Here's a look at what's happening in professional golf this week, and how you can watch it:

PGA Tour

Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Thursday-Sunday, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, NV

Course specs: Par 72, 7,243 yards

Purse: $7 million

Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau

Notables in the field: Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Matthew Wolff, Akshay Bhatia

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 4-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 5-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday, 9:45 a.m.-8 p.m. ET (Featured Groups)

European Tour

Mutuactivos Open de España

Thursday-Sunday, Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Course specs: Par 71, 7,112 yards

Purse: $1.64 million

Defending champion: Jon Rahm

Notables in the field: Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Justin Harding, Haotong Li, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jose Maria Olazabal

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 6-8 a.m. ET; 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 7-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel)

LPGA

Volunteers of America Classic​​​​​​​

Thursday-Sunday, Old American Golf Club, Frisco, TX

Course specs: Par 71, 6,475 yards

Purse: $1.3 million

Defending champion: Sung Hyun Park

Notables in the field: Sung Hyun Park, Brittany Altomare, Bronte Law, Jeongeun Lee6, Ally McDonald, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park, Maria Fassi, Morgan Pressel, Hannah Green

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1:30-5 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Another busy weekend in Europe means it's time for another bumper edition of Monday Musings. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer.

Jump to: Derby draw suits Atletico, Real | Will Liverpool's luck run out? | Barca still lacking minus Messi | Man City's Bernardo mess | Alexis is Inter's hero and villain | Neymar PSG's hero again | Leipzig's Bundesliga slip | Don't stress about Pulisic | Juve, Sarri show their talent | Bayern winning without Muller | Promising signs for Spurs | Milan look awful | Sociedad stumble vs. Sevilla | Dortmund in decline? | Famalicao are no fairytale | And finally... Bas Dost

Derby draw suits Atletico, Real just fine

Surprised that the Madrid derby finished scoreless with not much in the way of excitement, save for the Jan Oblak super-fans who got to see him make some superb stops?

Don't be. These two clubs have had seriously bumpy starts to the season, both in terms of results and performances. Teams tend not to start playing brilliantly overnight. What's more, when they're trying to put a rough patch behind them, they tend to err on the side of caution.

Hunter: Trippier stands out in tense derby
- Real ratings: Ramos 7/10, Hazard 4/10

Going into the game, Atletico had won just once since Sept. 1 and that was against Mallorca, who had taken one point from their previous 12. They needed a late, late comeback to avoid defeat at home against Juventus in the Champions League. Diego Simeone was shuffling personnel and formations to make things click and, perhaps, to steer this team away from the "Cholismo" of yesteryear, the spit-and-gravel grind that had taken them this far.

Real Madrid had beaten Osasuna, who hadn't won since opening week, and gutted a win at Sevilla, but they had also been humiliated away to Paris Saint-Germain. They had conceded in their first five outings of the 2019-20 campaign. Somewhere in the back of their minds was the seven goals they had conceded in the International Champions Cup over the summer.

Most of all, this was a game in which the benefits of victory were far outweighed by the damage of defeat.

Zinedine Zidane, who had talked up the need for "intensity" after the 3-0 debacle in Paris, opted for Federico Valverde's 21-year-old Uruguayan "garra" ("grit") instead of the silkier James Rodriguez or the quality of a fit-again Luka Modric. Simeone again dropped Thomas Lemar and put his eggs in the Vitolo basket, but again his team felt like a Hummer at a Formula One race: a big engine trying to do something it's not really cut out to do. And despite his tinkering -- Koke seemed to play three or four different positions at different times -- Atletico never quite came together.

And so, you hoped for the stars to conjure something out of nothing. But Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale, perhaps mindful of Zidane's death stare after Paris, mostly ferreted away defensively and Joao Felix had an off night on the opposite front.

Real could still have won it and would have if not for the superhuman between the sticks by Oblak. They didn't create much but when they did, it was wiped away by the Slovenian eraser. You can slice off two of your fingers and you still won't be able to count on one hand the number of keepers better than Oblak right now.

The weird thing is that both teams have more points than they did at the same stage last season. Real are joint-first, just like last year (and that was still in the Julen Lopetegui era, lest we forget). And Atletico are joint-second, up from fourth last year. It suggests that while the neutrals may have been disappointed, this was probably a point gained -- rather than two points lost -- for both teams.

How long will Liverpool's luck last?

We've talked before about Liverpool's maturity this season, about how they don't need to be at their best to win, about how they limit unnecessary risks, picking their spots for when to dial up the intensity. Seven straight league wins to start the season, and an incredible 16 straight going back to last year, tell their own story. But you wonder if there aren't warning signs there.

Miller: Liverpool get away with it

Saturday's 1-0 victory at Sheffield United was lucky -- something the ESPN Luck Index continues to track -- and came about thanks to an individual error by opposing keeper Dean Henderson. And while both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah carved out a couple of chances, they certainly weren't the overwhelming attacking force we've seen in the past. In fact, they weren't the previous week against Chelsea, either.

Credit must go to Sheffield United, sure, but you also wonder if there aren't some warning lights flashing on Jurgen Klopp's dashboard. And when you consider what's ahead, including a heavy fixture list in December/January made more complicated by the Club World Cup in Qatar, you wonder if maybe they could use an extra body to come off the bench up front. The drop-off -- not just in quality, but perhaps more importantly in style -- between the three starters and the likes of Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rhian Brewster and whomever else you care to name is pretty stark.

Barca still look disjointed without Messi

By the time October rolls around (Tuesday), Lionel Messi will have played just 122 minutes from the start of the season. The last time he had featured so sparingly at the start of a campaign, Barca went on to win the Champions League. So if you're superstitious (and a bit dim), his various injuries are no big deal. Of course, that was back in 2005-06, when Messi was 19, Frank Rijkaard was in charge and Pep Guardiola was still playing (for Dorados in Liga MX).

- Barca ratings: Ter Stegen 9/10

If Ernesto Valverde's plan was to use the Messi hiatus to give his side an identity and maybe even offer a glimpse into a Messi-less future, then matters are somewhat worrying. There were few bright spots in the 2-0 win at Getafe other than a couple prodigious Marc-Andre ter Stegen saves and a neat assist for Luis Suarez, a lot of energy from Arthur and plenty of running from Carles Perez.

This team is still nowhere near where it needs to be and it can't all be down to Messi (and Jordi Alba) being out.

Man City mishandle Bernardo Silva mess

Such is Manchester City's current form that Pep Guardiola could leave out Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva and David Silva (in addition to the long-injured Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Leroy Sane) and still come away with a 3-1 win at Everton.

By some metrics, it wasn't the most comfortable performance -- the eight shots on target conceded were the most ever since Guardiola arrived at City -- but equally what strikes you is how players can come into the side and change games without needing to bed in, Riyad Mahrez being a case in point here.

Less impressive was the way this was handled.

There was never any need to personalize this and make it about Bernardo Silva's character ("an exceptional person," according to Guardiola.) All you had to do is realize that what may not be seen as an ugly racist stereotype in one context ("Conguitos" are freely available for sale in Portugal and Spain) may actually be deeply offensive to others elsewhere. And since tweeted images instantly go global, there were many who were understandably offended.

It's frankly irrelevant whether Benjamin Mendy is his buddy or not or whether or not he was offended. This wasn't a private joke between the two; this was chucked out there in public. Simply own it, say that you were not aware of the racist connotations, apologize to those who were offended and move on. And, perhaps, maybe take the opportunity to educate yourself about what that image stands for and why it's upsetting to so many.

Nobody believes there was any malice behind his tweet. So why drag this out?

Sanchez the hero and villain for Inter

Alexis Sanchez had quite the afternoon on his first start for Inter in Serie A. He looked bright and sharp early on, scored Inter's second in the 3-1 away win over Sampdoria and then got himself sent off in the most foolish way at the start of the second half... with a second yellow for diving. Evidently he forgot all about the all-seeing eye in the sky that is VAR.

Instead of 2-0 up and able to manage the game, Inter found themselves on the back foot (all the more so when Samp pulled one back). It's the sort of situation that infuriates Antonio Conte (and would likely cause his hair to fall out, if that were possible).

We'll get a better sense of where Conte's Inter stand this week after they face Barcelona in the Champions League midweek and Juventus next weekend.

Neymar comes to PSG's rescue again

Him again. Neymar's second-half goal gave Paris Saint-Germain their third 1-0 win in their last four Ligue 1 outings, each with a late score from the Brazilian.

The good news? Kylian Mbappe is back (though looking a tad rusty) and it was a bounce back after the midweek defeat. The not-so-good news? PSG looked a bit sluggish against an opponent that defended with numbers and intensity, at least until Mbappe came on with half an hour to go.

Neymar compared his relationship with PSG fans -- many still boo him after he tried to engineer a move away in the summer -- to that with a girlfriend: "When there is a problem, everyone stays in their corner... but with lots of love and hugs, everything will return to normal."

That's one way to put it, but let's remind ourselves about how it's nothing like a relationship with a girlfriend. The "problem" in question was generated by the "boyfriend" (Neymar) trying to dump his "girlfriend" (PSG), only staying because the other potential "girlfriend" (Barcelona) couldn't afford (or didn't want) to pay to get him out of the relationship. The "boyfriend" has made no guarantees that he won't try to leave again at the next opportunity. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, the "boyfriend" is being paid (handsomely) to be with the "girlfriend."

So yeah, it's really nothing like a romantic relationship.

RB Leipzig let Bundesliga lead slip

Leipzig lost their place at the top of the Bundesliga with a painful 3-1 home defeat to David Wagner's Schalke. Any Leipzig defeat will, understandably, generate plenty of schadenfreude but I wouldn't write them off just yet. This game would have taken a very different turn if Marcel Sabitzer and Emil Forsberg had converted their early chances.

More of a concern is how, having gone behind, Leipzig were so imprecise in their movement in the final third and how easily Schalke picked them off.

Let's not panic about Pulisic

Another week, another non-appearance from Christian Pulisic, this time in Chelsea's 2-0 home win over Brighton. I know some are scratching their heads over the fact that you would spend some $70 million on a player and then not play him in a real game (sorry, EFL Cup, nobody cares) for a month. But let's just remind ourselves that Pulisic only turned 21 this month and that last year he was slowed by injuries and started just nine of 34 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund.

Carlisle: Time to worry about Pulisic?

While we're at it, let's also note that the guys ahead of him include a veteran Brazilian international (Willian), another veteran who won a World Cup (Pedro) and a guy who manager Frank Lampard groomed all of last season at Derby (Mason Mount). Plus Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is very young but is a homegrown fan favorite. Not to mention the fact that he was poor in his last outing (against Sheffield United) and when Chelsea play three at the back, there's no natural position for him.

Chelsea view Pulisic as a long-term project, not as a finished article who will have an instant impact. Players who have gone on to achieve far more than Pulisic might ever dream of weren't guaranteed starters at his age. Give him time, let him continue fighting for his place and, most of all, let him grow into the best player he can be.

Sarri, Juve finally show what they're capable of

We finally have a Maurizo Sarri sighting... as in the sighting of a Maurizio Sarri team. For the first time in this campaign, Juventus looked like what their manager might wish them to look like. SPAL aren't great -- most of all, they're an open footballing side who can easily get "out-footballed" by better opponents -- but if not for some huge saves by Etrit Berisha, it could easily have been five or six rather than the two they scored.

Playing Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi as full-backs, lining up Aaron Ramsey in the hole and, once again, putting his faith in the "Dybaldo" partnership are exactly why Sarri was brought in: as a guy who can find creative solutions and produce attacking football. It shows he has the self-belief to pursue his ideas (and yep, sometimes he'll get it wrong).

That's a good sign for Juve. No point having Sarri if he's going to go out there and try to be an off-brand Max Allegri.

Is Bayern's good form bad news for Muller?

Bayern sprung back up to the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-2 win over Paderborn. It's still not entirely clear what Niko Kovac's long-term view of his lineup is, but it looks as if it's bound to include Philippe Coutinho in the hole. Based on his performance -- he scored one, set up another and generally opened up play with ease -- it makes sense, but it also means that the light is dimming for Thomas Muller.

For the third straight game, Muller was stuck on the bench and it seems evident that Kovac can't accommodate both him and Coutinho. That's a big statement for Kovac to make, too: While Muller has been on the slide in many ways, he's still a Bayern stalwart, born, bred and buttered at the Sabenerstrasse. Never the most technically gifted player, Muller reached his heights thanks to his athleticism and intelligence; but athleticism tends to decline north of 30. He can, however, reinvent himself as an impact sub or possibly as the alternative to Robert Lewandowski up front. Either way, you can't imagine him disappearing from view this early.

Promising signs that Spurs can pull it together

If Tottenham are to be what many (including yours truly) thought they would be, namely the third force in the Premier League after Liverpool and Manchester City, they need more performances like Saturday's against Southampton. Coming after a hard-fought (and frankly harsh) defeat at Leicester and getting knocked out of the League Cup (which is probably a blessing in disguise and ought to be entirely irrelevant but instead adds fuel to the fire), it was important for their stars to turn up and be counted. Harry Kane, Tanguy Ndombele and others did just that.

There's still an elephant in the room -- the contractual situation of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen -- and it's frankly grotesque that it has reached this point. But if Mauricio Pochettino can keep the focus on the fact that there's a common goal for all, even in less than ideal circumstances, this team can hit last year's heights and maybe even go further.

Another awful weekend for Milan

Fiorentina's 3-1 walloping of Milan at the San Siro was more one-sided than it appeared. Federico Chiesa missed a penalty, Franck Ribery scored a "worldie" and Gaetano Castrovili continued to shine. But obviously, the focus is on the rossoneri, who are just one point above the relegation zone.

Milan's Ultras voiced their displeasure by leaving early (and missing Rafael Leao's late consolation wonder-goal). You can understand their frustration. Marco Giampaolo, whose team had shown progress in midweek, looked to have gone backwards again. He has plenty of square pegs in round holes but he also has guys who, right now, would look out of their depth in any formation, from Krzysztof Piatek to Hakan Calhanoglou to Suso.

The club say they're keeping faith with Giampaolo. The best thing he could do at this stage is show a bit of courage and perhaps play guys on merit rather than reputation and transfer fee. And when he does, conjure up a scheme that actually works for what he has.

Real Sociedad stumble vs. Sevilla

It didn't happen. Real Sociedad did not climb back to the top of La Liga after 17 seasons (back in the Reynald Denoueix days). Or, rather, they were top for 14 minutes, from the moment Mikel Oyarzabal gave them the lead right up to Sevilla's equalizer. Sevilla went on to win 3-2, showing plenty of fight after their midweek loss to Eibar.

But while imperfect, the performance ought to be a reminder that La Real aren't going away any time soon. In Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Oyarzabal, they have three of the better young players in Europe and on their day they can match anyone for intensity. As for Sevilla, it's still a work in progress for Julen Lopetegui, but they're still just two points off the top of the table.

Next week, Sevilla visit the Camp Nou. The last time he was there, on the Real Madrid bench, he got thumped, 5-1, and got fired shortly thereafter. He won't be lacking for motivation.

Dortmund might not be title contenders after all

Like many, I had this as Borussia Dortmund's year and like many, I'm not sure what to think after they dropped another two points, this time in a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen. The numbers say it's one win in five, though that's a bit misleading because the victory was a convincing one over Bayer Leverkusen and they deserved more from their draw against Barcelona.

But the Bremen performance might have been their worst one yet. They were sloppy at the back and some of the youngsters (Jadon Sancho) looked rattled. Most of all, after Bremen's equaliser, they seemed to simply wilt away. Time for Professor Lucien Favre to earn his bacon.

Famalicao's story is no fairytale

FC Famalicao, newly promoted to the Portuguese top flight and with crowds of around 5000, sit atop the Primeira Liga. Impressive? Sure. Heartwarming Cinderella story? Not so much.

It's not just the fact that the club have a billionaire backer (Israeli magnate Idan Ofer, who also owns just over a third of Atletico Madrid), it's also the way they've been built up in no time flat (19 summer signings) with the help of superagent Jorge Mendes, who stocked the club with his clients and players from "Mendes-friendly" clubs (Wolves, Atletico, Valencia, etc).

Mendes is just doing his job, of course (and doing it well), but it does take some of the gloss off.

And finally...

Bas Dost scored in Eintracht Frankfurt's 2-1 away victory at Union Berlin, a win that leaves them ninth in the table. He has two goals in four Bundesliga appearances this season.

This concludes this installment of #BasDostWatch.

Ajinkya Rahane is a relieved man, having broken a sequence of 17 Tests without a Test hundred. On the tour of the Caribbean, Rahane made 81 and 102 in the first Test in Antigua to mark his return to form.

This shut down all talk of his Test berth being under the scanner, something Virat Kohli firmly brushed aside prior to the series when he labelled Rahane as the "most sorted guy."

Between his 132 against Sri Lanka in August 2017 and the series in the West Indies in August, Rahane had averaged below nine other Indian batsmen who have played at least ten innings in that period.

"The question of when I'm going to get that hundred is now over. I'm feeling relieved," Rahane said at a press conference in Visakhapatnam ahead of the first Test against South Africa. "I believe that each and every match and series teaches you so much.

"When I was first selected for the Indian team, I had to wait for almost two years and 17 Test matches before making my debut. And here again, had to wait for 17 Test matches to score a hundred."

Prior to the series, Rahane had a mixed county season with Hampshire, scoring 307 runs in 13 innings, stats that were fueled by one century - 119 - and one half-century.

"When I was playing for Hampshire, I was thinking about my debut, how my mindset was positive and I was enjoying cricket," Rahane said. :During these 17 Test matches [when] I was batting well but not getting hundreds, I was thinking about the century and it was going away from me.

"So when I went in to bat in the West Indies, I told myself that I'm not going to think about the three-figure mark, and I'm going to enjoy batting. Batting according to the team's demand was my priority. And yes, I batted when the team needed it, and that elusive hundred also came through."

Australia's Test captain, Tim Paine, has given a strong indication that David Warner is inked in to open the batting against Pakistan at the Gabba in November despite his horror Ashes series where he reached double figures just twice and bagged three consecutive ducks.

Warner made 95 runs in 10 innings, with 61 of those coming in the first innings at Headingley, as he was dominated by Stuart Broad who removed him seven times in the series. It was Warner's first Test series after his one-year ban and while his World Cup return had been profitable he found it much harder against the red ball.

However, in an Ashes where Warner was not the only opener to struggle, his past Test record of 21 centuries and a formidable return on home soil - where he averages 59.64 - looks set to count for a lot, although Paine does not have an official voice in selection.

"I think he is," Paine told 7News when asked if Warner is assured of his spot for the start of the Test season in late November. "I think he's got enough credits in the bank.

"We know how good a player he is. Opening the batting in England can be really difficult, particularly if you're a left-hander and Stuart Broad's bowling at you.

"That was a difficult period for David [but] the way he was around our group as a senior player was outstanding. It's easy to do that when you're going well but to have him still upbeat and still pushing others to get better when he was going through a rough patch himself was great to see."

Warner could play in three of the four rounds of Sheffield Shield matches for New South Wales before the opening Test against Pakistan - the other takes place at the same time as the T20Is which Warner is likely to be part of - and while a return to form would quieten any debate, a series of low scores could leave the selectors a tricky decision.

Neither Marcus Harris nor Cameron Bancroft secured their spots during the Ashes but they do not have the weighty Test record to fall back on that Warner does. Joe Burns was considered very unlucky not to make the Ashes squad having scored 180 in his most recent outing, against Sri Lanka in February, before suffering post-viral fatigue syndrome which curtailed a spell with Lancashire that could have primed him for the Ashes.

There are probably two batting spots up for grabs ahead of the first Test of the summer with one middle-order vacancy to fill presuming that Matthew Wade retains his spot after making two centuries in the Ashes. Usman Khawaja and Travis Head were both dropped in England and will need strong starts to the season while the likes of Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Peter Handscomb and Mitchell Marsh, who impressed with the ball in the final Ashes Test, will be aiming to stake a claim.

Ireland will tour the Caribbean for a six-match limited-overs series over two weeks in January 2020, Cricket West Indies confirmed on Monday.

The series begins with the ODIs on January 7 - the first two to be played in Barbados - while the third ODI - the only day game - will be played in Grenada.

Grenada will also host the first T20I before the series moves to the Warner Park in St Kitts for the last two T20Is. The series concludes on January 19.

Ireland have won only three out of the 15 games in the Caribbean, the most famous one being their upset over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup. In 2014, Ed Joyce led Ireland to their first international win over West Indies.

The two sides squared off most recently during an ODI tri-series in Ireland, where West Indies won both games in Dublin.

Itinerary

January 7, 1st ODI, Barbados
January 9, 2nd ODI, Barbados
January 12, 3rd ODI, Grenada
January 15, 1st T20I, Grenada
January 18, 2nd T20I, St Kitts
January 19, 3rd T20I, St Kitts

Jasprit Bumrah will travel to the UK in October to receive treatment for the stress fracture on his lower back that forced him out of the Test series against South Africa. A BCCI official confirmed the development to ESPNcricinfo but they didn't put a timeframe on his recovery.

However, last week, former India physiotherapist Andrew Leipus explained that such injuries usually take around a month to heal. "If it is just a stress reaction, he could be fine in about four to six weeks with an active rehabilitation programme. But if it is further along the bone stress injury spectrum than this, then it could need three to six months. If the stress fracture is bilateral (a crack on both sides of the same vertebrae), then it might be more than year or longer."

ALSO READ: Bumrah, the complete bowler, whatever the format

Bumrah's condition came to light during a routine check-up in September and India's team management was quick to pull out the cotton wool. They have taken a lot of care in managing his workloads, mindful of the fact that he is one of the team's biggest weapons. The series against South Africa would have been his first at home after impressive performances in South Africa, England, Australia and West Indies. He has five-wicket hauls in each of those countries and bagged a hat-trick in the Caribbean as India wrapped up a 2-0 series win earlier this month.

An MRI on the injured shoulder of Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky revealed that he has a dislocated left shoulder with a slight labrum tear, but he does not need surgery, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter Monday.

A source said that the QB should be back "sooner rather than later." Trubisky will travel with the team to London for its game against the Raiders but is unlikely to play.

Trubisky injured the shoulder early in the first quarter against the Vikings on Sunday and missed the majority of his team's 16-6 victory.

The Vikings knocked Trubisky out of the game on the Bears' sixth offensive play when Minnesota defensive end Danielle Hunter sacked the 25-year-old quarterback for a 10-yard loss.

On the play, Trubisky's body twisted and his left shoulder hit the ground violently as Hunter pulled him down, causing the quarterback to fumble. Minnesota's Everson Griffen scooped up the ball, although a defensive holding penalty on Vikings safety Anthony Harris gave the ball back to Chicago.

Trubisky immediately went to the blue injury tent before being escorted to the locker room for further medical attention. He returned to the sideline with his left arm in a sling, watching a good portion of the game from there, and was in the locker room congratulating teammates after the game.

Veteran backup Chase Daniel replaced Trubisky and tossed a first-quarter touchdown pass to running back Tarik Cohen. Daniel managed Sunday's game without any turnovers and finished 22 of 30 for 195 yards and the one touchdown as the Bears improved to 3-1.

Information from ESPN's Jeff Dickerson was used in this report.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Surely, the Oakland Raiders had to know this was a possibility when they signed Vontaze Burfict to play middle linebacker, right?

Right. Kinda. Doesn't mean they have to agree with it.

"He's marked, in part, because of his reputation," Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther told ESPN.com this spring.

And it is a well-earned reputation, so to speak. One that, due to repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules, has landed Burfict a season-long suspension and cost the Raiders the quarterback of their defense with his helmet-to-helmet hit on a prone Jack Doyle Sunday in the Raiders' 31-24 victory at the Indianapolis Colts.

Burfict, who was named one of five team captains by players, was rightly flagged for unnecessary roughness. But then the game's observer in New York weighed in and decided Burfict should be kicked out of the game. Burfict is now looking at serving the longest suspension for an on-field transgression in league history.

It's in no small part because of his history. Consider: Burfict has led the NFL with 23 personal fouls since entering the NFL in 2012, including the playoffs.

His 15 flags for unnecessary roughness since 2012 also lead the league.

And he has been fined $469,119 for on-field violations in his career, the most of any player since 2013, and that does not include the approximate $3.7 million he has forfeited in game checks due to suspensions for on-field violations.

So yeah, Burfict's reputation preceded him, even if coach Jon Gruden seethed after the game about Burfict being ejected. The Raiders are in London now -- they departed for England from Indianapolis for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears -- and will not have any access until Wednesday.

"Nobody on the field, in our stadium, or in this zip code, made the call to eject him," Gruden said after the game. "That came from New York City. So, what can I do? I don't have a cellphone on the field.

"It's a tough decision, it's a tough call. I think it was a flag. It was very-well-documented that the league was going to review those plays this year in New York City. So, that's what happened and I'll wait to hear what their reasoning was. But it was a penalty, he went in there with his head down, it was called and, unfortunately for us, it was an ejection."

Linebacker Tahir Whitehead assumed the role of defensive playcaller following Burfict's departure, the second game in a row he had to wear the "green-dot" communications helmet. Burfict suffered an elbow injury in Minnesota a week earlier and left the game.

Whitehead, also a team captain, was none too pleased with the prospect of losing Burfict for the season, taking to Twitter Monday to post: "This is straight bulls---. No way that hit calls for that. This s--- is getting out of hand."

But again, the suspension is not about that one hit, rather, that his was the proverbial straw as the league saw it.

And, right or wrong, the Raiders will pay for Burfict's reputation and, well, the hit laid upon Doyle, who ironically saw little wrong with it.

"I just got tackled," he said after the game. "I'm sure it looked worse than it was. I didn't really feel anything from it. My helmet protected me."

Burfict has three business days to appeal the suspension, which would then be heard by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, both of whom were jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA.

Burfict was brought to Oakland because of his intimate knowledge of Guenther's system, Guenther having been his position coach and coordinator in Cincinnati from 2012 through 2017.

"To take a leap of faith on him was a no-brainer," Guenther said. "He's coming to resurrect his career. He's coming into a defense he knows, but a new place, a fresh beginning.

"This is a guy that had a rough upbringing. We bonded. I saw a really good player in there somewhere. I had to get it out ... there was a trust factor."

Among Burfict's most infamous hits is the headshot he put on former Raiders teammate Antonio Brown in a 2016 playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.

"We can't have that," Guenther said. "But I'm not looking for nice linebackers either."

The Raiders are now looking for another linebacker. This was the risk the Raiders took by not only signing a player with such a reputation, but by not investing enough depth in the position.

The only other linebacker on the roster with real middle linebacker experience, Marquel Lee, just went on injured reserve. The rest of the linebacker corps -- Whitehead, Nicholas Morrow, Kyle Wilber, Justin Phillips, who was just promoted from the practice squad, and Dakota Allen, who was just signed off the Los Angeles Rams' practice squad -- is mostly outside linebackers.

"I'm not a dirty player," Burfict said upon signing with Oakland. "I can't go in there playing patty-cake. If I go out there playing patty-cake, then I'm going to be getting run over. I have 300-pound linemen, 300-plus-pound linemen coming at me, trying to block me. If I play soft, then I'm not doing my job.

"Every team plays a little bit after the whistle. It's just a matter of if the ref catches it, you know what I mean?"

Consider Burfict caught, then, fairly or unfairly.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott said he should have walked away from the fight with Eagles fans outside Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 8 but he doesn't feel sympathy for the fans that were involved in the fight.

Scott, who met with reporters at the team's media day, was asked about the scuffle, which happened before the Eagles' Week 1 game against the Washington Redskins, at the top of his session.

On my way @4thandJawn pic.twitter.com/Wf6hV0aZeO

— Mike Scott (@mikescott) September 8, 2019

"Looking back on it, I always play devil's advocate with myself. I definitely should have walked away before it got to that point. I'm the professional, got to be the bigger person, walk away. Once you keep going ... he was popping hella s---. He was going off. I don't know, maybe it was the microphone ... once you take it to the next level and you're throwing other slurs in there, now I got to see if you match that energy. That's what happened," he said.

Scott, who is from southern Virginia, played in college basketball for Virginia and wore a Redskins jersey to the game, acknowledged he has to be the bigger person, but, "as far as sympathy for them, I don't feel any for the individuals."

He said he doesn't have animosity toward all Eagles fans.

"Those guys don't represent everyone. I'm not stupid, that doesn't represent everyone. I still had a ball. Still had fun. Still took pictures with fans, throwing balls in the parking lot and enjoyed the game," he said.

He joked Monday that when the Redskins jumped out to a 20-7 lead in the game, he thought he might had to fight the whole stadium.

"You know, the Redskins go up 20-7, and I'm looking around like s---, I'm like, 'C'mon Eagles, help me out now. Can't fight the whole stadium.' (The Redskins) win that game, s---. (Eagles fans) would have been waiting for me outside the stadium with pitchforks," he said. "I still had fun. You gotta let social media have fun with it. Definitely doesn't look good on my behalf, you know embarrassing the organization and my family, but once you take it past that point. You know, god damn, what are you going to do."

The Eagles rallied to defeat the Redskins 32-27.

It's time for our first fall tradition: picking the six most intriguing players of the season. As usual, we (mostly) steer clear of superstars and rookies.

Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic

Orlando's offseason plan for Isaac led him to a startling discovery.

"I did not know I could eat this much," Isaac says. "My mind is blown. Eating is almost not enjoyable anymore." Isaac says he has eaten five or six "real meals" every day to add heft to his string-bean frame -- without compromising the quickness and switchability that hold All-Defense promise.

The Magic estimate Isaac has put on 15 to 20 pounds. That would mitigate his only major vulnerability on defense: brutes burrowing into Isaac's chest, dislodging him, and lofting layups as he stumbles backward. Against some teams, the Magic toggled assignments so Aaron Gordon would defend behemoth power forwards -- leaving Isaac to trail wings.

Jeff Van Gundy often had Isaac defend wings during practices with the USA Select team; during that camp, Isaac says he texted Pat Delany, an Orlando assistant, requesting Delany prepare film of players who were good at scampering around with wings. "I really don't know how to read guys coming off screens," Isaac says.

Isaac should become a stopper against every position. His combination of length and speed is outrageous. He reads the game well. What stands out already is an absence of mistakes -- unusual for a player so young.

The other side will determine Isaac's ceiling (All-Star or solid starter?) and whether the Magic's ultra-big lineups can squeeze enough points for Orlando to chase home-court advantage in the first round.

Isaac is never going to be a high-volume screen-setter alongside Gordon and Nikola Vucevic. He lives off the ball. Isaac shot 38 percent from deep after the All-Star break last season (kindly ignore his 4-of-20 mark in the first round of the playoffs against Toronto!), and carrying that over is one of Orlando's most important swing factors.

Opponents are going to ignore Isaac, clogging up everything else, until he proves he can punish them. Forcing defenders to guard him more closely would unlock a surprisingly nifty pump-and-go game. Isaac can handle lefty and righty, and see the next pass:

(He still settles for too many pull-up 2-pointers.)

Isaac is only so useful loitering around the arc. He has good timing as a cutter, but the Magic rarely found him; Isaac would often slip open toward the rim, raise his arms, and continue with polite dejection to the other side. Cutting also slides Isaac into offensive rebounding position, and the Magic -- 22nd in both scoring efficiency and offensive rebounding rate -- could use extra juice there:

He would be a threat hanging in the dunker spot. He can dive to the rim when he and Vucevic set staggered screens:

Opponents will switch, wagering Isaac can't hurt little guys in the post. Isaac averaged just 0.54 points per possession on post-ups, second worst among 166 players who logged at least 25 such plays last season, per Second Spectrum. Bulking up should help. The apex version of Isaac should dust traditional power forwards and score over wings -- denying opponents the luxury of tailoring frontcourt matchups to stop Gordon.

"I think there will be more post-ups," Isaac says. He has dipped his toe into bringing the ball up and running a two-man game with Vucevic. He flashes finesse that catches you off-guard, with loping Euro-steps and soft floaters.

"I feel like I can do everything," he says.

Isaac exists in a state of tension with many of Steve Clifford's central tenets. Clifford's teams have historically punted on working the offensive glass to get back on defense. Isaac should be a weapon in transition, but Clifford's teams are cautious there; defensive rebounding comes first. "I'd like to get more leak-outs, but we don't do that much," Isaac says. Random cuts muck up spacing.

Tension is healthy. The Magic need a dose of wildness. They need methods of scrounging points beyond their intricate half-court system. By not precisely fitting in, Isaac can round out the Magic.

It's hard to overstate how much the Magic love Isaac. They have batted away any Isaac trade inquiries, sources say. He has quickly become a standard-bearer of the culture president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond want to nurture.

Isaac's younger brother, Jeremiah, 11, is almost part of the team. He is always around the facility, and makes regular rotation suggestions to Clifford -- not always in favor of his brother, Clifford says. Weltman even let Jeremiah call in Orlando's picks to the league office during the draft. He practiced pronouncing Chuma Okeke's name all day, Isaac says.

Orlando is betting on Isaac's work ethic. Most players return home after doing local media the day after being drafted. The Magic expected Isaac to do the same in 2017. Instead, he asked whether coaches were around that weekend; he wanted to start work.

That story has stuck with higher-ups. They hope the payoff is coming.

Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks

Robinson burst onto the scene as the rare big man with the fast-twitch explosiveness to regularly reject jumpers -- a potential second-round steal for the Scott Perry/Steve Mills regime. He obliterated 22 3-pointers, five more than any other player, in just 1,360 minutes. There are maybe two living humans who can do some of the things Robinson does on defense.

He also fouled the bejesus out of everyone. Clever ball-handlers baited him with eyebrow fakes and give-and-go trickery:

New York's coaches have hammered in a simple message: Be the second jumper. Don't leave your feet until you see the other guy get air.

"I hear that," Robinson says. "But with some guys -- Steph Curry, James Harden -- you can't wait."

Jumping too late can be a problem around the rim. Robinson sometimes leaves the glass naked hunting no-chance-in-hell blocks.

Robinson cut his foul rate toward the end of the season, but it was still too high -- and not just the result of hyper block-chasing. Robinson needs to hone his fundamentals. He defends the pick-and-roll with his hands at his sides, exposing passing lanes.

"That can be fatigue," he says. "When you're tired, you drop your arms." He reaches and hand-checks. He tries to blow up pick-and-rolls by shoving the screener -- a gambit he says he learned from Amar'e Stoudemire -- but refs caught on. "I can't get away with it every time," he says.

He is not as good as he should be covering both ball handler and roller at once. He sometimes takes poor angles. His footwork can be mechanical:

Robinson has shown progress, but it may take longer than optimists expect.

On offense, he is a raw rim-runner thirsty for lobs. (You can sometimes catch Robinson leaping for a lob when no one has thrown one.) He seldom sets actual screens, preferring to slip early into the lane. He sometimes rolls full speed with his head down instead of starting and stopping to make himself a target. New York seemed fine with most of that, and Robinson sucks in a ton of attention -- creating open looks for shooters.

Laying the wood now and then would be nice, though. Teams learned Robinson's tendencies, and started moonwalking in sync with him:

They also switched some, daring Robinson to beat them on the block. He couldn't. The Knicks scored just 0.79 points per possession on any trip featuring a Robinson post-up -- third worst among all players, per Second Spectrum tracking.

He fared well enough when he played amid decent shooting. The Knicks compromised that by signing Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris. Robinson will rim-run into walls.

Randle and Robinson can run some big-big pick-and-rolls. Randle will bulldoze one-on-one, draw help, then drop the ball to Robinson for dunks. When he's not involved in the pick-and-roll, Robinson is dangerous lurking along the baseline; Dennis Smith Jr. likes finding him there:

The Portis-Robinson pairing intrigues; Portis shot 39 percent from deep last season.

Robinson anticipated the need to evolve. "I'm going to shoot midrangers, maybe a couple of 3s," he says. He has started practicing basic playmaking from the elbows, though he concedes his jumper has been a higher priority. It is unclear what Robinson might do if opponents trap New York's point guards on the pick-and-roll, and force them to hit Robinson far from the rim. He averaged about half an assist per game.

But Robinson represents a reason for hope after New York's free agency whiff.

Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets

It might be the most interesting question going into this season: What is Westbrook going to do when James Harden has the ball?

He has to shoot better, for one. He can't cut and screen and dart inside for offensive rebounds and do all the sexy-nerdy basketball things on every possession. The game doesn't flow that way for most stars. Westbrook has hit about 35 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s in some prior seasons; he could bounce back to that kind of acceptable, non-grisly number on the looks Harden will feed him.

But Westbrook has to do a lot more of that sexy-nerdy stuff for this bizarro partnership to take Houston as far as the Harden-Chris Paul version got them in 2018. Westbrook has done almost none of that. He is the battering-ram-on-repeat who drove stars out of Oklahoma City. Playing with Harden -- a superior on-ball scorer in every sense -- provides a chance for Westbrook to rewrite the narrative of his career.

He'll still have the ball a lot, of course. Westbrook can reanimate a zombified transition game and thrive running spread pick-and-roll in the sort of spacing Oklahoma City rarely gave him. Harden has to play off the ball more, too.

But Westbrook has never been his team's secondary ball handler. If he spends his off-ball time chilling behind the arc, hands on knees, the Rockets have little chance to come out of the Western Conference.

Jerami Grant, Denver Nuggets

Grant spent five seasons in two strange places: the Process Loss Factory in Philadelphia, and the Westbrook show in Oklahoma City. He adapted to each, but you always got the sense he could grow into a different sort of player -- the player he should be, not the one teams tried to manufacture -- in the right environment.

The Nuggets are betting they have that environment because they have Nikola Jokic, the greatest passing center in modern NBA history. They spent a year-plus scouring the league for a power forward of the future -- someone Jokic's age, who fit Jokic's game, says Tim Connelly, Denver's president of basketball operations. They zeroed in on Grant and one other player they could not obtain. If they are right, and some actualized version of Grant is waiting to emerge, the Nuggets should be really good for a long time.

Connelly called Grant after finalizing the trade and told him: We want this to be home. "That made me feel real comfortable," Grant says.

Jokic texted Grant a welcome message from overseas. Grant, a film buff, began watching clips of Jokic's passing. He was giddy. Grant is a cagey, explosive cutter, but the Thunder mostly had him stand around the perimeter. The paint belonged to Steven Adams.

Grant survived. He shot 39 percent from deep. When slower defenders contested his shot, he could pump-and-go by them.

Most of Grant's individual work has centered on fixing that jumper. In Philadelphia, he would ask shooting coach John Townshend to meet him at the practice facility for 6 a.m. workouts, both recall.

The Sixers also tried to break Grant's habit of dunking everything. "We are talking violent dunks in every drill," says Billy Lange, a longtime Sixers assistant who is now head coach at St. Joseph's University. "You could almost feel them across the whole facility." Lange pulled Grant aside during one pregame warm-up and asked if he knew what peanut brittle felt like. "Hard," Grant replied. "What happens if you drop it to the ground?" Lange asked. "It shatters," Lange told him. "That is your foot. Every time you dunk, you are hurting your foot a little."

"I think about that to this day," Grant says.

Grant tried to keep Philly's locker room afloat amid historic losing. "We have to take our craft more seriously," he would remind young players, Lange says. The losing took its toll in Grant's second season, when Philly went 10-72. Grant grew sullen. He drifted away from the practice facility that summer.

When the Sixers traded Grant to Oklahoma City early the next season, coaches felt a combination of sadness and relief that he might win, they say now.

"We went through all the s--- we went through, and he came out unscathed on the other side," says Sixers coach Brett Brown.

Grant became a full-time starter and signed a three-year, $29 million extension with a player option for next season -- a deal Grant has called "a bargain" in conversations with confidants, he and others say.

But Grant as a stretch power forward in Westbrook's offense was a square peg/round hole contortion. Defenders strayed from Grant even as his percentage ticked up, laying in wait for his drives:

Grant scored only 0.89 points per possession on drives, one of the worst marks in the league, per Second Spectrum data. He can make functional passes in space, but misses the advanced reads that really puncture defenses. Look at Paul George on the right wing begging Grant to hit Nerlens Noel under the basket:

His first step isn't as quick as you'd think -- occasional indecision doesn't help -- and Grant can get caught in the air with no place to go:

In Denver, Grant can bob and weave while Jokic surveys from the elbow. He can screen for Jamal Murray as Jokic spaces the floor as an outlet -- waiting to touch a pass to Grant flying down the lane. He can set improvised picks for Jokic in semi-transition. Playing with better shooters makes everything easier. Driving corridors widen. Passes lanes stay clearer, longer.

On defense, Grant can switch across every position, cover Jokic's weaknesses, and protect the rim. Any team built around Murray and Jokic needs strong defenders at the other three positions.

It will be interesting to see how Mike Malone juggles minutes. Paul Millsap is the deserved starter. Grant can work as a backup center, but Mason Plumlee -- that's Team USA stalwart Mason Plumlee, mind you! -- killed it in that role last season. Both Juancho Hernangomez and Michael Porter Jr. can play some small-ball power forward. We may even see Grant, Millsap and Jokic together when Denver faces LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard -- with Grant guarding those alpha scorers.

"I'm excited to see how he fits," Lange says. "If he cuts with the same violence he dunks with, he's gonna get a lot of easy baskets."

JaMychal Green, LA Clippers

For a relative unknown, Green could play a pivotal role in the title chase. The Clippers are thin in traditional big men, and have none with Green's ability to shapeshift between lineup types. He may start at power forward, play center after Montrezl Harrell's first stint each half, and log heavy minutes alongside Harrell.

Green was dejected when the Clippers acquired him from Memphis last season; he thought LA was tanking after dealing Tobias Harris and he would not get much playing time, he says. He sulked. (Green is quiet by nature. Chatty Memphis veterans took to him because he never spoke, higher-ups there recall.) Doc Rivers and Sam Cassell gave him pep talks, he says.

Two months later, he was starting as a floor-stretching center against Golden State in the playoffs. Then, he dangled for two weeks in free agency. He passed on richer offers from several teams, including playoff mainstays, according to Green and sources at those teams. The Clippers had shown faith in him. Green is loyal. He has stuck with his agent, Michael Hodges, since the start of his career, even when bigger fish tried to poach him. (When those agents call, Green secretly lets Hodges listen in on their pitches, he and Hodges say.)

Kawhi Leonard texted Green after joining the Clippers and urged him to re-sign, promising "this sacrifice will pay off," Green says.

Winning will get him paid down the line, Green says. Green has played the long game before. He was ready to give up on the NBA after the Spurs cut him just before the 2014-15 season. He had an overseas offer for about $500,000. Hodges pushed him to turn it down and give the D-League one more shot -- to stay closer to his NBA dream. Green reluctantly agreed. He made the D-League All-Star game, and the Grizzlies signed him in February 2015.

In Memphis last season, it appeared Green had lost a step. He was hesitant jacking from deep, and Green doesn't have much of a role without a reliable 3-pointer. He bumped up his attempts in LA, and coaches want even more.

He looked comfortable again in LA switching onto smaller players -- one good performance hounding Luka Doncic stood out to coaches -- and we may see more of that. He has years of experience guarding Anthony Davis. He may play a lot of crunch-time defensive possessions.

If Green hits -- if he can spread the floor for Harrell and Ivica Zubac, defend multiple positions, and hold his own on the glass in small-ball lineups -- the Clippers become a different team: deeper, more versatile. If he sputters, they will search out help.

Luke Kennard, Detroit Pistons

There may not be a team that needs a role player to pop as badly as the Pistons need Kennard to establish himself as an above-average wing. That won't happen on defense. Detroit hides Kennard on the least threatening opposing players. His off-ball rotations can be scattershot. He is the rare player -- joining fellow Duke sniper JJ Redick -- with a listed wingspan shorter than his height.

The jump has to come on the other end, where Kennard showed major progress as a herky-jerky pick-and-roll maestro late last season and in the playoffs. "I didn't know he was this good with the ball," says Detroit coach Dwane Casey.

Kennard doesn't get it as much sharing the floor with Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson -- one reason Casey says he may bring him off the bench again. Kennard ran just seven pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions with Griffin on the floor, per Second Spectrum. That number tripled to 22 without Griffin.

He has not shown the ability to work as a turbocharged, roving catch-and-shoot menace like Redick, Kyle Korver and Wayne Ellington. "He's more useful with the second unit," Casey says. (That second unit now includes Derrick Rose, who needs the ball a ton.)

Still: Kennard and Griffin have untapped potential for a spicy two-man game. Kennard has a little Bradley Beal in him -- a knack for dancing back and forth as Griffin holds the ball at the elbow, and then cutting in unpredictable directions. "We have been repping that this summer," Kennard says. "We are getting comfortable."

He has the craft to shoulder more pick-and-roll duty. He jukes away from screens before going around them, pins defenders on his back, and slings smart passes with both hands:

But he can be tentative, pulling up for long 2s when he still has runway:

(Keep an eye on that last action. Detroit has only scratched the surface of the Griffin-Kennard pick-and-roll.)

Kennard attempted just 61 free throws last season. He barely got to the rim, and flung up panicky floaters when he did. "I've really been focusing on my finishing," Kennard says. Detroit's cramped spacing didn't help -- Kennard saw a forest of bodies anytime he approached the paint -- but that problem isn't going away.

He's not quite quick enough to burn brutes on switches. One solution: a step-back 3. Kennard has ultra-range, but he attempted only one pull-up 3 per game. He looked uncomfortable firing off the bounce, even when he had pried open some space with a mean dribble:

One culprit: a slow release. This can't happen:

Defenders ran Kennard off the line even if he caught the ball with 15 feet of empty space in front of him. Kennard and assistant coach D.J. Bakker have worked on being in shooting position -- hands out, knees bent -- before the ball arrives.

"I am dialed in on getting my shot off quicker," Kennard says. "I dissected film this summer like I never have before."

Spot-up shooting may end up Kennard's only "A" skill. He lacks the speed and explosiveness of most elite ball handlers -- true No. 1 option types. But if he gets a little better at everything, including adding a dash of Redick-style off-ball motion, he can transform into a different player.