Rookie Rollout

August 11, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Happy Friday 

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for some football highlights (finally!). I know, it’s only preseason, but it’s a welcome sight after a long six months away from the gridiron. Summer is fading. Fall is approaching. Let’s ditch the shells and go full speed.

Letter Rip!

______________________________________________________________________________________

NFL

Preseason Primer: Rookie Rollout

\"\"/
Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

QB CJ Stroud Struggles in Texans Opener, WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba Shines for Seahawks & More for NFL Preseason Week 1

The first official week of the NFL preseason is upon us, and we have questions. Before you jump ship and write off the preseason, these games still matter. A shortened schedule (3 games) means teams have a short window to get regular-season ready. We already saw two games last night that gave us a taste of rookies we\’ve been waiting to see. The Texans beat the Patriots (20-9) in QB C.J. Stroud’s first NFL action. Stroud was just 2-for-4 with 13 yards, one sack and one interception in his first two series. The game looked a little fast for Houston’s new franchise quarterback. Patriots rookie DE Keion White shined with three tackles and plenty of pressure. He was all over the field and looks to be the perfect fit for Bill Belichick. In the nightcap, the Seahawks rallied to beat the Vikings (24-13). Seattle rookie WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba looked solid in his first action (3 catches, 25 yards). Two games down with 14 more in the next 72 hours, and we have plenty of rookies to keep an eye on.

Thursday Night Highlights

Texans def. Patriots (20-9)

Seahawks def. Vikings (24-13)

Rookie Rollout (Rookies to Watch This Weekend)

QB Bryce Young: Starting for Panthers (Sat. 4:00 pm ET)

RB Bijan Robinson: Starting for Falcons (Fri. 7:00 pm ET)

WR Jalin Hyatt: Starting for Giants (Fri. 7:00 pm ET)

QB Anthony Richardson: Playing for Colts (Sat. 1:00 pm ET)

DT Jalen Carter: Starting for Eagles (Sat. 7:00 pm ET)

WR Zay Flowers: Starting for Ravens (Sat. 7:00 pm ET)

Can the Ravens Keep the Streak?

With the preseason ramping up, one ongoing storyline is still alive in 2023. The Ravens are still riding their NFL record 23-game preseason win streak dating back to 2015. They haven’t lost a preseason game since three years before we launched The Sportsletter. In that time, Baltimore has produced six winning seasons in eight years, but zero Super Bowl trips. At least they have this mark to hang their hats on. Will it continue?

Longest NFL Preseason Win Streaks

Ravens: 23 Games (2015-Present)

Packers: 19 Games (1959-1963)

Bears: 14 Games (1957-1959)

Chargers: 14 Games (1960-1963)

Colts: 13 Games (1964-1967)

49ers: 13 Games (1991-1993)

Read More

FOX Sports: Can Ravens Extend Historic Preseason Win Streak?

ESPN: Texans’ C.J. Stroud Pledges to Learn From Mistakes in Preseason Debut

Yahoo! Sports: Preseason Football Matters: Here Are 4 Reasons Why

FiveThirtyEight: The NFL Preseason is Not Predictive — But It Can Often Seem That Way

CBS Sports: 1 Thing to Watch in Each NFL Preseason Week 1 Game; Bryce Young, Calvin Ridley & More

______________________________________________________________________________________

GOLF

Spieth\’s Big Statement

\"\"/
Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Jordan Spieth (-7) Leads the Field After Round 1 of the FedExCup Playoffs, But There\’s Work to be Done

The FedExCup Playoffs are underway at TPC Southwind for the first event of the postseason — the St. Jude Championship. Just 70 players are still standing as the playoffs begin, and we’ll trim the field to 50 by Sunday. Plenty of golfers went low on Thursday after an early weather delay, but one man stood alone. Jordan Spieth (-7) fired an opening-round 63 to sit alone atop the leaderboard. Spieth shot birdie-eagle on Holes 15 and 16 to wrap up a bogey-free round, and the 31st player in the FedExCup standings is well on his way to a massive points boost this weekend.

Round 1 Leaderboard

Jordan Spieth (-7)

Tom Kim (-6)

Emiliano Grillo (-5)

Collin Morikawa (-5)

Lucas Glover (-4)

Tommy Fleetwood (-4)

Xander Schauffele (-4)

Other Notable Scorecards: C. Young (-3), S. Im (-3), C. Conners (-3), T. Finau (-3), S. Scheffler (-3), R. McIlroy (-3), H. Matsuyama (-3), P. Cantlay (-2), J. Day (-2), M. Homa (-2), R. Fowler (E), W. Clark (E), V. Hovland (+2), J. Rahm (+3), J. Rose (+6) | Full Leaderboard

Round 1 Highlights | Round 2 Tee Times

Read More

PGA: McIlroy & Scheffler Shoot 67 at St. Jude as Rahm Struggles

GolfChannel: Leader Jordan Spieth (63) Shoots His Best Round of the Year — But It Didn’t Feel Like It

______________________________________________________________________________________

EPL

The Harry Situation

\"\"/
Photo: Visionhaus / Getty Images

After Whirlwind Day, Harry Kane Gives Green Light to Leave Tottenham for Bayern Munich on Eve of Premier League Kickoff

England loses a legend! On the eve of the 2023-24 English Premier League season, Tottenham marksman Harry Kane is reportedly gone. The Spurs striker had been the subject of transfer rumors for nearly a year with Bundesliga club Bayern Munich in hot pursuit. Tottenham received the latest $110 million transfer offer on Wednesday, which Kane initially declined (reportedly) hoping it might remain in England. After late-night calls with Bundesliga officials, he changed his tone. Spurs departs with a club legend and waves goodbye to an era of Kane at the 9-spot, and this season’s Premier League outlook instantly looks different.

Who Is Harry Kane?

The 30-year-old Englishman from Walthamstow has spent the last decade as the target man for Tottenham. He’s the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer with 280 goals, and he’s also the captain of the England National Team. He has 213 goals in Premier League play (2nd all-time), just 48 behind Alan Shearer’s record (260). And regardless of Tottenham’s slide in the past few seasons, Harry Kane is quite possibly England’s biggest soccer star of the last decade. Now, he’s moving to Germany where more goals await at Bayern.

Matchday 1 of the Premier League season begins this afternoon with Burnley facing the two-time champions, Manchester City (3:00 pm ET). Full EPL Opening Weekend Schedule

Read More

The Guardian: Harry Kane Ready to Accept Bayern Munich Move & Leave Tottenham

B/R: Harry Kane & Bayern Munich Reportedly Agree to 4-Year Deal Amid Tottenham Transfer

______________________________________________________________________________________

HIGHLIGHTS

MLB

Clayton Kershaw Wins in Return to Dodgers (2-1)

Pirates No. 1 Pick Paul Skenes Throws 101 MPH in Triple-A

Braves’ Matt Olson Hits 40th HR to Tie Shohei Ohtani

Women’s World Cup (Quarterfinals)

Spain Beats Netherlands With Extra-Time Winner (2-1)

WNBA

Mercury Set WNBA Record for Points in a Quarter (45), Beat Sun (90-84)

*WNBA’s 3 Last-Placed Teams All Win on Same Night (Mercury, Fever, Storm)

LPGA

Ally Ewing (-4) Leads After Round 1 of AIG Women’s Open

______________________________________________________________________________________

STORYLINES

Lefty’s Billion in Bets

A new book written by a professional gambler alleges that Phil Mickelson\’s career wagers exceeded $1 billion and that he lost around $100 million. It also claims Mickelson tried to place a substantial bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup while he was on Team USA. (Sporting News)

MLB Teams Under Pressure

Six MLB teams are under intense pressure in the final two months of baseball season, and there’s more to play for than just a playoff berth. Here’s why the Angels, Padres and more are feeling the heat. (CBS Sports)

Updated Fantasy Football Rankings

Regular season football is fast approaching, and you’re likely drafting your team soon. With injuries, roster cuts and depth charts making waves during training camps, who’s rising and falling in our Fantasy Football rankings? (The Ringer)

______________________________________________________________________________________

NEWS

______________________________________________________________________________________

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Weekend Must-Watch List

Say goodbye to the summer dry spell! Golf playoffs, NFL preseason, soccer in droves and plenty more are in store this weekend. The fall sports schedule is blooming, and we’re here for it. Here’s what we’re watching this weekend:

FedExCup Playoffs

St. Jude Championship (All Weekend)

NFL Preseason

Packers at Bengals (Fri. 7:00 pm)

Jets at Panthers (Sat. 4:00 pm)

Eagles at Ravens (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Chargers at Rams (Sat. 9:00 pm)

Chiefs at Saints (Sun. 1:00 pm)

49ers at Raiders (Sun. 4:00 pm)

Full NFL Preseason Week 1 Schedule

*All Games on NFL Network

MLB

Braves-Mets Series

Yankees-Marlins Series

Guardians-Rays Series

Angels-Astros Series

Rangers-Giants Series

Orioles-Mariners Series

Full MLB Schedule

FIFA Women’s World Cup (Quarterfinals)

Japan vs. Sweden (Fri. 3:30 am)

Australia vs. France (Sat. 3:00 am)

England vs. Colombia (Sat. 6:30 am)

Soccer

EPL: Chelsea vs. Liverpool (Sun. 11:30 am)

Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC (Fri. 8:30 pm)

WNBA

Mystics at Aces (Fri. 10:00 pm)

Sun at Wings (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Sky at Mystics (Sun. 3:00 pm)

Full WNBA Schedule

*All Times ET

Download The Sportsletter\’s Must-Watch Calendar