
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers should have an advantage. Photo credit: Andy Lyons
Week 16 brought more meaningful football. It's amazing to see that there are teams out there that looked to be dead in the water, but still have a shot at the playoffs. Here are my observations:
The Good
-The Packers are going to be a tough out in the playoffs, and it's not for the reason most think. Sure Aaron Rodgers is a perennial All Pro quarterback, but that defense is stout. Between Za'Darious Smith, Preston Smith, Jaire Alexander, and others, that defense is the real deal. If they get homefield advantage, it'll be tough to go to the Frozen Tundra in January and win.
-The Cardinals may be 5-9-1 after their improbable 27-13 win over the Seahawks, but there are several bright spots. Outside linebacker Chandler Jones sacked Russell Wilson four times to bring his league leading total to 19. Running back Kenyan Drake (acquired in a midseason trade from the Dolphins) has proven to be one of the keys to their offense with another near 200 yard multi-touchdown performance. Rookie quarterback Kyler Murray is the next in line to prove great athletes playing quarterback can work at the NFL level.
-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is 42 years old, has played 20 seasons in the NFL, and is firmly in the G.O.A.T. conversation at the quarterback position. Despite his status and all the accolades, he still ran out on a reverse and threw a block. Not a typical quarterback flailing sissy block, but a hit'em low take out the knees type block. Always good to see the fire of guys like that on those plays.
The Bad
-Not often do I say winning is a bad thing, but in the case of the Giants: WHAT THE HELL ARE Y'ALL DOING?!? Why would you win a game against a division rival that'll be picking ahead of you now in the draft? They went from the driver's seat for the #2 overall pick to #5. If Ohio State defensive end Chase Young declares, which I fully expect him to, he would've filled a huge need for the Giants. Now the Skins may get him at #2. That is if the Bengals don't take him #1.
-With two interceptions next week against the Falcons, Bucs' quarterback Jameis Winston will be the inaugural member of the 30/30 club: 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. That's the most awesomely terrible stat line I've seen in quite some time. Not only does a quarterback have to play and start enough games, but he has to stay in games and continue to fling it. He's also 92 yards away from 5,000 on the season. I fully expect him to achieve both, as well as be back in Tampa next year as the starter.
-The Browns "clinched" another losing record with their 31-15 loss to the Ravens. They came into the season as the sexy pick because of their offseason player acquisitions. Acquiring talent doesn't equate to wins. Head coach Freddie Kitchens may be on his way out after one season; so may Odell Beckham Jr is you believe the rumors. Baker Mayfield has seemingly regressed and taken this franchise's chances at emerging from the doldrums with him.
The Ugly
-The NFC East Trash Bowl took place as the Eagles bested the Cowboys 17-9. They are now 8-7 and in control of winning the division and the #4 seed in the heavy NFC. Whoever wins this division will be the worst team in the NFC playoff bracket considering all the others will have at least 10 or more wins and have been far more competitively consistent all year. Salt in the wound: Eagles' tight end Zach Ertz fractured a rib in the win and they're already down several pass catchers.
-The Panthers are now 5-10 after suffering their seventh straight loss in a 38-6 thrashing at the hands of the Colts. Panthers' defensive tackle Vernon Butler was ejected for throwing a punch and gave Colts' fans the finger as he left the field. Their tight end Greg Olsen then tore into how poorly they've been playing in a locker room media scrum postgame. All of this and they have an MVP candidate in Christian McCaffrey aka "Dairy Sanders." (Shot out to Gino McGee in Bias Sports Talk FB sports page for the nickname.)
-MLB free agent pitcher Rich Hill and his wife were arrested after an incident at Gillette Stadium before the Patriots game. Hill's wife apparently tried to enter the stadium with an unapproved bag, was denied and told to leave. When she refused, police arrested her. When Hill tried to prevent her from being put in the car, he too was arrested. Not a good look for a guy who's spent 14 years in MLB. They were also fined $500 each.
Week 17 is setting up to be the big finale of the season the NFL envisioned when they decided to change the schedule to make division games the last games of the season. The flex scheduling also allows the league to place games in similar time slots that involve teams vying for playoff seeding. It'll end in a Sunday Night Football matchup that pits the 49ers against the Seahawks for the NFC West crown and a first round bye on the line. The loser gets to face the NFC East winner on the road. I'm fired up for next week already! Aren't you?
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How latest Astros comments point to mixed signals, communication breakdown
Feb 17, 2025, 4:38 pm
Alex Bregman couldn’t hold back the smile when he was asked who might have had the biggest impact on his decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
“My favorite player Dustin Pedroia,” Bregman said of the club's former second baseman and two-time World Series champion.
“He reached out a few times this offseason and talked about how special it was to be a part of the Boston Red Sox,” Bregman said Sunday. “It was really cool to be able to talk to him as well as so many other former players here in Boston and current players on the team as well.”
A day after Bregman's $120 million, three-year contract was announced, he sat at a 25-minute news conference between his agent, Scott Boras, and Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. Manager Alex Cora, who gave Bregman a hug after he handed the infielder his No. 2 jersey, also was at the table along with team president Sam Kennedy.
Breslow and Cora wouldn't say whether Bregman would move to play second base, Pedroia's position, or remain at third — a position manned by Rafael Devers since July 2017.
A few players, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder among them, and coaches stood behind the seated reporters to listen.
Bregman gets a $5 million signing bonus, a $35 million salary this season and $40 million in each of the following two years, with some of the money deferred, and he can opt out after the 2025 and 2026 seasons to become a free agent again.
Asked why he agreed to the shorter contract with opt outs, he leaned forward to the microphone in front of him and replied: “I just think I believe in my abilities.”
Originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 amateur draft, Bregman attended LSU before the Houston Astros picked him second overall in 2015. His family history with the Red Sox goes back further.
“My dad grew up sitting on Ted Williams’ lap,” he said.
MLB.com said Stan Bregman, the player's grandfather, was a lawyer who represented the Washington Senators and negotiated Williams' deal to become manager.
Boston has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and had avoided signing the highest-profile free agents. Boras said a conversation with Red Sox controlling owner John Henry showed ownership’s desire to get back to winning.
“I think it was after Soto signed,’’ Boras said, citing the record contract he negotiated for Juan Soto with the Mets. “We had a discussion. I could tell knowing John back with the Marlins and such, he had a real onus about ‘we need to do things differently than what we’ve done before.’
“This is a point and time where I believe Red Sox ownership was hungry for championship play and exhausted with what had happened the last five, six years.”
Called the “perfect fit” by Breslow, the 30-year-old Bregman joined the Red Sox after winning two World Series titles and reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons with Houston.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career, and I plan on continuing to do that here,” he said in his opening remarks. “I’m a winning player and this is a winning organization.”
Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed fellow pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson during the offseason.
After the pitching moves, they found a right-handed bat, too.
“As the offseason progressed it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” Breslow said.
Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances in Fenway Park with an OPS of 1.240.
“He fits like a glove for our organization,” Kennedy said.