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Browsing: Joe
New Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco has managed to extend his career into his 40s, but Ja’Marr Chase has no plans of following in his footsteps.
The star wide receiver swiftly shut down the idea of playing when he’s 40.
“No. No. Of course not,” Chase told reporters. “Them kids going to be killing me when I’m 40.”
There are only a handful of players who are in their 40s this year, and none of them are wide receivers. The oldest wide receiver in the NFL this year is Adam Thielen, who is just 35.
Those who play quarterback, kicker and other less physically taxing positions can play past 40, but it’s mostly unrealistic for a wide receiver to do so. In fact, only one wide receiver in NFL history has reached that mark, as Jerry Rice played until he was 42. Even though Rice extended his career the way no other receiver has, he wasn’t exactly a star in his final years.
For now, the 25-year-old Chase can focus on making the most of the season at hand.
Things have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start for Chase and the Bengals, with quarterback Joe Burrow currently sidelined with turf toe. Cincinnati has gone 2-3 to begin the year, and Chase has 374 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Things could start to improve soon, however, since the Bengals traded for the veteran Flacco, who was previously with the Browns. While Flacco isn’t the MVP candidate Burrow is, he’s still more than capable of finding receivers, and he’ll have one of the best in the NFL to throw to with Chase.
The Cleveland Browns have featured a rotating carousel of quarterbacks throughout their history and have the infamous fan jersey to prove it, so maybe it shouldn’t be surprising they are paying eight different signal-callers this year.
After Cleveland traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac provided an updated look at the overall cap hits for the eight different quarterbacks the Browns are paying:
It’s safe to say that’s not exactly how teams want their books to look, and the Deshaun Watson number in particular is an anchor on the salary cap and team’s overall outlook.
Cleveland surely envisioned him being the franchise cornerstone for years after acquiring him, but poor play, suspensions and injuries have prevented that from happening.
The team’s quarterback room was once again thrown under the spotlight this offseason when it decided to select Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the draft. That pick alone would have generated headlines given the amount of attention Sanders receives, but it came just two rounds after the Browns also took Dillon Gabriel.
Now even after the Flacco trade, there are plenty of fans paying attention to see if Sanders will eventually get an opportunity to play or if Gabriel will remain in the starting role.
At this point, the Browns are 1-4 and seem to already be playing out the string on what will be a lost season. Getting Gabriel and perhaps Sanders some experience will help them decide what to do with the position down the line, but there is no surefire answer in place providing reason for significant optimism moving forward.
Which is unfortunate for the front office because it is certainly paying enough quarterbacks to expect at least one long-term answer to emerge.
The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t enter the season with plans of starting their third quarterback by Week 6, but that is the position they are in after trading for Joe Flacco amid Jake Browning’s struggles.
And Browning is “pissed” at himself for not taking advantage of the opportunity when Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury.
“Obviously, I’m pissed,” he told reporters Wednesday (35-second mark). “If I wasn’t pissed, then I shouldn’t be in this locker room. It’s important to me. I’m aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles over the last few weeks. But I’m also not shouldering the entire situation. I went through yesterday, watched my throws, tried to come up with some stuff I want to work on. I’m just doing that.”
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced Wednesday that Flacco, who is in his first week with the team after starting the year on the Cleveland Browns, will start Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
While Flacco will be learning the Cincinnati offense on the fly, there is at least some familiarity with the opponent since he just led the Browns to a Week 3 win over the Packers.
Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and the surefire starter when healthy, but his injury drastically limited the ceiling of a team that entered the season with realistic playoff aspirations.Â
Cincinnati surely hoped Browning could keep the offense afloat by relying on weapons such as Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown, but he is 0-3 in his starts with six touchdown passes to eight interceptions on the campaign.
The home fans loudly booed the offense during the most recent loss to the Detroit Lions, and it was clear the front office had to do something to salvage any hope of making the playoffs with Burrow sidelined.
Its response was to trade for the 40-year-old Flacco, who lost his starting job with the Browns to rookie Dillon Gabriel. And Flacco will immediately be put to the test against a strong contender from the NFC in the Packers.
It remains to be seen if it will work, but Browning’s play necessitated some type of change.
Root has spoken about previously wanting his first ton in Australia “too much”.
He has a respectable average of 35.68 in 14 Tests in Australia – he has nine fifties – but his high score is stuck in double digits at 89.
This time he travels without the burden of captaincy, something he had on the two previous tours, while he will also be part of a batting line-up and wider squad whose chances of succeeding appear higher than of the past three to have made the trip.
Neither Root nor captain Ben Stokes have won a Test on Australian shores.
“I go there in a completely different capacity to last time, different circumstances, a lot more experience now and I feel like I have a really good understanding of my game and how I want to manage it in the conditions,” Root said.
“Clearly you have got to put that into practice and be good enough when it really counts, but I am really comfortable with where everything is at and looking forward to the opportunity and challenge that lies ahead.
“More than anything as a senior player it is about not just performing in terms of the runs but everything else that comes with it.”
After two hours of cricket drills with youngsters at a Chance to Shine event in Leeds, Root has to correct himself when asked if he agrees this is England’s best chance to win an away Ashes during his time in the team.
“It definitely does, if I am being brutally honest,” he said, upgrading an initial assessment of “probably”.
“The thing that I’m most excited about is going there with a completely different approach as a playing group.
“We’re going to be able to hit them with something quite different in terms of our bowling attack, and the opportunity to potentially play three or four bowlers that bowl 90mph-plus for a sustained period of time.
“It’s not like we are going to go there with the same formula and expect different results.
“We are going to go there and try and do it a slightly different way which is really exciting.”
In recent times, England batsman Joe Root has taken giant strides towards the summit of Test cricket: Root has scored 13543 runs in Test cricket, sitting only 2378 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar.
Aged 34 and in the prime of his career for the last five years—since the start of 2020, Root has amassed 6184 runs at an average of 55—Root has a very plausible chance of eclipsing Tendulkar to go to the top of the runs chart in Test cricket and become the first batsman to reach 16000 Test runs.
Having made his Test debut in 2012, Joe Root has performed exceedingly against all oppositions: he averages over 40 and has at least two centuries against the teams heâ€s played a minimum of five Test matches.
At home, in England, Root averages 55, and his away average of 47 is also remarkable given batting in Test cricket has been challenging across the world since the ICC World Test Championship began in 2019.
In fact, Root has been outstanding in all countries away from home, except one: Australia. He averages between 45 and 66 in India, Pakistan, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, the UAE, South Africa, and New Zealand.
However, his record in the away Ashes in Australia is ordinary, belying his immense talent and reputation as Englandâ€s greatest Test batsman.
England are riding on the Bazball wave since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum joined hands in 2022, and they have infused a breath of fresh air into Rootâ€s career as well.
Therefore, the upcoming Ashes 2025-26 series, which will begin in Perth on November 21, is as significant for Joe Root as it is for Stokes†England team, who, for the first time since 2010/11, have a real chance at winning an Ashes series in Australia.
Has Joe Root Hit Century In Australia In Test Cricket?
No, despite playing 14 Tests (22 innings), Joe Root has not managed a single Test century in Australia. Rootâ€s highest score in Australia is 89, which he made in Brisbane in the 2021/22 Ashes.
Ashes 2025/26: Joe Rootâ€s stats in Australia in Test:
Root has an ordinary Ashes record in Australia. In 22 innings of 14 Tests down under, Root has scored 892 runs at an average of 35, far below his career average of 51. Heâ€s managed 9 fifties but failed to convert any of them into a hundred.
Root is 34, and will turn 35 on December 30, which is the scheduled day 5 of the fourth Ashes Test. By the time the next away Ashes rolls over, Root will be around the age of 38 and approaching his 39th birthday and is unlikely to be playing at the highest level.
It means that the Ashes 2025/26 is almost certain to be the last Ashes series in Australia for Root. And he would desperately want to improve his stats in Australia in Test cricket, especially one major blip on his career: zero Test centuries in Australia.
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
OCTOBER 7, 2025
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT DAILY’S PLACE
AIRED ON TBS & HBO MAX
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Bryan Danielson
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Attendance: WrestleTix reported that 2,413 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 2,796. The arena has a capacity of 5,500 spectators when configured for pro wrestling.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorchâ€s Joshua White to review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Dynamite. Weâ€ll read your emails live during the post-show.
VIP VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller†(or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so donâ€t share. Itâ€s just for VIP members at this time.
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LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER AEW DYNAMITE TONIGHT: CLICK HERE TO WATCH
[HOUR ONE]
Announced Matches & Other Notes
- “Hangman†Adam Page and Samoa Joe face-to-face
- Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita – Double Jeopardy Eliminator match
- Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- Pac vs. Orange Cassidy
- Kyle Fletcher vs. Kyle Oâ€Reilly – TNT Championship Kyle vs. Kyle 2
- The Hurt Syndicate (MVP & Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) vs. The Demand (Ricochet & Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) – Street Fight
- Mercedes Moné TBS Championship Open Challenge
- Jurassic Express (Jack Perry & Luchasaurus) to be in action
Joe Hendry will be part of the WWE NXT Vs. TNA Wrestling ‘Showdown’ event, but the popular star won’t be competing. On X, TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella shared that Hendry will be the special guest referee of the Men’s eight-man tag-team elimination match.
Team NXT will feature WWE NXT Champion Ricky Saints, TNA World Champion Trick Williams, Jeâ€Von Evans, and Myles Borne. As for Team TNA, they will be represented by Moose, Leon Slater, Mike Santana and Frankie Kazarian.
It will be interesting to see where Hendry’s loyalties rest in this important tag-team elimination match. It has been reported that Hendry is expected to join WWE full-time when the time is right and he has made several appearances for the brand. TNA President Carlos Silva recently clarified that Hendry is still part of TNA Wrestling, despite his appearances for WWE.
Outside WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling, Hendry has appeared on WWEâ€s main roster. The TNA talent was part of the 2025 Menâ€s Royal Rumble match. He also appeared at WrestleMania 41 as the surprise opponent of Randy Orton.
Hendry’s situation at Showdown mirrors that of Jordynne Grace, who will officiate the Women’s Elimination Tag Team Match. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from Showdown, including breaking news and live results.
Joe Hendry will be refereeing on Tuesday.
TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella announced on social media Sunday that the TNA star will be the special guest referee for the upcoming menâ€s NXT vs. TNA Survivor Series Elimination match that takes place on this Tuesday NXT Showdown. Santinoâ€s announcement came after Joe Hendry on social media shared his reasons for wanting to be part of the Survivor Series elimination matches, pointing out his Royal Rumble and WrestleMania appearances as TNA Champion.
On this Tuesdayâ€s NXT, Jordynne Grace and Hendry were both disappointed to find out that neither team NXT or TNA had any interest in them, with the TNA captains seemingly not sure what team they really supported. After Jordynne Grace asked NXT General Ava to fix the situation on social media, Ava announced that Grace had been named the special guest referee for the womenâ€s Survivor Series elimination match.
Here is the updated lineup for Tuesday’s NXT special:
WWE NXT vs. TNA Showdown lineup:
- Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Myles Borne & Jeâ€Von Evans) vs. Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose & Leon Slater) w/ Joe Hendry as referee
- Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker & Lola Vice) vs. Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration & Mara Sade) w/ Jordynne Grace as referee
- Title for title: NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys
- NXT North American Champion Ethan Page defends against Mustafa Ali
previous story
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Throughout the past few years, many current and retired stars are often asked for their Mount Rushmore of professional wrestlers during interviews or on podcasts, but ranking the best talkers in the business is another topic that has been popular as of late. During his career, AEW star Samoa Joe has always been good at making his skills on the mic shine as bright as his talent in the ring, and in a recent appearance on the “The F Y’all Podcast,” he listed his top three most gifted talkers in professional wrestling history.
“I think Dusty [Rhodes] paints probably the most vivid, wild picture you can do for promos. I think Dusty’s on there. I think Steve Austin isn’t talked about enough. When you talk about realism and why he was magnetic, it was because Steve was talking about whipping your ass like how people would whip your ass would talk … it resonated and I think that was good too. It’s hard to go down to three, but like I said, you brought up Jake [Roberts] and I think Jake when it comes to the mastery of tone and grabbing attention, it’s really difficult to beat Jake.”
In addition to Rhodes, Austin and Roberts, wrestlers such as Ric Flair, The Rock and John Cena are often referred to when speaking about the greatest promo workers of all time. Today, stars like Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk and Toni Storm are regarded as some of the most talented talkers in the industry.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The F Y’all Podcast” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling may be bracing for a ‘Showdown’ on October 7, but that didn’t stop Joe Hendry from headlining a recent live event. The October 4, event took place from the MLK Center in Gainesville, Florida and saw Hendry defeat Cutler James in the closing match of the show.
Hendry’s appearance at the show comes amid the ongoing storyline between WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling. The two sides will collide at the ‘Showdown’ on October 7, which will see multiple interpromotional matches. Hendry hasn’t been announced for a match, but it has been confirmed that he will be making an appearance.
The former TNA World Champion has appeared multiple times for WWE NXT as part of the crossover between the two brands. It has been reported that Hendry is being prepped for a full-time move to WWE, bringing an end to his TNA run. TNA President Carlos Silva has shared that Hendry is still with TNA, despite his many appearances for WWE in 2025.
Outside WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling, Hendry has appeared on WWE’s main roster. The TNA talent was part of the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble match. He also appeared at WrestleMania 41 as the surprise opponent of Randy Orton.
Caught between WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling, it remains to be seen what Hendry’s future holds. For now, the Scottish star remains a key part of both brands ahead of what will be a stacked Showdown event.