DeMeco Ryans was drafted by the Houston Texans and spent the first six seasons of his playing career clad in the club’s deep steel blue and battle red uniform.
Ryans is now the head coach of the Texans, a gig he calls his "dream job".
"It's a dream job because we can win here," Ryans told reporters Thursday. "And we're going to win here by collaborating, working together and building it the right way with the right people."
Ryans will have plenty of work to do, however, to help turn around a Houston franchise that finished the 2022 season 3-13-1 and just hired their fourth head coach in four years.
"This is a young team; we were on the cusp," he said. "We got to add some pieces to what we're doing here, but I'm so excited to get started and get to work with the young guys, and to build a winning program here with the Texans – I'm fired up.
"The excitement is real, and I can't wait to get to work, to get to coaching."
Ryans' connections to the NFL’s youngest franchise run deep.
The Texans selected Ryans in the second round – 33rd overall – of the 2006 draft, and the Alabama product made an immediate impact.
He was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year after amassing 126 solo tackles, still a franchise record. Ryans made two Pro Bowl appearances with the Texans and was involved in many milestones as the club matured from their 2002 expansion roots.
Ryans was there for the club's first winning season, their first playoff appearance and their first postseason win. Now he will try to lead Houston back to the playoffs after the team was a combined 11-38-1 over the past three seasons.
As evidence of Ryans' connection to the Texans, Thursday’s press conference was attended by several of his former teammates, including former Texans Pro Bowlers Andre Johnson, Brian Cushing and Whitney Mercilus.
"It's outstanding. It's my former teammates that are here. It's great to see all you guys here," Ryans said. "The work we all put in together here – it means so much to me just to see you guys here and see your faces."
Ryans spent the past two seasons as defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, coaching top-three scoring defenses in both 2021 and 2022.
Ryans' performance – along with his history with the Texans – caught the eye of general manager Nick Caserio, who called the hiring a "no-brainer".
"What better person to lead this organization, lead this team, lead [our] players than DeMeco Ryans," Caserio said. "So, I think everything that DeMeco exudes as a player, exhibited as a player, he's done as a coach. His leadership is selflessness, his toughness, his team-first mindset, his charisma."
The Texans will get a chance to kick-start their rebuild this offseason as they hold picks number two and 12 in the upcoming NFL Draft.
After failing to make the cut in each of his first five events this PGA Tour season, Hank Lebioda is alone atop the leaderboard after Thursday's opening round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Lebioda, 29, has never won on the PGA Tour before, but he looked right at home on the Monterey Peninsula Country Club course, collecting nine birdies and one bogey for an eight-under 63.
He shot to the top of the leaderboard after a blistering stretch to open his back-nine, with five birdies and two pars from seven holes.
Unfortunately for Lebioda, that will be the only time he plays at Monterey Peninsula as the tournament is spread across three courses. Every player will also get a round at Spyglass Hill and the Pebble Beach Golf Links, with the latter hosting the final round after a cut at the end of Saturday's action.
Of the seven players to shoot six under or better, six of them played at Monterey Peninsula, which makes Chad Ramey's seven-under 64 at Pebble Beach stand out.
Ramey is joined in a tie for second with fellow American Kurt Kitayama and England's Harry Hall, while France's Martin Trainer and Australia's Aaron Baddeley are joined by the USA's Eric Cole one further stroke back at six under.
The big names were quiet on the opening day, with world number 11 Viktor Hovland the best performer of the rankings' top-40 at two under.
Jordan Spieth is joined by fellow major champions Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick at one under, while Kevin Kisner shot himself out of contention at four over.
The Western Conference All-Star reserves included three first-time selections, headlined by Most Improved Player candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lauri Markkanen.
The reserves announcement on Thursday followed the starter reveal a week earlier, where Los Angeles Lakers megastar LeBron James was named captain of the West team.
He will be joined by Dallas Mavericks MVP candidate Luka Doncic, New Orleans Pelicans powerhouse Zion Williamson, reigning back-to-back MVP of the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic, and Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry.
The Memphis Grizzlies are the only top-two team in either conference to not have a starter, but they will still send two players to All-Star Weekend with Ja Morant heading back for his second and Defensive Player of the Year favourite Jaren Jackson Jr earning his first appearance.
Jackson is leading the NBA with 3.3 blocks per game, while his 4.3 combined blocks and steals is well clear of the second-placed Nic Claxton (2.6 blocks, 0.7 steals) and Anthony Davis (2.0 blocks, 1.3 steals).
He is joined by fellow first-time selections Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Utah Jazz's key offseason trade acquisition Lauri Markkanen.
At 30.8 points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander sits fifth in the league, while boasting elite efficiency splits of 50.5 per cent from the field, 35.9 per cent from three and 91 per cent from the free throw line. He is also the only guard averaging at least one block per game (1.1), and is the only player in the league averaging at least 1.5 steals (1.7) and a block.
While Gilgeous-Alexander's trajectory had been pointing up, Markkanen's rise has been more of a surprise.
Having never previously scored more than 18.7 points per game or shot better than 48 per cent from the field, the star of Finland's international team is now up to 24.9 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 52.1 per cent from the field and a blistering 43.4 per cent from deep.
Also earning a spot in the West reserves was Los Angeles Clippers wing Paul George – who leads all reserves this year with his eighth selection – as well as Portland Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer Damian Lillard with his seventh.
The Sacramento Kings were campaigning for two All-Stars due to their impressive position third in the West, but they had to settle for just center Domantas Sabonis after point guard De'Aaron Fox was arguably the conference's biggest snub.
Fox is leading the team in scoring at 24.3 points per game and is also enjoying his first season shooting above 50 per cent from the field, while Sabonis is leading the league in rebounding at 12.4 per game to go with his 18.8 points (61.5 per cent shooting) and 7.1 assists.
Other than Jokic (10.0 assists per game), Sabonis is the only other interior player in the league averaging at least seven assists.
Former MVP James Harden and Atlanta Hawks franchise player Trae Young were among those to miss out on All-Star selection after the Eastern Conference reserves were announced on Thursday.
The starters had already been named a week ago, with Brooklyn Nets tandem Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant being joined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtics MVP candidate Jayson Tatum on the East team, captained by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After being a surprise omission from the starters, Philadelphia 76ers back-to-back MVP runner-up Joel Embiid headlined the reserves, where he will be joined by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, New York Knicks big-man Julius Randle, Chicago Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan, Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday and Indiana Pacers rising star Tyrese Haliburton.
It is the sixth consecutive All-Star selection for Embiid, the sixth overall for DeRozan, while it will be the second time for Adebayo, Brown, Randle and Holiday – with Holiday having to wait 10 years between drinks after his first selection in 2013.
Haliburton was the only first-time All-Star in the East, and he had to beat out some serious names to earn the honour.
The Pacers point guard is averaging career-highs in points (20.2) and assists (10.2) after being traded from the Sacramento Kings at last season's trade deadline, while his 1.8 steals per game has him sitting fourth in the league.
His 10.2 assists per game trails only Harden (11.0), while Harden is also averaging more points (21.4), rebounds (6.4 to 4.0) and owns a superior record. Harden – who had made 10 consecutive All-Star Games prior to this season – is 23-11 in his 34 contests entering Thursday, while Haliburton's Pacers are 22-18 in his 40 appearances.
The 76ers are the only of the East's top-four teams to not send two players to All-Star Weekend.
Meanwhile, Young's Hawks also sit two places above the Pacers in the standings with a 26-26 record. With 27.0 points and 9.9 assists per game, Young joins Harden and back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic as the only players in the league averaging at least 21 points and nine assists.
Carlo Ancelotti is optimistic Karim Benzema will not miss Sunday's trip to Real Mallorca despite limping out of Real Madrid's win against Valencia, but defender Eder Militao's injury is of greater concern.
Benzema teed up second-half goals for Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior on Thursday, as Madrid moved to within five points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona with a 2-0 victory over Los Che.
However, the reigning Ballon d'Or holder limped out of the contest with an apparent thigh problem on the hour mark, after Militao had been replaced in the first half for what looked to be a groin issue.
While Ancelotti is hopeful of having his star striker available for Madrid's final league game before their Club World Cup campaign, Militao's initial prognosis is less encouraging.
Asked about the condition of the duo after Thursday's win, Ancelotti said: "Karim seems like a slight problem and Militao will not be fit on Sunday."
Benzema has been involved in 11 goals in his last 12 appearances for Madrid in all competitions, having only registered five goal contributions in his first nine matches this season.
After Sunday's trip to Mallorca, Madrid jet off to Morocco for the Club World Cup, where they will meet either the Seattle Sounders or Al Ahly in a semi-final tie next Wednesday.
Madrid's involvement in that competition means there will be no respite during a congested period, but Ancelotti is pleased with how Los Blancos have coped in recent weeks.
"January was a hard month after the World Cup and we've turned out well. We're going to see in February. It doesn't stop here," Ancelotti said.
"Luckily, they have put the game on Sunday for both us [and Barcelona]. Imagine they had put ours on Saturday night!"
Gleison Bremer said his Juventus team-mates have pledged to ignore the Bianconeri's off-pitch woes after scoring the winner in Thursday's Coppa Italia quarter-final against Lazio.
Bremer diverted Filip Kostic's cross home with a glancing header on the stroke of half-time as Juve clinched a 1-0 win over the Biancocelesti, teeing up a semi-final tie against Inter.
The win provided welcome relief for a side sitting 13th in Serie A after being issued with a 15-point deduction last month, a sanction which has been compounded by a three-game winless run in the league.
Speaking after his goal sent Juve to their eighth Coppa Italia semi-final in nine seasons, Bremer admitted off-pitch issues had impacted the team in recent weeks, but revealed the squad's pledge to rediscover their focus.
"I'm happy with this goal, but it was important to go through at this moment," the Brazil international told Mediaset.
"We know we've played two games not up to par, but we talked to each other and what happens off the pitch cannot spill onto the pitch. The club will take care of it, we will take care of the pitch.
"Juventus are a top-level team, let's score as many points as possible and see where we'll be at end of the championship.
"At the beginning of the year we lost a little something, then we spoke and we found each other."
Since the Coppa Italia quarter-finals became one-legged affairs in the 2008-09 season, Juve have won nine of their 10 such fixtures at home, the only exception being a 2011 defeat to Roma.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri hailed Juve's mentality after the hard-fought victory, highlighting the improvements made since Sunday's shock defeat to Monza.
"The most important thing is the attitude, which was missing in the first half against Monza, where we conceded two easy goals," Allegri said.
"The boys were good. They are responsible. They must understand that to win matches, in addition to tactics and technique, you need the right spirit.
"Today we won many tackles, we arrived first in duels, we defended well and played in an orderly and patient manner against good pressure from Lazio."
Juventus were without Paul Pogba for Thursday's win, with the midfielder seeing his second debut for the club delayed once more after suffering another minor injury.
Allegri does not expect him to return against Salernitana on Tuesday, saying: "Pogba is unlikely to be available in Salerno, because he's been doing little or nothing for a week. We hope to have him back as soon as possible because he's a player we count on.
"I've been in the world of football for 50 years. When things go against you, then you have to be patient to get out of it."
Steve Borthwick has left Manu Tuilagi out of his first team as England coach for the Six Nations opener against Scotland on Saturday.
Borthwick has made eight changes to the team from Eddie Jones' final game in charge against South Africa in November.
Joe Marchant has been selected at outside centre, while Marcus Smith and captain Owen Farrell are also named for the game at Twickenham.
Jamie George has come through return to play protocols to be selected at hooker.
Uncapped Ollie Hassell-Collins is one of the more surprising inclusions, while Dan Cole is named on the bench, having not played for England since the 2019 World Cup final.
After announcing the team, Borthwick detailed Tuilagi's reaction to the news, telling reporters: "Manu was the incredible professional that he is.
"We spoke, I told him what I decided selection wise... and we shook hands, and then he went and trained really hard and that reaction is testimony to him and his character and not just him but of several players in that way and ultimately what we want to build here.
"We want to build a team that is not simply about selection. It's a team that is building and going forward to try and get wins for England, which means you've got to train hard every day."
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend will hand Luke Crosbie his third cap as the Edinburgh flanker was named alongside Matt Fagerson and captain Jamie Ritchie in the back row.
Ben White will feature at scrum-half, while Kyle Steyn has been given the nod to replace the injured Darcy Graham at right wing.
Stuart Hogg has recovered from a heel injury to start at full-back, while Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are named in midfield.
England team: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Owen Farrell, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt.
Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Ben Youngs, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson.
Scotland team: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, Simon Berghan, Jonny Gray, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Harris.
Benfica president Rui Costa has no regrets over sanctioning Enzo Fernandez's record-breaking move to Chelsea, saying the World Cup winner forced the transfer through his desire to leave.
Chelsea made Fernandez the most expensive acquisition in Premier League history on the final day of the January transfer window, meeting the £106.8million (€121m) release clause in his Benfica contract.
While Fernandez's arrival took Chelsea's spending to a reported £288.5m in January alone, the fee surpassed the £100m Manchester City spent to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in 2021.
Benfica coach Roger Schmidt said Fernandez was unsettled by Chelsea's interest earlier in the month, and Costa admits the player's desire to leave left the Lisbon giants powerless.
"Everything was done to ensure that Enzo was not sold. I have a clear conscience and I am as sad as any Benfica fan," Costa told BTV on Thursday.
"We tried everything. Enzo has always shown a desire not to stay at Benfica.
"As a fan, I no longer wanted Enzo as a player. As president, he could not continue. I decided he had to leave.
"Commitment to Benfica is not beating your chest. In Arouca [a 3-0 win on Tuesday] we played without Enzo.
"We lost a great player, but I will not cry for a player who did not want to stay at Benfica. I was raised at Benfica, knowing how to honour Benfica.
"Respecting Enzo, he is free to choose and the choice was not to stay at Benfica. At Benfica, there will only be players who are proud to be here."
Costa questioned Fernandez's unwillingness to remain in Portugal until the end of the season, saying any suitors would have waited for the 22-year-old.
"Was Enzo going to lose value until the end of the season at Benfica? No," he continued.
"We tried to show him that if he stayed at Benfica until the end of the season, Chelsea and others would appear."
While the last-minute nature of Fernandez's exit left Benfica unable to sign a replacement, Costa was ultimately pleased with the structure of the deal.
Asked about Fernandez's record-breaking fee, Costa said: "It's in instalments. The value of the clause doesn't have to be paid upfront.
"We reached what we wanted and came out five million above the clause. It was not by chance that this deal ran out of time, we did everything to keep Enzo."
Vinicius Junior marked his 200th Real Madrid appearance in style with the second goal in a 2-0 win against Valencia.
The Brazilian burst into space from inside his own half to double Los Blancos' lead, just 90 seconds after Marco Asensio's stunning strike opened the scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid, having failed to score on Sunday against Real Sociedad, encountered similar frustration in the first half and saw an Antonio Rudiger header disallowed juts before half-time.
That did not deter Carlo Ancelotti's side, who responded in style in a second period where Valencia finished with 10 men after Gabriel Paulista's dismissal.
It took just three minutes for Madrid to carve through Valencia's defence, Luka Modric feeding a pass through to Asensio but a fine save from the boot of Giorgi Mamardashvili kept him at bay.
Asensio had another chance after Karim Benzema's deft backheel into his path inside the area but Gabriel was on hand with an outstanding block to deflect the strike safely over the crossbar.
Los Blancos thought they had found their breakthrough on the brink of half-time, Rudiger flicking a header in off the right-hand post, but referee Javier Alberola Rojas chalked the effort off for a foul from Benzema on Yunus Musah as Modric's corner was whipped in.
Six minutes after the restart, the hosts finally broke the deadlock. It was third-time lucky for Asensio, who picked up possession outside the box and unleashed a ferocious left-footed drive that left Mamardashvili stranded.
The lead was doubled just 90 seconds later, Vinicius bursting into space down the left and driving into the area and slotting a comfortable finish beneath the Valencia stopper.
Valencia's problems got worse when Gabriel was given his marching orders for a horrendous hack on compatriot Vinicius, who was fortunate to avoid injury.
Juventus cast aside their recent woes to tee up an enticing Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter on Thursday as Gleison Bremer's first-half header guided them to a 1-0 win against Lazio.
The Coppa Italia appears to represent Juve's best chance of silverware this season after a 15-point deduction ended their slim Serie A title hopes, and the hosts were good value for their win after dominating for long periods.
Massimiliano Allegri's men missed two good chances before hitting the front on the stroke of half-time, with Bremer flicking Filip Kostic's inch-perfect delivery home.
Juve were rarely troubled at the other end as Maurizio Sarri's visitors disappointed in the final third, and they will face their Derby d'Italia rivals across two legs in the last four after this routine win.
Kostic drew a fingertip save from Luis Maximiano as Juve got on top after a tight opening to the contest, before Adrien Rabiot headed straight at the goalkeeper when left unmarked just before the half-hour mark.
The Bianconeri made their pressure count one minute before the break as Bremer met Kostic's inswinging cross with a glancing header, which beat Maximiano to nestle in the bottom-left corner.
Luis Alberto saw a long-range strike deflect narrowly over as Lazio improved following the half-time introduction of Pedro, while Danilo Cataldi worked Mattia Perin with a 25-yard free-kick.
Juve substitute Moise Kean forced Maximiano into action at his near post following a rapid break with 20 minutes remaining, as the hosts looked to put the game to bed.
Adam Marusic fizzed a long-range effort wide of the bottom-right corner as Lazio continued to hunt a leveller, but that was as close as they came to breaking down a resolute Juve backline.
Caroline Garcia came from a set behind to beat Alison Van Uytvanck and progress to the quarter-finals of the Lyon Open on Thursday.
The French top seed looked to be in trouble as Belgian Van Uytvanck eased to the first set, before Garcia found her feet to come back and overwhelm her opponent 2-6 6-0 6-1.
She will face Jasmine Paolini in the last eight after the Italian took just over an hour to dispose of Erika Andreeva 6-2 6-3.
Second seed Zhang Shuai is out though after falling to another Belgian in Maryna Zanevska 6-2 6-0.
Fifth seed Anastasia Potapova will face Zanevska next after her 6-4 4-6 6-3 win over Clara Burel, while seventh seed Danka Kovinic is also through after beating Anna Bondar 4-6 6-2 6-3.
At the Thailand Open, top seed Bianca Andreescu had no problems against Anastasia Zakharova, easing through to the quarter-finals 6-2 7-5.
The Canadian will face Marta Kostyuk next after the Ukrainian fifth seed defeated Nao Hibino 6-3 7-6 (9-7).
Sixth seed Tatjana Maria also progressed 6-0 6-4 against Dayana Yastremska, as did Heather Watson as she fought hard to see off Han Na-lae 6-3 5-7 6-4.
Darwin Nunez is confident he can follow in Luis Suarez's footsteps at Liverpool and explode in his second season.
The Uruguay forward has struggled to find consistency since arriving at Anfield from Benfica in June, scoring in his opening two appearances but only managing eight goals in 23 since.
Nunez's struggles in front of goal have come alongside Liverpool's own issues, with Jurgen Klopp's side languishing in ninth spot in the Premier League and out of both the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
Though he recognises the problems he has encountered in the first half of his debut season in English football, Nunez identified Suarez's own slow start on Merseyside and feels he can bounce back in similar style.
Former Ajax striker Suarez scored just 15 goals in 44 Premier League games in his first season-and-a-half at Liverpool, before hitting 54 in his next 66 prior to leaving for Barcelona in 2014.
"Obviously, I still have many things to work on, for example my finishing. But I think the same thing is happening to me as happened to Suarez. In his second year, he tore it up," Nunez told Sky Sports.
"Something similar happened to me already at Benfica. The first year went very badly for me and in the second, I exploded.
"Here, I think the same thing is happening. I hope next season will be like that. I'll put my best forward and hopefully I'll get a bit of luck."
In order to emulate Suarez, Nunez has regularly spoken to the man himself for advice and values the discussions with his compatriot.
"Of course, it's always helpful to speak with Suarez. For me, he is an idol. He is a great example. In the national team, I now have a much better relationship with him," he added.
"We are always talking and he is always giving me advice. I always try to keep in touch with him.
"I ask him a lot of things because he was at this club and he has a lot more experience than me. He is an important player to give me advice and explain things to me."
Duhaney Park Firestorms defeated Washingston Boulevard Bulls 33-22 to claim the Jamaica Rugby League Division II crown on Saturday, January 28 at the UWI Mona bowl.
Six players - Kenneth Walker, Chevaughn Carter, Adrian Thomas, Owen Linton, Akeem Murray, and Jenson Morris scored tries for the champions.
Javian Bryan kicked three goals and Joseph Shae added another, while Chevaughn Bailey also contributed with a drop goal.
The Bulls, early leaders in the contest, scored four tries via Anthoney Findlay, Karllone Batten, and Julius Reid.
Lawrence Drummond added another plus kicked a conversion while Oshane Eddie closed out their account with four points from two goals.
In the playoff for third place, the West Kington Hyenas narrowly defeated the CMU Spartans 24-18.
JRLA Director of Rugby Romeo Monteith said expressed relief and delight that the competition was able to resume following a two-year pandemic enforced hiatus.
“We weren’t sure how the teams would react to the competition’s relaunch, but it has been brilliant,” he said.
“We have lots of players new to the game involved, playing alongside veterans willing to show them the way. The season was extremely competitive, and we had a few upsets along the way that made it very interesting. It’s a good platform senior men’s rugby league to build on for 2023.”
Manchester United "will conduct its own process" before determining next steps after all charges against Mason Greenwood were dropped.
The 21-year-old forward was arrested in January 2022 and was due to stand trial in November on accusations of attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed on Thursday that all charges have been discontinued.
Greenwood last featured for United on January 22 last year in a 1-0 victory against West Ham and has been suspended by the club ever since.
United now plan to conduct their own review before any further decisions are made regarding his association with the club.
A statement read: "Manchester United notes the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service that all charges against Mason Greenwood have been dropped.
"The club will now conduct its own process before determining next steps. We will not make any further comment until that process is complete."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
