Burke Sports Talk

NFL Giants receive: 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pickSeahawks receive: Leonard Williams The Giants are eating most of the remaining money owed to Williams, but getting a second-round selection for the impending free agent is good work by Joe Schoen. Williams is a talented defender and players like him don’t grow on trees, but…

NCAAF Army to move from Independents to the AAC in 2024 After losing SMU to the ACC, this is a logical move for the AAC. Army has been independent for most of its football history, but it has a natural rival (Navy) in the AAC, so this transition also makes sense for the Black Knights.…

MLB Giants hire Bob Melvin as manager The Giants are hiring Melvin away from a divisional foe in the Padres in this move. Melvin is an accomplished skipper, winning Manager of the Year three times, so Melvin’s experience should be a nice refresher for San Francisco compared to Gabe Kapler and his lack of experience.…

NFL Eagles receive: Kevin ByardTitans receive: Terrell Edmonds, a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick The Eagles are yet again Super Bowl contenders, so adding the talented Byard will only enhance the team’s championship odds. The cost to acquire the two-time first-team All-Pro is surprisingly low, but Philadelphia has found incredible value on…

Eastern Conference Western Conference Play-In Tournament 7 Hawks vs. 8 Raptors9 Magic vs. 10 Nets 7 Grizzlies vs. 8 Mavericks9 Thunder vs. 10 Pelicans 8 Raptors vs. 9 Magic 8 Mavericks vs. 9 Thunder First Round 1 Celtics vs. 8 Magic4 76ers vs. 5 Heat3 Cavaliers vs. 6 Knicks2 Bucks vs. 7 Hawks 1 Nuggets…

NFL Eagles sign WR Julio Jones to one-year contract Jones is basically finished as an NFL player — the 2011 first-round pick recorded just 299 receiving yards last season with the Buccaneers, — but the Eagles need wide receiver depth behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so Jones might be able to help. The most…

NCAAF Middle Tennessee 31, Louisiana Tech 23 Louisiana Tech has a bit of a quarterback quandary. The Bulldogs started Jack Turner last night and then turned to Hank Bachmeier. Neither signal-caller performed particularly well in this game, but Bachmeier is far more accomplished as a college passer. Louisiana Tech should roll with him moving forward.…

NBA Spurs sign SG Devin Vassell to five-year, $146 million contract extension Vassell is a good young wing, but this extension seems a bit premature, especially considering that the 23 year old has started just 71 career games. In his limited experience, Vassell has shown marked improvement each year, and is one of San Antonio’s…

AL Wild Card Series 3 Twins vs. 6 Blue Jays4 Rays vs. 5 Rangers NL Wild Card Series 3 Brewers vs. 6 Diamondbacks4 Phillies vs. 5 Marlins ALDS 1 Orioles vs. 5 Rangers2 Astros vs. 6 Blue Jays NLDS 1 Braves vs. 4 Phillies2 Dodgers vs. 3 Brewers ALCS 2 Astros vs. 5 Rangers NLCS…

NFL Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs suffers torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season Through two weeks, the Cowboys have looked like one of the best teams in the leagues, so losing a talented player like Diggs while in pursuit of a championship definitely stings. In place of Diggs, who recorded an interception…

NFL Rams receive: 2026 conditional sixth-round pickVikings receive: Cam Akers and 2026 conditional seventh-round pick It’s been quite a fall from grace for Akers, a former second-round selection. Even with his stock down, the former Ram may be able to help the Vikings’ rushing attack, which has struggled to this point. The swap of draft…

NFL 49ers sign EDGE Nick Bosa to five-year, $170 million contract extension This is a good move by the 49ers based on the simple facts that this deal needed to get done for Bosa to report and that the edge rusher is one of the best players in the NFL, period. $34 million per year…

AFC EastBills 13-4Jets 12-5Patriots 9-8Dolphins 8-9 NorthBengals 13-4Ravens 11-6Steelers 10-7Browns 9-8 SouthJaguars 10-7Titans 9-8Texans 3-14Colts 3-14 WestChiefs 13-4Chargers 11-6Broncos 9-8Raiders 6-11 NFC EastEagles 12-5Cowboys 11-6Giants 6-11Commanders 6-11 NorthLions 11-6Vikings 8-9Packers 7-10Bears 7-10 SouthSaints 8-9Buccaneers 5-12Falcons 5-12Panthers 5-12 West49ers 14-3Seahawks 9-8Rams 6-11Cardinals 3-14 Playoffs AFC2 Bills over 7 Ravens3 Chiefs over 6 Chargers5 Jets over 4…

NCAAF Duke 28, Clemson 7 Duke defeating Clemson in this game wasn’t unfeasible, but I doubt anyone foresaw a blowout of this magnitude. Sure, Clemson made some critical mistakes, but Duke didn’t play a perfectly clean game, either. The passing numbers (17-33 for 175 yards) don’t tell nearly the whole story of how dangerous Riley…

NFL Cowboys sign OT Terence Steele to five-year, $86.8 million contract extension The Cowboys are clearly betting on Steele, who’s coming off a season-ending knee injury, to continue improving, because this is too much money otherwise. Steele is just 26, so the idea of him getting better isn’t a crazy one, but this deal will…

NCAAF Michigan 30, East Carolina Michigan entered this season with loads of praise and hype, and for the most part, the Wolverines backed it up yesterday. J.J. McCarthy was a bit up and down in 2022, but he was nearly perfect in this game, going 26-30 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan probably won’t…

NFL Vikings sign TE T.J. Hockenson to four-year, $68.5 million contract extension This extension resets the market at the tight end position, which is good news for Hockenson. The Vikings, on the other hand, aren’t as fortunate, since Hockenson isn’t even close to being the best player at his position. That doesn’t spell doom, though,…

MLB Phillies 12, Angels 7 The Phillies’ fortunes have really changed lately, thanks in part to the club winning nine of its past 12 games. If Philadelphia returns to the postseason, which seems to be nearly a sure bet right now, the team’s lineup should make it a dangerous opponent. In this game, the Phillies…

NFL Cardinals release QB Colt McCoy This is a somewhat surprising move, simply because I thought the Cardinals would opt to go with the veteran McCoy to start the season for continuity. Instead, Arizona will probably roll with either newly-acquired Joshua Dobbs or rookie Clayton Tune. Tune would be the better choice. The league already…

NFL Dolphins sign DL Zach Sieler to three-year, $30.8 million contract extension Sieler is a solid defensive lineman that any franchise would be happy to have as a part of its rotation. The 27 year old thrives at stopping the run, and even generated some pressure on the quarterback in 2022, recording 3.5 sacks. While…