Deuce Gruden Joining His Dad, Jon Gruden, on the Raiders Coaching Staff

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Yahoo -Deuce Gruden is the son of Jon and the nephew of Jay, the coaches of the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins. He was part of the Redskins’ strength and conditioning staff. And even on an NFL sideline, Deuce Gruden stands out. He’s a powerlifting champion, and looks capable of bench pressing any player on his team. Even the linemen. Gruden was on the Redskins’ strength staff and it’s no surprise that he left Uncle Jay to go be on his dad’s new staff with the Raiders. Matt Schneidman of the Mercury News had the story.

Somebody get Ryan Seacrest on the line and get these two a reality show IMMEDIATELY. Can you imagine that? It would be A+, must see television. The only reason I think they don’t do it is because it would put the Kardashians ratings in the toilet. Hey, as Gary Vaynerchuk always says, you need to always be thinking of ways to put yourself out of business so somebody else doesn’t do it for you. Pull the trigger.

I’m just picturing the 5’5″ 300 pound Deuce hulking out on the sideline when some panzy can’t finish a tackle because he’s been slacking on his squats. Throw in Chucky and Mark Davis?

Holy hell, I’m getting excited now. What would you even call it?

Chucky and the Deuce: Road to Las Vegas.

Seacrest out.

So Aaron Hernandez Was a Combination of Horrifying and Hilarious During His Time in Jail

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So this article describes Aaron Hernandez, unsurprisingly, as a terrifying combination of a 6’1″ 245 lbs gang member with a penchant for hilarity. Ya know, like an actual sociopath. It basically sums up his time in prison as Rorschach from Watchmen:

Horrifying.

“Hernandez was sent a care package of two dozen honey buns in violation of prison policy; before officers could confiscate the buns, he ate 20 of them, saving the wrappers so he couldn’t be accused of passing them to other inmates. Guards denied his request to eat the last four.”

Hilarious.

“He called one officer a “scared bitch” after the officer denied him an extra meal, and threatened to kill the officer and his family after he got out of prison. (“I did not say I was going to kill him or his family,” Hernandez later said. “I said if I see COs that act tough in jail, out of jail, I’m going to slap the [expletive] out of them.”)

Horrifying.

“Corrections Officer Joshua Pacheco noted the ways in which Hernandez would consistently seek to get under the officers’ skin: “He is constantly kicking his cell door and screaming at the top of his lungs, utilizing profanity at times when he wants something, regardless of how minuscule it is. It is not uncommon for Hernandez to kick his cell door constantly until an officer approaches his cell merely to ask the officer for the current time. This to him is comical, causing a disruption in normal operation within the unit.”

Hilarious.

“Hernandez had a variety of encounters with guards that tiptoed right up to the edge of threats: challenging guards’ manhood, hinting at dreams in which Hernandez had hunted the guards, and so forth. All in all, of the 10 months he was in the prison, Hernandez spent 120 days in solitary confinement. (According to a Yahoo Sports review of prison documents, Hernandez was charged with 99 disciplinary offenses and 24 major incidents during his nearly four years of prison time at two facilities.) Once, while guards were securing him in his cell, Hernandez beat his chest and defiantly proclaimed himself to be “tough. I’m built for this [expletive].”

Horrifying.

What an enigma Aaron Hernandez was.

LeBron James is Maximizing His Platform to Speak Out on Racial and Political Issues

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Yahoo – LeBron James took the opportunity to reflect on what [Martin Luther] King’s legacy means to him, and the importance of continuing to advocate for social justice a half-century after King’s death. He also discussed the challenge of doing so at a time in which President Donald Trump — whom the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player reportedly never mentioned by name — and other forces seek “to divide us.” From Scott Sargent of Waiting for Next Year:

“You always hear about people risking their life — [King] actually gave up his life for the betterment of all of us. To be able to live in a free world, and for us to be able to have a voice, to go out and be free no matter your skin color, no matter who you are — height, size, or weight, whatever the case may be. He had a vision and took a bullet for all of us. Literally — the rawest form you can say that. He took a bullet for all of us.
“For us to stand here right now, even though we’re trying to be divided by somebody, it’s a great day for people to realize how we all have to stand united as one. As Americans, we all know and believe this is the greatest country.”

As much as I like to give LeBron shit for all the diva antics he pulls, its generally just busting the chops of one of the greatest players of all-time. He seems like a genuinely good dude off the court. So when an athlete as prominent as LeBron James comes out more and more frequently to offer his thoughts and opinions on hot button racial and political issues its refreshing.

“Without specifically naming the president, James on Monday spoke about the need to stand firm in the face of racism no matter its virulence or the height from which it’s spoken. From Tom Withers of The Associated Press:

“The state of racism will never die, but what we cannot do is allow it to conquer us as people. We can’t allow it to divide us,” said James, the four-time league MVP. “The guy in control has given people and racism, and negative racism, an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear. And that’s the fearful thing for us because it’s with you, and it’s around every day. But he’s allowed people to come out and just feel confident about doing negative things. “We can’t allow that to stop us from continuing to be together and preach the right word of living and loving and laughing and things of that nature. Because would we want to live anywhere else? I don’t think so. We love this place.”

Good for him for using the platform he has to speak his mind on various issues in this country. That was one of the biggest gripes about the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. As amazing as he was on the court, the guy just wanted to ball out and sell sneakers.

And to all the people saying LeBron should “stick to sports” — pipe down. Those are the same people complaining that athletes give canned responses and don’t actually say anything of note in interviews. Can’t have it both ways. So its good to see athletes becoming increasingly vocal when they have more influence on culture than ever before.

Here. We. Go. (Again) – Khabib Nurmagomedov Vs. Tony Ferguson Official For UFC 223 in Brooklyn

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So I didn’t hear this directly, but it is all over the “Toucher and Rich” twitter that this morning Dana White himself confirmed on the show – one of  Boston’s top morning sports-talk programs, for those not in the know – that The Eagle vs. Tony Ferguson will go down in Brooklyn at UFC 223. This also almost guarantees Conor McGregor will be “stripped” of his 155lb belt, as Dana White has previously alluded, and that this fight will be for the undisputed championship, not Ferguson’s as-previously billed-as Interim Title.

This is, I believe, something like the 4th time this fight has been booked in some capacity, the last being the infamous UFC 209 fiasco where Nurmagomedov couldn’t even show up for weigh-ins. With Tyler Minton now firmly entrenched as his trusted nutritionist, I’m actually pretty optimistic weight issues are in the past for the Dagestani. the venue is also of note, as the UFC is very well aware of Brooklyn’s large Russian population, something they’ve exploited in the past by having Nurmagomedov hold interviews there, etc.

It goes without saying that this fight is huge for the division, the UFC, and most directly, the two fighters involved. Whoever wins this fight is almost assuredly also the next winner of the McGregor sweepstakes, as White has also mentioned  that The Notorious would like to come back to the Octagon in the fall. His opponent, one would assume, would be the winner of this fight, giving McGregor an opportunity to win back the belt he was “stripped of” due to his elongated vacation from the cage. Whoever faces McGregor is now always expected to receive an inflated payday and permanent boost in stature, and it can be expected that the man who will emerge from this long-awaited clash of 155ers with a belt around his waist will see an even bigger bump than normal.

As for the UFC and the division, this fight will be a huge part of unweaving quite the web spun by McGregor’s absence, injuries to both competitors, and Nurmagomedov’s fight with the scale. As long as all goes to plan over the next 9-11 months, we will know, in no uncertain terms, who the top 3 Lightweights are, in order. This is not unimportant, as the Lightweight division has been historically one of the UFCs most storied, having been the home of legends like B.J Penn and Frankie Edgar. Their heir awaits them.

The Ball Brothers Put Up BUCKETS in Lithuania, Score 60 Combined Points

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Yahoo – Two days after being held scoreless in their Lithuanian League play debut, the adventures of LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball continued on Monday as the pair got back into a groove and delivered the best performances of their brief professional careers. In Vytautus’ 130-93 win over BC Lietuvos, the Ball brothers delivered an offensive tour de force right out of their Chino Hills days by producing nearly half of Vytautus’ scoring total. LaMelo scored a game-high 31 points, dished 11 assists and recorded five steals. LiAngelo did most of his damage in the low post and at the rim, but wasn’t far behind LaMelo’s team-high, chipping in 29 points of his own.

At first glance this looks like a great sports story; the Ball brothers scored a combined 60 points and seem like they’re growing into bonafide Big Ballers. Until you see this:

“The Big Baller Brand Challenge Games have been good to the Ball brothers. The Big Baller Brand Challenge Games is a five-game exhibition that was created by the Ball family patriarch in order to get his two sons more playing time on their Lithuanian club and to build their confidence.”

Get the fuck out of here. LaVar is now setting up Lithuanian tournaments to get his sons more PT? Even the refs are wearing BBB branded jerseys. I’m legitimately not kidding, look:

Apparently this game was against a “second-division team” though. So as the infamous Winston Wolf would say:

It is cool seeing two brothers throwing each other alley oops like this though. Who knows where and when you want the ball better than your own brosef?

But then, again, you see shit like this. Up 40+ points LaMelo tries to throw an alley oop to himself off the glass (and fails miserably).

This is the AAU/Lavar Ball-ification of sports. If some kid tried that on me in a blowout I would absolutely sweep the leg. Some 35 year old pissed off player that never made it in the NBA is going to snuff one of these kids for antics like this.

All in all, 60 points is 60 points so its fun to actually see these guys put up some buckets after what seems like 2 years of shit talking from the dad. Do it against an actual team in an actual game not sponsored by your father though and I’ll consider myself impressed. Until then?

“Agents Are For Suckers” – Baker Mayfield, Probably

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ProFootballTalk – At a time when all the top incoming rookies are picking their agents, former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield’s choice may be none of the above.

Via Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Daily, the Heisman winner currently is trying to decide whether to hire an agent, and he possibly won’t.

This story flew sort of under the radar yesterday (as opposed to the subject of the story, who often flies too close to the sun, buh dun bshhh). Baker Mayfield, Heisman Trophy winner and hell-spawn amalgamation of Johnny Football and Phillip Rivers, may not sign with an agent. I know there are a number of NFL veterans out there that don’t work with an agent for reasons unto themselves, Russell Okung being possibly the biggest name among them, but a rookie flying solo is rare. The closest thing that comes to mind is when Ricky Williams allowed Master P to represent him in his rookie contract negotiations. It breaks my heart knowing I’m so old that a lot of people reading this have zero clue what that last sentence meant, or how bad of an idea it was both from the jump and upon seeing how said negotiations played out for Williams. Hint: It is often referred to as the worst deal for a player of all time. Baker Mayfield choosing to sign with no agent rather than a rapper is a little better than that arrangement but is still problematic for a couple of reasons.

I think the first thing of importance to note is that for rookies, which Baker Mayfield will be for approximately one year, an agent’s job can be seen from a high-level as administrative. They represent their client in the truest sense of the word – taking the calls and preparing the documents a professional athlete doesn’t want to deal with. This is because as of a couple years ago the NFL introduced a rookie wage scale that basically writes rookie deals themselves. With that said, a good agent can affect the rookie deal of a first round pick, which Mayfield very well may be, in a positive manner to some extent, exploiting what little wiggle room there is in terms of guaranteed money, etc. However, barring things like catastrophic injury, most of the money in rookie deals is what it is, and up to the player himself to earn.

The first of what I see as two major problems with Baker Mayfield not signing with an agent is the fact that, as I previously mentioned and as is widely known, you are a rookie for one year. Mayfield is entering the draft at the position of Quarterback, the most important position on a football field, and hopefully of the Franchise Quarterback variety as well. So, if all goes well and the Franchise Quarterback performs satisfactorily, on top of having bountiful endorsements to work out thanks to the player being the face of a franchise, a good agent could get to work pretty much right away on putting a bug in the team’s ear regarding an extension for more money over more years. Now, these extensions are rarely given before the 3rd year for 4 year rookie deals or the 4th year for 5 year deals, but the conversations could at least start taking place right? Will Baker Mayfield be taking time out of his, you know, professional football player schedule during week 3 of his 2nd year to discuss the future? Will his team really love him having to do that? That’s probably a no to both and thus bad business strategy for #6.

The 2nd, and definitely bigger problem for Baker Mayfield here, is that not signing with a professional agent, as every other rookie does and is advised to do, does not show, well, at least not emphatically good decision making in terms of the non-football playing part of his life. Poor decision making in terms of the non-football playing part of his life is sort of a major red flag in Mayfield’s file, really the most major one actually, so this really could bode poorly for his draft stock. To recap, he left Texas Tech due to a “miscommunication with coaches,” tried to drunkenly practice the 40 yard dash away from a cop, to no avail, and was booked for a drunk and disorderly thereafter, and then, in a passionate moment after throwing a TD against Kansas earlier this season, tugged at his crotch area and offered the Kansas sideline the opportunity to perform acts on said area. To decide that the fate of the millions of dollars coming his way would be best left to himself, Baker Mayfield, can arguably be seen as a not so great decision, which, given his height and perceived not-superior arm strength (I think that part is bullshit but w.e), he can’t afford going into the draft.

Agents serve their clients. There are no two ways around that. They are there for the athlete and the athlete is the boss. I know it probably chaps a lot of athlete’s asses that their agent takes 10% of the money the he/she earns from ravaging their body, but as a wise man once said, it’s the way of the road, Bubs. To that end, Baker Mayfield should, if nothing else, hire a mouthpiece, a certified NFLPA agent in a $1,000.00 dollar suit, to just “be his agent” under the conditions that Baker Mayfield is his own man. We already know that after all.

So To Recap, Landon Collins Wants Eli Apple On His Team, Does Not Want Bill Belichick

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For a lot of football fans from my general age group, which I guess is to say people between the ages of about 26 – 33ish (?), one of the most beloved positions is that of the oversized Safety. As much as skill position players were revered growing up, men that could perform feats of athleticism on the football field that simply didn’t seem possible, there were also muscle-laden sentries patrolling the back end of a defense who were just as celebrated. They were there for the sole purpose of instilling the fear of death in those athletic touchdown seekers. There was John Lynch and Roy Williams. There was Brian Dawkins and Adrian Wilson. They were taller than other DBs. They were stronger than other DBs. They were there to hurt you.

A quick side note: This breed of safety is not to be confused with the new smaller LBs, often referred to as S/LB hyrbids, such as Deone Buccanon. Those guys are incredible but are just historically smaller Linebackers fitted into that position to adjust for the way athletic Tight Ends are used today, among other reasons.

Which brings us to Landon Collins, a player, as you can imagine, I have a great admiration for. He comes from that previous breed of SS. He is going to roam around in a zone, find you with the ball, and flick the hitstick upward as hard as humanly possible. He’s 6’0, about 220lbs, and doesn’t much care for the well-being of himself or others. It’s a delight.

There’s a caveat it seems though. When it comes to the business side of football, particularly who he’d want in his locker room, from an interpersonal angle, he’s a bit of a dumbass.

The Giants’, Geno Smith’s part-time team and Collins’ employer, have a Cornerback by the name of Eli Apple. He was drafted 10th overall, which is particularly high, last year out of Ohio State and proceeded to move to New York with his Mom, which may or may not be totally normal, to begin his successful NFL career. Not all went accordingly to plan. All of this season there were reports of Apple’s teammates resenting his attitude and effort. He seemed genuinely disliked and his play wasn’t exactly making up for his momma’s boy persona. Landon Collins, in his 3rd season and now a leader of not only the Giants but of the defense Apple also plays on, decided to publicly air out his grievances, saying that Apple needed to “grow up”. Although this isn’t something that someone like, I dunno, Bill Belichick, would want you to do, it’s a fairly boilerplate criticism. Things like this have been said before in the sports world and will be said again. One could have passed it off as Collins trying to use the media to motivate Apple.

Then Landon Collins doubled down. In late December, without naming Eli Apple but by singling him out by the power of deduction in naming other teammates, ole #21 straight up called Apple a “cancer” in an ESPN Radio interview. A “cancer”. The big “C”. Arguably the worst thing you could call a teammate. Being labelled a locker room cancer is a stink that sometimes never comes off a player. In my opinion it is the worst thing that can be on your athlete resume, on or off the field items included. However, Collins apologized to Apple. This was after a publicized meeting between him, the 2nd year corner, and DC Steve Spagnuolo. It seemed meaningful. It seemed they had turned a page. Collins even came out more recently and said he wants Eli Apple back his team, despite speculation that the Giants would cut the chord on the problem child. This is all great stuff. True Leadership from the receiver-seeking missile. Then, a plot twist.

Days after saying he wanted a guy he previously referred to as CANCER back on his team, Landon Collins, Professional Football Player, came out and said he wouldn’t want Bill Belichick as a coach. Collins said he’s too strict. He runs thing in a way that is not to Collins’ liking. That last part I get. As much as I love the jumbo sized Safeties of yore, they never did particularly care for things like “coverage” and “perfect tackling form”, things that Belichick has a soft spot in his heart, if not a hard on, for. The thing is, Bill Belichick is arguably the great coach of all time, and is definitely one of the most winning, and Eli Apple is an asshole who is bad at his job. Of Belichick, Collins actually said in that radio interview something along the lines of, and I’m paraphrasing, “ya it’s cool he wins and all, but…” That’s just plain problematic folks. When a leader of your D and someone that is often seen as very competitive makes a case to bring back the twerp he referred to as a 50/50 curable disease but doesn’t want this one guy to be his new coach because, even though he wins a fuckload, he’s a kinda strict, there is a huge issue in his thinking.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinions. And when you are one of only a few, true Strong Safeties left in the NFL, I suppose you deserve the benefit of the doubt. If I were Landon Collins though, next time you take a clearly lesser parties side in an argument, don’t call them AIDS first. Bad look. Bad look indeed.

After the Recent Hit Piece on the Patriots I Have Never Been More Confident Than I am in Them This Weekend

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ESPN – The Patriots are in uncharted territory. They haven’t just won games and titles. They’ve won at an unprecedented rate and over an unprecedented span, which makes the feelings of entitlement creeping inside Gillette Stadium unprecedented as well. The Patriots, in the only statement anyone associated with the team would make on the record for this story, responded to specific questions by saying that there are “several inaccuracies and multiple examples given that absolutely did not occur,” though they declined to go into detail. But according to interviews with more than a dozen New England staffers, executives, players and league sources with knowledge of the team’s inner workings, the three most powerful people in the franchise — Belichick, Brady and owner Robert Kraft — have had serious disagreements. They differ on Brady’s trainer, body coach and business partner Alex Guerrero; over the team’s long-term plans at quarterback; over Belichick’s bracing coaching style; and most of all, over who will be the last man standing. Those interviewed describe a palpable sense in the building that this might be the last year together for this group.

They Hate Us Cuz They Ain’t Us, indeed. I know we as Patriots fans say this a lot, but the media is routinely trying to drive a wedge where it doesn’t exist. Lets just state the facts. The Patriots won their division yet again, finished the year 13-3 with the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and are the favorites to win the Super Bowl with a 40 year old QB who will likely win the MVP. All after losing their top receiver in Julian Edelman and their best defensive player in Dont’a Hightower. Yet the entire organization is crumbling from within? All because Belichick had to trade a backup QB playing behind the goddamn MVP and Brady said some mean words to McDaniels on the sidelines? Fuck outta here. Its not paranoia if its true right?

So now the entire world is claiming the Patriots are imploding and that hack Seth Wickersham (author of the infamous hit piece on Tom Brady and TB12, which we addressed here) is reporting the holy trinity of Brady, Belichick, and Kraft will break up after this year. All because of some tension and some arguments? You know who has no tension, no arguments, and an easy job? Losers.

To top it all off, the New York Daily News recently reported that Belichick “wants to be the Giants coach.” So Belichick is going to jump ship and leave the organization where he became the Greatest Coach of All Time to go coach the 3-13 NY Giants? Who also have an ancient QB? He’s already the highest paid coach in the NFL with all the power in the world and the longest leash imaginable. The guy survived two alleged cheating scandals amidst 5 Super Bowl titles and 7 SB appearances, not to mention 6 (soon to be 7) consecutive appearances in the AFC Championship game to go along with 14 out of the last 15 AFC East titles. He’s gonna leave that just because he got into an argument with his boss?

With all that being said we still have a playoff game to handle this Saturday night as the Titans come to town and I could not be more confident that the Pats will blow doors. The Titans had an awesome comeback against the Chiefs, who blew yet another playoff game:

But in doing so have locked themselves into a matchup with the Patriots. Marcus Mariota looked like the guy who the Titans originally drafted out of Oregon before a broken leg late last year. The guy was laying game clinching blocks on defensive lineman, scrambling making plays with his feet and he was even throwing Touchdown passes to HIMSELF.

But if you think a second year QB who leads a self described “exotic, smashmouth offense” that relies on the running game is going to come into Gillette Stadium and beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick then you are outside of your mind.

And Las Vegas seems to agree as the spread is set at -13.5. Two touchdowns is a HUGE spread, especially in a playoff game. The only other game this weekend with a spread larger than -4 is Jacksonville at (-7.5) Steelers, even though the Jags beat Pittsburgh earlier this year.

This game reminds me of the 45-10 dismantling of the Broncos and Tim Tebow in the 2011 playoffs where Brady threw 6 touchdown passes. Any other team that was surrounded by controversy in a bye week would have you worried, but with the Patriots its just fuel for the fire. Plus after this whole shit storm, Tom Brady Instagrammed this:

Pats by 17. Lock. It. In.

 

Totally Uninformed Bowl Game Gambling Picks – National Championship Game

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Georgia vs. Alabama

Picking all of the bowl games has not been easy. It’s been a difficult and eye-opening experience. After tonight’s National Championship game I’ll be sure to go back and take a look at all of the picks and see if there’s anything substantive to take away from this experience.

Despite my struggles, I did correctly pick both College Football Playoff semifinal games. My head tells me Alabama is the best team in the country, but I can’t help but admire the guts Georgia showed in its comeback victory last week. Too often this season I went with my head and not my gut. So I’m going with the Dawgs tonight, looking to close out my bowl season with three straight wins.

GEORGIA +4