The and shockingly came to an agreement on a trade involving veteran defensive tackle Jordan Chris Paul Jersey Phillips.According to , the Giants are sending Phillips and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2026 sixth-round pick.The news of the deal by Josina Anderson.The rare swap between division rivals doesn't happen often, but this is a move that might benefit both sides.Phillips, , has been struggling throughout training camp to make an impact on the depth chart. Kawhi Leonard Jersey He has been working behind younger defensive tackles with more upside like Ryder Anderson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson at the one-technique.Even undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman, who works Montrezl Harrell Jersey mostly at the three-technique, was likely ahead of him in the pecking order in terms of the depth chart.Phillips has had a solid career as Paul George Jersey a depth piece along the interior defensive line, but he was likely going to be on the outside looking in when it came time for the Giants to make roster cuts.Getting something for him before the Giants simply release the veteran was a wise move by general manager Joe Tobias Harris Jersey Schoen.Over the last two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, the 31-year-old recorded 4.0 sacks, 35 tackles and five tackles for lo s in 26 games (10 starts).MORE GIANTS

There's a chance may have to make his debut on Sunday without his one of his top offensive weapons. On Wednesday, wide receiver mi sed Michael Brantley Jersey practice with a soft ti sue injury, according to head coach Bruce Arians, who labeled Evans a game-time decision for the Buccaneers' Week 1 matchup against the and said that they'll take it all the way to the wire to see if he will be able to suit up, ."We'll see how it goes," Arians said, via Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Jason Kipnis Jersey Times.Last season, Evans caught 67 pa ses for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games. He mi sed the last few contests of the regular season due to a he suffered against the in Week 14. Still, his numbers were good enough to earn his third Pro Bowl nod. The former No. 7 overall pick has recorded at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of Matt Belisle Jersey his six seasons and has caught a total of 48 touchdowns in 90 career games. TB WR #13 TAR118REC67REC YDs1157REC TD8FL0Evans also just in order to give the Buccaneers more cap space to sign running back . Evans was initially slated to have a $17.95 million cap hit, but it's now Brad Hand Jersey $8.38 million after the team reduced Evans' 2020 base salary to $4 million and converted $12.75 million into guaranteed per-game roster bonuses.Not having Evans would be a big blow to the Buccaneers offense -- especially considering that they are facing the divisional rival Saints on the road. Many expect the NFC South title to come down to these two teams, and not having Evans on the field for the first of their two matchups is not the beginning of the season the Buccaneers imagined. Evans is still considered "day-to-day," but it sounds like he would be unable to Erik Gonzalez Jersey play if the Buccaneers kicked off the 2020 season today. If Evans indeed cannot go on Sunday, expect Scott Miller or to step up alongside .

Pantomime villain Joey Barton Anthony Rizzo Jersey recently received a 12 match ban for his behaviour on the last day of EPL season. The severity of the punishment has been debated at length but what is not in doubt is the recidivist nature of this repeat offender and his apparent refusal to learn from his mistakes.From stubbing a cigarette in the eye of a youth player, attacking team-mates and opponents to serving 77 days in prison for common a sault the QPR midfielder has a litany of misdeeds and he seems intent on adding to them in the future.That being said despite having a record as long as his arm Barton still has a fair way to go to match the exploits of one of the most colourful goalkeepers of modern, football history: Jos Ren Higuita Zapata.The goalkeeping idol impre sed and horrified with equal measure and why he didnt have his problems to speak off the pitch, in the main he was forgiven because he never failed to dazzle and entertain when playing for his country and many clubs. youtube= For many the abiding memory of Colombias Rene El Loco Higuita will be his Scorpion Kick against England in the old Wembley Stadium in 1995. The game was inching along to a 0-0 draw when Jamie Redknapp mishit a shot/cro s from the right hand side. Higuita, maybe bored with the evenings events, needed only to catch the aimle s ball but instead opted to dive forward and clear using the soles of his boots. It was a marvellous footballing moment which left the crowd and TV spectators enthralled and would become Higuitas signature play piece .One that he would happily re-enact many more times in the future; mainly for the pre s.Some people say you have to be a little crazy to be a good goalkeeper, Higuita told a journalist years later.For a little crazy (or poco loco) we should read as mad as a bag of ferrets. youtube= Alike many South American footballers a young Rene grew up in poverty. He was raised by his grandmother in a barrio of Medellin during a time when Colombia was plagued with violence and was fast turning into the worlds number one narco-state.At 19 he made his league debut for Millonarios of Bogota, the historical giants of Colombian league football making 16 appearances and scoring 5 goals (a feat he would regularly go on to replicate).Despite this succe sful first season he opted to return home to Medellin and join his beloved Atletico Nacional who were being funded and largely controlled at the time by the infamous Pablo Escobar.His new team-mates included the likes of Faustino Asprilla, Leonel Alvarez, Andres Escobar and Albeiro Usuriaga, who would all go on to be integral parts of the coming Colombian football renai sance. Under the tutelage of legend Fransisco Choco Maturana , Atletico became the first Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores when they beat Olympia of Paraguay in one of the most famous of finals.After clawing back a 2-0 deficit the 2ndleague of the final in Bogota was tied 2-2 on aggregate and so moved onto penalties. The shoot-out presented the opportunity for Higuita to become the hero and it was an opportunity he did not waste. By this time Rene was a regular penalty taker so he stepped up to score Colombias third and save five of the oppositions kicks, four of which were in sudden death. His last sudden death, penalty saves allowed Leonal Alvarez to claim the winner. youtube= COPA LIBERTADORES FINAL 1989When Choco Maturana took over Colombia for Italia 1990 he used Higuita and his Atletico team-mates as a base of the squad. Combined with Carlos Valderrama and Freddy Rincon they had an impre sive squad of hungry, young players.A 2-0 win against the United Arab Emirates, a 1-0 lo s to Yugoslavia and a 1-1 dramatic, last ditch draw against West Germany saw them qualify for the next round for the first time. Their reward was a last 16 tie with the tournament surprise team Cameroon.Almost as much as the Scorpion kick Rene Higuita is remembered for his mistake against Cameroon and their captain, Roger Milla.To modern day supporters his daredevil antics near the centre circle appear foolhardy and selfish but that is to ignore Chicago Cubs Blank Jersey the benefits of having a goalkeeper who also acted as a sweeper and creative influence upon the team. In addition to this he was an attacking option and a potent threat from set-pieces. Although his goal scoring record could not match a centre forward (or Jose Luis Chilavert) it puts many a defender or midfielders rate to shame. To have such an all-rounder must have been quite a weapon in your armoury especially as he was an accomplished shot stopper and top level goalkeeper to boot. youtube= HIGUITA FREEKICK VS RIVER PLATEHis national manager (Choco Maturana) was certainly aware of these benefits claiming at the time:(Higuita) gives us something no one else has, and we take full advantage. With Rene as sweeper, we have 11 outfield players. Jan Jongbloed, the Holland keeper in the 1974 World Cup, also operated as a sweeper. With a difference. The Dutchman came out just to boot Andre Dawson Jersey the ball into the stands. Higuita can do much more.Unfortunately, this time Higuita came unstuck and was robbed of the ball far up the pitch leaving his goal open for Milla to slide home the decisive winner. He was made to look stupid as he scrambled back to his goal, this time his audacity and adventurous spirit resulted in Colombias elimination.Rene vs Roger, Italia 1990Despite their World Cup disappointment Colombia continued to blo som as an international force. Second and fourth places in the 1991 and 1993 Copa Americas were coupled with a first place position in the 1994 World Cup campaign.A 5-0 final game defeat of Argentina, in Buenos Aires was the cherry on the cake. Now everyone had to sit up and take notice of the Cafeteros. Many, including Pele were touting them as favourites for the World Cup in USA.But before this disaster had struck for Higuita struck in the form of Pablo Escobar and his corrosive, influence upon both the Colombian people and its football.The fascinating documentary the two Escobars highlights the relationship between Rene Higuita and the infamous drug king-pin. The Zimbalist brothers excellent piece of work directly correlates Colombias period of succe s with the Narco-lords age of rule and El Loco was right in the middle of this relationship. youtube= FULL ESPN DOCUMENTARY THE TWO ESCOBARSDuring the early nineties Colombia was actively trying to combat the narco -traffickers and improve its dreadful international reputation.Escobar had been given a pseudo jail sentence by the authorities instead of extradition to the USA and a likely death penalty. His jail was a self-regulated palace located high in the mountains far away from the media spotlight. He still continued to control his empire and his power was such that he would summon the Colombian national team to play private matches in the prison courtyard/pitch. Whether the players wanted to play in these matches is debatable but I doubt many would openly defy the demands of noted gangster and ma s-murderer.Colombias Italia 1990 teamHiguita on the other hand seemed to enjoy a close relationship with Escobar: in much the same way as many of the 1960s London based footballers mixed with the Krays and other cockney villains. When people grow up in poverty it creates a bond which is hard to break and forges lifelong friendships. While this may be incomprehensible to the more fortunate and higher cla ses it is normal for those le s lucky. Regardle s the goalkeeper felt no reason to publicly deny his and Escobars amity.In 1993 when he decided to visit his old friend in prison the pre s were waiting for him. Footage of Higuita running from the reporters was beamed around Colombia and the world severely embarra sing the Colombian Jason Heyward Jersey government and forcing them into action.When Higuita was employed as an intermediary in a Medellin kidnapping case the authorities seized their opportunity to punish and exact retribution. Higuita received payment ($50,000) for his go-between duties and as a result it was argued that he had profited from the crime instead of informing the authorities.The result was a seven month jail sentence which immediately ruled him out of the next years World Cup.Without their goalkeeper USA 1994 was disastrous for Colombia. They were caught out against a counter-attacking Romania and the brilliant Hagi losing 3 1. Then came the 2 1 defeat to the USA and Andres Escobars own goal. In the end the 2 o win against Switzerland was meaningle s and they were home before the postcards.It could be argued that a nervous Oscar Cordoba failed to inspire where Higuita had before, but considering the pre sure they were under from personal and family death threats it was amazing they even entered the pitch. The murder of Andres Escobar shortly after further highlighted how poisonous life was for people at this time.It was harsh le son for Higuita. The government had deliberately made an example of the goalkeeper but at the same time they contributed to their football teams demise. Although Carlos Valderrama was their captain Higuita was their leader and inspiration.In much the same way as Alesandro Pirlo with his penalty against England, a leader can engender confidence in his team with acts of audacious skill and bravado. Nowadays commentators near wet themselves when a goalkeeper races up the pitch to try and meet a last minute cro s or corner with a header. Higuita on the other hand could take the ball from his own box and dribble past the opposition or lay-off pa ses before even reaching the half way line.With all that was hanging over them Colombia needed their talisman to bolster their shaken nerves. Incarcerating the footballer with trumped up charges was merely a smokescreen for the authorities displeasure of his relationship with Pablo Escobar.His term of jail ended his World Cup career as by the time France 1998 he was much older and past his prime. For many of his former team-mates it proved also to be a tournament to far contributing again to early elimination. In 68 appearances he scored 3 goals for Colombia and played in Robel Garcia Jersey the two Copa Americas and only one World Cup.Although Rene ventured abroad during his career: Mexico (Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz or the Red Sharks of Veracruz), Spain (Real Valladolid) and Ecuador (Aucas) for single seasons it was Colombia that saw the best of Higuita with a variety of clubs, but most notably Atletico Nacional. He finally retired in 2010, after a couple of come-backs, with a total of 380 appearances and 25 goals a few and became a goalkeeping coach of Real Vallodolid then Al Na sr FC of Saudi Arabia earlier this year.In a recent interview he profe sed his desire to continue in football saying:All athletes who play profe sional football have fun, and want to continue providing knowledge and keep having fun. I have the tactical, technical and physical knowledge, along with years of experience. God willing, some day Ill have the opportunity.If he can somehow influence a next generation of players with his type of approach to the game through coaching or mentorship then maybe all is not lost.He will always be a sociated with his acts of madne s or genius by either admirers or detractors alike but what is of no doubt is there is a severe dearth of mavericks like him in the modern game.Just like Maradona, Best and Gascoigne, Higuita was a flawed genius and it is probably these human deficiencies combined with their ability to marvel and astound that make us love and mi s their likes all the more.

Troy Aikman could call a bit of history Monday in Kansas City. It might be a bit of an awkward moment for the ESPN analyst.Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes enters the "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Raiders with 162 touchdown pa ses. He needs only four to pa s Aikman's career pa sing touchdown mark of 165. Aikman would be the sixth Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Mahomes would pa s in career pa sing touchdowns, . Mahomes has Tyler O'Neill Jersey thrown for at least four touchdown pa ses .Why would this be awkward? Well, back in 2019, The Athletic Kansas City shared that Mahomes had already reached 36 percent of Aikman's pa sing touchdowns in just 8 percent of the games. Aikman responded that Mahomes should get back to him when he has 33 percent of his Super Bowl titles.iCYMI: Talk to me when when he has 33% of my Super Bowl Titles Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) It didn't take long for Mahomes to reach that mark. By the end of the season, Mahomes had won Super Bowl 54, reaching 33 percent of Aikman's three Super Bowl titles.MORE:Aikman's 12-year career was highlighted by the three rings he claimed, while his regular-season numbers weren't always the most impre sive. But as Mahomes prepares to potentially pa s Aikman in pa sing touchdowns, The Sporting News is looking at how the career numbers compare between the two future Canton colleagues.Mahomes has played in 67 career games. Aikman totaled 165 in his career. Steve Carlton Jersey Keep those numbers in mind.Aikman finished his career with a 61.5 completion percentage, 32,942 pa sing yards, 165 touchdowns and 141 picks. To this point in his career, Mahomes has a 66.1 completion percentage, 20,097 pa sing yards, 162 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.The numbers between the two start to get more impre sive for Mahomes when looking at Aikman's single-season totals. Aikman's personal single-season bests in pa sing yards and pa sing touchdowns are 3,445 and 23, both posted in 1992. Mahomes has never finished a full season with fewer than 4,031 pa sing yards or 26 touchdowns, both of which came in 2019, when he played in a career-low Matt Carpenter Jersey 14 games.In Mahomes' first year as a starter, when he won MVP in 2018, he threw 50 touchdowns. He did not have any in his single rookie season appearance in 2017. It took Aikman 52 games to reach 50 career touchdown pa ses.Here's a look at how Mahomes' first 67 career games compare to Aikman's start.MahomesStatAikman162Pa sing TDs6839Interceptions6720,097Pa sing yards13,4471,647Completions1,1672,491Attempts1,8908.1Yards/Attempt7.19Fourth-quarter comebacks710Game-winning drives953-14QB record37-30It's fair to say that NFL quarterbacks pa s far more in today's game than they did in the early-mid-1990s only six quarterbacks attempted more than 600 pa ses from 1990-94; eight did it last year alone but Mahomes' numbers are also more efficient. He averages more than a yard Chris Beck Jersey per attempt better than Aikman and has a touchdown rate of 6.5 percent in his career compared to Aikman's 3.6 percent.Then there's also the turnovers. Aikman had thrown picks on 3.5 percent of his pa ses through his first 67 games; Mahomes has a 1.6 percent interception rate.MORE:And as it pertains to Super Bowls, Mahomes is off to a comparable start to Aikman. By this point in Aikman's career, he had one Super Bowl win, though he would go on to win his second for the season in which he played in his 67th game. Mahomes has already played in two and has never ended his season before the AFC Championship.At just 27 years old, Mahomes still has plenty of time to continue to rack up the incredible numbers. Aikman might Trevor Rosenthal Jersey just hope that he waits to pa s his pa sing touchdowns mark so someone else can call the moment.

stood at the podium after Sunday's to the because that's what the franchise quarterback has to do. It Drew Robinson Jersey 's part of the gig.For five minutes, he answered questions about what was -- by far -- the biggest mi sed opportunity of his NFL career. The had a 12-point lead and the ball with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter. And yet, here was Rodgers, as glum as we've ever seen him. Something had gone terribly wrong."It's going to be a mi sed opportunity that we're probably going to think about the rest of my career," Rodgers said. "We were the better team today and we played well enough to win and we can't blame anybody but ourselves."It was an all- Ryan Helsley Jersey time stomach punch lo s by a team that seemed to have endle s opportunities to seal their second trip in the Rodgers era."You can't let them complete a pa s for a , you can't and you can't not get any first downs in Matt Wieters Jersey the first quarter and expect to win," Rodgers said. "And that's on top of being really poor in the red zone in the first half. Put it all together and that's how you lose games. We had a great opportunity. We were right on the cusp."Rodgers was asked how he'd deal with a lo s this painful."You just go home, think about it, and move on," he said. "Start getting ready for the offseason program. This one's going to hurt for a while because of the close proximity to the feeling when the clock hits zero Orlando Cepeda Jersey and you're ahead. We gave it away."What a lo s. If you're Rodgers -- Adolis Garcia Jersey or really anybody a sociated with the -- how do you even watch the in two weeks? They had punched their ticket to Arizona and then watched it slip out of their fingers and down a Seattle storm drain.The latest Podcast , and breaks down the ' historic comeback against the . Find more content on .

After a disappointing , their third consecutive lo s in the competition since 1986, it is quite certain that the heat is on for Zinedine Zidane ahead of Saturdays El Clasico showdown against Barcelona.The Los Brock Holt Jersey Blancos bo s is, however, convinced he is the right man for the job in the Spanish capital and capable of restoring order in the club amid growing pre sure. David Ortiz Jersey I feel like I can do it and Im going to try. Thats for sure. The players are going to try to do that too. That doesnt change anything about todays game. We have to put things right and we will, Zidane said in his .We know the situation were in, its our second bad performance and now we have to prepare well for Saturdays match to turn things around.Im responsible. As the first-half was negative for my side, it means I did something wrong. The players Joe Kelly Jersey tried to pre s high from the first minute, but everything changed when they went ahead. We found it difficult. We cant forget about the previous games, today is the second defeat. Were not happy with the defeat, but were not going to Tyler Thornburg Jersey let it get to us. We want to turn it around together and working together is how we will do it.He added: I feel for the players because they have helped me win a lot of things. It was a bad game and they dont deserve it. But thats football. You have to keep going and think that Pedro Martinez Jersey if today is grey, tomorrow will be sunny. Thats what its about. Football can be difficult sometimes. I remain positive and believe in this squad and in what we are going to do: move on from this.

The San Francisco 49ers havent played their offensive starters much during the preseason. Brock Purdy made his debut on Sunday night, completing 2-of-6 attempts for 11 yards and a 42.4 pa ser rating, while failing to lead his team to any points.However, backup Josh Dobbs entered the Ricardo Louis Jersey game in the second quarter and provided a real spark for the 49ers, as they scored on all three of his drives and put up 13 of the teams 16 points.Dobbs finished with 133 yards through the air on 12-of-21 pa Kareem Hunt Jersey sing and rushed three times for 25 yards and a touchdown.After two preseason games, Dobbs has completed 26 of 41 pa ses (63.4%) with one interception. On the ground, he has four carries for 31 yards and two scores. He has led the 49ers to points on four of eight drives, accounting for 19 of the teams 29 points.With those performances, Dobbs may have locked up the backup position Chad Thomas Jersey behind Purdy. Now heading into his eighth season with his seventh team, Dobbs says hes not worried about his role.I just go out there, take advantage of the opportunities, and let the coaches handle the Odell Beckham Jr. Jersey pecking order and everything else, he said. My job is to be ready when my number is called in whatever role that is. When Brock is in there, it is my job to support him or whoever is in the game from Sheldon Richardson Jersey the sideline.In the offseason, Dobbs signed a one-year $2.25 million contract to compete with Brandon Allen, . Whether or not hes seized the backup spot at this point, hes made the decision for head coach Kyle Shanahan a difficult one.More NFL:Bears Pro Bowler signs with Ravens, no longer free agent in new prediction

Freddie Kitchens' time away from coaching may not last very long.On Friday, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported that new head coach Joe Judge is , who was fired on Dec. 30 after just one season as the ' head coach. Judge and Kitchens previously served on the same coaching staff at Mi si sippi State in 2005; Kitchens was the school's running backs coach Dick Butkus Jersey at the time, while Judge served as a graduate a sistant.A former starting quarterback at Alabama, Kitchens broke into coaching in 1999. After six years in the college ranks, Kitchens joined Bill Parcells' staff in Dallas as the ' tight ends coach in 2006. After one year in Dallas, David Montgomery Jersey Kitchens would spend the next 11 seasons in Arizona, serving in various roles that included being the ' quarterbacks coach from 2013-16. Kitchens was the Cardinals' tight ends coach during their run to Super Bowl XLIII in 2008. Kitchens enjoyed a succe sful partnership in Arizona with quarterback , who played at a Pro Bowl level in 2015 while helping lead the Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game.Kitchens joined the Browns' staff 2018 as the team's a sociate head coach Jim McMahon Jersey and running backs coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the season after Cleveland fired Hue Jackson after a 2-5-1 start. In Kitchens' new role, the Browns went 5-3 while posting their best regular season record since 2007. Rookie quarterback showed significant signs of promise, completing nearly 64% of his pa ses with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Browns second half succe s on the offensive side of the ball earned Kitchens the title as Browns' head coach heading into the 2019 offseason.Cleveland's season in 2019 was, simply put, a disappointment under Kitchens, as the Browns' offense was unable to live Richard Dent Jersey up to expectations despite the off-season acquisitions of receiver Jr. and running back . While running back enjoyed a Pro Bowl season, Beckham, Hunt, and Mayfield failed to live up to the hype, as Mayfield threw 21 interceptions while failing to complete 60% of his pa s attempts. The Browns, after a 2-6 start, finished the year with a 6-10 record while finishing behind the and in the AFC North division standings.In New York, Kitchens would have the opportunity to work with , who, like Mayfield, showed signs of promise during his rookie season. The sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Jones completed 61.9% of his pa ses with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for the Giants, who suffered through 4-12 season that ultimately led to Prince Amukamara Jersey the dismi sal of former head coach Pat Shurmur.