The Miami Heat’s 5 free agent decisions

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The Miami Heat will have little time to celebrate a successful playoff run this offseason before making some roster decisions about the upcoming season. The Heat are positioning themselves to be major players in the 2021 free agency market, with names like Giannis Antentokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Anthony Davis potentially being available for the taking.

 

Although Miami is set to have enough cap room to sign a max player, there are some tough choices this summer that could impact the Heat’s “whale hunting” in the future. Here are a few of Miami’s impending free agents and where they potentially fit in Miami’s plans moving forward.  

 

  • Goran Dragic

Dragic has been one of the biggest stories of the team’s run in the bubble. He is leading the team in scoring in the playoffs and has displayed some of his best basketball in a Heat jersey this year. Goran is in the last year of his deal, which pays $17 million this season. Considering his production, that number is relatively inexpensive. However, at 34, his best days are probably behind him and he will likely return to the bench next season. Miami will want to reward Goran because of how important he has been to this team’s success but avoid messing with any of its potential spending for 2021. Is the Dragon willing to take a one-year balloon payment or will he take a multi-year deal elsewhere? 

 

Prediction: Dragic will take the one-year balloon payment this summer and negotiates a team-friendly deal with the Heat next offseason. Dragic has now spent half of his career in Miami and this run should help both he and the franchise realize that he should finish here. 

 

  • Meyers Leonard

Leonard has been a joy to have in Miami this season with not only his play, but his professionalism and commitment to the organization and the community. Meyers has been a model citizen this season and would have been welcomed back with open arms under any other circumstances. He will command more than his current $10 million salary this summer from another team. The Heat will not be able to match that. 

 

Prediction: Leonard will give the Heat an opportunity to retain his services. Unfortunately, the team won’t have much to offer him in terms of money, long-term security or playing time. Meyers will be a one-and-done in a Heat jersey, but he will be remembered fondly by fans.

 

  • Jae Crowder

Crowder was the steal of the Winslow trade. His impact on defense became a secondary thought when compared to the revelation that has been his three-point shooting. The Boss Man converted at a nearly 45 percent clip during the regular season for Miami after arriving from Memphis. He is shooting 38 percent on nine attempts in the playoffs. The team got more than what they bargained for in Crowder and will scramble to make room for him on this roster moving forward. The challenge will be convincing Crowder to forgo a multi-year deal and accept a one-year deal to remain in Miami. By all accounts, Crowder enjoys Miami and wants to be here. With his shooting numbers going up, so has his value to other suitors, many of which more willing to spend than Miami. He may have played his way to much more than his current $7 million number. The question for Jae is will he choose culture of currency.

 

Prediction: The likelihood of Crowder duplicating this year’s success next season are slim to none. He has been a sniper for Miami, but there is no evidence to suggest that he can sustain that level of play long term. Miami will do everything within reason to keep him, but ultimately, another team comes in with a deal too good for Jae to pass up.

 

  • Derrick Jones Jr.

DJJ deserves to be paid and he will be paid, but will it be by Miami? If the Heat were able to keep him at his current $1.5 million price tag, the deal would have been done months ago. Jones’ defensive length and athleticism are hot commodities in today’s league where long, versatile wings are all the rage. Miami might have an avenue to success. Unless they are completely outbid in the market, Miami may be able to use the scraps of the potential Leonard and Crowder departures to cobble up a suitable deal for the slam dunk champ. 

 

Prediction: Miami should be able to keep DJJ for a price between $5-7. The only two things that could derail that are unexpected offers from outside teams and Jae Crowder choosing to stay in Miami.

 

  • Kelly Olynyk

This one is pretty straight forward. Olynyk declining his $12 million player option for next year is as about as likely as Pat Riley calling Danny Ainge up to go for beers. Expect to see Kelly in a Heat jersey next season, unless he can be flipped for something better by the trade deadline. While KO has been inconsistent at times, at his best, he is the perfect complement to Bam Adebayo. His ability to shoot from range, above-average playmaking and basketball IQ have become invaluable off of Miami’s bench.

 

Prediction: Olynyk was nearly traded to Dallas last year along with DJJ to help facilitate the Jimmy Butler trade. While Kelly may start the season with Miami, expect the Heat to try and trade his expiring contract before the end of the season.  

 

Honorable Mentions: Solomon Hill, Gabe Vincent, Kyle Alexander, Udonis Haslem

 

Royal Shepherd (@RoyalAShepherd) has written for several major newspapers, including the Tallahassee Democrat and the Augusta Chronicle, and now contributes to Five Reasons Sports.

Marlins Magic Number at 3

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No, the Marlins did not win. No, they did not even come close. Another blowout win for the Braves puts the Marlins run differential at -37. Granted that differential is being dragged down by the 4 games in which the Marlins have been obliterated. Luckily, and most importantly, the Marlins’ magic number drops to 3, with 5 games remaining. The Phillies lost both games of their doubleheader versus the Nationals. 

Mattingly isn’t worried

 

“Once you get in with this format that we have — you know if you get in and you have pitching, you have a chance,” said Mattingly after last night’s tough loss. Even though there have been a few outlier games, Pitching has been the most consistent aspect of this team. Tomorrow, the Marlins’ present and future ace Sixto Sanchez takes the mound. Mattingly seems at ease because if the Marlins do make the postseason, Sixto, Sandy, and Pablo are a very dangerous 1-2-3 punch. Urena faltered last night, allowing 4 earned over 6 innings of work, but he is a perfect 4th in the rotation: a veteran with good stuff. It will be interesting to see who gets the 5th spot. Braxton Garrett and Trevor Rogers serve as the most likely choices, but both have had their recent struggles. If this team can push itself into the postseason, a hot pitching streak could push them further.

5 games left

 

5 games determine if the Marlins break the 17-year long streak without a playoff appearance. I have not consciously experienced a Marlins’ playoff game because I was about 2 years old during the ‘03 run. After years of season tickets, thousands of games on TV, and hundreds of thousands of MLB.TV updates, I am ready. The Marlins are ready. It is time for them to buckle down and win 3 of these games and prove that this team is capable of the improbable. Miami is ready to see their baseball team actually compete. Sixto leads the charge tonight.

Marlins vs Braves, Phillies vs Nationals

 

Yes, we have Sixto on the mound; but the Braves have their Cy Young candidate Max Fried. Game 3 will be no easier than games 1 and 2. The Fish are going to have to wake up their slumbering bats and put together good at-bats to get there. The Phillies play the Nationals again. Every Phillies’ loss is a Marlins’ win, so pay attention to both games. Marlins play the Braves at 7:10 PM and the Phillies take on the Nationals at 6:05 PM.

5 Comments from Media Session with Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic

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The Miami Heat held their final practice today before game four on Wednesday night. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic spoke with media afterward about their current mentality heading into tomorrow. Here’s what was said…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Jimmy Butler expanded on the idea of not getting behind early again in game four. He said, “I think we just gotta start off better.” He followed that talking about how much that falls on the starting unit. They must be ready to absolutely bring it out the gate, just as Tyler Herro does when he enters off the bench. Jimmy will be a huge proponent of not getting behind early, since he will need to attack a little more early on to control the pace. Goran Dragic is also coming off of a down game, which he will look to turn that around early as well. The more you hear these players talk after game three, the more it shows they’re ready.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Jimmy Butler gave a pretty Jimmy Butler like answer when asked about playoff physicality. He said, “There’s no friends in between those lines. Save that for after the game.” And that right there is a clear representation of why Jimmy is a Miami heat type player. He’s as focused as ever right now, since they’re six wins away from a NBA championship. He even decided not to have his family come to the bubble, since he mentioned that this is a business trip. He seems as locked in as ever, and since that loss has synced in over the last couple of days, this team will be prepared.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Jimmy Butler also talked about the preparation for game four after that loss on Saturday night. He said, “We’re not gonna look back. We not gonna look forward. We gonna lock in on today.” That sounds like something Spo may have said, since he’s been saying just one game and one practice at a time. And with this team, locking in on today is very important, since Spo has been cooking up a bunch of adjustments over the last few practices. Although he’s locked in today, I can guarantee he’ll be even more locked in tomorrow, with a chance to go up 3-1 on the Boston Celtics.

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Goran Dragic also got to discuss the feeling in their locker room right now. He said, “It’s great. We feel good. We did our job, we prepare well, and we’re gonna see tomorrow how we do.” A main takeaway from both this statement and Jimmy’s comments is that this team is extremely confident heading into tomorrow. At the end of the day, this team is 10-2 in this year’s postseason, which may be why this loss feels so odd for them. He mentioned the word “preparing,” which is what they’ve been doing a lot of since there’s been a bunch of film sessions over the last few days. Execution will be huge in game four, and there’s a good chance they’ll do just that.

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Goran also talked about the chemistry on this current Heat team. He said, “We really enjoy spending time together. We enjoy playing together on the floor and you can see that energy transfers to the floor.” This is something that Goran has mentioned time and time again. He really enjoys the bond of this locker room, and you can tell he’s having a good time going to battle with his teammates on a nightly basis. Goran finished off the media session mentioning their team defense. He said, “We need to do a better job containing the ball and helping each other.” That was a huge reason for their loss on Saturday, since guys like Jimmy weren’t helping when Jayson Tatum and others would attack Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson in the paint. If they clean this up, they’ll have a good shot at winning.

Marlins Lose to Braves 5-4

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The Marlins played in the first game of a huge 4-game series with the Braves last night. They ended up losing the game 5-4, but their grit was evident throughout the game.  They moved closer to a playoff berth, as the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies. This keeps the Marlins in 2nd place in the NL East with 6 games remaining in the year. The 6 most important games in 15 years of Marlins’ baseball.

 

Explosive start, slow ending

 

The Marlins came out swinging in this game. 3 early runs on a bunch of singles put the Marlins in an advantageous position, but they failed to capitalize the rest of the way only putting up 1 more run. The biggest missed opportunity came with Starling Marte at the plate in the 8th, as he lined a 111 MPH swing straight to Austin Riley to get the Braves out of a bases-loaded jam. This rocket off the bat had a 74% chance of being a hit and giving the Marlins the lead. The Fish stalled out in the 9th after Monte Harrison got caught trying to take an extra base. It was the right move, but Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson just made the better play.

 

Trevor Rogers struggles

 

Trevor Rogers was given a 3 run 1st inning lead to work with. That lasted a whole 2 outs in the bottom half, as he allowed 4 runs on a bunch of hits and walks. It was reported that in his last start, Rogers was tipping pitches, and maybe that was the case initially last night. Rogers can be a very strong piece of the Marlins’ young rotation if he figures it out. He has the stuff.

 

Marlins vs the World

 

I have talked repeatedly about the importance of these last 6 games. Tomorrow, veteran Jose Urena gets a crack on the mound in a game “that matters.” Jose Urena starts tomorrow versus Bryse Wilson of the Braves. It’s up to this Marlins squad to do the unthinkable. Can they do it?

 

UFC Vegas 11 Fight Ratings & Review

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With the UFC heading to Abu Dhabi for Fight Island, UFC Vegas 11 wrapped up the fights in the U.S. 6 Knockouts, 4 Submissions, 2 Split Decisions, 1 Draw, and only 1 Unanimous Decision made for a card that gave us fights that went down to the final minute, as well as fighters showing the highest level of skill delivering a finish. Hype trains kept rolling and bad blood settled, a new phase of the pandemic era starts soon with Fight Island. Here’s one last look at Vegas 11 living up to all the hype

 

Main Card

 

Colby Covington def. Tyron Woodley via TKO (Broken Rib) 

Fight Rating: 6.5 / 10 

Review: This was the fight that went most like the way it was expected to go. Tyron was hesitant to go forward and Colby just wore him down more and more as the fight went on. Covington showed that he still is a top welterweight and probably only needs one more win to get a shot at the Welterweight championship. He showed improved striking game and continued his dominance on the ground while Woodley showed more waiting and waiting which has now cost him 15 straight rounds lost. For Woodley, leaving this fight with a broken rib is unfortunate, but hopefully, this extra time off allows for him to have some time to reflect and determine what he wants to do moving forward in his career. 

 

Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price -majority draw

Fight Rating: 7.5 / 10

Review: This fight was one of those that had a high likelihood to end by knockout. Niko Price came a few strikes away from knocking Cowboy out. Cowboy was able to recover from the head shots after a few eye pokes coming from Niko, costing a point, giving him the allotted time. Cowboy came back in the second round and fought well, and then Niko closed out strong. Fun fight to watch, just wished it ended with a finish

 

Khamzat Chimaev def. Gerald Meerschaert via knockout 

Fight Rating: 10 / 10 

Review: All it took was 1 punch in 17 seconds to end it. Khamzat Chimaev showed his continued dominance in his 3rd fight. He has a potential fight coming up with Damien Maia. I don’t think that fight will end well for the veteran. Continuing on the Khamzat Express!

 

Johnny Walker def. Ryan Spann via TKO 

Rating: 8.2 / 10 

Review: This was an exciting fight from the start, with Spann catching Walker with a punch and getting him rocked. But for some reason, Spann decided to try and crotch sniff and try to get the double leg instead of going for the almost secured knockout. From here Walker Delivered nasty elbows and ended the night for Ryan Spann

 

Mackenzie Dern def. Randa Markos via armbar 

Rating: 8.8 / 10 

Review: Mackenzie Dern showed her extreme dominance on the ground while Markos really was outmatched. For some reason, Markos welcomed the ground game with the submission specialist and it did not bode well for her. Within the first 3 minutes, Dern had submitted Markos via armbar. 

 

Kevin Holland def. Darren Stewart via split decision 

Rating: 7.9 / 10

Review: Both of these guys kept going back and forth in this one. Holland started out strong and Stewart made a strong comeback in the end. The jaws were flapping heavily in the fight as both guys were talking back and forth during the fight. Even in the end, both showed great respect for each other and it ended being a good one.

 

Prelims Top 3 

  1. Randy Costa def. Journey Newson via knockout (head kick)

Rating: 10 / 10 

Review: The stock is rising fast for the Zohan, Randy Costa after he delivered a perfectly placed head kick. The fight was over in under a minute and the setup was perfect along with the mindset to not hesitate and deliver it. Exciting finishes will get you far in the UFC

 

  1. Jessica-Rose Clark def. Sarah Alpar via TKO (knee) 

Rating: 8.9 / 10

Review: This was definitely the most brutal fight of the night. JRC showed her dominance tonight in almost every manner vs Alpar. She was able to scramble and not get held on the ground and was able to deliver heavy shots. The only issue with this fight is JRC delivered a knee that put Alpar out. The knee was checked for legality and was deemed legal so the fight should’ve been over. Unfortunately, the referee allowed the beating to continue into the next round. JRC ended up winning with a TKO Finish. Good fight, horrible stoppage. 

 

  1. Damon Jackson def. Mirsad Bektic via submission (guillotine choke) 

Rating: 8.4 / 10

Review: The reason this fight is scored so high is because of the incredible comeback by Damon Johnson. After giving up the first two rounds, and getting dominated on the ground, he knew a finish was needed to get the win. And he did just that. Grabbing a guillotine in the 3rd round and not letting go until his opponent was out, he showed an incredible will to win the fight. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

5 Post-Practice Comments from Spoelstra, Crowder, Iguodala

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The Miami Heat basically went through a non-contact practice today, which everyone on the team attended. Afterward, Erik Spoelstra, Jae Crowder, and Andre Iguodala talked with media about their mindset after that game three loss and some minor mistakes they will need to critique. Here’s what was said…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Jae Crowder spoke about the hot topic heading into into game four on Wednesday, Jimmy Butler. He said, “He’s a guy who is about action. You can tell if he’s in one of those moods where he’s going crazy all game.” He followed that saying that the Heat need a more focused and intense Butler. That is indeed the truth. Many people have been saying that it’s time for Butler to start being a primary scorer, but that’s just not him. What he can do is intensify the team through his on-court actions as Jae mentioned, which would speak more volume than any scoring he could do. He did say at the start that Jimmy doesn’t do a lot of talking pregame, which is why you never know what Jimmy you’re getting heading in. But on Wednesday, I’m pretty sure Jae Crowder and this Heat team know what Jimmy Butler they’re getting.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Jae also talked about some adjustments they will be making, without going into detail. He said, “I don’t want to give it away through you,” when discussing some match-ups they will be searching for. This may be the spark for not letting the game get away from them early, which he expanded on starting games better as well. He said, “Our spirit is right, our heads are right, our energy is there. We just want to see how we can play a complete game.” There’s no question that this Heat team has been better in the fourth quarter in all three games, but the key is putting that out there in the first three quarters as well. That’s something else that has to do with intensity, since they finally get a burst of energy down the stretch it seems.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Erik Spoelstra touched on Duncan Robinson for a bit, mostly about the defensive side of the ball. He mentions that he “just has to do things with force and detail.” He knows that teams are going to continually try to attack Duncan no matter what, especially in the post, but he says that “he’s gotten much better at it.” There were many instances that Marcus Smart or Jayson Tatum would take Duncan to the rim, and Miami displayed zero help defense. Duncan struggles one-on-one defensively as it is, and with no help, it seemed problematic. Spo also mentioned that Boston came out with “great force off the dribble” and that they must do a “better job of that.”

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Erik Spoelstra was going into great detail about their young star Bam Adebayo. He said Bam is genuine and real, but on the court he’s as nasty as anyone in the league. “One of the best competitors on this planet.” That statement was on full effect in game three, when Bam was giving it his all even when they trailed by 20 points. Jimmy even recognized it post-game on Saturday, saying “He did everything he could to try to will us to this win all game long.” Spo also transitioned into selecting Bam on draft night, saying “He was the guy we wanted to take. We were just hoping he was going to be there.” He then said that he’s the “Anti-AAU player,” since he never played AAU basketball. Spo ends with “He’s wired differently, which we like.”

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Andre Iguodala touched on what it has been like to mentor Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and others. He said, “I had really good vets…I like to take no credit at all.” He also said, “Once you master something, it’s your duty to teach it. So it’s my duty.” Bam Adebayo having Udonis Haslem as a mentor and Jimmy Butler taking Tyler Herro under his wing has shown to be very essential for this young group. Andre also talked about his recent play, which has been tough due to some issues with back spasms. He said, “One thing you don’t want to be is a detriment to the team.” He says that the Bubble “has been more good days than bad days,” but today is one of those tough days. He finishes off with “We are really built for this environment, it really puts us in an advantage.”

Call of Duty League Teams Announce Roster Changes 

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With the announcement of a new four player team format, CDL teams are making big moves, looking to create a championship team on par with the Dallas Envy.

 

Minnesota ROKKR

The Atlanta FaZe, runners up to the Envy in the 2020 CDL Championship, parted ways with not one but two players: Preston “Preistahh” Greiner and Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak. Both players were picked up by the Minnesota ROKKR, which dismantled its entire roster in preparation for the upcoming season. Minnesota also signed Dillon “Attach” Price and Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi, both formerly of the New York Subliners, to form their new four-person squad, which looks quite formidable.

 

Atlanta FaZe

Meanwhile, the FaZe needed to fill a void, and did so with Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, formerly of the Chicago Huntsmen. Sanderson will be reunited with two of his former teammates (Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris and Chris “Simp” Lehr), who won a championship for eUnited together in 2019. “McArthur “Cellium” Jovel will also return.

 

Chicago Hunstmen

The Chicago Huntsmen also released Sanderson’s twin brother, Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson and signed Brandon “Dashy” Otell to fill the empty spot that left on the roster, which now consists of Dylan “Envoy” Hannon, Matthew “FormaL” Piper, Seth “Scump” Abner, and Otell.

 

Dallas Empire

The Dallas Empire is sticking with its core team after dropping three-time champ James “Clayster” Eubanks just days after winning the first CDL championship, a move that probably could’ve been timed better. The news of the reformatted four-person teams dropped so quickly that Dallas’ team was barely able to celebrate their win before they had to say goodbye to one of their best players. The Empire will move on with Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Cuyler “Huke” Garland, Indervir “IlleY” Dhaliwal, and Ian “C6” Porter, also known as “Crimsix.”

 

Florida Mutineers

The Mutineers released Bradley “Frosty” Bergstrom last week, leaving them with Colt “Havok” McLendon, Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, Maurice “Fero” Henriquez, and Joseph “Owakening” Conley.

 

New York Subliners

While two players formerly on the New York Subliners found a home in Minnesota, Doug “Censor” Martin, Laroda “Temp” Donovan, and Nick “Happy” Suda are all free agents right now. The Subliners retained only two players, Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto and Mackenzie “Mack” Kelley, leaving them with two spots to fill.

 

London Royal Ravens

The London Royal Ravens cut all but one player from their roster, Sean “Seany” O’Conner, and have yet to announce any roster updates. Trei “Zer0” Morris, Thomas “Dylan” Henderson, Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall, and Bradley “wuskin” Marshall were all cut, as well as subsitutes

Byron “Nastie” Plumridge, Dylan “MadCat” Daly, Rhys “Rated” Price, and Jordan “Jurd” Crowley.

 

Toronto Ultra

The Toronto Ultra are sticking with their core team of Anthony “Methodz” Zinni, Ben “Bance” Bance, Cameron “Cammy” Mckilligan, and Tobias “CleanX” Juul Johnson. Nicholas “Classic” DiCostanzo was dropped to take the team down to the new four-person regulation. 

 

Optic Gaming Los Angeles

The Optic dropped Brandon “Dashy” Otell, who was picked up the Huntsmen, and remain with Kenny “Kuavo” Williams, Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, Thomas “TJHaly” Haley, and Zach “Drazah” Jordan.

 

Paris Legion

Paris was another team that dropped its entire roster this season after finishing 10th in the regular season. Denholm “Denz” Taylor, Luke “Louqa” Rigas, Conrad “Shcokz” Rymarek, Zach “Zed” Denyer, and Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley are all free agents. Legion has not announced any new signings as of yet.

 

Seattle Surge

The Surge were the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs and are also revamping their entire roster, with the only remaining player being Sam “Octane” Larew. Seattle dropped Casey “Pandur” Romano, Nicholas “Proto” Maldonaldo, Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov, Ian “Enable” Wyatt, and Josiah “Slacked” Berry, along with Search and Destroy analyst Ted “TeddyRecks” Kim.

 

Los Angeles Guerrillas

The Guerrillas had the worst season of any team, finishing last in the regular season. As such, they have dropped all but one player from the roster, Reece “Vivid” Drost, who appears to be staying with the team in 2021. Rasim “Blazt” Ogresevic, Renato “Saints” Forza, Jacob “Decemate” Cato, and Ulysses “AquA” Silva are all currently free agents.

 

The 2021 season will kick off soon with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in November. The game’s alpha test is now available for PS4 users. 

Dolphins stock up, stock down vs Bills

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Welcome back to another installment of Stock Up Stock Down. In Week 2 of the NFL season, your Miami Dolphins lost a nail bitter to the Buffalo Bills 28-31 in a game where we had a lightning delay and truly felt like we were down more than we were. Let’s dive into what went well and not so well this week.

Stock Up

Solomon Kindley:

It’s hard to put into words how to quantify Solomon having a hell of a game due to us not cracking 100 yards rushing, but man, was he flashing all game. Him and Hunt is showing the tenacity to want to finish blocks consistently, which is a sight for sore eyes. Did you see him pulling on that Jordan Howard touchdownrun? I sure did.

Mike Gesicki:

A promising sign that a player is beginning to take the next step in his development is seeing them take advantage of favorable matchups. Going into this game, the Bills had ruled out their top 2 LB meaning Gesicki was going to be getting covered by 3rd and 4th string players consistently, and man did he take advantage. Gesicki was all over the field running crossers, digs, and even coming down with one hand catches. Gesicki finished his afternoon scoring a touchdown to bring it to within 3 points and totaling eight catches for 130 yards and the touchdown.

Isaiah Ford:

One of the position groups that I have been challenging the most to see more is the WR room. Sticking to the positive (that Preston drop on 4 th down was brutal) Isaiah took full advantage of the opportunities given to him and ended the day with seven catches for 76 yards. More importantly, than the stats was Isaiah being Fitz security blanket; anytime a 3rd down was needed to keep the game close, it was to either Mike Gesicki or Isaiah Ford.

Ryan Fitzpatrick:

After a dreadful Week 1 for Fitz, this was an excellent rebound game. In yet another week where we cannot crack 100 yards rushing, Fitzpatrick had to manufacture everything with a defense that had little to no respect (and rightfully so) for the run game. Fitz kept it close all game and willed us to within 3 points and onside kick from making this game go into potentially overtime. Fitzpatrick completed the afternoon with 328 yards throwing, two touchdowns with a 65% completion percentage. I threw all those numbers out to show that Fitz was not the problem , and Tua would make little to no change. It is frustrating to see the other rookies in Burrow and Herbert already playing, but Fitz has earned himself some breathing room this week.

Stock Down

Jerome Baker:

Coming off a 16 tackle and impactful game, I was highly disappointed to feel Jerome becomes a ghost today. From 16 tackles to only five today, I am interested in the All 22 coming in to see if he was game planned to be taken away or if he didn’t bring the same intensity as Week 1. Overall a lackluster effort from the defense.

High Priced Free Agents:

I am really hoping the early indications are off, but man has every single high- priced free agent been a colossal waste of money. Byron will be excluded due to getting hurt early on in the game but everyone else has been terrible. KVN has missed multiple sacks in multiple games. Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Elandon Roberts were all signed to shore up the run defense and they have made no difference. Overall the defense has looked worse than the one that finished the year last season. Seems odd to come to that conclusion after all the money and draft capital that has been allocated to the defense.

Coaching Staff:

A disturbing pattern in my Stock Up and Stock Down report has already shown itself in this young season, and that is the coaching staff making terrible decisions. Coming into the game, the coaching staff decided that Josh Allen was not going to beat us with his legs and made him a passer in the pocket. Josh took the challenge and torched the defense for a career-high 417 yards passing and four touchdowns.

The defense never adjusted to Josh throwing it all over the field until Stephon Diggs accumulated eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. After the game Xavien Howard was asked why Noah Igbinoghene was exclusively on Diggs getting torched for five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. Xavien responded that the game plan called for Byron to shadow Diggs all game, and when he went down, they went next man up. The plan going into the game was not working, and just like the last game, there was no adjustment by the coaching staff. Eventually, the coaching staff is going to have to take responsibility for not only a terrible game plan but also not being willing to trash the plan and adjust to what is going on during the game.

This article was written by Juan Cardona. Follow him on Twitter at @exclusvty

Playoff Roadblocks for Marlins

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The Marlins split their doubleheader with the Nationals on Sunday, improving their record to 28-25. The Nationals dropped to 20-32. The Marlins remain the 5 seed in the NL but are only 1 game ahead of the Phillies and 1.5 games ahead of the Reds, Brewers, and Giants who sit in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th spots, respectively. Even though the Marlins split the doubleheader, there is not much positive to note. They won game 1 on 2 error inducing runs and lost game 2 15-0. So instead, I will analyze the 7 most important games in the past 15 years of Marlins’ baseball.

 

4 games in Atlanta

 

The Marlins have split their season series with the Braves. In 6 games, they sit at 3-3. The Marlins have the arms of Trevor Rogers, Jose Urena, Sixto Sanchez, and Pablo Lopez going in these 4 games. A big note is that Max Fried (7-0, 1.96 ERA) is expected to pitch in the finale, which could spell trouble for a flailing Marlins lineup. Realistically, a series win would put the Marlins in a position where it would be hard to miss the playoffs, but a series loss would put them in the opposite realm of reality. The Marlins need to continue to rely on good starting pitching and timely bats. The 3-2, 2-1, and 1-0 wins aren’t pretty looking, but they get the job done. It is also important to mention that if the Marlins sweep the Braves, they would take 1st place in the NL East.

 

3 games in New York

 

Oh, boy. The Yankees have had their struggles this year, but it’s safe to say they found their stride. 9-1 in their last ten, the Bronx Bombers have been doing nothing but mashing recently, and now that they have clinched, the pressure is done for them. They will continue to swing the bats well, and I highly doubt the Marlins will be able to keep up. The Fish thrive on close, low-scoring games: something that won’t be the case in New York. The Yankees have plenty of offensive threats (maybe the most potent lineup the Fish have seen all year), ranging from Giancarlo Stanton to Gary Sanchez to DJ LeMahieu. Marlins pitching will have to be looking like game 1 of Sunday, not game 2, or this series, and our playoff hopes could fall apart fast.

 

The Marlins have defied the odds

 

Yes, these last 7 games will not be easy. But as a Marlin fan, even the idea we would have this opportunity feels completely out of the water. I think it’s safe to sit back and enjoy these last games, knowing that even if we don’t make it this year, there is a bright future ahead of us. Donnie has a plan. Let’s do this thing!

Marlins Beat Nationals 7-3

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Without a doubt, we can all feel how close the Marlins are. In my conscious lifetime, I have not watched a Marlins team in the playoffs. But here we are. 9 games left, 2nd in the division, 2.5 back of the first place. The Fish recognize this as well, as Garrett Cooper said, “It’s a team effort… We’re close to the finish line, and we’re close to something that this organization hasn’t done in a long time. Everyone knows that.” The Marlins certainly came out swing like that was the case, beating the Nationals 7-3 on 15 hits.

 

Marlins-Nationals Recap

 

Pablo Lopez started for the Marlins versus Patrick Corbin of the Nationals. Corbin has been quite effective against the Marlins recently, but last night ended that. The Marlins put up 7 runs on 14 hits in Corbin’s 6 innings of work. The bats are heating up just in time. Miguel Rojas continues to produce as the centerpiece of the offensive attack, going ⅗ with a leadoff home run. Garrett Cooper added a 2-run homer. Pablo Lopez, after his bumpy start in Atlanta, has picked up where he left off, going 5.1 innings, allowing just 2 runs. The Marlins looked like a team fighting for a playoff spot last night, and hopefully, this can be continued.

 

Why is the most important series of the year?

 

The Marlins came into this series clinging onto 2nd place in the division. The Nationals are last in the NL East and the easiest competition that the Marlins will see the rest of the way. To finish off the season, the Marlins play 4 versus the Braves in Atlanta and 3 versus the Yankees in New York. Those are 7 tough games that would be made a lot easier if the Marlins sweep the doubleheader today and win this series 4-1. The goal is to give as much comfort room as possible, and these two games are the Marlins’ last chance to do so. The marlins should have Sixto going in 2 of the remaining games, which is promising.

 

Looking at today’s’ games

 

In game 1 at 1:10 pm, Sandy Alcantara takes the mound versus Max Scherzer. This will be a fun game, one that proves whether or not the Marlins can clutch up versus big-time pitching. Scherzer has not had his normal type of year (4-3, 4.04 ERA), but this is most likely due to the small sample size. The Nationals will start Ben Braymer in game 2, whereas the Marlins have not yet announced their starter.