NFL News:

• I guess iron does sharpen iron:
  • Frank Clark: ‘Richard Sherman and his era is over’   
  • It comes on the heels of Sherman – star of the 3-10 49ers – calling the current Seahawks defense “middle of the road”.
    • As Bobby Wagner put it, “You can make the position special yourself. You don’t have to be like Sherm. You don’t have to be like Kam. Those are amazing players and they’re like once in a lifetime players so you don’t have to be that. [G]o out there and do your job and do what God called on you to do.”

• Coming off the loss, the Vikings fired their OC John DeFilippo this morning.
  • There was some note about the reliance on the pass at the expense of the running game.
  • He called good plays on the fourth downs; Seattle was just better at stopping them.
  • This marks the third OC to leave/quit/get fired by the Vikings since Mike Zimmer too over.
    • Norval quit during the 2016 season; Pat Shurmur left after 2017 to coach the Giants; DeFilippo lasted 13 games.
    • Noted personal assistant to the Head Coach & team motivational specialist Mr. Winkles had this to say:

• The City of Oakland has filed a federal lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 teams, including the Raiders.
  • It seeks compensation for the loss of the team, specifically around expenses related to stadium upkeep and surrounding infrastructure.
    • Oakland is seeking relief for the $80 million it will still owe for stadium repairs after the Raiders leave town.
    • “The purpose of this lawsuit is to hold the defendants accountable and help to compensate Oakland for the damages the defendants’ unlawful actions have caused and will cause to the people of Oakland,” said Oakland City Attorney Barbara J. Parker in a press release.
  • The Raiders final 2018 home game is December 24th.
    • The lawsuit could force the team to play elsewhere in 2019, and could mark the final Raiders home game in the east Bay.
      • I see a possible riot, and fans leaving with seats.

• Someone who doesn’t have to give two shits about that anymore? Reggie McKenzie, who was fired by the Raiders Monday.
  • He was under contract until 2021, but kind of knew the writing was on the wall.
    • When asked at the trade deadline who might be “untouchable” on the Raiders’ roster as the trade deadline loomed, McKenzie joked, “I’m untouchable.”
  • Only nine of McKenzie’s 50 pre-Gruden draft picks (from 2012 through 2017) are on the Raiders’ 53-man roster, and 36 current players did not spend a day on Oakland’s 53-man roster last season.

• The Thursday schedule is getting in the way of the Chargers knowing if Melvin Gordon will be able to play.
  • He said it felt good when he practiced Sunday, but doesn’t know if the short week will allow him to be cleared in time.
    • His backup, Austin Ekeler, suffered a bruised nerve in his neck & received a concussion against the Bengals.
  • If Gordon and Ekeler can’t play, rookie running back Justin Jackson would get his first career start.
    • Noted supportive teammate Philip Rivers is hoping to help Jackson overcome his nerves.
      • “It’s just over-communicating with the noise on pass protection and what route they have, all of those things – more so reminding them and offering peace of mind to take a little bit off of them so they can play fast.”

Finally – take this for what you will: Bleacher Report reports that “Ryan Tannehill Has Stem Cells in Cayman Islands to Improve His ‘Quality of Life’.”

“Things are going to be hurting a little bit when I’m older; it’s just the nature of the business, so to have something available, to help heal from that, is huge. Whether it’s from an injury in practice, or I tweak something during the offseason, or in 20 years after my career is done…I have these cells banked in Grand Cayman, and I’m able to use those in order to improve my quality of life and be able to enjoy the rest of my life.”

Stem cell treatment is designed to accelerate healing, not prevent future injuries, which – given he’s Ryan Tannehill – are likely to occur. Louis Carroll, a marketing supervisor at Regenexx Cayman, and not a doctor, said the cryopreservation procedures — which include medical testing — start at $17,500.

If you missed it during the TV halftime show, the Seahawks held their Corgi Cup on the field during intermission last night.

^{video via Deadspin}

The winner’s name is Napoleon.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL: all Canadian teams are regional broadcasts tonight
  • Kings at Sabres – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
  • Red Wings at Capitals – 7:30PM | NBCSN
• NBA:
  • Trail Blazers at Rockets – 8:00PM | TSN / NBATV
  • Raptors at Clippers – 10:30PM | Sportsnet
• NCAA:
  • Villanova at Pennsylvania – 7:00PM | ESPN2
  • Colorado at New Mexico – 9:00PM | ESPN2
• WWE: 
  • Smackdown – 8:00PM | USA / Sportsnet360
    • the “go home” show before TLC this Sunday.
      • Expect your new crush Becky Lynch to be en fuego as usual on the mic.

In case you didn’t catch it on Twitter or Deadspin yesterday, Big Daddy Drew has had something serious occur, and he’ll be away for a while.

Even if he stopped being a favourite, he’s one of the reasons we all ended up here, via his KSK connections. This would be an excellent time to revisit his interview with Laserguru back in 2017.

(Okay Beerguy, wrap this up with an empty platitude…) THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!