The Twistity sports blog expands its scope with weekly special football editions, beginning right here and right now. We’ll bring you previews, reviews, notes, etc., from the NFL and college football as those seasons roll along.
The NFL’s full slate of preseason games starts Thursday night and here are a few we’ll be keeping an eye on:
San Francisco at Baltimore: Any meeting of the Harbaugh Brothers Coaching Club and Competition Society is worth a peek. Even in preseason. The Ravens are rebuilding their defense. A receiving tandem of free agent Steve Smith and Torrey Smith (not brothers) should give Ravens QB Joe Flacco chances to go deep.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Miami at Atlanta: With center Mike Pouncey injured, the Dolphins don’t have a single starting offensive lineman back from last year. Those 58 sacks and the bullying scandal caused a major rebuild. Good luck and good health to quarterback Ryan Tannehill. After a 4-12 season, the Falcons are remaking their defense and offensive line. Good luck and good health to QB Matt Ryan.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Cleveland at Detroit: The chance to see Browns rookie QB Johnny Manziel is too much to pass up. Manziel was taking snaps with the first-team offense this week. Can he unseat Brian Hoyer, who gets the start against the Lions? A decision on a starter is about two weeks away.
Houston at Arizona: The Texans have a new coach in Bill O’Brien, last seen at Penn State, and a new QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick. They’d like to erase last year’s 2-14 disaster marked by 14 consecutive losses. The Cardinals missed the playoffs last season at 10-6 and play in the vicious NFC West.
Today’s question: Which game will you be focusing on, and why? Answers in the comments box, please.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .
-
Oklahoma and Texas will depart from the college sports conference at the end of the season. The Big 12...
-
Robert Kraft wants to re-sign Brady just long enough that he can retire as a Patriot. Earlier this week,...
-
The skilled third-baseman will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Scott Rolen is one of the most skilled and recognized third-basemen...
-
Brady’s 23rd football season has ended. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys went head-to-head for...
-
Smith has been fired after one season with the team. Over the weekend, the owners of the Houston Texans...
-
Pelé passed due to complications related to colon cancer. On Thursday night, the sporting world received unfortunate news: Pelé,...
-
His return heralded a victory over the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas needed to take...
-
Mayfield will be available on waiver to other NFL teams. After an underwhelming performance in his current role as...
-
Mike White led the team to a decisive victory over the Bears over the weekend. On Saturday, the New...
-
The game has been moved out of New York due to an encroaching snowstorm. This weekend, the Buffalo Bills...
-
Negative pushback prompted the team to give the role to someone else. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets have been in...
-
The Bears got Claypool in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut a deal...