Starting Five

The most discussed sports topics at water coolers across America

1. The Scuttlebutt on the “Tush Push”

The Scoop: The Philadelphia Eagles have perfected a play fans call the “Tush Push.” Jalen Hurts, the Eagles' quarterback, gets a little boost from behind by his teammates whenever they need that crucial yard. The play became legal in 2005, but no one's mastered it quite like the Eagles. Hurts is 225 pounds and can squat over 600 pounds. With that strength combined with the added weight from the push, they can get at least a yard almost every play. Critics argue that it gives an unfair advantage to the offense and raises safety concerns. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni’s response? “If everyone could do it, they would.” It has the internet buzzing against this week, as The Washington Commanders proved it’s stoppable by forcing a turnover at the goal line.

Conversation Starter: Should we celebrate or admonish teams finding loopholes in the rulebook?

2. Kansas Football: From Zero to Hero in Two Seasons

The Scoop: Jayhawk fans stormed the field, ripped down the goalposts, and carried the posts to a local lake to celebrate Kansas’ upset over undefeated Oklahoma. Kansas did not have a single winning season from 2009-2021, but times are changing. Coach Lance Leipold’s arrival after the 2021 season transformed their fortunes. In just 2 seasons he turned the program from a team that was considered a free win to the #22 team in the country. The team has swagger and confidence and fans of the traditional basketball powerhouse are packing the stadium. How far can this run go?

Conversation Starter: Would you storm the field after a big win?

3. Rangers and D-Backs Trade Blows

The Scoop: We can’t stop talking about Adolis Garcia, but, trust us, it’s for good reason. He simply will not stop hitting home runs! In the first game of a seven-game-series, Garcia hit a 2-run walk off home run to beat the Diamondbacks 6-5. But the Diamondbacks aren't ones to back down; they roared back with a decisive 9-1 victory in game 2. With games 3, 4, and 5 in Arizona this week, the D-Backs aim to capitalize on home-field advantage.

Conversation Starter: Do you agree with the 2-3-2 home and away format of the MLB, or is the 2-2-1-1-1 the NBA adopted in 2014 better, even if it forces more travel?

4. Coaches vs Players: The Blame Game

The Scoop: When a sports team loses, fingers start pointing. Many coaches point to themselves and take responsibility, but some, Pat Narduzzi of Pittsburgh and Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders of Colorado, aren’t shy about placing the blame on the talent of their team. After an embarrassing 51 point loss to Notre Dame, Narduzzi commented that they “lost a lot of good players” and “did not do a good job [replacing them].” The players were outraged, many tweeting reactions to their coaches words. That night, Sanders followed suit, saying he needs to go get better players into their team if they want to win. Will these comments light a fire to make players try harder, or will they quit on the team? Only time will tell.

Conversation Starter: Responsibility or blame-shifting, what’s your take?

5. Fantasy Football Round Up: Quick Talking Points

Kings of Consistency: Top Fantasy Draft picks Christian McCaffery and Travis Etienne put up points weekly with 10 and 7 TDs in the past 5 games for each respectively. In Fantasy, consistency is paramount and these two make managing a Fantasy team easy

Go Get Will Levis: You may remember him from putting mayonnaise in coffee and eating bananas with the peel on. Well, after an injury to starter Ryan Tannehill, Levis threw for 4 touchdown passes Sunday for the Titans and could be a boost to Fantasy teams without a good QB.

QB Injuries Across the League: The Quarterback injury woes continue, as on Sunday Kirk Cousins of the Vikings tore his achilles, Ram’s QB Matt Stafford left the game with his hand wrapped by training staff, Kenny Pickett of the Steelers and Tyrod Taylor of the Giants were both sidelined with rib injuries, and Falcons QB Desmond Ritter left his game with a concussion. Football is a dangerous sport, and Fantasy Owners know that as well as anyone.

Cowboys Defense the Differentiator: Fantasy games have such tight margins, a high scoring defense can be the decider. The Cowboys defense is the top scoring defense with this week being the fourth week this season with double digit points.

Conversation Starter: How’d your fantasy team do this week?

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“Sports” Moments of the Weekend

One thing we love about sports is the funny moments they deliver, here are some rapid fire viral memes, videos, and posts for your enjoyment!

The Broncos blast Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” to troll the Chiefs after a 24-9 win

No throwing snowballs at the opposing team!

When the Tush Push doesn’t work

This fan brought a Goldfish to the game, since then? FSU hasn’t lost

Uhhh, how did they fact check that stat?

Chargers social media trolls the Bears after a dominant 30-13 win

Here are some of the best sports Halloween costumes we saw this weekend:

Ricky Bobby

Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel

The Joker

Jets players as Akatsuki

What We’re Watching This Week

If you're at a bar, they might be showing these games. Here's what you should know:

Monday Night Football

• Detroit Lions vs Las Vegas Raiders (Monday Night at 8:15 ET): The Lions have impressed this year, but an illness may leave them without Star receiver Amon-Ra St Brown. Will they still have enough to score against a staunch Raiders defense?

MLB Playoffs

The World Series (See the World Series Schedule here)

• Texas Rangers vs Arizona Diamondbacks: (Monday Night Game 3, Tuesday Night Game 4, Wednesday Night Game 5): The series is tied 1-1, but with three games in Arizona coming up, the Diamondbacks hope to use their home crowd to their advantage.

Subscriber Question of the Week

Do you have a sports topic you want to get smart on? Let us know here.

This week, Ivan from New York asked, "Most of my friends don’t watch the NBA until the postseason. Why doesn’t the regular season matter? Just that champions are crowned in the playoffs?"

Let's break this down, Ivan. The significance of the regular season varies across sports. Take the NFL, for example, where they've got just 17 games. In such a short season, every win or loss can be a game-changer for a team's playoff hopes. They can't afford to take it easy.

Now, contrast that with baseball, which has a 162-game season and games every day. With that marathon, teams might strategically lose a few games here and there to give their players some much-needed rest. It's all about finding balance.

But here's where the NBA throws us a curveball. Ever heard the term "load management"? It's NBA lingo for when star players take a breather in certain games to "manage the load" of a grueling season. The goal? Secure a playoff spot while ensuring your key players are in prime condition when it's crunch time.

Unlike baseball and football, the NBA playoffs don't have first-round byes. Over half the teams get a ticket to the postseason party, and some teams even "tank" on purpose, losing games to get better draft picks (that's a conversation for another newsletter). That's why, for many NBA teams, staying healthy and hitting their peak in the playoffs is more vital than being the top seed.

So, Ivan, here's the scoop: The regular season is important, no doubt. But when it comes to the NBA, the playoffs take the cake. Each team crafts its unique strategy to clinch that playoff spot and aims to keep their star players in tiptop shape for that championship run.

We hope this helps!

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The Fastbreakk