Weekly Replay 04.27

NBA Rebounding –  

NBA players will be allowed to return to team training facilities for individual workouts starting Friday, if their local governments do not have a stay-at-home order in place as part of the plan to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic.  So teams like the Atlanta Hawks (Georgia), Dallas Mavericks (Texas) and Minnesota Timberwolves could open their training facilities while the Chicago Bulls (Illinois), Detroit Pistons (Michigan) and Los Angeles Lakers (California) would not be able to.  The NBA will work with those teams on alternatives.

With some states opening back up and players asking to travel to Atlanta to workout at gyms, a lot of team General Managers got concerned.  They believe their training facilities are safer than fitness centers.  As one GM told ESPN, “If our players can travel and play at a 24-Hour Fitness in Atlanta, they should be able to have access to our facilities.”

Groups workouts and organized team activities are still prohibited.  A decision on when the NBA will resume its season has not been announced. Commissioner Adam Silver suspended the 2019 – 2020 season indefinitely on March 11 after Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.  

Backup to No 1.  Pick – 

Quarterback Joe Burrow cemented what has been called the greatest college football season for a player with an entry to the NFL as first overall pick in the 2020 Draft.  The former Louisiana State University QB who led the Tigers to win the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Just a few years ago, no one would have predicted that the Ohio native would be in this position.  Deciding not to follow his dad and brothers and play at Nebraska, he began his college career at his home state, Ohio State University.  As a Buckeye, he redshirted his first year and only played 10 games during two seasons as the backup to J.T. Barrett.  After Barrett’s departure, he was slated to backup Dwayne Haskins (currently Washington Redskins quarterback).  Ready to lead, he transferred to LSU as a graduate student and was immediately eligible to play.  He graduated in three years from Ohio State with a degree in consumer and family financial service.

The 2019 Unanimous All-American is the first ever Tiger quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards in four consecutive games.  He returns to Ohio with numerous accolades and honors including:

• CFP National Championship Offensive MVP (2019)
• Heisman Trophy (2019)
• Maxwell Award (2019)
• Walter Camp Award (2019)
• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2019)
• Davey O’Brien Award (2019)
• Manning Award (2019)
• Lombardi Award (2019)
• AP College Football Player of the Year (2019)
• Sporting News College Football Player of the Year (2019)

Patriots QB Scramble – 

The New England Patriots apparently were in denial about their quarterback situation during the 2020 NFL Draft.  Perhaps Tom Brady who left New England last month getting tight end Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to join him in Tampa Bay, just knocked them off their game.  For the first time in 20 years, the Patriots do not have a solid QB plan.  Neither Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer have started in the NFL.  Stidham played a few plays last season during one game and Hoyer has spent his 11-year career traveling to eight different teams (this season will be his third stop in New England).  Yet, with 10 picks Bill Belichick didn’t draft a quarterback.

He must have come out of his coma yesterday because he hurried to sign two undrafted free agents. Brian Lewerke out of Michigan State and J’Mar Smith out of Louisiana Tech.  They are not the future of the franchise; they’ll be competing for the third backup spot. As for the starter, Cam Newton is still available.  I’m just sayin’…

Vols Ain’t Scared – 

Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt marched back to his home state of Alabama and snatched its No. 1 2021 prospect away from Nick Saban.  Yesterday, five-star defensive end Dylan Brooks announced that he was committing to the Vols instead of rolling with the Crimson Tide.  Coming out of Handley High School in Roanoke, Alabama, Brooks is the top player at his position and ranked No. 18 in the nation in the 2021 class. 

Brooks is the fifth Alabama prospect in the 2021 Vols class.  Clearly not scared of Bama, Pruitt also beat his alma mater on getting four-star wide receiver Jordan Mosley, three-star athlete Roc Taylor, three-star safety Edwin White and three-star corner back Jay Jones. 

LIT FIT! – 

This Saturday, May 2, is National Fitness Day. Join us at 9:30 a.m. EST on IG Live for a dance fitness class!

Game On,
Shavannia