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Good morning! I’m all for Nic Cage as John Madden.
Foreign football: The EPL is already back
The English Premier League and European club soccer in general do something that the MLB or NFL can only dream of: they play meaningful games throughout much of the calendar year.
Today the EPL returns for another nine-month season in the sun (okay, clouds). Phew. Phil Hay of Athletic FC’s excellent newsletter helped me sort out my thoughts beforehand:
Can anyone beat four-time defending champions Man City this year?
Phil: Yes, but only one team – Arsenal. The sensible bet is on City because they finish title races so consistently, but I stressed this in yesterday’s TAFC: if there are enough neck-and-neck races, one will end up going in Arsenal’s favour.
Which team do we not talk about enough?
Newcastle United. If Sandro Tonali comes back like a train after his betting ban and the team avoids the injuries that hampered them last season, they have a chance of finishing fourth. They might even sign Marc Guehi.
The best transfer of the offseason was:
When we talk everywhereKylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, of course. But I like Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth to Tottenham Hotspur. They needed an option like him in attack and he should fit Ange Postecoglou’s tactics. Niclas Fullkrug at West Ham United will be fun too.
Our employees in the UK have a brilliant set of EPL predictions herewhich might actually make you believe in Arsenal. Do so at your own risk.
And on Phil’s Mbappe point: The French superstar has already scored a goal and won a trophy in one (1) game in Madrid. Watch this highlight from Real’s 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup:
Kylian Mbappé’s first goal for Real Madrid ⚽🎥#SuperCup pic.twitter.com/tkp33z0tnm
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) 14 August 2024
Short huddle: Actual, meaningful pre-season football?
For the most part, the NFL preseason can feel like a boring pastime as fans try to make sense of the battle for the third-team position on their favorite team. Important for team building, yes. Interesting to the layman, no.
This preseason is different, however. We have extremely high-profile rookie QBs in mind and some familiar faces in new places.
Two quick hits:
- Drake May looked much better in his second pre-season appearance last night against the Eagles, where he completed 6 of 11 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. He also had a beautiful long throw that went through the hands of a receiver. Pats fans should be relieved.
- The preseason program on Saturday is extremely fullbut I will focus on two quarterbacks: Caleb Williamswho will try to build on his promising start in the preseason, this time in front of a home crowd, and Russell Wilsonwho will be playing for the Steelers for the first time. No matter what the coaches say, Wilson’s margin for error is slim with Justin Fields on the bench.
The full schedule can be found heretogether with the national television programs. Nice preseason?
news
Yelich is finished for this year
Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich will undergo back surgery today, ending a stellar season for the 32-year-old who turned Milwaukee into one of the NL’s best – and most surprising – teams. Yelich also made the All-Star team for the first time since 2019. More details here.
ESPN fires Griffin and Ponder
Robert Griffin III and Sam Ponder are out of ESPN, according to The athleteAndrew Marchand, as part of a pay cut measure for the network. Griffin’s departure is somewhat surprising, as the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner was considered a rising star at the network. Read Andrew’s full report here for much more context.
More news
- The NBA published its schedule for 2024-25. See it here.
- Ohio State called Kansas State transfers quarterback Will Howard the starter. No pressure, buddy.
- More Ice Hockey Games are set for Wrigley Field. We are for it.
- The father of the alleged victim in the center Hiking Franco’s In the sexual abuse case, Franco wants to ask a court in the Dominican Republic to dismiss the charges.
Precision: Let’s make crazy predictions
Yesterday, Manny Navarro published one of my favorite articles of the year: his oddly specific predictions for each of the top 25 college football teams, which were surprisingly prescient last season. I’d like to highlight two of them that I like and one that I (unfortunately) disagree with:
✅ Yes: Utah makes it into the 12-team CFP
And there’s another thing that’s different in college football this year: The Utes are now in the Big 12, where Manny believes they’ll win a conference title in year one. QB Cam Rising is old enough to rent a car and still good enough to win the new-look Big 12.
✅ Yes: Ole Miss’ entire bow
The Rebels enter this season as everyone’s favorite after a fun 2023 and an active offseason in the portal. The offense will still be good despite the loss of RB Quinshon Judkins to Ohio State, but I agree with Manny that the offensive line will be the reason Ole Miss narrowly misses out on a playoff spot.
❌ No: LSU’s weakness
I understand why Manny thinks my Tigers are slipping on offense and getting better on defense, but I don’t buy that yet. It will be impossible for new quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to match Jayden Daniels’ Heisman-level performance, but Nussmeier is a real gunslinger with weapons galore. He’ll figure it out. The defense will probably improve — it was a really bad unit last year — but I’m still worried about the secondary, especially given LSU’s schedule. Plan on the over for the season opener against USC.
The rest of Manny’s predictions can be found herewhich include some funny thoughts about Arch Manning and (gasp) a good Iowa offense.
Watch this game
EPL: Fulham at Manchester United
3:00 p.m. ET in the US
As mentioned above, it’s there. Go to a football pub. Or your couch.
WNBA: Mercury in fever
7:30pm ET on ION
For the second night in a row we have chosen a Mercury game, although this is more of a Caitlin Clark’s first game after the league break.
Get tickets for games like this Here.
Pulse Picks
At Notre-Damenew quarterback Riley Leonard has never been further from home. And yet South Bend may be the best choice for him – and with it comes enormous expectations.
Is that warrior reception fail Curry, sir.
Jon Krawczynski has a good column about how Anthony Edwards’ Olympic experience Things couldn’t have gone better for the Wolves.
David Aldridge ranks the Top 10 Offseasons in the NBA. Start the hype train for OKC at the moment.
What can we actually expect from Mauricio Pochettino with this USMNT Squad? Thom Harris Notes to us in.
Most clicked in yesterday’s newsletter: Chase Daniels Breaking down the performance of NFL rookie QBs in Week 1 of the preseason. We’ll be getting a lot more footage this weekend as well.
Most read on the website yesterday: For the second day in a row our update on the situation at Jordan Chiles aroused great interest. Chiles said yesterday the decision “feels unfair”.
Top podcast in The athlete network: Make sure you are logged into Scoop City, which has been putting out some great material in several training camps. Yesterday was a funny interview with Browns Tight End David Njoku.
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(Top photo: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)
