NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Friermuth is a better TE than Njoku.

 

Somebody should be screen grabbing all of that large mouth twat’s posts. He’s gonna have a lot of crow to eat and he will deserve every bit of it.

 

I agree with what you say Todd, but you don’t have to call him a twat. They have to dream big in the off-season because that will turn into a nightmare when the season starts.

 

Should the Ravens sign WR Julio Jones?



During the 2022 offseason, the Baltimore Ravens saw wide receiver go from a position of strength to a position of need in a matter of days. They traded away wideout Marquise Brown during the 2022 draft, and a few days before released fellow 2019 draft pick Miles Boykin.

With Brown and Boykin no longer in Baltimore, the Ravens are now even younger at the wide receiver position, with their top four wideouts being in either their second or third NFL seasons. That’s not to say they don’t have talent, especially because players such as Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, James Proche II and Tylan Wallace each have a skillset that can help Baltimore win games.

Despite the potential that the Ravens’ young pass catchers have, it’s fair to ask if the team should sign a veteran who could lead the group based off of experience. There aren’t many options remaining on the free agent market, but perhaps the biggest name still available is former Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans wideout Julio Jones.

Jones was once regarded as one of the best wide receivers in the game, but a lengthy injury history and declining play has currently left him without a team for the 2022 season. In his 11-year playing career Jones has caught 879 passes for 13,330 yards and 61 touchdowns, making spectacular catches and showing up in multiple big moments.

When looking at what Baltimore still needs at the position, there are a few types of players that come to mind. One is a big-bodied type of player that can go up and win contested catches with ease. The other is a deep threat who can take the top off of a defense. While Jones has never been known for his speed, his 6-foot-3, 220 pound frame certainly fits the mold of a player who can win at the catch point.

While Jones is extremely talented when he’s on the field, he hasn’t been able to stay there consistently. Injuries have been a major storyline of his career, especially in the last few years. His hamstring among other things have been a big issue for the wideout, so if the Ravens ended up adding Jones they’d have to likely account for a few missed games just incase the veteran can’t stay healthy.

Signing a veteran wide receiver would be beneficial in multiple aspects for Baltimore. Jones would fill a role and likely wouldn’t cost a lot to bring in, so it would be worthwhile to at least look into adding former University of Alabama star.

RAVENS WIRE

 

Bradley Chubb focused on ending Broncos’ 13-game losing streak to Chiefs



The Broncos are 0-8 against the Chiefs in linebacker Bradley Chubb‘s four years in Denver, and the Broncos’ losing streak against the Chiefs started before Chubb arrived and is now up to 13 games. Chubb is focused on ending that.

Chubb vowed that this will be the season the Broncos snap their losing streak to the Chiefs, saying he has built up some anger at Kansas City from all the losses.


“It’s a revenge tour all year long,” Chubb told Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. “When you keep coming up short against a team, you get animosity for them.”

The Broncos play the Chiefs in Denver on December 11 and in Kansas City on January 1. With Russell Wilson now quarterbacking the Broncos, there’s every reason to believe that those games will have playoff implications. And perhaps snapping the losing streak against the Chiefs will punch the Broncos’ ticket to the playoffs for the first time since Peyton Manning retired.

PFT
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He's going to need some help.

 

Lions are tweaking their approach to defensive line play



The kneecap-biting Lions are modifying their approach to biting kneecaps.

Recently, coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn explained that the defensive line will be making a shift to the manner in which they approach their assignments.


It’s less of a change to the alignment and more of a change to the philosophy.

“I just think more of it is, I just call it much more ‘hitting the blocks,’” Campbell said, via SI.com. “I don’t want to say we were catching, and it wasn’t two-gap, we just were a little more, ‘Play at the line of scrimmage,’ where now we really want to play more on their side of the line of scrimmage. That’s the best way to describe it.”

It sounds as if it’s less hold-your-ground-and-read-the-play and more attack-attack-attack. The former approach, if successful, ties up the offensive line and gives the linebackers a chance to get to the ball. The latter approach creates potential disruption and chaos in the backfield.

“We still have all the front variations, all those things, but I think that will probably be the biggest difference that anybody would notice, is just the fact that we want to — we’re not just running through gaps and closing our eyes and stuff like that,” Campbell said. “We’re not like that, but we are much more, ‘Hit the blocks and play on their side of the line of scrimmage,’ which is a little bit different than what we were last year.”

It sounds as if reading and reacting will still happen. But if it’s happening on the offense’s side of the line of scrimmage, the tackles will be made faster and the gains will be minimized.

Every team presumably would like to perform this way. It requires defensive linemen who can overpower those who are trying to block them.

“It is a more aggressive style of defense,” Glenn said, via SI.com. “I want to be able to take advantage of every player, their ability as much as I can. I want to take advantage of that athleticism that Alim [McNeill] has. I want to showcase that. It makes sense. I want to showcase it. I want to showcase what Levi [Onwuzurike] shows at the scene. I want to showcase what Aidan [Hutchinson] could do when I’m kicking him inside to do things. I want to showcase wha [Josh Paschal] can do. So I’m looking at every player’s ability and how can I showcase this.”

That’s good coaching. That’s the way to get the most out of the defensive front. That’s the way to get them to play so well that people are coming up with a nickname for them.

PFT

 

Im drinking....... and other shit. Beacause I can and I felt like it.

Happy memorial day... thank you for your service. Bang Bang, shoot em up!

Dig this...

 

Too bad Trower wasn’t still in the group when this video was made.

 

Justin Fields: We don’t have big name wideouts, but we have talent



One common theme of the Bears offseason has been those outside the organization criticizing the team for a perceived lack of moves to help quarterback Justin Fields.

Allen Robinson left for the Rams in free agency and the team has not made any splashy moves to replace him at wide receiver. Darnell Mooney is the No. 1 receiver in a group that also includes Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tajae Sharpe, Dante Pettis, and third-round pick Velus Jones.


Those aren’t headline names, but Fields said recently that he thinks the group is talented enough to handle the job.

“We don’t have an Odell [Beckham Jr.] or a Cooper Kupp on our team, but at the end of the day I think if everybody is on their P’s and Q’s, and we’re on top of everything and not making mistakes, the players we have right now are good enough,” Fields said, via Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report. “The front office thinks that, too. The fans outside of the facility, they don’t know what’s going on at practice. Just because we don’t have a big-name guy, doesn’t mean those guys aren’t talented. I have plenty of confidence in myself and my teammates that we’re going to get the job done.”

The proof will come in the fall and a better than expected showing for the Bears offense would be a good sign for Fields’ future in Chicago.

PFT

 

RIP, my Viking.

 

Very sad. I remember the talent, and always had concern for everything else.

 

Auto accident at 2:30am this morning. Some details:

https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article261948210.html

 

For the Bucs, “Hello, Hicks” likely means, “See ya, Suh.”

The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The contract is worth “up to” $10 million.


The development likely means that Ndamukong Suh won’t be back for a fourth season with the Bucs. The second overall pick in the 2010 draft, Suh has played for the Lions, Dolphins, Rams, and Bucs.

He appeared in Super Bowl LIII with the Rams, and he won Super Bowl LV with the Bucs.

Hicks joined the Bears in 2016. He was a third-round pick of the Saints in 2012. He spent part of the 2015 season with the Patriots, following a trade from New Orleans.

PFT

 

The Browns are calling on line 1 Mr. Suh. Time to be a dawg.

 

If Friermuth ever even dreams of the day he has more talent than David Njoku, he should wake up and apologize.

 

Charges against Jerry Jeudy dropped



Charges against Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy have been dropped, three weeks after he was arrested and held overnight for second-degree criminal tampering, with a domestic violence enhancer.

The Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office has filed a motion to dismiss all charges against Jeudy, according to multiple reports.


Jeudy was arrested after a dispute with the mother of Jeudy’s one-month-old child, but she said that he never harmed or threatened her.

The 23-year-old Jeudy was the Broncos’ first-round draft pick in 2020. He had a promising rookie season, but in 2021 he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week One and struggled through a difficult second year in the league.

PFT

 

Malcolm Butler: I have a lot to prove



Cornerback Malcolm Butler has not played in a game since the end of the 2020 season and he knows that has created some doubts about what he will bring to the Patriots secondary this year.

Butler was set to play for the Cardinals last season, but retired in late August and returned to the Patriots after being released by Arizona earlier this year. The move brings Butler back to the team where he made his initial mark in the NFL and he said on Tuesday that he knows he has to show everyone that he can still play at a high level.


“A lot. I have a lot to prove, especially to myself,” Butler said, via NBCSportsBoston.com. “If I do it to myself, I prove it to my teammates at the same time. That’s why I’m working hard every day and trying to stay focused on where I am.”

Butler should get plenty of opportunities to supply proof of his continued productivity heading into the season and his role on the New England defense come the regular season will let us know if the team thinks he’s still got it.

PFT

 

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson wasn't at voluntary organized team activities last week, but he reported to practice on Tuesday. No reason was given for his absence last week, but it was reported that he was likely skipping voluntary practices because he's looking for a new contract. The 25-year-old has a total of 254 catches for 2,764 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons and is on track for unrestricted free agency next March if the Steelers don't give him a new deal. Johnson was a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2021, going for career-highs in catches (107), yards (1,161) and touchdowns (eight) in 16 games (14 starts).

ROTO BALLER