The Baltimore Ravens have had injury problems in 2021, but they’re still getting some big wins. Somehow, one of those big wins directly led to an injury on Sunday.
The Ravens beat the Detroit Lions 19-17 thanks to a record-setting 66-yard field goal by Justin Tucker as time expired. That was certainly worth celebrating. Unfortunately Ravens linebacker coach Drew Wilkins celebrated a little too hard and hurt his hamstring.
Usually it’s the players who go down like this. That said, the coaches tend to be a little older and not in peak shape. Maybe it’s surprising that this doesn’t happen more often.
Wilkins’ injury may have been prevented if the refs had gotten a key call right. We’re betting he’s just fine with things working out the way they did.
Josh Gordon was once again reinstated by the NFL last week, and it appears he will have yet another outstanding opportunity to revive his career.
Gordon’s agents revealed on Monday that the 30-year-old wide receiver will sign with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Chiefs have solid receiver depth even after losing Sammy Watkins this past offseason, but signing Gordon will cost them next to nothing. The same was true when the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks — Gordon’s two most recent teams — gave Gordon a shot to prove he can stay clean.
To this point, Gordon has not shown he can do that. He looked like he was going to be able to contribute with the Seahawks toward the end of last season, but he had another setback in his ongoing battle with substance abuse. He then had his conditional reinstatement rescinded and was suspended again.
The NFL Players Association recently recommended to the NFL that Gordon be reinstated after he completed his treatment program. Gordon had been subject to drug tests for the last several months, and he reportedly passed all of them.
The odds are obviously stacked against Gordon, but Kansas City is a great landing spot for him.
Michelle Beadle has kept a low profile since she departed ESPN, but the former “NBA Countdown” host is reportedly exploring ways to begin the next chapter of her career.
Beadle is in talks about several media outlets about a possible role ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports. There are a number of possibilities on the table from a potential return to ESPN to Beadle launching a company of her own.
McCarthy mentioned that Keith Olbermann had three different stints with ESPN, but there’s no reason to think Beadle would go that route. She has been outspoken in the past and would likely be more comfortable working for a different company. Beadle may discuss possibilities with other former ESPN talents who went off on their own, like Bill Simmons with his The Ringer. She could also look into joining another network like NFL insider Josina Anderson recently did when she inked a deal with USA TODAY.
Meadowlark Media is another spot to watch. The company was co-founded by Dan Le Batard and John Skipper, who was Beadle’s boss at ESPN.
Beadle left ESPN’s “Get Up!” roughly a year ago after she spoke out against the sport of football and expressed anger over former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer not being fired amid the Zach Smith scandal. She then became the host of “NBA Countdown” before reaching a buyout agreement with ESPN in 2019. There was talk that ESPN is upset with Beadle for not fulfilling her responsibilities off the air.
Beadle was once very popular in sports media, so she should have no shortage of offers.
Klay Thompson has not played since the 2019 NBA Finals, and his absence could now bleed into another calendar year.
Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers provided an update on Thompson’s progress to reporters on Monday. He said that the former All-Star guard will have a “patient ramp-up” and could return in “maybe January,” per Connor Letorneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.
We knew that Thompson would not be ready for the start of the 2021-22 season as he continues to work back from a torn left ACL and subsequent ruptured right Achilles. But Myers’ update is a more pessimistic estimate of Thompson’s return date than had previously been anticipated this offseason.
The Warriors went 39-33 (.542) without Thompson last season and made it to the play-in tournament. They will have to continue to tread water in his absence for the time being. But Thompson’s return should definitely be worth the wait for a number of different reasons.
Bradley Beal has been with the Washington Wizards for his entire career, and one fellow NBA star was unsuccessful in trying to get him to leave.
The Athletic’s Bill Oram, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick reported Monday that Beal’s former Wizards teammate Russell Westbrook tried to convince him that they should both ask out of Washington in the weeks before the NBA Draft this past July. Beal ultimately declined but supported Westbrook’s efforts to get to Los Angeles, the report added.
Westbrook, who ended up on the Lakers in a multi-player trade, was only with the Wizards for one season. That means that he had much less of an attachment to Washington than Beal, who was drafted by the Wizards in 2012 and has been there ever since.
The 28-year-old Beal can become a free agent next offseason by turning down his $37.3 million player option for 2022-23. While Beal might not have been interested in Westbrook’s proposal, other teams will certainly keep trying to gauge his availability.
Most people would say Luka Doncic doesn’t have much to improve upon as he enters his fourth NBA season, but Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has some constructive feedback for the young star.
Kidd was full of praise for Doncic at the team’s media day Monday, comparing Doncic to “a young Picasso.” Kidd did say, however, that he wants to encourage Doncic to use his teammates and be comfortable relying on them.
There were certainly times last season that Doncic had the look of someone who felt they had to do it all themselves. That was the case even when he was having bad shooting nights or struggling to play his best.
On the other hand, some would probably argue Doncic would trust his teammates more if he had more reliable teammates — or at the very least, ones he gets on with better.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have absolutely dominated the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years, but you would never have known it if you watched the two teams play on Sunday. According to Tyler Boyd, some of that can be attributed to a lack of effort from his opponent.
Boyd told reporters on Monday that Steelers players “gave up” toward the end of Cincinnati’s 24-10 win. He said that was evident when their wide receivers committed several drops. Boyd also said the Steelers showed everybody “what they were about” and that the Bengals would never pack it in like that.
The Steelers would probably disagree. Ben Roethlisberger was playing through a pectoral muscle injury that was painful for him leading up to the game. That likely impacted his and the offense’s performance. The Steelers may have some bigger concerns about Big Ben going forward, but Mike Tomlin-coached teams certainly do not have a reputation for mailing it in.
One thing is for sure: the Steelers will use Boyd’s comments as motivation when the two teams meet later in the year.
Kyrie Irving has once again become the center of attention as the Brooklyn Nets head into a new season, but the star point guard insists he does not want to become a distraction for his teammates.
Irving did not attend the Nets’ media day on Monday due to New York’s health and safety protocols. That likely had something to do with New York City not allowing unvaccinated individuals inside sports arenas and other indoor venues. Irving instead met with reporters via Zoom, and he was asked if his decision to not take the COVID-19 vaccine will prevent him from being able to play in home games this season. He urged the media to respect his privacy.
Irving then spoke about not wanting to take any attention away from the Nets.
“I’m excited. The last thing I wanted to create was this hoopla and distractions,” he said. “I’m continuously growing and learning from others. … It won’t be easy, but I feel like we have a recipe for success.”
Though he insists he wants to keep all the focus on basketball, Irving did not shy away from sharing some of his thoughts on modern medicine. He said he believes people “put too much trust in doctors and medical staff.” Irving tried to explain his skepticism of the medical community.
As many pointed out, Irving’s remarks seem hypocritical (what else is new?) coming from an NBA star who has had access to the best medical care in the world. He has had multiple surgeries and countless other treatments. If not for medical science, he probably wouldn’t still be playing in the NBA.
Whether or not you agree with Irving’s stance on vaccinations or anything else, there’s no question he’s a distraction. The Nets should be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference, but Irving always seems to have his own stuff going on. That has to be frustrating for his teammates.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers was once again asked multiple questions about Ben Simmons at the team’s media day on Monday, and it didn’t take long before he became visibly frustrated.
After the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs, Rivers was asked if he believes Simmons can be the point guard on a championship team. He replied, “I don’t even know how to answer that right now.” Many took that to mean Rivers is not confident in Simmons. He reiterated on Monday that his words were twisted by the media and scolded a reporter for interrupting him.
You can watch the exchange below:
“There’s sometimes called intent when you talk,” Rivers said. “Clearly, what I said was, ‘Guys, I’m not answering that. I don’t know right now.’ We just finished a Game 7 and that question was asked. I just wasn’t talking about it. I wasn’t answering that.
“I still think the world of of (Simmons). I think the world of him as a player. Just because he doesn’t do certain things that you want him to do doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. He made the All-Star team. He almost won the Defensive Player of the Year Award.”
Rivers went on to say that he doesn’t think his comments after the playoffs have anything to do with Simmons wanting a trade. The coach noted that playing in Philadelphia is difficult, though he made it clear Simmons did not say that to him.
This isn’t the first time Rivers has been animated in defending his handling of Simmons.
Rivers certainly did not throw Simmons under the bus the way Joel Embiid did. People were more surprised that the coach had an opportunity to defend a star player who was coming off a poor performance, and he chose not to. That was quite telling, and there have been reports that Simmons even wanted an apology over it.
Whatever the case, Simmons is not backing down from his trade demand.
Andy Reid was taken to the hospital following his Kansas City Chiefs’ 30-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but fortunately the coach is already prepared to return to work.
Reid was released from the hospital on Monday after being held overnight for tests. The Chiefs said in a statement that he is in “good spirits.” Reid is expected to return to work either later on Monday or Tuesday morning.
That is certainly positive news.
Reid, 63, was admitted to the hospital for precautionary reasons after he experienced dehydration, according to multiple reports. He is also said to have had heart palpitations.
The Chiefs are likely breathing a collective sigh of relief. It sounds like Reid will be cleared to coach when Kansas City takes on his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 4.
