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QB Minchey on what he learned from Leonard

QB Minchey on what he learned from Leonard

NBC Sports12-04-2025

Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey describes the environment of the Notre Dame Blue-Gold game, discusses how he'll apply lesson he learned from Riley Leonard and explains where he needs to improve the most this season.

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CdM's Max Douglass races to school record in 1,600 meters at state meet
CdM's Max Douglass races to school record in 1,600 meters at state meet

Los Angeles Times

time5 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

CdM's Max Douglass races to school record in 1,600 meters at state meet

The weather was a hot topic of discussion heading into the CIF State track and field championships, but in many cases, it was the athletes that brought the heat last weekend. Corona del Mar coach Bill Sumner looked at the temperature and saw it was a scorching 101 degrees when Max Douglass — the Sea Kings' distance running star — toed the starting line at Clovis Buchanan High on Saturday. Douglass had dug in during the state preliminaries on Friday to secure the school record in the boys' 1,600 meters. It could have been the last four laps of an illustrious high school career. That qualifying effort earned the Notre Dame commit a spot in the state final, a chance he took advantage of to drop his time to 4 minutes 7.65 seconds in a sixth-place, medal-winning performance. Sumner shared that he resorted to a trip to the hardware store to drive home race strategy during the postseason. He first utilized traffic cones and then string to make Douglass exercise patience in picking his desired spot on the field from the start. 'I put a string from the cut-in mark to the 200 lane one,' Sumner said. 'And I said, 'Max, you cannot cut in. You have to stay on the right side of that string for the whole workout.' … Sumner said that Douglass noticed a difference right away. The message was clicking. 'I said, 'That way, you get to pick your spot of where you want to be,'' Sumner recalled. 'When you get to the end of the first 180 [meters], you're going to say, OK, let me run there, and then you go there.' He's a strong enough kid, he gets to do that if he's fast enough. 'We practiced that for three weeks, I had put a string out, and he would not cross over that string. … Not the last meet, but the two meets before it, he stayed out there, came over, got third place or second place, whatever he wanted, and just tried to stay there as long as he could.' Douglass shed nearly two full seconds off his time from the day prior, creating separation between himself and Jim Robbins, who had held the CdM record in the event at 4:10.74 since setting the standard in the Southern Section Masters Meet in 1988. Sumner added that both Robbins and Brian Hunsaker, the Sea Kings' record-holder in the 3,200 at 8:53.7 since 1975, reached out to Douglass after the race. Douglass received an invitation into the Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. 'If you would have told me he was done Sunday morning, I was fine,' Sumner said. 'Every goal that he set, we reached — every single one. Everything that he wrote down, we did. It's like, 'You've got nothing to prove, you got the school record, you got a 1:53 [in the] 800, you got a sub-nine-minute two-mile [time].' That's it. That's a lot of stuff, but he still wants to give it one more try, man. One more try before he goes on to be a big college guy.' Ocean View's Jack Paavola also closed his career on the podium, claiming eighth in the boys' discus throw with a mark of 174 feet, 4 inches. The Seahawks senior's state performance was just half a foot off his career-best throw at the Masters Meet. Paavola has committed to Harvey Mudd.

Al Golden's urgency drives Bengals' offseason workouts as defense aims for a turnaround
Al Golden's urgency drives Bengals' offseason workouts as defense aims for a turnaround

Fox Sports

time8 hours ago

  • Fox Sports

Al Golden's urgency drives Bengals' offseason workouts as defense aims for a turnaround

Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — Al Golden said when he was hired as the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator that he was going to demand a lot from his unit during the offseason workouts. With the Bengals mostly through their practices during the organized team activities, Golden has lived up to his word. 'We can push the limits of our core fundamentals. We can try to see how many concepts we can efficiently get to, which I think is important, and then draw on that in training camp," Golden said. "Although it's not as physical or perhaps as long as training camp, this does serve as a springboard and great foundation for us. Without this segment, it's hard to start off where you want, so that's why there's urgency right now for us.' Urgency has been a theme throughout the offseason for the Bengals, who ended last season on a five-game winning streak but missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record. Cincinnati has started the last three seasons with losses in its first three games. That includes last year's 0-3 start and a 4-8 mark before a late-season charge that fell short. Even though there are restrictions on contact and how physical things can get during the optional workouts, Golden has made the most of the on-field and classroom time to make sure everyone is on the same page. Cross training at positions, especially in the secondary, and knowing what everyone else is doing have been stressed repeatedly. That way adjustments can be made on the fly by players after a call is made. 'When you sit in on those unit meetings and you look at the pre-practice work and all the stuff that they're getting as a unit, it's a very hungry group,' head coach Zac Taylor said. "Al's done a great job setting the standard in that room. The position coaches have followed suit, so I'm really excited about the direction that group's heading.' Golden was the Bengals linebackers coach during the 2020 and '21 seasons before going to Notre Dame, where he was defensive coordinator for three years. Ten players Golden coached at Notre Dame went on to be selected in the 2023, '24 and '25 NFL drafts. Even though Joe Burrow led the league in passing and Ja'Marr Chase was the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to achieve the receiving triple crown — leading the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns — Cincinnati had a hard time containing opposing offenses, finishing 25th in the league in total defense (348.3 yards allowed per game), The Bengals lost four games last season in which they scored at least 30 points, joining the 2002 and '18 Kansas City Chiefs as the only teams to do that. All told, the defense allowed the fifth-most points in the league (414) and gave up a touchdown on 67.9% of opponent's red zone possessions, the third-worst rate in the NFL. They also were eighth in missed tackles with 117. One area where the Bengals were good on defense was forcing turnovers. They had 25 takeaways, which tied for seventh. But Golden has been placing an emphasis on wanting more by putting in four turnover stations, where players are honing their skills on creating and recovering fumbles or interceptions. 'When you're just constantly adding layers to your to your game, it becomes second nature in practice. So when we have training camp we're always punching the ball. It's not only going to help us defensively but also our offense,' linebacker Logan Wilson said. There have also been some early encouraging signs of the defense's progress. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who is being moved all over the secondary, was lined up as the slot corner on Tuesday picked off Joe Burrow's pass intended for tight end Mike Gesicki. 'We could be moved anywhere. You just don't know what we're in with the disguises in coverage,' Taylor-Britt said. Golden has done most of the installation though without a couple key players on the field. All-Pro selection and NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson did not attend voluntary workouts as he tries to get a contract extension. First-round pick Shemar Stewart and second-round selection Demetrius Knight Jr. are in the meeting rooms but not taking part in practices after not signing their rookie contracts or waivers to participate in workouts. 'Trey's a pro. Whatever he's missing in person now, I guarantee you he'll make it up and be ready to go by the time this comes to a resolution,' Golden said. ___ AP NFL: recommended

Al Golden's urgency drives Bengals' offseason workouts as defense aims for a turnaround
Al Golden's urgency drives Bengals' offseason workouts as defense aims for a turnaround

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Al Golden's urgency drives Bengals' offseason workouts as defense aims for a turnaround

CINCINNATI (AP) — Al Golden said when he was hired as the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator that he was going to demand a lot from his unit during the offseason workouts. With the Bengals mostly through their practices during the organized team activities, Golden has lived up to his word. Advertisement 'We can push the limits of our core fundamentals. We can try to see how many concepts we can efficiently get to, which I think is important, and then draw on that in training camp," Golden said. "Although it's not as physical or perhaps as long as training camp, this does serve as a springboard and great foundation for us. Without this segment, it's hard to start off where you want, so that's why there's urgency right now for us.' Urgency has been a theme throughout the offseason for the Bengals, who ended last season on a five-game winning streak but missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record. Cincinnati has started the last three seasons with losses in its first three games. That includes last year's 0-3 start and a 4-8 mark before a late-season charge that fell short. Even though there are restrictions on contact and how physical things can get during the optional workouts, Golden has made the most of the on-field and classroom time to make sure everyone is on the same page. Advertisement Cross training at positions, especially in the secondary, and knowing what everyone else is doing have been stressed repeatedly. That way adjustments can be made on the fly by players after a call is made. 'When you sit in on those unit meetings and you look at the pre-practice work and all the stuff that they're getting as a unit, it's a very hungry group,' head coach Zac Taylor said. "Al's done a great job setting the standard in that room. The position coaches have followed suit, so I'm really excited about the direction that group's heading.' Golden was the Bengals linebackers coach during the 2020 and '21 seasons before going to Notre Dame, where he was defensive coordinator for three years. Ten players Golden coached at Notre Dame went on to be selected in the 2023, '24 and '25 NFL drafts. Even though Joe Burrow led the league in passing and Ja'Marr Chase was the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to achieve the receiving triple crown — leading the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns — Cincinnati had a hard time containing opposing offenses, finishing 25th in the league in total defense (348.3 yards allowed per game), Advertisement The Bengals lost four games last season in which they scored at least 30 points, joining the 2002 and '18 Kansas City Chiefs as the only teams to do that. All told, the defense allowed the fifth-most points in the league (414) and gave up a touchdown on 67.9% of opponent's red zone possessions, the third-worst rate in the NFL. They also were eighth in missed tackles with 117. One area where the Bengals were good on defense was forcing turnovers. They had 25 takeaways, which tied for seventh. But Golden has been placing an emphasis on wanting more by putting in four turnover stations, where players are honing their skills on creating and recovering fumbles or interceptions. 'When you're just constantly adding layers to your to your game, it becomes second nature in practice. So when we have training camp we're always punching the ball. It's not only going to help us defensively but also our offense,' linebacker Logan Wilson said. Advertisement There have also been some early encouraging signs of the defense's progress. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who is being moved all over the secondary, was lined up as the slot corner on Tuesday picked off Joe Burrow's pass intended for tight end Mike Gesicki. 'We could be moved anywhere. You just don't know what we're in with the disguises in coverage,' Taylor-Britt said. Golden has done most of the installation though without a couple key players on the field. All-Pro selection and NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson did not attend voluntary workouts as he tries to get a contract extension. First-round pick Shemar Stewart and second-round selection Demetrius Knight Jr. are in the meeting rooms but not taking part in practices after not signing their rookie contracts or waivers to participate in workouts. 'Trey's a pro. Whatever he's missing in person now, I guarantee you he'll make it up and be ready to go by the time this comes to a resolution,' Golden said. ___ AP NFL:

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