NFL - NEWS & NOTES

It would improve the writeup if he'd say that, for sure. Or say they're still bad. Either way. But if you're going to write four paragraphs about a team, at least say SOMETHING. The writeup he did said nothing at all about their offense, defense, or their coaching. The entire thing was the Bears unloaded Mack and have a new regime rebuilding around Fields. 4-13. Except that I said it in one sentence, where B/R stretched the same thing out into four paragraphs without adding any actual content or providing any reasoning.


Put it this way... suppose I did a preseason summary of the Steelers. Your offense is solid. Your defense is improving. You have three QBs who might all start. The only problem I see on the entire team is you haven't settled on one guy yet to be the starting QB, and I don't like the idea that it might become a revolving door. Overall, Pittsburgh only has the talent to win five games. But Mike Tomlin is a great coach, so you'll overachieve and go 8-9.

And that's the entire assessment. You'd think I'm a moron, right?

That's basically what the B/R guy just did with both the Falcons and Bears - except he gave even less detail about either team than what I just said about Pittsburgh. All he said was that the new Chicago regime is building around Fields. Nothing at all about the run game, receivers, blocking, or defense. And with Atlanta he just repeated the story line from April - with nothing about the quality of the defense, the situation on the offensive line, the running game, and not acknowledging that Atlanta restocked the WR group.

 

Browns are signing tackle Joe Haeg



Joe Haeg is heading for Cleveland.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the veteran tackle plans to sign with the Browns. Haeg recently met with the Raiders after being released by the Steelers on Tuesday.

Haeg adds depth at the tackle position, especially as veteran Jack Conklin continues to recover from knee surgery.


Other tackles on the team include Jedrick Wills, James Hudson III, and Chris Hubbard. Alex Taylor is on the practice squad.

Haeg, 29, was a fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2016. He spent 2020 with the Buccaneers and 2021 in Pittsburgh.

His biggest claim to NFL fame/notoriety came in the second quarter of Super Bowl LV, when he had a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in his hands. It wasn’t a full-blown Jackie-Smith-has-got-to-be-the-sickest-man-in-America moment, especially since the Bucs still won the game. Also, Haeg only lost control of the ball after being shoved by Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens.

PFT

 

The Browns signed James on Sunday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

James spent last year with the Bears, catching seven passes for 62 yards and a score across 14 appearances, but he wasn't retained this offseason. In Cleveland, the veteran tight end will be a solid No. 3 option behind David Njoku and Harrison Bryant, but he hasn't garnered a sizable offensive role since his first four seasons in the NFL with Pittsburgh.

 

I'm assuming this is Jesse James.

 

NFL

Yes, sorry. I should have included that.

 

Chris Godwin practicing with Buccaneers, not wearing a knee brace



Week One is upon us, and Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is looking ready.

Godwin is on the Bucs’ practice field and not wearing a brace today, according to reporters on the scene.


Although the Buccaneers haven’t said whether Godwin will play on Sunday night against the Cowboys, from all indications he has made excellent progress since suffering a torn ACL in Week 15 of last season.

Despite missing the final three games of the season, Godwin led the Bucs with 98 catches for 1,103 yards last season. Having him back on the field for Week One would be an enormous boost as the Bucs attempt to get another ring in what could be Tom Brady‘s final season.

PFT

 

Logan Thomas unsure if he’ll play Week 1



Commanders tight end Logan Thomas came off the physically unable to perform list before the cut to 53 players last week and that move suggests confidence that his knee is well enough for him to play in the first four weeks of the regular season.

Thomas may not be ready to go in Week 1 against the Jaguars, however. Thomas told reporters on Monday that he’s not sure if he’ll be in the lineup for the first game of the regular season, but that he expects to be cleared for game action “this week or next” because he is already playing without limitations.


“Still feel things here and there, but not anything that affects the way I play,” Thomas said, via John Keim of ESPN.com.

Thomas missed six games with a hamstring injury last year and then injured his knee in his second game back. He had 18 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns when he was healthy enough to play.

PFT

 

Micah Parsons: I want to be the best player in the league, not just the best defensive player



Micah Parsons unanimously won the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year award last season. The Cowboys linebacker finished second to Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt for defensive player of the year, and he earned first-team All-Pro.

Parsons, though, isn’t satisfied with that and expects to have an even better season than in 2021 when he made 84 tackles, 13 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and three pass breakups.


“Last year, I was trying to find myself,” Parsons said, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “This year, I know exactly who I need to be: The best player in the league. . . . I’m not talking about the best defensive player. I want to be like, the greatest. That’s the type of mindset I have and the confidence that I have.”

A quarterback has won the league MVP award the past nine years, and only two defensive players have ever won the award. Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page was the NFL MVP in 1971 and Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986.

So, the odds are against Parsons for the MVP award.

He has the third-best odds for defensive player of the year, though, trailing only Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, after arguably the best rookie season in NFL history for a defensive player.

“Being the best player doesn’t mean I am going to have a sack a game,” Parsons said. “It doesn’t mean I am going to have 10 tackles a game. It’s just making my team better. That’s what comes with being the best player. That’s the thing, it’s not all individual stat accolades. That’s what I had to learn.

“Being the best player in the league doesn’t mean you are going to have 20 sacks. Being the best player in the league means leading your team to a championship and having the best defense. . . . I have to make everyone around me better. I have to be one of those guys that we can lean on in big moments. That’s what that means.”

For what it’s worth, the league MVP has not won the Super Bowl in the same season since 1999 when Rams quarterback Kurt Warner accomplished both.

PFT

 

Matt Eberflus: No one really knows how 49ers will use Trey Lance



Trey Lance won’t be making his first NFL start against the Bears this weekend, but he will be making his first start since being installed as the 49ers’ full-time starter.

While Lance stepped into the starting lineup for Jimmy Garoppolo a couple of times last season, he wasn’t running an offense designed around his skills. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Monday that he doesn’t think those outings will be overly informative about how the 49ers offense is going to look this year.


“You’re projecting a little bit,” Eberflus said, via Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News. “You have to project how they’re going to use the young man and where they’re going to use them in their offense. We certainly have an idea of what this offense looks like. But how they’re going to use him, no one really knows. You have to use your rules, have your calls and make sure you’re sound.”

The 49ers will have to do some feeling out themselves as it is the first time Eberflus and his staff will be coaching the team in a regular season game, but there will likely be more eyes on how they deploy Lance given the bets they made on the quarterback at the top of the 2021 draft and this offseason.

PFT

 

OK... Im going to say this. Lance is, to me. overrated, he will make mistakes. Bears are improved and playing at home... Bears all the way!

 

Lance is in an interesting situation... he has Brian Griese as the new QB coach to "help" him develop within Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Griese is new to the system (outside of having played for Mike Shanahan's Broncos 20+ years ago), is a rookie coach, and has been an announcer for the 14 years since his own playing days ended. Gonna be an interesting work in progress...

 

Something amusing for our Steelers fans... that actually was the Bleacher Report guy's assessment of Pittsburgh. He really did say that the offense was good and the defense was set to rebound, then out of nowhere concluded that they only have a roster talented enough to win five games - without listing anything negative other than they hadn't settled on their starting QB.

 

I have them only one game better than that this season (I'll post my schedule grid later tomorrow), and I believe it will be the first time since we started this site that I don't have them finishing with a winning record.

 

Good info!

 

Damn sorry I missed that lol. Wonder how many wins he would have predicted if he knew Tomlin decided on Trubisky months ago?

 

Don't do it Tim.

 

Schedule doesn't do them many favors.

I have 5 as the low end, and eight at the high end.

I have to check the sporting books again. I think they have PIT at 7.5 so, at the moment, I'm shorting them compared to Vegas.

 

Injuries are everything for everyone but a relatively healthy Steelers team wins 10 games on its defense alone.

 

I like the confidence, but that rushing defense will need to be vastly better this season for them to hit double digit wins.

It definitely could be, as I expect Myles Jack to be an absolute stud in that front 7. But there is potential within that schedule for PIT to find itself on the wrong end of the scoreboard in too many situations that will require Trubisky to put the ball in harms way to get back in it.

Throw in the idea that they could be 2-6 going into the 'bye' and the pressure to bring the rookie will rise, not just from the fans, but from a coach that has never had a losing record.

 

The rush defense is a little overblown. Clearly it wasn't good but they went into the offseason program with Tuitt and Alualu. Losing both how they lost them was tough. And they still went to the playoffs. Bet the over on the win total.