Monthly Archives: September 2017

Texans have started more quarterbacks than anyone since 2014 (yes, even the Browns)

A Cleveland Browns staple is the infamous jersey of sadness that has the long list of quarterbacks who started for the team since 1999 (it would be 27 now if you include DeShone Kizer). It’s hard to imagine that any team could be more desperate for stability under center, or could have started more quarterbacks during any span in that period.

Several other teammates also came over to Jones and tried to lift his spirits following the defeat. Jones said seeing his teammates extend their support to him, even after he went from potential hero to potential goat (depending on your view of the final play), meant a lot to him.

Jones, who finished the contest with two receptions for 18 yards, felt like he let his teammates down by not making the difficult catch.

Lamarr Houston Limited Jersey Also chiming in were former Bills receivers Stevie Johnson and Hall of Famer Andre Reed. Johnson is no stranger to big drops at big moments. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010, Johnson had a game-winning touchdown bounce off his hands.

Keep your head up @zayjones11. You’re going to catch a lot of balls, for a lot of yards and TDs…oh and make a ton of money while doing it.

Authentic Womens Alexander Mogilny Jersey It’s kind of baffling that an offense with A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, Giovani Bernard, and Joe Mixon looks this impotent, but here we are. Dalton finished the game with just 224 yards on 20-of-35 passing, Green was held to 67 yards on five catches, and Bernard ended up with 26 total yards on seven touches. Eifert didn’t even get targeted until the second quarter, ending up with three catches for 42 yards. Mixon had some nice runs and led the team with 36 yards on nine carries, but that was about it for his contribution. It was an abysmal effort all around.

Brian Cushing suspended 10 games by NFL for violating PED policy

Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing on Wednesday was suspended 10 games by the NFL for violating the league policy on performance enhancing drugs, the league announced.

The ninth-year pro out of USC won’t be eligible to return to the Texans’ roster until Nov. 28, one day after Houston’s Week 12 game against the Baltimore Ravens. The next game Cushing will be able to play is Dec. 3, when the Texans visit the Tennessee Titans.

The rookie left the game with six completions on 11 attempts for 81 yards and threw an interception to Eric Weddle.

What does this mean for the Browns? The team turned to Hogan, a fifth-round pick who saw limited time in 2016. He lost the starting battle to Kizer and was behind Brock Osweiler on the depth chart, who was cut before the season began.

Hogan appeared in four games for the Browns in 2016 but threw two interceptions and finished without a touchdown. He beat out Cody Kessler in August for the team’s backup role.

His first career touchdown came on his first drive Sunday against the Ravens when he connected with rookie David Njoku on a 23-yard touchdown that cut the Baltimore lead to 14-7. Hogan later threw an interception of his own, though.

Hogan’s early success helped the Browns stay within 21-10 until Kizer eventually returned.

Early season form and current rosters point to the Rams winning this game. But for whatever reason, the 49ers have Los Angeles’ number, and they will enter this game with both home-field advantage and a mental edge over their division rival. Whether or not Los Angeles can overcome that edge will help determine how much this team has grown since last year.33

The Cowboys were dominated for the 1st time in a long time in 42-17 loss to the Broncos

The Dallas Cowboys lost just three regular season games in 2016, but none were as one-sided and puzzling as the team’s defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

Dallas wasn’t just beat by the Broncos, the team was dominated in the trenches and couldn’t establish the run.

That hasn’t been an issue for the Cowboys at all in the Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott era with the team’s offensive line bullying all opponents. After a 51-yard game in his professional debut, Elliott posted at least 80 rushing yards in the last 15 games of his rookie Mike Alstott Womens Jersey season.

Things looked the same in Week 1 of 2017 when Elliott rumbled for Jerrell Freeman Jersey 104 yards on 24 carries against the New York Giants. A week later, he managed just 8 yards on nine carries against the Broncos.

Is Vaccaro worth trading for? That always depends on the asking price, but he’s a versatile, talented safety, and there aren’t very many players like that.

“I’ve never in my career been able to just roam and play free and roam, and that’s probably my best quality is to be instinctive, to be a plant-and-drive player,” Vaccaro said when asked about playing deep during the preseason.

Which teams make the most sense for Vaccaro? A lot of teams could use safety help; the Bucs and the Chargers come to mind. But the one that’s too obvious to overlook is the Chiefs, who just lost Eric Berry for the season. The Chiefs are contenders who can’t afford to have a gaping hole in their secondary.

Vaccaro could benefit from some better coaching to iron out his inconsistencies. He might not be more than a rental player for the Chiefs, since both Berry and Daniel Sorensen signed extensions last spring. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with renting a player to put some seriousness behind your Super Bowl bid (not even the Patriots are above it). Plus, the Chiefs have about $9 million in available cap space.

Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. questionable vs. Lions with ankle injury

McAdoo is a smart, young coach who went 11-5 in his first season, and when you do that, it’s easy to convince yourself that your way is the way to do things. But the best coaches adjust to the problems they don’t expect. And McAdoo’s offense has a problem he didn’t expect — namely, that it’s being undone by the inability of the big guys up front to win their matchups. There are ways to fix this, but the necessary compensation will require McAdoo to make changes to the way he calls plays and sets priorities on offense.
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He needs to use his tight ends and backs to help his tackles. He needs to find ways to move Eli Manning around a little bit (I know, I know, but anyone can move a little bit) to keep the pass-rushers honest. I don’t have the answers, but McAdoo and his staff have to find them. Because this is an offense that should be scoring points and it averaged fewer than 20 points per game last season and has scored only 13 total this season.
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It’s not over for the Giants. Every team has a major problem to solve. Most teams have more of them than the Giants do. The season comes down to which teams solve them and which teams don’t. The Giants know their problem. Now they have to find a way to fix it. Stay tuned.

This value play carries even more merit if Odell Beckham Jr. is unable to suit up next Monday night against the Lions. Vereen is an exceptional pass-catching back, as was evidenced by his nine grabs on 10 targets in Week 1. The Giants’ stuck-in-the-mud running game and below-average offensive line plays into his favor: Rather than trying to do what you struggle at for the sake of establishing the run, the G-men were forced to spread things out in Week 1. If Beckham sits, there are targets aplenty to go around for the nifty running back. — Field Yates

Antonio Gates is the all-time leader in TDs among tight ends

The all-time leader in touchdown receptions among tight ends is now Antonio Gates after he broke a tie with Tony Gonzalez and grabbed the No. 1 spot for himself with a 7-yard touchdown reception against the Miami Dolphins.

Gates, 37, tied Gonzalez at 111 touchdowns each in the final game of the 2016 season, three days after announcing his intention to return for another year in 2017.

That meant the record wasn’t likely to remain tied for long. It took just two games with Gates catching a touchdown pass in Week 2 from Philip Rivers to get to 112 on his career.

The Chargers were clearly excited for Gates and dogpiled on the tight end in the end zone.

Palmer didn’t get any better in the third quarter, but came alive in the fourth quarter with a long touchdown pass that cut the Colts’ lead.

Later, Palmer led a drive that gave the team a game-tying field goal. It was enough to get the team to overtime where a Tyrann Mathieu interception set up another field that Matt Jones Womens Jersey gave the Cardinals a 16-13 win.

Still, there’s reason to be concerned about the state of the Cardinals offense. The John Riggins Womens Jersey team will face tougher defense than the Lions and the Colts, and will need a better performance from Palmer in the remainder of the season.

There isn’t much of an alternative for the Cardinals with Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert as the only other quarterbacks on the roster. Stanton has made nine starts for the Cardinals in three seasons with the team but is a career backup who wouldn’t be a great option for Arizona as a starter.

The Cardinals’ best chance at a resurgence is Palmer returning to form like 2015 when he threw 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Even his 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season would be preferable over his play so far in 2017.

Giants DL Damon Harrison says ‘cool off’ on Michael Irvin’s Ezekiel Elliott hype

Michael Irvin thinks Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is going to run angry in the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Giants and he is expecting big things, but New York defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison is having none of it.

The Giants held Elliott to 51 yards rushing on 20 carries in his NFL debut last season. He did score a touchdown, but the Cowboys lost that game 20-19. Then in their second matchup, Elliott rushed for 107 yards on 24 carries but tallied no touchdowns and the Cowboys lost again 10-7.

New York had the Cowboys’ number with Elliott on the roster last year so it makes sense that Harrison wants Irvin to back off on the hype.

“[There were] a lot of those little black pebbles and everything, a little sand, but what can you do?” Pats running back James White told reporters Monday. “It’ll be good to have some new turf out there, but hey, whatever’s out there, like Bill [Belichick] says, ‘You’ve got to play on it.’?’’

Coincidence or not, the Boston Globe notes several players suffered injuries on the turf. Cornerback Cyrus Jones suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game against the Giants. Chiefs safety Eric Berry ruptured his Achilles tendon in the Chiefs season-opening 42-27 win over New England, and Pats linebacker Dont’a Hightower suffered a sprained MCL.

Savage remembers when then-Ravens owner Art Modell called general manager Ozzie Newsome during a busy time of year grading players. Rather than following through on the temptation to put him off, Newsome propped his feet on the desk and spent 45 minutes speaking with him.

“Ozzie did that so the rest of us could focus on the task at hand by keeping Art in a good frame of mind,” Savage recalled. “He sacrificed watching one tape to keep everything moving forward. That takes a wisdom and discipline a lot of guys don’t have when they’re in that chair for the first time.steelers_005

Myles Garrett’s ankle feeling better, but Browns DE still out Week 2

Myles Garrett says his ankle is feeling better, but he doesn’t want to rush back before it is fully healed.

Youth Alex Killorn Jersey After the Browns defensive end suffered a high ankle sprain in practice last Wednesday, he was expected to miss at least the first two games, possibly more.

While he’s wearing a walking boot and will sit out Sunday’s game against the Ravens, this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick is ready to get back on the field.

Youth Lyle Alzado Jersey It’s feeling better, and I’ll just be back as soon as possible, Garrett said (via the Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Garrett also suffered a high ankle sprain while at Texas A&M last season, and said he came back too early, limiting his effectiveness.

Me knowing myself, I want to get out there as soon as possible, Garrett said. I want to test my limits. I want to go out there and play right away. But I know I’ll be hurting the team and myself if I go out there too soon.

Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams: His debut performance wasn’t quite on par with Golladay’s, and Kupp was in fact started in more leagues than Golladay (1.3 to 0.7 percent), but a 17.6-point PPR fantasy score is still a clear win. That’s doubly so if you consider the vast difference in the reputations of their quarterbacks.

Rams defense: The Indianapolis Colts’ offense was widely expected to struggle through Andrew Luck’s absence, making opposing defenses well worth streaming consideration, but this was a heck of a performance by the Rams even considering the matchup. The Rams scored 29 fantasy points, their most since 2014 Week 13, when they scored the same number, thanks to limiting the Colts to nine points and 225 total yards while notching four interceptions, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

The Bills have led the NFL in rushing for the past two seasons

Ryan Shazier Kids Jersey Don’t be surprised to see Tennessee favored in this game: FPI believes the Titans are real playoff contenders. Granted, the model believes that Oakland is the superior team, but the Raiders will be traveling to Nashville for this one, and home field matters.

Sure, this is a long shot, but we could be looking at a potential rematch of this contest in January. If they make the playoffs, FPI believes the Titans are most likely (16.6 percent) to be the No. 4 seed. And if the Raiders make the playoffs, they are most likely (11.6 percent) to be the No. 5 seed.

As for this Sunday, this game has some shootout potential, with these two offenses combining for an FPI of +4.1, with the defenses at -0.2.
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That quote can be used for the Bills as well, except their rebuilding mode started when general manager Brandon Beane was hired this offseason. The team has moved on from almost all of former general manager Doug Whaley’s draft selections and signings. One of the only positives from the Whaley era was the acquisition of running back LeSean McCoy.

The Bills have led the NFL in rushing for the past two seasons. With questions at the quarterback and wide receiver position, McCoy is primed to have another monster year running behind an offensive line that specializes in moving the defenders off the line. Even in the obvious rebuild year, McCoy sounds confident in the team.

We have the right pieces. It’s just a matter of going out there and getting it done, he said. I think it starts with Tyrod (Taylor, the starting quarterback). And (for) me to be a big contributor. I’m going to be a big part of it.

The 49ers are on their fourth coach in four years

Quin recalled Fitzgerald running a corner route and hitting him, forcing him to drop the ball and eventually leave the game. Quin said Fitzgerald thought Quin hit him in his knees. Quin said he hit him in his hip, but the way Fitzgerald had been running combined with the collision caused the MCL injury.
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Russell Wilson Authentic Jersey He thought I had gave him a dirty shot, but I’m like, ‘Dawg, I didn’t hit you dirty,’ Quin said. I hit you in your hips. Your leg just kind of gave. But like I said, we go at it all the time.

Quin said he’s pretty sure he’s not the only defensive back Fitzgerald has said that to in his career, like, Hey, man, don’t take my knees out. Quin made sure to clarify he doesn’t mean on rote tackles but on bigger shots that could tear his knees up. Quin said defensive backs will take the lower hit because the higher the hit, the higher a chance for a fine.

Wine and Cheese. The long-running joke from opposing fans is that 49ers fans are a wine and cheese crowd. And to be honest, you can always find a nice red in the 49ers parking lot! When you’re that close to Napa and you’re talking about the 49ers recent struggles, a little wine is not a bad idea.

Keep fans on their toes. The 49ers are on their fourth coach in four years, kicked off by a mutual parting with their most successful coach in over a decade. The hiring of Jim Tomsula after Jim Harbaugh was not a surprise, but the follow-up hire of Chip Kelly shook things up. Then, after firing GM Trent Baalke, they surprised everybody when they brought on FOX Sports analyst John Lynch. He had no executive experience, but Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have left 49ers fans pleasantly surprised through the first offseason.

Ranking the NFL’s hardest schedules, from 1-32

Schedule strength means a lot when it comes to determining who gets a postseason berth in the NFL. An easy schedule didn’t hand Miami a playoff spot, but it was a big reason the Dolphins went 10-6 despite rating as an average team by Football Outsiders DVOA ratings. Difficult schedules helped doom Philadelphia, Washington and Denver to tee times in January instead of a trip to the postseason. So it’s important to know which teams are going to get a schedule boost in 2017.

“The league will continue to examine other options, including playing the game this Sunday at a neutral site or in Miami later this season, and will provide an update on that decision as soon as possible,” the league said in a statement.

Speaking of Osweiler, the Texans might hope to build a competent offense just by replacing their deposed free-agent bust with some combination of Tom Savage and first-round pick Deshaun Watson. They’ll also get center Nick Martin into the lineup after the 2016 second-rounder missed his entire rookie season with an injury, although left tackle Duane Brown continues to hold out for a new deal. Houston’s offense ranked 30th in DVOA last season, so they really can’t get much worse.

Schatz: 5. I think the most likely result for the Patriots would be to finish the season 14-2, with one surprise loss to an NFC South team and one road loss to another AFC contender. Since the Pats get Atlanta and Carolina at home, the trip to Tampa Bay in Week 5 is the most likely choice for surprise NFC South loss. Yes, I know I just wrote that the Bucs might be overrated, but we’re talking about a short week for a Thursday game on the road, travelling from autumn New England to Florida humidity.
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