A mild burst of optimism regarding a Brock Osweiler rebirth has faded to the reality that Osweiler may not be the No. 2 quarterback in Miami, after all. For now, it appears that journeyman David Fales has the edge.

Via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Fales looked like the best of three backup contenders during offseason practices open to the media. At least one player seems to agree.

His deep ball has been remarkable this offseason, between him and [receiver] Jakeem [Grant] and [tight end Mike] Gesicki, tight end MarQueis Gray said of Fales, per Jackson. They’ve been hooking up a lot.

Right now I don’t even want to go in that direction yet because I don’t have a great answer for it, Gase said. I want to see guys play in preseason games. I want to see kind of how training camp goes. That’s a lot of time there and there’s a lot of football to be played. I want those guys all competing. I’m hoping those guys all have the same mentality that they’re the guy to beat.

Regardless of what happens, Gase still doesn’t plan to bring back Jay Cutler or otherwise add a veteran. It will be Tannehill and some combination of Fales, Osweiler, and/or Petty come Week One.

After Denver opted to sign Case Keenum instead of drafting another quarterback, Lynch received new life with the Broncos. But it’s the life of a backup — again. Lynch said Thursday he’s OK with that for now.

I was really excited, actually, when we got Case for the fact he’s a veteran guy who’s been through it a little bit and had his ups and downs, Lynch said. The way he carries himself and handles himself — he’s a pro and that only benefits me and the other guys in the locker room and the other guys in the quarterback room.

We’ll have to wait and see if those benefits pay off for Lynch and the Broncos in the long run. For now, it’s Keenum’s team and a threat doesn’t exist behind him.

While Barkley says he’s counting his blessing that he won’t have to line up against Harrison, Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher is thrilled that he doesn’t have to game-plan against Barkley.

It doesn’t look like the Astros are experiencing a World Series hangover at all.

Houston defeated the Royals 7-4 Sunday, extending their win streak to 11 games. Even more impressive, 10 of those games came on the road.

According to ESPN, it’s only the sixth time in 65 seasons that a team has completed a perfect road trip of 10 or more games. The 11-game win streak is also tied for the fifth-longest win streak by a defending World Series champion team in 80 years.

One [player] was trying to play an iron on a par-3 and someone yelled, ‘J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets,’ right in his backswing, Darnold said. He knew I was there, that’s why he was yelling, and it just so happened to be right in the guy’s backswing by accident. It was just a funny fan moment.

But the laser focus of [the player], who still hit a really good shot, was cool to see. It’s just really cool to see these guys do what they do — even with all the hecklers and everything that’s going on, they’re able to focus on what they need to do.

Bellinger, who had 39 home runs and 97 RBIs last season, struggled in the postseason, striking out 29 times in 64 at-bats. The 22-year-old has struggled with low and inside pitches, leading to 58 strikeouts in 212 at-bats so far in 2018.

Roberts also pulled Bellinger from a game earlier this season for a perceived lack of hustle. If he’s unable to turn things around soon, Roberts may be forced to send Bellinger down to the minors to get his timing right.

Both players seemed excited to be on the field, with Brady yelling at himself after failing to connect on a pass, and Gronkowski letting out several gleeful yelps following catches.

That doesn’t mean is right in Gronk’s world. After leading the team last season in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,084) and receiving touchdowns (eight), he clearly wants to see his value reflected in his contract.

The running joke at the Odell Beckham Jr. Football ProCamp was nobody had more energy than the hype man barking instructions to campers on the microphone.

But the namesake host sure came close.

I mean my family’s first and foremost, he said. So I got to make sure I’m a good dad here and a good husband for a little while and then we’ll be back to camp before we know it.

It’s not about realizing that goal as much as it is something worth chasing.

Part of the reason Barkley and Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. bonded even before they were teammates is because of that shared mindset, and that approach has helped the 21-year-old from Penn State clear hurdles that traditionally stunt the growth of young running backs when they arrive in the NFL.

I met with Coach Ash, Blazek, Robinson, and Boone at Rutgers yesterday, Franks told NJ.com. I spent some time with the players eating lunch and it was really cool to see what my potential future teammates are like and they were are really cool guys. I got to ask them some questions about what it’s like in the transition from high school football to college football and what it takes.

Ultimately, Rutgers was able to address multiple areas that the staff hadn’t touched on in Frank’s recruitment, elevating itself up his gargantuan list of offers.

It was a great visit, overall. I loved the food. The people were great and I also had a meeting with Mrs. Christine in the Business school so that was really cool, too. The visit to Rutgers has helped them in my mind. I had a good time on the banks.

It appears Franks’ recruitment could role into the 2018 season, as he still has lots to assess.

Despite one of the tougher minor-leagues roads you’ll hear about, Yankees pitching prospect Jonathan Loaisiga will make his MLB debut Thursday, manager Aaron Boone said.

Loaisiga will jump from Double-A Trenton straight to Yankee Stadium, where he’ll face the Rays.

Who is he? Loaisiga, 23, is a righty from Nicaragua. He’ll be the 15th player from his country to play in the majors. MLB.com ranks him the Yankees’ No. 12 overall prospect.

Team owner Jeffrey Lurie was among personnel expected to make the trip, but the travel party was expected to be rather small as most of the players that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in Minneapolis in February were not planning to attend.

The White House rescinded the invitation less than 24 hours before the scheduled ceremony. A statement from the White House panned the team for not attending en masse and because they disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our country.

Trump also tweeted, The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!

No Eagles players stayed in the locker room for the anthem nor kneeled during it last season.

Good luck to the teammate tasked with giving offensive guard Will Hernandez his embarrassing assignment whenever the Giants ‘ veterans decide to poke fun at their rookies.

It could get ugly.

White voters believe players don’t have the right to protest, via a narrower gap of 53-43. And while all American voters support the NFL’s new anthem policy (51-42), all American voters oppose fining teams if players on the field fail to stand for the anthem, by a 51-44 margin. None of this is surprising, but it underscores the fact that the NFL, for whatever reason, has opted to listen to only one side, with Steelers owner Art Rooney recently claiming that the vast majority of our fans oppose players protesting during the anthem. The NFL’s own secret research contradicted this, and the new Quinnipiac poll does, too. And if the NFL plans to continue to heed only one segment of the fan base while ignoring those who feel differently, those fans eventually may vote with their eyes, ears, and wallets.

It’s obviously important for everybody, Brady said of OTAs. The coaches do a great job of getting us ready. It was just some personal reasons for me (that kept him out). But I’m here now and I’m focused on what I need to do, as I always am, and I’m looking forward to this year.

Money tends to be a sticking point and a reason for players to stay away from OTAs. It’s not an uncommon occurrence, and with Brady approaching 41 years old in August, perhaps a compensation issue would be to blame?

I’ve never talked about my contract, Brady said. I’ve never brought up money for a lot of reasons that I’ve said over the years. Those things are very personal.

A theme is emerging here: It’s personal.

There’s been rumblings of a rift between Brady and head coach Bill Belichick in recent months, which could also qualify as personal, so naturally Brady was asked about that dynamic and whether his personal reason for missing OTAs had to do with the coach. Predictably, Brady responded with not at all, I mean, no.

So what is the status of that relationship, Tom?