FOXBORO — Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf seems to have fewer concerns with his roster than certain subsets of the fanbase and media.

Wolf was asked point-blank if he feels like the Patriots can support any quarterback with the current pieces they have in place.

“Yes,” Wolf said.

That includes rookie Drake Maye.

“We’re concerned about every position. We’re always looking to improve and get things good, so whoever the quarterback is – it’s not like if Jacoby’s [Brissett] the quarterback, we just want to throw him with the wolves. So, we’re excited about our offensive line group. We’re still working to find the correct combination in there, and I think we have the pieces in place to be able to compete.”

Maye hasn’t taken any competitive reps with the first-team offensive line through the first three-plus weeks of training camp, playing behind Brissett. Some of his preseason reps have come with starting linemen, however.

The rookie shined in Thursday’s preseason action against the Eagles when he went 6-of-11 with a rushing touchdown.

“It was good to see him get in the other night. It was really good to see how calm and collected he was. He got headbutted at one point by Nolan Smith and made a nice play on that one,” Wolf said referencing a roughing the passer penalty. “But he’s steadily improved. He’s put his head down and worked. He’s a great teammate, and we’re excited to see where his development can go.”

Wolf wouldn’t say when he believes Maye will be ready to start, however. Head coach Jerod Mayo said Friday that the quarterback competition between Maye and Brissett is still ongoing.

It hasn’t looked like much a legitimate battle in camp, however.

“We’ll have to see. Again, he didn’t get a lot of snaps … in the first game. He did pretty well in his snaps the other night,” Wolf said. “It’s all about building on those successes and seeing where it goes.”

One of the things Wolf highlighted from Maye’s performance Thursday was that the 2024 third overall pick just played “ball” rather than thinking about “coaching points” and “trying to do everything perfect.”

“Drake’s very conscientious,” Wolf said.

Brissett is the safer option to start at quarterback, but Maye would provide the team with more upside and a higher ceiling. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud started from Week 1 last season as a rookie and led his team to a 9-6 record in 15 starts.

Wolf was asked if Stroud’s success makes it difficult to be patient with a top prospect like Maye.

“I mean, if you go look at it, C.J. Stroud was the anomaly in that regard,” Wolf said. “Again, it’s not about one person or one player. It’s about where the offense is, where Jacoby is and where the team is. We’re just focused on that.”

Few players have meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st century than Andrew McCutchen.

For the foreseeable future, though, they’ll be without McCutchen, as a left knee injury landed him on the 10-day Injured List on Saturday. While Pittsburgh managed fine in his absence in a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners, the impact of losing McCutchen isn’t lost on Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

“Big shoes to fill,” Kiner Falefa said. “This is his team [and] his organization. His number is going to get retired here. He means a lot to us. He’s been a big help for me. Hopefully, I can just keep learning from him.”

Kiner-Falefa, who was acquired by Pittsburgh (58-64) at the trade deadline by the Toronto Blue Jays, stepped into the leadoff spot with McCutchen out. The utility infielder went 3-for-4 and hit his first home run in a Pirates uniform. In 13 games, the 29-year-old has batted .296 with five RBIs, three doubles and two triples.

McCutchen, 37, has been the sparkplug for the Pirates offense out of the leadoff spot, batting .252 with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs. For the season, the former MVP is batting .235 with 16 home runs, 40 RBIs and a team-high 59 runs scored. The five-time all-star leads Pittsburgh with 51 walks and is second in on-base percentage (.350), only trailing fellow outfielder Bryan Reynolds.

With Pittsburgh only having a 0.6 percent chance of making the playoffs via the Wild Card, according to Fangraphs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Pirates took a much more precautionary approach with McCutchen for the rest of the season. Managing without one of their best hitters won’t be easy, though, and Kiner-Falefa knows the challenge that lies ahead without McCutchen in the lineup.

“Cutch is irreplaceable,” Kiner-Falefa said. “No matter what you do, you’re never going to replace a guy like that. So we could go on a run, and it still doesn’t make up for not having him in the lineup.”

Pittsburgh will look to get the sweep when it faces the Mariners on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET at PNC Park.

Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun are scheduled to meet to open a high-voltage WNBA action on August 18, 2024, at 3:00 am ET/12:00 am PT. After Rhyne Howard scored 30 points to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Seattle Storm 83–81, they are ready to host the Connecticut Sun.

The Dream are having a tough time right now because they are 3-10 in Eastern Conference games. But their team defense is the third-best in the Eastern Conference. They give up an average score of 81.2 points for each game and only let opponents shoot 42.6%.

The Sun, on the other hand, has done effectively against Eastern Conference groups, going 10-4 against them. They have the best defense in the Eastern Conference, giving up only 73.6 points for each game and letting opponents shoot only 43.7%.

This is the fourth time this season that these two teams will face each other. The last time these two teams performed, on July 7, the Sun beat the Dream 80–67, with DeWanna Bonner getting 23 points. Grey scored 19 points to lead the Dream in that game.

Atlanta Dream vs Connecticut Sun: Date and Tip-off Time

The Atlanta Dream will battle with the Connecticut Sun are scheduled to meet to open a high-voltage WNBA action on August 18, 2024, at 3:00 am ET/12:00 am PT, at The Gateway Center Arena @ College Park, in College Park, Georgia.

How to watch Atlanta Dream vs Connecticut Sun Online – TV Channels and Live Streams

Fans in the USA can catch all the actions of this epic WNBA matchup between the Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun live on the ESPN 3 TV Channel and FuboTV Streaming Platform. Fubo TV has flexible plans with over 100 channels that start at $74.99/month, and go up to $99.99/month, with no obligations, and no hidden expenses.

Atlanta Dream vs Connecticut Sun Team News

Atlanta Dream Team News

Aerial Powers is ruled out of the team’s lineup with a calf injury.

Jordin Canada will remain unavailable due to her right finger injury.

Lorela Cubaj is going to be absent from the game due to personal issues.

Connecticut Sun Team News

Alyssa Thomas gets 9.1 rebounds per game on average, with 2.7 offensive rebounds along with 6.4 defensive rebounds.

DeWanna Bonner scores 17.2 points and grabs 6.2 rebounds per game.

Head-to-Head Records

Here is the record of the last five meetings between the Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun in WNBA matchups: