Every day there are three things, here are those three things.
1) Mixon's maturity. Marvin Lewis lamented a lot of things yesterday, namely this quote from his promising rookie running back about his lack of carries on Sunday...
"It's frustrating. I feel like I'm seeing [Le'Veon Bell] got the ball 35 times, and I got it seven in the first half and then don't touch the ball again," Mixon said. "[Jeremy] Hill only got one touch in the second half. It's frustrating to us running backs. We feel like we're in the room and we feel like we're part of the offense. If it worked in the first half, why not do it in the second?"
Asked about what Mixon said, Marvin went here...
“You should show maturity just like everybody else. Everybody wants to be out there all the time.....and be strong enough to not be led into questions after the game, which unfortunately he doesn’t know enough about.”
Excuse me while I pound my head on the table.
What the coach takes as immature, I take as truthful, and refreshing. Sunday's gameplan was BS, and it should be telling to Marvin Lewis that prominent players have twice called out exactly how BS the gameplans were.
Was AJ been being immature when he justifiably griped about not getting the ball after the Texans game?
No. He was being honest. And his gripes were well-founded.
Mixon obviously doesn't have the pedigree that Green does, but nothing we know about him suggests that he's a selfish player - he didn't lead his Oklahoma team in carries last season - and publicly, at least, he's been a good soldier even as he's had to wait his turn.
But in the first half on Sunday, he had a major imprint on the game and he looked like one of the only Bengals players genuinely interested in taking the fight to the Steelers.
Can you blame him for wondering how the second half would've played out had he been allowed to touch the football?
Is pointing the obvious really a sign of immaturity?
And if you're Joe, and you watched how AJ Green spoke out after week two and then say change occur, don't you try the same tactic?
2) Let my eyeball's drift, and they'll find something else. The NFL offered up what I thought could've been a pretty entertaining Philly/DC tilt last night - one that seemed to bring any holders, except probably for the clowns that run the Browns, over to Team Carson Wentz.
Philly's second-year QB was fantastic last night, prompting me to take a shot at Cincinnati's seventh-year QB....
Unfair? Probably.
Accurate? Definitely.
But even the Wentz Wagon couldn't save that flagfest last night, the first half of which was some of the most painfully brutal football I've watched since, well, the first two Bengals games.
With every flag, my eyes darted to what was happening on NBA League Pass.
Which was Ben Simmons posting a triple-double in his fourth NBA game.
Granted, his 21/12/10 came against a Detroit team that looked like it just met each other before tipoff, but it was the most enjoyable NBA performances I've seen in this young season. Simmons is what Lonzo Ball wishes he was right now (and I'm a Lonzo guy), with the court-vision of a seasoned pro, and an ability to find passing angles that most players can't. He doesn't have a polished jumper, but he doesn't take shots he can't make, and he still finds ways to score.
Oh, and he's 6'10," which makes it remarkable how at-ease and fluid he looks running Philly's offense gives the Sixers a lethal threat (to go with intriguing young talent elsewhere) that's perfect for the modern, position-less NBA.
And then there's the Greek Freak. While refs were picking up flags in Philly, Giannis Antetokounmpo was going for 34/14/6 in a win over Charlotte. The Freak is the most entertaining player in the league to watch right now, the marquee attraction on what's quietly become one of the more interesting players in the league.
How good has he been? Last night he went 13 of 21 from the field, and his season field goal percentage dropped.
What's scary is he's often getting by on raw physical tools and a freakish build. When he learns how to play basketball and mesh mental with physical, there might not be a better player in the league.
He's already more fun to watch than Kirk Cousins.
3) A World Series guess. I've got the Dodgers in six, with no real rooting interest except for a long, entertaining World Series.
I like how LA's bullpen matches up with Houston's hitters, and given how often the Astros make contact, the Dodgers' defense is going to crucial in the series. There's not a real reliable bullpen threat in Houston's bullpen, and the heavy workload the Astros best starters have taken on is worrisome.
So there. Dodgers in six.
Radio Show: I've got the guy who says he say Bengals players laughing in the locker room Sunday at 3:33, a ton of Bengals thoughts, and another reason why I'm glad we're not in Cleveland. The fun starts at 3:05 on ESPN1530.
Recommended Link Of The Day: What do you email your wife when you think you're going to die?