Latest news with #Dike
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Titans' Chimere Dike lands on preseason All-Rookie team
Titans' Chimere Dike lands on preseason All-Rookie team Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi knew what he was doing when he selected wide receiver Chimere Dike out of Florida in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft. It was partially to add a young receiver who could develop a long-lasting bond with newly drafted rookie quarterback Cam Ward. The idea is that they will be the duo of the future in Nashville. But before that can happen, both Dike and Ward have to acclimate to the league, and that means different things for each player. For Dike, it likely means a lesser role as a receiver and a larger role as a return specialist, something he did in college. In conjunction with the hiring of John Fassel this offseason, Dike has a bright future on special teams, which is likely why selected him for their All-Rookie team as a return man. Drafted: Round 4, No. 103 overall Tennessee hired venerable special teams coordinator John Fassel this offseason. Under Fassel's tutelage over the last three years in Dallas, KaVontae Turpin emerged as one of the league's most dangerous returners, making the Pro Bowl twice and earning first-team All-Pro honors this past season. Dike brings extensive college experience as a kick and punt returner. Not to mention, he blazed the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds. Oh, and here's a fun note of debatable relevance: Dike's No. 2 comp on MockDraftable is a man by the name of Devin Hester. Over four years between Wisconsin and Florida, Dike returned 29 punts for 295 yards (an average of over 10 yards per return). He also returned 22 kicks for 472 yards (over 22 yards per return) over three years in Wisconsin. He has the experience to be a very good return man in the NFL, and if the Devin Hester comparison is accurate, the Titans just found themselves a wild card. Because while Dike will excel on special teams, he will also excel as a receiver and eventually be a starter. Between Fassel and Dike, the Titans may have answered their special teams woes.
Los Angeles Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The strange history behind Brian Wilson's lost rap song ‘Smart Girls'
The world is mourning the loss of music icon Brian Wilson, who died Wednesday at 82. The beloved beating heart of the Beach Boys was one of the most influential and consequential minds and voices in music history. From innovations in recording to profound lyricism to emotive sounds that have become irrevocably intertwined with our memories and the very fabric of Americana, that constant creativity has led his brain and our ears down the road to some … let's say 'daring' and 'provocative' efforts that didn't have quite the same pop culture footprint of 'Pet Sounds.' Wilson never seemed to encounter a genre, instrument or movement he didn't want to incorporate into his soundscape. That's why it's equally surprising and totally believable that at the very start of the '90s he recorded a rap song, 'Smart Girls.' According to Wilson's first memoir, 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' a memoir that has been challenged several times in court, the idea came about when Wilson and his camp were watching an episode of hip-hop's cable epicenter 'Yo! MTV Raps' one day and noticed how many rap songs were putting girls down, whereas Wilson wanted to make something that uplifted women. The idea of Wilson watching an episode of 'Raps' may seem unlikely itself, whether the show was in its Fab 5 Freddy or Ed Lover and Doctor Dre incarnations, but back in 1987 the Fat Boys remade Beach Boys' 'Wipeout' that the band appeared in the video for, so hip-hop being in Wilson's orbit isn't entirely far-fetched. 'Smart Girls,' depending on whose mythology you read, was supposed to be the centerpiece and/or big closing number of his Sire Records album 'Sweet Insanity.' Wilson's second memoir, 'I Am Brian Wilson,' mentions that it's an album he didn't want to make and every corner of it was dictated by his onetime therapist Eugene Landy (whom Wilson got a restraining order from in 1992 and who would die in 2006). Wilson states Landy's intention with the title (that Wilson himself hated) and the album's concept was the beautiful things that could come from mental illness — which would half-explain why the production and lyrics of 'Smart Girls' sound like such a pastiche of Wilson's legendary discography and the shared collective memories of him within the American music zeitgeist. That style of production wasn't too far removed from sample-heavy, Bomb Squad-style hip-hop of the time, and the beats on 'Smart Girls' were handled by legendary hip-hop producer Matt Dike (Beastie Boys' 'Hey Ladies,' Tone Loc's 'Wild Thing,' Young MC's Grammy-winning 'Bust A Move' and eventually Insane Clown Posse's 'Halls of Illusions'). According to Dan Leroy's 2007 book about unreleased albums, 'The Greatest Music Never Sold,' 'health-nut'-era Wilson told Dike that he thought the song was going to make 'millions,' to which Dike (who passed away in 2018) thought 'What are you, f—ing nuts?!' That contradicts Wilson's public commentary on the song at the time. After the 'Sweet Insanity' album was rejected by Sire, who specifically cited 'Smart Girls' as one of the big reasons for the shelving, Wilson and Landy sent out copies of 'Smart Girls' as a cassette single that Christmas to fans with the note 'read about why he wrote a rap song in his just published Harper Collins autobiography' and 'This is a limited edition cassingle and not for sale. Only 250 will be manufactured as a personal gift from Brian Wilson to you for the holidays.' One of those cassingles, or perhaps a subsequent bootleg, landed in the hands of novelty comedy radio host Dr. Demento who had Wilson on his show as a guest in January 1992. After a miraculous conversation transition from Wilson discussing the physical abuse he endured from his father, Wilson introduced 'Smart Girls' as 'It's a white rap song, that's all I can say for it … we figured we could do our own brand of rap.' While other songs from the still-unreleased 'Sweet Insanity' would be rerecorded and eventually released on subsequent Wilson projects, namely 2004's 'Gettin In Over My Head,' 'Smart Girls' never saw an official release. Still, it's been circulated among Beach Boys fans through compilations likes Endless Bummer, a legendary fan curated 'worst of the Beach Boys' bootleg nestled beside drunk performances of 'Good Vibrations' and 'You're So Beautiful,' a Spanish version of 'Kokomo,' a demo written by Charles Manson and the re-written commercial jingles for Hyatt Regency and Budweiser ('Be True to Your Bud'). But for all the things wrong with 'Smart Girls,' there's something to be said for both Wilson's openness to rap at a time when many rock icons were still not even considering it music, as well as humbly enlisting someone like Matt Dike to help instead of the hubris of thinking he could just make a rap song by himself. Wilson experimented a lot musically; while some of these results were songs about transcendental meditation or lyrics that were just directions to his house and trying to remember a phone number ('Busy Doin' Nothing'), a significant number of these experiments resulted in some of the greatest pieces of music to ever exist. Even if we don't have quite as many personal milestones tied to 'Smart Girls,' Brian Wilson soundtracked our lives, and we're all the better for it.
USA Today
06-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Words can't describe it' - Dike scores first goal since return from injury nightmare
'Words can't describe it' - Dike scores first goal since return from injury nightmare Show Caption Hide Caption Tyler Adams responds to Landon Donovan's comments regarding the USMNT Tyler Adams says 'the criticism is fair' when asked about Landon Donovan's recent comments on the USMNT. Sports Seriously Daryl Dike had waited a long time for a day like Saturday. Making his first league start since April 2023, the West Brom striker scored his first goal since January 2024 in his side's 5-3 win over Luton Town to close out the season. Dike has been through an injury nightmare over the past two years, suffering a torn Achilles in February 2024 just five weeks after returning from a torn Achilles in his other leg. The 24-year-old returned from his latest setback in February, and had made 10 appearances off the bench before getting the start on Saturday. Dike's moment came in the 30th minute, as he got on the end of a cross from Callum Styles to nod home from close range. 'Every single day since the injury and every single day in training, these are the days you dream of. You draw it up in your head and you're kind of waiting for it," Dike told West Brom's website after the game. 'When it all comes through, words can't even describe how good a feeling it is. 'Everyone has been super supportive and they've seen how much it meant to me. They've also seen how hard I've worked for it. Everyone was buzzing for me, which was so nice." Dike also grabbed an assist as he played 62 minutes in the match, which saw West Brom finish ninth in the Championship and Luton relegated for a second straight season. 'I felt great physically," he said. "I kind of surprised myself. I thought I'd be a lot more tired, but, honestly, even in the 60th minute or so, I felt good. I'm happy about that. 'It's a good way to cap the season off. I can show myself that I'm still capable of doing it and I can do it. There's a long summer coming up now and I'm going to make sure I'm prepared for the new season.' Dike has earned 10 caps with the U.S. men's national team, scoring three goals. His most recent appearance came in March 2023. Watch Dike's goal vs. Luton Town
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'It's a good feeling' - Dike back for WBA with a bang
It there was a moment that made West Bromwich Albion forget about their disappointment and frustration at missing out on the Championship play-offs, it came after half an hour against Luton Callum Styles' superb cross came in from the left, a leaping Daryl Dike got there ahead of his marker to nod in from eight put the Baggies back in front at 2-1, on their way to a 5-3 win, and triggered some of the loudest celebrates - and widest smiles - The Hawthorns has witnessed for a while. Not for 17 months, in fact, because that was when Dike last scored. You have to go back even further for the last time it happened in the league - March 2023, over two the USA striker is now fit after the sort of injury nightmare that seemed like it would never end."It's a good feeling," Dike told BBC Radio WM reflecting on his comeback goal."You've been sitting here working hard every single day for two years to have a moment like that."When I headed it I was on the floor and just thinking 'please go in, please go in' so to see it go in - it's what you dream about." 'You get knocked down but you get back up' Since joining the Baggies from Barnsley in January 2022, Dike has had a scarcely believable run of serious injuries.A hamstring injury on his full debut kept him out for six months, before a thigh problem on his return ruled him out for a further in April 2023, a ruptured Achilles tendon saw him miss another 10 games into his comeback, it went again against Ipswich and Dike was carried off in the club have taken no chances over rushing him back this time and have introduced him from the bench 10 times since his return to fitness in boss James Morrison revealed he thought about whether to hand Dike a start against the Hatters "for a good three days" before "going with his gut" and giving him the green credited his team-mates had played a vital role in keeping him going and getting him ready for his return."They've been able to see my mood when it [the injury] first happened and how hard I've worked to get back," he said."I'm so thankful to have team-mates that support me like they do and push me to get better every single day and keep my mindset right that I can still achieve all my dreams."Any footballer wants to play as much as possible but I've got good physios and medical team so the main thing is I was protected and in the best position to help the team." Now, with his first league start - and goal - for two years under his belt, Dike is excited about the future."You get knocked down but you get back up," he said."I'm only 24 and still have tonnes of goals I want to achieve and I'm grateful to have the opportunities to still do that."I knew that if I put in the work and give myself the best opportunity to get more feelings like that then they would come."I can feel good about myself over the summer, knowing that I can still do it and I'm going to work really really hard into pre-season and carry that momentum into next season."
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Daryl Dike is back from injury hell: ‘I can still achieve my USMNT World Cup dreams'
Daryl Dike is smiling. And you can't blame him. For most of the USMNT striker's West Bromwich Albion team-mates, Saturday's game against Luton Town didn't carry much meaning. It was the final fixture of the Championship season, their chances of sneaking into the play-offs were long gone, the stakes were extremely low. Advertisement For Dike, though, this was the first time he had started a league game in 750 days. And the 24-year-old will remember this one far more fondly, because it was on April 15, 2023 against Stoke City, that he suffered the first of the two Achilles tendon injuries that have essentially ruled him out of football for the last two years. Dike was out for 10 months, was eased back into the West Brom team before, nine minutes into a substitute appearance against Ipswich Town in February 2024, he ruptured his Achilles again. The sight of Dike being driven off the field on a buggy, in floods of tears, was harrowing. It would be a full year before he played again, returning to the West Brom squad in February 2025, but his comeback has been very, very cautiously managed, meaning he has been limited to a smattering of cameos off the bench. Until Saturday, that is. 'I actually didn't know I was starting until about an hour and a half, two hours before kick-off,' Dike said after the game, the smile barely leaving his face. (Interim West Brom head coach James Morrison) came up with the team sheet and I was like '…Oh…I'm starting?' I don't really get nervous before matches, but this was one of the few when I did. 'I was just getting myself back into the mindset of: 'You've done this before.' I was a little bit nervous. I was trying to just focus on the things I normally do, but my brain was just, 'Score, score, score.' And luckily I did.' In the 30th minute, midfielder Callum Styles floated a ball into the penalty area from the left, to the far post. It was the sort of cross a centre-forward dreams of, between the defence and the goalkeeper, with enough of a run-up that he could meet it with momentum. Dike outmuscled his marker, and headed into the corner of the net. The joy and relief exploded out of him. His team-mates mobbed him. There was an extra pep to the celebration from the crowd. Over two years since his last league start, and 483 days since his last goal of any description. Dike was back. 'Further agony for Luton!' :flushed: Daryl Dike has restored West Brom's lead and put Luton's survival hopes in even more jeopardy! :chart_with_downwards_trend: — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 3, 2025 And for U.S. readers Daryl Dike powers in a header at the back post for his first goal of the season for The Baggies :us::boom: — CBS Sports Golazo :soccer:️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 3, 2025 'Before the match, I was telling the boys, 'Put the ball in the box, I'll be there.' Stylesy played a great ball…and I was there. When I saw the the ball, and I saw the chance, I thought: 'This is it, this is the chance right now.'' Dike added an assist to a fine day's work too, with some classic centre-forward play as he held up the ball with his back to goal, spun his marker and played a perfect pass through for young winger Tom Fellows to score West Brom's third. Advertisement There is a particular psychology to a player who has suffered a repeat of a serious injury, an especially crushing feeling of hopelessness. Dike had his fair share of that over the last couple of years. 'You are always going to end up feeling sorry for yourself. The first time it happened, I was very upset, naturally, but I was like 'OK, I'll be alright.' But the second time I was like, 'I worked all the way to get back…and now it's happened again.' I've got to work again. That was definitely a low point, because I was so excited to be playing again. 'So for it to happen again, and for me to think, 'OK, this is just the kind of condition I'm in until I'm done playing…' You're thinking, 'Is it going to happen again? Am I going to be the same?' 'But with my support group, and the goals in the back of my head, I knew I'd bounce back. With training sessions like the past few months, and games like today, I can push a few of those doubts away and show I can still do it and be confident in myself.' When you are a professional athlete that cannot play due to injury, an understandable instinct would be to shy away from watching the game. It is too cruel, too hard, too frustrating to watch others do what you know you can do, but can't right at the moment. Dike, though, used that as motivation. 'I'm a football fan,' Dike says. 'Everyone in the squad knows I'll watch every game, I'll know every player. I'll always watch, so I have dreams in football. Whether that's playing in the Champions League, or playing at the World Cup. 'I always tell myself that I'm only 24, so I can achieve every one of those dreams. I tell myself that, even though I've fallen down, I can get back up. I can still keep going, I can still keep running, and I still have the chance to prove myself and prove to everyone I can still do it and achieve those dreams.' You will notice that Dike brought up the World Cup there, unprompted. He last played for the US in 2023, but plenty has changed since. Mauricio Pochettino has taken over as head coach. New strikers have emerged. If a squad was being picked today, even if Dike was fit and scoring goals, he would probably be behind Josh Sargent, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright, Patrick Agyemang and Brian White in the pecking order. Advertisement But none of those men have exactly grabbed hold of the position, and the team's less-than-impressive results and performances under Pochettino mean few players' names are chiselled in stone. There's a lot of time between now and the 2026 World Cup, in the USA, Canada and Mexico, for Dike to present his case. After staying fit and scoring for West Brom, that's next on his list. 'That's one of my goals. Every single player has always dreamt of playing at a World Cup. I'd love to be part of that squad. Any time you're able to represent your country, it's a big honour, especially on a big stage like that. Of course, I'll be working towards that, all off-season, all season, to be able to be a part of that.' It is a shame that this was the final game of the season, that Dike could not continue his momentum for a little while longer. For now, though, he is just basking in the moment, still smiling. 'Every single day you're there, working hard, dreaming of moments like this, to get back in the squad, to score. To have a day like today, after all that time, it makes it even better.'
