LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears hired three assistants on Wednesday, bringing in Zach Azzanni as receivers coach, Brandon Staley as outside linebackers coach and Derius Swinton II as assistant special teams coach.
Joe Banner: If free, Kirk Cousins would become NFL’s highest-paid QB
If you didn’t have Dustin Johnson at the Genesis Open, don’t sweat it. A fourth-place finish in Playoffs event is worth 540 FedExCup points, 40 more than what he yielded those on board at Riviera. So, remain patient and, of course, hopeful. If you did have DJ plugged in last week, then kudos on your timing. With the end-weighting of the Playoffs always on the table, and with his proficiency to contend often, you’ll need to withstand his presence among some of your opposition later, but at least you’re better equipped with the windfall on the board. As illustrated in the Comfort Zone on Tuesday, The Honda Classic doesn’t present a stable of automatics inasmuch as it does carefully supported moneymakers. That’s a long-winded way to say that two-man gamers won’t have a problem generating a lineup. From Luke Donald to Graeme McDowell to Jason Dufner to Brendan Steele, any combination of those four offer strong possibilities. Getting right to my selection, because Steele can’t play the Barracuda Championship due to his eligibility to compete in the concurrent WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, I’ve been open to moving him into a slot where there wasn’t a chalky choice but also when he made sense. PGA National checks both boxes, so Steele is my pick. I’ve used the term “bridge” for years to define a tournament in which you just want to survive and advance even when there are notables in play. Defending champion Adam Scott, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia all deserve placement elsewhere if for no other reason that PGA National is going to beat up everyone in some fashion. However, in addition to Steele, there are intriguing pieces that both bridge us to next week’s WGC in México and offer relatively sneaky bang for the pluck. Russell Knox lost in a playoff here in 2014, and then placed T3 the following year. He’s as electric as Steele is stoked right now. Daniel Berger also lost in a playoff in his debut; that was in 2015. He’s a local and gets back on Bermudagrass. (Two-man gamers, if you’re still with me, a Knox-Berger tandem also works.) And Gary Woodland is a curious curveball who, like Steele, would be dandy at the Barracuda, but the bomber is currently 41st in the Official World Golf Ranking and angling at entry into the field at Firestone as well. Give him a look this week instead. Numerous internationals are making stateside debuts this week, but they’re handier as the back end of two-man lineups. However, if you’re compelled to burn one as a bridge, Tyrrell Hatton is easily the most compelling. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers are sorted alphabetically. Future possibilities are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2016-17. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … Houston; New Orleans; St. Jude (defending) Jason Bohn … Greenbrier Keegan Bradley … Houston; Byron Nelson; Memorial; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies Paul Casey … Masters; Travelers; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Luke Donald … Honda; Valspar; Heritage; Wyndham; TOUR Championship Jason Dufner … Valspar; Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; U.S. Open; TOUR Championship Harris English … Valspar; DEAN & DELUCA Rickie Fowler … Honda; Houston; PLAYERS; WGC-Bridgestone Sergio Garcia … Honda; PLAYERS; Byron Nelson (defending); Open Championship; TOUR Championship Branden Grace … Heritage (defending); U.S. Open; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship Russell Henley … Houston Billy Horschel … Valero; Memorial; St. Jude; TOUR Championship Charles Howell III … Valspar; Houston; Byron Nelson Zach Johnson … Arnold Palmer; PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; John Deere; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Martin Kaymer … PLAYERS Kevin Kisner … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; Wyndham Russell Knox … Honda; Heritage; PLAYERS; Travelers (defending); Dell Technologies Brooks Koepka … Byron Nelson; St. Jude; U.S. Open; PGA Championship Marc Leishman … Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; Memorial; Travelers; Open Championship Graeme McDowell … Honda; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Wyndham William McGirt … Honda; Heritage; Memorial (defending); Wyndham Francesco Molinari … Arnold Palmer; PLAYERS Louis Oosthuizen … WGC-Match Play; Masters; Dell Technologies Ryan Palmer … Valero; Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; St. Jude Ian Poulter … Arnold Palmer; Puerto Rico Adam Scott … Honda (defending); Arnold Palmer; Masters; Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Scott Stallings … New Orleans Brendan Steele … Honda; Valero; Travelers; Barracuda (already eligible for concurrent WGC-Bridgestone) Justin Thomas … Honda; Valspar; PLAYERS Jimmy Walker … Valero; Greenbrier; PGA Championship (defending); Dell Technologies Boo Weekley … Puerto Rico; Heritage; New Orleans; St. Jude; Barbasol Gary Woodland … Byron Nelson; Barracuda; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship
No doubt about it, hockey’s still great outdoors
For the second time since elbow tenderness created a snag in his throwing program, Zack Wheeler climbed atop a mound Wednesday for a bullpen session, the highlight of a rain-shortened day at Mets camp. Manager Terry Collins called it “a real big step forward for him,” noting that Wheeler mixed breaking balls into his repertoire for the first time in over a week.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s edge on the rookie QBs
Here’s a stunning revelation, passed along by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: Corey Seager said he didn’t have his “A” swing last year.
Tight end Julius Thomas has passed his physical with the Miami Dolphins in a precursor to a trade that will be completed next month, a person with knowledge of the situation told Sports Betting News on Wednesday. Thomas took the physical as part of a two-day visit to the team’s headquarters, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no trade can be completed before the new league year begins on March 9. Thomas is part of two trades that the Dolphins will make with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the person said.
Tight end Julius Thomas has passed his physical with the Miami Dolphins in a precursor to a trade that will be completed next month, a person with knowledge of the situation told Sports Betting News on Wednesday. Thomas took the physical as part of a two-day visit to the team’s headquarters, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no trade can be completed before the new league year begins on March 9. Thomas is part of two trades that the Dolphins will make with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the person said.
How the overachieving O’s keep trumping the projections
