NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Ballsy move...Bills are a wild card team as things lie.

 

Ya very ballsy. Buffalo has the longest playoff drought, are in playoff position and they swap QB? Even if Tyrod is clearly not the answer it is a curious move.

 

5 reasons why McDermott made a QB change

There’s no question that Sean McDermott has made a bold decision in deciding to go with rookie Nate Peterman as his starting quarterback this week at Los Angeles. Here’s a look at why that decision was made.

1 – McDermott doesn’t wait to address deficiencies
As we’ve already seen more than once, when Buffalo’s head coach spots a deficiency affecting his team’s performance he addresses it. He and GM Brandon Beane have made a number of roster decisions when performance hasn’t been at a level he deems necessary.

That’s why Marcell Dareus was traded. Sure, his salary didn’t match the results they were getting from him on the field, but money was much lower on the list than how his quality of play was impacting the team.

At a position like quarterback a lack of production is even more pronounced because it impacts everyone else on the offensive side of the ball. Taylor’s passing yardage failed to eclipse 185 yards in five of his nine starts this season.

It led to a team passing game ranked no better than 27th since Week 1. The lack of production in the pass game allowed opposing defenses to key on Buffalo’s run game and render it ineffective.

That problem reached critical mass over the last two games and McDermott made the decision to address it.

2 – He wants to uphold a standard
There’s a common perception that first-year head coaches will spend most of their first season on the job molding the roster and developing a culture. Winning consistently and reaching the postseason isn’t often expected to be part of the result in the first year. That’s simply not how McDermott sees year one for him and his team.

As he has said time and again, he expects to win now and in the future. His mantra of ‘Playoff Caliber’ is not just a phrase. It’s a way he carries himself in his role as head coach and everyone underneath him as coaches and players must do the same.

3 – He sees an opportunity
At 5-4 Buffalo currently sits in the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC. They’re in a position where they control their own destiny. One more loss this week however, and that situation changes dramatically.

In an effort to stay ahead of the pack of teams pursuing the Bills, McDermott believes utilizing a quarterback, whose style is rooted in playing in a timing-based scheme like that of the Bills, will help to increase the consistency of his offense.

4 – He’s not afraid of risk
The timing of any quarterback change is always noteworthy, but to do it with a team that has a winning record is rare. There is an inherent risk with things will play out, especially knowing that it is a rookie quarterback that is being inserted into the lineup.

“As a decision maker you have to be able to, or willing to, take calculated risk to get to where we’re trying to go. I’m comfortable doing that,” he said. “That’s my responsibility.”

All rookie quarterbacks make mistakes, due mainly to inexperience. Obviously, McDermott has taken this fact into consideration in deciding to go with Peterman as his starting quarterback this week.

“That’s part of that process,” said McDermott. “I’ve been around a similar situation before, similar situations to this so it’s not my first time going through it. As a head coach, yes it’s my first time. I expect Nate to go out and do his job. Be one-eleventh of the offense, be one-eleventh of the team. Nothing more, nothing less.”

5 – The team comes first
This decision will undoubtedly impact McDermott’s relationship with Tyrod Taylor. Even though McDermott stated that his decision is not an indictment on Taylor and his play, it will be very hard for Taylor to feel he has the full support of his head coach going forward after he decided a rookie quarterback would be a better option for a team in the thick of a playoff race than him.

McDermott clearly knows this, but held to his own credo that every decision he will make will be in the best interest of the team.

“Really, it’s about becoming a better team. That’s what we’re here for,” said McDermott. “We are 5-4, I understand that and we are in the playoff hunt at this point. It is always and for the time that I am here will be about becoming the best team that we can possibly become.

“We’re here for more than five wins. That’s why I’m here and why I was brought here. That’s the vision. It’s nothing more than that. It’s about getting us to where we’re trying to go, to win a championship.

“Everyone wants to get to the playoffs and that’s important. At the end of the day it’s about trying to become that football team that the fans of Western New York and the Buffalo Bills fans of the world have dreamed of for years.” (Buffalo Bills . com)

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/ffe2e744-20ce-3f51-9d3f-e7c7a17dbc81/ss_former-nfl-player’s-prison.html

holy shit Rae Curruth could be paroled next year and the son he didn't want, will be 18 and waiting for him!

 

Wow, I can't see him getting out on the first try. But if he is eligible he probably will eventually get paroled.

 

Wow. Rae "Chump in the Trunk" Carruth.

 

Ezekiel Elliott will serve his full suspension and drop all appeals

It’s finally over.

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has decided to drop any remaining appeals and to serve his full six-game suspension.

“In consultation with the NFLPA and his lawyers, and after careful deliberation and review of the recent Second Circuit decisions, Mr. Elliott has decided to forego any further appeals and will serve the remaining suspension,” agent Rocky Arceneaux and lawyer Frank Salzano said in a statement released to PFT. “This decision arises from a practical assessment of the current legal landscape. Mr. Elliott’s desire for closure in this matter is in his best interests, as well as the best interests of his teammates, family and friends.

“This decision is in no way an admission of any wrongdoing, and Mr. Elliott is pleased that the legal fight mounted by him and his team resulted in the disclosure of many hidden truths regarding this matter, as well public exposure of the NFL’s mismanagement of its disciplinary process. Mr. Elliott will maximize this time away from the game and come back even stronger both on and off the field. He intends to release a final personal statement in the upcoming weeks and until then we have no further comment.”

Elliott, who missed Sunday’s loss at Atlanta, will miss five more games — three straight home games (vs. Eagles, Chargers, and Washington) and games at the Giants and at Oakland. He’ll be eligible for the final two games of the regular season (Seahawks, at Eagles) and the postseason, if the Cowboys make it. (PFT)

 

If there's any silver lining (for Zeke and Dallas) it's that 3 of the remaining 5 games are at home, and four of the 4 are against teams with a sub-.500 record.

 

He won't need parole, next October is the end of his sentence.

 

Great story about the boy and the grandmother, though. Tremendous lady.

 

true but you gotta win them. without zeke - can the cowboys beat philly this week? if not, that's another loss for them. that's 5-5, not counting the other opponents. seems like a tough road ahead without zeke.

 

It's VERY tough - especially since Sean Lee is out and Tyron Smith might be out again. I'm not counting on Dallas beating Philly, but I certainly think they can beat San Diego, Washington, and the Giants.

 

I will be shocked if you don't beat the Giants. The other 2 teams are better than their records though.

 

The biggest game of the week is Falcons vs Seahawks. If the Seahawks win they stay a game up on the teams chasing them and the Falcons are on the brink of elimination. If the Falcons win then the slide into the 6 seed with wins over the Seahawks, Lions, Packers and Cowboys. And with only 1 Non-conference win after playing all 4 already that means Atlanta will have the leg up on all tiebreakers.

 

So let's hope that the Seahawks win and put the Falcons out to pasture.

 

For people wondering why the Falcons have an advantage because they lost 3 of 4 non-conference games, it is because conversely it means that when looking at tiebreakers of teams with equal records then Atlanta will have more conference wins and less losses.

 

They are...but they're also nothing special. Granted Dallas isn't either...

 

SkyCam to be primary view for Titans vs. Steelers

Thursday Night Football will have a video-game feel in Week 11.

NBC announced its plans to utilize its dual SkyCam for the primary viewing of the Tennessee Titans versus Pittsburgh Steelers matchup on Nov. 16.

"We are excited to present a game with the majority of live-action coverage coming from SkyCam," said Fred Gaudelli, Executive Producer of NBC Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, via Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official team website.

NBC utilized the SkyCam during a Week 7 tilt between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, when a heavy fog rolled into Foxboro, obscuring the normal camera angle. The viewing experience drew rave reviews, leading to NBC tinkering with its normal broadcast approach.

"After pivoting out of necessity to SkyCam in the New England fog, we've been aggressively planning and testing with the intent of utilizing the system for a full game," said Gaudelli. "We'll still have our full complement of cameras and will revert to traditional coverage when situations dictate, but the primary viewing experience of the game will come from the SkyCam angle."

By pivoting to the SkyCam, NBC hopes to attract younger viewers who grew up playing "Madden" video games, which employs a view from behind the quarterback.
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Well, I guess that's a good of an excuse as any. The NFL is worried about appealing to the youth, so lets try to make it have a video game feel, which its not and wont.

 

Skycam is good for seeing if players are doing their jobs the right way. Coaches can get a better feel for what improvements their players need to make. I don't know that it's good for game viewing experience. Remind me after the game Will and I will let you know what I thought of it. Seeing how my team is playing tonight I will definitely have an opinion good or bad after the game. If I feel I saw the Steelers better than it will definitely get the gidion72 stamp of approval.

 

Can't say I'm a fan. Yeah, you can see more players, but I don't care for it from a strictly viewing perspective. Be like having the main camera behind the plate in baseball. Fine, I can see the shortstop or 3rd baseman making a subtle adjustment, but I think it'd detract from the overall viewing experience.