Latest news with #Watts
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former standout Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts already shining with the Atlanta Falcons
Former Notre Dame star safety Xavier Watts is already making a name for himself in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons rookie has already been given a nickname by teammates and fellow rookies Cobee Bryant and Billy Bowman Jr.: the X Factor. Watts was selected in the third round with the 96th overall pick by the Falcons in this past spring's NFL Draft. The 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner was the second Notre Dame player drafted in two years by the Falcons (JD Bertrand) and the 13th Irish player all-time to be drafted by Atlanta. During his time in South Bend, Watts had 13 interceptions, which were the most by a Notre Dame player since 1996. There is a lot of intrigue surrounding Watts in his first pro camp because he was considered one of the steals of the draft. Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is already giving Watts reps with the first-team defense, and All-Pro teammate Jessie Bates III has already called Watts "a hell of a football player." A standout rookie season could be on the horizon for the Golden Domer. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
On the Up: The Dunedin tech start-up taking on the world's sport data
About six and a half years ago, I started a data consulting business. Through that business, I started working with high performance at New Zealand Rugby. We went with them on a journey moving from spreadsheets into a data visualisation tool, and then working off a data platform. I was working with the All Blacks and then the Super franchises, which led me to working with the Highlanders. Andy [Watts, Axon Perform product lead] was the performance analyst, so we were doing a lot of work together. Andy contacted me prior to the 2023 Rugby World Cup while I was working with Japan and said, 'I love this and I'm going to get out of rugby, how do I get into this?' That was really the start of this turning into something that every team needs. Axon Perform compiles data from several providers into one collective platform to give sports teams actionable insights for their players. One example shown here features the Blues' kicking performance during this year's Super Rugby season. What goes into the reports the platform produces? There are a number of third-party providers that teams will use for game analytics; primarily, we use one called Opta. The teams subscribe to Opta, and then the data gets sent to us. Each team will have their own subscription based on what competitions and players they want to follow, whether that's the Japanese Top 14, Super Rugby or the international competitions. There's a huge amount of data, but data is useless without insight. We bring that all into one place. The actual analytical piece at the end, the reports, they've evolved over the last five years, and probably more so in the last 18 to 24 months since we've been selling as a platform. You work with a number of rugby teams already. What are the opportunities going forward? We currently work with the British & Irish Lions, the Springboks, and the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. We also recently picked up the English men's and women's 15s teams, and we've got a number of other international and club teams trialling the product. There are only so many teams in rugby that we can work with, because globally it's not that big. We're currently working towards launching in football, which is quite exciting. We've been building out core template models that will allow us to present something to the market so they can see what we're delivering very soon. Did you fund the business yourself, and do you plan on raising capital for any expansions? Very self-funded so far, and we'll be taking on investment in the near future, once we have the level of traction that we want. No numbers yet, but I've got an idea of what I'd like it to be. There are a lot of factors when you're raising money, obviously around valuation and how much percentage of the business you want to give away. There are a lot of permutations and a lot of things that we need to make sure we've achieved before we get to that point. In the technology space, we're really talking about what's the potential value of it in five to 10 years. Axon Perform's solution is used by the rugby world champion Springboks, the British & Irish Lions, and the NRL's Sydney Roosters. Photo / Photosport What has been the biggest challenge in starting the business? Money's always a challenge; it's always trying to do things on the smell of an oily rag. But when I first started my consulting business, it was very much built on relationships, and it's been very similar with the sports stuff as well. I've built everything to this point on relationships, but now it's about moving to the next stage, and that's going into the market where you don't know people and encouraging them to become customers. That's the new challenge. What would be your advice to other budding entrepreneurs wanting to start a business? I think the advice for people that are trying to get into entrepreneurship or into business is to build a community first. Get out there and challenge yourself to become known on social media. Marketplaces like LinkedIn and Instagram don't reduce you to your local environment. If you can get out there, expose yourself and let people get to know you first, then the chances of building relationships and building networks get easier. Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Falcons rookie safety takes reps with first-team defense
Atlanta gave third-round pick Xavier Watts reps with the first-team defense at Saturday's practice The Atlanta Falcons completed their second training camp practice on Saturday morning, and they continue to tweak things on defense. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is making sure to see what he's got at all positions, including safety. Third-round pick Xavier Watts was considered one of the draft's biggest steals, and he's already getting reps with the first-team defense. The Falcons signed veteran Jordan Fuller to start next to Jessie Bates III, but that was before they traded up for Watts. The former Notre Dame standout was touted as "one of the best ball-hawking safeties in the class" by Pro Football Focus, finishing the 2024 season with six interceptions and a coverage grade of 89.5. Atlanta has so many new faces on defense that it makes sense for Ulbrich try different rotations. Thus far, he hasn't been shy about doing so along the defensive line. Aside from Watts running with the first-team defense, Ulbrich used several different combinations up front, per team reporter Tori McElhaney. "This is a heavily rotating DL, so they are getting a lot of work with the 1st and 2nd team," McElhaney wrote on Twitter. "Same with Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, David Onyemata, Zach Harrison, Leonard Floyd, Arnold Ebiketie, etc. The pairings and groupings are ever changing almost play in and play out." The Falcons finished 31st in the NFL with 31 defensive sacks last season and have since lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Orhorhoro and Dorlus didn't receive much playing time as rookies, but both are expected to help fill the void in 2025. Ebiketie is entering a contract year and should have every incentive to play his best this season. The former second-round pick has added competition with rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. expected to play major roles as well. Falcons wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. made his camp debut on Saturday. The former Pro Bowler was spotted wearing a the No. 16 as he looks to help fill in for an injured Darnell Mooney (shoulder). Check out the team's updated 90-man roster.
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Concern over enforcement of Severn Bridge weight limit
The grainy image appears to show a French-registered lorry approaching the bridge from the Chepstow side, despite restrictions that have been in place since May 2025 to protect the bridge's ageing suspension cables. But the photo is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Since the weight limit was introduced, enforcement has been plagued by confusion, delays, and a lack of transparency. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, promised by National Highways, were not in place at the start of the weight restrictions in May and there's still no clear confirmation they are operational. Councillor Catrin Maby said enforcement is now handled through Avon and Somerset Police, but there's no public data on summonses, and no clarity on which democratic body oversees the bridge's monitoring group. Adding to the chaos, old signage displaying the previous 44-tonne limit remained in place after he restrictions, potentially misleading foreign drivers relying on outdated satellite navigation. Enforcement is split between two police forces, and local hauliers gossip has it that foreign drivers are using the bridge, seemingly without penalty. Monmouthshire County Council has compared the economic impact to the potential closure of Scunthorpe steelworks, warning that more than 2,500 jobs at Newhouse Farm industrial estate are at risk. Councillors have called for a 'who, what, when, where, why and how' approach to enforcement, demanding clear signage, functioning cameras, and accountability. Councillor Watts has said : 'Until then, the bridge remains a symbol of muddled management, where rules exist, but clarity does not.' The farce continued this week as Gwent Police confirmed that a 27-year-old man from Bristol was issued with a traffic offence report after being escorted off the M48 Severn Bridge on Wednesday, July 16—while driving a horse and carriage. National Highways has not been asked to comment on whether the horse and carriage exceeded the 7.5-tonne weight limit.
Chicago Tribune
21-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana SAT results show students vexed by math, but increase reading and writing scores
Indiana juniors who took the state-required SAT exam improved their reading and writing scores, while posting a slight improvement in math. The 2024-25 scores on the SAT taken by 81,620 juniors showed a 2.7% improvement on the evidence-based reading and writing portion, but just a slight math score improvement from last year. The Indiana State Board of Education reviewed the scores last week after their release. A state law requires students to take a national college entrance exam and receive a passing score no lower than the national cut score. This year's 'at college-ready' benchmark score for reading and writing is 480, while the math score is 530. The College Board administers the SAT. In reading and writing, 54.5% of students scored at or above the college-ready benchmark but in math, just 25.4% received passing scores, compared to 25.2% last year. The pass rate for both reading/writing and math was 24.5%. State assessment guidelines will change next year, as the state board develops a new grading system in line with the state's new diploma standards, effective for the Class of 2029, who begin ninth grade year this fall. Students can choose from a diploma that offers three readiness seals — college-bound, workforce employment, and military enlistment. Under the new model, juniors will still be required to take the SAT, but the scores will only be used toward graduation if a student chooses that option. Board member B.J. Watts said last week he wasn't too concerned about the low math scores because it's likely many of the juniors who took the exam weren't planning on going to college. 'If we only pulled out students who are college-bound, scores change drastically. 'Students may not see their place in that test,' he said. Lake Central High School, one of the largest traditional public schools in Northwest Indiana, with nearly 3,000 students, had the most students passing both portions of the SAT at 51.1%. Its students also had the top math pass rate at 52.8%. Among charter schools, the Hammond Academy for Science and Technology (HAST) had the highest pass rate for both subjects at 21.3%. Among private schools, Illiana Christian had the top pass rate for both subjects at 57.6%, including 59.25% of juniors passing the math portionEBRW Math Both State 54.5% 25.4% 24.4% Lake County Calumet New Tech 23.6% 4.9% 2.1% Crown Point 72% 39.9% 38.7% East Chicago 31% 5% 4.2% Gary West Side 20.5% 9.1% 3.8% Griffith 54.8% 11.5% 11.5% Hammond Central 23.8% 2.6% 2.6% Hammond Morton 22.5% 1.7% 1.7% Hanover Central 69.4% 31.6% 30.1% Highland 59.4% 21.2% 20.3% Hobart 53.8% 19% 17.7% Lake Central 73.9% 52.8% 51.1% Lake Station 31.3% 2.5% 1.3% Lowell 56.3% 21.6% 21.2% Merrillville 37.4% 13.1% 12% Munster 83.1% 46.6% 46.4% Whiting 37.5% 18.2% 14.8% Porter County Boone Grove 71% 35.5% 34.4% Chesterton 69.1% 39.5% 38.9% Hebron 53.3% 16.1% 14.9% Kouts 56.4% 27.3% 25.5% Morgan 71% 38.7% 38.7% NWI Online School (Duneland) 33.3% 4.8% 4.8% Portage 43.4% 16% 14.2% Valparaiso 70.9% 38.9% 38.1% Washington Twp. 81.5% 29.2% 27.7% Wheeler 60.7% 39.3% 35.7% Charter schools 21st Century Charter 25.7% 2.7% 2.7% Gary Lighthouse 10.2% 3.7% 1.9% Gary Middle College 5.3% 0% 0% HAST (Hammond) 56.3% 21.3% 21.3% Neighbors New Vistas 20.8% 4.2% 4.2% Steel City Academy 54.2% 0% 0% Thea Bowman 26.5% 0% 0% Private schools Andrean 81.7% 40.9% 39.1% Bishop Noll 69.7% 22.9% 22.3% Calumet Christian 87.5% 18.8% 18.8% Hammond Baptist 74.2% 29% 29% Illiana Christian 84.8% 59.2% 57.6% Marquette 77.8% 47.6% 44.4% Portage Christian 63.6% 27.3% 22.7% Victory Christian 79.2% 29.2% 29.2% *Indiana Department of Education
