METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga is a fan of comedic actor Adam Sandler and his 1998 film, “The Waterboy,” which he's watched numerous times.
Perhaps the 6-foot-6, 324-pound blocker was destined to wind up in Louisiana at the dawn of his NFL career, even if the reasons the New Orleans Saints drafted him were no laughing matter.
The Saints selected Fuaga with the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night, adding him to an offensive line that could use some bodies, particularly at tackle.
“We felt like offensive tackle was a position of need for us,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “We're really excited about Taliese. He's big, he's athletic, he's extremely physical. ... We just felt like he was our type of person.”
Trevor Penning, the second of two 2022 first-round picks by New Orleans, was unable to hold on to a starting role at left tackle last season. His replacement in the lineup, Andrus Peat, remains a free agent.
Meanwhile, the health of right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is “up in the air,” Allen said, after the veteran tackle underwent surgery in hopes of addressing a nagging knee injury.
Additionally, versatile lineman James Hurst, who normally plays guard but has filled in at tackle, has decided to retire.
Fuaga, who was the fourth offensive tackle drafted (after Joe Alt at No. 5, JC Latham at No. 7 and Olumuyiwa Fashanu and No. 11 ), said he wasn't sure an NFL career was realistic for him until the past year or so, stressing that he long viewed football as no more than “a sport I love to play."
The Tacoma, Washington, native also played youth basketball, he said, but tended to foul out, adding, “Basketball was not my sport.”
During this past college season, Fuaga did not allow a sack, and his performance against UCLA star defensive end Laiatu Latu got the attention of pro scouts.
The Saints ranked 21st in the NFL in yards rushing last season. Derek Carr was sacked 31 times, placing him in a tie for 14th in the NFL for the number times sacked.
This season, the Saints' offense will change systems under new coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose scheme is expected to emphasize outside zone runs — a good fit for prospect like Fuaga, whose ability to run and block in space was seen as a strength.
Fuaga started all 12 games at right tackle in 2023 for Oregon State, which averaged nearly 5 yards per rush, and was named first-team All-Pac-12 last season.
If Ramczyk winds up healthy enough to resume his role as starting right tackle, Fuaga said he'd feel “pretty comfortable” at left tackle as well, having gotten a number of practice snaps at that spot during college.
“Some people like to say it's like driving on the other side of the freeway,” Fuaga said at a draft party hosted by relatives in Hawaii. “I don't really see too much of a problem. It's fresh because I haven't tested it in a live game, but I feel good on the left side.”
Fuaga also didn't dismiss the possibility of playing guard if the Saints needed him there, even though he considers it a much different position.
Fuaga said one of his chief areas of improvement in recent seasons was “trying to be a more nasty player." One of the ways he accomplished that, he said with a grin, was by adopting the psychology of Sandler's character in “The Waterboy,” a Cajun from Louisiana named Bobby Boucher.
Fuaga said he'd imagine an opposing defender was “talking about my mom, or talking about my brother.”
In any event, his on-field persona evidently made an impression on Allen, who made the phone call to tell Fuaga the Saints were drafting him.
“Look, you're a tough S.O.B., and that's what I love about you,” Allen said on the call, a video of which was posted by the Saints on social media. “And that's the way we're going to play.”
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FILE - Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga poses for a portrait at the NFL football Combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. Fuaga is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft. (Doug Benc/AP Images for the NFL)
FILE - Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Indianapolis. Fuaga has been mentioned as a possible NFL Draft first round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Indianapolis. Fuaga is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) — JERUSALEM — Israel’s main cable provider has halted broadcasts of the Al Jazeera news station, citing a ban on the channel approved Sunday by the government.
The “Hot” cable provider on Sunday afternoon turned off Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in both English and Arabic.
“In accordance with the government decision, broadcaster Al-Jazeera has stopped in Israel,” it said in a message on screen.
In Israel, the channel’s websites in Arabic and English remained operational, and the station could still be watched live on YouTube in both languages.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas militants on Sunday attacked Israel's main crossing point for delivering humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, reportedly wounding several Israelis and prompting Israel to close the terminal.
The attack disrupted critical shipments of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, and dealt a new blow to ongoing cease-fire efforts mediated by Egypt and Qatar. In another potential setback, Israel said it was shuttering the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera satellite channel, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he rejected Hamas' latest demands and vowed to keep on fighting.
The Israeli military reported 10 launches at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Hamas said it had been targeting Israeli soldiers in the area. Israel's Channel 12 TV channel said 10 people were wounded, three seriously.
Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing has become the primary gateway for badly needed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The military said the crossing was immediately closed, halting deliveries of aid into hard-hit Gaza. It was unclear how long the closure would remain in effect.
The incident comes at a time when Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, medicine and other humanitarian items.
The attack threatened to complicate the ongoing cease-fire talks in Egypt. A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in the cease-fire talks.
However, Israel hasn’t sent a delegation to Cairo and a senior Israeli official downplayed prospects for a full end to the war while emphasizing Israel's commitment to invading Rafah.
Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the deal calls for an extended pause in fighting in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. But the sides remain at odds over whether the deal would include an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Netanyahu further lowered expectations on Sunday when he accused Hamas of making unacceptable demands.
While claiming that Israel has shown willingness to make concessions, he said: “Hamas has still held to its extreme positions, first and foremost the withdrawal of our forces from the strip, the conclusion of the war and leaving Hamas intact.”
"Israel will not agree to Hamas’s demands, which would mean surrender; it will continue fighting until all of its objectives are achieved,” he said.
Israel launched its war in response to Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7, which killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. An Israeli air and ground offensive has killed over 34,500 people, according to Palestinian health officials, displaced some 80% of Gaza's population and led to a humanitarian disaster.
Egypt and Qatar have been working with the United States to mediate a cease-fire.
On Sunday, Netanyahu's Cabinet approved a measure to shutter Qatar's Al Jazeera news channel, accusing it of broadcasting anti-Israel incitement. The decision threatened to further disrupt the cease-fire talks. There was no immediate comment from Qatar.
Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press wroter Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Israel says Hamas attacks a crossing point into Gaza, wounding 10 Israelis and forcing its closure
In this image provided by the U.S. Army, soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the Roll-On, Roll-Off Distribution Facility (RRDF), or floating pier, off the shore of Gaza on April 26, 2024. The U.S. expects to have on-the-ground arrangements in Gaza ready for humanitarian workers to start delivering aid this month via a new U.S.-backed sea route for Gaza aid. An official with the U.S. Agency for International Development tells the AP that humanitarian groups expect to have their part of preparations complete by early to mid-month. (U.S. Army via AP)
Israel says Hamas attacks a crossing point into Gaza, wounding 10 Israelis and forcing its closure
