The (possible) return of A.P., Tom Brady the immortal, and the curse of Russell Westbrook

The return of exiled stars. The rebirth of legends. Andrew Luck’s dominance. The Thunder’s brutal luck. DeMar DeRozan’s poor free throw shooting. Sound interesting? Then this week’s episode of Upon Further Review is for you! We tackle all these topics and many more.

This week we decided to do things a little differently on the show, as instead of just going through memorable games and the standings and analyzing the teams, we started with certain news bits, be it injuries or guys returning from suspensions, and let those guide the show. We hope you enjoy it, and we found it a helpful way to include analysis, speculation, and debate all in one show that was less rigid.

It seems like Adrian Peterson will be reinstated within the week, and we both think that is a good thing. But it remains to be seen if he will be suspended and for how long, as per the NFL’s new domestic abuse policy. As well, Ray Rice’s appeal is underway and it looks like his suspension will be reversed. These two issues that have laid in the background the past two months are poised to burst back into our conscious by the time of next weeks show.

Remember that time that Tom Brady and the Patriots got crushed by the Chiefs? It seems like a couple seasons ago, instead of a couple weeks. But all of a sudden the Patriots are now the hottest team in the league, and have the best record in the AFC. Their climb of the standings is so Patriot-like it is scary, and yet even they have never done something as unlikely as this. We discuss their recent play and that of Arizona extensively, and look at some other strong players as of late, including Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill and Ben Roethlisberger.

Over in the NBA, it is all about the Oklahoma City Thunder and their recent loss of Westbrook. With Durant already being out, we discussed whether the Thunder can stay afloat in their absence. The easy answer is no, yet there is the small possibility that some of the more responsible personalities will be able to emerge with the absence of Westbrook that could lead to some great defensive play by the team. Of course, the Raptors are off to a good start, and with easy-ish games Tuesday against the Thunder and the Celtics on Wednesday, they could be 4-1 by the weekend. We talked about DeRozan’s ever-increasing role with the team, and the areas he needs to work on so far.

Lastly, we made our way into the MLB. Yeah, we know it just ended, but already the two of us can’t wait for next season! We looked at the Jay’s recent trade of Adam Lind, and what that says about their free agent activity to come this winter. As well, we engage in a little debate about whether the MLB needs a hard salary cap, similar to that of the NFL or NHL, and if its possible, or if the league is doing just fine.

It is a great episode, and we hope you and your friends enjoy listening. Make sure you tune into radiolaurier.ca at 6 ET Wednesday, or download the link later in the week.And as always, enjoy your sports watching this weekend. See ya next week!