Lamar Jackson says he’s still not sure about getting vaccinated. This despite the fact he’s had COVID TWICE in the past eight months, the latest episode costing him and his team 10 days of training camp work. I guess he’s waiting for a little more “research.”
Saquon is off the PUP and back at work with the Giants. Wishing him a full recovery from that torn right ACL he suffered last year in Week Two.
Deshaun Watson is back flipping the rock at Texans camp after five days “off.” The Jolly Roger is gonna make sure he has much more “downtime.”
Arizona is one of the places that recently allowed sport teams to offer sports betting to fans. The NFL’s Cardinals jumped all over that. The Cards will have a retail sports book up and running at their stadium in Glendale when the season opens a month from now. I’m fine with it. Not because I don’t care about competitive integrity, but because I do. This will make things CLEANER.
I haven’t always been a Lane Kiffin fan. Ok, like “not ever.” But I gotta give him credit for this. He lost 30 pounds over the offseason. He says he realized it was hypocritical for him to demand that his Ole Miss players be in top condition and eat cleanly when he was a blob. Kiffin says he saw a picture of himself at last year’s bowl game and, “I looked like an anaconda that had swallowed a deer and the deer got stuck in its throat.” So he did something about. Big props. I need to have the same realization and pursue the same solution.
I watched the Steelers practice Sunday on the NFL Network. Najee Harris was showing off, slowly and smoothly rolling backwards into a handstand, and making it look like he was just yawning. “Core strength”? How about “core steel.” NFL Network guy asked Najee about it, but pronounced his name “Nah-zhay.” Nope. Just Najee. Nodge-ee. As in, “I’m gonna put a nodge-ee on your head!” Rookie was delightful. Lotsa fun. Made me wonder what his relationship with Saban (that’s SAY-ben, not Sah-BAN) was like at ‘Bama. I bet that was a crazy ride for both of them. Rook is gonna put some boom back in the Steelers’ running game.
Rockies might wanna find a new name for their mascot. Just so nobody gets their signals crossed.
Finally, best wishes for a full recovery to my longtime friend, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona. Tito stepped down for the season late last month while battling a staph infection. Yesterday he underwent hip replacement surgery. Good dude.
