Articles by Mark Schofield

The ongoing saga between QB Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens has taken its penultimate turn. Jackson took to Twitter on Monday to share with Ravens’ fans that on March 2, he requested a trade, because Baltimore hasn’t been interested in meeting his value.

in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 27, 2023

Jackson made sure to thank the fans for his time in Baltimore, but now the next hurdle is getting Jackson on a new team. Which team could be best set up to bring in the former NFL MVP?
1. Atlanta Falcons

There is a reason that the most smoke around a potential Jackson destination floats over the Atlanta Falcons, and that reason is that it makes a ton of sense schematically. Before taking over as the head coach in Atlanta, Arthur Smith oversaw an offense in Tennessee that turned Ryan Tannehill into an upper-tier quarterback.
That offense relied on RPOs, the threat of the quarterback run, and more elements that catered to Tannehill’s athleticism. That same system made the most out of Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder last season, but imagine what it would look like with Jackson at the helm.
Sitting with the eighth-overall pick, the Falcons could potentially get priced out of the rookie quarterback market. But with the cap space to add Jackson, this might be the move for Atlanta.

2. New York Jets

The New York Jets have not been quiet about their desire to add a veteran quarterback this offseason. The Jets were stable, competent quarterback play away from making the playoffs a year ago, and with the young talent they have on the roster, it seems like a window is open for them to contend.
They just need the quarterback to fill out the roster.
Derek Carr’s decision to sign with the New Orleans Saints takes one option off the table, and while the presence of Nathaniel Hackett in the building makes Aaron Rodgers an option — and recent reporting indicates that the team has spoken with the quarterback — if Jackson is available, he should also be on their radar.
The Jets would need to be creative financially to make such a move, as New York is currently just over the cap heading into the 2023 league year, but for a player of Jackson’s caliber, you find a way to make it work.
And, if their pursuit of Rodgers does not materialize, Jackson is one heck of a fallback option.
Also, do not discount the familiarity between Jets general manager Joe Douglas and the Ravens. Douglas began his NFL career as a scout with the Ravens, spending 15 seasons in Baltimore.
3. Indianapolis Colts
In recent days, the idea of Jackson finding a way to Indianapolis has taken shape.
Now that the quarterback has indicated he would like to be traded, could he find his way to the AFC South?
The Colts currently have the fourth-overall pick in the upcoming draft, and with the potential for a team to trade ahead of them, Indianapolis could be looking at drafting QB4 with that selection.
Or they could add a former MVP.
It is the old Family Guy “mystery box” gag. They could add a quarterback with that pick who could one day become Jackson.
Or they could just that pick to just go and get Jackson.
4. Carolina Panthers

The assumption this offseason is that the Carolina Panthers are going to draft a rookie passer, and with what they have put in place structurally around the quarterback position, that makes a lot of sense. New head coach Frank Reich does have a record of QB development — he was part of the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff in 2017 that turned Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate before his knee injury — and other coaching additions such as Thomas Brown, Parks Frazier, Duce Staley, and Josh McCown round out a talented offensive staff.
That, coupled with the trade to the top of the board, makes it seem that the Panthers are going the rookie route.
Still, the Panthers did meet with Carr, so they appear open to the idea of a veteran option. There was earlier reporting that the Panthers are more interested in “cheaper” veteran options, given the status of their cap space as free agency beckoned. However, recent moves have put the Panthers in a much better financial position.
Perhaps a position favorable to a Jackson deal.
5. Washington Commanders
The ongoing saga regarding owner Daniel Snyder and the potential sale of the Washington Commanders continues. But regarding the roster, head coach Ron Rivera spent most of his Combine talking about how the Commanders are going to enter 2023 with second-year quarterback Sam Howell as their QB1.
However, Rivera qualified that by stating that he needs to earn that spot during training camp. “We will go into OTAs, minicamp and training camp with Sam Howell more than likely QB1, and we’ll see what happens,” said Rivera last week. “I mean, it’s his opportunity. This is a challenge to him. If he comes out and does the things that he’s capable of, we believe he’s capable of, he can most certainly be our guy.”
Having added Eric Bienemy as their new assistant coach/offensive coordinator, expectations in Washington center on the idea of a much more creative offense, with more shifts, increased use of motion for information and impact, and a much different feel for the offense in 2023.
Adding Jackson would kick those expectations into high gear.
Their financial position would make this a tougher move. The Commanders have just over $2 million in available cap space.
But for Jackson, you find a way to make this work.
They also have some pieces in place on offense, including wide receiver Terry McLaurin. While the team also added Jacoby Brissett in free agency, that should not preclude adding Jackson as the starter.
Oh, and there is the Snyder factor. According to reporting from ESPN last fall, he believed finding a franchise QB would be a “silver bullet” towards saving his position in Washington.
Jackson would qualify.
6. New England Patriots

There are moments in this job where it is hard to separate the analyst from the fan.
One such moment for me was last week in Indianapolis during the NFL Scouting Combine. It was Friday morning, and the media was assembled in Hall J of the Indianapolis Convention Center, where the quarterbacks were set to speak with the media.
As I stood in front of the podium awaiting Bryce Young, I noticed something.
Patriots beat writers.
Did I need to know something?
I immediately went over to my friend Evan Lazar, who does a tremendous job covering the team for Patriots.com, and he assured me that he was working on a story regarding Bill O’Brien’s offense and he wanted to get a quote from Young for the piece. But Evan was not the only member of the Patriots beat in front of Young, and those same media members stayed in place for both C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson.
Year two of the Mac Jones experiment was a setback, and certainly the situation around the young quarterback was not the best environment, given the coaching staff the Patriots put together last offseason. That led to changes this winter — such as the hiring of O’Brien — and the unprecedented announcement of their search for an offensive coordinator in advance of that move.
That has all opened the door to speculation about Jones’s future in New England.
And when you have Bill Belichick singing Jackson’s praises like he did last fall:

Bill Belichick on if Lamar Jackson has answered all the pre-draft concerns people had with him: “Without a doubt. He’s the type of players that’s an MVP candidate. … Wait until we see what his contract is, that will answer them.”( @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/dYJs4ZoVof— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 21, 2022

The Patriots are in a strong financial position at the moment, sitting almost $32 million over the cap according to my friend Miguel Benzan, the premier Patriots salary cap analyst in the business. If Jackson is indeed available, something tells me New England will at least kick the tires. […]

Formula 1 is back for the third Grand Prix of the 2023 season. The first two races of the 2023 F1 season have seen dominating performances from Red Bull, with Max Verstappen winning the season opener in Bahrain, and teammate Sergio Pérez taking the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Can another team threaten the Bulls this weekend?
The grid moves to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, taking to the roads around Melbourne’s Albert Park, at the Albert Park Circuit. As the track is not a permanent fixture, the surface can be quite slick as the weekend begins with practices on Friday, and takes on more rubber by the time the Grand Prix rolls around.
Turn 1 is the toughest turn to navigate, as drivers come off the longest straight of the course into a difficult right-hand turn. According to this analysis from AlphaTauri, drivers endure negative deceleration of around 5.2 Gs when making that turn.
It all gets underway this week. Here is how to watch, and what to watch for. You will note that this is one of the races on the calendar this year that will be tough for those of you in the Eastern time zone, including yours truly.
How To Watch (all times Eastern):

Practice 1 – Thursday March 30 – 9:25 p.m. – ESPNEWS/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN

Practice 2 – Friday March 31 – 12:55 a.m. – ESPN2/WatchESPN

F1 Show – Friday March 31 – 3:00 a.m. – ESPN3/WatchESPN

Practice 3 – Friday March 31 – 9:25 p.m. – ESPNEWS/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN

Qualifying – Saturday April 1 – 12:55 a.m. – ESPN/WatchESPN

Ted’s Qualifying Notebook – Saturday April 1 – 2:30 a.m. – ESPN3/WatchESPN

Grand Prix Sunday (Pre-race Show) – Saturday April 1 – 11:30 p.m. – ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN

Grand Prix Race – Sunday April 2 – 12:55 a.m. – ESPN/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN

Grand Prix Race (Replay) – Sunday March 5 – 7:00 p.m. – ESPNNEWS/WatchESPN

What to Watch:

Here are some of the major storylines heading into the Australian Grand Prix.

2023 Australian Grand Prix odds

Driver

Winner (Mar 19)

Winner (Mar 26)

Driver

Winner (Mar 19)

Winner (Mar 26)

Max Verstappen

-330

-330

Sergio Perez

+550

+500

Fernando Alonso

+1000

+1000

Charles Leclerc

+1400

+1600

Lewis Hamilton

+1800

+1800

Carlos Sainz

+3500

+3500

George Russell

+3500

+3500

Lance Stroll

+8000

+8000

Esteban Ocon

+30000

+30000

Pierre Gasly

+30000

+30000

Lando Norris

+50000

+50000

Oscar Piastri

+50000

+50000

Valtteri Bottas

+80000

+80000

Guanyu Zhou

+80000

+80000

Nico Hulkenberg

+80000

+80000

Logan Sargeant

+80000

+80000

Alexander Albon

+80000

+80000

Yuki Tsunoda

+80000

+80000

Kevin Magnussen

+80000

+80000

Nyck de Vries

+80000

+80000 […]

Over the roar of the crowd you could hear the whistle.
In the closing seconds of Sunday’s Elite Eight game between the San Diego State Aztecs and the Creighton Bluejays, senior SDSU guard Darrion Trammell had the game in his hands. The score was tied at 56, and Trammell turned the corner at the top of the key in the final seconds, He lofted a shot with his right hand from the middle of the key, which clanged short off the iron.
But the whistle blew.
The whistle blew for a foul on Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard, whose left hand was on the right hip of Trammell as he let his shot go. The foul sent the senior guard to the line who hit the second of his two shots to give the Aztecs a one-point lead.
They would ultimately win by that point, 57-56.
Was it a foul, or perhaps more accurately, was it a foul that should have been called at that point in the game? You be the judge:

As you can see, the referee who made the call did a good job at getting himself into position to see the play. Here is a look at the view he had at the moment of truth:

After the game, the CBS studio crew seemed to be of mixed mind regarding the call. Gene Steratore made the case that the left hand of Nembhard, which you can see on Trammell’s hip, impacts the shot. Charles Barkley, however, made the case that in that situation, the referees should have swallowed their whistles, and let them play. Barkley also made the case that Trammell’s shot was likely short regardless of Nembhard’s hand on his hip.
Ultimately, the consensus opinion seemed to be that it was a foul, but that in that situation, perhaps the referees should have let the play stand.
Similar to the ending of Super Bowl LVII.
One thing we can be sure of, this is likely going to be a topic of discussion for at least this week, if not beyond. […]

Only eight teams are still standing in the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament, and at this point, it truly feels like any of them can win the whole thing with every No. 1 seed already eliminated. After a thrilling round of games in the Sweet 16, we are left with four tremendous matchups for the regional championships. By Sunday night, the Final Four will be set, and the teams will be off to Houston to compete for the national title.
Before the Elite Eight begins, SB Nation’s writers ranked every team still in the field by their chances of winning the national championship. Each writer voted on the teams, and the averages determined these rankings.
Here’s how we’d rank the Elite Eight in the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament.
8. San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs rode one of the nation’s top defenses into the Sweet 16.
That same defense propelled them into the Elite Eight.
San Diego State ranked fourth in the nation in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, and we saw that defensive efficiency on the floor Friday night. The Aztecs flustered and harrassed Alabama’s offense all night, holding the Crimson Tide to just 32.4% shooting from the floor, and a dismal 3-for-27 — just 11.4% — from three-point land. San Diego State also held Alabama star Brandon Miller to just nine points on 3-for-19 from the field, and just 1-for-10 from three. Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly also had four of his shots blocked during a three-minute stretch as the Aztecs took the lead in the second half.
On the offensive end guard Darrion Trammell led the way, leading the Aztecs with 21 points, while Jaedon LeDee chipped in another 12 points.
While it is true that the Aztecs faced a relatively easy path to the Sweet 16 — beating No. 12 Charleston and No. 13 Furman to get to this stage — but knocking off perhaps the best team in the nation is quite the addition to their resume. On this night the story was the San Diego State defense, and looking ahead, that suffocating defense could be enough to get them to Houston. — Mark Schofield
7. Florida Atlantic Owls
The Owls are built via years of consistent team-building and dedication to constructing the team that’s playing the Kansas State on Saturday. Of the players who have played over 10% of the Owls’ possessions, only one of them is a senior. That senior is guard Michael Forrest, who took on a diminished role from last year, moving to the bench, but shined as the star of the Sweet 16 win over Tennessee. Forrest is a part of a deep Owls squad that will play nine guys in each game, a group that is made largely up of sophomores that can come back next year.

The Owls have been through thick and thin. Since Dusty May took over, the Owls have consistently been over .500, but they’ve never had a season like this. FAU was in the CBI Tournament last year, and lost to Northern Colorado. In 2019, they lost in the first round of the CIT Tournament to Charleston Southern. This isn’t lightning in a bottle, no. This is constantly swinging the axe and getting results. The ball of clay that Dusty May has molded has finally turned into an Elite Eight crashing machine, and one thing is for sure: FAU is no Cinderella.
6. Creighton Bluejays
The Blue Jays are so versatile and so adaptable, it’s hard to see anyone beating them but themselves. On any given night any given player can take over, whether it’s the 7’1” Ryan Kalkbrenner going off for 31 points against NC State, Ryan Nembhard putting up 30 on Baylor, or Baylor Scheierman contributing 21 against Princeton. Their games have been close until the end, but they’ve only trailed for a few minutes of game time total. The Blue Jays seem to always be in control of the scoreboard and their emotions, and this cool demeanor has them on the doorsteps of the Final Four.
Kalkbrenner in particular has been as dominant as promised, and even with a less-than-stellar shooting night against Baylor, the Blue Jays had enough firepower to sustain his slump. Turnovers could be a weak point as Creighton has given up more than their opponent in every game this tournament, and they’ll be tested by a San Diego State team that just picked off Alabama nine times.
Creighton also hasn’t dipped deep into their bench yet, playing essentially a six-man rotation. They play smart defense, but if the fouls start stacking up the Blue Jays could be putting some fresh jerseys on the floor. It hasn’t happened yet though, and if cooler heads prevail, they’ll keep dancing. – Adam Ward
5. Kansas State Wildcats
Markquis Nowell has turned himself into a household name during this tournament, and that’s what so much of March is about. It’s impossible not to love the game of the Wildcats’ diminutive point guard, who transcends his 5’8” frame by being one of the best floor generals and distributors in college basketball.
K-State’s overtime win over Michigan State showcased his passing prowess to the nth degree, with Nowell finishing with a NCAA record 19 assists to go along with his 20 points.
The 26-9 Wildcats might not have jumped off the screen during the regular season. Sure, there were some big wins and the one-two punch of Nowell and Keyontae Johnson caught your eye, but this looked like a team who was overseeded after being a No. 3 with a 21st ranking in KenPom, and questions lingered about whether this team had the depth needed to last out the grind out the tournament.
All that has been pushed aside as the Wildcats have proven themselves not only worthy of that high seed, but transcended it. Kansas State took down Kentucky and Michigan State en route to the Elite Eight. Sure, they didn’t have the toughest path through the tournament, but Nowell and Johnson are a devastating one-two punch that an score in buckets, facilitate when needed, and lifts everyone around them.
Now the Wildcats aim to do something that hasn’t happened in a long, long time: Make the Final Four. You have to go all the way back to 1964 for the last time that happened, but this teams looks like the moment isn’t too big for them and they’re ready to keep this ride going.
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs
“This isn’t Gonzaga’s best team” is both an obvious assessment circling around the Zags all season, and a major testament to what Mark Few has built in Spokane. No, there isn’t a top-five NBA draft pick on this roster like there has been the last two years, but these Zags are still the best offensive team in the country, led by a four-year stud who may go down as the defining college basketball player of this generation.
Gonzaga is now on the doorstep of its third Final Four in the last six men’s NCAA tournaments after a heart-pounding against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 that nearly ended in hyper-humiliating fashion for the Zags. Gonzaga blew a 10-point lead in the final 2:30 of regulation when Amari Bailey hit a go-ahead three-pointer. Few called timeout and drew up a play for Julian Strawther, who hit a deep three to beat the Bruins that felt eerily similar to Jalen Suggs’ game-winner in the 2021 Final Four in this same matchup. The crowd that believes Gonzaga is “perennial chokers” despite eight straight Sweet 16 appearances and multiple Final Four berths never would have gotten over this late game collapse built on turnovers and missed free throws, but somehow the Zags still pulled it out.
Gonzaga showed its strengths and weaknesses in victory. Drew Timme was incredible offensively with 36 points, but UCLA scored so much on the other end by attacking him in high ball-screens. Gonzaga’s shooters were cold in the first half before snapping to life in the second. Gonzaga can score with anyone — they’re the No. 1 offense in the country — but calling their defense average might be too complimentary. No one is anointing Gonzaga this year, and at this point we should know no one will fully believe in them until they cut down the nets in the last game of the season. Either way, this is a still a very good team, and it has the chance to out-score anyone it plays. — ROD
3. Miami Hurricanes
Miami doesn’t have the best offense in the country by the numbers — it was merely No. 11 out of 363 DI teams entering the Sweet 16, according to KenPom — but it sure feels like they do. The Hurricanes run basketball’s version of the spread-and-shred, spacing the floor with shooters and dynamic dribble-drive ball handlers even if it means they usually don’t have a traditional big man on the floor. Miami’s defense, ranking outside of the top-100 entering Friday night, was supposed to be the real issue. You’d never know it by watching them in March Madness.
The Hurricanes survived an upset bid from No. 12 seed Drake in round one, then flexed all over Indiana in their next win. They saved their best game for the Sweet 16: matched up against presumptive tournament favorite No. 1 seed Houston, Miami left no doubt they were the better team. Miami’s offense tore through Houston’s top-five defense, getting to the rim at will, hitting 11-of-25 three-pointers, and generating so many easy buckets in transition. The thing about having a poorly rated defense is sometimes the other team just misses. That happened on Friday, when Houston went 9-of-31 from three.
How do you stop this Miami offense? No one has had an answer yet. Good luck out-scoring them. While many college basketball coaches have cried about the NIL and transfer portal, Miami is back in the Elite Eight after getting Nigel Pack $800K of NIL money to transfer from Kansas State. He hit seven three-pointers in the win over Houston. In so many different ways, Miami has adapted to times. It’s put them one win away from their first Final Four ever. — ROD
2. UConn Huskies
Shortly after arriving in Las Vegas, the Connecticut men’s basketball team found that several of their rooms in the hotel were, well, in the kind of shape many people find themselves in after a night on the Strip.
That forced a change of hotels, and perhaps the Huskies took their travel frustrations out on Arkansas. Connecticut used a pair of runs to pull away from the Razorbacks, the first of which was a 14-0 run in the first half which turned a three-point Huskies lead into a 34-17 lead. Then, after leading at the break by a 46-29 edge, Connecticut used a 9-0 run in the second half to build a 62-33 lead. Arkansas did not notch their first field goal of the second half until the 13-minute mark.
Throughout the season, the Huskies were one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, and they showed that again Thursday night. Connecticut came into the tournament ranked third in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency, and they were certainly efficient against Arkansas. The Huskies shot 57.4% from the floor, and 45% from three-point land. They were also dominant on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. Connecticut outrebounded Arkansas 43-31, and they notched 11 offensive rebounds. Sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins led the way with 24 points, with junior forward Adama Sanogo adding another 18 points and eight rebounds.
The last time the Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight? 2014, when they qualified as a seven-seed out of the East Regional. They went on to win the title.
Could they do it again? Their performance against Arkansas is a strong case in their favor. — Mark Schofield
1. Texas Longhorns
The scariest defense in college basketball right now? En route to their Elite Eight appearance, the Longhorns held the best three point shooting team in the nation (Colgate) to 20% from distance in a blowout, and completely stifled one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation in Xavier, holding them to one of their lowest-scoring games of the entire season. And even when the offense didn’t click (against Penn State the Longhorns shot 7.7% from three) they locked down defensively and controlled the floor.
It’s not just smart schemes and active hands, the Longhorns are fundamentally wearing down their opponents by boxing out strong, cutting off pesky driving guards, and flying in transition for easy points. Major kudos to interim coach Rodney Terry who has this team completely zoned in.
Marcus Carr has been solid but not quite outstanding… yet. He’s due for a huge game. Dylan Disu was shooting a mind-boggling 75.4% from the floor this tournament, but sat out the Xavier win with a bone bruise in his foot and was seen wearing a boot on the sidelines. His absence didn’t seem to affect the team significantly, but his availability and overall health will be a big story against Miami. The Hurricanes have an unstoppable force of an offense; will this immovable object defense budge? – Adam Ward […]

It has been a dream start to the 2023 Formula 1 season for Red Bull.
But is there potential for it to turn into a nightmare?
There is no question that Red Bull has been the dominant package early in the 2023 F1 campaign. Drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez were very impressive during pre-season testing in Bahrain, locked out the front row in qualifying for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, and followed that up by finishing one-two in the Grand Prix itself, with Verstappen just ahead of his teammate.
The pair seemed en route to another front-row lockout ahead of last week’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as both Pérez and Verstappen remained strong during practice sessions. However, Verstappen’s RB19 suffered a driveshaft failure during the second qualifying session, leaving pole position for Pérez, and Verstappen in 15th to start the Grand Prix.
Still, it was another one-two for Red Bull, as Verstappen charged through the field to finish in second place behind Pérez. This strong start has Red Bull atop the Constructors’ standings, and the two drivers sitting one-two in the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen leads Pérez by just a single point in those standings and it is that point — and how it came to be — that has led to speculation about simmering tensions at Red Bull. Late in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the two drivers were given lap time targets, as the team wanted to ensure a one-two finish. They were told to target a lap time of 1:33.20, a manageable pace to close out the Grand Prix, but Verstappen kept pushing faster, running his laps in the 1:32.60 range.
As Pérez wondered on the radio if Verstappen was being instructed to keep a similar pace, the defending world champion inquired about who had posted the fastest lap, and ignored repeated instructions to maintain lap times in the range of 1:33.20. At one point Verstappen was told that the team was not concerned with the fastest lap — which awards an additional point in the drivers’ standings — but Verstappen was on a different page.
“But I am,” he radioed back.
On the final lap of the race, Verstappen posted the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, securing that additional point, and keeping himself atop the standings.
That led to this exchange between the drivers following the Grand Prix:

“Were you not told to keep the pace?” asked Pérez following his win.
Moments later, during the post-race press conference, the Red Bull drivers were asked about the battle for the fastest lap, and that extra point in the standings. Here is what they had to say.
“With a few laps ago, I asked what the fastest lap was. We were first of all free to race and of course we had a target lap time to the end,” said Verstappen. “It’s a point on the line, it was the same also in Bahrain it got asked so especially when it’s just between the two cars, I think it’s quite normal that you asked for what the fastest lap is.”
Pérez had a slightly different viewpoint.
“Yeah, I asked two laps from the end, while they were telling us… where they told me to keep a certain pace,” said the winner of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “They told me I had the fastest lap and to keep the pace, a certain pace. So I thought the communication was the same to Max or something. We need to review because I got certainly the different information and I just couldn’t push it there.”
Of course, the events in Jeddah bring to mind last season’s Brazilian Grand Prix. In the closing laps at Interlagos, Verstappen was given a command from his team to move aside and let Pérez pass him. By this point in the season, Verstappen had locked up the Drivers’ Championship, and Pérez was in a battle for second with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.
Verstappen, however, ignored the request. As he came across the line ahead of his teammate, he let his feelings on the matter be known: “I told you already last summer, guys, don’t ask that again to me. Okay? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons, and I stand by it.”
Pérez let his own frustrations be heard.
“I don’t understand why he didn’t give me the position, even with everything I have done for him. If he has two titles, it’s because of my help!” Perez said.
In the days and weeks since that race, Red Bull has maintained that the air was cleared between the two drivers. Team Principal Christian Horner discussed the tension between the two drivers in the days after the Grand Prix, and had this to say about the incident over the off-season, speaking on Speedcafe TV:

“I think there are certain things that your drivers have the right to discuss in private between themselves. Not every conversation has to be covered through digital media and so on. The drivers had a good conversation after the race in Brazil, the air was absolutely clear, you could see that by the time they arrived in Abu Dhabi, and I think this has been a phenomenal pairing for Red Bull.
“The success that they’ve achieved over the last couple of seasons, their joint performance achieving our first Constructors’ World Championship this year, the first in nine years, has been a remarkable performance by both of them and I’m sure moving forward, they’re going to be delivering as they have done the last couple of seasons.”

He continued:
“They’re both pretty grown-up individuals and they both have an open relationship with each other. So when if ever there is an issue, it gets discussed, it gets put on the table and you talk it through. I think communication is always the best way to deal with any issue and you know, Sergio is an experienced guy, he’s been around a long time. He’s a very rounded guy and Max [is] very much a straight shooter as well, and the two of them have always, you know, enjoyed a decent relationship and I just see that continuing.”
The problem facing Horner right now? All the communication in the world cannot change the fact that at the moment, Red Bull is the dominant force on the grid and as such, their two drivers may be squaring off all season long for the Drivers’ Championship. With Verstappen seeking his third-straight title, and Pérez trying to nab his first.
Could this simmering tension boil over, and spoil the Red Bull show?
We have seen similar championship fights between teammates before, most recently with Mercedes. In both 2014 and 2016 teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton — who grew up karting together and were once friends — battled it out atop the Drivers’ standings.
That friendship slowly turned sour as a result.
Hamilton won titles in both 2014 and 2015, but it was Rosberg who nipped his teammate at the end of the 2016 campaign for the Championship, a title fight that included a dramatic collision between the two at the Spanish Grand Prix, knocking both from the race.
In the final race of that season, the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton was just 12 points behind Rosberg entering the Grand Prix, leaving it all to fight for on the track. In the closing laps, Hamilton was in first place, with Rosberg a few spots behind him. If Hamilton went on to win, and Rosberg finished fourth or worse in the Grand Prix, the Championship was Hamilton’s.
The race leader slowed his pace, trying to bunch up Rosberg and keep him pinned in the group behind him. But the team, seeing a hard-charging Sebastian Vettel, instructed Hamilton to pick up his pace.
With the Drivers’ Championship in his mind, Hamilton ignored the request.
Hamilton did win the Grand Prix, but Rosberg picked up enough places to win the Championship. He would shockingly retire at the end of the season, stating he had achieved his goal of becoming an F1 champion.
Now, both drivers were asked about the potential of a Red Bull duel for the Drivers’ Championship at the close of their post-race press conference in Jeddah, and seemed to b brush aside the notion that such a battle would be a bad thing. “Well, if that’s the case it’s fairly simple, right? We are allowed to race so the best one will finish in front,” said Verstappen.
“If that’s the case, then it will be fantastic news for the team,” added Pérez. “[B]ecause that means that we are pretty far ahead and it comes down to us so it will mean that we are in a great position.”
Yet, something else Verstappen said during that press conference is also worth illuminating:
“And of course in general, the whole feeling in the team, everyone is happy but personally, I’m not happy. Because I’m not here to be second, especially when you are working very hard also back at the factory to make sure that you arrive here in a good state, and basically making sure that everything is spot on. And then yeah, you have to do a recovery race, which I like – I mean, I don’t mind doing it – but when you’re fighting for a Championship and especially, you know, when it looks like it’s just between two cars, we have to make sure that also the two cars are reliable.”
“I’m not here to be second.”
Those years at Mercedes highlight the tension that can grow when a team has the superior package to the rest of the field and the double-edged sword that entails.
Balancing that double-edged sword is now the challenge ahead for Horner.
How well he does so could be the difference between this remaining a dream season for the Bulls, or that dream becoming a nightmare. […]

Quarterbacks tend to move the needle when it comes to discussing the NFL, particularly when it comes to the NFL draft. While last year was somewhat of an exception to this rule, given that Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback to come off the board in the first round — and the first two rounds at that — the 2023 NFL Draft is shaping up to be a return to this norm. Three quarterbacks (C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Bryce Young) are expected to come off the board within the first five selections, with Will Levis likely joining them inside the top ten.
But while the passers might shape the first five picks in the draft, cornerbacks could shape the entire first round. According to NFLMockDraftDatabase, six cornerbacks are consistently placed in the first round of mock drafts right now, and while mock drafts are just one data point, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN recently called this cornerback class one of the deepest in the draft:

Need a corner? ESPN Senior Draft analyst @MelKiperESPN calls that position the “deepest in the draft, by far” and projects that as many as 35-40 CBs from the 2023 class can play in the NFL.CB is arguably the Patriots’ No. 1 need.— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 22, 2023

The cornerback sitting at the top of that list for many? Christian Gonzalez from Oregon.
An “[e]xplosive outside cornerback possessing a rare blend of physical and athletic traits” is how Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Gonzalez, comparing him to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. “His testing numbers could send his draft stock skyrocketing, but the ingredients are already present to become a feared CB1 if he plays to his gifts,” Zierlein continues.
We will get to those testing numbers in a moment.
Zierlein is not alone. In his draft guide for The Ringer, Danny Kelly has Gonzalez atop his cornerback board, and among the top ten players in the draft. Kelly describes Gonzalez as a “big, long-levered corner with lockdown coverage skills; he’s a swaggy defender who sticks to receivers with incredible balance and body control.” In making the case why he can rise during the draft process, Kelly concludes with this: “Gonzalez combines size, coverage chops, and ascending ball skills at corner; he has the upside to develop into a lockdown defender.”
The Draft Network also has Gonzalez in their top ten overall, and atop their cornerback board. “Gonzalez is a long and lean corner with outstanding overall athleticism,” they write in their detailed profile of the Oregon CB. “He offers excellent size with the height and length to match up against opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers on the boundary. Gonzalez is a cover corner who flashes the ability to lock down his side of the field.”
His performance at the Combine starts to round out the picture. According to Kent Lee Platte, the creator of the Relative Athletic Score, Gonzalez’s testing in Indianapolis placed him on the elite tier of prospects:

Turning to those glowing evaluations, it does not take long when studying Gonzalez to find examples of him doing everything you want from a top cornerback prospect.
Take this play against UCLA, with Gonzalez at the top of the screen. Watch as he matches the vertical route perfectly, before showing off that explosiveness at the end of the play, skying above the field to break up the throw:
[embedded content]
On this play against Stanford, Gonzalez is at the bottom of the screen. He’ll face a back-shoulder throw, and watch as he displays that patience in his press technique, before showing off the athleticism — and the length — to break up this throw:
[embedded content]
Gonzalez is a versatile cornerback, and while the previous two plays show him in man coverage situations, he is adept at playing zone as well. He is at the bottom of the screen here against Colorado, and watch as he reads out this vertical/wheel route combination, breaking on the wheel route to make the interception:
[embedded content]
Not only does Gonzalez read this perfectly, peeling off the vertical route to break on the wheel route, but you see those testing drills from Indianapolis show up on the field with this interception. If you’ve ever wondered what the Combine means for a prospect, here you see Gonzalez’s explosiveness and change-of-direction skills at work, putting him in position for the turnover.
Often when studying a prospect, you have the proverbial “put the pen down moment.” (Although, to use modern parlance, it is probably more of a “close the Google Sheet” moment).
Now it is time to talk about that moment I had when watching Gonzalez, and why he is at the top of my CB list along with everyone else.
But first, some schematic background — and if you want to just skip ahead a few paragraphs to get to the play, I understand — to set the stage. In Cover 2, a two-deep safety coverage, the outside cornerbacks are traditionally responsible for the flats while the safeties split the field in half deep:

(Huge shout-out to my pal David Archibald for this great look at Cover 2 from back in our InsidethePylon days).
Now, one of the soft spots in Cover 2 is deep along the sidelines, away from where the safeties are aligned, and beyond the cornerbacks’ responsibilities in the flat. This is often termed the “turkey hole,” and you might hear analysts talk about quarterbacks throwing the “hole shot.” Send the outside receiver deep, and hit him before that safety can rotate over from the hashmarks.
In response to that, defenses started having the outside cornerback “sink” and get depth in response to a vertical release from the outside receiver. The cornerback is still responsible for the flat, but will sink against a vertical release to constrict that throwing lane, and give the safety help against a vertical route from the outside WR. If the QB wants to still make that throw, it now is much tougher.
Of course, offenses did not sit still. Their response? Send the slot receiver into the flat on a quick out route. Generally speaking, this is a “go/flat” combination, sometimes termed Ohio in playbooks … and yes, Madden. Now, if the cornerback gets depth against a vertical release from the outside receiver, the QB can simply throw to the slot receiver in the flat and hope that he not only makes the catch before the CB peels off the vertical route, but then makes that player miss after the reception.
You know where this is likely going, and defenses of course adjusted. This led to the advent of trap coverage, sometimes called Palms, or 2-Trap, or other coverage terms. The cornerback will still drop and get depth against a vertical release from the outside receiver, but will read the release of the inside receiver. If that slot WR breaks outside quickly, the CB will peel off and “trap” that WR.
For an example of what that looks like, watch Xavien Howard at the bottom of the screen here against Mac Jones and the New England Patriots at the end of the 2021 season:
[embedded content]
The Patriots run the go/flat combination, with Nelson Agholor running the vertical route along the sideline while Jakobi Meyers runs the out route from the slot. Howard initially sinks in response to Agholor’s release, as the Miami Dolphins are in Cover 2, but he keeps his eyes on Meyers in the slot. When the WR breaks out, he traps the route, and Jones takes the bait.
Touchdown Dolphins.
Now what can Jones do differently here? He can quickly reset and throw the vertical route, as Agholor is open. But this happens very fast, and is an example of how playing quarterback is very, very hard.
Let’s make it harder.
Because on this example, Howard is backpedaling, and showing Jones a zone coverage drop. What if the CB shows the quarterback a man-coverage turn, by turning his back to the quarterback and sprinting away from him like he is covering the outside receiver?
Well, that nefarious bit of defensive scheme is called 5 Cougar in some systems, including Nick Saban’s. At the link you can find an incredible breakdown of all of Nick Saban’s coverages from Cameron Soran, which is worth a bookmark if you are at all interested in defensive coverage schemes.
In 5 Cougar, the cornerback executes a man-coverage turn, peeling around and turning his back to the cornerback while running with the vertical release of the outside receiver. However, the cornerback keeps his eyes inside, looking over his inside shoulder to read the release of the slot receiver. If that receiver breaks to the flat quickly, the CB traps that route.
The hope? That you bait the quarterback into thinking you are sticking on the vertical route.
Why might it work? Put yourself in the QB’s shoes for a moment. When you see that man coverage turn from the cornerback, and the back of his jersey running away from you, everything you have seen tells you that he is covering that receiver, and will not break back to the slot WR. Even if you know that 5 Cougar is an option, that is a tough ask of the CB, to quickly stop on a dime, change directions, and impact a throw to the flat. You would have to be not only an incredible athlete, but have great feel for the position, to impact a throw to the flat in that scenario.
By now you can probably see where this is going …
Watch Gonzalez at the bottom of the screen here:
[embedded content]
Gonzalez executes that man-coverage turn, matching the vertical release of the outside receiver. But he gets his eyes inside to the tight end, and when he releases to the flat, Gonzalez peels off the vertical to trap the throw. Dorian Thompson-Robinson looks to the tight end, but Gonzalez arrives at the same time as the football, breaking up the play.
This was, for me, the “close the Google Sheet” moment.
CB1. […]

In recent weeks, McLaren brushed off notions that the start to their 2023 Formula 1 season was a reason to panic. Lando Norris, speaking prior to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, specifically denied that the team was in “crisis.”
However, recent moves by the team might do little to dispel that notion.
McLaren announced on Thursday some organizational changes within their F1 team, focused on their technical operation. The team announced a new Technical Executive Team with three Technical Director roles, moving away from a single Executive Technical Director model.
The team’s current Executive Technical Director, James Key, is leaving the team as part of this “restructure.”
“It’s important now that we ensure we have a solid foundation as the next phase of our journey. It has been clear to me for some time that our technical development has not moved at a quick enough pace to match our ambition of returning to the front of the grid,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. “I’m pleased that, having completed a full review with Andrea, we are now able to implement the restructure required to set the wheels in motion to turn this around.”
As part of this restructure, the team’s Technical Executive Team includes Peter Prodromou, moving into the role of Technical Director, Aerodynamics. Prodromou began his F1 career with McLaren back in 1991 as part of the team’s design office. However, he left the team in 2006 along with Adrian Newey, departing for Red Bull.
Prodromou returned to McLaren in 2014, serving as the team’s Chief Engineer ahead of moving to his new role.
Joining Prodromou is David Sanchez, who recently resigned as the Head of Vehicle Concept at Ferrari. Sanchez is set to join McLaren at the start of the new year as the team’s Technical Director, Car Concept and Performance. Neil Houldey, currently McLaren’s Director, Car Concept & Performance, will move into a new role with the team, serving as McLaren’s Technical Director, Engineering and Design.
Team Principal Andrea Stella outlined the vision on Thursday.
“Looking ahead, I am determined and fully focused on leading McLaren back to the front of the field. Since taking on the Team Principal role I have been given the mandate to take a strategic approach to ensure the team is set on a long-term foundation, for us to build on over the years,” said Stella. “This new structure provides clarity and effectiveness within the team’s technical department and puts us in a strong position to maximize performance, including optimizing the new infrastructure upgrades we have coming in 2023.”
The moves come as McLaren has struggled out of the gate this season. Following a sluggish showing in pre-season testing, Stella admitted that even making it to the third qualifying session could be a challenge for the team in coming weeks. “I think we will see again that the midfield is very compact,” said Stella after testing. “And this means that if you don’t do a good enough job, even in setting up and maximizing what you have, you may struggle to get out of Q1. At the same time, you might be a Q3 contender.”
Things did not improve at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Both Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled with reliability issues, with the rookie retiring early in the Grand Prix due to electrical issues. Norris remained in the race, but was forced to pit every ten laps or so as he dealt with a pressure leak on his MCL60.
“A very tough race,” explained Norris after the Grand Prix. “We had a few issues we had to manage, which really took us out of the race but we tried to stay in it for as long as possible, just in case there was a Safety Car or something and we might have had a chance at the end.”
“There was a pneumatic pressure leak on Lando’s car. We discovered this leak relatively soon in the race,” shared Stella. “Then we knew that it was possible only to do 10, 11 laps each time before having to refill.”
Last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix offered a glimmer of hope, as Piastri indeed advanced to the third qualifying session and started in P9. But contact with Pierre Gasly on the opening lap caused damage to his front wing, and in a harsh turn of events, debris off Piastri’s car struck Norris’s MCL60, and both drivers were forced to box early.
Instead of fighting for the front, the McLaren duo found themselves in a battle with Logan Sargeant of Williams for 15th place in the closing laps.
Following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Norris admitted to some frustration. “I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m happy,” said the driver. “It was the best we could do, we were just very unlucky. We weren’t quick enough either.”
Can this restructure save the day for McLaren? Stella stated following the Bahrain Grand Prix that developments were coming to the MCL60, and while they might not be ready until the fourth race of the season — the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of April — they will be welcome whenever they arrive.
“However, I think that for the level of talent and availability we have at McLaren already, we can recover and we can out-develop other teams because what we see in development right now is a very alive car in terms of development,” said the McLaren Team Principal. “There are some areas of the car that seem to be able to generate good downforce, like I’ve said already, they were not ready in time to be part of the launch spec. But this car will evolve pretty much race-by-race, with some major upgrades that will come, the first one around race four.”
For Brown, the changes made this week have set the team up for the future.
“These strategic changes ensure the long-term success of the team and are necessary to see McLaren get back to winning ways,” said Brown on Thursday. “We have everything coming into place now with our people and infrastructure and alongside an exciting driver line-up, I’m determined to see McLaren get back to where we should be.”
This was supposed to be a season of promise for McLaren, given the addition of Piastri to the driver lineup following a harsh fight with Alpine for his services. Putting the promising rookie alongside Norris, one of the more talented drivers already on the grid, seemed to put McLaren in position to battle at the top of the table.
Instead they find themselves at the back of the pack, fighting off questions of panic and making organizational changes after just two races.
Those developments to the MCL60 cannot come soon enough. […]

Fernando Alonso just wants what is his, and he is taking to social media to get it.
At the end of Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the veteran driver came across the line third, behind the Red Bull tandem of Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. But as Alonso celebrated on the podium with the Red Bull drivers — and celebrated the 100th podium of his career, becoming just the sixth driver in Formula 1 history to reach that milestone — word came out from race officials that he was being hit with a ten-second penalty.
That dropped him into fourth place, handing the third-place finish, and the third-place trophy, to George Russell.
While Russell missed out on the podium presentation, he was able to get his hands on the third-place hardware. The Mercedes driver acknowledged the strong day that Alonso put together, but was willing to accept the trophy:

Fernando and Aston Martin deserved the podium today but I’m very happy to pick up our first trophy of the season and super proud of the hard work the team is putting in. Let’s keep pushing. pic.twitter.com/mgIpjtXrIK— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) March 19, 2023

However, Russell’s time as the third-place finisher was short-lived. As we outlined Sunday afternoon, Alonso’s appeal of the penalty was eventually granted, and he was reinstated as the third-place finisher in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Yet, the trophy was still in Russell’s hands.
And Alonso wanted what was his, so he took to social media in an effort to get it back. First was this post from Monday:

Then on Wednesday, Alonso showed off his GIF game in response to another tweet from Russell, where the Mercedes driver showed off the third-place trophy:

The Mercedes social media team even got in on the game, giving Russell directions from Mercedes’s Brackley Headquarters, to Aston Martin’s Headquarters near Silverstone, just up the road:

Thankfully, we are happy to report that the third-place trophy from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is now safely at rest at Aston Martin Headquarters:

Sometimes, social media can be a force for good.
Alonso has been one of the major storylines early in the 2023 F1 season, as his pair of third-place finishes have Aston Martin near the top of the Constructors’ Championship standings, and Alonso sitting in third behind the Red Bull duo in the Drivers’ Championship. He’ll look to keep that hot start alive in next week’s Australian Grand Prix.
Hopefully the trophy situation will be a little smoother next week as well. […]

It was everything you dream of as a young child playing baseball in the backyard.
3-2 count. Two outs. Ninth inning.
And a world championship on the line.
That was what we saw in the ninth inning of the championship game of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night. Japan, with a 3-2 lead in the championship game, turned to baseball’s unicorn, Shohei Ohtani, to close out the win.
After leadoff hitter Jeff McNeil worked a walk, daring to lay off a 3-2 fastball just below the strike zone, Ohtani induced a ground ball from leadoff hitter Mookie Betts to erase the walk, and push Japan one out away from a championship.
Standing in Ohtani and Japan’s way?
Ohtani’s teammate in MLB, Mike Trout. One of the game’s best hitters.
Ohtani started Trout with a slider, the pitch he seemed to have the most command of during the inning. But the first pitch slider was low, giving Trout the 1-0 advantage.
That’s when Ohtani turned to his fastball.
He put a 100-mph fastball right down the heart of the plate, and Trout gave it everything he had with his swing. But the ball settled in the mitt of catcher Yuhei Nakamura, evening the count at 1-1.
Trout gave a nod to his teammate before settling in for the next pitch.
This was another fastball from Ohtani that missed outside. Advantage Trout again, at 2-1.
On the next pitch, Ohtani again dialed up the fastball. Another 100-mph heater right down the plate.
Another swing-and-a-miss. Another nod from Trout to his teammate.
With the count now 2-2, what would Ohtani do? Would he go back to the fastball, or try and sneak another slider by his teammate?
Ohtani wanted to punch him out with the heater, and put everything he had into the next fastball. It hit 102 on the radar gun, but bounced low and outside.
3-2. Two outs. Ninth inning. A championship on the line.
And then? The nastiest slider you might ever see:

Ballgame.
For good measure, here is the call from Japanese TV:

To put Ohtani’s WBC run, and his status as the game’s true unicorn, in perspective, consider these numbers:

Shohei Othani in the World Baseball Classic hit .435/.606/.739 with 4 doubles & a home run. And he had a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9⅔ innings.— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) March 22, 2023

But let’s return to the ending.
The at-bat, and the battle between MLB teammates, delivered the kind of moment WBC organizers were dreaming of, capping off a tremendous tournament. Since its launch in 2006, the WBC has not been without criticism. Whether the timing of the event — and the injuries that we have seen in this year’s installment — as well as the need for the event itself, the WBC has seen its share of critics.
But on Tuesday night, the WBC delivered everything its organizers and proponents imagined. Two of the game’s best players, staring each other down, in the ninth inning with everything on the line.
The kind of moment you dream of as a child, now on a global stage. […]

For Mercedes, the 2023 Formula 1 season began much as the 2022 campaign did, with the team searching for answers. After a fifth-place finish from Lewis Hamilton and a seventh-place finish from George Russell in the Bahrain Grand Prix — a day Team Principal Toto Wolff called “one of our worst days in racing” — Mercedes bounced back this past week, with Russell finishing P4 and Hamilton right behind him in P5.
Now, the mood around the team is much, much different.
In a video posted to social media on Tuesday Andrew Shovlin, the team’s Trackside Engineering Director, can be seen addressing the entire team back at their Brackley headquarters. In the video, Shovlin talks about the motivation within the organization, and the ideal that something special could still be possible this season:

“Thank you for all your efforts. Particularly, what’s nice is coming back and sort of sensing the energy, because you think there’s a lot that this team gets from how we all collectively bounce off each other. And coming back even after Bahrain you got this sense of people wanting to put it right,” Shovlin tells the team. “Coming back after Jeddah, we’re now starting to see what those building blocks are going to look like, and you can sense that there’s a great deal of motivation. And hopefully, we can turn this year into something special still. So, well done.”
Shovlin’s optimism mirrors recent comments made from Wolff. Following the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Mercedes Team Principal indicated in comments to the media that the team is making “bigger gains” with their car development than in recent years. “The kind of gains that are coming in our [research and development] and in aero are much bigger than we’ve had over a long time. We’ve unlocked some potential because we simply look at things from a different angle now,” noted Wolff. “We have a different perspective because of our learnings of the Bahrain test and Bahrain race. So there was no step back, on the contrary there was immediately two steps forward.”
That optimism was shared by Russell following his finish in Saudi Arabia. Speaking at the post-race press conference — when it was believed Russell had secured a third-place finish due to a ten-second penalty handed down to Fernando Alonso — the Mercedes driver talked at length about the developments already made to the W14, and what could be coming.
“We definitely made a step in the right direction. I think, above all, we just truly maximize the potential of the car. We had a really strong qualifying yesterday, which was really enjoyable,” said Russell after the Grand Prix. “I’d really pleased to come home in P4 on the road because I felt like that was the maximum that was possible. And I was having fun up there. The car was feeling good.”
Russell then concluded his comments with a look ahead.
“And we know we’ve got some more performance in the locker, in some races to come.”
Over the next few days, the men and women Shovlin was addressing back in Brackley will be working to find that performance.
We’ll see if they can find that performance in the Australian Grand Prix, the third race of the F1 season. […]