So far, the Vikings’ 1st-Round pick has had a modest start to his NFL career. Making the jump from college to the pros isn’t easy, a reality that’s made worse by needing to overcome injury (read Will Fries talk about his journey back to health).

Young DT Caleb Banks did have a nice day today, though.

By no means a finished product, Mr. Banks flashed at various points. He boasts a unique frame that allows him to be a menace within the trenches but has so far struggled to stand out despite immense potential. Some of that potential turned into production from within the second day of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Vikings’ 1st-Round Pick Did Well Today

Perhaps the most basic reason for optimism rests in the reality that Banks got a lot of work with the first-team defense. Likewise, fellow rookie DT Domonique Orange got tossed into the mix quite a lot with the starters.

Banks gives the team more agility and upside for penetration. Orange is going to be somebody who is very difficult to move (but he’ll push back against the insistence that there’s no pass rushing in his game). Getting inserted into the mix is a positive development, especially with the Vikings announcing that a veteran DT got shown the door.

A lot of my focus today was on Caleb Banks. Sometimes, the large lads can get lost in the shuffle, especially with a pair of teams doing battle. Seeing #95 run onto the field caused me to tune in. What he did was often impressive.

First, though, consider the negative.

On several snaps, Banks got snagged up on his blocker. Sometimes he appears content to bench press his blocker but do little to shake free of the o-lineman’s mitts. At other times, Banks is just a hair slow, leaving him reaching his long arms for a tackle that aren’t yet quick enough to get the job done.

More positive is that Banks proved to be a handful on other snaps.

On a specific play in 11-on-11, Caleb Banks was working as a 3-4 defensive end. Andrew Van Ginkel was to the outside of him and chatting with the rookie DT prior to the play beginning. Sure enough, Banks dipped underneath his blocker to get into the backfield for a TFL on that precise play. Did Banks soak up a coaching point from Van Ginkel and then go make a play?

On a different play, Banks didn’t get home for the sack on the passer. What he did do, though, was absolutely bully his blocker way into the backfield. Doing so crowds the pocket in a way that makes the quarterback very uncomfortable.

Banks gets moved to the left side and right side. He can be pushed outward and inward. Presumably, he’s nimble enough to get used on stunts. So, too, should he be capable of making a mess of a screen through hustle and be able to work as a backside tackler when scraping down the line. Suplexing the QB may be in his future, too.

Caleb Banks is going to be as good as he wants to be. He lacks for nothing by way of physical talent. DC Brian Flores is terrific at his job and Ryan Nielsen is super detailed when coaching up d-linemen. Banks needs to put in the work to unlock what appears to be limitless potential.

The towering DT is 23.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

India’s first Asian Games gold-winning heptathlete Swapna Barman has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for a banned substance and disciplinary proceedings against her will go ahead despite her recent decision to retire. The 29-year-old has tested positive for banned anabolic-androgenic steroid Boldenone. Her name figures in the NADA’s latest list of provisionally suspended athletes. “The due procedure will be followed and she stands provisionally suspended despite her retirement. She will have to appear for a hearing and can seek a B sample test,” a well-placed source in the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) told PTI.

“If she decides to come out of retirement at any point in her life, all sanctions against her will stand in case she is found guilty in the formal hearing, a ban will be imposed. A retirement announcement does not absolve anyone of doping offences,” the source added.

Apart from Barman’s provisional suspension, hockey player Mayank Sharma was banned for four years for failing an out of competition test last year.

In addition, 19-year-old runner Sanjana Singh, who won a gold in the women’s 1500m and 5000m races in the SAAF Senior Athletics Championships last year, was handed a five-year ban after testing positive for prohibited steroids last year.

Both Mayank and Sanjana were already serving provisional suspensions.

But Barman was the biggest name to emerge in the latest list of sanctions. She was the first Indian heptathlete to clinch gold at the Asiad when she finished on top in the 2018 Jakarta Games.

She announced her retirement at the beginning of this month, stating that her injury-plagued body could no longer take the rigours of competition.

Boldenone is known to decrease testosterone levels and has no medicinal use for the human body.

In Barman’s case, it was detected through the Gas Chromatography-Combustion-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry, which is an advanced analytical technique to distinguish natural hormones from the synthetic ones.

A former Asian champion, who was born with six toes in each of her foot, Barman also represented India in the 2016 Olympic Games.

But her moment of glory was the Asiad gold following which sportswear brands came up with customised shoes for her.

Barman had famously complained that having to squeeze her feet in the standard shoes meant for five toes had left her with blisters.

Barman, who grew up in extreme poverty in Ghospara village near Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, dabbled in politics recently when she fought and lost the state assembly elections on a Trinamool Congress ticket. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Carl Froch has rated the ability, rather than achievements, of Joe Calzaghe, who many would consider to be the greatest British fighter of all time.

The Welshman made a super-middleweight record of 21 consecutive world title defences, ending his dominant 10-year reign with a unanimous decision victory over Mikkel Kessler.

Another notable triumph at 168lbs came when he defeated the previously unbeaten Jeff Lacy, who many felt had the power to stop Calzaghe in 2006.

Instead, it was a masterful performance that saw the Welsh star unify his division, while his victory over Kessler – another previously unbeaten champion – arrived the following year.

The southpaw technician then moved up to 175lbs and dethroned Bernard Hopkins – who, even at 43 years old, was still a serviceable operator – with a split decision victory for the Ring Magazine title.

It was around this time, too, that Froch became the WBC’s mandatory challenger 168lbs, only for Calzaghe to vacate his title and leave the Nottingham man to fight Jean Pascal.

Sure enough, ‘The Cobra’ claimed his WBC belt in 2008, just a month after Calzaghe completed his 46-0 record by unanimously outpointing a faded Roy Jones Jr.

But while disappointed that he never fought the Welsh icon, Froch nonetheless said that he rates Calzaghe’s ability a 10/10, especially given his attributes of speed, toughness and stamina.

“He’s a 10/10 — he was TOO good!” @Carl_Froch rates British boxing LEGENDS!#boxing🥊 pic.twitter.com/9EfK8c0ZBv

— Froch On Fighting Clips (@frochonfighting) August 14, 2026

For context, he gave both himself and former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis a 9.5, before backtracking and saying that he should probably give Calzaghe the same.

Most, however, would argue that the Welshman possessed a superior skillset to Froch, who only suffered defeats to Kessler and the great Andre Ward.

Rory McIlroy got the improved display he had demanded from himself with a fine six-under-par opening round for a share of the lead at the BMW Championship in St Louis, where Scottie Scheffler made a poor start.

After labouring to an eight-over finish at last week’s St Jude Championship, while Scheffler coasted to an impressive victory, world number two McIlroy had admitted just signs of a positive display again at Bellerive would ‘feel like a win’.

It has been a run of uninspiring performances from the back-to-back Masters champion, who had returned to action in Memphis for the first time since he tied for 40th at The Open.

McIlroy, though, showed signs of getting back into his groove as part of the early afternoon wave, with birdies at the fourth and then on eight to turn at two under.

A fine tee shot on the par-three 13th then left the Northern Irishman to roll in a seven-foot putt and he picked up another shot following a lengthy drive on the 492-yard 15th.

McIlroy – sitting 13th in the play-off standings, so assured of making to the 30-man season-ending Tour Championship – continued his momentum to finish with successive birdies and sign for a welcome 64.

McIlroy revealed a bit of “good work” with swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond after returning home from Memphis had helped him rediscover his touch.

“I felt at least like I got myself back going in the right direction, and what I wanted to do with my swing, but still you never know when you turn up here,” McIlroy said on the Golf Channel.

“This golf course sets up a lot better for me than Memphis did last week. You can miss it a little bit off the tee, and the playing corridors are a lot wider, so you can get away with it, which I needed to get away with it a couple of times today.

“But this set-up suits my game a little bit better, and I definitely feel a little bit more comfortable on this golf course than I did last week.”

World number one Scheffler had been in fine form last week with a final round of 66 to claim his first win since January.

Scheffler was looking to defending his title from last year’s 15-under victory at Caves Valley, Maryland – but was soon slumped at the other end of the leaderboard after a run of four bogeys through the opening seven holes.

After recovering a stroke before heading into the turn, Scheffler then dropped a shot on the 10th.

Two more birdies around a run of pars helped steady the ship to leave Scheffler at two over, with only three of the field of 50 behind him.

American pair Gary Woodland – who slotted in a superb 99-yard eagle on 11 – and Wyndham Clark, having made birdie on five of his last six holes, are both at six under with McIlroy.

JJ.Spaun, another former US Open champion, looked set to be clear on his own before a bogey at the 18th saw him also in a tie for the lead along with late finisher Chris Gotterup.

Matt Fitzpatrick finished with two birdies to sit at five under with Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, while his brother Alex is in a group a shot back.

Meanwhile, Sindhu, a two-time world champion, made a strong fightback after losing the opening game but could not sustain the momentum in the decider. Wang kept her composure in the closing stages to seal a hard-fought victory and advance to the semifinals.

The Indian had been chasing a sixth medal at the prestigious championships, having previously won gold in 2019, silver in 2017 and 2018, and bronze in 2013 and 2014. Her exit also brings an end to India’s hopes of a women’s singles medal at the championships.

The latest Manchester United injury news ahead of their first match of the 2026/27 Premier League season against Hull City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday lunchtime

Michael Carrick has offered an injury update on several Manchester United players before their opening match of the Premier League season against Hull City.

United visit the MKM Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, a week on from their final pre-season friendly against Milan in Wroclaw, Poland. Multiple squad members missed that 4-2 defeat to the Serie A side, including Benjamin Sesko, Karl Darlow, Mason Mount, Matthijs de Ligt and Tom Heaton.

Manuel Ugarte also remains a long-term absentee after sustaining a knee ligament injury while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup this summer. However, there is more positive news elsewhere.

Benjamin Sesko

United have been without Sesko during the entirety of their pre-season preparations because of a shin injury that cut short his debut season with the club in early May. The striker has continued to recover from that issue this summer, which he played through last season before aggravating it during their win over Liverpool at Old Trafford, and has returned to full training at Carrington this week.

Carrick said during his press conference on Thursday: “Ben [Sesko] is back training, so that’s another positive. Looking forward to having him back around the group and getting him some minutes as well.”

Karl Darlow

Summer signing Darlow has yet to make his United debut as the goalkeeper continues to recover from having surgery at the end of last season. The former Leeds United goalkeeper played for them through to the expiry of his contract and also represented Wales in early June before being sidelined over the summer.

Dermot Mee has deputised for Senne Lammens in his absence as of late, with Radek Vitek signing for Middlesbrough and Tom Heaton also being sidelined. Carrick, however, now has a more positive update, saying: “Karl has trained this week. He’s back training, so he’s in good shape.

Manuel Ugarte

Knee ligament surgery for an injury sustained while representing Uruguay at this summer’s World Cup leaves Ugarte as United’s sole long-term absentee to start this season. The club confirmed his operation was successful, adding that he “will now begin the rehabilitation stage of his recovery and will be carefully managed by the club’s medical and performance staff”.

Ugarte said in the aftermath: “I’m incredibly grateful to Uruguay and Man Utd for being there for me from the moment it happened. A huge thank you as well to my family, my friends, and everyone who has sent me messages of support during this time. I’ll be back stronger.”

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Mason Mount

A foot injury sustained during the 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain has sidelined Mount since early this month. The midfielder had to limp off 20 minutes into that friendly and was replaced by Tyler Fletcher in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Mount has missed the two matches since, with the latter starting alongside Andrey Santos in midfield against Leeds. Youri Tielemans then came in to partner with his fellow summer signing last weekend.

Carrick, however, suggested Mount could be back this weekend, saying: “We are managing Mason [Mount] a little bit, but he’s very close, so it’s touch-and-go for the weekend, really, if not going into next week.”

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Matthijs de Ligt

In defence, De Ligt is training again after back surgery earlier this year, having missed the final six months of last season. However, his first appearance since late November will not come on the opening day of this season.

Clarifying the situation, Carrick has said: “Matt [De Ligt] has obviously been out for a long period of time, but he’s training and great to have him back. Well, he won’t be involved, but he’s in good shape and moving in a good direction, so that’s really a good bonus for us, really, at this stage, to have him back.”

Tom Heaton

This weekend is when Tom Heaton is due to find out the extent of the innocuous-looking injury sustained against PSG a fortnight ago. Despite there being no great concern at the time when Mee replaced the 40-year-old, the setback has proved more serious than first suspected.

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Heaton is set to face at least a few weeks on the sidelines, which makes Darlow’s return to training even more timely. Carrick sounded optimistic about the summer signing being back on the bench against Hull this weekend and would, presumably, replace Mee as a substitute if now fit enough to do so.

The Indian women’s hockey team will look to secure its place in Round 2 of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup when it takes on England in its final Pool D match today.

India and China have four points each, but India sit at the top of the pool courtesy of a superior goal difference. The Indian side has scored eight goals and conceded only three so far. England, on three points, face a must-perform situation, with anything less than a positive result putting their qualification hopes under serious pressure.

For India, however, the equation is relatively straightforward: a draw will be enough to guarantee progression to the next round.

India aim to finish pool stage unbeaten

India enter the contest with considerable confidence after a strong campaign so far. Their 6-1 victory over South Africa showcased the attacking depth within the squad, with six different players finding the net.

The team’s attacking threat has been spread across the forward line, with Deepika and Navneet Kaur scoring twice each. Lalremsiami and World Cup debutant Sunelita Toppo have also impressed with their pace and ability to create openings.

India’s defensive organisation has been equally encouraging. The side conceded only two penalty corners against South Africa, while goalkeeper Bichu Devi and veteran Savita Punia provide plenty of experience behind a relatively young group.

England face pressure to deliver

England enter the final pool match knowing that they cannot afford another slip-up. With three points from their opening matches, they need a strong result against India to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

The India vs England FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup match will be played on Thursday, August 20, 2026.

Where will India vs England women’s hockey match be played?

The match will take place at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

What time does India vs England women’s hockey match start?

The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM IST.

Where can I watch India vs England women’s hockey live on TV?

The FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup is being broadcast live on the Star Sports network in India.

Where can I watch India vs England women’s hockey live online?

The match will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar through its app and website.

Can India qualify for Round 2 with a draw?

Yes. India need at least a draw against England to guarantee their place in Round 2, based on the current Pool D standings and qualification scenario.

The New England Patriots were ready to turn the page on their first joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles almost immediately, but Mike Vrabel nonetheless made sure to hammer the point home. And not just that.

The second-year head coach actively challenged the team, and especially its defense, to come back stronger after what had been an uneven outing on Wednesday. Whatever buttons he managed to push by doing so, it worked: New England‘s defense had a solid outing on Thursday.

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For linebacker K.J. Britt, it all started with Vrabel’s messaging and how it energized that side of the ball.

“We had energy today. It didn’t matter who we played against today on defense,” Britt explained. “We can win a lot of games with the energy we played [with] today. That started from Vrabel just challenging us earlier this morning, challenging us last night. Just the culture here, how everybody wants to play football. It’s a football team.”

How exactly Vrabel challenged his team, Britt was not willing to share.

“I’d rather keep it in-house,” he added. “But Vrabel, he does a good job just keeping us on our toes, making sure that we get the best out of us. And we’ve got a defense that wants to respond to it. We’re not going to take it. We just want to build off of it and have fun with it. At the end of the day, we just want to have fun with it.”

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Fun was indeed being had by the Patriots defense on Thursday. Besides adding two more interceptions to bring the tally to seven over two days of work, the unit also showed some improvement rushing the passer and particularly stopping the run; after the Eagles had found success on Wednesday especially when stressing the edge, New England was markedly more sound against Saquon Barkley and company.

The Patriots will still be first to tell you that they have considerable room for improvement, but Thursday was still a step in the right direction. A step prompted by their head coach’s challenge.

“Once you come out here, your competitive nature is going to take over. And once your competitive nature takes over, you just play your game,” Britt said. “We got our eyes in the right spots today, and made sure that we were able to fly around and play ball.”

Teofimo Lopez challenges for Rolando Romero’s WBA welterweight title this weekend, and ahead of the action, two-time welterweight world champion Shawn Porter has revealed his fight prediction. 

Lopez famously dethroned Vasyl Lomachenko to capture the unified lightweight world titles in a shocking upset win back in 2020, but lost the belts to George Kambosos Jr in the outing that followed, prompting a move up to super-lightweight.

There, Lopez handed Josh Taylor a first career defeat and claim the WBO super-lightweight crown, managing three title defences before losing his strap to Shakur Stevenson at the beginning of the year and moving up once more.

Now, on his welterweight debut, Lopez attempts to put an early end to ‘Rolly’ Romero’s reign and tee up a unification showdown with Ryan Garcia, who hopes to defend his WBC title for the first time when he faces Conor Benn next month.

Speaking on ‘The Porter Way Podcast’, ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter declared that he is expecting a statement performance from Lopez, forecasting that ‘The Takeover’ will win on the cards.

“There is an expectation for him [Lopez] in this fight, to really show up – and I think that he is going to show up and that we are going to get one of those Josh Taylor, we didn’t see this coming-type of performances. 

“I think that is the version that we get, I think that he forces Rolly to fight back, but I think this fight goes the distance.”

Romero-Lopez takes place on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Colin Keane and Juddmonte maintained their excellent form at the Sky Bet Ebor meeting at York, as Kalpana won Thursday’s highlight, the Group 1 Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks.

It was a second Group 1 victory in two days for Keane and Juddmonte, having won the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes with Item yesterday.

The Andrew Balding-trained Kalpana, winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on her most recent racecourse appearance, started today’s contest as the 10/11 favourite in the nine-runner field.

Her opposition included the winner of this race last year, Minnie Hauk (4/1), and the recent Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner, Johanna Walsh (5/1), the mount of Dylan Browne McMonagle.

Sugar Island, the stable mate of the betting market’s second choice, Minnie Hauk, set a strong pace under Ronan Whelan, and the pair found themselves about 20 lengths ahead as they headed for the home bend.

The daughter of Dubawi found for Whelan in the straight and made the remainder of the field work to close the gap, before she was finally headed at the one-furlong pole.

As Kalpana and Keane took the lead at that stage, Jim Bolger’s Sparán Nua (25/1), with Rossa Ryan in the saddle, went second, while Minnie Hauk and Ryan Moore were third.

The favourite soon began to drift as she battled for the line, with Sparán Nua, in the Newton Anner Stud colours, staying on strongly to challenge the eventual winner, as Minnie Hauk didn’t have the pace to live with either of the main protagonists.

As they hit the finishing line, Kalpana had an advantage of a half-length over Sparán Nua, while the Aidan O’Brien-trained Minnie Hauk was two-and-a-half lengths behind the runner-up.

Earth Shot (20/1), Tattycoram (25/1) and Johanna Walsh, who had all been prominent in the earlier stages of the race, faded to finish fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.