Sidelinr Sports FTW: FOOTBALL IS BACK; ESPN & NFL Network deal; Parsons & McLaurin saga; Green silicone on WNBA courts....

FROM THE WEEK & FOR THE WEEKEND

FROM THE WEEK

FOOTBALL IS BACK; Chargers stomp Lions 34-7 in Hall of Fame game

Can you smell that? It smells like NFL football every single week again until middle of next February.

On Thursday, the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame game officially kicked NFL season into gear and my goodness does it feel GOOD to be all the way back!

This game means absolutely nothing and generally speaking, it’s just whatever. That said, a couple things were learned in this year’s game.

1) Turns out, in what should be a shock to absolutely no one, the Lions on both sides of the ball without Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn looked like a pile of suck. This will still be a good football team but there will be plenty of bumps this season and it’s going to be next to impossible to replicate the efforts of Johnson and Glenn. Almost like.. letting your two best coaches walk and keeping the one who does the least on game day (Dan Campbell) was always going to cost you some wins. It certainly will this year.

2) Uh oh, did Jim Harbaugh unlock Trey Lance into becoming a good NFL quarterback and going to replace Justin Herbert with him? That and more, next, on some national media show that will actually make this a storyline. But for real, Lance balled out: 13-20, 120 yards, 2 tuds.

3) Bad news for the Chargers: No team that has ever won the Hall of Fame game has also gone on to win the Super Bowl in the same year.

ESPN aqcuires NFL Network and NFL Redzone in massive deal

In the largest exchange in sports media history, the NFL has handed over some of its major properties to ESPN/Disney.

Seeing as how ESPN/Disney have been a leading actor in the recent downfall of national sports media coverage, NFL fans are generally not exactly excited by the deal.

Most importantly, if ESPN even dare touch a hair on Scott Hansen’s head, there will be riots.

More details here on the one billion (with a “b”) dollar deal.

Micah Parsons & Terry McLaurin request trades

Are we sure Jerry Jones doesn’t have some form of egotistical CTE?

Jones’ recent comments, launching a few strays at Parsons, single handedly might have cost the Cowboys the opportunity to resign what might end up being the best pass rusher in the history of the game.

Parsons posted a good 1000 word notes app message on his X account, letting fans know he does not intend to ever play for the Cowboys again. Captioning the post, “Thank you Dallas” with a few not so subtle notes clapping back at Jerry Jones with the big statement being, “I no longer want to be here.”

The theatrics could just be that and sometimes all it takes is an extra 0 on the paycheck to get a player to love everything about everything again.

For McLaurin, who has now requested a trade out of Washington over his contract dispute, this is certainly not welcoming news to fans or Jayden Daniels going into his sophomore season after heavily relying on McLaurin as a rookie.

It’s not the most ideal spot for Washington to be with Deebo Samuel being their #1 wide receiver without McLaurin and it will certainly put Daniels to the test to no longer have a bonafide dude to throw the ball to.

The problem for McLaurin is he turns 30 this year and is looking to be a top paid wide receiver in football after coming off only his first double digit touchdown season.

He’s certainly been a product of bad quarterback play and poor scheme rather than himself not being talented enough to have consistently been a top wide receiver in the game.

If he would have had Jayden Daniels a few years earlier, or just any more consistent, respectable quarterback play than he’s had most of his career, this is not a conversation and McLaurin would have already received a massive extension.

A certain green, phalic looking item keeps landing on WNBA courts

Look, there’s not much to go into here. But of all things to throw on a court, a green dildo has to be up there for the most “what the hell” item imaginable.

And not one, but two silicone green phalics graced the WNBA hardwood this past week

For The Weekend

2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony

Indiana Fever vs Seattle Storm

F1 Hungarian Grand Prix

X Games

Little League World Series matchups