MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Taysom Hill should start. He is their best QB even if Winston was available

 

I don't know. He might be the best the Saints have but I think he's more valuable lining up at RB, TE, WR, and driving defenses crazy. You know Sean Payton loves it. With him out there, you now have 2 QB on the field. Who's gonna get the ball?

 

Cardinals GM on Kyler Murray’s status: We have to be smart and think about the big picture



Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is officially questionable for Sunday’s game against the 49ers with an ankle injury. But Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim hinted on Friday that the team may err on the side of caution with Murray.

Keim said on 98.7 that the Cardinals have to focus on more than just one game when deciding what to do with their franchise quarterback. Keim’s comments sounded similar to the comments that Cowboys officials made last week before ultimately deciding not to play quarterback Dak Prescott.


“I know Kyler can play, he extremely tough, and I don’t think there are any questions in our organization internally about his mental makeup or his willingness to play through anything,” Keim said, via the Cardinals’ website. “We have to be smart whether he is going to play or not and think about the big picture. We have to make sure we don’t re-aggravate something or do something that is going to hurt us later in the season. I know we will do the right thing and go through the checks and balances process and make sure the right decision is made.”

Keim also said the Cardinals think they can win with backup quarterback Colt McCoy.

“We really feel like he can sort of function at a high level in this offense,” Keim said of McCoy.

In the end, Keim indicated that the Cardinals won’t know until pregame warmups whether Murray is playing.

PFT

 

Report: Jacoby Brissett to start for Dolphins as Tua Tagovailoa rests injured finger



The Dolphins are going with Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback today against the Texans.

Tua Tagovailoa, who was listed as questionable on the injury report because he hurt a finger on his throwing hand, will get some time to rest his injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.


The Dolphins don’t have any other quarterbacks on the roster, so Tagovailoa may still be active in case Brissett gets hurt, but the Dolphins would prefer not to use him.

It’s been a rough start to the career for Tagovailoa, who has struggled to stay healthy. This is another setback for a player who needs to prove over the latter part of the season that he’s worthy of remaining the Dolphins’ starting quarterback beyond this season.

PFT

 

Russell Wilson is back.

The Seahawks’ quarterback tweeted “It’s time” this morning, with a video showing the protective wrap being removed from his surgically repaired finger. Wilson’s video also included an image of Lambeau Field, making clear that Wilson plans to play on Sunday at Green Bay.


Aaron Rodgers is expected to be at quarterback for the Packers, as he’s eligible to be activated from the COVID-19 reserve list on Saturday, so football fans will get to see Wilson vs. Rodgers — a much more appealing matchup than Geno Smith vs. Jordan Love.

It’s been a disappointing season for the 3-5 Seahawks, but they’re only a game out of the final wild card spot in the NFC, and with Wilson back for the stretch run, they can still get to the postseason. A win over the Packers would be a great way to head into the second half of the season with confidence.

PFT

 

Sam Darnold likely out several weeks with shoulder injury



A bad season has just turned worse for Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold.

An examination of Darnold’s throwing shoulder revealed that he has a crack in his scapula that will likely cause him to miss several weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.


While Darnold is out, P.J. Walker will start at quarterback for the Panthers, starting on Sunday against the Cardinals. The Panthers have also signed Matt Barkley to back Walker up.

Darnold apparently suffered the shoulder injury against the Falcons in Week Eight and played through it against the Patriots in Week Nine before tests this week revealed the extent of the injury.

The 4-5 Panthers were hoping to take a step forward in Year 2 with head coach Matt Rhule, but trading for Darnold and not signing a viable backup looks like a major mistake in what may prove to be a lost season in Carolina.

PFT

 

Panthers agree to terms with Cam Newton



What’s old is new again.

The Panthers announced on Thursday that they have agreed to terms with Cam Newton, bringing their former franchise quarterback back into the fold.


According to multiple reports, the deal is for one year.

With Sam Darnold out for several weeks with a shoulder injury, Carolina needed help at quarterback. P.J. Walker is expected to start for the team this week against the Cardinals. The Panthers also signed Matt Barkley to their active roster off of the Titans’ practice squad.

Carolina released Newton, 32, last March after he spent his first nine seasons with the franchise. The No. 1 pick of the 2011 draft, Newton compiled a 68-55-1 record in 124 games as Carolina’s starting quarterback, completing 60 percent of his passes for 29,041 yards with 182 touchdowns and 108 interceptions. He also rushed for 58 touchdowns for the Panthers.

He was the 2015 MVP, leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a conference championship. Carolina lost to Denver in Super Bowl 50.

Newton spent the 2020 season and 2021 training camp with the Patriots before he was released in August. He started 15 games for New England, throwing for just 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 12 touchdowns last year.

Though he was unvaccinated while with the Patriots, Newton is now reportedly vaccinated, which allows him to immediately rejoin the Panthers.

It’s unclear whether Carolina would have Newton start games even when Darnold is healthy, though it might not be a bad idea. Though he started off hot, Darnold has regressed back into one of the league’s worst passers. He is currently 31st among 33 qualified players with a 71.3 passer rating. Only rookies Zach Wilson and Justin Fields have worse marks. Darnold is also currently tied for the league lead with 11 interceptions.

Newton has not played under Panthers’ current head coach Matt Rhule, as he was hired in January 2020. But the Panthers do play Newton’s former coach Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team next Sunday for Week 11.

PFT

 

Carson Wentz Will Start for Colts Sunday, Even if His Wife Is in Labor

Carson Wentz and his wife, Madison, are currently expecting their second child. However, there's a chance that his daughter will be born Sunday, but it won't change his plans for the Colts' game against the Jaguars.

Indianapolis hosts Jacksonville at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. Even if Madison is set to deliver the newest member of the Wentz family around game time, her husband will play in the game and meet her at the hospital afterward.

“I talked to Coach about it early this week; I could get a call at any point here,” Wentz said, per USA Today. “We’re excited. We’re excited as a family.

“If it comes down to the game, I told my wife, ‘I’m playing, and then I’ll come see you at the hospital afterward,’ ” he added. “She knew that. She’s been great. ... I think God will time it up the way it’s supposed to be timed.”

Wentz is coming off what may be his best performance as a Colt so far. He led the team to a 45–30 shootout win against the Jets last Thursday night by completing 22 of 30 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns.

Rejoining coach Frank Reich, his former offensive coordinator with the Eagles, Wentz has had a resurgent year statistically. He's completing 63.3% of his throws for 2,198 yards (eight yards per attempt), with 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His touchdown rate of 5.7% is the highest since 2017, while his 1% interception rate is the lowest of his NFL career.

The Colts are 4–5 on the season. They have a prime chance to get back to .500 against the Jaguars, who are 2–6 on the year.

SI

 

Wow never saw that Cam Newton in Carolina again

 

I bet you Cam never thought he would wind up back there again.

 

Money talks...

 

Lamar Jackson: If you were on our offense, you’d be mad too



Thursday night’s game wound up looking like a mismatch on the field, but not in the way that most people expected.

The Dolphins defense dominated the Ravens offense for the majority of Thursday night’s 22-10 victory, which was a surprise for many since the Ravens were 6-2 going into the game and the Dolphins were 2-7. Miami blitzed safeties Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones more often than any other defensive backs blitzed in the last six seasons and Baltimore wilted under the pressure being applied by the Dolphins defense.


After a field goal and a missed field goal to open the game, the Ravens had a string of eight straight punts broken up by the end of the first half and a lost fumble. It was the lowest scoring regular season game of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s career and it led to him barking at teammates on the bench as the Dolphins moved toward a win.

“I was hot. Like, we weren’t scoring any points,” Jackson said, via the team’s website. “We were putting our defense out there. . . . I feel our defense played lights out, man. We just weren’t getting it done on offense. So that’s why I was mad. If you were on offense, you would be mad, too.”

The NFL can be a copycat league, so others are likely to lift things from the Dolphins in the weeks to come. If the Ravens don’t have a better answer, their strong start to the season won’t amount to much.

PFT

 

If the zebras hadnt helped your offense likely wouldnt have gotten the 7 it did get

 

Kliff Kingsbury: Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins will be game-time decisions



Quarterback Kyler Murray returned to practice for the Cardinals on Friday, but no call will be made about his return to the lineup against the Panthers at this point.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury called Murray a game-time decision and said he wants to see how the quarterback’s ankle does after the return to practice before making a decision. Murray did not play against the 49ers last Sunday and Colt McCoy was able to pilot the Cardinals to a win in his absence.


While Murray was able to return to practice, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins remained out with a hamstring injury. Hopkins did not practice at all last week either and joined Murray on the inactive list against the 49ers.

Kingsbury said Hopkins will also be a game-time decision. Wide receiver Rondale Moore (neck, concussion) may also miss the game, but Kingsbury said safety Budda Baker (concussion, knee) should be good to go.

PFT

 

Aaron Rodgers is officially back on the Packers’ active roster.

Rodgers missed last Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19, but he has cleared the protocols to return to action and the Packers formally restored him to the roster on Saturday afternoon. The Packers also added him to the injury report with a toe injury, but he does not have an injury designation so he is on track to start against the Seahawks,


The Seahawks will be welcoming quarterback Russell Wilson back to the lineup for that game.

The Packers also activated cornerback Isaac Yiadom from the COVID reserve list. Linebacker La’Darius Hamilton was waived in a corresponding move.

PFT

 

Ben Roethlisberger is out for Sunday with COVID



The Steelers will have to try to win their fifth game in a row without their starting quarterback.

According to Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. He’s out for Sunday’s game against the Lions.


Roethlisberger becomes the second high-profile quarterback to miss a game this month due to COVID. If he’s vaccinated, he’ll be able to return after generating a pair of negative tests at least 24 hours apart. If he’s not vaccinated, he’ll miss at least 10 days.

Last week, Roethlisberger said he’s vaccinated. (Then again, so did Aaron Rodgers.) If Roethlisberger truly is vaccinated, the outcome suggests that he developed symptoms and was tested.

The backup in Pittsburgh is Mason Rudolph. He’ll likely get the eleventh-hour start against the winless Lions.

 

Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is not expecting to play again this season.

Fitzpatrick, who suffered a hip injury in Week One, is highly unlikely to return this year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.


When Fitzpatrick initially suffered the injury, there were hopes that he would miss less than half the season. But his recovery has not gone as well as planned and he is still dealing with swelling and pain and unable to begin workouts to get back into football shape.

Realistically, the 39-year-old Fitzpatrick’s career may be over.

Taylor Heinicke is slated to start for Washington for the rest of the season. The Football Team will surely be in the quarterback market this offseason.

PFT

 

I don't think Rodgers used the word vaccinated. If I recall, he said immunization. He skirted the issue. However, I do believe Ben in this case.

 

Here is the current list of teams with problems or question marks at passer going into next season.

2022 QB ISSUES
Atlanta Falcons (Ryan's contracts is expendable in 2022)
Carolina Panthers (no defined starter)
Cleveland Browns (Mayfield either plays out the last year of his deal or the Browns make a preemptive decision to extend or trade)
Denver Broncos (no defined starter)
Detroit Lions (Goff's contract is expendable in 2022)
Houston Texans (no defined starter)
Minnesota Vikings (Cousin's contract is expendable in 2022)
New Orleans Saints (no defined starter)
New York Giants (Jones either plays out the last year of his deal or the Giants make a preemptive decision to extend or trade)
Pittsburgh Steelers (potentially retiring quarterback)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (potentially retiring quarterback)
Washington Redskins (no defined starter)

The Eagles and Jets fall into a separate category where they are, in a sense, married to the current player but will still face the decision of whether or not to reload/upgrade at the position.

That's roughly half of the league that may be facing the most important decision that any franchise has to make, in one form or another.