NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Thursday’s Chiefs practice didn’t go as well as hoped for wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

According to multiple reporters viewing the practice session, Hill made an early exit from the field. The wideout pulled up after catching a long pass from quarterback Chad Henne and went to the sideline to talk with members of the training staff.

Hill then made his way inside and did not return before the end of the workout. Hill was able to head inside without any assistance, which may be a sign that he avoided anything too serious but there’s been no update on his condition from the team at this point.

He’s not the only wide receiver dealing with a health issue. The Chiefs have also been practicing without Sammy Watkins due to a groin injury.

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Browns cornerback Kevin Johnson is in the hospital in Cleveland for further observation of an injury sustained in Wednesday’s practice.

The Browns announced that Johnson was admitted to the hospital after another player landed on him and caused an abdominal injury. Tests revealed Johnson suffered a laceration to his liver.

Johnson is resting comfortably and the team says he’s expected to remain hospitalized for at least another 24 hours for further observation.

Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Browns in April. The 2015 Texans first-round pick spent last season with the Bills and had 36 tackles and a sack while appearing in every game for Buffalo.

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Dallas Cowboys right tackle La'el Collins missed Thursday's practice after getting in an automotive accident.

Collins was involved in a major car crash Thursday morning after getting cut off, but is expected to be OK, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports, per a source close to the player.

The Dallas Morning News first reported the news.

Collins has worked on the side during the early stages of Cowboys training camp, not participating in team drills.

The incident highlighted potential depth issues along the Cowboys offensive line. Star left tackle Tyron Smith left practice early, but is "fine," Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the left tackle's situation.

Reserve swing tackle Cam Erving hasn't practiced while dealing with a medical issue. With Collins, Smith and Erving all out, Wyatt Miller and Brandon Knight took the bulk of the reps -- Knight also dealt with injury issues earlier in camp.

Collins and Smith each avoiding major injury is a good sign for an offense that has all the weapons on the outside to be a potent force if the line can keep Dak Prescott upright.

NFL.com

 

The Washington Football Team clarified Ron Rivera’s cancer diagnosis, saying he has squamous cell cancer of the neck. It is a form of skin cancer but considered “very treatable and curable,” Rivera told Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Squamous cell cancer usually is not life-threatening but can spread if left untreated, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Rivera told his players of his diagnosis Thursday night, but he plans to continue coaching.

“I’m planning to go on coaching,” he told Schefter. “Doctors encouraged me to do it, too. They said, ‘If you feel strongly, do it. Don’t slow down, do your physical activities.’ But everyone keeps telling me by week three or four, you’ll start feeling it.”

Rivera, 58, found a lump on his neck in early July and was told of the cancer two weeks ago. An outside specialist is helping establish a treatment plan.

“I was stunned,” Rivera said. “But I was angry because I feel like I’m in the best health I’ve been in.”

Players were stunned, too.

“A bunch came up and wished me well,” Rivera said. “I said, ‘I’m going to be a little more cranky, so don’t piss me off.'”

Washington does have a Plan B in place just in case Rivera has to miss time. Rivera wasn’t ready to reveal details, but defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio twice has served as a head coach.

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Rivera should be handed Coach of the Year right now. I don’t care if they go 0-16.

 

Broncos linebacker Todd Davis was carted off the practice field on Thursday and that can often be followed by news of a season-ending injury, but the word on Davis’ condition isn’t that bad.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Davis is expected to miss two or three weeks as a result of the calf injury that forced him off the field. The Broncos are scheduled to open the season with a Monday night home game against the Titans in a little more than three weeks.

Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell and fifth-round pick Justin Strnad remain available at inside linebacker for the Broncos.

Davis wasn’t the only player to leave early on Thursday. Linebacker Von Miller (elbow) and running back Melvin Gordon (ribs) also got banged up and aren’t practicing Friday. Head coach Vic Fangio did announce that rookie wide receiver KJ Hamler will miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury.

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Zach Ertz dealing with upper-body injury; Eagles list TE as day-to-day

 

Jaguars DE Josh Mauro suspended five games for violating NFL PED policy

The Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive line has suffered another setback.

Defensive end Josh Mauro has been suspended without pay for the first five games of the 2020 season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the league announced Friday.

Mauro will be allowed to return to the Jaguars roster on Oct. 12, following Jacksonville's Week 5 road tilt in Houston. Mauro remains eligible to participate in practice for the remainder of the preseason.

This is the second time Mauro has been suspended for PEDs.

On Mar. 23, 2018, Mauro was suspended four games for the same violation ahead of his first and only season with the New York Giants. Mauro spent the 2019 season with the Raiders before signing with the Jaguars as a free agent earlier this month.

Mauro's suspension adds to a list of issues for the Jaguars' defensive line ahead of the 2020 season. Star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue has yet to sign his franchise-tag tender, Rodney Gunter announced his retirement after revealing a serious health condition, Aaron Lynch also hung up the pads for personal reasons, and Al Woods decided to opt-out of the 2020 season citing concerns for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

All this for a defensive unit who lost Calais Campbell via trade and saw the departure of Marcel Dareus via free agency this past offseason.

There remains a litany of questions for the Jags' D-line outside of second-year pass rusher Josh Allen. Cassius Marsh, Dawuane Smoot, Caraun Reid, and Adam Gostis round out the remaining defensive ends for Jacksonville as of today, and the opportunity for significant playing time is there for the taking.

NFL.com

 

Mike Zimmer concerned about 'disadvantage' of fan attendance in some NFL stadiums

Football amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic already looks different, and the changes will be even more jarring when the season begins and a sizable portion of the NFL's stadiums are empty.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer isn't happy about how the pandemic has changed the world in which we live. But he's also not pleased because of the competitive advantages it might provide his opponents.

"It's going to be very hard because some stadiums they're allowing people in and it looks like we're not going to have any fans in there early, which really stinks because we have unbelievable fans, and they make that place rocking every Sunday," Zimmer said Friday. "But the best way to have homefield advantage is to play really good. Execute, make tackles, don't make mistakes, don't commit penalties, turnovers, all those things."

Currently, the Cowboys, Chiefs and Jaguars have each announced plans to have fans in attendance in some form.

However, the best way is still possible for Zimmer's Vikings, who are coming off a 10-6 season that included a playoff appearance and a wild-card upset over the higher-seeded New Orleans Saints. They're still going to take the field and have plenty of opportunities to play disciplined, fundamentally sound and error-free football -- it just might not be in front of many Skol-chanting fanatics.

That still irks Zimmer, who is waiting to see how traveling affects each team's very precious on-the-road routine. He's just not going to be very happy when his team comes out of a tunnel and sees a smattering of opposing fans at some point this season.

"Other than the comfort level of being in your own stadium, and we haven't traveled yet in this pandemic so I don't know what that's totally going to be like," Zimmer said. "So I guess that would be the only thing as far as playing in the field I think it's just normal football now. I think there are some unfair things going on around it as far as some teams can have fans and some teams can't. So I think there is a competitive disadvantage in some of those areas."

It's not uncommon for a football coach to identify what he or she might see as a competitive disadvantage. There's a reason the team that lost the coin toss still gets to choose what end zone it defends.

In this new age, though, fan attendance -- no matter how small of a percentage -- is a sticking point for some. It makes sense, to some degree. Why can they have fans when we can't?

Twenty percent of 70,000 or so fans amounts to 14,000, which would still make for a very loud high school environment and would beat out some of the smaller Division I mid-majors for average home attendance in a typical, non-pandemic year (looking at you, Akron). It can still have an effect, especially when compared with a team playing its home games in an empty stadium.

But right now, we're lucky to have the sport at all. We'll see in September how much a percentage of fans, or no fans, affects the outcome of a sport for which these teams have spent more than a month preparing.

NFL.com

 

In my opinion... there should be a universal rule/agreement on fans at all NFL stadiums. None of this, one city will have them and another wont. This seems to be the only fair way.

 

Bills cornerback Josh Norman, who exited Thursday’s practice early with a left hamstring injury, will miss some time.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said the team isn’t sure how long it will take Norman to be ready to go.

“We don’t know the severity exactly. Those things take some time to get a good read on,” McDermott said, via the Buffalo News. “He’ll continue to learn and be out there when he can. The biggest thing right now is that he maximizes his treatment opportunities so he can get back out there as quickly as possible.”

Norman signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Bills this year. He spent the last four years in Washington and four years before that in Carolina.

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I would have to agree with that. But I think that the "home field advantage" will still be alive and well this year. Road teams still have to fly, sleep in a hotel, and get cramed onto a bus to the game. The home team still gets to sleep in their own beds, home cooked meals and can drive themselves to the game. If you do the math, home field is worth 2.4 to 2,.5 points a game. I think it will be a little less this year. Under two ????

 

I find it amuzing/frustrating and down right hypocritical that you can go to Wall Mart and places similar, but you cant attend a sporting event. These stadiums are large enough to hold half capacity and practice social distancing and mask wearing. No food, venders, concessions and only 3 or 5 peeps at a time in the restrooms... I think it can be done. I could be wrong, i dont know, but if one stadium does it and another cant, thats what the problem is.

 

Ravens S Earl Thomas sent home after fight with teammate Chuck Clark

Seven-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas was sent home from the Baltimore Ravens team facility on Friday following a fight with teammate Chuck Clark, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Saturday morning.

The Ravens returned to the practice field on Saturday, but Thomas was not there, Pelissero added. Thomas was told to stay home Saturday and nothing has been communicated to him about his status, Pelissero reported. At this point, Pelissero reported fines, a release or a trade are all seemingly on the table.

Thomas released a statement on social media early Saturday afternoon.

"Being sent home sucks, I can't take the reps I need to keep momentum going, but I can reflect on things and keep working my plan to help the team win," he began. "This has been one of of my best camps crazy a situation like this can through dirt on it.

A mental error on my part. A busted coverage that I tried to explain calmly meet with built up aggression turned into me getting into with a teammate. Since we didn't keep it in house and I'm getting text and calls from ESPN reporters etc : thought I'd try and clear the air ... situations like this narrow my window for error but this the path I choose."

Thomas is in his second season with the Ravens after a nine-year run with the Seattle Seahawks that ended following another infamous incident.

Clark is entering his fourth NFL season -- all with the Ravens.

Thomas, 31, started 15 games at strong safety and earned a Pro Bowl bid in his first year with Baltimore last season, while Clark, 25, started 10 games at free safety. Thomas also got into it with Ravens defensive lineman Brandon Williams following a game last season, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo pointed out. "He's a passionate guy who sometimes cranks the intensity up a little too high," Garafolo said, adding the Ravens were in the process of handling the incident.

Thomas headed to Baltimore as a free agent ahead of the 2019 season. His run in Seattle ended with him hoping for a new contract, but instead being carted off with a broken leg and flipping off the Seahawks sideline.

As pointed out by Pelissero, Thomas' dismissal from the team facility is a situation to monitor.

NFL.com

 

It's the state and local governments making that call. I get the Wal Mart argument But, they make the rules.

 

The reason why they will allow teams to have fans at whatever games they are allowed to be at is to recoup money that they will split amongst all teams.

 

Running back Theo Riddick has found a spot to continue his NFL career.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com was the first to report that Riddick has signed a one-year deal with the Raiders. He joins Josh Jacobs, Jalen Richard, Rod Smith, Devontae Booker and third-round pick Lynn Bowden in the Vegas backfield.

Booker and Riddick were set to be teammates in Denver last season, but Riddick missed the entire year with a shoulder injury.

Riddick spent the first six years of his career with the Lions. He ran 288 times for 1,023 yards and five touchdowns and caught 285 passes for 2,238 yards and 14 touchdowns. That background suggests Riddick will be trying to earn a role on passing downs with the Raiders.

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Many Chiefs fans removed their masks while attending open practice



In a sign of how difficult it will be to play football with fans in the stadiums this season, large numbers of Chiefs fans refused to comply with the team’s mask requirement at the open practice Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Photos and videos posted on social media showed that many Chiefs fans took their masks off after entering the stadium and weren’t wearing masks in the stands.

The Chiefs’ rules state, “all guests are required to wear masks at Arrowhead Stadium at all times except when actively eating or drinking.” Many of the fans not wearing masks were not actively eating or drinking.

Wearing a mask is the simplest, easiest thing that everyone can do to help America get COVID-19 under control. The virus has killed more than 170,000 Americans, with no end in sight. People who don’t wear masks in public are putting everyone else in danger.

The Chiefs are planning to have about 17,000 fans at Arrowhead Stadium for their home opener. If that game becomes the source of a major COVID-19 outbreak, it would be a disaster for Kansas City, the Chiefs and the NFL. Fans need to do the right thing, put their masks on and keep their masks on.

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These moronic fans in Kansas City need their heads examined and they should have been removed from the stadium. They are going to ruin it for everybody if this isnt enforced.