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Safety Quintin Demps and cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper could be upgrades in the secondary. But they’re not sure things, due to age and injury concerns. Demps is 31, and Amukamara missed 26 games in five years with the Giants due to injury, and the Bears have invested $12 million in guaranteed money into them.

Cooper had four interceptions with the Cardinals — which would have accounted for half of the Bears’ total last year — and may be the playmaker the Bears have been lacking in the secondary. But he also shared a defensive backfield with Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu and Tony Jefferson last season.

The Bears signed the most free agents of any team in the league with 12. Though many of the signings were underwhelming, they invested a lot of money into these players.

However, one thing general manager Ryan Pace did well with the free agent signings is front-load the contracts so that if any of these guys don’t work out, the team won’t be hindered by dead money long term. Glennon is the highest-paid player on the team this season, but the way his contract is structured makes it easy for the Bears to move on to Trubisky next season.

But in an offseason where the Bears really didn’t get any game-changing playmakers, it’s hard to imagine they did enough to drastically improve on their 3-13 finish last year.

On paper, there’s a lot to like about this Texans team. Their defense is great, and should get a boost when Watt returns. They have young, promising weapons on offense, with a legitimate star in Hopkins. They have the talent to win the division and make a deep playoff run.

But Houston needs that franchise quarterback, and after years of trying to patch the position with short-term Band-Aids, the team finally made the bold move to go get one. That’s a good thing. If Watson pans out, the Texans are in good hands for the next several years.

On Tuesday, the NFL finally loosened up and decided that it would ease up on celebration penalties. It’s something we’ve all been hoping for.

Unless you’re Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

I’m not one to believe in curses, so I’m ready to take the challenge head on like always!Tom Brady said in a release. It doesn’t stand a chance!!!
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There’s a history of players struggling through injuries and poor seasons after appearing on the cover. But Brady isn’t afraid of the Madden curse.

So much so that he’s tempting fate in all sorts of ways — even smashing mirrors and walking under ladders on Facebook.

Brady is basically the dumb teenager in every horror movie right now — just summoning demons because he doesn’t believe in them and playing with a Ouija board for laughs.

Elite Jerrell Freeman Jersey Patriots fans have reason to believe in the Madden curse after watching Rob Gronkowski struggle through injuries during the 2016 season. The tight end played in just eight games and had a career-low three touchdowns before finishing the season on injured reserve due to back surgery.

Brady turns 40 in August and now has to deal with the Madden curse too. Isn’t that enough, Tom?

One of the things we talked about at the end was what the expectations would be if we were in a position to take him,Smith said. So we talked about what those are, and I won’t share those, but there was a connection between the two of us where I believe that he was willing to make the necessary commitment to be the best football player he can be.

I wanted agreement with him on that and a commitment from him that if he were to become a part of our football team, he was going to do that and recognize the significance of the position, and do everything he could to be the best football player and man representative of Houston that he could be. I walked away from that confident he would do it.

Darrelle Revis said that having the Steelers, nearest to his hometown of Aliquippa, Pa., as his next NFL home would be awesome. He also said he’s lighter, in better shape and hungry to play next season.

Think about it this way: Manfred is mildly obsessed with addressing baseball’s pace-of-play issues, and he helped push through a rule that changes the way the game has been played for more than a century. To save miniscule amounts of time, baseball eliminated the four-pitch intentional walk, saving maybe a minute per incident by making the IBB automatic. In 560 games this season, we’ve seen only 99 intentional walks.

Luke Bowanko Mens Jersey But the rule was changed because it was Manfred’s priority.

Parker Ehinger Mens Jersey Stopping baseballs thrown at batters’ heads feels like a worthwhile new priority.

Although talented enough to play at a major program, Ramczyk enrolled to play for his hometown Division III program after stints at Madison Area Technical College and Mid-State (Wis.) Technical College. He even did so without an athletic scholarship to Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Jose Reyes is batting .104. It’s hard to overstate how bad Reyes has been in his 74 plate appearances in this, his Age 34 season. His strikeout rate is a career-worst 21.6 percent, and when he does make contact, he’s not making solid contact his hard-hit percentage (13.7) and line-drive percentage (12.0) are both career lows. His WAR is the worst in the majors for players with at least 50 plate appearances, by both the Baseball-Reference formula (minus-0.8) and the FanGraphs equation (minus-0.6).

Here we are in late January, with baseball seeming like it’s both right around the corner and a million years away.

Spring training starts in a little more than two weeks. But even then, we won’t see actual baseball for a couple weeks after that. In lieu of live baseball, it’s good to watch any baseball. So I’m here to help.
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Below you’ll find a just-for-fun mishmash of baseball clips and links to help push you through the waning days of baseball-less dreariness.

— Judge continues to amaze: During one batting practice, he hit a monster blast that broke a TV monitor 480 feet away in dead center field. When YES posted pictures and videos of the feat, it was picked up by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News and other national media outlets.
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— Corporate sponsors are taking notice too. A total of 11 sponsors have appeared on YES’s live-streamed telecasts via the Fox Sports Go app. Among them: Jeep, Papa John’s and GEICO.

As part of the retirement ceremony for Jeter’s No. 2 jersey on Sunday, YES will air a live, 90-minute pregame show called Derek Jeter Night (6 p.m. ET). ESPN’s national coverage of Jeter Night begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. Karl Ravech will have an exclusive sit-down interview with the Captain. ESPN will then exclusively telecast the Sunday Night Baseball game between the Yankees and Astros (7:30 ET).

After watching teams trade up to take quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson finally heard his name called.

The former Clemson quarterback was selected 12th overall, but not by the Browns. The Texans moved up from 25th overall to take the two-time Heisman finalist.

The Browns received Houston’s pick at 25 and also will get the Texans’ first-round pick next year. The Browns already owned the Texans’ second-round pick next year because of the trade for Brock Osweiler.

The 6-2, 221-pound Watson is the most experienced quarterback in the draft class and has the most impressive resume. Watson is a proven winner who led Clemson to a national championship last season and took the Tigers to the national title game the year before. The two-time All-American started five games as a freshman before taking over full time in 2015.

Watson threw for 4,104 yards with 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a sophomore and then tossed for 4,593 yards with 41 scores and 17 picks last year. Though he completed over 67 percent of his passes all three seasons, some view Watson as an inconsistent passer.

“He plays his best football when the lights are brightest,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said of Watson. “I love the kid’s attitude, his leadership and the way his teammates respond to him. What I don’t like is 17 interceptions on a national championship team. Throws way too many interceptions, and he’s also going to have to deal with the whole spread quarterback conversion to a pocket NFL quarterback. That’s a big challenge.”

Just when you thought the Eagles had moved on from trying to fix everything Chip Kelly broke, they had to throw one more offensive move in his face for good measure.

Philadelphia on Monday signed its former starting quarterback, Nick Foles — who had been released by former coach Andy Reid’s Chiefs last week — to be its top backup behind franchise QB Carson Wentz. That shoots down the status of short-lived No. 2 Chase Daniel, who signed a three-year, $21 million free-agent deal last March.

Authentic Youth Cassius Marsh Jersey It’s no doubt it happened because Foles, with a reported $11 million over two years, is cheaper insurance of the same quality. But it also was a way to remind everyone of the mess Kelly made.

Sterling Shepard Youth Jersey Foles once was Kelly’s QB of choice with a Pro Bowl-worthy, near turnover-free ’13 season. Then came the unpopular move of cutting game-breaking wideout DeSean Jackson, and Foles’ hard fall in ’14. That prompted Kelly to be fickle with Foles, and trade him for preferred but pricier Sam Bradford in ’15.

Marlins starting pitcher Adam Conley did little to help his team win Friday, when he allowed nine earned runs off of five hits and three walks in just 1 2/3 innings. Miami ultimately fell 12-2 to the Pirates, who were led by Gift Ngoepe after he became the first Pirate since Eddie Moore in 1923 to reach base five times in his first MLB start.

Mets (9-13) at Nationals (16-7) 1:05 p.m. ET — Washington eeked out a win Friday, but may have lost outfielder Adam Eaton for the foreseeable future after he suffered an apparent ankle injury late in the game. The Nationals will have to try and regroup with Stephen Strasburg (2-0, 2.89 ERA) on the mound.

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The Bears have put the cut in Cutler.

As the team reportedly agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with former Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon, Jay Cutler asked for his release Thursday morning and it was granted, the team announced.

Although Manziel contributed greatly to his own failure in Cleveland, the team also lacked any true vision in tailoring an offense to his abilities, much like Payton has done exceptionally with Brees.
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It’s also interesting to note that the Saints could have drafted a sliding Manziel to groom behind Brees. They instead took wide receiver Brandin Cooks with the No. 20 overall pick, two picks before Manziel went to the Browns at No 22. Cooks was traded to New England this offseason, giving the Saints a second first-rounder in 2017.

This time around, they can get Manziel with little cost and very low risk. At the very best, he finds himself in football again and gets developed as Brees’ successor. At worst, the Saints dump him as a fourth-stringer.

Offensive-minded coaches with successful quarterbacks, such as Payton, are always thinking quarterbacks — which is why they’re so good at their jobs. His totally ignoring what Manziel might be able do for him would have been the bigger shocker.

Perception vs. reality came into play with Elliott choosing to be a marijuana tourist in Seattle during the Cowboys’ in-season road trip to play the Seahawks. It didn’t matter if he was just being curious about legal weed dispensaries in Washington. He should have known better — and admitted it later — that just being around a banned NFL substance would make many jump to the conclusion he was already using it.

Limited Javorius Allen Jersey Legendary ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman and his children, Meredith and Doug, say they’re overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support they’ve received since the death of Katherine Berman on Tuesday.

Kathy Berman, a 67-year-old teacher, was killed in a car accident in rural Woodbury, Conn. The other driver, 87-year-old Edward Bertulis, also was killed.

Chris Berman and his children issued a statement Wednesday, via ESPN PR:

We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and sympathy from so many folks we know, and so many others we look forward to knowing. Kathy Berman had a huge heart, and this would have warmed hers beyond belief. It certainly warmed ours. All of us need to keep the family of Edward Bertulis in our thoughts and prayers as well.

I regret how we performed the last two years. I regret how the relationship was frayed between me and a coach that did a lot of great things for this franchise. And I actually talked to his brother (Ravens coach) John (Harbaugh) briefly at the owner’s meetings, and he said, 鈥榊ou know, you guys need to get together sometime and have dinner.’ And I said, 鈥業’d love to do that.’ I’d love to get together.
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I think enough time has kind of passed where you can let whatever issues that were there be buried and just truly be thankful for three great years. When nobody expected us, certainly in 2011, to beat the Saints the way we did. To get close and be two muffed punts away from going to a Super Bowl in ’11. And just all the things that happened. You know, I’d love to sit down with Jim. Not in front of cameras, not in front of anybody else, but just share an evening with him and truly say thank you. And wish him the best of luck.

Before the NBA playoffs began, I listed 31 set plays and player quirks that these 16 teams use that you need to look closely to discover. Call them the Easter Eggs or the cheat sheet of the NBA Playoffs. Click the link to learn more about them. Each night, I’ll round up examples of those 31 set plays and examples of other interesting plays or player quirks that you may have missed.

By now, you may have seen the clip of Draymond Green guarding all five Blazers players on one third-quarter possession of the Warriors’ Game 3 win on Saturday. If not, here it is, via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

Now, with Rivers out of the picture, Ballmer will be left on his own to find a replacement general manager—someone whose vision for the franchise will determine a coaching hire and this summer’s roster moves, shaping the next half-decade of Clipper basketball. Even if you don’t trust Doc Rivers to be that guy anymore, I’m not sure that we trust Ballmer to bring in the right man for the job in a market that is murky at best.

There’s one clear-cut big-time NBA executive who is going to be available, and Steve Ballmer can offer him a contending roster, the greatest city on the planet, and a really big salary. When push comes to shove, Ballmer will write whatever check is necessary to lure David Griffin to Los Angeles. Griffin has had success building make-shift rosters around the Cavaliers’ maximum-salary players, and he’ll face a similar predicament with LAC.

The All-Star point guard conceded, though, and the two brought the best out of each other for the entire first-round series.

Game Darrius Heyward-Bey Jersey He’s leading his team as much as I’m trying to lead my team, Wall told reporters on Monday. He’s a guy that trash talks just as much as I do. [It] brings the best out of us I guess. To me it does, in him, it must bring the best out of him.

Womens Walt Tkaczuk Jersey Wall, who averaged 23 points and 10 assists in the regular season, upped those numbers to 29.5 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting from the field and 47.4 percent shooting from downtown in the playoffs. He had the second-best stat line in the first round behind San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard.

Schroder also elevated his game for the playoff series, averaging 24.5 points and 7.7 assists in six games against the Wizards. A career 33 percent distance shooter, the Hawks’ point guard shot the three at a 42.5 percent clip in the first round.

This is only the beginning of an Atlanta-Washington rivalry that has perpetuated this season and through the playoffs. Schroder told reporters he wanted to work out with Wall over the summer. The Wizards’ guard laughed it off but didn’t shut the door.

With or without Kevin Durant, the Warriors completely dominated their opening round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. After scoring 32 points in Game 1, Durant missed both Game 2 and Game 3 with a calf injury, but the Warriors didn’t miss a beat in winning both of those games.

The rest coming off the sweep should only benefit the overall health of this team moving forward.

Over the last 15 games between the Warriors and the Jazz, Golden State holds a 13-2 SU and 9-6 ATS edge per the OddsShark NBA Database. The Warriors had a seven-game winning streak against Utah snapped in one of their final games of the regular season, with Klay Thompson resting and other stars on the team playing limited minutes.