Behind the Line

NBA Finals: Will 2020 Champion Have an Asterisk?

There have been endless discussions the past 2-3 months about whether or not the 2020 NBA Champions will have an asterisk by their title. This year's NBA season and playoffs have been far from normal...with television ratings and the popularity of the league reaching all-time lows.

That being said...if the Los Angeles Lakers win the title this year...will LeBron James and Anthony Davis have an asterisk by their championship? We analyze recent comments made by Scottie Pippen...and explain how the basketball in the bubble isn't the equivalent to NBA basketball. 

Even though the playoffs have been competitive for the most part...will the majority of people consider the NBA Finals winner a real champion?

Doc Rivers to Blame for Clippers Epic Collapse?

When you have a collapse as monumental as the Los Angeles Clippers...someone has to be the fall guy and take the blame. That someone was Doc Rivers...as he was fired earlier this week by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

Was Doc Rivers to blame for the Clippers collapse? Did he deserve to get fired? We look into both of those questions...and explain who shares the bulk of the blame for the Clippers early playoff exit. We also look into where Doc Rivers could be coaching next season.

Is Sam Darnold a Bust?

Sam Darnold and the New York Jets are off to an 0-3 start...and the conversation is re-emerging as to whether or not he's a bust. Some Jets fans are already talking about the team tanking the season to draft Trevor Lawrence next year.

We explain why it can't be determined right now whether Sam Darnold is a bust...because he is a victim of his circumstances. We make a comparison to another NFL quarterback who was thought to be a bust early in his career...and ended up revitalizing it.

Mitchell Trubisky Career Over in Chicago; Drew Brees Not Problem With Saints

In our What's Real/What's Fake segment this week:

 

Is the career of Mitchell Trubisky over in Chicago? As predicted on this channel...Matt Nagy decided to replace Trubisky with Nick Foles mid-game against the Falcons. Could this change be permanenet?

 

The New Orleans Saints have disappointed through the first three games...and the team is full if problems. We explain why Drew Brees isn't one of them.

 

The NFC East is the worst division in the NFL...AGAIN. 

 

Both the Vikings and Texans are learning the hard way that wide receivers aren't easily replaced.

 

Josh Allen is a legitimate candidate for MVP.

Charles Barkley Criticized For Not Being Woke; NBA Finals Could Be Lowest Rated in History

We have been discussing the decline of the NBA for the past couple of months. Adam Silver and LeBron James have repeated that their social justice push is bigger than basketball...which is causing people to tune out by the millions.

Social justice warriors everywhere blasted Charles Barkley over the weekend for comments he made over the Breonna Taylor situation. We explain how your opinion doesn't matter to "woke" NBA players unless you share their opinion.

With LeBron James making his 10th appearance in the NBA Finals...it should be a major topic right now. Instead...many are talking about the massive decline the NBA is experiencing. We explain why the 2020 NBA Finals could be the lowest rated in modern history.

Woke NBA and ESPN Continue Ratings Decline; NFL Ratings Rebound

Michael Jordan had one rule he followed his entire career. Politics are off-limits. Unfortunately...the 2020 NBA led by LeBron James has chosen the opposite approach and continue to experience a massive decline in television ratings.

ESPN and the sports media aren't helping. Instead of tuning into ESPN and hearing about sports...we're being preached to about social justice. As a result...millions of people are tuning out of the NBA and ESPN.

We analyze the comments made by ESPN's Mark Jones...and explain why he is part of the problem instead of the solution. With the NFL ratings rebounding in Week 2...we explain why the NBA should be more like the NFL and become less political.

Instead...the NBA is doubling down on diving into politics. This will have an impact on the legacy of LeBron James...who will become the first face of any professional sports league to leave the league in worse shape than it was in when he entered back in 2003.

Houston Texans: Clock Ticking on Bill O'Brien

After Bill O'Brien traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals several months ago...we uploaded a video explaining why he should be fired. Here we are two games into the regular season...and the absence of Hopkins in this Texans offense is glaring. Deshaun Watson hasn't looked like the same quarterback.

Bill O'Brien has had seven years to build a championship contender in Houston. Four of those years he's had the chance to build around the strengths of Deshaun Watson. With the Texans likely going 0-3 after facing the Steelers Sunday...will Bill O'Brien make it through the season in Houston?

Will Sean Payton Eventually Bench Drew Brees?

Since 2006...there has been one position for the New Orleans Saints that's been consistent...that fans of the team didn't have to worry about. Quarterback. Drew Brees has been the iron man in New Orleans...starting just about every game and playing at a high level.

The past couple of years...Brees' production has fallen off late in the season. However...through the first two weeks of this season...it appears that age has finally caught up with the future Hall-of-Famer.

We explain the problem with Drew Brees so far this season...and how it's affecting the Saints offensively. Will Sean Payton eventually have to have the toughest conversation of his career with Brees...and tell him it's time to step aside?

Cowboys Saved Their Season? Anthony Davis Finally Clutch; Eagles in Panic Mode

This past weekend was one of the best sports weekends of the year. Anthony Davis finally shook the criticism and made the buzzer beating shot of his career. Davis put the Lakers on his back the final minutes of the fourth quarter...and put Jamal Murray and the Nuggets in an 0-2 hole in the Western Conference Finals.

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys had the comeback win of the season Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. However...are there major problems in Dallas? We explain why Cowboys fans shouldn't get overly excited.

Plus...it's time to panic in Philadelphia. Carson Wentz is struggling...and the Eagles defense is awful. We also explain why Justin Herbert should be the starting quarterback going forward for the Chargers.

NFL and NBA Ratings Continue Decline As Both Leagues Embrace Politics

The 2020 NBA Playoffs have been phenomenal. Week 1 of the NFL regular season was excellent. Yet...both the NFL and NBA are bleeding viewers by the millions as both leagues have embraced politics and social justice.

We analyze the ratings for each league...and explain why so many millions of people are tuning out of professional sports. We explain why the NFL will survive this temporary decline...and how the NBA is in trouble and might never return to prominence.