Wisconsin
Zack Baun 'surprised' by the loyalty of his Wisconsin hometown
“Zack is just a guy that’s tough, physical, loves football. Great work ethic, those guys that have all that, usually have an opportunity to reach their ceiling,” Head Coach Nick Sirianni said on Friday. “And he just keeps getting better, so I don’t think we know what his ceiling is. You know, he keeps getting better with every rep that he gets on the inside at linebacker. Very versatile, the different things that he can do. He’s worked really hard at that. You know, there’s – (Defensive Coordinator) Vic (Fangio) has done a great job of putting him in positions to succeed. (Inside Linebackers Coach) Bobby King and (Assistant Linebackers/Defensive Quality Control Coach) Ronell Williams have done a great job of helping him get better with his fundamentals day in and day out.”
Baun was on the field for 95 percent of the snaps on defense through the first 16 games of the season before a majority of starters were rested in the regular-season finale.
“Individual awards are what they are. I’m really proud of what we’re able to do as a defense this year,” Baun.
The Eagles led the league in total defense in terms of yards allowed for just the seventh time in franchise history and the first time since the historic Gang Green defense of 1991. The Eagles also led the league in passing yards allowed. Following the Week 6 bye, Philadelphia led the NFL in defensive points allowed, yards allowed, passing defense, opposing three-and-out percentage, opponent passer rating, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, and tied for first in takeaways.
But the Eagles allowed 29 points and 414 yards of total offense. The Eagles, believe it or not, were outgained on the ground.
“By no means a clean game. I nitpick on the scheme stuff that I did wrong,” Baun said of the opening game. “They’re confident and they’re committed to the run game. They do a lot of different things in the run game.”
Sunday marks a clean slate. It’s just Baun’s second playoff game, after sort of experiencing the atmosphere as a rookie with the Saints during the COVID year of 2020 when there was a limited amount of fans in the stadium.
“The guys in the locker room are accustomed to making the playoffs,” Baun said. “You have to hear it from guys who have been around the league and maybe haven’t won a division championship or won a playoff game or haven’t even been to the playoffs. Those guys have to hear it from the other guys to gain that appreciation, ‘OK, what we’re doing is special here. This doesn’t come around very often.’”
Baun said the prevailing message from Sirianni this week is to remain consistent with what got the team here.
“It’s the same routine. It has to be that way because if you start making things more than what they are, and, obviously, it’s a big game, but if you start changing your routines, then you’re acting different, then you’re treating the game different. And it shouldn’t be like that,” Baun said. “If you’re a consistent player and it’s a consistent coach and a consistent team, then you should already have those habits built in.”
Of course, don’t expect the fans to treat it like any ordinary Sunday.
“The guys have been telling me about how exciting it gets in there and rowdy it gets in there during the playoffs,” Baun said. “I’m excited for it.”
As well as the chance to disappoint the roughly 13,000 people of Brown Deer, Wisconsin, and Packers fans all over the globe.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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