NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Chris Olave says he’s cleared to return Thursday



The Saints are set to get one of their wide receivers back in the lineup on Thursday night.

First-round pick Chris Olave suffered a concussion while catching a touchdown in Week Five and did not play last Sunday, but he offered a positive update on his condition Tuesday. Olave said he has been cleared under the concussion protocol and will be on the field against the Cardinals later this week.


“I’m ready to get back to it, help the quarterbacks out,” Olave said, via Jeff Nowak of WWL Radio.

The Saints have not said who will be at quarterback to start Thursday’s game. Jameis Winston has not played in the last three games, but returned to practice last week and was active against the Bengals as a backup. Winston was listed as a limited participant in practice Monday because of back and ankle injuries and Andy Dalton, who has started in Winston’s place, was in the same category due to a back injury.

PFT

 

looks like the Dantzler play when he took ball from you when the Vikings played the Bears,looking like it cost you your job

 

DeSean Jackson let it be known he's interested in making a comeback, and the Baltimore Ravens were listening.

Jackson, a free agent who last played in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders, is signing with the Ravens after a workout on Tuesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported per Jackson's agent.

The veteran speedster recently announced on the I AM ATHLETE podcast live tour that he was not retired and interested in a comeback. He pointed out three teams he was interested in: the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and the Ravens.

Wide receiver depth has long been a concern for the Ravens, and it's gotten all the more shallow recently with Rashod Bateman missing time due to a groin injury.

A big-play maven throughout his 14-year career, the 35-year-old Jackson could potentially add another wrinkle over the top for the Baltimore offense as he looks to form a Jackson-Jackson connection with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Drafted by the Eagles with the 49th overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, Jackson spent his first six seasons in Philadelphia. He later returned to the Eagles for a two-season stint and also played for Washington, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and split time with the Rams and Raiders in 2021.

In April, Jackson indicated he might be done with football. He said he was "not really sure" if he was going to play in 2022, but he did offer the caveat that a return could happen with the right club. At the time, he didn't mention the Ravens, but he did recently.


A Jackson comeback is in store with the Ravens.

NFL.com

 

It's all about system fit...


The Athletic did an article before the season where they surveyed various NFL people (the alleged experts) and ranked the non-rookie potential starting quarterbacks. The bottom five - the very bottom of the bottom of the barrel - were Marcus Mariota, Sam Darnold, Mitch Trubisky, Drew Lock and (dead last) Geno Smith.

Geno Smith has already thrown for 1500 yards and a passer rating of 108. Trubisky came off the bench to seal the win this weekend for Pittsburgh. And Mariota was just named the NFC's Offensive Player Of The Week.

 

Trubisky is good off the bench, not as a starter

 

Colts getting healthy again...



Three Colts regulars who were out of the lineup for last Sunday’s win over the Jaguars were back on the field at practice on Wednesday.

Reporters at the open portion of Colts practice noted that running backs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines were both participating in the session. Linebacker Shaquille Leonard is also on the field and wearing a red, non-contact jersey.


Taylor has missed the last two games with an ankle injury while Hines and Leonard have been sidelined by concussions. Hines only missed last Sunday, but Leonard, who also broke his nose, has missed the last two games. Leonard also missed the first three weeks while recovering from back surgery, so the Colts will be looking forward to getting him back for an extended stay in the lineup.

The team will issue a report with official practice participation levels later on Wednesday.

PFT

 

Sammy Watkins returning to practice on Wednesday



The Packers may or may need to simplify their offense. But they are at least getting a veteran receiver back in the mix at practice this week.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said in his Wednesday press conference that the team is beginning the 21-day practice window coming off injured reserve for Sammy Watkins.


“We’ll see where he’s at,” LaFleur said, via Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s website. “I don’t think anybody’s ready to say he’ll be ready to play this week.”

Watkins has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury. He caught six passes for 111 yards in the first two games of the season, reaching 93 yards on three catches in Week Two.

“When he does come back, he brings a lot of experience to the table,” LaFleur said. “He plays the game really fast, there isn’t much hesitation in his game.”

Watkins signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Packers in April. Watkins and LaFleur were previously together when LaFleur was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2017.

PFT

 

Here are four things to watch for when the Saints visit the Cardinals on Thursday night on Prime Video:

1. Welcome back, D-Hop. Hopkins' six-game suspension has come to an end, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Cardinals' offense hit the skids in the Week 6 loss to the Seahawks, with Marquise "Hollywood" Brown suffering a significant foot injury late in the game. Arizona traded for ex-Panthers WR Robbie Anderson this week, but the return of Hopkins is a far bigger source of hope. Kyler Murray now has played 20 games since the start of the 2021 season -- 10 with Hopkins and 10 without. With Hopkins in the lineup, Murray has had a far higher completion rate (71.6% to 64.9%), has averaged more pass yards per game (278.2 to 246.8) and has more TD passes (19 to 11). It’s been a tough season for Murray, who is facing pressure like he never has before, and Kliff Kingsbury, whose play calling has been ripe for questioning. Expecting Hopkins to be the offense’s magic elixir is a dangerous failsafe, but it might be its biggest hope right now. Helping matters for Arizona is the belief that Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore might not be healthy enough to play in this one.
2. Who will the Saints turn to at quarterback? When the schedule was announced last spring, this looked like a battle of two former No. 1 overall draft picks at quarterback. But with Winston’s murky injury status, that possibility is up in the air. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was a bit coy when asked about Winston’s availability for this game, saying he wanted to get Winston close to 100% before he returns. Because of the short week, it could be Andy Dalton for a fourth straight start (with a dash of Taysom Hill); neither quarterback has an injury designation heading into Thursday night. Dalton struggled last week, although missing his top three receivers in the game had something to do with it. He also suffered a back injury in the loss to the Bengals. But the Saints do appear to have a run game they can lean on. They ran for 228 yards against the Bengals, at a 6.7 yards-per-carry average. Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram and jack of all trades Hill make the ground game go, but rookie receiver Rashid Shaheed also chipped in last week with a 44-yard TD run on his first career offensive touch. Arizona is tied for seventh vs. the run but 20th vs. the pass and tied for 24th in sack rate.
3. Saints expected to get one major receiver back. It was clear how limited Dalton and the Saints’ passing game was last week, especially late in the game when they got nothing going offensively. Michael Thomas has now missed the past three games, and Jarvis Landry has been out two straight. Neither of them will play Thursday. But rookie Chris Olave, who missed Week 6, has said he’ll be back for this one after suffering a concussion the week before vs. Seattle. Olave has been a bit more busy with Winston at QB (17 catches for 268 yards in three games) than he’s been with Dalton (eight catches for 121 yards), but both of Olave’s TD catches have come from Dalton in a game Thomas also missed. This could be a big stage for the rookie wideout in a game in which the Cardinals figure to make the Saints beat them through the air, no matter who is at QB. New Orleans will also be without tight end Adam Trautman and guard Andrus Peat.
4. Pressure rising on Kliff Kingsbury. If the most important relationship on any football team is between the quarterback and its head coach, it’s hard not to feel that the Cardinals’ marriage of Kingsbury and Murray is in need of a little counseling. The hot-and-cold offensive performances (two games with no offensive TDs) and awkward play calling and execution have been glaring this season, and neither man seems to have much in the way of answers. Yet they both (along with GM Steve Keim) signed long-term extensions this offseason. Still, we know who is more vulnerable if major changes are afoot: the coach. If the offensive disconnect wasn’t clear on the handling of the final drive of the Eagles loss, it became patently obvious throughout the loss at Seattle. Kingsbury’s game planning and in-game decision-making are very clearly concerns. And in his first three seasons at the helm, this is the part of the season where his teams start to tank, going 12-19 from Week 7 on. Following a 2-4 start, Kingsbury can’t afford to have similar results this year if he wants to assure his job in Arizona for 2023.

NFL.com

 

Last year: Hell yeah! Football tonight, and the weekend starts tomorrow.

This year: ugh, another fucking Thursday night game.

 

lol... I like it even if it stinks. I can always tune into NHL or MLB if the Thursday Prime game blows again. Hell, they might have a good game some day.

The drama developing with Kingsbury and the team might be interesting to see. I'll probably know by the end of the 1st Q if the rest of the game is worth the time.

 

I think he means the Amazon ordeal with watching it. A lot of people don’t have Amazon and can’t watch the game. Sure it comes on NFL network at midnight on the east coast. Not everyone is like us they have to get up and go to work in the morning.

 

Oh, OK... I misunderstood.

 

What is overpay? We spent a second rd pick on him. Only a first would be overpaying. A third or worse and we would be better off keeping him.

 

Report: Elijah Moore has asked for a trade, but Jets do not plan to trade him



Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore was not at practice today for undisclosed reasons. According to a new report if it were up to him, Moore would never be at Jets practice again.

Moore has asked for a trade because he is frustrated with his lack of targets in the Jets’ offense, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.


But the report says the Jets have no plans to trade him.

Of course, plans can change: If the Jets get a good enough offer, they would surely trade him. And it’s also possible that Moore would drop his trade request if the Jets could persuade him he’d have a bigger role in the offense going forward.

Although Moore is the only wide receiver on the Jets’ roster who has been in the starting lineup for all six games, he is sixth on the team in catches.

Moore arrived last season as a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. As a rookie he played in 11 games, with 43 catches for 538 yards and five touchdowns. This year he has 16 catches for 203 yards and no touchdowns.

PFT

 

Sounds like a selfish man ( Moore). Hey, Elijah, its a team, you jerk! A good one at that.

 

Ja’Marr Chase remains limited, but Tee Higgins returns to a full practice

Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase remained limited in Thursday’s practice. This marks the first week he’s appeared on the practice report.

He is listed with a hip injury.

Receiver Tee Higgins (ankle) had a full practice after being limited Wednesday. It was his first full practice since Sept. 28.

Higgins has appeared on the practice report every week since Week 2.

Linebacker Logan Wilson didn’t practice again after injuring his right shoulder in Sunday’s win over the Saints. He is day to day, according to Bengals coach Zac Taylor.

Offensive tackle La'el Collins (rest) returned to a limited practice, and linebacker Markus Bailey (shoulder) was upgraded to full participation after being limited Wednesday.

The Bengals added guard Alex Cappa (illness) and receiver Stanley Morgan (hamstring) to the report as non-participants. Neither was on the report Wednesday.

Defensive end Jeff Gunter (knee) and defensive tackle Josh Tupou (calf) remained out of practice.

Tight end Hayden Hurst (groin) again was limited.

Offensive lineman Jonah Williams (knee) was a full participant. He hasn’t missed a snap since dislocating a knee in Week 5.

YAHOO

 

I meant it both ways... Amazon taking over Thursday night AND the last two "Prime" games being two of the most awful games of the last decade.

Obviously I'm liking tonight much better though. These two teams discovered something called "scoring". Go Cardinals!

 

Falcons young secondary is gonna be even younger against the Bengals this weekend with veteran CB Casey Hayward going on IR. Assuming that A.J. Terrell is good to go, Darren Hall will be making his second career start at the other CB spot. The safeties (Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins) are both new starters this season. Nickel corner Isaiah Oliver will be in his second game off of IR after wrecking his knee early in the 2021 season. Dee Alford (rookie) would be the top backup in rotation, but he has missed practice so far this week with a hamstring injury.

The kiddies will be put to the test against Joe Burrow and that trio of Bengals receivers. Hopefully the young front seven will step up and put Burrow under pressure. Atlanta's defense has 14 sacks so far this season. That won't sound like a big deal to anyone else, but it's wonderful news for Falcons fans - the Falcons only racked up 18 total sacks all of last season.