Christian Darrisaw on Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) celebrates his rushing touchdown during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings are back to work, with training camp well underway, and one of the best sights so far is a happy and healthy Christian Darrisaw getting to work without any limitations.
Christian Darrisaw’s Big Claim Would Be A Huge Boost For Vikings
Darrisaw missed the start of last season due to still being on the road to recovery from a knee injury that occurred during the 2024 season. When he returned he didn’t look right and wasn’t the dominant tackle we had been used to seeing on the left side of the Vikings’ offensive line. His knee was visibly still a problem, with stiffness leading him to sit out practices, and at times going through pre-game fitness checks to see if he could play.
Nov 7, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks to pass as offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (71) blocks Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images.
Eventually, he ended up back on injured reserve to finish the season. It was a bitterly disappointing end to the year for both Darrisaw and the team, as Darrisaw had proved himself to be one of the best tackles in the game before this knee injury stopped him in his tracks.
Health has been an issue for Darrisaw ever since the Vikings drafted him with the 23rd overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Fully healthy and at his best, Darrisaw has shown that he is right up there with the likes of Penei Sewell and Tristan Wirfs. However, injuries have been a regular occurrence that have held him back. He only played in 10 games last season, but even more concerning was that he only played in 100% of snaps in half of those. The offensive line is not an area where players rotate in and out through choice.
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Sep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports.
Asked if he expects to play every snap going into the start of this season, Christian Darrisaw said: “100%. That’s the goal. Just go out there and dominate.” That is welcome news for Minnesota as whoever winds up being the Vikings quarterback will greatly benefit from a fully healthy Christian Darrisaw protecting the blindside. Speaking to the media during training camp Darrisaw has claimed he “feels the best I’ve felt in two years,” and that he is “just feeling like myself”. Great news for anyone associated with Vikings football
A Healthy Christian Darrisaw Can Be the Catalyst For a Dominant OL
Minnesota invested heavily in their interior offensive line last year since a poor performance was a big reason they were dumped out of the playoffs in 2024. Will Fries was signed to a huge contract and Donovan Jackson was drafted in the first round to give the Vikings two new guards. Ryan Kelly was added to give the team a solid veteran presence at center. Adding that trio to a very good pair of tackles in Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill was supposed to solve the Vikings’ problems.
Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Will Fries (76), offensive tackle Brian O’Neill (75) and fullback C.J. Ham (30) celebrate after a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
That’s not what happened.
Kelly had recurring concussions that led to his retirement, Jackson had some early injury trouble but overall a solid rookie campaign. Fries struggled to live up to his price tag – though he was the only lineman who managed to stay healthy for all 17 games. We have touched on Darrisaw’s issues and O’Neill had knee and heel injuries that caused him to miss three games and he had to play through the pain in others. A fully healthy Darrisaw helps his teammates. He can be left one-on-one with any edge rusher, leaving help for extra help at other points of the line.
Minnesota recently extended Brian O’Neill’s contract ensuring the Vikings duo will stay together for the next few seasons.
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A big key will be getting the play on the interior somewhere near the standard the Vikings have on the edge. Development from Jackson and Fries will be important as will the success (or not) of the move of Blake Brandel to starting center. Brandel has been a solid depth player who could play all across the OL but now he is being entrusted with one of the most important positions in the game.
Minnesota Vikings offensive linemen Donovan Jackson and Christian Darrisaw align at U.S. Bank Stadium, with Sept. 21, 2025 placing the first-half scene in Minneapolis against the Cincinnati Bengals. The two blockers settle in before the snap as Minnesota’s offensive front prepares to handle Cincinnati’s rush during an early home matchup that afternoon. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
First and foremost, a fully healthy Christian Darrisaw would be the key that makes the rest of the OL, and ultimately the offense, work. There could be no bigger boost for Minnesota than Darrisaw back at 100%.
Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.
Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker (11) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Atlanta Falcons pass-rusher Jalon Walker was carted off the field with a leg injury at training camp on Tuesday.
The 2025 first-round draft pick was injured during a two-minute simulation in a non-padded, 11-on-11 practice.
Teammates took a knee and surrounded Walker as he was being treated, bringing an end to Tuesday’s session.
Walker, 22, had 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 36 tackles in 15 games (nine starts) in 2025 after being selected with the 15th overall pick out of Georgia.
The Tennessee Titans‘ coaching staff ejected star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from Tuesday’s practice after he threw a punch during a skirmish with right tackle JC Latham. Simmons spent the remainder of the day working on a side field with a strength coach.
Early in team drills, the offensive and defensive lines converged in a post-play tussle. Simmons and center Austin Schlottmann were initially involved in the tangle, then the former took a swing at Latham in the middle of a scrum, according to ESPN. Assistant defensive line coach Tanzel Smart stepped in and pulled Simmons out of the fight, then coach Robert Saleh stopped practice, gathered the players and held a talk to cool them down.
Simmons was the only player ejected from practice as Saleh made an example out of his crossing the line.
“Our policy is if you throw a punch, you’re ejected in the game,” Saleh said after practice. “Same thing with practice, if you throw a punch out at practice. But rather than go to the locker room, he went to the other fields. He still got his work in. So the projected reps and the work that he would have gotten in, he got in off to the side.”
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This is not the first time Simmons and Latham went after each other in training camp. The two were at the center of a fight in 2024 on the first day of full-pad practice, and while then-coach Brian Callahan said the team would not accept fighting at practice, he did not eject Simmons like his successor did on Tuesday.
“It’s the second day of pads,” Saleh said. “It’s hot. It’s muggy. You’re expecting it, especially with the way the O-line and D-line get after it. It’s just a reminder that we’ve got work to do. It’s OK. I’ve got brothers. We fight all the time, but at the end of the day, we still take care of one another, make sure we’re getting the work done we need to get.”
Simmons is the face of a new-look defensive front which Saleh reconstructed ahead of his first year as the Titans’ coach. He returned to the unit in 2026 on the heels of a career year in which he earned a first-team All-Pro selection and made his fourth Pro Bowl in five years.
The highly renowned tenacity Simmons brings to both the pass rush and run-stopping scheme on the interior defensive line spilled over into extracurricular activity at practice, and while Saleh does not condone the level to which his star defensive tackle raised the skirmish, he said he does approve of Simmons’ competitive drive.
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“Our O-line and D-lines, we want them playing with an edge,” Saleh said. “We want them to toe the line. We just gotta learn how to draw the penalty, not give the penalty. We’re always going to toe the line of violence. We’re always going to toe the line of being aggressive. Call it instigating if you want; it’s just the nature of who we’re going to be. But we’ve gotta be disciplined enough to make sure that we always find our way back to the huddle without giving the other team freebies.”
Nigerian Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that he is a big fan of football legend Cristiano Ronaldo and claimed that the two regularly communicate.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Davido made the comments during a livestream with content creator and streamer Carter Efe.
The singer said he supported Portugal during the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup because he has friends in the Portuguese national team.
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“Because I have a lot of friends in the Portuguese team. I want Portugal to win,” Davido said.
When Carter Efe suggested that his support was mainly because of Ronaldo, Davido replied:
“I love Ronaldo, I’m a CR7 fan.”
The singer then claimed that he regularly speaks with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, saying in Pidgin that he talks to the football legend “back to back”.
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Davido also showed Efe what appeared to be a chat with Ronaldo on his phone.
The sight left Efe excited, as he repeatedly exclaimed:
“God, I don mad! I don mad! I don mad! I don mad!”
The video has since spread widely on social media.
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Davido has previously shown his love for football and has been pictured with several international football stars.
However, the authenticity of the chat shown during the livestream could not be independently verified.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 01: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF looks on during the MLS match between Inter Miami CF and Columbus Crew at Nu Stadium on August 01, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Lionel Messi has once again shown his impact beyond the football pitch by donating € 80,000 to support the reconstruction of Spain’s Sierra Oeste region after devastating wildfires swept through the area.
The donation was confirmed by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid, who thanked the Argentina captain for his generosity and invited him to visit the region in the future.
“Leo Messi has donated €80,000 for the reconstruction of the Sierra Oeste of Madrid. I want to thank him and tell him that the people of Madrid hope to welcome him soon to give him the applause he deserves.”
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According to Spanish reports, representatives of the Inter Miami star contacted the regional government to find out how they could contribute through the official reconstruction fund established after the disaster.
The wildfires burned more than 27,000 hectares of land across the Sierra Oeste region, destroying homes, damaging hundreds of properties and forcing evacuations in several communities. Recovery efforts are still ongoing as residents work to rebuild their lives.
Harry Brook shone with a sensational 15-ball fifty as Sunrisers Leeds posted the highest total in Hundred history in their 37-run win against London Spirit.
Having put in to bat at Headingley, opener Ryan Rickelton also struck 94 not out off 42 balls in Sunrisers’ astonishing 241-2.
Such was the entertainment provided by Brook and the power shown by Rickelton, Mitchell Marsh’s brutal 76 off 37 at the top of the order almost went unnoticed.
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On a flat pitch, Marsh and Rickelton added 148 for the first wicket which gave Brook, England’s limited-overs captain, the licence to go berserk.
He whacked five sixes and five fours with a combination of power and flair, including a monstrous six over mid-wicket to surpass the previous highest team total of 226.
Brook and Rickelton added 83 off 32 balls for the second wicket as Spirit’s bowlers wilted, with the South African stranded short of his century as he was starved of the strike at the close of the innings.
After the carnage inflicted on their bowlers, Spirit made a disastrous start to their reply as Jonny Bairstow fell first ball to Reece Topley, and the rest of the top order also buckled under the pressure as they slipped to 44-4.
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But former England all-rounder David Willey performed an admirable rescue act and saved Spirit from humiliation with 83 not out from 46 balls as the visiting side finished on 204-6.
The result takes Sunrisers to fourth in the table and keeps them in play-off contention, but leaves Spirit struggling in seventh.
Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh on Sunday lauded the Indian pugilists for their remarkable 10-medal show at the Commonwealth Games and urged them to work even harder to repeat the exceptional performance at the Asian Games in Japan next month.
Indian boxers returned with a record haul of 10 medals from the CWG, including seven gold and three silver, a first in the history of the Games for the country.
“We had an exceptional and historic last two days. Winning seven gold and three silver in boxing is the biggest performance in the last 100 years history of Commonwealth Games,” Singh said during an online interaction from Glasgow.
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“This is also a preparation for future events, the Asian Games and 2028 Olympics. We can replicate such a performance in Asian Games, we are top 3 in Asia in boxing but for that we need to prepare hard from now and be focussed to produce a strong performance.”
The BFI chief said those boxers who have won medals at the CWG have automatically booked their Asian Games berths.
“We had already announced that boxers who are going for CWG and enter medal rounds will automatically be selected for Asian Games,” Singh said.
“We are very hungry for a historic performance in Asian Games. But we need to become stronger, better in many weight categories. A lot of work has to be done, this was just a stepping stone.
“We are an athlete-centric federation and our programme is ready till 2028. We want to restart league format or professional format domestically this year to give more exposure to boxers.
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“We keep facing political headwinds once in a while but whatever happens politically, as a federation we ensure boxers remain insulated and focussed on their performances.”
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who won a silver medal in the middleweight category, dedicated her achievement to the devastating flood victims of her native state, Assam.
“The people of Assam are going through a very bad phase and it happens ever year. I dedicate my medal to the flood victims of my state,” she said.
She has set her sights on winning the yellow metal in the upcoming Asian Games.
“Asian Games is very important. I am happy with the silver here but would have been more happy with a gold. The Indian team has done very well, so pretty happy. But I want to better my performance and win a gold in Asian Games.
I, along with my good friend and fellow GOLF Top 100 Teacher Wayne Flint, have been working with Buddy Hansen, one of the better amateurs in the Philadelphia area, on a swing fault we see at every level of the game. As Buddy approached impact, his chest would stall. When that happens, the hands and arms have to take over the release. This is no good because any release pattern that relies on hand timing instead of proper body sequencing is going to be less reliable and predictable.
For Buddy, it showed up most in his iron play. He simply wasn’t striking the ball as solidly as he wanted. He could hit a great shot, but the misses were inconsistent. His swing didn’t need a rebuild, it just needed a tune-up in one specific area.
You don’t have to spin your chest at top speed to play great golf, but it does need to keep moving (instead of stalling) through the downswing. We addressed it with a series of feels and drills designed to keep his pivot moving. You can see the entire progression in the latest episode of our Pro Work series below.
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How to keep from stalling in the downswing
To start, we had Buddy allow his head to drift slightly to the right as he turned back, making it easier for his chest to complete its turn. Think of it like winding a spring. The more fully you load the spring in the backswing, the more energy you can release on the way down.
Players who stall through impact also tend to lose their posture, with the hips moving closer to the golf ball. That pushes the swing direction out to the right, and the club approaches impact on a much steeper, more upright plane. From a ground-pressure standpoint, it often feels as though pressure moves out toward the toes of the lead foot — if it ever fully gets to the lead side at all.
Instead of standing up to create space, we wanted Buddy to keep turning his chest. One feel that really helped was paying attention to where the pressure finished in his lead foot. Rather than moving toward the toes, it needed to feel as though it was settling into the heel, a good indication that his body was continuing to rotate around instead of standing up.
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Once you understand that sensation, try this drill. Have a friend stand facing you a safe distance away and hold a club shaft straight out at about elbow height while taking a couple of steps toward the target side. As you swing, it should feel as though the club travels around and underneath the guide shaft. If your chest stalls and you lose your posture, you’ll immediately feel as though the club wants to move upward into the shaft. (Just make sure your friend is standing far enough away that even a poor swing can’t actually hit it.)
Even highly skilled players with plenty of clubhead speed fall into this pattern because standing up out of posture creates the sensation of having more room to swing the arms faster. It’s one of golf’s classic illusions: what feels more powerful is often less efficient. Keeping the chest turning through impact improves contact, stabilizes the clubface and ultimately produces more consistent ball speed.
The Pakistan Boxing Federation has again come under the scrutiny after boxer Qudratullah slipped away from the team hotel at the end of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It is not the first time that the PBF has come under the spotlight for the wrong reasons as in the past in nearly every big international event there have been instances of boxers slipping away in foreign countries. A reliable source close to the Pakistan Olympic Association said on Tuesday that Qudratullah after competing in his weight division in the CWG vanished from the team hotel.
“The interesting thing is Qudratullah disappeared despite his passport being with the team manager,” the source added.
Even during the 2022 Commonwealth Games two national boxers, Suleman Baloch and Nazeerullah Khan disappeared in Birmingham although their passports reportedly were with the contingent head.
In the World Olympic Qualifiers in Italy in 2024, Asian gold medallist boxer, Zohaib Rasheed stole his roommates foreign currency and valuables and vanished in Busto Arsizio town.
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The 36-member Pakistan contingent returned home from Glasgow with just one bronze medal won by female boxer Fatima Zehra.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Cape Verde’s veteran goalkeeper Vozinha arrived in Chile on August 2nd to join first division club Colo-Colo, the Chilean football club announced on August 3rd. The 40-year-old has joined on a six-month contract, with the possibility of a one-year extension. Chilean media said he was likely to make his debut on August 16. The goalkeeper acquired a cult following during the FIFA World Cup, where his heroics helped Cape Verde reach the round of 32.
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