McCaffrey 'fast and strong' as ever at 49ers camp
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Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ESPN Taking Heat For Its Polarizing Colin Kaepernick Decision
ESPN Taking Heat For Its Polarizing Colin Kaepernick Decision originally appeared on The Spun. ESPN is taking heat on social media for its polarizing decision on the Colin Kaepernick documentary series. Kaepernick, 37, last played in the National Football League in 2016. He last played for the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick, who starred collegiately at the University of Nevada, began kneeling for the national anthem that year. Kaepernick was protesting police brutality and unfair treatment against African Americans. The now-former NFL quarterback has not played in the league since. However, he still has a story to tell. That story, though, will not be told on ESPN, as the network has finalized its decision on his documentary series. Reuters first reported and director Spike Lee has since confirmed that ESPN will not be airing the Colin Kaepernick documentary series. The network decided to pass, citing creative differences. 'ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,' ESPN said in a statement issued to on Saturday. Lee confirmed the tough news. 'It's not coming out,' Lee said. 'That's all I can say.' He added: 'I signed a nondisclosure [agreement]. I can't talk about it.' ESPN is taking heat for the decision from some While some NFL fans are applauding the decision, as many have grown tired of the Kaepernick story, others are calling out ESPN, suggesting that it was a weak decision. Many believe the documentary series would have made the NFL look bad. "creative differences aka the part that would make things awkward with the nfl partners," one fan said. "If ESPN won't air it, who will step up to give Spike Lee's Kaepernick docuseries a platform?" one fan added. "Creative differences like pissing off Trump," one fan added. "Yeah, this makes me want to watch it," one fan added. It's possible that the documentary series will get picked up elsewhere, though most of the major streaming services have strong ties to the NFL. ESPN Taking Heat For Its Polarizing Colin Kaepernick Decision first appeared on The Spun on Aug 17, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
O-line steps up while D-line takes shape: Five things we learned this week at Raiders training camp
LAS VEGAS — The fourth week of Raiders training camp was an eventful one, between joint practice and a preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers. With roster decisions on the horizon and the start of the season less than a month away, time is running short to work through the remaining questions. Advertisement Here are five things I learned this week from Raiders training camp… There were some concerns about the O-line after its poor performance against the Seahawks last week, but the unit stepped up in a big way during both the joint practice and the game against the 49ers. Quarterback Geno Smith operated from a clean pocket throughout practice, and that remained the case during his two series on Saturday. He completed 6-of-8 passes for 55 yards and led two scoring drives. More encouraging, though, was how much stronger the run blocking was. Ashton Jeanty had room to operate this week and turned it into seven carries for 33 yards and one touchdown. He flashed his impressive combination of physicality, contact balance and athleticism. First preseason TD for the Silver Surfer 🌊#SFvsLV | 📺 FOX5 — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 16, 2025 It came against a shorthanded 49ers defensive line, but that doesn't change that it was still an encouraging week for the Raiders' front five. They'll look to build on that against the Arizona Cardinals next week. 'We're seeing them in practice make progress,' coach Pete Carroll said Saturday. 'I thought they carried it to the game. … It felt like we had reason to be confident that they're doing their job. I think Jordan Meredith has done a really good job. … That was the competition that we really focused on to see how that would go, and I think he's really taken that thing over and done a fine job with it. JPJ's battling at the guard spot, and we know we've got a real physical guy who's fired up and helps us out as well. The moves were well chosen, and I think we're going to benefit from them.' As the Raiders work to try to replace what they would have gotten from Christian Wilkins, it looks like they plan to mix up their D-line alignment frequently. They used several groupings during their first defensive series against the 49ers. The Raiders opened with Maxx Crosby and Adam Butler at defensive end, alongside Thomas Booker and Jonah Laulu at defensive tackle. Later in the possession, there were plays where Butler rotated inside to defensive tackle and Tyree Wilson came off the bench to play defensive end. Then Wilson rotated inside to defensive tackle and Malcolm Koonce replaced him at defensive end. Advertisement That rotational strategy continued for the starters' three series. Booker played 26 snaps, Wilson played 22, Koonce played 16, Butler and Laulu played 15 and Crosby played 12. The adjustments were made depending on down-and-distance as defensive coordinator Patrick Graham toggled between prioritizing defending the run, getting after the quarterback or having a balanced front. That's something that will likely continue into the season. Last weekend, Kelly began rotating in with the first-team defense. And in the preseason game against the 49ers, he started alongside Eric Stokes at outside cornerback. It's been a sudden rise given he'd previously spent most of his time with the third-team defense going back to OTAs, but he's impressed the coaching staff with his play. 'He's just been really active,' Carroll said Thursday. 'Seems like he's really settling in, and his aggressive style of play has really shown up. So, I'm fired up for him.' Kelly is only going into his third NFL season, but he's already bounced around the league. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens but was cut following training camp. He was claimed by Carroll's Seattle Seahawks and appeared in five games before getting cut again. He got released by two more teams before landing on the Raiders' practice squad last year. Although Kelly didn't appear in any games last year, he felt he rediscovered his confidence by making plays in practice. He also credited a conversation with his father, Brian Kelly, who played cornerback in the NFL for 11 years. 'He just always told me that, 'Your time will come. You don't know when. You don't know how. But just mentally, be ready,'' Kelly said Saturday. 'He said I had all the physical tools. It was always there. But the mental part is so big so when you get in those big moments, you just know you trained for this and you're ready to go.' Advertisement Carroll was familiar with Kelly from his time with the Seahawks and kept him around once he came onboard with the Raiders. And while it took time, Carroll has given Kelly an opportunity to compete. He's currently jockeying for positioning with Darien Porter. 'The game's really slowed down for me,' Kelly said. 'I feel confident going out there. I can see concepts more easily now. I can see receivers' releases and the way they stem their routes.' It's rare that a player from the NFL's International Player Pathway Program makes the roster, but a great example is Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro offensive tackle Jordan Mailata. Despite having no high school or college experience, the former Australian rugby player was drafted in the seventh round by the Eagles in 2018 and made the roster. Tasi, who also grew up in Australia playing rugby, looks to Mailata for inspiration. ''Wherever you go to, whatever team you go to, make sure you work hard and just prove people wrong, because that's how you win in life,'' Tasi remembered Mailata telling him at an IPP camp. 'Now that he won the Super Bowl, that just proves a lot from all the international players that can go through the NFL. Hopefully, one day I can do that.' The Raiders initially intended for Tasi to play defensive tackle, but Carroll approached the 6-foot-6, 373-pounder in OTAs and told him he'd be switching to offensive line. He'd never played football before signing with the Raiders. He's incredibly raw and it's hard to overstate how early on he is in the process of learning the game. 'It's been really scary for me,' Tasi said. 'The whole playbook with the offense is just crazy to me, especially with the numbers and the words that you've got to know and assignments you've got to go through on the field. … I was struggling at the start, but then I had the voice to speak up to the coaches and say, 'Hey, I need help with the plays.'' Tasi's unique combination of size, athleticism, strength and physicality makes his upside intriguing. He's gotten most of his work in guard, but playing tackle remains on the table. As he continues to develop, the Raiders could try to stash him on the practice squad; per NFL rules, the Raiders would be awarded a 17th practice-squad spot they can use for him as an IPP player. To get there, though, the Raiders would have to release him, which would subject him to waivers and open the door for him to get claimed by another team. That's a factor they will have to consider. Advertisement The Raiders' run defense was alarmingly poor against the Seahawks in the preseason opener but was stout when the starters were on the field against the 49ers. They allowed just 2.7 yards per carry. Their ability to tackle, shed blocks and fit gaps all looked improved. 'We played the running game with much more impact than we did in the (joint) practice,' Carroll said Saturday. 'The adjustments that the coaching staff made worked out well and the players were able to adapt in just a couple days' time. Against a really formidable running team that loves to run the football, I thought we did that really well.' The downside is that the Raiders still didn't have much of a pass rush; they didn't have any sacks and registered just one quarterback hit. Given the precarious state of the secondary, they'll need to be better in that area for the pass defense to be reliable this season. 'They're really battling,' Carroll said. 'It's not settled yet. (Defensive line coach) Robbie (Leonard) did a really nice job of making sure we got a lot of film on everybody. … But we like the guys. It's a good group. They're very active. They're athletic. They move well. They play hard. So, now we just need to see how we're going to zero in on it. The competition goes on.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Washington Post
Saquon Barkley leads list of risky fantasy football draft picks
Draft day in fantasy football isn't just about picking stars. It's about managing risk. Talent and stats matter, but injuries, aging and opportunity shifts can derail a player's season. Just ask anyone who didn't follow our advice on Christian McCaffrey last season.
