MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

I wonder sometimes if LeFleur is in charge or if he even has the balls to take control and flat out tell Rodgers what the deal is.

 

Browns officially add QB Deshaun Watson to 53-man active roster

The Cleveland Browns officially added quarterback Deshaun Watson to the team's 53-man active roster on Monday, clearing the way for Watson to start on Sunday against the Houston Texans, his old team.

Watson had missed the first 11 games of the 2022 season while serving a suspension for violating the league's personal-conduct policy.

Under the terms of the settlement reached between the league and the NFLPA following an appeal of Watson's initial six-game suspension after accusations by more than 20 woman of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions, Watson had not been permitted to practice until the week of Nov. 14. Watson previously was permitted to participate in on-site rehab with the medical staff, meet with non-football staff, attend meetings and meet individually with certain coaches beginning on Oct. 10.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed to reporters on Monday that Watson would start their Week 13 game and Jacoby Brissett would return to a backup role. Cleveland also waived backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs on Monday.

"I think Deshaun has the support of his teammates, has the support of this organization," Stefanski said. "Right now his focus, my focus is on this Houston game."

Sunday will mark Watson's first regular-season game since the finale of the the 2020 season when he played for the Texans. Watson requested a trade weeks after the end of the 2020 campaign. He did not play at all during the 2021 season under an agreement with the Texans and after no trade materialized during that season.

Watson has reached confidential settlement agreements in more than 20 of the civil lawsuits against him. Watson was never charged with a crime, and two grand juries in Texas declined to indict him.

NFL.com

 

Kevin Stefanski: Deshaun Watson has worked hard to be ready to go



Deshaun Watson is officially back on the Browns’ active roster and he is expected to start against the Texans this week in what will be his first regular season action since the end of the 2020 season.

Watson sat out all of last year while with the Texans and he was suspended for the first 11 games this year under the Personal Conduct Policy after being accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women. He has been practicing with the Browns for the last two weeks, but will get his first extended work with the first team since the summer this week and will have to knock off rust quickly as a result.


On Monday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he didn’t know exactly how the long layoff will impact Watson in his return to action but said he feels confident that Watson is prepared for the task at hand.

“I have confidence in Deshaun based on his preparation and, really, the focus is on just him doing his job,” Stefanski said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I mean, we’re still gonna be all about the team effort, still offense, defense and special teams. So this is never, ever gonna be about one person. But as it relates to Deshaun, I believe in his preparation, I believe that he worked really hard on a bunch of things to be ready to go.”

Watson’s reinstatement would draw a lot of attention against any opponent, but it’s an even bigger deal with the Texans as the opposition this week. Stefanski said that the Browns will have to “put the blinders on” to anything other than preparing to play and we’ll see how well that goes come Sunday.

PFT

 

Aaron Rodgers says he plans on playing this week



The list of injuries is growing. His desire to compete isn’t shrinking. At least not yet.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said during his latest appearance with Pat McAfee that Rodgers is on track to return to action against the Bears on Sunday, in Chicago.


“I got good news with the scans yesterday,” Rodgers said, via Matt Scheidman of The Athletic.com, “so I plan on playing this week.”

During Sunday night’s loss to the Eagles, Rodgers suffered an injury that was officially described as an “oblique,” but that was actually a rib problem. He said he thought he had punctured his lung.

Whatever the specific injury, it gets added to his broken thumb. The bye week is coming after the next game.

Rodgers has said he wants to play until the Packers are mathematically eliminated. Most teams are eliminated as a practical matter before it’s officially done. The Packers need to win the next five, and possibly get some help, to get a wild-card berth.

It’s not impossible. By why would anyone think they’ll win five in a row after winning four of 12?

Again, it could happen. At some point, however, it will make sense for Rodgers to go on injured reserve — and for the Packers to see what Jordan Love can do.

PFT

Kick his cheeseheaded ass, Bears!

 

Bengals’ Tyler Boyd sees Joe Burrow-Patrick Mahomes as the new Manning-Brady



The Chiefs and Bengals meet on Sunday in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, and a meeting of two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd thinks that quarterback matchup makes this game something truly special.

Boyd compared Burrow and Mahomes to Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, who faced off 12 times in the regular season and five times in the AFC playoffs.


“It’s going back to that quarterback fight. I look at it like Manning and Brady,” Boyd said, via Bengals.com. “You can’t stop them. It comes down to whoever excels and takes advantage of their opportunities in drives and scores points. These are the types of games that we have to take care of the football and not turn it over.”

Burrow and Mahomes will meet for just the third time on Sunday, so they have many years to go before their rivalry matches that of Manning and Brady. Burrow is 25 years old and Mahomes is 27, and the two play for two of the best teams in the AFC, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they’re meeting in a lot of big games for the next decade.

PFT

 

The Seattle Seahawks have lost back-to-back games following a four-game win streak to tumble from NFC West leaders to out of playoff position.

Following Sunday's 40-34 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Geno Smith said the Seahawks need to be ready to face an opponent's best effort each week.

"Reality is that we're going from the hunter to the hunted," Smith said after the game. "People want to play us. As a young team, we've got to learn to be able to go out there and win those games. That's our next step in the evolution as a really young team. We got to understand the moment, capture the moments, take advantage. I feel like we had plenty of opportunities to go out there and win that game, finish it late, and we just didn't get it done."

Smith surged into the MVP talk during the Seahawks' win streak as he led a young roster not expected to compete for a postseason bid this season into playoff position. The QB's 72.8 completion percentage is tops in the NFL, and his 107.9 passer rating is second behind Tua Tagovailoa (115.7) in 2022.

But miscues hurt Seattle on Sunday. Smith threw an interception on a miscommunication and had a fumbled exchange with rookie running back Kenneth Walker, killing a promising drive. The QB also admitted he could have made a couple of better throws late against the Raiders that might have helped avoid overtime.

"When I was in college, a coach told me about the difference between a finger pointer and a thumb pointer," Smith said. "I've always vowed to be a thumb pointer. I'm going to look at myself hard in the mirror, watch this film, see where I can get better and help this team win games."

The Seahawks defense has been the biggest culprit in the two-game losing skid, getting run over by both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Raiders.


Pete Carroll's D has lived by forcing turnovers -- Seattle ranks fourth in the NFL with 19 takeaways. But when those plays dry up, they've been gashed, sitting 30th in yards allowed (388.7 YPG) and 28th in points allowed (25.5). Since Week 9, Seattle is allowing 188.7 rush yards per game, the most in the NFL.

"We have to fix it," safety Quandre Diggs said Sunday. "Everybody's going to expose it if we don't fix it. We fixed it for a little bit. It showed its head again. At the end of the day, if we don't stop the run, we're not going to be able to do anything."

The next two weeks offer Seattle a chance to get back on track versus the offensively challenged Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers before a big date with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15.

NFL.com

 

Lamar Jackson did not finish practice Wednesday, leaving with a quadriceps injury. The Ravens list him as a limited participant.

Per Jamison Hensley of ESPN, a team spokesman said Jackson left to get treatment and would not speak to reporters Wednesday, which is the quarterback’s weekly interview day. Jackson has not talked to reporters since his vulgar response to a social media critic, which he later deleted.


The Ravens have had Jackson on their practice report three consecutive weeks now. He went on the practice report two weeks ago with an illness that kept him out a day, and last week he was sidelined for one day with a hip injury.

Jackson has missed only four games in five seasons because of injury, sitting out the end of last season after hurting an ankle.

The Ravens were without tight end Nick Boyle (illness), defensive end Calais Campbell (rest), offensive tackle Daniel Faalele (illness), outside linebacker Justin Houston (rest), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (ankle), offensive tackle Patrick Mekari (illness) and cornerback Marcus Peters (rest).

Safety Kyle Hamilton (knee), tight end Isaiah Likely (ankle) and left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) were limited.

PFT

 

But, he's back on the practice field today... good news for Ravens.

 

There’s some good news out of Chicago on the injury front.

Quarterback Justin Fields has been upgraded from limited in Wednesday’s practice to a full participant in Thursday’s session.


Fields is dealing with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder and missed last week’s game. But the fact that he’s a full participant on Thursday is a good sign for his potential availability for this weekend’s game against the Packers.

Backup Trevor Siemain started last week’s game despite suffering an oblique injury during warm-ups. But he was out of practice for the second consecutive day.

Offensive lineman Larry Borom (ankle/knee), defensive back Jaquan Brisker (concussion), defensive back Kyler Gordon (concussion), and receiver Dante Pettis (illness) also did not practice on Thursday.

But offensive lineman Riley Reiff (back) got on the field in a limited capacity after he didn’t practice on Wednesday.

Defensive back Kindle Vildor (ankle) remained limited.

And finally, receiver Chase Claypool (knee) was also upgraded from limited to full.

PFT

 

Who’s it good news for? The Bears or the packers?

 

Bears, of course. Best chance to win if he can play, in my opinion.

 

Mac Jones: I just kind of let my emotions get to me



After losing 24-10 to the Bills on Thursday night, there were questions for Patriots players about offensive frustration.

The answer seemed obvious during the game. Quarterback Mac Jones could be seen on the Amazon broadcast yelling to “throw the fucking ball” on the sideline before adding that the “fucking running game sucks.”


Jones’ postgame press conference kicked off with a question about the video and what led to his outburst. Jones said it was tough watching the defense play well and “not being able to give them anything back” over the course of the evening.

“Obviously, just kind of let my emotions get to me but we’re kind of playing from behind,” Jones said. “What I said was about throwing it deeper in the short game. I got to execute that part better. But it’s the short game we kept going to, which is working. But I felt like we needed chunk plays. I shouted that out to kind of get everyone going. That’s emotional. That’s football. I’m passionate about this game. Obviously, you don’t want to let your emotions get the best of you. But yeah, I think that’s pretty much it. It wasn’t directed at anybody. Just emotion coming out and we kind of needed a spark.”

While Jones said his words weren’t directed at anyone in particular, he still faced more questions about the play calling before his time at the podium was up. He called it “definitely a coaching question” as to why the Patriots weren’t more aggressive earlier in the game while doing his best to keep it from being a referendum on offensive play caller Matt Patricia.

“Yeah, I think it was just me at that point in the game like, ‘all right, we’re playing catch-up here, let’s go for it, let’s be aggressive, let’s take those shots, just go down fighting.’ Matty P. was on the same page,” Jones said. “We kind of did it there at the end and moved it a little bit more. At the end of the day we have to execute the plays and do a better job. Sometimes you’re just so competitive, right? You want to go out there, ‘hey, let’s get a 50-yard gain.’ Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but we might as well go down trying, and try to make it work.”

There was no spark for the Patriots on Thursday night and the offense’s lack of one has been an issue throughout the season. At this point, it isn’t all that realistic to believe that things are going to change during the season and, whether the Patriots can find their way to the playoffs or not, that will set up an offseason with big questions about the path to take on offense in the future.

PFT

 

Mac has been 'off' most of the season, thus far. I dont believe its entirely his fault either. Patriots have no real super-stars at WR, so I can understand his frustration, getting a beat-down like that at home, but he needs to contain those emotions and express himself to the coaches in a more constructive way. Really cant be a true leader, in my opinion, by blowing a gasket in front of everybody. Its more hurtful than helpful.

Bills did a good job defensively to get inside his (Jones) head.

Just isnt panning out for the Pats at this point.

 

Matt Patricia was a good defensive coordinator, but he isn’t a good offensive coordinator.

 

Justin Fields on track to start, Trevor Siemian out for year



It looks like Justin Fields will be back at quarterback for the Bears this weekend.

Fields does not have an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Packers. Fields missed last Sunday’s loss to the Jets with a left shoulder injury, but moved back to full practice participation on Thursday.

Trevor Siemian started in place of Fields last weekend, but he won’t be an option should the Bears have to replace Fields this Sunday. Head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that Siemian is having season-ending surgery on his oblique injury.

Siemian suffered the injury in warmups last Sunday and the Bears said that Nathan Peterman would start in his place before reversing course back to Siemian. Peterman will now be joined by Tim Boyle as backup options behind Fields.

PFT

 

Now I hear, Stafford is back on IR, thats too bad. The Rams have been completely decimated with injuries.

 

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers open to QB returning in 2023

Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers might not be moving on from each other just yet.

A few months after the team and Garoppolo amicably decided to move on, only to get back together again in a wild sequence of events that led to him being their starting QB once again, both sides are open to him being back for the 2023 season, sources say.

It's early with plenty of season left, but that scenario is not off the table.

Garoppolo takes the 7-4 Niners into their showdown today against the Dolphins having led his team to four straight victories. Trey Lance, who began the season as the starter, is on injured reserve and out for the season following September ankle surgery.

The 49ers moved on from Garoppolo before the 2022 season, embracing Lance as the starter and giving permission to Jimmy G to seek a trade. Both sides were motivated to make it happen. But his shoulder surgery in the spring, which saw him medically cleared in August, shut down any trade market.

The team and Garoppolo ultimately agreed on a one-year renegotiated deal worth $6.5 million fully guaranteed with the chance to make a total of $16 million with incentives. It included a clause that prevented the team from franchise tagging him this offseason.

The 49ers and Garoppolo have maintained a good relationship throughout, and the team is still appreciative of his willingness to work out on the rehab field during training camp at a point when he could've simply said he didn't want to and forced his release. That would've ended it.


But Garoppolo didn't, and all parties benefitted.

With Lance rehabbing and still learning to utilize his immense talents after being out nearly all season, there is a scenario that would lead to Jimmy G back in San Francisco for 2023. While the two sides have yet to discuss options for next year, a short-term deal might make sense for everyone.

Either way, Garoppolo should be one of the most coveted free-agent QBs this offseason, set to cash in again.

With friendly faces in town, including former S.F. assistant coach Mike McDaniel, Garoppolo made some news this week when he said the Dolphins were one of the teams that was a potential landing spot for him this past offseason. But there was nothing there, and no offer was made.

In the end, Garoppolo staying in San Francisco to run the offense and continue to engineer wins helped save the 49ers' season. And thanks in part to the success of 2022, there could be at least one more season to come.

NFL.com

 

There’s no potential for him going to Miami now. Tua is firmly ingrained as the starter.

 

There never would have been any controversy in my opinion had they not put so much stock in Trey Lance, whom was never proven to be the future... that whole thing seemed odd to me from the beginning. Now that the 49ers have seen what a healthy QB who is also talented can do, they are reconsidering and I dont blame them.