The Sports Insanity Network

Titan Up

By Mike Rifkin

The 9-3 Dolphins will host the 4-8 Titans on Monday night. The Dolphins are coming off a 45-15 thrashing against the Washington Commanders. Tua Tagovailoa was 18-24 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. De’Von Achane returned to the lineup with 73 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, and Raheem Mostert had 43 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Tyreek Hill continued his MVP run with five catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Van Ginkel was the star on defense with five tackles, two pass breakups, and a 33-yard interception returned for a touchdown.

The Titans are coming off a 31-28 overtime loss against the Colts. Will Levis was 16-33 for 224 yards and a touchdown. Derrick Henry had 102 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries; there has been speculation that Henry suffered an injury late in the game but should be good to go on Monday night. The Titans did have two punts blocked, and one was returned for a touchdown last week. It’s been a transitional year in Tennessee, and it could be a fascinating offseason for the Titans.

The last time these two teams played was week 17 of 2021; the Dolphins had won seven straight heading into that game and had a shot at a Wild Card. The Titans beat the Dolphins 34-3. All you need to know about that game is that Duke Johnson was the Dolphin’s leading rusher. Former Dolphin Ryan Tannehill threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Keys To The Game

Don’t let the stars beat you. Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins are fantastic players, but the Titans’ offense is suspect outside of that. So don’t let the stars beat you.
Pressure- The Titans have given up 42 sacks on the season, and the Dolphins are tied for third in sacks, so get pressure on Will Levis.
Beware of the tricks – Mike Vrabel is known for some creative stuff. Fake punts, defensive lineman touchdowns, etc.… They must remain focused throughout this game to maintain the number one seed in the AFC.

FINDING A WAY TO WIN, But Defense Showing Signs Of Weakness

By Mark Halpern

By the end of the first quarter of this game, the Detroit Lions were demolishing the New Orleans Saints 21-0 right out of the gate with Touchdowns from Montgomery (2 yd run), LaPorta (13 yd catch), and St. Brown (25 yd catch) this game was poised for a monster blow out. The Lions added a Field Goal to their total, and the Saints got on the board before halftime.

Like most teams, when they are up by huge scores and some coaches don’t like embarrassing their opponent so much, they get comfortable in their playcalling and lose aggressiveness on the offense, causing the defense to keep them held down. However, Dennis Allen said something to this team in the locker room, and we saw a completely different Saints team come out in the third quarter.

The Lions’ defense has started and finished most games, but over their last four games, the defense has almost cost the Lions those games. Right out of the tunnel, the Saints score two Touchdowns, one by Alvin Kamara and one by “Mr. Utility” Taysom Hill. What was a two-score lead has now changed to a 3-point game. The Lions’ offense began to sputter as the Saints compensated, and the Lions could only muster a field goal out of it. Now, the Lions have a six-point lead going into the fourth quarter. However, as much as I chastise the Lions’ defense in this article, the Lions’ Defense got a significant turnover. Then, a 19-yard run by Jameson Williams put the game out of reach even though Alvin Kamara recorded another touchdown and made the final score 33-28.

The Lions’ defensive line was dominant from the beginning of the season and averaged better than four sacks a game. They need to get more pressure on the quarterback than they need to. Any QB with the time that the Lions give them can pick any defense apart, and that’s a big difference right now. The Lions’ offense is solid and growing, and they are learning more each week about talents. The Lions’ defense better turn it around, and soon.

The Lions are in a truly unique position at 9-3 as they only trail the Eagles by one game and are Tied with Dallas (who plays Philly on SNF) and San Francisco, who now, with the Eagles losing last week, makes this a race to the finish and going to be an exciting one to watch. The Biggest threat to the Lions right now is themselves. They need a reality check, and over the next two weeks, they play the Broncos and the Bears, which should be games they dominate. If they win both and Dallas wins both, week 17 becomes even more critical as the Lions will Face the Cowboys, and it could have home-field advantage consequences lost to the loser

Clown Show

By Mike Rifkin

On Wednesday, Jets Head Coach Robert Salah confirmed that the team is returning to Zach Wilson for their game against the Houston Texans. Wilson was benched during the team’s week 11 loss to the Bills in favor of Tim Boyle. Boyle then played the next game and a half before being benched for Trevor Simian; now, the Jets pivot back to Wilson.

There was a report in the Athletic this week that Wilson didn’t want to play, and quite frankly, I don’t blame him. Why should Wilson, who isn’t in the Jet’s plans for next season, want to be thrown to the wolves? There is a big difference between bringing in competition for a young quarterback who has struggled and going out of your way to acquire a future Hall Of Famer. But the minute Aaron Rodgers arrived, Zach Wilson couldn’t be on this team. Has Zach played well since being the second overall pick? No, but let’s not make it like he has this phenomenal team around him. Yes, the defense is elite, but offensively, they have two players in Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. But when those two guys are celebrating getting Aaron Rodgers, Wilson can’t be a part of the team.

During his press conference Wednesday, Salah said he was looking for a spark when he went to Tim Boyle and Trevor Simian; the problem is that if they were a spark, they’d be starters somewhere else. Tim Boyle was cut on Tuesday and came from Green Bay with Rodgers and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. But nothing has changed, and I don’t expect Zach Wilson to light it up on Sunday, but the organization is throwing him to a fan base that has already turned on him. There’s one clear thing: the 2024 New York Jets starting Quarterback will be Aaron Rodgers; for Zach’s sake and his career, he cannot be the backup in New York and needs a change of scenery. But this whole week has been a synopsis of the Jets season, a massive failure to launch, and it’s why they’ll miss the playoffs again. What a clown show.

ARE THE BEARS WILLING TO RISK IT ALL

By Mark Halpern

The Chicago Bears right now find themselves in a very unique position. The Bears, barring any other colossal change, would own the top pick next season due to their trade with the Panthers last season, allowing Carolina to receive the first overall pick.

The Bears have one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, Justin Fields. Fields is still on his rookie deal and the Bears could (and should) be willing to make a trade but not out of the top position. If the Bears can find a way to make a trade and their disaster of a season holds, they could end up with the #1 and another top pick in the draft.

The question becomes who would be willing enough to gamble on such an idea, and here is a thought of a team that desperately needs a Quarterback: the New England Patriots. At one point during his rookie season, the Patriots thought that Mac Jones would become their new franchise QB, but over the last two years, he has taken massive steps back and has lost faith in the “a lot” of coaches on the team. Bill Belichick’s Legacy is not, nor will ever be, questioned in the NFL, but if he wants the ultimate honor to leave the NFL with the most wins, this is the move to make. If New England has the Number 2 pick come the end of the season, and it’s looking that way, Belichick needs to make the call to the Bears and trade their pick for Fields and a third. This would give the Bears the #1 and #2 picks in the draft, and could we have the most extensive team in the NFC North put together in one night? Well, they would draft #1 QB Caleb Williams and #2 WR Marvin Harrison Jr. What a way for the Bears to look into 2025.

Now, everyone starts to think about Fields and New England. First, I would be honored to be part of that trade cause, showing me that an organization has enormous faith in bringing me here to start fresh. Belichick taught Tom Brady. Fields can do something better than Brady could, and that is run. Something the Pats are dying to have is a run game. Fields can provide much more than that, as he has a good arm and vision. Getting him on a team that can build around him could take New England out of the cellar next season and move up. The Patriots will need better Wide Receivers around him, but they can do that through free agency and other trades.

Look, I know going all in is hard to do whether it is in Poker, life, or your franchise, and Robert Kraft isn’t a dumb business person, and if Belichick tells him this is the right move for the organization, Kraft will listen. Unlike some other owners, Kraft listens to the person who is supposed to be in charge of winning Super Bowls and quickly pushes all his chips in to return to stardom.

JERRY GAVE JIMMY HIS DUE; TIME FOR THE NFL TO DO THE SAME FOR DARREN WOODSON

By Mark Halpern

The NFL has seen thousands of players come and go, and it takes a lot to earn that Gold Hall of Fame Jacket. You have to leave your mark on the game. Darren Woodson of the Dallas Cowboys did precisely that.

Woodson was drafted in the second round by the Cowboys in 1992. He made an immediate impact with his hard-hitting and coverage skills. His defensive skills helped lead the Cowboys to 3 Superbowls in the 1990s (92-93-95), and he was named All-Pro five times and a perennial Pro Bowler.

When you look at safeties that have played the game, a few come right off the top of my head. Those names include Ronnie Lott of the 49ers, Jack Tatum of the Raiders, Brian Dawkins of the Eagles, and Woodson. Two of those guys are in the Hall Of Fame. Plenty more deserve to be mentioned, but these were right off the bat.

It has been a big issue in Dallas with coach Jimmy Johnson not being in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor, which he deserved. During a recent Fox Sunday broadcast, Jerry told Jimmy he would be put in. This made every Cowboys fan’s day. Jimmy has now earned his spot in eternity in both honors. Now it’s time to put Darren in!

LAUNDRY DAY

By Mark Halpern

The Dallas Cowboys hosted the Seattle Seahawks this past Thursday night, which was a big game for both teams to keep pace in the playoff race. Dallas came into this game with the Eagles flying high above them, and the Seahawks are trying to stay in the race in the NFC West.

This was poised to be a premier showdown but turned into more of a joke by the end of the game than anything, and I will get to that soon. The Dallas offense picked up where it left off and has been working smoothly. Dak has been as good a quarterback as Mahomes for the Chiefs for the past few years. Dak has always had the weapons, just not the right play-caller. Mike McCarthy has proved me wrong that he can call a game. Yes, there were plays I didn’t like, but it’s all translating into wins. Dak had another impressive game, throwing for 299 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions. Cee Dee Lamb was his favorite target as he caught 12 balls for 116 yards and a TD, and let’s not leave out Pollard, whose role has changed and is working much better being a run second team, giving him more chances not only out of the back, field but out in the open as well. To me, the player who stood out was Jason Ferguson. He was given the most challenging task a second year can be asked of, to replace Dalton Schultz but be like Witten, and he hasn’t disappointed. Ferguson had an impressive six catches for 70 yards and a great TD. We know what the offense can do, and it has been impressive.

The defense, however, was on cloud nine after DaRon Blands’ record-setting week last week. Well, he got shown up by DK Metcalf all night, and it was a mismatch as Metcalf beat him every time. DK had a huge day, 160 yards and 3 TDs. In the end, Dallas’s defense put up an impressive stand in the 4th quarter and took the lead late in the game, giving the Cowboys a 41-35 victory, moving them to 9-3 on the season.

Now for the reason for my title. I understand teams are going to make infractions and penalties throughout a game. There were 25 total flags thrown, of which 19 of them stood. There was no favoritism, as both teams were called for some of the pettiest infractions. Were there penalties that could have changed the game for either team? Oh, absolutely, but this referee crew was the WORST I have seen in my 39 years of watching football. The number of penalties per game is outrageous, and I’d like to see the NFL do something about it. People don’t watch the games for the officials but don’t tell them that.

Capital Visit

By Mike Rifkin

The 8-3 Dolphins visit the Commanders on Sunday. The Dolphins are coming off a 34-13 victory over the Jets on Black Friday. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 243 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Raheem Mostert had 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill had over 100 yards receiving, but the biggest play of the game came right at the end of the first half after Tua threw his second interception. The Jets tried a Hail Mary that was intercepted by Jevon Holland and returned for a touchdown. The Dolphins suffered a significant loss in the win, with EDGE rusher Jaelan Phillips tearing his Achilles, so they’ll need more from Emmanuel Ogbah.

The Commanders are coming off a 45-10 whooping at the hands of the Cowboys. Sam Howell had 300 yards passing with a rushing touchdown and an interception. The Commander’s defense gave up 431 yards of total offense and has played so poorly that Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio was fired on Friday. You can say many things about the Commanders, but I believe they found their franchise QB in Howell. Howell leads the NFL in Passing Yards and has 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but has also been sacked 55 times this season.

Keys to the Game

Win the Trenches – Like I just said, Sam Howell has been sacked 55 times this season; Bradley Chubb and company can have a good day. On the flip side, the Commanders have an excellent defensive line, especially on the interior, so the interior of the Dolphin’s offensive line has to be good.
Running Game: The Dolphins average 145 yards on the ground per game, and Washington gives up 113.1 yards per game, so the Dolphins should be able to have an effective run game.
Win the turnover battle – The Dolphins have turned the ball over multiple times over the past few weeks, and it has hurt the defense at times. Nobody has a worse turnover differential than the Commanders. That’d be huge if the Dolphins could play clean and force a few turnovers.

What should AEW do in response to CM Punk’s return to WWE?

By Noah Trombley

This past Saturday, the wrestling world saw something we thought we wouldn’t see again: Cult of Personality hit, and CM Punk walked into a WWE arena for the first time in 10 years. After spending half the year in AEW and last wrestling at All In 2023, Punk has returned to the company where he wrestled from 2007 until his controversial exit in 2014. While the world can’t stop talking about what Punk will do in WWE, a big question for many is what AEW does in response to Punk’s return.

The short answer to that question is simple: AEW should do nothing in response. Don’t make Punk’s return make you think that you must do something drastic because of this. AEW started as a valid alternative to WWE, and they have genuinely stuck to that message and that motto to this day. AEW has prided itself on being the wrestling show for wrestling fans, while WWE is the sports entertainment show. AEW has some long-ranging stories from the devil that is haunting world champion MJF, the legendary Sting’s retirement tour, to the brand new continental classic that just started recently and looked to be their version of the famed G1 classic that New Japan Pro Wrestling runs every single year.

AEW has not only so many huge names in the company like Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli but also so many homegrown talents that have gotten organically over with the fans and have put the future of the company in good hands names like The Acclaimed, Darby Allin, MJF, and Swerve Strickland. Tony Khan needs to keep the ship going in the direction they are in, and it will get back to the heights that AEW saw at the beginning of its run when it was selling out arenas for Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision. AEW is going through a bit colder period right now with TV attendance down across the board, but they just went over to London and completely sold out Wembley in the aforementioned All-In and put on one of the PPVs of the year.

If AEW tries to do something too drastic because it believes it needs to bring back fans after the controversial firing of CM Punk back in September, then it could end up losing its way and hurting itself in the long run. Feel free to compete with something other than WWE. Continue to be what you’ve always been and be the pure wrestling show hundreds of thousands of people tune into every week to see and every few months for your PPV events.

With all this being said, there is one thing I would advise AEW to do in the next few months, but the same thing regardless of what happened with CM Punk. Tony Khan should push hard to get his PPVs to air on HBO Max, which Warner Bros also owns. That would get many more eyes on your PPVs that they put on, possibly monthly, and would be the move that could launch AEW into a whole new era.

Lone Star State Showdown

By Mike Rifkin

Two NFC Playoff hopefuls play on Thursday night as the Cowboys host the Seahawks. The two teams both are coming off of games on Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys are coming off a 45-10 beatdown of the Commanders. Dak Prescott continued his splendid play by going 22-32 for 331 yards and four touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown for the third consecutive game. Making it five touchdowns in five games for Lamb. The Cowboys’ defense did their thing by sacking Sam Howell four times. DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception returned for a touchdown.

The Seahawks are coming off a 31-13 loss at the hands of the 49ers. Geno Smith, who had been bothered with an elbow injury, only threw for 180 yards and an interception. Smith was also sacked six times. Jaxson Smith-Njigba had two receptions for 41 yards, including an incredible one-handed catch. Smith-Njigba’s emergence has created quite the trio with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Lockett had 100 yards and three touchdowns the last time these two teams met. Running Back Kenneth Walker is doubtful for the second straight week with an oblique injury. Seattle’s defense has two outstanding young cornerbacks, Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon.

Dallas has been rolling lately, and I expect that to continue on Thursday night. Seattle will keep it close, but a lot depends on Geno’s elbow. I like the Cowboys at home, 31-20.

In Need Of A Splash

By Mike Rifkin

MLB’s Winter Meetings start this weekend. Yes, free agency has begun, but history tells us that many significant deals go down at the Winter Meetings. Last year at the Meetings, Aaron Judge, Justin Verlander, Trea Turner, and Xander Bogaerts all signed massive contracts. This year, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who has been posted), Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Cody Bellinger are among the top names on the free-agent market. There has also been speculation on the trade front regarding Juan Soto, Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes, etc.… Multiple teams will be aggressive at the meetings, but two teams need to make a splash, whether at the meetings or over the offseason.

The first is the San Francisco Giants, who did make a change at manager, firing Gabe Kapler and bringing in Bob Melvin. The Giants were in on all the primary free agents last year and whiffed. They did sign Arson Judge and Carlos Correa; the problem was Arson Judge was not real, and Correa failed his physical. The Giants ended up signing Outfielders Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto and pitchers Sean Manea, Taylor Rogers, and Ross Stripling. Conforto had 15 home runs and 58 RBI with a slash line of .239/.334/.384 in 125 games. Mitch Haniger had six home runs and 28 RBIs with a slash line of .209/.266/.365 in 61 games. Haniger was limited to 61 games because of injuries. An Oblique strain during Spring Training caused him to miss the first month of the season; in June, he fractured his forearm after getting hit by a pitch, and that caused him to miss two months. Manea and Stripling both had an ERA of over four. (Stripling was over five) and the two combined 59 games and 21 starts. Rogers had a 3.83 ERA in 60 games.

The Giants won 107 games in 2021 and lost to the rival Dodgers in the NLDS; in 2022, they finished 81-81; this past season, they were 79-83. In 2021, the Giants were second in all of MLB in Home Runs and ERA, respectively. This year, the Giants were eleventh in ERA and nineteenth in Home runs. You can make the case the Giants haven’t had a pure slugger since Barry Bonds; despite the three World Series titles under Bruce Bochy, those teams didn’t have a massive power source; it was by committee, and they were built on their pitching. The Giants can be dangerous if they can land a pitcher to pair with Logan Webb at the top of the rotation. Farhan Zaidi’s job could be in jeopardy if they whiff again this offseason.

Other teams have to make a splash, like the Cubs or Yankees, but the team I will say has to do something big here is the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox finished in last place in the last two seasons. General Manager Chaim Bloom was fired but did what ownership wanted: to cut salary. His first move was trading Outfielder Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, which has been a disaster for the Red Sox. Not because of what they got back but because Mookie Betts is one of the faces of the game. And having Betts, Rafael Devers, who hit 33 Homers and drove in 100 RBI, and last year’s signing Masataka Yoshida, who hit .289 with 15 home runs, would give the Red Sox some real thunder. The lineup could use a right-handed power source with Devers, Yoshida, Triston Casas, a finalist for AL Rookie Of The Year, and all left-handed hitters. The Red Sox were 21st in ERA this past season, and because of Chris Sale’s injury history, maybe they target pitching. Red Sox ownership isn’t happy about finishing in last place back-to-back seasons, but if they spend money this offseason, that could change.

The Giants and Red Sox were successful in the 2010’s. But now they need to make some noise because teams in their respective divisions have passed them by. If they don’t make splashes this Winter, their fanbases will not be happy.