With the preseason just getting underway for Pistons fans in Detroit, some fans still seem hung up on the looming press over Andre Drummond’s Free Agency next summer. Drummond, 26, has a player option of $28.8 million for the final year of his contract, but if he opts out he will become a free agent summer 2020.
Early this summer Drummond hinted at his excitement for his upcoming free agency, and how excited he is for the whole process. The All-Star center has never been a free agent, and is looking forward to the experience. This started rumors of a possible departure from the 7-year Pistons center.
He is coming off the best season of his career averaging 17.3 PPG on a league leading 15.6 RPG. Drummond recently addressed these issues on Tuesday after the Pistons’ preseason opener. Drummond made it clear that he’d very much like to stay in the Motor City, but on a Max Contract.
“(Max salary) is the way (Gores) sees me and that’s obviously the way anyone will see himself as a basketball player. With the hard work and dedication that you put in each day, no player should feel like he’s not a max player,” Drummond said. “Every player should feel like they’re worth that sum of money because of the hard work and blood, sweat and tears you put in every day.
“The work you put in, you should be rewarded for it; it doesn’t matter whether it’s me or a rookie. Everybody feels they should make the maximum amount of dollars to play the sport they’re playing.”
Seems like both parties have reached an understanding and hopefully we’ll be seeing number 0 suited up in that Pistons jersey for next season. For now, hopefully fans can focus on this season, and making that playoff push.
New Balance is all about victory, after having a hand in delivering the Larry O’Brien trophy to Toronto, Canada, New Balance is eager to deliver more trophies to winners. Except this time the trophy is pizza. Starting October 11th, New Balance is partnering with L’Industrie Pizzeriain Williamsburg to deliver pizza to runners that log their miles via the Strava app. Runners can redeem their points for pizza at the special NB Pizza Co pop up shop in Murray Hill at 47 East 34th Street. No matter where you are, you can log your runs in preparation for the New York City Marathon and have pizza waiting upon your arrival. Here’s how your logged miles translate to slices and when you can pick up your ‘za:
New Balance isn’t just bringing pizza. They’re also bringing an exclusive pop up shop to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The expo will feature a unique shopping experienced modeled after New York’s famous storefront shopping experience, where guests and runners can cop New Balance gear exclusive to the New York City Marathon.
On the day of the NYC Marathon, New Balance is turning it all the way up with a block party held at mile 16 of the race. Alongside New Balance will be the Brooklyn United drumline, DJ Cory Townes, Cobra Performing Arts Majorettes drumline and dance line, the Pinettes (an all-female brass band) and Ltrain Brass Band. Alongside, a raucous celebration at the last few miles of the race, spectators will also be able to receive some free New Balance swag including New Balance branded cowbells and foam sneaker signs.
The TCS New York City Marathon will be held on November 3rd but you can start exchanging your points for pizza starting October 11th. Get ready to run because your pizza is getting cold. Gear up for your trip here.
To close out Week 5 we get an enticing matchup between two young and improving teams. The 49ers have shocked the NFL so far winning their first three games, putting them on top of the NFC West for now. The 49ers had an early bye in week 4, and look to remain as the only undefeated team in the NFC. The Browns have struggled so far in 2019, as Baker Mayfield has yet to take the jump into the elite category. Not all of their performance should fall on Mayfield though as the offensive line has really struggled to protect their franchise Quarterback. The Browns may have found gold in 2nd year running back Nick Chubb, as he went off in their week 4 victory over the Ravens.
Tonight’s matchup should be a close contest, as the visiting Browns don’t want to risk falling to 2-3. Vegas has the 49ers as home favorites (-5), and how could they not? Their defense has been exceptional so far, allowing only 18 points/game in their first three games. Just one offseason can make a world of difference, as the 49ers have turned into a legitimate top 10 defense in 2019 after a season last year which found them at the bottom of the pack in almost every statistical category.
Jimmy G and Kyle Shanahan have their offense working at great efficiency as well, as their run game has completely controlled the pace of their games. The only negative so far for San Francisco has been turnovers, as they notched 5 in their week 3 win over the Steelers. With a talented young defense in Cleveland who has already created seven turnovers, Cleveland will have its opportunities to force mistakes. San Francisco is historically good against the spread, especially on Monday Nights when they have gone 26-7 ATS in their last 33 appearances.
Tonight’s Sunday Night showdown at Arrowhead Stadium is a battle between rivals with plenty of history. Although this seasons Colts squad does not feature Andrew Luck at the helm, this are still a formidable foe for the home Chiefs team. Patrick Mahomes and company have been just as excellent as last year. Their offense is working at historic efficiency, as they rank 1st in Passing yards/game and 2nd in both Points/game and Yards/game. The Colts defense has been sub par so far, allowing the 25th most Points/game in their first four. If the Chiefs come out firing like everyone expects, this game could get ugly.
Mahomes has been almost perfect so far in 2019, accounting for over 1500 yards and 10 TDs through his first four games. His production has earned him a QB RTG of 120.4, 2nd highest in the league so far. Mahomes has already proven that last year was no fluke. The generational talent is here to stay, and barring injury could go down as one of the all time greats.
The bright spot of the Colts season has been their ability to run the football and control the flow of the game. They rank 7th in the league in Rush yards/game with their monstrous offensive line featuring star 2nd year LG Quentin Nelson. Offensive line play is not discussed enough, and the only way they can keep up with the Chiefs is if they play keep away, relying on the run game to control time of possession. The Chiefs rank 31st in Rush defense, so the Colts have an opportunity to expose their greatest weakness.
The Chiefs have won the last two matchups between the two, handley defeating the Colts by scores of 31-13 & 30-14 respectively. There are no signs that the Colts will be able to slow down Mahomes and the offense, so expect another 30+ point performance from the Chiefs. Leaving Arrowhead with a win as the road team is an extremely difficult task, especially when the challenge is a primetime Sunday Night game.
Week 5 of the NFL starts tonight with a terrific matchup as the Los Angeles Rams head to Seattle to take on the division opponent Seahawks. As both teams stand at 3-1, this should be one of the best matchups of week 5. As the fantasy football fans love Thursday Night, Rams star RB Todd Gurley has expressed his feeling otherwise, calling it the : “Dumbest Thing Ever”.
Regardless of Gurley’s (and my) opinion, the game will be played tonight. What should be a high scoring duel could lead one of these teams to the top of the NFC West at the end of week 5. Vegas has the Seahawks as 1.5 Home favorites, and it’s such a toss up to feel comfortable placing money on the game.
QB Matchup Jared Goff vs. Russell Wilson
Can you name a conference with better QBs across the board? The NFC West is loaded with QB talent, and this game should be a reminder of that. Jared Goff has had some struggles early on, throwing for 6 TDs and 6 INTs in his first four, but expect Goff to get back of track tonight. Wilson has been phenomenal so far, tossing 8 TDs with 0 INTs. His 69.8 QBR is the 5th best in the NFL so far. Both QBs are in great systems who establish the run early and then find success passing vertically via play action.
RB Matchup Todd Gurley/Malcolm Brown vs. Chris Carson/Rashaad Penny
As stated before, Todd Gurley really dislikes Thursday Night Football, and he’s not to blame. Countless players suffer really tough injuries on Thursday Night, and it’s almost time for the NFL to take a closer look at this, for the health of the players. The Rams are trying to ease Todd Gurley into the offense, not giving him more than 16 carries in their first 4 games. His backup Malcolm Brown has done a fantastic job as Gurley’s counterpart, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. This will be a battle of the backfields as Seattle was the most run heavy offense in 2018, and 2019 has been more of the same. Carson had carried the ball over 15 times every game so far, and although he has struggled with fumble problems, Pete Carroll still has tons of confidence in him. Second year backup Rashaad Penny has showed signs of growth and maturity in these first four games as well.
WR Matchup Robert Woods/Brandin Cooks/ Cooper Kupp vs. Tyler Lockett/ D.K. Metcalf/Jaron Brown
The Rams has one of the best receiver corps in the whole NFL, and the three headed attack can hurt you in so many different ways. Brandin Cooks is known as a deep ball specialist, with Robert Woods as the star route runner and Cooper Kupp as Goff’s safety blanket in the slot. The Seahawks receivers won’t get the credit that the Rams WR’s will, but they quietly have nice depth at the position. Tyler Lockett has improved so much over the last two seasons, and rookie D.K. Metcalf is already proving doubters wrong. Even without a complex route tree, Metcalf presence as a physical specimen on the outside is deadly with Wilson behind center.
TE Matchup Gerald Everett/Tyler Higbee vs. Will Dissly
An underrated matchup two pretty much unknowns units. None of these guys are the headliners at the position, but both the committee of Everett/Higbee and Dissly get the job done. Dissly quietly already has four receiving TDs this year, as the Hawks felt comfortable enough to ship off their other TE to Pittsburgh. The Rams TE group is really an afterthought due to their skill at the WR position, but Everett and Higbee are always dangerous in the red zone and on 3rd down.
Defense Matchup
The Rams defensive unit had a rough week vs. Tampa Bay, giving up over 50 points in the loss. They have continued to create turnovers, counting for at least an INT every game so far. Before last week’s meltdown against Jameis Winston, the Rams were on paper one of the best units in the league. The Seahawks have been middle of the pack so far on defense. They had a great performance last week against Kyler Murray, surrendering only 10 points. Every close game comes down to who can get clutch stops, and this TNF should be nothing different. Whichever team can successfully get the opposing offense off the field on 3rd down will have the major advantage, especially because of how both offenses like to possess the ball and methodically move it down the field.
