FRISCO, Texas -- The season is over for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, owner and general manager Jerry Jones confirmed Prescott will have surgery to repair the partial avulsion of his hamstring in New York on Wednesday.

Prescott flew to New York on Monday to visit with a specialist all the while understanding that surgery would be the most likely outcome. After Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Prescott said he wanted to make sure this would not be an issue that affected him in the future.

"It's a more common injury in hockey, and he's got doctors that are very familiar with how to repair that," Jones said. "And his prognosis is wonderful. It just means that we're not going to have him the rest of the year."

There was a strong possibility Prescott would not have been able to return this year even without surgery. Multiple sources said he would need six to eight weeks to recover before he could potentially get back on the field. The Cowboys are 3-6 and have eight games remaining in the regular season.

With the surgery, Prescott is looking at a three-month recovery period.

He suffered in the injury in the Cowboys' Nov. 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on a run. Television cameras caught Prescott in pain after making a wobbly pass to the sideline and his final pass fell incomplete on a screen pass that could have been a potential touchdown.

This is the second time in the past five seasons Prescott has been unable to finish the season because of injury. In 2020, he suffered a dislocation and compound fracture of his right ankle in the fifth game of the season.

Prescott, 31, will finish this season with 1,978 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In September, Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million extension with the Cowboys that made him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

This will be the fourth surgery he has had since 2020. He missed five games in 2022 because of a broken right thumb and after that season he had surgery on his left shoulder.

The Cowboys will place Prescott on injured reserve, creating a roster spot, but they have signed Will Grier to the practice squad to have three quarterbacks available. Cooper Rush will make his second straight start in Monday's game against the Houston Texans, backed up by Trey Lance.

Grier was with the Cowboys in 2021-22 before his release before the 2023 season. Most recently he had been on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad.

Ecuador and FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo has died from his injuries sustained in a car crash that also killed his former youth team teammate Roberto Cabezas, the Ecuadorian Football Association said on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Angulo was a passenger in the car that crashed into a metal barrier on the Rumiñahui highway southeast of Quito on Oct. 7. The driver and Cabezas, who played for Independiente Juniors, were killed in the incident.

Angulo was left with serious head injuries and a lung contusion. He was placed in an artificial coma but died from the injuries on Monday night, the El Universo newspaper reported.

Angulo played for Ecuadorian league champion L.D.U. Quito on loan from MLS team FC Cincinnati.

Ecuador's FA said Angulo "defended the colors of our country at every opportunity he had with his talent and dedication. Marco was not only an outstanding player, but a great teammate. He leaves a deep pain in our hearts."

Angulo, a defensive midfielder, played for Ecuador Under-17s and Under-20s before making his senior debut in a friendly against Iraq in November 2022. He played in another friendly against Australia in March last year.

Suddenly, we really do have a title race in LaLiga this season, but that fact has come at a high cost for reigning champions Real Madrid.

Thanks to Barcelona's clumsy 1-0 defeat in San Sebastián to Real Sociedad, the Spanish champions are now only six points behind their rivals with a game in hand: it's an admirable way to end a fortnight that saw them thrashed by Hansi Flick's team in the Clásico, and then humiliated by AC Milan at home in the Champions League. Even staunch Madridistas will be scratching their head and thinking: "How did we manage this?" But there's a bill to be paid and it's one that will turn a magnifying glass on one of the club's strangest and most disappointing weaknesses.

First, the bad news. Éder Militão's knee ligament injury, his second in 15 months, means he won't play again this season. It's bad enough for the club and is heartbreaking for the Brazilian, but when you add it to the litany of similar injuries Los Blancos have recently suffered, it's evident there is a serious problem.

He, Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba were all hit by pretty much identical knee damage last season and while the Brazil and Belgium internationals returned in time to make Madrid Spanish and European champions, the Austria defender is still out hurt, and his projected return remains elusive. Add to that the dreadful loss of Dani Carvajal already this season -- the veteran full-back won't play again until 2025-26 -- plus an identical injury to excellent 17-year-old centre-half Joan Martínez, and you would understand if club president Florentino Pérez has instituted a full investigation as to why this is such a repetitive and damaging trend.

I don't propose to dwell on this for long right now, because it's a delicate area in which evidentiary proof is nearly impossible to produce, but it was interesting to hear Álvaro Benítez, ex-Madrid youth and first-team midfielder -- plus their one-time academy coach -- on the "Carrusel Deportivo" radio show this weekend, suggesting that the Bernabéu playing surface be re-examined to either identify or eliminate it as a contributory factor.

Right in the middle of renovating their modern and impressive football edifice, Madrid were warned by then-head of pitch maintenance, Paul Burgess, that they had lost focus on how important that part of the project was. He walked away from the club, convinced that it was sewing the seeds of future problems in how they move and store the pitch underground.

Benitez's remark draws attention to the idea that it's worth re-examining whether there is any connection between the surface Madrid play on and this sudden outbreak of devastating injuries. The answer might feasibly be a resounding "NO" -- but, as I say, this is an immensely delicate area where perception can often be as important as fact, meaning the players might already be seeking explanations and may settle upon suppositions that are no more than "feelings."

It really is vital that Madrid find a way to prevent such regular damage to their stars not only for the fans, the club and the manager, but specifically for their star players. Football's governing bodies finally accepting that inflating every single tournament, club or international, is detrimental to the well-being of elite players would be a start; right now, the players are unquestionably asked to do too much too often.

Back to Madrid. Losing centrally important first-team players during the earlier parts of the season means that they are already entitled under LaLiga rules to sign replacements outside the transfer window if any such potential replacement meets the champions' needs. During their 4-0 win over Osasuna this weekend, Carlo Ancelotti's team give a hint of what, in reality, they should be able to do regularly, but usually don't. That is promote from within their own youth system that, long ago, was proudly named "La Fabrica" ("The Factory").

The "hint" in question is Raúl Asencio, who has risen through the ranks of Madrid's academy system and who contributed an assist on his first-team debut this weekend, having come on to replace Militão. Martínez would probably have been first in line as a replacement central defender had he not suffered the horrible injury that'll cost him a year to recover from, and it's quite evident that junior right-back Jesús Fortea is going to debut soon, hopefully able to fulfill what looks like immense promise.

This is the point I mentioned: the magnifying glass being turned upon the fact that this mighty, dominant, proud club hasn't managed to establish one of their own academy players in the first team for nearly 10 years.

When it last happened, the sensation was that there would be a steady flow, not a trickle, of upwardly mobile talent and that the enormous history of home-trained, club-loyal youngsters establishing themselves and winning trophies for Los Blancos would continue uninterrupted. That's because there was the sequential emergence of Nacho Fernández, Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez in the first team within a short space of time between 2013 and 2015.

Between them they have over 1,100 first-team appearances for Madrid and 17 Champions League winners' medals. Yet while there have been Madrid academy debutants over the decade-and-a-bit since these three extraordinary characters came through, not one of those has managed to cement a place in the Real Madrid firmament. And just before you protest: neither Vinícius Junior nor Rodrygo -- both of whom played for Real Madrid Castilla -- count because each of them had made around 50 appearances for the first teams of Flamengo and Santos respectively before moving to Spain.

Madrid's failure in this aspect has actually been LaLiga's nourishment. The general flow is from the first-class Valdebebas training centre, out near Madrid airport, to other teams who benefit from the excellence generated from La Fabrica, but then not used by Los Blancos' first team. In the meantime, their rivals -- most noticeably Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Athletic Club -- continuously develop, and then profit from, kids who have been long-established in their various academies and who then go on to win trophies and become first team stalwarts.

It's a fair retort from Madridistas who simply don't care about their "Mirlos" (the nickname for promising Real Madrid youth cadets) not making it into their first team and say that this is a club with six Champions League titles during those years since the last academy graduates became regulars.

If you can buy the best and then win the best trophy repeatedly could the question become: "Who really needs an academy?" But this wasn't the original idea of president Pérez when he launched his promised Galactico era in order to win the election back in 2000.

The motto was that Madrid would sign "Zidanes" (aka stars of Zinedine Zidane's prodigious talent and profile) but produce "Pavóns." But poor old Francisco Pavón, then the emblem of their youth system, wasn't a huge Los Blancos' success, nor was he a template for the club's La Fábrica template in ensuing years.

Now the spotlight is on whether or not Madrid's academy can supply a clutch of footballers able to bail them out of their horrible injury problems this season and then go on to become strong, successful regulars for this club. And having floated the question about whether a youth system is irrelevant to a club that's so financially muscular and regularly buys the best young players rather than produces them, it's time for the killer blow.

The mere mention of Carvajal, Nacho and Lucas -- all forged in the white-heat of the youth system, all die-hard Madridistas and all hugely successful -- can be augmented by pointing out that Madrid's greatest goalkeeper, World Cup-winning Iker Casillas, was cut from the same cloth and their legendary striker, now Castilla coach, Raúl González, was another who came through the in-house system before making himself an all-time legend.

One of the most famous eras in this club's entire history is when the La Quinta del Buitre emerged -- a quintet of extraordinary footballers who thrilled the fans, lifted trophies and provided a current club vice president, Emilio Butragueño. All home-grown, all still talked about with loving reverence.

This is a club that's has been able to find its pride -- and its well-merited arrogance -- in other directions over the last 10-plus years, but that has never erased the fact that the very healthiest, very strongest Real Madrid is one that's at least partially powered by men who have grown up in "The Factory," who understand the pulse of the fan base and who would give a limb in order that Madrid beat their closest rivals and lift great trophies. Now we're entering a period when we are about to discover whether or not any such imperious figures have been prepared, and if they can end the drought by establishing themselves in Real Madrid's first team.

Shane Waldron has been fired as the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator less than 10 months after being hired for the job, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The firing came one day after head coach Matt Eberflus promised "changes" and "adjustments" for the struggling Bears, adding that "everything is on the table."

Waldron has come under heavy scrutiny in Chicago due to the offense's overall performance and the recent struggles of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Bears (4-5) have lost three straight games, scoring a total of just 27 points over that stretch, and are averaging just 277.6 yards per game this season, the third-lowest in the NFL.

Waldron, 45, was hired by the Bears on Jan. 23 after spending the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Eberflus said during the hiring process last winter that the Bears were looking for a "great teacher" at the offensive coordinator post, likely anticipating using the No. 1 overall draft pick on a quarterback.

In Sunday's home loss to the New England Patriots, Williams completed 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 120 yards, his lowest passing output since throwing for 93 yards in his NFL debut against the Tennessee Titans. Collectively, Chicago's offense was 1-of-14 on third down (7%), its worst mark since 2012.

Williams was also sacked nine times by the Patriots, which brings his total from the past three games to 18. During Chicago's recent losing streak, Williams has logged his three highest-pressure-percentage games of his career.

Chicago's offensive struggles have been magnified in three straight losses to the Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals and Patriots. The Bears rank near the bottom of the NFL in points scored (24th), yards per carry (28th), yards per pass (30th), total yards (30th), third downs (31st) and yards per play (31st).

ESPN's Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.

Forwards: Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Evan Lloyd, Henry Thomas, Keiron Assiratti, Archie Griffin, Freddie Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, Ben Carter, Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, Taine Plumtree, James Botham, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs: Tomos Williams, Rhodri Williams, Ellis Bevan, Sam Costelow, Gareth Anscombe, Ben Thomas, Nick Tompkins, Max Llewellyn, Eddie James, Owen Watkin, Blair Murray, Rio Dyer, Josh Hathaway, Tom Rogers, Cameron Winnett.

There's something special about Hockey Hall of Fame Induction weekend.

It happens every year right when the weather turns fully into fall mode, when the leaves are changing, the clocks have gone back and a chill in the air signals the new NHL season is in full swing.

That stretch of days is firstly about celebrating another incoming class -- this year, it was players Natalie Darwitz, Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Shea Weber and Krissy Wendell-Pohl, along with Colin Campbell and David Poile in the Builders category.

The festivities also allow individuals from around the hockey world to congregate and discuss greater topics pertaining to the NHL at large, and what's on their radar for their coming months.

And, of course, there's theories about who will be on the Hall of Fame list a year from now.

We're diving into just a few of the subjects swirling over the past several days in this latest Overheard edition.

Predictions for the HHOF Class of 2025

NHL GMs are used to seeing their decisions dissected, and often find disagreements. So it's an exercise in fun to play pretend voter on the Hall's selection committee and share who they would add to its hallowed ground.

"Joe Thornton would be top of my list for next year's group," one GM said. "Duncan Keith, too."

"I would love to see [Carey] Price get the call right away," an assistant GM said. "Also [Alexander] Mogilny has waited long enough."

The first three names -- Thornton, Keith and Price -- are all first-year eligible for the Hall in 2025. Mogilny hasn't gotten a call since his NHL career ended in 2006.

It's always a fine line balancing which players -- male and female -- deserve the handful of spots available in each cycle. Consider Mogilny, who played over 1,000 games in the league, won a Stanley Cup and is a member of the Triple Gold Club (Olympic Gold, World Championship Gold, and a Stanley Cup) that has only 30 members. Even that hasn't enticed the selectors to put Mogilny in -- yet.

He'll have stiff competition in 2025 given who can qualify.

• Thornton officially retired in October 2023 after last playing for the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. He ranks 14th all-time in NHL points (1,539), making him one of just 15 players to crack the 1,500-point mark and one of just 14 to gather 1,000 assists. Thornton's longevity in the league -- 24 seasons -- is also impressive. He has a Hart Trophy to his name, and is a one-time league scoring champion, as well as an Olympic gold medalist, World Cup champion and World Junior champ.

• Keith hung up his skates in July 2022 as a three-time Cup champ with the Chicago Blackhawks, having earned one Conn Smythe and two Norris Trophies. He's also a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Canada.

• Price won't technically be retired until his contract with the Montreal Canadiens expires in 2026, but he hasn't played a game since 2022 due to lingering injury. Price spent 15 seasons in Montreal before the injury set in, is the winningest goaltender in the franchise's history, won a Hart Trophy (as one of just seven goaltenders to ever earn that award), a Vezina Trophy, a William M. Jennings Trophy, one Lester B. Pearson Award and one Bill Masterson Trophy. Price never did hoist a Cup, but he did earn goal medals with Canada at the World Juniors, World Cup and Olympics.

Other first-timers with potential to receive votes are Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, six-time Norris Trophy finalist Zdeno Chara and long-time Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, each of them with a list of accomplishments worthy of consideration.

Mogilny isn't the only one who's been biding their time for the Hall call. Jennifer Botterill (a three-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion), Cassie Campbell-Pascall (two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion), Meghan Duggan (Olympic gold medalist and seven-time world champion) and Pekka Rinne (a four-time Vezina finalist and one-time winner) all have the necessary accolades to make it in.

And all were mentioned by agents, former players and executives as ones to watch out for when next year's class is eventually revealed.

NHL expansion buzz

The league's official party line is that expansion is not top of mind, and there is no pressing need to enter new markets.

However, it's no secret the NHL intends to keep adding, in time, to its numbers with at least another team or two over the next several years. And why not? According to the latest report from Sportico, NHL clubs have never been more valuable, and that allows the NHL to ask for an even greater expansion fee (perhaps well surpassing the $650 million Seattle doled out in 2021). The league also has receipts for now strong their expansion teams are out of the gate: Vegas won a Stanley Cup in its sixth season; the Kraken were a playoff team by season two; and Utah -- a relocation club, but playing in a new market -- is off to a fine start in its new surroundings.

Now, where might the NHL explore new digs? The league isn't going to expand for the mere sake of it just to get burned in the long term by something lucrative in the short. It would seem the NHL almost certainly is eyeing locations in the United States as opposed to Canada, though.

There's no doubt the league would want to re-establish a team in the Phoenix area at some point to continue hockey's growth in the southern states. A few other cities mentioned by the people we spoke to were also the usual suspects -- namely Houston and Atlanta.

"We know those cities can support multiple major sports teams," one executive explained. "There's a foundation of interest in both locations in bringing [the NHL] there too, and that wouldn't exist unless [potential owners] believed the fan base would get behind an NHL team. So you'll keep hearing the same places again and again."

One agent's impassioned soliloquy about putting a team back in Quebec City was undeniably stimulating -- "the history, from the team itself to the fans there; you do [expansion] the right way and how could they go wrong?" -- but of course that city's past financial issues (the Nordiques were eventually moved to Denver) and the relatively small population (500,000 versus over six million in the Greater Atlanta area, and 2.3 million in the Houston area) does hinder Quebec City's opportunity (its proximity to clubs in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto doesn't help, either).

And despite two former Atlanta teams -- the Flames in 1980 and Thrashers in 2011 -- having relocated, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has expressed optimism as recently as last year that previous problems with that market could be "overcome" in a second go-around.

There's not a set figure in mind for how many teams the NHL will eventually get to, but the league won't keep expanding forever. Beyond just location considerations, execs caution against "diluting" the sport in any way with teams lacking enough talent to compete at the highest level. The league itself doesn't seem concerned about that possibility, though, and is convinced there is plenty of depth out there to keep the game evolving.

Who will win the 4 Nations Face-off?

This upcoming tournament is up for grabs.

That's the prevailing wisdom around the forthcoming 4 Nations Face-off event, where the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland will battle it out in the first international hockey affair of its kind since the 2016 World Cup.

And despite the popular notion that a winner will come down to Canada or the USA, don't sleep on Finland or Sweden to emerge as champions.

"Everyone might want it to be USA-Canada in the end," one exec said, "but just look at who the Swedes and Fins have in their lineups. You're not just jogging through those teams. It's going to be fun watching how each roster actually matches up."

Beyond just pondering who could emerge victorious, there were a few conversations that repeatedly cropped up. For example, would Canada make room for Connor Bedard? He'll be part of that country's plans on the ice for at least another decade to come -- including at the 2026 Olympics -- so could Bedard get the nod over, say, an established Nick Suzuki or fellow upstart in Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston? Opinions were split on whether Bedard would ultimately make the final cut, but suffice to say his importance to Canada in the long term is under zero debate.

What is being deliberated is whether Canada's goaltending will be an Achilles heel, just as netminding appears to be one of the USA's greatest strengths. In fact, there weren't many holes anyone could punch in what the U.S. is working with from top to bottom. Given how hot Connor Hellebuyck has been to start this season, the way Jake Oettinger has come into his own, the potential of Jeremy Swayman and the possibility even of Thatcher Demko -- that group could be the real difference-maker.

One point of debate for the U.S. was whether Tage Thompson or Cole Caufield would find their way into the offensive plans. Both have been projected as the team's potential extra skater, and each brings a unique skill set that would complement the country's attack -- but the verdict likely depends on who else the U.S. taps to line up ahead of that 13th forward.

One Hockey Hall of Famer -- chiming in anonymously -- is positive that no matter who the U.S. puts on the ice, they will be the team to beat in the tournament.

"There is no huge weakness there," he said. "Show me where the USA doesn't have undeniable depth."

Sweden could have it's own concerns about how to fill out the third and fourth lines. Do they prioritize veterans or youth, not just in who makes the roster but where they line up? One exec was particularly bullish on seeing Leo Carlsson -- Anaheim's second overall pick in 2023 -- take a significant role for the Swedes.

"Carlsson's an exciting player that's not talked about enough as it is," he said. "Highlighting him now and for what he means for Sweden [going forward] is a big thing."

There's also the question of whether Gabriel Landeskog -- who's been sidelined the last two seasons following knee surgery -- will be available to Sweden for the tournament. Colorado's captain suffered a "setback" recently in the recovery process that Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said wasn't "unexpected" and the team was still "hopeful" Landeskog would return at some point this season. Even if he could play by February, it may not be in Landeskog's best interest anyway to jump into something like the 4 Nations tournament.

For Finland, there's enviable center depth available, but their defense being short on star power (outside of Miro Heiskanen) could make corralling high-flying offenses a challenge. The key though is how short the tournament is. One good -- or bad -- day at the office can make or break the journey for any of these four countries. That's why excitement for what's to come does feel genuine, and not only because there hasn't been a best-on-best showcase like this in years.

"Every country has a lot of great options," one player noted. "That's what's cool about it. I don't know who will end up going, but you know it'll be the sort of hockey we have been missing for the last, like, 10 years."