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🏈 Good morning to all but especially to …
VON MILLER AND THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
The Commanders were looking for a little more help in the pass rushing department, and they got it in the form of Von Miller. The veteran edge rusher signed a one-year deal with Washington and is set to add to his already impressive career sack totals.
Back in March, Miller’s NFL future was up in the air when he was released by the Bills in order to save the team $8 million. In May, Miller said he had at least one more year left in him.
“I got this year on the books for sure, I’m going to play this coming up season,” he said at he time. “We’ll just keep doing it one year at a time. If I had another great year this year, then I’ll play the next year after that, but we’ll just keep doing it one year at a time.”
Last season, Miller, 36, served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy before totaling six sacks in 13 games. As things stand right now, Miller is 16th on the NFL’s official all-time sack list. He’s just three behind Lawrence Taylor and Leslie O’Neal for 14th all-time.
Miller is a nice pick-up for the Commanders, but other teams have been busy improving their rosters this offseason. Tyler Sullivan ranked the 10 most impactful moves of the summer so far. Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers, the Giants moving up to draft Jaxson Dart, their quarterback of the future, and both Lions coordinators making the jump to the coaching ranks all made the cut.
😃 Honorable mentions
😩 Not so honorable mentions
🏌 Rory McIlroy looks for redemption at The Open
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Pour a cup of coffee and keep them coming, golf fans. One of the biggest weekends of the year is here at The Open Championship, which will be underway by the time you read this.
Rory McIlroy, however, isn’t slated to tee off until 10:10 a.m. ET. That will give him plenty of time to think about what happened the last time The Open was in his home country at Royal Portrush — something he has probably tried to forget over the last six years.
In 2019, McIlroy fired his opening tee shot out of bounds. The rest of his opening round didn’t get any better, and he finished with a 79. Not even a terrific second-round score of 65 could keep him from missing the cut.
This time is at least a little different. When McIlroy tees off today, he will have a career Grand Slam under his belt, and Patrick McDonald says that experience will serve him well.
- McDonald: “What memories McIlroy makes this week remain to be seen — they will largely be dictated by his play and his responses to adversity — but it is clear early on that he is embracing his place in the arena unlike last time when he chose to isolate.”
One of the people who won’t be dwelling on McIlroy’s 2019 failure is the native son himself. McIlroy is singularly focused on playing his game and soaking in the moment.
“The fact that I’m here at Portrush with the green jacket, having completed that lifelong dream, I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way and enjoy the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them.”
Another high-profile golfer in pursuit of greatness is Scottie Scheffler, who will be hunting the rare two-major season. In order to do that, Scheffler will need to beat his best Open finish of a seventh-place tie.
As the weekend unfolds, CBS Sports will have you covered from wall to wall. For now, here are a handful of major champions who have struggled on the links, and here are the updated tee times and TV schedule.
🏀 Bradley Beal on the cusp of landing with Clippers
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After getting bought out by the Suns, Bradley Beal found a new team at the speed of light. Once the buyout is finalized, Beal will reportedly ink a two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers.
Beal was set to make $53 million with Phoenix in the upcoming season, and that meant the trade market was drier than the Sonoran desert. Instead, the Suns chose to buy out Beal after a disappointing season in which he averaged 17.0 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds across 53 games.
That production may not be worth the astronomical payday he was supposed to get from the Suns, but this is more than a worthwhile gamble for the Clippers. As James Herbert writes, Beal was the right player at the right time (and the right price) for Los Angeles.
- Herbert: “By adding the former All-Star on the cheap, the Clippers have found the scoring guard they needed and put together a roster that, on paper at least, can challenge the best of the West. It’s an old team with health concerns, but it has the playmaking, shooting, perimeter defense, rim protection and lineup versatility to be genuinely dangerous.”
🏈 SEC bold predictions
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Talkin’ season is in full effect as the SEC Media Days continue in Atlanta. Everyone is hopeful, and no one will finish worse than 8-4.
That might have you in the appetite for some bold predictions, and our Brad Crawford has you covered with a peek into his crystal ball. In his bold predictions for each SEC squad, Crawford sees a College Football Playoff berth in store for LSU as Brian Kelly navigates a pressure-packed season.
- Crawford: “Brian Kelly has pushed all his chips to the center of the table this offseason, with substantial buy-in from both fans and boosters. He appears to have his best team yet at LSU and has taken a different approach ahead of the Tigers’ seismic season opener at Clemson. Kelly knows the pressure will be on if the Tigers don’t impress early.”
Here’s just a taste of a few more bold predictions:
- Arkansas QB Taylen Green gets the attention of NFL scouts.
- Texas A&M is nowhere to be found in the final Top 25 rankings.
- Florida finds its first 1,000-yard receiver in more than 20 years.
SEC coaches may not be as bold these days, but they still have had a lot to say. If you missed any of the key storylines, John Talty has you covered with his Day 3 takeaways, which include Gators sideline boss Billy Napier tipping his hand a bit.
⚾ MLB trade deadline’s buyers & sellers … and Power Rankings!
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We may still be in the midst of the MLB break, but the hot stove will be scorching over the next couple weeks.
As teams work out their trade deadline plans, Dayn Perry did his best to sort the buyers from the sellers on this year’s market. One team that flipped the script in a hurry is the Boston Red Sox.
They appeared to be headed for the AL East basement after the Rafael Devers trade, but a 10-game winning streak has them closer to the penthouse and that makes them sudden big-time buyers.
- Perry: “Boston’s immediate struggles after the Rafael Devers trade for a while made them look like potential sellers. However, a 11-1 record in July flipped that particular script and put them in buyer territory. They’re in second wild-card position right now and very much in the thick of the AL East race. Top of the list should be adding rotation help to cover for injuries and Walker Buehler‘s ineffectiveness.”
The Yankees and Mets are also among Perry’s clear buyers, but the Braves and Cardinals might have some tougher decisions on their hands ahead of the July 31 deadline. As the hot stove starts to sizzle, Mike Axisa has you up to date on the latest rumors.
Before the action on the diamond resumes Friday, check out the latest edition of the MLB Power Rankings with the aforementioned Red Sox cracking the top 10.
📺 What we’re watching Thursday
⛳ We’ll be watching The Open Championship all day. Here’s all the broadcast info.
⚽ UEFA Women’s Championship: Sweden vs. England, 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 NBA Las Vegas Summer League: Here’s how to watch
