David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports A win against Lions would go long way for Rams to show they are a true contender Prior to the Los Angeles Rams playing the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card game in January, I wrote that a playoff win for that version of the team didn’t matter. The overall thought was that the Rams were ahead of schedule. Heading into 2023, it was a re-building year. That was a reason why the Rams cleared as much cap space as they did. That was all done for this moment. As I wrote then, “The Rams are at the table, but how many chips do they really have in the middle?…The Rams said themselves that they were “remodeling”. They tore out the kitchen sink and master bathroom and replaced them with things that they could get by with in the short-term so that they could build it back even better when their resources were replenished.” Of course a playoff win would have been huge and the Rams almost did it. They were within one point and one holding call away from potentially stealing a win on the road against a very hot Lions team. However, much of what I said at the time still holds true. A win in the overall context of things didn’t matter. It didn’t affect the long-term goal. This isn’t to say that the Rams were just happy to be there, but they were playing with house money. That’s not necessarily the case anymore. Everything that was done last year was for this moment. General manager Les Snead cleared the salary cap so that the Rams could invest and make a final push with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp in 2024 and 2025. Last year, the Rams ranked 32nd in cash spending at $185M. While they only rank 30th heading into this season, that number is much higher at $219M. There’s a case to be made that the Rams are still quietly re-tooling or actively rebuilding. However, much of the lack of cash spending is due to the amount of youth on the roster. Instead of paying marquee veterans such as Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd, the Rams have players on rookie contracts such as Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, and others. However, the window to win is now. The Rams spent in the offseason, bringing in players like Jonah Jackson and Kam Curl. They re-signed Kevin Dotson as well as added experience to their secondary with the signings of Tre White and Darious Williams. Last year, the Rams didn’t bring in their first free agent until June. This year, with an abundance of cap space, they were active. That alone should tell you how this Rams team views itself. That doesn’t mention that for the first time in the McVay era, the Rams drafted in the first round. With that selection, the Rams took a well-polished prospect in edge rusher Jared Verse who could come in and make an immediate impact. While they may be taking it year by year when it comes to Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, this is a team that views itself as a contender. The window is still at least the 2024 and 2025 season. That’s a reason why the Rams structured contracts in the way that they did this offseason. These are two or three year deals with an out after year one or two. Entering the 2023 season, the Rams were seen as a team that was tanking. That was never going to be the case with Sean McVay as the head coach. It may have been a remodeling year, but it was never going to be a team that wasn’t trying to win. The Rams have an opportunity on Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions. It can be argued that this is the most important home opener for the Lions in the past 30 years. This is a team coming off of a trip to the NFC Championship game that arguably should have made the Super Bowl. It’s a team with Super Bowl aspirations. That’s what makes Sunday’s game such a big opportunity for the Rams. It’s not just the chance to play spoiler or even about the trade between the two teams after 2020. This is a chance for the Rams to build on what they put together last year. Last year and this past offseason was about building the foundation for the next two seasons. Sunday’s game against the Lions is about proving that this Rams team is ready to take the next step and be seen as a serious contender in the NFC. Said McVay on Monday, “I know this is a different sense of urgency, in a good way. You want it to be uplifting and elevating, but it’s real now. That’s what you do this for. That’s what we’re excited about. I love this. These challenges and the opportunity that we have to go against a great football team on Sunday Night Football.” Despite making the postseason in a year in which nobody expected them to be there, this year feels different. While the Rams are getting some credit by the media, they still seem to be getting overlooked to an extent. Unlike last year, a win against the Lions this time around would go a long way. It may only be the first game of the season, but this game does matter. With a young team, winning early would build confidence and might be what they need to hit the ground running. The Rams have only ever lost one Week 1 opener with Sean McVay as the head coach. Last year, they came out with a statement win, defeating the Seattle Seahawks on the road 30-13. On Sunday night, the Rams will have the chance to put a dampener on the beginning of the Lions season and show that they are a team to be messed with in 2024.
Rams have chance to show they are a true contender in re-match against Lions
Marlon Humphrey frames the Ravens-Chiefs season opener as a battle of podcasts
Marlon Humphrey frames the Ravens-Chiefs season opener as a battle of podcasts paulbanks Trash-talking a man over his $100 million podcast deal takes creativity. Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is indeed a very creative man. Ahead of Thursday night’s season-opening AFC championship rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, Humphrey says it’s a battle of his pod versus Travis Kelce’s. On the latest episode of his podcast, “Punch Line,” Humphrey called attention to “New Heights,” the podcast hosted by Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. In a tongue-in-cheek, somewhat sarcastic manner, Humphrey called attention to the nine-figure deal that the Kelce brothers struck with Amazon. “I pray for this, to go against him because he has tried to take everything from me,” Humphrey said during the show on Monday. “He tried to take it all from me. He has got to pay. He has got to pay for what he has done to the podcast space. How he has tried to eliminate us. “And, honestly, I don’t care who he’s dating,” Humphrey said, in a direct reference to Kelce’s girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift. “Did they get engaged?… Sept. 6 [the Ravens-Chiefs AFC championship rematch] it’ll be pod versus pod and we’ll see what heights is higher.” These days, it’s impossible to talk about Kelce and not reference Swift, at least in some way, and Humphrey’s co-host, Jack Settleman, was there to make the subtle reference to the ultra-popular songstress overt. “Would you trash talk him and be like, ‘Oh, Taylor’s music is kinda trash?’” Settleman asked. Humphrey said that when he talks trash to Kelce on the field, the topic is strictly football. He then went on to say that if he were to speak trash about Swift on the field, the two of them might start laughing. “Because we’ve kinda been out, but I’m gonna say it anyway. If he started laughing, I’ll just laugh back. If he laughed, I’d laugh back,” Humphrey added. He then invited Kelce and, of course, Taylor Swift to be future guests on his podcast. Humphrey and Settleman hope that America’s beloved power couple will someday accept the offer. That would no doubt “move the needle” for the Punchline podcast. They would most likely set new personal records for listenership.
Week 1 coverage map: Will Bengals vs. Patriots be on your TV?
Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images The Bengals look to start this season fast. The Cincinnati Bengals kick off the 2024 season at home against a New England Patriots team in transition. Bill Belichick won’t be the head coach of New England for the first time since January of 2000. And veteran Jacoby Brissett will get the start at QB. Meanwhile, the Bengals might not have Ja’Marr Chase but should still have enough firepower on offense with a healthy Joe Burrow back. The Patriots and Bengals kick things off this Sunday at 1 PM EST on CBS. The announcers for the game will be Ian Eagles and Charles Davis. Will you be able to watch the game on TV? Check the map (taken from 506sports) below to see. 506sports If you don’t see your area covered in the darker blue shade, you will end with one of the following: The Jacksonville Jaguars at the Miami Dolphins (in the southeast) The Houston Texans at the Indianapolis Colts (in the areas around Indianapolis and Texas) The Arizona Cardinals at the Buffalo Bills (in much of Phoenix, New York state, and Oklahoma, and a little bit of southern California) The Las Vegas Raiders at the Los Angeles Chargers (most of California, about half of Nevada, much of Minnesota, and the areas surrounding Chicago, Nashville, and New York City) The Denver Broncos at the Seattle Seahawks (a large portion of the west outside the aforementioned areas) We previewed the Patriots-Bengals game in our most recent show. You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below. Meanwhile, Fox will feature the following matchups in its early game: The Pittsburgh Steelers at the Atlanta Falcons (a good portion of the U.S.) The Minnesota Vikings at the New York Giants (all of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, plus some portions of the other states bordering Minnesota) The Tennessee Titans at the Chicago Bears (Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, much of Wisconsin, some of Indiana, and more) The Carolina Panthers at the New Orleans Saints (Louisiana and some of the surrounding states, much of South Carolina and North Carolina, and a little of Georgia) 506sports Fox’s late game will feature matchups between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Commanders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. See which you get below: 506sports And here is the info for the national broadcasts: Thursday Night Football on NBA, the Baltimore Ravens at the Kansas City Chiefs Friday Night on Peacock, the Green Bay Packers against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo Sunday Night Football on NBA, the Los Angeles Rams at the Detroit Lions Monday Night Football on ESPN and ABC, the New York Jets at the San Francisco 49ers
Vikings at Giants Game Preview – Let’s Go!
Filed under: Vikings at Giants Game Preview – Let’s Go! Dive into The Real Forno Show’s in-depth preview of the Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants NFL Week 1 showdown. Explore Sam Darnold’s debut, Aaron Jones’ impact, offensive line strategy, Brian Flores’ defensive masterplan, and more. Get expert analysis on the Vikings’ 2024 season opener! #SKOL! By Sep 5, 2024, 9:07am CDT
NFL Week 1 2024 picks and predictions: Ravens vs. Chiefs season kickoff winners picks
Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images The 2024 NFL season kicks off tonight with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens. We start our season-long picks pool with our predictions for the game. The 2024 NFL season kickoff game is tonight, featuring the Baltimore Ravens visiting the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Will Baltimore pull off the upset or will the Chiefs celebrate their second-straight championship with a win on opening night? Every year here on The Phinsider, our contributors pick the straight-up winners for each game. We continue that tradition today with the first set of picks for the 2024 year. Our picks are primarily focused on the straight-up winners, we also have the ability to make picks against the spread and for the point total over/under. You can find all of our picks below. Our 2023 season came down to the Super Bowl, with just a game separating first and second place. James McKinney was crowned champion, finishing with a 186-99 record. Summeet Jena was just behind him at 185-100. Kevin Nogle finished third at 179-106, followed by Marek Brave at 167-118. George Forder ended the year 167-117,l Josh Houtz was 164-120, Nick Sabatino was 146-102, and Jake Mendel was 128-82 for the year. Who will win this year’s contributors’ pool? Everything begins tonight. And, as always, thanks to Tallysight for allowing us to use of their widget for publishing our picks.
Lions vs. Rams Week 1 preview: 3 biggest matchups to watch
Sign up for Season 2 of PODD Big things are in store for our newsletter, Pride of Detroit Direct. I’m excited to announce we’ve added Ty Schalter this season. Listen to exclusive podcasts sent directly to your inbox and read more voices from our team at Pride of Detroit by clicking below to sign up for a 7-day free trial today!
Former Eagle Brian Baldinger brings an insight to the NFL like no other
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images The temp on most Northeast thermometers may say 90 degrees. The broiling sun certainly says summer. None of that matters to Brian Baldinger. It’s football season. If it were up to him, every time of year would be football season. July marks a period when NFL teams start training camp and Baldinger the former Eagle would like to hit all 32 team camps if he could. “Baldy” played 12 years in the NFL. No one knew him. He wore the honorary badge of offensive linemen, the emblem of anonymity—except for holding or illegal blocking calls. At 65, and still going strong, no informed NFL fan can miss him today. When he is doing his “Baldy Breakdowns” he brings you inside the trenches and supplies an insight to the game a rare few provide. The veteran NFL Network analyst will be starting his 29th year in the broadcasting business, which began with small radio jobs on weekday afternoons, to rising to the heights of where he is, about to embark on his 19th year with the NFL Network. What makes Baldinger, who played from 1982 making the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, to finishing up with the Eagles in 1993, special is an uncanny ability to reinvent himself, and a humility that created an unparalleled work ethic. His broadcast career and “Baldy Breakdowns” has far transcended his playing career. He speaks, fans and people around the league listen. And as another NFL season approaches, Baldinger has the usual jump on everyone. He can’t wait. Born in North Hills, Pennsylvania, the middle of six children, including two younger brothers, Rich and Gary, who both played in the NFL, Brian carved his own niche, starting with going to Craig James’ first broadcast school in Dallas, Texas. Baldy was among 10 former players who went to the week-long tutorial, along with future fellow broadcasters Merril Hoge and Mike Golic. James, the former SMU great who paired with Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson to make the Pony Express, put together a program that encompassed print, TV, radio and game-day analysis coverage. “When I walked out of that school, that’s when I knew,” said Baldy, who graduated Duke with degrees in history and psychology. “A lot of guys struggle after they leave the game. I pushed it, too. I tried to play a 13th year. I couldn’t pass any physicals. I found out about what Craig James was doing and thought I would give it a shot. Once I got busy, it took me about two years before I could make a living. I saved my NFL money, so I was fine there. But there was a transition period for me. I knew I wasn’t going to start at the top. I knew I had to work my way up. I knew I needed experience. I enjoyed every little jobs that I had.” It also helps when you love the game. Like Baldinger. He was raised on the game. His father, James, who passed away a few years ago, was a Naval Academy graduate who served in the Marine Corps. James coached the Navy plebe team for two years with Steve Belichick, Bill Belichick’s father, then went back to the Marine Corps to fly helicopters. He raised his children to be committed to whatever it was that they were doing and to be disciplined. It’s exactly what Baldy did when he began his broadcast career, slowly building a resume. In 1995, he and a buddy started a radio show in Trenton, New Jersey, and Baldy picked up some extra work doing Eagles’ pregame shows. Open time was filled by doing spots on local TV, and constantly carrying a tape recorder with him everywhere, to Eagles’ games, 76ers’ games, the Phillies’ clubhouse, honing his interviewing skills speaking to players after games. His gateway to larger platforms came in 1996 when he began covering a few NFL Europe games. Fox was so impressed that it signed Baldy to cover NFL Europe season for 1997, which transitioned him into the Fox sports family. The next year, 1998, he did a full season of NFL Europe, and he began doing NFL games with the eventual host of Fox NFL Sunday Curt Menefee. He has been working ever since, spending a total of 22 years at Fox, between NFL and college games. He began working for the NFL Network in 2005 and has been there ever since. “No one works harder than Baldy,” said Barrett Brooks, one of the stalwarts on NBC Philadelphia’s Eagles Postgame Live show. “Baldy is the one who started me in this business. I was still playing with the (Pittsburgh) Steelers when I first started. When I got hurt, I started talking to Baldy. We started watching games and breaking down films. He got me into NFL Films and that is how I started. I can relate to Baldy because we have so much in common. We’re both former offensive linemen. We see the game differently. No one handed either of us anything in the broadcasting game. Baldy puts in the work. You have guys in this business who are immediately handed things without coming up from the bottom. Guys start in this business with instant name recognition. Baldy and I didn’t have that. “Baldy and I came up from the bottom. People see the work that Baldy does. He pays such close attention to detail. Baldy has a quick, smart mind where he can break down things fast. Hey, people forget the guy has a couple Duke degrees. There are so many shock jocks here in Philly and Baldy is not like that. Guys throw so much up against a wall here and hope it sticks. Guys say things without merit, or anything based on it. This offseason was really bad. You can’t just come right out and say someone is getting traded without anything backing it up. Baldy would never do that. I’m proud of what he
Giants-Vikings 5 questions: Sam Darnold, much more about Minnesota
Sam Darnold | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images We turn to the Daily Norseman for info on the Vikings The NFL regular season is here, which means our weekly ‘5 questions’ segment is back. With the New York Giants facing the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Christopher Gates of SB Nation’s Daily Norseman answers our questions. Ed: Let’s get to the Sam Darnold question right away. How are you feeling about Darnold as the Vikings’ quarterback for the 2024 season? Optimistic? Pessimistic? In-between? Chris: I‘m probably more optimistic about Darnold’s chances than I should be, given his track record. On one hand, the guy was a #3 overall pick and has been in situations that were a complete mess when he was the starting quarterback, as neither the Jets nor the Panthers really had a whole lot going for them offensively. On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore what he’s done to this point with a TD-to-INT ration that’s barely at break-even for his career. The man obviously has the physical talent to be a solid quarterback in this league, but he hasn’t put it all together yet and I’m sure he knows in the back of his mind that this is his last best chance to make it in this league. With the Vikings, he’s surrounded by the best group of skill position players he’s had with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson (when he returns from his injury in a few weeks), and Aaron Jones along with a pair of outstanding bookend tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. As far as Darnold’s chances in Minnesota, with deference to the great Frank Sinatra, if he can’t make it there, then he can’t make it anywhere. Ed: What are your thoughts on Mike Zimmer’s recent comments about holding grudges and saying he did not want to talk to the players on his way out of Minnesota because they got him fired? Chris: It really sort of came off as saying “These failures were everyone’s fault but mine.” The jarring part was when the relationship between Zimmer and then-GM Rick Spielman was discussed. There were a lot of rumors going around that the relationship between the two men was strained, but not to the level that was described in the piece. The fact that they hardly even talked to each other really does shed some light on why things were such a disaster in their last couple of seasons with the team. I know that in my previous line of work, I had to deal with supervisors and co-workers and whatever that I didn’t care for, but you had to figure out a way to get the job done anyway. The fact that two grown men couldn’t put aside their differences in order to strive for team success is really sort of pathetic, to be honest. I’m not sure if the story was meant to paint Zimmer as some sort of sympathetic figure, but if that was it’s aim then it fell well short with me. Ed: If you could take one player off the Giants’ roster and put him in Minnesota’s lineup who would it be? Why? Chris: Sometimes the obvious answer is the correct answer, and in this case the obvious answer is Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence really doesn’t get the level of credit that he should, even if he is acknowledged as one of the best interior linemen in the league. The Vikings’ defense appears, at this point, to be solid at the linebacker spots and in the secondary, but they don’t have the big butt-kicker on the interior that can eat up blockers and let other players make plays. If the Vikings had a Dexter Lawrence-type of player that they could plug into the middle of this defense, I think they’d be on the short list of the best defenses in the NFL. They’re still going to be solid on defense, but the interior defensive line is this team’s potential Achilles heel, in my opinion, and a player of Lawrence’s caliber would take care of those concerns straight away. Ed: What would be a good season for the Vikings? Chris: It depends entirely on your definition of “good.” From a long-term building perspective, it might be best for the Vikings to lose a lot of games and wind up with a high draft pick that they could trade to a quarterback-hungry team for a boatload of draft capital to use to build around J.J. McCarthy and company when he comes back next season. However, I don’t think that a team with Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores on its coaching staff has any intention of “tanking,” so I don’t know if that’s going to happen. In the more traditional sense, a “good” season for the Vikings would see Darnold finally turn into the quarterback that folks envisioned him as when he was drafted #3 overall by the Jets and for Flores and the defense to do enough to keep the team in the mix for a playoff spot for most of the season. I don’t know if they threaten for the NFC North this year, but a potential Wild Card spot isn’t completely out of the question, I don’t think. Ed: The Vikings will win Sunday because? The Giants will win because? Chris: The Vikings will win Sunday because they will keep Sam Darnold upright and allow him to exploit the matchups against what appears to be a vulnerable Giants secondary. If the offensive line can handle Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and company, there will be plays there to be had and hopefully Darnold will make them. The Giants will win on Sunday because their front seven showed up in dominant fashion against the interior of the Vikings’ offensive line and made things difficult for the offense. In either scenario, the Giants’ front seven is going to be the key in this one and will determine who comes out of this one with the W.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73565486/100thseasonlogo.0.jpeg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Giants-Vikings 2024, Week 1: Everything you need to know")
Giants-Vikings 2024, Week 1: Everything you need to know
Giants-Vikings 2024, Week 1: Everything you need to know Giants kick off 100th NFL season Contributors: Big Blue View Staff The New York Giants will be celebrating their 100th season of NFL competition on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Will the Giants beat the Minnesota Vikings and add to a festive atmosphere, or wreck it by opening the season with a loss at home? FanDuel lists the Giants as 1.5-point home underdogs to a Vikings team that went 7-10 a season ago. The Giants enter the season optimistic that they will field a better product than the 2023 team that went 6-11 after a horrid 2-8 start. The Giants added wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They — again — revamped their offensive line. They traded for star pass rusher Brian Burns. GM Joe Schoen tried and failed to trade up in the draft for quarterback Drake Maye, and the Giants committed to at least one more season with Daniel Jones at quarterback. The Vikings will be quarterbacked by Sam Darnold. He won’t be threatened this year by first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who is out for the season after knee surgery. You will find all of our Giants-Vikings coverage in this easy-to-follow StoryStream this week. Please keep checking back for pre-game, in-game, and post-game updates.
Test your Eagles knowledge on Sept. 5 with BGN’s new daily trivia game
Think you can figure out which Eagles player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Welcome back for another day of BGN’s in-5 daily trivia game. Just a reminder that this remains a beta that we’re testing out this week. Today’s game is down below and you can play yesterday’s game here. The goal of the game is to guess the correct Eagles player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS this week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game appears in slot #3 of the BGN layout each day this week, with a new article each day for the game. Additionally, there is a more general version of this at SBNation.com, which features a variety of random players that do not necessarily have Eagles history. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. What we need from you Play the game (reminder that the answer could be EITHER and active or retired player) Share your result in the comments and on social media Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below) Bleeding Green Nation in-5
