Primetime Preview: Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (MNF Week 8)

Primetime Preview: Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (MNF Week 8)

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by | Oct 28, 2019 | Featured, NFL

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.  

Prediction: Steelers 30, Dolphins 20

 

Oct 28, 2019 No Comments
Top 15 Kicks Worn During Week 1 of NBA Season

Top 15 Kicks Worn During Week 1 of NBA Season

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by | Oct 28, 2019 | Featured, NBA, Sneakers

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

 

 

       

 

 

14. Adidas Dame 6 “Ruthless” –  Damian Lillard – Portland Trailblazers

 

 

     

 

 

13. New Balance OMN1S P.E. – Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers

 

 

     

 

 

12. Nike Kyrie 5 “Pineapple House” – Kyrie Irving – Brooklyn Nets

 

 

     

 

 

11. Nike KD 4 “Undefeated” – Derrick Jones Jr. – Miami Heat

 

 

     

 

 

10. Adidas D.O.N. Issue #1 “Mailman” – Donovan Mitchell – Utah Jazz

 

 

     

 

 

9. Nike Kobe 4 Protro P.E. – Paul Millsap – Denver Nuggets

 

 

     

 

 

8. Nike Kobe 6 “Helicopter” – Trey Lyles – San Antonio Spurs

 

 

     

 

 

7. Adidas Harden Vol. 4 “Pink Lemonade” – James Harden – Houston Rockets

 

 

     

 

 

6. Nike Lebron XVII “2K” – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

 

 

     

 

 

5. Nike Kyrie 5 “Spongebob” (Unreleased) – Kyrie Irving – Brooklyn Nets

 

 

     

 

 

4. Nike Kobe 4 Protro P.E. – DeMar DeRozan – San Antonio Spurs

 

 

     

 

 

3. Jordan VI “Travis Scott” – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

 

 

     

 

 

2. Jordan XXXIV P.E. – Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics

 

 

     

 

 

1. Nike Lebron XVII “Red Carpet” – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 28, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: New York Jets Send Leonard Williams to the New York Giants

BREAKING NEWS: New York Jets Send Leonard Williams to the New York Giants

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by | Oct 28, 2019 | Featured, NFL

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:

ESPN’s Field Yates followed up with the information that this is the first time these two franchises have ever made a transaction with each other:

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:

Oct 28, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Kenyan Drake Traded to the Arizona Cardinals

BREAKING NEWS: Kenyan Drake Traded to the Arizona Cardinals

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by | Oct 28, 2019 | Featured, NFL

*UPDATE*

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the conditional pick is a 2020 sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-round pick:

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:

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.

Oct 28, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: JJ Watt Out for the Season With a Torn Pectoral Muscle

BREAKING NEWS: JJ Watt Out for the Season With a Torn Pectoral Muscle

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by | Oct 28, 2019 | Featured, NFL

During the Houston Texans 27-24 win over the Oakland Raiders today, Houston took a hit when star defensive end JJ Watt left the game with what looked like a very serious injury. After exiting the game in the second quarter, Watt was taken to the hospital to undergo an MRI to determine the seriousness of the injury.

Well, just moments after the win was official Watt went to Twitter to give the fans the bad news:

Entering Week 8 the All-Pros 20 quarterback hits led the league. After starting the 2019 league year with Jadeveon Clowney and Watt as the bookends to their defensive line, they now won’t have either suiting you from the remainder of the season.

Houston is currently 5-3 and a half game back of the first place Indianapolis a Colts in the AFC South.

Oct 28, 2019 No Comments
OKC Thunder Grab Their First Win Of The Season Against Golden State (120-92)

OKC Thunder Grab Their First Win Of The Season Against Golden State (120-92)

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by | Oct 27, 2019 | Featured, NBA

The Thunder had their foot on the gas all day long against Golden State. This was the first time we were able to get a glimpse of what this team could look like clicking on all cylinders. If OKC can get some strong nights from anyone other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul, and Steven Adams this could be a playoff team The Thunder defense was all over the Warriors swarming them and making sure that Stephen Curry wasn’t able to get any good looks from the field. It looked as though the rest of the Warriors were struggling and the Thunder capitalized on it scoring 19 points on their turnovers. This was an overall performance from the OKC Thunder as they were able to have 5 scorers in double figures on the evening. The Thunder shot 55% percent from the field and were able to use defense to convert offense. The Thunder did everything right tonight from the hustle plays to the rebounding.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been able to show a lot of growth in his 2nd season in the NBA. The way he’s playing the game looks pretty easy and effortless. Shai has been able to get his shot off whenever he wants and he’s been able to glide into the paint with beautiful finishes as well. One thing that Shai showed off today against the Warriors is that he can create space for his jump shot. SGA finished the game with 19 points on the night and showed that he can get it done against a potential playoff team in the Golden State Warriors. Shai looked good but tonight was about the other guys as Danilo Gallinari was about to get his 3 point shot going tonight against the Warriors. Gallinari was knocking down jumpers at a high rate and this is what the Thunder expected when they got him in the offseason. Gallinari was able to space out the floor for the team and drained every shot when given a little bit of space as he finished the game with 21 points on the night. Terrance Ferguson was able to get his game going and that was a breath of fresh air to all the Thunder fans waiting for his impact on a game. T-Ferg scored 13 and was able to hit those shots that he wasn’t able to the last two games. When Ferguson has the confidence and he’s making that corner 3 pointer his nights look a lot brighter. Ferguson was aggressive and attacked the basket on those back door cuts. That’s what OKC needs from him and he delivered today in a big way against the Warriors.

 

 

The Thunder got their momentum going off of the game of Dennis Schröder when he was rolling in the 2nd quarter. The way that Dennis hustled and was able to create for others opened the flood gates for this win. Schröder’s 6th man of this team and he was able to set the tone as he scored any way he wanted offensively in this game. If he can bring this energy and play night in and night out the Thunder could be a serious contender. Scrhöder finished with 22 points on the night. The one player that hasn’t shown his true colors so far even though he’s affected the game in other areas has been Chris Paul. When CP3 gets his game going this team could be a scary sight for any other team playing them moving forward. CP3 has shown the leadership but OKC fans will need for him to get it going offensively as he finished today with 10 points. When CP3 gets his assists and scoring going to add to what they did today against the Warriors this could something special.

 

 

The only bright spot for the Golden State Warriors today was Stephen Curry as he finished with 23 points. He was able to get his shot off when he wanted too but things were different without his other Splash Brother. The Warriors are in different territory as they’re trying to gel together new players that weren’t on the team last year. D’Angelo Russell was terrible tonight as he went 3/10 shooting with 6 points before he was ejected for getting in the referees face. This Warriors team is going to have some growing pains and their first win will have to wait on the season.

 

 

 

The Thunder have a quick turnaround as they will be heading to Houston to take on James Harden/Russell Westbrook after a back to back.

Oct 27, 2019 No Comments