Sports this 'n' that

 After missing Sunday's loss to the Jets, Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson says he'll be ready to play Sunday in London against Jacksonville.

Denver has underperformed in the first two months of the season, while Wilson's former team the Seattle Seahawks, sit in 1st place for the moment in the NFC West with ex-Jet Geno Smith at QB instead of injured Drew Lock, who was traded by Denver for Wilson. Worse, the Broncos go into this game as the underdog. Go figure.

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Even though New York's baseball teams are finished for the season, you can't escape the famous PC Richard whistle, which is used by the NHL's Islanders as well. The whistling jingle could be heard during the Isles' 3-0 win over the Rangers tonight on TNT.

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NFC East leader Philadelphia realizes they've got both the Giants & Dallas chasing them, so the Eagles traded to get defensive lineman Robert Quinn from Chicago today. The Eagles are sending some draft picks to the Bears, who may not be within sniffing distance of the playoffs, unlike Philadelphia, which leads the Giants & Cowboys by a 1/2 game entering this week's play.

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After getting swept out of the playoffs by Houston, Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner announced today that manager Aaron Boone will return next season, citing an injury plague in the 2nd half as the biggest reason for the team's failure to reach the World Series. Hal's late father, George, would've gone in the opposite direction, and sent Boone out the door.

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After getting embarrassed by Chicago on Monday, the New England Patriots will start Mac Jones again on Sunday vs. the Jets, a decision that probably won't sit well with one particular talking head.

That, of course, is ESPN bloviator Stephen A. Smith, who vented on Tuesday's First Take that coach Bill Belichick shouldn't have started Jones over hot rookie Bailey Zappe. It didn't matter who was at QB, though, as the Bears upset the Patriots.

Of course, Smith vented for the sake of venting like a talk radio idiot, so let me offer some context.

Did Jones return too early? In this writer's opinion, yes. In many cases, a sprained ankle doesn't heal 100% in less than a month. It's happened in baseball, football, and basketball many times over the years. New England, now in the unfamiliar position of being in the AFC East basement after Zappe's 1st bad outing, felt desperate enough to start Jones sooner than they should've. I'd not be surprised if this strategem backfires at the Meadowlands on Sunday, too.

If Patriots fans only listened to Smith's whining, knowing more than he did, then an old adage rings true.

You can learn a lot from a dummy.