NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Panthers WR Keith Kirkwood leaves in ambulance after hit to head at practice



Many teams are putting pads on for the first time in training camp for Tuesday’s practices and that means there will be contact between players on opposing sides of the ball during the sessions.

The nature of football means that will also lead to injuries and the Panthers will be hoping that wide receiver Keith Kirkwood didn’t suffer a serious one during their workout. Kirkwood needed to be put on a backboard and helped off the field to an ambulance after taking a hit to the head, although Darin Gantt of the team’s website notes he was moving his arms and legs.

Safety J.T. Ibe delivered the blow and he was kicked out of practice by Panthers coaches while medical personnel attended to Kirkwood.

Kirkwood broke his collarbone twice last year and only played in one game as a result. He caught one pass for 13 yards and re-signed with the Panthers this offseason.

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I lived in San Antonio before. If there is a city that desperately wants a football team it’s San Antonio. It’s the largest city in the US without a professional football team. The people in San Antonio are crazily loyal to their local teams and would embrace a new team like it was a new born son. When I lived there the Spurs were a champion 4 or five times I don’t think you could go anywhere during basketball season and not find everyone watching the game. I worked down town and every time they won a championship I couldn’t get home from work at 4 in the morning. The streets were packed with people and cars celebrating at 4 in the morning? WTF is wrong with those people.

 

Players at the Giants camp just got into a massive fight. There have been a lot of this lately. Wait till joint-practices begin, lol.

Hey! Save it for gameday you dumbasses!!!!

 

Colts getting hit hard...

Colts All-Pro G Quenton Nelson to undergo foot surgery, out 5-12 weeks

 

Dan Campbell was “fired up” by fight at Tuesday’s practice



Before the Lions’ first padded practice on Tuesday, head coach Dan Campbell shared a story from his first training camp as a player that involved him getting in a fight on the first play of practice.

Campbell said the point of the story wasn’t that he was looking for players to fight during Lions practice, but it wasn’t particularly clear that’s what he meant and he muddied those waters a bit more at Wednesday’s press conference.

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu — two of the team’s draft picks — exchanged punches during a special teams drill on Tuesday, which led to a question for Campbell about his reaction to the fisticuffs. His reaction wasn’t one of dismay.

“Yeah, I mean, I was fired up,” Campbell said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “Because they were competing, man. It was good to see both of them, two young bucks, go after it. They were, uh — look, we had a pretty good idea of Amon-Ra, you know? The Sun God? What he’s capable of? His aggressiveness shows up — it would show up on tape — in college. Look, this guy will mix it up. And there’s things you see with Iffy in school, but I didn’t quite know. And to know he’s got, ‘Hey man, I’m not your punching bag,’ that encouraged me, it really did.”

Campbell added that he’s not in favor of full-squad brawls that disrupt the entire practice session, but that smaller scraps “make you practice better” because it makes you want to go as hard as you can to beat the other guy. He also said he wants players to remain “under control” because you can’t win if you aren’t, so Lions players will have to figure out just where the line is for their new coach.

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lol... I really like this Campbell guy, but hell, he's on the enemy's team. I personally think, if the Lions reflect his character, they will be a bunch better and that is not cool in this Vikings fan's mind.

 

Kareem Hunt: Nick Chubb and I can keep each other fresh



The Browns may have gone against the conventional wisdom of analytics that would discourage paying big money to running backs in signing Nick Chubb to a three-year, $36.6 million extension.

But they now have their strong tandem of Chubb and fellow running back Kareem Hunt under contract for at least the next two seasons.

At one point in 2020, it looked like both Chubb and Hunt would reach 1,000 yards rushing. That didn’t quite happen, as Hunt finished with 841 yards on the ground to Chubb’s 1,067. But together they accounted for 2,362 yards from scrimmage and 23 total touchdowns.

So as they head into another year together, Hunt is grateful to play alongside Chubb because he sees the benefits for both parties. For instance, when defenses are gassed late in games, Chubb and Hunt aren’t. That may have played a major role in Chubb averaging 10 yards per carry in the fourth quarter last season.

“I know if I’m not in the game or Nick’s not in the game and it’s third-and 3, I know Nick can get or I’ll get it,” Hunt said Tuesday, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “So, we get more opportunities by having extra first downs and stuff like that. I definitely feel we can keep each other fresh.”

Hunt, who grew up in Cleveland, also feels like the Browns have a shot at becoming a championship team this year — in part because of what he and Chubb can do in the backfield.

“We’ve still got to go out there and prove each and every week, like we will, and I know what type of players we are,” Hunt said. “I really don’t buy into all that running backs don’t matter stuff. I know a lot of running backs who can take a game over by themselves.”

Chubb likely would be one of them, especially in the fourth quarter. But with Hunt on his team, he doesn’t quite need to do it. He’s got solid help.

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Saints sign Adonis Alexander



The Saints have been busy when it comes to adding cornerbacks to the roster this week.

Prince Amukamara and KeiVarae Russell agreed to deals with the team on Monday and another corner came onboard Wednesday. Agent Andy Ross announced that his client Adonis Alexander has signed with New Orleans.

Alexander was picked in the sixth round of the 2018 supplemental draft by Washington and made four tackles in nine games during his rookie season. He opened the 2019 season on their practice squad and then moved on to the Rams’ practice squad.

The Rams cut Alexander last September and he was out of the league all season before spending a brief stretch on the 49ers’ practice squad this year.

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They've cornered the market!

 

Raiders sign six-time Pro Bowl DL Gerald McCoy

Gerald McCoy had a visit with the Raiders on Wednesday and he's not leaving Las Vegas.

McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman, has signed with the Raiders, the team announced.

A longtime staple in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting lineup, McCoy is now bound for his fourth team in four years. McCoy played his final season with the Bucs in 2018, played a year for the Panthers in 2019 and then signed with the Cowboys ahead of the 2020 campaign. However, McCoy never played a down for Dallas as he was released after sustaining a torn quadriceps tendon.

The third-overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft is 33-years-old now and is clearly not one of the premier defensive tackles in the game as he once was. But how and if he can return at a high level for the Raiders will be the prevailing question.

McCoy will compete for a job at defensive tackle – where Johnathan Hankins and Quinton Jefferson are the current starting favorites -- after reporting to his visit in Vegas "in good shape," according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

McCoy joins a high-profile defensive line contingent in the desert that features Yannick Ngakoue, Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell and Carl Nassib, among others. But no matter the big names, the pass rush has long troubled the Raiders. Perhaps the comeback story of McCoy could be the answer.

NFL.com

 

Dont forget - Cowboys, Steelers... tonight!

 

Load up on alcohol and weed

 

nice and mellow

 

I keep checking this thread hoping that there's a report Chicago has added an actual NFL offensive tackle. This season is going to be disastrous.

 

Did anyone see that, as part of this presser, he revealed that he drinks 80 oz of coffee with four espresso shots every single morning? I mean... that's insane. That's 2/3'rds a gallon of coffee in the morning. I'm glad this guy isn't my team's head coach, if only because his heart might explode any minute.

 

When the players go to Dunkin Doughnuts they pick him up one of the boxes of coffee meant for 10+ people

 

I'm not sure anyone could be trusted to make sane decisions while operating on that much caffeine..

Though, he also has the personality of someone who might exaggerate just a little bit.

 

Mike Tomlin: Najee Harris did what we wanted him to do



While many of the top players on both teams sat out, Thursday night’s 2021 preseason opener did feature the debut of Steelers running back Najee Harris, Pittsburgh’s first-round draft pick. And coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw.

Harris got a healthy workload in the first quarter, carrying seven times for 22 yards and adding one catch for three yards. Those aren’t exactly spectacular statistics, but Tomlin says that’s fine.

“We weren’t looking for the spectacular,” Tomlin said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We wanted him to make the routine plays routinely . . . power forward. He did all the things we wanted him to do.”

At some point, the Steelers want Harris to do a lot more than he did on Thursday night. But in one preseason game, Tomlin is satisfied.

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Steelers handled the Cowboys, 16-3

 

That's not as bad as Joe Judge admitting he gets a stiffy watching his players fight in practice.

 

Just digging this conversation back up.

Borom is reportedly lighter and faster in camp than he was last season in college and after being pushed into action with Jenkins being injured he is reportedly impressing the entire coaching staff.

 

Jimmy Smith carted off with apparent leg injury



The Ravens defensive backfield could be taking a hit.

According to multiple reporters at Friday’s practice, cornerback Jimmy Smith suffered an apparent leg injury and had to be carted off the field. Smith was covering Mark Andrews on the play and got tangled up with the tight end.

After the session, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he did not have an update on Smith, noting it was too soon to know.

Smith has been with the Ravens since 2011, when the club selected him with the 27th overall pick. He appeared in 11 games last year with five starts, recording 27 total tackles, one pass defensed, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

Overall, Smith has appeared in 118 games for Baltimore with 88 starts. He has 14 career interceptions.

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Is he getting an extended run there while Ifedi is banged up?