BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday, August 26, 2020.
Curtis Weaver found out Tuesday that it’s nice to be wanted, even if the Miami Dolphins seemed to lose interest. The Dolphins designated Weaver as “waived-injured” on Monday with designs of placing him on injured reserve. But just like that, there was buzz that Kansas City, Detroit, Cleveland and the L.A. Rams were interested in the former Boise State star and fifth-round draft pick. Indeed, the Rams and Browns put in claims on him. Cleveland was awarded Weaver based on its 6-10 record last year (versus 9-7 for L.A.). And his 2020 season might not be over. Josh Alper of NBCSports.com notes that “the Browns can wait to put Weaver on injured reserve without going through waivers after the cut to 53 players. He’d also be eligible to return during the regular season if that happens.”
SPEAKING OF FORMER BRONCOS D-LINEMEN…
Boise State has dipped into recent stalwarts on its defensive line to fill a couple openings on its staff. Jabril Frazier has been named a defensive graduate assistant. Frazier logged 138 tackles, 24.5 of them for loss, with 18 sacks during his Broncos career from 2015-18. His career ended in the first quarter of the canceled 2018 First Responder Bowl in Dallas (along with all his teammates). Chase Hatada has been named a strength and conditioning intern at Boise State after posting 77 tackles and 8.5 sacks as a Bronco. Hatada was relentless on the field the past four seasons, and I’m sure Boise State strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pitman sees that as a good trait in the weight room.
FALCONS CAN FOCUS ON JUST TWO GAMES
Is it worth it to play just two games this fall? Air Force feels it is. The Falcons are going ahead with plans to face Navy on October 3 and Army on November 7, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic.
The Army matchup will be the only football game played in a Mountain West stadium this fall. While Air Force is excited, Army and Navy have mixed feelings, depending on who you talk to. Both academies are playing full (or close to full) schedules this fall, and their coaches wonder if it’s fair that Air Force is competing for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy while playing only two games. “They practice for months to get ready for us while we’re getting beat up?” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo told Vannini. “So you play for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, who has a leg up? A team that sits around and waits?"
MERRITT’S SUMMER MARATHON PAYS OFF
Let’s wrap up Troy Merritt’s 2019-20 PGA Tour season after he just missed advancing to the BMW Championship this week in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. There’s not much of a rest for the former Boise State star and Meridian resident, as the Safeway Open in Napa, CA, next season’s opener, is just two weeks away. This campaign was a convoluted one, thanks to COVID-19. But Merritt made the most of it, making over $1 million in official money with two top-10 finishes and five top-25 results.
Now some “Prater math,” as KTIK’s Mike Prater did some research on Merritt’s summer (once the tour resumed in June). He played 11 events in 74 days that included 36 rounds, with an average score of 70.06. Merritt made the cut in seven of 11 events. During that hectic run, he made $754,053, three-quarters of his haul for the season. Oh, and he has his PGA Tour card secured for 2020-21, as he’s currently No. 74 in FedEx Cup standings.
TWO STEELIES STICKING AROUND
There are two former Idaho Steelheads still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, although one hasn’t played yet. Jay Beagle has a goal and an assist during the postseason for Vancouver, which drilled Vegas 5-2 Tuesday to even their Round 2 series at a game apiece. Beagle played for the Steelies back in 2006-07 during the team’s last Kelly Cup championship season. Justin Dowling, a big scorer for Idaho in 2012-13, hasn’t made it past scratch status in the playoffs yet with the Dallas Stars. Another Steelheads tie with Dallas: former coach Derek Laxdal, who led Idaho to that aforementioned Kelly Cup title, is an assistant for the Stars, who lead Colorado two games-to-none going into Game 3 tonight.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS…August 26, 2017:
In one of the most unique and massively-hyped boxing matches in history, 11-time, five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. stops UFC star Conor McGregor with a 10th-round TKO in a pay-per-view superfight. Experts had predicted McGregor would go down in the first round of his pro boxing debut—and that Mayweather would cruise in his 50th career bout. But the Irishman started quickly and held his own early, actually winning the first three rounds before Mayweather finally wore him down. Mayweather announced his retirement after the fight. His record improved to 50-0, eclipsing the revered 49-0 mark of Rocky Marciano, who retired as unbeaten heavyweight champion.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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