Morning sports update: Tedy Bruschi wants to make some changes to the NFL rulebook
The Patriots veteran has some suggestions.
The Red Sox dropped the first game of a three-game home series against the New York Mets on Friday with an 8-0 loss before bouncing back and winning the remaining two games. The Sox have now cut their magic number to just two, but could effectively clinch the AL East with one win over the second-place New York Yankees in a three-game series that opens Tuesday afternoon.
The Patriots, on the other hand, weren’t so lucky and fell to the Jaguars 31-20. Here are some more details and other sports headlines to get your Monday morning going.
Tedy Bruschi wants to make some changes to the NFL rulebook
In just two weeks of regular season play, NFL fans have already seen two ties– last week it was the Steelers and the Browns tied at 21 and this week, the Vikings and the Packers couldn’t break 29.
For veteran Patriots linebacker and current ESPN football analyst Tedy Bruschi, ties occurring two weeks in a row is just not acceptable.
Two weeks in the NFL and two ties. Over time rules need to change. Pro football should have a winner and a loser.
— Tedy Bruschi (@TedyBruschi) September 16, 2018
Current NFL rules for regular season games only allow for a 10-minute overtime period, where both teams have the chance to possess the ball in sudden death play. If the game is still tied at the end of the overtime period, then it’s recorded as an official tie.
Now every sport has their own way of handling ties– the NHL goes to overtime followed by a shootout, MLB goes to extra innings and the NBA plays an overtime period– but most sports will play until a winner is decided. College football even has different overtime rules than the NFL, allowing the teams to play additional periods until someone wins.
So Bruschi really isn’t alone in his feelings that professional football games should end with a clear winner and loser, but only time will tell if the NFL has any interest in adapting their rules.
“It feels s***** for all of us.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars finally avenged their AFC Championship loss to the Patriots from eight months ago, winning 31-20 on their home turf.
Sunday’s matchup of the two AFC foes was a highly anticipated one with lots of pregame trash talking and bragging rights at stake. Unfortunately for the Patriots, things didn’t work out in their favor as Jacksonville went on to beat Tom Brady for the first time in eight tries, and no one on the Patriots sideline was happy.
Tom Brady and Josh McD losing their minds after that last drive pic.twitter.com/JN5NViOHUN
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 16, 2018
“We didn’t do a good enough job in any area,” Bill Belichick told reporters. “There’s a long list. Playing, coaching, every part of the game just wasn’t good enough.”
Quarterback Tom Brady holds his team accountable for not executing plays as well as they’ve been able to in the past.
“[The Jaguars] just really limit your yards after catch and they’re very sound,” Brady said. “It’s relatively a more simple scheme, but I think those are some of the best defenses because they’re very fundamentally sound. They forced us to drive it and we just weren’t able to do it.”
After Jalen Ramsey trashed Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, tensions and stakes were definitely high heading into Sunday’s game. But according to Gronk, whom the Jaguars limited to just two receptions during four quarters of play, the pregame trash talking didn’t carry over onto the field too much.
“This was normal,” he said. “Nothing over the top, just normal stuff. Nothing outrageous, or anything like that.”
Taking their first loss of the season and losing two players to concussions– safety Patrick Chung and defensive end Trey Flowers– was not an ideal scenario in Week 2. (Boston.com)
Mookie Betts is alright
The MVP favorite gave Boston a scare when he left the field during Sunday’s game against the Mets due to soreness on his left side, the same injury that kept him out of play for 10 days in June.
Betts was taken out of the game Sunday after straining his left side making a throw from the outfield to home plate to throw out the Mets’ Austin Jackson.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora assured Sox fans that Betts is being evaluated and should be set to play in the series opener against the Yankees on Tuesday.
MOOKIE’S FINE: Alex Cora says Mookie Betts will travel to New York and will probably be the DH. pic.twitter.com/fsoukmtgqq
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 16, 2018
The Bruins are back and better
With one of their two preseason exhibition games in China under their belts, the Bruins are looking good– both on the ice, and on the Great Wall of China.
The Bruins topped the Calgary Flames in their preseason opener with a 4-3 shootout win on Friday. Trent Frederic, Ryan Donato and John Moore scored in the first period for the Bruins, and Jaroslav Halak started in net for Boston. Calgary saw two late goals from Mark Giordano in the third period to add to Sean Monahan’s first-period goal.
In the shootout, Jake DeBrusk came through with the winning goal in the fourth round, following an earlier goal from Brad Marchand.
“It’s great,” Bruins forward and Boston native Ryan Donato said of playing in China. “Hockey brings all communities together and I think the fact that we can share in this with Shenzhen and have some Americans at the game is definitely something special. Hopefully it felt special to them. Obviously, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play here. For me, I cherished every second of it.”
Following their win over Calgary, the Bruins did some sightseeing in Shenzhen and visited the Great Wall of China for a day of relaxing.
Well, a day of relaxing for everybody except Marchand, who lost a bet and had to carry teammate David Pastrnak for a stretch of the 5,500-mile wall.
Off-day workout: Marchand and Pastrnak went rock-paper-scissors, loser carries the other. pic.twitter.com/avIhhGaRwx
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) September 16, 2018
“I don’t know if he worked out or just ate all summer,” Marchand said. “But he got a lot heavier.” (Boston.com)
Daily Highlight:
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