Sports
Bears, Colts eager to define identity growing pains for young QBs
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) absorbs a hit in the second half of a Week 2 loss at Houston. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images If pressure makes diamonds, the Bears can speak in absolutes when referring to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams as a gem.
Williams and the Bears lick their wounds and take to the road for the second consecutive game with a short trek to Indianapolis on Sunday.
Chicago plans “no changes” to personnel protecting Williams, and head coach Matt Eberflus is confident the growing pains won’t be quite as literal moving forward. The Texans sacked Williams seven times Sunday night in Houston and hit him in the pocket on four other plays, not including the sideline blast at the chains by Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
“There’s some great learning moments there in terms of the pressure,” Eberflus said.
Depending on who fields the question, Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, has lacked either the protection or the patience to utilize the array of weapons the Bears proudly assembled around him in the offseason. He enters Week 3 as the team’s leading rusher with 59 yards and has only one completion over 20 yards, no touchdown passes and was sacked nine times in his first two NFL games. After going 5-for-5 on the opening drive at Houston, the Texans sent heavy pressure. On plays he was pressured, Williams’ completion percentage dipped below 35 percent for a total of 33 yards with two interceptions.
“I’m a little bruised up still. Body-wise, moving all of that, I feel good throwing and running around,” Williams said Wednesday.
The Bears rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans in the opener with just 148 yards total offense. New coordinator Shane Waldron has a 44-66 run-pass ratio through two games and the Bears are converting 26.7 percent of third downs. No. 1 wide receiver DJ Moore vented in the loss but said Wednesday he showed “too much frustration” on the sideline.
He emphasized the importance of the Bears “honing in on our identity, whether it’s going to be running the ball or passing the ball.”
Moore was not listed on the injury report for Chicago on Wednesday but Keenan Allen (heel) and Rome Odunze (knee) are not at full strength.
The Colts could be ripe for the picking on the ground. Packers running back Josh Jacobs gained 151 yards in Week 2 and Indianapolis defensive tackle DeForest Buckner landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
“Obviously a huge blow,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said of Buckner’s injury. “Phenomenal teammate, phenomenal player for our football team, phenomenal player for the NFL. That guy is so freaking tough.”
With Buckner out, Indianapolis could lean more heavily on rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu to get to Williams. But Latu began the week sidelined by a hip injury.
Barring turnovers, the Bears are likely to test the Colts’ reconfigured defensive front. Indianapolis has been roasted for 474 rushing yards and 5.1 yards per carry this season.
Williams said the two “stupid mistakes,” referring to his interceptions last week, won’t happen again but admits he’s still adjusting to the NFL.
“Just getting used to getting hit again, it’s been a while. It’s been since Nov. 18 (his final game at USC) since the last time I got hit — like really hit,” Williams said.” Getting used to that, getting used to having games like that, there’s going to be games like that. It’s the NFL.”
The Bears’ health also would be a concern if guards Teven Jenkins (thigh) and Nate Davis (groin) miss the game.
Eberflus, who is 11-25 as the Bears head coach, returns to his old stomping grounds at Lucas Oil Stadium. Before being hired by Chicago, Eberflus was the defensive coordinator of the Colts.
Indianapolis (0-2) lost to Houston in Week 1 and then dropped a 16-10 rock fight at Green Bay last week. The Colts’ prized passer, 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson, threw three interceptions at Lambeau Field and has a passer rating of 63.1 (Williams is at 53). Richardson was drafted fourth overall but makes just his seventh career start on Sunday.
Steichen said Richardson is making the right reads and isn’t going to overreact to a turnover-heavy game, following the same progression he used to help Justin Herbert develop as a rookie with the Chargers.
“Four games into it, maybe five, he was rolling,” Steichen said of Herbert’s development. “That’s the thing, as long as the ball is going to the right spot — with anything, it just takes time. It’s a process going through this thing with young quarterbacks. But, shoot, he’s a helluva football player and we’re excited to have him.”
Steichen, 9-10 as a head coach and in his second season with the Colts, would like to see the offense start faster. Prior to the fourth quarter in the first two games, Indianapolis has scored 16 total points. Wide receiver Josh Downs practiced Wednesday and could make his 2024 debut as a valuable slot receiver and outlet for Richardson.
“They had a good connection last year, it will definitely help having him back,” Steichen said.
The Colts are averaging 6.1 yards per carry this season and the running game could help counter Chicago’s aggressive front seven. Richardson has 10 carries for 93 yards and Jonathan Taylor has 151 rushing yards.
“They fly around pretty good. Got a lot of respect for ‘Flus,” Steichen said, noting the Bears’ four takeaways and punt block. “They do a lot with movement. We’ve got to be ready for them.”
This is the first meeting between the teams since the Colts beat the Bears 19-11 in Chicago in 2020.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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