NFL - NEWS & NOTES

lol... Rock Star!

 

Lamar and his peers

 

48 hours before...



Even these local guys are guessing sometimes.

 

Football has officially begun. Here’s to a drama filled season.

 

1. Last year, it was Micah Parsons. This year, it's Travon Walker. I'm not saying Walker is going to do what Parsons did in 2021 -- impress in limited snaps in the Hall of Fame Game, then go on to win the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year -- but the No. 1 overall pick certainly looked the part from the very first snap. Sure, he drew a flag for roughing the passer, but he thrived in one-on-one situations off the edge -- so much that Las Vegas started sending pass-blocking help on its second possession. He even recorded a sack by winning the edge rush, then cutting off an interior escape lane before his night was finished. Walker's size is visible from the press level and it's not just for show. He and Josh Allen will be fun to watch in Jacksonville.
2. The Josh McDaniels era began with an interesting approach. Top running back Josh Jacobs received 11 touches, but what was more shocking was how McDaniels chose to utilize Jacobs in a game that doesn't count toward Las Vegas' final record. The Raiders pounded it on the ground with Jacobs and called a first-down screen pass to him, exposing him to the type of contact a usual starter avoids by staying on the sideline. Instead, Jacobs was on track to hit a full game's worth of touches early before promptly exiting. Las Vegas ended up rolling out a solid portion of its starters -- four of five starting offensive linemen, Jacobs, Keelan Cole as one of the its top four receivers in a regular-season setting, and tight end No. 2 Foster Moreau -- and gained an advantage in production. McDaniels also got a good look at some of his better players. Naturally, the Twitterers made much hullabaloo about this approach (primarily centered around Jacobs) online, but our own Gregg Rosenthal accurately assessed the situation: "Josh McDaniels comes from the Bill Belichick school of wacky preseason rotations that people will read too much into."
3. The Patriot Way has found a foothold in Las Vegas. One doesn't need a magnifying glass to find the former Patriots now on the Raiders' roster, and a couple of them (Duron Harmon, Jacob Hollister) made plays Thursday night. More importantly, though, was the way these new Raiders carried themselves with McDaniels calling the shots. Las Vegas made some mental mistakes typical of a first preseason game (running a defender onto the field extremely late, illegal formation penalty in second quarter), but overall, the Raiders looked sharp. They moved with a bit of tempo throughout the game, rarely snapping the ball with less than 10 seconds left on the play clock, and largely executed as expected. Mix this in with their top stars, and you might have a sleeping monster in a division that will require one to keep up with its rivals.
4. There wasn't much to write home about the Jaguars, but that wasn't a complete surprise. Jacksonville took a more traditional approach to its first preseason game, sitting a number of key players and watching its performance suffer accordingly. The talent discrepancy caused by playing primarily backups was visible, and third-string quarterback Jake Luton didn't do much to help his cause, connecting on passes underneath but air-mailing a handful of attempts farther downfield. The good news: Logan Cooke punted quite well, Mekhi Sargent had a couple of decent runs and Luke Farrell caught three of his four targets. Oh, and as we all must remember, it's the preseason.

Raiders 27, Jaguars 11

nfl.com​

 

#2 and #4 really combine to make one observation. The Jaguars treated it the way most teams now treat the Hall of Fame Game, focusing mostly on candidates for the practice squad and the back end of the roster and not risking key players to potential injury. The Raiders treated it more like the way that most teams used to treat the first of four preseason games, getting many of the starters and key rotation players a few series worth of reps against guys they haven't been facing in practice every day.

I won't say that either approach is necessarily better. It's an extra game that the other 30 teams don't have, so either approach can be an advantage as long as the team sticks to the plan. I like the idea of getting the regulars a few reps, but those "evaluation opportunities" - things like seeing how well the RB or WR prospects block or how well the outside LB prospects do in coverage - can be even more important.

 

Im kinda surprised its only 2 years (Diontae Johnson extension)... he has made it clear he would like to finish his career in Pittsburgh.

 

He wanted more per year. Steelers weren't willing to pay more per year. They settled on a shorter deal that allowed him to hit free agency again at 28 years old.

 

Inevitably, it also allows the Steelers to pay him again in a deal that could be 22-25 a year with a higher cap. More or less, he can get the big paycheck with a more than likely lower cap hit percentage. It should be a win-win for both parties.

 

In two years top receivers are going to be paid 26-30M per season. There is some risk involved on the Steelers part. You could argue a 4yr extension averaging 21M per season would have been better than the two-year deal. Only time will tell.

 

Pickens will be the one getting the 30 million contract. Johnson will be riding off in the sunset.

 

Browns sign USFL defensive player of the year Chris Odom



An impressive season in the USFL was enough to earn Chris Odom another shot in the NFL.

The Browns signed Odom, a Houston Gamblers defensive end who was named USFL defensive player of the year, today.


Odom last played in the NFL during the 2019 season in Washington, and he wrote on Twitter that he was eager to get another chance.

“903 days since I was back in the league,” Odom wrote. “Thank you @theUSFL @USFLGamblers for the opportunity to continue to live my dream. Next chapter. Let’s get it @ClevelandBrowns.”

Signing with Cleveland will reunite Odom with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who was Odom’s teammate at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas.

PFT

 

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on recent practice brawls: 'I want people to be irritants,' not fighters

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wants his players going right up to the line, but he doesn't want them toeing it.

In response to Niners players exchanging punches -- most notably linebacker Fred Warner and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk -- at Tuesday's practice, Shanahan let it be known Friday that he wants his players to be tough, to be physical, to even be "irritants," but he doesn't want them throwing hands.

"I want everyone challenging each other," Shanahan said Friday, via team transcript. "I don't care how much crap each other talk. I don't care how close they get to fighting. They can do whatever they want to get themselves going and being as intense as they want and bring the best out of each other, which happens a lot that way. And it's the same on the field, but once you throw a punch, you get ejected or you get a penalty. And we pride ourselves on, I want people to be irritants. I want people to get as close as they can to all that stuff. I want people to get right on the line where they're about to black out. But you can't black out on football or you'll cost your team, but I love doing that to other people."

Much of the discourse Tuesday stemmed from Warner admittedly trying to push Aiyuk. With Aiyuk standing up for himself, it eventually led to a brawl.

Shanahan was fine with Aiyuk holding his ground.

"Definitely, I understood what he stood up to," Shanahan said, "so it didn't bother me."

Essentially, Shanahan wants his players pushing their physicality, themselves and their opponents to the limit, but not exceeding it.


Fights in football result in penalties and busted hands, so best to put down your dukes.

"I love the intensity of it," Shanahan said. "I don't think you have to fight to be intense though. Scuffles are scuffles, but then they lead to other stuff. I think that's why we have a guy in the protocol, because we took an unnecessary shot on someone which led to the big fight. And then we had a bunch of haymakers and stuff thrown in there, which will only break hands. I think our team's pretty tough. I think we're pretty physical. I think if most people probably voted on who was the most physical team on tape last year, I think we'd win most of that. And we didn't get in one fight last year, so I don't think that totally pertains to toughness."

While Warner and Aiyuk squared off in a showdown that led to an offense-versus-defense donnybrook on Tuesday, it came after Warner delivered a questionable hit to wide receiver Marcus Johnson. Johnson is now in concussion protocol, as referenced by Shanahan in regard to scuffles leading "to other stuff."

So, with the 49ers having garnered headlines and caused some self-inflicted wounds this week, Shanahan has delivered his message: Keep the intensity up and your hands downs.

NFL.com

 

Christian McCaffrey 'recovering hard' in Panthers' practice plan

It was a full-speed Friday for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.

As the Panthers aim to handle their star back with care, they've implemented a practice plan of off-days intermixed with practicing sans constraints.

CMC is appreciative of the approach as he enters the season looking to avoid the injury bug that's infected each of his last two campaigns.

"I think those days off are important," McCaffrey said. "You've got to make sure on those days off that you're doing everything to get ready for the next day. That's the purpose of it. So it's an off-day, but you're still working. You're doing a lot of stuff with the trainers, you're doing stuff with the strength coaches -- strength stuff, flexibility stuff, to get ready for that next day. But I feel great."

McCaffrey played in 48 consecutive games to begin his NFL career, culminating in an All-Pro 2019 campaign when he became just the second player all time to tally 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Since then, CMC's been hobbled to the tune of playing in only 10 of a possible 27 games over the last two seasons.

Hamstring and ankle injuries cut McCaffrey's 2021 campaign to seven games and the Panthers' practice plan has been put into play since he returned from the ankle ailment.

"I think the plan for him is a really good one," head coach Matt Rhule said, via the team website's Augusta Stone.


Rhule has previously stated it was unlikely McCaffrey would go three straight practices once pads were put on. So far, so good.

"Ya, I feel great. One day at a time for us," said McCaffrey, navigating through his clichés as impressively as he does opposing defenses. "We're working hard, recovering hard, meeting hard; just doing everything -- taking it one day at a time."

Handle with care has been the approach so far with McCaffrey, and the Panthers -- and fantasy football owners aplenty -- are hoping it pays off with a healthy regular season.

NFL.com

 

Giants lineman Matt Gono has left the squad (with the team putting him on the exempt list) due to recurring symptoms from the neck injury that put him on IR for all of last season. Unfortunately, it means the injury is career-threatening.

That's a shame. He was one of my favorite prospects when he was with Atlanta. I hope he's able to recover and rejoin the New York squad later this season.

 

N'Keal Harry and Byron Pringle both went down at Bears practice Saturday.

Unknown extent to Harry and they (reports) are saying Pringles could be significant (will miss some time).


YAHOO/SPORTS

 

Giants lose another one... in addition to Matt Gono, the Giants have now lost rookie lineman Marcus McKethan. He had mainly been working at guard but was at right tackle during Friday night's scrimmage when he suffered a knee injury. Now it's confirmed - torn ACL, out for the season.

I would have said Gono had a strong shot at winning a starting job in the preseason games. McKethan was probably destined to be a backup, but his versatility increased the chances of him being active on game days (eg the swing tackle role). So now the Giants - who are actively trying to rebuild their line - are suddenly down two players in that group less than a week before their first preseason game.

 

Pro Bowl tackle Duane Brown visiting Jets

The New York Jets are reaching out to a veteran free agent for help on the offensive line.

Pro Bowl tackle Duane Brown is visiting the Jets on Saturday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Brown, 36, spent the last four-and-a-half seasons in Seattle and is the top remaining offensive lineman on the market. A first-round pick of the Texans in 2008, Brown has made five Pro Bowls, including last season, and was a first-team All-Pro in 2012. Brown started all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2021, but they replaced him with first-round selection Charles Cross.

If he comes to New York, Brown would be the second big-name veteran to sign with the Jets in the past two weeks after Kwon Alexander joined Gang Green on July 29.

Brown was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in early July after allegedly carrying a concealed gun in his luggage.

New York looking for a big-name offensive line addition in August signals its desire to build depth but also calls into question the Jets' confidence in their book-end options -- George Fant at left tackle, Mekhi Becton at right tackle. Becton was recently moved to RT following his return from the physically unable to perform list. The third-year offensive lineman has struggled with injuries early in his career.

Protecting second-year signal-caller Zach Wilson is paramount in 2022, and the Jets are leaving no stone unturned in their search for stability along the offensive line.

NFL.com

 

Saints WR Michael Thomas (ankle) participates in team drills Saturday

Michael Thomas hasn't played in an NFL game since January of 2021, but reports from training camp suggest the wide receiver has completed a crucial step in the long process of getting back on the field.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Thomas participated in team drills during the Saints' practice Saturday, noting that Thomas is a "full-go" for training camp. It is an encouraging development in the ongoing saga of Thomas' long recovery from ankle surgery that has kept him on the sidelines for over a year.

The wideout originally injured his ankle in Week 1 of the 2020 season, and while he fought through the pain he struggled, recording just 40 catches and 438 receiving yards in only seven games played.

Thomas decided to have surgery on the ankle in June of the following offseason to address the issue, with the initial timetable for his return about four months. But Thomas ended up not playing at all in 2021, and was still not 100 percent entering this offseason's workout programs.

The recovery process was has been slow going, as Thomas did not participate in organized team activities and started training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but with Thomas being cleared for individual drills Wednesday and team drills on Saturday, it's looking like he's finally in a position to make his return.

It's welcome news for the Saints, whose receiver corps struggled greatly without the three-time Pro Bowler in 2021. New Orleans finished last in the league in total receiving yards, and no player collected more than 700 yards receiving.

Thomas recorded at least 1,100 receiving yards in his first four seasons and led the Saints in receiving yards all four of those years, including the 2019 campaign in which he set the NFL single-season record with 149 receptions.


If his practices continue to trend in the right direction throughout the preseason and he can play at his previous level this year, that will be a huge help for the Saints offense.

New Orleans also addressed last season's receiving issues by acquiring veteran Jarvis Landry and drafting first-round pick Chris Olave out of Ohio State, so all together signs are pointing to the offense starting the season in a much better position than this time last year.

So after months of questions over when Thomas would be able to make his long-awaited return, it appears that the receiver is playing at full health during training camp and could make his much-anticipated return to the field in Week 1.

NFL.com

 

I'm not breathing any sigh of relief until I see him in a game. That ankle is just taking way too long to heal. Now, what about Alvin Kamerra? Didn't he have a court hearing this week on his assault charge? I haven't heard a word.