Powered by:
Morning Coffee: Rourke ready to take the field in Falcons pre-season opener
Published
Pride whispers that we can do it all on our own.
Reality reminds us that even the greatest champions need support.
The San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys are both among the top five choices to win the NFC Championship at FanDuel.
Both organizations are dealing with an elite wide receiver talent in search of a new contract.
The 49ers are reportedly considering trading their star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
At this point, trading Aiyuk is a puzzling move both in terms of timing and the fact that any potential return is unlikely to compensate for the loss of Aiyuk’s impact on the field.
Aiyuk is still under contract with San Francisco for one more season.
If a trade was considered an option, the 49ers should have been more aggressive looking for a partner earlier in the offseason when it might have been easier to find a potential replacement for Aiyuk.
Meanwhile in Dallas, CeeDee Lamb is looking for a new contract that reflects his status as one of the premier pass-catching options in the NFL.
The Cowboys have built their offence around Dak Prescott and his star receiver Lamb, yet both players are entering the final year of their current contracts.
Owner Jerry Jones surprised many when he told reporters on Thursday that he doesn’t have “a sense of urgency” when it comes to signing Lamb to a long-term extension.
Lamb’s response was subtle but telling, as he removed “America’s Team” from his bio on X and responded to beat reporter Jon Machota’s retelling of Jones’ comments with a simple, “LOL.”
It’s 2024, people.
We’re just 27 days away from the start of the regular season and both Aiyuk and Lamb are unhappy with their current situations.
The good news is that Aiyuk and Lamb are both under contract for one more season.
Still, nobody is happier with the current news cycle than fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers.
Those three teams round out the list of the top five choices to win the NFC title this season at FanDuel.
All three teams will have a much better chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl if the 49ers and the Cowboys don’t have their star wide receivers available and at full strength this season.
This is the Morning Coffee for Friday, August 9th, 2024.
Rourke Ready To Take The Field In Falcons Pre-Season Opener
The New England Patriots are among the many teams still searching for an elite, alpha wide receiver that could provide a spark like what Aiyuk and Lamb provide in San Francisco and Dallas.
The Patriots didn’t need a stud wide receiver to handle their business in their pre-season opener against the Carolina Panthers last night.
New England cruised to a 17-3 win over Carolina, covering easily as a 6.5-point favourite at FanDuel.
That game marked the dawn of a new era in Foxborough, with Jerod Mayo making his debut as head coach and rookie quarterback Drake Maye seeing his first NFL pre-season action.
However, Patriots fans understand it’s important to temper expectations for the regular season.
New England’s win total is set at over/under 4.5 at FanDuel.
The Patriots are also a heavy favourite to finish with the NFL’s worst regular season record at +310 at FanDuel.
There’s no doubt it will be a transition year with a new head coach, a new franchise quarterback, and plenty of new pieces to experiment with in the loaded AFC East.
There might not be many more double-digit victories to celebrate this season.
Elsewhere, the New York Giants also covered easily as a 2.5-point favourite in a 14-3 win over the Detroit Lions.
As head coach Brian Daboll said, “it’s always good to get a win.”
Like the Patriots, the Giants are a top five choice to finish with the worst record in the NFL this season at +950.
FanDuel set the G-Men’s win total at over/under 6.5.
Meanwhile, the CFL Week 10 opener provided a far more entertaining finish than either NFL pre-season game as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Redblacks battled to our first tie of the season.
It took some time for the scoring to ramp up, but the teams traded 34 points in the fourth quarter and a pair of overtimes before eventually settling for a 22-22 tie.
The Riders covered as a 2.5-point dog as CFL underdogs improved to 24-14 against the spread.
The under also improved to 21-17.
Next up, we get a rematch between the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts on Friday Night Football.
While I’ll have the CFL game up on one screen, I’ll also be watching the NFL pre-season with a former CFL star quarterback expected to get some reps for his new team.
Nathan Rourke is the fourth quarterback on the Atlanta Falcons’ initial pre-season depth chart.
Rourke will compete with Taylor Heinicke for the third spot in Atlanta’s quarterback rotation behind Kirk Cousins and rookie first round pick Michael Penix Jr.
Rourke should see snaps in tonight’s pre-season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
After cashing bets on the Patriots and Giants to win and cover as favourites last night, I’ll double down and take the Falcons -1.5 -130 for tonight’s game against Miami.
Mike White and Skylar Thompson give the Dolphins some decent depth at quarterback, but I’m going to take Rourke and Heinicke to lead Atlanta to a win as they compete for a roster spot.
Plus, I’m looking forward to getting our first look at Penix.
Speaking of NFL pre-season picks, I’m also on the Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Cleveland Browns to win and cover this weekend.
Here are my remaining picks for Week 1 of the NFL pre-season:
Atlanta Falcons -1.5 at Miami Dolphins
Washington Commanders -2.5 at New York Jets
Las Vegas Raiders -2.5 at Minnesota Vikings
Cleveland Browns -3 vs. Green Bay Packers
The Commanders have a new head coach in Dan Quinn and I’m expecting to see rookie second-overall pick Jayden Daniels get some snaps along with Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskel and Sam Hartman.
The Jets are focused on contending for an AFC East title this season, and I’m expecting Quinn to try to set the tone for the pre-season with a Washington win at home.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have a deep QB competition with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell fighting for the starting job.
They also added pre-season stud Anthony Brown from the Baltimore Ravens.
The Packers are very thin at quarterback behind Jordan Love and their running back rotation is banged up.
Meanwhile, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Tyler Huntley make up an experienced QB room for Cleveland behind Deshaun Watson.
Hopefully, I can finish Week 1 of the NFL pre-season off the way that I started.
Regardless, it’s great to have the NFL back.
Have a great weekend, everyone!