John Karalis of Reds Army Joins The 300s Podcast to Talk Celtics

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We had a huge guest this week as the co-founder of Reds Army, John Karalis, joined The 300s Podcast to discuss everything Boston Celtics, his entrepreneurial background, the state of digital media in 2018, and we even break down some of the best craft beers to enjoy during a game.

You’ve seen and heard John on FOX 5, 98.5 the Sports Hub, Boston.com, as well as the Locked On Celtics podcast. As one of the hardest working guys covering the NBA today, you can find John on twitter @RedsArmy_John as well as http://www.thesportsdaily.com/reds-army/ and his latest endeavor with Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/JohnKaralis

Subscribe, rate, and review The 300s Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

Hey at Least the Celtics Start Training Camp Tomorrow!

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Welp. That was a rough one for the Pats on Sunday night.

Perhaps we’ll take the time to review the game. Perhaps we’ll simply try to move on and repress the memory entirely.

Or maybe we can change gears altogether and focus on the Boston sports team with arguably the best chance to win a title within the next calendar year. I’m talking, of course, about our Boys in Green.

The Celtics are set to open training camp on Tuesday, September 25, which is something that probably snuck up on many fans considering the team was still playing meaningful ball less than four months ago.

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Fortunately, there aren’t many questions for this team heading into 2018 besides maybe how Brad will dish out enough minutes to the team’s loaded group of deserving players and keep everyone happy at the same time. It’s really not a bad “problem” to have – as long as egos and personal aspirations don’t get in the way, of course.

And Brad will need to figure things out quickly, as the first preseason game is actually this upcoming Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets. The first regular season contest doesn’t follow too far behind either, with the Celtics set to tip the year off against the Sixers at home on October 16.

Since many of us – myself included – are still in Sox and Pats mode at the moment, here’s a quick little Celtics primer to whet your appetite before the team gets back after it tomorrow in Brighton:

Is Everyone Healthy?

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YES. It seems like everyone is pretty much ready to go without reservation.

Considering the Celtics were without not only two of the best players on their roster, but also two of the very best players in the league, in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward for most of last season (at least in Hayward’s case), this is fantastic news.

Daniel Theis, a solid but very unappreciated bench piece last season, is also expected to be ready to go after suffering a season-ending knee injury in March.

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I don’t think I really need to go into how good Kyrie and Hayward are or what their presence could do for team that was mere minutes away from going to the NBA Finals last season. Just think: We’re adding two top-20 players to a squad that just months ago almost (and probably should have) defeated LeBron before he reached the Finals, which is something that hasn’t happened in EIGHT years.

If that doesn’t getting the juice flowing for ya, then I don’t know what will.

And if there’s still any doubt in your mind about how Hayward will readjust after almost a full-year layoff, here’s what a usually pretty tight-lipped Brad Stevens had to say just last week (h/t Boston Herald):

“He’s been really diligent all the way through his rehab. I watched him go through the steps of working out to one-on-one to 2-on-2 to 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 in some of the open gyms the guys are having. Like anything, there’s always going to be a period of adjustment. From my eye and anybody else who has watched, he looks like he looked before.”

For a guy who usually like to play things close to the vest and temper expectations whenever possible, he doesn’t seem to be mincing words whatsoever when it comes to his confidence in Gordon this season.

Theis will also only add to an already loaded bench, and as far as we know the rest of the roster looks to be in tip-top shape as well.

This team is ready to rock n’ roll.

What Will Robert Williams’s Role Be?

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Besides the potential overall minutes distribution challenge, the biggest question in terms of their role on the team this year is with rookie Robert Williams, to whom we at The 300s affectionately refer as “Bob.”

Bob has had a bit of a rough start to his Celtics career after being taken with the 27th pick in this past June’s NBA draft. From missing conference calls to missing entire friggin’ flights across the country, the soon-to-be 21-year-old saw a rather embarrassing string of events cloud the excitement Celtics Nation initially had after grabbing such a freakish talent at the end of the first round.

There shouldn’t be any doubt about his talent, however. Not only does he possess great size at 6’10”, but he can also move like a wing player and has the ability to jump through the roof. While it may take a while for his scoring prowess to develop in the NBA, he can be the athletic, rim-runner/protector that the Celtics have lacked for quite some time. Sure, guys like Aaron Baynes and Al Horford were very effective defenders in the post last season, but Williams has Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-level potential. He could be an answer to the Draymond Greens and Clint Capelas of the world that the Celtics had no answer for previously.

Especially with an already overloaded roster, we may need to be patient with Bob, but the eventual payoff could be worth the wait.

Who’s Gonna Be THE Guy Behind Kyrie?

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I think by now everyone gets the point that the Celtics have a pretty sick roster. And while this technically could change by season’s end, I don’t think there are many out there who would argue that Kyrie isn’t still the team’s crown jewel. Horford also knows his role, as does Baynes and the rest of the reserves.

But when it comes to definitive roles for the Celtics’ insanely good trio of wing players – Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown – things get a bit murkier.

Of the three, Hayward has the best resume, and until Tatum truly takes off into superstardom (which he ABSOLUTELY will) Hayward has to be considered the leader of the pack and the one who should be expected to get the most minutes right away.

And no disrespect to Brown, who simply annihilated everyone’s expectations last season, but I’m unsure if he’s quite on the same level as Hayward and where I expect Tatum to be to start the year.

But if I’m being entirely honest, I think Tatum has the ability to be the top dog in the group by season’s end, if not much sooner. Red pointed out last week the fact that ESPN already has him ranked as a top-25 player in the league, and if you’ve followed us at all over the past year you know that neither of us are even remotely shy when it comes to expressing our love for Tatum.

I think some may still be sleeping on him due to the fact he’s not even legally allowed to drink a beer yet, but the guy is ridiculously skilled and already plays with the confidence of a 10-year veteran. If given enough minutes, he will be an All-Star this season, and nobody should be surprised if he ends up being the Celtics’ No. 2 guy this year.

Again, no disrespect to Hayward or Brown, but Tatum is going to be the face of the franchise going forward – whether Kyrie stays here or not.

So there you have it! The first official piece of the 2018 Celtics season. Stay tuned to The 300s throughout the entire season for all your Celtics news and more. Let’s goooooo!!!

My Patriots Confidence Meter is Officially at Concerned Level

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I’m not, not worried about the Patriots if we’re being honest. After last night’s double digit loss to the Detroit Lions, on my Meter of Confidence, I am currently residing at Concerned, one tick below Alarmed.

It’s only September. It’s only September. It’s only September. Thats what I keep telling myself. However, that was a piss poor effort against a winless team in the Lions. I do want to see this team at full strength with Julian Edelman and Flowers and Chung back before making any final assessments, but those decisions could be made for the Pats before they’re able to get back to full strength.

Well when you say it like that…

Hurley’s right though, even when they do get all their guys back, thats not promising any season altering improvements.

A loss to the 3-0 Dolphins next week would put the Pats at 1-3 and 3 games out of first place as well as putting us Patriots fans in an uncommon position; looking up in the AFC East. I’m also trying to keep my expectations in check because it would be totally unfair to expect hope a guy who’s played 11 games in the last four years to be Tom Brady’s savior at receiver. Unfortunately that what this team needs right now. A game changer.

Or they need to get a whole hell of a lot more creative with the ball. James White, one of the Patriots most reliable veterans on a team suddenly searching for answers, only had 3 touches last night. THREE. One of which was a touchdown, ironically enough. Listen I love Sony Michel and I know the Patriots spent a 1st round pick on him, but having Michel outsnap the veteran while he continues to drop balls is not a recipe for success. It would seem like Tom Brady agrees too.

“Yeah, he had a great catch, and had some good runs there at the end. He’s just a great player for us. So, you’re right. He’s gotta be involved. Guys who can make plays are the ones that should be involved. And James is certainly one of them.”

Thats before we even get to the gigantic elephant in the room. There has been drama swirling around this team for the past year, which started with the Seth Wickersham article and culminated this week with the “Brady wants a divorce from Belichick” story and then on Sunday afternoon Adam Schefter reported that the Pats nearly traded Rob Gronkowski to the Lions only to have Gronk threaten to retire rather than accept a trade to Detroit.

All great news to come out hours before a game. Welp, Gronk finished the game with 4 receptions for 51 yards and 0 TDs after getting double teamed the whole game and then made the whole situation infinitely worse by confirming Schefty’s report post-game.

“Yeah, it happened,” Gronkowski said after New England’s loss to the Lions Sunday night. “Brady’s my quarterback. I’m not going anywhere without Brady.”

And then there’s Gronk’s brother coming to Rob’s defense before anyone pointed to his middling stat line.

So thats just great. Lets not even pretend to be a non-dysfunctional team anymore. Again, I’m not panicking quite yet, as you would want your star TE to want to continue playing for your team. Players threatening to retire doesn’t exactly inspire confidence and trust with the rest of the team, but hey at least he wants to play *here* Right?

I will never count out a Tom Brady led Patriots team until the ink is dry on his retirement papers. Hell I probably won’t doubt a Patriots comeback until I see Tom is his gold jacket.

But with that being said, if the Patriots drop another game next week against RYAN TANNEHILL and the Dolphins, then my meter will officially tick to Alarmed and we will be on Panic watch from there on out.

UPDATE: Malden Men Who Recovered Red Sox Banner Will Not Face Charges

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CBS Boston – There will be no charges filed in the case of the mysterious discovery of the Boston Red Sox American League East champions banner…

The company that made the banner didn’t believe the tale. The owner filed a report with Somerville Police in an effort to discover if the item was stolen.

On Friday, Somerville Police said no charges will be filed after the company asked to end the investigation.

Well, well, well. The company asked the police to end the investigation. That’s a far cry from what Tony Lafuente, the owner of the company, had to say to the Boston Globe just two days earlier:

“I’ve been doing work for the Boston Red Sox since 1992. Nothing ever happened like this.”
“[These guys] should be ashamed of themselves… those guys stole my banner.”

The story of the guys who found the banner was definitely far fetched, but Lafuente seemed a bit quick to point the finger at them. He probably should have thanked them for recovering an object that fell out of a moving vehicle and could have injured someone, rather than accuse them of stealing it.

We’ll see if Lafuente has anything else to say about this matter, but I doubt it. It’d be interesting to find out if this item truly did just fall off the truck, or if maybe it was “pushed” off the truck by a man on the inside. That’d be embarrassing for Lafuente. We’ll probably never know, though. Either way, I stand by my original position that these guys got hosed by the Sox.

Come on, John Henry. How many extra clicks did Boston.com get out of this? A couple of standing room tickets would be well worth those clicks. You shouldn’t penalize these guys just for being worse dealmakers than Barry Zuckerkorn.

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ESPN Ranks Jayson Tatum as the 23rd Best Player in the NBA and I Feel Some Sort of Way

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So the Celtics have been getting a lot of love on ESPN’s Top 100 Players ranking they’ve been slowly releasing over the past couple of weeks with 6 (and counting) players cracking the list. But, what has me all jazzed up is the hype around my boy Jayson Tatum. After an excellent rookie season, Tatum looks ready to take the next leap into superstardom and ESPN seems to agree.

A quick explanation of how ESPN ranks these players:

“NBArank is a prediction for the coming season. Dozens of panelists from across ESPN, The Undefeated and FiveThirtyEight — TV analysts, reporters, editors, producers and researchers — voted to forecast which players would be best in 2018-19, taking into account both the quality and the quantity of their contributions.”

Before we get to Tatum, lets take a look at the full breakdown of every Celtics players that made the list. (ESPN has yet to release the Top 20 players yet so obviously Kyrie Irving is in there somewhere.)

  • Terry Rozier – No. 82
    • Rozier went from fans complaining Danny Ainge wouldn’t throw him into trades for rentals like Serge Ibaka to a lethal scorer off the bench that even spawned an iconic nickname in Scary Terry.
  • Marcus Smart – No. 55
    • Smart is the ultimate enigma as a player that is an average to awful shooter who doesn’t put up big scoring numbers, but is a defensive savant and is the energy guy to end all energy guys. It’s tough to rate a player that makes all the little plays, but the Celtics sorely missed him when he was out last year.
  • Gordon Hayward – No. 40
    • This is a 20 spot drop for Hayward, which seems like a bit much, but thats almost entirely due to uncertainty after missing all of last season. How will Hayward mesh with the Celtics was an interesting question last year and that was before the emergence of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A good problem to have indeed.
  • Jaylen Brown – No. 37
    • A HUGE jump for Jaylen as he wasn’t even on the list last year. With a career best 39.5% from 3-pt range, 18 PPG in the playoffs, all while becoming an elite defender, Brown will be a huge factor for the C’s this season. He just may need to adjust to less playing time with the explosion of Tatum and the return of Hayward.
  • Al Horford – No. 34
    • Say it louder for the people in the back, ESPN. “Average” Al is the 34th best player in the league according to this survey. Horford may thrive this year as he’ll be asked less than he already is to be a leading scorer, which should allow him to facilitate until the cows come home.
  • Jayson Tatum – N0. 24
    • Obviously last year was Tatum’s rookie season so he wasn’t on this list before because he was still playing at DUKE. To go from playing for Coach K to being ranked the 24th best player in the NBA at the age of 20 is unreal. This truly has me feeling some kind of way. As I said over and over again last year, Jayson Tatum is a future 1st Team All-NBA player and he only got better as the season went along.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Tatum as we gear up for his sophomore season.

“Tatum evolved from role-playing starter into playoff closer, calmly averaging 18.5 PPG in 19 postseason games, looking like a longtime star in the process. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back, it will be interesting to see if Tatum is asked to take a backseat.

Given Brad Stevens’ willingness to put his five best players on the floor regardless of position, I wouldn’t expect Tatum’s minutes to decline. He can play some small-ball 4 and has proved he can remain efficient without volume. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get fewer opportunities given Boston’s multitude of weapons”

Now before we all crown the Celtics champions lets remember it’s still September so anything can happen. Guys can take a step back, players can shatter their ankles, or another Super Team could rise out of the ground, but this Celtics team looks special. Not only are they chock full of talent, but they are so, so flexible that its scary. Just about every guy in their starting 5 can switch onto almost any position on defense. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could probably stand next to each other and cover the entire width of the basketball court. Or just give them the ball and get out of the way as we saw in the playoffs last year. Horford is the ultimate facilitator and we haven’t even seen this team play with Gordon Hayward yet.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe is even more hyped about this team‘s potential than I am:

“This quintet is the most exciting group since Golden State stumbled into the Death Lineup: Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford.”

Them fighting words. The Death Lineup is essentially the most efficient lineup in NBA history by most metrics. The Death Lineup is just lethal from any position as it features a starting 5 of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green. So to be compared to that?

Still not enough Celtics love for you? Alright lets pump their tires even more with these excerpts. Anddd go!

Brian Windhorst: “I’m bullish on Jayson Tatum’s future. (I know, join the club.) I think he has an outside shot to be a top-10 player next season.. I think the guy is an absolute stud in the making…I think he’s still ranked too low. I see him and the Celtics as having huge seasons.”

Kevin Pelton: “Tatum is nearly [a top 20 player] at age 20, making him a safe bet to reach the top 10.

Not to mention Tatum has been studying and practicing with some guy named Kobe Bryant so that may help him improve even further. Kobe has embraced the mentor role much better than I thought he would in retirement and thats a game changer for Tatum who has essentially modeled his entire game around the Hall of Famer.

Just a quick reminder that the Celtics are back on the court and playing organized basketball once again in just seven days. Then the regular season, and the sky high expectations that go along with it, kicks off October 16th at home as the 76ers come to town.

 

Mister Rogers Gets the Google Doodle Treatment

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Google is the de facto homepage of the internet, but their Google Doodles rarely catch my attention. With all due respect to Gerda Taro, Google’s celebration of her 108th birthday last month didn’t make much of an impression on me. Oftentimes it feels like Google goes out of their way to celebrate someone they found by clicking the “Random article” link on Wikipedia. Today’s doodle, though, might be their best yet.

Mister Rogers passed away 15 years ago, but he is currently experiencing a revival in popular culture. Maybe it’s millennial nostalgia, or maybe it’s a just a general longing for kinder, simpler times. Either way, today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 51st anniversary of the taping of the first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can watch that episode right now. Obviously it’s aimed at young children and a bit dry for anyone over the age of six, but it’s fascinating to see that his show was pretty much the same for 30+ years.

In addition to the Google Doodle, the Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor was released in June and is superb. It’s currently at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and is a surprisingly entertaining look at a seemingly simple man. Rogers is easily one of the best broadcasters of all time. I highly recommend seeing it. Rogers got his own postage stamp earlier this year, a new biography, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers was published just this month, and Tom Hanks is set to star as Rogers in You Are My Friend, which is scheduled to be released in 2019.

Mister Rogers may have passed away in 2003, but he and his legacy have not been forgotten. Good work from Google today.

BAKER MAYFIELD IS PLAYING COMPETITIVE FOOTBALL TURN ON YOUR TV’S RIGHT NOW

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….Ok so it is half time so he isn’t playing right this second. However as of right now the hypothetical QB1 under center for the Cleveland football Browns is Baker Reagan Mayfield. Spurned Texas Tech walk-on. Oklahoma Sooner Legend. Sworn enemy of Domestic Violence Bowl Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s a gamer, he has it, he is Baker Mayfield.

I have NEVER seen the Cleveland Brown’s stadium (dk the name of it) have energy. I normally would say “that much energy” but I’ve never seen it/felt it have any at all. Even during the decent Derek Anderson/Braylon Edwards year it had an air of tragic inevitability. You knew the success was fleeting. BUT NOW IT IS BAKER TIME. The place was rocking. He threw a seed for a first down. Then another. Then fumbled. It was recovered by the Browns. Then he threw another 8 yard strike. Then had one batted down that would have been complete and led his WR out of bounds had he gotten it just thiiiis much closer to the sidelines. To complete the miracle drive, the Cleveland kicker actually made a Goddam field goal. Baker manifests points.

I can’t remember being this excited about a rookie QB. It’s not even the Patriots. Let’s fucking go indeed.

Patriots Lions Week 3 Game Preview, Odds, and Things to Watch For

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I may have been off by about five points in terms of point differential, but I pretty much nailed last week’s game prediction. The Jags simply look like the team to beat in the AFC right now, and I am not surprised at all that Brady & Co. took an L down in the Sunshine State in Week 2.

Fortunately, the Pats have a good chance at a bounce-back game in a prime-time matchup against old friend Matt Patricia and the 0-2 Detroit Lions this Sunday – which also just so happens to be the date on which ya boy Mattes graced the world with his presence 29 years ago, so it’s only right that they’ll be victorious on such an important day.

(Also, I know everyone is all excited about Josh Gordon. Settle down; we’ll get there.)

Before we get into the game preview, here’s a quick look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
  • Kickoff: Sunday, Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m. ET
  • TV: NBC (Check local listings)
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -6.5 (spread)/Patriots: -265 (moneyline)/51.5 (total)

As you can see from the 51.5-point total, which is the fourth-highest total in the league this week, this game figures to be high-scoring. Both teams have a potent offense which overcompensates for a mediocre defense that is susceptible to giving up a lot of yards and points. Basically, if you got fantasy players on either side this week, feel free to go ahead and put pretty much all of them in your starting lineup.

So, who are some of the weapons that Detroit has? Well, they’re found mostly in the receiving corps, and their success all hinges upon the play of much-maligned quarterback Matthew Stafford.

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After an abysmal Week 1 performance, during which he threw FOUR picks in a loss to the New York Jets, people were calling for Stafford’s head (including our very own Red, who has him as his fantasy signal-caller this year). However, I thought it was a bit much. For as much as he turned the ball over during his first few years in the league (four seasons with 15-plus interceptions), he has an 89:37 TD-to-INT ratio over the past four seasons, which includes 2018. He’s also one of only five players to ever throw for over 5,000 yards in a season, and I bet you didn’t know that he was the fastest quarterback ever to reach 20,000 yards, 25,000 yards, AND 30,000 yards on his career. The guy’s also coming off of a 347-yard, three-touchdown, zero-pick performance against San Francisco.

The point is: this dude can sling the rock, and the only reason he gets so much criticism is because he’s yet to win one playoff game in 11 NFL seasons. (I get it, Detroit; you’re hungry.) And with Detroit’s nasty group of receivers, coupled with the fact that the Pats have given up the fifth-most passing yards in the league through two games, Stafford could do some damage on Sunday.

Of the receivers, I expect Golden Tate to have the most success. The game’s most underappreciated slot receiver has 14 catches on a ridiculous 28 targets through two games so far as Stafford’s No. 1 guy. The Lions also have two big boys on the outside in Marvin Jones (6’2″, 198 pounds) and Kenny Golloday (6’4″, 214 pounds), both of whom use their size and unfair athleticism to gain big chunks of yards in a hurry, averaging 13.5 and 15.6 yards per catch, respectively. The Pats are definitely going to give up some real estate through the air this week – especially if either Trey Flowers and/or Patrick Chung, who both haven’t practiced this week due to being in concussion protocol, are ruled out.

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Sure, I’m excited about Gordon. But MAN, I really wish those Golden Tate trade rumors weren’t just all talk. This dude can BALL.

Fortunately, they could have success containing Detroit’s very lackluster running game. Right now, the team is using a three-pronged “attack” of Kerryon Johnson, Theo Riddick, and former Patriot LeGarrette Blount.

Riddick has been one of the Lions’ key offensive pieces for the past five seasons as the team’s third-down/pass-catching specialist. While he is not built to be any team’s primary ball-carrier, he does have 234 (!) receptions since 2014, including 14 already this season. He’s going to be targeted and used a lot.

Johnson, a rookie, is by far the most talented back of the bunch from an overall standpoint, but for some reason he has been sharing the load with Blount between the tackles so far. Truthfully, Johnson – who also has eight receptions on the year and is by no means a one-trick pony – should have been given the starting role right out of the gate, and maybe this is the game he finally takes a stranglehold on the role for good. It’s only a matter of time until Blount fades away entirely. Either way, I don’t expect the Lions to kill the Pats on the ground.

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Johnson will be a household name soon enough, giving the Lions their first good back since Barry Sanders – and Mattes’s fantasy squad a much-needed boost.

On defense, there’s not much to talk about besides the fact that the Lions are expected to be without stud corner Darius Slay, per Kyle Meinke of MLive, which must be music to Brady’s ears. After a brutal dogfight against the Jags vaunted secondary last week, things won’t be nearly as difficult for the offense on Sunday night. (Especially if Flash Gordon is ready to go!) (UPDATE: Slay did return to Lions practice in a non-contact jersey on Friday, but he is still unlikely to play [h/t Rotoworld].)

Storylines to Keep An Eye On

(What Will We See from Josh Gordon?): This is obviously the biggest storyline heading into the game. Pats Nation is absolutely giddy with excitement over this week’s acquisition of the uber-talented but oft-troubled 27-year-old receiver. He has the skills to make a Randy-Moss-level impact on the team’s offense, or he could easily succumb to past transgressions and fade out in a “Flash.” I’m remaining hopeful, but I’m also not expecting a huge impact from him in Game 1. As we’ve discussed before, the Patriots system has claimed the careers of many former standout pass-catchers in the past, and while Gordon has practiced the past two days, he’s going to need a little more time to get up to speed. He’s also dealing with a minor hamstring issue, so don’t expect him to be truly unleashed until at least next week. If Bill does decide to throw him right into the fire, though, I’d say 4-5 targets, max, isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

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Apparently, Flash is going to be rocking No. 10 as a Patriot.

(So…Maybe Sony Michel is the Guy Now?): After missing basically all summer plus the season opener, Michel was immediately granted 11 touches (12 if you include his kick return) in his debut against the Jags last Sunday. He was even thrown to on two separate occasions. Meanwhile, Rex Burkhead rushed the ball six times and wasn’t targeted once in the passing game. (James White also got eight targets and seven receptions, but that’s always going to happen. He’s basically our Riddick.) Typical. Friggin. Belichick. Some believe it’s because Burkhead was dealing with concussion symptoms earlier in the week and the team was taking it easy with him; I believe, in typical Belichick fashion, he likes to choose which back will be the horse each week depending on the matchup. Until one of them, likely Michel, busts out and locks down the role as top dog, I’m done trying to project anything regarding the team’s group of backs. (My Burkhead for offensive MVP prediction could be in some serious doubt. But hey, at least the rookie finally got on the field!)

(Reunited and It Feels So Goooood): For the 21st time in his Patriots career, Belichick will face off against one of his former assistants, against whom he has a combined 14-6 record. This time it’s former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who’s currently suffering through a tough start to his NFL head-coaching career. There’s really not much to be said here, as it’s really only a fluffy storyline being used to try and create some more drama and intrigue. Still, it’s always fun to see if the grasshopper can successfully take down the master…even though he probably won’t.

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Always remember the good times, boys.

Prediction

The Pats are able to come out and establish the run early on. Detroit’s defense has been absolutely GASHED so far on the ground, giving up 179.5 rushing yards per game, which is good for dead last in the league. (I know it’s only been two games, but the next-worst mark is Oakland with 154. The Lions run D is horrendous.) Brady is also able to move the ball pretty well through the air and puts up over 20 points before the half. Not to be outdone, Stafford also has his way with the Pats defense, but the Pats clock-killing offensive game plan doesn’t give him a ton of opportunities to keep up. In the end, the game will be close and high-scoring, but the Pats will ultimately tame the Lions, 38-28.

Disney Confirms That Marvel Will Take Over X-Men

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OMG OMG OMG it’s happening and I am having a gigantic nerdgasm. So a few months back Disney acquired FOX, which I blogged about back in December, and after some anti-trust concerns, Disney finalized the deal. Now its been confirmed that Kevin Feige will oversee the X-Men, which is huge news as he is the president of Marvel Studios. Feige is basically the architect, the godfather, the puppet master of the $17 billion dollar industry that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He got people to see TWENTY movies over more than a decade and care about characters like Iron Man and Thor, who were absolute D-List superheroes back in 2007. Feige essentially created shared universes in cinema as we know it today. Very few, if any, movies were combining IPs to tie into one gigantic story across different franchises like Marvel.

Marvel’s success has only made the failures of company like DC and Sony loom even worse. Sony had a decent run with the first two Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies, but the third one was trash, and then they rebooted it with Andrew Garfield, which was trash, only to have it saved once they rebooted it yet again with the help of Marvel for the current iteration of Spidey.

Now X-Men has been much more of a mixed bag in terms of quality. There have been excellent movies like Logan, Deadpool, and X-Men 2 as well as some truly garbage ones like X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

Most recently they’ve run into trouble as two very publicly announced movies have been pushed back time and time again to the point where I don’t know if we’ll ever even see them. There was the Sophie Turner Dark Phoenix movie and the Maisie Williams X-Men movie, The New Mutants. Both seem to be stuck in purgatory, which says volumes about the overall quality of them both. I mean New Mutants already had a trailer drop a year ago for christ’s sake.

I think the biggest problem with X-Men though has always been seeing the bigger picture. The movies always jumped around without any bigger map of where it was all heading. They never really know where they’re going with anything aside from the one movie they’re currently in. Thats how you end up killing off one of the biggest X-Men ever in Cyclops in the first 20 minutes of X3 (spoiler alert) only to have Days of Future Past completely retcon the whole thing and fix it with some tricky time traveling.

See? Not confusing at all.

Now, enter the GOAT of universe building in Kevin Feige and we’re cooking with gas.
And thats BEFORE we even mention the inevitable crossover events. After Avengers 4 comes out next summer, a movie in which most expect to be the final film for guys like Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, and Chris Hemsworth, Marvel will be banking on younger players like Black Panther and Spiderman to carry the studio. Just imagine the possibilites with all of the X-Men characters finally available on the roster? It’s going to be truly amazing to watch. Plus they might even be able to reboot Fantastic Four, which was an absolute disaster.

TWICE.

So this is awesome news for fans of comic books and blockbuster movies. Everybody wins. We can start imagining the movies we never thought possible due to bullshit exclusive contracts.

The only downside? It took too long. The greatest character in the 11 movie history of the X-Men universe is dead and retired in Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. Unless….