Aug 5, 2024; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns’ signing of Deshaun Watson has quickly become one of the worst deals in pro sports. But few people may realize just how bad Watson has become.
The Browns are 1-5 this season and 30th in the league in points scored per game. Much of those struggles are due to how bad Watson has been.
Watson has completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 1,020 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in five games. He has taken a league-high 31 sacks while rushing for just 148 yards and a touchdown.
But those stats don’t tell the whole story. Some other stats shared by Bill Barnwell do.
Watson is off to one of the worst starts among all quarterbacks since 2007. Out of 566 passers through six weeks since 2007, Watson is nearly last in many stats.
Watson is:
558 out of 566 in QBR
565 out of 566 in yards per dropback
566 out of 566 in first down rate
In other words, the Browns are not moving the ball under Watson.
Regardless, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Monday that he will not be making a quarterback switch from Watson to backup Jameis Winston.
Cleveland is on the hook to pay Watson $46 million this season and each of the next two years. They’ve boxed themselves into a corner with the horrific 5-year, $230 million deal they gave him in 2022. Now they are stuck.
Oct 24, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reacts in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 33-22. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Damien Woody was not a fan of the way Nick Sirianni carried himself at the end of the Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Woody, a longtime ESPN analyst and former Pro Bowl offensive lineman, unloaded on Sirianni during Monday morning’s edition of “Get Up.” Woody called Sirianni a “clown” for chirping at Eagles fans late in Philadelphia’s 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns.
“What’s this clown behavior, bro? This dude’s a clown, like, seriously,” Woody said. “You gonna seriously talk trash to the fans? People come out here and pay big money to come out and watch you put a product out on the field. When you don’t perform well, they have every right to boo you. And you’re gonna get all in your feelings because fans are booing you because your team stinks? Bro, come on.
“Then you’re gonna bring your kids into the postgame to kind of soften the blow from what reporters might ask you. This dude is a straight clown, bro. Like I just don’t have any respect for what this man is doing. Y’all barely beat the God-awful Cleveland Browns, and then you want to talk trash to the fans. Get outta here.”
As time expired in the Eagles’ win over Cleveland, FOX cameras showed Sirianni putting his hand to his ear and gesturing toward fans that were seated behind the Philadelphia bench. You can see the video here.
As Woody mentioned, Sirianni then brought his kids with him to his postgame press conference. The coach was asked what he said to Eagles fans, and he simply repeated the same vague response.
Sirianni is known for wearing his emotions on his sleeve. He has even admitted that he needs to tone it down a bit on the sidelines. Woody has obviously had enough of the animated behavior and feels Sirianni crossed the line by going at his own team’s fans.
Sep 20, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Football Team defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Commanders got some bad news about one of their most important defensive players on Monday, a day after their loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn confirmed that defensive tackle Jonathan Quinn will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 6. Allen will undergo season-ending surgery.
A first-round pick in the 2017 draft, Allen has been a mainstay at the center of Washington’s defensive line. The two-time Pro Bowl selection has been a consistent starter since 2018 and has 41 career sacks, including two in six games in 2024.
The timing of Allen’s injury might be the most painful part, at least for the player. Allen has played through some very lean seasons in Washington, and has been very vocal about how difficult it has been to play on so many losing teams. Now the Commanders are 4-2 and seemingly on the rise, but he will not be able to contribute again until 2025.
Oct 22, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; The Houston Astros logo is seen during the third inning of game one of the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
The vibes are about to change in Houston.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Monday that the Houston Astros have decided to let go of their longtime third base coach Gary Pettis after 10 seasons with the team. Pettis’ contract with Houston was up, and the Astros are opting not to renew it.
The 66-year-old Pettis is a beloved baseball figure who was a five-time Gold Glover as a player before going into coaching in the mid-1990s. Pettis had been one of the biggest mainstays on staff in Houston, joining in 2015 and serving under three different managers (AJ Hinch, Dusty Baker, and Joe Espada). He was also the third base coach for both of the Astros’ World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.
Famous for his dramatic pinwheel motions at third, Pettis has long been known as one of the most aggressive senders in baseball. While the team’s baserunning numbers this season had showed a drop-off in performance by Pettis, the news of his departure still comes as a surprise. Pettis may not be the only longtime Astros figure to pack his bags this offseason either.
Dec 11, 2011; Denver, CO, USA; General view of a NFL logo on a communications center inside Sports Authority Field before the start of the game between the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos defeated the Bears 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The season-ending injury to Aidan Hutchinson has created an opportunity for another player to capture the Defensive Player of the Year award in the NFL.
Hutchinson was the favorite this season to win the award. The third-year defensive star had 7.5 sacks in just 5 games before suffering a broken leg in his Detroit Lions’ win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. However, he has now been taken off the board when it comes to wagers on the award.
The new favorite to win the award is Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher TJ Watt. Watt’s odds have improved from 3-1 to 3-2.
The next closest players are Fred Warner, who is now 8-1; Will Anderson Jr., who has 8-1 odds; and Chris Jones, who is at 9-1 odds.
After Watt, Warner, Anderson and Jones, there are five players with odds better than 30-1. Here are those remaining five players:
Nick Bosa 16/1
Maxx Crosby 18/1
Patrick Surtain II 25/1
Xavier McKinney 25/1
Myles Garrett 28/1
Watt won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021. The 6-time Pro Bowl player has 4.5 sacks through 6 games this season and is having another big year for Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ success as a team probably helps Watt’s chances. Pittsburgh is 4-2 through six weeks and is allowing just 14.3 points per game, which is the second-fewest in the NFL.
Nov 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart shown on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Smart was criticized on Saturday after he shoved an opposing player during Georgia’s 41-31 win over Mississippi State at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., and the coach says he has addressed his actions.
Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. ran for a gain in the fourth quarter and went out of bounds into Georgia’s sideline. Smart then went running over to say something to defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and gave Van Buren a fairly aggressive bump on the way. You can see the video here.
Smart said after the game that he was just trying to get to Schumann to change personnel and was unaware that he had even bumped Van Buren. The coach reiterated that on Monday but said he reached out to both Van Buren and Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby.
“I didn’t even realize that I had run into him. I reached out to Lebby that night and talked to him and he said the kid was great,” Smart said. “Yesterday I talked to Mike and told him I had no intentions or ill will toward him at all.
“If you’ve ever been on the sideline during a game, it’s pandemonium. It’s really pandemonium when you’re trying to change personnel and you’ve only got 3-4 seconds to do it and we were bad off in a bad personnel grouping against empty that we had actually messed up the week before. … I reached out to the kid. He was great. He’s a really good player. He’s gonna be a good player in this league, and he played better as the game went on against us.”
Mississippi State fans felt Smart’s behavior crossed the line, which is hardly a surprise. Smart clearly let his emotions get the best of him for a brief moment, even if they were not supposed to be directed toward Van Buren.
Apr 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during overtime in game 5 of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers are prioritizing the health of center Joel Embiid this season in a bid to keep him fit and available for the playoffs. That likely means one huge change is coming to Embiid’s availability in certain games.
In a new story by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Embiid admitted that his days of playing on back-to-back days appear to be over. That is not just a short-term solution, as the All-Star center said he does not expect to ever play in back-to-backs again.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid said.
76ers president Daryl Morey did not go quite as far, but he did say Embiid and Paul George were unlikely to play in many back-to-backs, “if any.”
Embiid is serious about keeping himself as healthy as possible. He has a long history of knee injuries and was once again not healthy for the stretch run last season. To that end, he made some major lifestyle changes ahead of the new season, and is adamant about making an NBA title his biggest and only goal. If he has to sacrifice back-to-backs to make that happen, he sounds more than willing to do that.
Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin got physical during his team’s practice on Monday.
News 4 in Buffalo captured a video of what transpired in practice between Dahlin and Payton Krebs. Dahlin was seen sending Krebs tumbling with an open ice hip check. Dahlin went charging after Krebs after the hit and started throwing some big punches at his teammate, who responded.
A couple of big punches were traded before their teammates stepped in to separate the two.
Some think that Dahlin was targeting Krebs with the hit and sending a message.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff seemed to be fine with what transpired. He shrugged it off as “boys will be boys.”
The Sabres beat the Panthers 5-2 on Saturday for their first win of the season. The Eastern Conference squad is 1-3 as of Monday.
Sep 26, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A detailed view of the Las Vegas Raiders shield logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Las Vegas Raiders look like they are in serious need of a roster rebuild, but that does not mean they are willing to entertain any trade offer that comes their way.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter discussed the possibility of the Detroit Lions trying to acquire a star pass-rusher after Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury on Sunday. Two names that have already come up are Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett, but Schefter does not think either will be traded.
According to Schefter, a team inquired about trading for Crosby earlier this season. The Raiders informed that team that even multiple first-round draft picks would not be enough to get a deal done.
“You’ve heard Maxx talk about his commitment to Las Vegas last week when he was comparing and contrasting his situation to Davante Adams. I believe earlier in the year there may have been a team that asked the Raiders about Maxx Crosby and might have floated a (first-round pick),” Schefter said. “I think they said, ‘Yeah, you start with multiple 1’s on that guy, and even then we wouldn’t even entertain it.’ Something could always change, but I don’t see the Raiders trading Crosby and I don’t see the Browns trading Garrett.”
The Raiders benched Gardner Minshew for Aidan O’Connell in Week 6, but the results were no better. O’Connell went 27/40 for 227 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 32-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Las Vegas looks miles from playoff contention, but Crosby is only 27. He is one of the top pass-rushers in football and already has 5.5 sacks in 5 games this season. Trading a player of his caliber almost always winds up being a net loss.
A Davante Adams trade remains a possibility, but the Raiders appear to be taking a hard stance on that front as well. They may wind up making no significant moves ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline, even if their season is going nowhere fast.
Dec 19, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) brings the ball up court against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Fans of Lonzo Ball received some welcomed news on Monday.
Ball is expected to play in the Chicago Bulls’ preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. This would be a huge deal considering Ball has not played since January 2022 due to knee surgeries and complications.
The Bulls have a preseason game on Monday night and then home preseason games on Wednesday and Friday. Chicago is hoping that Ball will be able to play in Wednesday and Fridays games.
The 26-year-old Ball has been hoping to be ready for the start of the regular season. He experienced some knee soreness after a team shootaround on Saturday, but the team is still shooting to have him available for the October 23 opener.
Ball has only played in 35 games for the Bulls since they acquired him in an August 2021 trade. Ball was the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers in 2017.
