The Inquisitr - News

January 03, 2022 Administrator

The Inquisitr - News

Dak Prescott Fires Bold Warning As Cowboys Get Ready For The Playoffs

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 02:05 PM PST

The Dallas Cowboys couldn't get the job done in what most people around the NFL thought would be the ultimate reality check for them.

After dominating subpar teams for the past couple of weeks, they had to face an Arizona Cardinals team craving a win after three straight losses.

The Cardinals hung on to a 25-22 lead and Kyler Murray improved his record in the AT&T Stadium to 8-0. Arizona limited Dak Prescott to just 226 yards, although he did throw for three touchdowns.

Mike McCarthy Isn't Worried

Even if the Cowboys failed to live up to their toughest task yet, coach Mike McCarthy doesn't feel like it was a measuring stick kind of game:

"I didn't view it as a measuring stick (game)," McCarthy said, per The Athletic. "I think we know who we are, and I think we have confidence that we can win any game, anywhere. I think we've illustrated that so far this season."

"Our focus was tight, it was about winning and improving. Our penalties were too high, time of possession (was an issue), and they made, frankly, a couple of more big plays than we did," McCarthy added.

Dak Prescott Lauds The Cardinals' Defensive Plan

Prior to the game, Cardinals star Budda Baker claimed that the best way to limit Dak Prescott was by simply disguising coverages.

When asked about those comments, the gunslinger had no choice but to give the Cardinals credit for their game plan:

"They definitely did that," Prescott said. "I feel like every team I play does that more than they do (against) other guys, I guess you could say. It's just important for me to watch my film study and then see the post-snap. I think I did a solid job of it. They did a good job disguising, trying to show some blitzes and then got out of there, brought a couple of them. They did a good job of getting their hands up on some DB pressures, batting the ball down."

Prescott Says He's Not Discouraged By The Loss

Even so, Prescott didn't feel discouraged by his team's loss. If anything, it only boosted his confidence in his team's ability to bounce back:

"Not discouraged," the QB sentenced. "Definitely disappointed we didn't come away with the win, but damn sure not discouraged. I know the team we have, what we've got. Just simply didn't get it done as a team, starting with myself, (I've) got to be better. All of us, we've got to look at ourselves in the mirror and find a way to come out with a win in a game like this."

Dak Warns Cowboys Rivals

Prescott said that he and his teammate aren't afraid to go against any team or even play on the road, warning their future rival not to sleep on them:

"Whoever it is (we face in the playoffs), line them up. We'll play them here, we'll play them at their place, their backyard, wherever. I've got a lot of confidence in this team," Prescott said, per ClutchPoints.

Ironically, their rival might as well be the Cardinals, as both teams are 11-5 and would face off if the postseason started tomorrow.

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Micah Parsons, Mac Jones Continue To Lead NFL Rookie Ladder

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 01:44 PM PST

With just one week left in the NFL regular season, we can already say that a couple of awards should be in the bag.

Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady continue to lead the race for MVP, while Zac Taylor, Mike Vrabel, and Bill Belichick are all sound candidates to be named Coach of the Year.

When it comes to rookies, however, things aren't that clear, as we've seen some young players make an immediate impact and look like superstars in the making.

Here, we're going to talk about the best four of them.

4. Jaylen Waddle

Even though he hasn't been in the spotlight, Jaylen Waddle has had a rookie season for the ages.

Not only did he break the Miami Dolphins' rookie record for most receptions but he's also on pace to break Anquan Boldin's all-time record of 101.

The Alabama product has made an immediate adjustment to the league and has even made Tua Tagovailoa look competent from time to time.

He's got the hands, the route-running, and the speed to become a superstar, and not even Miami's pedestrian defense could hold him down.

3. Ja'Marr Chase

The Cincinnati Bengals faced plenty of criticism for using their first-round pick on a wideout instead of an offensive linesman and it only got worst when Ja'Marr Chase struggled with drops in the preseason.

Fast-forward to today and the doubters are pretty quiet.

Chase has proven to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of talent, breaking Justin Jefferson's record for most receiving yards as a rookie (1,429) and becoming a legit threat to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

That connection with Joe Burrow translated perfectly to the NFL and they're going to be one of the funniest duos to watch for years to come.

2. Mac Jones

Mac Jones continues to lead the race for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He helped his team end a 2-game skid by throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns, leading the offense en route to a 50-point explosion.

Jones broke the Patriots' record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie (20), a mark established by Jim Plunkett in 1971.

The rookie out of Alabama may not be the flashiest, most athletic guy out there but he makes up for it with top-notch IQ and sound decision-making.

1. Micah Parsons

And last but not least, we find the finest and most special rookie of this impressive class: Micah Parsons.

Parsons is having one of the greatest seasons by a defender, and we're not talking just about rookies.

Records aside, his ability to dominate both as an interior linebacker and as an EDGE rusher has given the Cowboys a dynamic weapon and a defensive anchor for at least another decade.

Already drawing comparisons to Lawrence Taylor, Parsons could join him as the only player to win both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year on the very same season.

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Becky Lynch & Liv Morgan React To Their Match At WWE Day 1

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 01:20 PM PST

Becky Lynch defeated Liv Morgan at Day 1 on Saturday to retain her RAW Women's Championship. Following their match, Lynch was interviewed backstage.

Lynch was asked if she was caught off guard by how well Morgan did during the match. "The Man" did not appreciate the question.

"I'm caught off guard by this question. What do you mean caught off guard? I won, didn't I? I won," Lynch said. "I walked out there, did what I said I would do, said I would retain at Day 1 like I've retained since WrestleMania 35 when I was the first woman to win the main event of WrestleMania."

"I'm very happy I won, thank you, Sarah, that'll be all."

Scroll down to reveal Liv Morgan's reaction to losing at Day 1.

Liv Morgan Reacts To Loss To Becky Lynch At Day 1

In the WWE storyline, Liv Morgan lost to Becky Lynch at Day 1 but in reality, their match has been praised by people around the wrestling industry.

In response to the positive feedback she's been receiving since the match, Morgan took to Twitter to simply write "I love you guys."

Still, some people feel that Morgan should have won the match. Two WWE Hall of Famers have even spoken out to say they feel Morgan should be the new RAW Women's Champion. Scroll down to find out who those two WWE Hall of Famers are.

The Bella Twins Feel Liv Morgan Should Have Defeated Becky Lynch

Nikki and Brie Bella were watching Morgan wrestle Lynch at Day 1 on New Year's Day. They had been hoping that Morgan would have walked away from the event with the RAW Women's title wrapped around her waist.

The Bella Twins posted to Twitter, "Damn actually wanted to see Liv with the championship at the end! Amazing match!!! Hell of a finish! Great strength! Becky is a GOAT!"

It's not clear if Morgan and Lynch will face each other again in the near future. It appears Lynch may have a new title challenger in her sights. Scroll down to learn who that person is.

Becky Lynch Challenges Beth Phoenix

Beth Phoenix made her return to WWE at the Day 1 PPV. She made an unadvertised appearance during The Miz vs Edge match on the show. With Phoenix married to Edge, she came out to fend off Miz's wife Maryse who was attempting to interfere at ringside.

After Phoenix posted to social media regarding her return, Lynch responded in the comments asking Phoenix if she would like to fight sometime. Beth's response was to simply say that she is currently "busy", however.

Also following Day 1, Lynch once again ended up in a Twitter spat with Ric Flair. Scroll down to reveal what took place between the two.

Becky Lynch And Ric Flair Continue War Of Words

Ric Flair and Becky Lynch have been engaging in a war of words dating back to November. Following Day 1, Lynch posted a picture of herself with the hip-hop group Migos. She wrote "Next song is "Big Time Drip" in the post. This was a likely shot at the song "Ric Flair Drip" released by Offset in 2017.

This caused Flair to respond to Lynch on Twitter. In a since-deleted tweet, he wrote: "The Mood Is Night & Day! One's Real & One's Make Believe! She's Big Time, But There's No Drip, And There Never Will Be! And I Thought She Was THE MAN, But I Guess Not Because They Don't Own It! HA! When Are You Going To Give Up @BeckyLynchWWE? You're So Far Behind! WOOOOO!"

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Pacers at Knicks [Jan 4] - NBA Predictions And Picks

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 12:44 PM PST

The struggling Indiana Pacers will try to put an end to their recent woes when they visit the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden.

Unfortunately, they're going to be severely undermanned in the clash against Tom Thibodeau's team, to make an already complicated season even worst.

Neither of these teams has been able to live up to the expectations and the Pacers are ready to hit the drawing board again, so facing them could be a big boost of motivation for the Knicks.

An Imminent Rebuild

The Pacers have reportedly made Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and Caris LeVert all available in trade talks. While none of them is a superstar, they could all fetch big value in the trade market.

Indiana has struggled to keep up with the rest of the up-and-coming teams in the Eastern Conference amid another injury-riddled season, and they feel like it would be best for them to just go through a long-overdue rebuild. Expect them to be quite active near the deadline.

Will Kemba Walker Be Back In The Rotation?

Kemba Walker's benching has been one of the biggest stories of the season thus far. He was fairly disappointing during the first couple of weeks of the season but Thibodeau was forced to bring him back to action with most of their guards out due to Covid-19 protocols.

But now that both Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks are at full strength and ready to go, whether Thibodeau will continue to lean on the former Charlotte Hornets star remains to be seen.

Derrick Rose is expected to miss some more time, so there could be some minutes for him in the rotation, at least on paper.

Key Stats, Injuries, And Trends

According to Covers, the Knicks currently have the seventh-worst offense in the league at 104.7 points per game but they also boast the seventh-best defense at 105.7 points allowed per contest.

The Pacers, on the other hand, have the fourth-worst three-point shooting team in the league at 32.6% from beyond the arc.

To make things even worse, the visitors will be without Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, TJ McConnell, Chris Duarte, Jeremy Lamb, Kelan Martin, TJ Warren, Isaiah Jackson, and Goga Bitadze for this game; while the Knicks will play without Wayne Selden, Kevin Knox, Derrick Rose, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel, and Mitchell Robinson.

Picks For Pacers At Knicks

We're definitely going to be in for a low-scoring matchup between two bad offenses and a very good defensive team like the New York Knicks.

The Pacers will play without virtually any of their perimeter threats and they're not much of a good three-point shooting team anyway. The Knicks will lack any sort of rim protection and that could be a problem against Indy's talented bigs.

All things considered, both teams will be hard to trust from a point-spread standpoint but this game should go way below the total.

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Gymnast Nastia Liukin Welcomes 2022 In Bikini

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 12:23 PM PST

Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin is stunning in her first bikini of 2022. The 31-year-old former athlete is out in Mexico for her New Year's celebrations this year, and she invited her 1.1 million Instagram followers along for the ride. While Liukin went super-classy in a sheer and fairytale-like Dior dress to welcome 2022, she was back in her bikini just one day later, this as she shared sun-drenched photos and reminded fans of her Gold Medal body.

Check out the photos and more below.

Hello, Cabo!

Scroll for the photos.

Nastia spent Christmas at her usual Montana cabin retreat, where it was all snow, tons of winter wear, plus idyllic outdoor snaps with dog Harley. Now, it's time for heat. The 2008 all-around champion posed outdoors and backed by palms as she highlighted her rock-hard abs and golden tan - fans saw her in a bandeau and metallic-clasp bikini with a high-waisted finish.

Nastia also sported a white Oxford shirt worn open as she went #Barbie - swipe for the pics below, scroll for more.

See More Photos Below

Also rocking metallic shades, a high ponytail, plus a frosted lip, the APL collaborator dropped a total of three shots - fans had to swipe to see full-length action as Nastia showcased her famous pins. "Sporty spice, but make it cabo," the gymnast wrote, gaining over 15,000 likes.

"Hello hottie," a fan quickly replied. Nastia had also gained plenty of likes for showcasing her fashionista edge in her Dior NYE dress. The designer lover, who fills her feed with Burberry or Chanel, sent French brand Dior love this year.

Definition Of Making It

Nastia, whose wins came in 2008, now has a lucrative entrepreneur and influencer career, and her gymnast one came against all odds.

"My entire career, I wasn't the standard gymnast type. I was taller, lankier, skinnier, didn't really have the muscle or the quickness or the speed or the power that you're really supposed to have," she told Forbes. "Yet I became an Olympic all-around gold medalist. A lot of odds were against me going in to the Olympics, and I wasn't the favorite to win."

Learning To Balance It All Out

The Dallas resident continued:

"I was not good at balancing my work life, my personal life, my family, and my relationships. If you spend too much time doing something, that other things take a beating, and vice-versa. I understand that when you're starting a new business, you don't have a team of employees working for you to whom you can delegate."

Nastia has a Volition beauty collab, her sell-out APL footwear collab, plus deals with brands including Olay, Revolve, and Dove beauty.

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NBA Rumors: CJ McCollum To Warriors, Klay Thompson To Blazers In Suggested Blockbuster Trade

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 11:58 AM PST

The explosive backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum was undeniably the main reason behind the Portland Trail Blazers' success in the past seasons. However, in the years that they played together, their only greatest achievement was reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2019. With the team likely heading into another huge disappointment in the 2021-22 NBA season, some believe that the Trail Blazers will finally break the Lillard-McCollum tandem.

With Lillard still considered the face of the franchise, McCollum is likely the one to be traded if the Trail Blazers decided to choose.

CJ McCollum To Golden State Warriors

In a recent article, Joe Capraro of Fansided's Rip City Project created a list of trades that would send McCollum to California teams. These include a hypothetical blockbuster trade that would enable McCollum to join the Golden State Warriors before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.

In the proposed trade scenario, the Warriors would be sending a package that includes Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Otto Porter Jr. to the Trail Blazers in exchange for McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Robert Covington, and Anfernee Simons.

Replacing Klay Thompson With CJ McCollum

The proposed blockbuster deal with the Trail Blazers would make sense for the Warriors if Thompson had another setback to his recovery. Swapping him for a healthy McCollum would give the Warriors a better chance of fully dominating the loaded Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title this season. McCollum may not be as good as Thompson, but he's capable of filling the hole that he would be leaving at the Warriors' starting shooting guard position.

With McCollum, the Warriors would be pairing Stephen Curry with another All-Star caliber shooting guard who is an elite three-point shooter and could excel on the court with or without the ball in his hands.

Warriors Improve Depth

McCollum isn't the only player that the Warriors would be acquiring from the Trail Blazers. They would also be receiving two veterans, Nurkic and Covington, and young and promising talent Simons. Nurkic would give the Warriors an experienced center who would serve as a mentor and primary backup for sophomore big man James Wiseman.

With Covington, the Warriors would get a three-and-D wingman who could join McCollum, Curry, Wiseman, and Andrew Wiggins in the starting lineup. Simons may still be young, but he could provide an impact to the Warriors' second unit.

Why The Trail Blazers Would Make The Trade

The potential deal would undeniably decrease the Trail Blazers' level of competitiveness this season, but it would benefit them in the long run. Once he regains 100% health and returns to his All-Star form, Thompson could form a more formidable frontcourt duo with Lillard in Portland. Aside from giving them another explosive scorer, a healthy Thompson could also help the Trail Blazers address their major weakness on the defensive end of the floor.

In addition to Thompson, the Trail Blazers would also be acquiring the assets they need should they finally decide to undergo a full-scale rebuild.

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Russell Westbrook Fires Back At The Haters, Says He Won't Limit Turnovers

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 11:04 AM PST

Throughout his entire career in the NBA, the Russell Westbrook experience has been a bit of a roller coaster.

He can either put his team on his back with a 30-point triple-double or go 3/16 from the field with 12 turnovers. There's no in-between.

That lack of consistency and adjustments has made him one of the most volatile and discussed players of all time, and Los Angeles Lakers fans seem far from pleased with what he's given them during his first year with the team.

Westbrook Says He's Allowed To Turn The Ball Over

Westbrook has led the NBA in turnovers four times in his career and would be the leader in that department again this season if the campaign ended now.

He's fourth all-time in total turnovers and holds the highest turnover-per-game average in NBA history (4.1).

Yet, he doesn't think it's that big of a deal:

"My game is not predicated on shots or if I turn the ball over," Westbrook said, per ClutchPoints. "Like, if I miss some shots, that's part of the game. I'm allowed to miss shots. I can do that. Like any other player, I can do that. I can turn the ball over, too. I can do that. That's all a part of the game."

LeBron Defends Westbrook

But even despite his antics and seemingly careless attitude, LeBron James still has his back.

The King says that Westbrook should get plenty of credit for their offense, even though he got off to a rocky start:

"His presence on the floor helps us," LeBron said after the game. "Obviously, he was kicking himself a lot tonight with his turnovers, especially in the first half. Cleaned it up in the second half — he only had two in the second half. It resulted in us being able to get shots. When we get shots, we're a really good team. What has really hurt us a lot this year is when we've turned it over a lot, and not being able to set our defense … Us being able to take care of the ball in the second half was key to us getting this win tonight … and the ball's in his hands a lot."

Insider Says Westbrook Isn't A Superstar

Westbrook went from being the all-time leader in triple-doubles and a former MVP to a guy most scouts think of as a liability.

Recently, NBA insider Zach Lowe went as far as to say that he shouldn't be considered a superstar in this league anymore:

"I think it's just time to call a spade a spade," Lowe said on his podcast, as quoted by Lakers Daily. "Russ is not a superstar, whatever your definition of a superstar is. And when I hear that word, what I hear is 'could make an All-NBA team this year' kind of player. Russ just isn't that player anymore."

The Lakers Need A Turnaround

Whether you think Westbrook is a superstar or not is not for us to debate right now. But it's clear that the Lakers need another player who could efficiently take the pressure off LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Westbrook will put up plenty of points and big numbers but that doesn't always translate to wins, so we expect Rob Pelinka to be quite active on the phone as the trade deadline zooms in. However, moving his contract will be nearly impossible.

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