Jenna Dewan scored major mom points for joining Dancing With the Stars.
The Step Up alum—mom to 13-year-old Everly Tatum with ex Channing Tatum—agreed to become a season 35 contestant in great…
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Month: September 2026
Tom Brady’s power rankings are back for a third season, and before he reveals his first top-10 of the new season, there are a few rules the GOAT has. One, in order to make this week’s top 10, you’ve had to have won in Week 1. Two, the power rankings are all about what you’ve done lately, not what you can be. And three, if you have any complaints, direct them to the new FOX Sports digital show “Gronk & Jules.” So, now that’s out of the way, let’s dive into Brady’s first top 10 of the 2026 NFL season. Brady’s thoughts: They had a great win against a very good Bucs team. I thought that Bucs team was going to go into Cincy and upset some people. Sorry to Ja’Marr Chase and all those fantasy owners. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Brady’s thoughts: If you turned this one off early, you’re probably wondering why the Lions aren’t higher. But you really don’t want to see how this one went down. I think it’s very brave of these teams to go for 2 [to win the game like the Saints did]. It’s basically a 45/50% chance of making it. That’s what the stats say. Sometimes, I think you should make the other team beat you. But when you’re the road team against a good team, sometimes I don’t mind going for broke. Brady’s thoughts: How about the Jags? At No. 8, they ran it up against Cleveland. That’s what a lot of people forgot about Jacksonville last season. They won 13 games last year. Keep an eye out for this team. Liam Coen, really impressed, man. Keep it up. Brady’s thoughts: Kenneth Walker, he’s your [Super Bowl LX] MVP and the Chiefs are sitting at No. 7. Patrick Mahomes, are you kidding me? He might be able to contribute something to this offense as well. He wasn’t avoiding any contact [on Monday night]; I’m sure of that. I think, in a lot of ways, he’s back to [being] Patrick Mahomes. What do I mean by that? His leadership, discipline, tenacity — all of those things were on display. He’s going to pick up some steam. He’s missed some football, missed a lot of the offseason. But never sleep on No. 15 for the Chiefs. Why are we counting them out? Never count them out. I always felt like when you’ve got a great coach and you’ve got a great QB, and that organization has championship standards … watch out, man. Brady’s thoughts: KB and I, we were on the call in Philly, and the Eagles are knocking on the door of the top five. They knocked a little rust off, but they took care of business, starting 1-0 in the division. They know how to start fast. I like this team. They’re always going to play great defense. Once they figure out how to run the ball a little bit better, and they’ve still got Saquon [Barkley] back there and Tank Bigsby — they’re making those explosive plays. That’s the formula that set them up a few years ago, too. Brady’s thoughts: In our top five, you can shuffle a lot of teams here, but remember, when in doubt, my rankings are always the correct ones. The Bills are starting at five. That was a huge win in Houston. Houston had one of the best defenses in the league last year, and there’s going to be arguments to put Buffalo at the top of the list. But they were a dropped pick away from being off the [list] entirely. We know Josh [Allen], we know James Cook — they’re going to move the ball all year long. But those Bills fans are waiting for January at this point. Who can blame them? Brady’s thoughts: Another team with a new head coach, Jesse Minter. Lamar [Jackson] dominated in Indy. They brought in Minter for this defense, but I’ll be watching [offensive coordinator] Declan Doyle and what he does with the weapons on this offense. It looked pretty good the other night. They’ll need the depth chart to step up at receiver for a few weeks. But Baltimore fans, guess what? You should be excited. Brady’s thoughts: We now have the definitive guide on how to travel to Australia now, right? I think people talked more about that than the game this past week. Hats off to the Niners and Kyle Shanahan for tuning out a lot of the B.S., a lot of the noise and doing what they do: dominate a great Rams team Down Under. Brock [Purdy], quick word of advice: Keep throwing it to Mike Evans. He’s really good at catching the football, especially when you get close to the end zone. Brady’s thoughts: The Caleb Williams MVP watch is under way. They put 59 on Carolina in Week 1. Ben Johnson wants the highest-scoring offense ever. But how about a little defense from this team when they get back to Chicago? Or, you know what, screw it — keep scoring 59 points. I’m an offensive guy, either way works. They make it look easy — 300 yards rushing, Caleb does his thing and when guys aren’t open, he scrambles. When they get that offense rolling, it’s hard to stop. I saw it a lot last year. I know we’re going to see it a lot this year. Brady’s thoughts: I don’t care, to be the champ, you’ve gotta beat the champ. When you win the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl rematch in the first game back, I don’t care who is playing QB, you’ve got to get the top spot. The defense, they haven’t skipped a beat. And I’ve got another secret QB hack for Drew Lock: As long as Sam [Darnold’s] out, throw it anywhere on JSN’s (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) side of the field; he’s going to come down with it.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Trevor Lawrence used a sizzling second half to insert himself into the MVP conversation in 2025, emerging as a finalist for the first time in his NFL career last season. Well, Lawrence kept the high-level play going at the start of this season, completing 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a league-leading 150.6 passer rating in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 34-10 rout of the Cleveland Browns. Lawrence was sacked just once, completing passes to nine different pass catchers. He was particularly effective pushing the ball down the field. Lawrence completed 10 of 11 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns on passes of 10-plus air yards against Cleveland, per Next Gen Stats. Lawrence’s three touchdowns of at least 10 air yards were the most in a game during his NFL career. Week 2 should provide a tougher test for Lawrence. He and the Jaguars travel to Denver to face one of the best defenses in the Broncos in Week 2. However, Lawrence and the Jaguars carved up the Broncos last season, getting a 34-20 easy win. This is just a continuation of a hot stretch for Jacksonville’s quarterback and his team. Lawrence has led the Jaguars to victories in nine of their last 10 games. Over that span, Lawrence has completed 63.6% of his passes for 2,461 yards, with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 109.0 passer rating. Lawrence’s efficient play is validation for head coach and offensive playcaller Liam Coen that the Clemson product has the talent and consistency to lead the overlooked Jaguars on a deep playoff run.’ The oddsmakers are starting to believe as well, as Lawrence is tied with Brock Purdy with the fifth-best odds for the award at 14-to-1. Josh Allen is tops on the board. Let’s take a closer look at my picks for the top three of all the major awards heading into Week 2. Offensive Player Of The Year The skinny: Kenneth Walker III certainly has an argument for being on this list, but I went with the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in JSN at No. 3 because of what he did in the second half with Sam Darnold out to help lead Seattle to victory. The 32-year-old Henry might have had the most impressive performance, with three touchdown runs as the Ravens looked dangerous on offense again. Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is apparently ready to feed Gibbs, who carried it a career-high 29 times in the win over the New Orleans Saints. Defensive Player Of The Year The skinny: Hutchinson is tied for the league lead in sacks (2) and quarterback pressures (10) after Week 1. Watt also had two sacks and completed one of the biggest defensive plays last week, intercepting Atlanta Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush on a screen pass and picking himself up to rumble 35 yards for a score. Los Angeles safety Quentin Lake finished with an interception and a league-leading three pass breakups in a loss for the Rams. Coach Of The Year The skinny: Johnson means what he says about breaking the NFL scoring record, as Chicago tallied a league-high 59 points in its Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers. And in New York, it only took a week for Harbaugh to change the identity of the Giants, as they earned a grind-it-out win over the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Everyone thought the Cardinals were playing for 2027 draft status and Arch Manning, but no one told LaFleur, who looks like he’ll have Arizona ready to fight each week. Offensive Rookie Of The Year The skinny: Price vs. Love should be an interesting battle to watch this year. In Week 1, Price was the starter for the Seahawks, posting 52 rushing yards on 10 rushes. I was surprised the Seahawks didn’t give Price the ball more, as he averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Love served as the backup to Tyler Allgeier, finishing with 50 scrimmage yards on 13 touches, including a 5-yard run for a score. The two Notre Dame products will face off when Seattle travels to Arizona for Week 2. Williams had a nice debut for the Commanders, totaling four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Defensive Rookie Of The Year The skinny: A second-round selection by the Titans, Hill leads the league in tackles after Week 1 with 16. Downs showed versatility and playmaking ability in his first career start, finishing with a sack, a forced fumble and seven combined tackles. But Trotter showed off the most playmaking ability. The son of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, the younger Trotter became the first player in NFL history to record both a sack and an interception returned for a touchdown in his first career game. He finished with 10 combined tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and an interception returned for a 38-yard score. MVP The skinny: Lawrence’s impressive play to start the year at least makes things interesting, as it’s not just a two-man race between Jackson and Allen. Speaking of Jackson, he looked just fine taking snaps under center in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense. Jackson finished 6 of 8 for 114 yards and a 116.7 passer rating from under center, per Next Gen Stats. Allen averaged 12.6 air yards per attempt in a Week 1 win over Houston, the most for him in a game since Week 18 of the 2022 season. Patrick Mahomes looked healthy in Kansas City’s runaway win over Denver, which is bad news for the rest of the league.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
OmFest is coming together quite nicely! The new website is beautiful and highlights some of the experiences available throughout the day. I think Om would be very impressed by the attendee list. We’re doing it at the Swedish American Hall, the same venue as the first WordCamp, where Om, of course, spoke about Blogs and Journalism. (The videos have been lost to digirot, unless anyone has some recordings? I’ve been looking everywhere.)
Below is cross-posted from OmFest.co:
September 29th is when Om would have turned 60.
When I first started thinking about how to mark the day, I knew I didn’t want a traditional memorial. Om loved bringing interesting people together, and he loved a festival that taught him something he didn’t already know. His curiosity crossed so many worlds and passions: technology, journalism, photography, investing, watches, pens, coffee, design, music, India, New York, San Francisco.
So we’re bringing these worlds together. On September 29 in San Francisco, we’re throwing OmFest—twelve hours of ideas, objects, food, music, and conversation, organized and anchored around a statement Om once said:
“If you pay enough attention to the present, you can see the future.”
Present Future
Instead of tributes or keynotes, we’ll host a series of short talks with one simple challenge: teach us something you’re seeing before everyone else sees it. No pitches, no career retrospectives. You don’t even have to talk about Om. What happens to photography when anyone can generate the perfect image with AI? Why do physical objects become more meaningful as our lives become more digital? Are glasses becoming computers? What does handwriting do to the way we think? Different subjects, same goal: everyone leaves knowing something they didn’t know when they arrived.
A Festival of Om’s Curiosity
Between the talks, there will be plenty to stumble upon. Through Om’s Lens: a gallery of Om’s photography. TIME: an exhibit that uses his watch obsession to spark a discussion about craft and collecting. Field Notes: a communal writing table stocked with fine paper, fountain pens, and ink, where you can write something worth remembering—and either keep it or leave it behind to be bound in a book to commemorate the day. And Om’s Shelf: books he read, loved, and recommended. The collection will start full and slowly empty as his favorite reads pass into other hands.
People from Om’s different worlds will drop in throughout the day to share knowledge and facilitate small, hands-on moments: a photography tutorial, a notebook-binding session, a lesson on the mechanics of a watch, an experience with a coffee you’ve never tried, a tea ceremony. And, woven into this experience, will be OM/60: sixty small discoveries about Om, hidden throughout.
All Roads Lead to Om
The most important part, however, isn’t any of these objects. At check-in, instead of a badge with your company and title, you’ll choose the worlds through which you knew Om: photography, journalism, technology, GigaOm, investing, WordPress, India, coffee, pens and ink, design, music, or simply friends and family.
Then we build a physical map of it. It starts nearly empty. You add yourself, mark how you knew Om and whom he introduced you to, and those people connect to others. By the end of the night, I hope we’ll be able to see what Om spent a lifetime making.
The question I keep asking myself: who will meet because of Om that Om never had the chance to introduce? If OmFest works, his network won’t just be documented that day. It’ll grow.
From Ideas to Celebration
The day flows and builds. Morning is coffee, breakfast, books, photography, and conversation. The middle is deliberately unstructured—wander, eat, write, talk. In the evening, friends share short stories as we raise a glass to Om on his 60th. Then the bars roll in, the lights go down, the music gets louder, and OmFest becomes DesiParty: his old-school New York nights, Asian Underground, bhangra, electronica. We start with ideas and end with dancing. That feels right.
Version 1.0
What we’re building shouldn’t end on September 29. What does registration look like if it’s designed to help strangers talk to each other? How do you design a conference around curiosity instead of status? How do you make something that works for a two-hour visit or a twelve-hour one? How does a room encourage connection without forcing networking?
We’re treating OmFest as an experiment. We’ll document what works—formats, designs, code, templates, check-in, programming—and open source as much of it as we can. Other events can take the best ideas and make them better.
September 29 isn’t the end of OmFest. It’s version 1.0.
Come Build with Us
People from across Om’s life are building OmFest together. Some are contributing photographs. Someone is making a textile; another is bringing tea and guiding ceremonies. Others are helping with watches, eyewear, books, music, writing, and stories. We haven’t discovered whole parts of Om’s world yet. That’s the point.
If Om introduced you to something, or someone, we’d love to know. If there’s something you think people should experience, see, hear, taste, read, or learn that day, tell us.
And if you just want to come, come. You don’t need to have known Om. You only need to be curious.
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Matt: Mirene
It’s official in SF Standard: Stewart Brand sells his seaworthy Sausalito houseboat to tech CEO. Ahoy!
Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is in the books, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Especially if you’re a fan of good offense. Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches’ film before offering five insights to watch. Don’t be surprised if the points are here to stay. That’s the million-dollar question floating around league circles this week with the Vikings set to take on the league’s most explosive offense Sunday in Chicago. Ultra-aggressive defensive coordinator Brian Flores has befuddled quarterbacks throughout the league with his complex six-man pressure schemes and hot coverage concepts. He has also featured various zones with exotic alignments to test the patience and discipline of QBs distracted by the constant harassment from Minnesota’s chaotic pressure paths. Interestingly, Bears coach Ben Johnson holds a 5-1 record over Flores in their head-to-head matchups as playcallers. Johnson will challenge the Vikings with a multiple offense featuring bunch formations, pre-snap shifts and misdirection to slow down an aggressive defense that wants to attack on every down. He will also utilize the running game to control the tempo and force Minnesota to play on Chicago’s terms. With a pair of explosive runners (D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai) in the backfield with big-play potential, the Vikings can’t completely focus on QB Caleb Williams and the passing game or else run the risk of seeing the Bears run for 200-plus yards on an assortment of inside and perimeter runs that attack the weakness of the defensive scheme. Flores will welcome the challenge as an astute chess master and use static zones that let his defenders play fast as “see ball, get ball” defenders who will pursue the ball at a breakneck pace. The veteran defensive assistant will put the game on Williams’ shoulders to play efficiently without a critical mistake. Despite his success as an improvisational playmaker with a big-play mentality, Williams does force throws into coverage under duress. Moreover, he loses his discipline against soft coverage when he is forced to settle for checkdown after checkdown when he wants to push the ball down the field. In a marquee game that is destined to be decided in the final five minutes, Johnson versus Flores will come down to the tricks and treats that neither playcaller pulled out of his bag in Week 1. And based on their head-to-head track record, I give Johnson the upper hand in Sunday’s showdown. It did not take long for the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator to figure out how to unlock the explosive potential of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The two-time MVP and two-time NFL rushing champ looked like an unstoppable force torching an overmatched Indianapolis Colts’ defense in Week 1. Jackson threw for 324 yards and a touchdown, while running for 40 yards and another score as part of the Ravens’ 500-plus-yard effort in a 41-23 road win. Henry added 144 yards and three scores while pummeling the Colts on downhill runs that tested the defense’s toughness, physicality and discipline. With Zay Flowers totaling 150 receiving yards in two quarters of work, the Ravens’ offense has the football world buzzing about its potential under first-time playcaller Declan Doyle. Studying the All-22 game tape, there is so much to love about Doyle’s approach, with an electric quarterback and running back taking turns punishing the Colts’ defense. Jackson, in particular, was on fire from the pocket, completing 17 of 25 passes with a 12.96 yards-per-attempt average. The three-time All-Pro settled in quickly, directing an exotic offense that blended traditional drop-back passes, bootlegs and option routes, along with the read-pass options (RPOs) that have made him the league’s most dangerous playmaker for almost a decade. Henry benefited from Doyle’s creative scheming on the ground, with various motions from the tight end/H-back creating creases at the point of attack. The deceptive use of the tight end/H-back as a lead blocker on the move will keep defensive coordinators up at night, trying to solve for the extra hat in the running game. Considering Henry still flashes the strength and power to run through defenders in tight quarters, the Ravens’ diverse running game will be a problem for defensive coordinators going forward. Next in their path is the Saints, who allowed the Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs (156 yards) to run wild in Week 1. After watching a banged-up 49ers defense attack clubs with a straightforward approach under Robert Saleh last year, 2026 opponents should prepare to face a more dynamic defensive scheme with Raheem Morris now in charge. It’s apparent after just one game that the former head coach has enhanced the Niners’ vaunted scheme by adding more pre-snap disguise, five-man fronts and simulated pressures to the playbook. He has also simplified the 49ers’ coverage structure to let the defensive backs play faster in the back end. Such changes were evident against the Rams, as the 49ers suffocated one of the league’s best offenses for four quarters. From stuffing the run with five-man structures that knocked the Rams’ blockers off their path to creative pre-snap movement and shifts that morphed five-man fronts into four-down structures, with defensive linemen dropping into coverage, the chaos at the line of scrimmage forced Matthew Stafford and Co. to pause. The Niners linebackers and defensive backs benefited from a streamlined approach that prioritized simplicity over complexity. Although the 49ers have utilized more pre-snap disguise to play games with Stafford, it has been by buzzing into a coverage that is easy to understand and execute. With the 49ers emphasizing speed and relying on instincts as a “see ball, get ball” defense, the Rams struggled to handle the speed and physicality of a defense built to hunt from every angle. Looking at the stat sheet, the tweaks worked out well, with Stafford held to fewer than 200 pass yards and Puka Nacua and Davante Adams combining for eight catches and 100 receiving yards. The Rams had just one play go for more than 16 yards all day. Moreover, San Francisco produced a pair of takeaways and a pivotal goal-line stand that flipped the game in its favor. With Fred Warner and crew embracing these changes with enthusiasm, the NFC should worry about a new and improved defense possibly sparking a title run in the Bay Area. The NFL is a copycat league, with coaches often stealing concepts from other coaches when they think it will help their teams win. While some of the thievery involves new, innovative concepts swiped from the league’s creative wizards, veteran coach Andy Reid has a knack for taking and implementing plays from old-school playbooks to help the Chiefs put points on the board. Against the Denver Broncos this past Monday night, the three-time Super Bowl winner was up to his old tricks again, using a play popularized by Glen “Pop” Warner in the early 1900s to get Kenneth Walker III a walk-in touchdown in the fourth quarter. Aligning in an unbalanced Single Wing formation with Walker at wingback on the left, the Chiefs perfectly executed a counter-shovel pass, with Mahomes sprinting left before underhand tossing the ball to his star RB headed back to the right behind a convoy of blockers. The overload alignment and misdirection caught the Broncos’ defense by surprise, as Walker scooted through a crease into the end zone. The bold throwback play in a marquee game set social media on fire, with historians and old-school football fans immediately recognizing it. The fanfare also prompted me to dig deeper and discover that the Single Wing has been part of the Chiefs’ short-yardage package for years. Back in 2023, Rashee Rice scored against the New England Patriots on the exact same play, with Jerick McKinnon flipping the touchdown to the wingback Rice on an inside reverse/counter. Digging deeper, I discovered the Chiefs broke out a toy from an old Notre Dame box in Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers to nearly score a touchdown with Damien Williams. Aligned in a full-house backfield, the Chiefs shifted to an unbalanced Single Wing formation to the right. The deceptive pre-snap shift diverted the defense’s attention from Williams, who fielded the direct snap and plunged between the tackles on a fullback dive from the overload formation. Although the Chiefs did not score on the play, the creative use of a throwback-era play is another example of Reid’s willingness to steal from the throwback era to put points on the board. With Single Wing enthusiasts anxiously awaiting Reid’s latest spin on the legendary formation, the Chiefs’ short-yardage/goal line package has suddenly become must-see television. The NFL operates in cycles, with teams reverting to old-school tactics every few seasons. This year, we are seeing a return to old-school football, with teams embracing more under-center work and heavy personnel groupings to jumpstart their offenses. Part of the rationale is to set up the quarterback for success by using the running game and play-action to slow down aggressive fronts attacking gaps with various pressures, stunts and games. Additionally, the return to under center work is part of a bigger plan to force opponents out of the two-high shells defensive coordinators are featuring, limiting explosive plays from quarterbacks trying to connect with speedy receivers on vertical routes. As teams park their safeties in the stadium parking lot with split-field structures and more defensive backs in exotic sub-packages, offensive coordinators are countering the soft coverage with a run-based game plan out of tight end-heavy formations. Last season, the Rams terrorized opponents out of “13” personnel because three tight ends on the field created a physical advantage. Two or three tight ends aligned together create extra running gaps and expose smallish sub-package defenders who get overwhelmed as run-gap defenders. With offensive playcallers mixing in traditional drop-back or play-action passes from under center on five- and seven-step drops, the second-level defenders are easily lured to the line of scrimmage, leaving voids at intermediate range for digs and crossers on play-action concepts. Given the “chunk” plays derived from run-action plays, it’s no surprise more teams are looking to juice up their offenses with old-school formations and run-pass concepts. The numbers show the league-wide percentage of under-center plays from Week 1 (23.3%), suggesting teams will be more committed to a throwback approach than last season (17.6% for all of 2025). Given the offensive fireworks from season openers across the league — the 791 points scored tied the all-time record for Week 1 — we should expect more teams to use various under-center concepts to get their offenses going. As running backs find more traction plunging between the tackles on downhill concepts (there were six 100-yard rushers in Week 1), the threat of the run and the successful execution of those concepts will make the game easier for quarterbacks and playcallers this season.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
There’s no better time to overreact than after Week 1 of the NFL season. Week 1 brought plenty of surprises around the league, giving us plenty of material to judge and make grand statements. Are the Los Angeles Rams not as good as we thought? Will the New England Patriots take a step back? We asked people around the league which overreactions they think are a figment, and which ones are legitimate. There was an overwhelming consensus that one overreaction is just that, while another might have some truth behind it. Here’s what we learned from our conversations around the league. Ralph Vacchiano: It’s hard to find two bigger flops in Week 1 than the teams that share a stadium in Los Angeles. Both embarrassingly lost their openers. One will probably be fine. The other … maybe not so much. “I won’t overreact to the Rams at all,” one NFL scout told me. “They’re still loaded, so I can chalk that up to the weird circumstances of a game in Australia. But the Chargers … that’s a team that looks like it has problems.” “I really thought [Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel] would be the guy who would finally turn Justin Herbert into the star we all think he could be,” another scout told me. “But maybe we’re just wrong about Herbert. Or about McDaniel. But they were a no-show on offense against what I don’t think is a very good Cardinals team.” The Chargers, considered by some to be a playoff contender, gained just 268 yards and turned the ball over twice in their 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in L.A. That included just 81 rushing yards, and Herbert was 17 of 27 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “How many years are we going to look at Herbert and yell about his potential, only to watch him be average or worse?” the first scout told me. “Maybe this is just who he is. And maybe this is who the Chargers are, too.” As for the Rams, they were equally bad offensively in a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, gaining just 290 yards. And now they’ll be without Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, for a month, too. “The Rams will be fine,” the second scout told me. “Honestly, I’d feel bad for the Giants (the Rams’ next opponent). They’re going to be angry. Sean McVay is going to be determined to get this fix fast. That combination could be deadly.” Vacchiano: The 49ers may have made a statement with their convincing Week 1 win, but it apparently wasn’t much of a statement about the team they beat. In fact, it was hard to find anyone around the NFL who was worried about the Rams after they lost to San Francisco 27-7 in Melbourne, Australia last Wednesday night. “Not at all,” one NFL executive told me. “I didn’t necessarily believe in all that ‘Dream Team’ stuff, but they were one of the NFL’s best teams last season and they’re even better now. One game in Week 1 doesn’t change that. “You’ll see. That’ll look like an anomaly in a few weeks. They’ll be fine.” “I don’t know what the right answer is on the travel, but arriving on a 15-hour flight the day before the game clearly was a mistake. They played like they were jet-lagged,” an NFC assistant coach told me. “It’s not an excuse that they’ll use, but it might be a real one. That had to be a hard game to prepare for, so I wouldn’t read anything into it.” The Rams still have last year’s MVP in quarterback Matthew Stafford and weapons like receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. They still have a defense that’ll soon be anchored by the unretired Aaron Donald, and in a few weeks, Myles Garrett will be back too. That’s why an NFL scout told me via text: “Ignore the opener. They’re still loaded. Chalk it up to [playing in] Australia. Besides, we all know strange things always happen in Week 1.” Eric D. Williams: It’s only one game. That was the sentiment from league sources I spoke with about the Los Angeles Rams. The heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl at the start of the year, Sean McVay’s Rams stubbed their toe with a poor performance in Australia, a painful 27-7 setback to the team’s NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the poor performance in Australia, league sources I spoke to expect the Rams to rebound with extra time to prepare for Week 2 home contest on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants. “Yessir,” a league exec responded when I asked if the Rams would perform better in Week 2. “They underestimated the impact of travelling so far,” another league source told me. “Bad game. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. There’s a lot of football left for them to sort things out.” Added another NFL talent evaluator: “Week 1 is a liar. Last year’s Super Bowl teams both lost at home in Week 1. The Patriots lost to the Raiders.” The NFL talent evaluator went on to say Week 1 is the hardest to prepare for because there’s no film of your upcoming opponent to break down and evaluate in preparation for the game. “As a quarterback, I really felt uncomfortable in Week 1 games because you really have no idea how to study the opponent,” the talent evaluator told me. “Everything is probably a Trojan horse. Teams show their hands of who they really want to be schematically after the first regular season game. Speaking of quarterbacks, another longtime NFL scout I spoke with pointed to better play needed from reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. “Travel and neither side of the ball played to expectations,” the scout told me. “And the QB was just a guy.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Sam’s Club seasonal products are hitting shelves and some of the best items so far are perfect for cooking fall soups and enjoying autumn desserts.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
A welcome sign to the city of Houston in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is seen in an undated photo. (Photo by Amy Bushatz)
The prospect of data centers in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has raised public concern and scrutiny of a proposed state land transfer of nearly 20,000 acres to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. Now, Alaska lawmakers are weighing in with legal concerns about the state’s proposal.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources issued a preliminary decision in July to convey the nearly 30 square miles of land near Houston in a non-competitive, no-cost state land transfer to AIDEA, the state-owned economic development agency, for a “multi-use industrial and energy development district,” which could include data centers.
A group of senators on the Senate Resources Committee raised a range of concerns with the proposed land transfer to AIDEA in two letters to DNR during a public comment period.
Among their concerns, senators cited a legal analysis that calls into question the legality of the land transfer to AIDEA for “public and charitable use” because under the law the state can only make such a transfer if the land serves a sufficient public purpose.
According to the legal analysis by an attorney with the non-partisan Legislative Affairs Agency, “the conveyance may raise legal issues” without a DNR review of the proposed projects for the industrial district. So far, no projects have been confirmed at the site.
“We are concerned that the uses for the AIDEA conveyance are too vaguely premised,” the senators wrote in a Sep. 9 letter to the department. “The public interest cannot be evaluated or made certain; and that DNR has not and cannot perform its legally mandated due diligence under these circumstances.”
The letters were signed by Sens. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, and Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, all members of the multi-partisan Senate majority coalition.
The five of the seven committee members raised its concerns to DNR during an extended public comment period which ended Sep. 14. The state’s proposal garnered more than 2,100 comments, according to department officials.
A spokesperson for DNR declined an interview request to address the concerns raised by senators about the public benefit use. In an emailed statement, DNR spokesperson Lorraine Henry noted AIDEA’s status as a public corporation and directed questions about potential developments to AIDEA. She said the department will be reviewing all public comments before making a decision. “Any final decision will address feedback from the public, agencies, and legislature,” she wrote.
AIDEA officials denied an interview request on the proposed development and the senators’ concerns, but forwarded several letters by executive director Randy Ruaro on the proposal.
He wrote that AIDEA ownership “creates flexibility” for the Mat-Su Borough and the organization will collaborate with a variety of user groups before committing to projects.
“The goal is not to impose a single concept on nearly 20,000 acres. It is to identify which ground is suitable for development, which should remain a buffer or stewardship area, which access routes must be protected, and where local ownership makes better sense,” he wrote in a letter to Mat-Su legislators.
Possible data centers under debate
In the proposal, DNR said that the project could host a variety of projects, “including but not limited to:” a logistics hub adjacent to the Alaska Railroad, energy or utility projects, gravel or rock mining, manufacturing or data centers.
The agency says AIDEA seeks to acquire the land to “catalyze private investment and create durable jobs for Mat-Su residents.”
Local lawmakers representing the Mat-Su region say they support the development if it is what the community wants.
The group of senators with the Resources Committee said DNR must ensure state lands are used for public benefit under the law, and they were “not satisfied” DNR had performed an adequate review of proposed projects. That includes negative consequences of potential data centers — their energy and water demands, and environmental and community impacts including noise pollution.
Data centers have come under intense scrutiny and public criticism nationwide as technology companies have constructed the facilities to house servers or IT infrastructure to store or manage data running to digital applications and services. Consumers are angry at rising energy bills, and concerned about environmental impacts, including water use.
Southcentral Alaska, including the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, relies on natural gas for most of its energy needs. If an energy-hungry data center is built, it could drastically increase demand where supplies are already insufficient for existing demand.
“We do not want to see our state residents and small businesses forced to compete with private data centers for supply of natural gas or their utility bills driven sky-high, anytime soon or into the future,” the senators wrote.
But AIDEA officials have denied there are plans to build data centers, saying they are a possibility, but that no actual projects have been approved or confirmed.
“Let me be clear. There is no data center project planned, nor has one ever been discussed with a project proponent,” Ruaro wrote in a letter to DNR.
Ruaro said there have been efforts by China and Democrats to oppose data center developments “for political gain.” He said energy and water use concerns are valid but do not apply to the proposed land transfer.
Ruaro said that the state holding public lands generates no income, and AIDEA has the tools to lease lands and finance eligible projects, as well as work with local cities and boroughs on development projects. In a letter to Mat-Su legislators, he said any development project will only occur with input from surrounding communities.
“Local community needs will be prioritized,” he wrote.
Anchorage Republican Sen. Cathy Giessel, chair of the Senate Resources Committee, said in an interview she hears regularly from constituents who have concerns about data centers being developed in Alaska. Plus, with a looming gas shortage in Southcentral Alaska, she is concerned about any potential data centers’ energy demands.
“We are struggling right now to make sure we have energy,” she said in a Friday interview. “This seems terribly inappropriate.”
Republican Sen. George Rauscher and Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe, whose districts include the parcel under dispute, told the Alaska Beacon that they support what the local community wants for the land.
McCabe, in an interview Tuesday, said he was frustrated with members of the Senate Resources Committee’s opposition to the proposal. He wrote a letter responding to the committee members and argued AIDEA ownership is beneficial in promoting economic development and boosting much-needed revenues for local services.
“It makes little sense to block opportunities for jobs, investment, and taxable development before the people who actually live here have even decided what they want,” he said.
McCabe said he’s not concerned about data centers, and any construction would be subject to all local and state regulations.
“As far as a data center, I could care less,” he said. “It could be a horse farm. It could be a grain field, whatever brings money, whatever business brings money to the Borough coffers, so that the property taxes don’t go up or a gas tax doesn’t go up.”
Meanwhile, the nearby Houston city council voted unanimously last month to oppose the land transfer. It also introduced a two-year moratorium on the construction of new data centers to be heard at a meeting on Oct. 8.
On Tuesday, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly unanimously opposed the proposed land transfer to AIDEA and called for “more appropriate” land for development projects in the Point McKenzie and West Susitna regions.
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