MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

What a mess this Dolphins and Texans that's a pretty high price there asking this Covid 19 or is it Delta it just won't away ( sigh )

 

Dak Prescott limited in Wednesday’s practice



Dak Prescott isn’t wearing a boot any longer, and the Cowboys repeatedly have said they feel “very good” about their star quarterback playing Sunday against the Vikings. But what exactly does that mean?

Is the right calf strain going to affect him pushing off as he throws the ball? Is he going to be able to run? Is there concern about risking further injury to the calf?


The Cowboys will know more as the week progresses, but for now, they are taking a deliberate approach to his return after a bye week. Prescott had a limited practice Wednesday.

“I think Dak has improved every day,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said before practice, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “Today’s plan is for him to start in all of the individual, so he’ll be working through the individual in the fundamental periods and the group and into the combo. We’ll assess where he is at that point.

“The ability to improve each day and not have a setback, that’s really what we’re focused on. So how we play will be a big part of it, just to make sure he’s full go, has no limitations. That’s what we’re looking for. You know we are in Week 7.”

McCarthy noted that quarterback is the one position where “you could probably play with a calf strain earlier in the rehab process.”

At the same time, the Cowboys are preparing backup Cooper Rush, getting him ready just in case.

“It’s a matter of trying to make sure Cooper is ready and to make sure Dak is getting what he needs until really Dak clears the threshold of the rehab component with Britt (Brown, the team’s director of rehabilitation),” McCarthy said. “We won’t make that determination on if he’s a full go until we get to that point. So we’ve got to make sure we’re getting Cooper ready, too.”

Rush has never started an NFL game, playing in only six, while taking 58 snaps and throwing three passes.

Prescott was injured on his 35-yard, game-winning touchdown throw to CeeDee Lamb in overtime against the Patriots on Oct. 17. Prescott, who missed 11 games last season with a severe right ankle injury, has passed for 1,813 yards with 16 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 115.0 passer rating to join the MVP conversation.

The Cowboys also listed defensive end Dorance Armstrong (ankle), cornerback Trevon Diggs (ankle) and left tackle Tyron Smith (ankle) as limited.

Defensive end Randy Gregory (knee), receiver Cedrick Wilson (shoulder) and safety Donovan Wilson (groin) were full participants.

PFT

 

Cooper Rush just sounds like a Dallas Cowboys QB name

 

Baker Mayfield remains limited in Thursday practice



Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield remains a possibility to start Sunday’s game against the Steelers, still practicing Thursday on a limited basis.

Mayfield has a torn labrum and fractured humerus in his left shoulder and missed last Thursday’s game win over the Broncos. Cleveland’s offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, said in his Thursday press conference that Mayfield is wearing a stronger harness to keep his left shoulder in place than what he was wearing before aggravating the shoulder against the Cardinals in Week Six.


“I think he’s OK. He seems to be good in meetings,” Van Pelt said, via Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. “He practiced yesterday a good amount and looked good.

“He’s mentally as tough as anybody I’ve been around. He takes everything seriously. I don’t know if I’m seen him jovial, but that’s Baker and I love his attitude.”

The Browns added defensive end Takk McKinley to the Thursday report with a groin injury. He was limited in the session. McKinley was listed on last weeks’ injury report with an ankle but still played 48 percent of the defensive snaps against Denver.

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (ankle, groin, knee) remained a non-participant in practice. He missed last week’s game with his various injuries. Cornerback Denzel Ward (hamstring) and receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (groin) also didn’t practice. Center J.C. Tretter (knee) was downgraded from limited on Wednesday to DNP on Thursday, but he has been on the injury report for most of the season and has yet to miss an offensive snap.

Receiver Jarvis Landry (knee) and defensive tackle Malik Jackson (ankle) were limited after they didn’t practice on Wednesday.

Running back Nick Chubb (calf), receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (shoulder), right tackle Jack Conklin (knee), left tackle Jedrick Wills (ankle), cornerback A.J. Green (groin), offensive lineman Blake Hance (elbow) all remained limited.

Linebacker Tony Fields (illness) returned to practice as a full participant after he missed Wednesday’s session. And linebacker Mack Wilson (calf) went from limited to full.

PFT

 

Browns’ Mayfield starting against Steelers, shoulder better



BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will start Sunday against Pittsburgh, returning after missing one game with an injured left shoulder that will require management for the rest of this season.

Mayfield practiced for the third straight day on Friday and coach Kevin Stefanski announced afterward that the 26-year-old will play.

Mayfield has a torn labrum and fracture in his nonthrowing shoulder. He was cleared by team doctors Thursday night and received the go-ahead from a second medical group.

He didn’t play last week — ending his streak of 53 consecutive starts — in a win over Denver. The rest improved Mayfield’s range of motion and reduced inflammation, allowing him to strengthen his shoulder.

Mayfield has been fitted with a new stabilizing harness to help prevent his shoulder from popping out.

Earlier this week, Mayfield said he would keep playing as long as he wasn’t hurting the Browns (4-3) or their chances to win.

Mayfield first injured his shoulder while trying to make a tackle last month against Houston. He then suffered a tuberosity fracture when he bent his arm back trying to protect his fall against Arizona on Oct. 17.

Veteran backup Case Keenum started for Mayfield last week and led the Browns to a 17-14 win.

The Browns will also have star running back Nick Chubb (calf) and starting right tackle Jack Conklin (knee) back this week. Those returns will significantly help Mayfield as Conklin will be lined up against Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, who has seven sacks.

Cleveland’s defense won’t have cornerback Denzel Ward, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Broncos and didn’t practice this week.

The Browns have been dealing with injuries up and down their roster and their coaching staff also took a hit.

Running backs coach Stump Mitchell will miss Sunday’s game and potentially several weeks to tend to a medical issue related to a previous knee injury.

Coaching assistant Ryan Cordell will fill in for Mitchell with help from senior offensive assistant Kevin Rogers.

Mitchell played for nine seasons in the NFL. He has helped Cleveland develop the league’s top running attack led by Chubb, Kareem Hunt and third-stringer D’Ernest Johnson, who rushed for 146 yards last week in his first start.

Hunt is on injured reserve with a calf issue and will miss his second game this week.

 

Pretty good, but he's no Colt McCoy

 

Report: Kyler Murray has a “1-3 week” sprained ankle



One play before the what-the-hell-happened? interception that sealed Green Bay’s win on Thursday night, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray got up with a limp. After the game, he said that he’s fine.

Maybe he meant the “this is fine” meme.


Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that Murray suffered a sprained ankle, and that it’s a “1-3 week type of sprain.” Glazer said that, if Murray arrives tomorrow at the facility and he shows that the swelling has gone down, he could play on Sunday against the 49ers.

So keep an eye on the injury reports. Whether and to wahy extent he practices will go a long way toward showing whether he’ll be ready to play.

PFT

 

Saints fear ACL tear for Jameis Winston



Saints quarterback Jameis Winston appeared to be seriously injured against the Buccaneers on Sunday, and he apparently was seriously injured.

The Saints fear an anterior cruciate ligament tear for Winston, a source confirms to PFT, but it’s not official yet. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Winston also could have damage to the medial collateral ligament.


Saints coach Sean Payton said after the Saints’ unexpected victory over the Bucs that Winston has a “significant” injury.

An tear of his ACL would end Winston’s season.

Trevor Siemian, who replaced Winston, said after the game he is “frickin gutted” for Winston, via Amie Just of The Times-Picayune.

Winston was hurt with 12:21 remaining in the second quarter when he was dragged to the ground by Bucs linebacker Devin White and his left leg bent awkwardly. White was penalized for a horse collar tackle.

Winston completed 6 of 10 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown before exiting.

Taysom Hill, who competed for the starting job in training camp, remains out with a concussion.

PFT

 

Primetime Kirk strikes again.

 

Jimmy Garoppolo: Our team just needed a win



The 49ers brought a four-game losing streak with them to Chicago on Sunday and a fifth straight loss would have likely pushed the team closer to the point where they decide to go with Trey Lance as their starting quarterback.

That would have been particularly painful for Jimmy Garoppolo as he grew up outside Chicago and had a lot of people in the stands watching him face the Bears. Garoppolo didn’t have to face that outcome.


Garoppolo ran for two touchdowns in a 33-22 win that he said “means a lot” to him because of where it took place and noted it meant a lot to the team in general.

“I think our team just needed a win,” Garoppolo said, via 49ersWebZone.com. “Losing four in a row like that, you’ve got to do something about it. I think our guys did. We came ready today. There was a good mindset on the sideline. Guys were talking. You could feel each other. When we’re playing like that, that’s when we get dangerous.”

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the win that he thinks “it’s nice to maybe not have to listen as much for a week” about when the team will make a change at quarterback, but it’s a safe bet that such conversation will flare right back up if the Cardinals drop them to 3-5 next Sunday.

PFT

 

Saints won’t pursue Cam Newton

With Saints quarterback Jameis Winston likely lost for the year, one of the key ingredients for a landing spot for Cam Newton has fallen into place. Since the chances of Newton joining a new team as a backup are low, he’d need to sign as the replacement to an injured starter.

But the team that has an injured starter has to want him. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Saints will not be contacting Cam Newton about joining the team.


That’s a telling snub. The Saints dealt with Newton for most of a decade. Coach Sean Payton knows what he can do, what he can’t do. And if Payton isn’t interested, that says something.

The Saints apparently will stick with who they have. The question is whether Taysom Hill, who is expected to be cleared to return after a Week Five concussion, will be the starter or the jack-of-all-trades option with Trevor Siemian serving as the No. 1 option.

As for Newton, eight weeks have unfolded with only one phone call, from the Seahawks. As teams enter the final stages of the season, the question becomes whether (if a starter is injured) the team will prefer to elevate the backup who knows the offense over bringing in a stranger to the team.

PFT

 

The Saints, over the years, have had pretty good success getting QB's off the NFL scrapheap. But not this time. This is good news. I want no part of Cam Newton. He's been a head case since day one.

 

The season is officially over for Saints quarterback Jameis Winston.

The team has announced that Winston suffered a torn ACL along with MCL damage, during an illegal horse-collar tackle by Buccaneers linebacker Devin White.


The injury comes only 4.5 months before Winston becomes a free agent. It necessarily complicates his career, likely forcing him to sign a one-year deal after he’s healthy, with New Orleans or someone else.

It also underscores the uncertainty that the Saints will have at the quarterback position. Taysom Hill, who suffered a concussion in Week Five, is expected to be cleared to play this week. Trevor Siemian performed well on Sunday, in place of Winston.

As PFT has reported, the Saints won’t be pursuing Cam Newton. It appears that they’ll opt for a next-man-up approach.

They beat one of the best teams in football without Winston. Now 5-2 and led by one of the best coaches in the league in Sean Payton, the Saints should be taken seriously even without Winston.

PFT

 

Now then. We need one more piece to complete the puzzle. Where the hell is Michael Thomas. If we can get him in the lineup, can we win a Super Bowl? I doubt it. Be we could sure as hell make the playoffs more interesting.

 

I'm starting to think Covid 19 Will never go away

 

The Packers appear to have found Jordan Love‘s backup quarterback for Sunday: Blake Bortles.

With both starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and practice squad quarterback Kurt Benkert on the COVID-19 reserve list, Love is the only quarterback currently available to the Packers. But Bortles is on the way.


Bortles is flying to Green Bay today with the expectation that he will sign to the Packers’ practice squad and then get called up to the active roster before Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Good quarterbacks aren’t available at this point in the season, so Bortles is probably the best the Packers can do. Bortles spent some time with the Packers this offseason while Aaron Rodgers was refusing to participate in offseason work, so he at least has some familiarity with their offense.

The 29-year-old Bortles, who went to the Jaguars with the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft and has also spent time with the Rams and Broncos.

PFT

 

Both, Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert were full participants in Thursday's practice.

 

Jets QB Mike White (forearm) exits early, replaced by Josh Johnson vs. Colts



For a New York minute, Mike White was a headline-grabbing, game-winning star.

A media darling, a fan frenzy, an underdog hero who lifted the New York Jets to a victory, but more so, White gave the Gang Green faithful something to grin about in another head-shaking season.

It was a flash of good fortune that was quickly expunged on Thursday night, as White's supernova-esque introduction into the NFL spotlight hit an abrupt stop.

Following a first-quarter touchdown pass to Elijah Moore against the Indianapolis Colts, White exited the game with a right forearm injury, later stating that the middle fingers on his throwing hand went numb but that he'll be ready to return to action when needed.

White, who took over two weeks prior for rookie starter Zach Wilson, was listed as questionable, but never returned as Josh Johnson took over at quarterback to begin the second quarter of an eventual 45-30 Jets loss that dropped New York to 2-6.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said after the game that White couldn't grip the football. As the game went on, roughly at the midway point of the fourth stanza, Saleh said White's ability to grip was returning but it was too late to reinsert him.


"We feel good about him getting healthy over the weekend and being ready next week," Saleh said.

While Saleh prognosticates a return next week for White, the fourth-year QB was doing his best to get back into the game Thursday.

"I kinda just felt it lock up on me," said White. "Throughout the course of the game, we tried everything.

"It progressively got better throughout the game and it feels better now."

NFL.com

 

Report: Saints are expected to start Trevor Siemian at QB in Week Nine



With quarterback Jameis Winston out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in Week Eight, there’s some clarity on who the Saints will have behind center when they play the Falcons this weekend.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, New Orleans is expected to start Trevor Siemian on Sunday.


Siemian came on after Winston went out with his knee injury in the first half and played the majority of last week’s victory over Tampa Bay. Siemian completed 16-of-29 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown. He was sacked once and fumbled once, but recovered the loose ball.

Siemian hasn’t started a game since 2019, when he played just a handful of snaps against the Browns before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

He arrived with the Saints last November when then-quarterback Drew Brees was out for a few weeks with injured ribs. He stuck around on the practice squad when Brees returned and signed a futures deal with New Orleans after the season was over.

Siemian, 29, started 24 games for the Broncos over 2016-2017, compiling a 13-11 record. He completed 59.3 percent of his passes with Denver for 5,686 yards with 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

New Orleans also has Taysom Hill and Ian Book available as quarterback options. But keeping Siemian at QB means the saints can continue to use Hill in a utility role on offense. He’s likely to return this week after missing the last two games with a concussion.

Hill and Winston competed for the starting job at training camp. Winston had completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.

PFT