The Sports Insanity Network

This Week In Wrestling III

By Jeff Knapp

AEW – Dynamite

This past Saturday, we saw a special weekend edition of AEW Dynamite, and just like on Wednesdays, I wasn’t disappointed. I’m not saying everything is perfect, but I love it when a wrestling show starts with a match. This week they started with one of my favorites, and the fact that Malakai Black loves the darker side of music and walks the left-hand path, he never disappoints. We saw Malakai Black take on Dante Martin. Dante goes for a dropkick on Saturday and lands on Monday. This kid has all the athletic talent in the world, but I’m terrified by some of the moves he performs. The top rope to top rope springboard can go wrong 100 different ways. I’m very interested to see where this heads with Lio Rush in his corner, and we get the feeling that these two will face each other somewhere down the road.

We saw the Lucha Brothers lose their AAA Tag Team titles to FTR with some help from Tully Blanchard, so congratulations to Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood (One of my personal favorite tag teams in all of wrestling)

There was footage of Cody Rhodes in the ring with the Nightmare Factory and Arn Anderson (on the outside). Arn instructs everybody to attack Cody. After Cody takes out the factory, Arn shows Cody footage of his father Dusty being violent in the past. He asks if he heard any fans booing him. Arn tells him that Malakai needs stitches in him too.

MJF continues to egg on Darby and cuts a promo like nobody’s business. Anytime MJF has the pic, I’m glued to the television.

Adam Page talks up his AEW World title match at Full Gear against Kenny Omega and how he will give Kenny his blood, sweat, tears, heart, and soul, but he will give him at the end of the day Cowboy shit. He had the fans right in the palm of his hands throughout, and he will have the AEW faithful in his corner at Full gear.

We saw the American Dragon Bryan Danielson take on the newly signed Bobby Fish in another Dynamite classic at the end of the night. This shows you the difference between what we see on Dynamite and Raw or Smackdown. I’m not saying one is better, but that there is a huge difference. Bryan finally locks in a heel hook and forces Bobby to tap out.

Lastly, we were given the brackets for the AEW World title elimination tournament.

Dark Order’s 10 VS Jon Moxley

Orange Cassidy VS Powerhouse Hobbs

Dustin Rhodes VS Bryan Danielson

Lance Archer VS Eddie Kingston

WWE – RAW

Once again, I’m sure I’ll say this many more times, but Raw starts with an extended promo with Bianca and Charlotte. They are exciting what could be an excellent main event. I love Bianca, but I’d rather see this a little later in the show.

We also see Xavier Woods vs. Jinder Mahal face Finn Balor at Crown Jewel in the King of the Ring Finals on Thursday.

The Street Profits return to Raw, and if given the right push, I believe these two men can have a great run as tag team champions, but singly, Montez Ford has everything right there to become the breakout star of that team, and we all know that Vince loves to break up tag teams if one of them stands out. I’d hate to see them break up at any point, but Montez is uber-athletic and over-the-top entertaining and can bring it when needed.

The WWE fans finally got to see the fire in the eyes of Monsoor. This is something that we’ve been waiting for. I think his match against Mustafa Ali at Crown Jewel could be a sleeper gem. I can’t picture him losing in his home country. He brought the fire and rage on his promo and kicked it up a notch when he started yelling in Arabic. I’m hoping this feud goes beyond Crown Jewel.

The stage is set for the crowning of the 1st winner of the queen’s cup Doudrop defeated Shayna Baszler and will face Zelina Vega in the finals. I love Doudrop, but I was hoping to see Shayna win the entire thing.

The main event of Charlotte vs. Bianca was a great match, but when you learn from the dirtiest player in the game, there is a 100% chance you will do whatever you need to do to retain your championship, and that’s just what Charlotte did. Now, I would like to see where this was leading, but Bianca and Charlotte will be on different brands as of Friday. All that buildup for what, will there be a payoff? Time will tell.

NXT

Just like Raw, NXT starts with an in-ring promo. Don’t get me wrong, as of now, Carmelo Hayes is one of the most significant breakouts from this newer roster. He and Trick seemed like they were trying to get heel heat, but the crowd didn’t have it. Outcomes Johnny Gargano who lost his way… I liked the play on words. He has his sights set on the NXT North American Championship. When Carmello shoots, he doesn’t miss. When he finally faces Johnny Wrestling, will that be his 1st miss?

Almost 20 minutes into the show, we finally get our 1st match of the night, Odyssey Jones vs. Andre Chase…next.

We are then treated to Imperium vs. the Diamond Mine’s Creed Brothers. The Creed Brothers are another pair that are standouts in the new NXT. This was a great tag team match, and I’m a big fan of tag team wrestling. Imperium picked up the win thanks to an ongoing feud with Ikemen Jiro (Mr. jacket on during the match for no reason at all) & Kushida. Imperium is as solid as any wrestling team, and the Creed Brothers have a huge ceiling. I can’t wait to see where they go.

Another week, another week of forced Von Wagner. I pushed the fast-forward button.

Santos Escobar and the rest of Legado Del Fantasma come out to cut a promo on Carmello Hayes, and Santos is also coming for him. I’m thinking possible triple threat (Carmello vs. Santos vs. Gargano) in the near future or at the subsequent takeover. After that, “La Madrina” Elektra Lopez is interrupted by Cora Jade, which leads to a match that Lopez is victorious in. I’m a fan of Elektra Lopez, so I’m banking on her to go far in NXT.

Next, there is a three-way match to see who spins the Wheel of Misfortune. Io Shirai vs. Persia Pirotta vs. Toxic Attraction’s Jacy Jayne go at it, and at one point, I thought Persia died when she took a NASTY spill when she got caught up diving through the ropes. Not everybody should be making that move.

Io Shirai picks up the victory, spins the wheel, and next week at Halloween Havoc. There will be a “Stairway to Hell” ladder match for the NXT women’s tag team championship.

The main event was a tag Match featuring the NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breaker vs. the Grizzled Young Veterans. This match was a great way to set up Bron as an actual threat to Tommaso’s championship. Bron was solid, and it shows that having the Steiner Brothers as your dad (rick) and your uncle (Scott) has its advantages. If Vince wants me to get excited over a newer wrestler after moving on from the likes of Carrion and Bronson Reed, then count me on board for this guy.

IMPACT

IMPACT has been doing a great job of getting their shows off on the right foot with what is usually good to a very good match, and this week was no different. We have Finjuice (Juice Robinson and David Finley) take on Chris Bey and Hikuleo. I know they are members of the Bullet Club, but it just doesn’t carry the weight it once did, especially when they are wrestling in front of 100 fans at the most.

The match was really good, but I have a problem with the outcome. I like the idea of the triple threat at Bound For Glory, but how they got there was just messy and seemed a little too far-fetched. Why would two refs count a pinfall at the same time right next to each other? At least put them at opposite sides of the ring, let the pin falls happen, but force the first ref to count them both.

One of my biggest complaints of the night was the ending of the triple threat tag team match with Jordynne Grace & Fallah Bahh vs. Tenille Dashwood & John Skyler vs. Chelsea Green & Crazzy Steve. How in the world am I supposed to believe that Tenille picked up a clean pinfall victory over the likes of Fallah? At least have him get knocked out or let John Skyler get the pinfall. He’s huge, so some illegal cover should have been used.

They are trying to hype Mickie James & Deonna Purrazzo at BFG, but I’m just not feeling it. I believe this match should be great, but having Matt Rehwoldt banned from ringside because he broke the spirit of the no-contact clause seems a bit much. Personally, his character does nothing for me at all. If Deonna weren’t there, the fast forward button would be used, or I’d leave the room.

To be honest, the segment that had Sam Beal getting kicked out of the learning tree was pretty funny and entertaining. Be on the lookout for sam vs. brian at some point down the road.

The show ends with a face-off between Josh Alexander and Christian Cage. I’m very excited about this match. Josh carried the X-Division for a while and did a great job with that. I am not a fan of Option C and wish they got to this match differently. To me, Christian Cage is like a modern-day Ricky Steamboat. I’m already putting this match in a MOTY candidate box.

Will we see the debut of any monster or titan at BFG? I’m just hoping that.

WWE – Smackdown

Once again, the WWE started the show off with another promo, but our Tribal Chief was on fire this time. He called out everybody he has smashed since Wrestlemania. I was surprised he mentioned Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson), though. He questioned Paul’s loyalty, and that’s when Brock came out and destroyed everything, including refs and other officials. This led to Adam Pierce having to suspend Brock until further notice. That opening was grand and was one of the few shows opening promos that I loved.

Tonight was the debut of new and returning faces. We saw Drew Mcintyre, the coming soon promo for Xia li, who I think is a stone-cold fox and one hell of an athlete.

Hit Row made their debut and saw Swerve and Top Dolla crush two local nobodies.

Xavier had his coronation. I’d love to say hail king woods, but Finn Balor, the prince, should have won that match…the prince becomes King. Maybe Woods can put the crown on the line against him at Survivor Series or a different PPV down the road. We’ll see.

Happy Corbin? Changed the channel. I’d love to see him return to a darker version like he was in NXT. This madcap thing is also a dud. I’m not sure if this is regular heel heat or “this is horrible” heat?

The night ended with the WWE Women’s title exchange between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. The WWE officials want Becky booed so severely, but the crowd is still behind her. The titles finally get exchanged but not before the boss Sasha Banks comes out and gets involved. Sasha vs. Charlotte for the SD women’s title, and that winner will face raw women’s champion Becky Lynch at Survivor series.

Red Sox vs Astros: A Yankee Fan’s worst nightmare

By Bill Murphy

If anyone has read Dante’s Inferno, there are nine circles of hell, this year’s American League Championship Series was my tenth circle of hell, It was the Boston Red Sox vs. The Houston Astros. As a die-hard New York Yankees fan watching this series hurts. On top of that, it hurts that both my predictions for the American League Division series were wrong (I had the Rays in four and the White Sox in five ). As a Yankee Fan, I intended not to watch this series, but as a sports Journalist, I must watch it to give you the best content I can give you. Asking me who I wanted to win is like asking me would I rather eat Spam or dog S**t.

The Houston Astros, where do I start? We all know that in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Astros were stealing signs while using trash cans and other signals and using technology. It got to the point where Jose Altuve was allegedly wearing a device under his jersey. Something that puts salt in the wound was in the three seasons that this was speculated. This was during the season that the Astros beat the Yankees in both the 2017 and 2019 ALCS. If it were just an ordinary loss under normal circumstances, I would’ve just brushed it off and moved on. Still, knowing that it was done by cheating thanks to the outcome of the MLB’s investigation that was launched into this, it makes me even angrier that this happened, knowing they beat my beloved Yankees. On top of that, I have to say watching this season when the Astros returned to Yankee Stadium and hearing the fans chant Fk Altuve was music to my ears.

Now the obvious one, to save you time reading this, I am just going to say in good conscience as a Yankee fan, I can not root for the Boston Red Sox. Over the past 17 years, I had to see the Red Sox win four world series titles. Two of those, they beat the Yankees in the playoffs. There was, of course, the 2004 American League Championships Series when the Yankees were up to three games to none. Then a David Roberts stolen base, Big Papi, bloody sock, and Damon Grand Slam later they were going to the world series and breaking the curse of the Bambino. Then 14 years later, they beat the Yankees again in the American League Division series and eventually beat the Dodgers in the World Series. Then, this season, the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the one-game wild-card playoff, in which the Yankees just played a crappy game, especially the play that cost Phil Nevens his job. Thankfully, with the Red Sox losing, that didn’t happen again and giving Alex Cora his first postseason series loss as Red Sox skipper.

As I said in the opening, I was not excited about this series. In comparing who is the spam and who is the Dog S***t, I think it is easy to say that the Astros were my spam. Not that I am excited that they won, but at least it’s not the red sox. I will be rooting for whoever wins the NLCS.

NFL Culture Issues

By Mike Rifkin & Bill Murphy

On Monday night, October 11th, 2021, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned. Gruden was in his fourth season of a ten-year contract. His resignation comes as the New York Times uncovered Emails Gruden had sent using homophobic and misogynistic language.

Gruden released a statement Monday saying, “ I have resigned as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.” Gruden was in the fourth season of a ten-year contract. He went 22-31 in those three-plus seasons. The emails were sent to Bruce Allen, the former president of the Washington Football Team, while Gruden worked for ESPN as an analyst on Monday Night Football from 2009 to 2017.

In one of the emails, Gruden called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “ Faggot” and a “clueless anti-football p***y,” saying Goodell shouldn’t have pressured Jeff Fisher, the then head coach of the Rams, to select “Queers” in reference to Michael Sam who was the first openly gay player ever drafted. This offseason Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders was the first active NFL player to say he was gay. On Wednesday, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said that Nassib had requested a personal day. Nassib told Mayock, “ This is a lot to process.”

Gruden also sent emails about Demaurice Smith, the NFLPA executive saying, “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of Michelin tires.” Other emails include Gruden saying safety Eric Reid, a player who knelt during the National Anthem, that he should be fired. He criticized many owners, Goodell, coaches, and journalists throughout the league.

Gruden also sent emails denouncing women as referees. He was also a part of an email chain with Bruce Allen and others that included photos of women only in bikini bottoms, two of which were Washington team cheerleaders. Washington has been dealing with a toxic work environment for years which was revealed in last summer’s report from the Washington Post that 15 former female employees came out with sexual harassment and verbal abuse from 2004-2019. Claims included Richard Mann, the second assistant director of player personnel, asking a woman if her breasts were “real or fake” and that this employee wanted to “squeeze her butt.” Will Hobson, the reporter who broke this story, said, “ The sales staff were encouraged to wear low cut blouses, tight skirts, and heels.” Larry Michaels, the Senior Vice President of the team, asked employees to make a video for owner Daniel Snyder that included partially nude photos of cheerleaders from a 2008 swimsuit calendar. With all of this information, the league decided to fine Washington 10 million dollars. In light of the Gruden situation, the NFLPA is asking the league to release more findings, and the league is not complying.

Both situations are awful looks for the NFL, but this is not just an NFL issue, Raider issue, or a Washington issue. The issue here has now become a cultural issue in our society. The fact that people in power believe they can do or say whatever they want is a problem. We cannot let people degrade others based on their sexual orientation or the color of their skin. Also, we cannot allow men in power to degrade women this way the Washington Football team did.

The real reason the NFL will not release the findings into the Washington Football team are the owners will not turn on one of their own and because it makes you wonder how many front offices think this way, not just in sports but in companies all across the world. Jon Gruden will never coach in the NFL again, and Bruce Allen will not be back as an executive. What will happen to Daniel Snyder? Pressure is on Roger Goodell to release the findings and see what the court of public opinion says.

Dallas vs Pats Postgame

Dallas finally wins in Foxborough

Record 5-1

By Mark Halpern

The Dallas Cowboys played the one team they have never beat and did just that. They went into the land of Belichick and beat the master and his disciples.

The Cowboys came out hot on offense but were having significant trouble scoring in the one place they shouldn’t, and that’s the red zone. Dallas failed 3 times while in that area but was able to score outside the RedZone with ease. Zeke Elliot didn’t have the best running game of his season, amounting to only 69 yards but he did chip in 7 receptions for 50 yards which helped move the chains on many vital drives. Tony Pollard helped with 40 yards on the ground and 3 receptions of his own for 22 yards making him and Zeke the most lethal running back duo in football.

Dak had a great day passing for 445 yards and 3td’s and an unlucky interception in the endzone on a pass to Dalton Schultz. The wide receivers were very busy as the Pats were able to hold the run game. Cee Dee Lamb had 9 receptions for 149 yards and 2 td’s including the game-winning one in Over Time. The reception of the day was made by Cedrick Wilson on a diving catch in the second half in my opinion. Amari Cooper caught 5 passes for 55, and Schultz had 5 receptions for 79 yards. Schultz has exceeded expectations this season as he turns out to have excellent performance week to week.

The defense had trouble in the game, giving up long runs and many passes. Mac Jones looked the best he has all season, even though it was his lowest amount of passing yards since week 2. However, with under 2.5 minutes to go, Jones threw a pass over the middle, and Treyvon Diggs picked off and took it to the house for a touchdown giving him 7 interceptions on the year. This was a massive blow to New England as Dallas looked like they would win this game with just about 2.15 minutes left. However, Mac Jones threw a perfect strike to Kendrick Bourne on a double move on the next play and threaded the needle for a 75-yard touchdown. However, there was still plenty of time, and Dallas drove down the field and tied the game on a field goal by Greg Zuerlein, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Pats received the ball and were forced to punt, Dallas drove down the field, and Prescot hit Lamb to win on a nice crossing route. This was a massive win for the Cowboys as they keep showing the league that they are no joke. With this win, the Cowboys are now 5-1 joining the Packers, Ravens, Buccaneers, Rams, and the only undefeated team is the Cardinals at 6-0.

The Cowboys are on a bye next week and will travel to Minnesota in week 8 to face the 3-3 Vikings.

This Week In Wrestling II

By Jeff Knap

Welcome to TWIW, and the 1st thing I’d like to do, and this is a little late. Still, I’d like to congratulate Alex Hammerstone in winning the MLW World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Jacob Fatu. He held the title for just over two years, which is almost unheard of in today’s wrestling industry. I still remember the old MLW on the Sunshine Network right around 2002. Satoshi Kojima was the champion. That’s where I 1st heard of CM Punk.

WWE RAW
This past Monday, the WWE started to finalize everything for this coming Sunday’s Crown Jewel PPV. We will get to see WWE Champion Big E. defend his championship against former champion Drew McIntyre. Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal advance to the King of the Ring tournament semi-finals, where they will wrestle this Monday to see who wrestles Finn Balor at Crown Jewel in the KOTR finals. We also saw Shayna Baszler and Doudrop advance to the semi-finals, and that winner will face Zelina Vega in the Queen’s Crown finals at Crown Jewel.

NXT
Isaiah Swerve Scott and the rest of Hit Row are getting ready to move over to Smackdown because of the draft, and Scott planned on taking the North American Championship with him. Santos Escobar planned on winning the championship and keeping it in NXT, but Swerve had other plans and ended up defeating Escobar. That’s when Carmelo Hayes cashed in his breakout star contract and defeated Scott, and became the NEW NXT North American champion.

Although NXT has its fair share of things that irritate me, I’m intrigued by Joe Gacy and his relationship with Harland. I love the Joe Gacy character and its plan on the way certain groups of people are feeling and acting at the current time…snowflakes, lol.
The thing that gets me is the need for them to push Von Wagner. I have zero interest in him, and I just don’t get excited by his in-ring work. I find it boring and uninspiring. I’m sorry to body shame. His forehead is HUGE, and I can’t stop staring at it.

Why does Ikemen Jiro have to wear that jacket to the ring? Is there a reason? I could understand if he was a heel, and it was loaded with a foreign object that helped him pick up a victory. Lash Legend is a beautiful woman, but her Lashing Out show does nothing for me, and when it’s on, I usually head to the bathroom or fast forward if I’m taping it.

The match featuring Duke Hudson and Grayson Weller wasn’t horrible. It’s just I’m just trying to figure out why I should care about these two men? I understand they are both up and comers, but give me some back story or a reason to care about them.

WWE – Smackdown
Anytime you put Sami Zayn and Finn Balor in the ring, you will produce magic, and this past Friday was no different. I knew that Sami would lose since it’s well known that he would never be going to Saudi Arabia.
After Crown Jewel, I’m excited to see where the story of Carmella and Liv Morgan goes. I’ve been pulling for Liv Morgan to get some spotlight for some time now, and I hope this is the start of it.
In my opinion, the Seth Rollins promo heading into Hell in a Cell was not just a home run but a grand slam. Besides Brock vs. Roman, if that promo didn’t make you want to tune in on Thursday, nothing will.

Impact
We found out that one of my favorites from NJPW will be making his Impact debut, and that’s Minoru Suzuki and the lineup for next Sunday’s Bound For Glory PPV, which sadly starts at 10 pm, is rounding out. The main event alone is worth the price of admission, with Impact Champion Christian Cage taking on the MVP of Impact, Josh Alexander. This past week Rohit Raju, Willie Mack, who I’m a massive fan of, and El Phantasmo battled out to see who will be the third man for the three-way X-Division match at bound for glory. We saw El Phantasmo pick up the victory and will now face Steve Maclin and Trey Miguel. We now have found out who will be in the three-way for the X-Division match.

To end the night, we saw W. Morrisey win the 20 man battle royal and enter last in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match, with Chris Sabin, the 1st entrant. On a sad note for those fans of this segment, but Impact bid a sad farewell to the Swinger’s Palace.

I will have to make up for AEW since the night changed, and I was on dad duty during that time.

DALLAS vs PATS

The Dak Attack is back Jack

By Mark Halpern

This upcoming weekend the 4-1 Cowboys travel to Foxborough to take on the 2-3 Patriots. A couple of years ago, I would have been worried, but this isn’t the same dynasty as it was. Dak and the Cowboys have proven they are a force to be reckoned with. Dak Prescott has the Cowboys rolling this season with impressive outing after outing. Their only loss came from where Brady is currently, and that is Tampa. Playing on the road is never easy, especially when you are going against one of the greatest head coaches ever in Belichick. The Pats defense is strong, and beating them at home won’t be easy but, the Cowboys are up for the task.

This week’s game will rely on play calling. The Cowboys need to run the ball, and they need to run it a lot. The Pats passing defense is in the top five in the NFL, and establishing the run game will be key. Zeke Elliot and Tony Pollard are well up to this task. Next to Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, they are the best running back duo in the NFL. Establishing the run will enable this high-powered Dallas offense to use play-action more than have this season. You can’t stack the box against this Dallas team because their wide receiver core is top 3 in the league. As I said, the big key here will be play-calling, and Kellen more has said, “The offense won’t be the same each week.” I haven’t seen this powerful of an offense since the early 1990’s. This is a well-balanced Dallas offense and can run rings around you. The offensive line has been stronger than last year’s injury-riddled line, and protecting Dak is a must.

Now The Pats have this guy Mac and Cheese, Big Mac oh wait Mac Jones. He has had some success this year, but this Dallas defense is getting better. The secondary lead by Treyvon “The New Prime-Time” Diggs is ready to try and collect his 7th interception of the season, and the rest of the secondary has been following his lead. Dallas already has more interceptions than half the league, and Diggs has 6. The defensive line has been getting better and starting to get pressure. Rookies Micha Parsons and Jabril Cox have been doing an excellent job with Vander-Esch in the linebacking group. They have been stopping the run and forcing quarterbacks to throw to the “No Fly Zone.”

This game isn’t easy, and the defense will be challenging, but I expect the Cowboys to be well up to the task and come out with their 5th straight win of the season by a score of 27-10.

DALLAS vs GIANTS

Big D destroys the Little Giants

Record 4-1

By Mark Halpern

The Dallas Cowboys faced off against their division rivals, the New York Giants, this past Sunday in Arlington and destroyed them. At the start of the game, the Cowboys looked like they had a fog over their eyes. They were barely moving the ball, and Prescott threw a ball towards Zeke {that if he catches, he has the whole sideline to himself} but it was tipped at the line and intercepted. The Giant’s offense couldn’t move the ball either and missed an easy field goal. The Cowboys fog was disappearing over the next few drives, Zeke was gaining chunks of yards, and Dak was completing passes. However, the Cowboys could only muster a field goal in the first quarter. That score didn’t last long because in the first few minutes of the second quarter Dak threw a perfect bomb to Cee Dee Lamb for a 49-yard touchdown making the score 10-0. The Giants did manage to score ten unanswered points of their own but things were about to change. In the waning minutes of the second quarter, Dak hit Armani Cooper for a 24-yard score, and at the half, Dallas led 17-10.

The second half was all Cowboys and Zeke Elliot. Elliot ran for a 14-yard score and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Prescott, and Greg Zuerlein added another field goal. We saw Anthony Brown pick off a nice pass in the fourth quarter and take it to the house for another score. Dallas was the victor and, by a landslide winning 44-20.

Now that I have explained the offense let’s talk about the defense. Trevon “I am the new Deion” Diggs Picked off his 6 pass in his fifth game. He is on a fantastic run. He is considered one of the top 3 cover corners in the league. The Cowboy’s defense didn’t record a sack, and that must change in a game like this. They had several pass deflections, many qb pressures, and hits and stopped the run game altogether.

The Giants were not so lucky. Star Running back Saquon Barkley sprained his ankle and is currently considered week to week but will most likely miss anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Daniel Jones tried a quarterback reverse to try a score and was met by Micah Parsons, and Jones lowered his head {kids please don’t do this} and collided with the front of Parsons helmet, and he was knocked silly. It was terrifying to see him staggering around, and he had to be carted off. It was listed as a grade 1 concussion and will probably miss a few weeks. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay also left this contest early with a knee injury, and his status is considered week to week. In this one game, the Giants lost 6 of their starting offensive players.

This game was all Cowboys and very little Giants. Dak Prescot led the way for Dallas, who threw for 301 yards with 3td and 1int, Zeke Elliot with 21 carries for 110 yards and 2 total td’s, and Cee Dee Lamb 4 receptions for 4 yards and a td. Honorable mentions to Dalton Schultz with 6 receptions for yards and Tony Pollard with 14 carries for 75 yards. Altogether, the Dallas offense put up a total of 515 yards on the day.

Next Week the Cowboys Travel to Foxborough to battle the Brady-less Patriots in a Sunday afternoon matchup.

2021 Pacific Division Preview

By Michael Rifkin

In 2020 we saw some realignment due to Covid, but as we prepare for the 2021 NHL season, we are going back to the regular divisions. However, there is a twist in the Pacific as the Arizona Coyotes are now in the Central division, and the Seattle Kraken will debut. So let’s get specific in the Pacific.

2019 standings: 1) Flames, 2) Sharks, 3) Golden Knights, 4) Coyotes, 5) Canucks, 6) Ducks, 7) Oilers, 8) Kings.

Anaheim Ducks: ( 2020: 17-30-9) Anaheim’s most significant move this offseason was resigning their captain Ryan Getzlaf to a one-year contract as their rebuild continues. Last season Getzlaf had five goals and 17 points in 48 games in 2020. Last season the Ducks had the worst power play in the NHL. Anaheim is hoping that infusing young players Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale can help them. Both players posted three goals in 24 games played. The Ducks will be interesting to watch the trade deadline as winger Rickard Rickell and defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson are unrestricted free agents after 2021.

X-Factor: Sam Steel. He had 12 points in 42 games (6 goals, six assists) and 18 games in 129 games in his career without the former first-round pick taking a step forward in Anaheim’s rebuild.

Calgary Flames ( 2020: 26-27-3) In March, the Calgary Flames made a coaching change. Out was Geoff Ward, and they brought in Darryl Sutter for his second stint as Flames head coach. Last offseason, the Flames made a splash by signing goalie Jacob Markstrom to a six-year 36 million dollar contract. Markstrom, in year one, went 22-19-2 with a 2.68 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and three shutouts. The Flames made another splash this offseason, signing two-time Stanley Cup champion Blake Coleman to a six-year contract worth 29.4 million dollars. Add Coleman to the core of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Matthew Tkachuk. Calgary’s defense took a hit when the Kraken selected Captain Mark Giordano in the expansion draft.

X-Factor: Noah Hanifin, with the loss of Giordano, puts a little more pressure on the former fifth overall pick, who had 15 points in 47 games.

Edmonton Oilers ( 2020: 35-19-2) In a 56 game season, the Oilers had the top two scorers across the NHL as captain Connor McDavid posted 105 points and Leon Draisaitl posted 84 points. With all of that, the Oilers were swept in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets. This offseason, Ken Holland was signing Zach Hyman from the Maple Leafs to a seven-year 38.5 million dollar contract, re-signed former number one overall pick Ryan Nugent Hopkins to an eight-year 41 million dollar contract traded for former Norris winner Duncan Keith. The Oilers didn’t do upgrade goaltending and will roll with a Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen duo.

Players to watch are the goalies. Last season the 39-year-old Smith was 21-6-2 with a 2.31 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, and three shutouts. Koskinen went 13-13 with a 3.17 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage. If the Oilers want to contend and make a deep playoff run, it’s on the goalies because they have enough talent to score.

Los Angeles Kings (2020: 21-28-7) After a third straight season of missing the playoffs, star defenseman Drew Doughty said, “As a team, we need to be better and get better.” “ That’s not just on the players.” General manager Rob Blake listened as the Kings traded for Nashville Predators winger Viktor Arvidsson to add a top 6 winger. Last season Arvidsson had ten goals, and 25 points in 50 games played last season. In his career, Arvidsson has 127 goals and 239 points in 385 games. Blake also signed center Phillip Danault to a six-year 33 million dollar contract. The signing of Danault takes a lot of pressure off of captain Anze Kopitar, one of the top two-way centers in the NHL. Danault had five goals and 24 points in 53 games played. In his career, he has had 55 goals and 199 points. Danault played a vital role in the Montreal Canadiens run to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Kings also have an influx of young talent on their roster. If the Kings will go anywhere, it’s on goalie Jonathan Quick who went 11-9-2 with a 2.86 goals-against average, .898 save percentage, and two shutouts.

Player to watch: Adrian Kempe last season 14 goals and 29 points in 56 games last season expect Kempe to score 20-25 goals this season.

San Jose Sharks (2020: 21-28-7) It’s an exciting time in San Jose because the Sharks have many bad contracts and are trying to incorporate young players into their lineup. One of the central questions the Sharks had to answer was goaltending. They bought out goaltender Martin Jones who struggled. They added Adin Hill from the Coyotes, who has only played in 49 games and started in 41 of those going 19-21-4 with a 2.79 goals-against average, .909 save percentage, and three shutouts. Tomas Hertl had 19 goals and 43 points in 50 games played is an unrestricted free agent after this season, so if San Jose falls out, Hertl will be an exciting name going into the trade deadline. San Jose has a cap problem. Logan Couture makes 8 million dollars a season, Evander Kane makes 7 million dollars, Timo Meier makes 6 million. Erik Karlsson makes 11.5 million on the defensive side, Brent Burns makes 8 million, and Marc -Edouard Vlasic makes 7 million dollars a season.

Players to watch: Has to be the goaltending as well. Adin Hill has never been a number one goalie, and there is pressure to win for a team with so many players with large-cap hits.

Seattle Kraken (2020: NA) In 2021, Seattle will Krak the NHL. General Manager Ron Francis shocked the hockey world when he hired former Flyers coach Dave Hakstol as the team’s inaugural head coach. The expansion draft saw them grab some highly talented forwards in two-time Stanley Cup Champion Yanni Gourde from the Lightning, Jordan Eberle from the Islanders, and Joonas Donskoi from the Avalanche. Former Flames captain Mark Giordano will lead the defense. The Kraken also went big in free agency, signing Jaden Schwartz from the Blues to a five-year 27.5 million contract. Schwartz is coming off an eight-goal 21 point season in 40 games for the Blues. The bigger splash was signing Vezina finalist Philipp Grubauer to a six-year 35.4 million dollar contract. Last year, the Avalanche Grubauer went 30-9-1 with a 1.95 goals-against average, .922 save percentage, and seven shutouts. Seattle also got Chris Driedger from the Panthers to be the backup. Coming off of his best season Driedger went 14-6-3 with a 2.07 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Players to watch Mason Appleton and Colin Blackwell. Appleton last season posted 12 goals and 25 points in all 56 games for the Jets. Blackwell last season had 12 goals and 22 points for the Rangers. Blackwell played everywhere for the Rangers in the top 6, bottom 6, power play, and penalty kill.

Vancouver Canucks (2020: 23-29-4) Right now, the biggest story out of Vancouver is the contract negotiations for Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson; both are restricted, free agents. In the bubble a couple of seasons ago, this is a team that gave the Vegas Golden Knights all they could handle, but 2020 was a difficult season. They made a big trade with the Arizona Coyotes, acquiring defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and winger Conor Garland in exchange for Jay Beagle, Louis Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, 2021 first-round, 2021 seventh-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick.

Player to watch: Nils Hoglander, who in 2020 had 13 goals and 27 points in all 56 games. Expect him to take a step forward if Vancouver is going to make some noise.

Vegas Golden Knights: (2020: 40-14-2) Since their inaugural season, where they went to the Stanley Cup Finals, those have been the expectations in Vegas. Before being upset by the Montreal Canadiens, they went through a seven-game battle with the Wild and another grueling series against the Avalanche in the playoffs. Vegas made a shocking move this offseason as they traded Vezina winner Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season Fleury went 26-10-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average, .928 save percentage, and six shutouts. Luckily for Vegas, they have had the luxury of having two outstanding starting goalies Robin Lehner will take over. As usual, it is Stanley Cup or bust for the Knights.

The player to watch is Nolan Patrick. Vegas acquired the former second overall pick in a deal that sent Cody Glass to Nashville in July. In his career, Patrick has 30 goals and 70 points in 197 games played. He also missed all of the 19-20 due to migraines, but maybe a change of scenery will help him succeed.

2021 Pacific Division Projections

Vegas Golden Knights
Seattle Kraken
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks

Because of how strong the Central is, I think only three teams out of the Pacific make the playoffs. To me, the only guarantee in this division is the Golden Knights, everything else is up for grabs.

2021 Central Divison Preview

By Michael Rifkin

In 2020 we saw some realignment due to Covid, but as we prepare for the 2021 NHL season, we are going back to the regular divisions. Due to the Seattle Kraken coming into the NHL, the Arizona Coyotes will be moving to the Central Division.

2019 Central Division Standings: 1) Blues, 2) Avalanche, 3) Stars, 4) Predators, 5) Jets, 6) Wild, 7) Blackhawks

Arizona Coyotes (2020: 24-26-6) The 2020 Arizona Coyotes were competing for a playoff spot deep into the season but fell short. After the season, they fired Rick Tocchet and hired Andre Tourigny, coaching the Ottawa 67s of the OHL. The Coyotes decided they would take on some players with a big cap hit to accumulate draft picks. The biggest deal was with the Canucks that sent former captain Oliver Ekma- Larsson and Conor Garland to Vancouver for Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, the 9th overall pick in the draft (Dylan Guenther), a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 seventh-round pick. All three goalies the Coyotes had played for them in 2020 are not with the team. Antti Rantaa signed with the Hurricanes, and Darcy Kuemper was traded to the Avalanche, and Adin Hill was traded to the Sharks. The team signed veteran Carter Hutton to be the team teams starting goalie. Player to watch: Shayne Gostisbehere, traded from the Flyers, had nine goals and 20 points in 41 games last season. In 2015-16 Ghost had his best season with 17 goals and 46 points in 64 games. It’s been a struggle since. Maybe a change of scenery will help him.

Chicago Blackhawks (2020: 24-25-7) The Blackhawks made arguably the two biggest splashes this offseason. They acquired defenseman Seth Jones from the Blue Jackets and Vezina trophy winner and future Hall of Famer Marc Andre- Fleury from the Vegas Golden Knights. But the essential addition to the Blackhawks might be the return of captain Jonathon Toews who did not play in 2020. Toews had 18 goals and 60 points in 70 games played in 2019-20. Player to watch: Kirby Dach, who as a rookie had eight goals and 23 points in 64 games in 2019-20. Last season Dach was limited to 18 games due to a fractured wrist. In those 18 games, Dach had two goals and 10 points.

Colorado Avalanche (2020: 39-13-4) Going to state the obvious that the Colorado Avalanche is a big-time Stanley Cup contender. They were led by one of the best lines in hockey with Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog, who they re-signed to an eight-year 64 million dollar contract. They also signed stud defenseman Cale Makar to a six-year 54 million dollar contract. The Avs did lose Vezina nominated goalie Phillip Grubauer to the Seattle Kraken. To replace him, the Avs traded a first-round pick and defenseman Connor Timmins to the Coyotes for Darcy Kuemper. Last season Kuemper went 10-11-3 with a 2.56 GAA,907 save percentage, and two shutouts. The Avs will need Kuemper to be healthy throughout the season. Player to watch: Bowen Byram, the 2019 first-round pick who had two assists in 19 games last season, might get a real opportunity to play after Ryan Graves was traded to the Devils.

Dallas Stars ( 2020: 23-19-14) The team most affected in the 56 game season was the Dallas Stars. Their season started late due to a Covid outbreak, and later in the year, they couldn’t play due to the ice storms in Texas. This was after a magical run to the Stanley Cup Final and lost to the Lightning. Tyler Seguin was limited to 3 games due to hip surgery but scored two goals in those three games. The player to watch is Joel Kiviranta, who had six goals and 11 points in 26 games last season. Kiviranta had a hat trick in game seven against the Avalanche in the playoffs a few seasons ago.

Minnesota Wild (2020: 35-16-5) Last season, the Wild shocked people not just because they made the playoffs but also because they took the Vegas Golden Knights to a seven-game series. Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov who just signed a five-year 45 million dollar contract. Kaprizov had 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games. Joel Eriksson Ek had a breakout season with 19 goals and 30 points in 56 games. The Wild bought out the contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, so there is a changing of the guard in Minnesota. Jordan Greenway, who had six goals and 32 points in 56 games played last season, is the player to watch. In his career, Greenway has 26 goals and 85 points in 210 games played.

Nashville Predators (2020: 31-23-2) Speaking of a changing of the guard for the first time since 2005, Pekka Rinne will not be in a Predators uniform as Rinne retired after 2020. Just Saros carried the Preds down the stretch to reach the playoffs. Also out is defenseman Ryan Ellis who they traded to the Flyers as a part of a three-team deal that saw Nashville acquire Cody Glass from Vegas and Phil Myers from the Flyers. Player to watch: Eeli Tolvanen had 11 goals and 22 points in 40 games last season. If Tolvanen takes a step up, watch what the Preds do with impending free agent Filip Forsberg at the trade deadline.

St. Louis Blues (2020: 27-20-9) The Blues this offseason wanted to add to their top 6 and compete with the firepower of teams like the Avalanche and Golden Knights. They traded for Pavel Buchnevich from the Rangers and signed a five-year contract with former Avalanche and Blackhawk Brandon Saad. The biggest news out of St. Louis was that star winger Vladimir Tarasenko requested a trade due to lingering issues with his shoulder. Player to watch Robert Thomas. One reason is he has the same name as the lead singer of Matchbox 20. Thomas had three goals and 12 points last season. If coach Craig Berube wants more out of the 22-year-old, pairing him with Saad might help his offensive game.

Winnipeg Jets (2020: 30-23-3) The Jets are ready for takeoff. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Winnipeg swept the Oilers and then lost to the Canadiens. But with Connor Hellebuyck and one of the best forward groups in the NHL. They added Nate Schmidt from the Canucks and Brendon Dillion from the Capitals to solidify the Blue line. Expect Pierre Luc-Dubois to have a bounce back after being traded from Columbus. Player to watch: Ville Heinola, a 20-year-old defenseman who has a goal in 13 career games in his career. With guys like Neal Pionk and Josh Morrisey, coach Paul Maurice can let Heinola develop at his own pace. If he makes the roster pairing him with one of the veterans in Dillon or Schmidt can help with that.

I do think five teams make it out of the Central division. Predictions: 1) Avalanche, 2) Stars, 3) Jets, 4) Blackhawks(WC), 5) Blues (WC) 6) Wild, 7) Predators, 8) Coyotes.

It is that stacked. I want to see the Wild do it again before I guarantee them a playoff spot.

Noah: 1. Avs 2. Jets 3. Wild 4. Stars (WC) 5. Blackhawks (WC) 6. Preds 7. Blues 8. Coyotes

2021 Metropolitan Division Preview

By Michael Rifkin

In 2020 we saw some realignment due to Covid, but as we prepare for the 2021 NHL season, we are going back to the regular divisions. The Metropolitan division, top to bottom, might be the most competitive division in the NHL. The Metropolitan division has a nice mix of teams that can win now and teams with an incredibly bright future.

2019-20 standings: 1) Capitals 2) Flyers 3) Penguins 4) Hurricanes 5) Islanders 6) Blue Jackets 7) Rangers 8) Devils

Hurricanes (2020: 36-12-8) Carolina won the Central Division last season before losing to the Lightning in 6 games in the second round. But this is a different Hurricanes team; they lost defenseman Dougie Hamilton, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, etc. They did bring in Goalies Freddie Anderson and Antti Raanta. Their most significant move this offseason was they extended head coach Rod Brind’Amour. A team led by forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov as the future of this team, Carolina is going in the right direction. Martin Necas, who had 14 goals and 41 points in 53 games played last season, is the player to watch.

Blue Jackets (2020: 18-26-12) Opposite Carolina, Columbus finished last in the Central in 2020. They did not renew the contract of head coach John Tortorella and hired assistant Brad Larsen to be the head coach. Columbus made an interesting decision this offseason, trading star winger Cam Atkinson to the Flyers for former Blue Jacket Jakub Voracek. They were also able to re-sign winger Patrik Laine who they acquired from the Jets during the season. Laine last season had ten goals in 45 games for Columbus. They traded star defenseman Seth Jones to the Blackhawks. Player to watch: Jack Roslovic, the other piece in the Laine deal, had 12 goals and 34 points in 48 games last season. If Brad Larsen wants one extensive line, putting Roslovic with Laine and Voracek can be the answer.

Devils (2020: 19-30-7) The Devils have a good group of young forwards led by Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. They spent this offseason upgrading their defense by acquiring Ryan Graves from the Avalanche and signing Dougie Hamilton from the Hurricanes to a massive contract. Adding these two, along with P.K. Subban and Ty Smith, who had a tremendous rookie season, the Devil’s future looks bright. Mackenzie Blackwood is an excellent goalie. Player to watch: Yegor Sharangovich, not just because the name is fun to say. Sharangovich had 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games last season. Watch for him to get in that 20-25 range this season.

Islanders (32-17-7) For the second consecutive season, the Islanders lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Conference Finals. But leave it to Lou Lamoriello to keep all of his free agents this offseason to keep this group together. Under the guidance of Lamoriello and Barry Trotz, the Islanders will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Anders Lee will return for the Islanders after tearing his ACL last season. They did lose Jordan Eberle in the expansion draft, but bringing back Kyle Palmieri and Anthony Beauvillier can soften the loss. Player to watch Oliver Wahlstrom, who scored 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games last season. With the absence of Eberle, maybe Wahlstrom can take advantage of that wicked shot he has. If he does, Oliver and Company could be on their way to the promised land.

Rangers (2020: 27-23-6) The New York Rangers just missed the playoffs last season, and with that, so did dynamics… John Davidson left as President of Hockey Ops, Jeff Gorton fired as G.M., and David Quinn fired as head coach. Fans can point to a few reasons they missed the playoffs: Artemi Panarin missed nine games due to personal issues, Mika Zibanejad got off to a slow start as he recovered from Covid, etc.… In my opinion, the Rangers were not a playoff team anyway. Stepping into the roles of G.M. and coach are former Ranger captain Chris Drury and Gerard Gallant, who last coached the Vegas Golden Knights. Chris Drury had a goal this offseason, and that was to make the Rangers a more challenging team to play against. He did just that by signing Barclay Goodrow from the Lightning, trading Pavel Buchnevich for Sammie Blais from the Blues, Trading for Ryan Reaves. This Ranger team carries enough skill with Panarin, Zibanejad, and Norris winner Adam Fox. Player to watch: Filip Chytil had eight goals and 22 points in 42 games last season. Chytil was off to a great start last season before breaking his collarbone. If he continues to progress, that will benefit the Rangers.

Flyers (2020: 25-23-8) Chuck Fletcher was very busy this offseason after the Flyers missed the playoffs last season. He added Ryan Ellis from the Predators, Rasmus Ristolainen from the Sabres, and Keith Yandle from the Panthers on the blue line. Shayne Ghostisbehere, Phil Myers, and Robert Hagg are gone. Fletcher also moved on the core, trading Jakub Voracek to the Blue Jackets for Cam Atkinson. Atkinson will provide Philly with a bonafide goal scorer. Carter Hart, who had a 3.67 GAA and a .877 save percentage last season, is the player to watch. Head coach Alain Vigneault sometimes threw Hart under the bus, but Hart can rebound with a new group of defensemen.

Penguins (2020: 37-16-3) The Pittsburgh Penguins won the East division last season before losing to the Islanders in 6 games in the first round. As long as the Penguins have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang on their roster, they are in win now mode. They will miss Malkin for the first two months after knee surgery, Crosby had surgery on his right wrist and may miss the start of the season, and as of a few days ago, Jake Guentzel scored 23 goals last season tested positive for covid. That is 3 of the Penguin’s top 6 that they might not have early on in the season. Player to watch: Jason Zucker, who had nine goals and 18 points in 38 games played in 2020. With the early-season injuries, the Penguins need Zucker to produce offensively.

Capitals (2020: 36-15-5) The Washington Capitals’ significant move this offseason was resigning captain Alex Ovechkin to a five-year contract. The Caps have kept most of the same group that won the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Caps will look to rebound after losing to the Boston Bruins in 5 games. Watch for goalies Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek to take a step forward also. Player to watch: Anthony Mantha had four goals and 8 points in 14 games after coming over from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline. The 27-year-old gives the Caps another dangerous weapon, especially on their deadly power play.

Predictions: 1) Islanders 2) Capitals 3) Hurricanes 4) Flyers (W.C.) 5) Rangers (W.C.) 6) Penguins 7) Devils 8) Blue Jackets
I think 4-8 are interchangeable, but this is the best division in the NHL.