NFL=
Drew Brees says he still expects to remain with the Saints as long
as they want him. The quarterback says he knows he’d have leverage
to shop around if New Orleans doesn’t reach an extension with him
before the new league year starts in March. Brees says he doesn’t
plan on doing that. Aside from his play on the field, the Saints
have plenty of motivation to keep Brees around. They’d lose $18
million in salary cap space if they fail to reach an extension with
their QB.
Mike Tomlin took a lot of heat for his in-game decisions in the
Steelers’ 45-42 divisional playoff loss to the Jaguars, and
according to Pro Football Talk, fans aren’t the only ones upset
with the performance. Site founder Mike Florio says he’s heard
“some of the team’s limited partners intend to lobby owner Art
Rooney to fire of Tomlin and to hire a new coach.” None of these
minority owners have the authority to hire or fire anyone. Tomlin
is 116-60 in 11 seasons with the Steelers but the team has lost six
of its last nine playoff games.
The most derided decisions in Sunday’s loss involved the Steelers’
decisions to not allow quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to sneak on a
pair of critical fourth-and-one situations. Roethlisberger said
Tomlin prefers not to run QB sneaks and said he doesn’t have the
“freedom to check (into one) because we don’t have that call if
we’re not in the huddle.” Roethlisberger also said that Tomlin
laughs when he lobbies to run the quarterback sneak. “I truly have
never said I don’t want to run it,” Roethlisberger said. “I have
asked for it. I am fine with it. If they want to call it, I’m all
for it.” Tomlin was cagey when asked about it in his season-ending
press conference. “To suggest there’s a resistance to it, the
concept, I’m not willing to say that.”
The 0-16 Browns plan to interview former Giants coach Ben McAdoo
for their offensive coordinator position. McAdoo was fired along
with general manager Jerry Reese on Dec. 4 after posting a 2-10
mark this season and 13-15 record overall. New York struggled
mightily on offense under McAdoo’s watch this season, scoring just
17.8 points per game and ranking 30th in total yards. Coach Hue
Jackson has called the offense’s plays the past two seasons in
Cleveland.
Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was not injured after being
involved in a minor car accident in Jacksonville. The Florida
Highway Patrol confirmed to a local television station that
Fournette was not at fault after his car was rear-ended as part of
a three-vehicle collision. The 22-year-old rookie finished with 109
yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Jaguars in Sunday’s win
over the Steelers before briefly leaving with an ankle injury. He’s
expected to play in this week’s AFC championship game in New
England.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL=
Heisman Trophy runner-up Bryce Love will return to Stanford for his
senior season. Love finished behind Baker Mayfield in the Heisman
voting, but won the Doak Walker Award as the top running back in
the FBS and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors after
rushing for 2,118 yards with an FBS-best 8.1 yards per carry. He
also tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns with 19.
OLYMPICS=
One of the dozens of victims expected to testify at the sentencing
hearing of disgraced former Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar
described the sexual abuse Nassar inflicted on her as a child and
warned him that ”little girls don’t stay little forever.” Kyle
Stephens was the first of nearly 100 women and girls who will be
allowed to speak or will have their statements read by others
during the four-day hearing in Lansing, Michigan. ”I testified to
let the world know that you are a repulsive liar,” Stephens said
to the 54-year-old, who bowed his head with his eyes closed as she
and others spoke. She said Nassar repeatedly abused her from age 6
until age 12 during family visits to his home. Another statement
came from Donna Markham, who told of how her daughter Chelsey
committed suicide in 2009, years after Nassar sexually abused her
during a medical examination.
TENNIS=
Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka were all winners
in their Australian Open returns following long injury layoffs.
Sharapova rolled past Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-4 in her first
appearance in Melbourne since a failed doping test in 2016 resulted
in a 15-month ban from tennis. Djokovic, the six-time champion,
tweaked his service motion while recovering from an injured right
elbow, and used it to good effect in a straight-set win over Donald
Young. Wawrinka was back in action after a six-month absence after
left knee surgery and defeated Ricardas Berankis in four sets.