Arrival, departure of coaches marks new NFL era
The NFL has had a massive turnaround with coaches this season. Many of them were fired, while others resigned. Bill Belichick is officially stepping aside from the head coach position for the New England Patriots after 24 seasons. If Belichick continues to coach, he will most likely side with the Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks or Atlanta Falcons, due to their coaching vacancies. In the meantime, ex-Patriot, Jerod Mayo, has been named the new head coach. These teams are in deep desperation for a head coach that could change their overall outcomes. After four subpar seasons, the Washington Commanders have fallen very short, which resulted in Ron Rivera getting let go by the organization. As for Mike Vrabel, he too was fired, but teams like the Seahawks are showing significant interest. Finally, after 14 long seasons with Seattle, including a Super Bowl title, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks agreed to part ways. Indeed, an era that not many people can say they can witness is getting closer and closer to its conclusion.
Information from NFL.com and ESPN.
Big market teams take control of MLB offseason
While this year’s MLB offseason hasn’t been as fast as it usually is, there have been some notable signings and trades that occurred during December and January. While we await the rest of the free agent class to start choosing teams, I will recap these moves. Let’s start with the big fish, Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a $700 million deal and is considered the best player in the sport. The crazier thing about this deal? The superstar is being owed deferral payments of $2 million for what could be the remainder of his career. The Dodgers took advantage of this, signing Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernandez, alongside trading for Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot. It is safe to say that the Dodgers owned this offseason. Another significant move that happened was the New York Yankees making another splash, trading for superstar outfielder Juan Soto in a seven-player deal. This move surely entices Yankees fans, as Soto and Aaron Judge, two All-Stars, now share an outfield together. Those two boppers could finally bring the Yankees back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
Information from MLB.com
NFL’s “Wild Card Weekend” lives up to namesake
The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers have always had a rivalry when it comes to the NFL Playoffs. The rivalry has resulted in several notable games including nine playoff matchups. The most memorable game came on January 15th, 2015, when the famous “Dez Bryant catch” took place. Almost nine years to the day, the Packers defeated the Cowboys in a blowout 48-32 in Arlington, Texas. A resurgent Joe Flacco, meanwhile, threw two interceptions en route to a 45-14 loss to the Texans. C.J. Stroud went 16-for-21 in passing, while adding three touchdowns in the onslaught. In their matchup against the Chiefs, the Dolphins failed to get going in the frigid temperatures, posting a mere seven points to Kansas City’s 26. The games between the Bills and Steelers, as well as Buccaneers and Eagles, were blowouts, as Buffalo won 31-17, and Tampa Bay 32-9. The long-anticipated playoff homecoming for Matthew Stafford did not fare well for the Super Bowl quarterback, as he lost 24-23 to a hungry Lions squad.
Information from NFL.com
