Latest news with #Tuck
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Even after breakout season, Packers' Tucker Kraft not yet considered one of NFL's best TEs
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft ranked among the best at his position in several important statistical measures during a breakout 2024 season, but he'll have to do more as a young player before the rest of the NFL sees him as one of the best tight ends in football. In a voted-based ranking from NFL executives, coaches and scouts compiled by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Kraft didn't land in the top 10 or even as one of the seven honorable mentions, meaning he ranked at least No. 18 in the voting. Kraft did receive votes for the top 10, but not enough to be recognized. Acknowledgement in the NFL often takes time. Kraft will need to build on his breakout season to establish himself as one of the league's best at tight end. As a second-year player in 2024, Kraft caught 50 passes for 707 yards and seven touchdowns on only 70 targets. Among tight ends, he ranked tied for fourth in touchdown catches, seventh in receiving yards and second in yards per target (10.1). According to Pro Football Focus, Kraft forced 15 missed tackles -- tied for the most among tight ends -- and averaged 9.3 yards after the catch, leading all tight ends. His average depth of target was just 5.0 yards, and the Packers often used him on screens and checkdown passes, but Kraft's ability to get up field and make people miss helped make him a devastatingly effective player with the ball in his hands. The Packers have said, on multiple occasions this offseason, that they plan to use Kraft more in the passing game in 2025. And while effective as an underneath option last season, Kraft's next step is becoming a more dangerous and consistent player in the intermediate and deep areas of the passing game. "Just trying to find different ways to give him the ball, that's gonna be the big thing for us," offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said this offseason. More targets for an ascending player like Kraft should mean more production, and more recognition as a top player. "Tuck's going to be a big part of our offense," quarterback Jordan Love said. "I think a big part of going into this season is going to be finding ways to continue to get Tuck the ball, get him as many touches as we can in the game because he's a dynamic playmaker and does some really good things once he gets it in his hands. That's going to be a focus going into the season, is trying to make sure we can get him as many touches as possible each week.' One could forgive the NFL for overlooking Kraft after just one good season. The Packers sound ready to give him every chance to cement his status as a top-10 tight end with another great season in 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Big Rig the floating burger stand catches eyes at Belwood Lake
BELWOOD — If you heard a semi truck blow its horn in the middle of Belwood Lake this weekend, no, your ears weren't deceiving you. Meet Big Rig Burgers: a new floating food truck headed to an Ontario lake near you this summer. A take on a floating tiki bar, Big Rig Burgers is a boat-based food truck made from a modified semi-truck with two delivery windows serving a variety of smash burgers, soft serve ice cream, kettle chips, and dips both on the water and dockside. Based out of Grand Valley, owner Joshua Tuck launched the 'one-of-a-kind' pinyon pine big rig boat for the first time from the Highland Pines Campground on Belwood Lake this Sunday, much to the surprise and amusement of many boaters and beachgoers, who pumped their fists or floated up for a bite as the rig motored by. This reaction was the whole reason Tuck wanted to launch Big Rig in the first place. 'When I saw the boat for the first time, it was already converted to be a pontoon boat with a transport truck on it, and I thought to myself, 'Wow, that is so eye-catching, what could I do with that boat?' And eventually came up with Big Rig Burgers,' said Tuck. 'I always thought it would be cool to have a food truck on the water, and it just kept going from there.' It took three months to get the rig water ready. Relatively new to Grand Valley at the time, Tuck said he quickly got to know the entire neighbourhood because everyone wanted to know what was going on with the boat in his driveway. 'People had no shame. They were coming up, knocking on the door, stopping in their vehicles,' said Tuck. Banking on his business's virality, Tuck said the truck has five cameras and they plan on posting fun customer interactions and behind-the-scenes clips of Big Rig on their social media accounts moving forward, similar to the Spud Bros in England. Tuck is also hopeful customers will enjoy their smash burgers, especially the signature Big Mack burger, a semi-truck twist on the McDonald's classic 'It's like a Big Mac with a little bit of love in it,' said Tuck. While not a permanent Belwood staple, Big Rig Burgers is set to return to Belwood Lake on August 9 and 10. More information is available here . Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
New Straits Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Ex-national footballer Tuck scores his second Asian gold
KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Tuck has walked away from the M-League into something more interesting. The former national footballer is into HYROX, a hybrid sport which requires him to run eight kilometres, interspersed with eight different workout stations of SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jump, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. The England-born Tuck, who became a naturalised player for Harimau Malaya, won the HYROX Asian Championships (35–39 age group) for the second consecutive year in Singapore last week. The 36-year-old shared on Instagram. "Such a great feeling when the sacrifice pays off and the goal you've committed so much towards finally comes together. "Back-to-back gold at the HYROX Asian Championship! Different race. Different country. Different challenges. Same mindset — show up, compete, and give it everything. Tuck left the M-League last year after playing for Kedah. He returned to England to focus on real estate — a venture that has also seen considerable success, with his company named as a finalist for the Best Real Estate Investor Award in the United Kingdom last year. Tuck earned nine caps for Malaysia and scored three goals between 2022 and 2023. At M-league level, he made a significant impact at Negri Sembilan (2017), Terengganu (2018–2020, 2022), Pahang (2021–2022) and Kedah (2023).
Observer
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Manar racing secure 5th place in Gold Cup
SPA, Belgium: Al Faisal al Zubair, Jens Klingmann, Ben Tuck and Neil Verhagen picked up valuable points for finishing fifth in the Gold Cup category at the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium on Sunday. After qualifying their Al Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO down in ninth place for the flagship event in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS calendar third round, the quartet quickly made their way into the top five and held fourth place briefly on a few occasions on the demanding Spa-Francorchamps circuit. In front of a record crowd of over 128,000 people who witnessed the weekend's action, the Al Manar Racing crew completed 546 laps but were just two short of the triumphant Racing Aston Martin and the second-placed Garage 59 McLaren that lost out on a potential victory with a tyre issue in the final hour. The CSA Racing McLaren finished third and the Wright Motorsport Porsche was fourth on the same lap as the Al Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW. The result keeps the team firmly in contention for the Drivers' and Teams' Championships. They now hold second in the Team's series and third in the Drivers' Championship. Al Zubair said: 'The race was not the greatest for us in terms of the result. But, the most important thing was that we did the best we could with the power they gave us with the BMW." Klingmann took the wheel for the first session and started the race from ninth in the Gold Cup category. After three laps, the German had climbed to seventh with the Herberth Motorsport Porsche leading the way in the hands of Joel Sturm into the second hour after 24 laps. Tim Heinemann then took over the leading Porsche and Tuck replaced Klingmann in the Al Manar Racing BMW but the team slipped back to ninth in the changeover. The crew managed to climb to fifth through the 4hr 30min hour mark but slipped back to seventh through 6hr 30min. During the night stint, after 10hr 30min, they had moved back up to fourth and then slipped back to fifth shortly after daybreak. They retained fifth through mid-morning. With six hours remaining, Klingmann was again at the wheel and the Al Manar Racing car was in fifth with the Racing Aston Martin leading the way. Klingmann climbed to fourth with 5hr 40min on the clock but Verhagen took over for the next stint and the team was back in fifth place with four hours left on the clock. The Garage 59 McLaren then snatched the lead. Tuck was give driving duties for the final session and the Briton safely brought the BMW to the finish in fifth place in the Gold Cup section. Thursday morning's free practice session was the Garage 59 McLaren card the quickest lap of 2min 17.422sec to get the better of the Herberth Motorsport Porsche and the Team RJN McLaren. A dozen Gold Cup crews took part in the session and Al Manar Racing's Verhagen topped the times in the BMW with a lap of 2min 19.042sec. TEAMS – latest Gold Cup standings 1. Racing 91pts 2. Al Manar Racing by Team WRT 69pts 3. CSA Racing 66pts 4. Garage 59 33pts 5. Optimum Motorsport 30pts 6. Tresor Attempto Racing 29pts 6. Paul Motorsport 29pts 8. Team RJN 26pts, etc DRIVERS – latest Gold Cup standings 1. Lulham/Vermeulen/King 91pts 2. Rougier/Gachet/Kell 66pts 3. Al Zubair/Klingmann/Tuck 65pts 4. Pla 33pts 5. Prett/Smalley/Macdonald 31pts, etc
New York Post
23-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Long Island school recruits adorable ‘celebrity' dog to fight goose poop epidemic: ‘It's a real problem'
Poo poo it all you want. A Long Island school getting mercilessly bombarded with goose poop crafted a unique solution to combat the daily air raids — putting their 'celebrity' pooch on the scent. The district of Island Trees in Levittown has recruited Tuck, a sharply trained herding Border Collie, to chase hundreds of honkers off its fields. 4 Principal Allison Ackerman with kneeling with Tuck. Dennis A. Clark 4 The four-year-old black and white pooch, whose name is short for his home state of Kentucky, impressively follows the commands of Ackerman while on his daily duty. Dennis A. Clark 4 Does rounds daily with a handler at all the Island Trees schools and even wags his tail in the car when approaching a flock Dennis A. Clark 'I have seen fields completely covered, and all he does is run up, make that first turn, and clear it within 10 seconds,' Michael F. Stokes Elementary School principal Allison Ackerman told The Post of her guardian of the ruff. 'We had a lot of goose poop. Even the kids say there's less goose poop when they come in from recess … it's funny to talk about, but it's a real problem because the kids would get it on their clothes.' The four-year-old black and white pooch, whose name is short for his home state of Kentucky, impressively follows the commands of Ackerman while on his daily duty. 'I say 'way-a-me' and that means to go all the way clockwise around the geese. And 'come-by' means goes all-the-way counterclockwise,' she explained of the poo-preventing pup who is also trained to herd sheep. 'If we want him to get a little closer to something that he's not seeing, I will say 'shh, shh shh,' and he'll keep inching up, and then I'll give the second command,' Ackerman added Friday on what was, fittingly, national take your dog to work day. Tuck's services — he does rounds daily with a handler at all the Island Trees schools and even wags his tail in the car when approaching a flock — have become both cheaper and more effective than a professional goose clearing service the district had before acquiring him in April 2024. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! 'They would clear the geese, and then the geese would figure it out and come later in the day. The district said that getting Tuck paid for itself in a year,' said Ackerman, who keeps a doggie bed and donated toys for him in her office. But she couldn't provide the cost they paid for the pooch. 'We don't see this anywhere on Long Island. … Maybe out east and on golf courses, but we have had districts now call us to see what this is all about.' Bow wow! Getting a goose guard at schools isn't as simple as it seems, as someone needs to keep them during school nights and on weekends. Ackerman and her husband, who both desperately wanted a dog but felt guilty about leaving them home all day, were happy to oblige. They soon learned that Tuck's dream employee attitude didn't disappear on off days, either. 'We have to keep him working, so we find all different things,' Ackerman said, adding that he won't be alone this summer as Tuck will accompany her to school on weekdays. 'My husband taught him fetch, and we really feel that it's like getting prey, so he gets it and he brings it back. We teach him frisbee, different chores around the house, and how to identify his toys.' Beyond his role as the best groundskeeper in Island Trees history, Tuck is also 'a celebrity' among the student body. 'I knew people would like him, but the way that they love him and how he brings joy to them is something that I didn't really expect,' Ackerman added. 4 Getting a goose guard at schools isn't as simple as it seems, as someone needs to keep them during school nights and on weekends. Dennis A. Clark Meanwhile, the teachers love interacting with Tuck just as much as the students. 'When we're having a really hard day, you can't be that upset when you see a dog rolling [around] and wanting a back rub.'
