0-

NFL…Are You Ready For Some Football”

-0-

Just back from a weeks vacation in Europe, landing just in time for the start of the NFL season.

Some vacation I had. It took me 28-hours to get to Scandinavia. 27-hours to return from Finland. Cancelled flights, Immigration problems, Weather delays and all. But I am ready.

My jet-lagged look at the divisional races as the NFL kicks off its season.

-0-

AFC-EAST….New England has had all kinds of problems in training camp, injuries, retirements, constant turnover in the WR group and OL. There is no Rob Gronkowski either. But of course there is Tom Brady and Bill Beliheck. The Patriots would win because Buffalo has a kid QB, lots of new faces in the OL. Lots of changes for the Jets, from the front office to the coaching ranks. Sam Darnold and Le’Veon Bell will be fun to watch, but is there enough defense?. Miami might not win 2-games in the NFL version of tanking.

AFC-NORTH….Cleveland thinks it’s time to win, after horrible seasons nearly yearly since 1999. Baker Mayfield has tons of options to throw the ball too, and Myles Garrett and the defense are good. Worst to first is likely. The drama is over in Pittsburgh, and Ben Roethlisberger is back, but gone is Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Life after Joe Flacco begins in Baltimore, and that means life with Lamar Jackson at QB with his 58% completion rate. Cincinnati looks like Andy Dalton surrounded by a Big 10 college football roster.

AFC-SOUTH…This race-wide open. The retirement of QB-Andrew Luck changes everything for Indianapolis. QB-Jacoby Brissett looks solid, but he’s no Luck. Keeping QB-Marcus Mariota healthy is a key in Tennessee. Houston has torn its roster apart and lost its top running back. Pity QB-Deshaun Watson, and wonder if Bill O’Brien coulee be a coaching firing waiting. Jacksonville starts anew with QB-Nick Foles, but the roster does not look complete.

AFC-WEST….Kansas City presents it’s ‘Legion of Zoom’ offense, that QB (Mahomes), the group of WR’s (Hill) and now they add LeSean McCoy at RB. They are going to be explosive and with so may new parts on defense, could be very good. The Chargers have Philip Rivers, but without Melvin Gordon, Russell Okung and Derwin James, how do they think they can challenge. The Raiders keep changing parts of their offense, but with Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and new RB-Josh Jacobs, they could be explosive, but do they have enough defense? Denver has QB-Joe Flacco, but a lot of young pieces at RB-WR. Do they have enough so that great defense isn’t on the field all day?

NFC-EAST…Dallas is ready, Zeke Elliott has his money, Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper will get theirs, the offensive line is rock solid, and the defense has great skill and speed. A possible NFC Championship game looks like a possibility. Who knows about the Eagles. Can Carson Wentz stay healthy, do they have enough at the skill positions, and can the defense get helahtly upfront? The Giants are caught in the twilight years of Eli Manning, and the uncertainty of rookie QB-Daniel Jones. Washington is a mess on the field and in the front office.

NFC-NORTH….The Bears have that mean-streak defense but need to develop a big time passing game around its young QB-Mitch Trubisky. The Aaron Rodgers-Matt LaFleur
era bears watching in Green Bay, but the roster looks thin. The Vikings look dangerous if they find balance run-throw for QB-Kirk Cousins. Detroit starts year two under Matt Patricia, but pales in comparison roster-wise to the other teams in a tough division.

NFC-SOUTH…New Orleans has quite a trio, in Brees-Thomas-Kumara, and now they add TE-Jared Cook, with a competitive defense. Carolina goes as far as the health of Cam Newton and Luke Kiechly allows them to go. Atlanta has Matt Ryan and a healthy defense, but you wonder about team psyche and how poorly they played a year ago. The Tampa Bay experiment, coach Bruce Ariens–Jameis Winston hears watching. This a team chemistry that could implode.

AFC-WEST…Seattle has Russell Wilson on offense, and now newly acquired Jadaveon Clowney on defense. This is not a rebuild because they look pretty good. The Rams look complete, with Jared Goff-Todd Gurley and those receivers. The addition of Eric Weddle and Clay Matthews means a huge intellectual upgrade on defense. The 49ers have 3-QBs, who can play, and now the challenge, to grow the defense, led by a very good-young front. Arizona has do-everything QB-Kyler Murray, but little else. People are mocking the ‘Pretty Boy Offense’ new coach Cliff Kingsbury has installed. This will be a long season there.

==========================

-0-

“Kicking Off Your Sports Weekend–My Vacation”

-0-

You plan and plan for a trip like this, and then ___ happens.

I am writing to you, a postcard, from the corner table at Gate 51-at Lindbergh Field in San Diego.

I’m supposed to be in Holland to begin a week long junket.

But you know travel, hit and miss, and weather…and delays…and re-routes…and equipment problems…and waiting in line to takeoff…and refueling, and union rules that pilots cannot be in the cockpit for 8-hours.

Thus, instead of being in Scandinavia, I am still at Gate 51.

No big thing, except I left home at 4am to catch an American Airlines flight to go to Europe.

It will be 16-hours later before I board a British Airways flight instead..

I’ve spent my life traveling, doing NFL-Hockey-College play-by-play, and have had some wild experiences in flight.

But I have never sat in a plane, on the tarmac, for 5-hours straight, because of all the problems a plane, a pilot, an airline can have.

I wasn’t bored. I didn’t get mad. But I did get talked out.

Anyone, everyone, on this jam packed flight wanted to come up and talk to pass the time of day (morning-afternoon-night).

When will the Padres ever get good?
Wil Myers-all time bust?
How good are all the young arms on that pitching staff?

What will the Chargers do with Melvin Gordon?
Is Melvin Gordon going to give up- his entire paycheck and sit out?
Do you ever think we’ll get another NFL team?

Who’s won the battle for LA…Lakers or Clippers?

Antonio Brown-great head case of great receiver?

Why aren’t you still on the radio?

It took up lots of time, but then I had lots of time, in between changing terminals, trying to find my luggage, and talking to travel people on bad connection cell phones, to get new flights booked.

I don’t think I have ever wasted an entire day of my life, but today might rank as that specific time.

So in the week I am gone, maybe we’ll get some answers to all the questions those fans tossed at me, sitting, waiting to find the next flight, after my last flight got cancelled finally.

And maybe by the time I get back, we’ll know whether American Airlines can do a better job the next time I use them for a European vacation.

You remember the movie, “Terminal”, the one Tom Hanks starred in, where he got stranded in a New York Airport because of a revolution against the government in his home country of Krakovia?

I feel the same way, like I’m living in the Terminal.

Be back next week from my 5-country Scandinavia junket.

If not, maybe you can find me at Gate #51-British Airways. Might still be writing you a column from there.

Regards,

Hacksaw

-0-

“Names In The News”

-0-

Lots of people making lots of news, some good, some bad, some really stupid.

Observations around the NFL.

ANTONIO BROWN…Congrats Oakland, he’s your problem Raiders. An interesting preseason camp so far, few practices, the frostbitten incident with his feet, and the war with the NFL over his helmets. Oh by the way, there is a season to be played coming up. Maybe he needs just 1-week of full practice, or just 1-game in preseason. He’s been ideal for ‘Hard Knocks’. Will he be ideal for the Raiders, stay tuned.

ODELL BECKHAM….The other diva wide receiver is having his mail sent to Cleveland now, and the new member of the Browns is dropping bombs on everybody he left behind when he parted ways with the New York Giants. So gifted, such a pain to deal with, this will be an interesting fall with the Browns.

BAKER MAYFIELD….He can play and he can talk, and for the first time since 1999, there is legitimate hope the Browns can be a playoff team. He has spent all of camp yapping about his teammates, his former coach, even the NY Giants lost round draft pick quarterback. He can back it up as a player, but sometimes he can wear you out with his mouth.

KYLER MURRAY…Arizona’s first round draft pick is getting a rude introduction to the NFL. He’s not playing on a good team, is getting knocked around, and is running for his life, and this is in preseason right now. Wait till he has to operate against a Pro Bowl pass rush, or throw into coverage where there are superstars in the secondary. He was the first pick, and he went to an awful team. It’s the way of the NFL world. He’s gifted but I think he will get beat up.

JADAVEON CLOWNEY…Last year we had Le’Veon Bell’s season long holdout. No it looks as if the Houston defensive end is about to do the same, though the Texans are trying to shop him now in a trade. Teams will like his pass rushing talent, and teams will likely pay the big money guarantees to get him signed. You wonder why the Texans won’t.

JAYLON SMITH..The Cowboys gave a payday to the young linebacker, a (6Y-54M) extension, even while the contract situations with Ezekiel Elliott-Dak Prescott-Amari Cooper go unresolved. If you saw the horrors of his knee injury in his final game at Notre Dame, you’d be amazed he is even walking much less playing at a high level in the NFL.

ANDREW LUCK….This is not good in Indianapolis. It has been 15-weeks since he got hurt in OTA workouts, a calf injury. He’s not practicing, and the club now says he has a second injury, some type of pain issue in the front part of his ankle, and the same leg where he has the calf issue. All this after spending a year and a half trying to rehab and get healthy from major shoulder surgery.

JIMMY GAROPPOLO….San Francisco-somebody should be concerned. Garoppolo comes off a major knee injury last year. Comes back to camp, and this past week threw 5-interceptions on 5-straight passes in practice, then goes (1-6) 0Y-Interception-in a preseason game. He doesn’t look right, doesn’t seem comfortable in the pocket, and doesn’t look like the same player who dazzled us two years ago. Luckily the Niners do have CJ Beathard-Nick Mullens, both who have had big games last year.

JOSH GORDON….The Patriots opened the doors, and his teammates welcomed him back with open arms, this after he was disciplined by the NFL for drug violations. He’s played 52-games, missed 53-games with suspensions. You hope the Patriots are embracing him to help him over all the hurdles of his past life, and not just doing that because he averages (17.4YPC) over th course of his streaky NFL career.

TRENT WILLIAMS…The veteran Redskins left tackle isn’t in camp, and wants to be dealt. It could be the past dealings with Redskins doctors over head surgery he wound up having. It could be his contract, that still has two years to run. It could be he’s tired of losing. History has shown quality, but unhappy left tackles, are still valuable, so Williams could wind up going somewhere, New England, Cleveland for a couple of draft picks.

EZEKIEL ELLIOTT….Still out of camp, forfeiting money, and believing he holds leverage. He does. If we get to opening day, and he’s not in camp, then Jerry Jones has made a terrible mistake. The Cowboys are not the same team if he’s not playing, and maybe not a playoff team either. He’s outplayed the contract. Dallas has made him a strong offer of a pay bump from 3.9M, but should bump him to 10M immediately, and increase it from there. He deserves it. They need him too.

MELVIN GORDON…..He has no leverage, and he’s getting bad advice, and he is forfeiting 330,000 per week in game checks. He needs to come to camp and have his agent continue the dialogue. Wrecking the Chargers season and losing all his money makes no sense.

========================

-0-
“:NBA–OKC–No Longer OK”

-0-

Fame is fleeting int he NBA these days. Dynasties as we used to know them, are never likely to be part of the NBA landscape.

The Seattle Supersonics franchise was allowed to move by the NBA, to Oklahoma City. The team became the Thunder and started their first season like a big oak tree crashing down.

The Thunder went (3-29) out of the gate the first year. Oh it was awful.

But all that losing brought them high draft picks, and they hit the jackpot on talent

But they never got it done, and now it’s over.

The Thunder got to the NBA finals just once with a roster full of superb stars. They didn’t win because Miami had LeBron James-Dwayne Wade-Chris Bosh and Pat Riley running the show.

They reached the NBA West finals, four other times, but never moved on.

Think of the great group of players the Thunder drafted, acquired, played with, then lost.

James Harden, the Houston Rocket icon, came from Arizona State and was the first one.

Paul George became something very special out of Fresno State, coming in a trade from Indiana..

Russell Westbrook exited UCLA to become an exciting offensive talent.

Kevin Durant was spectacular every minute-every night.

And now they are all gone.

Harden went to Houston and has become a great scorer.

Westbrook has just been traded to the Rockets too.

Durant exited and was part of this just concluded tremendous run with Golden State, and is now a Brooklyn Net.

George was supposed to be a one year rental, who elected to stay, but a year later, forced a trade to the LA Clippers.

The group scored lots of points, won lots of games, galvanized the community, and became so tough to beat, especially in the OKC.

But it never turned out like everyone expected.

Egos clashed, the demand for top dollar took precedence, and the lure of big markets took the talent away.

They were electric to watch. They were eclectic as a unit. They were driven and dynamic.

But they never won a ring, and now they are all scattered to the wind.

Tanking and stockpiling draft picks has become a way of life around the NBA. Oklahoma City is no exception. The aftermath of the Paul George-Clippers trade wound up being a (9-for-1) transaction, with players and draft picks all mixed in the grab bag haul.

A long rebuild is likely. Who knows if the fans will stick by the team.

1-thing for sure, just because you have all this great talent, does not necessarily you can have a Michael Jordan-Larry Byrd or Magic Johnson run.

Sadly despite the great individual talent, history will write the Thunder did not get it done.

And now:

The NBA in OKC-No Longer OK.

===============================

0-

“Lakeers–Let Down Coming”

-0-

The best laid plans don’t always work out, and now you wonder what happens next.

The Los Angeles Lakers got one deal done, didn’t get a second deal done, and now have had a big setback after thinking the third deal they made would make a difference.

For a team reeling under the weight of six straight non playoff seasons, and a team dragging around a history of ownership dysfunction, they don’t need more setbacks, and yet here they are again.

Yes owner Jeannie Buss cleaned house, running off her co-owner brother Jimmy. She dispatched longtime GM-Mitch Kupchack.

In came Magic Johnson with the hope his personality and experience would lead to better days.

LeBron James arrived, the opening night hoopla was exiting. So was the expectations. But all that ended in a siege of injuries. King James and the groin. Kyle Kozma and his back. Brandon Ingram and his shoulder. Lonzo Ball with three different injuries.

The Lakers tried desperately to do a trade deadline deal to bring in Anthony Davis, but the proposed trade ended in flames, with anger and reputations damaged.

It never ended, till the end of the season, when they ran out of games in the schedule. James disappeared at the end of the season. Johnson quit the night of the final game.

New leadership in LA, and a front office housecleaning in New Orleans allowed for the reopening of the trade talks, and the Pelicans dealt Davis to LA, in a blockbuster 7-for-1 trade.

But in the time it took for the deal to go thru, and for Davis, to waive a 4M-dollar trade cash payment clause, virtually all the marquee free agents, who could have come to LA, were gone off the market.

It was unsettling, in that the Lakers had to stand by and watch the cross-hallway Clippers make the deals to get Kawhi Leonard in free agency, and Paul George in a trade with Oklahoma City.

The Lakers took a gamble, convincing veteran NBA center DeMarcus Cousins to leave the Golden State Warriors to don Purple & Gold. The deal would give them a tough guy presence on defense and on the boards, to compliment King James and AD and Kuz..

And now this, another devastating injury for Cousins, a torn knee ligament, wiping out his coming season. This from a player who spent nearly a year recovering from the torn Achilles, and then another half season with a torn quad. If he didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all.

Now the Lakers have 3-starters, virtually no quality on the bench, and a real deficiency in size and toughness. Who’s going to guard all these bigs. Who’s going to do the dirty work that needs to be done in around the paint.

And as August is about to turn to September and training camps, the Lakers are in a tough place. Who do they go get at this late date to fill a critical part of the roster?

Dwight Howard, Mr. Mercenary, who has drifted from club to club over the last five years, is visiting with LA, but his career has become nothing more than that of an underachiever, who has spent more time on the injured list than making huge contributions to his teams. Atlanta, Washington, Houston, Memphis have all dispatched him.

Joakim Noah had a good run with the Chicago Bulls, went to the Knicks, and fell apart. Injuries and a bad relationship with coaches, led to his ouster. No one has signed him since.

Kenneth Faried came into the league with great credentials and had solid years with Denver, but is still out there, despite some strong numbers as a role player. He can contribute, but he’s not a difference maker.

Please don’t mention Carmelo Anthony either, unwanted and unsigned, whose reputation as a selfish player precedes him most everywhere now.

The Lakers entire season was to be built around an aging James, Davis, at the peak of his career with a year left on the contract he inherited, and Kozma. There’s nothing left out there, and what they have brought in won’t push them to the upper echelon of the NBA-Western conference race.

Journeyman part time center JaVale McGee, and a host of other veterans like ex Toronto guard Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, Jared Dudley and Kantavious Pope round out the roster. Green is the best. The rest are just guys.

They have 10-young players coming in to camp, none with NBA pedigree. Can you say NBA-G League?

Nowhere’s enough talent at key positions for new coach Frank Vogel, and no way to get more players because the Lakers traded the whole future away this summer to get Davis for a 1-year rental before he is eligible for a max contract next summer.

The Cousins devastating injury destroys what could have been, dominant success right now. And what if LeBron James wakes up an old man at age 37? And what if Davis decides he’d like to go to Boston or New York next summer?

The best laid plans have gone off track. The Lakers could be in for a real let-down season, something they had hoped they put in their rear-view mirror, after all these bad seasons in a row.

======================.