The Denver Broncos surprised the NFL by trading Von Miller on Monday to the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of draft picks. Miller was in the final season of his contract with Denver and was traded despite his team being 4-4.
One very interesting report published on Monday suggests that Miller recently created a rift with his teammates that could have played a role in Denver’s desire to trade him.
Adam Beasley, who writes for Pro Football Network, says that Miller had issues with teammates over his annual Halloween party.
Miller throws a big Halloween bash every year. The party costs six figures and even featured musician Quavo from the group Migos this year.
According to Beasley, Miller asked teammates to help chip in for the party. The teammates were surprised as they thought they were invited guests and not expected to pay.
The report states that the situation caused some problems in the locker room that may have contributed to the team’s decision to trade the veteran.
Beasley is a former Miami Dolphins reporter for The Miami Herald, whom we have cited for stories in the past. As much of a stretch as this story may seem, the source of the report is a legitimate reporter. Maybe a former Dolphins player or coach now with the Broncos told Beasley about the matter.
Maybe there was some drama surrounding Miller’s Halloween party, but whether it factored into a trade is a different story.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Miller’s Halloween party produced some headlines. Three years ago, a Broncos player was kicked out of the party and then arrested. That same year, some Broncos drew attention over their costumes.
Miller had been with the Broncos since being drafted by them No. 2 overall in 2011. He made eight Pro Bowls and helped them win the Super Bowl in the 2015 season.
H/T Egotastic Sports
Jun 1, 2021; Englewood, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) during organized team activities at the UCHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Breen is clearly a man who is one with the local culture in New York.
During the first quarter of the Knicks’ game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday, Julius Randle banked in a three late in the shot clock. Breen, who does play-by-play for the Knicks in addition to his role on national TV, responded by dropping an enthusiastic “Bing Bong” on the air.
For those unfamiliar, Breen was referencing the now-iconic video of Knicks fans going crazy outside Madison Square Garden after the team won their home opener. One fan memorably yelled out “Bing Bong,” which has since become a rallying cry for the team.
You can see the full video here, but beware of a lot of bad language.
Knicks guard Evan Fournier now includes “Bing Bong” in tweets, and MSG has even introduced a “Bing Bong” sound effect during games.
As for Breen, he has always been a meme-savvy announcer, and he proved that once again during Monday’s game. Bing Bong forever, baby.
Damian Lillard was uncertain about his future in Portland as recently as this offseason. But a few weeks into the new season, and he seems much more definitive about where he wants to be.
Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers played in Philly on Monday night and lost 113-103 to the 76ers. Sixers fans flattered Lillard by trying to recruit him to the team (watch here).
Sixers fans actively recruiting an opponent is a rarity, which makes it a very special thing. Despite the nice gesture from Philly fans, Lillard isn’t going anywhere.
The lifelong Blazers guard says his feet are firmly planted in Portland.
That’s exactly what Blazers fans want to hear. And the recruitment from Sixers fans comes after trade rumors during the offseason.
Lillard said that he was going to give the front office a chance to remake the team and coaching staff. So far, he is pleased with his new head coach. Of course, he probably would like to see improved results though amid a 3-4 start.
Photo: Dec 16, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Smart thinks that his star teammates have the Mamba mentality in all the wrong ways right now.
Smart’s Boston Celtics suffered an ugly collapse against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. After leading by as many as 19 in the third quarter, the Celtics got outscored 39-11 in the fourth to lose by a 128-114 final. The embarrassing loss led Smart to call out leading scorers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“I would just like to play basketball,” he said, per Chris Grenham of Forbes. “Every team knows we’re trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen. Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball.
“They don’t want to pass the ball,” Smart went on. “That’s something that they’re going to learn. They’re still learning. We’re proud of the progress they’re making, but they’re going to have to make another step and find ways to not only create for themselves but create for others on this team to open up the court for them.”
Tatum and Brown combined for 48 points on 18-for-40 shooting from the field against Chicago. Meanwhile, Smart managed 16 points on 11 attempts. That has been par for the course with the Celtics offense, even under new head coach Ime Udoka. Tatum and Brown typically dominate the halfcourt offense while everyone else mostly fights for scraps in transition or off catch-and-shoot threes. Neither star has ever averaged five or more assists per game in a season either, further hindering the team.
Smart entered Monday’s game averaging a career-low 7.4 points on 9.4 shot attempts per game, which has probably added to his frustration. Udoka has also not been too pleased about the play of his stars lately. To cap it off, the Celtics are now a grisly 2-5, so they have a lot of work to do to right the ship.
Photo: Aug 4, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) warms up before the first half of a NBA basketball game at the Visa Athletic Center in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Villanova’s odd court setup at Finneran Pavilion had students so fooled on Friday night.
Villanova held its annual “Hoops Mania” basketball kickoff event for students on Friday.
There were player introductions, and a short men’s intrasquad scrimmage followed by a 3-point shooting and dunk contests were planned.
But it wasn’t the scrimmage nor the dunk or 3-point shooting contests that drew attention. Rather, it was a video of students repeatedly tripping over the elevated court while trying to rush the floor that went viral.
Take a look:
That’s just cruel.
So few people realized they needed to step up. And nobody was looking at the person in the front of them to see what had gone wrong! What a calamity.
ESPN’s decision to have Peyton and Eli Manning commentate on “Monday Night Football” keeps paying off, as the pair continue to deliver television gold.
The Manning brothers were joined by guest Jon Stewart for the first quarter of Monday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants. Stewart repeatedly bemoaned the state of the Giants, and at one point asked both Mannings if father Archie could “make more Mannings” for the team.
Peyton’s response was absolutely priceless.
It gets better. Later in the broadcast, Peyton got a text from his father, who said his phone “lit up” after Peyton made the remark.
https://twitter.com/jhidesmith/status/1455344145497837573
The Manning telecast continues to deliver great viral moments on a weekly basis. Plus, that’s some quick wit from Peyton to drop that line so quickly.
The New Orleans Saints would have had to resort to some pretty desperate measures in a worst-case scenario during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Saints lost quarterback Jameis Winston for the season when he tore his ACL in the second quarter of the game. Trevor Siemian relieved Winston, but the Saints didn’t have a third quarterback dressed.
So who would the Saints have gone to had something happened to Siemian? Believe it or not, it would have been running back Alvin Kamara, according to coach Sean Payton.
Kamara has never been a quarterback before at any level, so that would have been an adventure to say the least. For a variety of reasons, the Saints are very happy it didn’t come to that.
We do know Kamara has a good eye for playcalling, at least. The jury’s out on all other quarterback skills.
Aaron Rodgers expressed some criticism of his alma mater Cal over Twitter on Saturday over the way they honored his former coach.
Cal honored former coach Jeff Tedford during Saturday’s 39-25 win over Oregon State. Tedford, who coached Cal from 2002-2012 and won more games than any coach in program history, was recognized between quarters.
That sort of honor for the coach, done between quarters, wasn’t good enough for Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers quarterback shared his disappointment over Twitter.
Rodgers played at Cal in 2003 and 2004 and was recruited to Cal from Butte College by Tedford. The two of them helped produce the best season Cal has enjoyed in 30 years.
Tedford took over Cal’s program after they were 1-10 and immediately delivered eight straight winning seasons. He had them as a top-10 team in 2004. Other stars who played for his program included DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.
Rodgers made a donation to Cal somewhat recently that helped the football team with their facilities. His relationship with his alma mater has not always been smooth, and the way the Tedford situation was handled might not help things.
Photo: Jan 19, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts following the loss against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Westbrook is known for his athleticism and playmaking ability, but not his shot. In fact, Westbrook’s outside shooting is widely acknowledged to be a weakness. One of his misses during Sunday night’s Los Angeles Lakers’ 95-85 win over the Houston Rockets was an example of this weakness.
Early in the second quarter of the Lakers’ home game against Houston, Westbrook pulled up for a jumper a few feet inside the 3-point line. Westbrook bricked it badly off the top of the backboard.
Yikes. That ball nearly went over the backboard. What was he doing? Was he going for a bank shot and miscalculated? It’s hard to imagine him being that far off.
Westbrook went 9/22 for 20 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists in the game.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL so far in 2021. Patrick Mahomes thinks he knows why.
The Chiefs quarterback told ESPN’s Lisa Salters in a pre-game interview on “Monday Night Football” that he felt some of the team’s issues are related to focus. Mahomes said that he and some of his teammates had been so focused on winning in the playoffs after last year’s Super Bowl loss that they lost sight of the regular season.
“We expected to be in the playoffs. We expected to have another chance at going to the Super Bowl,” Mahomes said. “But it takes the daily process of every single day to make it there, and we’re noticing that now, that we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and put in that work.”
The Chiefs are still getting plenty of yardage, but they came into Monday night leading the league in turnovers. A lot of their issues are down to sloppiness and preventable mistakes. That suggests it can be turned around, and it would serve as evidence to support Mahomes’ thinking.
There are definitely some indications that the Chiefs’ heads have not been in the right place lately. Fortunately, they have plenty of time to refocus and turn the season around.
