A Bengal calls the Steelers “pieces of bleep.” Breaking down one of the least intriguing camp competitions: the defensive line. Tom Brady got what the players bargained for. Ricky takes the high road. Craig Sager’s incredible speech. The Orioles will be fine with their pitching.
Bengals’ Domata Peko says Steelers are ‘pieces of bleep’
Interesting turn of phrase there, Domata. If you’re having trouble placing that name, he’s the Bengals defensive lineman with the scraggly, dirty-lookin’ hair who also happens to be pretty good at his job. Simon A. Chester of USA Today looks at Peko’s – and a few other Bengals’ – hatred of the Steelers. Sure, the hate may be strong, but that rivalry can’t shake a stick at the Steelers-Ravens rivalry.
Ravens training camp breakdown: defensive line
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun will be taking a daily look, position group by position group of the Ravens roster heading into camp. They’re going in order from least intriguing competition to most intriguing. He started with the quarterbacks, and today, he’s on the defensive line.
Tom Brady Got Exactly What the NFLPA Bargained For
The NFLPA, in its negotiations for the new CBA back in 2011, glossed over the ridiculous disciplinary process the league laid out for them. Tom Brady is now paying the price. Maybe he cheated and maybe he didn’t, but it’s hard to ignore how unfair the disciplinary process is. Only one team foresaw that issue, and that team was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brady is running out of options. Steve Silver of Above the Law: Redline tells us that the only place he has left to go is to seek a stay of the 2nd Circuit’s decision and petition the Supreme Court. As an avid Trump supporter and friend, he may have some trouble with that. The judge overseeing the 2nd Circuit is none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the judge that Trump just publicly blasted.
Maybe next time, the NFLPAÂ should take some power away from the commissioner. Of course, they’ll probably screw up something else.
Ricky Williams Takes The High Road
Greg Bishop of SI Longform (yes, it holds to its name) details Ricky Williams‘ life after football, his current endeavors, and his mindset. Williams seems intent on being a superstar – but in a different way. He spends 300 days of the year on the road in the cannabis industry, both for altruistic and financial reasons. The whole story is a fascinating read, but the thing media outlets will take away one quote. On Tuesday, we looked at Ricky’s claim that he was drug tested over 500 times. In this article, he talks about the very high number of NFL players who partook in marijuana use:
“Williams estimates that between 60% and 70% of NFL players smoke marijuana, including quarterbacks he played with and some coaches.”
Will Z. Smith Be a Starter?
Bo Smolka of CSN Mid-Atlantic answers that intriguing question in this part of the Best Case, Worst Case series. Za’Darius Smith starting and racking up double digit sack totals is his best case scenario for the sophomore edge player. Our own Ryan Jones predicted double digit sacks yesterday in his bold predictions. If that comes true, the Ravens will be in good shape at the edge position, but I’m not so sure. The worst case scenario seems much more likely; Smith has a limited, situational role.
Craig Sager’s Speech at the ESPYS
I won’t be able to describe this speech in a way that it deserves. So just watch it for yourself:
In baseball news…
Hot Take Tuesday: Despite Pitching Woes, O’s Are Legitimate Contenders
Ryan Blake of ESR gives his hot take of the week. He thinks the Orioles are legitimate contenders despite their terrible starting pitching. The only reliable starter has been Tillman, and even he has been questionable lately. But once the playoffs start, the Orioles will only need three good pitchers. Ryan thinks they can make some noise in the postseason with Tillman, Gausman, Bundy, and Gallardo.
