punt was late in the first quarter, and he looked like a natural, casually booting it 62 yards. His second was impressive as well, going 42 yards. Davidson also had some positive moments on offense. He caught both passes thrown his way, going for 27 yards with a long of 20. Loser: Dane Jackson, CB Saturday wasn't the best showing for Dane Jackson, but that's not the reason he makes this list in Week 3. Instead, it's the fact that he was on the field late in the third quarter. Jackson started his career in Buffalo, spending four years with the franchise. He returned this offseason after playing for the Carolina Panthers in 2024 and was expected to have a key role following injuries suffered by Maxwell Hairston and Tre'Davious White. Seeing him on the field so far into the finale doesn't bode well for his chances of making the team. Winner: Tyrell Shavers, WR Tyrell Shavers has to make the 53-man roster. The third-year pro has been making one highlight-reel play after another this offseason, but saved his best for the finale. During the second quarter, Shavers hauled in a one-handed touchdown from 11 yards out, giving Buffalo a 14-3 lead. He finished with two receptions for 24 yards, giving him six receptions for 123 yards in three preseason games. Loser: Elijah Moore, WR Elijah Moore is going to have a tough time making the roster thanks to Shavers. While the former undrafted free agent turned heads with his touchdown catch, Moore finished with eight yards on three receptions. Moore has been used primarily on screen passes and was able to turn just one into a decent gain on Saturday. That nine-yard gain showed why he had a shot at making the roster, but his inability to make an impact downfield could be his undoing. Winner: Shane Buechele, QB Buffalo gave the keys to Shane Buechele on Saturday and he drove the offense to success all night. The former Kansas City Chiefs backup made a case for moving up the depth chart with a strong performance. He made quick and decisive throws, completing 25-of-30 passes for 278 yards with one touchdown. Buechele was easily the biggest winner for Buffalo, doing enough to ask whether or not he should be in the QB2 conversation. More Buffalo Bills News: Bills' GM offers cautiously worded Tre'Davious White injury update Bills 'lucky to have' ex-Panthers' first-round linebacker trying to revive career 3 Bills' stars from 'Hard Knocks' Episode 3 including new guy who was cut Wednesday Bills' QB Josh Allen and familiar free-agent WR 'haven't stopped being in contact' Former Bills' All-Pro jestfully kicks Dolphins while they're down

CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
College Football

CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown

The 2025 college football regular season kicked off on Saturday, headlined by a ranked Big 12 matchup across the pond in Ireland. With Week 0 in the books, here are our winners and losers from the first weekend of the college football season. Winner: Going for it on fourth down with a chance to win the game Arguably, two fourth-down decisions were the most consequential in Associated Press No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones' 24-21 win over Big 12 rival No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats. Let's start with the good. With 2:26 remaining in the fourth and facing a fourth-and-3 from Kansas State's 16-yard line, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell elected to keep his offense on the field instead of kicking a field goal and taking a six-point lead. The decision was correct on multiple fronts. By settling for a field-goal attempt, Campbell would have given Kansas State, which had no timeouts, over two minutes to score a possible winning touchdown. The risk of failing to convert was offset by allowing Kansas State the ability to extend the game with a field goal as opposed to needing a touchdown to win. And again, if the Wildcats got in the end zone, would it really have mattered if Iowa State lost by one instead of four points? The Cyclones didn't have to worry about that. Instead, quarterback Rocco Becht found running back Carson Hansen, who picked up the first down, allowing Iowa State to run out the clock. Loser: Going for it on fourth from your own 30-yard line in a three-point game Conversely, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman's fourth-down call from his own 30-yard line with 8:19 remaining was much less excusable. While his defense had just allowed two long scoring drives, putting them on the field with only 30 yards to defend was setting the unit up to fail. As much of a rhythm as Iowa State's offense may have found, it also had three three-and-outs and two fumbles to that point, so we're not exactly talking about 2019 LSU here. Rather than forcing the Cyclones to drive the field, Klieman handed them a golden scoring opportunity. Winner: Kansas State defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi It wasn't all bad for the Wildcats. Osunsanmi, a junior edge-rusher, established himself as a name to watch in the Big 12 with two first-quarter sacks. The class of 2022 recruit had 3.5 sacks all of last season and could eclipse that early in 2025. Loser: Dan Mullen trading the studio for the sideline The former Mississippi State and Florida head coach returned to the sideline on Saturday for his first game leading the UNLV Rebels. While he notched a win against FCS Idaho State, it didn't come easily. UNLV trailed, 31-24, in the fourth, before scoring 14 unanswered points in a 38-31 win. For someone who most recently spent his Saturdays in the fall watching games as an ESPN analyst, his new job is already exceptionally more pressure-inducing. Just wait until the Rebels play FBS competition. Winner: Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels This is the Daniels that was promised. After breaking through in 2022 when Kansas snapped a 13-year bowl drought, Daniels was limited to three games in 2023 due to injury. Last season, he was healthy for the Jayhawks' disappointing 5-7 campaign and threw a Big 12-high 12 interceptions. He was outstanding in a 31-7 win over Fresno State, going 18-of-20 for 176 yards and three touchdowns while adding 47 yards rushing. If this is the Daniels that Kansas gets all season, it could make serious noise. Loser: Refs' judging of Clay Patterson's dance moves Stanford defensive lineman Clay Patterson celebrated a 12-yard sack late in the first half against Hawai'i by breaking out a TikTok dance, which officials apparently weren't fond of, hitting him with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, resulting in an automatic first down. It's another reminder that no one despises fun more than college football referees. But until they discover a sense of humor, it would be best for Patterson to save his moves for TikTok.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Made Decision On His Bucks Future
General Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Made Decision On His Bucks Future

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