Lightning Quietly Extend Head Coach
The Tampa Bay Lightning, who have become known for their rambunctious Stanley Cup celebrations, made a move to keep their 58-year-old head coach, Jon Cooper, on an extension sometime during the last handful of months.
Pierre Lebrun announced via his Twitter that the two-time Stanley Cup champion and 4 Nations Face-Off Champion would be around for a little longer, though nobody knows exactly how long that will be.
"With Kris Knoblauch and Ryan Huska having signed extensions, that leaves only Lindy Ruff among NHL head coaches entering the final year of their contract. Jon Cooper, without team announcement, quietly extended at some point over the past several months, not sure for how many years. But he's signed past this season," Lebrun shared.
Cooper, has become one of the most respected coaches during his time with the Lightning, which started mid-way through the 2012-13 season, when he was hired by the team, after coaching the American Hockey League Syracuse Crunch, for the first half of the 2012-13 season, after spending two years with the Norfolk Admirals, the second of which he helped his squad to an AHL Championship.
Tampa, of course, had been the top dog in the league and didn't pay much attention to the Florida Panthers for a while, but the last few seasons have seen a shift. Florida, of course, has been the top dog, winning consecutive Stanley Cups, while Tampa has become the little brother.
"Two teams right in their prime, very competitive men,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice told NHL.com about the rivalry. “Tampa has had success, so it got nasty this year because of the playoffs last year and the fact that we're rivals, but we're also in the same place with our teams ... legitimate teams."
Certainly, losing out to Florida in back-to-back playoffs has only increased the hatred between the two clubs, but with Cooper sticking around, for what is presumably another couple of years, he could be in the mix to push Tampa back into contention.
With much of their core still around, including Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov at the top, Tampa still has an open window to contend, and it's unlikely that they will become complacent and roll over just because the Panthers have bounced them around.
With goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy working towards a return for opening night, his return to practice earlier this week after missing time since mid-September due to an undisclosed issue is exactly the kind of news that Cooper has to love to hear.
Daniel Jones Breaks Top-10 Greatness with Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has had a great start to his first year in the Circle City. Despite falling in a dramatic tilt against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4, his four-game sample with Shane Steichen has been unlike anything anyone expected before the season started.
Jones now sets his eyes on a golden opportunity to help the Colts return to the win column against the Las Vegas Raiders, who rank 21st in the NFL in passing yards allowed with 913. Given how well Jones has played, this is a game where he can shine.
Pro Football Focus' Nick Akridge put together his QB ranking ahead of Week 5, showing immense respect to Jones by placing him eighth overall. Jones is among names like Justin Herbert (9) and Josh Allen (7).
Below are some prominent quarterback metrics from Jones, along with his rank in the NFL for each. These numbers display how effective the former sixth-overall pick has been through four games with the Colts.
-Passing Yards | 1,078 (3rd)
-Completion Percentage | 71.9 (4th)
-Completions | 87 (tied - 9th)
-QBR | 79.1 (1st)
-Passer Rating | 103.3 (8th)
After six seasons of consistently underwhelming performances with the New York Giants, Steichen has Jones playing better than he's ever shown in his veteran career under center.
Jones' career resurgence is reminiscent of what Sam Darnold (now with the Seattle Seahawks) accomplished last year with the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold's career was nothing short of a pure dumpster fire with the hapless New York Jets franchise.
However, once Darnold was under the tutelage of a true QB whisperer like Kevin O'Connell, he found incredible rhythm. Darnold finished 2024 with 35 touchdown passes, 4,319 passing yards, a 66.2 completion percentage, and a Pro Bowl nomination.
Now, Jones is doing the same with a QB-savvy coach like Steichen and Indianapolis.
For Jones to have gone from what he was perceived as in New York, to one of the NFL's most efficient quarterback is a testament to the talent he had the entire time, and Steichen's ability to mold those attributes into a great signal-caller.
If Jones can be as consistent as he's been through the young 2025 season for the rest of it, he'll conclude as a potential Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Jones has season totals of seven all-purpose scores (four passing, three rushing) and a great ability to spread the wealth in the offense.
Jones has become a great leader for Steichen's offense and has gelled with players like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, and Tyler Warren. Along with an impressive offensive line, Jones is playing comfortably, confidently, and like a winner.
Anything can happen in the NFL week-to-week, but Jones has a great matchup on paper ahead against the struggling Raiders at home. If he can get a victory while playing turnover-free and clean football, he'll regain the momentum the team lost against the Rams.
