At the end of a month of headline-grabbing sport, the UEFA Women's Euro ended with a suitably thrilling final between England defeated Germany 2-1 after extra time at a sold-out Wembley Stadium where an attendance of 87,192 shattered yet more records for women's sport.
Manchester City's Chloe Kelly scored the 111th-minute winner at the end of a season in which she completed a long rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in May 2021 which forced her to miss last summer's Olympic Games and meant she did not figure in England's plans until the eve of the tournament.
In the pre-match press conference, England coach Sarina Wiegman had talked about the German's physicality and after their opponents were deprived of the services of their captain and top scorer, Alexandra Popp due to a muscle injury sustained in the warm-up, both sides went at each other a force which bordered on the limits of recklessness as five yellow cards were produced before a goal was scored.
Ella Toone, one of the heroes of the quarter-final victory over Spain, came on and opened the scoring shortly after the hour with a sublime chip racing onto a through-ball from deep. The goal came against the general run of play and it was no more than Germany deserved when Lina Magull steered home an equalizer after a well-worked move down the right.
At the end of a tournament which started with a record-breaking attendance for the competition at Old Trafford, the expectation always has that a new high watermark for the women's game would be set when the final was played at a Wembley Stadium sold-out months before the tournament began. For all of those ticket-holders to attend, the competition organizers were relying on a glamour final and the meeting of the hosts and the eight-time champions, Germany, fit the bill perfectly.
The previous record for a women's international match played in Europe was set ten years ago at the same stadium when the 80,203 watch the women's Olympic Football Final between the United States and Japan. Today's attendance surpassed that and remarkably is the highest for any European Championship finals match played by either men or women. The previous record was set back in 1964 when 79,115 spectators attended the men's European Championship final between Spain and the Soviet Union.
Remarkably, today's crowd is only the third-largest at a women's match at the culmination of a staggering season for the game. Twice in the UEFA Women's Champions League, FC Barcelona sold out their home stadium, the biggest in Europe generating successive record attendances of 91,553 and 91,648 for matches against Real Madrid and VfL Wolfsburg.
The UEFA Women's Euro ended with an aggregate attendance of 574,865 over the course of 31 matches played around England, more than double the previous edition in the Netherlands in 2017. The average attendance of 18,544 fell just short of UEFA's pre-tournament aim of 20,000 per game but as their President Aleksander Ceferin admitted speaking before the final, UEFA Women's Euro 2022 will be a tough act to follow claiming "the bar is very high and it's tough for the next host. We still don’t know who the next host will be but to match these numbers will not be easy. We all have to work in that direction."
The first practice of head coach Bret Bielema's second season is officially in the books after players participated in drills on the brand-new Memorial Stadium turf on Saturday.
Though Bielema and his staff already have one season in Champaign under their belts, year two will certainly look different: New offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. brings an uptempo offense in his first year with the Illini, the departure of several seniors from the 2021 roster requires new leadership to emerge and new special teams coordinator and specialists coach Sean Snyder inherits an inexperienced unit.
With opening day less than four weeks away and the Illini back on the field this summer, let's look at a few of the biggest takeaways from the first practice of the season.
The starting quarterback race is still at the starting line
With the graduation of Brandon Peters and the arrival of several new faces in the quarterback room, the QB1 spot is one of the fiercest battles to watch in training camp.
"That guy's got to have leadership skills," Bielema said. "He's got to have the ability to handle adversity. He's got to be able to bring others along with him. He's got to be able to take criticism when things don't go well, so I think someone has to separate themselves over a period of time. I don't think it's a one-day evaluation and promotion. It's something of an accumulative effect."
Junior Artur Sitkowski has the most experience at Illinois among the current starting quarterback contenders. Sitkowski transferred from Rutgers last season and made five starts before suffering a season-ending injury against Penn State on Oct. 23.
Across those five starts, Sitkowski recorded over 700 passing yards and six touchdowns and helped Illinois pull off an opening-day victory over Nebraska in Bielema and company's first regular-season contest with the Illini.
"Art is a kind of a coaching voice, right, like very authoritarian, very not afraid to dictate, not afraid to speak up, not afraid to criticize others but also himself in a positive way," Bielema said.
Senior Tommy DeVito is also primed to battle for the starting job. A transfer from Syracuse, DeVito has 27 collegiate appearances, 28 touchdowns, and nearly 4,000 career passing yards on his resume.
"Tommy, you know, is truly one of those guys and embraces, enjoys, and loves life every day," Bielema said. "Very outspoken demeanor."
The starting gig is far from a two-man race, though, as Northern Michigan transfer senior Ryan Johnson, redshirt freshman Jake Huber, and freshmen Kirkland Michaux and Donovan Leary have all made early impressions on Bielema and his staff.
A decision on QB1 will not come for a few weeks, though Bielema is not concerned and is instead excited to watch the competition within the quarterback room.
The offense is excited about the uptempo scheme under new OC Barry Lunney Jr.
While the man under center won't be determined until later in training camp, new offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. has already made it clear that he plans to use an uptempo offense in his first season in Champaign.
Junior wide receiver Casey Washington looks to make a bigger impact in Lunney's offense after he notched career-high numbers in games played, receptions, and receiving yards last season. Washington says Lunney is a much more "aggressive caller" who isn't afraid to speed up the tempo of the offense, but he's confident the unit can adapt quickly.
"Our offensive coordinator, man, that dude's a confident guy and you know we're gonna take shots and we're gonna run the ball, too," Washington said. "We're gonna establish the run game, and we're gonna play off of that. But Coach Lunney knows what he's doing."
One integral piece of this new system is senior offensive lineman Alex Palczewski, who opted to return to the Illini for a sixth season. After splitting time at tackle and guard last season, Palczewski will move back to right tackle this season.
"Right tackle, it's where I feel at home, it's where I feel most comfortable," Palczewski said. "I feel a lot better now. I feel like this is where I can contribute the most."
The offensive line will look much different from the past few seasons with the departure of Doug Kramer and Vederian Lowe, who combined to start 100 games for Illinois between 2017 to 2021.
As the most experienced player in the offensive line unit with 52 career starts, Palczewski says he is finally fully healthy and expects to be the best version of himself this season.
"It's crazy how much better I'm feeling," Palczewski said. "That was a big reason why I want to come back because I truly believe that we have the best strength stuff, the best training staff in the nation, like just being there every single morning with Coach Tank (Wright).
"I mean, I can't thank them enough because I just feel so much better, so much more athletic, and I'm just so happy I came back for another year."
Palczewski played in a high-paced offense during his first few seasons in Champaign, and he's excited to return to that uptempo scheme this year.
"This is what I'm used to," Palczewski said. "That's the stuff I absolutely love, so the biggest part is just getting used to actually moving and just running because you can do drills and workouts and all that but until you put on the pads, helmets, and actually start blocking someone, it's a little bit of a different animal, but I mean I love this uptempo offense."
Special teams will look different, and the specialist starters have yet to be determined
With assistant coach Ben Miller still away from the team after he was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, Bielema brought in Sean Snyder to take over special teams duties this season.
Snyder has nearly three decades of college football experience, while he served as special teams coordinator at Kansas State from 2011-2018 and at the USC from 2020-2021.
"When I began to look at guys into this position, right, there's a lot of guys that are, especially as coordinators, who really are good at special teams, but they're not great at, maybe they don't have a lot of experience, at kicking the ball, snapping the ball, punting the ball," Bielema said. "That's his forte. That's where he made his deal."
Kicker James McCourt, punter Blake Hayes, and long snapper Ethan Tabel have all moved on from the program after writing their names in the Illini record books during their tenures in Champaign, which has led to competitions for the starting jobs at each spot.
Snyder will not be alone in making these decisions, though, as Bielema will use himself and his defensive coaches – defensive backs coach Aaron Henry, linebackers coach Andy Buh, and outside linebackers coach Kevin Kane – along with some graduate assistants as the special teams staff.
Though the special teams coaching staff consists of several coaches, Bielema still wants to give Snyder the command to run all four special teams units.
"He's a voice. He and I have already met a lot," Bielema said. "I'm sure he's gotten tired of me already, but we've had a lot of experiences over the years together and I'm excited for his experience."
The defense looks to build off a huge turnaround in DC Ryan Walters' first season
It's no secret that the Illini defense made significant strides in 2021, especially in the final nine games of the season. Junior linebacker Tarique Barnes says it's only the beginning of what the defense is capable of ahead of defensive coordinator Ryan Walters' second season.
"I just think we're building our expectations. ... Last year was the first year, so everything was first," Barnes said. "Obviously you want to go out and we want to win, we're gonna win, we're gonna do all this stuff. But I think that when you have a second season to do that, when you have time under there, I just think that you begin to adapt to certain things or begin to learn a little bit more about what you can and can't do, learn a little bit more about the system."
This includes junior defensive back Devon Witherspoon, who wants to take on a bigger leadership role and will use his confidence to bolster his teammates.
"(I want to) just keep raising my confidence and my style of play," Witherspoon said. "Hopefully it'll affect everybody else so we can all be great players."
To take a step forward this season, Barnes says it will take effort from the entire roster, starting at the top with the seniors and moving down to the freshmen.
"I think taking a step forward is obviously bringing more energy and really holding each other accountable as teammates on the field and even off the field: film, weight room, even just brotherhood with one another," Barnes said. "I think all of that plays a part if you want to be able to trust and believe in the people next to you, and I think that making sure that everybody's on the same page is the easiest way to do that."
Bielema is impressed by his first true freshman class
Though Bielema may be in his second season in Champaign, this year will feature his first complete freshman class.
The Illini currently have 35 players listed as freshmen, nearly half of whom hail from the state of Illinois.
Bielema has already been impressed with the freshmen, and he's excited for them to make an impact this season and beyond.
"Every person that touched that freshman class just talked about the difference in the way they went through their compliance meeting when they first got here, the way they handled their semester academically, and the way they handled freshman transition," Bielema said. "There's a group of academic people that work with the incoming guys for the entire summer. They talked about their demeanor, their approach, just their overall presence.
"I'm excited about this group. I think it's hopefully a good indication of where we're going."
The second day of summer practices will take place on Sunday at Memorial Stadium.
With Max Verstappen starting down in 10th on the grid after his engine problem in qualifying, and teammate Sergio Perez one place further back, Red Bull's simulations had shown that the best route to deliver a good result was to have a long first stint on the hard.
But difficulties that both drivers had in switching even the soft tyre on on the way to the grid prompted Red Bull to scrap its initial idea.
That proved to be a hugely significant move, as struggles that a number of rivals – including Ferrari's Charles Leclerc – had with the hard showed it would have doomed Red Bull to a very difficult opening phase of the race rather than put on a charge on the soft that helped secure it the win.
"Our strategy was out of the window after the laps to the grid," explained Verstappen.
"We had to change it around and make a new one. But I don't think that's very hard for the team: they're very flexible, and they know what they're doing."
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner reckoned, knowing how hard things had been for the drivers on the laps out to the grid, that it would have been 'ludicrous' to have gone ahead with its original plan.
"We were going to start the race on the hard tyre because statistically, that looked like our best race," he said.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36, Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42, the remainder of the field on the opening lap
"But the drivers were struggling to generate temperature in the soft tyre on the way to the grid. And it felt ludicrous to be starting the race on a hard tyre, particularly with some weather around.
"We converted both drivers on the grid to the soft tyre, which committed us very much to a two stop. But we made it work today, and it played out beautifully."
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Verstappen agreed it was an absolute no-brainer to scrap the hard tyre plan once it become clear how hard it was going to be to switch the rubber on.
"I went to the grid on the soft tyres and I was already struggling for grip, so I was like: 'no way we're gonna start on the hard," he explained.
"It's also credit to the team because we, of course, plan the strategy around the hard tyre, and then we are like okay, we're switching it to a soft.
"I'm very happy that we did because the hard tyre it was really, really tough. And you could see that with Charles and Carlos, they were sliding around a lot."
At the end of a month of headline-grabbing sport, the UEFA Women's Euro ended with a suitably thrilling final between England defeated Germany 2-1 after extra time at a sold-out Wembley Stadium where an attendance of 87,192 shattered yet more records for women's sport.
Manchester City's Chloe Kelly scored the 111th-minute winner at the end of a season in which she completed a long rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in May 2021 which forced her to miss last summer's Olympic Games and meant she did not figure in England's plans until the eve of the tournament.
In the pre-match press conference, England coach Sarina Wiegman had talked about the German's physicality and after their opponents were deprived of the services of their captain and top scorer, Alexandra Popp due to a muscle injury sustained in the warm-up, both sides went at each other a force which bordered on the limits of recklessness as five yellow cards were produced before a goal was scored.
Ella Toone, one of the heroes of the quarter-final victory over Spain, came on and opened the scoring shortly after the hour with a sublime chip racing onto a through-ball from deep. The goal came against the general run of play and it was no more than Germany deserved when Lina Magull steered home an equalizer after a well-worked move down the right.
At the end of a tournament which started with a record-breaking attendance for the competition at Old Trafford, the expectation always has that a new high watermark for the women's game would be set when the final was played at a Wembley Stadium sold-out months before the tournament began. For all of those ticket-holders to attend, the competition organizers were relying on a glamour final and the meeting of the hosts and the eight-time champions, Germany, fit the bill perfectly.
The previous record for a women's international match played in Europe was set ten years ago at the same stadium when the 80,203 watch the women's Olympic Football Final between the United States and Japan. Today's attendance surpassed that and remarkably is the highest for any European Championship finals match played by either men or women. The previous record was set back in 1964 when 79,115 spectators attended the men's European Championship final between Spain and the Soviet Union.
Remarkably, today's crowd is only the third-largest at a women's match at the culmination of a staggering season for the game. Twice in the UEFA Women's Champions League, FC Barcelona sold out their home stadium, the biggest in Europe generating successive record attendances of 91,553 and 91,648 for matches against Real Madrid and VfL Wolfsburg.
The UEFA Women's Euro ended with an aggregate attendance of 574,865 over the course of 31 matches played around England, more than double the previous edition in the Netherlands in 2017. The average attendance of 18,544 fell just short of UEFA's pre-tournament aim of 20,000 per game but as their President Aleksander Ceferin admitted speaking before the final, UEFA Women's Euro 2022 will be a tough act to follow claiming "the bar is very high and it's tough for the next host. We still don’t know who the next host will be but to match these numbers will not be easy. We all have to work in that direction."
On the 29th of July, the delegation of the Ministry of Infrastructure together with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, ambassadors of the G7, Turkey, and representatives of the UN inspected the process of loading the first ships within the framework of the ‘grain initiative’ signed in Istanbul.
In particular, 17 vessels have already been loaded in the ports of Odessa and Chornomorsk, of which 10 are ready to depart.
For the first time since February 24, work has been resumed in the sea ports of Ukraine. The ships, which were loaded with grain during the winter, are ready to leave as soon as our partners, the UN and Turkey agree on a “green corridor” in the direction of the Bosphorus Strait.
As President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized, Ukraine had done everything it could take to start exporting grain as soon as possible. Ukraine remains the guarantor of global food security.
I express gratitude to the ambassadors of the G7, the European Delegation, Turkey and the UN for their joint work, which, I hope, will bring the first practical results in the coming days. Your presence today in Odessa gives hope to Ukrainian farmers, porters and the entire maritime industry.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine
Exports of grain will begin with sending of several ships that have been loaded but have been unable to leave port due to the onset of a full-scale Russian invasion.
In addition, as part of the visit, the Minister held a meeting with the Maritime Administration of Ukraine. The focus is on further steps in the development of port infrastructure and the expansion of cargo handling of the Danube port cluster.
It is worth recalling that on July 22 in Istanbul, at the proposal of the United Nations, Ukraine, Turkey and UN Secretary-General António Guterres signed the Initiative on the safe transportation of grain and food products from the Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny.
You can play one-on-one or in teams of two by sharing a link or getting matched up randomly with online opponents. If you just want to practice, Google offers that as an option as well, and I’d recommend spending a little time testing things out if you’re playing on your phone. I was consistently more accurate on my computer than I was on my phone — something didn’t quite click with me when I was tossing with my thumb instead of a mouse.
If you haven’t already seen it on Google today, here’s a GIF of the Doodle itself, which stars the adorable olives that are featured in the game.
Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren will play in Jamal Crawford’s pro-am league.
The top two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft will be on the same floor Saturday.
Orlando Magic rookie forward Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City Thunder rookie forward-center Chet Holmgren are set to play today in The CrawsOver, a pro-am league based in Seattle. The game will be streamed by the NBA as the league continues its goal to engage with fans throughout the offseason and widen its scope of basketball content.
The top picks will team up in Seattle where they are expected to face off against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels at 6 ET.
This marks the second time a pro-am league has been featured on NBA platforms, with coverage of the Drew League also being streamed on weekends. Below is more information about The CrawsOver.
What is The CrawsOver?
Once known as the Seattle Pro-Am Basketball League, The CrawsOver is a high-level summer pro-am league that features a mix of current and former professional, international, minor league and collegiate players. The league was founded by Jamal Crawford, a Seattle native and 20-year NBA veteran.
How can I watch Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren play in The CrawsOver?
The game is being streamed on the NBA App and NBA.com beginning at 6 ET. To watch the game on the NBA App for Apple + Android, simply download the app > click the Games tab at the bottom > select the stream. To watch the game on NBA.com, click here.
🚨 LIVESTREAM ALERT 🚨
For the first time ever watch @thecrawsover streaming LIVE TODAY on the NBA app & https://t.co/Pqxh2EPubW at 6pm/et featuring NBA Hoopers Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jaden McDaniels!
In a move that’ll cause a little more stress for everyone writing sports stories on a deadline, the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) announced this week that its executive committee had voted to have all high school football games start at 7:30 p.m. through September.
Games in October and November will revert back to the usual start time of 7 p.m.
The decision does not affect schools that play in the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools, such as Brookhaven Academy, that will still have a 7 p.m. start time all season.
The MHSAA is making the change to better help players deal with the heat that comes with football played in Mississippi in August and September.
High school football games in Mississippi all have mandatory heat timeouts that are called by officials at the six-minute mark of each quarter.
The MHSAA has also implemented a new “mercy-rule” for the upcoming football season. If a team is leading by more than 35 points at halftime or at any point in the second half, officials will start using a running clock.
No consent from the coaches is needed and the rule is one that’s already been implemented in MAIS games as well as junior college football games in the state.
The MHSAA will use the same running-clock criteria during basketball season.
"Hard Knocks," HBO's popular deep dive into an NFL team's training camp, is coming to Detroit this year. In Dan Campbell's sophomore season, the Lions are trying to build off a 3-13-1 record that saw some moments of grit amid a lot of low points in the year.
Detroit, however, has become a preseason darling of sorts. Dan Campbell has raked in bets for Coach of the Year, and they're getting a baffling amount of traction in people thinking they'll go as far as wresting the NFC North from the dominant Packers, who are absent Davante Adams.
In other words, hype is high in the Motor City — and it's only going to get higher after the Lions get the "Hard Knocks" bump.
A trailer for the popular show came out on Saturday on NFL.com. It's the stock-standard fare, with Campbell talking over b-roll of training moments and locations in the city, including the Motown Museum and the giant Joe Louis fist.
"Hard Knocks" for the Lions will premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 9 on HBO at 10 p.m. ET. There will also be in-season episodes following the Arizona Cardinals in November, which should be interesting after Kyler Murray's recent extension.
Date: Tuesday, Aug. 9
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Channel: HBO
Stream: HBO Max (After initial airing)
The Lions enter this season with surprisingly high aspirations, given they're not a completely new-look team from last year. But Campbell's swagger is infectious; in the trailer, he says the Lions will be a "terror" in the NFL this season. While standard coach speak, Lions fans will be happy to hear his confidence.
How to watch 'Hard Knocks'
HBO is, of course, a premium service, which means watching it via regular cable isn't an option. HBO is $14.99 a month, and acts as an add-on to your current television package.
HBO Max, meanwhile, is $9.99 a month and grants on-demand access to shows and movies. "Hard Knocks" will go live on HBO Max directly after the episode ends (circa 11 p.m. ET).
HBO Max is available on various streaming platforms, including Roku, Playstation, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and various Smart TVs.
The Lions are coming off a 3-13-1 season in Campbell's first year, so the biggest storyline is how this team improved. New additions Jameson Williams and D.J. Chark are hoping to provide a spark for Jared Goff, who is generally thought of as a bridge quarterback until the Lions land their QB of the future.
Director Shannon Furman also singled out wide receiver Trinity Benson as an interesting fringe standout, per Sports Illustrated. Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, is also looking to bounce back from a torn Achilles he suffered in Week 1 last season, the first of many brutal injuries to the Detroit secondary.
No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson will be another player to watch, alongside defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was solid in his first season calling plays last year.
Campbell, however, is shaping to be the star of the show. He's brash, he's enthusiastic, and he's everything you want to see in a player's coach. He's already making waves in training camp, having admonished new Lions Athletic reporter Colton Pouncy for having his cell phone alarm go off during a new conference. He also was seen doing up-downs with the team in practice.
It's time for one of the flagship events on the WWE calendar. Typically considered just behind WrestleMania in terms of popularity, SummerSlam is set to be the biggest match card of the summer months with five title matches on deck for Nashville on Saturday night.
The biggest match of all pits a pair of old rivals against each other once again. Undisputed universal champion Roman Reigns puts his pair of titles on the line against Brock Lesnar in a Las Man Standing Match in the main event. Reigns unified the titles by beating Lesnar in the main event at WrestleMania.
Let's take a closer look at who our CBS Sports experts predict will come out on top at WWE SummerSlam, which begins Saturday at 8 p.m. ET from Nissan Stadium in Nashville and streams live on Peacock following a kickoff show one hour earlier.
2022 WWE SummerSlam predictions
Undisputed WWE universal championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (Last Man Standing)
In giving Reigns a run as champion that has lasted for nearly 700 days, WWE has slowly backed themselves into a corner. Reigns has dispatched of basically every quality contender, leading the promotion to return to the well of Reigns vs. Lesnar despite it being a pairing that is very much stale. It's hard to see Lesnar getting the win here as it only serves to reset for another clash between the pair. With The Usos and Paul Heyman around, there are plenty of easy outs to aid Reigns in keeping Lesnar down for the 10-count. As for Theory and his threat of cashing in the Money in the Bank contract after the match, The Usos can likely run interference to allow Theory to keep the briefcase around as a storytelling device a bit longer. Pick: Roman Reigns retains
SmackDown women's championship -- Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
While there are plenty of chances for WWE to make major missteps with winners on the card, having Rousey end Morgan's reign and regain the title may be the biggest one. Rousey's return to WWE has mostly been a dud while Morgan has a strong fanbase that was delighted by her winning her first championship. The reaction to a Rousey win here would be awful and Morgan needs some time to really see how she can operate as a world champion. That doesn't mean a Rousey win isn't possible, just that it should not happen and hopefully WWE sees that. Pick: Liv Morgan retains
Raw women's championship -- Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Another potential misstep would be having Lynch beat Belair on the same stage as their infamous 27-second match. Lynch returned last year at SummerSlam and beat Belair with such speed that it caused significant backlash. Having Belair beat Lynch at WrestleMania to become champion once again was something of a make-good on that mistake, but allowing her to retain at SummerSlam would help in removing that stain from Belair's resume. Pick: Bianca Belair retains
Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin
Corbin has not won a pay-per-view match since December 2019. That isn't likely to change when he faces off with McAfee. WWE has done a good job of protecting McAfee as a special attraction who wrestles on rare occasions but surprises with his competency and athleticism. Corbin has cemented himself as a heel who can be slotted in for programs against anyone, lose the blowoff match and then move right on to the next without really gaining or losing any momentum. That makes him a perfect opponent for McAfee to defeat. Pick: Pat McAfee wins
Undisputed WWE tag team championship -- The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits (special guest referee Jeff Jarrett)
The Usos are so closely tied to Reigns that it makes it hard to pick against them before the "perfect moment" comes along. Such a big part of Reigns' presentation is the dominance of The Bloodline as they hold all of the top men's championships. The introduction of Jarrett as the referee could tilt things in the favor of the Profits, but Jarrett could just as easily cheat in favor of The Usos. Either way, someone is getting hit with a guitar. It's just too hard to see The Usos losing the belts before WWE is ready to start having Reigns' empire crumble around him. However things work out, the match should be great. Pick: The Usos retain
United States championship -- Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Theory
WWE has invested a lot of time into Theory, giving him tons of screen time, a run with the United States title and winning Money in the Bank. They also have done an interesting job of having him stumble often enough that the idea of his SummerSlam plan to regain his title before cashing in the Money in the Bank contract later in the night completely blowing up in his face is very much in play. Lashley is a big player who can elevate the secondary belt in an era where the top champion is almost never on TV and it seems there's too much value in that to take the belt off of him so quickly. Pick: Bobby Lashley retains
Logan Paul vs. The Miz
WWE loves nothing if not putting celebrities over standard talent. That's almost certainly the case with Paul vs. Miz. After Miz turned on Paul once the pair beat The Mysterios at WrestleMania, it was obvious we'd eventually get a one-on-one match on a big stage. Once Paul signed a deal with WWE, it guaranteed it. WWE isn't likely to have Paul lose his first match as a contracted talent and The Miz is as bulletproof as Corbin in his ability to take a loss but maintain his standing in the promotion. Pick: Logan Paul wins
The Mysterios vs. The Judgement Day (No Disqualifications)
Under normal circumstances, The Judgement Day would be favored here. They're a group WWE is pushing as a big deal with Finn Balor, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley all slotted into strong roles. Removing disqualifications changes things, however, especially with vignettes airing over the past month suggesting the return of Edge. Balor, Priest and Ripley turned on Edge after he brought them into the group and his return helping The Mysterios get a win in a match where his involvement is within the boundaries of the rules makes a lot of sense. Pick: The Mysterios win and Edge returns
Indy road course start times: Defending race winner Will Power will be aiming to make a championship charge Saturday as the NTT IndyCar Series makes it second annual visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Power trails Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson by eight points in the championship standings with five races remaining this season. Ericsson, who has been ranked first since after Road America, has led the points after six of 12 races this season.
Power is aiming for his second title after winning the 2014 championship.
Since 2008, the points leader with five races left has won the championship in eight of 14 races.
Power leads all IndyCar drivers with five victories on the IMS road course. The No. 12 Dallara-Chevrolet driver has won the pole position three times (2015, ’17, ’18). Team Penske also has eight drivers on the layout through the infield of IMS.
Here are the details and IndyCar start times at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course this weekend (all times are ET):
Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2022.
RADIO BROADCAST: The IndyCar and Indy Lights races, practices and qualifying sessions live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app.
COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 12:23 p.m.
GREEN FLAG: 12:30 p.m.
POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.
RACE DISTANCE: Saturday’s race is 85 laps/207.3 miles on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Five sets primary, four sets alternate (Note: A sixth set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.)
PUSH TO PASS: There are 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 79 degrees Saturday with a 0% chance of rain at the green flag.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - Exclusive Release Date Trailer
Join Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. Check out the trailer for the 13 TMNT titles and their Japanese versions, coming to PC via Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2022.The collection includes: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Super Nintendo), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Super Nintendo), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Sega Genesis), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of The Foot Clan (Game Boy), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers (Game Boy), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Game Boy).
At the start of training camp, Mike Tomlin said that he and the Steelers' coaching staff would not micromanage the competition at quarterback. Pittsburgh's head coach said that knowing full well that that would be exactly what the media -- and therefore fans of the team -- would and will continue to do over the course of the summer.
It can't be stated enough that we're in the very early stages of training camp. The pads come on on Monday, and that will add an entirely different element to practice and therefore the Steelers' quarterback competition. But there were a few things from the first few days of camp that are notable regarding Pittsburgh's quarterback situation.
Mitch Trubisky remains in the driver's seat
The projected starter before camp, the former Bears Pro Bowler remains the favorite to be under center when Pittsburgh kicks off the regular season in Cincinnati on September 11. While it hasn't been a perfect camp, Trubisky had a solid performance during Seven Shots, a seven-play drill that challenges the offense to score from the 3-yard-line.
Trubisky led the offense on the first seven plays of Seven Shots. On those plays, he fired scoring passes to Chase Claypool, Anthony Miller, Zach Gentry, as the offense took a 3-1 lead (h/t Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider). Trubisky also threw an interception, but it occurred after the pass was juggled by his intended target. After a less than idea first day of camp, Trubisky played better on Thursday, with his decisiveness among the main improvements from the prior day.
The most experienced quarterback as far as knowing the Steelers' offense, Rudolph authored the most impressive throw during Pittsburgh's first day of camp, a downfield completion to new Steelers wideout Gunner Olszewski. Rookie Calvin Austin's long touchdown also came from a pass from Rudolph.
But while Trubisky's decisiveness was on display on Thursday, it was the opposite case for Rudolph, particularly during Seven Shots. Rudolph completed one of his three attempts and was nearly intercepted on his first attempt. His one completion did give the offense a 4-3 win during the first Seven Shots of training camp.
Following Friday's practice, Rudolph received a vote of confidence from Claypool, who feels that Rudolph is and will continue to get a fair shake as it relates to winning the starting job.
"It's crazy how accurate he is," Claypool said of Rudolph, via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "He doesn't get enough praise and attention. He's just as in the running as each of those guys."
There's a clear gap between Pickett and the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. This is largely expected, as Pickett is a rookie while Trubisky and Rudolph are beginning their sixth and fifth NFL training camps, respectively. While he is undoubtedly going through some growing pains, The Athletic's Mark Kaboly observed that Pickett's first days of camp were significantly better than Rudolph's first initial camp practices as a rookie in 2018.
Mobility is one advantage Pickett has over Trubisky and Rudolph. He put that on display during the first two days of training camp, and Pickett will surely continue to lean on his athleticism as he continues to get acclimated to his new surroundings.
The Steelers' last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Oladokun did not received a single rep with Pittsburgh's first-team offense during the first two days of camp. It's clear that Oladokun has his work cut out for him if he is going to have any shot at making the 53-man roster. It would take a strong preseason from him and either an injury or a drastic drop-off in play from Rudolph for Oladokun to make the cut.
A strong training camp, however, may convince the Steelers to give Oladokun a spot on the practice squad. Pittsburgh benefitted by having a QB on the practice squad back in 2019, when several injuries prompted the team to promote Devlin Hodges from the practice squad to the starting lineup.
Washington County's football team hasn't played a full season since 2019. The team wasn't allowed to play in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions in the district, and only managed to play five games last fall.
these players you have with. The hardest question of the day is trying to get these names, uh quarterback, free safety for us practicing all morning, Okay, keeping on more next to us? Rush linebacker, offensive lineman and another rush linebacker, offensive lineman, Dalen browne Sanders last year we went to and three biggest things we didn't get to finish the season. Um, the year prior, these kids didn't get anything. So, you know, our long term goal right off the bat to get 10 games. And obviously you get these guys uh, doing something they love, you know, they've, they've had a hard time just with regulations and everything in our county. Um, we're heading in the right direction. So we're looking forward to it this year. We've had a whole all season with the wave room and being able to go seven on sevens and everything that we've missed, you know, for quite a while. So we think we're ready in that aspect. It's all about building a winning program. I noticed what you want to have their in Washington County and talk a little bit about some of the conversations you've had with the players and especially here during the summertime, getting ready to see. Well, the biggest thing is these guys have done is, you know, we don't have 103 30 like mentioned earlier, but we're gonna have 60 and we only have 242 150 kids in the school. So we basically have every other boy playing football. And it's because of these guys, these guys all the time on the phone or whatever. They come out for football come out for football and college question earlier. If I said, you know, how do I get my guys out jelly? And these guys texting, um, you know, sandwiches have to work out something helps get them there. But that's the culture they brought. And the conversations you have like, how are you gonna write your chapter? Right. And these guys right now writing a chapter that we're gonna have a JV team. I watched that kind of high school. I haven't been, that hasn't happened in a long time. And it's because these guys keep getting kids out all the time. Come on, come on. And that's the chapter of the writing and that's the conversation we've been having. So the players was like, y'all have done a little bit of recruiting, hopefully all season and go down the line with you all one by one. Just a little bit more about what you've done during the off season to get you to get yourself prepared, helped his team succeed on the field. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of conditioning in the lot and, but they said we stay in the room a lot of traditional, uh, we did a lot of focus on self discipline and stuff like that and accountable for ourselves at this time. Like open up to the media. If you have any questions you may ask me guys conditioning, you've been working on gonna be considering that you didn't play two years ago, we got five games last year, now that you're going to have a full schedule for that, How big is this going to be physically ready for the season with all that conditioning after no games two years ago, only five last year, uh, coach was trying to kill us and you know, it was first and then and your chicken. Now I kind of look forward to positioning. It's like, it's not the same without and it's one of them is a lot To the players. We truly appreciate the honesty to keep that honestly coming. Uh, you know, it has been difficult in the past couple of years, past couple seasons anyway. What have you tried to speak to the team about to prepare them mentally was about hopefully 10 games, hopefully get a full season. Well, you know, when you're younger, you don't always understand what's going on in front in front of you, but they've had an opportunity as an adult, it's usually very, very painful when we lose something, you know, a spouse or a relationship or whatever and then you don't know what you have until you lose it or almost lose it. These kids experienced it, right. And we talk about every day, we really live by play, like it's your last play because these kids experience that, you know, and the guys that came in front of them two years ago and even last year They have experienced that. So just playing that last play, every play, like it's your last play or every 40 yard sprint, like it's your last one or every lift or power or whatever, it is. You never know when your last month. So that's the conversation because these kids actually got to experience that and now I think that's why part we have 60 kids is they want to be a part of it, they want to not lose that opportunity and you know, our winter sports and spring sports got through a whole season. So we see that happening for us as well. The difficulties that you've dealt with over the past couple of seasons, Community is very important to talk a little bit about that community support that's there for the team. And you kind of have you, have you felt the team felt that community support, They love athletics in north Carolina, but bottom line they love athletics. You know, we're going through a whole building new school thing right now and you know, sometimes things get cut and if anyone says anything athletically gonna get cut community right away says, oh hang on, we, we love our football and basketball in Washington County. Um, for the panthers, obviously they opened up on august 19th home game against kipp pride, I believe so at this time we have to uh say thank you to coach larry dale and the panthers of Washington county, we appreciate it
Despite a career-long layoff that is just shy of 20 months, former two-division champion Danny Garcia is confident entering Saturday's return to the ring when he makes his 154-pound debut against former welterweight title challenger Jose Benavidez Jr.
The 12-round junior middleweight bout headlines Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, a building in which Garcia has headlined eight times before, including the first boxing card the venue hosted in 2012.
The question for the 34-year-old Garcia, who hasn't fought since losing a welterweight title bid against unified champion Errol Spence Jr. in 2020, is whether he can carry his power up to a new division and quickly establish himself among the division's elite like he previously did at 140 and 147 pounds.
"I have more strength, more stamina, I've done more sparring because I'm at this new weight class," Garcia said during Wednesday's media workout. "This is the most rounds I've ever sparred in camp. Everything we do, we did it more this camp.
"I'm excited to be back at Barclays Center. I can't wait. I'm here to show the world that I'm ready for this weight class. I feel strong and I want to go in there and make a real statement."
Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs) will be facing an interesting test in the 30-year-old Benavidez (27-1-1, 18 KOs), whose questions regarding his current form outweigh the answers we have to construct an opinion as to just how much of a threat the native of Phoenix will be for Garcia.
No one will ever question the toughness of Benavidez, the older brother of two-time super middleweight champion David Benavidez, who both come from a fighting family led by their father and trainer Jose Benavidez Sr.
After a top amateur career, Benavidez saw his professional dreams nearly end in 2016 when a stray bullet from an unknown assailant driving by cut through the femoral artery of his right knee as he walked his dog after midnight near his home in Phoenix. Doctors said Benavidez would never box again and would need upwards of two years of rehab to ever walk on his own.
Not only did Benavidez's toughness speed up that timeline, he returned to the ring just over two years later and fought unbeaten WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford "on one leg" in a fight that saw Crawford, among the pound-for-pound best in the sport, score a 12th-round TKO.
Benavidez then sat out a full three years before coming back last November in a super middleweight bout on the undercard of his brother's headlining homecoming in Phoenix. The elder Benavidez brother looked flat against journeyman Francisco Torres and was extremely fortunate to come away with a majority draw that few thought Benavidez deserved.
"My last fight I was trying to do too much, and because of that, I didn't do anything at all," Benavidez said. "Everything happens for a reason and I feel ready to fight. I know that I can beat the best at 154, it starts with Danny.
"I can box and I can bang. I know that I can do it all in the ring. Everyone is going to see a really strong performance from me on fight night.
Benavidez has long had the skills and a nasty enough in-ring temperament to one day be a world champion, but the jury remains out as to whether there is still time to recapture the momentum lost by the shooting. The challenge of Garcia is expected to be the toughest he has ever faced, with the exception of Crawford.
"It's not about weight, it's about skill," Garcia said. "You don't become a three-time world champion because you're just bigger. It's about skill and technique and that's what we bring to the table.
"[Benavidez] going to see what I bring into the ring on Saturday. I've had the right sparring for this fight and I prepared perfectly. It was really a perfect camp."
Garcia has only ever lost to welterweight elites like Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and Spence, although all three bouts were close and competitive, with the first two producing somewhat disputed results on the scorecards. The native of Philadelphia has never been stopped as a pro and brings heavy advantages in everything from power and technique to experience against Benavidez.
"I'm coming in with a bang. I take every fight like it's the biggest fight of my life," Benavidez said. "I'm glad that Danny is confident. He's going to find out on Saturday that 154 pounds isn't for him. I fought Terence Crawford on one leg and gave him a fight. I know what I'm capable of and I'm going to fight like that."
Benavidez hasn't been shaken throughout fight week by the harsh words from Garcia's father/trainer Angel, who has questioned his heart and skills. The two even had a shouting match at Thursday's final press conference about how tough of a fight Benavidez can bring to Garcia.
But make no mistake, for Benavidez to score the kind of breakthrough victory that can put his inconsistent career back in motion, he will need to back up his confidence with the kind of performance he has yet to show against an elite foe.
Fight card, odds
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
Danny Garcia -800 vs. Jose Benavidez Jr. +550, junior middleweights (12 rounds)
Ali Eren Demirezen -180 vs. Adam Kownacki +155, heavyweights (10 rounds)
Gary Antuanne Russell -1400 vs. Rances Barthelemy +800, junior welterweights (10 rounds)
Viewing information
Date: July 30 | Location: Barclays Center -- Brooklyn, New York
Start time: 9 p.m. ET
How to watch/stream: Showtime
Prediction
Make no mistake that Benavidez, despite holding advantages of nearly three inches in height and reach, has an uphill battle in front of him against the 8-1 favorite Garcia.
Foot speed has long been the lone Achilles heel for Garcia against elite opponents given his need to be stationary in order to get off power shots. That gap may not be as much of a decided difference at the higher weight for Garcia, not to mention that Benavidez's movement has never quite been the same since being shot in the leg.
Benavidez is also not a natural junior middleweight, himself. Package that with the fact that Garcia has never been down as a professional and the odds just get worse for Benavidez. A path to victory will need to include a steady diet of body shots and a fearlessness to take on big danger in the pocket in order to gain Garcia's respect.
Although Garcia, a natural counterpuncher, has been uncomfortable at times being forced to be the aggressor, Benavidez is much more comfortable coming forward. It's an equation that remains a dangerous one as Benavidez will need to apply pressure without leaving himself open to Garcia's counter combinations, which typically see him float a body shot with his right hand in order to bring down his opponent's guard to uncork a looping left hook which follows.
Benavidez was able to linger against Crawford and remain somewhat competitive without being overwhelmed. But that didn't translate into much offensively, however, and Benavidez was still stopped in the final round. That was also four years ago.
If the higher weight allows Garcia a deeper gas tank and the ability to pour on the pressure once he feels Benavidez is hurt, a mid-round stoppage is certainly in play for Garcia to make a strong-yet-expected opening statement in his new division.
Harry didn't hesitate when asked what he intends to prove in training camp.
"I just want to show how dominant I could be as a player in the NFL," he said.
Harry described his greatest skill as a receiver as the ability to "go up and get the ball when the ball's in the air." He added that he feels he's a perfect fit in the Bears offense.
"Just being a big guy, being able to block, being able to go up and get the ball, I feel like that could come in handy and that is something that will really work well here," Harry said.
The day after the trade, Bears quarterback Justin Fields reached out to Harry via text, welcoming him to the team.
"He was, of course, excited to be here and I'm excited for what he can do," Fields said. "We all saw what he did at Arizona State in college, and just his frame, what he can do as a playmaker, I'm very excited to see what he can do on the field."
Granted a second opportunity in Chicago, Harry was asked whether he's more motivated to prove the Patriots wrong or the Bears right.
"It's proving everybody who believes in me right: my family, my fans, my coaches, just everybody who's going to bat for me and knows what I can do," he said. "It's for those people."
With an open competition at receiver behind emerging star Darnell Mooney, Harry is among a slew of hopefuls looking to become a regular contributor on offense this season.
"This is a golden opportunity for all of us; it's just who's going to grab it," Harry said. "I just feel for me to capitalize off this, like I said earlier, I just have to show how dominant I am, and I just need to be that big, strong wide receiver."
Google has pulled the popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India, more popularly known as BGMI, from Play Store in India after a New Delhi order, a year after developer Krafton launched the app following a ban on similar title PUBG in the South Asian market. The BGMI game has also been delisted from Apple’s App Store in the country.
The Android-maker confirmed the development shortly after publication of the story. “On receipt of the order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India,” a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The app was delisted by Google from the Play Store; a person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch that Krafton delisted the app from Apple’s App Store Thursday evening. The iPhone-maker didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A Krafton spokesperson acknowledged the delisting and said the company was seeking clarification.
The development follows a growing tension between India and China, two nuclear-armed neighboring nations that have been especially at odds since deadly skirmishes along the Himalayan border in 2020. India reacted to the move by banning hundreds of China-linked apps including PUBG and TikTok, both of which counted India as their largest overseas market by users.
Of the hundreds of apps that New Delhi banned in the country, Krafton’s PUBG was the only title that made a return — though with a completely revamped avatar.
Krafton said it had cut ties with its publishing partner Tencent and pledged to invest $100 million in India’s gaming ecosystem. Krafton — which has backed a number of Indian startups including Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi and Kuku FM in the past one and a half years — told TechCrunch earlier this week that it was on track to deploy about $140 million in the country by next month.
The South Korean-headquartered firm said earlier this week that over 100 million users had signed up for the game in India in the past one year since launch. According to Sensor Tower, Battlegrounds Mobile India had amassed over 16.5 million monthly active users in the country.
It was unclear why the Indian government had ordered to block Battlegrounds Mobile India.
Last month, a local media report — whose authenticity has been questioned by many — claimed that a child had killed his mother under the influence of the game. The report gained wide popularity on social media and reached the nation’s parliament this month. India’s Junior IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said last week that law enforcement agencies were investigating the subject.
Indian authorities have raided the local offices of Chinese phonemakers Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo in recent months and levelled charges of tax fraud against them. China’s embassy in India criticized Indian authorities earlier this month for “frequent investigations” into the local units of the phonemakers and warned that such moves “impede the improvement of [the] business environment” in India and “chills the confidence and willingness” of other foreign nation’s businesses to invest and operate in the South Asian nation.
Krafton has repeatedly stated that BGMI and PUBG are different games and said the firm had put in place safeguards — such as enforcing a time limit on the usage of its games, login authentication — to address any misuse of its titles.
“The game is extremely popular, and these issues come with the territory. We don’t know the details of the fraud and how it was committed, but these are extreme cases. We constantly work towards securing a safe gameplay experience for users,” Krafton’s India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn told TechCrunch earlier this week.
He added: “The government does not intervene in which apps can function and which cannot. They intervene in digital security and privacy concerns, and BGMI complies with all guidelines. MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has also noted that PUBG and BGMI are different games,”
Hyunil Sohn said the company was open to investing an additional $100 million or more into the Indian gaming ecosystem this year.
If there's been a standout star through the first two days of Patriots training camp, it would have to be DeVante Parker, who has caught multiple touchdowns and pumped up the crowd with his celebrations and energy. So far, it looks like the veteran wide receiver is developing a nice chemistry with quarterback Mac Jones, highlighted by some dynamic contested catches that have consistently given the defense problems.
"I'm having a lot of fun with it, that's what it's all about," said Parker following Thursday's session. "Have fun, come out with your brothers and work hard every day."
Once again, Parker had the catch of the day, twisting his body around to collect a pinpoint backside throw from Jones. Often described as one of the best contested catch receivers in the league, Parker has been as-advertised early on this summer.
"Mac saw where the defender was and he put in a great spot and I was able to come down with it," said Parker of the play, adding he and the quarterback have now been working together for significant time. "It's not difficult at all to build chemistry, we've been working together for a little bit now and we just have to bring it out here every day, that's all it is."
"It's good to have him, he had a good spring," said Bill Belichick on the practice fields prior to Thursday's session of Parker. "We'll just take it day-by-day here and not try to evaluate guys based on one play or one practice or one period. There's going to be a lot of football played and we'll see how things turn out over an extended period of time. Consistency and production."
Despite Belichick's reminder that there's still a long way to go and the first two days of training camp do not a season make, it's hard not to see the immediate effect Parker is having on the offense. After swapping a 2023 third-rounder for Parker and a 2022 fifth-rounder, the team might not have realized they were getting a fiery player unafraid to pump up the crowd after a big catch.
"It's very different to me, there's like a million people out here," said Parker. "The crowd, they show a lot of support and having [them] here gets everybody hyped up. It's just something I look forward to."
With camp just underway, the veteran wasn't getting carried away with any early success, as he continues to pursue the consistency that Belichick prescribed.
"Just hoping to bring energy, just come out there and play as hard as I can and do what I can to help the team."
