Author Archives: Will Warren

Barkley has Unkind Words for Celtics Rivals Simmons and Embiid

TNT analyst Charles Barkley continued his war of words with a few of the Sixers’ stars this week, for some reason, seemingly out of nowhere. Perhaps he’s bitter over losing money on his former team when the Raptors beat the Sixers in Game 7 this year. However, if he were smart, he’d take advantage of some of the NJ sports betting offers and wager on Philadelphia who are currently the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.

Barkley and Embiid have traded barbs a few times over the years, and the former NBA paint presence recently took a shot at the Sixers big man — not mincing words one bit.

He appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday, and that’s when he said Embiid needs to get his “fat butt” in shape.

“I wonder in Philadelphia who has the courage and the chutzpah to tell Joel Embiid, ‘Yo, man, you got to get in shape,’” Barkley said.

He continued:

“I think he’s got a great system down in New Orleans,” Barkley said. “I love David Griffin and Alvin Gentry, but they’re gonna have to come up with a comprehensive plan to see what the perfect playing weight (is). I hear he weighs 280. You can’t play at 280 in the NBA. You can’t play at that weight. It’s too much stress on his knees.”

Barkley does make a good point, as that much weight isn’t good for one’s joints, so the Sixers will benefit from Embiid shedding some weight — as will he, mentally and physically.

In other news, the Philadelphia 76ers could still be looking to add some veteran shooters off the bench.

It’s been quite the eventful offseason so far for the Philadelphia 76ers. First, they opened up the NBA Free Agency period by using one of their max slots on veteran forward, Tobias Harris. While many expected the Sixers to use their other max slot on Jimmy Butler, many were surprised to find out that Butler didn’t have a future planned in Philly.

Therefore, the Sixers signed and traded Butler away to the Miami Heat while landing guard, Josh Richardson. Other notable moves the Sixers made included adding Al Horford, Kyle O’Quinn, and Raul Neto while retaining some of their own free agents in Mike Scott, and James Ennis.

At this point, the Sixers are in great shape moving forward and could very well be close to the top of the Eastern Conference once again in 2019. However, they are not perfect. Losing Jimmy Butler was one thing — but losing JJ Redick hurts more than many think.

Philly still needs a reliable shooter — especially one coming off of the bench. And fortunately, there are a couple names on the market that the Sixers have been linked to as of late. The obvious prospect who the Sixers have been linked to for the past year now is none other than Kyle Korver.

Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers made Korver available to any teams who might’ve had interest in trading for him. While the Sixers were in the conversation, the Utah Jazz made the best offer and received the veteran shooter. Now that the Jazz are done with Korver, he’s once again available for teams to sign and the Sixers seem to have an interest in a potential reunion.

Korver’s not the only veteran shooter to recently be linked to the Sixers. As of Monday, the Cavaliers have waived J.R. Smith, making him a free agent. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently suggested five ideal landing spots for the veteran, with the Sixers being one of them. Similar to the same situation as Korver, Smith offers some veteran experience and is reliable with his shooting. Adding one of these two guys could surely benefit the Sixers.

MLB Predictions at the Mid-Season Mark

With the All-Star Game come and gone, the official second half of the season starts today (except for the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers who played last night). Back in March before the season began, I made some bold predictions heading into the season. Let’s look at those and see how they have aged through 85 games.

Making making accurate sports predictions is never easy, especially on a long time frame.  It can be easier to make a prediction on a single game, which is why sports betting has become so popular with baseball fans.  Many fans are heading to gamble-USA.com to make their bets on baseball games.

Miguel Cabrera will hit 35+ home runs and have 100+ RBI

This one might be the furthest from happening. Through 80 games, the former MVP and Triple Crown winner has only five home runs and 36 runs batted in. While he has missed a few games due to injury, he’s only on pace for about 10 homers and 70 or so RBI.

While his average of .304 actually leads the team, and so does his RBI total, that doesn’t say much as the Tigers have scored the fewest runs in baseball at 308.

Cabrera just seems to have lost all power in his once feared swing. He is a singles machine and just lacks pop. For someone who once was a lock for 30 or more home runs and 100 plus RBIs, this is far from the Miggy that we used to know and love.

At this rate, Cabrera getting to 500 career home runs (which 35 would have done) might be a stretch. Hopefully this season was just an aberration and he can get his totals back in the teens or 20s for the remaining six years on his contract.

Maybe he can have a late career renaissance like David Ortiz did with the Red Sox a few years ago.

Christin Stewart will hit 25+ home runs

This is another one that is far from happening. On the year, Stewart has six home runs in 65 games played. While he has missed quite a few due to injury, he is on pace for 11 homers.

In a full season of games, he would’ve been on pace for about 21 dingers, so had he not missed so much time, he might have made things interesting. But unless he catches fire in August and September, it looks like we’ll have to wait until next year to see if this once touted prospect can show some power at the major league level.

Shane Greene will have 35+ saves and a sub-2.75 earned run average

One out of three isn’t bad, right?

This was by far my best prediction and has a legit shot of coming true. Greene, who was Detroit’s lone representative in the All-Star Game, is having his best season in the MLB.

The closer, who deserved his All-Star appearance, has pitched in 33 games so far for the Tigers and has converted 22 of 24 save opportunities. That ranks third in the American League behind Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees and Brad Hand of the Cleveland Indians.

He also has only given up four earned runs on the year and his ERA is sitting at a sparkling 1.09.

Greene is on pace for 42 saves and an earned-run average of around one.

I think unless he completely unravels in the second half, the only thing holding him back from accomplishing these two marks are being traded to a team that already has a set closer. His name has been thrown around in trade rumors for months now and getting 13 more saves on a team with an established closer will be a tough task.

All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com and Baseball-Reference.com. 

10 Tips To Improve Your Table Tennis Game

Table Tennis has a learning curve of its own. Initially, you will find it hard to get started but as you grasp the basics, the improvement to the next level is rather fast. 

While a technique is all that matters to improve your game, but a paddle also plays a vital role as you develop your technique. You can check the guide by Kevin James from PingPongBros on how to choose a Ping Pong Paddle. I personally found it to be the best guide on paddle selection for players of various skill levels.

If you’re a beginner, start with an all-round paddle which is neither too fast not too slow, medium spin and excellent control. Such a paddle will let you experience a wide variety of stroke play, which is quintessential for developing players.

In this article, we will be discussing some tips and tricks which can help you improve your overall game:

  1. Learn the Right Posture

You may know how to topspin the ball, but are you able to impart enough spin onto the ball? No, because your body is not in a right posture or you don’t have the proper footwork to transfer maximum spin on the ball.

So, your body postures are essential, and you should not be at any point be imbalanced. You also need to grip the paddle correctly and learn when and how much to move your feet. A correct posture will help you do the right serves, give a solid return and hit the ball with max power.

2. Get your Serves Right

Serves are the basic things you learn once you start playing the game. If you serve well right from the beginning, you can gain an edge over the opponent and use it against him. With excellent service, you can also win a point and sometimes even the game.

  • There are many different serves, and knowing all the kinds of serves will be beneficial for you while playing a tournament.
  • A short serve is the most common of them, and this serve inhibits the opponent from getting any advantage.
  • Mix and match your serves to gain an edge over your opponent as it may confuse him and keep them guessing.

As a thumb rule, if your opponent is a beginner to intermediate, try doing heavy backspin serves. In most cases, the opponent won’t be able to pick the serve.

3. Spin is your friend

Now that you have learned the basics of the game, it is time to use some spins to advance your playing style. If you get the spinning tricks properly, you can beat most of the garage players. Learn how spinning affects your return and how you can counter it.

  • To spin correctly, you first need to keep an eye on the opponent’s paddle. Following the ball, as it hits the paddle.
  • A neat trick you can use is to watch the logo on the ball to gauge its speed. A blurry image indicates that the spin is high.
  • Again by looking at the opponent’s paddle, you can understand the type of spin. Topspin is when the paddle moves from low to high and when it is a backspin when the paddle moves from high to low. Right side spin is indicated when the paddle moves from left to right.
  • Keep your wrists relaxed when you plan to counter a spin return. Also, move your hand quickly at the end of the stroke if you want to make the spin effective.

4. Focus on Shorter Swings

Remember that in table tennis, a shorter swing is always better as opposed to other sports such as golf or lawn tennis. If your swing or follow-through is longer, it will take you a longer time to return to your position. Table tennis is a fast sport, that may cost you the point.

Always focus on short yet powerful swings. Master your footwork to drive energy from the ground, and even the short swing strokes will go with sufficient power.

5. Play short with soft-touch

Anyone with even a rickety paddle can smash a bouncy ball. But can you do the same with the ball which barely bounces? No, and that’s what you should aim at. Try to return the ball as close to the net as possible with the least amount of bounce. Alternatively, if you can’t hit short, try to place the ball at the farther corner of the opponent’s table which would make your opponent move back to hit the ball.

6. Track your Opponent

Let’s consider this scenario: Your opponent is standing at the far right corner of the table, diagonally opposite to you. You trick the player, as if you’re serving to the backhand side of the opponent but rather at the last movement, you serve at the forehand of the player. Obviously, the player would get startled and would need to move quickly to reach to the ball.

You may very well earn the point, or the opponent would do a weak return. 

Tracking your opponent can help you outwit them and score points with ease.

7. Stay Cool and Be Patient

The game of table tennis is all about holding onto your nerves. The game is fast, requires concentration throughout with a high level of physical stamina.

Keeping your head clam during the intense matches can help you win the close games and implement your strategies.

8. Use the Whole Body for Maximum Energy

My coach used to say – ‘Generate energy from your feet’. I never understood it back then, but now I truly understand the meaning of his words. In table tennis, you drive energy from your feet, arms, and hip movement. Out of these three, the feet contribute the most. Pressing the feet against the ground helps you generate energy to put on your strokes.

9. Get your Footwork right

To execute the shots to perfection, you need to be on the right posture along with the correct footwork. During the game, only your hands move, but below the tables, it’s your feet, which help you reach the ball and pull the strokes with perfection.

10. Practice

Like everything else in life, there is no substitute for practice. To truly excel in the game, you need hours and hours of training to get your strokes right. But merely practicing isn’t sufficient. You need to practice smart, working on your weaker areas, and practicing with the right technique.

Conclusion

Table Tennis a sport of discipline, concentration, and there are no shortcuts. You need to work on all aspects of your game and body to improve and compete at a professional level.

Celtics

Boston Celtics Hellos and Goodbyes

The Celtics elected for addition by subtraction, essentially, by parting ways with both Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier since the free-agent market opened.

Both players were disgruntled, having voiced their opinion about both their former teammates and the Celtics organization, which clearly appeared to have an effect on the team’s chemistry as the season progressed.

As such, the Celtics let Irving walk, and shipped out Rozier in a sign-and-trade. To replace them, the basketball team signed superstar Kemba Walker, and Gordon Hayward appears happy about it. Check out what he had to say about it on Instagram.

We can’t wait to see the two play together this season. It should be as exciting as visiting this New Zealand online casino – www.newzealandcasinos.nz.

The Celtics are eating Yabusele’s guaranteed $3 million salary to open up another roster space. It’s possible that spot will go to summer league sensation Tacko Falls.

Yabu had a far bigger impact on Twitter than the court. It was speculated the Celtics picked up his team option solely to give them salary flexibility in a trade. It looks like that money could have been better spent on a claim bonus at an online casino.

In the it’s-not-really-fair-to-do-this-but-we’ll-do-it-anyway department, here are the notable selections after Yabusele in the 2016 draft: Caris LeVert (20), Pascal Siakam (27), Dejounte Murray (29) and Malcolm Brogdon (36).

The Celtics made SIX selections in 2016:  Jaylen Brown, Yabusele, Ante Zizic, Demetrius Jackson, Ben Bentil and Abdel Nader.

Meanwhile:

Straight to the point. Short and sweet. No dramatics. That message epitomizes Al Horford.

Thanks, Al. But I hope you stink in Philly.

Gronk Addresses his Weight Loss

Pictures of a much skinnier Rob Gronkowski surfaced and people pretty much knew at that point Gronk was not making a comeback, at least this year. Now he’s talking about his weight loss. 

Gronkowski looked much lighter than his listed playing weight of 268 last season.

“I’m actually down to 250 right now,” Gronkowski said on the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, via NFL.com.

“It must’ve been the angle or the shirt that was on me. I ain’t that skinny that the picture going around [shows]. I have definitely lost some weight. I’ve been 260 since I was 18 years old, from 260 to like 270. I just always wanted to see what it feels like to get down, to feel light, to feel loose.”

Gronk mode on the carpet ?@RobGronkowski | #Edelman100 pic.twitter.com/zM7A9uekSX

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) June 27, 2019

.@RobGronkowski is shrinking and slowly disappearing from the face of the earth. pic.twitter.com/DvAp4nJbt4

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 2, 2019

Since announcing his retirement in March, Gronkowski said he has relaxed, traveled, visited family and enjoyed life. He has not missed football yet, but it’s not football season yet.

Gronkowski acknowledges he doesn’t expect retirement to hit him until September.

“There’s definitely going to be times when you miss it and everything,” Gronkowski said. “I would always say that it’s still the offseason right now. I mean I can’t really say how I’m going to feel about it when the games start rolling around and everything. You know, I just felt like it was time. I feel really good right and it was just definitely something I felt like it was the right time and the right thing to do. To have that load off your back, I mean I’ve been playing football for 15 years straight in a row of that grind. Just relaxing right now feels good.”

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady already has campaigned for Gronkowski’s return at some point during the season. Gronkowski doesn’t plan on that happening.

“Thank you; I love you; I miss you,” Gronkowski said, laughing. “But I’m just relaxing, Tommy. . . .Call me when you get to the playoffs.

If Gronk was ever to lace them up again,  he’d have to hit the weights. A skinny Gronk wouldn’t last a game in the NFL.  Still, even without Gronkowski, the Patriots remain one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. You can check out BetAmerica promotions to find a great promo code to bet on the Patriots this season.

Invisalign’s Impact on the Orthodontic Industry

Invisalign is a setup procedure of orthodontic treatment which utilizes a lot of clear, separable teeth aligners used as an elective choice to regular metal props. The incredible thing with respect to orthodontic dental methods that utilization Invisalign is that they help in a larger number of ways than simply fix your teeth. These are likewise useful in assisting with nibble issues that normally require explicit analysis and treatment.

Clear aligners, likewise perceived as the reasonable aligner treatment, are orthodontic plans that are an unmistakable, plastic sort of dental supports connected to fix teeth. Starting in 2017, there are upwards of 27 items open including ClearCorrect and Invisalign. Clear-aligner treatment requires an orthodontist or a dental specialist, applying a form of the patient’s teeth, which is used to produce a computerized tooth filter. The advanced model suggests ventures inside the present and needed teeth structure, and aligners are intended for each stage. Each aligner is utilized for 20 hours every day for as long as about fourteen days. These step by step move the teeth into the spot set by the orthodontist or dental specialist and the subject. The basic preparing period is 13.5 months. Despite patent infringement activity, no business has gotten a directive on another business for the reasonable aligner structure.

History of the Orthodontic Practice

The use of Invisalign is a viable methodology for tooth arrangement that isn’t excessively intricate. A gathering of the straightforward, advanced plate is ordinarily worn for a time of 24 hours every day. In any case, these need a type of maintenance to prevent the teeth from moving back to their old arrangement. One of the greatest advantages is that the plate is relatively straightforward. Consequently, the item being named Invisalign. A few people basically don’t need individuals to discover that they are wearing props on their teeth. They likewise offer alleviation for individuals who need to get straight teeth while not feeling awkward in parties. Utilizing Invisalign gives comfort as it doesn’t change your talking capacity. Invisalign strategies are anticipated to work all the more successfully for stylish objectives contrasted with the target of improving the reasonableness of your teeth. This is the reason a few people, especially those that have confounded dental issues, still support dental props.

Clear-Aligners vs Traditional Braces

The two Braces and Invisalign are planned to realign your teeth over some undefined time frame while likewise improving your grin and your oral cleanliness. Customary props have existed for a significant lot, and hold a validated history of treating your teeth. Invisalign is a further developed methodology, having just turned out to be broadly acknowledged in the past ten years, nonetheless, the training is as yet expanding in its commonness. Regular supports contain metal sections that are associated with your teeth, bound all things considered by wires and little elastic rings. Contemporary orthodontic practices imply that sections are available that are likewise correspondingly fit your veneer shade, or you can get them in differentiating tones on the off chance that you support anticipating a style proclamation with your teeth! Invisalign, contrasted with customary props, is formulated to be straightforward. The transparent aligner plate is made utilizing plastic and set over the teeth.

Essential Pickleball Equipment You Will Need at Court

The pickleball enthusiasts say that the game is fun and exciting. And in fact, in the U.S. pickleball is a game that brings together family members both the old and young people.

Pickleball game is a sport that looks almost similar to ping-pong, tennis, and badminton. But pickleball has special equipment. It is a fun game you can play inside the house and outside in a court.

If you are just getting started with pickleball, you will find the game easy to play but as you progress to the level of experienced players, the game gets competitive.

Usually, pickleball is played in a court that looks like that of badminton, although small in size. The court has a net like that of tennis, but 34-inch long. The pickleball court is rectangular in shape, measures 20×44 ft for both the singles and doubles matches. 

The playground is expected to be 40×64 ft. And the court lines are marked with colors that make them easily visible, preferably white color or any color that is different from the surface color of the court.

If you like playing racket sports, then you will find pickleball being fun and exciting. It is a fast-paced game that has recently gained popularity among the U.S. nation. When playing the game, you will be required to have small paddles and oversized balls that look similar to those of ping pong.

Of course, there are other essential pickleball equipment that are a must-have before you enter the court to play. And we share them in this article.

But before that….

The Pickleball Basics

Well, pickleball has exceptional rules but are not far from those of badminton, ping pong, and tennis. That means for a person who has played these other games, getting started with pickleball does not take too much of your time to understand it. The court looks the same as that of badminton and tennis although pickleball court is smaller.

The players will serve the ball to each other whereby the person receiving the serve will hit back the ball and the serving goes on and on until maybe it goes out of bounds, hits the net or the players misses it.

Basic Pickleball Equipment

For beginner pickleball players who have no experience (learners), the must-have equipment are a pickleball paddle and ball. There are cheap pickleball paddles out there that you can use for the start.

As your progress to the real pickleball game, you will need a lot more equipment to boost your game. These equipment are essential for you to improve your ability to win the game.

Here are the essential equipment you need to have in the pickleball court.

1.Pickleball Paddles

One of the essential pickleball equipment you will need at the court is a pickleball paddle. Paddles come in different sizes and shapes so you need to decide which one is suitable for you. The paddles look similar to those of ping pong and tennis, although a bit bigger than the former and smaller than the latter. 

A paddle has circular-like edges. In the past, most paddles were wooden but these days, you can find paddles made of graphite or composite materials.

Graphite pickleball paddle has a carbon polishing, which usually gives you more control and power to your shot. And the composite paddle is made with a blend of different materials like carbon fiber, vinyl, fiberglass, etc. That gives the composite surface the right amount of texture, which helps the ball to hold a little bit on the surface when it touched. This type of paddle usually knowns as the best pickleball paddle for spin.

2. The Ball

The second essential thing you need to have at the pickleball court is the pickleball itself. The ball is the one that sets this game apart from other racket games in that it is a bit bigger and looks like a pickle. That’s why the game is called pickleball.

It is oval-shaped and has holes in it. There are balls for indoor and outdoor games.

The difference between the balls is that for indoors, you need a ball that does not move fast and the holes are bigger and the ball isn’t always heavy.

Outdoor balls, on the other hand, have smaller holes in them and they move quickly. But you can get outdoor balls with both large and small holes in them.

3. Safety Gears

Although the game is safe, minor accidents are inevitable. You need to hit the ball hard with the paddle when returning serve and when you have a lighter paddle, chances of missing the ball are high which can cause injuries in your eyes. For that reason, you need to keep your eyes safe by wearing some safety gears. To protect your eyes, you can wear goggles and gloves for your hands.

Other things you need at the court are clothes shoes and covers.

Aundrey Ricks is Essential to the Sports & Entertainment Industry

Business Mogul Aundrey Ricks is essential to the Hollywood Industry  and has taken many steps to get his brand Raw Impact as well as other brands to the top of the industry!  Ricks is very popular in a myriad of circles from hip hop, fashion, pro boxing, NFL, NBA, and also the pharmaceutical industry. Over the decade Ricks has built his Raw Impact brand into one of the more prominent names in fashion and sports, through his hard work and his Faith he was destined to come out victorious.  Alongside his Faith and other business endeavors has brought an abundance of positive energy from the youth and also the media. Ricks ambition was so strong and I quote, “There were times where he shoveled snow after a blizzard in the mean streets of Detroit for hours, using socks for gloves just  to make sure his family, especially his mom had everything she wanted and needed..  Thanks to his faith and his  hard work Mr. Ricks currently is seeing his vision unravel right before his very own eyes.

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Thanks to all of his due-diligence, passion, and faith Ricks has now developed strong ties to what may be best known as Hollywood.  Many different and exclusive number of actors and entertainers have worked with Mr. Ricks to help build their confidence, find their  passion and go after their dream role.  

The support of the  youth as well as the entertainment industry  is an excellent illustration of how the Raw Impact brand has transcended beyond reasonable doubt. Aundrey believes “If you can get comfortable being uncomfortable the sky is the limit.”  

In addition, to motivating the youth Ricks also is a tremendous motivation to entrepreneurs as well. Entrepreneurs and entertainers have been motivated by Ricks success.  When they are granted the opportunity to meet Ricks they know they will attain great knowledge. They indeed benefit from the help of Ricks and utilize the assistance he provides. 

 When it comes to growing a brand  Ricks may be known as a gold mine by his unusual way of thinking outside of the box.  Aundrey Ricks can be found on Instagram via his page https://www.instagram.com/aundrey.ricks/

Boston Personal Fitness Trainers Getting More Recognition

Boston is one place that is blessed with great sportsmen and women. It is safe to say that some of the best and most recognized teams in the world are from Boston. With sports proving to be a lucrative career, competition is very high and unless an athlete pushes their self to the limit, making it to the international teams is impossible. That is why most professionals have personal fitness trainers and if you are looking for one then just click here. In Boston, it is safe to say that personal trainers have contributed so much to the success of the players and this is why;

Personal trainers are better experts

While most athletes are talented in the field, most of them only imitate what they see others doing giving less attention to how they are managing their physical and mental health. With the help of a professional personal trainer, one can know the right kind of food to eat and what to do to fully utilize the energy present in the body. It is also good to know that apart from the athletes, there are so many people in Boston who have hired personal trainers. People who work stressful jobs as a daily routine find it convenient to hire personal trainers because they need their body and mind to be in great shape so that they can maintain excellent performance at work.

Personalized training to solve the problem

Physical fitness is more important than many people think. According to scientists, working out reduces your chances of getting infected with diseases like hypertension because it helps you relax and improves the performance of the heart. Working out also reduces stress, not mentioning other health benefits. The reason why even some athletes would rather workout with the help of a personal trainer is that they need to solve a specific weakness or problem. Working out in the gym with everyone may not be a good idea because some of the people you will be training with will not be having the same issue as you.

Saves time

Being a professional in the sports industry in Boston is quite a job. Most of these celebrities are always playing on the field or attending a critical occasion somewhere. This leaves them with a very fixed time to work on perfecting their performance. Hiring a personal trainer, however, makes things possible and even better for them. A personal trainer can be available to help you work out anywhere that is convenient for you. That means you will not have to waste time covering a certain distance while you can get them to come to you and on time.

Conclusion

Today, being a personal trainer in Boston is a well-paying profession. People that can afford these services live a better life generally because they are coached on how to eat healthily maintain a positive mind making them happier, not forgetting fit and safe from health risks. If you do proper research about some of the greatest sports icons in Boston, you will always find a personal trainer behind them.

Steelers, Patriots Week 1 showdown is a Game of the Year candidate

NFL fans know it’s always exciting when the Steelers and Patriots square off, and that’s especially been the case since Bill Belichick took over in New England nearly two decades ago. The two high-powered offenses have gone toe-to-toe a number of times, often in the form of an elimination game in the playoffs, with the stakes as high as they come. This time, the teams face off in the 2019 season opener. This is the third time that the Patriots will begin their title defense with a game against Pittsburgh. In 2002 and 2015, New England defeated the Steelers handily as they celebrated their first and fourth Lombardi Trophies. Fans of both teams are excited and are already heading to online sports books like TopBet to make their wagers on the game.

Tom Brady has had Ben Roethlisberger’s number in these matchups over the years. He’s posted a 8-3 record against the Steelers during the course of his career, finding ways to beat whatever exotic blitz looks they throw at him, and then hitting open receivers for big gains to make his opposition pay. Brady has a number of weapons on offense that can line up all over the formation, in Julian Edelman, Sony Michel and highly-touted first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry, who could develop into the team’s next great receiver for years to come. However, the team has yet to replace tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired after the Patriots’ win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII, and has been Brady’s favorite receiving target over the years. 
And while Brady has dominated the Steelers over the years, his formidable foe from the Steel City can never be counted out, especially not with Big Ben under center. Roethlisberger, to his credit, has won two Super Bowl rings as well, and he has one of the strongest arms in the NFL. Most importantly, his ability to scramble around in the pocket and remain upright allows for his receivers to get open downfield for big plays — often making his opponents pay for bringing pressure.

Worth monitoring, though, is what the Steelers offense will look like following the departures of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown — two of the team’s best playmakers on offense in this era. Brown’s departure puts a lot of pressure on young receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who figures to draw a lot more coverage this season, and could see his numbers decline as a result. As for Bell, running back James Conner showed a lot of promise last year when healthy, but it will be interesting to see if he can sustain that and build on it. Lucky for him, he’ll be running behind arguably the top offensive line in the NFL, even with OL coach Mike Munchak having departed, to join the Broncos coaching staff, a few months ago.

Fans should be excited over the fact that an epic matchup of this magnitude is on the Week 1 slate, and given all the history between the two squads, it’s fair to label this contest as an early Game of the Year candidate — so make sure to tune in and watch.