The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots lost another starter on Friday when Damien Woody, one of the most sought-after free-agent offensive linemen, agreed to join the Detroit Lions.
Woody was the second defector to leave New England as a free agent -- nose tackle Ted Washington went to Oakland on Wednesday, the opening day of the signing period. Woody and former Buffalo cornerback Antoine Winfield, who signed with Minnesota after backing out of an agreement with the New York Jets, were the two major signings on Friday.
"I want to keep winning, keep being successful," Woody said as he was introduced in Detroit.
Still, the signing isn't likely to change New England's philosophy which, in the words of owner Robert Kraft, is "to upgrade the bottom of your portfolio" as well as the top.
Woody, New England's starting left guard, missed both the AFC title game and the Super Bowl with a knee injury and last week, New England re-signed guard Russ Hochstein, who filled in adequately for him.
Woody's acquisition was the second in 12 hours for the Lions, who acquired Jacksonville cornerback Fernando Bryant on Thursday. But Detroit is in a different position than New England: trying to upgrade its roster after going 10-38 the past three seasons.
There also was one trade, Tennessee sending wide receiver Justin McCareins to the New York Jets for a second-round draft pick.
But overall it was quieter Friday than in the first two days of free agency, primarily because Washington finally slowed down after spending nearly US$50 million of Daniel Snyder's money in bonuses alone.
The Redskins were ecstatic about the players they picked up, although big spending hasn't worked for Snyder in the past and there are questions about several of their acquisitions: Aging quarterback Mark Brunell, underachieving defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin and injury-prone cornerback Shawn Springs.
Their last acquisition, former Indianapolis linebacker Marcus Washington, got a US$7 million signing bonus.
He replaces Jessie Armstead, who was released last week.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS