New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: Predicting the Backlash for Opening Week Losers

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/ncaa-football-backlash-predictions-week-1-clemson-georgia"> <p class="subtitle">Breaking down possible reactions from teams and fanbases based on opening games, starting with Clemson and Georgia.</p> <p><em>Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where Connecticut took a whole year off and still looked like Connecticut:</em></p> <p><strong>MORE DASH: </strong></p> </a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Coaching Tests</a><strong> </strong><strong>| </strong><strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Coordinator Changes</a></strong> <h2>THIRD QUARTER: TOP OVERREACTION GAMES OF THE WEEK</h2> <p>As mentioned <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">in the Dash First Quarter</a>, this is arguably the best opening week we’ve ever seen in the sport. There are big games everywhere, which means there will be commensurate overreactions as well. The Dash looks at the games and predicts the potential backlash for the losers:</p> <p><strong>Clemson vs. Georgia (21)</strong>. When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Where: Charlotte. Line: Clemson by three. How big is it: With the No. 3 and No. 5 teams in the AP poll, this is the highest-ranked opener since No. 1 Alabama beat No. 3 Florida State in 2017. That game turned out to be a bit of a dud, and the Seminoles’ season was doomed after a late injury to quarterback Deondre Francois. Let’s hope for better this time.</p> <p>The overreaction if Clemson wins: <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/18/most-intriguing-coaches-sarkisian-harbaugh-scott-frost">Kirby Smart still can’t win the big one</a>. He’s just a recruiter who is slightly better than Mark Richt but will never be Vince Dooley.</p> <p>The overreaction if Georgia wins: Clemson’s run is done. Opponents have figured out the defensive signal stealing and it’s over.</p> <p>Reality: Barring a 40–0 result, the loser of this game sustains no irreversible damage. The winner can start dreaming College Football Playoff dreams.</p> <p>Stat: Dabo Swinney is 11–1 in season openers, with his only loss to Georgia. Smart is 5–0.</p> <p>Matchup: How does Clemson’s good-not-great offensive line fare against a Georgia front seven that features half a dozen NFL prospects?</p> <p>Dash pick: Georgia 24, Clemson 21.</p> <p><strong>Alabama vs. Miami (22).</strong> When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Where: Atlanta. Line: Alabama by 18 1/2. How big is it: The biggest brand in the sport vs. the program persistently trying to re-establish its brand. With both teams ranked in the Top 15, it’s big.</p> <p>The overreaction if Alabama wins: The U is through and will never matter again.</p> <p>The overreaction if Miami wins: The U is back! Also: the world as we know it has come to an end. (The latter might not be an overreaction.)</p> <p>Reality: The Crimson Tide have absolutely dominated these “neutral” field openers under Saban, but they bring an inexperienced offense up against a team that has a wealth of experience. It would be a shock if Bama loses and an incredible boost to Manny Diaz and his program, but nobody’s season loses hope or meaning with a defeat here.</p> <p>Stat: Not only is Saban 14–0 in openers at Alabama, every victory has been by double digits.</p> <p>Matchup: Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has 31 career college rushes and passes. Sixth-year Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has 1,388 career college rushes, passes, receptions and kick returns.</p> <p>Dash pick: Alabama 27, Miami 20.</p> <figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI0MzQxMjUyNjI5OTIy/manny-diaz-king.jpg" width="620" /> <figcaption> <p>Nell Redmond/USA TODAY Sports</p> </figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Penn State at Wisconsin (23)</strong>. When: Saturday at noon ET. Where: Madison. Line: Wisconsin by 4 1/2. How big is it: Both teams are ranked in the Top 20, with the winner getting a quality win and a big boost after an underwhelming 2020 season.</p> <p>The overreaction if Penn State wins: Wisconsin has lost its identity and will never again be good enough to beat the best of the Big Ten East. Paul Chryst needs to shake some things up, including ditching the sideline schlep sweatshirt.</p> <p>The overreaction if Wisconsin wins: Nittany Lions fans default to the James Franklin Is Overrated and Overpaid position.</p> <p>Reality: Both programs have reason to believe they can be second-best in the Big Ten, at least. A loss here doesn’t affect divisional destiny or the chance to get to Indianapolis to play for the league title.</p> <p>Stat: The Badgers have lost 12 consecutive times to the East Division axis of Ohio State (eight straight) and Penn State (four straight).</p> <p>Matchup: Wisconsin’s perpetually tough run defense against Penn State back Noah Cain, returning from a season-ending injury suffered in the first game of 2020. Establishing a running game and not asking Sean Clifford to drop back 35 times seems like a prudent goal for Penn State (though Clifford does have weapons).</p> <p>Dash pick: Wisconsin 21, Penn State 16.</p> <p><strong>Notre Dame at Florida State (24).</strong> When: Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Where: Tallahassee. Line: Notre Dame by 7 1/2. How big is it: Potentially immense for the Seminoles’ credibility and certainly important for the Fighting Irish, who revert to independent status and don’t have a conference championship game to boost their playoff standing.</p> <p>The overreaction if Notre Dame wins: Florida State football will never matter again, and it’s time to resume the never-ending examination of the coroner’s report over the program’s cause of death.</p> <p>The overreaction if Florida State wins: Florida State football matters again. <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Brian Kelly needs better coordinators</a>. Notre Dame needs to join the ACC.</p> <p>Reality: The last time the Seminoles beat a Top Ten team was last season, over North Carolina, and they followed that with three straight blowout losses—so while a victory would be great, it would have to be accompanied by some follow-up. An Irish victory would squelch some concerns that this will be a down year for the Golden Domers.</p> <p>Stat: Florida State has lost four straight season openers, the last three as a favorite. Notre Dame has won a true road game in the state of Florida since 2002, in Tallahassee.</p> <p>Matchup: The Seminoles are keeping their starting quarterback a guessing game, using the old “or” between McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis on the depth chart. Whoever starts, he has to identify stud Irish safety Kyle Hamilton on every play, and he could be all over the field.</p> <p>Dash pick: Notre Dame 26, Florida State 24.</p> <p><strong>LSU at UCLA (25).</strong> When: Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Where: Pasadena. Line: LSU by 3 1/2. How big is it: Probably the biggest game of Chip Kelly’s tenure at UCLA, and not a small one for Ed Orgeron as he tries to put 2020 in the rearview mirror.</p> <p>The overreaction if LSU wins: Kelly is all but done in Westwood. The game has passed him by. UCLA will continue to flail in semi-irrelevance.</p> <p>The overreaction if UCLA wins: Orgeron is the biggest one-season wonder since Gene Chizik and his days at LSU are numbered.</p> <p>Reality: Both overreaction scenarios could be pretty realistic, actually. But the fact is, LSU has a legitimate hardship excuse going into this game after being displaced by Hurricane Ida and with many of its players (and coaches) worried about family and friends at home. UCLA could still be good enough to compete for the Pac-12 South title even if it can’t beat the Tigers.</p> <p>Stat: LSU has a 1-0 all-time record in the state of California, defeating USC in September 1984.</p> <p>Matchup: If the December 2020 Kayshon Boutte matches up against the December 2020 UCLA pass defense, we could see some Jerry Rice stuff. The LSU freshman receiver finished last year with 27 catches for 527 yards and five touchdowns in his final three games, caped by a 308-yard carnival against Mississippi. The Bruins, meanwhile, gave up 999 passing yards and nine TDs in their final three games of ’20.</p> <p>Dash pick: UCLA 35, LSU 31.</p> <p><strong>Indiana at Iowa (26).</strong> When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Where: Iowa City. Line: Iowa by 3 1/2. How big is it: Every bit the size of Penn State-Wisconsin, with two ranked teams going at it and trying to establish themselves as Big Ten contenders and nationally relevant.</p> <p>The overreaction if Indiana wins: Kirk Ferentz is overdue to hang it up, he will never get the Hawkeyes back to winning the Big Ten.</p> <p>The overreaction if Iowa wins: The Hoosiers had two-season sizzle that is extinguished, and they will promptly return to mediocrity. Tom Allen’s unleashed sideline Labrador retriever act is no longer cute.</p> <p>Reality: Winner feels great, loser isn’t in bad position. As with the Nittany Lions and Badgers, both would still control their own division destiny.</p> <p>Stat: Last year was the first time since 2011 that Iowa finished ahead of Indiana in the Big Ten in total offense per game.</p> <p>Matchup: The Hawkeyes have won 15 straight games in which they’ve run the ball 40 or more times. Can All-America center Tyler Linderbaum and his teammates control the interior and allow Tyler Goodson to pound the rock and keep Indiana’s big-play passing game off the field?</p> <p>Dash pick: Indiana 28, Iowa 27.</p> <figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI0NDc0Mzk2NjE2MDk4/-kirk-ferentz-goodson.jpg" width="620" /> <figcaption> <p>Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports</p> </figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Ohio State at Minnesota (27).</strong> When: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Where: Minneapolis. Line: Ohio State by 14. How big is it: For the Buckeyes and their national championship hopes, all games are big games—although a loss here wouldn’t necessarily end anything. For the Gophers, it would be their biggest victory in eons.</p> <p>The overreaction if Ohio State wins: P.J. Fleck’s sloganeering is over, back to life in the Midwest middle class. And the Buckeyes will win the national title with ease.</p> <p>The overreaction if Minnesota wins: P.J. Fleck for president. The Urban Meyer Effect on the program has run its course and Ryan Day is exposed as an unworthy successor.</p> <p>Reality: The Buckeyes absolutely should win, but there are tougher challenges ahead. If the Gophers hang around, it will be a good sign.</p> <p>Stat: Ohio State hasn’t lost a Big Ten opener since 2011, also known as The Fickell Year.</p> <p>Matchup: Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim is the nation’s leading returning rusher, and he’s operating behind a full line of returning starters. They’ll try to find creases in a Buckeyes front seven that is talented (as always) but replacing its entire starting linebacker corps and a couple of quality linemen. If the Gophers can control the ball and the clock, maybe they keep it close.</p> <p>Dash pick: Ohio State 37, Minnesota 24.</p> <p><strong>Louisiana at Texas (28).</strong> When: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Where: Austin. Line: Texas by eight. How big is it: Kinda massive, at least in terms of prestige and ego—both of which matter a great deal to the folks in burnt orange.</p> <p>The overreaction if Louisiana wins: The Longhorns are the laughingstock of America, losing their first game since power-playing their way into future SEC membership to a Sun Belt school. Put Sark on an ark out of Austin. Bring back Herman. Bring back Mack. Do something, do anything, blame the Big 12 office. Billy Napier rockets to the top of the short lists at Nebraska, Michigan, USC and the Denver Broncos.</p> <p>The overreaction if Texas wins: Sark is the next great one and the Longhorns are destined to win a national title in four years or less.</p> <p>Reality: A Texas loss would, in all candor, be an absolute embarrassment. Even if the Ragin’ Cajuns are a quality opponent. A Texas win is a nice start for Sark.</p> <p>Stat: Louisiana was 6–1 in games decided by one score last season, on its way to 10–1 overall. Texas was 12–13 in one-score games under Tom Herman.</p> <p>Matchup: Texas sophomore running back Bijan Robinson against a Louisiana defense that led the Sun Belt in fewest yards allowed per play (4.92) but could be gouged a bit on the ground. Expect Robinson to be fully engaged by Sark in the new offense after occasionally being under-utilized under Herman.</p> <p>Dash pick: Texas 38, Louisiana 31.</p> <p><strong>Boise State at Central Florida (29).</strong> When: Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Where: Orlando. Line: UCF by five. How big is it: Massive by Group of 5 standards, as the jockeying for the inevitable disrespect from the College Football Playoff committee begins.</p> <p>The overreaction if Boise State wins: Gus Malzahn was a has-been and Auburn knew it and that’s why they paid him a gazillion dollars to go away. Andy Avalos is Chris Petersen incarnate.</p> <p>The overreaction if UCF wins: Boise’s heyday came and went, now all the Broncos have is blue turf. Gus Malzahn was the greatest steal since Alabama got Nick Saban on the NFL rebound.</p> <p>Reality: Whoever wins will feel great. Whoever loses shouldn’t feel terrible. Both teams probably are still behind Cincinnati in the G5 pecking order.</p> <p>Stat: Someone’s significant season-opening winning streak is coming to an end. UCF hasn’t lost its opener since it lost every game in 2015. Boise hasn’t lost its opener since 2014, including wins over Washington and Florida State.</p> <p>Matchup: Malzahn’s offensive mind against Avalos’ defensive brain, as the two coaches try to put their stamp on new programs. Malzahn definitely inherited the shiniest toy in quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but will he throw it as much as he did under Josh Heupel (more than 800 times in two seasons)? Probably not, if Malzahn can get the running game he always favors.</p> <p>Dash pick: UCF 31, Boise State 24.</p> <p><strong>San Jose State at USC (30).</strong> When: Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Where: Los Angeles. Line: USC by 14. How big is it: A must-win for the Trojans and Clay Helton if they want to be taken seriously and keep everyone off the embattled coach’s back. But the Spartans, winners of nine of their last 10, are no longer a pushover.</p> <p>The overreaction if San Jose State wins: Time for Helton to get the Lane Kiffin tarmac treatment. Since there is no flight home in this instance, just fire him in the Coliseum tunnel. And replace him on the spot with Brent Brennan.</p> <p>The overreaction if USC wins: The Trojans are back and the Pac-12 has a title contender.</p> <p>Reality: Though it’s been said before and not turned out true, USC has a chance to be quite good. San Jose could provide a quality win for the Trojans, depending how things turn out down the road. Despite being decent competition, a loss here would be cataclysmic for Helton.</p> <p>Stat: San Jose quarterback Nick Starkel’s 223 pass efficiency rating in the opener against Southern Utah was the highest single-game rating for a Mountain West quarterback with at least 25 pass attempts in three years, since Brett Rypien against Colorado State, and is the highest at SJSU in eight years.</p> <p>Matchup: Starkel vs. USC quarterback Kedon Slovis is a nice gunslinger duel, with Slovis having led the Pac-12 in passing yards per game last year at 320.</p> <p>Dash pick: USC 41, San Jose State 24.</p> <p><strong>MORE DASH:</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Coaching Tests</a></strong> <strong>|</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Coordinator Changes</a></strong></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: Predicting the Backlash for Opening Week Losers

Breaking down possible reactions from teams and fanbases based on opening games, starting with Clemson and Georgia. Forty names, games, te...

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New on Sports Illustrated: Report: NFL Adds Weekly Testing for Vaccinated Players to COVID-19 Protocols

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/nfl-updates-covid-19-protocols-weekly-testing-vaccinated-players"> <p class="subtitle">Fully vaccinated players will now undergo weekly COVID-19 testing during the 2021 season, per the NFL's latest protocols.</p> <figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc4MzEwNDE1MjM3Nzg1MTky/nfl-logo-generic.jpg" width="620" /> <figcaption> <p>Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports</p> </figcaption> </figure> <p>The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to updated COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 season, according to the NFL Network's</p> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1432478651384217602">Tom Pelissero</a>. <p>The updated protocols include weekly testing for fully vaccinated players and staff, per Pelissero. Vaccinated players can reportedly opt in to taking a voluntary second test each week, while unvaccinated players will reportedly be required to undergo a COVID-19 test every day at the club facility. </p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1432478651384217602"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>Unvaccinated players will not be required to wear masks at outdoor practices or walkthroughs, though masks will still be required indoors. All team medical staff, strength and conditioning coaches and equipment staff will be required to wear masks.</p> <p>The NFL did not make any update to its COVID-19 close-contact protocols, per <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1432481197121146882">Pelissero</a>. Fully vaccinated individuals will not be designated high-risk close contacts, and only unvaccinated players are at risk of missing games without a positive test.</p> <p>Numerous notable players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in recent days, including Titans quarterback <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/titans-place-ryan-tannehill-covid-19-reserve-list">Ryan Tannehill</a> and Colts quarterback Carson Wentz. </p> <p><strong>More NFL Coverage:</strong></p> <p><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/tales-of-tom-brady-forgotten-rookie-year-2000-season-daily-cover">Tom Brady's Forgotten Rookie Year</a><br /></strong><strong>•</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season">Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season</a><br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/25/how-derrick-henry-handles-workload-that-should-ruin-him-daily-cover">How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload</a><br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/17/early-look-2022-nfl-qb-carousel">An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel</a></strong></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: NFL Adds Weekly Testing for Vaccinated Players to COVID-19 Protocols

Fully vaccinated players will now undergo weekly COVID-19 testing during the 2021 season, per the NFL's latest protocols. Jeff Hanis...

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New on Sports Illustrated: MAQB: Kyle Shanahan Has Experience Toggling Between Two Offenses

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/maqb-49ers-kyle-shanahan-two-quarterbacks-experience"> <p class="subtitle">If the 49ers are really going to deploy both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, their coach can draw on one particular experience in Washington.</p> <p><em>No games this week! But there will be a lot of activity, so let’s get into all that …</em></p> <figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTIzMTc2Nzc5NjIxNzk0/maqb-kyle-shanahan-carson-wentz-justin-fields.jpg" width="620" /> <figcaption> <p>Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports (Shanahan); Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports (Wentz); Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports (Fields)</p> </figcaption> </figure> <p>• I understand the skepticism that the Niners will be able to make a</p> </a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/49ers-showcase-two-quarterback-system-in-preseason-finale">Jimmy Garoppolo/Trey Lance shuttle</a> work. But as a counter, I’ve got a story to tell—one that I think will bring some context to Kyle Shanahan’s staff’s ability to pull it off. And so I’ll take you back to 2012 and Washington, where Shanahan as offensive coordinator, his dad was head coach and Niners offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was a quality control coach. After drafting Robert Griffin III with the second pick that April, Kyle Shanahan built an adapted version of the Baylor Air Raid offense that Griffin ran in college to shorten the learning curve. At the same time, he was developing Kirk Cousins to play within the tried-and-true version of the Shanahan scheme. And one reason there was so much tension at the end of that season, both before and after Griffin tore his ACL in the playoffs, was what happened in December of that year. Griffin had designs on playing quarterback in a more conventional, dropback sort of way, but wasn’t ready to do that at the NFL level. Then, he got nicked up and missed the game on Dec. 16 as a result. So the Shanahans toggled back to playing the scheme that Mike had run for two decades for Cousins—and that incensed Griffin’s camp, who thought that was how Griffin should be deployed. Cousins wound up throwing for 329 yards, two TDs, a pick and 104.4 passer rating that day, in a 38–21 win in Cleveland. Things weren’t the same after that between the team and Griffin, but that’s not the point of telling the story. The point is that I believe if there’s a coach who’s capable of flipping back and forth in identity on offense, it’s Shanahan, and being able to flip from an Air Raid scheme to a West Coast scheme and back again in a span of three Sundays is proof. Now, do I think a Garoppolo/Lance shuttle will work? I don’t know—nor do I know whether Shanahan’s really going to roll that out against Detroit in Week 1. But what I do know is that the Niners have been mulling this for a while, and the idea it could work for them, and be a huge headache for everyone else, really isn’t bonkers. <p>• The widely-held assumption that Carson Wentz hasn’t been vaccinated was confirmed on Monday, as he landed on the COVID-19 reserve list as a close contact (vaccinated players don’t get shelved as a result of being close contacts). He’ll be eligible to return to the team on Thursday, and that timing actually works out for the Colts in that it should give Wentz time to get rehab work in and get back on track to try and play in the opener on Sept. 13. But it certainly should be taken as a warning sign on what having your quarterback unvaccinated might mean for teams. Fast-forward a week, and Wentz would be returning to the team on the back end of its preparation for the opener against Seattle. Fast-forward another week, and the Colts would be losing Wentz with almost no notice for that opener.</p> <p>• The Browns’ presence as a potential seller ahead of the 53-man cutdown used to be a sign that another rebuilding year was in the offing. Now? It’s a sign that the roster is in good enough shape where the team can afford to flip a good player or two—and might actually get something back for guys on the back end of the depth chart. We mentioned Mack Wilson <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/mmqb-deshaun-watson-trade-rumors-cutdown-day-sirianni-saleh">this morning</a>. Throw safety Sheldrick Redwine and WR KhaDarel Hodge in as two other names that came up in trade discussions with other teams (Redwine was cut late Monday).</p> <p>• The Giants’ acquisition of center Billy Price is a sign that, even after investing a lot in the line over the last four offseasons, they still haven’t fixed what’s been a trouble spot for quite some time. New York was kicking tires on interior linemen the last few days and wound up dealing off B.J. Hill to land Price. And the Giants might not be done—bubble guys Dante Pettis, David Sills and Devante Downs have been raised in trade talks.</p> <p>• Jacksonville’s another team that’s gotten more aggressive in trying to find interior offensive line help the last couple of days. I think that really reflects how seriously Urban Meyer is taking creating the right environment around Trevor Lawrence, and getting better up front is just one part of it. Another is the importance of blocking tight end Chris Manhertz in the offense—the coaches limited him to a total of 30 snaps over three preseason games to keep him fresh for the season. Another yet, I believe, will be a good amount of work for second-year back James Robinson, with the idea being, the more pressure the team can take off Lawrence, the better. Of course, that’ll also mean being more competitive, and not falling behind in games, with a team that went 1–15 last year, which is harder to plan out. But I do think Meyer and his staff are taking the right approach with their prized rookie, particularly after he got knocked around a little in the preseason opener.</p> <iframe height="481.984375" width="100%" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?p=DGT4935950864" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <p>• Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, Matt Nagy’s assigning Justin Fields to the scout team is yet another way he’s mirroring the experience he had as Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2017. That year, once the team broke camp, Andy Reid had Patrick Mahomes take on similar responsibilities. And in doing so, they saw a couple of interesting things about a guy who’d win league MVP a year later. One, he consistently kept teammates after to throw, so he could get reps running the Chiefs’ offense. And two, he never asked guys like Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins or Travis Kelce to do it—not because he didn’t want to throw to those guys, but because, in his view, those were Alex Smith’s receivers, and he didn’t want to create any sort of issue within the team. The Chiefs staff was pretty impressed with all this, of course, in how Mahomes was getting the work he needed on his own, and also that he understood team dynamics that thoroughly as a rookie. It’s fair to say that, as long as he’s the backup, Fields would be wise to follow that blueprint.</p> <p>• Gotta reiterate this: The best throw from a rookie quarterback this weekend is right here …</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1432130924544733188"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>This shows, as we mentioned this morning, anticipation from Mac Jones. But it also shows, as some quarterback coaches say, an ability by Jones to communicate with his receivers through the ball—a longer way of saying he’s throwing guys open. On this snap, Jones is leading Devin Asiasi into a dead spot in the coverage, and getting him away from two defenders at once. And he’s doing it with the rush bearing down on him. Now, Jones hasn’t been perfect this preseason. I still think watching him, you see it takes a lot more effort for him to get the ball to certain parts of the field than it does other quarterbacks. But as far as presence, intelligence and feel, it’s all showing up like it did at Bama. Bottom line, he’s put a lot of good stuff on tape and given his coaches plenty to think about.</p> <p>• I’m not going to sit here and play Michael Fabiano and try to give you fantasy advice. But … if you haven’t had your draft, I think it’d be wise to take a flier on Gus Edwards, and earlier than the other people in your league will. IT sucked seeing J.K. Dobbins go down—I expected he and Indy’s Jonathan Taylor to break out and challenge for the rushing title this season—but the reality is that’s not going to change who the Ravens are offensively. And while Edwards has been lodged behind Mark Ingram the last few years, and was going to lodged behind Dobbins, there’s a good faction of that coaching staff that believes Edwards could explode with more opportunity. And given how thin the Ravens are at tailback after losing Dobbins, Edwards (and his career 5.2-yards per carry average) should get a <em>lot</em> of opportunity.</p> <p>• My feeling is the Saints are being very careful with how much they talk, and what they say, about their temporary exit from New Orleans. And I think that’s the right way to approach it, given not everyone was lucky enough to have the resources to get out of town like the team did. The question now becomes where the team will go after spending this week in Dallas, practicing at AT&T Stadium. The Saints have, over the years, gotten out of town for camp, or practice weeks, having taken their operation in full to San Antonio, Indianapolis, Southern California and West Virginia, in addition to now Dallas at different junctures. So that experience should help. Then, there’s the matter of the opener against the Packers. If New Orleans can’t host it, AT&T Stadium would make sense, given proximity and the fact that it’s open for Week 1. And if the Saints, and the league, decide to move the opener, that would give New Orleans until Oct. 3 to prepare for the team’s next home game, with road trips scheduled for Weeks 2 and 3.</p> <p>• I feel like we went over this in the MMQB column, but it’s worth repeating: I do think the Texans would be O.K. with holding on to Deshaun Watson past the 53-man cutdown Tuesday. That means the real reason it’d serve as a cutdown is that it might prompt teams to call Houston over the next 24 hours. But I don’t know that there’s a good reason for the Texans to get aggressive here.</p> <p><strong>More NFL Coverage:</strong></p> <p><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season">Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season</a><br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/25/how-derrick-henry-handles-workload-that-should-ruin-him-daily-cover">How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload</a><br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/17/early-look-2022-nfl-qb-carousel">An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel</a></strong></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: MAQB: Kyle Shanahan Has Experience Toggling Between Two Offenses

If the 49ers are really going to deploy both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, their coach can draw on one particular experience in Washingto...

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New on Sports Illustrated: Tulane Relocates Season-Opener After Hurricane Ida Hits Louisiana

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/tulane-relocates-oklahoma-game-hurricane-ida"> <p class="subtitle">Hurricane Ida forced Tulane to relocate its first game of the season in New Orleans to Norman, Oklahoma.</p> <p>Tulane's season-opener against Oklahoma in New Orleans has been relocated to Norman, Okla. due to Hurricane Ida's impact, Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen announced in a statement. </p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"></blockquote> </div> </a> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <p>"In light of the catastrophic damage sustained by the city of New Orleans and, after consulting with our emergency preparedness and response teams at the institutional, local and state levels, we will relocate our Sept. 4 football game against the University of Oklahoma to Norman, Oklahoma," he said. </p> <p>The Green Wave were scheduled to host the Sooners on Saturday at noon ET but will instead start their season on the road. The day and kick-off time remain the same but television information and other game-specific details will be announced by Oklahoma, according to the release.</p> <p>The entire Tulane athletic department has also relocated to Birmingham, Ala. and is being hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Tulane's athletic department and all of their athletes will return to New Orleans when it's safe, Dannen said.  </p> <p>Monday morning, <a href="https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1432366233882615809?s=20">Tulane officials told <em>Sports Illustrated</em></a> there was no chance the game would be played in New Orleans. Dannen then told<em> </em>SI that contingencies were being made and the game could possibly be played in Norman before the eventual decision. </p> <p>Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Louisiana that left New Orleans without electricity. There was also widespread flooding, power outages and catastrophic damage throughout the state. </p> <p>The Saints were also displaced due to Ida and have been practicing at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. </p> <p>Tulane finished 6–6 last season while Oklahoma capped off its 9–2 season with a Cotton Bowl win against Florida in 2021. </p> <p><strong>More College Football Coverage: </strong></p> <ul> <li><strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Forde-Yard Dash: Coaches Facing Critical Week 1 Tests</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/scott-frost-nebraska-running-out-of-time-turnaround-loss-illinois">Frost's Nebraska is Running Into More of the Same Problems</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/north-carolina-central-sends-message-shifting-meac-hbcu-landscape">N.C. Central Sends Message With Victory Against Alcorn</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/coach-sarkisian-picks-hudson-card-texas-longhorns-starting-qb">Hudson Card Named Starting Quarterback for Texas</a></strong></li> </ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Tulane Relocates Season-Opener After Hurricane Ida Hits Louisiana

Hurricane Ida forced Tulane to relocate its first game of the season in New Orleans to Norman, Oklahoma. Tulane's season-opener agains...

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New on Sports Illustrated: Good Vibes Only at Citi Field

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/30/mets-booing-fans-good-vibes-only"> <p class="subtitle">The Mets are booing their fans when they have success. Naturally, this means the fans are in for an earful.</p> <div><em>View the</em></div> original article</a> to see embedded media. <p>As is so often the case, there was booing at Citi Field this weekend. But finally it was directed at the people who deserve it: the fans.</p> <p>Mets players have been celebrating big hits for the past week or so by flashing two thumbs down. On Sunday, new second baseman <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/29/javier-baez-gives-mets-fans-thumbs-down-to-boo-them">Javier Báez explained</a> the reasoning: “When we don’t get success, we’re going to get booed. So they’re going to get booed when we get success."</p> <p>Which means the fans are in for an earful. New York has won two in a row, an especially impressive stretch for a team that had <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/11/mets-playoff-odds-the-opener">previously won two of their last 14</a>. But the Mets are all about progress. They have won 63 games this year. Last year they won only 26! And they’re in third place. There are two worse places! Ballplayers like to talk about how this is a game of failure, how if you succeed one out of three times you’re a Hall of Famer. Well, the Mets succeed almost one out of two times! Prepare the bunting in Cooperstown!</p> <figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTE5NzUzNDIyMjUxNDI2/baez-lindor-thumbs-down1.jpg" width="620" /> <figcaption> <p>Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports</p> </figcaption> </figure> <p>Fans are being ungrateful. For years, they complained about the Wilpon family, who sometimes seemed more interested in strutting around the field during batting practice than in constructing a team that could win games. But in November, the Mets replaced an ownership group that had to cut payroll after learning it had been swindled by Bernie Madoff with an ownership group that once did its own swindling: Steve Cohen’s SAC Advisors agreed in 2014 to pay the largest insider-trading settlement ever: $1.8 billion. Now there’s a crooked number!</p> <p>On Sunday night, Cohen weighed in with the kind of leadership you might hope for at a moment such as this, <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenACohen2/status/1432170083271446528">tweeting</a>, “I miss the days when the biggest controversy was the black jerseys.”</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/StevenACohen2/status/1432170083271446528"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>Meanwhile, team president Sandy Anderson <a href="https://newyorkmets.medium.com/statement-from-mets-president-sandy-alderson-2f968039ee3b?sf150313863=1">wrote on <em>Medium</em></a> that he would be convening a meeting to inform players and staff that they are not allowed to be mean to the fans. But what he doesn’t seem to understand is that the Mets already go out of their way to be nice to others. They treat opponents very kindly, grooving fastballs to hitters and laying off meatballs from pitchers. Aren’t they owed a little courtesy in return?</p> <p>Báez, for example, clearly wanted to make a good impression on his new city. Until July 30, when New York gave up its 2020 first-round pick for him, he played for the Cubs, who have their own history of feuding with fans. So credit Báez for limiting himself to a thumbs-down when he could have echoed the comments of Lee Elia, who was managing the Cubs in 1983 when he spent some four minutes delivering a rant that included the lines, “What the f--- am I supposed to do, go out there and let my f------ players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the f------ nickel-dime people who turn up? The mother------- don't even work. That's why they're out at the f------ game. They oughta go out and get a f------ job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a f------ living. Eighty-five percent of the f------ world is working. The other 15 percent come out here. A f------ playground for the c---suckers.”</p> <p>But it’s good vibes only at Citi Field. Earlier this month, a few minutes after the Mets were shut out for their fourth straight loss, first baseman Pete Alonso, fresh off a 1-for-19 stretch, reminded the faithful: “Mets fans, believe in us. … And also smile. You get to watch baseball. … We’re all in this together. Just smile, and just know that we got this.”</p> <p>The Mets do got this. Two days after Alonso spoke, GM Zack Scott addressed his team’s rash of injuries.</p> <p>“These guys are professionals, and for the most part, they’re locked in on what they’re supposed to do, but sometimes it doesn’t take much to—maybe you’re not eating as well as you could, you’ve got to change some habits, or maybe you’re not hydrating enough, even though everyone’s on you to hydrate,” he said. “At some point, you’ve got to take responsibility.”</p> <p>And they have. After reporters rudely transcribed what Báez had said, righty Marcus Stroman <a href="https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1432157709600792586">tweeted</a>, “Media always searching for anything to cause controversy.” It marked his third Twitter tiff with writers in two weeks.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1432157709600792586"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>With any luck, this signals we are already on our way to the next phase of the Mets’ dream season. It’s time for players and fans to band together against the true villains: reporters.</p> <p><strong>More MLB Coverage:<br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/30/miguel-cabrera-juan-soto-the-opener">Who Is the Next Miguel Cabrera?</a><br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/30/power-rankings-giants-braves-mariners-marlins-cubs">MLB Power Rankings: Giants, Braves Enter Key Stretches</a></strong><strong><br /></strong><strong>• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/27/max-scherzer-dodgers-padres-the-opener">Max Scherzer Is Showing the Padres What They’re Still Missing</a><br /></strong><strong>•</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/26/wander-franco-rookie-breakout">Wander Franco's First Breakout Is Happening Before Our Eyes</a><br /></strong></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Good Vibes Only at Citi Field

The Mets are booing their fans when they have success. Naturally, this means the fans are in for an earful. View the original article to...

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