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By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk
FOXBORO – The Dog Day Afternoons of the NFL season are fast upon us. The anticipation of early September pro football and the heat of the Summer of 2023 are long gone. They’re in the rearview, optimism be damned, as 38% of the 2023 NFL regular season is in the books. In their place, reality has set in for the New England Patriots’ and the cruel dose of reality is accompanied by a 1-5 record, a last place position in the AFC East, a three-game losing streak and a (-80) score differential in the six games gone by.
In Week Seven, the Buffalo Bills travel to New England while the NFL schedule-makers provide the Patriots with a road trip to play the Miami Dolphins in Week Eight. New England’s one-and-five record of the morning of October 22 can easily be one-and-seven by the time All Saints Day rolls around and the only Saint you’ll need to know is St. Jude – the patron saint of lost causes as it’s ugly and it could get really ugly.
New England Coach Bill Belichick, waxing reminiscent like his famous, “On to Cincinnati” monotone retort of late September, 2014, had only a “We’re getting ready for Buffalo” message for the media and fans of the Patriots.
Belichick delivered his plan this week in much the same manner as he did when his 2-2 Patriots team of 2014 went on to Cincinnati and won seven straight and 10 of 11 games en route to a Super Bowl win over Seattle that February, his fourth of six Super Bowl titles in the 21st Century.
Except, this season, the “We’re getting ready for Buffalo” isn’t flying with the fans in Foxboro, nor Fitchburg, nor Fall River. It’s not flying in Falmouth (Mass. or Maine) and it’s not flying with fans or players anywhere near the six States encompassing New England. Rumors of Belichick’s future are flying in every direction – mostly South – and they include a report from Monday Morning QB’s Albert Breer that stated Patriots team owner Robert Kraft has been in discussion of what a “post Belichick” world would look like “for a while,” (as in weeks/months or years) he wrote.
The Dog Days will do that to coaches in the NFL, but never before to Belichick, certainly since he took over the Patriots in late January of 2000.
The Dog Days also wreak havoc on NFL players from coast-to-coast. Let us count the ways as we peruse NFL Injury Reports leading up to Sunday, Oct. 22nd.
The Buffalo Bills have been decimated by injuries decimating their defense, including defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (torn pectoral muscle), cornerback Tre’Davious White (Achilles’)-out for season, and defensive tackle Ed Oliverruled out of the game this weekend because of a toe injury. The Buffalo Bills are also missing RB Damien Harris – neck, on the injured reserve list, and leaving the rushing duties to RB James Cook.
ALSO OUT – are QB Jimmy Garoppolo – back injury (LV Raiders), QB DeShawn Watson – strained right rotor cuff (Cleveland Browns), QB Justin Fields – thumb injury (Chicago Bears).
Injured with game-time decisions to play or not to play are the SF 49ers duo of RB Christian McCaffrey – oblique and WR Deebo Samuels – shoulder. Listed as questionable is NY Giants QB Daniel Jones – neck; New England RB Rhamondre Stevenson – ankle remains questionable on a lengthy Patriots injury listing; GB Packers RB Aaron Jones – hamstring; and Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf – hip.
Meanwhile, injured RB David Montgomery -ribs (Detroit Lions); RB Kyren Williams – ankle, (LA Rams); TE Pat Freiermuth – hamstring (Pittsburgh Steelers) are doubtful.
Let’s not overlook the big-name injuries earlier this season, including NY Jets QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles’ – out for season), Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb (severe knee – out for season), NY Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee – questionable after missing a month), LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp – (returned last week after missing six weeks with hamstring injury), and Cincy Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) has been nursing his injury all season and just getting into form in mid-October.
What does it all mean?
Injuries are a huge part of the NFL season and each club has the “next man up” mentality to replace its fallen soldiers. Often, the opportunity supplied to a reserve or practice player is enough motivation to fill the hole admirably, but more frequently on offense rather than defense. The injuries to the defensive unit of the Buffalo Bills might’ve side-tracked a Super Bowl season. In the Bills’ AFC, Kansas City remains the favorite while the Miami Dolphins continue to impress. In the NFC, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Detroit all stand at 5-1 and will all will fight-it-out for the right to represent their conference come February. May the healthiest team advance.
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The World Golf Hall of Fame recently announced that NBA All-Star and champion Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors will receive The Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company, which honors recipients for their spirit in advancing diversity in golf. Curry receive the award on June 10, 2024, at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by CME Group held during the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst – not far from Curry’s alma mater – Davidson College in North Carolina. The Charlie Sifford Award was created in 2021 to honor an individual who personifies Sifford’s groundbreaking achievements through perseverance, confidence, respect, and adaptability.
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MOST MARKETABLE ATHLETES: SportsPro, a sports marketing e-News and event company with a decidedly European tone, named its 50 most marketable athletes of 2023. Not surprisingly, Lionel Messi – the great Argentine striker who “wowed” the MLS crowds backing the Inter Miami CF club this year.
Here’s the Top 20:
- Lionel Messi, soccer, MLS Miami
- Lebron James, NBA, LA Lakers
- Alex Morgan, USWNT
- Giannis Antetokounpo, NBA, Milwaukee Bucks
- Megan Rapinoe, USWNT (recently retired)
- Mikaela Shiffren, USA Alpine Ski Team
- Lewis Hamilton, F-1 motorsports, British/Mercedes
- Simone Biles, USA Gymnastics
- Kylian Mbappe, soccer, PSG France
- Max Verstrappen, F-1, Belgium/Dutch, Red Bull
- Novak Djokovic, tennis, Serbia
- Coco Gauff, tennis, USA
- Stephen Curry, NBA, Golden State Warriors
- Naomi Osaka, tennis, Japan
- Lucy Bronze, soccer, Britain, FC Barcelona
- Robert Lewandowski, soccer, Poland, FC Barcelona
- Leah Williamson, soccer, Britain, Arsenal
- Aryna Sabalenka, tennis Belarussia
- Angel Reese, USA, college basketball, LSU
- Alphonso Davies, soccer, Ghana/Canada, Bayern Munich
Some Notes Worth Considering: Eight of the Top 20 were soccer players, marketable worldwide but limited in a great degree in the USA; Three of the Top 13 were NBA players; Angel Reese is the lone American basketball player; A total of “Zero” NFL, MLB, NHL nor PGA Tour players are in Top 20 and you had to dig to No. 29 for golfer Rory McIlroy and to No. 35 to come up with KC Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (and, no, he was not pictured with pop star Taylor Swift) and the Top 50 revealed no MLB nor NHL players.
SILVER SCREEN: Two motion pictures featuring endurance sports will entertain us from now through the Christmas holidays. Starring Annette Bening and Jodi Foster, NYAD dives into the story of Diana Nyad and her triumphs, friendships, and her will to dig deep into the human spirit. The movie is available via Netflix. … With a promotional lift in Boston via The Head of the Charles Regatta, another spectacular endurance story, entitled, “The Boys in the Boat” is an inspirational drama based on The New York Times’ No. 1 best selling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown in 2013. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the ‘36 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The movie reflects the true story of a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world as Nazi Germany surfaces beneath the Olympic flame. The movie rights were once owned by the Weinstein Group, but with Harvey Weinstein serving a life sentence behind bars, the rights were eventually acquired by Lantern Entertainment of Dallas who chose Clooney to direct. You heard it here first, watch NYAD on Netflix and find time to head to a movie theatre near you to see “The Boys in the Boat.” … Get the “Inside Look.”
Then, maybe, head out to Las Vegas and catch U2 performing at The Sphere where Van den Berg is filling-in for Larry Mullen, Jr. while the longtime U2 drummer, 61, recovers from undisclosed surgery with plans to return to the band. The price of a floor ticket for U2 is averaging $956.
TIDBITS: Former Celtics champion and basketball HOFer Kevin Garnett’s Big Ticket Sports is planning a joint-venture with Pro League Network to create str33t, a new 3×3 pro streetball-style basketball league. Str33t’s first series is expected to launch in early 2024, ahead of the Paris Games, which marks the second Olympics 3×3 basketball will be contested as an Olympic sport. … The league and USA Basketball’s efforts toward the Paris Olympics are not connected.
BREAKING GOOD? – Breaking is the only sport making its debut at Paris 2024. At the Paris 2024 Games, the breaking competition will comprise two events – one for men and one for women – where 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will go face to face in solo battles. Athletes will use a combination of moves and improvise to the beat of the DJ’s tracks. Breaking made its Youth Olympic debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018. … Sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding were also selected by the IOC as demonstration sports for the 2024 Olympic Games.
PITINO EXHIBITION “W”in DOUBLE OT: St. John’s defeated Rutgers, 89-78, in double-overtime of the charity exhibition game, the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at the V Foundation. … St. John’s Nahiem Alleyne buried a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to force double-overtime. He led all scorers with 19 points on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena. It was new coach Rick Pitino’s first game as St John’s head coach, but the “W” won’t count in the record books.