A star quarterback is fine with his star receiver being gone, he swears.
We also get you up to speed in an aquatic sport.
Allen Unfazed In Camp
What Happened: The doldrums of NFL training camp can often provide entertaining, if a bit overblown, quotes from players sick of practicing and ready to get to the real action of the regular season. Here, we have such a quote.
When asked if he misses since-traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen told reporters “Miss? I don’t know if I’d say miss. He was a guy that was reliable, you can look to, he’s going to have the juice every day.”
Allen also said that he is “very happy with what we have going on here.” Not quite the effusive praise we’ve heard Allen heap on Diggs in the past, that’s for certain.
Why It Matters: Are the Bills copying the Kansas City Chiefs’ homework?
After all, Andy Reid’s team shipped out its best receiver (Tyreek Hill) after the 2021 season and are now defending back-to-back Super Bowl champs.
The oddsmakers haven’t seemed to ding Buffalo much for moving on from Diggs. The team has the best odds to win the AFC East (+175), the fourth-best to win the conference (+750, behind the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bengals), and the seventh-best odds to capture the Lombardi Trophy at +1600.
With the regular season less than a month away, it won’t be long before we know if Allen was putting on a brave post-Diggs face, or if the Bills were really able to improve via the veteran wideout’s subtraction.
What We’re Watching Today
Women’s Water Polo Semifinal, USA vs. Australia (1:35 PM ET) – Did you know the United States’ women’s water polo team has gold-medaled in three straight Olympics? We did, because we are Summer Olympics folks around here, but if you didn’t, tune in for this one. Australia is 5-0 so far in these games and are on a 12-year medal drought in the sport.
Truthfully, we think pools should be for relaxing, and so watching these athletes churn underwater for nearly an hour is stressful. But all will be well when the U.S. comes out on top.
Men’s Basketball, Semifinals, USA vs. Serbia (3:00 PM ET) – Is…is this a trap? The Americans have beaten Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia twice in under a month, but were they playing dead? Do they now know what it’ll take to defeat LeBron and Team USA?
Ehhh, almost certainly no. Neither game was very close; the U.S. won by 26 points in each, and while Jokic could easily be the best player on the floor for this matchup, his supporting squad is simply lacking.
The Look Ahead
Dean Kremer STRIKEOUTS – For a pitcher averaging five whiffs a start, Kremer’s 3.5 line for today’s start stands out as a little light. On the season, Toronto strikes out at a low rate; but the Jays’ swinging and missing has increased a healthy amount since the All-Star break. This feels like a nice buy-low opportunity for Kremer, who has induced 4+ Ks in nine of his 15 starts this year.
