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Eric Bieniemy set to join DeShaun Foster's UCLA staff as offensive coordinator

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Eric Bieniemy set to join DeShaun Foster's UCLA staff as offensive coordinator

DeShaun Foster’s first hire has a throwback feel.

The new UCLA football coach is enlisting an old Bruins assistant as his offensive coordinator, finalizing an agreement to bring in Eric Bieniemy nearly two decades after he was the team’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator.

The move to hire Bieniemy was confirmed Saturday by a person close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not officially completed. ESPN reported Bieniemy would receive a two-year contract.

Bieniemy, 54, has spent most of his time since leaving UCLA in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls in five seasons as offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs before faltering in his only season in the same role with the Washington Commanders.

He will presumably bring a pro-style offense to the Bruins, whose personnel is suited for that scheme because it’s similar to what they ran under former coach Chip Kelly before he left this month to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Bieniemy’s hiring also provides the first clues as to Foster’s stylistic preferences given Foster said he intended to hire someone who shared his football DNA.

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While at UCLA, Bieniemy recruited star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, among others, earning a massive raise and the title of recruiting coordinator in addition to his role as running backs coach after then-Texas coach Mack Brown tried to add Bieniemy to his staff. The Bruins also provided assistance from the UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital Center for Cerebral Palsy for Bieniemy’s then-10-year-old son, Eric Bieniemy III, who suffered from the disorder that impairs motor functioning.

Eric Bieniemy stands on the sideline during a game between the Commanders and Denver Broncos in September.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

During a 2005 interview with The Times, Bieniemy said the root of strong recruiting was relentlessly building personal relationships.

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“It’s all about being aggressive throughout that recruiting process,” Bieniemy said. “It’s all about being seen, also. If we’re doing those things in the right way, any kid in his right mind, if they have the opportunity to go to school here, they wouldn’t turn down that opportunity.

“We know we’re going to lose some battles. But you know what, we’re going to win more battles than we’re going to lose.”

Leaving UCLA before the 2006 season to become running backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings, Bieniemy has spent most of the last two decades in the NFL with the exception of two seasons as offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Colorado. The school offered Bieniemy the head coaching job in 2020, but he declined.

In recent years, Bieniemy has reportedly interviewed for 15 NFL head coaching jobs without landing an offer, making some question his people skills and others lambaste teams for passing him over so many times.

Born in New Orleans, Bieniemy and his family later moved to Southern California and he starred at running back for Bishop Amat High before choosing Colorado over USC.

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During his time with Kansas City, Bieniemy combined with coach Andy Reid to devise one of the NFL’s top offenses centered on quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But Bieniemy’s brief stint in Washington, where he was given full play-calling duties, was far rockier, leading to his departure earlier this month after Dan Quinn replaced Ron Rivera as the Commanders coach.

In an email to ESPN on Saturday, Bieniemy disputed reports he was let go.

“Contrary to what some think and what has been put out in the media, I was not fired,” Bieniemy wrote. “I actually just chose not to stay. Learned a lot and that is always a good thing.”

A recent story in the Washington Post described Bieniemy as falling short beyond his role as the architect of an offense that ranked tied for No. 23 in the NFL in scoring. While he was universally praised as hardworking, Bieniemy was known for a stubborn overreliance on throwing the ball and failing to cultivate strong relationships with players.

However, Bieniemy remained so popular in Kansas City that the team received permission to have him speak with players before its appearance in the AFC championship game.

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“Just having him back in the building was really cool, listening to him talk, his energy,” Mahomes told reporters earlier this month. “I think guys had a little bit of chill bumps, like, ‘Hey, EB’s back here.’ Obviously, he didn’t get that head coaching opportunity, but I’m excited for him to continue to coach football and to continue to make his impact on the game.”

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Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan

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Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan

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Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.

On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.

“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.

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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)

Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.

“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.

Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.

NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.

Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)

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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.

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The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.

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Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint

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Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint

Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and possible Super Bowl run.

McVay and Snead addressed those topics and the NFL draft on Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters.

Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season but also was involved in a string of off-the-field incidents the last few months, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. Those situations put the brakes on any immediate discussion between the Rams and Nacua about a massive extension for the fourth-year pro.

In March, Nacua began a rehabilitation program in Malibu, but he was present for the first day of workouts on Monday.

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Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.

“He and I have a great relationship,” McVay said. “Feel really good about kind of the direction we’re going.”

Stafford, 38, led the Rams to the NFC championship game last season and is the reigning NFL most valuable player. According to overthecap.com, he is due to carry a salary-cap number of $48.3 million this season.

But Stafford has no doubt demanded, and will receive, a raise and a possible additional year in a deal that the Rams acknowledged two years ago is essentially a year-to-year situation.

“Progress has been made,” Snead said of negotiations.

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There is no timeline, Snead said, “but don’t expect any drama, per se.”

Garoppolo, 34, has backed up Stafford for two seasons, and he has been invaluable.

Last year, with Stafford sidelined for training camp because of a back issue, Garoppolo ran the offense and prepped the defense with a skillset honed during a 12-year career that included a Super Bowl appearance. Stafford joined workouts before the season and remained healthy throughout, but Garoppolo was perhaps the most valuable insurance policy in the NFL.

Last season, Garoppolo played on a one-year contract and earned $4.5 million, according to overthecap.com.

McVay expressed confidence in fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett, but said he was hopeful that “when the time is right,” Garoppolo will “change his mind,” and return.

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“You leave the door open,” McVay said when asked if there was a point that Rams would press Garoppolo to return. “I don’t think you want to press. What you don’t want to do is ever force a guy to play if in his mind he’s ready to move on.

“But you don’t want to minimize that, ‘Hey, if you do decide you want to play, let’s make sure it’s here with us.”

The Rams have the 13th pick in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. They have one pick in the second and third rounds, one in the sixth round and three in the seventh.

Receiver, offensive line and edge rusher are among the positions the Rams could address with their first top-15 pick since they selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.

“There’s a lot of possibilities,” McVay said. “We don’t control what happens in those 12 picks before, and so what we’ve done is a lot of contingency planning and a lot of conversations, and feel really good about that.”

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PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule

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PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule

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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.

The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area. 

An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)

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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.

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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.

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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.

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