Patricia hopes to reverse Belichick trendPatricia hopes to reverse Belichick trend
Even though the history of Bill Belichick assistants as NFL head coaches is poor, the Lions are hoping Matt Patricia will be as exceptional as his mentor.
Day: July 11, 2018
2018 Lions: Patricia can reverse Belichick trend2018 Lions: Patricia can reverse Belichick trend
Even though the history of Bill Belichick assistants as NFL head coaches is poor, the Lions are hoping Matt Patricia will be as exceptional as his mentor.
2018 NFL Preview: Can Lions’ Matt Patricia reverse a trend from Bill Belichick assistants?2018 NFL Preview: Can Lions’ Matt Patricia reverse a trend from Bill Belichick assistants?
Even though the history of Bill Belichick assistants as NFL head coaches is poor, the Lions are hoping Matt Patricia reverses the trend.
By NFL standards, Seahawks’ Legion of Boom had long run before it bustedBy NFL standards, Seahawks’ Legion of Boom had long run before it busted
Nothing symbolizes the breakup of the Seahawks, Super Bowl champs just five years ago, better than the detonation of the Legion of Boom. They really are going out with a boom, not a whimper. The three players who formed the core could be gone by opening day two months from now. The nature of the NFL
Puck Daddy Countdown: Isles’ depressing statePuck Daddy Countdown: Isles’ depressing state
It’s bad enough John Tavares is gone, but then New York gives Ross Johnston a four-year deal at $1M per season. What are the Islanders thinking?
Puck Daddy Countdown: Happy trails Alex BurrowsPuck Daddy Countdown: Happy trails Alex Burrows
As the NHL offseason winds down it’s time to appreciate Alex Burrows, who had a quietly excellent career.
Tournaments within the tournamentTournaments within the tournament
SILVAS, Ill. – Francesco Molinari is keen to represent Italy in the next Olympics, Tokyo 2020, and he can take the first steps at this week’s John Deere Classic. Hard to believe, but this week marks the start of the two-year Men’s Qualification period. Not that he’s thinking about it. “If I focus on Ryder Cup, Olympics, majors and stuff like that, it’s harder to do the day-to-day things properly,â€� said Molinari, whose world ranking has soared after recent victories at the Quicken Loans National (by eight shots) and the European Tour’s BMW Championship. The start of the Men’s Qualification period, which was news to every player asked about it Tuesday, underlines one of the big truths of the PGA TOUR, which is that in any given week players are competing with different agendas. They want to get to Tokyo, eventually, but also the majors, the World Golf Championships, and, most crucially with just six weeks (and eight events) remaining, the four-tournament FedExCup Playoffs. “We didn’t have all this stuff,â€� said Bob Tway, 59, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner who is at TPC Deere Run this week with his TOUR pro son, Kevin. “We didn’t have The Playoffs. And how you got into the majors was totally different. Normally if you won, you got into everything; that’s not always the case now. Now it’s all about getting into the top 30.â€� Here’s what they’re playing for at the Deere: Their livelihoods Knowing your FedExCup number is like scoreboard-watching. You don’t want to obsess about it, but you want to know where you stand, just the same. Cracking the top 30 qualifies players for the season-ending TOUR Championship, but to make it to the end, you’ve got to reach the start. The top 125 six weeks from now will reach the Playoffs opener, THE NORTHERN TRUST at Ridgewood (N.J.) Country Club, Aug. 23-26, and maintain full TOUR status for 2018-’19. “I’m 128 now,â€� said Canada’s Nick Taylor, who is coming off a T56 finish at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier last week. “If you go into each week with the goal to win, it takes care of itself, but I’m on the bubble for keeping my card, so it’s kind of on my mind.â€� He’s not alone. “I’m 127,â€� said Troy Merritt, who not only knew his number, he knew which players jumped ahead of him in the standings (Sam Saunders, Harold Varner III, Joel Dahmen and Talor Gooch) while he attended his brother’s wedding in Minneapolis in lieu of playing the Greenbrier. “Summers are a grind,â€� Merritt added. “I spent two days at home in June. Another 80 FedExCup points would put me at 380, and I think I would be safe to take next week off.â€� Ryan Palmer said his priorities, and most everyone else’s priorities, are clear-cut. “It’s about getting in the Playoffs, because if you don’t make the Playoffs, you don’t have a card next year,â€� he said. TOUR Championship Molinari knew he was a lock for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Aug. 2-5, after winning the BMW, which put his world ranking well inside the top 50. (He’s 15th.) But on this side of the Atlantic? That was a concern, as the 35-year-old Italian was languishing at 123 in FedExCup. Then he won the Quicken Loans, rocketing up the standings. Now up to 43rd, he’s in the best shape of his career to finally make the season-ending TOUR Championship. “I was right on the bubble so the main thing was to get some FedEx points and make sure I was in The Playoffs,â€� said Molinari, who played in the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cups. “Hopefully, if I keep playing like this, I’ll play my way to East Lake. I’ve never been there. I’ve watched it on TV lots of times and I would love to play there. People have told me it should suit my game. “It’s one of those things to kind of tick off the list if you get there,â€� he added. “At least once in my career I’d like to qualify for it, and hopefully it’s this year.â€� The last WGC in Akron Zach Johnson, the 2012 Deere winner, is a native Iowan with the dual role of player and host this week. He’s got a lot on his plate. Big picture, he’s trying to get to East Lake while also getting into position to make his sixth U.S. Ryder Cup team. But the 12-time TOUR winner has become aware of something else: At 51st in the world, he’s one ranking spot away from cracking the field for the final WGC-Bridgestone at Firestone South. (It moves to Memphis next year.) “I haven’t missed one of those since I’ve been on TOUR,â€� said Johnson. “I really like that golf course.â€� (He should; he finished second to Hideki Matsuyama at Firestone South last year.) Tiger Woods, the eight-time WGC-Bridgestone champion, is 69th in the world and also has made no secret of his desire to crack the top 50 and get back to Akron. When it comes to golf’s magic numbers, there’s 59 (on the scorecard), there’s 125, 100, 70 and 30 (FedExCup Playoffs), and then there’s 50 (Official World Golf Ranking). “After you make the Playoffs, the second priority is getting in the top 50 in the world,â€� said Palmer, who is 131st. “I was in there for three or four years, and I’d like to get back there.â€� The majors Molinari’s win at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm not only has him in great shape to make a run at East Lake, it gave him a berth in the 2019 Masters. (He was T20 at Augusta this year.) Kelly Kraft said there was no mistaking what he’d done with his second-place finish at The Greenbrier. He’d booked a trip to The Open, his first, at Carnoustie. His wife, Tia, will bring the passports to the John Deere, and they’ll head across the pond on the tournament’s charter. “They had the trophy out there on the first tee, the Claret Jug,â€� Kraft said of the Greenbrier. There’s one spot left at the Deere for the highest top-five finisher (and ties) not already qualified. Last year it went to winner Bryson DeChambeau, who was typical of last-minute entries. Asked if he was packed for The Open, he said, “I hope so. My agent is helping me out with that. I don’t know.â€� After The Open, it’s on to the PGA Championship, which has its own qualification criteria. Welcome to late-season life on TOUR. It’s a whirlwind.
Fantasy golf: One & Done, John Deere ClassicFantasy golf: One & Done, John Deere Classic
The 15th of 24 contributing events for PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO is this week’s Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. It begins on Thursday. Scroll for tournament notes, 23 notables and four wild cards from the field of 78 in Highland Park, Illinois. This isn’t complicated. In fact, I went back to review previous One & Done previews for the John Deere Classic so that I didn’t open with the same thought. If that’s not evidence of my confidence in Zach Johnson, we’re never going to understand each other. Steve Stricker is the all-time earnings leader and three-time champion at TPC Deere Run, but ZJ is one day from being exactly nine years younger, and that counts for something when you’re sizing up his equally impressive record in this tournament. Every time I see Johnson selected during another week – well, other than Colonial – I shake my head. But I don’t judge. You do you. I’ll be here waiting. If the 2012 champ isn’t available, pivot to Stricker and enjoy the week. Bryson DeChambeau is defending his first title. That would normally elicit pause among prospective investors, but the experience will be closer to the inside of the box than his frequency of going about his business on the outside. In other words, he’ll be fine. Like Xander Schauffele at last week’s A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, DeChambeau has rapidly risen on the list of permanent class. Fire away if you’re keen. Gamers in pursuit are overdue to burn Joaquin Niemann. That’s an incredible (and accurate) assessment given the fact that he’s been a professional for fewer than three months. The same strategy can be applied to Chesson Hadley, who is still simmering and filling up the box score. A T25 at last year’s JDC doesn’t hurt, but he’s been reliable almost everywhere, anyway. Stalwarts Ryan Moore and Kyle Stanley are sporty foils if you’re looking for something just a little outside the focus. They present stronger as roster plays, but that’s the reason their ownership percentages should be low in the One & Done. Smart, safe contrarians they are. Like all of the aforementioned (sans Schauffele, who didn’t commit), Francesco Molinari and Austin Cook also are in my Power Rankings. However, both present as possibly looking ahead to The Open Championship. It’s never something that we can quantify or accuse beyond the general narrative, but there’s always a small grouping of concerns who usually look good on the eve of a major and who you shouldn’t burn in a One & Done now. Assuming two-man gamers lead off with one of the golfers already covered, fill the blank on the back end with Kevin Tway, Scott Brown, Chris Kirk or Wesley Bryan. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2017-18. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Bill Haas … Wyndham (2) Zach Johnson … John Deere (1); Open Championship (5); WGC-Bridgestone (6); TOUR Championship (8) Ryan Moore … John Deere (3); TOUR Championship (6) Scott Piercy … John Deere (6) CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Illinois, is the host. Located north of Chicago, it’s a 122-year-old facility that has never hosted a professional event. The stock par 72 can stretch 7,149 yards. Scott McCarron is the defending champion. He ended Bernhard Langer’s string of three straight tournament titles, each on a different track. This is a 72-hole competition with 78 participants. There is no cut. With a purse of $2.8 million, it’s the third-most lucrative tournament on the schedule, but it’s the richest of the remaining 10 contributing to the fantasy game. The winner will pocket $420,000. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Stephen Ames … Boeing (2); Shaw (7) Joe Durant … SENIOR PLAYERS (1); 3M (6); DICK’S (12); Boeing (10); Shaw (11); PURE (3); SAS (13) David Frost … 3M (7); Boeing (5); Shaw (8); PURE (1) Fred Funk … Boeing (6); PURE (5) Doug Garwood … SAS (1) Paul Goydos … 3M (1; defending); DICK’S (3); SAS (5) Miguel Angel Jiménez … SENIOR PLAYERS (3); Senior Open Championship (4); 3M (9); Shaw (7); SAS (12) Brandt Jobe … SENIOR PLAYERS (1); 3M (5); Boeing (8) Jerry Kelly … Boeing (1; defending); Shaw (5); PURE (2); SAS (4) Bernhard Langer … Usable everywhere. Defending five titles. Tom Lehman … SAS (9) Jeff Maggert … Shaw (5) Billy Mayfair … Boeing (2); PURE (1) Scott McCarron … SENIOR PLAYERS (3; defending); Senior Open Championship (10); DICK’S (4; defending); Shaw (5; defending); PURE (8) Colin Montgomerie … SENIOR PLAYERS (2); Senior Open Championship (10); Shaw (4); PURE (7); SAS (3; defending) Tom Pernice, Jr. … Shaw (3); SAS (5) Kenny Perry … 3M (1); DICK’S (11); SAS (2) Gene Sauers … SENIOR PLAYERS (6); Boeing (1) Vijay Singh … Shaw (5); SAS (1) Kevin Sutherland … Usable everywhere. David Toms … Boeing (2); SAS (4) Kirk Triplett … SENIOR PLAYERS (1); Shaw (4) Duffy Waldorf … Shaw (5) WILD CARDS (short list of golfers not included above but on the rise or still building portfolios after recently turning 50): Bob Estes; Steve Flesch; Rocco Mediate; Scott Parel
Tim Tebow continues to do things his own wayTim Tebow continues to do things his own way
The reaction to Tebow has been fascinating to watch since he broke into public consciousness over a decade ago. That hasn’t changed now that he’s a minor league All-Star.
Five trade deadline rumors swirling around baseballFive trade deadline rumors swirling around baseball
When will Manny Machado move? Who is emerging as a backup option? And which starter has scouts buzzing? Here’s the latest deadline chatter.