NFL News:

• The Jaguars have signed Ryan Nassib as their 3rd string QB, because Blake Bortles & Chad Henne haven’t exactly looked like Montana & Young.
  • It makes organizational sense, since both Coughlin & Marrone worked with Nassib when he was a Giants backup to Eli.
    • Of course, that doesn’t diminish the Kaepernick talk, but it’s at least defensible.

• Another of the seals has been opened: The Browns are a road favourite this weekend versus the HODOR-less Colts.
  • The last time the Browns opened as a favorite in any game came in Week 14 of 2015, when they were a 1.5-point favorite in a home game over the 49ers where the Browns covered in a 24-10 win.
    • Of course, it’s not an apocalypse unless they actually win, but they start the week 2.5-point favourites.
  • Shockingly, this would not be the earliest the Browns have won a game this decade.
    • They won Game #2 in both 2014 & 15; Game #3 in 2013; and were actually 2-1 after Week-3 in 2011.

• Proof the 49ers-Seahawks game was as bad as you recall: Deadspin‘s new feature, “Bad Quarterback Performance Of The Week”, breaks down the performance of Brian Hoyer in the Niners loss.
  • The stat lines tell you all you really need to know; the rest is gifs & general analysis.

• Whining & complaining department:
  • AJ McCarron has asked fans to support Andy Dalton during these rough, early weeks of the season.
    • “I wish people in this city would back him and go with it. He’s our quarterback, stop making it into something else. Ride with him, trust the team, trust the process and trust what we’re trying to do and be a fan of who’s playing.”
  • The sniping has begun in Giants country: the head coach is laying blame for the loss at Eli’s feet.
    • On the 4th & goal from the 2 that ultimately ended up as a field goal from the 7, Ben McAdoo said,
      • “Sloppy quarterback play,” McAdoo said. “Quarterback and the center need to be on the same page there. We need to get the ball snapped.”
  • RGIII decided to wake up this morning & dump on the Shanahans, specifically Mike.
    • He said he was “put in an impossible situation w/ a coach who never wanted me”.
      • Then, “next year coach wants out, says he wants out, says he never wanted me as his QB & I GET BLAMED? C’mon man.”
    • This all came out because Santana Moss went on sports radio & dredged it up.
      • Moss alleged RGIII celebrated the Shanahans firing, but then moped when in got worse under Jay Gruden, who pointed out specific bad play by his QB:
        • “You were just so happy that Mike and Kyle and them is gone, but now you’re getting your behind ripped every day, because you’re not playing the kind of football that we need to play for us to be successful.”

Finally, in a “cancelled before any results got to divorce court & we’re subpoenaed to testify” decision, the Ravens cancelled their “DNA Day” that had been scheduled for September 17th due to “privacy concerns”. To quote ESPN,

The Ravens had planned to give out free DNA test kits to fans as they entered the stadium…[snip] Fans would’ve been able to swab the inside of their cheek, drop the sample into a stadium bin and register with the company, Orig3n, online.

I get that this is a “marketing opportunity” for the company, and an “easy sponsorship cheque” for the Ravens, but it appears no one really thought this idea through, until it was cancelled 2.5 hours before gates opened on Sunday. Gizmodo notes that the company’s privacy policy was ambiguous about whether they would make the result available for third-parties to purchase. Bradley Shear, a Maryland-based sports privacy lawyer, who reviewed the document, said, “Now imagine there’s a crime in the vicinity of the stadium and they give law enforcement the information from Ravens fans whose information was volunteered.”

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services raised questions with the state about approvals. The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that it is “working to determine whether any of the testing being offered by Orig3n is subject to the requirements of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988,” which include standards for laboratory testing of humans.

Direct-to-consumer lab testing is generally prohibited in Maryland. Genetic testing is permitted when ordered by a physician or other authorized person and conducted by approved labs. _(Sun)

The Open Thread title is the actual quote from the promotional campaign.

Tonight’s sports:

• WWE:
  • SmackDown – 8:00PM | USA / Sportsnet360
• Baseball:
  • MLB:
    • Twins at Yankees – 7:00PM | ESPN / TSN
    • Royals at Jays – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
    • Indians at Angels – 10:00PM | ESPN / TSN
  • MiLB:
    • AAA National Championship
      • Memphis Redbirds (PCL) vs. Durham Bulls (IL) – 7:00PM | NBCSN
• WNBA Playoff:
  • Game 4: Minnesota Lynx at Washington Mystics – 7:00PM | ESPN2
  • Game 4: Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury – 9:00PM | ESPN2

The only surprising thing about the Ravens story? NO “THE WIRE” GIFS!