The Sporting Tribune Today

Atlanta went into New Orleans on Monday night and ran the Saints off their own field, with Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. both finding the end zone and Michael Penix Jr. looking more comfortable by the week. John Browner says the NFC South is a two-team race between Atlanta and Carolina now that Baker Mayfield is hurt. Josh Tariff joins to explain why Kevin Stefanski is getting the most out of this offense, and the conversation turns to Philadelphia: if you fire Nick Sirianni, who do you hire? John says firing a coach without a plan sends a franchise into a spiral. Then the MLB playoffs: the crew discusses the White Sox as a potential team of destiny, the Yankees’ 0-2 deficit against the Rays, and Grant’s Yankees hate-watch. Plus the NBA preseason opens with a John Collins–Dillon Brooks fight, Rui Hachimura drops 21 for the Clippers, and Josh asks whether Jaylen Brown is an MVP candidate in Philly. It closes with the USC question: how many big games does Lincoln Riley have to win to keep his job?

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Grant Mona and John Browner recap NFL Week 4. The Eagles led the Rams 20-10 at halftime at home. They lost 24-20. Philadelphia failed on fourth-and-goal with seven and a half minutes left, Kyren Williams scored twice in the final four minutes, and Byron Young sacked Jalen Hurts twice on the final drive. John Browner calls it a bullet dodged for the Rams, not a fix, and says the loss exposes Nick Sirianni now that his coordinators are gone.

Tim Parker joins with his Eagles takeaways — Sirianni's decisions, Hurts' passing performance, and Philadelphia's outlook. Plus the Chiefs go to 4-0 by outlasting a Raiders team that left Vegas with nothing to be ashamed of, the Patriots finally put four touchdowns on Buffalo, CeeDee Lamb catches 17 balls for 189 yards in a Cowboys comeback that leaves John asking whether the Texans' defense is finished, and the Chargers fall to 0-4 as John says Justin Herbert is either broken by Mike McDaniel's offense or just not that good anymore.

It closes with the Brewers up 2-0 on the Padres and John blaming San Diego's bullpen management for Game 2, followed by a brief look at Dodgers–Braves as the series heads to Atlanta tied 1–1.

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Cleveland beat Pittsburgh 27-24 on Thursday night, and Grant Mona and John Browner break down Deshaun Watson's resurgence, Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' defense. Eric Lambkins II joins to preview Rams at Eagles with Puka Nacua back. The conversation then turns to Jalen Duren accepting the $200 million contract, the NBA's disappearing middle class, Karl-Anthony Towns' extension talks with the Knicks, and A'ja Wilson and the Aces eliminating Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

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Directed & Produced by: Grant Mona

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Week 4 picks with pivotal games everywhere. Grant and John Browner start with Thursday's Browns-Steelers (John says this is Pittsburgh's game to lose) and the big one for LA: Rams at Eagles, with Puka Nacua expected back and the Rams favored by three on the road. John's warning: after Ben Johnson ran circles around Philadelphia, Sean McVay has to do the same or the comparisons start. Steve Cofield joins with the Patriots plus 6.5 in Buffalo on a buy-low spot, the Niners laying 2.5 against Denver, a Bucs win total he's buying even without Baker Mayfield, and a fade of the 3-0 Raiders' over 8.5. Then the AFC West: Chiefs at Raiders with both unbeatens on the line, and a Chargers offense John doesn't think gets to 17 against Seattle, because Mike McDaniel's system has never worked without elite receivers. Josh Tariff takes the Browns on Thursday night (10-2 at home on Thursdays), and before locks and shocks, John has a message for the fans sending threats and slurs to Cam Ward's family: his mother and sister don't play quarterback.

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Sacramento's media day turned into a story about the people covering the players, after a live stream caught reporters discussing Ben Simmons' and Zach LaVine's appearances. John Browner shares what he learned from watching Lisa Salters work a Lakers locker room a decade ago, and lays down the rule every reporter should live by: if there's a microphone in the room, assume it's on. Beav joins and draws the line at access, not employment — pull the locker room credential, don't end careers. Then Jalen Duren: the Pistons offered five years and $200 million fully guaranteed, he wants the full $287 million max, and he didn't show up to media day. John says somebody in his family needs to tell him he's about to lose generational wealth, Beav warns about the injury that turns a holdout into a disaster, and both see a Nerlens Noel path if he keeps waiting. Plus Zion saying he's not where he wants to be, the Braves take Game 1 from Philadelphia (and Grant's Philly hate-watch continues), the White Sox win their first playoff game in years, and why the Padres, with a first-pitch Tatis homer at Petco, might be the most dangerous team in the bracket.

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Clippers media day was supposed to be about a fresh start. Instead, when Grant asked Trent Redden about Brandon Ingram's readiness, the new president of basketball operations revealed that Ingram's heel procedure in May also repaired a partially torn Achilles — with no return date set. John Browner says the trade now stinks in every direction: Ingram's game was built on length, not explosion, and the Clippers took on damaged goods on the heels of the most tumultuous offseason in franchise history. Add Darius Garland's toe (John will be shocked if he plays 60 games) and Bradley Beal's knee inflammation, and John says if you could lose a media day, the Clippers did. Before that, Case Keenum walked into Monday Night Football as Chicago's third-string quarterback and beat the unbeaten Eagles, and John says Ben Johnson just punched his ticket into the it-doesn't-matter-who's-at-quarterback club. Tim Parker takes it hard, blaming Sean Mannion's offense, 11 penalties and a torched secondary, and circles Rams at Eagles as a wild-card elimination game. Then Tim returns for the Sixers: LeBron said he'd be playing at Madison Square Garden if the Knicks hadn't won a title, and Tim saw no warmth at all in Philadelphia's media day.

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The Rams outgained Denver 273 to 67 in the first half and still left Mile High with a loss. Bo Nix and the Broncos did what they've done since Sean Payton arrived — owned the second half, scored 16 unanswered, and turned the building into a genuine home-field advantage — and Grant is officially out of patience with Chris Shula's defense. John sees twelve bad minutes of football; Grant sees three seasons of the Rams dropping games against good teams, and a revamped secondary that got cooked the exact way it was brought in to prevent. Mykell Mathieu joins with the stat that tells the story (two scores on seven second-half possessions) and a warning: with Buffalo and Philadelphia next, a team some picked to go 15-2 is 1-2. Plus the Chargers lose despite forcing five Buffalo turnovers, the Ravens beat Dallas at the gun in Brazil, Washington upsets the champs behind Marcus Mariota, and the 3-0 Niners are winning while falling apart physically. Josh Tariff joins for Drake Maye's six interceptions, the ball boy who fought Travis Hunter for his first career pick, and the USC debate: Grant is out on Lincoln Riley, and John defends him.

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For two weeks, John Browner called Kevin Stefanski everything but a coach. Thursday night, he had to retract one of them. Atlanta walked into Lambeau and ran Green Bay off its own field 35-14 — Bijan Robinson nearly 200 yards on the ground, Drake London 194 through the air, and a coach who finally threw his own philosophy out the window when he saw the Packers couldn't stop the run. John won't give Michael Penix Jr. full credit for the stat line, but he'll give the night an A-plus. Beav joins to point out Stefanski is now 6-0 on Thursday nights, and the question turns to Green Bay: is this the worst Packers team of John's lifetime, and is Jordan Love now where Justin Herbert has been — out of excuses? Then Mykell Mathieu calls in from Crypto.com Arena for Nneka Ogwumike's final home game, the 2016 champions' halftime tribute, and why her greatest legacy might be the players' union deal that changed what WNBA players get paid. It closes on the Lakers' first media day without LeBron since 2018 and a roster that lives or dies on staying healthy.

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Directed & Produced by: Grant Mona

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Steve Cofield told everyone to trust the Colts at plus 6.5, and after Indianapolis took Kansas City to overtime, John Browner says the man has officially become a verb: we got Cofielded. Steve's back with four more against the grain — the Chargers plus seven in Buffalo, the Titans on the road against a Giants team without Jaxson Dart, Washington at home against Seattle, and the Bucs against Brian Flores' Vikings. Grant and John open with Thursday night's Falcons-Packers (Michael Penix Jr.'s return from the ACL tear, and John's case that nobody feels anything about Green Bay anymore), then tackle Ravens-Cowboys in Brazil, where John says the NFL should postpone the game if the field isn't safe. Plus the Sunday night test for the Rams in Denver, where the Broncos have won 14 of their last 15 home games and John wants to see the new-look secondary prove it against somebody other than Jameis Winston. Josh Tariff joins for the back half with Pittsburgh at home, a Jets coordinator-revenge upset in Detroit, and a Texans-Colts argument that ends with John pulling out the taser.

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Kawhi Leonard just signed a two-year extension with the Raptors worth up to $115 million, and John Browner says it makes perfect sense for both sides — Toronto is the only place he hasn't burned, and he'll get a statue there no matter how the 2019 title was won. But John also has a warning: last season was a contract year, and nobody claws money out of your pocket like the Claw. Grant makes the case that Toronto wouldn't have traded for a 1A star if they believed Scottie Barnes was one. Before that, the Bears' quarterback room gets thinner: Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol with Caleb Williams week to week, which could leave Case Keenum starting against the Eagles — and John calls it a statement game for Ben Johnson. Arash Markazi returns from Australia to explain why Sean McVay finally owning the travel decision was the right move, and what made Australian fans embrace American media. John questions Deion Sanders dismissing Colorado players after a 41-7 loss, and Beav joins to defend LeBron's viral open-run clips and draw the line between Caleb Williams memes and personal attacks.

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Directed & Produced by: Grant Mona

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