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Former Chicago White Sox knuckleballer Wilbur Wood, who played from 1961-78, passed away Saturday at the age of 84, the White Sox announced.Wood embodied the definition of durability throughout his career. While it was a different game for pitchers, he became one of the most consistent pitchers of the early 1970s with Chicago.The left-hander started his career with the Boston Red Sox at the age of 19. In 1964, he was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was used sparingly as a reliever until he was traded to Chicago in 1966.Wood’s Chicago White Sox CareerIn 1967, Wood made his White Sox debut. From 1967-70, he pitched in 292 games, including an astounding 88 in 1968. This was just the start of what would be an elite stretch with the White Sox.In 1971, Wood became a full-time starter and made his mark in the league. That year, he started 42 games, pitching to a 1.91 ERA. Even more unbelievable than his ERA that year was his 11.7 bWAR and 334 innings pitched.Wood finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting that year and ninth in MVP voting, and was selected to his first All-Star Game.The following year, he would start a whopping 49 games, pitching to a 2.51 ERA in 376.2 innings, the most innings thrown by a pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). He would be the runner-up in Cy Young voting that year to Gaylord Perry, and would get his second All-Star appearance.Then, in 1973, Wood had a 3.46 ERA in 359.1 innings, finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. In 1974, he had a 3.60 ERA in 320.1 innings. He would earn his third, and final, All-Star appearance. Since 1920, Wood is one of 10 pitchers who have thrown 300 innings in four seasons or more, per MLB Network.He would finish his White Sox career with 51.7 bWAR in 578 games (286 starts), with a 3.18 ERA. While putting up those legendary stats, his durability was not to be understated. At his peak from 1971-75 with Chicago, Wood threw 1,681.2 innings.That number was nearly 100 more than the next closest pitcher at that time, averaging 336.2 per season.Wood’s LegacyBeyond his elite play during his peak, Wood accomplished feats that will never be touched again.Roy Halladay, in 2003, pitched 266 innings. That number is the most by a pitcher since 2000, and still 70 less than what Wood averaged during his peak.In 2025, Logan Webb pitched 207 innings, the most in the majors, and a far cry from what pitchers used to do. While it is a different game today, Wood’s unbelievable run is not to be overlooked.We will never see another pitcher have more than 40 starts in a season, more than 300 innings, all while maintaining an elite level of play.There are several factors to consider. Pitchers throw much harder than they did in Wood’s day, and the knuckleball is all but extinct. Because of this, the incidence of arm injuries and injuries as a whole is much higher than it was in Wood’s day.Because of this, Wood’s innings record, as well as his overall durability, will never be seen again in baseball. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post White Sox Legendary Workhorse Passes Away at 84 appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Atlanta Falcons, despite a change at head coach, are retaining former New York Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator. We have retained Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinatorhttps://t.co/fTV4eOUuOM pic.twitter.com/uUJ9gpkjdG — Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 19, 2026 Raheem Morris was let go after two underwhelming seasons on the job in Atlanta, and two-time Coach of the Year winner Kevin Stefanski has been hired to replace him.Stefanski is keeping Ulbrich on to coordinate his defense, which was one of the better units in the NFL this past season.The Falcons set a franchise record in quarterback sacks this past season, recording 57, led by first-round picks James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker.Falcons Keeping Defensive ContinuityWhen Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank addressed the media after firing Morris, he said he would not mandate the next head coach to keep Ulbrich as defensive coordinator, but recommended it.“Jeff Ulbrich, in my view, he did a really fine job for us this year. Certainly look at the record of sacks. And just the overall performance of defense was definitely better than it’s been in the past,” Blank said, via the team website.Stefanski is clearly taking his new owner’s advice, and Ulbrich will coordinate the defense in 2026.The Falcons’ defense was one of the worst in the league in 2024, the first year of Morris’ tenure. They ranked 28th in Sumer Sports’ EPA/play and were 31st in sacks with just 31 as a team.After bringing Ulbrich into the fold and mortgaging their 2026 draft capital on two first-round edge rushers in the 2025 NFL Draft, Atlanta improved to 15th in defensive EPA/play and second in the league in total sacks behind only the Denver Broncos.It’s no wonder that Blank wanted to keep Ulbrich around. The work he’s done with the defense is incredible, and if Stefanski can get the offense functioning properly, the Falcons can be a real threat in the NFC for 2026.Jeff Ulbrich’s Unfortunate Jets TenureWhen the New York Jets hired Robert Saleh to be their head coach in early 2021, one of the first hires he made was Ulbrich as his defensive coordinator.After a lackluster first year, the Jets’ defense transformed into one of the best units in the league, ranking in the top-10 for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.Heading into a do-or-die 2024 season, Ulbrich was thrust into the interim head coach role after Saleh was fired for a slow start.“I feel that we had to go in a different direction and that’s why I did that today. The change that we made today, that I made, I believe will bring new energy and positivity that will lead to more wins starting now,” owner Woody Johnson said in a statement after firing Saleh.“I just felt that the best way to go forward with a new direction and taking Jeff Ulbrich and making him the interim head coach, I thought that would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance to do what we all want to, which is going to the playoffs.”The Jets would not make the playoffs under the guidance of Ulbrich and would finish 3-9 down the stretch of the season.Ulbrich later admitted regret in retaining defensive play-calling duties, wishing he hadn’t divided his attention in his first chance as a head coach.“There is an element of a failure for myself in that way because I didn’t delegate,” Ulbrich told reporters at his Atlanta Falcons introductory press conference.“I didn’t. I just took it all on myself. In my mind’s eye, I was trying to create continuity and I didn’t want a fractious staff.”If Ulbrich can put together another season of elite defense, he may get another shot at being a head coach.After all, he received head coaching interview requests for helping turn the Jets’ defense around. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Kevin Stefanski Retains Former Jets Coach as Falcons DC appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t fall flat in their attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions because of their defense — you can make an argument they were playing as well as anyone in the NFL on that side of the ball at the end of the season.The reason the Eagles failed was because their offense failed, and that side of the ball will get what should be a pretty massive makeover with a new offensive coordinator coming in after Kevin Patullo was fired after one season.On defense, for a second year in a row, there’s essentially an embarrassment of riches that could lead to another purge in free agency.After last year’s Super Bowl win, defensive end Milton Williams land a 4-year, $104 million contract with the New England Patriots and edge rusher Josh Sweat to the Arizona Cardinals on a 4-year, $76.4 million contract.In 2026, it probably means the Eagles won’t be able to keep inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, who has established himself as one of the NFL’s best players at his position over the last 2 seasons.Dean Ready to Cash in With Free AgencySpotrac projects Dean will receive a 4-year, $61.9 million contract in free agency.Dean played the last 4 seasons on a 4-year, $5.2 million rookie contract after the Eagles drafted him in the third round (No. 83 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft out of the University of Georgia.While Eagles fans might really want Dean back, there are several things that indicate his time in Philadelphia has come to an end.The first problem is the contract of fellow inside linebacker Zack Baun, who signed a 3-year, $51 million contract with the Eagles following the Super Bowl win and it’s hard to imagine the team investing that much money at a position that’s traditionally undervalued.Another hurdle is Dean’s own injury history. He tore his patellar tendon in last seasons NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers and missed the first 7 games of the 2025 regular season as he recovered from the injury. In 2023, he missed 12 games with a Lisfranc injury to his foot.The final problem with Dean coming back is probably the most significant — the Eagles have already tried to replace him.Eagles Spent 2025 1st Round Pick on ReplacementIn the Eagles’ season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round, there was one pretty telling statistic no one spent a lot of time on — rookie inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell logged just one defensive snap.That’s significant because the Eagles traded up to select Campbell in the first round (No. 30 overall) in the 2025 NFL draft and signed him to a 4-year, $14.9 million contract. He played in all 17 games as a rookie and started 10 games — mostly when Dean was still recovering from his torn patellar tendon.Once Dean came back, Campbell quickly became an afterthought and finished his rookie year with 80 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.All that being taken into account, it just doesn’t seen sustainable to keep both Campbell and Dean on the roster moving forward. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Eagles Could Part Ways With Projected $61 Million Free Agent appeared first on Heavy Sports.