MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Tuesday that Fields and other starters from the team will be on the field against the Titans on August 12 because “we still have a very young football team.” Eberflus said he has not determined how much any of those players will play next week.


I'm looking forward to this game Will.......we should get to see Levi (Titan's) get some minutes at QB.

I think this is a Break out year for Fields and the NFC North is going to be the Best division in 2023.

Good luck to the Bears and Go Titans Go.

 

Justin Fields: Our offense needs to have the same juice as our defense at practice

By all accounts, the Bears’ offense had a rough practice working against the team’s defense on Wednesday.

Things went so poorly that quarterback Justin Fields brought the offense into a huddle once the session ended to speak to the group.

“I think today in practice we came out probably a little flat,” Fields later told reporters, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com. “So I just talked to the guys after practice. Every little win that we have on the field, we just need to have energy about it because that energy is contagious. That’s one thing I think the defense does well is every little thing they do, well, the DBs are always hyping stuff up. They’re always ‘ahhhhh,’ and that just gets the whole defense going.

“I told the offense today that we just need to have that same juice as the defense did, but I feel that the defense came out and they competed well with us. I would say that they definitely won the day. We have an off day tomorrow, but the next day the offense has to come back stronger.”

The 2023 season is critical for Fields’ development, as the Bears will choose whether or not to exercise the fifth-year option on the quarterback’s contract next spring. Fields became one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players last season when he rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns — leading the NFL with 7.1 yards per carry.

But Fields and the offense’s passing game have to become more fluid after he completed 60.4 percent of his throws for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also tied with Russell Wilson by taking a league-worst 55 sacks.

If there’s a silver lining, perhaps Wednesday’s poor practice will help Chicago’s offense raise its urgency for better performances throughout the rest of camp.

PFT

 

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said, “Don’t sleep on Jacoby [Brissett]” when asked about the team’s quarterback competition.


Throughout much of the offseason, Sam Howell has been viewed as the Commanders’ Week 1 starter, but Rivera seems to be leaving the door open for Brissett to win the job. In his 11 starts with the Browns, Brissett had the team averaging 23.9 points per game and ranked 10th in EPA per dropback. His 1.6 percent interception rate was good for ninth-best among qualified quarterbacks. Brissett won’t blow defenses away with his arm, but he’s proven to be a good decision-maker with the football and has a chance to play with a talented group of receivers in Washington. Even if he doesn’t start Week 1, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Brissett start a few games this season.

 

John Harbaugh: Lamar Jackson is throwing the ball really well

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson received a lucrative new contract in the spring.

Now he’s been showing off some potential improvements he’s made to his game at practice.

On Wednesday, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was asked how he thinks Jackson’s velocity and accuracy have been throughout training camp.

“He’s looked very good at that, and it’s a good question,” Harbaugh said in his press conference. “We do measure all that. We have metrics on that. There’s chips in the ball, and we look at the numbers on that, and the numbers bear that out, too.

“Whatever you’re seeing in terms of your eye — with the way he’s throwing — has been held true with the numbers. He’s throwing the ball really well.”

Jackson’s long been an effective passer, sporting a career completion rate of 63.7 percent and passer rating of 96.7. But as the Ravens look to get more out of their passing game with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, it’s a good sign that the team’s data signals Jackson’s right arm is dealing as well as ever this summer.

PFT

 

Every QB looks great in practice. Even Trubisky looked good in practice.

 

Sometimes you get an honest report. The other day a report from Minnesota said Jaren Hall was mostly struggling so far, but your right, its a big difference in practice and game, but working on mechanics & stuff is whats really going on.

 

They all can't be Mason Rudolph.

 

Geno Smith will not face DUI charges from January 2022 arrest

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said after his January 2022 arrest on suspicion of DUI that he didn’t foresee “any problem” and expected “those things will be worked out.” They finally were.

Brady Henderson of ESPN reports that the King County Prosecutor’s Office is declining to file charges against Smith. The delay in the decision occurred because of a backlog of blood tests with the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

Smith’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was found to be .038, well below the legal limit of .08.

Smith won the starting job over Drew Lock and earned Pro Bowl honors last season, passing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. It marked the first time since his rookie season with the Jets that he started every game in a season.

This offseason, he signed a three-year deal with a base of $75 million and worth up to $105 million.

NBC

 

Because they were all too drunk!

 

Johnny Manziel says he attempted suicide after being cut by Browns

Johnny Manziel claims that he attempted suicide after being cut by the Browns.

The admission comes in a new Netflix documentary, titled Untold: Johnny Football.

Via Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, Manziel developed a plan to end his life after being released by the Browns in March 2016, less than two years after the team made him a first-round pick in the draft.

“I had planned to do everything I wanted to do at that point in my life, spend as much money as I possibly could and then my plan was to take my life,” Manziel said in the documentary, via Trotter. “I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense, and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me.”

Manziel explained that he had purchased a gun with the plan of using it to commit suicide. He said that, when he pulled the trigger, the gun did not go off.

“Still to this day, don’t know what happened. But the gun just clicked on me,” Manziel said.

Manziel never returned to the NFL, although he later played in the CFL and the AAF.

“It’s been a long, long road, and I don’t know if it’s been great or it’s been bad -- that’s kind of still up for debate,” Paul Manziel, Johnny’s father, said in the documentary “But we’re blessed. And he’s still with us. And we can mend all the fences still. I think Johnny’s got a lot better days coming than what he’s had.”

Here’s hoping that’s the case. Regardless of how or why his football career ended prematurely, he has many years in front of him. We all deserve a chance to pursue and secure happiness, wherever and however it can be found.

NBC

 

Bryce Young “frustrated” by Saturday’s practice

The Panthers hope there will be a lot of very good days for quarterback Bryce Young in their uniform, but Saturday wasn’t one of them.

Drops and pre-snap penalties were a problem throughout the practice session and Young vented his frustration with how things were unfolding after the team failed to get a play off before the whistle during a two-minute drill.

“As a competitor . . . we all get frustrated,’' Young said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “But we have to do a better job of bringing stuff back and really stepping back and making sure that even if it’s not our day, for one period or one play, we’re able to flip the script. We didn’t do a good enough job of that today. But that’s what training camp is for.’'

Young said players have two options when things aren’t going as hoped and that he chooses to be “constantly turning the page” rather than dwelling on the moments when things aren’t going his way. There are a lot more practices for Young to put that into practice before he makes his regular season debut.

PFT

 

Young to play in Panthers' preseason opener

Since being drafted No. 1 overall in April, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has continued to take the necessary steps forward on his way to taking control of the offense. He's been taking first-team snaps since organized team activities, and was officially named Carolina's starting QB at the start of training camp. But before he opens up the regular season versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 10, Young's next step in his preparation will be getting some preseason snaps. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, head coach Frank Reich said that Young would play in the team's preseason opener versus the Jets. Though he did not clarify how much time the rookie will see in his first appearance, he did say the coaches already have a general plan for how much overall time to give him in the preseason. While Young has impressed in practices so far, according to his teammates and coaches, this should offer him a lower-stakes chance to get some in-game reps before fully taking the reins in the regular season. It will also offer fans their first chance at seeing the Panthers' new franchise quarterback in action, albeit in a limited role. The Panthers and Jets are set to face off on Aug. 12 at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

NFL.com

 

Doug Pederson plans to play Trevor Lawrence in Saturday’s preseason opener

At a time when many NFL coaches don’t think the benefits of playing their starting quarterbacks in a preseason game are worth the injury risks, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has a different view.

Pederson said on NFL Network today that he expects to play quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Saturday in the preseason opener against the Cowboys.

“I’m a big believer in the starters playing,” Pederson said. “I really feel like they need to feel that energy that comes with starting a football game. I did it last year with the guys and I anticipate right now him getting maybe a series or two this weekend.”

Pederson noted that the young players will get most of the preseason playing time because the primary purpose of the preseason is to evaluate those players. But Pederson wants Lawrence and his other starters to get out there and play at least a few snaps against live opposition.

NBC

 

Anthony Richardson stacks 'really solid' practices as rookie QB pushes for Colts' starting gig



NFL training camp performances must be graded on a sliding scale.

For most veterans and well-established players, camp is a time to gear up and work on things they might not have time for when the season starts -- like Patrick Mahomes and his behind-the-back magic.

For certain young players who entered the NFL needing reps under their belt, camp is vital to development. Therefore, we can digest praise and great days from these players with fewer grains of salt than usual (still some salt, just not the whole box).

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson certainly resides in the latter of these two categories. Entering the NFL, the Florida product owns sky-high skills but lacked game reps and development in college.

According to everyone on the ground this weekend, Richardson shined, especially when getting the starting reps on Sunday.

"I thought he had a heck of a day (Sunday)," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said, via James Boyd of The Athletic. "He was really solid, made some big-time throws. Obviously, the two-minute drive, threw a nice touchdown right there in the end zone and then the two-point play that he ran in. It was pretty good to see."

NFL.com

 

Stroud will start the Texans game Thursday.

 

Saints fans will get to see the team’s new players when the preseason opens this week.

Head coach Dennis Allen told reporters on Monday that he plans to play the starters in Sunday’s matchup against the Chiefs — including quarterback Derek Carr.

“It’s a new season, a new group, and I want to see our guys play,” Allen said, via Luke Johnson of Nola.com.

Allen did not specify how much playing time the starters will receive, but noted that they will be on the field.

Carr signed a four-year deal with the Saints in March after spending his first nine seasons with the Raiders. Last year, he completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 3,522 yards with 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 15 games for Las Vegas.

NBC

 

Report: Teddy Bridgewater agrees to terms with Lions

The Lions did not hide their interest in Teddy Bridgewater. The team let him know in March it wanted him as Jared Goff’s backup, gave him a “strong offer” in April and hosted him on a visit July 24.

He surely wanted a starting job that never surfaced.

Instead, the Lions finally have agreed to terms with the veteran quarterback, NFL Media reports.

It reunites Bridgewater with head coach Dan Campbell, who was the Saints’ tight ends coach/assistant head coach in 2018-19 when Bridgewater was in New Orleans.

The Lions re-signed backup Nate Sudfeld this offseason, and Adrian Martinez also is on the roster. The team drafted Hendon Hooker, but he is expected to miss the season while rehabbing a torn ACL. But Bridgewater will step in as the primary backup.


Bridgewater, 30, is entering his 10th season and has played 78 games with 65 starts, most recently with the Dolphins in 2022.

He also has played for the Vikings, Panthers and Broncos in addition to the Saints and Dolphins.

NBC

 

Teddy Bridgewater a Member of the Detroit Lions YAWN

 

lol

 

It’s the season for a lot of “who cares” headlines. Still, with Goff’s injury history… Teddy has a better than average chance of starting at some point this season.