This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you.
First of all, before I completely roast these guys, let me congratulate the Milwaukee Bucks for winning the NBA Cup on Tuesday night. That’s an awesome moment. An extra $500k in pocket sounds extremely nice.
THE BUCKS WON IT ALL: Milwaukee is celebrating its NBA Cup victory, in photos
But here’s the thing. The Bucks refused to pop champagne after their victory and I cannot stop laughing about it.
The NBA meticulously planned all of this for Milwaukee, only for it to go untouched. Those bottles are collecting dust, baby. Take that plastic down. No bottles will be popped tonight — well, at least, not in the locker room. When the Bucks hit the strip last night their tune probably switched up.
The team didn’t indulge because it wanted to remain focused on the rest of the regular season. They did this at the behest of Darvin Ham, Chris Haynes reports.
Guys. DARVIN HAM.
Now, let me put some respect on that man’s name. He and Taurean Prince are the only two people in the world to go undefeated in two straight NBA Cup tournaments, after all.
But this is just objectively funny. The mere thought of Doc Rivers telling Chris Haynes that Ham told him the Bucks shouldn’t pop champagne, so the Bucks decided not to, is sending me to the moon.
We’re talking about the same Darvin Ham, right? My guy, you’re in Milwaukee for a reason.
Now, Ham is a fine coach. But I’m sure the Lakers’ decision not to pop the champagne after winning the NBA Cup probably had nothing to do with their relative success last year.
Doc Rivers is a better man than me. Because if Ham told me not to pop the champagne? Hand me a bottle right now. If I do this, the Nuggets may have mercy this time.
Look, I get it. Athletes are superstitious. Popping champagne after a regular season tournament would probably feel a little weird.
But, guys. Come on. There’s no need to be this weird about it. Give those rookies and two-way guys something to remember. Let them have a little fun. Some of them just doubled their salary! Somebody is going to buy a house tomorrow because of this!
That’s success worthy of celebrating. Stop being corny and celebrate it.
Peace up, Kirk Cousins down
Getting demoted on your day off has to suck. Kirk Cousins can tell us all about it.
The Falcons named rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s starter for the rest of the season after another stinker from Cousins in Atlanta’s win over the Raiders.
It’s not often you see a team make a QB switch after a win. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think this is the right decision.
Our Cory Woodroof has more on what facilitated the end of the Cousins era in Atlanta.
“For as much as the idea of Cousins contending with the team for two or three seasons before an organic passing of the torch to Penix sounded great on paper and in press conferences, there was always the possibility that this timeline would hit the hyperdrive if Cousins struggled in a meaningful way.
Cousins throwing nine picks and a lone touchdown in five games, looking like a statue in the pocket and going 1-4 in that stretch served as the catalyst to his Tuesday benching.
Monday night’s abysmal performance from Cousins against a lowly Las Vegas Raiders defense sealed it. Even though Atlanta got the win, the offense looked stuck in place with Cousins throwing the ball and unable to escape even the smallest sliver of defensive pressure. The writing was on the wall.”
That’ll do it, folks. This dude doesn’t look good anymore. There’s potential for a trade down the line. Cousins could find himself a new home.
But, man. He’s 37 years old. It might just be time to hang ’em up, Kirk.
Mike Vick’s big move
The NFL legend has climbed the coaching ladder into a pretty fantastic job. After some confusion over the last few days, news finally broke that Michael Vick is headed to Norfolk State as the head coach of the HBCU’s football team.
Our Mitchell Northam did a deep dive into why this is so much more than just a celebrity coaching hire that you should check out.
Vick’s hire could save NSU’s football program entirely:
“Now, in this changing landscape of college football, Norfolk State has turned to a hometown hero and a big name who knows a thing or two about football that might help it harness some goodwill and garner some NIL contributions to keep the program afloat.
If Vick can turn Norfolk State into a winner quickly, it would represent a tremendous feel-good story for Vick and his legacy, Norfolk State and Hampton Roads, and all of college football.
And if Vick is as successful as Deion was at Jackson State, it will only make Brent Pry’s seat in Blacksburg warmer. If Vick’s Spartans have more W’s than Pry’s Hokies next season, expect their resumes to be compared, and expect folks in Blacksburg to call for a different kind of homecoming.”
I hope Vick finds success at Norfolk State, and I hope his tenure there lasts a long, long time. Seeing a good head coach stick around for a minute at an HBCU would be nice.
Quick hits: QB Rankings … Kirk Cousins landing spots … and more
— Here’s Christian D’Andrea with his latest QB rankings. Jordan Love keeps climbing that ladder like the Toyotathon merchant he is.
— Here’s Cory with five potential landing spots for Kirk Cousins after his benching.
— Meet Blades Brown: The golfer with an awesome name and a mom who was the first pick in the WNBA draft back in the day. Meg Hall has more.
— Here’s our list of CFB players skipping bowl games this season.
— We’ve also got a running list of players who’ve entered the transfer portal so far.
— Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe wearing matching Grinch sweaters is adorable. Bryan Kalbrosky has more.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Have a great Wednesday. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
