Cleveland Guardians designated hitter David Fry suffered ‘multiple, minimally displaced, left-sided facial and nasal fractures,’ after being hit in the face by a foul tip against the Tigers on Tuesday, the team announced in a statement Wednesday, Sept. 24.

The Guardians added that Fry is expected to recover fully over the next 6-8 weeks, and it is not expected that he will need surgery. Cleveland put Fry on the 10-day injured list and recalled outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez from Triple-A Columbus.

‘He’s a tough kid and we’re just super thankful that he’s home resting,’ Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters before Wednesday’s game.

How did David Fry get injured?

During the sixth inning of Tuesday’s Guardians-Tigers game, with runners at first and second and no one out, Fry squared to bunt on a 2-2 pitch from Detroit ace Tarik Skubal. The ball grazed off Fry’s bat and struck him in the face. Fry immediately covered his his face and fell to the ground.

A deafening silence fell over the crowd, which had just woken up when the Guardians scored their first run of the game one batter earlier. A distraught Skubal threw his glove, turned away and tossed his hat aside. Jose Ramirez, Fry’s Cleveland teammate who was on first base, put his hands on his head in obvious concern.

Fry was taken from the game to Lutheran Medical Center and ended up at the Cleveland Clinic for testing and observation. He was released from the Cleveland Clinic and ‘is resting comfortably.’

‘It was straight to the face,’ Vogt said after the game, adding that Fry never lost consciousness. ‘We’re all thinking about David and his family right now. Obviously, we’re glad he is OK, but obviously it’s a really scary moment.’

Tarik Skubal visits David Fry

Skubal texted Fry after Tuesday’s game, saying ‘I just want to make sure he’s all right.’

Vogt ended up taking Skubal with him to visit Fry at the hospital. Skubal added that Fry texted back Wednesday and thanked him for coming to the hospital.

‘Obviously nothing intentional, but still apologize about the situation and it’s one of those freak baseball plays,’ Skubal said. ‘I mean, this is a game, but we’re all humans. … That’s real life stuff, not baseball game stuff.’

Celtics star Jayson Tatum is 19 weeks into his recovery from a torn right Achilles tendon.
Tatum initially had doubts about his ability to return to basketball but is now focused on recovery milestones.
Tatum recently returned to the court for a light workout and plans to remain involved with the team during his rehab.

NEW YORK — It is Tuesday, and for Jayson Tatum this is important.

He settles into a couch in the Four Seasons in Lower Manhattan. His stylist has just picked out a red-and-grey-striped Marni mohair cardigan that hangs loosely on his frame. She fluffs the hem so it doesn’t bunch. His long-time barber Jules Gutierrez, at the last minute, lines him up with an edge comb.

And it is Tuesday, the 19th Tuesday since Tatum underwent surgery to repair the torn right Achilles tendon he suffered in a conference semifinals loss in May, ending his season and putting his 2025-26 campaign in doubt. Tatum is quick to mention this Tuesday milestone, and he does so with something like relief and pride and the acknowledgement of all the work left to come.

‘Oh, man, today, Tuesday – 19 weeks – I’m at 19 weeks,’ Tatum told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday, Sept. 23. ‘Almost five months. It has been a long journey.

‘Six days a week of rehab, going through all the phases of surgery to stitches, to 50% weight bearing. Then you get to a phase where you drop the crutches, and then you finally get out of the boot. And now, man, I just feel like a normal human again. I’ve got a shoe on. I hadn’t worn a shoe in 12 weeks. That’s the best way to look at it: What is the next milestone that I can get to?’

For Tatum, the 27-year-old six-time Boston Celtics All-Star, the game’s prototype wing, the benchmarks and milestones are the things he can cling to, the things that both recall what he calls the ‘dark days,’ and the path toward a return to basketball, a return that he thought might never come.

‘I’m not going to say that I always believed,’ Tatum said. ‘There was a period at first, I remember I told my mom, it was during the first two or three weeks, we was sitting at the counter and I was like, ‘Mom, I don’t know. This might be it. It’s just going to be so much that I’ve got to do to get back to playing.’

‘What I’ve realized, is I can’t look too far ahead. Then I would get discouraged.’

One thing Tatum hasn’t shied away from, however, is looking back. He recalled the moments after the injury, when his thoughts, as he writhed on the floor at Madison Square Garden, ranged from the practical — “Am I going to be the same?” – to the irrational – “Am I going to be traded?”

He recalled crying on the phone with his grandmother, as the two prayed together for a speedy recovery. He recalled the frustration of feeling like every day was “Groundhog Day,” when he toiled in rehab but didn’t see any tangible gains.

‘You just have this idea of what the next X-amount of years of your life are going to look like, and then’ – he snapped – ‘it all changes.’

Eventually, the pain set in, too. Tatum was prescribed opioids and suffered severe side effects, causing him and his surgeon, Dr. Martin O’Malley of the Hospital for Special Surgery, to prescribe Journavx, a nonopioid signal blocker that Tatum has taken to manage the pain.

Tatum has partnered with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes the medication.

‘It’s more so about sharing my experience about what worked for me,’ Tatum said. ‘And also just raising awareness that anybody that’s in a situation where they had surgery or they are dealing with pain, that you have the option of something else. You can talk to your doctor, go through your medical history and find what works for you.’

Now, though, there are signs of progress. Tatum has been rehabbing the injury six days per week, while also working on his core and other parts of his body.

Monday, Sept. 22 marked the first time Tatum got on the court for a basketball workout. It was only 15 minutes, but he’s looking to ramp up as his body heals. He has been jogging. Sprinting is the next goal. Change of direction will follow that.

Tatum said he will be around the Celtics during practices, meetings and games. He will travel with the team and plans to be a constant presence throughout his rehab.

‘My voice still matters,’ Tatum said. ‘I’ll be there, and I’mma watch the games. I’m going to try to help any way I can.’

It’s something of a transition year for Boston. The 2023-24 NBA champions, the Celtics offloaded a pair of key pieces from that build; center Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Hawks and point guard Jrue Holiday was shipped to the Trail Blazers. Tatum, who hasn’t fully ruled out a return to the court this season, will at least miss the majority of the year.

‘First and foremost, the culture that we built with the Celtics, the standard that we hold ourselves to, doesn’t change, regardless of the team that we have,’ Tatum said. ‘On top of that, we still have guys that were on that championship team that know what it takes.

‘It’s going to be a different year, but the standard is still the same.’

The rules for the exhibition fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis were supposed to address the most glaring aspect of the bout scheduled for Nov. 14 in Miami.

In their last fight, Davis weighed in at 133 ¾ pounds and Paul weighed in at 199 ½ pounds – a difference of more than 65 pounds. Press conferences held over the past two days to promote the fight accentuated the difference in size.

Paul, at 6-1, towered over Davis, 5-5 ½.

Davis fights as a lightweight. Paul typically fights as a cruiserweight. And Tim Shipman, executive director of the Florida Athletic Commission that regulates boxing in the state, said there would be stipulations as a result.

“You can’t do a fight like that as a pro fight,’’ Shipman told USA TODAY Sports Sept. 18.

But the fight rules, as announced Sept. 23 by Paul’s business partner Nakisa Bidarian, reveal few accommodations for the size difference between the fighters. (The Florida Athletic Commission has not responded to a request from USA TODAY Sports seeking confirmation of the fight rules.)

In short, the fight will be contested at a maximum of 195 pounds, knockouts will be allowed, official judges will score the fight and 12-ounce gloves will be used.

Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, said the fight does not sound like an exhibition. ‘It’s not great,” he said, and of the weight discrepancy between the two boxers, he added, ‘It’s concerning.”

Mike Mazzulli, former president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, also addressed whether the fight seemed like an exhibition under the rules. ‘Well, not really he said.

Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis size: Weight

The fight will be contested at a maximum weight of 195 pounds. That means Paul will have to weigh in about five pounds lighter than he usually does for fights. The Florida Athletic Commission has not disclosed whether there will be a rehydration clause, which would prevent Paul from entering the ring far heavier than 195 pounds. It’s also unclear how much heavier Davis will be than his standard weight of about 135 pounds.

Rick Thompson, chairman of the Georgia Entertainment and Athletic Commission, adamantly opposed the fight before it was moved to Florida from Georgia. He cited the weight discrepancy as a concern.

‘If shows that are basically stunts want to shop around until they find a jurisdiction that allows them, that’s their prerogative,” Thompson told USA TODAY Sports. ‘We’re just not going to trade safety of (the) fighters for profit.”

Glove size for Paul vs Davis

The fighters will wear 12-ounce gloves. As a lightweight, Davis typically uses eight-ounce gloves. As a cruiserweight, Paul usually wears 10-ounce gloves. Davis is thought to have a disadvantage because he’ll be wearing gloves four ounces heavier than normal, while Paul will be wearing gloves only two ounces heavier than normal.

Davis’ trainer, Calvin Ford, appeared to suggest Davis should wear eight-ounce gloves and Paul should wear 10-ounce gloves, as they typically do. Conventional wisdom: The lighter the glove, the harder punch and the more damage inflicted.

But Paul said it was Davis’ camp that requested the 12-ounce gloves, and the matter sounded unresolved.

Ten rounds

There will be 10 rounds, three minutes apiece. Davis likely will benefit from this because he is the better-conditioned athlete.

The fight will be scored

Official judges will score the fight, which is unusual for an exhibition match. Joe DeGuardia, a promoter based in New York, said an exhibition officially scored is an ‘oxymoron.”

‘Why would it be scored?” DeGuardia said. ‘…I don’t understand the concept of having a winner for a fight that’s an exhibition.”

Knockouts will be allowed

Usually, exhibitions do not end in a knockout. But in 2021, when Evander Holyfield fought Vitor Belfort in Hollywood, Florida, at the age of 58, he was knocked out in the first round.

Records

As is customary for an exhibition, the outcome of the fight will not count against either fighter’s record.

An unlikely peacemaker emerged Sept. 23 at a news conference to promote the exhibition fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis.

Only Fans model Rubi Rose.

During a faceoff between the boxers, Davis shoved Paul. Paul shoved back. Whereupon Rose, clad in a snug, blue micro-dress, stepped between the boxers and the fighters relented. Presumably until their 10-round bout Nov. 14 to be streamed by Netflix.

To be fair, Rose isn’t only an Only Fans model. The 27-year-old, born Rubi Rose Benton, also is a rapper who has appeared in music videos and commercials, including one for Paul’s W brand men’s care product line that includes deodorant.

Speaking of deodorant, the moment involving Rose smelled like potentially more than an eerie coincidence.

Rose sashayed behind the boxers just as Davis shoved Paul with two hands. Paul shoved back with one hand. Calmly, Rose stepped forward and gently pushed the boxers apart, restoring order.

She also underscored the size discrepancy between the two boxers.

Paul, who is 6-1, towered over Davis, who is 5-5½. And even Rose looked noticeably taller than Davis, who did not have the benefit of high heels.

The 2025 Ryder Cup opening ceremony went through without a hitch despite inclement weather forcing a schedule change ahead of one of golf’s biggest events.

The opening ceremony was originally scheduled for Thursday, but anticipated thunderstorms caused organizers to switch things up. The PGA released a forecast on Tuesday that included expectations of up to 0.75′ of rain. As such, the Ryder Cup opted to hold the opening ceremonies on Wednesday afternoon, when conditions were more favorable.

The weather at Bethpage Black figures to be a major theme of the early stages of the Ryder Cup, with showers expected for early play on Friday and possible rain Saturday afternoon. With the tournament already being played on one of the sport’s most challenging courses, this Ryder Cup is shaping up to be a serious test for every player involved.

The ceremonies themselves were just what you would expect. The captains on both teams offered passionate speeches, tying the Ryder Cup to a sense of national pride and the legacy you leave behind. Luke Donald captivated fans entirely by emphasizing that aspect of the tournament, claiming this year’s Europe team was playing for something ‘money cannot buy.’

The U.S. team certainly won the video side of the ceremonies though, with Stu Feiner providing voiceover work behind a beautiful video detailing Bethpage Black and the determination the United States needs to have to get the Ryder Cup back into American arms.

If this ceremony was any indication, we’re certainly in for a great weekend of golf.

Despite the ceremonies being moved up, they were still hosted by Carson Daly and Kira Dixon. However, at least one aspect changed: while Ryder Cup team captains typically announce opening pairings during the ceremonies, ESPN previously reported Wednesday that those announcements will come out Thursday.

Here’s what went down at the 2025 Ryder Cup opening ceremony:

Ryder Cup promo video

Amidst the programming, Stu Feiner provided the voiceover for this Ryder Cup hype video.

Foursomes the most important leg?

As mentioned on the Ryder Cup ceremony broadcast, in each of the last five Ryder Cup tournaments, the team that won the foursomes section went on to win the tournament entirely. In 2023, Europe went 4-0 in Friday foursomes.

Luke Donald with inspiring speech to Team Europe

The Ryder Cup is often praised for its ability to bring top golfers together for a common cause. They play for their nationality, their heritage in a sense, but oftentimes, that aspect of the event is not emphasized. That wasn’t the case with European captain Luke Donald’s pre-tournament speech.

Donald declared that this year’s European team is fueled by ‘something money cannot buy,’ referring to their desire to do their continent proud. If that level of competition holds throughout the weekend, we will be in for an extraordinary Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup opening ceremonies: TV, streaming, how to watch

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 24
Time: 4-5 p.m. ET
Location: Bethpage State Park Black course (Farmingdale, New York)
TV: Golf Channel
Stream: Fubo, rydercup.com and Ryder Cup app

Watch the Ryder Cup opening ceremony on Fubo (free trial)

Last 5 Ryder Cup results

2023: Europe 16.5 – U.S. 11.5
2021: U.S. 19 – Europe 9
2018: Europe 17.5 – U.S. 10.5
2016: U.S. 17 – Europe 11
2014: Europe 16.5 – U.S. 11.5

Who is on the Ryder Cup teams?

Team USA:

Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Collin Morikawa
Russell Henley
J.J. Spaun
Cameron Young
Sam Burns
Patrick Cantlay
Bryson DeChambeau
Harris English
Ben Griffin
Justin Thomas
Captain: Keegan Bradley

Team Europe:

Ludvig Aberg
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrell Hatton
Viktor Hovland
Rasmus Hojgaard
Shane Lowry
Robert MacIntyre
Rory McIlroy
John Rahm
Justin Rose
Sepp Straka
Captain: Luke Donald

Ryder Cup 2025: TV, streaming, how to watch full tournament

Date: Sept. 26-28
Location: Bethpage State Park Black course (Farmingdale, New York)
TV: NBC, Golf Channel, USA Network
Stream: Peacock, Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)

Watch the 2025 Ryder Cup on Fubo (free trial)

This is Steven Pearl’s first head coaching position after serving in various roles at Auburn since 2014.
Bruce Pearl will remain with the athletic department as a special assistant to the athletic director.
Following the coaching change, Auburn players have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal.

Steven Pearl was introduced as Auburn men’s basketball coach Wednesday, taking over for his father, Bruce, after the elder Pearl announced his decision to step down Monday following 11 seasons as Tigers coach.

This is Steven Pearl’s first head coaching job, an opportunity Auburn athletic director John Cohen said ‘has been earned.’

‘Steven Pearl has paid his dues,’ Cohen said. ‘He’s earned this opportunity. He’s the right fit for Auburn at the right time.’

Steven Pearl joined the program in 2014 as a strength and conditioning assistant, became director of operations the next season and was promoted to an on-court assistant two years later. In 2023, he was named associate head coach in 2023. He acknowledged it was at that time ‘hypothetical conversations’ between him and his father about the latter’s eventual retirement began.

‘I wasn’t going to let myself get too high or too low,’ he said. ‘I was just going to stay focused in my process of helping this team continue to grow, and continue to get better and continue to build while he was weighing his options.’

It was also announced Monday that Bruce Pearl would remain in the athletic department, as special assistant to the athletic director.

“There needs to be some separation there,’ Steven Pearl said Wednesday when asked how involved his father will be this upcoming season, but it doesn’t mean he won’t call on his father for help.

‘I’m going to ask him to come to practice every once in a while, just to bring some additional love and energy into the building,’ Steven Pearl said. ‘Or if we lose a tough game and our guys need a little pick me up, I’d be crazy not to call him and ask him to come and talk to the guys.’

Auburn players have a 30-day window to explore transfer options following the coaching change.

‘They have nothing but love for BP and understand and respect his decision,’ Steven Pearl said, adding that he’s told all of the players on his freshly built roster they’re allowed to ‘explore their options.’

Most of them were in attendance Wednesday, with a handful of notable exceptions, such as transfer additions Elyjah Freeman, Filip Jović and Keyshawn Hall, as well as the program’s lone returnee, Tahaad Pettiford.

Shortly after the news broke, Steven Pearl said Adbul Bashir found him, offering a hug and a message: ‘I’m with you, coach. I love you.’ Eventually, Kevin Overton and Kaden Magwood offered the same.

‘I needed that in that moment, so, thank you,’ Steven Pearl said. ‘It’s immediate validation for why we knew you were such special young men and student-athletes. I can’t thank you enough for your resilience, your trust, and your loyalty to Auburn. At a time in college athletics where those three things are far and few between, the world can learn a lot from the men in our locker room. And I’m proud of that. I can promise each and every one of you that I will go to work every day, every second, to reward you for your decision to stay loyal to this staff and to this program.’

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached via email atacole@gannett.com or on X@colereporter.

Now out of a starting job, Russell Wilson could yet play a very important role … in another NFL city.
The NFL trade deadline is approaching on Nov. 4, but significant deals are often made weeks in advance.
Several high-profile players, including Tyreek Hill and Kirk Cousins, could be on the move as their teams’ circumstances change.

As summer gives way to autumn, it’s already apparent who’s falling into the pit of NFL irrelevance. Yet even in the depths of football purgatory there is opportunity – for spiraling teams and players looking to escape it.

The league’s trade deadline is drawing ever nearer, set to expire at 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 4, the day after Week 9 of the regular-season schedule concludes. But recent history – namely an expanding salary cap plus a collection of more aggressive general managers perhaps not as wed to draft capital as their predecessors – have shown that significant deals are now likely to go down much earlier than deadline day. Wideouts Davante Adams and Amari Cooper, for example, were dealt three weeks ahead of the 2024 cutoff. Three years ago, Christian McCaffrey was shipped from Carolina to San Francisco nearly two weeks before the deadline.

‘I’m always looking,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said last year after acquiring Cooper, also noting the advantage of giving an incoming player more time to adapt to his new surroundings and schematics.

“Any time you can add a player … I’m always going to monitor that.”

And while it’s not yet October and much can happen in the next three weeks, six weeks, etc., let’s take Beane’s advice and do some monitoring. Here are 10 players (sort of) NFL teams would be wise to watch as circumstances continue to unfold in the coming days and weeks:

QB Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Acquiring him would be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency situation. It would also require ample cap room from potential suitors given Cousins would be owed the prorated version of the $27.5 million he’s owed in base salary this season. He recently turned 37 but is also now two years removed from Achilles surgery. The conditions would certainly be specific – especially since Cousins’ no-trade clause permits him to kill any deal – but if a team like the Lions, Rams or Seahawks suddenly found itself with a long-term need behind center and lacking sufficient confidence that in-house backups could persevere for an extended period …

Team to watch – TBD: There’s a reason Cousins hasn’t been moved. Yet. But this is the NFL, and an unexpectedly desperate situation can arise at any time.

DE/OLB Leonard Floyd, Falcons

The veteran pass rusher signed a one-year, $10 million contract in March – meaning he’s eminently available. Following free agency, Atlanta spent a pair of first-round picks on edge players Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. And while there’s certainly value in having them learn from a 10th-year veteran with 67½ career sacks, there could also be incentive for GM Terry Fontenot to move Floyd, 33, given the Falcons’ ammunition for the 2026 draft has already been depleted by this year’s acquisition of Pearce.

Team to watch – 49ers:They just lost DE Nick Bosa to a torn ACL and re-obtaining Floyd, who had 8½ sacks for the Niners in 2024, would make sense.

DE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals

He had an eventful summer, briefly holding out from training camp amid protracted negotiations with the team to agree on the raise both Hendrickson and the Bengals acknowledged he deserved after leading the NFL with 35 sacks over the 2023 and ’24 seasons. Still, even though Hendrickson could now make up to $30 million in 2025, he’s nevertheless scheduled to walk in 2026. Clearly the Bengals didn’t pay him to trade him and have historically not been prone to splashy in-season moves. But Cincinnati, which did deal QB Carson Palmer during the 2011 campaign, also didn’t know two weeks ago that it would likely be without injured QB Joe Burrow for most of, if not the remainder of, the 2025 season. And if the Bengals D is going to continue looking as bad as it did last Sunday in Minnesota, why not move on from Hendrickson, 30, at a time when his production could still warrant a nice return given he’ll very likely be on the move in a few months anyway.

Team to watch – Eagles: They were linked to Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons earlier this year and could certainly use a veteran pass rusher after losing Super Bowl 59 hero Josh Sweat in free agency.

WR Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

He said all the right things after Thursday’s loss dropped the Fins to 0-3 at a time when matters around the team seem quite fraught. Hill, who was voted the top player in the NFL in a survey of his peers just a year ago, quit on the team in the 2024 regular-season finale, was stripped of his team captaincy this summer, publicly criticized by QB Tua Tagovailoa and has been accused of domestic abuse by his estranged wife. Despite all that, he’s still the rare game breaker who can make a good team great. And with his base salary scheduled to balloon to nearly $30 million in 2026, the final year of his contract, the Dolphins can’t afford to wait much longer if they intend to get something back from their investment in Hill.

Team to watch – Chiefs: Maybe a reunion with his former team would be farfetched after Hill was shipped out of K.C. three years ago. But perhaps no team is better equipped to leverage his talent and manage his mood than the perennial AFC champs – who might need to execute another bold move to retain that “perennial” status.

RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Historically speaking, the Saints haven’t been inclined to throw in the towel. But if there were ever a year to do it – especially after GM Mickey Loomis exported CB Marshon Lattimore a year ago … Kamara is one of the best players in franchise history. He’s also a 30-year-old running back who’s rarely sniffed a Super Bowl and won’t do so in New Orleans this year or next, after which his contract expires. And despite his age, Kamara’s playing style has never been one that’s exposed him to the level of abuse most traditional backs endure. Used judiciously, he can still be a major asset in every phase of an offense. And it really seems like his situation lends itself to beneficial divorce proceedings for both parties.

Team to watch – Cardinals: Arizona appears positioned to vie for a playoff berth. But that became a more difficult objective in the aftermath of RB James Conner’s season-ending ankle injury. Kamara could immediately step into what was already a backfield-by-committee and would nicely complement second-year banger Trey Benson and seems well suited to play effectively off of multi-dimensional QB Kyler Murray.

WR Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders

He’s in the final year of his contract. He asked for a trade last month. He established personal bests with 87 grabs for 1,027 yards in 2024 – pretty much a perfect complementary receiver. Shouldn’t be much of a holdup here unless the Silver and Black need further proof they’re on the road to nowhere in 2025.

Team to watch – Steelers: They’re already in go-for-it mode yet are getting little production from the wideout position beyond DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III. And, yes, the Steelers prefer to roll with multiple tight ends. But some additional offensive variance couldn’t hurt, and it might be wise to have another dynamic pass catcher for those inevitable scenarios when Aaron Rodgers and Co. have to make up a sizable deficit without the luxury of time.

TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

He’s 29, in the final year of his contract (base salary of $1.3 million) yet can still be an impact player in the right situation. But Njoku is losing opportunities to rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. with a team that could go full-on rebuild and/or reassess at any time.

Team to watch – Buccaneers: Njoku had one of his best seasons in 2018 with then-Browns rookie QB Baker Mayfield. Why not reunite them and bring an added element to a Tampa Bay offense that can’t seem to keep its pass catchers healthy?

DT Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans

Game-wrecking interior defensive linemen are among the most valuable commodities in the NFL – and why the Titans signed Simmons to a four-year, $94 million extension two years ago. He’s under contract through 2027 but – right now anyway – it doesn’t appear like Tennessee will be in position to seriously contend by then. Yet rookie GM Mike Borgonzi could definitely expedite his rebuild by dealing a 28-year-old player who still has prime years left and could fetch a nice return.

Team to watch – Lions:Detroit again appeared Super Bowl-caliber during Monday night’s win at Baltimore. But injuries and depth deficiencies on defense cost the Lions dearly in 2024, to say nothing of the fact that DE Aidan Hutchinson is likely to draw more and more double teams as the year goes on. What an inside-out combo he and Simmons would be if united.

QB Kenny Pickett or Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders

After failing to post for the Browns’ four-way quarterback battle in training camp, Pickett was traded in August – for the third time in fewer than 18 months – to backstop Geno Smith following O’Connell’s preseason wrist injury. Yet O’Connell is expected to be healthy before the deadline, and there’s little reason to have two veterans unlikely to claim the QB1 reins on merit holding clipboards – tablets, I mean tablets – behind Smith.

Team to watch – Packers: Malik Willis carried them in a pinch without Jordan Love last year, but he was hardly asked to operate the offense at a similar level. Maybe he’s up to the task now … and maybe the Pack would be wise to look at a more experienced fallback if, say, Love were to be lost for a six-week stretch.

QB Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, New York Giants

Rookie Jaxson Dart’s time has come in Gotham … which leaves little reason to carry Winston and Wilson, particularly the latter given Wilson is on an expiring deal with an infinitesimal (prorated) base salary of $2 million. At this juncture, it’s difficult to see another extended starting opportunity presenting itself to either veteran. But one could be quite a valuable insurance policy for a playoff-caliber team suddenly in need of an intermediate bridge – which is probably a better outcome than being relegated to answering questions from a 22-year-old football savior who probably only needs one ‘mentor.’ And Wilson did show in Week 2 that he can still shine in bursts.

Team to watch – Chargers: Let’s say QB Justin Herbert suffers a high-ankle sprain or maybe breaks a finger on his passing hand. Are the Bolts really going to roll with Trey Lance or and/or undrafted rookie DJ Uiagalelei? Good luck finding a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations that’s in a more precarious position if its QB1 goes down.

Syracuse coach Fran Brown is changing the team’s culture by making losing and not competing unacceptable.
Brown has led the once-struggling program to significant wins, including a 10-win season in his first year.
Brown’s coaching philosophy, influenced by his time under Georgia’s Kirby Smart, focuses on relentless competition.

Before he became the next big thing in the college football coaching fraternity, before he won 13 of his first 17 games at forgotten Syracuse, Fran Brown had to change what was acceptable. 

Two things stood above all else, he told USA TODAY Sports in April: it’s not acceptable to lose and not acceptable to avoid competing.

“I never told anyone this, but when I first got to Syracuse, someone asked me, ‘What would be a good record, 8-4?’” Brown said, and now he’s getting agitated because this is the source of his frustration. “So you want me to pick four teams that are going to beat us? Then who am I?”

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He waited for the answer, and there’s no reason to even attempt a response. 

“No one practices to lose games,” Brown continued. “So I stopped talking to that person.”

And started working on redefining what winning looked like at Syracuse. 

It didn’t take long to see why Brown, only two years into his head coaching career, will be the hottest prospect in this year’s hiring cycle. If you can win big at Syracuse, you can win big anywhere.

Winning looks like taking a wayward program lost in the shuffle of big-time college football, and winning 10 games out of the gate. This from a team that, before Brown arrived in 2024, was using a tight end at quarterback because it had no one else. 

Winning looks like taking a beaten down player from the transfer portal, and turning quarterback Kyle McCord – unfairly blamed for all of Ohio State’s problems in 2023 – into the nation’s leader in passing yards per game. 

It looks like following a 10-win season in 2024 with three wins in four games this season, including a road rout of Clemson last week. Two weeks earlier, after an overtime win over UConn, Brown had his team running gassers after the game, in front of the home crowd, because he didn’t think they were competing hard enough.

That’s what winning looks like. 

It looks like the unrelenting philosophy Kirby Smart – Brown’s mentor from his time as an assistant coach in Athens under the game’s best – used to build Georgia into a national power.

“We were trying to win the national title, and we didn’t do that,” Brown said of his first Syracuse team. “We were trying to win the conference championship, and we didn’t. We were just an average football team, when you look at it. When people get excited about fourth or fifth place, you’re messing with competition.”

That’s why no one complained about running gassers after playing 60 minutes. Why the Orange, two weeks later, played their best game under Brown.

But it’s more than winning, it’s the buildout and framework and ability to sustain. It’s believing in your values, and never wavering.

It’s not paying a million dollars for a wide receiver when your total NIL budget is about twice that amount. So when Syracuse’s All-ACC wideout Trebor Pena wanted his, Brown told him to find it somewhere else.

Four games into this season, Syracuse wideouts Justus Ross-Simmons and Darrell Gill Jr. have combined to catch 28 passes for 528 yards (18.9 ypc.) and eight touchdowns. Pena transferred to Penn State, and has 13 catches for 166 yards and one touchdown. 

And a fat NIL contract. 

“Nothing can be bigger than Syracuse, because once players start looking elsewhere, you forget what humble confidence is,” Brown said. “As a coach, I have to be genuine. Players know when you’re fake. You’re not going to get them to fight in the fourth quarter because they know you’re soft.”

They’re not going to keep fighting in the fourth quarter when their starting quarterback sustains a season-ending injury. Not this group, not this time.

They’re finding answers, not looking for excuses.

So when Rickie Collins takes over as the starting quarterback this week for Syracuse, he’ll build on what was expected of him when he entered the Clemson game late in the third quarter after starter Steve Angeli sustained a season-ending Achilles injury.

Collins threw a touchdown pass in his first full series while protecting a 13-point lead and completed two third-down throws in the fourth quarter to extend drives and bleed clock. He competed at a high level.

Basically, what Brown teaches from the jump.

“You have to be ready to go when it’s your turn,” Brown said earlier this week. “We have lot of kids on the team that are upset because they’re not playing. You just hope they can see it when it happens so close. You hope it’s contagious. Not, ‘I’m going to the (transfer) portal.’”

It all comes back to what’s acceptable. In a free-flowing, player-friendly world of malleable rules and easy exits, that non-negotiable foundation too often gets lost.

Angeli arrived from Notre Dame in April, and said the first thing Brown told him was he could lead the nation in passing — if he competed and sold out and reached his ceiling. 

Before Angeli left the Clemson game, he was leading the nation in passing yards per game.

“When you eliminate competing, you eliminate the reward,“ Brown said. “And then it becomes acceptable to lose.”

Instead of being unacceptable to relinquish one win.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

The Green Bay Packers are facing the Dallas Cowboys on ‘Sunday Night Football’ in a Week 4 matchup that will pit Micah Parsons against his former team for the first time.

Parsons will be tasked during the contest with trying to get after Dak Prescott, who served as a friend and mentor to the 26-year-old during their four seasons together in Dallas.

That’s why Parsons knows he will feel mixed emotions if he is able to sack Prescott during Sunday’s contest.

‘It’s going to be painful,’ Parsons explained in a Tuesday interview with the Associated Press. ‘That’s my guy. He was always like a good mentor for me. But you know how it is. He always told me if I ever faced him that it’ll be a great matchup, so I’m excited to see what Sunday brings itself.’

Parsons appears less sentimental about playing in AT&T Stadium as a visitor for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Cowboys to the Packers.

‘I accepted my fate weeks ago when the trade happened,’ Parsons said. ‘So, for me, it’s just all about playing another game and just doing what I do best, and that’s just be a disruptive football player. I think the media and the fans are trying to blow it up to be such a big thing. But I just look at it as just another game at AT&T.’

Parsons has, thus far, achieved his goal of being disruptive with the Packers. He has generated 19 pressures – second-most in the NFL behind Denver Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto – and 1.5 sacks across his first three games.

The Cowboys have allowed Prescott to be pressured 45 times – ninth-most in the NFL – through three games, so expect to see Parsons in the backfield often against his former teammates.