The NFL begins its 104th season tonight. No, despite what you think, I have not been around for all of the previous 103 openers.
This Thursday night lid-lifter at Arrowhead doesn’t lack for sizzle as the defending champion Chiefs host the league’s latest darlings, Dan Campbell’s Motown Lions. Kelce is listed as questionable with that knee owie. His presence (or absence) could be pivotal.
Chiefs DL stud Chris Jones is still holding out. But get this. Jones says all he wants is a raise and a new long-term deal in KC. He says he could play tonight if signed this morning. Who needs practice in today’s NFL, right? Practice? We talkin’ ‘bout PRACTICE.
Meanwhile, 49ers pass rusher extraordinaire Nick Bosa has ended his holdout (or “hold-in, if you prefer). Bosa presumably will play Sunday against the Steelers after signing a five-year, $170 extension that makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in league history. While I hope this will not be the case, I have a fiver that says Bosa gets hurt Sunday.
Rams QB Matthew (don’t call him Matt) Stafford says all is well in the locker room. But I’m guessing he has had a conversation with his wife, Kelly, who got on her podcast and told the world that her 35-year-old husband has a tough time relating to his young teammates. I’m just glad my wife doesn’t have a podcast. Oh, wait…
Stafford will not have WR Cooper Kupp to target Sunday against the Seahawks. Kupp is as tough as they come. But bad hamstrings don’t care how tough you are. You can’t get out of your own way…
Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon says he doesn’t want to talk about his quarterback situation. If all I had to choose between was Joshua Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune, I’d want to change the subject, too.
So the Cards can start tanking in positioning themselves to draft reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, right? That may not work out either, since Williams’ dad said Wednesday that his son might forgo the 2024 draft and instead stay at USC for another season. I get it. The Trojan O-line is better than the Cardinals’.
The Texas Rangers are going to need collective psychological counseling. They just got swept in a three-game series against the Astros by a combined score of 39-10, capped off by last night’s 12-3 beatdown. Jose Abreu ran amok with seven RBIs on a grand slam and a three-run dinger. Houston hit five homers, three of them off Max Scherzer. The ‘Stros remain a game ahead of Seattle atop the AL West, with the fading Rangers now three back.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Houston touched up Texas pitching for 16 homers in that three-game set. I said 16 homers. The Astros also became the first team in MLB history to score at least 12 runs and hit at least five homers in three straight games.
The Dodgers have canceled Jose Urias Bobblehead Night. The team’s ace lefthanded starter is on “administrative leave” after being arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, which will almost certainly lead to at least a suspension. Urias now has the distinction of being the only MLB player to face administrative leave TWICE since this process was collectively bargained in 2015. Yeah, he was involved in this kinda thing once before, although no criminal charges were filed in the previous incident.
All the best to Guardians manager and Red Sox legend Terry Francona, who hinted Wednesday that he will likely retire at season’s end for health reasons. Tito’s a good guy.
And it’s good to see the pay gap between men’s and women’s college coaches shrinking. LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has signed a 10-year, $32 million deal, five months after she led her Tigers to their first-ever NCAA championship.
Yeah, I know the U.S. Open is going on. I’ll get to it sometime before Sunday, maybe.
