MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

QB's going down to Injury today...

Cousins, Taylor, Pickett and Stafford. Ridder also being evaluated for a concussion.

 

Trade deadline this week with cousins down (and refusing to waive the no trade clause) is tanahill the best bet to be more ve for a team that thinks they may be a QB away (jets)

 

Word out now... Cousins has torn his Achilles, OUT for the season.

The life of a Vikings fan continues. Hope he recovers and can get back on a gridiron somewhere. Always loved the guy and this season he was on fire, which was putting my dreams of a Playoff run back on track.

Im still in shock, I dont know why, shit happens every Sunday, but Hall isnt the answer, so with the trade deadline looming this Tuesday, something big has to be done.

Vikings finally get an offensive line together that can block and now this.

 

With Cousins out, could the Vikings be the team to pursue Tannahill? He’s on the final year of his deal right? Titans get the chance to get Levis reps, Tannehill gets the 2nd half of the season to audition for a new spot

 

Im not sure what the options are, but GM Kwesi better be on the phone as we speak.

 

Will Levis: NFL debut a dream come true

The Titans chose rookie Will Levis to start in place of Ryan Tannehill on Sunday and it turned out to be the right call.

Levis threw four touchdown passes to tie a record for a player in his NFL debut and the Titans won 28-23 over the Falcons at home. Three of Levis’ touchdowns went to DeAndre Hopkins and three of them — two to Hopkins and one to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine — were longer than 30 yards as Levis provided some explosiveness to a Titans offense that’s lacked it for much of this season.

After the win, head coach Mike Vrabel said it was “not a bad debut” while Levis was a bit more effusive about the experience.

“This is a dream come true for sure,” Levis said, via Turron Davenport of ESPN.com. “I dreamed of this moment as a kid and to get a win is incredible. But we have a few more minutes to celebrate it today, then we’re on to Pittsburgh as Vrabel would say.”

That game against the Steelers is on Thursday night and another good outing for Levis would make for a hard call about going back to Tannehill when he’s deemed healthy enough to return.

PFT

 

The Steelers will take Kirk for next year.

I have no authority in this, I would be happy with it.

 

I was glad to see the Falcons didn't take any chances by putting Ridder back in. He took a bunch of hits in the first half that potentially triggered concussion symptoms. Exposing him to more of that could have posed a risk to his career and even his longer term quality of life. We're still learning how the first concussion makes you a sitting duck for the second one.

I'm biased in that I want to see Sam Darnold get a chance play, but I would also like to see the 49ers sit Purdy for longer, get him a more thorough evaluation, and give his brain more time to heal before throwing him back into combat. If the organization thinks with a long term view, it's the smart move for the team in addition to being the right thing to do for the person.

Stuff like what Purdy and Ridder and others are facing now always reminds me of former Jaguars receiver Laurent Robinson. He had a mishap in training camp (concrete pavers were left next to the sideline of the practice field... brilliant) that left him with a concussion. He was cleared to play to open the season but suffered another concussion. Cleared too quickly... third concussion. Jacksonville finally put him on the shelf after #4.

Too late. He never played again. And in the offseason (when he was still under contract and hoping to return), NFL-N interviewed him at his home. He was still staying indoors and frequently in the dark because the light was painful. He still had to go to the opposite side of the house to get away from the sound whenever his baby daughter cried. This was three months after he was put on IR.

 

I couldnt help but think of Tua. In 2022, Tua suffered 3 concussions, which caused him to seriously consider retiring after the season and maybe he should have. In week 16 of the '22 season vs the Packers, Tua smacked his head on the turf and the dumbasses in charge kept him in the game. During the second half he threw 3 INT's. After the game they determined he was indeed concussed for his 3rd time. Stuff like this, in my opinion, is inexcusable and the League should have been held responsible. The NFL is so 'win at no matter the cost' oriented, that they seem to not care if they breed vegetables on the field. Tua and others like him are living on borrowed time as it is. I get the fact that players wanna play and the league needs these guys, but there must be a line drawn in the sand that can not be crossed or its going to get real ugly for somebody soon... its just a matter of time. Implementing more stricter guide-lines and increased research seems like a no-brainer (pun intended). Its a violent game and concussions are going to happen, but rushing players back and taking chances with someone's life is not the coolest thing to be doing.

 

Report: Will Levis is expected to start Thursday vs. Steelers

After a strong debut in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, Will Levis is likely to get more playing time.

Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Levis is expected to start Thursday night’s game against the Steelers.

Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill is still dealing with an ankle sprain and needs more time to heal.

Levis’ first game action went very well, as this year’s No. 33 overall pick completed 19-of-29 passes for 238 yards with four touchdowns, no interceptions, and no fumbles in Sunday’s 28-23 victory over Atlanta. He finished with a 130.5 passer rating.

While head coach Mike Vrabel talked about Levis splitting time with Willis leading up to the Week 8 contest, Willis ended up playing just two snaps. He didn’t throw a pass.

Thursday’s matchup could be Levis vs. Mitch Trubisky, as Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is dealing with a rib injury suffered in Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville.

 

Mike Tomlin: The door is “definitively ajar” for Kenny Pickett to play on Thursday

The Steelers may have their starting quarterback for Thursday’s game against the Titans. But they won’t have one of their best defensive players.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said in his Monday press conference that “the door is definitively ajar” for Kenny Pickett to play, despite suffering a rib injury on Sunday.

“Probably will be a game-time-type decision, based on the information that I’m holding here today with no structural damage and so forth to his ribs,” Tomlin said. “So, we’ll see how we’ll go through the week — his ability to throw, his level of comfort, his ability of effectiveness, etc., and let that be our guide in terms of determining his availability.”

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, however, will miss Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury. Tomlin noted that he didn’t have a firm timeline for Fitzpatrick’s return, but it’s clear the safety won’t be ready to play on a short week.

Tomlin called the loss of Fitzpatrick “significant,” noting it’s a “multi-man job” to replace the safety from a playmaking and communication standpoint.

The Steelers could get back defensive lineman Cam Heyward and running back Anthony McFarland this week, as Tomlin said Pittsburgh is considering designating the players to return and beginning their 21-day practice windows.

While the Steelers won’t practice on Monday, they will issue their first injury report of the short week.

 

Arthur Smith will name Falcons’ starting QB for this week on Wednesday

On Sunday, Falcons starting quarterback Desmond Ridder sat out the second half and was replaced by Taylor Heinicke. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith isn’t ready to say which one of them will start this week against the Vikings.

Asked today about the Falcons’ plan going forward, Smith said he’ll announce on Wednesday who his starter is against Minnesota.

“I promise you, I’ll come in on Wednesday and tell you who’s starting,” Smith said, via Tori McElhaney of the Falcons.

Asked if Ridder would start assuming he’s 100 percent healthy, Smith answered, “I have to see where he’s at.”

But Smith did make clear that he wants the Falcons to have a good week of practice with their starting quarterback running the first string offense.

“Whoever is going to play this week has got to get the reps,” Smith said.

Heinicke came off the bench and played better than Ridder did, which would seem to indicate that Heinicke also gives the Falcons the better chance to beat the Vikings on Sunday. But Smith has invested a lot of time in developing Ridder and has indicated that he believes in Ridder going forward, and he may not be ready to bench his young quarterback just yet.

PFT

 

Tyrod Taylor released from hospital, week-to-week with rib injury

Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor spent Sunday night in a New Jersey hospital after suffering a rib injury in the first half of the team’s overtime loss to the Jets and his recovery will now continue at home.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Taylor was released from the hospital on Monday. There’s no word on the precise nature of the injury, but Taylor is considered week-to-week moving forward.

Taylor was making his third straight start because Daniel Jones was out with a neck injury. Monday brought word that Jones has been cleared for contact and that puts him in line to start against the Raiders this week.

Rookie Tommy DeVito replaced Taylor on Sunday and completed two passes for a loss of one yard in overtime after going 0-for-4 through the air in regulation.

 

Kevin Stefanski: Deshaun Watson is continuing to come along

After taking another hit to his right shoulder during the Week 7 win over the Colts, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson did not play in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski kept his cards close to the vest when asked about Watson potentially returning to play against the Cardinals in Week 9.

“He’s continuing to come along,” Stefanski said in his Monday video conference. “We’ll make those types of decisions later on in the week.”

Watson first injured his shoulder in the Week 3 win over Tennessee. He didn’t play in Week 4, Cleveland had its bye in Week 5, and Watson didn’t play in Week 6. While Watson started two weeks ago, he threw just five passes before Stefanski elected to keep him out of the game.

P.J. Walker has played the majority of the last three games for the Browns with two starts. But Stefanski did not commit to Walker starting on Sunday if Watson can’t play.

“All those determinations roster-wise are for later in in the week,” Stefanski said.

Cleveland’s first injury report of the week may be lengthy when it comes out on Wednesday. We’ll see if Watson’s injured shoulder is well enough for him to get back on the practice field.

PFT/the Browns and me

 

The team certainly played better in the second half, but what the coach gets and the media doesn't want to hear is that it's not just about Ridder and Heinecke.

For example, I had mentioned before that the key to the game would be protecting the young quarterback. That didn't happen. They gave up five sacks - in just the first half. The running game wasn't working either. Ridder was the team's leading rusher in the first half from scrambling. Otherwise the RBs had 9 carries for 28 yards in the first half. It just wasn't working.

 

Kyle Shanahan won’t consider a change from Brock Purdy to Sam Darnold

Suddenly, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is struggling. But he’s not struggling enough for his head coach to think about making a change during the bye week.

When asked on Monday whether he’d consider making a change, coach Kyle Shanahan had a one-word answer: “No.”

Why?

“Because no one just changes their quarterback for no reason,” Shanahan said.

Still, Purdy isn’t playing like he once was; he had three turnovers against the Bengals on Sunday, six days after throwing two interceptions on Monday night. Whether it’s a fluke or his football chariot has turned into a proverbial pumpkin remains to be seen.

Shanahan hasn’t been bashful about throwing quarterbacks overboard. He did it to Jimmy Garoppolo. He did it to Trey Lance. He’ll do it to Purdy, if Purdy doesn’t turn things around.

PFT

 

Nice!

Since the vid gives the stiff arm a question mark, I'll throw in that in Australian Rules Football (aka "footy"), fending off a tackler with the half stiff-arm that way is referred to as "giving him the 'don't argue' ".

 

Awareness, savvy, poise.