MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

49ers calculated 108 lost yards from dropped passes on Monday night

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t play well on Monday night. His receivers didn’t help matters.

Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Friday that the team’s analytics specialists determined that the offense lost 108 yards to dropped passes.

“[W]e have a guy that’s much smarter than us involved in analytics who does all that stuff for us,” Shanahan explained to reporters. “That was the stat he gave us. I was just talking about how things can go and how they can get better a lot faster and it wasn’t just the drops, but there were a lot of things into it that we could’ve done better.”

The calculation, as Shanahan explained it, includes projected lost yardage from run after the catch. So what’s the message to the team’s receivers after an outcome like that?

“It’s just to get your mind right,” Shanahan said. “I try to tell them to go through that again. Don’t sit there and just picture everything is going to go perfect this week. Picture yourself having another drop again, know how bad that feels and then think of how you’re going to react to that because if you go out there being, ‘Man I’ve got to be perfect this week and I have another drop,’ you’re going to go into a shell the rest of the game and we’re going to need you. You’ve got to be able to go out there and play your game. People do have drops. We have good receivers who don’t drop it a ton. In terms of drops, they had a bad game last week and you’ve got to go out there and not think about that.

“Every game is a new week. Just because we had a lot last week, doesn’t mean, I know the first one, if you do have a first one in this game, it’ll be huge and everyone will think about last week, but that will affect how you play. You can’t worry about that stuff. Our guys have good hands, you can’t let one drop lead to another. You’ve got to go out there and be mentally very strong with it.”

It’s the right attitude. Drops happen. The challenge becomes forgetting about them and moving on.

source; PFT

 

108 yards in dropped passes. That sounds like a good day for the Eagles' wideouts.

 

I wonder how they calculate that number. Or I guess how accurate it is calculated. Reason I wonder is say your at midfield and the first pass was 25 yards deep and dropped. So you have a dropped yardage of 25 yards. The next play is a fifty yard bomb that is dropped (extreme example I know but bear with me). So now you have 50 estimated yards added to 25 giving you 75 yards of dropped pass yardage but only 50 was possible to begin with so it would be somewhat inaccurate that 75 yards of offense was lost to dropped passes. If that makes sense.

 

This to me is simply a guess. Shanahan just wants receivers to go out and execute and not hang their head if they drop one... there is no way to accurately mark this in yardage outside of what the ball travels in the air.

 

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had his $12,500 fine for criticizing officials overturned on appeal, Jake Trotter of ESPN reports.

Mayfield’s criticism was deemed “not strong enough to warrant a fine,” per Trotter.

Mayfield had questioned the officiating after the Browns’ loss to the Seahawks in Week Six, saying, “I’ll probably get fined for this, but they were pretty bad today.”

The league did fine him, and a few days later, he defended his comments and questioned the fine.

“I’d say that’s just stating facts,” Mayfield said. “Freedom of speech I thought, but that’s OK, I get fined for it. It’s the league, that’s what they do. They fine you for some ridiculous things. That’s just how it is. There’s a reason that everybody is talking about it.”

Whoever heard Mayfield’s appeal agreed with him.

 

Mayfield didn't state specifics and the league might be wanting to send a message to the refs.

 

That's an interesting take and a good point, but may cause a backlash next time someone gets fined. They will claim, partiality or something.

 

Only way he shakes it is to somehow win a SB for the chargers then that's all he will be remembered for.

I think that is the key right there

 

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston turned in one of his better performances on Sunday, but he also threw two interceptions, and in the process reached an ugly career landmark: 100 turnovers.

Winston has now thrown 78 interceptions and lost 22 fumbles in his five-year career, and his total of 100 turnovers is easily the most of any NFL player since Winston entered the league in 2015.

In fact, Winston has both thrown the most interceptions and fumbled the most times (49, of which 27 were recovered by the Buccaneers and 22 recovered by their opponents) of any player in the NFL since the start of the 2015 season.

Winston makes enough big plays, as he did in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, that the Buccaneers may just decide to stick with him into 2020 and beyond. But until he cuts down on the interceptions and fumbles, he’s never going to be the player the Buccaneers thought he was when they took him with the first overall pick in the 2015 draft.

source; PFT

 

Carson Wentz told offense to “keep believing” down 17-3

When the Eagles left the field in Philadelphia at halftime on Monday night, they trailed 17-3 and there wasn’t much reason to think they could rally back.

The team was on a three-game losing streak and it seemed like players were leaving with injuries every few minutes, so there would be little reason to fault anyone for losing their faith in the team. Belief was the subject of quarterback Carson Wentz‘s message to the offense before they tried to mount a comeback.

“Just keep believing. Keep believing and it’s time to make a decision how this is going to define us tonight,” Wentz said in his postgame press conference. “Obviously, we knew it was not our first half. That was a rough one and that was an ugly one. We just said, ‘Keep believing and keep staying together.’ Defense was going to take care of their piece, which they did. And we were able to do enough offensively to get this win.”

As Wentz predicted, the defense did its piece and Wentz guided the Eagles to 20 points after halftime, including game-tying and game-winning touchdown passes to tight end Zach Ertz. He did that without right tackle Lane Johnson and with the offense down to one wide receiver, which led to Wentz seeing “routes I’ve never even read before in those situations.”

Improbably, it all worked out and the Eagles got a much-needed victory to kick off their final quarter of the regular season.

source; PFT

 

Lamar Jackson is listed as questionable, but is expected to play on TNF...

 

Saints blast Colts 34-7 as Drew Brees sets multiple passing records...

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints put on a show Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

Brees set single game and career passing records with a stellar performance against the Colts. Brees completed 29-of-30 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints cruised to a 34-7 victory to keep them stride-for-stride with the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers for top seeding consideration in the NFC entering the playoffs.

The 29-of-30 performance by Brees surpassed the 28-of-29 performance by Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers in a 45-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last November for the best completion percentage performance in a single game in league history.

Brees’ third touchdown pass of the night, a 5-yard score to tight end Josh Hill, also allowed Brees to surpass Peyton Manning’s record for the most touchdown passes thrown in a career in NFL history. Brees now has 541 passing touchdowns for his career. Manning had 539 touchdowns with Tom Brady at 538 and still in chase of Brees for the most ever.

Brees’ touchdowns came to four different receivers on Monday night as Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith, Hill and Taysom Hill all caught scores for New Orleans. Wil Lutz also added field goals from 33 and 26 yards out to complete the offensive showing for the Saints.

Thomas caught 12 passes on 12 targets from Brees for 128 yards and a touchdown as he continues to cruise toward the league receptions and yardage titles for the year.

The Colts just could not get anything going offensively against the Saints. Marlon Mack gained just 19 yards on 11 carries on the ground and Jacoby Brissett was held to 18-of-34 passing for just 165 yards. The Colts gained just 205 yards of total offense with 80 yards coming on a fourth quarter drive trailing 34-0.

Jordan Wilkins scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:56 remaining to prevent the shut out for Indianapolis.

source; PFT

 

Saints blast Colts 34-7 as Drew Brees sets multiple passing records...

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints put on a show Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

Brees set single game and career passing records with a stellar performance against the Colts. Brees completed 29-of-30 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints cruised to a 34-7 victory to keep them stride-for-stride with the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers for top seeding consideration in the NFC entering the playoffs.

The 29-of-30 performance by Brees surpassed the 28-of-29 performance by Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers in a 45-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last November for the best completion percentage performance in a single game in league history.

Brees’ third touchdown pass of the night, a 5-yard score to tight end Josh Hill, also allowed Brees to surpass Peyton Manning’s record for the most touchdown passes thrown in a career in NFL history. Brees now has 541 passing touchdowns for his career. Manning had 539 touchdowns with Tom Brady at 538 and still in chase of Brees for the most ever.

Brees’ touchdowns came to four different receivers on Monday night as Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith, Hill and Taysom Hill all caught scores for New Orleans. Wil Lutz also added field goals from 33 and 26 yards out to complete the offensive showing for the Saints.

Thomas caught 12 passes on 12 targets from Brees for 128 yards and a touchdown as he continues to cruise toward the league receptions and yardage titles for the year.

The Colts just could not get anything going offensively against the Saints. Marlon Mack gained just 19 yards on 11 carries on the ground and Jacoby Brissett was held to 18-of-34 passing for just 165 yards. The Colts gained just 205 yards of total offense with 80 yards coming on a fourth quarter drive trailing 34-0.

Jordan Wilkins scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:56 remaining to prevent the shut out for Indianapolis.

source; PFT

 

Remember when someone wanted to put daniel jones based on ore season and 1 start.

 

Wentz: Cowboys-Eagles ‘probably’ biggest of career

His rookie season, Carson Wentz endured losses on a growing squad. The past two years, season-ending injuries have wiped out the end of his campaigns as the Eagles battled in the postseason without him. He’s never quite experienced that ‘must-win,’ all-on-the-line pressure-packed game in his young NFL career.

Given the stakes in Sunday’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, that moment is finally here for Wentz.

Asked if the matchup with the NFC East on the line is the biggest of his career, Wentz responded: “You could probably say that.”

“I mean, it’s definitely a big game. We know the situation” he said, via the team’s official website. “We know what’s going on. At the same time, we’re treating it as another game and we’re aware of everything. We’re real excited and for one, I’m real excited that we’re at home. I know these fans are going to show up and be loud. I can’t wait until Sunday afternoon.”

Wentz has led thrilling come-from-behind victories the past two weeks in which he’s made a bevy of big plays to pull out needed Ws. Those games, however, were against the hapless Giants and Redskins. Sunday’s tilt versus the Cowboys brings a much stiffer test.

The last time the two teams met, Dallas walloped Philly 37-10, and Wentz completed 16 of 26 passes for a meager 191 yards one TD and an INT. That won’t get it done Sunday in Philadelphia.

With a decimated receiving corps that has left Greg Ward as this top WR, a banged-up offensive line that could be without Lane Johnson again, and a defense that has returned to being a sieve, a ton will fall on Wentz’s shoulders Sunday with the season on the line.

The quarterback is ready to show he can lift all boats in a big moment.

“I’m excited about it,” Wentz said. “The last couple of years didn’t end the way I wanted them to, personally, obviously being hurt and everything, so I’m just excited to be playing here in December with what’s at stake and to be out there with my guys. I’m excited.”

source; NFL.com

 

Wentz isn’t battle tested

 

Not yet.

 

From my perspective, I just can't pin down who the Eagles are. They come to Green Bay and pound them, do the same in Buffalo and the look so bad vs Miami. They looked poor vs the Giants too.

They have lots of talent including Wentz but they're so inconsistent. Maybe the same can be said about the Cowboys. The Rams were fighting for their playoff lives and Dallas stomped them.

I can't even guess who wins this one.