NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Mike McCarthy: Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard are “definitely a tandem”



In past seasons, the Cowboys have seemingly looked at Ezekiel Elliott as their primary running back with Tony Pollard more of a change-of-pace back.

But entering 2022, that is no longer the case.


In his Wednesday press conference, head coach Mike McCarthy said he sees both of his team’s top backs as capable of handling a full workload.

“Oh I think they both hold their own,” McCarthy said. “I look at both of those guys as No. 1 runners, or however you want to categorize it. Tony can play. I think when you look at running backs — I know how I define them — [it’s about] their ability to play on all three downs, and Zeke and Tony both have that ability. Zeke’s done it his whole career. So I think they’re definitely a tandem and that’s obviously a focal point for us.”

Elliott started all 17 of Dallas’ games in 2021, rushing for 1,002 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 287 yards with two TDs.

Pollard was on the field for just 30 percent of Dallas’ offensive snaps but still registered 719 yards rushing with two touchdowns plus 39 catches for 337 yards. He was third on the team behind Elliott and receiver CeeDee Lamb with 1,056 yards from scrimmage.

While the Cowboys running backs currently work as a tandem, it’s likely the last year Elliott and Pollard will be on the roster together. Elliott’s guaranteed money is up after the 2022 season. A fourth-round pick in 2019, Pollard’s rookie contract is over following the year.

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Pollard is good, but he takes away from my Elliott fantasy points... that bastard!

 

I think JJ lets Eliot walk and keeps Pollard after the season.

 

I will admit, I created a fake account to troll a member named Irregardless but he had it coming.

 

I remember him. Go right ahead with my blessing.

 

Great career!

 

There was a regular troll who frequently created new/extra user IDs. I don't know if he even had a permanent ID.

There weren't many people on the Falcons board there (other forums were and still are far more popular for Falcons fans) and we pretty much just plonked trolls to the killfile or ignored them. But he'd get into it and get ugly with the Panthers fans, and they were quick to get his various IDs banned. That might be what gave him the idea to impersonate me - to see if they'd go after a real user and get that user banned instead of him.

It didn't last long because the regular Panthers fans already knew about my avatar pic (the same one you see here). It's a photo that I took of the battlefield site at Cowpens, near the NC/SC state line and about 25 minutes north of where the Panthers have their training camp in Spartanburg. The only way he could get it was to copy it from my profile - which was proof that he was intentionally impersonating me (a violation of the CBS terms of usage) when he used it himself. So as soon as they reported him and included "impersonating another user" as the reason, that ID was immediately banned.

The really odd thing is that when CBS cracked down on distasteful avatar pics for a while, they actually made me change to a different pic. They decided that a field with a few trees wasn't appropriate for a sports forum. So for about a year I went with a pic of Al Michaels and John Madden in the MNF booth instead.

 

There was the idiot guy with the picture of green koolaid that rooted for the Jets.

 

Wink Martindale: Derrick Henry is a modern-day Jim Brown



Some consider Jim Brown the greatest running back in NFL history. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was 2 when Brown retired after the 1965 season, so he never saw the Browns running back play except on NFL Films.

But Martindale has seen Derrick Henry play in person, and he’ll see the Titans running back again Sunday, and Martindale sees Brown when he watches Henry.


“He’s a physical guy that can be one cut and go,” Martindale said, via Ed Valentine of Big Blue View. “He can be whatever he wants to be at certain times. He’s a very talented back. He’s like our modern-day Jim Brown. He’s just that much different when he has the ball. He’s a challenge every time he touches it.”

Since 2018, Henry has led the league with 1,115 attempts for 5,563 yards. After back-to-back rushing titles in 2019 and 2020, Henry was leading the league in rushing after eight games last season when he injured his foot. It took Jonathan Taylor until the 11th game to pass Henry, who didn’t return until the postseason.

The Titans expect Henry to return to his pre-injury form. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have given Henry a raise last week, making him the highest-paid running back for 2022.

“I still don’t think they gave him enough,” Martindale said.

Henry ran for 133 yards on 28 carries in the Titans’ win over Martindale’s defense in Baltimore during the 2020 regular season after Henry had 30 carries for 195 yards in an upset of the Ravens in a playoff game the previous postseason.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Martindale said sarcastically.

So, Martindale knows exactly what awaits his defense Sunday, making for a sleepless week.

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Derrick Henry doesn't get enough of his dues, and I don't know why. Is it that the Titans just aren't in a bigger market? Because the dude is literally an entire offense on his own. In an era of "running backs are disposable" and "chicks dig the pass game", Henry is carrying his team on his back year after year.

 

Michael Thomas on his 2022 goal: I’m trying to top 2019



Michael Thomas had one of the greatest seasons for a receiver in NFL history in 2019 with 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. He has 40 catches for 438 yards since, becoming mostly an afterthought in a what-have-you-done-lately league.

Is it possible Thomas returns to his pre-injury level this season? He certainly thinks so.


“I’m trying to top (2019),” Thomas said, via the team website.

Much has changed since Jan. 17, 2021, when Thomas last played a game. Drew Brees was the Saints’ quarterback then and Sean Payton the coach. Now, Jameis Winston is the quarterback and Dennis Allen the coach.

Twenty months later, after two ankle surgeries, the Saints receiver is starting over.

“At the end of the day, the one thing I’ve learned is that the game does not change,” Thomas said. “There might be new players that come in; there might be new coaches; the game doesn’t change.

“It’s all about creating separation, getting open, making the play, competing, being physical, and those things I take pride in. Those things I work on every day, so I like my chances when the ball comes or when my number is called, making that play and taking advantage of every opportunity. Just being locked in, I feel like the sky is the limit. I feel like — I don’t want to give anything away — but I just want to keep doing what I’m doing. I believe in my talent. I just believe in myself. I believe in my game. I believe in my craft. I feel like the good thing about this game is you can put it on display on Sunday, and I can’t wait to put it on display.”

Thomas had a limited practice Wednesday as he recovers from a hamstring injury and is on track to return Sunday.

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Thomas is another workhorse... Saints and their fans must be stoked he's healthy.

 

Yes I am. But we'll see. Been awhile.

 

It’s been a while, since I could say I caught a pass,
It’s been a while, since I could say I’m healthy
It’s been a while, since I could say I’m playing some football.

 

Miles Sanders: I’m back, ready to go



It looks like the Lions are going to have to contend with Eagles running back Miles Sanders on Sunday.

Sanders’ hamstring injury created some doubt about his ability to play in the opener, but he was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and he shared little doubt about being in the backfield in Detroit.


“It’s just one of those injuries you don’t want to risk it in camp, so I attacked the rehab and I’m back, ready to go,” Sanders said, via Tim McManus of ESPN.com.

Sanders is entering the final year of his contract, so his availability is important on more than one front this season. He has averaged nearly 5.4 yards per carry over the last two seasons, but he’s missed nine games and his next contract will be at least somewhat determined by how much teams expect to have him on the field each year.

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Saints, center Erik McCoy agree to five-year extension worth up to $63.75M

The New Orleans Saints have locked up one of their offensive centerpieces long term.

Center Erik McCoy has agreed to a five-year contract extension worth up to $63.75 million and includes more than $40 million in guarantees, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported.

McCoy, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, with the Saints trading up to land him. He's started each of the past three seasons at center, missing four games last year with a calf injury and one with an illness last season.

Although McCoy has not been named to the Pro Bowl or any All-Pro teams, he's considered one of the team's most dependable players up front.

Prior to the extension, McCoy's four-year rookie contract had been slated to expire following the 2022 season.

NFL.com

 

Duane Brown out Sunday, may go on injured reserve



Jets offensive tackle Duane Brown won’t play Sunday against the Ravens, and may not play again any time soon.

Brown has a shoulder injury and has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, and Jets head coach Robert Saleh said today that the injury may force the Jets to put Brown on injured reserve.


That’s a huge blow to the Jets after they signed Brown following the loss of offensive tackle Mekhi Becton to a season-ending knee injury. The Jets will be putting a patchwork offensive line in front of Joe Flacco on Sunday — and Flacco is only playing because starting quarterback Zach Wilson is also out with a knee injury.

The injury-plagued Jets came into this year thinking they’d need a big Year Two turnaround from Saleh and Wilson, but that’s going to be a lot harder than they expected after their bevy of preseason injuries.

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Kyle Shanahan “trying to think positively” on George Kittle



49ers tight end George Kittle missed a second straight practice on Thursday with a groin injury and that leaves his status for Sunday’s opener against the Bears very much up in the air.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Kittle’s availability during an appearance on KNBR Friday morning. His answer didn’t do much to instill confidence that Kittle will be able to play in Chicago this weekend.


“I don’t know yet,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “I’m really hoping it will be all right. I’m trying to think positively on it. He didn’t end up getting to go yesterday . . . but they’ll hit him hard [today]. They’ll do it all morning, and hopefully, he’ll be able to get out there and do some red zone work today.”

The 49ers practice again on Friday and they’ll issue injury designations for Sunday later in the day. Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley, and Tyler Kroft would be the next men up at tight end if Kittle is unable to play.

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Diontae Johnson: I’m back on track and I’m ready to go



There’s good news among the Steelers receivers.

Diontae Johnson told reporters on Friday that he was a full participant in practice and expects to play in Sunday’s season opener against the Bengals.


“I’m back on track and I’m ready to go,” Johnson said, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Johnson has been dealing with a shoulder injury suffered during a preseason game. He was limited on Thursday’s injury report but noted that had to do with some cramping he experienced.

“My foot locked up on me,” he said.

Johnson, who signed a two-year, $36.71 million extension with the Steelers in August, led Pittsburgh with 107 receptions, 1,161 yards, and eight touchdowns last season.

The Steelers travel to Cincinnati to open the season on Sunday afternoon.

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Browns place Greedy Williams on IR, sign Herb Miller



Earlier on Friday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters cornerback Greedy Williams could miss significant time with a hamstring injury.

Now we know the cornerback will be sidelined for at least four weeks.


Cleveland announced Williams has been placed on injured reserve. As a corresponding move, the club has signed Herb Miller off its practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Williams, second-round pick in the 2019 draft, missed the entire 2020 season due to injury. But he was available for 16 games last year, making eight starts. He recorded a pair of interceptions, 10 passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Miller played nine games for Cleveland last year, with the vast majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He also appeared in four games for Tampa Bay in 2020, recording his only career interception for the club.

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Two Falcons thoughts on articles I've seen over the last week or so heading into the start of the regular season....

One is yet another article listing Atlanta as the worst team in the NFC. But unlike the Bleacher Report crap, this one is from somewhat knowledgeable sources so I actually take it seriously. Mike Sando at The Athletic had five unnamed NFL team executives, "front-office veterans" as he put it, rank the teams in the AFC from 1 to 16 and then do the same for the NFC. Sando wrote the article listing the teams in order by the average of the five votes, using the median vote as the tiebreaker. I would have done it the other way around, but it would not have made any difference for Atlanta's ranking.

So, it's not just the lazy nitwits in the media who mail in their writeups based on last year's stats that don't like the team. Insiders are expecting the team to tank as well. I still contend that it's basically a whole new lineup and that no one has any idea how well they'll click starting this Sunday. That's not to say they're actually GOOD though - just that rather than being the same old crappy Falcons, this might be a bunch of brand new crappy Falcons.

I also still contend that this team has the potential to surprise a lot of people. I think of the 2008 team, which the media routinely said had the worst offensive line in the NFL trying to protect a rookie QB and open holes for a career backup RB . They were projected to have the first pick in the draft the following year, with The Sporting News tagging them to go 1-15 and no major outlet at all suggesting they'd win more than six games. That team went 11-5.



I've also seen multiple articles this week trying to play up the rivalry between the Falcons and Saints, some claiming they've been bitter rivals since 1966. That's utter nonsense. When the Saints first came into the league in 1967, the NFL didn't even put the two teams in the same CONFERENCE, let alone the same division. And when they finally did put them together after the AFL merger, it was more a matter of convenience than design.

The Falcons and Saints didn't really start to form an actual rivalry until 1978. Until then - and most years for the next decade after that - both teams were simply doormats for the Rams and 49ers because the league wanted to stick with the divisions they had introduced in 1967 rather than going back to conferences. But they didn't have a good way to work out the geography while preserving traditional rivalries, so Atlanta (Eastern time zone) and New Orleans (Central) got thrown into the "NFC West".

I get that they needed to move some teams between the NFL and AFL to balance out conferences, as the NFL had more teams at the time they combined. But wow, they missed out on a golden opportunity to build a lot of great natural rivalries when they went with six divisions rather than four conferences. They could easily have had Dallas vs Houston, New Orleans vs St Louis, Atlanta vs Miami, Baltimore vs Washington, San Diego vs Los Angeles, San Francisco vs Oakland, Buffalo vs Giants, Boston vs Philadelphia etc as regular opponents.