Denver Broncos’ head coach announced during his press conference today that starting quarterback Joe Flacco would not play in the Broncos’ Week 9 game.
#Broncos coach Vic Fangio says QB Joe Flacco won’t play this week because of a neck injury. So, Brandon Allen will start against the #Browns.
Flacco is dealing with a neck injury that is believed to be something that will cause him to miss multiple weeks.
Brandon Allen, the only other quarterback on the team’s active roster currently, will get the start and then Denver will be on their bye the following week. IR is under consideration as is surgery for Flacco. In the meantime, rookie quarterback Drew Lock is healthy enough to play but Denver must decide whether it will activate him or promote Brett Rypien from the practice squad.
After an intense Sunday packed with some incredible football games, we have reached the Monday Night Finale. The winless Miami Dolphins travel to Heinz Field to take on the 2-4 Steelers. It is easy to see that the Dolphins viewed the 2019 season as a rebuilding year, as management shipped out a number of their best players at the beginning of the year. One of which players was DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was dealt to the Steelers in exchange for a 1st round pick in 2020. Let’s call it the Minkah Fitzpatrick revenge game, because why not? The Steelers have been a .500 ball club since the arrival of Fitzpatrick, and with Ben Roethlisberger out for the season, the Dolphins may have just fleeced them with this deal.
The Dolphins sent another player packing today, as running back Kenyan Drake is heading to the Arizona Cardinals for a 5th round pick in 2020. The Miami backfield will now comprise of Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage.
The opening line in Vegas has the Steelers as heavy home favorites, with a spread of -14. The Dolphins are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 appearances on Monday Night, and with one of the worst defenses in the league, the Steelers should be able to produce points. Both offenses have struggled heavily this year, as they both rank in the bottom 5 in overall offense as well as passing, but the Miami defense is so depleted that it shouldn’t matter.
Another important story line is the re-addition of Mason Rudolph to the Steelers offense. After replacing an injured Big Ben, Rudolph posted an impressive 7 TDs with only 2 TDs in the three and a half games before being knocked out against the Ravens. With Rudolph back under center, look for the Steelers offense to regain some consistency, while still leaning heavily on their star play maker James Conner out of the backfield.
A new NBA season is upon us. Star players are getting acclimated to their new teams and a feel of optimization is in the air (for now). Former dynasties are having to come to the realization that they’re not as good as they are used to being. One thing that stays consistent, no matter what the landscape of the league may look like, is players coming hard with their footwear. New teams for signature and sponsorship athletes mean new colorways and special mock-ups to hit the hardwood.
Players like Lebron James, Damian Lillard, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and James Harden are all sporting their new signature sneakers. Kyrie Irving is still going strong with unreleased versions of his fifth signature model, preparing to soon debut the Kyrie 6’s on court. Kevin Durant, due to injury, is unable to be seen wearing his KD 12’s on the court, however we did get to see him debut them in the 2018-19 NBA playoffs. Paul George is currently out with an injury, but his PG 3’s are a favorite among NBA players to not only wear released versions, but NikeiD options as well. Expect Paul George to debut his fourth signature shoe soon after his return. The Nike Kobe 4 Protro appears to be THE go-to game sneaker for Nike sponsored players across the league. You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that didn’t have a player wearing the classic low-cut silhouette. Nike has made a plethora of Player Exclusive Kobe 4 Protro mockups for players such as Anthony Davis, Isaiah Thomas, P.J. Tucker, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant, George Hill, Luka Doncic, and Paul Millsap. Even players who aren’t technically under contract with the Swoosh are opting to wear Kobe 4’s on the hardwood.
Each week we will be doing a Top 15 NBA Kicks on Court. Look below to see what was in store for the first week and to find out if any of your picks made the list!
15. Under Armour Curry 1 Icon “Digi Camo” – Hamidou Diallo – Oklahoma City Thunder
Trade fever continues and as moves are made players are often uprooted from their homes and forced to make the trek across country to their new—and possibly temporary—home (see: Kenyan Drake).
This time, the player barely has to move, he even gets to report to the same stadium for his home games. The New York Jets and the New York Giants have agreed to a deal that will switch defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the Green & White to Big Blue.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal:
Trade: Jets traded Leonard Williams to Giants for a 3 this year and a 5 in 2021, per source.
Four years after being the Jets top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Williams fell out of favor in New York, particularly when the coaching change happened this year.
Williams will be a free agent at the end of the season, so giving up two future picks is a pretty hefty price for the Giants to pay. The expectation would be that the move was made with the intention of keeping Williams in the Big Apple (or more accurately the swamp lands of New Jersey). However, Schefter points out that if the Giants and Williams agree to a contract extension the 2021 draft pick switches from a fifth-rounder to a fourth-rounder:
More details: The 2021 5th-round pick that the Giants are trading to the Jets for Leonard Williams becomes a 4th-round pick if he signs a contract extension before the start of the league year, per source.
Jets are paying $4 million of Williams’ $6 million salary this season.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the conditional pick is a 2020 sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-round pick:
The #AZCardinals have traded for #Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake, handing Miami a conditional 6th round pick in 2020 that can become a 5th rounder, source said. Given injuries to David Johnson and Chase Edmonds, AZ jumped in this morning.
The Miami Dolphins close out Week 8 on Monday Night Football tonight, however their impending game didn’t stop them from making a move. Running back Kenyan Drake did not make the trip to Pittsburgh with the team, which many took as a sign that a trade was imminent.
Today, that move happened. Drake was sent to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional 2020 NFL Draft pick. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal:
Trade: Arizona has reached agreement in principle to trade a conditional 2020 draft pick to Miami for RB Kenyan Drake, league sources tell ESPN.
For Miami, Drake had lost his starting spot to Mark Walton and was splitting the backup role with Kalen Ballage. Instead of holding on to him, the franchise opted to move him for future draft capital—TANK FOR TUA!—and unclog their logjam in the backfield.
In Arizona, Drake walks into a team that really needs some help at his position. Their top two running backs (David Johnson and Chase Edmonds) are dealing with injuries. Johnson played sparingly in Week 7 and missed the entirety of their Week 8 game against the New Orleans Saints. Edmonds went down yesterday with a hamstring injury.
The Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers to start Week 9 on Thursday Night Football and now Drake looks to be in line to be the team’s starter.
