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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Stephen A. Smith makes ridiculous argument suggesting Rams should start Stetson Bennett
Matthew Stafford is practicing, but there are still a lot of concerns as to whether or not he'll be available for the Los Angeles Rams' Week 1 showdown with the Houston Texans on Sept. 7. If Stafford to to miss that game, the prevailing theory is that Jimmy Garoppolo would start at quarterback, considering he hasn't played a preseason snap this summer and has ample NFL experience. ESPN's Stephan A. Smith has a different idea for who should start if Stafford can't suit up: Stetson Bennett. Smith noted that while he hasn't watched Bennett's tape over the past two preseason games, he thinks Bennett's box scores speak for themselves and that the Rams should give him the starting role ahead of Garoppolo if needed. "I get the experience factor [with Garoppolo]. I get the fact that you can lean on what's done in the past, " Smith said on First Take. "The point is, at the end of the day, can we definitively say that he's looked better than Stetson Bennet thus far? I'm just going with the best — who's looked the best? I haven't seen Stetson Bennett, I know his his stats ... but his numbers look good. We're just ignoring that because we're going to lean on Jimmy G's experience? What if this brother is balling during the preseason and he can ride that momentum into the first part of the season? This is a wild argument for starting the 2023 fourth-round pick over the 11-year veteran. Now, Bennett has looked good through two preseason games: He's completed 68.8% of his passing attempts (44-of-68) for 512 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Bennett also won both games, including a game-winning score against the Los Angeles Chargers. But does that mean he should just start over Garoppolo? Absolutely not. For one, Bennett has zero regular-season experience. Garoppolo has 82 games and 64 starts under his belt, as well as 17 playoff appearances. We also can't forget how Bennett played in the prior two preseasons, where he passed for 784 yards, three touchdowns and eight interceptions in five games. Momentum is nice, and Bennett has been much improved since he entered the league in 2023. But to suggest he's ready to face a DeMeco Ryans defense in Week 1 that features 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. and five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter is laughable.
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
WNBA Preview: Lynx vs. Liberty rematch, Wings' late playoff push headline week ahead
Greydy Diaz joins Natalie Esquire to discuss the Angel Reese 1s, Reese's Reebok signature sneaker, launching on Sept. 18, analyzing the timing of the rollout and the newest black and white "Receipts Ready" colorway. Friday night in the WNBA was as good as it gets, and I have to take a moment to speak glowingly about it. We had a five-game slate, which featured everything from outstanding rookies going against veteran teams, to noteworthy matchups between teams fighting hard not to give up ground in the race for the postseason. Sparks vs. Wings gets my vote for the best game of Friday's early time slot, as Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum, and the Sparks put on an offensive clinic for much of the game before a trio of Dallas newcomers (Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly) led a fourth-quarter charge that fell a missed game-winning shot shy of a 16-point comeback win. Farther east, the Mystics actually did complete their comeback, as they erased a 13-point deficit and outscored the Fever by six points in the fourth quarter to register an 88-84 victory. Over in Vancouver, the Storm completely gave away a 15-point second-half lead before eventually closing the game on a 9-2 run to eke out a two-point win over the Dream and end their six-game slide. And finally, the Aces and Mercury delivered a fantastic 40 minutes of basketball, which concluded with a vintage Chelsea Gray fourth quarter to give the Aces their sixth consecutive win. Only the lopsided contest between the Valkyries and Sky at Wintrust Arena fell short of the level of competition and entertainment that the others provided on Friday. However, it still wasn't enough to rob me of a fantastic viewing experience. THE EBBS AND FLOWS OF THE SEASON As last week's games came and went, I realized how different some of these outcomes were from earlier in the WNBA season — what was true as recently as two weeks ago or as long as two months back is now outdated and invalid information. For example, teams like the Sparks and Aces appeared to be down and out, only to hit their stride in the final month of the season. Los Angeles couldn't win a close game, but it is suddenly performing like one of the great clutch teams in the league this season. And now the Aces own the league's longest winning streak. Conversely, some teams have fallen on hard times after impressive starts to the season. Seattle had a stretch from early June to early July in which it'd won nine of 12 games, including multiple three-game winning streaks. Yet, the Storm have lost seven of eight games and needed a come-from-behind win to earn that lone victory. The same constantly-changing information that applies to teams also applies to players. New candidates have emerged to challenge the frontrunners for some of the major regular-season awards — Napheesa Collier's recent injury has opened doors for players like Alyssa Thomas and A'ja Wilson to enter the MVP conversation, and the calls for Sonia Citron to be included in Rookie of the Year conversations have gotten louder. The bottom line is this: The WNBA season is long. And with a few weeks left in the regular season, it's possible that enough could happen between now and then to reshape the lay of the land. THE WEEK AHEAD Minnesota Lynx at New York Liberty (Tuesday, August 19 at 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV) Tuesday will mark the third time in Minnesota's past three games that it will have faced New York! I can only speculate that this late-season trio of games was intentional on the part of the schedule-makers, teasing WNBA fans with a mini-series of sorts in preparation for a potential Finals rematch come postseason time. And with the two teams occupying two of the top three spots in the standings, the anticipation that both would be championship contenders at this point of the season ended up working out well as far as scheduling goes. Yet, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart haven't shared the floor in either of the previous three matchups due to injuries, which may be the case again on Tuesday. The Lynx haven't lost to the Liberty this season, but the upcoming matchup at Barclays Center should still be a total coin flip. I'm looking forward to the game, but am hoping it is the last time these two teams compete against each other without healthy rosters. Phoenix Mercury at Golden State Valkyries (Tuesday, August 19 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass) Only 2.5 games separate the Mercury (No. 4 seed) from the Valkyries (No. 7 seed) at the time of this writing. Golden State will enter as winners of seven of its last 10 games, while Phoenix has a 5-5 record over its most recent 10. The two teams' most recent matchup was a thriller in San Francisco, with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double for DeWanna Bonner off the bench being the standout performance in the Mercury's nail-biting 78-77 win. But that was a long time ago — before the WNBA All-Star Break — and that mid-July matchup will look different on Tuesday. For the home team, the season-ending knee injury to Kayla Thornton means they'll be without arguably their best player. At the same time, the Mercury will have Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper available this time around. Both teams need wins to prevent potentially dropping in the standings, making Tuesday's showdown an anticipated one. Dallas Wings at Los Angeles Sparks (Wednesday, August 20 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass) Less than a week after the Sparks' exciting 97-96 victory over the Wings in Dallas, the trilogy will take place in Los Angeles as the sensational rookie, Paige Bueckers, gets to take center stage in Wednesday's lone contest. The Wings aren't mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but their path to a postseason appearance feels unlikely. Meanwhile, the Sparks are tied in the loss column with the Mystics and Storm, and still find themselves on the outside, looking in, even after a strong push following the All-Star Break. They've rotated between wins and losses over their last six games, however, and will want to recapture the magic they'd had from mid-July through early-August over the final quarter of the regular season. Dallas has offered one of the worst defenses in the league after the All-Star Break, while Los Angeles' offensive rating trails only Minnesota's over that same period. Viewers should be treated to an entertaining game, if nothing else. Phoenix Mercury at Las Vegas Aces (Thursday, August 21 at 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video) We've discussed the Mercury and where they stand, but here's a bit more on the Aces: they are winners of seven-straight games, are getting MVP-like numbers from A'ja Wilson, and appear to have unlocked Jewell Loyd by bringing her off the bench over the past 10 games. The Aces just recently defeated the Mercury in Arizona, as mentioned earlier, but will have to do it again in the Las Vegas desert if they want to inch closer to a top-four seed and potentially home-court advantage. Phoenix is also receiving MVP-caliber performances from Alyssa Thomas, and although the Mercury have been up-and-down of late, they're as talented as any team in the W. Expect fireworks in this one. Seattle Storm at Washington Mystics (Sunday, August 24 at 3 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass) The fifth and final game to circle on this week's calendar has to be Storm-Mystics. All it takes is a quick peek at the WNBA standings to understand why this game is an important one — both teams have the same number of losses, but the Storm's extra win leaves them in the eighth seed while the Mystics are sitting at 10th. Diving deeper, Seattle has lost seven of its last eight games and is sliding down the standings with each loss. Conversely, Washington has won three of its last four games, including two consecutive big wins over Indiana and Los Angeles. Maybe the biggest storyline, though, is that this final meeting between the Storm and Mystics will mark the first following the recent trade between the two teams that sent Alysha Clark to the nation's capital for her second stint with the Mystics, and Brittney Sykes to the Pacific Northwest to join a veteran roster with intentions of winning now. The trade has yielded better results for Washington, but there's still a lot of season left. Nevertheless, the outcome of Sunday's game would not only provide the winner with bragging rights but also a needed win during a tight playoff race.
GMA Network
17-07-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
Clark 'halo effect' on display for home WNBA All-Star Game
INDIANAPOLIS - Caitlin Clark may be an injury doubt for this weekend's All-Star game but her star power in Fever country remains indisputable, as Indianapolis prepares to host the WNBA showcase with their sharpshooting talisman the undeniable center of the show. The Indiana Fever's Rookie of the Year sat out Wednesday's game against the defending champions New York Liberty due to a right groin injury. "We just have to take it one day at a time. It's frustrating for her," coach Stephanie White told reporters on Wednesday, adding that no discussion had been made yet on Clark's status for the All-Star Game. "It's a big deal for us to have All-Star in Indianapolis - and, of course, with Caitlin being a focal point of that. As the coach of the Indiana Fever, it's not a bigger deal than our long-term season." The injury is a rare frustration for the icy-veined guard who never missed a college game due to injury and had appeared all but indestructible since she burst to mainstream U.S. fame last year. Clark sent shockwaves through women's sport as she broke the all-time collegiate scoring record in her final year at Iowa, with her dazzling logo threes and uncanny no-look passing ability making her games appointment viewing in the U.S. A record 18.7 million tuned in for her team's championship clash with South Carolina, the most watched basketball game across men's, women's, college or professional sport for five years. Days later, she went to the Indiana Fever first overall in the WNBA Draft and her arrival in Indianapolis was nothing short of a coronation. Average attendance at Fever games went from just a bit over 4,000 per game in 2023 to more than 17,000 in her rookie season, eclipsing the average attendance of their NBA counterparts, the Indiana Pacers, which was around 16,500 in the 2023-24 season. The enthusiasm has endured in her second WNBA season, with the Fever's game on Sunday against 2025 first overall pick Paige Bueckers and her Dallas Wings averaging 2.1 million, the fourth most-viewed WNBA game ever on broadcaster ABC. "We're benefiting from that halo effect of having arguably the most popular WNBA player in recent history - if not ever - given her popularity coming out of college," said Leonard Hoops, the president and CEO of Visit Indy. "That's kind of elevated Indianapolis' brand with it when it comes to basketball. I mean, I think even the Pacers have gotten more popular." Clark is a fitting figurehead for a state that can reasonably call itself the capital of American basketball, with "Hoosier Hysteria" a decades-old phenomenon and a crowded pantheon of Indiana basketball greats. Out-of-towners were greeted with a replica WNBA court when they stepped off the plane at Indianapolis International Airport this week, where a merchandise shop filled with Clark t-shirts was available before travelers could even reach baggage claim. Indianapolis had only about a year to prepare but quickly embraced the chance, with around 60 ticketed events planned for the weekend, including WNBA Live, a massive fan festival at the Indiana Convention Center. "Fever Fest," an All-Star Game watch party on Saturday with music and comedy, will accommodate fans who could not snag a ticket to the sold-out game, with organizers expecting between 4,000 and 5,000 attendees. "Having All-Star weekend in (Clark's) home city is going to be probably the most high-profile All-Star weekend in league history," said Blaine Zimmerman, chief talent and marketing officer with Indy Chamber. "We're looking to become the women's sports capital of the world. And this is a really good step heading in that direction." —Reuters
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rams star named 'biggest success story' of next generation of defenders
Rams star named 'biggest success story' of next generation of defenders The Los Angeles Rams defense is full of emerging talent. From reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse to fellow edge rushers Braden Fiske and Byron Young, this unit is ascending at the right time. But The Ringer's Diante Lee said one Rams defender could see a bigger rise in 2025 and turn into a Pro Bowl player: defensive tackle Kobie Turner. Lee said on The Athletic Football Show that Turner is "the biggest success story of this next era of guys" because of where he came from and who he replaced in Aaron Donald. Lee added that Turner and reminds him of Baltimore Ravens' star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. "I think that Kobie Turner might be the biggest success story of this next era of guys," Lee said, "because of the expectations were relatively low for a guy that's drafted where he was drafted and coming into a position where you're now filling the shoes of 99 [Donald]. "It's not that he reminds me of Aaron Donald, but the guy that he does remind me of is Nnamdi Madubuike, at times, where it's like — good at everything. He's solid across the board." Madubuike is a good comp for Turner because of a similar career trajectory. Madubuike was a third-round pick in 2020 but didn't see huge development until his fourth season when he tallied 15.5 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl. Turner, also a third-round pick, is producing more at a faster pace than Madubuike — with nine sacks as a rookie in 2023 and eight sacks in his second year this past season. Turner was never going to replace Donald in the middle of the defense. The Rams knew that, too, and drafted other complementary pieces to support Turner on the interior. But considering how good Turner has looked in just two seasons, it's not a stretch to think he could develop into a Pro Bowl player in his third NFL season.
Fox Sports
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Mystics beat the shorthanded Fever 83-77 with injured star Caitlin Clark watching from bench
Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Brittney Sykes had 21 points and nine rebounds, Kiki Iriafen added 16 points, and the Washington Mystics beat the shorthanded Indiana Fever 83-77 on Wednesday night at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. Reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark did not play for Indiana due to a strained left quad. She was injured while playing against New York on Saturday. It was the first time in Clark's career she missed a regular-season game after playing in all 40 games and both playoff games last season and the first four games this year. Sykes blocked a layup attempt by Kelsey Mitchell with 1:06 left in the fourth quarter and she made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute to keep Washington in front by multiple possessions. Shakira Austin scored all 13 of her points in the first half to help the Mystics take a 44-40 lead at the break. Sonia Citron also finished with 13 points for Washington (3-3), which snapped a three-game losing streak. DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points, including a long 3-pointer just before the final buzzer, to lead Indiana (2-3). Bonner became the first player in WNBA history to reach 7,500 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. Mitchell added 14 points, Natasha Howard scored 11 and Aliyah Boston had 10 for Indiana. Sydney Colson started in place of Clark and scored four points in 31 minutes. Up next The Fever host the Sun on Friday. The Mystics host the Liberty the same night. ___ AP WNBA: recommended
