The Sports Insanity Network

LA LEGENDS

BY Mike Rifkin

Thursday was a tough day for Los Angeles sports fans. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and Kings Center Anze Kopitar will both retire following their respective seasons. Both players are future Hall Of Famers in their respective sports and will be honored by their organizations.

Clayton Kershaw was the seventh overall pick in 2006 by the Dodgers, and little did they know they were getting one of the best pitchers not only of his generation, but all time. Kershaw, who will make his final start at Dodger Stadium against the rival Giants, is 222-96 in his career with a 2.54 ERA. Kershaw has plenty of accolades to boot, he is a three time CY Young award winner, 2014 NL MVP, Triple Crown winner, 11 time All Star, Gold Glove and the Roberto Clemente award. The one thing people held against Kershaw was that he wasn’t a great playoff performer, but he is a two time World Series Champion.

Anze Kopitar was the 11th overall pick (Ironic) in 2005 by the LA Kings, and they got one of the best two-way Centers in the NHL. Entering this season Kopitar has played in 1,454 games scoring 440 goals, 1,278 points and is a +108. Kopitar, like Kershaw, has won two Stanley Cups. He’s never won the Hart Trophy for league MVP, but he has two Selkes for best defensive forward, three Lady Byng trophies for sportsmanship and he won the 2021-22 Messier leadership award.

If you build a Mount Rushmore for LA sports figures in the 2010’s it’s very hard not to put these guys on it. They’re great players on the field and ice, and they’re great people off of it, but the thing I find most admirable about them is their loyalty. In an era where free agency and player movement has reigned supreme these two guys have stayed with the organizations that drafted them, it’s not something you see everyday. Congratulations to both on fantastic careers and both should be without a doubt first ballot hall of famers.

COWBOYS ARE NOT CLOWNING AROUND

BY MARK HALPERN

With the loss of DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons the Dallas defense seemed weaker. Through the first two games the Cowboys defense has surrendered 404 yards per game (283 passing and 121 rushing). Dallas has started the season 1-1 but it easily could be 0-2 if it weren’t for Dak Prescott and Brandon Aubrey. Through two games the defense has been very poor. The Cowboys needed help on the Defensive line/edge rusher and they went out and got one.

Jadeveon Clowney was the first overall pick in 2014 by the Houston Texans where he excelled for 5 years. He chose not to stay with Houston and took his game to Seattle where he played 13 games. He then took his play to Cleveland and then Baltimore. In 2021 and 2023 he registered 9 and 9.5 sacks respectively. He then signed a two -year deal with Carolina churning up 5.5 sacks and then in May he was cut by the Panthers. Clowney had interest from a few teams, but the Cowboys being desperate got to him first and shored up one of the weakest points of the defense. Jalen Hurts and Russell Wilson were given an average of 4.2 seconds to throw the ball and when you give any QB that amount of time they are going to beat you. Hopefully the Cowboys get a motivated Clowney, who can help get to the quarterback, as through two games the Cowboys have four sacks.

Clowney will be a real welcomed addition and in just 3 short weeks the Cowboys have traded for Pro Bowler DT Kenny Clark and now added

another pro bowl caliber DE in Clowney. Clowney will play this Sunday against the Bears but will be on a snap count as this will be his first action since last season.

Flip The Script

By Mike Rifkin

Through two weeks the Miami Dolphins season is hanging by a thread. At 0-2 and looking to right the ship, the Dolphins are going to the worst possible place Buffalo. The Bills are 2-0 after their throttling of the Jets 30-10. Reigning MVP Josh Allen, who had his heroics in the week one win over the Ravens, had 207 total yards and wasn’t involved in a touchdown against the Jets. James Cook was cooking on Sunday with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In 14 games against the Dolphins, Allen has 37 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Allen has rushed for 647 yards and five touchdowns. James Cook in six games has five touchdowns and 224 yards rushing.

The Dolphins are coming off a 33-27 loss to the Patriots and again a turnover late cost them. Through two games the Dolphins are doing two things: turning the ball over and not getting stops on defense. Tua threw for 315 yards, two touchdowns and a costly interception. The Dolphins got both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle involved as they combined for 11 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown. De’von Achane had 122 total yards and a touchdown. In nine games against the Bills, Tua has nine touchdowns and ten interceptions.

The Dolphins are looking for their first win in Buffalo since 2016, and the Bills have owned the rivalry as of late, although some games have been close. If this is another loss the hot seat for Mike Mcdaniel and Tua will get warmer, or can they do something they’ve rarely done which is beat a very good team on the road, which would certainly flip the script.

The Clock Is Ticking

BY Mike Rifkin

The Dolphins lost to the Patriots at home 33-27 going to 0-2 on the season. This season is on the brink of disaster as the Dolphins head to Buffalo to play the Bills on Thursday night. The last time the Dolphins won in Buffalo was Christmas Eve 2016. That game was so long ago the Dolphins Quarterback was Matt Moore, and Running Back Jay Ajayi ran for 206 yards. Buffalo is the last place a team trying to find itself should want to go, but it could also be the end of something.

If the Dolphins get embarrassed by the Bills and there’s a chance it’s the last game Mike Mcdaniel coaches. With the loss on Sunday Mcdaniel fell to 28-25 in his career and 0-2 in the playoffs. In fact the Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000. Now Mcdaniel did sign an extension carrying him through the 2028 season, but we all know in the NFL that these things happen. But here’s my question : Whether Mcdaniel is in Miami or not, what’s the direction of this team? When they made the playoffs, they collapsed in the second half of the season and ultimately fell short, and took advantage of weaker opponents. When they played teams better than them they got obliterated most of the time.

Mcdaniel is not the only one on the hot seat in Miami, there are two other people on that seat along with him. The first is the GM who hired him Chris Grier and the other is his Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Let’s start with Grier, who has been in the organization since 2000 and the GM since 2016. Grier has hired three coaches in his tenure Adam Gase, Brian Flores and Mcdaniel. But he’s yet to find the solution at Quarterback, something the Dolphins have been searching for since Dan Marino left.

Which leads us to Tagovailoa, who has three touchdowns and three interceptions through two games so far this season. The biggest question for Tagovailoa has always been his availability. He’s had multiple injuries that have forced him into missing time, primarily concussions. There’s an out in his contract between 2026 and 2027. There’s been questions about Tua since his days at Alabama, and while there have been times he’s been great, they always move the goalpost for him. But over the last year and a half his play has dipped and fans are ready for this team to win in the playoffs.

The worst thing to be in sports is in the middle, and right now not only are the Dolphins in the middle, they are closer to the bottom, than they are the top. Until there’s a direction and some stability in the organization, they can figure out what to do. Is this an overreaction to two games? Maybe, but it’s been a feeling over the last season plus that this team has gotten the best they are of this era.

Preview : Bengals Vs Jaguars

By Bill Murphy

After coming off a 17-16 win in the Battle Of Ohio against the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals are now taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last week Joe Burrow was 14/23 for 113 yards and one touchdown. In the run game Chase Brown had 21 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown . In the receiving game, Tee Higgins had three receptions for 33 yards and in his Bengal debut Noah Fant had four receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Liam Coen shined in his head coaching debut against the Carolina Panthers, as the Jaguars won 26-10. Trevor Lawrence was 19-31 for 178 yards and one touchdown. Travis Etienne had 143 yard on 16 carries and Brian Thomas jr. had one carry for nine yards and one touchdown . The Jags got the Tight Ends involved as Brenton Strange led the team with four receptions for 59 yards and Hunter Long had one reception for six yards and the touchdown.

Keys to the Game

Bengals

Offense: The Key to the Bengals offense would be Joe Burrow . Even though ,Burrow got off to a slow start last week , he is really going to have to step it up this week and hit Ja’mar Chase .

Defense : The Defensive key to the game for the Bengals would be the pass rush led by Trey Hendrickson . Last year Hendrickson got 33 solo tackles 13 assist and 17.5 sacks.

Last Week Hendrickson got three tackles and one sack . Hendrickson is going to have to go through a tough Jaguars Offensive Line who kept Trevor Lawerence from at all last week.

Jaguars

Offense : The keys for the Jaguars offense would be the offensive line . Last week, the Jaguars kept Trevor Lawerence’s jersey absolutely spotless giving up no sacks . The O- Line are going to have a bigger challenge this week with the Bengals pass rush led by Trey Hendrickson .

Defense: The defensive key for Jacksonville would be the pass rush including Javarian Jones. Last week the pass defense held Bryce Young to only 51.5 % completion rate . Now they can do the same to Burrow who Myles Garret sacked three times last week .

Prediction :

Bengals 20 , Jaguars 17

A Commanding Win

By Lawrence Lang

The Green Bay Packers moved to 2-0 on the season after they defeated the Washington Commanders 27-18 at home at Lambeau Field in a crowd of 77,289.

For the Packers, quarterback Jordan Love continued his stride this season, going 19/31 with 292 yards passing and two touchdowns, with an average yards per pass being 9.2. Love’s first touchdown game in the first quarter in the Packers’ second possession of the game a seven-play 96-yard drive that ended in a five-yard pass to wide receiver Romeo Dobbs, who on the day had three receptions for 28 yards.

Loves second touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a nine-play 65-yard drive that ended in an eight-yard pass to tight end Tucker Kraft to put the Packers up 24-10. Kraft for the night had six receptions for 124 yards total, his longest being a 57 yard reception that help set up a Packer touchdown.

In the run game, the Packers were still productive, even being held to 135 total yards. Running back Josh Jacobs had 23 carries for 84 yards rushing and one touchdown. Rookie Runningback Savion Williams, the third round pick out of TCU, got some action with two carries for 24 yards, and Rookie Wide-Receiver Mathhew Golden got some run time in with two carries for 15 yards. Golden also had to target Love but was unable to bring the ball in for the receptions.

The Packers’ defence continued their impressive performance, getting four sacks on the day. Commanders Quarterback Devente Wyatt had a sack. Edgerrin Cooper and Micah Parsons split a sack. Rashan Gary had a sack, and Karl Brooks Barryn Sorrell split a sack. The Packers’ deference also shut down the Commanders’ run game, holding them to 51 total rushing yards and holding Danniels to just 200 yards passing on 24/42 attempts.

Daniels did have two touchdowns on the night, one to tight end Zach Ertz and the other to wide receiver Deebo Samuel. In all, the Commanders could not get anything going, and when they could, it was just the Detroit Lions; it was too late to make the commanding comeback happen.

Both teams also had some key injuries that happened during the game. For the Packers, they lost Wide Receiver Jayden Reed for the foreseeable future with a Broken collarbone he set for surgery next week. The Commanders lost two key players from their roster for the remainder of the season. Defensive End Deatrich Wise is out with a quad injury, and Running back Austin Ekeler has a torn Achilles, which was a non-contact injury. These are two major blows to a Commanders team.

Commanders will look to get things rolling again when they head home to host the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Packers will hit the road for their first road game of the season when they head to Cleveland to face the Cleveland Browns.

WEEK TWO PREGAMES

BY SIN BLITZERS

NYG AT DAL : Even though the Cowboys lost in Philly, there were a lot of positives to take away. Now they play another division rival in the New York Giants. All time the Cowboys are 77-47-2 against the Giants, including 9-1 in their last 10. The Cowboys defense did suffer a blow this week with the injury to Da’ron Bland, but even still they should be able to get to Russ. The big test will be how the offensive line holds up for a second straight week? That being said I like the Cowboys to bounce back. – Mark Halpern

CHI AT DET : Speaking of rivalry games the Bears and Lions will play for the first time this season, both teams coming off losses in the division. The Lions were flat out embarrassed against the Packers and welcome back their former Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and his new team the Bears into Ford Field. The Lions are going to need to use the best Running Back duo in the league early, as they were non existent last week. We’ll see how the Lions approach their former OC, but one of these teams will be 0-2 in a tough division.

NE AT MIA : You wanna talk about embarrassing performances, the Miami Dolphins put in the worst performance of any team in week one. It was so bad they had a players’ only meeting after the game. Now, they will play the New England Patriots in their home opener. The Patriots are coming off a tough loss to the Raiders in their opener. Tua Tagovailoa has never lost to the Patriots in his career and is 5-0, but this is a new Patriot team under Mike Vrabel.

PHI AT KC : It’s a Super Bowl rematch in Arrowhead, and let’s be honest everyone is questioning the Chiefs after their loss to the Chargers, if they start 0-2 people might go into cardiac arrest. For Philly they are coming off a close win over the Cowboys, but didn’t play perfect. For the Chiefs we’ll have to see who can step up on the outside, but also can they protect Mahomes this time.

A LEGEND RETURNS

BY : MIKE RIFKIN

“ Hi I’m Jacob DeGrom and I have a chance with my stuff to just dominate baseball for years to come.” Joe Buck was right, Jacob Degrom dominated baseball and Friday night he returns to Queens as a member of the Texas Rangers.

DeGrom came up in 2014 and posted a 9-6 record with a 2.69 ERA and had 144 strikeouts in 140 innings pitched, on his way to the NL Rookie Of The Year. 2015 Degrom went 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA and had 205 strikeouts. But it was his bulldog performance in game five of the NLDS against the Dodgers where you really saw his makeup. DeGrom outdueled Zack Greinke in the win. Without his best stuff DeGrom still gave the Mets six innings and gave up two runs.

In 2018 and 19 DeGrom won a combined 21 games but with phenomenal ERAs of 1.70 and 2.43 and posting over 250 strikeouts in both seasons DeGrom was able to win back to back NL CY Young awards. The problem was that those Mets teams were not very good and they wasted great pitching seasons that fans in Queens hadn’t seen since Doc Gooden.

Then injuries started to pile up, but in 2022 excitement was in the air when he returned and just dominated the Atlanta Braves. Degrom’s last start as a Met was game two of the Wild Card Series against the Padres. DeGrom went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits and eight strikeouts in the win.

That winter DeGrom left the Mets and signed a five year 185 million dollar contract with the Texas Rangers. DeGrom left the Mets tied for seventh all time in franchise history in wins (82), first in ERA (2.52), third in WAR (41.2) fourth in strikeouts (1,607). Let us also not forget that great rotation of 2014 DeGrom was the least talked about prospect, but had the best career as a Met as the other guys. When he takes the mound tonight, even though the game means a lot in terms of the standings, the bigger story is a legend returns to a place he once called home. We often talk about retiring numbers. At some point the Mets should retire 48, because he was special and at times Degrominant.

PRETTY WILD

BY MIKE RIFKIN

According to reports Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov turned down an eight year $128 million dollar extension with the team. The contract would’ve made Kaprizov the highest paid player in the NHL in total dollars and AAV (Average Annual Value) at 16 million dollars per season. Last season Kaprizov was limited to 41 games and posted 25 goals and 56 points and was a +19 (if you’re into +/-). Since Karprizov has come into the league he has 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games played. So I have two thoughts as to why Kaprizov turned down this lucrative offer.

The first is that Kaprizov is one of three major players up for the max extensions along with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel. So, Kaprizov and his camp could be waiting for either McDavid or Eichel to sign first before he signs. If that’s the case Kaprizov could wait a while, especially after McDavid’s latest comments.

The other would be that Kaprizov would want out of Minnesota. Now while the Western Conference and the Central Division are both tough as nails to get through, the Wild are actually in a very interesting spot. They have some young talent, that have ascended including Matt Boldy and Brock Faber. The other thing is that they are no longer in salary cap hell, the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter no longer have an effect on their cap situation, and with the cap going up, Bill Guerin can improve his roster without being handcuffed.

For the Wild organization it’s imperative that a deal gets done before the season. They cannot let this drift into the season, and if something goes wrong they lose him in the summer for nothing. If they are unable to come to an agreement on a deal, they’re going to have to trade him. If they do have to go that route, they should look at the route the Carolina Hurricanes used when they traded Mikko Rantanen to Dallas, and allow it to be a sign and trade. But for Bill Guerin’s sake, they better hope Kaprizov still wants to be the face of their franchise.

A Commanding Pack

By Lawrence Lang

The Green Bay Packers host the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night in Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

For the Packers, they are coming off an impressive and, to some, a shocking win against the Detroit Lions with a 27-13 win.

Jordan Love was 16/22 with 188 passing yards and two touchdowns, one to Wide Receiver Jayden Redd and one to Tight End Tucker Kraft. The Packers’ offensive line was a big part in helping Love by making sure no Lions defensive player broke thru to sack him, as they aloud no sacks to happen. Also on the offensive, Josh Jacobs picked up where he left off at the end of the regular season. Jacobs, who came over last year on a four-year $48 million contract, got his first rushing touchdown of the season and had 19 carries for 66 total yards, his longest run being 15 yards.

On the deference to the debut of Defensive End Micah Parsons as a Packer. He made his presence known and helped the Packers get four sacks on Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Parsons had one of those sacks, the other coming from Defensive End Rashard Gray, 1.5 sacks, Defensive End Lukas Van Ness, 0.5 sacks, and Defensive Tackle Devonte Wyat, 1.5 sacks.

The Packers as a whole played a complete game and tamed the raining NFC North Champions, Lions.

The Commanders also won their home opener in a Commanding win over the New York Giants in a 21-6 rout. Quarterback Jayden Dainels was 19/30, 233 yards passing with one touchdown, the touchdown being a seven-yard pass to Tight End Zach Eritz. Danniels was also sacked three times for a total loss of 21 yards.

The highlight on offense for the Commanders was the run game. Five players in total ran for a combined 220 yards reusing with two touchdowns on 32 carries two touchdowns coming from Rookie Running Back Jacory Croskey-Merritt the 7th round pick and 245 overall pick went 82 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown his longest run of the day being 42 yards and Running Back Debo Samuel on his only carry of the game went 19 yards for the other rushing touchdown. Add to the fact that they held the Giants to just 74 yards rushing and quarterback Russel Wilson to 168 yards passing and sacked him two times for a loss of 11 yards. The Commanders easily took care of the Giants.

For the Game Thursday, the Packers and Commanders could easily be a playoff matchup come playoff time, but for it only being week two of the NFL season, each team is looking to start their season 2-0 and to continue the momentum heading to week three. Where each team faces a team that is stuck in limbo, but that is week three. Here are three key questions for each team heading into Thursday night’s matchup.

The Packers

Can the Packers’ defence step up again and shut down an explosive offense in the Commanders?
Can Jordan Love contuine his impressive start and be smart with the football and make smart plays?
Can Micah Parsons contuine his hot start and help shut down Jayden Daniels in getting the football in the endzone?

The Commanders

How do the Commanders shut down Micah Parsons?
How do the Commanders shut down the long ball from Jordan Love?
How do the Commanders address the aura that is Lambeau Field?