After years of seeing a handful of drivers — the same guys, really — dominate NASCAR 's top level nearly every week, the Cup Series is experiencing a little parity to start the season. It's a welcome sight for some. Others hope it's a fleeting moment. William Byron adjusts his cap as he celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) William Byron was the third surprise winner through three races this season with his victory Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Byron joined Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell as unlikely winners to start this season. Byron controlled most of the final two stages at Homestead to win for the second time in 111 Cup starts. His first one came at Daytona last August and landed him one of the final spots in the playoffs. No one saw that one coming. Few had this one on the radar, either. Byron entered the weekend as a 28-1 shot to win a race many expected would provide a return to normal for the racing series. Instead, McDowell and Bell have company in the relatively odd group of 2021 winners and drivers who have locked up postseason spots. MORE NASCAR NEWS FROM FOX NEWS AUTOS "A lot of people obviously made some good decisions on how to get better," said 2017 series champion Martin Truex Jr., who finished third. "The box we have to work is so small ... the rules are the rules and they haven't changed in a while. The smaller teams get to catch up." Truex was quick to point out that he still believes the top teams — the heavyweights like himself, so to speak — will find their way back to the top sooner rather than later. But the first three races have provided plenty of eyebrow-raising moments. Tyler Reddick was second Sunday, nearly 3 seconds behind Byron. McDowell had his third straight top-10 finish. Chris Buescher ran up front for the first part of the race. "It definitely has ...
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The Big Sky Conference Apologizes For 1 Of The Worst Calls In Football History
The Big Sky apologized Sunday night for a blown call during the Idaho/Eastern Washington game. During the fourth quarter of the Saturday matchup, a made field goal by EWU was called a miss after it appeared the ref was messing with his mask instead of paying attention. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football) Had it been called correctly, the Eagles would have taken a 24-21 lead with the game winding down. Instead, Idaho won 28-21. Uhhh Eastern Washington’s kicker just kicked a 22-yard field goal and something happened and the ball hit the scoreboard after going through the uprights and the refs got confused and just looked around and called it no good. Holy shit this is worse than the 5th down. pic.twitter.com/apT5r9cJlD — Graham Coffey (@DawgOutWest) February 28, 2021 Sunday night, the Big Sky issued an apology for the insane blunder and made it clear the call on the field should have been that of a made field goal. You can read the whole apology below. Big Sky Conference Statement on Eastern Washington-Idaho Football Game pic.twitter.com/xU57c0wjCD — Big Sky Football (@BigSkyFB) March 1, 2021 There’s literally no excuse for what happened Saturday between Idaho and Eastern Washington. There’s no excuse at all for a call ever being that bad . Save the line about obstructed views. I don’t care. The ref was right there and can be seen clear as day messing with his mask instead of paying attention. Did it 100% cost EWU the game? That’s impossible to say, but it damn sure didn’t help. Imagine if a call like this happened in the Super Bowl or the College Football Playoff. Fans would be rioting in the streets and they’d have every right to do so. It might only be FCS action, but it’s still college football. The fans and players still care a lot. Yet, they got it wrong when it was so easy to get right! Be better, folks. Be much better. ...
Tom Brady admits unfavorable scouting report ‘still gets me fired up’
close Video Jim Gray reflects on what latest Super Bowl win means to Tom Brady Fox News contributor Jim Gray discusses his Fox Nation 'Talking to GOATS' interview with seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady. Tom Brady , as everyone knows at this point, was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and his scouting report is something he still uses as motivation. Brady admitted it in a tweet Sunday when he reacted to an interview in which the scouting report was read to him. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "Still gets me fired up…," he wrote. Brady was reacting to an NFL Films video in which Steve Sabol was reading the former New England Patriots quarterback what scouts said about him coming out of Michigan. "This is the draft report on you. And we condensed it just a little bit, and basically it goes … Tom Brady, poor build. That might be accurate," Sabol remarked. "Skinny. Lacks great physical stature and strength and gets knocked down easily." Brady responded at the time, "that kinda gets me fired up 'cause of I’m thinking, ya know, what the hell do these people know. That sounds like Joe Montana right there." TOM BRADY MORE INJURED DURING 2020 SEASON THAN SOME REALIZE: REPORT Brady was the Patriots’ seventh selection of the draft. The team chose guard Adrian Klemm, running back J.R. Redmond, tackle Greg Randall, tight end Dave Stachelski, defensive tackle Jeff Marriott and defensive back Antwan Harris ahead of him. None of the players the Patriots chose ahead of him played past the 2005 season. Patrick Pass, who was taken in the seventh round, played until 2007. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Brady left the Patriots after the 2019 season to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He helped the team to a Super Bowl title last month – the seventh of his career. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for FoxNews.com. Follow him on ...
Kiszla: Should Broncos take cornerback in first round of NFL draft? Here are two big reasons to just say no.
If new Broncos general manager George Paton isn’t way better at this draft thing than John Elway, why is he here? And how could Paton possibly be worse? Denver has fallen off the NFL map because Elway’s paint-by-numbers approach to the draft painted the Broncos into a corner. So with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, what will Paton do with his first big chance to reverse the fortunes of a downwarding spiraling franchise? If you believe the draftniks, who often make a mockery of projecting first-round picks by cheating off each other’s paper in an annual excercise of group think, the Broncos must take a cornerback, because it’s a position of obvious need. In nearly every mock draft you read, Denver will select either Caleb Farley of Virginia Tech or Patrick Surtain II of Alabama, because the Broncos lack a shutdown corner. But drafting strictly for need in the first round would be the worst mistake Paton could make. With a top-10 pick, there should be only one criteria for a football team that has failed to qualify for the playoffs in five straight seasons. Paton must look for a player capable of making the Pro Bowl a perennial basis, regardless of position. The Broncos are a last-place team because outside of Von Miller, there isn’t anybody on the current roster on the path to the Hall of Fame. While draftniks can debate the merits of Farley vs. Surtain for the Broncos until the room is filled with so much hot air you want to climb out the nearest window, here’s the real nitty gritty: There are legit questions about whether either Farley or Surtain can step in and be a CB1 at the NFL level, much less develop into Hall of Fame talent. While the athleticism of Farley is definitely intriguing, his history of spotty health also poses a legit concern, especially after he opted out of the 2020 college season, perhaps using the pandemic to shield him from the possibility of another injury. And Surtain? He’s the son of an NFL player and a solid ...
Broncos Insider: Free agent needs for the other AFC West contenders
As general manager George Paton and the Broncos map out their own avenue back into contention this offseason, here’s a look at the positional free agent needs of the other three teams in the AFC West. Chiefs (14-2, lost in Super Bowl) After the Bucs destroyed the thinned Kansas City line in the Super Bowl, with Patrick Mahomes pressured on 52% of his dropbacks, the offensive line will be a focal point for the Chiefs. Starting center Austin Reiter is an unrestricted free agent, while starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz — neither of whom played in the Super Bowl due to injury — are both entering the final seasons of contracts and the Chiefs could save $11.9 million by cutting Fisher and $6 million by cutting Schwartz. K.C.’s offensive line could look completely different in 2021. Raiders (8-8) Las Vegas’ emphasis this offseason should be on the defensive side, where the Raiders need to strengthen the secondary and add another edge rusher and/or defensive tackle who can better impact both the pass and the run. With a secondary filled with youth (Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette, Johnathan Abram), a veteran safety could be in the franchise’s sights. And up front, with ends Takkarist McKinley and Vic Beasley free agents in addition to tackle Johnathan Hankins, Las Vegas must assess their current value compared to what they’d find on the open market. Chargers (7-9) NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert is reason for optimism, but the Chargers have lots of holes up front. Tackle Sam Tevi, guard Dan Feeney and guard Forrest Lamp are all free agents, and Los Angeles could certainly upgrade from one or two of those players through free agency. Meanwhile Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner could be a cap casualty, as the Chargers would save $11.5 million by cutting him. And edge rusher is also a roster void, as Melvin Ingram is a free agent and Los Angeles doesn’t have much other depth there besides Uchenna Nwosu. — Kyle Newman , The ...
