While the preseason tends to be a fairly meaningless time in terms of determining the direction of the season, there are some higher-level insights that can be gleaned from the action. So far in the NFL preseason, a few intriguing storylines have emerged.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity and worse for years, have a quarterback problem. Blake Bortles, a first round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, was supposed to be a shoo-in for the starting quarterback spot. However, Bortles has had a lackluster training camp and an even worse first two preseason games. He played very poorly against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 2. Veteran Chad Henne is a viable starting option at this point to take his job. Bortles’ dull performance led head coach Doug Marrone to make this statement: “[The QB position] is right up there for grabs, and either person can take it.”

In Buffalo, the Bills are dealing with some quarterback issues. Tyrod Taylor has youth on his side, but has been very inconsistent through the preseason. To make matters worse, Sammy Watkins, his number one target, was shipped out to Los Angeles. The Bills did bring in another big target in Jordan Matthews in a trade with the Eagles; however, he suffered an injury in his first practice as a Bill.

In week 2 of preseason versus the Philadelphia Eagles, he threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.

Denver, however, has found their starter at the QB position. Last week the Denver Broncos announced that Trevor Siemian would be starting for the second consecutive season over Paxton Lynch. Siemian has been showing more aggressive tendencies and more confidence in his throwing ability.

While the NFC East looks to be a strong division this year, the New York Giants could fall short of expectations this year. A huge concern for the Giants going into this season was their struggling offensive line. Unfortunately, their supposed offseason adjustments do not seem to be working at all. In week 2 of preseason, the Browns defense dominated the Giants offense. Also, New York had two injury scares to their best wideouts with hits to Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. OBJ took a nasty but legal hit to his legs and luckily walked away with only a high ankle sprain. Marshall suffered a hit to the shoulder but said he will be fine.

Staying the NFC East, the Eagles are struggling with their running back situation. Currently, the Eagle’s roster features veterans LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood and rookies Donnel Pumphrey and Corey Clement. The Eagles signed Blount during free agency with the intention of making him a leading running back in the offense. Blount was expected to be a difference maker in the division and possibly in a championship hunt, but he has looked slow and uninspiring so far this preseason.. With no other sure-fire every down back, the Eagles face uncertainty here. Week 3 could be a make or break game for this position group.

Former Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler, came out of retirement last week to sign a one-year-deal with the Miami Dolphins. Cutler played eight years with the Bears before they released him during the off-season. He had announced his retirement and was set to work as a sports commentator until a starting quarterback position opened up in Miami. Ryan Tannehill who was the shoe-in starter for the Dolphins, suffered a severe knee injury that will keep him off the field for possibly the entire season.

According to head coach, Adam Gase, Cutler is the best candidate for the job, offering good news for Cutler and Dolphins fans. Gase was the offensive coordinator for the Bears in 2015 and worked very closely with Cutler. Now, they will be reunited. Gase spoke very highly of Cutler, especially when he defended Cutler’s ability as a quarterback in May.

Another added benefit of Gase and Cutler’s working history together is Cutler’s familiarity with Gase’s plays and offensive schemes. Cutler can ultimately step right into the offense with a good understanding of the plays and game plan.

As for Cutler, taking this deal seems pretty much like a no-brainer. First, he gets to play football again in the National Football League. Second, he’s getting paid a nice sum of $10 million for one year. Third, the Dolphins are a good team and Cutler will have many offensive weapons at his disposal. The Dolphins finished 10-6 in the 2016 season and made the playoffs in the wildcard slot.

For both the Dolphins and Cutler, a one year deal is a smart move. After the 2017 season, the Dolphins, other NFL teams and Cutler can reevaluate their stance and future plans. Worst case, Cutler returns to his original retirement plan of commentating.

Overall, this is a good deal for both Cutler and the Dolphins, and signing Cutler out of all the available quarterbacks on the market makes sense for the team and its needs.

The National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of an investigation regarding an incident that occurred involving their star running back, Ezekiel Elliott.

Elliott was at a Dallas bar late on a Sunday night, July 16, when he punched a 30-year-old man and landed him in the hospital with a nose injury. No arrests were made at the scene and according to a police statement, “no witnesses have come forward to provide any additional information about this incident.”

This becomes the second investigation into Elliott by the league, the first is an investigation on an alleged domestic violence act in 2016. The NFL recently concluded this investigation and Elliott is expected receive a one- or two-game suspension, per ESPN.

The Elliott investigation is in line with the trend of the Dallas Cowboys offseason. Aside from criminal behavior in past years from Cowboys players, this offseason alone, three players have been suspended and three have been arrested. David Irving is facing a four-game suspension and Randy Gregory is facing at least a one-year suspension. Damien Wilson was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and Nolan Carroll was arrested for a DWI and is being punished with a two-game suspension, and, most recently, Lucky Whitehead was arrested for shoplifting. Later, it was revealed that Whitehead was innocent and his involvement was a case of mistaken identity, but the Cowboys had already released him for the infraction.

Jerry Jones, the Cowboys longtime owner, and Jason Garrett, Cowboys head coach, have stated their opinions on the matter. Jones made it clear that he believes Elliott did nothing wrong and, therefore, should not be punished. He said, in a press conference to open training camp, “we’ve got a high bar here,” referring to a high standard for the players they put on their roster.

Garrett expressed the team’s belief in Elliott as a player and a person. Garrett added, “He’s not perfect. He makes mistakes. We all make mistakes.”

Although no legal action has been taken again Elliott, the NFL can discipline any player for conduct the league views as detrimental.

Rookie year wonder and starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott, is being accused of allegedly using a machine to sign his autograph instead of signing memorabilia by hand. Prescott is signing memorabilia for a memorabilia company called Panini.

According to an ESPN article on the topic, Beckett Grading Services is a firm that values trading cards. They investigated five autographed Prescott cards, which were distributed as part of Panini’s 2016 Prizm collection.. Beckett would not verify Prescott’s signature on the card set saying they felt very “machine-like.” In addition, the company concluded that the start and stop points of the signature were clear and lacked a flow of a handwritten signature.

The speculation is that the cards were done by an autopen. Steven Grad, a main authenticator at Beckett, told ESPN, “I immediately knew they were autopen. I’ve never heard of a modern athlete doing this.”

This is not the first case where Panini has had an issue with unauthentic cards.In May, autographs of Atlanta Falcons’ first round pick Takkarist McKinley were found to also have been fabricated.

Panini has an exclusive deal with the player and, after the investigation, signed Prescott to a contract extension.

Recent developments suggest that Prescott has “no knowledge” of how some of his cards have signatures that are not handwritten.

It is very possible that Prescott never saw the cards in discussion. Many times cards are sent to marketing agents before reaching the player.

NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk provided a statement by Panini. Panini released a statement to the public in a press release addressing the issue. In the statement, the company admitted that a small amount of Prescott autographs for the 2016 Prizm set may not be authentic. In order to ensure that customers are getting an authentic product, Panini is recalling all Dak Prescott autographs cards from the Prizm collection.

We have ourselves a series as the Stanley Cup Finals are now tied 2-2. The Nashville Predators proved their resilience when they bounced back on home ice from a two-game deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Predators outscored the Penguins 9-2 over the two games.

In Game 3, the Penguins went 0 for 3 on the power play. Meanwhile, the Predators capitalized on two-thirds of their man advantage opportunities.

Pittsburgh forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, despite being leaders of the team, did not register any shots on net during the game. This is an unusual statistic for some of the league’s most productive players.

The Predators went on to win Game 3 by a score of 5-1.

The Predators continued their impressive play in Game 4, starting with the play of goaltender Pekka Rinne, who played his best game of the series. Rinne made 23 saves and only allowed one goal, making some amazing stops throughout the game.

Frederick Gaudreau, an undrafted free agent for Nashville, has made his Stanley Cup Final debut this year and impressed the sports world with three goals thus far in the series, including one goal in Game 4. Gaudreau doesn’t even has his own locker yet, but looks like he’s on his way to earning one.

Other goal scorers for the Predators were Calle Jarnkrok, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg.

Crosby, the Penguins’ captain, scored the lone goal for the Penguins after being held to no shots in Game 3.

Nashville got on the board first with a goal from Jarnkrok who tapped in the puck off of a Craig Smith assist.

Crosby then tied the game up at 1. Shortly after, Gaudreau slipped in a puck past Penguins goalie Matt Murray and the Predators did not look back.

Rinne delivered a great save after a Crosby breakaway and a shot from Jake Guentzel.

At 13:08 in the second, Nashville went up by two with a goal from Arvidsson, who directed the puck just inside the right post to beat Murray.

With 3:23 left in regulation, Forsberg solidified the victory with an empty-netter. Nashville defeated the Penguins 4-1.

Action will return June 8 in Pittsburgh for Game 5.

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) and Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel (59) watch the puck cross the goal line during game one of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals on Monday, May 29, 2017 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Eric Canha/Cal Sport Media/Zuma Press/TNS)

The Stanley Cup Championship series is finally here. After weeks of grueling competition and intense hockey, only two teams remain to battle it out. The Nashville Predators are looking to win their first Stanley Cup championship in the history of the franchise. On the opposing side, the Pittsburgh Penguins are seasoned veterans in Championship play and are hoping to capture yet another championship.

Game 1 of the series took place on April 29, Memorial Day, when Pittsburgh hosted Nashville. The Penguins found a way to win the game 5-3 despite struggling to get shots off. The Penguins were outshot by a total of 26-12 and went 37 minutes without getting one shot on Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.

The Penguins went up 3-0 in the first period, holding the Predators to no goals despite a goal call that stirred up controversy. PK Subban released a wrist shot that appeared to be a goal; however, the Penguins used a coach’s challenge and the call was reversed as a Predator was offsides during the play.

The Predators ended up staging a comeback in third to tie the game at 3-3. Despite the quick and skillful comeback by the Predators, the Penguins went up by one with 3:17 left in regulation and Nick Bonino finished off the victory with an empty netter.

In game 2, the score was tied at 1 for a majority of the game. However, the Penguins gained momentum and never looked back. They scored 2 goals in 15 seconds in the third period and went up 4-1. The Penguins appeared to have scored a fifth goal; however, after a Predators challenge, the goal was overturned.

Game 3 will be played on Saturday, June 3, when the series goes to Nashville. The Predators will hope to bounce back in front of their home crowd after going down 2-0 in the series.

Photograph courtesy of Jim McIsaac/Newsday/TNS

The New York Mets are in full crisis mode right now as their once elite pitching core is falling apart. The team has been losing games frequently and has given up leads late in games.

A few years ago, the Mets were in a rebuilding phase and decided to build around pitching rather than hitting. This issue with building around pitching is that it is very risky, with the Mets in their current state standing as the prime example of that risk.

With all these injuries to the pitching staff, the Mets are running out of possible starters. A big issue is coming up with Matt Harvey, who has not been performing well. His best purpose is a bullpen pitcher but he has been forced to start because of the lack of talented, healthy pitchers available. He was benched for the second time last week, sending the Mets into a full on crisis mode.

Meanwhile, the Mets are still in second place in the National League East standings. However, they are slipping far behind the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies are gaining on them. The Mets are eight games behind the Nationals and the Phillies are nine games behind the Nationals.

Four main pitchers for the Mets are currently listed on the disabled list. Closer Jeurys Familia is on the 60-day DL. Seth Lugo and Steven Matz are on currently listed on the 10 day DL. Their star pitcher Noah Syndergaard — known as Thor — is on the 60-day DL and his return date is undetermined.

Now the Mets will try to get back on a winning streak after being swept by the Brewers last week. They will have to figure out a game plan with the healthy personnel they have available.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) stops a shot from the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Jack Johnson, middle, who gets behind the Penguins’ Matt Cullen during the second period of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The Penguins won, 5-2, to win the series 4-1. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/TNS)

With the second round of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs now in the books, the Conference Finals loom ahead. The second round was a fiercely fought bout for all eight teams involved, and the four conference finalists still have much work ahead of them.  

In a six game series, the Nashville Predators eliminated the St. Louis Blues to reach their first Western Conference finals in team history. After capturing a victory in Game 1, the Predators allowed the Blues to tie the series 1-1 in a 3-2 St. Louis victory in Game 2. Undaunted by the Blues’ evening the series, the Predators captured victories in the next two contests to go up 3-1 in the series. Despite losing Game 5, the Predators closed the series in the sixth game at home to advance to their first conference final in franchise history.

The Anaheim Ducks battled the Edmonton Oilers in a contested series that wrapped up in seven games, the seventh being held May 10. The Oilers forced a Game 7 at home by winning Game 6 in dominating fashion after a devastating double overtime loss in Game 5. Through the first 56 minutes of Game 5, the Oilers led 3-0. With four minutes remaining in regulation, Anaheim pulled their goalie and was able to tie the game and go on to win in overtime. Game 7 matched the excitement of the rest of the series, as the Ducks managed to win in a tight one, 2-1, to capture a conference final berth.

The New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins fought through the second round in the east.

The Rangers faced off against the Senators. After two tough overtime losses to Ottawa, the Rangers find themselves down 3-2 in the series. The Rangers hoped to force a Game 7 in front of their home crowd May 9, but unfortunately failed to do so, as the Senators pulled out a 4-2 victory to capture the 4-2 series win. In the other second round series in the east, a great hockey rivalry showed its best side. The Capitals and Penguins fought viciously to the end. The Penguins looked like they had the easy win in this series when they went up 3-1 in the series but the Capitals were able to come back from the deficit and force a Game 7 in Pittsburgh on Monday May 8. The Capitals had the advantage of home ice in the game, but once again Capitals fans were left heartbroken as the team was shutout and lost the clinching game, 2-0.

The Penguins and Senators will face off in the east for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals while the Predators and Ducks will do the same in the west. If the first two rounds are any indication, hockey fans are in for a real treat with the coming series.

The Drexel University men’s and women’s crew teams competed this past weekend in their last competition before the Dad Vail Regatta.

The men’s team competed in Leonia, New Jersey April 29. In the third varsity eight, they defeated Columbia University’s lightweight crew.

The third varsity eight team finished with a time of 5:46.1. Drexel’s freshman boat followed in second with a time of 5:50.1. In the first varsity eight race, the Dragons’ boat finished in second behind Columbia with a time of 5:44.8 and with a time of 5:59.5 in the second varsity eight.

The women competed April 30 in Worcester, Massachusetts for the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Women’s Sprints. Three boats advanced to the grand finals.

Drexel’s third varsity eight finished with the team’s best overall finish of the day. The boat finished third in the grand final. The varsity four came in fourth place overall, while the second varsity eight also advanced to the grand final and came in sixth.

The third varsity eight boat finished in third with a time of 7:33.144 behind Radcliffe College and Northeastern University. In the varsity four grand final, Drexel took fourth with a time of 8:00.917. Columbia finished first in that race with a time of 7:40.643.

In the second varsity eight grand final where Drexel took sixth overall, the boat finished with a time of 7:19.018. The winning time in that race was 6:49.595. In the varsity eight petite final, Drexel took second with a time of 7:06.68 behind Boston College.

The Dragons will return to action on their home course on the Schuylkill River where they will race May 12-13 for their fifth consecutive overall team title in the Dad Vail Regatta.

Photo courtesy Drexeldragons.com

The Drexel University men’s and women’s tennis teams competed in the Colonial Athletic Association Championships this past weekend in North Carolina.

The men’s team was seeded sixth going into the championships, but they fell 4-0 to the third seeded College of William and Mary Tribe in the quarterfinals.

The Tribe dominated in the second and third doubles spots and earned another victory in the first doubles spot. They continued to earn wins in each singles spot.

The men’s team finished out its 2016-17 season with a 13-8 record overall, 2-1 in CAA matchups. The 13 wins matched the program single season record, which was set last season.

The women made it to the semifinals in their CAA Championships campaign. Drexel swept the Hofstra University Pride 4-0. The Dragons were seeded eighth, while the Pride were seeded ninth.

The win against Hofstra was Drexel’s first victory in CAA Championships since 2012.

The Dragons defeated the Pride in dominating fashion in the second and third doubles matches. Freshman Ghita Benhadi and junior Kendra Bunch teamed up for a win in the second spot. Seniors Lea Winkler and Honami Yazawa earned the win in the third spot.

Drexel did more of the same in the singles matches. Yazawa, Benhadi, Bunch, and junior Ryshena Providence defeated their Hofstra opponents.

With the win the women advanced to the semifinals against William and Mary.

Unfortunately, the women could not earn a semifinal victory. They fell to the Tribe 4-0, who happened to be the top seeded team in the tournament.

Drexel put in good effort against the Tribe in the doubles match, but in the end could not get the points.

In the third doubles spot, Winkler and Yazawa forced a tiebreaker, but could not hold on. Providence and junior Clary Rodriguez Cruz also brought their William and Mary counterparts to tiebreakers, but the match wasn’t completed.

The Tribe dominated in the singles matches, taking away any chances for the Dragons to recover.
 
The Drexel women finished their season with a 16-9 record, 2-3 in CAA play. The team reached a new program record for wins in a single season.