Rob Gronkowski received some positive news on Monday regarding his injury status.
Gronk suffered a rib injury after taking a bit hit during his Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (video here).
The injury occurred early in the third quarter. Though Gronk left the game to receive medical attention, he returned to action later in the quarter. He also received good news about the X-rays.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that X-rays on Gronk’s ribs were negative. The tight end reportedly is likely to play for Tampa Bay in his return game to New England.
You know that Tom Brady and Gronk are licking their chops at a return to New England. This will be the biggest regular season game in memory, and Gronk will want to do everything possible to play in it.
Gronk finished with 4 catches for 55 yards and was targeted a few times following his return from the injury. Being able to return to the game was already a good sign about Gronk’s status ahead of the game against the Patriots.
Tyron Woodley made good on his agreement to get a Jake Paul tattoo. He put the fresh ink on a very fitting body part.
Woodley shared video on social media Monday of him getting the tattoo done. The tattoo says “I love Jake Paul.” Woodley got it done on his middle finger, likely as an F-you to Paul.
Here’s the video of him getting the tattoo done:
Paul beat Woodley via split decision in a boxing match on Aug. 29. It was the first pro boxing fight for Woodley, who is a former UFC champion.
Paul told Woodley that he needed to get an “I love Jake Paul” tattoo in order to be granted a rematch. However, since Woodley took his time getting the tattoo, Paul started exploring other possible fights.
It’s unclear whether Paul will give Woodley the rematch. But Paul didn’t waste time teasing Woodley about needing the money from a rematch.
Woodley earned $2 million in base pay for his fight with Paul, plus a cut of the pay-per-view sales.
Paul, 24, is 4-0 as a pro boxer and has beaten former MMA stars in consecutive boxing matches.
Eli Manning went viral on Monday night for mimicking Dak Prescott’s pregame hip routine.
Prescott has drawn attention in the past for the way he loosens his hips prior to games (videos here).
Eli tried to mimic Prescott’s hip routine during his telecast with brother Peyton on ESPN2 during the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game. Here is the video:
Of course, Peyton had to zing his brother with a great line.
“Your boys medium jeans are kinda keeping you from really kinda getting turned,” Peyton joked with Eli.
Eli actually delivered a very good rendition of Dak’s dance. How do you think it compares to Ezekiel Elliott’s version of it?
The San Francisco Giants suffered a terrible break — literally — on Sunday regarding one of their top players.
Brandon Belt left Sunday’s win over the Colorado Rockies due to an injury after being hit by a pitch on the hand while squaring around to bunt.
The news on Belt’s injury status was released on Monday. The slugger suffered a fractured thumb, which puts his postseason availability in question.
For now, Giants reporter Andrew Baggarly says Belt has not been ruled out for the postseason.
That’s at least a glimmer of hope for the Giants.
Belt, 33, has named himself the de facto team captain. Not only has he inspired his team as a leader, but he has also carried them through his play. Belt has 29 home runs in 97 games this season and a career high .597 slugging percentage. His .975 OPS is the best on the team.
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys lost out on what should have been a touchdown early in their “Monday Night Football” game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Cowboys had 4th-and-goal at the Philly 1-yard line in the first quarter with the game tied at seven. Prescott tried a quarterback sneak and there was a huge pile-up at the goal line.
The initial call on the field was that Prescott rushed for no gain and was short of a touchdown.
Replays seemed to show that Prescott had extended the ball beyond the plane of the goal line.
However, there was not enough evidence for the officials on the field to overturn their original call. Mike McCarthy lost his challenge of the no gain ruling as the officials let the call stand.
Even though they lost the challenge and touchdown, the Dallas defense quickly forced a punt. The Cowboys got the ball back at midfield and drove right back down for a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead. Perhaps all worked out anyway.
Fletcher Cox scored a rare touchdown on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys and then broke out a celebration that had people captivated.
The 30-year-old defensive tackle recovered a Dak Prescott fumble in the end zone for a TD to tie the game at seven. Likely surprised to have scored, Cox flexed and then decided to start doing his army crawl celebration. Take a look:
Cox has been doing that celebration since at least last year:
We actually like his wild dance even more from earlier in his career.
Cox has made six straight Pro Bowlers and is one of the best defensive linemen in the league. He can do whatever kind of celebration he wants.
Fans have been clamoring to see more of Justin Fields and Trey Lance, but a quarterback who has been in their shoes cautions that it might not be a good idea for a rookie’s long-term development.
Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and ended up starting seven games in his rookie season. Smith said on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” that, in retrospect, those seven starts likely hurt him more than they helped him.
Smith went just 9-of-23 in his first NFL start, throwing four interceptions in a 28-3 loss to Indianapolis. He ended up going 2-5 as a starter, throwing 11 interceptions compared to just one touchdown. The touchdown didn’t even come until Week 17.
Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers both became superstars after sitting for their rookie seasons. On the other hand, the likes of Peyton Manning took their lumps as a rookie and came through it in the long-term. In many cases, much will depend on the quarterback’s mental strength, how they’re being coached, and the environment they’re working in.
Bears fans have wanted to see Fields since the preseason, but he struggled mightily when pressed into action as a starter Sunday. Fans might do well to take note of Smith’s cautionary tale. He’s certainly lived it, and it might be better long-term if guys like Fields and Lance get the chance to take things slowly.
Photo: All-Pro Reels/Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0
After another week of unpleasant drama for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns is venting a bit.
Towns, the Timberwolves’ franchise center, hinted that he is a bit frustrated with the consistent “instability” within the organization. The latest example is the abrupt firing of team president Gersson Rosas, partly due to an inappropriate relationship with another team staffer.
Towns made clear, however, that he doesn’t want to cause problems for the Timberwolves despite the issues.
Credit to Towns for handling a pretty ridiculous situation so professionally. That fits with recent reports indicating he’s not agitating for an exit.
On the other hand, Towns won’t want to wait around forever. The 25-year-old has only made the playoffs once since entering the league in 2015. He’s signed through the 2023-24 season, and at that point, he’ll want progress and a plan or the Timberwolves may be faced with losing their star.
Dak Prescott came dressed appropriately for Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Prescott arrived for the Dallas Cowboys’ home opener dressed in a green suit — a color closely associated with Monday night’s opponent.
A bit of trolling, perhaps? It could be looked at as a hunting outfit, at least. Maybe it’s a reply to the recent shirt selection by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni.
Prescott has a lifetime 5-3 record in eight starts against Philadelphia, though he’s only thrown eight touchdowns to seven interceptions. A big performance Monday would go a long way toward establishing the Cowboys as the team to beat in the NFC East.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team seemed like a such a close-knit group this year that even Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka got along. When they saw the shirts that were made featuring both their faces, they probably realized they had no choice.
As the U.S. team was celebrating its historically dominant win over Europe on Sunday night, Bryson DeChambeau was spotted wearing a hilarious shirt. It featured his and Koepka’s faces depicted as the characters from the movie “Step Brothers.”
Where did the shirt come from? It looks like Justin Thomas may have had them made. Thomas shared a photo of himself wearing the shirt on Monday. He also posted a close-up of the shirt on his Instagram story and wrote “I think the team shirts were a success.”
DeChambeau and Koepka became known for their animated feud over the past few years. They may not be best friends, but they certainly put their differences aside at Whistling Straits. They shared a hug after the big win, and U.S. captain Steve Stricker made a shocking revelation about the two major champions.
The U.S. team probably knew the DeChambeau-Koepka dynamic could become awkward at some point. The shirts were a great way of downplaying it.
