In February 2022, the Bengals missed the Super Bowl by three small points, but regardless, the future seemed bright in Cincinnati.

In any case, that’s what we, the most seasoned experts in American football, believed, capable of seeing the future each season, often in a very impressive way; for example, this column has been predicting since 1970 that the New York Jets are not going to win the Super Bowl, and that’s still exactly what happens.

The Bengals have never won anything, but their presence on the big stage two years ago suggested that, a bit like the Nordiques in 1990, the best was yet to come.

Well, no.

As of this hour, the Bengals are a dismal 1-4, and even then, their only win came against the Carolina Panthers, who are about as bad as they are.

The good news for the Bengals is that this “landing” is fairly easily explained: their defense is pretty awful. The less good news is that it is probably already too late to try to solve this problem.

In five games, the Bengals have allowed a total of 145 points, which gives a pretty staggering average of 29 points per game. No one else in the American Association looks this bad, and in the league as a whole, only the Carolina Panthers are even worse in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are wasting the best years of Joe Burrow, who turns 28 in December. He wouldn’t be the first quality quarterback to waste his talent in this uniform.

Is it necessary here to remember that in American football, as in life in general, there is never anything certain? This reality reminds us of this sublime quote from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who once wrote that “supreme happiness is a hundred times sweeter to hope for than to obtain”.

Rousseau must have been a Bengals fan, obviously.

You are probably aware that the New York Jets fired their coachbut that’s not the worst. The worst part is that poor Robert Saleh would have been escorted to the door like a pauper by security agents.

It’s undoubtedly one of the worst moments in the history of a club that collects the worst moments, from Mark Sanchez dropping a ball on his lineman’s pussy, to a visibly hot Joe Namath trying to to kiss a reporter live on TV (we’re going to move on to the naughty photo of Brett Favre because there are children here).

We can never repeat it enough: in football, as in life, everything starts from the top. The leaders of the Jets, who display a level of competence similar to that of the inventors of Pepsi Crystal, thus opted for the easy way, instead of realizing that their ground game is non-existent, and that their quarterback who hears voices in his head is finished.

In addition, barely installed, new coach Jeff Ulbrich decided to give control of the attack to assistant Todd Downing, who will call the plays from now on. This is not a detail because this task previously fell to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, close and confidant of Aaron Rodgers.

It’s obvious that this is going to end very badly. As per usual.

Someone whispers in my ear that the inbox is overflowing again, so let’s get to it right away.

First, Luc Girouard from Sept-Îles sends us this timely little comment: “Would Prince Rodgers have plotted to kick Robert Saleh out in order to take his place? »

We all see what you did, Luc.

Then, there is a certain Nicolas B. from Laval who sent this: “Hi Richard. Great weekly column on football. Really entertaining. In addition, you allow my teenagers to read about football in French, which is still a challenge […] If you ever make a reference to my comment, my sports travel gang is buying me a beer on our next trip. »

You will demand a micro beer, Nicolas. Finally, there is Marco Campanozzi who can no longer hear about “mixing” and the right chair: “I can’t do it anymore!!! »

We are Marco.

It will be another great opportunity to lock yourself in front of the TV while pretending to do something constructive, because Sunday’s menu is particularly spicy.

Thus, Commanders in a state of grace will go to Baltimore to prove that they are serious, the Chargers will go to Denver in the hope of recovering after two defeats in a row, and the Cowboys will host the Lions, in a match that they can’t really let slip away, just to build something following the little miracle last Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Don’t forget to check out the colors during halftime.

Are you ready for two NFL betting suggestions for Week 6?

CHOICE #1

My first choice is the game between the Pittsburgh Raiders defeated Chargers in final play in overtime”>Steelers and the Las Vegas Raiders. In this game, I’m betting on the first half point spread in favor of the Steelers.

I like the Pittsburgh club’s chances in this matchup, but a three-point spread for the entire game doesn’t reassure me much. It’s hard to bet on a team that has averaged 18.4 points per game and is favored by three points in an away game. For this reason, I chose to bet on the lead in the first half.

The Raiders are a disaster. Wide receiver Davante Adams has asked to be traded, and there are rumors that some players are unhappy with their coach, Antonio Pierce. Maxx Crosby played through a sprained ankle last week, but the team will be without Christian Wilkins on Sunday. Additionally, three of their offensive linemen are currently questionable cases.

After surprising the NFL world by beating the Baltimore Ravens, the Raiders followed with a horrendous 36-22 loss at home to the weak Carolina Panthers. They then took advantage of DeShaun Watson’s largesse to win, before losing 34-18 to the Denver Broncos last week.

For me, it comes down to the fact that Pittsburgh’s defense is much better than Vegas’. The Steelers weren’t very impressive on offense against the Dallas Cowboys last week, but things will be easier against the Raiders.

The state of mind is probably much better on the Pittsburgh side. After starting the season 3-0, they lost their last two games, and I think they will get back to winning ways this week. They will start strong against a rusty Aidan O’Connell, who will make his first start in 2024.

CHOICE #2

We have a great NFC game taking place at the beautiful AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In this game, I am betting on the Detroit Lions.

Jared Goff lacks mobility, so he tends to struggle under pressure. When he has time to analyze the field, he dissects the defense.

Knowing this, who will put pressure on Goff in this matchup? The Cowboys will be without their two best quarterback hunters, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Even defensive end Marshawn Kneeland will not be in the game. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Linebacker Eric Kendricks made a big impact in his first month with his new team. However, he is hampered by calf and shoulder injuries, so he could be sidelined. It would be a big blow for this defense.

Meanwhile, Detroit’s offense is healthy, while their defense will have safety Brian Branch back.

I’ve read statistical reports that show that elite teams after their bye week tend to perform well. In other words, they really benefit from the extra time. Also, the away favorites after their bye week beat the point spread at a high rate.

The Lions meet both of those criteria, so I like our chances of winning this bet.

The little extra is the “revenge” factor. Do you remember last year’s meeting between these two teams? The Lions scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left and trailed by one point. Instead of attempting the extra point to send the game into overtime, they decided to attempt a two-point conversion.

Offensive lineman Taylor Decker caught a pass on what appeared to be the game-winning play, but he was ruled ineligible as a receiver. The video shows him talking to the referee before the play, so it looked like a bad call. Coach Dan Campbell still seems upset about the game, which should add some extra motivation.

I also think the Cowboys will play under pressure. After winning 16 straight home games, they lost their first two home games this season.

Detroit’s offense wasn’t in great shape through the first three games, averaging 18.7 points scored per game. But they ultimately exploded for 42 points against the Seattle Seahawks, so I think they’ll continue that momentum. I don’t think Dallas can stop them with all these missing pieces on defense.

Have a great and lucrative weekend, my sports bettor friends!

At the age of 30, it feels fresh and new – Preview of the CBA for the 2024-2025 season

2024-10-12 11:20:48.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Author: Wu Bowen, Yu Sihui, Cao Yibo

The 2024-2025 Chinese Men’s Basketball Professional League (CBA) regular season will start on the 12th. The new CBA season will usher in many innovations. The regular season will be adjusted to 46 rounds, the CBA Club Cup will make its debut, and the foreign aid policy will also be adjusted. Many teams “recruit” during the offseason to strengthen their lineups and strive to achieve good results in the new season.

New territory: Many teams are recruiting new players and hoping for breakthroughs

According to CBA official data, before the start of the new season, all 20 teams have players joining or leaving. The 20 clubs completed a total of 46 player transactions, including 10 transfers, 21 free agent claims and signings, 2 matching signings, 4 transfers of exclusive signing rights, and 9 loans; a total of 4 top-paid players passed the exclusive signing rights The players were traded to new clubs through transfers (2 people), transfers (1 person) and free agent claims (1 person) and signed with maximum salaries, which is the most in history.

Many blockbuster transactions during the offseason indicate that the league pattern will undergo certain changes in the new season. Many teams are capable of competing for the championship, and at the same time, fans are full of expectations for the new season.

Zhou Qi joining the Beijing team is undoubtedly one of the blockbuster transactions. Coming to Beijing from the Guangdong team, if Zhou Qi can maintain good physical condition, he will still have inside dominance in the CBA. During the regular season last season, Zhou Qi averaged 17.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 27.9 minutes per game. The addition of Zhou Qi will bring great help to the Beijing team on both offense and defense in the interior.

At the same time, the Beijing team also signed three foreign players and acquired excellent outside player Chen Yingjun from the Guangzhou team. Under the leadership of new coach Xu Limin, the Beijing team is expected to return to the championship ranks in the new season.

Another team in Beijing, the Beijing Control Team, has also made big moves. The addition of Shen Zijie has further improved the team’s strength. Sullinger, the best foreign aid in the regular season last season, has joined the team. Sullinger averaged 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the regular season last season and has good offensive capabilities. The “Beijing Derby” in the new season is full of highlights.

The defending champion Liaoning team retains the main lineup of last season. Guo Ailun leaves the team and welcomes Wang Lanyi to the back line. The team’s performance on the back line will be a highlight of the new season.

The traditional strong team Guangsha successfully renewed the contracts of its three main players Hu Jinqiu, Sun Minghui and Zhao Yanhao. The championship is still the team’s ultimate goal. Although the “11-time champion” Guangdong team failed to retain Zhou Qi, it got Wang Shaojie on loan from the Beijing Control Team, and its overall strength should not be underestimated.

In addition to player transfers, the new faces who will land in the CBA in the new season are also worthy of attention. Xie Zhijie from Beijing Sports University was selected as the “number one” in the draft and will represent the Shandong team in the new season. Xie Zhijie is an outstanding defender in the China University Basketball League (CUBAL) and led Beijing Sport University to third place in CUBAL twice. Can the rookies adapt to the game, integrate into the team, and shine in the new season? Worth the wait. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

New event: self-renewal to create CBA Club Cup

In order to continue to promote the reform of the competition system, provide more training opportunities for local players, and enrich the CBA League competition brand system, CBA Company has launched a new competition in the new season-CBA Club Cup. This event will adopt a tournament system to determine the champion, and the participating teams will be the CBA League teams of the current season.

Jiang Jian, general manager of CBA Company, said: “The CBA Club Cup is a self-renewal of CBA. The CBA Club established the cup to pay tribute to the league entering its 30th season and to pay tribute to Chinese basketball.”

The group stage of the first cup will be held during the first league suspension period in November this year. There will be a total of 4 divisions with 5 teams in each division. Each group adopts a single round-robin format, and the top two teams in each group advance to the finals. The final stage will be held during the second league suspension period in February 2025. The 8 teams promoted in the first stage will compete in a single-elimination knockout match in the same division to finally determine the champion of the first cup.

It is worth mentioning that in the previous draw ceremony, strong teams such as Liaoning team, Beijing team, and Xinjiang team were placed in the same group, and the performance of each team in the first cup also attracted much attention.

The CBA foreign aid policy in the new season will implement 4 players (maximum) and 7 players in 4 quarters (maximum of 2 players in each quarter in the first three quarters, and maximum of 1 player in the fourth quarter). Many teams signed new foreign players during the offseason, hoping to improve the team’s overall strength. It is worth paying attention to whether the increase in the frequency of foreign players’ appearances can stimulate the competitive level of local players.

A healthy and high-level league is inseparable from complete rules. According to the relevant person in charge, the new season will increase penalties for bad behaviors such as “malicious injury to others, discriminatory words and deeds, and illegal behavior”; open channels for interviews and reporting will accept reports from all parties on violations of regulations and disciplines such as “fake gambling” in basketball matches and complaints; clarify the appeal process for disputed penalties, and establish a referee supervision and evaluation team to be responsible for referee supervision, identification of penalty objections, and disclosure of penalty results during the league.

Regarding the new season, Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, said: “The new season is about to begin. We look forward to providing more exciting events to fans across the country during this season. We also hope that all of us can find our own value.”

Xu Jicheng, vice chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association and chairman of CBA Company, said that the CBA League will take the 30th anniversary as an opportunity to work with people from all walks of life and fans who love basketball across the country to unswervingly promote the deepening reform of professional basketball and provide satisfactory events to the people. , and strive to build a strong sports country.