Yesterday, the New York Giants came back from an 18-point deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their first win of the season.
It was an amazing start to the Daniel Jones era as the quarterback was the main catalyst for New York’s second half turnaround.
The reason for that was the Giants lost star running back Saquon Barkley late in the second quarter to what has been deemed a high ankle sprain.
It was a slow first half for him as he managed just 10 yards on eight carries before leaving the game.
He returned to the sideline in the second half—with crutches and his right foot in a walking boot—and had a celebration to remember following Tampa Bay kicker, Matt Gay’s missed field goal as time expedited.
Luckily, the injury doesn’t appear to be season-ending. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the team expects to be without Barkley for “the next several weeks”.
UPDATE FROM ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
MRI revealed Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain that could sideline him anywhere from 4-8 weeks, per source. Longer timeline is considered more likely; the Giants have a bye in week 11, which could give him eight weeks to recover and return for last six games.
The second-longest signature sneaker line with one brand is set to release its 17th model in just a few days. I’ll give you one guess as to which athlete has the longest tenured signature model with the same brand. Lebron James and Nike unveiled the new Nike Lebron 17 just last week, and they are set to officially release September 27th with a retail price of $200.
Lead designer, Jason Petrie, is once again at the helm of designing the signature Lebron model, a task he has undertaken since the (now fan-favorite) Lebron 7. With Lebron’s size and strength it is no secret that he likes a good amount of impact protection when it comes to his own shoe. Whether it be full-length Air-Max cushioning, full-length Zoom, or combining Zoom and Air-Max, King James’ sneakers will be comfortable underfoot. The 17 is no different, sporting the largest volume Max Air unit ever on a Lebron signature model. Combined with the rear Max Air unit are two Zoom pods in the forefoot.
The Lebron 15 was the first shoe to introduce Battleknit, a beefed-up version of flyknit with more structure and support. The 16’s built on that and outfitted the uppers with Battleknit 2.0, a material similar to Battleknit but thicker and more structurally sound. The 17’s introduce yet another new material on the uppers, with Nike calling it “Knitposite.” Knitposite blends traditional Flyknit with heat-molded yarns and serves a purpose of more support in addition to more design options. Fans of the Lebron line initially have had good responses to the new 17’s, pointing out, and liking, that the overall shape resembles the Lebron 8.
The Lebron line has not seen the “reverse swoosh” used on the lateral side of the shoe since the 10’s. Sneaker connoisseurs have a love-hate relationship with Nike using reverse swooshes on sneakers, although it does seem to be working in this model’s favor. It definitely appears that we’ll finally get a true Lakers colorway to release to the general public, with the 16’s not having released any purple/yellow iterations during last season (no, the “Martin” colorway does not count). One big stipend amongst not only regular sneaker consumers of basketball shoes, but of sneakerheads, will be – but can the Lebron 17’s be rocked casually? Yes, we all know that current Nike athlete signature lines are performance FIRST, however, for them to be cool off the hardwood they have to look good with numerous outfits people can put together. We’ll leave that up to the sneakerheads and how they rock them, on if the Lebron 17’s will get the stamp of approval for looking good both on and off the court. Do you see yourself copping a pair when they come out? What colorways do you want to see released this season?
Monday Night Football should be an interesting matchup between the Chicago Bears (1-1) on the season and the Washington Redskins (0-2). The Chicago Bears have the best defense in the NFL and have used that defense and translated it to the offense. Khalil Mack will be a busy man in the middle trying to get to Case Keenum who’s been elusive in the pocket at times. Mack interrupts everything in the run game for the opposing teams and he’s in every single quarterback’s dreams creating nightmares. This Chicago defense and team runs off the energy of Mack and when he makes plays it energizes the team as a unit.
The Bears defensive line will be trying to eat all night but they will be trying to stop one of the best running backs in NFL history in Adrian Peterson. Peterson has resurrected his career in Washington DC with the Redskins after his short stints in New Orleans and Arizona. The Redskins use Peterson’s angry running style to beat up the defenses that they play and he doesn’t look to have slowed down at all. One thing that Adrian Peterson has improved is his pass-catching out of the backfield. Chris Thompson is still in the mix but Peterson has shown that he has the hands if he needs to use them on a play. The mix of Peterson and Thompson will have to be on full display because Keenum should be under pressure all night long.
Case Keenum has 601 yards on the season with 5 touchdowns and has looked extremely well in the pocket showing a lot of patience. One person that Keenum has been able to rely on is the rookie sensation, Terry McLaurin. The rookie has been able to haul in 10 receptions for 187 yards with 2 touchdowns in 2 games. Mind you that’s his first two games of his young career in the NFL. The fact the team has shown a lot of trust and faith in McLaurin this early just shows how much they believe in his ability to get open at any time. The Redskins have their new number 1 receiver in McLaurin and even with a tough Bears defense, he might be able to open.
On the flip side, the Bears have Mitch Trubisky who has struggled out the gate to get his offensive game going. This could be a huge bounce-back game for Mitch and the Bears offense to get things on track to match the intensity of the Bears defense. Mitch has 348 yards on the season with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. Mitch Trubisky needs to get back to his game from last season where he used his legs and arm to get the Bears down the field with ease. Look for Mitch to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers Allen Robinson, David Montgomery, and Tarik Cohen. This should be the game where Montgomery goes off and gets things going as the rookie will be playing in his first MNF matchup in his career with the whole NFL and world watching.
Both teams will have their hands full tonight in a matchup that should be very defensive. The Bears will lean on Khalil Mack and the Redkins will lead on Josh Norman. Don’t expect much offense in this game unless we see some missed coverages in the secondary. The Monday night matchup could be decided by the defense and special teams something that teams don’t usually prioritize like these two teams. Cohen should be dangerous in the return game and I would look for his impact in this game tonight.
Today is Sunday, September 22. Officially the second day of fall, yes, and indeed another Sunday where the collective sporting world will turn its head to the game on the Gridiron for week 3 of the NFL season. So, how is today significant you ask?
It means we are a complete month away from the opening of the 2019-2020 NBA regular season.
And how swiftly the year has transcended into its final quarter. Throughout the past 3 months without pertinent NBA action, we’ve seen assemblies of league titans on teams who otherwise would not even be in consideration of a playoff spot prior to their arrival, and hefty factions of superstars and dynastic rosters dissipate and seek contention elsewhere.
We expect annual facelifts of the league’s infrastructure, but not to this extent. This wild offseason rivaled, or toppled, the zaniness of the 2016 offseason when the then-new Collective Bargaining Agreement was settled amongst the higher-ups. Cap space skyrocketed for just about all 30 clubs since then, and large deals sprinkled across the league were done in multitudes. We saw the defending and repeating champion Golde State Warriors lose both of their finals MVPs in Kevin Durant to Brooklyn, and Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies (or more than likely, elsewhere, pending his eventual buyout with Memphis).
We have seen the former Thunder Buddies reunite in H-Town as Russell Westbrook rejoins James Harden, and becomes the last piece of the original OKC big four to relocate to a new contender. The Utah Jazz scored big in June by acquiring some backcourt help for Donavan Mitchell by signing Mike Conley Jr., the Grizzlies’ all-time franchise leader in points. Aside from Kevin Durant, the Nets
And what was easily the loudest bombshell to drop in almost a decade, the city of Los Angeles has become the nexus of all championship hopes in just a couple of months, with the new-look Clippers, after aligning together the fearsome tandem of 2-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, look to do battle with the new-look Lakers who picked up disgruntled all-star Anthony Davis via a requested trade from New Orleans.
Every roster across the league looks significantly different, as they should every year. Yet, with the roster overhauls stemming from this offseason, expectations for up-and-coming franchises are coming into fruition, regardless of a rebuilding season or playoff push.
With that in mind, We here at SneakerReporter are making a list of the top 30 teams ranked from worst to best, and for today and the next 29 days, see where your favorite team makes it on the countdown.
30. Charlotte Hornets (12-70) – With Their Lone Superstar Departed, Charlotte Must Rebuild
Hornets fans: do yourself a favor and really curb your expectations (as if you were not doing that already).
There is little to no reason to have any optimistic belief about the capabilities of a roster now without their all-star guard and only reliable piece of offense that can have plays drawn up for. Hornets owner Michael Jordan refused to offer him the max in persuading him to stay in Charlotte, and now Kemba Walker is in Boston and is now on the most talented roster he has been on since his UCONN days.
It is unfathomable to view any pragmatic solution to the firestorm that is Hornets basketball at the moment. Sure, therein lies the athletic prowess of Miles Bridges, who could make a major leap in 2019 to be viewed as the No.1 guy Hornets coach James Borrego can depend on.
And then there is always the curious case of a certain Nicolas Batum, who posted his most efficient numbers in the league since 2014. So, there is a venerable case to be made regarding his ascension to his Portland form, but still plenty of reason to believe that he just does not have the intangibles to perform at his highest level anymore.
Last season, Batum averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 31.4 minutes. His efficiency was much higher than usual, shooting 45 percent overall and 39 percent from deep. It was his lowest scoring average since his rookie season in 2008, but his highest efficiency since his second-to-last season with the Trailblazers.
Granted, this is a team that just missed the very cusp of competing in the postseason back in April, losing their playoff spot to the 8th seeded Detroit Pistons by a measly two games. And the obvious factor worth the mention: Kemba Walker was there. Also, Jeremy Lamb is headed to Indiana to strengthen their already strong backcourt composed of Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon. Those are 40 points a game (or more) subtracted from their offensive effort, making the Hornets attack that much more inept.
Taking his place is the former Boston backup guard Terry Rozier, widely dubbed “Scary Terry”. It may not be quite the picture-perfect fill-in for the three-time all-star and All-NBA Third Team selection, but it is something to work with.
Rozier finished 2018 averaging 9 points per game off 38.7 percent shooting from the field while coming off the bench. Rozier’s best numbers came in the 2017-2018 postseason as the Celtics were only a game away from advancing to the NBA Finals, though LeBron James’ Cavaliers had something to say about Boston’s title aspirations last year.
His exodus from Boston ended abruptly amidst publicized locker-room dysfunction and media speculation, but the past is in the past, so he says. Rozier brings substantial postseason experience and now has the opportunity to be what he has theorized himself to be: a go-to franchise point guard that can have an entire offense ran through his ball-handling, tenacity and scoring skillset.
The Hornets had a decent, not great, draft back in June, selecting Kentucky guard PJ Washington 12th overall in the first round. The 21-year-old initially tested the NBA Draft process last year. However, after learning that he was not likely to be picked in the first round, Washington returned to Kentucky for his sophomore season and vowed to become a better player.
The thing is, he became better. Washington went from averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman to averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 as a sophomore. He made vast strides in his ability to both score from, and defend, the perimeter with his 6’7, 227-lb frame, and his impressive 7’2.5 wingspan, as well as bolster his ball-handling and rebounding. I mean, he knocked down 42 percent of his threes in his final year as a Wildcat, which almost seamlessly meshes with today’s conversation of how to develop into today’s ideal pick n’ pop stretch big.
Washington was a safe pick, a low-risk-and-high-reward selection for Charlotte, but if he lives up to or defies expectations of his draft stock, the combination of an uber-athletic Bridges-Washington frontcourt could be a vehemence to develop in the Hornets’ future.
The Hornets are a young team with potential. Sounds cliche’? That’s because that is all they are at the moment. And that is not a bad thing. With a bench including the likes of Cody Martin from Nevada, veterans Malik Monk, and Devonte’ Graham, do not expect Charlotte to make any noise in the East for years to come, as the development of their prospective pieces will tell the story.
It is increasingly evident the Hornets finish in the lower tier of Eastern conference contention this year and the ensuing years in the path to becoming a lottery pick team, but it is all a part of a process, or so Hornets fans hope.
It would stand to reason that if he wasn’t able to stick with the Patriots that none of the other 31 teams–especially the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders–would want to have him and the drama surrounding him off the field on their team going forward.
Today, Antonio Brown took the time to share his stance on his future in the NFL:
Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up !
It’s been reported that New England was not planning on giving Brown his full $9 million signing bonus and on top of the $30 million of guaranteed money voided by the Raiders, that accounts for the $40 million that Brown refers to in his tweets.
The NFLPA will represent Brown as he attempts to recoup that money but he followed his unofficial retirement announcement with a prolonged Twitter rant. In the said rant, Brown took aim at the likes of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NFL Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, and former teammate Ben Roethlisberger for their past sexual indiscretions:
Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly 🤷🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/eKrAE0Vwih
One can assume that Brown feels that him being shunned by the league in the face of the civil lawsuit he’s facing for an alleged sexual assault (along with a second accusor coming forward) his hypocritical compared to the treatment of other NFL players and owners who faced sexual assault charges in their past.
This latest news makes it clear that the Antonio Brown storyline is nowhere near complete even though he is no longer on a roster.
