Josh Norman is putting away his bow and arrow in favor of some suds. The Redskins cornerback, who was penalized and fined for pretending to shoot a bow and arrow in Washington’s Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns, revealed Thursday that he’s planning to unveil a new beer-themed celebration this Sunday against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. “Since they sell beer on TV while kids are watching it, I’m thinking I might open a keg on the field, and I’m going to drink it on the field,” Norman told USA TODAY Sports. “And I don’t see that being on the rule book.” Norman is talking about a pretend keg, of course,
Sports
Steven Hauschka’s Name Actually Is Stephen, But He Hasn’t Corrected Anyone In Years
Here’s your weird sports of the day: Everyone has been spelling Steven Hauschka’s name wrong for his entire NFL career. KCPQ-TV in Seattle was doing a segment with the Seahawks kicker when producer Dusty Lane double-checked the spelling of Hauschka’s last name. However, as Lane tells it, he should’ve been checking the first. A photographer checked with Hauschka and learned that the kicker’s first name actually is spelled “Stephen” rather than “Steven.” “There was a little mix-up in college,” Hauschka said, per Lane. So why didn’t the Needham, Mass., native correct anyone until his ninth season in the league? “Uh ... NESN.com
Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons Have Hilarious Twitter Exchange During Debate
We’re not sure if Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can make the Philadelphia 76ers great again, but they at least won Twitter on Wednesday night. Like many of you, the 76ers teammates were following the third and final presidential debate Wednesday. At some point, Simmons apparently had enough of what he was hearing from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and he took to Twitter to voice his displeasure. But that tweet became an afterthought after Embiid’s response. It turns out Simmons, who is from Australia, doesn’t have to worry about that, though. So breathe, America. If you’re struggling with this election, all y... NESN.com
Curt Schilling Plans To Challenge Elizabeth Warren For 2018 Senate Bid
Some people believe sports and politics don’t mix. Curt Schilling is not one of those people. The former Boston Red Sox pitcher has been very unfiltered in his political views since retiring from Major League Baseball in 2009, and it appears he’s taking his strong conservative beliefs even further. Schilling announced Tuesday in a radio interview with Rhode Island’s WPRO that he plans to enter Massachusetts’ 2018 Senate race and run against Democrat Elizabeth Warren. Schilling admitted he still needs to talk to his family, so his bid isn’t official yet. But it appears the three-time World Series champion is very serious about enterin... NESN.com
Are Cubs Stealing Dodgers’ Signs In NLCS? Yasmani Grandal Thinks So
The 2016 National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers already was intriguing. And now, it appears there’s some gamesmanship going on. Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal said following Los Angeles’ 1-0 win in Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday that his team knows the Cubs have been stealing signs. It wasn’t an issue in Game 2, as only one Cubs baserunner reached second base, but there apparently were points in Game 1 — like in the eighth inning when Addison Russell worked a 3-0 count against Joe Blanton with Ben Zobrist on second base — where Grandal was aware that something was up. “All the sudden, Russell is
Patriots’ Biggest Weakness So Far Is Their Third-Down Defense
The New England Patriots don’t have too many things to work on after improving to 5-1 with a 35-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but one big issue stands out. The Pats’ defense has had a rough time on third down this season, allowing opponents to convert 44 percent of the time, which is good for sixth-worst in the NFL. Hear more from former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins on the topic in the video from “NESN Sports Today,” presented by People’s United Bank, above. ... NESN.com
Patriots Keys Vs. Bengals: Fixing Defensive Deficiencies Among Week 6 Goals
Rob Gronkowski made Week 6 quite a bit more interesting Friday, when he was conspicuously absent from New England Patriots practice. Gronkowski, who has dealt with a hamstring injury since training camp, causes a stir any time he’s not on the field. The big tight end is dealing with an illness, according to the Patriots, though no other information has been reported or revealed. The Patriots have just one fully healthy tight end on their roster, AJ Derby, since Martellus Bennet is questionable with an ankle injury and Greg Scruggs already has been ruled out with a knee injury. We’ll likely see Gronkowski take the field Sunday against the Cin... NESN.com