Latest news with #Chargers
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 NFL odds: Back Jonathan Gannon to win Coach of the Year
We are now less than 100 days away from the start of the NFL season, with the Hall of Fame Game between the Chargers and Lions just two months away. Football is coming! We've had over a month to digest the NFL Draft, as well as some time to analyze the release of the schedule. With football so close to returning, books have done a good job of providing betting options not just on season win totals for each team or odds on who will win the Super Bowl, but markets for all the NFL awards. What is fun about betting on these awards, is you can get long odds and jumbo payouts if you pick correctly. It gives you something to root for over the course of the entire NFL season — you essentially have action on every game that involves your awards bet. With all of these awards open for betting, let's take a look at one wager I have already made. Jonathan Gannon 20-1 to win Coach of the Year (DraftKings) The Cardinals have been a plucky team under head coach Jonathan Gannon so far in his brief two-year tenure. After going 4-13 in 2023 without quarterback Kyler Murray for much of the season, the team improved to 8-9 in 2024. At one point, the Cardinals were 6-4 and looked like an NFC West contender before fading down the stretch. Can they finish the job this year and actually win the division? Well, if they do, Gannon will be squarely in the mix for NFL Coach of the Year, and with their division odds at +390, plus Gannon's odds at 20-1, Gannon is the better bet. My enthusiasm for the Cardinals comes from the attention and resources they've committed to their defense this offseason. They signed pass-rusher Josh Sweat away from the Eagles after he nearly won Super Bowl MVP with his performance against the Chiefs in February. Then in April, the draft was dedicated almost entirely to defense. Walter Nolen, Will Johnson, Jordan Burch, Cody Simon, and Denzel Burke are five defensive players that college football fans watched dominate on Saturdays the last few falls in college football. They all look to improve a defense that was 22nd in yards per play allowed in 2024. The Cardinals also have a schedule that's conducive to getting off to a hot start. In the first six weeks, they will likely see the following opposing quarterbacks: rookies Tyler Shough and Cam Ward, Bryce Young, Sam Darnold and whoever the Colts decide to play between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. Coach of the Year often goes to the coach of a team that makes it to the playoffs after missing the playoffs the previous year. Gannon checks that box and plenty of others, as the Cardinals could be much-improved in 2025. Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Top 10 pick reveals Jim Harbaugh said Chargers were selecting him in 2024 NFL draft
Top 10 pick reveals Jim Harbaugh said Chargers were selecting him in 2024 NFL draft The Chargers struck gold with the selection of Joe Alt with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. But there was a possibility that they were going to go in a different direction, as told by the player who thought he was going to end up in Los Angeles. Titans' JC Latham was a recent guest on the podcast Bussin With The Boys, and he went on to reveal that Jim Harbaugh told him that the Bolts were going to take him with the fifth pick. "When I met with the Chargers, Harbaugh said we're taking you," Latham said. "Harbaugh said we're taking you. You're our guy and we want you at right soon as I left, Mel Kiper tweeted out that the Chargers said they are taking Latham at five." Latham said at that point he wasn't sure if Harbaugh was joking when he said that they were going to pick him. His agency told him that the word around the Chargers building was that they were going to take him. However, it did not come to fruition. "When the fifth pick came up, I'm in the green room and 30 cameras came right in front of me," Latham added. Right in front of my face. Phone is in my lap. And then I realized that this was going to happen, and then they pick Joe Alt." It remains to be seen whether the Chargers were targeting Latham with the pick, assuming Alt was not going to be available. Or if Harbaugh was joking all along. Los Angeles did seem to show high interest in Latham, as offensive line coach Mike Devlin worked with the former Alabama product at his pro day. Nonetheless, the Chargers seemed to get it right by taking Alt, who had a sensational rookie season. Latham dealt with more growing pains than Alt as he transitioned to left tackle in his first year. He is going back to his natural right tackle position, though.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
SFC leads both Class ‘A' team scoreboards after one day
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Reigning state champion Sioux Falls Christian is off to another hot start at the state track and field meet. The Chargers lead both the boys and girls team competitions after the first of the three-day event. BOYS TEAM LEADERBOARD GIRLS TEAM LEADERBOARD The state track and field meet continues Friday and wraps up on Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Andrew Speh makes call, hits homer in 11th inning as Stagg stuns Marist. Destination? ‘Taking it over the wall.'
Senior shortstop Andrew Speh predicted the exact sequence of events for Stagg. Before adding to his personal highlight reel, Speh relayed his thoughts to junior reliever John Skordas — saying exactly how his 11th inning at-bat was going to turn out for the Chargers. 'He threw me a first pitch curveball my previous time up,' Speh said of Marist's pitcher while describing the lead-up to his dramatic ending. 'I've gotten that from lefties the whole year. 'I told John, 'If he throws me a curveball, I'm swinging at the first pitch and taking it over the wall.'' Move over, Nostradamus. Speh followed up his words with action, hitting a two-run homer to lift the host Chargers to a 9-7 upset Thursday in a Class 4A Stagg Regional semifinal in Palos Hills. Senior catcher Brody Jeffers totaled three hits, three runs and two RBIs for the 12th-seeded Chargers (9-27), who play at 10 a.m. Saturday against second-seeded Lincoln-Way West (28-7) for the regional title. Sophomore infielder Dominic Talaga also drove in two runs. Junior starting pitcher Ryan Lawlor knocked in three runs and sophomore outfielder Tommy Hosty hit a two-run homer for seventh-seeded Marist (20-14-1). Batting leadoff, Speh took full advantage of his extended opportunities. He finished 3-for-6 with three runs and three RBIs. On the winning homer, Speh launched that first pitch to center. And he was pumped up afterward. 'How you picture Andrew is how he is,' said Skordas, who pitched the final six innings and struck out nine, offsetting eight hits. 'He got the adrenaline super high for everyone with that home run. 'He's the best teammate imaginable. He's there for you when you make your worst plays and he's there when you make your best plays.' Skordas then struck out the side in the 11th, including the final two batters as Marist stranded runners at first and second. It came after the RedHawks rallied from three different deficits. Jeffers acknowledged the two-run cushion allowed the Chargers to breathe and relax even as Marist, which came back by scoring a tying run in the seventh, was threatening again. 'Seeing the ball fly over the fence in a moment like that was amazing,' Jeffers said of Speh's homer in the top half of the inning. 'He's been one of my best friends for four years now. 'He just has this ability to pick everybody up, even if he's not having his best game.'' It was Speh's fourth homer of the season. 'I never had more than one home run in a season until this year,' he said. 'I've definitely gotten stronger throughout the year. I haven't won a playoff game in all three years I've been on the varsity. This is the coolest moment I've had. 'I couldn't have asked to do it with a better team.' Speh also shared the moment with his younger brother, Evan, a sophomore center fielder. Andrew, a year-round athlete, is a standout hockey player for the Orland Park Vikings. He's set to attend Minnesota, with the goal of playing junior hockey at the club level for two years as the necessary progression to make the Golden Gophers' team. A defenseman in hockey, Speh is the Chargers' defensive anchor at shortstop. 'We had a neighbor who played hockey, so I grew up playing that,' Speh said. 'My parents always said I was better at baseball growing up. 'I could never let go of hockey. It's fast, physical and just so mentally tough.' The mental demands of both sports have paid huge dividends, especially dealing with adversity. Facing the prospect of playing his final baseball game, Speh wasn't going to give an inch. 'Nobody thought we were going to win this game,' Speh said. 'They didn't even throw their best guy against us. You can't beat this, extra innings, at home, and we were the lower seed. 'We just knew we were going to win this game.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Los Angeles Chargers Keeping An Eye Out For Tackle Rashawn Slater
I Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater (70), the top player along the team's offensive ... More line, is boycotting L.A.'s voluntary workouts as he seeks a multi-year deal to replace the final year of his rookie contact. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko) It's just a voluntary series of off-season workouts, so Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater's absence isn't big news. Yet. But maybe it transforms into something bigger, as the massive Slater is entrusted with protecting quarterback Justin Herbert's blindside and is in need of a contract upgrade. Slater, a two-time Pro Bowler, is scheduled to earn $19.04 million this season after L.A. picked up the fifth-year option of his $35.6 million rookie deal, according to Over The Cap. But the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Slater, a former first-round selection, has outplayed his contract and is possibly making a statement by skipping practices. Attending the workouts are at the player's choosing, but not participating is something Slater has never chosen to do previously. The Chargers' mid-June minicamp is mandatory and if Slater stiff-arms those, it would not only raise a red flag but cost him more than $92,000 in fines. Slater is among the few anchors of an offensive line that the Chargers are seeking to improve. It was exposed, especially along the interior, when L.A. was eliminated by the Houston Texans in last season's first round of the playoffs. The edges are set with Slater and Joe Alt at right tackle. Although Alt struggled as well in the playoff loss, his inefficiency was attributed more to him being a rookie rather than his lack of skills. The dearth of urgency regarding Slater's contract situation might be an organizational strategy. It's rare that the Chargers reward a player with his second contract, or extension, until the last minute. They followed that approach with Herbert, safety Derwin James Jr. and outside linebacker Joey Bosa. When July's training-camp clock gets close to midnight, that's usually when L.A. strikes deals with its players. The Chargers have an offensive line in motion after signing free-agent Mekhi Becton to play right guard. That could move guard Zion Johnson to center, a position he's never played in college or the NFL, and possibly have a number of players – Trey Pipkins III, Jamaree Salyer, Bradley Bozeman, Andre James and others competing for the left guard position. Then again, if the experiment to have Johnson at center implodes, Bozeman or James could land there, with the Chargers inserting someone at left guard. It's not a plug-and-play situation at the tackle spots manned by Slater, 26, and Alt, a stellar second-year pro. The issue is giving Slater a contract which matches his production. Slater's average annual salary of $4.1 million ranks 30th among left tackles. The leader is Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers, with a $27.5 million average per year on an $82.6 million pact. Andrew Thomas of the New York Giants is the left tackle with the largest contract, a five-year, $117.5 million agreement which came with a $67 million guarantee. Slater's cap hit zoomed from $5.2 million last year to $19.04 this season, which is also a motivating factor to work out a long-term deal to soften that blow.
