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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 and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio shows www.nerdthugradio.com!
Money in the Bank was this Sunday and while it was a solid entertaining pay per view, the big developments that came out of it were Brock Lesnar winning the Men's Money in the Bank contract, Bayley won the women's Money in the Bank contract, then after Charlotte beat Becky Lynch for the Smackdown women's title, Bayley swooped in and took it with an immediate cash in of her title match contract.
Fast forward to Raw and it feels very business as usual, the mixing of the superstars is just the new normal although they still are attached to the individual show branding, by that I mean Lars Sullivan came down to do an in ring interview on Raw but had a Smackdown logo by his name for some reason. Mick Foley came out and introduced a new 24/7 title that is open to everyone who basically shows up to work at the WWE, it's a watered down version of the old Hardcore title which is a nice call back but honestly, the belt isn't all that desirable looking. After Titus claimed it from a scrum of "B" and "C" list wrestlers, Robert Roode then took it from him and before Raw was over R Truth had taken the title from him.
Smackdown starting off with the return of Big E is great, making the New Day whole again and letting them enjoy and have fun with Kofi's title run is great. R Truth and the 24/7 title returned and it's a funny bit but surely this wasn't the point of the title, was it? I don't see the WWE introducing a title simply to be funny about it. Becky Lynch and Bayley tagging together was a good match against Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans, the match between Kofi and Sami Zayn was quick for a title match and then Dolph Ziggler running out was an interesting surprise. The rematch between Roman Reigns and Elias isn't what anyone was asking for and honestly the whole Shane McMahon is the bad guy bit is a little overplayed to me.
This week while it was a much better week than the ones building up to Money in the Bank, the reality is that the overall content hasn't been as good as it should be. Now they're shoe horning the next Saudi Arabia pay per view with a Goldberg vs Undertaker match, it's fairly obvious this is to play up the 90's nostalgia that's happening in Saudi Arabia and honestly its not exciting. Playing up these matches with video promos, no build up or story involved, it's lazy and disappointing.
Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help fight cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”