Bellator 233’s Kyle Crutchmer happy to be compared to teammates Cormier, Khabib – if he has bank account to match

“If my bank account says what ‘D.C.’ and Khabib’s say, you can compare me to whoever you want to compare me to.”

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – With his strong wrestling background, [autotag]Kyle Crutchmer[/autotag] is happy to draw comparisons to his teammates – but not necessarily to their fighting styles.

Crutchmer (5-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, has a strong grappling background like former two-division UFC champion [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] and UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], his teammates at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.

Crutchmer improved to 5-0 Friday at Bellator 233 in his promotional debut with a unanimous decision win over Robert Gidron. He used his superior wrestling to control the fight and showed off some of his striking, too.

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But with inevitable comparisons to his accomplished wrestling teammates at AKA, Crutchmer is more concerned with making similar paydays down the line.

“I don’t know how many people knock dudes down with spinning back fists, but I threw that (expletive) today – it landed, it knocked him down, so I’ve got a little bit different style from (them),” Crutchmer told MMA Junkie. “But listen, man, at the end of the day, if my bank account says what ‘D.C.’ and Khabib’s say – man, you can compare me to whoever you want to compare me to.”

His opponent, Gidron, stepped in on short notice for the fight. But the natural middleweight missed weight for the 170-pound bout by nearly five pounds. While Crutchmer is accustomed to being the smaller opponent, he says Gidron had an apparent size difference, a challenge he was able to overcome.

“My wrestling kind of speaks for itself,” Crutchmer said. “I think I would be dumb to not at least attempt it in the first, to see how hard or how easy it would be. Man, that guy was big. People don’t realize – he missed weight by five pounds. He’s never fought at (1)70, I don’t think, so he had some height on me, too. So some of those things, I was trying to get to. It took a lot more than people could see.”

And there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to accept the fight regardless, as he looks to begin his ascent in the Bellator 170-pound rankings.

“I’m in this to prove I’m the baddest mother(expletive) in the world, and if I’m turning down fights or I’m saying no to somebody, then why am I doing this?” Crutchmer said. “I knew it was going to be hard. You could see it, how big he was, and that does play a factor in fights. I had no hesitation. I told our coaches, ‘I’ll get paid a little bit more and we’ll roll with it.'”

Giants out of NFC East race where leaders are 5-4

The New York Giants have been out of divisional contention for a month, and that speaks volumes since the leaders are a measly 5-4.

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The New York Giants dropped the 2-8 on the season following a 34-27 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon, moving them that much closer not just to the basement of the NFC East, but to the basement of the NFL.

Think about it… The co-leaders of the division — Dallas and Philadelphia — are each 5-4, just a measly game over .500, but the Giants are so bad that they’ve effectively been out of contention for a month.

That speaks volumes about just how bad these Giants are and it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Dallas Cowboys (5-4)

The Cowboys believed the black cat at MetLife Stadium provided them some luck moving forward, but that backfired in spectacular fashion on Sunday night as they were downed by the Minnesota Vikings, 28-24. Three of Dallas’ four losses have come against teams above .500, while they have just one win over a team with a winning record (Eagles).

Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

The Eagles pulled into a two-way tie atop the NFC East while enjoying their bye on Sunday, but that shouldn’t excite them too much as they were unable to keep up with the Cowboys previously. They return in Week 11 against the New England Patriots and then have a date with the Seattle Seahawks the following week. Good luck, Philly.

New York Giants (2-8)

What is even left to say about these Giants? Their Sunday loss to Gang Green isn’t just a low point of the season, but a low point for this team since the 1970s. John Mara stormed out of the stadium completely steamed and is likely talking himself down from firing every single person inside the organization. Should he, though? We’ve reached a rock and a hard place scenario and something has to break.

Washington Redskins (1-8)

Like the Eagles, the Redskins enjoined a bye week in which they didn’t fall further behind. In fact, they inched closer to the Giants for third place in the division and with a game remaining, actually control their own destiny (in terms of avoiding a last-place finish).

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Fantasy football waiver wire targets after Week 10: The fallout of the Devonta Freeman injury

Picking up the pieces after injuries to Devonta Freeman and Austin Hooper.

There aren’t a bounty of strong options on the waiver wire this week. Hopefully you were busy on the trade market, and hopefully there will be more movement on the wire to come. With an injuries to Detroit Lions running back Ty Johnson and Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, there are some waiver wire options worth targeting, and they could even be viable starters for a few weeks.

There will be two situations worth monitoring for next week. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper are both dealing with injuries. Their backups may become fill-in options.

Here are the waiver wire targets after Week 10 and for Week 11.

5. Falcons and 49ers tight ends

Two of the best tight ends in fantasy football are dealing with injuries. The Falcons’ pecking order is a puzzle. It’s entirely possible they turn to their receivers, if Hooper misses time. But maybe tight end Luke Stocker can step up.

It’s a similar story in San Francisco, with Kittle set to miss Monday night’s game in Week 10. We’ll get a chance to see if second-year pro Ross Dwelley can step out without Kittle. Dwelley might be rostering if he plays well, just in case Kittle misses additional time.

4. J.D. McKissic, RB, Detroit Lions

ESPN: 15%. Yahoo! 21%.

When Ty Johnson left the game with a concussion, McKissic took over. The Chicago Bears made life difficult for McKissic, even with an increased ownership of touches. He finished the game with 10 carries for 36 yards and six receptions for 19 yards. In PPR formats, McKissic’s value would be on the rise if Johnson misses time.

3. Brian Hill, RB, Atlanta Falcons

ESPN: .3%. Yahoo! 3%.

It’s unclear how long Devonta Freeman could be out, but he seems to be dealing with an ankle issue. That gave life to Hill, who finished with 20 carries for 61 yards and a 10-yard touchdown reception in Week 10. He may end up being the workhorse back in Atlanta for a few weeks.

2. Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants

ESPN: 12%. Yahoo! 10%.

Slayton had been quietly putting together a solid season until the last three weeks when he’s put up four touchdowns, with two in Week 10 and two in Week 8. He’s probably not a plug-and-play starter, but has proven a reliable red-zone threat. This season, he has 45 receptions, 394 yards and five touchdowns. He could be worth a roster spot.

1. Derrius Guice, RB, Washington Redskins

ESPN: 38%. Yahoo! 37%.

Before suffering an injury, he was the team’s starting running back, with the Redskins benching Adrian Peterson. Somehow, the ageless wonder has gone on to have a productive season. But with Guice coming back, it’s easy to imagine him splitting carries, at least. The Redskins will want to see what Guice can contribute as they continue to play for the future. He should return to being a big part of their offense.

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Everyone is mystified by Jerry Jones’s bizarre clapping

What happened here?

Jerry Jones, welcome to the Hall of Mysterious Clapping.

The Dallas Cowboys owner joins such luminaries as Nicole Kidman and Brendan Fraser (see below) with the applause he gave to Amari Cooper after the receiver made one heck of a touchdown grab in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

To be fair, the catch was so good that it boggles the mind. In the third quarter, Dak Prescott zipped a pass toward the end zone that looked like it was going out of bounds … except Cooper kept his toes in and hauled it in.

And then Jones went and reacted this way:

People were mystified:

Congrats on joining these two:

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Eagles open up as 3.5-point home underdogs to the Patriots in Week 11

The Philadelphia Eagles open up as 3.5-point home underdogs to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

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The Philadelphia Eagles return home on Sunday for a huge matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion, New England Patriots. Despite the Birds current 5-4 record and rest from the bye week, Philadelphia opens up as 3.5-point road underdogs according to odds from BetMGM.

The numbers speak for themselves as the New England Patriots have won an NFL-leading 14 games coming out of a bye week since the 2010 season.

The Patriots are an NFL-best 47-9 (83.9 percent) following a loss since 2003, while the Philadelphia Eagles are 6-4 following their bye week since 2010 as well.

The Eagles have won two in a row to get above .500 at 5-4 and are getting healthy at the right time.

{Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.}

Ravens hitting their stride at the right time

The Ravens are hitting the point of the season where championship-caliber teams differentiate themselves, and they’re only getting better.

The Baltimore Ravens were supposed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. With Cincinnati winless and having a rookie quarterback getting his first NFL start, it seemed obvious that Baltimore was going to move to 7-2. But the beating the Ravens put on the Bengals proves they’re hitting their stride at the best possible time.

Before kickoff, I noted that this could be a trap game for Baltimore. While they were clearly the superior team on paper, we’ve seen the Ravens embarrass themselves previously under similar circumstances. In fact, it’s a familiar hole they’d fallen into too many times under coach John Harbaugh right as they looked to be on a roll and near the top of the league. But not this week and not this season apparently.

Baltimore’s offense got off to a quick start and never relented, finding room on the ground and through the air against the hapless Bengals. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had another brilliant game, going 15-of-17 for 223 yards, three passing touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He also torched Cincinnati on the ground to the tune of 65 yards and a touchdown, including his highlight-reel 47-yard run. It was a finely tuned game from the starting offense that saw them hang five total touchdowns before putting in backups in the fourth quarter.

The defense got in on the action as well, shutting down the Bengals offense. They pressured quarterback Ryan Finley, largely held running back Joe Mixon down and made two big plays, returning an interception and a fumble for touchdowns. What had been the worst unit on the team earlier this season has quickly turned around into an explosive and dangerous defense.

And that’s really the look of the entire team right now. They’ve gotten better with each and every game. They’re stronger than they were in Week 3 and far more dynamic both on offense and defense. They’ve beaten up on the top teams in the league and are now destroying the teams they should be beating. For as easy as that sounds in theory, look at how the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs all lost in Week 10 to teams with no better than a .500 record.

This is the point where championship-caliber teams start to differentiate themselves. Injuries have piled up on all 32 teams, and there’s more than enough game film to establish weaknesses and mismatches. Yet Baltimore is the only team actually getting better right now.

With everything coming together on defense and opponents having no answer for Jackson and this unique offense, Baltimore is unquestionably one of the best teams in the league right now. And considering they’re built for cold-weather football, the Ravens are looking really scary. If they can keep this level of play up, there’s no reason to think Baltimore shouldn’t be a front-runner for the Super Bowl.

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Nate Evans commits to Tennessee

Nate Evans commits to Tennessee.

KNOXVILLE — Nate Evans has committed to the University of Tennessee.

Evans, a class of 2021 athlete from Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, Va., committed to the Vols on Nov. 10. He took to Twitter and announced that he has committed to the Volunteers.

The Vols offered Evans on June 15 when the 2021 prospect attended a camp at Tennessee.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete who is expected to play cornerback holds Power 5 offers from Baylor, Florida State, Kentucky, Maryland, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Evans also holds four offers from Group of 5 schools: East Carolina, Liberty, Old Dominion and Southern Miss.

Freedom From Religion Foundation targets Missouri high school for pre, postgame prayer

The not for profit Freedom From Religion Foundation has targeted Cameron High School in Missouri for allegedly featuring coach-led pre and postgame prayer sessions on the field.

The not-for-profit Freedom From Religion Foundation has trained its sights on Cameron (Mo.) High School, where, “Coaches have reportedly been holding religious chapel services for players before and after games, where coaches pray with players and read and discuss bible verses.”

If true, such behavior is banned by constitutional separation of church and state, with Cameron head coach Jeff Wallace and assistant coach David Stucky both at risk of potential legal action if they continue leading their team in prayer. The team’s practice of postgame prayer led by coaches at the 50 yard line could be a particularly damaging twist against Wallace and Stucky.

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Missouri CBS affiliate KCTV spoke to the parent of a Cameron player and multiple fans at a recent game to survey whether they thought the Cameron players and coaches should be punished in some way for pre and postgame prayer.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer was overwhelmingly that parents feel players should be allowed to pray, even if that runs in the face of separation of church and state.

“If it were a situation where a coach or even another student said, ‘Get over here and pray,’ and that kid didn’t want to be a part of it, I understand,” Jeff Speer, the father of two Cameron players, told KCTV, “but they all want to be a part of it.

“(The Freedom From Religion Foundation complaint is) a very distracting thing that every single coach, football, player, fan — we all have to deal with.”

It is unknown when the Freedom From Religion Foundation will demand Cameron cease its practice of pre and postgame led prayer. Given past precedent, the request may well come sooner rather than later.

Todd Gurley on not getting the ball in 4th quarter: ‘I’m used to it’

Todd Gurley on not getting the ball in the fourth quarter: “I’m used to it.”

Todd Gurley has been a catalyst for the Rams’ offense the last two years. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2018, and was named Offensive Player of the Year in Sean McVay’s first season as head coach.

This season has been alarmingly different for Gurley. He’s not getting the ball as much, he’s finding very few running lanes and the Rams are leaning heavily on Jared Goff’s arm. That recipe cooked up by McVay has backfired terribly with the Rams limping to a 5-4 record through nine games.

Gurley seems to have grown frustrated with the offense, specifically with his usage. In Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, Gurley didn’t touch the ball once in the fourth quarter and didn’t even play the first two series to open the final frame.

After the game, he was asked whether he wanted the ball more with the game on the line in the fourth quarter.

“Um, not really. I’m used to it,” he told reporters, via Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic.

So, you mean to tell me the guy who led the NFL in touches, yards and touchdowns the last two years doesn’t want the ball more in the fourth quarter? That’s hard to imagine, but it says a lot about the current state of the Rams.

In two short sentences, Gurley said more than he has all season. It’s troubling enough that he apparently doesn’t want the ball more with the game on the line, but it might be even worse that he’s “used to it.”

This isn’t to say there’s a rift developing between Gurley and McVay, but it’s clear the running back isn’t happy with his role on offense. As for why Gurley didn’t get the ball in the fourth quarter of a one-score game, McVay said it was “kind of just the rotation.”

“I thought Todd really had some tough, hard-earned runs,” McVay said in his press conference. “We got some drives going, but then at the end of the day, we ended up being in some two-minute situations at the end of the game and it was kind of hard to get back into any sort of flow running the football.”

The part about the Rams getting into two-minute situations late in the game isn’t entirely true. They shouldn’t have felt rushed at any point in the fourth quarter besides their final two drives of the game. Entering the last 15 minutes, the Steelers held just a four-point lead.

And after the Rams’ sack with 12:46 left to play, Pittsburgh was only up two points. What about that situation caused the Rams to panic and completely abandon the run after Gurley racked up 73 yards on 12 carries?

McVay and the coaches have a lot of questions to answer, but none are bigger than their usage of Gurley – and the running back has clearly taken notice of his role on offense.

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