Playing in “Monday Night Football” is throwing off Tom Brady’s body clock.
ESPN’s Suzy Kolber said on “Monday Night Countdown” before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ game against the Los Angeles Rams that Brady is usually in bed a little after the kickoff time for the weekly game.
“Tom did joke he is usually in bed by 9:15 pm,” Kolber said. “That’s not an age thing; that’s a health thing.”
Brady is known for being on a strict health regimen. He has the TB12 Method and abides by a diet that includes an odd “treat.”
Whether it’s going to bed early or eating mostly vegetables, it’s really hard to argue with what Brady is doing. He entered Monday’s game with 2,739 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season. Except for one “senior moment” earlier in the season, the 43-year-old still appears to be in top form.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have teamed up yet again! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Tampa Fiesta shirt. You can buy it here.
Isaiah Thomas insists that he’s back to top form after his latest hip procedure. He even appears to have some witnesses to back him up on that.
The veteran guard said he had been invited by John Wall to partake in a pickup game with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in October. In the five-on-five game, Thomas said he was blowing by his opponents, and felt like himself again while cutting and moving.
“Those guys were like, ‘Damn, welcome back. You really look like yourself,'” Thomas said, via Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “That only gave me more confidence to be able to play the game again. I mean, I was blowing by people. I haven’t blown by anybody since I had a Celtics uniform on. When I was able to blow by MVP-caliber players, that told me my burst and power and speed are there. I really feel like I’m back.”
Thomas underwent a hip resurfacing procedure that he says has finally corrected his longstanding injury issues. It seems some of his rivals agree.
The 31-year-old guard averaged 12.2 points per game last season for the Washington Wizards. He’s still unsigned, but if he’s anything like he was in his prime with Boston, he could be a steal.
These aren’t the same old Raiders, and Travis Kelce knows that.
Kelce gave the Raiders a big compliment after Kansas City’s close 35-31 victory over Las Vegas on Sunday. Kelce said that this is the best Raiders team he’s played since he’s been in the league.
Kelce has been in the NFL since being drafted by the Chiefs in the third round in 2013. Prior to this season, the Chiefs were 12-2 against the Raiders since Kelce entered the league. This season, the Raiders beat the Chiefs in their first meeting. And it took a great Chiefs comeback to beat the Raiders in their second game. Andy Reid gave credit to the proper place after the victory.
Kelce’s comment seems accurate; his is the best the Raiders have looked in years. The 2016 Raiders went 12-4 but lost both games to KC and lost in the wild card round of the playoffs.
Just being able to give the defending Super Bowl champs such a good run in both games, and winning one, shows the Raiders are a legit team this season. They’re 6-4 and a legitimate playoff contender.
The Tampa Bay Rays may be making a former Cy Young winner available on the trade market this offseason.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Rays have told other teams they are open to trading Blake Snell this offseason. The Rays are not actively trying to move Snell, but have made clear that they will entertain offers.
Snell has three years and $42 million remaining on his current contract. The Rays are notorious for maintaining a low payroll, and with Snell’s salary poised to increase in each of the next three seasons, they may see this as the right time to move their ace.
The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels are said to be among the teams with preliminary interest in the left-hander. While Snell would prefer to stay with the Rays, a trade to the Seattle Mariners, his hometown team, would interest him.
If Snell is traded this offseason, his Rays career will have ended with this infamous move by manager Kevin Cash. Ultimately, though, this is likely more about finances than it is about Snell being disgruntled.
Taysom Hill was a huge deal in ESPN’s fantasy football game last week, but the gravy train is coming to an end.
ESPN Fantasy announced on Monday that Hill is losing his tight end eligibility in their game.
Last week, word emerged that the New Orleans Saints were planning to start Hill at quarterback against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. The report caused ESPN’s Fantasy app to crash because of an interesting quirk.
Hill had tight end eligibility, but would have been able to rack up quarterback points. That is a major advantage compared to someone who maybe catches a few passes for 30 yards, like your average tight end.
Unfortunately, Hill is losing his tight end eligibility on ESPN. This is the explanation the service provided:
Early last week, ESPN Fantasy maintained it would not take away Hill’s primary position eligibility of tight end once the league week began on Tuesday. The reason for this is so fantasy managers were given ample time to make necessary roster assessments and lineup decisions before waivers running early Wednesday morning and in advance of the first game of the week Thursday.
There goes that.
Hill passed for 233 yards and more importantly, rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Those are monster numbers for a tight end, and still good numbers for a quarterback thanks to the rushing stats. But that sweet tight end advantage is coming to an end.
It’s been a rough few weeks for Takk McKinley, who has bounced from team to team as he repeatedly fails physicals. Despite this, his Twitter activity isn’t changing one bit.
McKinley was waived by the Falcons on Nov. 9 after criticizing the team for not trading him. He was first claimed by the Bengals, but failed a physical due to his groin injury. The same thing happened when he was subsequently claimed by the San Francisco 49ers.
On Monday, McKinley was picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders. By that point, he had his Twitter script down pat — he’s consistently sent the same message every time he’s switched teams.
It’s not controversial, but it is funny. Maybe he learned a thing or two from this Twitter flap he recently had.
It’s not clear whether or not the National League will adopt a universal DH in 2021, but one prominent front office figure wants to see it happen immediately.
New York Mets president Sandy Alderson urged the NL to adopt the designated hitter rule permanently, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Alderson added that “pitchers can’t even bunt anymore.”
Alderson’s position is a popular one. Reports indicate that pretty much everyone at every level of MLB, from the league itself to front offices to players, would like to see the DH become a permanent fixture in both leagues. That was the case in 2020 on an impermanent basis, but there is definitely momentum to make it stick.
The move will be disappointing to pitchers like this who really like hitting. However, they’re the exception, not the rule. That’s one of a number of reasons the universal DH appears inevitable.
DeMarcus Cousins has not been able to stay healthy over the past few seasons, but the All-Star big man is getting another opportunity to play for a contending team.
Cousins and the Houston Rockets have agreed to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Despite his injury history and the fact that he did not play at all last season, Cousins drew significant interest on the free agent market. The 30-year-old certainly has the potential to contribute if healthy, and there is not a whole lot of risk in signing him at this point.
Cousins has averaged 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds throughout his career. His last game action was with the Golden State Warriors in 2018-19, when he averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30 games. He suffered a quad injury during the postseason that year.
Cousins also suffered a torn Achilles tendon in early 2018 and tore the ACL in his left knee last summer. He briefly signed with the Lakers last season but never appeared in a game with them, and L.A. was said to have interest in bringing him back.
The situation in Houston remains murky, with both James Harden and Russell Westbrook supposedly wanting out. If both superstars stick around and Cousins is healthy, the Rockets could remain a formidable team in the West.
Alex Rodriguez and his fiancée were said to be furious over the way the sale of the New York Mets was handled, but new team owner Steve Cohen clearly has no sympathy for those he outbid.
Cohen has been very active on social media since he officially became the majority owner of the Mets. He answered some questions for fans on Twitter Monday, and one follower shared a tweet from Entertainment Weekly that said “Is there anything @JLo can’t do?” Cohen had a savage response.
Cohen is quickly gaining popularity among Mets fans, and these are the reasons why. He seems like a relatable guy who has already offered some great quotes about why he wanted to own the team.
A-Rod and J-Lo reportedly felt they were unfairly treated while trying to buy the Mets, though Rodriguez has denied being angry over the way things went. Perhaps he will change his tune after seeing the way Cohen trolled J-Lo.
The Dallas Cowboys got a big win on Sunday over the Minnesota Vikings. It could have been partially because coach Mike McCarthy leaned on an unusual motivational tactic in Saturday’s team meeting.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, in a bid to “hammer” the team’s weekly objectives, McCarthy brought in watermelons at the meeting and pulled out a sledgehammer. Each watermelon represented an objective, and McCarthy began smashing each of them with a sledgehammer.
The players loved it, with Pelissero saying they “roared” their approval. In fact, when it came time for McCarthy to hammer away at containing Dalvin Cook, defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence jumped up and demanded to do it himself.
The Cowboys won 31-28, putting them in decent position in the NFC East race.
It wasn’t long ago that McCarthy was questioning his players’ lack of leadership. Maybe he’s figured out a way to get to them. Who would have expected it to involve sledgehammers and watermelons?
