MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Geno Smith gets the start in the Seattle preseason opener



Geno Smith continues to lead the quarterback competition in Seattle. While he hasn’t won the job for Week One of the regular season, he’ll start the preseason opener on Saturday.

Via Michael-Shawn Dugar of TheAthletic.com, coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Tuesday that Smith remains in the lead for the full-time gig, and that he’ll get the nod at Pittsburgh this weekend.


Based on Saturday’s mock game, some thought Drew Lock had gained ground on Smith. That’s apparently not the case, at least not yet.

My own belief is that Carroll would love to beat former Seahawks starter Russell Wilson on the first Monday night of the season with his former understudy. Remember, Smith played well last year when pressed into service after Wilson suffered a finger injury against the Rams.

For the Seahawks, it’s been all about system, not star quarterback. Wilson had wanted the system to be all about him. The season begins with a compelling clash of philosophies, and Carroll is more likely to be proven right if Smith is the starter. He’s the next man up, replacing the man who wanted out and who finally got his wish.

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Robert Saleh: Zach Wilson’s ACL is “supposed to be intact” but waiting for MRI



It didn’t look good, and Zach Wilson obviously didn’t feel good.

But Jets coach Robert Saleh didn’t want to provide an update on Wilson’s right knee injury after the 24-21 victory over the Eagles on Friday night.


“We’re going to wait on the MRI,” Saleh said in video from SNY. “I’m 0-fer, guys, with trying to decipher doctor language, so I’m just going to let the MRI play out, and we’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

Saleh did allow that the ACL “is supposed to be intact.”

“But again, let’s wait until the MRI,” Saleh added.

With 4:29 remaining in the first quarter, Wilson scrambled around the right side. He went down untouched as he planted his foot at the end of a 7-yard run. Wilson was favoring his right leg as he left the field.

“He’s in good spirits,” Saleh said. “He’s fine. A little frustrated, obviously. But he’s as good as you can be in these situation.”

The sod at Lincoln Financial Field is new, having been replaced July 29, per Saleh, but he wouldn’t speculate as to whether it contributed to Wilson’s injury.

Wilson finished his night 3-for-5 for 23 yards and an interception. Mike White replaced Wilson, but veteran Joe Flacco, whom Saleh praised last week, is the team’s No. 2 quarterback.

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Trey Lance keeps it simple in 49ers' preseason win over Packers

SANTA CLARA -- From gathering his 49ers teammates around him for a quick pregame talk to leading the team out of the tunnel and onto the field, things just looked different for quarterback Trey Lance on Friday.

And he thought so, too.

“I felt very different,” Lance said after the 49ers’ 28-21 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers. “The game slowed down for sure.

"Obviously, it’s a preseason game, but some good, some bad. There’s a lot to learn from.”

Lance officially took over as the 49ers' starting quarterback this offseason, as the club holds onto Jimmy Garoppolo's contract while they attempt to get something in return for him in a trade.

He started only two games as a rookie and knew his role as the backup. Now, he is trying to use every experience to learn and grow before the start of the regular season on Sept. 11 against the Chicago Bears.

Lance said he was excited to spend some time Friday night and Saturday watching the game video and learning more about what he did well and where there is room to improve.

Lance completed four of five passes for 92 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Danny Gray against the Packers at Levi's Stadium.

The design of the big play was quite simple, he said.

“Throw it to the fast guy,” Lance said.

“For me, it was kind of a route-on-air play when Danny runs that fast.”

Gray, a third-round pick from SMU with 4.33 speed, has made some big plays on the practice field this summer. But those deep catches have come mostly from backup Nate Sudfeld throwing the ball down the field.

"Me and Trey, we get the work in after practice,” Gray said. “We throw the deep balls. I feel like everything is coming together.

“It’s paying off a lot. We’re going to be special together.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan said the priority for Friday night was to get some game experience for Lance while trying to minimize any risk of injury. Lance took off running on his first drop back, and he played it safe with a slide at the end of a 7-yard gain.

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RELATED: What Lance showed in 49ers' preseason opener, including long TD pass
Lance and the offense have experienced an up-and-down training camp while going head-to-head with a 49ers defense that could be among the best in the league. Lance said he was excited for the opportunity to go up against another team.

“We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time,” Lance said. “Training camp try to take it one day at a time. Against our defense, there are good days and bad days, but they make us better and we showed it today.”

 

Late hit on Jalen Hurts sends Nick Sirianni into a tizzy

Friday night’s game between the Eagles and Jets may have resulted in a serious knee injury for New York quarterback Zach Wilson. The other starting quarterback provided his team with a brief scare, too.

Jets linebacker Quincy Williams applied a massive — and late — hit to Jalen Hurts, after he scrambled out of bounds on a third-down play. Coach Nick Sirianni reacted as if he wanted to go three rounds.


After the game, Sirianni explained his outburst, which included Sirianni yelling to the other sideline, “Saleh! What the fuck?!”

“I wasn’t mad at Coach [Robert] Saleh,” Sirianni told reporters. “I was mad at the situation. I was more mad at the player, than Coach Saleh. Coach Saleh is a great guy. I have so much respect for him. It was just emotions of the game. I was just sticking up for Jalen. I’ll never apologize for sticking up for my players. I should have handled it a little bit better than I did. Obviously, I didn’t want that hit to happen on the sideline. I know it happens, and I know it’s football. I was more mad at the situation, not mad at Coach Saleh.”

Coach Saleh wasn’t happy with the play, either. Primarily because it gave the Eagles 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.

“I talked to him after the game,” Saleh told reporters. “Egregiously awful from Quincy, and he knows that. He knows better. And those are the plays that Quincy has to get out of his game if he wants to become the linebacker that I think he can be, that we all think he can be. It’s one thing to make a mistake in the game, it’s another thing to make a mistake that leads to points, touchdowns. It’s a good drive, we’re off the field, Jalen is a phenomenal quarterback, and to stop them, hold them to a field goal after giving up an explosive — pretty good showing for the first drive. Then to have that happen extends the drive. Anytime you extend the drive like that it’s probably going to lead to bigger points. So Quincy knows, but at the same time those are the plays he’s got to get out of his game if he wants to be the player we think he can be.”

The fact that Williams hit Hurts so late suggests that Saleh is coaching his players to treat running quarterbacks like running backs. That’s something more teams will be doing — and it’s something the officials supposedly will be calling appropriately this year. But a player still can’t be blown up when he’s clearly out of bounds regardless of whether he’s a quarterback or a running back, and Hurts was.

For his part, Hurt had no complaints. “It happens,” he told reporters. “He hit me late. They called a flag. We moved on.”

He was happy, however, that so many came to his defense.

“I think that’s what we’re about,” Hurts said. “In the end, I think that’s us having each other’s backs. That’s Philly.”

The good news for Philly is that Hurts emerged from the game healthy. That’s always the top priority for any team playing in the preseason.

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Kevin Stefanski downplays disappointing showing from Deshaun Watson



For the first time since early January 2021, quarterback Deshaun Watson played football on Friday night. In three series, he completed one of five passes for seven yards.

Coach Kevin Stefanski assessed the performance in a post-game press conference.


“I think he probably wants some throws back,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, playing football for the first time in a while, I thought it was important to get out there with his teammates in this scheme, just hearing a different voice in the helmet, those type of things. I’m sure he had the butterflies and the jitters early. But I think he understands there’s work to do.”

Stefanski said he doesn’t believe the drama regarding Watson’s off-field issue affects his performance. Stefanski also downplayed the idea that not playing with other starters was a factor.

“They had a bunch of players that they don’t play either,” Stefanski said. “So I don’t look too much into that. It’s just — you know, it’s our first game out there. And I think you could tell. You know, I think Jacksonville had one game into it. So for us, just to knock some rust off and then get back to work.”

Stefanksi remained appropriately even keeled about the situation with Watson.

“I think this was important for him to get out there in a game setting, under the lights, with new teammates and go operate,” Stefanski said. “It wasn’t going to be perfect. And even if it was perfect, you can’t overreact to that either. So I just think it was all part of the progression for him.”

As to the apology unexpectedly issued by Watson before the game, Stefanski seemed to welcome it.

“I’ve been around Deshaun now for a few months, and I know he wants to grow,” Stefanski said. “I know that he does. And that’s personally; that’s professionally. And I think he’s very, very serious about doing that. And I think that’s part of that next step for him.”

It’s a step that is coming far later than it should have, frankly. So much could have been avoided if Watson had acknowledged his behavior and made real amends when the claims first were made. If he had people around him who had spoken had truths instead of circling the wagons, maybe that would have happened.

The reckoning always comes. The question is whether it’s embraced or resisted. The longer it’s resisted, the worse it tends to eventually be.

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Matt LaFleur defends Jordan Love after up-and-down performance



Packers quarterback Jordan Love, the 2020 first-round pick who has spent most of his career on the sideline watching Aaron Rodgers, played the first half of Friday’s preseason game. He had some bright moments, but also too many inaccurate throws, and didn’t look the way most coaches would want a first-round quarterback to look at the start of Year 3.

Despite that, Packers coach Matt LaFleur defended Love, saying that two of his three interceptions were not his fault.


“I think two of those you can totally take off him,” LaFleur said. “The third one, we had two busted routes because the ball really shouldn’t have gone there on that play, but he had nowhere else to go with the football, and he forced it in there and the defender made a good play. We’ve just got to clean up everything around him. We say it all the time about quarterbacks, they’re going to get too much credit when we do well and they’re going to get a lot of the blame when we don’t, and that’s just the reality of playing that position in this league. But I was pleased with Jordan’s performance.”

Love completed 13 of 24 passes for 176 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions, plus four carries for 24 yards. The Packers hope Rodgers will stay healthy and they won’t have to play Love at all this year, but if Love does have to go, LaFleur sounds confident in him, even if his passing accuracy still leaves a lot to be desired.

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Baker Mayfield to start for Panthers Saturday

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said this week that quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold will both play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Commanders, but he didn’t specify which quarterback would be starting the game.

That answer came on Saturday morning. The team announced that Mayfield will start and the plan is for him to play the first series of the game. Darnold would then come in for the second series before the team moves on to rookie Matt Corral and P.J. Walker for the rest of the contest.


The two quarterbacks have switched off working with the first team during training camp practices and the competition is expected to remain open through at least their second preseason game. The Panthers will also have joint practices with the Patriots before next week’s game, so there will be extra chances to evaluate the quarterbacks against opposing defenses.

The Panthers also announced that defensive tackle Derrick Brown will miss Saturday’s game for personal reasons.

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Jets quarterback Zach Wilson left Friday night’s preseason opener with a knee injury and head coach Robert Saleh said after the game that Wilson would be going for an MRI on Saturday to assess the damage.

Saleh said that the initial diagnosis was that Wilson’s ACL is intact and Jeff Howe of TheAthletic.com reports that tests show no injury to the ligament. Howe reports that Wilson suffered a bone bruise and that there are more tests being done to determine if he also injured his meniscus.


The results of those tests will provide some idea of how long Wilson will be out. If he needs to have the meniscus repaired, it will be a longer absence than if he suffered a minor injury that could be cleaned up with a less invasive procedure.

Joe Flacco, Mike White, and Chris Streveler are on hand as the team’s backups. Saleh said recently that he believes Flacco can still be a starter in the NFL and we should know fairly soon whether he’ll be in position to prove the coach right while waiting for Wilson to return.

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Jets quarterback Zach Wilson appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario with his knee injury.

Wilson left Friday night’s preseason opener after hurting his knee and a report on Saturday morning indicated he had a bone bruise with tests for a meniscus injury still in progress. Those tests showed a tear, but not the most serious one that Wilson could have suffered.

Brian Costello of the New York Post reports that Wilson will need to have his meniscus trimmed surgically, which has a far quicker recovery timeline than if he needed to have a full repair. The current belief is that he will miss two-to-four weeks after having surgery, although that could change once doctors have a full view of the meniscus during the procedure.

Given the nature of Wilson’s non-contact injury, missing weeks rather than months or an entire season would be a good outcome for Wilson and the Jets even though he’ll miss valuable time on the practice field. Joe Flacco will be in line to start at quarterback until Wilson is cleared to return.

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Lamar Jackson sets Week One deadline for new contract



As the calendar hits mid-August, the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson have not agreed to a contract extension.

Head coach John Harbaugh said late last month that both sides are “very motivated” to get a deal done and Jackson has said he’d like to have the extension in place before the regular season.


But on Saturday, Jackson — who is representing himself in the negotiations — said he has a hard deadline of Week One.

“Yeah, we’re coming up to it,” Jackson said in his press conference. “It’s coming up. The season’s coming up. We’re going to be good for the season.”

When asked if that meant his hard deadline is Week One, Jackson replied, “Yeah, for sure.”

But Jackson also said he had “no updates” on the negotiation process.

If Jackson and the Ravens can’t come to terms on a new deal, then Jackson would be slated to hit free agency next March. Of course, Baltimore and Jackson can hit the negotiating table again after the season’s over. And the Ravens would be able to franchise tag Jackson to keep him from hitting the open market.

The 2019 MVP, Jackson is slated to make $23 million this season on his fifth-year option.

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Justin Fields handles three drives for Bears



Second-year quarterback Justin Fields began his second NFL preseason with three drive against the Chiefs on Saturday.

He completed four of seven passes for 48 yards, and he added one rush for 10 yards.


One completion went for 26 yards to receiver Darnell Mooney, a slightly-underthrown 50-50 ball that Mooney snatched. Another covered 19 yards, with a nice sideline catch by receiver Tajae Sharpe.

Not long before making that throw, Fields seemed to take a cleat to the ankle area. He shook it off, quickly.

The Bears generated no points on the three drives. One generated 32 yards on eight plays, and another resulted in 50 yards on 10 plays.

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Matt Ryan “looked sharp” in Colts’ debut



Matt Ryan spent 14 seasons in Atlanta before the March trade that sent the former league MVP to Indianapolis. Now, everything once old is new again.

Ryan made his Colts’ debut Saturday against the Bills.


He played four series, going into the second quarter, and completed 6 of 10 passes for 58 yards.

“It felt good just to get out there, just to hear the operation, new voice in the headset, all those different things,” Ryan said, via James Boyd of TheAthletic.com. “Be with those guys, communicate at the line of scrimmage, I thought that part was good. I would have liked a little more production from all of us, but you know, it’s a good start for us.”

Ryan’s longest completion was a 17-yarder to top receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who led the team with two catches for 30 yards. The team’s other receivers showed they still need some work.

Saturday was a start, though.

“I thought Matt looked sharp,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “Thought all of his throws were right on the money. We’ve just got to convert some of those.”

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When it comes to Ryans debut with the Colts I guess it depends on who you read. NFL.com's article (I forget the author) said; 'It was a sloppy start for Ryan and the Colts offense'. Anyway you slice and dice it, Matt Ryan survived and it was just a preseason opener. The Colts and Ryan are going to be just fine , in my opinion.

 

All 3 Steelers QBs play well, but Kenny Pickett steals the show

Mitchell Trubisky started for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason opener and didn't do anything to lose ground in the quarterback competition. But Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett aren't going away.

All three Steelers quarterbacks looked pretty good on Saturday night. Pickett, a first-round pick, took his first snaps in the NFL and excited the crowd. He threw the game-winning touchdown with three seconds left, and Pittsburgh won 32-25. Maybe it says something about the Seattle Seahawks defense that all three Steelers quarterbacks played well, but it's still a good sign for a Steelers team trying to replace Ben Roethlisberger.

Trubisky looked confident from the start of the game. On the first drive Trubisky led a touchdown drive. On the scoring play Trubisky started to scramble, then saw there was a blown coverage on wide-open Gunner Olszewski and hit him for a 13-yard touchdown. It was a strong, efficient first drive.

Trubisky started the second drive with a pretty throw to tight end Connor Heyward over the middle, just past the reach of the defender. Trubisky showed his athleticism later in the drive, wiggling out of a sure sack by Seahawks end Darrell Taylor and scrambling for a few yards. Trubisky played two series and was 4-of-7 for 63 yards.

Rudolph came in after Trubisky — Pickett playing third tells you how far he is from winning the starting job — and threw a nice deep touchdown pass to George Pickens, a second-round rookie who is generating a ton of buzz with a great camp, in the corner of the end zone.

Rudolph finished 9-of-15 for 93 yards, and Pickett started the second half. Pickett, who played at the University of Pittsburgh, came in to a big cheer from Steelers fans. He hit a bootleg pass for 11 yards on his first play. He finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to running back Jaylen Warren and a two-point conversion pass. Fans chanted his name. Pickett completed his first 10 passes, though most of them were short, low-risk throws. Then when the Steelers got the ball back late in a tie game, Pickett led a game-winning drive, throwing a 24-yard score to Tyler Vaughns, who spun away from a tackle attempt and scored, with three seconds left. Pickett finished 13-of-15 for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Quite a debut.

For the moment, Trubisky is the favorite to start Week 1. But the competition isn't over.

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Jets quarterback Zach Wilson will soon have knee surgery in Los Angeles.

The status of Wilson’s knee injury is not yet known, but head coach Robert Saleh said the team is optimistic that it will not be a season-ending injury.


“He’s on his way to L.A. to have his procedure and then we wait,” Saleh said. “They’ll know more when they get in there. We’re optimistic but he’s not out of the woods until they get in there and make the decision.”

While Wilson is out, Joe Flacco is the Jets’ starting quarterback, Mike White is the backup and Chris Streveler is next on the depth chart.

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Jets HC Robert Saleh has 'all the faith in the world' in Joe Flacco if vet needs to start season

As the New York Jets await word on how long Zach Wilson will be out following his scheduled knee surgery, coach Robert Saleh is comfortable with veteran Joe Flacco taking the starting reins.

"Joe's a pro. He's been there, he's done that. He's been a Super Bowl MVP, a world champion. He's gotten the big contracts. He checks about all the boxes you can check," the coach said Sunday via the team's official website. "I think he's going to be fine, especially for the remainder of the preseason. We'll see everything else with Zach's knee, but we have all the faith in the world in Joe."

Wilson went down with a non-contact injury in the Jets' preseason opener against the Eagles. He was diagnosed with a bone bruise and a meniscus tear, requiring arthroscopic surgery, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported.

As it stands now, the timetable for Wilson's return is between two and four weeks. If it's closer to the latter -- or longer, depending on what the surgeon sees when he goes in for the repair -- that would mean Flacco getting the Week 1 call.

Earlier this offseason, the veteran said he was embracing his role as a mentor to Wilson, but if the Jets need him to start, the 37-year-old is ready. He reiterated those thoughts Sunday.

"I'm happy with my role. I love being here, being completely focused on whatever I'm doing right now," he said. "After practice, I want to be able to say I had the best day that I've ever had. Right now that's what I'm focused on. I'm happy with what I'm doing, helping out a young guy. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have the desire to be good at what I do and didn't believe I could play this game."

Flacco started four games for the Jets in 2020 after signing as a free agent. In 2021, the Jets brought the veteran back in a trade with Philadelphia midway through the season. He started one game for Gang Green last year. Flacco is 0-5 as a starter in New York.


If Flacco gets the nod in Week 1, it would come against the Baltimore Ravens, the team the QB helped lead to a Super Bowl win and spent his first 11 seasons helming.

Flacco said he doesn't want to make a big deal about facing his former team but admitted it could be emotional.

"I've been in a bunch of games where guys have played their past teams. Usually the emotions are definitely crazy. Guys try to act like they're so cool during the week," Flacco said. "I've probably thought about it a tiny bit. It's so far away. Who knows what's going to happen?"

For now, the Jets will prep Flacco in the final preseason games as they await word on how long Wilson might be on the shelf.

NFL.com

 

Selah will be a defensive coordinator soon, because Flacco faith is wacco.

 

Patrick Mahomes says hard hit in preseason opener is good preparation for regular season



Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said before the preseason opener against the Bears that he likes to take a hit in the preseason to help get ready for the regular season. Mission accomplished.

Bears defensive lineman Trevis Gipson drilled Mahomes as he was passing during the game, and Mahomes said that was what he wanted.


“I got hit pretty hard,” Mahomes said, via the Kansas City Star. “I wanted that first hit and I got hit hard. He caught me right in the stomach, right between the rib pads, so it was a nice first one to take and it’ll make me better for sure.”

Mahomes said he might have preferred not to get hit that hard.

“I was hoping I was gonna kind of get hit and just fell, just off to the side. Not the direct helmet to the stomach and then him land on me,” Mahomes said. “No, it was a good drive and I’m glad that we got it out of the way and got that touchdown.”

The Chiefs will now hope Mahomes doesn’t take another hit until the games count for real.

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I think Mahomes is nuts! lol

 

Thats what he's got to deal with at the moment. His positive comments might instill confidence with the team.