Burke Sports Talk

NCAAF UCLA hires DeShaun Foster as head coach It’s become increasingly clear that all was not right between UCLA and Chip Kelly. First, Kelly left the Bruins to take the Ohio State offensive coordinator job — a conspicuous move for a sitting Big Ten head coach. Now, UCLA is hiring Foster, a former member of…

NCAAF Boston College hires Bill O’Brien as head coach Boston College is a hard place to win, so it’s hard to see any hire the program makes ending in success, but O’Brien at least has a slim chance of winning in Chestnut Hill. For starters, he has ties to the area, being born in Boston…

NBA Pistons receive: Troy Brown, Shake Milton and a second-round pickTimberwolves receive: Monte Morris Rostering Morris and his expiring deal didn’t make much sense for Detroit other than the veteran serving as a mentor for Detroit’s young guards, so moving him isn’t a terrible idea. Brown and Milton have a place in the NBA, but…

NFL Giants hire Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator This is an uninspiring hire. Entering what could be his final season as the Giants’ head coach, Brian Daboll probably wasn’t flush with great options to fill this role, thus causing him to turn to Bowen, who served as the Titans’ defensive coordinator the past three seasons.…

NFL Saints hire Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator There’s a strong trend in the NFL — and across all of football in general — to hire young offensive coordinators. For the most part, this philosophy has worked, but eventually, like a lot of trends in sports, it’ll probably go too far. Kubiak will be a…

NFL Commanders hire Dan Quinn as head coach It’s hard to dispute Quinn’s exploits as a defensive coordinator, but his head coaching record (43-42) is less stellar. Head coaching records can be situational, though, and the situation Quinn faced with the Falcons changed from advantageous to difficult over time. With Washington, Quinn will surely face…

NFL Seahawks hire Mike Macdonald as head coach Macdonald has been a fast riser throughout the coaching universe at just 36, but with three seasons of experience as a defensive coordinator — two with the Ravens — he should be ready to take on this position. Seattle is making a massive transition from Pete Carroll,…

NFL Steelers hire Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator Smith took his fair share of heat as the Falcons’ head coach, but he did an excellent job as the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. Returning to that same role in Pittsburgh, Smith is set up with similar personnel and overall organizational philosophy. This isn’t…

NFL Chargers hire Joe Hortiz as general manager Part of the reason Jim Harbaugh’s tenure ended in San Francisco was his fractured relationship with Trent Baalke, the 49ers’ general manager when Harbaugh was the head coach. The Chargers, with this hire, are working to ensure that won’t be the case again, as Hortiz has extensive…

NBA Wizards 118, Pistons 104 The 5-40 Pistons are, of course, horrendous, but allowing just 104 points in a win is a good start for Brian Keefe’s tenure as the Wizards’ interim head coach. Knicks 125, Heat 109 You could argue that since trading for OG Anunoby, no team has been playing better than the…

NFL Falcons hire Raheem Morris as head coach Morris did an excellent job the past three seasons as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, but it hard to ignore his 21-38 mark as the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2009-2011. Morris is likely aware of the mistakes he made in Tampa Bay and will be better with the…

NCAAF 2024 five-star WR Ryan Williams commits to Alabama It’s no secret Alabama has been hit hard with departures following Nick Saban’s retirement, so the Crimson Tide must be relieved that Williams, 2024’s No. 6 prospect, opted to stay home. Williams should play a huge role in Kalen DeBoer’s pass-happy offense. NBA Bucks hire Doc…

YES votes in bold Bobby AbreuJose BautistaCarlos BeltranAdrian BeltreMark BuehrleBartolo ColonAdrian GonzalezTodd HeltonMatt HollidayTorii HunterAndruw JonesVictor MartinezJoe MauerAndy PettitteBrandon PhillipsManny RamirezJose ReyesAlex RodriguezFrancisco RodriguezJimmy RollinsGary SheffieldJames ShieldsChase UtleyOmar VizquelBilly WagnerDavid Wright

NFL Patriots promote Jerod Mayo to head coach Parting ways with legendary head coach Bill Belichick was obviously the wrong move, but elevating Mayo to replace Belichick makes sense. New England drafted Mayo in 2008, and he was on staff as the Patriots’ inside linebackers coach for the past five seasons — experience that should…

AFC Bills 27, Steelers 13Chiefs 24, Dolphins 16Browns 24, Texans 23 Ravens 29, Browns 17Bills 21, Chiefs 20 Bills 30, Ravens 24 NFC Cowboys 27, Packers 20Rams 31, Lions 26Eagles 27, Buccaneers 24 49ers 30, Rams 17Cowboys 31, Eagles 14 49ers 34, Cowboys 17 Super Bowl 49ers 28, Bills 21Super Bowl MVP: Brock Purdy

NFL Titans fire head coach Mike Vrabel This is one of the worst NFL firings I’ve seen in quite some time, especially since Tennessee could’ve obtained some draft capital in exchange for its respected former head coach. Instead of trading Vrabel, though, the Titans decided to simply fire him because Amy Adams Strunk didn’t feel…

Most Valuable Player1. Lamar Jackson2. Dak Prescott3. Josh Allen4. Brock Purdy5. Patrick Mahomes Offensive Player of the Year1. Christian McCaffrey2. Penei Sewell3. Tyreek Hill Defensive Player of the Year1. T.J. Watt2. Micah Parsons3. Myles Garrett Offensive Rookie of the Year1. C.J. Stroud2. Puka Nacua3. Sam LaPorta Defensive Rookie of the Year1. Devon Witherspoon2. Will Anderson3.…

MLB Giants receive: Robbie RayMariners receive: Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani This trade is fairly even from a monetary perspective, but the Giants are obviously getting the best player in the deal in Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young winner. 2023 was a lost season for the 32-year-old, and it’s unlikely Ray will return to…

NCAAF Former Kansas State QB Will Howard transfers to Ohio State After years of dominance at the position from Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, the Buckeyes suddenly faced a need at quarterback following a poor offensive performance against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Enter Will Howard. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound signal-caller probably won’t contend…

NCAAF 2025 five-star RB Harlem Berry commits to LSU Berry is a bit undersized, for now, at just 175 pounds, but the Louisiana product has a chance to be the next great LSU running back. Brian Kelly cleaned out his defensive staff earlier today, but the offensive side of the ball continues to trend up…