Brad Cesmat
While the Suns are disposing of Dallas, a few three dots from around town…
Is anyone believing that this has been a good offseason for the Arizona Cardinals? Give me a team that has had more outward turmoil for its fan base to take in. Chandler Jones hasn’t been replaced, I’m sure we will hear the term “next man up” come late July. Kyler Murray’s unhappiness will likely fade once he gets a new deal before the regular season starts, but the damage has been done with the ticket holders. 
IF Murray doesn’t deliver in a big way, he’s going to hear it from the butts in seats. Deandre Hopkins made it on the field for ten games in 2021 and his 2022 season has already been cut short because of the PED suspension. Now, you can look at him sitting early in 2022 from this perspective. He should be on the field late in the season and for the playoffs after having an extended vacation. The idea of any player making it through the slog of 17 regular-season games is a thing of the past. With the NFL schedule to be released next week, it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals catch some breaks early in the season with their matchups. The League is not going to put them on a national stage without their star WR, who’s not playing because of “use of performance-enhancing drugs”…
It will be interesting to see what happens in the Name Image Likeness Collective space in the coming days. I’m expecting news around Arizona State Football on the topic of NIL collectives. A local group of donors and business leaders is close to announcing partnerships between themselves and student-athletes. Collectives are run by third parties and aren’t tied to the University. One of the key people in this space sits at the top of a very large advertising firm in the Valley. Howwwwweeeevvvveeeerrrrr, there is now a push from college administrators to put rules in place that would prohibit the Collectives(boosters) from being involved in recruiting. Another term for NIL is “pay for play”. That is as simple as it gets…
Did you see Arizona State players Chase Lucas and DJ Davidson, two local high school players, getting drafted over the weekend? A nice accomplishment for both of them. Next year former Scottsdale Saguaro star Kelee Ringo, Salpointe Catholic’s Bijan Robinson, and former Pinnacle quarterback Spencer Rattler are likely first-round draft picks. Chaparral quarterback Jack Miller, Desert Mountain quarterback Kedon Slovis, Pinnacle offensive lineman Tosh Baker, and Salpointe defensive back Lathon Ransom will likely have their names called too. Lots of talent coming out of our state…
Raise your hands if you had the Diamondbacks right around .500 25 games into the season. Me either.Brent Strom, the MVP of the offseason, for Torey Lovullo. Merril Kelly, Mad-Bum, and Zac Gallen have a combined ERA below 2. They are fun, they are young, they have no pressure, and they are interesting to watch. Summer won’t be boring with this group…
