Month: September 2024

NFC Notes: Rodgers, Stafford, Bucs

Despite the Packers falling behind in the NFC playoff picture, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was seen throwing the ball around prior to the start of the team’s Sunday night game in Pittsburgh. Now with Rodgers clearly progressing well, the soon-to-be 34-year-old may be ready to return to practice at the end of next week, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Demovsky passed along that head coach Mike McCarthy dodged a question about if he expected his starting QB to return this season. The earliest date Rodgers could be activated off the injured reserve would be in Week 15.

  • Fellow NFC North signal, Lions QB Matthew Stafford suffered an injury of his own on Thanksgiving, but appears to be “feeling better”, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The injury appeared to be more serious, but is being classified as a sprained ankle by team doctors. “I’m feeling better,” Stafford said after practice on Monday. “Obviously stuck around in town this weekend, got a bunch of treatment on it. We’ll see. Coach (Jim Caldwell) will put out that report on Wednesday or whatever it is for practice and all that kind of stuff, but it’s getting better and hopefully it’ll continue to get better.” Obviously, the franchise quarterback will not be 100% healthy entering Week 13, but he’s fought through injuries before and it looks like he’ll be healthy enough to take on the Ravens this Sunday.
  • Despite an earlier report that Mississippi State may be targeting Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken for their heading coaching vacancy, Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter hasn’t heard anything about school’s interest, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). “To my knowledge, Todd Monken has not been contacted by Mississippi State. That comes from his mouth to my ear.” While the interest may be more in the gathering stage at this point, expect to hear some NFL assistants get some looks from schools as jobs open up. Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is reportedly garnering interest in Arizona State’s open head coach position.
  • On the field, Stroud also reports that QB Jameis Winston could begin throwing again at practice this week, and could get enough work to start vs. the Packers this weekend. This would be a positive development for the third-year signal caller as he’s missed the team’s last three games with a shoulder injury. While the news is positive, Winston is also dealing with an NFL investigation off the field regarding a sexual assault allegation that stems from when Winston rode in an Uber last year.

NFL Workout Updates: 11/27/17

Here are today’s NFL workouts, with all credit going to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM unless otherwise noted.

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

  • DT Marcus Hardison (Mike Reiss of ESPN.com) (Twitter link)

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • QB Matt Simms; TE’s Gabe HolmesJevoni Robinson (Twitter link)

 

 

 

Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/17

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: DB Jacob Hagen

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/17

Here are today’s minor NFL moves:

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted from practice squad: S Roland Milligan
  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Bradley Marquez

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib Suspended Two Games

Both wide receiver Michael Crabtree and cornerback Aqib Talib have been suspended two games for the fight that took place during yesterday’s game between the Raiders and Broncos, the NFL’s Vice President of Football Communications, Michael Signora, has announced on Twitter.

"<strongNormally when players are ejected because of personal foul penalties they are not subject to suspension of any kind. However, both players had a history of bad blood with each other that boiled over again on Sunday, even after it was reported that the refs had each given a warning to both sides before the game started, knowing that there had been prior altercations.

Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan explained the reasoning to both players in separate quotes in the press release. Runyan stated the multiple violations and excessive violence that took place after the play, which led to a team-wide brawl that could have easily been avoided.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that both players will be appealing their suspensions in the coming days (Twitter link).

While no other suspensions were announced by the league, Raiders lineman Gabe Jackson was mentioned as being another possibility to face league discipline as well in terms of a fine for his role in the dispute.

Two games is a very serious punishment when looking at the history of fights throughout the league and will definitely stick in the mind of any player looking to start problems from past events.

The suspensions themselves affect the Raiders more than the Broncos as Oakland is still in the playoff hunt. But, without Crabtree and perhaps fellow WR Amari Cooper, who suffered a concussion, in addition to the sprained right ankle we learned about earlier today, the Raiders will need the likes of Seth Roberts, Johnny Holton and Cordarrelle Patterson to step up vs. the Giants in Week 13.

Denver has a capable backup corner in Bradley Roby, but is likely to add further depth for the next two weeks as the team only has one other backup on the depth chart.

Lions’ Teryl Austin On Radar For ASU Head Coach Job

The college coaching carousel is in full swing with another prominent NFL coordinator in consideration for a top head coaching gig. Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is apparently on Arizona State’s radar for their open head coach position, according to Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter Link).

Teryl Austin (vertical)

Former Arizona State head coach Todd Graham was fired after the team went 7-5 this season. Although the team did manage to go 6-3 in the Pac 12, which would help to make the job relatively sought after in terms of gathering interest from NFL assistant coaches.

Austin, 52, got a number of interviews for NFL head coaching jobs last offseason and figures to be garner a lot of interest again this winter after another successful season with the Lions defense so far. Austin also has experience in the college game as he once worked as a defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer at Florida in 2010 before making the jump to the professional game with the Ravens as a secondary coach from 2011-13. Leading a college program does have its advantages in terms having a lot more power in the way your team is handled, but it remains to be seen whether Austin would be open to making the move back to a college program.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Haden, Suggs

Josh Gordon‘s long road back the NFL is almost complete as the team is likely to reactivate him later in the week, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Cabot reports that the team has the ability to activate him to the roster today, but it unlikely to do so in order to hold onto a roster spot.

The talented wide receiver is expected to see his first regular season action in two years when the Browns take on the Chargers on Sunday. Gordon has made his mistakes in the past, but has caused no such problem since he returned to practice last week.

With the Browns potentially finishing the year as one of the league’s worst teams ever, being able to see an impact player return is certainly some much needed good news. He’ll likely start alongside fellow wideout Corey Coleman should everything go according to plan throughout the practice week.

  • In other Browns news, head coach Hue Jackson said after practice today that the coaching staff will dicuss whether to replace rookie kicker Zane Gonzalez after his struggles continued in Week 12, reports Cabot in a separate tweet. However, Jackson did note that Gonzalez did well to bounce back and convert two field goals after he missed an attempt from 43 yards earlier in the game. Parting ways with the rookie kicker would represent another draft blunder as Cleveland used a seventh round pick in order to bring in the 22-year-old from Arizona State.
  • The Steelers managed to hold off the scuffling Packers on Sunday night football yesterday, but were still clearly exposed in the secondary by some talented playmakers and a backup quarterback. Part of the reason for the offensive display could be due to the absence of veteran cornerback Joe Haden. While the team does expect the former Brown to return, it’s unlikely that the defensive back will see the field for a few more weeks, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). La Canfora did add that the Week 13 status for rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster remains a little more up in the air at this point.
  • Terrell Suggs is currently playing in his 14th year in the league, though the 35-year-old is still a more than a capable puss rusher coming off the edge. However, while Suggs’ play has kept him as a valuable member of the defense, the veteran knows that his career could be winding down this season, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Hensley notes that cutting Suggs this summer could give the Ravens an extra $4MM in cap space, but despite the harsh realities of the league Suggs knows that ultimately the NFL is a business. “I would really love to be in one place my whole career. Not many players can say they did that,” Suggs told ESPN before his 207th game for the Ravens. “But I also understand this is a business and that might not happen. I’m pretty much making my peace with it now. I’m preparing myself for it just in case. What will be, will be.” Suggs does still lead the team with 7.5 sacks and has forced three fumbles, so it should be noted that actually getting rid of the veteran edge defender could make the Baltimore defense worse. The team has made a point in drafting three young pass rushers in the last two seasons, including Matt Judon, Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams. Nevertheless, Suggs can only play well on the field and let the chips fall where they may at this point.
  • The Bengals have avoided a suspension to one of their key defenders in linebacker Vontaze Burfict, according to Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com. The energetic defender was flagged for unnecessary roughness for hitting a defenseless receiver in yesterday’s win over the Browns. Burfict has made a number of boneheaded plays throughout his career, which include him getting ejected for making contact with an official and for his unsportsmanlike penalty against the Steelers earlier in the season. He’ll avoid game punishment here, but a fine is certainly possible.

Connor Barwin Expected To Miss 1-2 Games

Rams linebacker Connor Barwin could not finish out yesterday’s big win over the Saints and is likely to miss 1-2 games, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter Link). Rapoport notes that the 31-year-old pass rusher suffered a slight fracture in a bone in his forearm, though the ailment isn’t expected to keep him out of the lineup long-term.

Connor Barwin (Vertical)

Barwin has managed four sacks on the season thus far, but grades out poorly as an overall edge defender, amassing a below-average grade of 43.6 this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Without Barwin, the Rams will likely turn to more inexperienced outside linebackers, including third-year player Matt Longacre and rookies Samson Ebukam and Ejuan Price. The loss of the veteran defender puts more pressure on the likes of stalwarts Aaron Donald, Alec Ogletree and Robert Quinn to make plays, especially in the passing game. Los Angeles will travel to division rival Arizona on Sunday, hoping to keep pace with the rest of the division leaders in the NFC.

49ers QB Decision Expected On Wednesday

Jimmy Garoppolo performed very well in his limited action after he replaced the injured C.J. Beathard with about a minute left in the game. However, Beathard’s injury will not keep him out for the long-term and the 49ers expect to name their Week 13 starter by Wednesday, reports Matt Maiocco of NBCSports.com.

Jimmy Garoppolo (vertical)

Beathard suffered a knee contusion and a hip strain during yesterday’s matchup, according to Maiocco. That may ultimately have the largest impact on whether the rookie signal caller gets the start on Sunday vs. Chicago. It’s worth pointing out that head coach Kyle Shanahan said during yesterday’s postgame presser that he didn’t even think about replacing Beathard before the injury occurred.

This development shouldn’t be a surprise as Shanahan had already been non-committal about who his quarterback moving forward would be after yesterday’s loss to the Seahawks.

Most fans would probably like to see Garoppolo start given his quality play yesterday and the fact that the front office did make a move to acquire the impending free agent in the middle of the season. Still, it is notable that Shanahan has not given into the bait and played his new QB, as he likely wants to make sure that Garoppolo is ready to be successful when he does eventually see the field.

 

 

 

Greg Olsen Day-To-Day With Foot Injury

It seemed like the worst case scenario had unfolded for Panthers fans after star tight end Greg Olsen was forced to exit the team’s game vs. the Jets on Sunday after the veteran re-aggravated his foot injury in the first half. However, it appears that disaster has been averted as Olsen’s tests came back negative on Monday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Olsen remains listed as day-to-day according to Schefter.

Greg Olsen (vertical)

The 32-year-old had his foot examined by specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, sources tell Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. This is the same doctor who performed Olsen’s foot surgery earlier in the season.

Olsen had been optimistic after yesterday’s game that the foot injury was going to be less serious than the one he suffered a few months ago.

“I was ready to come back. I felt good. It just wasn’t quite exactly where it needed to be to play in the NFL,” Olsen said. “So live to play another week. Hopefully it’s better next week.” (Quote courtesy of Jospeh Person of The Charlotte Observer).

Carolina could really use at least a somewhat healthy Olsen as they traded a one of their better playmakers in Kelvin Benjamin and have lost high pick Curtis Samuel for the year. In his brief return to action, the tight end caught one pass for ten yards. However, with hopefully more meaningful playing time to come in the future, expect Olsen to be one of the focal points of the offense should he stay healthy enough to be effective.