Five most intriguing NFL preseason teams
HBO's Hard Knocks debuts tonight with the Houston Texans. We are pumped - and if you are a fan of the show, we will have director Ken Rodgers on Press Row around 5:10 p.m. on Wednesday on ESPN 105.1 FM and right here at timesfreepress.com - and the Texans are on the short list of the teams with the most to watch for this preseason.
In this Nov. 23, 2014, file photo, Tennessee Titans' Justin Hunter, left, is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles' Brandon Boykin during the second half of an NFL football game in Philadelphia.Here's a top five of teams that will offer intrigue through the preseason:
1. Tennessee Titans. Maybe we are biased by location, but the presence of a potential franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota and what could be possibly the biggest steal of the draft in Dorial Green-Beckham, give the Titans sizzle for the first time since Steve McNair was involved.
2. Buffalo. OK, this seems strange, but 1-through-53 the Bills may have the best roster in the league. Their defense is stout. Their running game features LeSean McCoy and C.J. Spiller. Sammie Watkins is one of their receivers. Heck, they even have the most interesting coach in the NFL - stay thirsty Rex Ryan - to boot. They just happen to have the No. 32 starting quarterback in the NFL and that offers supreme intrigue.
3. New England. Mix in the DeflateGate stuff with the defending Super Bowl champ and revamped secondary and you get intro. Add in the Boston-sized chip on their shoulder and the fact that Belichick is going to go all Terminator on everyone, well, that multiplies it.
4. Indianapolis. Call this the opposite of the Bufflao situation. The Colts have the brightest quarterback future for the next decade-plus with Andrew Luck, but have they added enough pieces around him to take the next step. Forget DeflateGate for just a second and remember the subtracted pound or two of pressure would not have changed that whipping the Colts received from the Patriots.
5. Buccaneers. Now this seems high praise, but at least one player says he has similar traits to Aaron Rodgers. Wowser. With Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson on the perimeter, Winston has a chance to have a monster splash season and it starts in the next month.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks at an NFL football news conference Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers will play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in an NFL football NFC Championship game. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke) Just missed: Houston, Cleveland, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas.
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PGA Championship
Anyone interested in a contest for the final major?
We say yes. Here's the deal: Pick five golfers, top four scores count (one point for first; seven points for tied for seventh) and lowest combined total of points wins. Tiebreaker will be drawn. Deal? Deal.
OK, here's our list: Spieth, Day, Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson.
For those needing a fix, here's a slide show of the course, and it looks pretty sweet.
Whatcha' got
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Ronda Rousey
This has been the year of the Rousey, right? Or maybe even the year of the fight.
Better yet, with Rousey and Mayweather and the NFL and the all the DeflateGate stuff, it's been the year of the controversy.
FILE - This July 15, 2015, file photo shows mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey working out at Glendale Fighting Club in Glendale, Calif. Paramount Pictures said Monday, Aug. 3, that it has acquired the rights to Rousey’s autobiography “My Fight/Your Fight,” with plans for Rousey to play herself in the adaptation. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Here's the next discussion point of it.
Rousey says she would beat Floyd Mayweather in a no-rules fight.
Yep, read that again, and if she believes that and is willing to enter the octagon with Mayweather, what's the over/under on that pay-per-view, $1 billion?
Wow, they would sell out Jerry World for that fight.
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This and that
- Speaking of boxing, Mayweather offered his top five list of the best fighters ever. To no surprise, Mayweather lists himself as the best. He has Roberto Duran No. 2, followed by Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez and some guy named Muhammad Ali. Wow that's an awful list.
Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones drops back to pass during Ohio State's NCAA college football spring game Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete) - Well, by using his head (heads actually) Cardale Jones was the starter with the first unit for the first drill for THE Ohio State Buckeyes. Yep, Jones called heads and won the toss and was first string on Day 1. Urban Meyer said he is not planning on announcing a starter until the guy runs on the field for the opener at Virginia Tech.
- Meet Ryan Broyles. Dude signed a three-year rookie contract with the Detroit Lions worth about $3.6 million total. He is in the final year of that deal but told ESPN recently that he and his wife live on $60,000 a year to make sure he will walk away with a chunk of change if he doesn't get another contract. If playing football doesn;t work out, the NFL players association should hire this guy to give every rookie a seminar on how to manage your money on your first contract.
- Vegas says the team with the hardest schedules to reach the playoffs: Detroit Lions is first and No. 2 is Minnesota. The team with the easiest schedule is your Atlanta Falcons followed by Houston and Indy.
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Today's question
Happy Father-Daughter Day everyone.
Hope you have big plans.
In honor of that, what's the Rushmore of famous star Fathers and Daughters combinations, and yes, Muhammad and Laila Ali certainly could be nominated.
Whatcha' got (and remember the mailbag)?