Carolina Panthers Spotlight Cam Newton’s Return to the Field

Carolina Panthers Spotlight Cam Newton’s Return to the Field

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by | Jun 11, 2019 | Featured, NFL

After starting the season 6-2 the Carolina Panthers looked well on their way to becoming one of the top teams in the NFL. The reason? Quarterback Cam Newton was setting the league ablaze in his first year operating within offensive coordinator, Norv Turner’s system. Newton had logged 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions. If that production had remained level for the rest of the season Newton could’ve challenged Patrick Mahomes in the 2018 NFL MVP race.

Yet, the Panthers lost six of their final seven games and ultimately missed the playoffs. What changed during the second half of the season? Cam Newton’s health. The team reported in Week 16 that he had been experiencing pain in his throwing shoulder and with Carolina’s postseason hopes all but gone they opted to rest the face of the franchise for the remainder of the season. By then, Newton petered off and finished with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on the year.

Newton would undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder nearly a month later on January 24th. It would be his second shoulder surgery–rotator cuff surgery in March 2017–in as many years, doubt was seeping in around the organization of what the future would look like for their superstar quarterback. The Panthers would even select West Virginia quarterback Will Grier in the third round this spring.

On Tuesday, Carolina opened up their three-day mandatory minicamp and nonetheless, there was Cam on the field, dressed, and tossing the ball around. The Panthers live-streamed a 27-minute portion of their first day, highlighting Newton being involved in warmups and three drills.

It is obviously great news that Newton is on the field and throwing a ball less than five months after surgery, however, Newton was still slightly limited. The pecking order for reps went as follows: Will Grier, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Cam. Also during the drills shown Newton was selective in the attempts he took. Newton connected with D.J. Moore (twice), Chris Hogan (twice), Curtis Samuel, and Greg Olsen on a combination of shorter routes (hitches, quick outs, drags, and speed ins).

Word out of Carolina is that he’s limited right now to throwing to stationary targets only. The feeling is that the team doesn’t want to stress the shoulder so early into his recovery with throws that would put more force and wear on the surgically repaired shoulder. The Panthers felt that before Newton was sidelined for the final two games a year ago that when he was healthy he showed great progress in the footwork department and had the requisite zip and tight spiral on his throws.

It is unknown whether or not Carolina will choose to stream a portion of practice for the remainder of their minicamp, but even if they don’t, this short glimpse of Cam on the field served its purpose. Though the attempts were few and far between and the reps didn’t always come with the first-team, Newton looked like his usual self. He was bouncing around, dancing, laughing, talking, being an energetic and exuberant presence that the team could rally around.

The Panthers firmly believe that they have the necessary pieces around Newton to be an elite team. In the end, it won’t matter how great those players are if Cam can’t get back and stay on the field.

Jun 11, 2019 No Comments
Colorful Flyknit Air Jordan Retros and Nike Shox Making a Comeback? Sneaker releases to lookout for this week

Colorful Flyknit Air Jordan Retros and Nike Shox Making a Comeback? Sneaker releases to lookout for this week

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by | Jun 11, 2019 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Does Nike have a chance at trying to revive their tried-and-true Nike Shox line? What was once the dominant sneaker choice of the early 2000’s (in terms of performance) is now going to make a resurgence as a lifestyle shoe. Just yesterday, the Swoosh released the Nike Shox R4 “White Flash” in a white/black/volt colorway ($140). Perhaps more intriguing and widely appealing is their limited June 13th release of the Comme des Garcons x Nike Shox TL in the “Triple White” and “Triple Black” color schemes. Is this collaborative effort with CDG enough to put Nike Shox back on peoples’ cop lists or should the Shox fad remain a thing of the past? Both colorways of the Comme des Garcons x Nike Shox TL will retail for $350 each.

       

 

The wildly charismatic and unpredictable Odell Beckham Jr is getting his own release of the Nike Air Max 720 model. Dressed in multi-color/hyper pink there’s no way to look at this shoe other than it matches OBJ’s persona to a T. This shoe has a special release on June 12th at overseas retailer Solebox Berlin (limited to 20 pairs) but then will have a worldwide release on June 21st. They will retail for $200.

         

 

Streetwear brand Supreme will once again be collaborating with Jordan Brand on their joint release of two colorways of the Air Jordan 14 set to come out on the 13th. Inspired by an outfit Michael Jordan wore in the 90’s, these sneakers feature studded jewels on the side panels on top of a black/varsity royal and white/university red color blocking. Each pair will run you $248.

             

 

If you want your feet to pop and stand out this summer look no further than any colorway in the Air Jordan 4 Flyknit pack. Flyknit Jordan retros have never been hit with much fanfare, so are these Retro 4’s just in line to receive the same treatment? Even on social media platforms people are saying, “I’ll cop when they hit outlets,” or, “I’d only wear if they were given to me for free.” These sayings are somewhat accurate as the fly knit Jordan 1’s and 3’s hit numerous outlets and don’t receive much praise from sneaker aficionados. Maybe the vibrant color pallets featured on these four pairs will sway peoples’ judgements? The Air Jordan 4 Flyknit release on June 14th in “Hyper Royal”, “University Red”, “Volt”, and “Total Orange.” Each pair will have a $220 price tag.

 

           

 

 

 

 

Jun 11, 2019 No Comments
Pelicans Open To Multi-Team Davis Negotiation

Pelicans Open To Multi-Team Davis Negotiation

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by | Jun 10, 2019 | Featured, NBA

Per a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the New Orleans Pelicans and their Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin have begun the process of providing potential trade suitors for their disgruntled All-NBA forward Anthony Davis. Negotiations have now begun to include a multiteam deal that would expand New Orleans’ potential array of trade assets.

As it stands, Los Angeles and New York teams — the Clippers, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, are the prominent and most inquiring front offices most applicable to sign the 6-time All-Star, per league sources. The Boston Celtics remain along the top of Davis’ desired free agent destinations and although Celtics have some venerable pieces to move, the looming decision of Kyrie Irving’s future with the team may ultimately decide what the Celtics want to do if they are to consider a trade.

Toronto has also suddenly emerged as a threat to sign Davis. With the franchise’s recent success in making their first NBA Finals under the tutelage of first-year head coach Nick Nurse and the experienced guise of two-way superstar Kawhi Leonard in just a year, the small-market feel to the city of Toronto can be seen as a familiar feature to Davis.

According to front offices who’ve engaged in conversations with Griffin, a one-team trade is not likely to fulfill his wishes for the impending Davis negotiation. Therefore, Griffin has been working to find multiteam trade scenarios that could benefit all sides with some significant assets of preferable players or picks.

For instance, scenarios could involve the Lakers to find a team that would value its younger pieces more than New Orleans does. Another scenario could include the Knicks flipping their two future first-round picks from the Dallas Mavericks into players the Pelicans can build with and around. The goal for New Orleans is to clearly maximize the return on Davis’ imminent departure, and by the looks of it, the organization is willing to be creative in the idea to creatively construct a championship roster in the distant future.

Griffin is unwavering but lenient on the path to dealing AD, not providing a strict timetable to teams on a complete deal. He has, however, indicated that he wants the acquisitions of all 2019 draft picks to be completed days prior to to the draft on June 20. This gives Griffin and the Pelicans time to examine and analyze all draft prospects slotted in the vicinity of picks possibly traded to New Orleans.

Both the Knicks and Lakers, two teams belonging to the major media markets of LA and New York, have the 3rd and 4th picks in this year’s draft. Positional numbers that are up for consideration for Griffin and his executive team.

Griffin’s plan is to replace Davis with an All-Star caliber player, a young player with superstar potential and two first-round picks. Granted, those wants are not paramount and confirmed. For example, the better the player, the softer the requests on the draft picks — and vice versa. The Pelicans are hoping to rebound quickly in the aftermath of setting Davis loose, who will more than likely leave as a free agent this July.

In what will be a building around of projected No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and star point guard Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans are prepared for whatever picks or trades need to happen that will provide for extra help for the team’s core.

Jun 10, 2019 No Comments
David Ortiz Shot In Dominican Republic

David Ortiz Shot In Dominican Republic

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by | Jun 10, 2019 | Featured

Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz shot in the back on Sunday after altercation in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Ortiz underwent emergency surgery in a local clinic and is now recovering, according to Dominican journalist Dionisio Soldevilla via Ortiz’s brother.

Leo Lopez, Ortiz’s assistant, says Ortiz is in stable condition and “he is heavily sedated and and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours.” According to Felix Durán Mejia, a spokesman for the Dominican National Police, Ortiz was shot in the back by a gunman on a motorcycle. The bullet exited through Ortiz’s stomach.

Arrests have been made in connection but it is unknown if the shooter is in custody. The shooting occurred outside of the nightclub “Dial Discotheque” in the capitol city.

A suspect believed to be involved was attacked and beaten by bystanders. According to the Dominican Health Service the suspect is currently being treated at a local hospital.

This story is developing, our hopes go out to David “Big Papi” Ortiz.

 

 

Jun 10, 2019 No Comments
Three Names To Get More Familiar With As We Approach the All-Star Game

Three Names To Get More Familiar With As We Approach the All-Star Game

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by | Jun 8, 2019 | Featured

Being through roughly one third of the 2019 season, we’ve seen some fantastic starts from players around the league: Some players you expect it from, and some you do not. This article is going to keep you up to date on a few of the players you might not be too familiar with, but need to be, as we are about one month away from the all-star break. Whether it’s players new to the game, or finally had their breakout, you need to keep your eyes on these guys for all-star activities. You can now vote for these players, as well as your favorite players to make the 2019 all-star game on the MLB website.

 

  1. Derek Dietrich

Derek Dietrich is a 29-year-old second basemen and designated hitter who currently plays for the Cincinnati Reds. Dietrich was drafted in 2010 by the Tampa Bay Rays and would later be traded to the Miami Marlins. In 2019 the reds signed him to a minor league contract, where he impressed everyone watching with his power hitting skills. Through the 2019 season so far, Dietrich has already hit 17 home runs, as he quickly passed his career high for home runs in a season (previous record was 16). Hitting three home runs in one game twice this season has also helped him break the top 10 for home runs in the NL. In a post-game interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Dietrich stated that playing in the 2019 all-star game would be the “perfect script”, as the game is being held in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. He is making a strong case for himself to be included in the all-star festivities, and maybe the Home run Derby as well.

 

  1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Son of the Vladimir Guerrero who made the Hall of Fame after 16 fantastic seasons, the rookie is making a splash in his first full season in the major leagues. Playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, Guerrero is making a strong push for the upcoming all-star game with an impressive stat line very early in his career. An on-base percentage of .308 has helped him look like a promising star to not only Blue Jays fans, but everyone else around the league. He also had the honors of winning minor league player of the year in 2018, as well as an NL player of the week award in early May. Guerrero has also stated he would be open to participating in the home run derby, hoping to follow his father’s footsteps. Vladimir Guerrero won the derby in 2007 and notched 449 home runs in his career.

 

  1. Josh Bell

Pirates first basemen and outfielder Josh Bell has been turning heads this season with his offensive efficiency. Leading the league in RBI and being 7th on ESPN’s batting ranks, Bell is on pace to shatter his own career records. Before making his MLB debut in 2016, he spent a significant amount of time in the minor leagues dealing with injuries. Now that he’s spent some time in the majors, 2019 looks to be his breakout season. Bell’s .338 batting average has him top 10 in the league for that statistic, as well as leading the league in doubles and extra base hits. There’s a good chance we see Bell make an appearance in Cleveland for the all-star game this year, as he’s on pace for a very impressive stat line this season. His 18 home runs could also make him a candidate for the Home run Derby.

Jun 8, 2019 No Comments
Five Quarterbacks That Need Contract Extensions

Five Quarterbacks That Need Contract Extensions

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by | Jun 7, 2019 | Featured, NFL

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they reached an agreement with quarterback Carson Wentz on a contract extension that keeps him with the team until 2024. Wentz now is under contract for six years for $154 million (with over $107 million guaranteed).

The Eagles have planted their flag with the fourth-year pro and former second overall pick. They are all-in on Wentz being the face of the franchise and their quarterback for now and in the future. In his second season in the NFL Wentz had a breakout campaign; the Eagles went 11-2 with him as their starter and he threw for nearly 3300 yards and 33 touchdowns–with only seven interceptions.

However, Wentz would miss the remainder of what ultimately became a Super Bowl-winning run due to a torn ACL. He then led Philadelphia to a disappointing 5-6 record before being sidelined once again for the rest of the year with a stress fracture in his back.

He’s cleared and back on the field and obviously, Philadelphia isn’t worried about his health. With the Eagles committing so heavily to Wentz at this juncture it allows us to turn our eyes elsewhere and see who is the next quarterback to be shown the money.

1. Patrick Mahomes

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The reigning MVP of the NFL is going to be the highest paid player in the NFL soon. In just his second year in the league, he revolutionized the position single-handedly. Mahomes ability to make plays inside and outside of the pocket combined with a rocket launcher for an arm he looked like the most-skilled quarterback since Aaron Rodgers.

Kansas City was all-in on Mahomes since they traded up to the 10th overall slot in the 2017 NFL Draft to select him. After taking a year to learn Andy Reid’s system, Mahomes tore through the entire league during his first season as a starter.

With weapons in the backfield and in the receiving corps, the Chiefs are positioned to be one of the better offensive teams for the foreseeable future.

At just 23 years old Mahomes has the best combination of youth and skills of any skill player in the NFL. That’s not something to just bat an eyelid at. Kansas City could hand Mahomes a blank check and still be making a smart investment at quarterback.

2. Dak Prescott

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The Dallas Cowboys are finally making their way back to sustained consistency. After dominating the late-80s and mid-90s, the star had lost some of its shine. Yet, Dallas also struck gold in the 2016 NFL Draft when they found Dak Prescott in the fourth round.

Since becoming the starter, Dallas has won two-thirds of their games (32-16) and have made the playoffs in two of the three seasons.

Prescott was known as more of a running quarterback during his time at Mississippi State, but he’s eclipsed the 3300-yard plateau each year and only completed less than 67 percent of his passes in one season (2017).

Jerry Jones knows how important Prescott has been to the turnaround in Dallas and making sure he’s properly compensated should be priority number one going forward. However, with the deals of Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper nearing completion as well, that means Jones might have to go very deep into his pockets to keep the current iteration of these Cowboys together.

3. Jared Goff

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The Los Angeles Rams are fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl and had one of the most explosive offenses in recent NFL history. But in that final game, their offense stalled out and they only managed to score three points as they were defeated by the New England Patriots.

Over the duration of the 2018 season, Goff was critical to the Rams success. In totality though, running back Todd Gurley was the engine behind the high-powered Sean McVay system and the Super Bowl put a big spotlight on that as the Patriots were able to bottle up Gurley–who was also dealing with knee issues.

Under the tutelage of McVay, Goff has been reborn as a signal caller. His rookie year might have been one of the worst for a first overall pick. Yet, he has looked like a different player since McVay took over for Jeff Fisher.

As long as Los Angeles believes that Goff will continue to develop and could one day be the key cog of the offense then a big deal is coming down the pipeline and the earlier they decide on that the more money they will likely save themselves.

4. Deshaun Watson

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Another quarterback in Texas is on the cusp of a big payday. Houston Texans starter Deshaun Watson is entering the penultimate year of his rookie deal and he’s easily been the best quarterback the franchise has had since they entered the league in 2002.

After starting just six games as a rookie, he started every game last year and led Houston to an 11-5 record and a Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Watson rose to prominence in college at Clemson and led them to an upset victory in the national championship game against Alabama in 2017. He’s brought along glimpses of that star power to the NFL, but the Texans as a team have yet to capitalize on it while Watson remains on a below-market-rate deal.

Time’s running out for this team as it’s unlikely they will allow Watson to get to his fifth-year option without extending him first. If the team can’t put things together this season then they may have wasted their chance to repeat the formula of teams like the Rams and Chiefs. Firing their general manager likely makes getting a deal locked in even harder for the two sides.

5. Mitchell Trubisky

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When the Chicago Bears drafted Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft it caught many people off guard. However, after a big turnaround in his second year with the team, he’s now the third member of the 2017 draft class to appear on this list.

Even though he was taken before Mahomes and Watson, it would clearly seem that he sits behind those other two when re-ranking the trio of quarterbacks selected in the first round that year.

However, unlike the Texans, Chicago has done a much better job of filling out their roster to take advantage of having a cost-controlled quarterback. Trading for Khalil Mack last season vaulted this team into the upper echelon, but they fell short of making noise as they lost to the Eagles in the Wild Card round last season.

Hiring Matt Nagy has had a similar impact on Trubisky’s play as the Rams bringing in Sean McVay with Jared Goff. As long as Nagy’s offense continues to put Trubisky in situations to excel he will be worth the money.

Jun 7, 2019 No Comments