The ex-Manchester United, Everton and Team USA goalkeeper told Casino Beats this week about his adherence to superstition during his playing days – and how it ultimately made him a better player.

“Superstition in action becomes preparation,” Howard said. “The things that I would do prior to a game, whether that be the night before a game, driving to the game, what I ate for my pregame meal, how I warmed up, how I taped my ankles and my fingers – that all was superstitious. And what you then realize, after the course of a few years, is this is actually part of my preparation process. So it’s a unique little insight into mental fortitude and preparation. So yeah, (I am) absolutely very superstitious.”

Howard didn’t have to rely much on luck to become a great goalkeeper.

The New Jersey native was nicknamed the “Secretary of Defense,” spending 15 years with the U.S. National Team and playing 14 years in the Premier League, including making 45 appearances for Manchester United (2003-07) and 329 appearances with Everton (2007-16).

Howard starred at goalkeeper for Man Utd and also went through his share of ups and downs, including being benched and regaining his starting job in 2004. 

André Onana, the team’s current No. 1 goalkeeper, also went through his share of struggles during the most recent Premier League season. 

While Onana’s name continues to be mentioned as a possible transfer option, Howard says Manchester United should run it back with Onana. However, he does mention that the 29-year-old does have his faults 

“To be honest, it’s been inconsistency,” Howard said of Onana’s weakness. “He’s shown flashes of brilliance and then he’s shown moments of calamity. What you see now — and this is what I noticed with him and I noticed with other goalkeepers, but particularly with him — he doubles down when things aren’t going well and takes more risk.”

Howard says as a goalkeeper, you should always look to “simplify” things.

“That’s kind of the opposite of what I’ve always seen to be successful when things aren’t going well,” Howard said. “Usually as a goalkeeper, simplify things. He seems to take more risk. It’s an interesting pathway, not one that I certainly subscribe to, but he’s full of confidence and believes in his own abilities.”

Manchester United finished in 15th place during the 2024-25 season with a total of 42 points. It was their lowest finish ever in the Premier League era, losing a total of 18 games and finishing with their worst home record since starting in the Premier League in 1992.

Manager Ruben Amorim defended Onana as he faced scrutiny, including being labeled by former Red Devils player Nemanja Matic as “one of the worst goalkeepers” in United history. However, Amorim also benched him for a late-season matchup at Newcastle. 

Howard still says Onana should have the “opportunity” to stake his claim as the No. 1 goalkeeper for United in the upcoming season.

“With Ruben Amorim — as he builds this team — there’s a lot of places that need improvement,” says Howard. “The goalkeeper position, that isn’t one that is an immediate need for change. Onana has the opportunity to continue to stake his claim as the number one. I think he’ll have an opportunity to do that in the coming year. There’s lots of changes that will need to happen in Manchester United in terms of improvement positionally. But goalkeeper isn’t (number one). I would put it on the list, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of the list.”

Another player that could possibly be on the move for Manchester U is none other than 20-year-old Alejandro Garnacho. Manchester U will reportedly move on from Garnacho, but the young winger is seeking a stay in the Premier League, with teams such as Chelsea and Aston Villa showing interest. 

Howard says it wouldn’t be a mistake to allow Garnacho to move, citing PSR — profit and sustainability rules — as the main reason why.

“No, I don’t,” says Howard if it would be a mistake to allow Garnacho to leave. “We look at PSR and net profit. Unfortunately, that’s a big deal. Those types of players, the young players, give you more net profit when you sell them, and that has to come into the equation. I know years ago that would sound stupid, but that’s actually the business of things now.”

Howard also argues that Garnacho is not a great fit playing for Amorim, who just completed his first season with Manchester United.

“I don’t think he’s had enough time under Ruben Amorim to kind of see that he is or isn’t one of his players,” says Howard. “Or if he is or isn’t adapting to the style that Amorim plays with number nine and then the two 10’s underneath, tucked in tight. He doesn’t really seem to be the type of player to fill that role.”

The former longtime goalie says it would be a great business move for Manchester United to allow him to walk.

“He’s young and he’s valuable,” says Howard of Garnacho. “If they can get a good return for him, then you then allow Ruben Amorim more money to go get the player that he wants to hand-pick and hand-select. On one hand, going back a few years, everybody would think that it was crazy to let a really good, talented player go. But in this landscape, I don’t think so.”

Another move rumored is none other than the potential transfer of Manchester City star Jack Grealish to Everton, Howard’s longtime Premier League home. 

The 47-year-old former goalkeeper explains why it would make sense, considering he himself made the move from Manchester United to Everton during the prime of his career.

“It makes a lot of sense if you think about it geographically-speaking,” says Howard of Grealish potentially playing for Everton. “Manchester, or where these players live in Cheshire, where I used to live in. When you live in Cheshire, you’re probably 35 minutes from the Everton training ground. Phil Neville made the switch from Manchester United. I made the switch from Manchester United. Louis Saha did, Darron Gibson did.”

Howard points towards Everton manager David Moyes’ penchant for getting players from Manchester City and Manchester United.

“David Moyes has found a really, really good sweet spot of getting players from Manchester City and Manchester United who may be or may not be surplus to requirements at those clubs and bringing them across and giving them belief,” says Howard of Moyes. “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see Jack Grealish go to Everton. Everton is a big club with their new stadium. The future is bright for them.”

He also points towards how Grealish won’t have to uproot himself or his family if he makes the move to Everton. The 29-year-old winger has spent the past four seasons with Manchester City. 

“Under David Moyes and the new ownership group, the Friedkin group, you don’t have to uproot your family, which isn’t a soccer thing, but it’s a reality,” Howard said. “Jack Grealish has settled there. He’s from Birmingham, so even probably gets closer in terms of his family being able to go see games as well. You can stay in Manchester and commute across and that does play into the mind of footballers when they have young kids who are settled in school and things like that.”

The post Tim Howard Talks GK Superstition, André Onana, Jack Grealish appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Such is life for a baseball player, and Mauer said he gained mental toughness during his career that he can now transfer to other areas of life in retirement.

Mauer will lean into that next month when he participates in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada next month.

“You fail seven times out of 10 as a hitter, and you’re considered a really good hitter,” Mauer said in an exclusive interview with Casino Beats. “You can’t do that in any other sport, or at least that I know of, but I think it transitions well because of that. 

“You’ve got to be mentally tough and mentally strong to keep working, and to keep the processes, to hopefully get better results. So, yeah, sometimes I tell people, ‘Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment, liking both sports so much because there’s so much failure in it.’”

While he continues to work on his golf game, Mauer still keeps a close eye on the Minnesota Twins.

The Hall of Fame catcher believes the Twins have a “ceiling” as “high” as any team in Major League Baseball.

The Twins are having a surprisingly solid start to the season, going 36-31 through their first 67 games and would make it into the playoffs as a wild card if the playoffs started today. Their plus-25 run differential is actually the fourth-best mark in the American League. Entering the season, many observers had Minnesota pegged as the fourth-best team in the AL Central.

Instead, the Twins have surpassed expectations thus far.

“I think their ceilings is as high as anybody’s,” Mauer said. “They got a good group of guys and got a lot of experience last couple of years with being in the postseason and getting a taste of that. Right now, they’re kind of dealing with that injury bug with Pablo (Lopez) going down for a little while doesn’t help. But that just creates more opportunities for others to step up.”

Mauer: I Like The Twins’ Vibe This Year

Pablo Lopez recently suffered a Grade 2 muscle strain and is expected to miss a minimum of two months. The former All-Star pitcher was off to a strong start this season with a 2.82 ERA to go along with a 5-3 record while posting nine strikeouts per nine innings, the second-highest mark of any Twins starting pitcher.

Despite the injury to their All-Star pitcher, Mauer is still high on the Twins and believes they can weather the storm. It’s worth noting Minnesota missed the playoffs by only four games last season and have made it to the playoffs in three of Rocco Baldelli’s six years as manager.

“I feel like they got a good vibe, a good group of guys in that clubhouse that can kind of weather the storm until some of those big boys get back healthy,” says Mauer. “I think there’s a lot of games to be played left, so a lot can happen this summer. I like the team, I like the vibe that they have. I was down there at Spring Training for a couple days, and hopefully the boys can get it rolling again and going in the right direction.”

The Twins have generally been a winning team under Baldelli, posting winning records in four of his six seasons as manager. They were on their way to another playoff appearance last season after starting out the year 70-53. However, they faltered down the stretch with a 12-27 record.

Mauer: Rocco Baldelli Has Right Balance Of Analytics, Game Knowledge

Minnesota will look to avoid that same type of slide this season. Mauer — who matched up frequently against Baldelli during their playing careers — speaks very highly of the 43-year-old manager, saying he’s very “knowledgeable.”

“Rocco’s very knowledgeable, he’s embraced the analytic side of it, but also has the experience to go along with it as well,” says Mauer. “I think he’s got a good demeanor. I think the guys respect him. Those are all good things that you play in to being a good manager. I hope he can get those guys going here and they have an exciting summer for the fans here in Minnesota.”

The 42-year-old Mauer is arguably the greatest hitting catcher of all time. The Minnesota native played his entire career with the Twins (2004-2018) and made his mark almost immediately. At 23 years old, Mauer led the majors after posting a .347 batting average, becoming the first American League catcher to lead the league in the category and the first catcher since 1942 to do so. Mauer led the league in batting average three times, with one of those seasons resulting in an MVP in 2009.

“It was really special,” says Mauer of playing his entire career in Minnesota. “Growing up here at Saint Paul, just having dreams and aspirations to play at the highest level in the big leagues. When it came to being entered into the draft, my hometown team had the first pick. To be picked by your hometown team, and to wear one uniform was very meaningful to me.”

The Saint Paul native says his grandparents were basically at every one of his games during his MLB career. He says he was “thankful” to have that support throughout his entire career

“I had my grandparents, my parents at every home game,” says Mauer. “Over my 15 years, I think my grandparents missed maybe two or three ball games — 81 a year — that’s a lot of ball games to be there. To have that support, family and friends and to be able to put on the Minnesota Twins jersey, I never took it for granted. So was thankful that it all played out that way.”

Mauer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility in 2024. He is still the most recent catcher to win the AL MVP and one of two catchers this century to win an MVP.

“It just happened so fast,” says Mauer of his career. “Fifteen years in the big leagues and 17 years overall of pro baseball. It seems like it went by really quick. But I put everything that I could into it and really the ride. We had some really good teams here in Minnesota, just came up a little short, with the ultimate goal winning the World Series. Built some really good relationships and met a lot of great people and really enjoyed my time with the Twins.”

Mauer will join multiple other baseball greats such as John Smoltz, Mark Mulder and Derek Lowe to participate along with 90-plus other celebrities and athletes in the American Century Championship.

The most prestigious celebrity golf tournament will feature a $150,000 first-place prize and $750,000 in total purse. Mauer says this will be the sixth American Century Championship for him and his best finish was within the top 20 last year.

He’ll be looking to improve upon that finish this time around.

“I gotta put in some work here this month leading up to it,” says Mauer while laughing. “The game is not in great shape. But that’s what’s fun about golf. You never can perfect it, but you sure can try. I’ll be out there. They’re rolling some putts and then working on my short game here and trying to get it ready for mid July.”

The post Joe Mauer Exclusive: MLB Hall of Famer Talks Mental Toughness, Minnesota Twins appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The 23-year-old burst onto the scene as the AL Rookie of the Year in 2023, leading the Baltimore Orioles to 101 wins and a division title. He followed that up his first All-Star bid in 2024 while leading the Orioles back into the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

However, the 2025 season has been the exact opposite for the team, with Baltimore only recently snapping an eight-game losing streak. They’re off to a 16-32 start, the worst mark in the AL East and the second-worst mark in the American League. 

The team recently fired Brandon Hyde, who helped turn the franchise around while winning AL Manager of the Year honors in 2023.

“He showed me the ropes from day one as a rookie,” says Henderson of Hyde’s influence on him in an exclusive interview with Casino Beats. “He gave me insights on the game and what to expect and how to approach it.”

The star shortstop himself is having a bit of a difficult season after turning in one of the biggest batting seasons by a shortstop in MLB history. Henderson set an Orioles franchise record with 37 home runs for a shortstop. It was also the 17th-most home runs by a shortstop in a single season in MLB history.

After turning in a .281/.364/.529 season last year, Henderson is at .257/.307/.455 so far this year.

“It’s definitely a learning experience, because I’ve never had something quite like this,” says Henderson. “I know it’ll ultimately help down the road. Hopefully (I’ll) get this thing turned around and have a great rest of the season.”

Henderson is currently part of a shortstop revolution of sorts with himself, the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and the Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz all emerging as top players in the major leagues at the position.

While Henderson obviously demonstrates a lot of power, he says he didn’t model his game after any single player or shortstop. However, he did look up to guys like Chipper Jones and Corey Seager.

“I wouldn’t say model my game after, but I was always in some comparisons to Corey Seager growing up, and then I really like Chipper Jones as well,” says Henderson. “I know he’s played third base the majority of time in his career. Those are two guys that I enjoyed watching.”

Henderson says he wants to be more “consistent” in all facets of the game. He particularly points at continuing to develop “defensively.” Henderson converts some highlight-worthy plays at the position, but he’s not considered a Gold Glove talent at the position yet such as Witt Jr.

“Biggest thing for me is continuing to develop defensively,” says Henderson. “Feel like there’s a lot of room to grow, and then just staying consistent at the plate. I feel like that’s the biggest thing for me is just control the zone, get the pitch I want to hit, and then just get my swing off. I feel like doing that day in and day out, it will help me a lot.”

While the Orioles’ playoff hopes look bleak right now — they’re 13.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the AL East lead and 10.5 games behind for the last Wild Card spot — there’s still four months left in the season. That gives hope to Henderson, who says the objective is to still make it to the playoffs.

“You definitely have to find ways to do that,” says Henderson of pumping yourself up every game during a 162-game season. “Especially on some of the day games on the back half of the season, it gets to be a grind at that time, but that’s when you enjoy being around the guys that you have in the clubhouse. They make life a lot easier whenever you’re enjoying being around them.”

Henderson: I’m Not Superstitious, Will Switch Things Up

Henderson says that he’s not “superstitious” and doesn’t have a set routine like some players. He adapts to whatever works best.

“I try not to be,” says Henderson when it comes to superstitions and a set routine. “I try to just go with how my body’s feeling, so I don’t get the same exact movements each and every day. Whenever I get loose and get stretched out in the weight room and stuff. I feel like the biggest thing for me is just taking care of what I feel like my body needs, and then ultimately, hitting-wise, just try to keep to a good routine. 

“If I feel like I need to switch something up to it, then I switch it up,” Henderson continues to say. “Just try to go out there and let my body tell me what it needs and kind of adapt to that.”

The former AL Rookie of the Year says the biggest challenge of a 162-game season is the “longevity” of it.

“The longevity of it — that is a very long season,” says Henderson. “That’s the biggest thing is being able to take care of your body, to be ready to go on each and every day. I feel like that’s the best ability is availability. I know that’s said a lot, but it rings true, especially in a 162-game season.”

We’ll see if Henderson and the Orioles can turn things around as they aim for their third consecutive playoff season. 

The post Gunnar Henderson Exclusive: Orioles Star Talks Game-Day Superstition, Early-Season Woes appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The Cowboys obviously will usher in a new era in 2025 with former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer taking over the head coaching position. They’ll be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 7-10 campaign, their first losing and non-playoff season since 2020.

However, the first order of business is ensuring that they lock in their star defensive player to a long-term deal. Parsons is on the verge of entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal and there is no definitive timeline regarding a new contract. 

The 25-year-old linebacker has been a participant at the start of the Cowboys’ OTAs.

Ware is confident that Jerry Jones and his former franchise will get that deal done.

“I think they’ll get it sorted out pretty quick,” Ware told CasinoBeats in an exclusive interview. “When I went to Tyron Smith’s retirement deal, it was me and Micah Parsons. There we were talking, he was feeling really good. I see smiles from Jerry. Micah is like, ‘I’m ready for the season, DeMarcus. We still need to work on some pass rush stuff. How do we dial in even more?'”

The former nine-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame member isn’t “worried” at all about Parsons’ deal with the Cowboys and believes that Jones will “expedite” and get a contract done with the best young pass rusher in the NFL.

“When Jerry saw both of us together talking and how focused Micah was, he was like, ‘Okay, maybe I need to expedite this thing a little bit and get him where he needs to be,’” Ware said. “I think it’ll be soon. I’m not worried about that.”

Parsons has made sure to keep any holdout and contract controversy to a minimum. The fifth year of his rookie deal will pay him $24 million. According to Spotrac, his market value is $36.3 million per year for a total of over $145 million across four seasons. That would make him the third highest-paid non quarterback on an annual basis.

Considering the Cowboys have a history of locking in their franchise players to long-term deals — Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb before last season, for example — one should probably expect Parsons to get the same treatment.

Ware: Early Wins Can Quiet Schottenheimer Concerns

While the Parsons contract is the Cowboys’ biggest concern as they enter the 2025 season, they’ll look to turn things around under Schottenheimer as their new head coach. The 51-year-old takes over Dallas’ sidelines after spending the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator and the 2022 season as a coaching analyst.

Ware isn’t surprised at all over the Schottenheimer hiring, saying “hiring from within” is something that Jones is “comfortable” with.

“Hiring from within, it was comfortable,” says Ware of the Schottenheimer hiring. “It’s something that Jerry’s used to doing. He brought up his supporting cast to be able to support what’s going on now. We just got to solidify Micah and a couple other guys to make sure that they’re ready for this year.”

The 42-year-old Cowboys great hammers home that he wants to see some wins from Dallas. That’s how Schottenheimer will win over the fans and ease any criticism from the outside.

“I just want to see some Ws,” says Ware. “I have to start seeing those wins come up. The head coach is the highest-pressured position with the Dallas Cowboys. The way you do everything is you start getting wins at the beginning of the season and everything will be okay.”

The post DeMarcus Ware Exclusive: Micah Parsons Extension Should Be Coming Soon appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The 21-year-old quarterback and first-team All-SEC selection is considered by some to be the third-best quarterback in the draft and could possibly be selected in the first round. Dart threw 29 touchdown passes for nearly 4,300 yards during the 2024 season.

Orlovsky — a former 12-year NFL veteran at quarterback himself — says that Dart reminds him of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“The guy that I’ve comped him a little bit too has been Jalen Hurts,” Orlovsky told Casino Beats in an exclusive interview while discussing the NFL x AWS Draft IQ platform. “He’s gotten better as a passer throughout his collegiate career. As a runner, he’s just a bull, he’s a tough dude to bring down when he runs. While Jalen Hurts isn’t this ridiculous vertical athlete, it’s just a tough tackle and kind of a boxer frame that’s a little bit like Jaxson Dart.”

Dart is 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, which is almost an exact replica of Hurts’ frame at 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds. The Ole Miss alum isn’t as reliant on the run game as Hurts is, but he can run the ball and he does it often, carrying the ball 124 times for 495 yards during his senior season.

However, Dart is considered a clear tier below the likes of the top two quarterback prospects, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Ward will likely go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, while Sanders is more of a guessing game. Sanders could very well go No. 2 or No. 3 to the Cleveland Browns or New York Giants, but he could also slip in the draft.

Despite Sanders’ wide draft projection, Orlovsky says he would be “surprised” if Dart went before the Colorado Buffaloes alum. However, he says anything can happen in the NFL draft and mentions that he does see both Dart and Sanders fitting with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while giving Dart a slight edge when it comes to stylistic fit.

“I still would be surprised by that,” says Orlovsky of Dart going before Sanders. “I’ve been higher on Dart than other people, and physically talented Jalen (Milroe) as well. I still would be surprised if the three in total (Ward, Dart and Milroe) went before Shedeur or I still would be surprised by that. But it’s the NFL, being shocked is something that never happens with me.”

Orlovsky: Dart ‘An Impressive Physical Talent’

One of the hang-ups that Orlovsky has about Dart is his “lazy feet.” He explains why this is an issue, but says this flaw can be fixed once he gets to the NFL.

“The big issue that I have with his game is he’s lazy with his feet,” says Orlovsky. That’s something that shows on tape. When you’re lazy with your feet, you’re lazy with a lot, you just are. You’re lazy with your eyes, you’re lazy with your mind, you’re lazy with your decision making. That’s something you could coach out of him, absolutely.”

One of the players that Orlovsky also compares Dart to is former New England Patriots first-round pick Drake Maye. The comparison comes about in that both players are talented but also struggled with lazy mechanics. Maye did well last season in his rookie year despite playing for a 4-13 team, notching a Pro Bowl bid while throwing for 15 touchdowns to go along with 421 rushing yards.

Orlovsky continues to rave over Dart’s arm strength, which is something he does not see in Sanders, comparing him more to Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa in being an accurate, short-passing game quarterback.

“I felt that way about Drake Maye last year,” says Orlovsky of his lazy feet. “He’s an impressive physical talent. He throws the ball downfield. The contrast is, I’ve mentioned Shedeur threw so much at or behind the line of scrimmage. They didn’t do that a lot at Ole Miss. Ole Miss was chuck and duck, throwing it down the field as much as possible, high risk and high reward. Stylistically, there’s a little bit of Jalen (Hurts) to his game.”

Orlovsky Predicts Ashton Jeanty to Chicago Bears

Another intriguing prospect entering the draft is none other than Ashton Jeanty. The top-ranked running back prospect and Heisman Trophy runner-up is expected to be a top 10 pick, but the question is where? 

When asked about where he sees Jeanty landing, Orlovsky dismisses the Jacksonville Jaguars (Jeanty’s hometown) because they already have two running backs in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. He also passes on the idea of the Las Vegas Raiders due to their woeful offensive line.

“I really like Jeanty,” says Orlovsky. “Everyone’s attaching him to the Raiders. I just don’t see the Raiders because their offensive line isn’t good. They had the worst rush yards per game in the last 30 years in the NFL, bottom 10 run game, offensive line, protection wise, and blocking wise.”

Orlovsky uses the NFL x AWS Draft IQ platform — which helps predict NFL draft picks based upon team needs and their prospect evaluation tendencies — to determine that he sees Jeanty landing with the Chicago Bears at No. 10.

“I think the best place for him would probably be Chicago,” says Orlovsky of Jeanty landing with the Bears. “Ben Johnson comes from Detroit, dynamic run game, get him downhill under center and I also think drafting him without the proper offensive line, you’re wasting the pick.”

The post Dan Orlovsky Exclusive: Jaxson Dart Reminds Me Of Jalen Hurts appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The Buccaneers have been a solid team since Todd Bowles took over as head coach prior to the 2022 season, winning three division titles since he took over. However, they’ve gone 1-3 in the playoffs and proven to be more of a second-tier NFC team rather than an elite one.

With that being said, they have defeated elite NFC teams in recent seasons such as the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. However, they have yet to advance past the divisional round and lost a home playoff game against the Wild Card Washington Commanders this past season.

As the Buccaneers enter the 2025 NFL Draft with the 19th overall pick in the draft, it’s obvious to Barber that they need to add an edge rusher or a cornerback.

“My guess would be if there’s a corner there that they love, they’ll take him,” Barber told Casino Beats in an exclusive interview. “If there’s an edge guy there, they’ll take him. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they took a wide receiver there. The Bucs have done a good job the past five or six years, maybe even longer than that since Jason Licht’s been here drafting guys.”

Barber: Bucs ‘Don’t Need To Change Anything On Offense’

The Buccaneers clearly have the talent on the offensive side of the ball with Baker Mayfield establishing himself as an elite quarterback in the NFL since joining Tampa Bay. Mayfield has clinched back-to-back Pro Bowl bids while leading the Buccaneers to the fourth-most points per game in the NFL last season.

That’s not even mentioning arguably the best receiver in the NFL over the past decade in Mike Evans, alongside Chris Godwin and running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.

However, they’re clearly lacking something on defense where they ranked 16th in turnovers forced and 16th in points allowed per game.

“They don’t need to change anything on offense,” says Barber. “Baker and his weapons, Mike (Evans), Godwin, Cade Otton’s turned into a really good reliable tight end. They have an offensive line that’s gonna be together for a long, long time. That side of the ball is pretty good. You add in Bucky Irving and the way he plays as a rookie. They need to find a way to get stops on defense.”

Barber: Pass-Rush Was ‘Non-Existent’ At Times In 2024

Barber mentions how the Buccaneers need to get better on the “second level of their defense” where they learn how to get stops on defense in key moments of the game. It’s worth noting that Tampa Bay lost against Washington in the playoffs by allowing the Commanders to drive 10 plays and 51 yards for a game-winning field goal as time expired. 

“There were so many games this year — yes, they made the playoffs and they won games when it matters — but there are so many games where they just needed one stop in the second half and they were going to win a football game and they just can’t manufacture it,” says Barber. “They need to get better on the second level of their defense.”

That’s where Barber believes the Buccaneers need to zone in on a cornerback or a safety in the draft.

“Whether that’s corners playing better, whether that’s safeties playing better or whether that’s influenced by getting a pass rush, which is sometimes non-existent for the Bucs,” says Barber. “I think that’s where you start on that side of the ball, and I’m sure that’ll be the emphasis this offseason, draft and preseason. They signed Haason Reddick for a reason on a one-year deal, he can prove it. And he could provide something that really hasn’t been there the past couple years.”

Barber says that Jason Licht — who has served as the team’s general manager since 2014 — says the team tends to draft guys who want to play for the Buccaneers rather than based upon positional need.

“They draft not necessarily for need or a position of availability, they draft guys that they know they want to be Buccaneers,” says Barber, who played all 16 years of his career in Tampa Bay. “They’re going to be long-time guys, guys like Chris Godwin, who stayed and could’ve gotten a lot more money going somewhere in free agency.”

The Hall of Fame defensive back again hammers home that he wants to see the Buccaneers hone in on a defensive player, specifically a cornerback or an edge rusher.

“They want guys that want to be in Tampa, but want to play football away from all those distractions,” says Barber. “So start there, especially in the first round. You don’t want to miss it in the first round. I’s hard for me to say who they’re going to take, but if it was me, I’m definitely looking at corner, definitely looking at edge rusher.”

Barber also leaves open the idea of the Buccaneers targeting an inside linebacker with longtime defensive captain Lavonte David entering his age-35 season.

“It wouldn’t hurt at some point in this draft to find an inside linebacker,” says Barber. “Lavonte is 35 years old, he’s going into year 14. At some point he’s going to have to find somebody to mentor to take over his position. I don’t think there’s an inside linebacker that you take in the first round there, but I would go that route as well.”

The post Ronde Barber Exclusive: Buccaneers Need To Draft Defensive Playmakers appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The Lions suffered a heartbreaking end to their 2024 season after falling to the Washington Commanders in their first playoff game. Detroit had entered the playoffs as Super Bowl favorites after ending the regular season with a league-best 15-2 record. 

However, they stumbled at home as their defense struggled to stop the Commanders, allowing 45 points and 481 total yards.

While the Lions obviously ended the season drastically short of expectations, Sanders says this can be a “lesson” used moving forward for the team as they continue to chase a Super Bowl. 

He says the Lions need to learn how to “close the deal” after coming up short over the past two years in the playoffs.

“I think a lot of it was a lesson for us,” Sanders told Casino Beats in an exclusive interview. “The last two years, the playoffs were a big lesson. If you rewind to the Niners game (the playoff game during the 2023 season) in Santa Clara where we had the Niners on the ropes and weren’t able to finish that game off. For the young players that we have, I think that’s another lesson that we can take going forward. The next time we’re in that situation — and for the coaches as well — how to close the deal.”

Although the Lions have been tremendous over the past two seasons, they’re still new to playing postseason football. Detroit has the most wins (27) since the start of the 2023 season, but they blew a 17-point halftime lead against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

They unexpectedly stumbled against the wild card Commanders in the divisional round of this past year’s playoffs.

Sanders: Injuries ‘Big Part’ Of Playoff Misstep

The Lions dealt with an unusually high number of injuries, which decimated their defensive unit. Defensive Player of the Year candidate Aidan Hutchinson was sidelined due to a season-ending injury suffered in Week 6. 

Prior to his injury, he had been leading the NFL in sacks (7.5). Detroit had an NFL-high 22 players on injured reserve in late December.

However, Sanders isn’t pinpointing the Lions’ playoff shortcoming as simply due to injuries — it’s a matter of them taking their “lumps” before taking that leap into winning a Super Bowl.

 ”The injuries were a big part of it,” says Sanders, “But I also believe that sometimes you have to go through some of those lumps and lessons. If you look at last season — I was observing each game — so many of those games seemed almost easy. I’m sure it wasn’t, but it appeared easy.”

Sanders: Miscues Hard To Overcome In Postseason

Sanders points towards the team’s win over the Houston Texans, 26-23, in Week 10 after Jared Goff threw five interceptions. The Lions trailed by 10 points entering the fourth quarter and became the first team since 2012 to win a game with their quarterback throwing at least five interceptions.

The Hall of Fame running back is arguing that the team had some lucky breaks during the regular season, but their miscues finally caught up to them during their playoff game against the Commanders.

“I don’t remember how many interceptions we threw and how many turnovers we had, but to beat a good Texans team at home with that many errors, it just seemed strange to me,” says Sanders. “To win that game was amazing. When you get to playoff football, you’re not going to get those kinds of breaks.”

The Lions still return essentially their entire nucleus, with the exception of former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears. However, they’ll return Goff, their main offensive weapons like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs along with head coach Dan Campbell.

Although Detroit has suffered heartbreak over the past two years in the playoffs, it can be used as lessons learned as the franchise looks to hoist its first Vince Lombardi Trophy.

“That’s the deal, you have to close,” says Sanders. “Although last year was record-breaking in a lot of ways, obviously, when we got to the playoffs there’s still lessons that we needed to learn. And having the number of injuries to the key positions that we had, obviously that was a factor.”

Considering the Lions have proven to be the best team in the regular season over the past two years, they should be in the running again entering the 2025 season.

Sanders points towards how the Philadelphia Eagles were finally able to overcome their own playoff shortcomings by blowing out the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles had lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years prior and were blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round at the end of the 2023 season. 

The end of their 2023 season saw them lose six of their final seven games to end the year.

“If you look at what’s happened in the NFC over the last few years, the Lions are at the top of that list, right? They’re up there with the Eagles, they’re up there with the Niners, they’re up there with the Vikings,” says Sanders. “So I think it was a lesson. Hopefully it was another lesson that we can take with us going forward as we march toward trying to win a Super Bowl.”

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The Rams — just three years removed from a Super Bowl win — feature a completely different and young nucleus compared to the team that won Super Bowl LVI just a few years prior. While holdovers such as quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay remain, most of the players on the roster weren’t a part of that team — just like Fiske.

The 24-year-old broke out onto the scene in a major way during his rookie season in 2024, finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after posting the most sacks (8.5) of any first-year player. Despite starting out the season 1-4, the Rams finished out the year on a strong note, winning the NFC West, defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs and coming within a possession of defeating the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles.

 ”When you make it that far in the playoffs and you do play the defending Super Bowl champions and play them close, it gives you that confidence booster,” Fiske told CasinoBeats in an exclusive interview. “Maybe just that idea we’re right there — like of course we’re right there. That’s obviously the goal and we’ll see how OTAs go and training camp and then we’ll kick it off Week 1 with whatever we got. 

“We’ll see where we start,” Fiske continues to say. “Hopefully we don’t start as slow as we did this past season and we can make a run.”

The Rams had the third-youngest playoff roster in the NFL, featuring a nucleus of young and up-and-coming stars such as Fiske, Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and wide receiver Puka Nacua.

Fiske: Experience, Health Helped Rams Find Groove Late In 2024

Fiske explains how the young nucleus combined with injuries — former star wide receiver Cooper Kupp missed five games and Nacua missed six games — is what led to Los Angeles’ slow start.

 ”At the beginning of the season, we were banged up,” says Fiske. “We had a lot of injuries. Some of the top guys we had were banged up on the offensive line. Cooper is banged up, Puka is banged up, we had a lot of guys out. On top of that, how young the defense was, we were a defense made up of a lot of young guys, first and second-year players. You sprinkle in a few vets, but for the most part we’re built on youth.”

The young defensive tackle explains adjusting to the NFL took time for himself and the young guys. It wasn’t until Week 8 or 9 that the Rams really started clicking. It’s no coincidence that Los Angeles went 8-2 in their next 10 games after the midseason point.

It also didn’t hurt that the Rams started getting healthier towards the end of the season while other teams — the Detroit Lions being a notable one — started losing guys to injury.

 ”It wasn’t until really about Week 8, 9 until we really started to click and really start turning things around on defense and the offense is able to get healthier,” says Fiske. “You see we’re banged up in the early season on the IR list, and then at the end of the season, every team’s got, 10-to-15 guys in there. We had one, two or three. 

“That’s when we started to get that confidence that we’re healthy, we’re feeling good, we’re on a roll,” Fiske continues to say. “I don’t know what the exact number was, but we went like 8-2 in a certain time span, that was pretty cool. Going into playoffs, we had a ton of confidence.”

Fiske: Divisional Round Loss to Eagles Could Be ‘Blessing In Disguise’

The Rams played their first playoff game in Arizona due to the wildfires that devastated the city of Los Angeles in January. Fiske describes the emotions of playing and winning that game before traveling to Philadelphia — the game was filled with snow — to play the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles. Due to the No. 5-seeded Washington Commanders upsetting the Lions in the divisional round, the NFC Championship would have been played in Los Angeles with the Rams hosting.

 ”It was one of those moments where, you know, we just, everything that happened to us, all the adversity, you know, it was all gonna come out in that game and we were gonna take it up and give it to the Vikings,” says Fiske. “We won that game, then after that going to Philly say, ‘Hey, it’s all or nothing here.’ Obviously, Philly is one super great team. They handled the business and I think a lot of people in that stadium thought that game was going to end 29-28, and the Rams were headed back to L.A. for that NFC championship.”

Los Angeles was within 22 yards of scoring a touchdown to take a 29-28 lead over the Eagles with under a minute remaining in the game. However, Stafford was sacked on 4th-and-11 at the Eagles 22-yard-line to end the Rams’ chances of winning the game.

 ”It didn’t unfold that way,” says Fiske of the Rams advancing to the NFC Title Game. “I think that drives a lot of guys on this team and a lot of people in this organization for where this team is and where we’re headed and the future and what we have. I think it might have been a blessing in disguise for what we’re building on coming up in the next couple seasons.”

Although the Rams lost former Super Bowl MVP Kupp to the Seattle Seahawks following his release, they brought in six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro Davante Adams to replace him. They also added 29-year-old veteran defensive tackle Poona Ford, who has 101 games and 81 starts of experience under his belt. That should only make the Rams’ defensive line even better considering the Rams’ oldest starter on the defensive line is Kobie Turner at 25 years old. 

Although Los Angeles is young, a deep playoff run and coming up one possession short of hosting the NFC Championship Game has the Rams thinking Super Bowl next season.

 ”That’s always the goal,” says Fiske of winning the Super Bowl. “If the Super Bowl is not the goal for your team, I think you have other issues coming on. But being that close in that game, being as competitive as we were at the end of the season, I think the big expectation is, how do you get better? Not individually, but as a team. Because like you said, we have a young nucleus, where can we build up from here? I like what we have surrounding us and we brought some guys in.”

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