Eli Manning doesn’t mind Odell Beckham’s antics…if he’s making plays
Chris Roling via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning doesn’t care much what star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. does so long as the offense scores and the team wins.

Beckham was one of the most lambasted athletes in the country over the past few weeks for his tantrums. The guy went from hitting inanimate objects to crying and more before exploding for 222 yards and two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6.

Manning admitted to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post he finds it easier to overlook the noise if the LSU product makes plays:


One could argue this is how any quarterback feels about his star players. Others could suggest this is a questionable leadership comment and Manning needs to have better control of his locker room. He is, after all, the face of the franchise and the veteran leader.

No matter which side of the fence one falls on, it’s not hard to see the writing on the wall—everything will remain calm in New York so long as things keep going well.

With the Cowboys in control of the NFC East, though, it looks like quite the combustible environment. If the Giants can remain mature no matter the outcome of games, good things can and will happen as the roster grows.

If not, Manning will surely drop more interesting comments about his top weapon.



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Packers win big by acquiring Knile Davis in trade with Chiefs
Chris Roling via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The Green Bay Packers surprised the globe Monday by agreeing to a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, netting running back Knile Davis.

Talk about a win. Anybody who saw the Packers take a 30-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 understood the running game was a mess. Eddie Lacy has averaged a strong 5.1 yards per carry, but has been hobbled. James Starks is hurt. Efforts to swing the ball out to Ty Montgomery to emulate a running game hasn’t worked. To top it all off, Aaron Rodgers has the team’s lone pair of rushing scores.

Davis doesn’t fix the bevy of problems in Green Bay, but he’s quite the get for a cheap price, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:



Davis had wanted out of Kansas City and got it now that the Chiefs have Jamaal Charles healthy again. Davis might only have 775 rushing yards over his four-year career, but he’s scored 11 touchdowns. A big-play threat, Green Bay had plenty of time to keep Davis in mind, as Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed out:



Maybe Davis doesn’t eat many snaps this season. But he’s an effective stop-gap solution who can take carries on a short week against the hapless Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football.

If Davis is nothing more than a holdover while Lacy gets healthy, the trade is still quite the win. If he can effectively form a tandem with Lacy, even better.

Davis’ addition alone won’t fix the Green Bay offense. But it’s leagues better than the team doing nothing. Finally free of a committee three or more names deep, Davis has his new locale and will be eager to prove himself.



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Around the B1G: Week 8 Edition
bzimmerman9 via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Time and change will surely show…how quickly articles can change direction. Today with Around the B1G, I have decided to take a different approach. In the past, I simply gave you information on each team but today I am going to try giving more of an opinion of the status of the B1G. So buckle up and enjoy the ride (or fake it).

As long as you did not pay any attention to the monstrosity in Piscataway, there were actually quite a few games around the B1G that almost made me proud of being a member of the conference. Of course the biggest game of the weekend was our Ohio State Buckeyes traveling into Madison and beating the Badgers in overtime. I will admit, I was not a fan of the Badgers coming into this game. My only experience of watching Alex Hornibrook was when he took on the Wolverines and looked absolutely atrocious. I was not convinced he would be able to throw for any yards against the Buckeyes.

It turns out, I was completely wrong about the Badgers and Hornibrook. They looked like a completely different team on Saturday night and it was apparent the Badgers took full advantage of the extra bye week to come up with some new looks offensively and defensively. You could tell it rattled the Buckeyes early as they looked helpless and lost early in the game. I tip my cap to the Badger players and coaching staff for an excellent gameplan and execution.

The other game took place in Bloomington (take a breath, I know that is hard to believe) between the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Hoosiers. This game did not start out well for the Hoosiers as the Cornhuskers moved the ball at will in the first quarter jumping out to a 17-0 lead. Led by the much-improved Hoosier defense, Kevin Wilson’s squad was able to rattle off 15 straight points to put the game at 17-15 going into the fourth quarter. In the end, it was another valiant effort by the Hoosiers but they were unable to pull out the victory for the second straight week losing 27-22.

Outside of those two marquee games, some of the Big Ten tapped into their inner Big 12 and decided to leave their defenses at home. In West Lafayette, the Boilermakers and Hawkeyes combined for 84 points which is pretty impressive considering both of those offenses are pretty bad. In Iowa’s defense though, the Boilermakers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawkeyes decided to shut things down.

The other high-scoring affair came out of East Lansing where the Northwestern Wildcats and Michigan State Spartans battled to decide who was the Big Ten’s most disappointing team. As if it was ever a contest, the Spartans won the disappointment contest (but not the game) by allowing the Wildcats to score 54 points as these two teams combined for 94 points. The Spartans need to find a corner and sit there and think about what they’ve done.

Next week, there are three games I am really looking forward to. The first is taking place in Kinnick Stadium as the Hawkeyes host the Badgers at noon. After last week’s battle, how will the Badgers come back against a much improved Hawkeye team? I think this is one to keep an eye on.

Another game to watch is Indiana heading to Evanston to take on the Northwestern Wildcats who have finally begun to find a rhythm on offense as they are averaging 46 points over their last two games against Michigan State and Iowa. Just like a letdown game is possible with the Badgers, I wonder how motivated the Hoosiers will be after playing two Top-10 teams close the last two weeks but coming up short.

The marquee game is of course the Buckeyes heading east to take on the Nittany Lions in a “White Out” game. This is the Nittany Lions most important game of the season because they refuse to acknowledge the Buckeyes are not their rivals. As bad as the Nittany Lions have been, this game cannot be overlooked by anyone. These “White Out” games are always played tough mainly because of the toughest environment in college football. The fans really get into this game and will be a factor. Will the Buckeye defense be able to shut down Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley now that the PSU coaching staff has figured out how to use them?

I am still not convinced the B1G is that good this year. I think they have a bunch of okay teams but the competition level is not where everyone would like it to be. Outside of the top four teams, there is a significant drop-off to the rest of the division. Teams like Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern, and Minnesota have not lived up to expectations this year. I think a few of those teams are starting to figure things out but this weekend will be key to how the conference plays out.



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ALCS Game 4 Preview: One Win From Capturing The American League Pennant
Mike Melaragno via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Rather than start right-hander Mike Clevinger in Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday, the team will start ace righty Corey Kluber on short rest. Ryan Merritt will then get the ball in Game 5, if necessary.

Trevor Bauer was forced the exit in the first inning because the cut on his right pinkie began bleeding uncontrollably. He cut himself repairing his drone over the weekend. Francona broke it down like this before Game 3:

• Trevor Bauer pitches well in Game 3: Merritt starts Game 4 and Kluber starts Game 5.
• Trevor Bauer pitches poorly in Game 3: Kluber starts Game 4 and Merritt starts Game 5.

Since Bauer was knocked out early, the Indians were forced to rely on their bullpen heavily in Game 3. Kluber is an innings eater and Cleveland wean on him for some serious length in Game 4, even on short rest. He has never started on short rest in his career.

Merritt, meanwhile, has not pitched since Sept. 30 and he has done work on the side throughout the postseason so he will be well-rested for Game 5. This will be only his second career big-league start.

A win this evening would give the American League Pennant to the Indians for the first time since 1997.

Aaron Sanchez

Aaron Sanchez is a legitimate Cy Young contender this year, maybe even the frontrunner in the eyes of some, and while players typically get sent down to the minors because their organization doesn’t care much for what they’ve done on the field, Sanchez was optioned to high A Dunedin in August because the Blue Jays care too much. He just turned 24, and he’s a massive part of the organization’s future, and the move was simply made to skip one of his turns in the rotation in an effort to limit the workload of Toronto’s prized, young arm.

Sanchez has maintained his power, he’s broadened his repertoire, and he’s impressed the hell out of a future Hall-of-Famer. We’ve seen Sanchez dominate in relief, but last year out of the rotation, he allowed a .346 OBP, and a .392 slugging percentage. This year, his numbers as a starter are at .285 and .321, respectively. There’s another way of showing this. Because of Sanchez’s sinker, he’s always been able to generate grounders, but here’s a plot, courtesy of Fangraphs, of the 2015 starting pitchers with grounder rate and K-BB%:



And here is the plot for his 2016:



That’s an awfully big shift for that little yellow dot. A year ago, Sanchez was among the league leaders in lowest average launch angle allowed. This year, he’s kept that up. But he’s figured out the zone, and he’s improved his curveball, and so there have been more of the good things and fewer of the bad things. What Sanchez has pulled off, by improving his conditioning and mechanical consistency, is remarkable, and this table can tell you why. Since 2002, more than 1,700 pitchers have thrown at least 50 innings as starters in consecutive seasons.

Sanchez spent the majority of his first two seasons in the majors working out of relief, and now that he suddenly looks like an ace, that he’s already exceeded his previous season-high in innings by more than 20. And if you know about that, then you know about the sinker that leads Sanchez’s arsenal:


In 2015, Baseball America profiled the pitch as having “plus-plus life with bat-breaking armside run and sink.” When fangraph’s Jeff Sullivan looked for a comparison to Zach Britton‘s sinker last season, the first name he mentioned was Sanchez, noting that the key difference between the two is Britton generated more downward plane due to his delivery. Sanchez’s release point is slightly higher this year compared to last, so a pitch that was already nearly Britton’s sinker last year is now slightly closer. It’s thrown harder than 95 mph on average, making it the third-fastest sinker thrown by a starting pitcher with at least 500 thrown this season. It generates nine inches of horizontal break, on average, and none of the five pitchers who get more movement to the arm side with their sinker also generate more vertical drop on the pitch.

Sanchez can get into trouble when he tries to challenge hitters with his fasatball:




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Five biggest coaching mistakes in NFL Week 6
Mike Batista via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

There might be times when the average Joe wishes he made the kind of money an NFL head coach makes, even if it means working 90 hours a week from July through January. Well, hopefully January.

But people with five-figure salaries in humdrum jobs should count their blessings. Their boss might have something to say about their work, but they don’t have millions of people criticizing decisions they make in the office.

With that in mind, let’s question some coaching decisions that were made in Week 6.

Browns going for two down nine points with two minutes left


Hue Jackson should show up to work early a couple of times this week and study math before he studies film.

Terrelle Pryor caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Cody Kessler with 2:07 left Sunday to pull the Browns to within 28-19 at Tennessee.

Then the Browns went for two.

And failed.

Therefore, it remained a two-possession game.

Jackson has been part of various NFL coaching staffs since 2001. Hasn’t he been around long enough to know that when you’re down multiple touchdowns, you go for two only when you have to?



Apparently not.

His mistake was magnified when the Browns recovered the onside kick and scored again, making it 28-25 with 27 seconds left. Had the Browns just kicked the extra point earlier, they’d have been down 28-26 and could have tried to tie it with a two-point conversion and not needed to recover a second onside kick.

Instead, the Browns kicked the extra point and trailed by two when they tried another onside kick. The Titans recovered to secure the win.

The Browns are 0-6, their worst start since 1999, the year the franchise came back to Cleveland. Half of those losses have come by a touchdown or less and can partly be blamed on Jackson’s poor tactical decisions.

Colts going shotgun on fourth-and-1 instead of kicking field goal


The Colts had a 13-9 lead over the Texans late in the third quarter Sunday night in Houston.

On fourth-and-1 from the Texans’ 8-yard line, all they needed to extend their lead to a full touchdown was a 25-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri, whose head is chiseled into the all-time Mount Rushmore of NFL kickers.

But instead of going with one of their few strengths, they not only went for it but Andrew Luck was in the shotgun. The Colts needed to move the ball forward one yard, and to do that they snapped it four yards backwards. Frank Gore stood right next to Luck in the formation, but in a short-yardage situation why would the Colts hand it off to a guy who ran for 106 yards and averaged 4.8 yards a carry in the game? Luck dropped back to pass and was sacked by Whitney Mercilus.

The Colts (2-4) could have used the three points. They eventually built a 23-9 lead, but the Texans rallied to tie it and win the game in overtime.

Now they’re last in the AFC South, and Chuck Pagano’s seat is getting warmer. But what else is new?

Steelers calling Landry Jones pass on third-and-1


Landry Jones replaced Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter Sunday in Miami after Roethlisberger left the game with what turned out to be a torn meniscus.

With the Dolphins leading 9-8 and 5:23 left in the first half, the Steelers turned to Le’Veon Bell, who cranked out runs of 12, eight and six yards. Then on third-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 46, Jones threw a pass to David Johnson. No, the Cardinals didn’t trade Johnson to the Steelers. This David Johnson is a blocking tight end who has caught 26 passes in his seven-year career.

He didn’t catch this one, and the Dolphins had enough time to drive for a touchdown and a 16-8 halftime lead.

Jones can’t throw the ball like Roethlisberger, but it’s hard to imagine there’s that much of a dropoff when it comes to handing the ball off. Feeding Bell was a good way to overcome Roethlisberger’s absence. If there ever was a time to stay conservative, this was it.

That wasn’t the only time the Steelers should have handed the ball to Bell but didn’t. Despite averaging 5.3 yards per carry, he ran the ball just 10 times.



It’s also hard to fathom the Steelers (4-2) losing 30-15 to a team that had just one overtime win over the winless Browns entering the game.

Falcons throwing with a one-point lead


Sure, Richard Sherman got away with pass interference on Julio Jones. But since that’s been the talking point of the game, it’s allowed the Falcons to get away with questionable play-calling.

They clung to a 24-23 lead when Ra’Shede Hageman blocked Steven Hauschka’s extra point with 4:47 left in the game at Seattle.

Instead of running the ball to protect the lead, the Falcons threw it not once, not twice but three times.

The first two passes were complete and Atlanta picked up a first down, but the third was intercepted by Earl Thomas. Hauschka kicked the game-winning field goal with two minutes left.

The Falcons had gained just 2.9 yards per carry in the game, but huge gains aren’t needed on every play to run out the clock. Matt Ryan threw for 335 yards. But the Legion of Boom is the Legion of Boom. At some point, the Seahawks secondary is going to lower the boom.

Packers kicking two field goals on fourth-and-short in first half


Mike McCarthy took a page out of his game plan for the 2014 NFC championship game and called for the field goal unit in a short-yardage situation.

He did it twice in Sunday’s 30-16 home loss to the Cowboys.

Dallas scored a touchdown on its opening drive. The Packers (4-2) had a fourth-and-1 at the Cowboys’ 19 on their first possession. Instead of going for the first down, McCarthy decided to answer the Cowboys’ seven points with three points.

In the second quarter, the Packers faced fourth-and-2 at the Cowboys’ 25-yard line, and again kicked a field goal to trim the Cowboys’ lead to 7-6.

The Cowboys extended their lead to 17-6 at halftime and took control of the game from there. The Packers didn’t score a touchdown until there were less than seven minutes remaining in the game, narrowing their deficit to 27-16.

The Packers might have had a touchdown sooner, and it might have been more of a game in the fourth quarter, if McCarthy had gone for the first down at least one of those times in the first half.



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Top Turtle Podcast – Episode 41: John Crouch
Daniel Vreeland via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Did you see Mackenzie Dern’s awesome Iminari choke this past weekend? Top Turtle podcast had the pleasure of interviewing Mackenzie’s head coach, John Crouch about the insane move and Mackenzie’s development as a fighter. We also spoke about surging prospect Bryan Barberena, Benson Henderson’s Bellator title shot and what John thinks of Jiu-Jitsu with limited striking. Fascinating interview as always from the MMA Lab’s head coach.

And in the fastest fight news update on planet earth, Dave and Dan breakdown GSP declaring free agency, Conor’s left field announcement, Instant replay, Jose Aldo’s temper tantrum and the UFC’s change in management.

And to get you through the UFC drought, we go over our favorite fights that took place in the month of October.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe. Top Turtle MMA is now on Stitcher, iTunes andTuneIn. Pick your favorite delivery method and never miss an episode. OR follow the show on FACEBOOK and give us a like.

Looking for something in particular? Here are the time-stamps:

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Daniel “Gumby” Vreeland (@GumbyVreeland) – With over five years of jiu jitsu experience, “Gumby” has a wealth of technical knowledge that he brings to the table. Add that to a writing history that includes credits on web (The MMA Manifesto) and print sources (Fight! Magazine) and live coverage of every major promotion, and his breakdown skills are just as sharp as his rubber guard.



David Tramonte (@TopTurtleMMA) – Has a long history in TV Production, having been an associate producer for the Best Damn Sports Show Period, NBC Sports and MLB Network. He has produced shows featuring content from the UFC, Pride FC, Strikeforce and the International Fight League. His passion lies in practicing jiu jitsu and trying to pick MMA parlays.



OUR SPONSORS

SISU Mouth Guards are the best lightweight mouth guard option on the market; they’re safe, effective and breathable. Click the logo to check out their website and listen to the podcast this week for a full rundown of what the hosts love about the product.




If you train jiu jitsu, submission grappling or MMA in the Western Massachusetts area and you don’t train at New English Submission Fighting (NESF), you’re doing it wrong. NESF is the premier martial arts gym in the area. Take your game to the next level with jiu jitsu black belt, Dave Roy, and expert stand up coach, Kirik Jenness. Located in Amherst, MA.



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Elite DT set to visit Ohio State
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


A 4-star Buckeye target will be witnessing for The Game.

Jay Tufele (South Jordan, UT / Bingham) is one of the best defensive prospects in the 2017 class. To this point he has made it clear that he wants to explore all of his options before committing to a school and because of this, there is no one school leading the way in his recruitment.

Tufele has managed to narrow down his list of suitors to Michigan, USC, Utah, Washington and Ohio State. There is no notable leader in this group, so we will need to wait until the four-star DE has taken his official visits before his list can be narrowed down any further.

The 6-foot-3, 297-pound defensive lineman will be kicking off his official visits this week when he travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. to visit the Buckeyes arch-rival Michigan. However, Buckeye Nation need not fret as Tufele announced his official visit date for Ohio State – and it’s a big one.

Tufele confirmed with 247Sports Monday afternoon that he plans to visit the Ohio State campus on Nov. 26, when the Buckeyes take on the Wolverines in The ‘Shoe. Tufele will likely be looking forward to watching the Buckeyes play in person as he mentioned in the article that he “loves” the Buckeyes and that Ohio State reminds him of his current team.

It can be assumed that we will learn a lot more about Tufele’s thought process after this visit as both teams are highly involved in recruiting him and the game takes place late in the season.

Make sure to stick with Land-Grant Holy Land for the latest on his recruitment and more.

Army All American Bowl adds more Buckeye connections


Two more prospects in the 2017 class with Ohio State ties officially became members of the U.S. Army All American Bowl game Monday afternoon. The aforementioned Buckeye target Jay Tufele received his jersey today and will officially be on the West team.


Tufele wasn’t the only Buckeye to officially commit to the game today as five-star DE commit Chase Young (Hyattsville, MD / DeMatha Catholic) also received the prestigious honor Monday.

Young committed to the Buckeyes this past summer and is one of the best defensive line prospects in his entire class and is currently listed as the No. 2 weak-side DE in the 247Sports composite rankings. While Young and Tufele will be on opposing teams in this all-star game, the two could eventually become the only two DE commits in Ohio State’s No. 1 rated 2017 recruiting class.

Quick Hits

• 3-star ATH Alex Reigelsperger (Dayton, OH / Wayne) will be in attendance for the Ohio State vs Penn State game this weekend. Both programs have offered the Ohio native and this outcome of the game will likely effect both of these schools chances in landing the impressive athlete, whether good or bad.

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LOOK: Trevor Bauer taunts Blue Jays fans
Matt Birch via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The Cleveland Indians jumped out to a 3-0 series lead after pulling off a 4-2 win on Monday night, something no one would have expected.

Starter Trevor Bauer didn’t even make it out of the first inning, as his finger was literally gushing blood and he was forced to be pulled. Bauer, however, made sure to let Jays fans know how big of a hole they were in after the game was over, though.


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Yes, that was Bauer signaling that the Indians are in the driver’s seat and currently possess a 3-0 lead.



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Vikings troll FOX over photoshopped Sam Bradford photo
Matt Birch via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

For some reason, FOX has continued to show a photo of Sam Bradford photoshopped onto Teddy Bridgewater’s body. No one really understands why. In case you haven’t seen it, you probably should.

I’ve seen this over 10 times, and it’s still laughable.


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The Vikings, understandably, had some fun with it on Twitter, and told FOX they’d hook them up with an actual Sammy photo if needed.


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FOX deserves that, trying to get by with a photoshopped image is embarrassing. They’re not even the same skin color.



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Terry Francona flips off camera during game (VIDEO)
Matt Birch via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona wasn’t really interested in being shown on camera during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, and he made sure to make it known.

In the bottom of the first inning, just before he was forced to pull starter Trevor Bauer from the game, Francona was shown on TV flipping off the camera.


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No, he was not scratching an itch. There are even theories that he made the gesture toward Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, who had just made his way out of the dugout to complain to the umpires about Bauer’s hand.


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Francona can do whatever he wants, to be honest. His flawless managing and decision making in key moments is why the Indians are one game away from the World Series.



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Tim Tebow is 0-for-12 in Arizona Fall League
Kevin McGuire via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Remember when New York Mets prospect Tim Tebow hit a home run in his first swing in an instructional league a couple weeks back? It’s been all down hill since. Tebow is 0-for-12 in the Arizona Fall League so far, which



Honestly, I cannot help but root for Tebow to find some success, because it is hard to argue it would not be a fantastic story. Obviously, you don’t want to see this help a division rival (especially the Mets) in any way, but we all pretty much know this Tebow baseball experiment is not likely to go very far. You have to wonder if a poor showing in the AFL will bring an early end to this whole adventure for Tebow.

Tip of the cap to Deadspin.



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Tweet of the Moment
rhinocompass via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



That’s a really tame celebration, Colorado. If only there was another, legal way to blow off some steam and relax in the state of Colorado.

(Mazel tov to those who can see the post show up Monday night. If not, happy Tuesday, glad we could be here.)



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Rangers Persevere in Wild Third Period Win vs. Sharks
Melissa Andus via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The New York Rangers remain undefeated at home after a wild 7-4 victory against the San Jose Sharks. For a box score, click here.

Well that was fun. Raise your hand if you thought the boys were going to blow it in the third period? I will fully admit my hand is raised high. Last years’ team brainwashed us to expect the worst. But same as opening night, this team didn’t quit. It’s nice to see the “find a way” Rangers again, even if it’s only been a couple of games.

So where to begin? Guess I’ll just start with the same player I started with after game 1 – Chris Kreider. Man is on a mission. If whatever needed to click finally clicked and this is the player we are going to get all year, it is going to be a fun year. I mean, I don’t even have words for this goal:


That’s just insane. And his hug of the referee is much better than running the goalie. Maybe he’ll get a reputation of doing that instead.

That was in the second period so let’s go back a little bit.

I feel confident in saying the Rangers dominated the majority of this game. In fact, they seem to have the Sharks number since a certain game back in October 2012. Wonder why that could be.

But as we saw all too well on Saturday, domination doesn’t always show on the scoreboard so after a very good first 17 minutes of the game which led to a 1-0 lead, the Rangers got into some penalty trouble. The call on Zibanejad was legit. You can even argue that the call on Fast was as well, although you don’t see that called that often especially when the team is on the penalty kill.

So the Rangers are 3-on-5 and Stepan and Nash go on a rush to the offensive zone. I’m not crazy about that in the first place because if they get trapped, the poor defenseman (in this case McDonagh) is basically screwed. But they did and they got a good chance. Then Nash gets tied up behind the net and from what I saw, got tackled. Last I checked that wasn’t legal. The referees decided to let the teams play on leading to an extremely odd-man rush the other way and a tie game with a minute to go in the period. You could argue the Rangers got themselves into that trouble by going for the offensive chance but it was a tough pill to swallow at that point in the game.

The boys got it back early in the second when Rick Nash, who with Buchnevich out was moved up to play with Zibanejad and Kreider, got a greasy one for his first of the season. Six minutes later was the Kreider goal above and the Rangers had a nice two goal lead to close out the scoring for the first forty.

With three and a half to go in the second, Dylan McIlrath showed his presence getting into it with the Sharks Tomas Hertl. Most Rangers fans remember Hertl from that game four years ago. That said, this wasn’t a fair fight and the referees quickly broke it up. I’ll admit I didn’t see what happened but I’m guessing Hertl did something cause McIlrath usually doesn’t fight non-fighters unless he has to.

Now to the third. Seven goals in twenty minutes. The highlight? Jimmy Vesey scoring his first NHL goal (just 21 seconds after Hayes got his first of the season). The kid was flying all game and you could tell he was close to breaking through. The smile on his face was as big as the building from the moment the puck hit the net until they officially announced the goal. You could tell he was soaking it all in and was trying not to smile too much as the roar of the crowd went up during the announcement. If there’s one thing MSG crowds get right is celebrating milestones of their players. Always the loudest cheer of the night.

That made it 5-2 with less than eight minutes to go. The Rangers gave one back a minute later and you could feel the tension start to build. Two minutes later, it was a one goal game. Then DeBoer got greedy and tried to pull Martin Jones. I’m not sure he made it to the bench before Zuccarello buried the empty net goal. Remember that missed call that led to the Sharks first goal? Pretty sure the Rangers got the makeup call right before this goal as Zuccarello definitely should have had a penalty earlier in the shift. The Rangers would add another in the final seconds to preserve the 7-4 victory.

I’m still not sure this team is built to try to outscore teams but they are closer than past teams have been. Either way, looks like we have a fun season ahead of us. The Rangers are next on the ice Wednesday night for a match up with the Detroit Red Wings, who destroyed the Senators 5-1 behind a hat trick from Rangers killer Mike Green in their home opener tonight. Hopefully Green got all his goals for the week out of his system already.



(Photo: Melissa Andus)



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Saints Happy Hour Podcast: Saints prove defense is optional, beat Panthers 41-38
Andrew Juge via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The boys celebrate the 2-3 Saints in Style! They bask in Sad Cam, which is the best Cam. Andrew loves the unstoppable offense, Dave describes the vibe in the Dome for his son’s first Saints game.

Ralph wonders if Saints fans have Stockholm syndrome when it comes to the defense.
The Saints are back to playing Brian Dixon at corner, stock your liquor cabinets as needed.
Do the Saints have a legit kicker?
Why is Sean Payton treating punt returns like an 87 year old man hoarding money under his mattress?
Should Saints pay Nick Fairley?
Plus Twitter questions and predictions for the Kansas City game.
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Cody Kessler has earned starting job
oriosjr13 via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Not much has gone right for the Cleveland Browns this season, but for the first time, in a very long time, the quarterback position isn’t an issue.

Cody Kessler has played well, especially considering the circumstances, and he’s done to keep his job as Cleveland’s signal caller the rest of the season.

On Sunday against the Titans, Kessler rallied the Browns to a furious last minute comeback, scoring twice in less than two minutes, but falling short 28-26. Kessler set a career high with 336 yards passing and two touchdowns.

On the season, both replacing injured QBs and starting, Kessler has fired four touchdown passes while completing 65% of his passes.

A third round pick by the Browns, Kessler has played well so far this season.

With another lost year for the team, now is as good a time as ever to find out if the Browns have their QB of the future in Cody Kessler.

Yes they added Robert Griffin III in the offseason, and Josh McCown plays well when he gets the chance to, but this is long term here.

All those quarterbacks for all those years since 1999, from Couch to Dorsey to Holcomb to Hoyer and everybody else in between, this is about finding out if the Browns finally have their signal caller.

Let’s see what the kid’s got.

He’s earned the starting job not just for now, but for the remainder of this season.





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ALCS 3 Three Recap: No Bauer, No Problem as Tribe Takes 3-0 Series Lead
gpotter16 via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The Cleveland Indians have had an innate ability to deal with adversity this season, and they needed every bit of that on Monday. Trevor Bauer, dealing with a wounded pinky finger on his throwing hand, had to removed from the game two outs into the game due to excessive bleeding. However, the bullpen only allowed two Toronto runs, and the Indians offense, led Mike Napoli, did enough to give the Indians a win and a 3-0 lead in the ALCS. Here is how it all happened:

First Inning:


Carlos Santana demonstrated why he has been so valuable in the leadoff spot, drawing a five-pitch walk against Marcus Stroman. At first, it looked like Santana would get no further than first, after Jason Kipnis hit a ball fairly hard to left-center field that defensive wizard Kevin Pillar had no running down and Francisco Lindor struck out. However – Mike Napoli broke out of his postseason slump by hitting a ball off the wall in right field, just out of the reach of Jose Bautista for a double. Santana scored from first, giving the Tribe a 1-0 lead. Jose Ramirez would strand Napoli at second on a line-out to left field.

Unfortunately, things did not go as well for the Indians in the bottom-half of the inning: after striking out Jose Bautista and getting Edwin Encarnacion to fly-out (and mixing in two walks), Trevor Bauer’s injured pinky began bleeding heavily, and he had to removed from the game: a worst-case scenario for the Indians, who already were frighteningly-thin on starting pitchers. However, Dan Otero replaced Bauer and got Russell Martin to ground out, getting Cleveland out of the inning.

Second Inning:


The Indians were able to make a little bit of noise in the second due to their baserunning: Coco Crisp drew a one out walk and stole second base easily. However, Tyler Naquin popped out and Roberto Perez struck out with Crisp at third after he advanced on wild pitch.

Toronto continued to build momentum to start the bottom half of the second, as Michael Saunders led off with a home run to left field to tie the game at 1-1. However, Otero managed to avoid any further damage, getting Pillar to ground out, and inducing a double-play ball off of Ryan Goins’ bat after allowing a single to Ezequiel Carrera.

Third Inning:


Cleveland went about as quietly as they good in the third inning: Santana popped to short center, and Kipnis and Lindor hit weak ground balls the second base. With that, Stroman had retired 6 of the last 7 hitters he faced.

However, the Tribe bullpen continued to hold serve: Jeff Manship, making his first postseason appearance, took the ball from Otero. He allowed a leadoff single to Bautista, but went on to induce three straight pop-outs to Josh Donaldson, Encarnacion, and Troy Tulowitzki, and the score remained 1-1.

Fourth Inning:


Cleveland managed to seize back some of the game’s momentum as Napoli continued to bust out of his playoff slump with a 411 foot bomb to center field, bringing the score to 2-1 – his eighth career postseason homer. However, Jose Ramirez, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Coco Crisp were then retired in order by Stroman.

The bottom of the fourth inning proved to be much of the same for Cleveland: the bullpen once again did their job, as Manship struck out Martin before giving way to Zach McAllister. Michael Saunders nearly took McAllister deep to the spot he hit his homer off Otero, but fell about ten feet short. Then, McAllister got Pillar to ground out to third, ending the frame with the Tribe lead still intact.

Fifth Inning:


While the Indians were surely desperate to try to add to their lead, Marcus Stroman continued to seem unhittable to anyone not named Napoli, striking out Naquin looking and getting Roberto Perez and Carlos Santana to weakly pop out.

After holding off the Blue Jays for a few innings, a single mistake by Zach McAllister cost the Indians the lead: Carrera smoked a leadoff triple to right field that died after hitting the wall, allowing Carrera the extra stride or two to get to third base. A ground ball to Lindor at short by Ryan Goins tied the game at 2-2. Bryan Shaw then entered the game, and fans got a quick scare as Bautista flew out deep to left field. Josh Donaldson singled to keep the inning alive, but Shaw induced a ground ball off the bat at Encarnacion and end the threat.

Sixth Inning:


Much like throughout the season (and the game Monday), the Indians answered when facing adversity. After Toronto tied the game in the fifth, Jason Kipnis lead off the sixth with a home run to deep right, giving the Indians a 3-2 lead. While Stroman would get Lindor to strikeout, a walk to Mike Napoli would knock Stroman out of the game, giving way to Joe Biagini.

Baserunning was highlighted coming into the series, and it would be baserunning that got Cleveland another run. While at first Napoli read a ball in the dirt, broke for second, and got in safely ahead of Martin’s throw. Jose Ramirez would then single to right-center, allowing Napoli to score and giving the Indians a 4-2 lead.

Bryan Shaw did his job in the bottom half, retiring Toronto in order, striking out Martin and Saunders after getting Tulowitzki to ground out – and presumably setting the stage for Andrew Miller to enter the game in the 7th.

Seventh Inning:


The Indians couldn’t manage to add any insurance runs in the seventh: Tyler Naquin, struck out against Jason Grilli to lead off the inning, as he continued to look overmatched this postseason. Roberto Perez managed to reach on a single, but Carlos Santana popped to left and Kipnis flew to right to the end the top half of the inning.

It would be Allen who entered the game in the seventh, not Miller, and things would get a little tense. Allen got Carrera to fly out to right field, but Pillar would bloop a single to right field, and then steal second base. Justin Smoak came in to pinch hit for Goins, and worked the count full before Allen got him to chase a curveball for strikeout three. Allen faced Bautista, who worked a walk. That brought 2015 MVP Josh Donaldson to the plate, where one swing could have given Toronto the lead. Instead, Donaldson would line to left field, where Coco Crisp would make a diving grab to end the inning and keep Cleveland’s lead at 4-2.

Eighth Inning:


The top of the eighth was promising for the Indians, with Lindor drawing a leadoff walk against Brett Cecil . Unfortunately, it wouldn’t lead to much, as Napoli would strike out and Ramirez popped out. Lindor attempted to steal second base with a 1-1 count on Chisenhall, and was initially called safe, but appeared to come off the bag, and was ruled out on a replay review to end the half inning.

There would be no drama in the bottom half of the eighth: Cody Allen took the hill to start the inning, and make quick work of Encarnacion, who grounded out into the Tribes’s heavy shift. Allen would then strike out Troy Tulowitzki looking on an inside fastball. At that point, Terry Francona gave the ball to Andrew Miller, who not surprisingly struck out Russell Martin on four pitches – his 18th strikeout in eight innings of work this postseason.

Ninth Inning:


The Indians looked like they were primed to add an insurance run (or two) in the top half of the ninth against Roberto Osuna – but were dealt a bit of bad luck. Where as a bounce aided Toronto on Carrera’s triple, a bounce hurt the Indians. After Coco Crisp singled with one out, Naquin drove a wall to right, that bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. Crisp easily would have scored, but instead was held at third with one out. Then, Roberto Perez struck out, and Carlos Santana grounded out to leave Crisp at third.

However: Cleveland wouldn’t need it. Even though Andrew Miller didn’t meet his standard of striking out everyone – Dioner Navarro would lead off the inning with a slap-single to right, he would strike out Kevin Pillar and Melvin Upton Jr. before getting Darwin Barney to ground to second to secure the 3-0 lead in the series.

Player of the Game: Mike Napoli – 2-3, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 – Toronto Blue Jays 2

On Deck:


The Indians will turn to their ace, Corey Kluber – on short rest – Tuesday to try to secure their trip to the World Series. He will face Aaron Sanchez, arguably Toronto’s best pitcher, at 4:00 pm on TBS.



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Dak Prescott to the bench? Not so fast Jerry Jones
oriosjr13 via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

If history shows us anything in football, it’s that you ride the hot hand at quarterback, regardless of who lost their starting job.

Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick, and now in Dallas, they’ve got Dak Prescott and Tony Romo.

Only five games in yes, but the talk has already started- Will Tony Romo regain his starting job once he’s cleared to play? And the bigger question- Should he?

It was the same question fans and pundits argued back in 2001 with Bledsoe and Brady, and again in 2012 with Alex Smith and Kaepernick. In both cases, valid arguments were made for each side, going something like this:



Back in the day, that was the purpose of the backup quarterback, to backup the starter. The only time a starting quarterback lost his job was because of poor play (like Todd Marinovich-remember him?), or because of injury of the season ending kind (Donovan McNabb back in 2006 and being replaced by Jeff Garcia). But other than that, his job was simple.

I’ll give you an example of just how much the NFL has changed thanks to Tom Brady’s heroics in 2001:

In 1995, the defending champion 49ers lost their MVP quarterback Steve Young to an injury, and backup Elvis Grbac stepped in and immediately helped San Francisco pull off a major road win at the newly relocated and 1st place St. Louis Rams franchise. Back-to-back home losses to the Saints and Panthers were followed up by two huge road games- a rematch of the conference championship game at Dallas and then a Monday Night matchup at Miami.

The 49ers pulled off the improbable and won both games, with Grbac suddenly lighting up both teams to the tune of six touchdown passes and no interceptions. The 49ers, who were sitting at 5-4 prior to the Dallas game, suddenly left Florida sitting with a nice 7-4 record thanks to Grbac’s back-to-back heroics on the road.

But it ended right there. The following Sunday, Steve Young was back in the lineup and Grbac back to the bench. That was the old NFL, back before a 6th round pick came out of nowhere and led his team to a Super Bowl victory in 2001.

Now, the feeling is that you ride the hot hand. Where fans were once split in situations like this, the tide has seemed to turn. Very few Cowboy fans seem happy to have Tony Romo coming back and immediately taking over the job that was already his. They want to ride with Dak Prescott as long as possible and see where it goes.

Maybe a Super Bowl appearance like 49er fans experienced when Colin Kaepernick took over a concussed Alex Smith? Or maybe at some point, the magical ride of Dak finally evens out, and the turnovers start happening and a loss here or there is enough to convince fans to go back to Romo, but for the meantime, the debate is going on strong.

In reality, it’s a debate that seems much more relevant than the two currently running for president, but that’s another blog for another time.

For now, the return of Tony Romo, if ever, is a couple of weeks away. As the saying goes, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there”, but still, it’s a conversation that will eventually consume the airwaves in Texas, it’s just a matter of time.



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Can Colin Kaepernick lead the Niners again off the bench?
oriosjr13 via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The first time Colin Kaepernick came off the bench in his NFL career, he took over for an injured 1st round quarterback, and led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

Four years later, Kaepernick is once again coming off the bench to replace a 1st round quarterback, but this time, the circumstances have changed.

The 49ers are no longer dominant like they were with Jim Harbaugh back in 2012, no, these 49ers might be one of the worst organizations in all of football right now, and Kaepernick is no longer an unknown player, but instead he’s become one of the most recognizable athletes in all of professional sports today.

Not so much for what he’s done on the field, no, that’s why he’s on the bench in the first place, but rather for his stance (no pun intended) on kneeling during the National Anthem.

That aside, Sunday is an opportunity for Kaepernick to resurrect a once soaring career that saw him quickly become one of the faces of the league. It’s also a chance for all football fans to see if a QB like Kaepernick can succeed in Chip Kelly’s offense, which seems to be built for his skill set.

For starters, Kaepernick inherits an offense that ranks 8th in the league in rushing yards per game (121.4) and a running back in Carlos Hyde who is tied for the most rushing touchdowns on the season with six.

This is Chip’s strength, the running game, and it was a staple of what made the Harbaugh 49ers great (aside from having a killer defense).

In the passing game however, the 49ers are dead last, a far cry for a franchise that was once lead by passers like Brodie, Montana, Young, and Garcia.

This is the mess Kaepernick steps into. It’s a chance to revive a career with a city that still loves him and thinks of him as the face of the franchise. It’s also in a bigger picture, an opportunity to showcase to the rest of the league that he hasn’t declined in skills and can still be the dangerous threat that helped lead the 49ers to two straight conference title games and a Super Bowl in just his first three seasons in the league.

So much is at stake for Colin Kaepernick right now, and it starts Sunday at Buffalo, only this time, the cameras won’t just be on for his anthem protest, but for the rest of the game as he takes the field for the first time this season as the starting QB for the 49ers.



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The Otto’s- September
oriosjr13 via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

For all three of my readers, I apologize for being behind on the Otto’s, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here to get the back story on our very own award.

We’re five games into the season and already in mid-October, and because we’re behind, we’re going to make it up by doing the Otto’s for the month of September for now. If possible, we’ll go back to the weekly blog.

For now, here we go for the month of September. In honor of Tom Brady’s horrendous, uncalled for, unjustified BS suspension, we’re going with a top four only instead of top five for this first write up of the new season.

Honorable mention goes to Sam Bradford, who has played well in Minnesota so far this season. Four games in, they Vikings are undefeated, Bradford hasn’t thrown an interception, and above all, he’s stayed healthy (not making fun of him at all, he’s a good dude, you’ve got to root for someone like Sam).

4- Dak Prescott, Cowboys

Admit it……ok I will then. As soon as Tony Romo stayed down in Seattle, I thought Dallas was done. At best I thought, if/when Romo came back, the Cowboys would be a team that won at least two games- after four games, Dallas is 3-1, and Dak has been solid. He doesn’t throw interceptions, rarely makes mistakes, and has been a proficiency machine, completing almost 70% of his passes. He’s also scored five times in four games (three through the air and twice on the ground). His touchdown stats may not wow people, but the level he’s playing at is.

3- Carson Wentz, Eagles

Even before the season started, many, many, many football fans and pundits had already written off just how bad the Eagles were going to be, thanks in large part to the purge cause by Chip Kelly. Four weeks into the season, the Eagles are in first place, and their rookie QB has looked good. Wentz has fired 7 touchdown passes to just a single INT, while completing 67% of his passes. Philly’s only blemish on the season is a 1-point loss to the Lions last week, in which Wentz threw his first interception on the season.

2- Derek Carr, Raiders

Carr has blossomed into one of the best young QBs in the league, and he’s got the supporting cast on offense to lead the Raiders to the playoffs. In Week 1, he drove Oakland downfield late in the 4th quarter for the game tying touchdown, but instead of tying the game with an extra point kick, the Raiders gambled and Carr delivered on a pass to Michael Crabtree for the game winner. Against the Ravens three weeks later, Carr fired four touchdown passes, including the game winner to Crabtree again, as the Raiders moved to 3-1 on the season. Through four games, Carr has thrown 9 touchdown passes to just a single interception.




1- Matt Ryan, Falcons

In the first four games of the season, Matt Ryan, how can I put this, shredded defenses. Literally, he tore them apart like Brock Lesnar did to John Cena at SummerSlam 2014. That bad. Ryan after four games, is on pace to throw for almost 6,000 yards and 44 touchdowns, and oh yeah, the Falcons are in sole possession of first place. Ryan annihilated the defending NFC Champion Panthers to the tune of 500 yards and four scores and is the leader in the Automatic Otto’s one month into the 2016 season.



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No Hearing for Jake Virtanen’s Dirty Hit on Joakim Nordstrom
Eric J. Burton via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

I was watching this dirty hit by Vancouver Canucks forward, Jake Virtanen on Carolina Hurricanes forward, Joakim Nordstrom, there was no call on the play. Actually, I am wondering why this hit didn’t at least get a hearing. Virtanen slams Nordstrom’s head into the boards.

According to NBC Sports, “Vancouver forward Jake Virtanen isn’t scheduled to have a disciplinary hearing after shoving the head of Carolina’s Joakim Nordstrom into the boards, the NHL has confirmed.”


This is what former NHL official Kerry Fraser had to say about this hit.


I agree with what Mr. Fraser, this should have been a major penalty and a game misconduct. There wasn’t even a penalty called on the play.



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No. 2 Buckeyes claw past No. 8 Wisconsin in OT thriller (Oct 16, 2016) - FOXSports.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


No. 2 Buckeyes claw past No. 8 Wisconsin in OT thriller (Oct 16, 2016)
FOXSports.com
Wisconsin: Coach Paul Chryst dug deep into the playbook to throw off the Buckeyes in the first half, running receiver Jazz Peavy on jet sweeps and passing out of tight formations. The Badgers had manageable third-down situations, for the most part, ...

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If you think this platform change is difficult for EaglesEyeBlog, it’s even worse for Eagles as they anticipate the Vikings…
jaxsportsmedia via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

This is kind of a test blurg for our many loyal Eagles EYE readers… Yes, we were just kidnapped by Robert Kraft and his New England Sports Network… it has thrown a lot of servers into a tizzy around the world…but eventually we will resurface and dominate.

I’m more concerned about the Eagles and how they respond to a two-game losing streak with Minnesota coming off a Bye and into the Linc.

The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with some injury concerns coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Washington Redskins. The most significant belongs to defensive tackle Bennie Logan, whom head coach Doug Pederson described as week-to-week with a groin injury. Logan will likely be unavailable for this weekend’s home game against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. That’s bad news for a defense that yielded 230 rushing yards to Washington and has slipped overall after a strong start.

“I would agree that we got our tail kicked up front in that game,” said HC Doug Pederson. “That’s obvious. It’s a pride thing. It comes down to each man taking ownership in their jobs, in their assignments. As coaches, we have to make sure that players are in the right positions to make plays, and at the end of the day, it’s each man to himself and then collectively coming together to make plays.”

Pederson revealed on Monday that center Jason Kelce is dealing with plantar fasciitis and will sit out Wednesday’s practice. Veteran Stefen Wisniewski will take reps with the first team, though Pederson expects Kelce to play this week.

The offensive line is already at less than full strength thanks to the 10-game Lane Johnson suspension. Despite his struggles against Ryan Kerrigan in his first start, Pederson is going to stick with rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai at right tackle.

Eeeeek!

Cornerback Ron Brooks (left calf contusion) is day-to-day, as is linebackerMychal Kendricks (rib contusion) and defensive end Marcus Smith (right groin). Pederson expects starting corner Leodis McKelvin (hamstring) to practice Wednesday, along with defensive end Bryan Braman (shoulder), wide receiverJordan Matthews (knee tendonitis) and safety Rodney McLeod (AC shoulder sprain).

So we’re pretty beat up right now— much like this dime-store website.

Most of you are starting to pull up the new site. However, it can take hours for the changeover to take full effect and be processed by every internet provider. If you are getting redirected to the old platform, please be patient. There is nothing that can be done to make the change happen faster. This is just part of changing servers and it will resolve itself.

And yet isn’t that the same promise we once heard from Rich Kotite?

The Eagles, losers of two straight, host the undefeated Minnesota Vikings this weekend. The Vikings are quarterbacked by Sam Bradford, who was dealt from Philadelphia to Minnesota eight days before the season in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2017 as well as a conditional fourth-rounder in 2018.

Having worked in the Eagles offense all offseason, Bradford knows the playbook inside and out, and will likely be passing some nuggets along to the Vikings coaching staff this week.

Pederson says that’s not an issue.

“One guy has my entire playbook,” Pederson responded. “One guy. And that’s Carson Wentz.”

He then was asked if Bradford’s knowledge would affect how the Eagles put together a game plan.

“We also, back a few years ago, Donovan [McNabb] was in Washington when we played him, and we had a pretty good day. So, listen, I’m not going to change anything. Will we tweak some stuff? Yes.”

Pederson is likely referencing the 59-28 Eagles win over the McNabb-led Redskins on Monday Night Football in 2010, when Michael Vick threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more. Pederson was an assistant for Andy Reid and the Eagles then. McNabb’s first game against his old team however, was a 17-12 Washington win at Lincoln Financial Field.

“You know, we still have to get ready; this is a great football team coming in here, now,” Pederson continued. “They’re undefeated, coming off a Bye. Sam has obviously a good understanding and knowledge of what we do on both sides of the ball. I think where it becomes valuable for a coach when a player knows you, is just knowing personnel. I think just understanding the types of guys that are here. He’s been a teammate for a couple years here and I think that becomes more valuable than the X’s and O’s because, if I know Sam and I know the quarterback position, he’s gotta get ready for this defense and get himself ready to go as well.”

“No,” said Pederson, when asked if he’s surprised how well Bradford has played despite joining Minnesota so close to the start of the season. “Everything I’ve seen, [having] worked with Sam and how well he picked up our offense here and the execution he had throughout training camp, you’re seeing a lot of the same concepts offensively with them that we did here. He’s a sharp kid, he’s a smart kid and he’s a very accurate thrower, so I’m not surprised at the success.





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UFC Brass: GSP Still Under Contract
Jeff Fox via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here





Georges St-Pierre announced earlier today that he was legally out of his UFC contract. At that point no official announcement had come from the UFC. That has changed. Here is their official statement:

“Georges St-Pierre remains under an existing agreement with Zuffa, LLC as his MMA promoter. Zuffa intends to honor its agreement with St-Pierre and reserves its rights under the law to have St-Pierre do the same.”

Your move, Mr. St-Pierre.





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Ohio State football | Buckeyes better for surviving tough test, Meyer says - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football | Buckeyes better for surviving tough test, Meyer says
Columbus Dispatch
Now that they've survived it, the Ohio State Buckeyes are glad to have endured their close call at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday. The Buckeyes breezed through their first four games and took a slap on the wrist in a 21-point victory over Indiana ...
Urban Meyer frustrated with 15-yard penalty called against himESPN
Wisconsin close call could bolster Buckeyes for future challengesDayton Daily News
Ohio State football: Good vibes only with the Buckeyes coming off a win at Wisconsin?cleveland.com
Toledo Blade -Philly.com -CBSSports.com
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Michigan Keeping Tabs On Rival Buckeyes As 'The Game' Nears - CBS Local
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Michigan Keeping Tabs On Rival Buckeyes As 'The Game' Nears
CBS Local
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 28: Jabrill Peppers #5 of the Michigan Wolverines eludes the tackle of Gareon Conley #8 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Michigan Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory ...
Wolverines up to No. 3 as No. 2 Buckeyes lurkArkansas Online
The AP Top 25 Poll | NCAA College FootballNCAA College Football - Associated Press

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