NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Taunting was the call, but the shot to the face by Watkins is legal, lol.

 

The taunting call brings this interview to mind...

Falcons' Rich McKay: Emphasizing taunting penalties was 'brought to us by the players, the NCAA'

Makes a little more sense in that context. Jensen intentionally provoked Watson, which is the whole point of the taunting call. Should have been a flag on Watson too, but it's also kinda nice to see it NOT be a lame offsetting penalties situation, as that would have meant taunting is legal if you succeed in provoking the other guy.

 

Offhand, I think the league also needs to do more to crack down on idiotic celebrations. Score a touchdown? Sure, celebrate. But a perfect example of overboard, stupid celebrations came on the first Dallas possession when their center failed to snap the ball. It triggered a false start that the ref announced was on the "entire offensive line".

One of the Bucs defenders crossed way past the line of scrimmage to strut his stuff and celebrate in the Dallas offensive backfield. WTF?? This dumbass was actually celebrating a false start penalty by the other team in the early first quarter of a scoreless game as if he had personally made a drive-killing sack in the final two minutes to seal a win.

To me that should have been the first taunting call of the season. Even without the emphasis on taunting, it's worthy of an unsportsmanlike conduct flag just for the sheer stupidity. But to cross into the other team's backfield to do a completely pointless celebration of their flub? That's the perfect example of taunting. Throw the flag.

 

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Ravens have reached an agreement with running back Latavius Murray on a one-year deal. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reports the deal is worth up to $2 million.

 

just be careful some people have lost their f##king mind

 

Hmm…guess I’ll just go straight to my hotel and try to grab a stream on my laptop then…

 

Glad to see him resigned quickly enough to get a Week 1 paycheck. I get that it's a business, but his former team waited until the last second to try to coerce him into a pay cut. Not cool.

 

Odell Beckham, Jadeveon Clowney listed as questionable for Browns



Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was back at practice on Friday, but the Browns aren’t calling him a sure thing for Sunday’s game in Kansas City.

They aren’t calling wide receiver Odell Beckham a sure thing either. Beckham and Clowney are listed as questionable for the opener after limited practice work on Friday.

Beckham is returning from last season’s torn ACL and has been limited in practice all week. There’s been no sign that Beckham or the team feels he is not ready to play this weekend, but confirmation of his status won’t come on Friday.

Clowney missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with an illness. Assuming he remains well, he’ll make his Browns debut on Sunday.

Center JC Tretter (knee), safety Ronnie Harrison (ankle), and safety Grant Delpit (hamstring) are also listed as questionable. Guard Michael Dunn (back) and linebacker Tony Fields II (illness) have been ruled out.

PFT

 

Report: Michael Gallup to miss multiple weeks with calf injury



The Cowboys lost their opener on Thursday night and they also reportedly lost wide receiver Michael Gallup for a while.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that Gallup injured his calf during the 29-27 loss to the Buccaneers. he is expected to miss three-to-five weeks while recovering from the injury.

PFT

 

Evan Engram ruled out for Week One



It looks like the Giants are going to have running back Saquon Barkley for Sunday’s game against the Broncos, but tight end Evan Engram won’t be making his regular season debut this weekend.

Engram hurt his calf in the team’s final preseason game and has been out of practice all this week, so it didn’t come as a great surprise when he was ruled out on the team’s injury report. Kyle Rudolph and Kaden Smith are the other tight ends on the 53-man roster and the team has three others on the practice squad.

PFT

 

Zach Wilson won't have trusty veteran receiver Jamison Crowder for his first NFL game.

Coach Robert Saleh announced Friday that Crowder is out for Sunday's season opener against the Carolina Panthers. The veteran wideout remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Crowder was placed on the list last week after testing positive for COVID-19. He was previously dealing with a groin injury.

Saleh also noted that fellow receiver Keelan Cole (knee) would likely be a game-time decision. Cole was listed as questionable, along with running back La'Mical Perine (foot).

NFL.com

 

Ja’Marr Chase: NFL ball is harder to catch than NCAA ball, harder to see without white stripes



Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has an interesting excuse for the dropped passes that have plagued him in the preseason: He says he’s still adjusting to the change from the NFL football to the NCAA football.

The NFL and NCAA do not use the exact same specifications for their footballs, meaning the balls used in college football can be slightly smaller. The balls used in college football also have white stripes on either end, while NFL footballs have no stripes. Chase says that matters.

“The ball is different because it is bigger,” Chase said, via Bengals.com. “It doesn’t have the white stripes on the side so you can’t see the ball coming from the tip point so you actually have to look for the strings on the ball at the top, which is hard to see because whole ball is brown and you have the six strings that are white. But for the most part, just have to get used to it and find out what I am comfortable with catching.”

Of course, every single rookie has to make the exact same adjustment, and we haven’t heard any other rookies blame the footballs for dropped passes. Chase also said sitting out the 2020 season has him rusty, but he acknowledges that it’s on him to make the necessary adjustments.

“I don’t want to blame it on me sitting on my butt the whole year, but it probably had something to do with it, of course,” Chase said. “There’s a bigger ball adjustment, so I don’t want to make excuses but I’ve just got to be a pro and make the catch.”

If Chase plays as well as the Bengals expect him to, his preseason drops will soon be forgotten. But if the drops continue into the regular season, no one is going to accept the slight difference in the footballs as an excuse.

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Chase might have a point (excuse), but I had a laugh when I read this.

 

Eagles sign OT Jordan Mailata to four-year, $64M extension

A former seventh-round draft choice with no previous football experience, Jordan Mailata's become a resounding NFL success story.

That point was driven home emphatically on Saturday.

Mailata signed a four-year extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, who locked up the offensive tackle for $64 million with a max of $80 million and $40.85 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Mailata, who enters the 2021 campaign as Philadelphia's starting left tackle, is now on the Eagles' books through 2025.

NFL.com

 

Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu activated off reserve/COVID-19 list

Embarking on their quest for a third consecutive AFC title, the Kansas City Chiefs will start the season with veteran leader and Pro Bowler Tyrann Mathieu as a game-time decision.

Mathieu, who previously tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on the reserve/COVID-19, was activated on Saturday, but his status for the Chiefs' Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns remains uncertain as NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported the team wants to monitor Mathieu before deciding on if he'll play.

"Sounds like they still want to monitor him before tomorrow," Garafolo reported. "He's been idle for over a week, so we'll see what his status winds up being vs. the Browns."

After announcing Mathieu's activation, the Chiefs designated him as questionable for the game.

NFL.com

 

Chicago Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman has been ruled out for Sunday's season opener against the Rams, the team announced Saturday. Goldman has been dealing with a knee injury and was originally designated doubtful.

 

The Browns still aren’t sure whether they’ll have Odell Beckham Jr. on the field today in Kansas City.

Beckham is a game-time decision, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. We may not know whether Beckham is playing until the inactives come out, 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

 

Running back Austin Ekeler‘s chances of playing in Week One looked better as the week went on and it appears he’ll be on the field in Washington on Sunday afternoon.

Ekeler missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury, but he returned to work on Friday and left head coach Brandon Staley feeling good about his outlook for the opener. Ekeler traveled with the team on Saturday and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he is expected to be in the lineup.

 

Good Morning!

Its week 1, finally! Good luck to all of you and your favorite teams/players. I'll be here banging out news & notes with some scores all day. Im excited and ready to go!

 

Giants running back Saquon Barkley will make his long-awaited return today against the Broncos.

Barkley, who suffered a torn ACL in Week Two last year, has been fully cleared after a good week of practice, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

 

NFL Week One early inactives: As of now... 1pm eastern games only.


Steelers at Bills

Steelers: QB Dwayne Haskins, LB Buddy Johnson, DE Isaiahh Loudermilk, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, OL Rashaad Coward

Bills: RB Zack Moss, T Tommy Doyle, DE Carlos Basham, DT Star Lotulelei, LB Andre Smith

Jaguars at Texans

Jaguars: S Daniel Thomas, CB Tre Herndon, OL Walker Little, TE Jacob Hollister, DE Jordan Smith, DL Adam Gotsis, DL Jay Tufele

Texans: QB Deshaun Watson, CB Lonnie Johnson, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, CB Jimmy Moreland, RB Scottie Phillips, DL Jon Greenard, WR Anthony Miller

49ers at Lions

49ers: DT Javon Kinlaw, CB Emmanuel Moseley, CB Josh Norman, G Aaron Banks, RB Trey Sermon

Lions: DE Levi Onwuzurike, LB Julian Okwara, RB Jermar Jefferson, WR KhaDarel Hodge, WR Tom Kennedy, G Tommy Kraemer

Jets at Panthers

Jets: WR Keelan Cole, LB Quincy Williams, RB Josh Adams, RB La'Mical Perine, CB Jason Pinnock, DL Jonathan Marshall

Panthers: WR Shi Smith, LB Clay Johnston, DT Phil Hoskins, G Michael Jordan, G Deonte Brown, DE Darryl Johnson

Cardinals at Titans

Cardinals: RB Eno Benjamin, QB Chris Streveler, CB Luq Barcoo, CB Tay Gowan, OL Josh Miles

Titans: WR Cameron Batson, WR Josh Reynolds, DB Chris Jackson, LB David Long, OL Dillon Radunz, TE Tommy Hudson, LB Rashad Weaver

Eagles at Falcons

Eagles: OL Landon Dickerson, CB Mac McCain, S Rodney McLeod, QB Gardner Minshew, LB Davion Taylor

Falcons: QB Feleipe Franks, RB Wayne Gallman, CB Darren Hall, WR Frank Darby, DL Ta'Quon Graham

Vikings at Bengals

Vikings: QB Kellen Mond, CB Cameron Dantzler, LB Anthony Barr, T Christian Darrisaw, TE Ben Ellefson, DT James Lynch, DE Patrick Jones II

Bengals: CB Trae Waynes, CB Nick McCloud, DT Tyler Shelvin, T Fred Johnson, G D’Ante Smith

Chargers at Washington

Chargers: QB Easton Stick, RB Joshua Kelley, DB Trey Marshall, LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, TE Tre’ McKitty

Washington: QB Kyle Allen, CB Darryl Roberts, DE Shaka Toney, T Saahdiq Charles, TE Sammis Reyes

Seahawks at Colts

Seahawks: DE L.J. Collier, T Stone Forsythe, QB Jake Luton, CB Bless Austin, RB Alex Collins, OL Dakoda Shepley

Colts: T Eric Fisher, CB Xavier Rhodes, DE Kemoko Turay, OL Will Fries, OL Danny Pinter, DL Isaac Rochell, CB Chris Wilcox