🏈 NFL Holdouts, 🐕‍🦺 Canine Pitchers, + Our NFC South Preview

Blitzers,

Welcome back to the Morning Blitz. Today, we've got updates on NFL holdouts, a special appearance by Shohei Ohtani's four-legged friend, and a full preview of the NFC South division. Plus, catch up on last night's MLB action and get ready for the return of Thursday night college football! Let's dive in!

WTF Stat: The NFC South was created in 2002. Even though it is considered one of the weaker divisions this season, since its creation, every NFC South team has both finished last in the division, and appeared in at least one Super Bowl. So maybe it’s actually one of the best divisions?

🏈 The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided to start QB Russell Wilson for the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in March, was in the lead for the starting job despite missing most of training camp due to a calf injury. QB Justin Fields, acquired from the Chicago Bears, will serve as Wilson's backup.

• 🔥 Take: Makes sense to me. Go with Russell “The Muscle” Wilson, the vet who has done a lot of winning in the league, to start, and you can always bring in Fields, the high upside guy, to spark the team if Wilson doesn’t work out.

⚾️ Shohei Ohtani's dog, Decoy, stole the show at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night by delivering the ceremonial first pitch. The night was dedicated to the pup, and also featured a "Shohei & Decoy" bobblehead giveaway. Fans lined up early, with excitement peaking as Decoy took the mound and "threw" a strike. Not long after, Ohtani hit his 42nd home run of the season, adding to the night's spectacle.

• 🔥 Take: Where are my dog lovers at? This had to be a top story, look at how cute this is:

🏈 Four NFL Stars still holding out:

1. Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers): Aiyuk, the team's leading receiver, has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with his contract situation. He has been medically cleared to play, but missed practice on Wednesday, intensifying his contract dispute with the team.

2. Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals): Chase, still on his rookie contract, is looking for a deal that surpasses his former LSU teammate WR Justin Jefferson's $140 million contract. Chase did not practice on Wednesday, despite earlier statements from coach Zac Taylor that he would participate.

3. Haason Reddick (New York Jets): Reddick, who was traded to the Jets from the Eagles, is holding out after not receiving a new contract. He has been fined nearly $2 million for missing offseason programs and training camp.

4. Trent Williams (San Francisco 49ers): At 36, Williams is still one of the top offensive tackles and wants to be paid accordingly. His holdout, combined with Aiyuk's, could leave the 49ers' quarterback Brock Purdy vulnerable as the season starts.

• 🔥 Take: I don’t get why teams let things get to this point. By letting things fester for this long all you’re doing is creating animosity towards these star players from their teammates (who are likely annoyed they aren’t practicing and hurting the overall team) and the fan base. Knock out a deal before training camp (like the Vikings did with Jefferson) and if you can’t get it done trade the player (like the Vikings did with WR Stefon Diggs, and then they turned around and drafted Jefferson).

NFL SEASON PREVIEW - NFC SOUTH

1. Atlanta Falcons

Arthur Smith and his boring, outdated, no-fun offense are no longer. The Dirty Birds haven’t seen the postseason since 2017, so they went out and got a new QB…coming off a torn Achilles. If QB Kirk Cousins is healthy, the weapons are in place for an explosive offense. The Falcons have invested heavily on offense: RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts (all top-10 picks) are options any team would love to employ. But new HC Raheem Morris is a defensive guy and recently went out and got two big names to bolster the defense: S Justin Simmons and EDGE Matthew Judon. In probably the worst division in the NFL, the Falcons have the tools to easily win the division.

Biggest Additions: QB Kirk Cousins, S Justin Simmons, WR Darnell Mooney, EDGE Matthew Judon, WR Rondale Moore, QB Michael Penix Jr. (R)

Biggest Departures: RB Cordarrelle Patterson, QB Desmond Ridder, TE Jonnu Smith

Biggest Question: How much does Cousins have left in the tank in the wake of his torn Achilles?

Playmakers: CB AJ Terrell, S Justin Simmons, S Jessie Bates III, CB Mike Hughes - These four guys sneakily make up what could be the best secondary in the NFL. 

Name You Should Know: RB Bijan Robinson - 26 yards short of 1,000 yards in his rookie season, showed that he could be the next household RB for years to come.

Sleeper: TE Kyle Pitts - He was drafted in the top 10 and then…not a whole lot. With a new QB that can actually throw, Pitts has the talent to break out in 2024.

Projection: 10-7

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker magic, baby! Much like many senior citizens around the US, QB Baker Mayfield found new life in the state of Florida. He posted career highs in TDs, yards and completion percentage in his first year with the Bucs and led them to the postseason in what was supposed to be a down year after Brady’s departure. However, OC Dave Canales is now in Carolina, new OC Liam Coen is a Sean McVay disciple, we’ll see if he can coax the same magic out of Baker.

Biggest Additions: C Graham Barton, EDGE Chris Braswell, OG Ben Bredeson, S Jordan Whitehead

Biggest Departures: CB Carlton Davis III, LB Devin White

Biggest Question: Does Baker Mayfield keep this team competitive in year 2?

Playmakers: WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin - The duo has been a staple in the Bucs offense for the better part of a decade.

Name You Should Know: Antoine Winfield Jr. - The 5th-year safety was a monster in 2023: 122 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 INTs.

Sleeper: WR Jalen McMillan - No one remembers that the Washington Huskies had three great receivers, McMillan was drafted last of the three, but has an avenue to make an impact right away.

Projection: 8-9

3. New Orleans Saints

I try to be as neutral as possible in these write-ups, but honestly, I don’t know if there is a more “Blah” team than the New Orleans Saints. QB Derek Carr? Blah. HC Dennis Allen? Blah. QB/FB/TE Taysom Hill? Blah. You could look up and down this team to try to find something nice to say but…it’s really hard.

Biggest Additions: OL Taliese Fuaga, LB Willie Gay Jr., CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, QB Spencer Rattler, WR Cedrick Wilson Jr., Edge Chase Young

Biggest Departures: S Marcus Maye, OG Andrus Peat, WR Michael Thomas, QB Jameis Winston

Biggest Question: Does Dennis Allen last the whole season as head coach?

Playmaker: WR Chris Olave - The lone bright star of the offense should soak up the targets, but will any of those targets be catchable?

Name You Should Know: LB Willie Gay - A very rangy, athletic linebacker who brings the thunder when he tackles, had several productive years for the Chiefs.

Sleeper: QB Spencer Rattler - If Derek Carr goes down, Rattler may have an opportunity to flex and has looked good throughout camp.

Projection: - 4-13

4. Carolina Panthers

Speaking of teams that are really hard to say good things about…the Panthers. They were the worst team in football in 2023 and odds are very good that they will be the worst team in football in 2024. After giving up the farm for Bryce Young and then firing new coach Frank Reich, they realized, "Oh boy, we have no assets on this team." Panthers fans hope new HC Dave Canales can push the right buttons, but anything over 3 wins will be a massive upset.

Biggest Additions: RB Jonathon Brooks (R), EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, S Jordan Fuller, OG Robert Hunt, WR Diontae Johnson, LB Josey Jewell, WR Xavier Legette (R), OG Damien Lewis, Edge D.J. Wonnum

Biggest Departures: S Vonn Bell, EDGE Brian Burns, S Jeremy Chinn, EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos, CB Donte Jackson, LB Frankie Luvu

Biggest Question: Truly how bad will this team be?

Playmaker: WR Diontae Johnson - A smooth route runner, should give Young some easier windows to throw into…in theory.

Name You Should Know: LB Shaq Thompson - He’s been the best all-around defender in Carolina for years, continuing the tradition of Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly.

Sleeper: WR Xavier Legette - Other than having the best accent in the game, Legette was a big play waiting to happen at South Carolina and could provide an interesting spark.

Projection: 2-15

• Guardians 7, Royals 5: Guardians rally down 5-2 to get the win and take the lead in the AL Central. Emmanuel Clase got his 39th save.

• Cubs 14, Pirates 10: Paul Skenes left with a 10-3 lead, only for the bullpen to give up 11 runs unanswered. Christian Bethancourt put up 7 RBIs.

• Diamondbacks 8, Mets 5: Corbin Carroll stays blistering hot, hitting an 8th inning grand slam to take the lead (his second HR on the day):

• Braves 5, Twins 1: Atlanta completes the sweep of the Twins, Chris Sale won his major league-leading 15th game.

• Brewers 5, Giants 3: Brewers score all five runs in the 5th, two coming from a Wilson Contreras bomb.

• Dodgers 6, Orioles 4: Teoscar Hernandez broke things open with a 3-run HR:

See the full MLB scoreboard here and the current standings here.

Thursday night (college) football is back! Here are some of the top games (in EST):

Western Carolina at No. 24 NC State -- 7 p.m., ACC Network

Murray State at No. 11 Missouri -- 8 p.m., SEC Network

Lindenwood at No. 22 Kansas -- 8 p.m., ESPN+

North Carolina at Minnesota -- 8 p.m., FOX

Southern Utah at No. 12 Utah -- 9 p.m., ESPN+

Eastern Illinois at Illinois -- 9 p.m., BIG10

On this day in 1969, Joe Pepitone quit the New York Yankees after being fined $500 for leaving in the middle of a game without permission. Instead of paying the fine on August 30th, he left and told reporters, “I didn’t stay Friday night because I didn’t think I should have been fined.” His quitting was short lived, however, as 2 days later Pepitone made amends with manager Ralph Houk and said, “I was 100 percent wrong in doing what I did,” admitted Pepitone. “I apologized to Ralph and will do the same to the players tomorrow.” Pepitone was traded to the Houston Astros at the end of the season.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

Before transferring to UCLA, where did QB Troy Aikman attend school?

A. Oklahoma - He played two years at Oklahoma but only attempted 67 passes, before transferring to UCLA and throwing for 39 TDs and 4,953 yards over two seasons. Most of you got this one!

Check back in tomorrow for today’s trivia answer and more info!