NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Christian McCaffrey won’t practice this week but looks good to go for next week

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will not practice this week to give his injured calf more time to heal. But he is expected to practice next week and play in the team’s divisional round playoff game, Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday.

McCaffrey sat out the Week 18 game with the 49ers already having secured the No. 1 seed.

The 49ers will practice Thursday and Friday before taking the weekend off.

Defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who left Sunday’s game early with a knee injury, is not expected to play in the 49ers’ first playoff game.

“He’s going to miss a few weeks,” Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “It’s possible to get him back sometime in the playoffs.”

Safeties Ji’Ayir Brown (knee) and Tashaun Gipson (quadricep) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (hand) are expected to return to practice this week. The 49ers also plan to open the practice window for safety George Odum (torn biceps) this week.

Receiver Jauan Jennings has cleared concussion protocol are being injured in a Dec. 17 game.

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who hasn’t played since Dec. 3 because of foot and knee injuries, is expected to practice.

“He’s doing better,” Shanahan said. “He looked good today, and that was the test, and that’s why we’re going to get him into practice Thursday. Hopefully, it goes well, and we’ll get him in a little bit Friday [too].”

Safety Tayler Hawkins will require surgery on a wrist injury, while offensive lineman Jon Feliciano is day to day with a back injury.

Tight end George Kittle (back spasms) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles tendinitis) are improving.

 

Other entities have reported GM Carthon wants a complete rebuild which included dumping some vets and Vrable wanted to bring in a few and fix things on the fly and compete with what they basically already have. The two apparently clashed on this futuristic philosophy of how the Titans should go, then Strunk stepped in with the knee-jerk action.

 

I think it's pretty clear who HIS vote went to, LOL.

I will take their "awards" with a grain of salt going forward though knowing their real process. By a close margin, I would say it was probably 4-1 Stefanski, which is only a 3 vote difference.

 

Agreed. I almost (gave it some thought) entitled that post, FWIW, but I figured we all knew that.

 

I'll be honest, I had my doubts about Stefanski, especially after the short stint in Minnesota, but he just might be really good at what he does. Looks good as of late and thats what counts. I had doubts on Jim Shorts, I mean Schwartz also, but he's got things going as well.

 

VS

Andy Reid on Chiefs-Dolphins frigid playoff battle Saturday night: 'We're not having a snowball fight'

Like much of the Midwest, Kansas City has been battered by winter weather, with brutal colds and snowfalls expected to continue throughout the week. Saturday brings a Mother Nature freeze-out that could plunge temperatures into the record books for a Chiefs game.

The temperature for Saturday night's kickoff between the Chiefs and Dolphins is currently projected to be -6 degrees, prompting AccuWeather to highlight in their forecast that it's "potentially the coldest home playoff game in Kansas City history."

The Kansas City Star reported this week that the coldest game at Arrowhead in Chiefs history was .5 degrees on Dec. 18, 1983, a 48-17 Chiefs win over Denver. The lowest for a playoff game was 11 degrees (Jan. 7, 1996, a Chiefs 10-7 loss to the Colts).

Forecasts can change, but if things hold, with winds at 9 mph with gusts expected to rise to 22 mph, Arrowhead could feel like -20 with the wind chill.

The frigid temperatures figure to favor the Chiefs as the Dolphins practice in 70-degree weather in Miami this week, but Andy Reid dismissed the presumption.

"You can't bank on that. That's where you get into trouble," Reid said via the Associated Press. "We're not having a snowball fight."

The Dolphins have fought the notion this week that the brutal temperatures will be a massive disadvantage. Plenty of Miami players grew up, played college ball, or, like Tyreek Hill, in the pros in cold-weather cities.

"I don't think it means that we are soft or scared of the elements, just because the weather is better down here," Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, a Pennsylvania native who played at Notre Dame, said. "The guys in that locker room, obviously, we come from all over, too. It's not like we all lived here in Miami our entire lives. We've dealt with elements before."

Dolphins linebacker David Long, a Cincinnati native, said playing in the cold shows a different mentality.

"A lot of people don't want to get hit, or hit in cold weather. It hurts a little more," Long said. "And that's when you see what types of players you have on your team. How much do you love it? How much do you want to get to that certain point as a team?"

NFL.com

 

This is what makes Carthon's press appearance yesterday interesting. He was trying to say that wasn't the case at all. But will the media buy it?

When asked why Vrabel was fired, Carthon dodged the question and told the media that Adams Strunk explained it in her statement. But her statement emphasized that she wants a modern, It Takes A Village approach where everyone works together. It suggested that Vrabel didn't fit this picture, which then suggests there was either a rift or too much of a dynamic where Vrabel did things his way on his own.

Carthon then goes out of his way to say that no, that wasn't the case. He said that he and Vrabel were in lockstep and that every decision they made was unanimous between them. He says there was no rift at all. He also says that he fully accepts his share of responsibility for the team's lack of success this season.

But if that's the case, why fire Vrabel at all? If a change needed to be made, shouldn't Vrabel and Carthon both be out the door?

So hypothesis (a) = there was indeed a rift, and Carthon is now putting window dressing on it to help Vrabel not look so bad, and hypothesis (b) = there was no rift and AAS made the change simply because the team finished last in the division with a worse record than last year.

I'm more inclined to believe (b). She fired Vrabel because over the last two seasons the team has gone 7-10 and now 6-11, not because there were problems with internal dynamics. No rift. She simply watched the team continue to lose while both the Colts and Texans leap frogged over them, dropping the Titans to the bottom of the division. And regardless of how we view her mental capacity, pretty much any other owner would also make a change in that situation. Even Belichick might soon be out for that same reason.

Under that hypothesis, AAS didn't throw Carthon out along with Vrabel because the losing started before Carthon arrived and she sees Carthon as part of the rebuild rather than part of the problem. He gets a free pass because he's new. The next time a coach gets fired, Carthon will be out the door with him.

I'm going with that one because AAS didn't actually say there was a rift in her statement, but she did flat out say she wasn't happy with the results. So when Carthon emphatically says there was no rift whatsoever, okay, I'll believe him.

Whatever the case, I'd say that Carthon handled the press meeting as diplomatically as he could.

 

Tthe Falcons had even worse optics in their press meeting on Monday. They didn't even have GM Terry Fontenot in the room. Seriously, WTF were you guys thinking???

The explanation was that since the decision was so new at that time, the team had Fontenot meeting with the coaching staff and working with them rather than meeting with the press. Instead, Arthur Blank met with reporters with right hand man Rich McKay at his side, with McKay allegedly there to fill in for Fontenot.

That seemed paper thin to everyone else there. It implied that Fontenot has no power whatsoever in Atlanta's organizational structure. Now the media, the fringe media outlets and the various blogs are all running wild with the idea that Rich McKay has secretly been running the show all along as the Falcons version of Rasputin. It's ludicrous, but I have no doubt we're going to be stuck with that conspiracy theory for the next decade.

 

Pete Carroll is no longer HC in Seattle?? Who saw that one coming?

 

There wasn’t any talk about it here until it happened. They must have decided that he was too old for it anymore.

 

Bears fired their OC and their QB coach.

Since the Titans HC spot is open and the assistants there are all in limbo, I wonder if Charles London (current Tennessee QB coach who also has the "Passing game coordinator" title) will be a candidate for the OC role with the Bears. If that happens, there might also be an opening for Dave Ragone (Atlanta's OC who attempted to do double-duty as QB coach this year) to join London as the QB coach.

Reason for wondering: it was before Ryan Poles / Matt Eberflus, but both of them coached in Chicago before. Ragone was QB coach and London was RB coach. Ragone was the QB coach who helped make Mitch Trubisky and Chase Daniel look like actual NFL quarterbacks. London has been in the passing game rather than RB coach since 2021, and he's regarded as a coach on the rise with a sharp mind for the X's and O's aspects of coaching.

I know Willie is a big fan of Ragone, and I'm a big fan of London. They worked together for five years at two stops. It wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see them end up back together at their next destination, especially given that both are now in limbo with teams that fired their head coaches.

It's also possible they end up back together in Atlanta, but I doubt it - the offensive coaching staff here won't be decided until the head coaching vacancy is filled. All in all, it doesn't bode well for Ragone. If I'm Ragone's agent, I'm taking the initiative and doing my best to get him out of Atlanta even before the next head coach is hired.

 

Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Kareem Hunt return to Browns practice on Wednesday

The Browns got one of their most important players back on the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare to face the Texans on Saturday afternoon.

After mission Tuesday's session for personal reasons, defensive end Myles Garrett was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday. Garrett is dealing with shoulder and hamstring issues.

Receiver Amari Cooper (rest, heel) remained a non-participant, but he said on Wednesday that he will be fine to play on Saturday.

Guard Joel Bitonio (rest, oblique, knee), running back Kareem Hunt (groin), cornerback Greg Newsome (knee), tight end David Njoku (rest, knee), running back Pierre Strong (back), and safety Juan Thornhill (calf) were all upgraded from DNP to limited.

Linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk was upgraded from limited to full.

In his first practice since being designated to return, safety Grant Delpit (groin) was limited.

Cornerback Mike Ford (calf), receiver Marquise Goodwin (knee), defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (pectoral, groin), and center Ethan Pocic (shoulder, stinger) remained limited.

Kicker Dustin Hopkins (left hamstring) and receiver Cedric Tilman (concussion) remained non-participants.

Quarterback Joe Flacco (calf), punter Cory Bojorquez (left quad), safety Duron Harmon (ankle), defensive tackle Shelby Harris (shin), and cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder) all remained full.

YAHOO/NBC and a few others

 

Falcons have about $34M in cap space... please stay away from Cousins and Hunter. Thank you.

 

The most interesting piece I read today along those lines was that Arthur Blank has hired five coaches in his 22 years of owning the team, and all five were first time head coaches. The writer put out the idea that if he went with yet another first time NFL head coach, that coach might be more likely to want the next QB1 to be a draft pick, while a head coach with experience - knowing the expectation is to win immediately - might be more likely to go with a veteran QB.

One example combo that got thrown out there, though I don't recall if it was in that same article or a different one... Belichick and Russell Wilson.

I wouldn't buy it, but Belichick is one of the betting line favorites to become Atlanta's next HC (along with Lions OC Ben Johnson), and things are obviously not sitting well with Wilson in Denver. So love it or hate it, I have to concede that it's entirely possible.

 

Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) told reporters Thursday that he will play in Sunday's wild-card game versus Buffalo. Fitzpatrick, who missed the last three games of the regular season, was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

 

I get it on TV because Peacock doesn't own the rights up north.

 

I'm heading over right now to listen......or not.

 

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have connected on 14 touchdown passes in their 14 postseason games together. One more touchdown pass from Mahomes to Kelce would tie Brady and Gronkowski’s record, and two more would break their record.

Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, who connected on 12 postseason touchdown passes, have the third-most for a pair of teammates in NFL history.

 

Atlanta is a bad team without the draft capital. They invested in the best TE and RB in the first round they’re being wasted. If Chicago calls and asks for their #8 pick I’m all ears. Penix , Nix, McCarthy are day 2 QB’s I don’t give a rat’s ass who disagrees with that. Williams, Maye, Daniels going 1,2,3 . If the Bears take a QB then like I said Fields might be available. Best 2 jobs out there are Chargers with Hebert and talent on D . Washington with the #2 pick and an owner who will
Spend money to get players.