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Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio, Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio shows www.nerdthugradio.com!
Raw kicked off with what I assume was the end of the R Truth vs Hornswaggle rivalry for the 24/7 title. With first a promo hailing the prestige of the title and then having a mixed gender mosh pit tag match, ending with R Truth winning but then losing the title the next sucker Mike Kanellis, who has his own questionable story line going on right now. It feels like WWE is chasing lightning in a bottle by pursuing another gauntlet match story that propelled Kofi into championship air, all for AJ's United States Championship. The buildup to the Becky Lynch and Natasha Hart match takes a weird detour with Alexa Bliss fighting Becky Lynch, it's odd considering Alexa is a contender in her own right for a title, so why have these rivalries bleed over each other like this? The Triple Threat tag team match between The Revival, The Usos and what they are now calling The OC was highly entertaining but where the belts were going to end wasn't up for much doubt the Usos have again had recent legal troubles and The Revival aren't exactly crushing it as champs, enter Gallows and Anderson, again.
Kevin Owens kicked off Smackdown by having an amazing match against Drew Mcintyre, continuing his transformation into a fan favorite heel. Fighting against Shane has made Kevin very loveable to the fans which is what makes Shane such a great villain, helping these guys get over with the WWE Universe. Alexa Bliss continued her confusing run through the current WWE with a tag match against Bayley and Ember Moon to help sell their upcoming match at Summer Slam, it feels like a waste of Alexa's skillset but hopefully she'll fit into something soon. Speaking of wasting talent, Finn Balor fighting Dolph Ziggler felt like a confusing waste considering each of their separate storylines until Bray Wyatt showed up and distracted Finn, allowing Dolph to get the win. One interesting caveat that came out of this match was that the announcers mentioned how Dolph uses several members of DX's moves, it's something that has long driven me crazy but actually fits in with his current run as the "anti-legend" guy.
The stunt between Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins at the end of Raw where Brock F5'ed Seth onto a steel chair multiple times and then dragged him out of an ambulance and roughed him up some more, was over the top. I never like when WWE takes things from "guys fighting" to "guys trying to kill each other." The truth is WWE fans never forget this is fake, it's always in the back of their minds, so when WWE kicks it to this high gear, there's a level of violence that they're suggesting that honestly WWE fans can't accept. Just like in Smackdown where someone or something pushed scaffolding onto Roman Reigns. It's too fake. We can accept they want to fight for a shiny belt, we don't believe they want to murder each other.
Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office email me for details or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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The Texans make just their third ever visit to Lambeau Field Sunday. It’s a dandy matchup as the Texans try to run their record to 6-1 at the expense of the 4-2 Green Bay Packers. The Texans have one win and one loss in Wisconsin. In 2008 the gameday high temperature was 13 degrees. Kris Brown kicked a 40 yard field goal as time expired to give the Texans a 24-21 win over a Packers team that struggled to a 6-10 record under first-year starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Texans posted their second consecutive 8-8 finish that year. In 2016 the mercury reached a balmy high of 34 degrees as the Texans fell 21-13 at Lambeau. Inexplicably, Rodgers somehow managed to win the quarterback matchup with Brock Osweiler. The Texans and Packers each won their division that year. Both Texans’ trips to “America’s Dairyland” occurred in December. No risk of frozen tundra this time around. The forecast for Green Bay Sunday calls for a high of 75 degrees! That’s almost 20 degrees warmer than normal there for October 20.
It’s a dynamic QB matchup with C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love sharing the field. Love broke out in a huge way in 2023 after serving a two-year apprenticeship under Rodgers. After a stumbling 3-6 start to their season the Packers went 6-2 the rest of the way to snag a playoff spot. They obliterated the Cowboys in a Wild Card game in Arlington (before everyone obliterated the Cowboys in Arlington...) then led at the 49ers with under 90 seconds to go before San Francisco scored to win 24-21. The Packers made crystal clear their belief in Love by signing him to a four-year 220 million dollar contract extension in July. That’s 55 mil per season. Stroud becomes extension-eligible after next season. Anyone think he won’t be in position to command at least 65 mil per season?
Stroud sure looks to be the guy to finally give the Texans the long-term stability and excellence they have never had at the most important position in the sport. The Pack is all in on Love continuing its unreal long-term QB stability and excellence. Love took the reins after Rodgers helmed the offense for 15 seasons. Rodgers took the reins after Brett Favre’s 16-year tenure. So if Love makes it for nine years as the starter, that’s three primary QBs in 40 years. Absolutely amazing.
After missing two games because of a sprained knee ligament suffered in the final seconds of the Packers’ season opening loss to the Eagles in Brazil, Love has thrown 10 touchdown passes in three games. But he has only completed 59 percent of his passes, and has thrown at least one interception per game.
The Texans’ first trip to the NFC North this season went brutally badly, the 34-7 beatdown from Minnesota. The Vikings beat the Packers 31-29 in week four of the season. That was Love’s first game back, he threw four touchdown passes and three picks. One defensive weapon the Texans will have against the Pack they did not have against the Vikes is Denico Autry. The 34-year-old Autry returns from his six-game banned substance suspension. That happens as one of the fill-ins for him, Mario Edwards, starts his own four-game substance abuse suspension. That should be a net improvement for the Texans.
X-factors
The single biggest variable in swinging the outcome of football games is turnovers. So far this season the Packers have been a takeaway machine. Last season the Packers generated just 18 turnovers over their 17 regular season games, only six teams took the ball away less often. Through just six games this season the Packers already have 17 takeaways. No other NFL team has more than 13, the Texans have just seven. The Packers have produced exactly three turnovers in five of their six games, and got two in the other. Every defense preaches turnovers, so it’s not as if first-year Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has introduced radical concepts that are yielding magical results. But the results are what they are.
If the Texans take care of the ball, they have a terrific chance to win. Having Joe Mixon back aids the cause on two fronts. One, Mixon is obviously the Texans’ best running back. Two, Mixon last fumbled in 2021. The Texans probably best plan to score 25 or more points to win this one because the Packers figure to score a bit. In Love’s four starts the Pack has lit the scoreboard for 29, 29, 24, and 34 points. On the other hand, the Texans’ D has been pretty stout, allowing the third-fewest yards per game (Green Bay rates 18th). It’s a strength vs. strength battle. The Texans have allowed no opponent more than 313 yards in total offense. The Packers have amassed at least 378 yards in five of their six games, and managed 328 in their worst performance.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!