Yet another UCLA player plans to end his college career a year early.Running back Paul Perkins became the fourth Bruins player to indicate he will apply for early eligibility into the 2016 , i suing a statement via social media on Tuesday:Go Bruins!! Paul Perkins (@Prime_Perk_24) The fourth-year junior rushed for 1,343 yards this season, slightly behind his 2014 season of 1,575, and has averaged six yards per carry over the last two years combined. He's also proven as a solid receiving T.j. Tynan Jersey threat out of the backfield with 80 career receptions.Perkins (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) joins linebacker Myles Jack, offensive lineman Alex Redmond and defensive tackle Kenny Clark as UCLA players who plan to enter the draft early. Undercla smen have until a Jan. 18 deadline to apply for early draft eligibility.Perkins' draft stock is unclear, though he plays a position that is generally devalued in the draft.Other top running backs who intend to enter the draft as undercla smen include Arkansas' Jonathan Williams, Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott, Indiana's Jordan Howard, Washington's Dwayne Washington and Florida's Kelvin Taylor.*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *. Alexandar Georgiev Jersey
The are determined to get a contract extension done with wide receiver this offseason. While they are working on making it happen, other teams in the National Football League are signing their wide receivers to extensions.Earlier this week, the to and extension and on Thursday morning, the Miami Dolphins did the same with Jaylen Waddle. The one common thread? Both signed three-year extensions.It's a since the 2022 Jakub Dobes Jersey offseason. We are seeing the salary cap spike in historic fashion including this past offseason where it rose $30.4 million. That element is a major factor in a Jefferson extension.Potential Justin Jefferson 3 year extensionIf Jefferson were to sign a three-year extension, there would be a lot of money involved. The Vikings would also guarantee a higher percentage of the contract in a three-year deal than they would in a four or five-year deal.Waddle just got $56 million of his $84.5 million guaranteed, which is a whopping 66% of his contract. That number has been reported as $76 million, but of the new money he received, only $56 million is guaranteed, as there was still $20 million guaranteed of his rookie contract.Of all the receivers that have gotten extended recently, both Waddle and A.J. Brown ($51 million guaranteed) are the comps to use. However, with a player like Jefferson, there really isn't a great comp for a player like Jefferson.If Jefferson were to sign a three-year contract (which I expect to happen), it's going to be record-setting. Three years, $105 million with $90 million functionally guaranteed and $70 million fully guaranteed at signing is about right.Make sure to check outour every day for the best and latest Minnesota Vikings news and analysis. Michael Pezzetta Jersey
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Jordan Love wants to reward the Green Bay Packers for betting big on him once again.The Packers four years ago to select Love in the first round. They cleared the Denis Potvin Jersey way for him last year by to the New York Jets. Now theyve made him one of the NFLs highest-paid players.Loves new enables him to match and for the top annual pay of any NFL quarterback. The Packers announced Loves new deal Saturday without disclosing the terms, which include a $75 million signing bonus and $155 million in new guarantees.Im excited to have an opportunity to go out and earn this every day and prove the people who believe in me right, Love said Saturday after participating in his first training camp workout of the year.ADVERTISEMENT Im ready to get to work, prepare ourselves for the season ahead and chase the ultimate goal that we have of winning the Super Bowl.Love, 25, received this big contract after making just 20 career starts 18 in the regular season and two in the playoffs. But his path to this payday began long before he actually took a snap in an NFL game and required a couple of big leaps of faith by the Packers.The Packers received criticism in 2020 when they drafted Love out of Utah State when they already were coming off an NFC championship game appearance and already had Rodgers on their roster. Rodgers, who said the move caught him by surprise, responded by winning MVP awards each of the next two seasons.Theres just a lot of unknown that goes into it, not knowing if the opportunity would come, not even knowing if it would come here, with Aaron when he was playing so well, back-to-back MVPs, him signing another contract, Love said. So it was a lot of question marks for me that went into it. But I just stick to trying to control what I can control.After in 2022, the Packers traded Rodgers and Love faced some obstacles as he attempted to lead the NFLs youngest team. The and endured one in which they didnt score a touchdown before halftime.But he matured along with the rest of the roster as the season went on.Love threw 21 touchdown pa ses with only one interception during a nine-game stretch that culminated with a of the Dallas Cowboys in a wild-card playoff game, before the the following week.The back half of the season, he played as well as anybody in the league, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.Love ended up completing 64.2% of his pa ses for 4,159 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season while leading the Packers to a 10-9 record. The only other quarterbacks ever to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in their first season making multiple starts were Kurt Warner in 1999 and Patrick Mahomes in 2018. The only quarterbacks to throw more than 32 touchdown pa ses in their first season with multiple starts were Mahomes (50), Warner (41) and Daunte Culpepper (33 in 2000).But as well as Love played late in the season, his relative lack of game experience made this an interesting contract negotiation. The Packers are betting that Loves work ethic and steady approach will enable him to continue to improve and maintain this franchises uncanny run of elite quarterback production, a stretch that began with Hall of Famer Brett Favres emergence in the 1990s.Its in my opinion the hardest position to play in all of sports, said general manager Brian Gutekunst, who made the decision to draft Love. To have a guy that you really believe in and has done things the right way all the way through is a very comforting feeling.The lucrative extension continues Loves eventful summer. that he was engaged to Ronika Stone, a former Oregon volleyball star who now plays profe sionally. A month later, he has signed a nine-figure contract.Definitely the price went up on the wedding, I gue s, Love said.___AP NFL: Fredrik Karlstrom Jersey
Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle was selected by the in the fifth round of the NFL Supplemental Draft on Thursday, .With the pick, the give up their fifth-round selection in the 2016 . Seven players had been ruled eligible for the supplemental draft -- Battle was the only one selected. general manager Les Snead said Thursday that Battle will basically get a redshirt season in 2015."We felt it was an opportunity to get an earlier round value for a later round price," Snead said in a release from the team. "He's going to practice what would've been his final year of college eligibility with us, go through our offseason program, and then start his rookie season a year from now."This will allow us to bring him along gradually both on and off the field. Now it's up to Isaiah and us to go work to reach his potential as a Keith Primeau Jersey person and player."According to NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein, the are getting a player in the NFL, but one who comes with baggage that adds concern about his character. Meanwhile, the are clearly serious, both short-term and long-term, about upgrading the offensive line that will block for 2015 first-round pick and new quarterback . St. Louis chose four offensive linemen in the NFL draft two months ago, , led by second-round pick of Wisconsin.The supplemental draft setting, at least for the , wasn't quite as intense as the league's annual draft in the spring. Executive Vice President of Football Operations Kevin Demoff provided this serene peek into what he called the club's "war room" for the day:A live look war room as we were drafting Isaiah Battle in supplemental draft Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) Battle's pro day workout earlier this week , and according to NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt, Battle ran 40-yard dash times of 5.21 and 5.29 seconds.Off-field i sues clouded Battle's college career. He was suspended for and was suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules last year. He was cited for marijuana po se sion and speeding last month, according to .At 6-foot-6, 312 pounds and with a wingspan of 85 1/4 inches, Battle has the length NFL clubs look for in a tackle.Other players eligible for the supplemental draft were defensive linemen Darrius Caldwell and Dalvon Stuckey of West Georgia, Houston defensive end Eric Eiland, UConn tight end Sean McQuillan, Kansas defensive back Kevin Short and North Carolina Central wide receiver Adrian Wilkins. Those players became unrestricted free agents upon completion of the supplemental draft.Prior to Battle, the most recent selection in the supplemental draft was the ' choice of wide receiver in the .*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *. Eemil Viro Jersey
The have seen the last of this season. Brent Burns Jersey The Philadelphia Inquirer that Herremans will undergo surgery to repair a torn biceps in his left arm, according to an NFL source. The starting guard was on Wednesday.Herremans injured the arm in against the . He wore a brace during over the but was clearly limited by the injury. Herremans left the game prematurely with an ankle i sue.Herremans, 32, has spent his entire career with the since being selected in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. He is ranked 70th out of 78 qualifying guards .As Herremans exits the picture, steps in. Mathis has been activated from the short-term injured reserve list and will take over at left guard. , who had been filling in for Mathis, will slide over to right guard.The latest Around The NFL Podcast from an action-packed Week 9. Find more Around The NFL content on . Justin Robidas Jersey
The NFL is making changes to its coronavirus protocol. The league sent out a memo on Tuesday that stated that teams' sideline bench areas -- where face masks must be worn -- will now extend from one 20-yard line to the other rather Daniil Misyul Jersey than the 30-yard line to the other 30. In addition, the NFL will also require players to wear face masks during any postgame interactions, such as interviews or speaking with other players."We're trying to double down on (preventing) high-risk close contacts during game day," NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills . "Our No. 1 priority is the health and safety of everyone involved," Sills added. "We want to be as safe as po sible and that's why we go through the detailed exercise of contact tracing. That's why we go through the detailed exercise of identifying high-risk contacts. We continue to consider that every one of our 32 clubs are vulnerable to infection every single day we're in busine s, just like all of us are in the country right now and we have to be extremely vigilant in the measures that we know right now mitigate risks."On Wednesday, one day after the NFL announced the changes, . For now, they are still set to host the on Thursday Night Football.The NFL initial changed the rules after cornerback took a COVID-19 test, played against the on Sunday and then on Monday got a positive test result back. There were six Ravens players that were considered high-risk due to their close contact with Humphrey and now they're forced to quarantine for five days. Couple that news with the latest from the 49ers, and its evident why the NFL is enforcing these new face mask rules. P. A. Parenteau Jersey
We all know the story of the Emperors new clothes, a man who was tricked into parading around naked, with everyone joining in the pretence that he indeed had clothes. Now before I go about bashing the Premier League, I want to be clear that I dont wish to bash the Premier League. It is a very good league what Im questioning is not its quality, but rather its self proclaimed superiority.Performance in EuropeOne of the major claims of the Premier League is how strong the English clubs are in Europe. Admittedly yes they consistently make it to the latter rounds of Jagger Joshua Jersey the competition, but there is also the fact that in the last ten years there have only been two English champions. I would also point to the consistency in the competition as an actual sign of weakne s when looking at the league itself. Including the 2004 season until the present day the Premier League has had seven different clubs finish in the Champions League positions, only four of them have managed it more than once. In Spain there have been nine, with six of them managing it more than once. In Italy there have been ten, with six of them managing it more than once. In Germany there have been eight, with five managing it more than once; bear in mind that Germany is allocated once le s place than the other leagues. Now I dont like to use stats too much when making a point as football is very subjective and contextual, but the aforementioned qualification histories are an indication that the other leagues have plenty of teams capable of finishing in the top four. This means that it is hard for these leagues to do consistently well in Europe because it is various teams each year. The Premier League clubs however have been able to monopolise their places in the league, meaning they can spend money based on future revenues. A lack of competition to their position means they can focus more on the Champions League. I would also argue that the Champions League performance is not an indication of the strength of a league. Were Porto the best team in Europe in 2004? Were UTD the second best team in Europe last year? As a Liverpool fan I will happily admit we werent the best team in Europe in 2005. Tottenham may have knocked out Milan last season, meaning many English fans questioned the quality of Serie A. Those who watch Serie A though will know that the tie came at a time when Milan were misfiring in the league. Most of their good play was going through Ca sano, who of course was unavailable for selection in Europe. I have no doubt in my mind that Milan are a far better team than Spurs, but that is knockout football, the best team doesnt always win.UnpredictabilityAnother big boast of the Premier League is the unpredictability of it all, well as already indicated by the top four finishing positions of the last seven years or so the league has actually been fairly predictable. Premier League promoters at the moment look down upon La Liga and often claim There are only two teams in Spain well this may be somewhat true at present. The last time a team that wasnt Barcelona or Real Madrid won the title was Valencia in 2004. Coincidently the last time a team that wasnt Man UTD or Chelsea lifted the Premier League was also 2004. If Premier League supporters place so much emphasis on unpredictability then the Bundesliga should be held in higher regard, there is a misconception in England that Munich dominate the German league. While they are the team that are consistently challenging at the top, they do not win the title as often as you may think. Premier League fans are often treated to surprise results, which are made out by pundits and fans to be a unique feature of the Premier League and a sign of how strong the lower teams are. I am here to burst a slight bubble with a few examples showing they do occur elsewhere as well. Newly promoted Cesenas opening fixtures were Roma and Milan last season; they drew with Roma and beat Milan. Newly promoted Hercules had the audacity to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and newly promoted Kaiserslautern beat Bayern Munich.EntertainingFinally we come to what I deem the most absurd boast of the Premier League, and that is the line The most entertaining and exciting. The reason I believe it is absurd is because entertainment and excitement are completely subjective. I would suggest that in terms of quality there isnt really that much between the top four leagues in Europe at the moment. They are no better or worse than each other merely different, and so preference comes down to personal taste. The Premier League is physical, fast paced, but far le s technical than the other leagues. La Liga is a reasonable pace but there is more emphasis on tactics and technique rather than pace, power, and fitne s. Serie A is similar to Spain except the build ups are slower but more technical, and the defences are certainly stronger. The Bundesliga is a blend of all three and is perhaps most similar to the Premier League, but does boast great home grown talent and thus the competitivene s of the league is le s based on revenues. A couple of good youth products and a good manager can have a ma sive impact in the Bundesliga. In my opinion the Premier League has had its worst season for some time; there was a real sense of mediocrity. UTD won the title without ever getting out of third gear, whilst Milan, Dortmund, and Barcelona played fantastic stuff for the majority of their campaigns.It seems the Premier League can do no wrong in the eye of its beholders. And even if it isnt fully convinced of its own boasts, if it just keeps saying the lines with enough conviction, no one will question it. Luckily for the Premier League the majority of English fans seem happy to judge other leagues without actually watching them, and relying on a few one off games in the Champions League to form their opinions. Joe Mullen Jersey
Louis van Gaal is a Dutch football manager who got a foothold in the coaching world with a brief spell at AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie. His obvious talents went unnoticed and was eventually snapped up by Ajax in 1991.It was at Ajax where van Gaal was to make his name. Here, the football world and the fanatical fans of Ajax would soon witne s a style of play that only magicians could conjure up. The side he created was of youth and experience. The club was famed for its youth academy and from this van Gaal blooded youngsters ( Bergkamp, Winters, George, Kluivert, the De Boer twins) to name but a few into the first team.After a season of gelling together, van Gaal led his side to their first major honour under his guidance winning the Uefa Cup in 1992. More succe s was to follow as he won the Dutch Cup in 1993, but it was the league title that had eluded him and he was to capture the coveted Eredivisie title in 1994. Not only was he to win it once but he went on to capture the title in 1995 and 1996. Throw in a triple whammy of Johan Cruyff Shield succee ses which is the equivalent of the English Charity Shield, you could say that at domestic level he had won everything.The question on everbodys lips was could van Gaal take his succe s to the next level the European stage, pitting their wits against Europes elite clubs. In 1995 va Gaal saw his side claim the scalp of AC Milan to win the European Cup. This was followed up by World Club Cup succe s as Brazilian side Gremio fell Gerry Cheevers Jersey victim to the Dutch masters.Van Gaals succe s at Ajax meant he was now the most coveted manager in Europe with all major clubs vying for his signature. A call from the Camp Nou in 1997 was to much to resist for van Gaal and he soon took up the hot seat at Spanish giants FC Barcelona. Van Gaal wondered if he could bring succe s in Spain. How joyous those fans became as van Gaal led Barca to the La Liga title as well as the Spanish Cup and Uefa Super Cup in his first season and he went on to guide them to a succe sive La Liga title the following season. Despite this succe s he was wideley criticised and eventually resigned as manager of Barcelona. Van Gaas next job was to manage Holland his task was to lead them to the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan/Korea. The honeymoon was shortlived as he failed to deliver what was asked of him after his side failed to qualify for the World Cup after defeats to both Portugal and Republic of Ireland. As a conclusion van Gaal resigned from his post.He returned to Barcelona as manager in 2003, but his tenure was shortlived as he never delivered any succe s and resigned from his duties.He returned to the Dutch Eredivisie replacing Co Adrianse as manager of AZ Alkmaar. Although he never won anything with them, he actually won the hearts of the fans with his style of football as it improved the clubs stature and fortunes.AZ finished third in the 2006-2007 season, three points behind champions PSV and runners-up Ajax. Van Gaal also led AZ to the Dutch Cup final in 2007 of which they lost. AZ also mi sed out on Champions League qualification after narrow losing otut to Ajax 4-2 on aggregate.The defeat to Ajax felt like a crushing blow to the head of Van Gaal and announced that he would leave AZ citing poor results. Sensing this, several seniors then asked van Gaal to rethink his decision and badgered him to stay for one more season. Van Gaal listened to what the players had to say and therefore made his decision to carry on with the job.The decision made by van Gaal to stay with unfashionable AZ proved to be a fruitful one as he led them to the Dutch Eredivisie title in a season which will be remembered for a long time to come.Again the vultures were circling and this time it was the hierachy of Bayern Munich that wanted Van Gaal. The latter didnt need much persuading and was appointed manager of the Bundesliga club.Lets hope van Gaal can bring succe s to Bayern, almost everything he touches seems to turn to gold. If thats the case then he will soon be the toast of Bavaria. Jordan Oesterle Jersey