While Shanahan blurs a defense’s picture before the snap, McVay is more inclined to blur it immediately after. The Rams make great use of switch and stack releases, with receivers’ routes intersecting off the line, distorting defenders’ coverage assignments. He’s also become aggressive in jet motion and ghost reverse action, with wide receivers speeding across the backfield from one side of the formation to the other.

This isn’t to say Shanahan doesn’t employ switch releases or ghost action, or that McVay doesn’t use motion and formation wrinkles to decode a defense. As different as their schemes are, the coaches’ shared history creates plenty of overlap.

After a freshman year spent on special teams, Wilson gradually took on more responsibility in 2017 as injuries ground down Alabama’s experienced linebacking corps, finally getting the first start of his career in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson. All he produced from then on was an 18-yard pick-six that iced away the Crimson Tide’s Sugar Bowl win and then a team-high 12 total tackles (two for loss) in the national championship game against Georgia. Of the younger linebackers stepping in to replace Rashaan Evans and Shaun Dion Hamilton, Wilson has the highest ceiling.

The surprise juggernaut of 2017 enters Year 2 with Leonard Fournette and a young defense that believes it can do no wrong. Still giving New England the edge in a matchup with Blake Bortles.

Nate Solder is a Giant. Danny Amendola is a Dolphin. Dion Lewis is a Titan. Still, do you dare bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick? Didn’t think so.

There’s no reason to dethrone the champs at this time, especially with a better quarterback replacing the one who gave Philly its first Super Bowl victory.

Former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo on Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen: If he stays out on the field he’s probably going to be a helluva player and he’s probably going to be the most ready to play. I don’t worry about the other stuff they say, the leadership stuff, that’s all B.S. Aaron Rodgers was not all that. I don’t want a nice guy. Between the lines on Sunday, you give me a pr—, I’ll take him.

He also proved to Todd Bowles in his first season with the Jets that he is the consummate team leader, living up to his vast and varied experience. He lifted a limited receiving corps to good production in a downfield-oriented passing game. Familiarity and chemistry with coaches and skill players are on his side, and he goes into camp as the clear No. 1.

McCown was more consistent and durable than usual last season. He did miss the final three games with a left hand injury, and although he is in great shape again, history suggests he will show his journeyman form when overextended.

Nagy has inherited better players for his hybrid blocking scheme, which will bring equal benefits for Trubisky and Howard. The continued theme of multiple looks will squeeze even more production out of the Bears’ talent up front.

According to TMZ Sports, Conley filed a lawsuit saying she damaged his reputation with false statements, hurt his draft stock and cost him multiple endorsement deals, including a Nike contract.

Conley wasn’t arrested or charged with a crime, but a year later the woman filed a lawsuit against him in April.

Blame Eric Lindros, Dan Quayle and the Toronto Blue Jays.

In 1992, the NHL farmed out 24 regular-season games to neutral sites, the result of a rare collective bargaining win for the players (pre-Gary Bettman, of course) that bumped the season to 84 games and had them split profits with the owners for those contests.

Fisher gets fired in Miami, but it totally wasn’t fair, per league sources.

A young team and officials conspire again the next season against Fisher’s Dolphins. They finish 7-9. He stands on a convincing Week 10 win over the Patriots as a clear sign of progress.

We’re close, real close. I feel better about where this team’s at than any other squad I’ve coached, Fisher sells the media at his year-end press conference.

But despite drafting more even defensive linemen and spare part running backs in the next two years, Fisher never gets the Dolphins better than the 8-8 record in his first season there. After a 4-12 finish in 2014, he’s fired.

As recently as the 1980s, the number of touchdowns and interceptions used to be close to even on an annual basis. Oftentimes, the interception total was slightly higher.

Eight quarterbacks threw more than 20 interceptions in the 1985 season — including Phil Simms, Dan Fouts, and Dan Marino, who each made the Pro Bowl that year. But in 2017, DeShone Kizer was the only passer to finish the year with more than 20 interceptions, and that was a big reason why the Browns couldn’t win a game.

Rule changes over the last few decades have made it more difficult to defend the pass. Couple that with NFL offenses prioritizing efficiency more and more, and it’s no wonder there are declining turnover numbers.

And if we’re going to be that ground and pound team, then I think that plays exactly into his strengths. And again, he worked his butt off and he earned the reps that he’s getting now. And everybody knows Brett. Brett was starting last year, he brings that toughness and that same type of strength to the line, but he also can move. Halapio can move, too. That’s an interesting battle that I’ve been watching myself, just to see the guys rotating in and rotating out. So, I get to watch it firsthand.

These lists are mostly independent of current coaches, owners, and front offices, but let’s make two exceptions: one for a coach who used to recruit a bunch of five-stars to his Pac-10 powerhouse, and one for Washington owner Dan Snyder, who is Dan Snyder.

Remember where the good football players come from: mostly California, Texas, and the South. Did I mention that Texas has no state income tax? Pretty good. Plus, players would probably like big markets, as we see often in the NBA. So, that gives us …

The Seahawks, because they and their city are cool, and Pete Carroll already engages in college-style recruiting to land UDFAs. Plus, there are no NCAA violations in the NFL.

It’s a true statement — the team has plenty of stars on both sides of the ball — but Thomas has been the Seahawks’ defensive pillar for years, and the defense is markedly worse when he’s not on the field.

Time will tell, but this is going to be a pivotal moment in the Seahawks’ 2018-19 season, and we haven’t even reached training camp yet.

Almost a decade and a half later, Bengals fans are still looking for answers as to why the team’s franchise quarterback suffered a horrific injury in one of the biggest games.

When Palmer arrived in 2003, hand-in-hand with new head coach Marvin Lewis, the team seemed to finally be headed in a direction many could get behind. And, after two 8-8 seasons (a Lewis staple), The Golden Boy was bringing the Bengals to the promised land in 2005.

That year, Palmer threw for 3.836 yards, 32 touchdowns and an insane 67.8 completion percentage. Sure, he had a great receiving corps with Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Henry, Kelly Washington and Kevin Walter, coupled with a great offensive line, but the human jugs machine looked every bit the part of a former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall selection.

While he appeared to be over what looked like a minor shoulder injury, Luck admitted in 2017 that the shoulder problems he’s still struggling with first started with that September 2015 game against the Titans.

A couple of days after a 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos, the Colts announced Luck would miss two-six weeks with abdominal injuries. While he never came out of that game either, it’s believed that it happened during the first play of the fourth quarter when he absorbed hits from defensive tackle Vance Walker and linebacker Danny Trevathan.

The injuries happened at the end of an early fourth quarter scramble when Andrew was doing everything he could to get us the win, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said in the team’s press release. Andrew was sore after the game and was feeling a little worse Monday afternoon so we sent him to get tests.

Like the last scenario, let’s pick the Cardinals as the team that instead winds up in Indianapolis, Phoenix as the city that gets an expansion team, and Baltimore gets the Ravens the same way.

They pushed the Cavaliers to a Game 7 but were ultimately eliminated in the first round after a 105-101 loss in Cleveland.

The NBA universe will revolve around LeBron James’ big decision this summer, and while free agency doesn’t officially begin until July 1, the superstar is reportedly already hard at work recruiting prospective teammates.

Mark Heisler of the Southern California News Group reports that James is already talking with some prospective teammates around the league. Heisler notes an Eastern Conference team’s general manager said, LeBron is doing what we does — calling players on other teams he wants to play with.

The NBA had its award ceremony Monday. Ben Simmons of the 76ers opened things up by being named the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Simmons, 21, averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists in his rookie year. Rudy Gobert of the Jazz took home Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

Rangers: LHP Martin Perez (right elbow) will make his second rehab start on Saturday for Double-A Frisco. Perez struck out nine and allowed only two singles in five innings Monday for Single-A Hickory.

White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (1-2) will seek his second consecutive win on Saturday. Rodon worked eight innings to match a career high and allowed just two runs to Oakland on Sunday. Rodon will face Rangers RHP Bartolo Colon (4-5), whose 244 career wins are one short of Dennis Martinez’s record for the most by a native of Latin America.Lowrie, Manaea lead A’s over Tigers 4-2 for 4-game sweep

DETROIT — The Oakland Athletics left home as a .500 team, looking for a spark. They’re returning to the Coliseum looking very sharp.

Jed Lowrie had two more hits, Sean Manaea pitched six strong innings and the Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 Thursday to sweep a four-game series.

It is really tough to sweep a four-game series, especially when the other team scores first in three of the four games, Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. Our pitchers made big pitches when we needed them, our bullpen was great and the hitters just kept getting key hits.

We are getting close to the All-Star break and we are playing division teams that are right behind us trying to get first place away from us and I am going out there and not pitching well, he said. That is more what I am upset about. I am not really focused on the little positives that I can take from coming back from a major surgery, which is a pretty big deal, but it is getting at that point in the season where we have to win ballgames, and every single one that we can.

Crawford and McCutchen each had a solo home run off Miller — Crawford in the second and McCutchen in the fourth.

Diamondbacks: INF Ketel Marte left with a right leg injury after beating out an infield single leading off the seventh. He was able to walk off under his own power. Lovullo said afterward it was a cramp and Marte is day to day. … CF A.J. Pollock (broken left thumb) went 0 for 4 with Triple-A Reno in his first rehab game Friday night.

Left-hander Derek Holland (5-7, 4.24 ERA) starts for the Giants in their bid for a three-game sweep. RHP Zack Godley (9-5, 4.58) goes for Arizona.Mariners beat Royals 1-0 for 7th straight victory

New York’s newest star Saquon Barkley spills on his philosophy on weightlifting, how he dropped his 40 time and the one piece of advice he’d give to other aspiring football stars.

Once I realized when I declared for the NFL draft and kind of realized where I was going to be drafted, that was something I was like, ‘You know what? Kind of want to follow the Marshawn Lynch method. I don’t want to touch that, Barkley said on the red carpet for the CC Sabathia Celebrity Softball Game on Thursday night. I want to invest it, put it in the right people’s hands and learn as I continue to make investments. And just live off the endorsement deals.’

He plans to follow in the financial footsteps of players such as Lynch and New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. They have both made an effort not to spend their NFL paychecks and instead capitalize on their marketability.