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NFL’s 5 biggest surprises heading into Week 11: The Steelers deserve our respect

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made an incredible comeback.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

The 2019 NFL season is just zipping along, as Week 11(!) kicks off tonight when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cleveland to take on a Browns team that has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

But what a year it has been thus far for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, who are now holding on to the sixth playoff spot in the AFC after reeling off four straight wins thanks to a defense that has been carrying a young offense lead by backup QB Mason Rudolph.

So before Week 11 gets underway, let’s look at the five biggest surprises of the season so far.

1. The Pittsburgh Steelers deserve our respect.

As I stated above, the Steelers could have packed things up earlier this year and nobody would have blinked an eye. They lost Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown during the offseason and then lost Ben Roethlisberger to a season-ending injury in Week 2. They were 0-2 at that point and things looked bleak. Now if they beat the Browns on TNF they’ll move to 6-4, which will only help their playoff chances. Tomlin has done an unbelievable job with this team and deserves a ton of credit for what they’ve been able to do so far. The biggest change, of course, happened when they traded two picks, including a first rounder, to the Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick. The safety has been a an absolute stud on a defense that has been one of the best in the league since he joined the team. The Steelers deserve our respect for such an incredible turnaround.

2. Lamar Jackson is so darn good.

The 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is now one of the best QB’s in the league and is a legit MVP candidate in just his first year as the full-time starter. His ridiculous TD run against the Bengals last week was just another incredible highlight in what has been a dominant season for the former Heisman winner. He is on pace to break Michael Vick’s rushing record for a QB and he has the Ravens looking like a team that can contend for a Super Bowl title. Hard to imagine that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were drafted so far ahead of him two years ago because he’s so much better than both of those average QBs.

3. The Oakland Raiders aren’t a laughingstock.

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock took a ton of heat in the preseason when they tried to deal with Antonio Brown, who we later learned was impossible to deal with. Now the Raiders are 5-4 and just a half game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West. Making things even better for them is that they host the winless Bengals on Sunday, which should be an easy win. I guess Gruden can still coach after all.

4. The Kansas City Chiefs… haven’t been great.

Many thought Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who were the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year, would be unstoppable this year. Well, they haven’t been. While Mahomes looked great in his first game back from a knee injury last week, the defense has been a different story. A loss to the Titans last week has the Chiefs sitting at 6-4 and it looks like the top seed in the AFC will go to someone else this year, which is a surprise. They travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers this week on Monday night and could very easily lose another game, which would be crazy.

5. The LA Rams are very mediocre at best.

Life has come at the defending NFC champs very quickly this year as they’ve been a shell of the team that looked so good last year before their loss to the Patriots in the Super Bow. QB Jared Goff, who got a big payday before the start of the season, has been terrible so far. He’s been so bad that our Steven Ruiz broke down this week why the Rams might be better off trading the former No. 1 pick. Making things even more confusing is that Todd Gurley has been a non-factor in key moments of games lately. Sean McVay was labeled a genius by many last year for his offensive ways, but now the banged up offense is predictable and average, which is a deadly combination. They host the Bears on Sunday in what looks like a must-win game for both teams that had high hopes coming into the season.

Wednesday’s biggest winner: Austin Rivers.

The Houston Rockets guard begged the refs to call his dad, Clippers coach Doc Rivers, for a technical foul in the final minutes of Wednesday night’s Rockets-Clippers game… and then loved it when they did and kicked his dad out of the game. Austin Rivers said after that the ejection of his pops, who traded him in the offseason, “made my night.” Now that’s a special father/son moment.

Quick hits: Nate Diaz pays back fan… More proof that Astros cheated… Trae Young’s best shots… and more!

– UFC star Nate Diaz did something pretty great for a fan who bet on him at UFC 244.

– This new video of the Astros cheating is something else.

– Take some time and watch the seven best shots of Trae Young’s NBA career so far. They are pretty great.

– James Holzhauer and Emma Boettcher will square off again tonight on Jeopardy!, which should be pretty awesome.

– You’re going to want to check out Charles Curtis’ fantasy football studs, duds, and sleepers heading into a pivotal week of NFL action.

(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)

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Colin Kaepernick should tell the NFL to go take a hike

This workout for all 32 teams doesn’t have a good feel to it.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

News came out late Tuesday afternoon that the NFL will be holding a private workout for former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick in Atlanta on Saturday. All 32 teams are invited to attend and watch as he puts in work on the field and then will also be available for team interviews.

At first glance this looked like good news for a man who has been blackballed by the league for the last three years just because he had the gall to take a knee during the national anthem in order to raise awareness on racism and social justice.

Kaepernick later tweeted that he was looking forward to the opportunity and was looking forward to seeing coaches and GMs in Atlanta.

But then some more details came out. The NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, informed Kaepernick’s reps about the workout on Tuesday. His reps had asked the league for the workout to be on a Tuesday, when most tryouts are held, but the league said no. His reps asked for the workout to be on a later Saturday, but the league said no.

So now Kaepernick gets to workout on a few days notice (which isn’t a huge problem since he’s been working out five days a week since he’s been out of the NFL) and on a day before most teams will have a game, which means attendance will likely be very low, if anyone shows up at all.

All of which feels like another slap in the face of a man who has done absolutely nothing wrong. A man who recently spent his 32nd birthday handing out food and supplies to homeless people in Oakland. A man who has handled all of this with class.

I’ve always thought it’s BS that Kaepernick hasn’t been able to get a look from any NFL teams who could desperately need a backup QB with his abilities and his experience.

But now this move by the NFL seems sketchy at best. It also seems like it would be a perfect time for Kaepernick to tell the NFL to go you-know-what itself and go on with the rest of his life helping others and fighting for causes that need his support.

I know it’s Kaepernick’s dream, however, to return to the league and show everyone that he can play and I’d never be one to steer someone away from trying to reach their dreams. But this whole thing from Day 1 has been an ugly mess for everyone involved in the NFL and the way they’ve treated Kaepernick has been an utter embarrassment.

Now I know there are a ton of fans out there who get heated just hearing his name and yell about leaving politics out of sports, though those people are often quick to throw their politics in your face while arguing against Kaepernick’s hopes of playing in the NFL again.

So it would be great if he could deal those people a blow by making it back to the league.

And I know a lot of fans are quick to yell about how he’s a bad quarterback and doesn’t deserve to be in the league.

But we all know he has more than enough talent to be on a NFL roster.

Just this year we’ve seen guys like Luke Falk, Trevor Siemian, Brian Hoyer, and Matt Moore take snaps in NFL games. Heck, Chad Henne had a gig with the Chiefs before getting hurt in the preseason. Chad Henne!

And just last year the Buffalo Bills called on Derek Anderson to start for them even though he had been out of the league. Derek Anderson!

The number of brutally awful QBs to take snaps in NFL games since Kaepernick has been out is both laughable and sad.

Kaepernick is better than all of those players mentioned, without a doubt. So stop with the noise that he stinks. He doesn’t. He could easily be a backup QB in the league and help out when necessary.

But now the NFL wants him to jump through more hoops for something that feels like it will give the league a chance to say “Hey, we gave him a shot!” and then be able to go to sleep at night thinking that they really did try their best when we all know they didn’t.

Kaepernick reportedly got around $10 million to settle his collusion grievances against the NFL last March. He has an endorsement deal with Nike that is probably giving him some good money, so financially he should be OK.

It’s just a shame we’ve come to this.

I hope he goes out and crushes his workout and lands a spot on a team.

But this opportunity has an icky feel to it. One that will likely end with Kaepernick still out of the league.

Which is all the more reason why he should tell the NFL to take a hike.

He’s better than they are.

Tuesday’s biggest winner: Geno Smith.

The Seahawks backup QB went viral late Monday night and all day Tuesday because of how he called heads during Monday night’s game with the 49ers. Some people swore they heard tails. Others, who are on the right side of this, said he said heads. But either way, Geno Smith, who explained why he called heads, was a talking point after a big game and not because he did something wrong. Which is a big win for the QB.

Quick hits: Cheating Astros?… Smart moves for Celtics… Rams need to move Goff… And more!

– This video of the Astros appearing to cheat during a game in 2017 is not a good look for the Astros.

– Brad Stevens and the awesome Marcus Smart have saved the Celtics so far this season, says our Mike Sykes.

– Steven Ruiz explains why the Rams might need to trade Jared Goff away in order to save themselves.

– James Holzhauer was back on Jeopardy! on Tuesday night… and here’s how he did.

(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)

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Not being a New York Knicks fan is the absolute best, isn’t it?

It has to stink so much to be a Knicks fan.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

I have the same morning routine every morning – I brush my teeth, I tell myself that today is the day I start eating better, and then I thank the powers that be that I’m not a New York Knicks fan.

Because nobody deserves to be one of those.

The Knicks are easily one of the most embarrassing franchises in all of sports. And I’m not just talking about the lack of results they have on the floor… but also how they’re ran, starting and ending with owner James Dolan.

Did you see what happened the other night at Madison Square Garden? Security confronted a fan for chanting “Fire Dolan!” because apparently you’re not allowed to yell out good ideas while at a Knicks game. The fan told TMZ that he chose to leave the stadium and spend his money elsewhere.

When it comes to terrible owners in sports, Dolan is right there shaking hands with Daniel Snyder while looking around and saying “where is everybody else?” The man seems more interested in performing in his folk band – which is just dull poison on your ears – than building a winner in New York.

Just this past summer the Knicks thought they’d get big free agents to join the team because of the building in which they play their home games. Like guys were gonna do whatever it took to play at the “Mecca of Basketball,” which once you’re inside MSG these days it feels like every other vanilla stadium thanks to some renovations that took all the life out of the place.

Last year Dolan banned a fan for life from MSG because he yelled that Dolan should sell the team.

A year before that he kicked out Knicks legend Charles Oakley.

And this year the Knicks are already holding wild press conferences in which they’re basically apologizing for stinking so much at basketball, as they’ve started the year 2-8 and are in last place in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks have been awful at drafting players, signing free agents, and making the playoffs – they’ve only won one playoff series since 2000-01 season.

Now they’re continuing to pay rent at an address listed as “Rock Bottom,” a place they’ve called home for many years.

They’ll likely stay there, too, until Dolan finally does the right thing and sells the team.

Until then, a lot of us can all smile each morning and bask in the glory that comes with knowing you don’t cheer for such a pathetic franchise.

Feels great, doesn’t it?

Monday’s big winner: Jeopardy contestant Dhruv Gaur and Alex Trebek.

Something pretty special happened on Monday night’s episode of Jeopardy! during Final Jeopardy, as contestant Dhruv Gaur opted to write as his answer, “We love you, Alex.” It caught Trebek, who’s battling cancer, by surprise as he choked up and thanked Gaur. It was a great moment, and one you should watch.

Quick hits: The Rock responds… NFL QB hip warmups are a thing… Steph Curry on MJ… And more!

– The Rock responded to Nate Diaz calling him out after UFC 244.

– Jimmy Garoppolo showed off his hip-thrusting warmup routine before MNF. This is apparently becoming a thing.

– Steph Curry seems to think Michael Jordan is a hater of his.

– Ed Orgeron had an on-brand Saturday night after beating Alabama.

– Check out our latest tanking rankings to see which NFL teams are making the best/worst moves to get the No. 1 pick next year.

(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)

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Cassius Winston found peace on the court after brother’s tragic death

On a difficult night, and finding a way forward.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

Cassius Winston played basketball Sunday night, scoring 17 points and dishing out 11 assists, a day after finding out that his younger brother Zachary had stepped in front of an Amtrak train and died.

It was a typical early season basketball game — Michigan State easily beat an outmatched Binghamton — suddenly imbued with emotion. Winston and his head coach, Tom Izzo, fought back tears during a moment of silence. Big Ten Network’s cameras captured Cassius and his youngest brother, Khy (a teammate of Zachary’s at Division III Albion), embracing courtside before the game.

I’m not here to tell you that basketball helped heal a hurting soul last night. Or even that Cassius Winston and his family were buoyed by the love and support of the Michigan State team and fans. I can’t fathom what they’re going through or how they’re feeling. A 19-year old apparently choosing to end his own life leaves behind questions that will forever be unanswered. It stirs pain that none of us could come close to comprehending. Thinking about that level of grief absolutely crushes me.

Yet I certainly saw the way that the game helped Cassius, probably the best point guard in college basketball, find his way. If only for a few moments. Going through the routines, hearing the thud of basketballs and the screech of fresh Nikes cutting on hardwood … I’m guessing that brought him about as close to his brother as he could get.

Steve Kerr played basketball after his father, Malcolm, was assassinated by a terrorist in Lebanon. I spoke to some of his teammates about the night they were awakened by the news, and they all recalled how chaotic it felt. Kerr was a freshman at Arizona then, sitting in his dorm room, with players and coaches coming and going. It was, in fact, eerily calm in so many ways — except that nobody felt normal about anything. Until they got on the court again.

When I got word earlier this year that my father had died, after a life wracked by alcoholism and mental illness, I was throwing ground balls to a line of rambunctious 5- and 6-year olds on a small field tucked behind an elementary school. They mostly played in the dirt, or chased each other, as I exhorted them to get their gloves down. To step and throw. To get to the back of the line and cheer on your teammate.

A call came to my phone and I stepped away to hear the news. I couldn’t think of what to do next, so I returned to what I’d been doing. My father and I weren’t particularly close but he would, when I inevitably begged on most afternoons, have a catch. He would tell me to get my glove all the way down, to point my toe where I wanted the ball to go, to calm down and not rush. Those words filled my head, and I did my best to share them.

That was peace. Fleeting, but meaningful. I hope Winston can find it, too, in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Sunday’s big winner: Lamar Jackson

Y’all saw that run, right? And his final stat line: 15-of-17 for 223 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 rating. Turns out the the guy who should’ve switched to wide receiver can really throw. Turns out a QB can be athletic and fun and also good at passing — if a coaching staff will just let him be. Turns out the people who were so quick to doubt Jackson were doing so because they were in fact the people upholding the old stereotypes of what makes a good QB in the first place.

The Ravens have the Texans and Rams to get through before hosting San Francisco on Dec. 1, but it’s hard not to look ahead to that game. The Niners defense, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, is in a stratosphere along with the Patriots far above the rest of the league (New England is at -33.9, San Fran is at -31.4 and the Broncos, Rams and Steelers are next at …. -8.8.) Should be fun.

Quick hits: Do the Dak! … Enough Don Cherry … Denny Hamlin gets another shot … A Michael Jordan gambling and drinking story

— Mark Ingram thinks President Donald Trump is to blame for Alabama losing to LSU. Sure, why not.

—Andrew Joseph took a look at a field goal block that irked Chiefs fans. Man, it must be so hard to be an official and make these calls in real time.

—Dak Prescott can dance. To anything. Seriously. Play any song and he will be in rhythm to it. Go ahead. Try.

—LSU recruits are savage … and I love them for it.

—Don Cherry’s racist blabbering has gone on long enough. The hockey commentators’ bigoted comments toward immigrants were abhorrent.

—On Friday, Michelle Martinelli brought you an insightful look at Denny Hamlin’s quest to shed the title of Best Current NASCAR Driver Without A Series Championship. On Sunday he won a race to become one of four drivers with a shot at winning it all next weekend.

—Penny Hardaway doesn’t need college basketball … which is why he might be the biggest threat to college basketball. Memphis’ decision to defy the NCAA and go to court could change everything.

—Yes, Antonio Brown is still around. Yes, he’s still saying things. No, it’s not going well for him.

—Michael Jordan. Gambling story. As told by Jeremy Roenick. Click.

(The incomparable Andy Nesbitt will be back tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter at @chriskorman.)