College X: Get A Grip

By DAVID BRANDT GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Darnold tried to step up in the pocket to find a receiver but there was nowhere to go. The blue and yellow wall that was the Los Angeles Rams’ defense closed too fast. Akhello Witherspoon got there first, knocking the Minnesota quarterback to the ground as the ball popped loose.

DALLAS — Mike McCarthy will not return as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, who are going on three decades since their last Super Bowl title, owner Jerry Jones said Monday. Jones said the organization and McCarthy mutually agreed to part ways. A search for the team’s next coach begins immediately, he said. “I have great respect for Mike, and he has led the team through some very unique and challenging times during his tenure,” Jones said in a statement. McCarthy’s contract expired on Jan.

NEW YORK — A sixth person was charged Monday in the federal sports betting case involving ex-NBA player Jontay Porter, and authorities disclosed a text message Porter allegedly sent explaining how to cash in on his plans to bench himself in a January 2024 game. The former Toronto Raptors center already has pleaded guilty in the criminal case and was banned from the NBA for life.

Coach Sean Payton raged at Vance Joseph on the sideline in Buffalo. But even after the Bills stampeded the Broncos in the second half of a 31-7 loss at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, the 35,000-foot view still tells us the defense is not Denver’s problem. If the Broncos are going to take the next step in the AFC, they will go only as far as Bo Nix takes them. That means they should be a Super Bowl contender next season.

So many players were on the ice at Colorado Avalanche practice Monday that callup Jason Polin didn’t have a stall in the team’s locker room. In total, eight players who hadn’t been available two days ago when the Avs played in Winnipeg were on the ice at Family Sports Center. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood, activated from injured reserve Sunday, went through practice and will be available to either start or back up Tuesday against the New York Rangers. Wedgewood sustained what looked like a serious ankle/foot injury Jan.

The Broncos have a big chunk of their defensive core already under contract for 2025. The biggest free agent decision to make: Defensive tackle D. J. Jones. Jones turns 30 next week and just played the final season of a three-year, $30 million deal he signed before the 2022 season. He turned in a season typical of an interior defensive lineman in 2024: Impressive, but under the radar. Now he said he’s unsure of what the next step in his career looks like. “It’s up to God, man,” Jones told The Denver Post on Friday.