Happy Friday, friend! So, some stuff happened yesterday, huh?
I'd just like to point out that yesterday morning I wrote the following: "If any other player in the league wants to stir up some trade drama, it would at least give us a change of pace over here. Deshaun Watson ... looking at you, pal." Promptly after sending out the newsletter, news broke that Watson officially requested a trade from the Texans. So thanks for reading, Deshaun! Appreciate you!
In all seriousness, we're just over a week away from the Super Bowl and now it seems like all anybody cares about is Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson. Personally, all I care about is when I'll be able to disrespect my body again. This TB12 diet has me ready to risk it all for a damn cheeseburger, so feel free to follow the diary detailing my slow descent into madness. Also, next week I will be attempting to cook a Super Bowl recipe given to me by Rachel Ray's team, so that should be fun. Get the fire department on speed dial.
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Alright, let's jump into the big stories and close out this strange week.
📰 What you need to know
1. Who would benefit most from a Deshaun Watson deal? 🏈
Yesterday, the big looming question was whether the Texans' hiring of David Culley would do anything to appease Deshaun Watson and get him to reconsider his interest in leaving Houston. Well, we got our answer rather quickly, as it was reported that Watson has officially asked the Texans to trade him.
It appears this situation has passed the point of no return, and the question shifts from "will Watson be traded?" to "where and when will Watson be traded?" And while we don't yet know the answer to those questions, we do know there are certain teams that should (and likely will) make very strong pushes for the franchise QB. Our Patrik Walker has compiled a list of the NFL coaches that would most benefit from being paired with Watson:
- Bill Belichick, Patriots: This one's obvious, right? While Tom Brady gets ready for the Super Bowl, Belichick and the Patriots are in desperate need to reload at quarterback and get back to their winning ways. Landing Watson just a year after Brady's departure would be a coup for them, and it would likely infuriate the rest of the league
- Robert Saleh, Jets: Watson is a fan of the new Jets head coach, and what a splash it would be to unite the two in one offseason. That would give the Jets a very clean slate and provide Saleh with a dynamic star to build around. Not to mention it would take Watson away from a couple of the other AFC East rivals likely to pursue him
- Brian Flores, Dolphins: Speaking of those AFC East rivals ... why don't we just round out the trio here, huh? The Dolphins took Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick last offseason and he showed flashes in his rookie year, but he also struggled. The Dolphins are arguably best equipped to acquire Watson, as they can center a deal around Tua and some of their draft capital (some of which initially belonged to Houston)
You can find the rest of Walker's list here, but basically any NFL team that doesn't already have a franchise quarterback should be on the phone to swing a deal. And new Texans GM Nick Caserio is likely going to want to get this headache out of the way sooner rather than later, especially as he looks to piece together his roster and put together a plan for the upcoming draft.
Also, shoutout to Bill O'Brien -- your legacy of destruction lives on long after you're gone.
2. The casual fan's Super Bowl guide 🏈
Super Bowl LV might be more than a week away, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start your big game prep. That doesn't just go for those who obsess over the X's and O's either. One of the great things about the Super Bowl is that it tends to bring people together regardless of how passionate they are about sports or football.
If you're not the most devout NFL fan and need a little help brushing up on your knowledge of the game, players, coaches, and rules, our Jared Dubin has you covered with an awesome, in-depth primer on Super Bowl LV. Hell, he even gets you up to speed on the halftime show. No stone unturned.
Let's just touch on some of the basics:
- The Weeknd will have halftime show duties
- Tom Brady (quarterback of the Buccaneers) has already won a record six Super Bowls and will be playing in his 10th Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes (quarterback of the Chiefs) is considered a threat to Brady as the greatest QB ever and he's aiming to win his second straight Super Bowl
- The game will be held in Tampa in front of 22,000 fans (7,500 of which will be vaccinated healthcare workers on all-expenses paid trips)
If you're in the market for deeper, more analytical Super Bowl previews, well then stick around because we're going to be banging out tons of coverage throughout next week as we get closer and closer to kickoff.
3. How the New York Mets became tied to the GameStop-Wall Street saga 💵
If you know next to nothing about the stock market or how it operates (like me) then this has been a rather tough week to hang out on the internet. You've likely noticed a whole lot of talk about GameStop, Reddit, short-selling, Robinhood and things of that nature. The good news is that our Dayn Perry is here to help with an incredibly digestible explainer on the whole situation.
Now, you might be asking why one of our most charismatic baseball writers would volunteer to help explain a stock market crisis on CBSSports.com. The answer lies in the fact that the New York Mets are connected to this confusing Wall Street saga.
- After a number of investors began shorting GameStop stock in large numbers, a bunch of Redditors and internet hooligans decided to buy up a bunch of GameStop stock drive the price up -- essentially creating a meme and putting serious Wall Street investors in a position to lose massive amounts of money on their shorts
- A hedge fund named Melvin Capital, which has shorted aggressively in its young existence, was heavily exposed in the GameStop surge. Gabe Plotkin, the founder of Melvin Capital, took a huge loss and required a huge cash infusion of $2.75 billion from two other hedge funds
- One of the hedge funds that gave Plotkin a lifeline was Point72, the hedge fund operated by new Mets owner Steve Cohen. He reportedly delivered Plotkin an investment of $750 million (on top of the $1 billion he had already invested)
Plotkin once worked for Point72 and Cohen, which explains why the Mets owner would get involved here. Cohen insists that his rescue investment in Melvin Capital won't affect the operations of his baseball team at all, but you can understand why some Mets fans might be a little skeptical or nervous. Wall Street (Bernie Madoff, specifically) basically turned the previous owners into cheapskates and drove fans to the brink of madness before Cohen came along as their perceived savior.
If you're still having trouble following, I highly recommend giving Dayn's piece a full read. It helped me make sense of this situation, and there's a good chance you'll be grateful as well.
4. March Madness protocols show how difficult it will be to pull off tourney 🏀
Considering how much revenue March Madness brings the NCAA every year, they literally cannot afford to go without a tournament again this year. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is still very much a threat to wreak havoc on the event. With that in mind, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that the NCAA is implementing some strict protocols in order to reduce the risk of exposure and transmission.
Our Matt Norlander has shared details of these protocols, and they shine a light on just how serious the NCAA is taking its arrangements ... and how difficult the event will be to pull off.
- All schools that make the tournament within a 350-mile radius of Indianapolis will travel by bus to Indy, but they'll split traveling parties into three buses to make sure there's at least six feet of space between each person
- The NCAA will mandate masks during travel and also supply schools with goggles and face shields
- Teams can travel with as many as 34 people and all must pass seven straight COVID-19 tests in order to depart for Indianapolis
- All personnel will only be allowed to eat in designated rooms at their hotels for the entirety of their stay
- All personnel will be required to wear tracking equipment in order to gather data that will inform contact-tracing protocols
You can find plenty more details in Norlander's notebook, but it's quite clear that the NCAA is hoping the madness stays limited to the action on the court during the tournament.
📝 Odds & Ends
📺 What to watch this weekend
Friday
🏀 Mavericks vs Jazz, 10 p.m. | UTA -4 | TV: ESPN
Saturday
🏀 No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 24 Oklahoma, 12 p.m. | TV: ESPN
🏀 No. 15 Kansas vs. No. 18 Tennessee, 6 p.m. | TV: ESPN
Sunday
🏌 Farmers Insurance Open
📝 Top scores from last night
LeBron James had 22 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists but the Lakers lost their second straight game.
💵 Winning wagers: DET +262, Under (214.5)
Alexis Lafreniere's first career goal came in overtime to give the Rangers the victory.
💵 Winning wagers: NYR -124, Under (5.5)
"that" - Google News
January 29, 2021 at 09:10PM
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The team that needs Deshaun Watson the most, plus explaining how the Mets are tied to the GameStop saga - CBS Sports
"that" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3d8Dlvv
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