Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Sports

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 26, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 26, 2022

    Welcome to the Morning After Huddle. It’s Friday, but things are far from fabulous. The Buffalo Bills have a situation on their hands.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • To start, Bills punter Matt Araiza is popping up all over news cycles as details unfold about a civil suit related to a potential sexual assault. The Los Angeles Times released a blistering article about an October 2021 incident that allegedly involved Araiza and several other players from San Diego State. The Bills are aware of the lawsuit but are refraining from commenting at this time.
    • Next on the docket, FanDuel is launching its own network. FanDuel TV includes a linear cable network and a platform, FanDuel+, that is free to download by FanDuel users. The network is pulling in some major stars like Kay Adams, Pat McAfee and Bill Simmons.
    • Finally, your Key Signings and Trades Roundup:

    Thanks for choosing us today for your most important updates. Catch up on Saturday, with your coffee, for more news you want to know!

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 25, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 25, 2022

    Welcome to your Thursday edition of the Morning After Huddle. Sad news out of the league today. Another legend has passed away.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • First, Hall of Fame Quarterback Len Dawson passed away at age 87. Dawson has a storied career and won three AFL championships and propelled Kansas City to its first Super Bowl victory in 1970. Dawson is also widely known for his contributions to Inside The NFL, where he broke down the numerous NFL Game of the Week as host.
    • Next, the third week of preseason games is underway this week and teams will be evaluating their talent to see who has what it takes to make the 53-man roster. Eric Edholm of NFL.com is previewing one thing to watch for from all thirty-two teams. Starting with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs tonight and ending with the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers who play on Sunday, you find what to expect from your team with a quick read.
    • Finally, your Key Signings and Trades Roundup:

    Thanks for trusting us will all things you need to know about the NFL. We’ll be back on Fabulous Football Friday!

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 22, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 22, 2022

    Welcome to your Monday edition of the Morning After Huddle! It seems that injuries have followed several teams this pre-season and even 2022 draft picks can’t escape.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • First, Panthers Rookie QB Matt Corral will likely miss the 2022 season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Corral has a Lisfranc injury. Head Coach Matt Rhule provided additional context, saying “I would assume it would be a significant amount of time. I’m pretty sure it will be a long-term injury.” Corrals injury came Friday night in the pre-season game against New England.
    • Next, Bear LB Roquan Smith is having a change of heart. Smith is now ready to get back on the field after requesting a trade just weeks ago. He returned to practice on Saturday saying, ” I’m just shifting my focus to the season and more so just focused on being the best teammate I can be to those guys in the locker room.” Head Coach Matt Eberflus is complimentary of Smith and states that he has been engaging in meetings and with younger players.
    • Finally, your Key Signings and Trades Roundup is pretty quiet today:

    Thanks for continuing to follow The Morning After Huddle for all things NFL. Share with you friends, your neighbor, even your grandma. We’re not picky. As long as you come back for more news you want to know!

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 19, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 19, 2022

    Welcome to the Morning After Huddle. This morning’s Huddle is recapping the Deshaun Watson suspension with accompanying thoughts.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • The NFL is suspending Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson 11 games and fining him $5 million for multiple violations to the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. His fine, with $1M contributions from the NFL and the Browns, is going to organizations that support education, prevention, and healthy relationships related to sexual misconduct and assault.
    • Let me be clear, this is nasty work. The NFL’s policy on personal conduct should be reevaluated. Watson’s initial suspension of 6 games happens because that policy has a standard baseline, but is extremely inconsistent with suspensions. Additionally, it is evident by the behavior of the Haslams and Watson’s camp that his talent is always going to prevail over the livelihoods of the women impacted and every female fan in the NFL. (For example, Watson’s lawyer tweeted and then deleted a post yesterday. In it, he claims that Judge Sue L Robinson was biased before Watson’s case ever hit her docket.)
    • In my eyes, this gets worse when you look at the financial impact. Watson is losing just $632,500 – $57,500 per game because this impacts only his base salary in 2022. The Browns claim his contract is like any other contract, with the first year being a very small base salary. Any other day this would be acceptable, but only Deshaun Watson has a fully guaranteed contract of $230 million, which includes $46 million in year 2.
  • Around The League: AFC East

    Around The League: AFC East

    We are back with another installment of Around The League, and this time we are looking at the AFC East. Home to Hunter’s favorite team (the reigning defending division champion Buffalo Bills) and me and Nate’s favorite team (the reigning defending division dwellers New York Jets), one thing is for sure and two things for certain: we are both rooting against the New England Patriots. With the charcuterie board set, let’s take a look at this division, which really means looking at the signal callers. 

    1. Who is Mac Jones throwing to? Fresh off a Pro Bowl season (replacement nods count), the Patriots decided to help their young QB by *looks around* doing nothing. Ok, they went and got Devante Parker, who fans have been waiting to see a breakout season from. Maybe this is the year? In any event, the Patriots had another uneven draft, and now enter this season with the worst pass-catching group in the division. To top it off, they also lost their offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and have decided to let two gentlemen with no play-calling experience on the offensive side of the ball do just that. Lastly, they traded one of their better offensive lineman (Shaq Mason) to the Bucs once they lost their starting guard. Good to see Bill Belicheck still wants to help Tom Brady succeed. The true sign of love is how we love our people from a distance, and Bill nailed it. He should have really focused on helping his second-year QB though. 

    2. Can Zach Wilson take the leap? Speaking of helping a second-year QB, the New York Jets did exactly that and then some this off-season. Last year, they gave Zach Wilson WRs Corey Davis and Elijah Moore, the former a solid veteran and the latter a dynamic rookie WR that should’ve been drafted earlier than he was. This year, the Jets drafted Ohio State WR Garret Wilson and RB Breece Hall, re-signed Pro Bowler Braxton Berrios, and signed TEs Tyler Conklin and CJ Uzomah and OL Duane Brown and Laken Tomlinson. Most importantly, and unlike New England, they kept OC Mike LaFleur, which means Zach enters year two in the same offense as last year but with much more talent around him. He seems to have avoided a major injury in the first preseason game and looks to be back in time for the week one tilt versus the Ravens, and the offense will go as far as he has developed. 

    3. Is this the beginning of the end of the Tua era in Miami? Whereas the Jets will have the same offensive scheme this year, the Dolphins similarly went to the 49ers tree for their new scheme and hired former 49ers OC Mike McDaniel to be their head coach. They then went out and added a franchise LT, talented RB, traded a former first-round WR within the division, and then made a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire All-Pro WR Tyreek Hill. Like the Jets, this now all falls on the young QB for Miami. This season becomes doubly important when you consider that the Dolphins were just docked draft picks for telling Brian Flores to do on purpose what the team was well-equipped to do by accident: lose games. Armed with less capital, but no less averse to making a big trade if needed, and with a much-hyped QB draft class for next year, this could be Tua’s last shot to impress the coach that did not draft him. 

    4. Can Josh Allen finally beat Patrick Mahomes when it counts? Whereas the three other teams in the division have questions about their QBs, the Buffalo Bills have answered theirs. Josh Allen took the leap last year and became a legitimate MVP candidate, and he looks set to build on that with the emergence of Gabriel Davis and the continued development of Dawson Knox. The MVP award might be in his near future, but there’s one thing Josh Allen has not been able to do: beat Patrick Mahomes when it matters. I know the Bengals are the media darling given their surprise run to the Super Bowl last year, but the Chiefs are still the top dog in this conference and all signs point to Allen having to go through Mahomes if he wants to reach the Super Bowl that’s eluded these Bills fans for 20+ years. The AFC is a juggernaut of QB talent right now, and they also have the best young QBs in the league, and the Bills have one of the better ones across the entire league. In order to be solidified as the guy in the AFC though? He’s gotta go through Pat, and we will see if this is the year he does just that. 

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 18, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 18, 2022

    It’s Thursday, teammates, and that means it’s time for more NFL news. Welcome to The Morning After Huddle! Derwin James has mastered the art of the ”hold-in”.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • Of course, you know we can’t talk about the Chargers without an obligatory GO CHAHHGERS! GO! (Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud) Mr. Derwin James is a rich man, securing the largest safety contract in NFL History yesterday. Derwin and the Chargers agreed to a 4-year extension worth $76.4 million with $42 million guaranteed. Now, that’s California love.
    • In case you missed it, former NFL player, Manti Te’o, who is known for his claims about a fake girlfriend, has a Netflix documentary about the saga. The story unfolds in the new season of Untold, where viewers get an inside look into how it happened. Te’o says hearing the lyrics ”you cannot heal what you don’t reveal“ at a Jay-Z concert prompted him to speak up. Word to Hov.
    • Finally, what you have been waiting for, your Key Signings and Trades Roundup:

    Thanks for hanging out with us today and continuing to get your NFL updates from The Morning After Huddle. We’ll see you Friday!

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 16, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 16, 2022

    Happy Tuesday, teammates, and welcome to The Morning After Huddle, where the takes are just as bad as your Uncle Rico (You’re my kind of person if you can name the movie I referenced). Let’s hop into it.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • If you’re like me, you’ll take any football at this point. It’s a long road from February until September, and pre-season football, while completely terrible for casual fans, is a goldmine for football savants like myself. Naturally, I assumed you might enjoy Greg Rosenthal’s 2022 NFL Preseason Week 1 Recap. Sixty nuggets of pure football analysis, including things like ”Weird Coach Stuff”, ”Cause for Concern” and “Irresponsible Speculation”. This is my type of chaos. Enjoy!
    • Next up, Titans LB Bud Dupree is pleading guilty to charges from a January altercation. Dupree is charged with misdemeanor assault (offensive or provocative) over an incident with a Walgreens employee. He is taking a plea deal that includes 6 months of probation.
    • Last, your Key Signings and Trades Roundup:

    Thanks for hanging out with us today! We are back tomorrow with more NFL news you want to know.

  • The Morning After Huddle: August 10, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: August 10, 2022

    Guess what day it is? GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS? (insert cheesy Geico commercial reference) Welcome to your Wednesday edition of The Morning After Huddle! I don’t know about you, but I don’t have $4.65 billion laying around. However, if you’re Rob Walton, maybe you do.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • As you know, the sale of the Broncos with a stacked ownership team, lead by Rob Walton (son of Sam Walton who created Walmart), has been a hot topic in NFL circles for many weeks. Yesterday, the sale became complete for a mere $4.65 billion. Check your notes because that’s a new American record for the sale of a sports franchise! I’m pretty sure this is the next Infinity Stone in the Walton collection.
    • Moving right along, Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore are in hot water this morning. Lynch will be charged with driving under the influence after officers stopped him early Monday morning in Las Vegas. Frank Gore will be charged with simple assault stemming from an arrest in New Jersey. We will update these stories as more details are released.
    • Finally, your Key Signings Roundup:
      • TRADE REQUEST
        • Things are really spicy in Chicago. Bears LB Roquan Smith is requesting a trade. Smith took to social media yesterday stating that he lost trust with the organization and a deal presented to him had de-escalators in it that not a single player out of the 94 non-QB players in the league with $15 million+ contracts has
      • Something to keep an eye on – Rams coach Sean McVay is getting a new contract, but will reveal full details once GM Les Snead receives his deal
      • Full League Roster Moves from Tuesday

    That’s it for today! Catch us tomorrow for more things you want to know!

  • NFL Weekly Vibe Check: NY Jets

    NFL Weekly Vibe Check: NY Jets

    The NY Jets are in uncharted territory. They seem to be in this weird twilight zone where they are having positive reactions from the talking heads around the league and encouraging results from their staff and players. Not to mention when they have been in the news for non-football-related activities, for the first time in a long time, the public discourse is positive. This isn’t the same LOL-Jets we’ve been used to. So yes, maybe it’s a little early for a vibe check and a look at some newsworthy events surrounding the Jets with rose-colored glasses. However, to play Devil’s advocate, in seasons past it hasn’t been far off to already start emulating Ethan Hawke in First Reformed and start journaling in an empty room with a full bottle. While this isn’t going to be a breakdown of all the passes Wilson threw in 7 on 7 or anything like that, this is going to be a quick look at some of the recent stories surrounding the Jets and some of their key players.

    First and foremost, let’s talk about Mekhi Becton. ALL OFFSEASON we heard that, despite his constant workout videos, pictures he took with fans, and his own word, he was out of shape and overweight. ALL OFFSEASON. While he may not have been able to rehab as well as he or the team wanted after his injury in week 1 of last year, the media story surrounding him was that it never got any better. Seeing the tweets from the beat writers you would expect Becton to literally have to be wheeled up to camp fresh off losing the starring role in Deron Aronofsky’s The Whale to Brendan Fraser. In most years, the doom tweeting and borderline gaslighting of the fans with the Becton story would have become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In any other year in the past 10, he would have rolled up to camp overweight and underprepared. However, this year? This time? He came looking ready, in shape, and the scary mountain of a man he was drafted to be. Becton switching to Right Tackle and lining up next to AVT could and should form a terrifying wall for the next 10 plus years. Becton showing up, and proving the beat wrong, is step one to making that prediction a reality. *Sigh* and then he got hurt. I will be off crying on a cliff.

    Last, but not certainly not least, Zach Wilson was recently in the news. Now, I’m not going to rehash what anyone who has a twitter or was near a phone or tv for a week knows. I’m not going to debate the validity of the rumor (it’s almost certainly not true). However, one thing did stand out: the Jets were in the news, they were being joked about, their player was in the headlines and it was not another buttfumble, another seeing ghosts, or a mono situation. This was a harmless, silly off-season story. So why even address it? Well, this is the first time in a long time I can remember the Jets being in the news for something non-football related that wasn’t used to run the boring LOL Jets takes and jokes. This is just as an important piece to the vibe check as Becton actually being good to go up until yesterday. The view around this team is changing. The vibes around this team are changing, and they are changing for the better.

  • Around The League: NFC East

    Around The League: NFC East

    As we barrel towards week one and teams try to make it out of training camp and preseason in one piece, our eyes turn to what the regular season can bring each team. Each week, we’ll look around the league to ask one question about each team, division by division. We begin in the NFC East, where there is a lot of transition and questions for every team. However, the heavy emphasis is on the pass catchers.

    1. Is CeeDee Lamb ready to be the best WR on a playoff team? The Dallas Cowboys traded veteran WR Amari Cooper and opted to go younger at the position while elevating Michael Gallup to the undisputed number two WR. The reason they felt comfortable doing that is that CeeDee Lamb took the production leap in year two with 79 catches for 1102 yards and 6 TDs. Now entering year 3, he will be asked to lead this Cowboys passing attack that will be in the next year of Mike McCarthy’s offense. An All-Pro season for Lamb would not be shocking, as Dak Prescott will also now be two years removed from his devastating knee injury. If Prescott and Lamb are on, the Cowboys are the favorites in this division.

    2. How dynamic of a duo will AJ Brown and Devonta Smith be? The Philadelphia Eagles opted for the more proven commodity this off-season when they dealt one of their first-round picks to the Titans for stud WR AJ Brown. Instead of adding another WR from a deep WR class, they felt having the big body Brown to pair with former Heisman winner Devonta Smith was the better route, and I can’t say I blame them. AJ dealt with injuries last year but did post back-to-back 1000-yard seasons his first two years. He will help QB Jalen Hurts badly, and will open things up for Devonta in Nick Sirriani’s offense. Brown is, arguably, the best WR in the division.

    3. How much does Terry McClaurin help new QB Carson Wentz? One of the more underrated WRs in football, McClaurin is coming off his second straight 75+ REC, 1000+ yard season. He chipped in 5 TDs playing with literally nobody at QB, so now he gets former first-round pick QB Carson Wentz. Wentz is coming off a season where he threw for 3563 yards, 27 TDs, and 7 INTs: to put that in perspective, that would have been the highest TD total for any Washington Commander QB since 2017. Wentz struggled down the stretch, but he didn’t have a WR like McClaurin, and how good they connect early will open things up for rookie WR Jahan Dotson and this passing attack.

    4. What Giants WR steps up for QB Daniel Jones? The worst WR group in this division belongs to the New York Giants, as I think Kenny Golladay would be squarely 7th overall if you ranked the top two of each team. Kadarius Toney had little impact last year, and Commanders’ rookie WR Jahan Dotson is better than Toney was coming out. Sterling Shepherd is a solid C WR, and is reportedly on the chopping block. Make no mistake, a lot of Giant fans expecting Daniel Jones to take a Josh Allen-leap need to point out where the Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley of this offense are. The Giants need Toney to flash more than what he’s shown (I still believe he was overdrafted), and they need Golladay to return to his Pro Bowl form or they’ll be drafting in the top 5 next year. At this point, it won’t matter who the WRs that remain on this team are because they’ll be taking a QB and starting from scratch.