Carr reportedly to meet with Panthers
The Carolina Panthers will meet with free agent quarterback Derek Carr this week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Raiders released Carr on Feb. 14 rather than pay him $40.4 million in guaranteed money.
The 31-year-old Carr already has met with the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints. Jets general manager Joe Douglas said while speaking at the combine that the team will meet again with Carr sometime this week in Indianapolis.
“I can say he left a strong impression with everybody,” Douglas said of Carr's first meeting with the Jets. “Obviously we're going to be exploring the veteran quarterback market this offseason and we'll look at every available option.”
The nine-year NFL veteran is the Raiders' career leader in yards passing (35,222) and touchdown passes (217) but is just 63-79 as an NFL starter and never won a playoff game for the franchise. Las Vegas was 0-1 under Carr in the playoffs.
The Panthers have been searching for a quarterback for the better part of the last five years and owner David Tepper is desperate to fix the issue.
Over the past three years, the Panthers signed free agent Teddy Bridgewater, traded for Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield and even brought back Cam Newton.
EAGLES NAME JOHNSON, DESAI NEW COORDINATORS >>
The NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles are moving on with new offensive and defensive coordinators.
The Eagles promoted quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator, replacing Shane Steichen after he left to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The Eagles also named Sean Desai as defensive coordinator, hiring him away from his role as associate head coach with the Seattle Seahawks. Desai succeeds Jonathan Gannon, who left after the Super Bowl to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
College football
NCAA PANEL WANTS TO SHORTEN GAMES >> College football administrators are looking at ways to reduce the number of plays in games in the name of player safety, with a tweak in clock operating procedures likely the first step.
The NCAA Football Rules Committee is meeting in Indianapolis this week, and recommendations it forwards and approved in the spring would take effect next season.
Steve Shaw, NCAA secretary-rules editor and officials coordinator, said the average number of plays per game in the Bowl Subdivision has hovered at 180 the past three seasons. NFL games average 154.
Conference commissioners would like to cut the number to reduce the players' potential injury exposures. The issue has taken on urgency because some teams will be playing more games as the College Football Playoff expands. The playoff goes from four to 12 teams in the 2024-25 season, and further expansion is possible after that.
A proposal to let the game clock continue running when a team makes a first down, except in the last two minutes of a half, has broad support. Currently, the clock stops on a first down until the referee gives the ready-for-play signal. A rules committee study last season found about eight plays per game would be cut if the clock kept moving.
An eight-play reduction over a 12game season would save 96 potential injury exposures per team, and there would be over 100 fewer exposures for teams that advance to the playoff.
Women's college basketball BRINK PAC-12'S TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER AGAIN >>
Stanford's Cameron Brink, the nation's second-leading shot blocker, picked up her second consecutive Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award, the conference announced.
Brink blocked 109 shots this season (3.52 average) and the junior also became the conference's first player since 1999-2000 to average more than than 14 points (14.5), nine rebounds (9.4) and three blocks in a season. She and Kansas' Taiyanna Jackson were the only two players in the country to do it this season.
Brink was joined on the All-Pac-12 first team by teammates Haley Jones from Archbishop Mitty and Hannah Jump from Pinewood. It was Jones' third time on the first team and Jump's first.
Utah's Alissa Pili was named the Player of the Year by the league's 12 head coaches and Oregon State's Raegan Beers was both the Freshman of the Year as well as the Sixth Player of the Year. Utah's Lynne Roberts was voted Coach of the Year. SANTA CLARA'S HEAL SETS WCC RECORD >> Santa Clara's Tess Heal won the West Coast Conference's Freshman of the Week award for a recordtying sixth straight time and a record 12th time this season.
Heal finished third in scoring (17.2 ppg) in the WCC at the conclusion of the regular season.
Santa Clara plays Pepperdine on Thursday in the first round of the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
Tennis
DJOKOVIC WINS IN COMEBACK >> Topranked Novak Djokovic held on to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (1) at the Dubai Championships in his first match since winning his 10th Australian Open title.
Djokovic's first-round win came a day after he broke the record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the pro tennis rankings by a man or woman.
Also, third-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2 for his 10th straight win.
NADAL TO MISS INDIAN WELLS, MIAMI >> Rafael Nadal pulled out of the upcoming hard-court tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami because of the left hip flexor injury that has sidelined him since the Australian Open.
The BNP Paribas Open in California will begin for men on March 8. That will be followed by the Miami Open on March 22.