MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Bears coach Matt Eberflus sees Justin Fields improving, in preseason games and practices



Bears quarterback Justin Fields played just one series in Thursday night’s preseason win over the Seahawks, but in that one series, head coach Matt Eberflus saw the same thing he’s been seeing from Fields in practice: Improvement.

Fields went 5-for-7 for 39 yards, led the offense into field goal range for the Bears to take a 3-0 lead, and perhaps more importantly avoided taking any sacks despite repeatedly facing pressure behind a shaky offensive line. Eberflus said Fields’ solid play in the preseason game mirrored what he’s been showing on the practice field.


“I see more progress in practice,” Eberflus said. “His footwork’s getting better, his delivery when he’s feeling pressure, how he slides in the pocket and delivers the ball, that’s getting a lot better too. He’s improving every single day.”

Eberflus noted that Fields throws well on the move, something Bears fans often complained Fields wasn’t asked to do enough of last year under former head coach Matt Nagy.

“He does a really good job with the movement passes, the play-actions, in pocket, out of pocket, and to be able to deliver the ball,” Eberflus said. “So we’re excited about that.”

Fields’ development is the Bears’ top priority this season, and Eberflus is seeing progress.

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Jacoby Brissett: I’m excited for the opportunity and don’t take it lightly



Ever since Judge Sue L. Robinson handed down Deshaun Watson‘s initial suspension, the Browns’ plan has been for Jacoby Brissett to start at quarterback in Week One.

Now, Brissett’s slated to start Cleveland’s first 11 games now that Watson’s suspension has been increased.


The Browns are reportedly not pursuing Brissett’s former teammate in San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo at this time. That’s a de facto vote of confidence from the Browns for Brissett, who said on Friday that he still has something to prove every day.

“I’m just excited for the opportunity. I don’t take it lightly, obviously,” Brissett said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Just going out there, continuing to be the man that I am, the player that I am, the teammate that I am. And I think all of that stuff kind of takes care of itself and I don’t have to really speak on that.”

Brissett also noted that he’s not going to be looking over his shoulder in filling his role.

“I wouldn’t be a great teammate if I thought like that,” Brissett said, via 92.3 The Fan.

Brissett has significant starting experience, having played two seasons for the Colts in 2017 and 2019. He also started five games for Miami last year. He’s completed 60.2 percent of his career passes for 7,742 yards with 36 touchdowns and three interceptions. Last year, he completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,283 yards with five TDs and four picks.

But given the Browns’ aspirations with a strong defense and capable offensive skill players, it wouldn’t be a shock if they end up seriously discussing trading for Garoppolo.

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Trey Lance “absolutely” finding a rhythm with his receivers



The 49ers were in Minnesota this week for a couple of joint practices with the Vikings before the two teams square off in a preseason matchup on Saturday.

While receiver Brandon Aiyuk called the joint sessions a “waste of time,” they seemed to have some use for quarterback Trey Lance.


“For me, just trying to come out here every day and trying to get better, taking it one step at a time, especially with these practices,” Lance said, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “One step at a time, one day at a time, and just continuing to groove with these guys.”

Maiocco reports Lance was 23-of-35 passing in the two practices with Minnesota, with most of his attempts going to tight end George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel, and Aiyuk.

“Playing football, it’s kind of throwing where the defense tells me where to throw the ball,” Lance said. “I don’t just go back and pick a guy. … But, yeah, absolutely I’m finding rhythm.”

That goes for Samuel in particular. He’s a critical piece of San Francisco’s offense, having accumulated 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns in the 2021 regular season, plus another 291 yards and two touchdowns in three postseason games. But Samuel and Lance’s time together has been limited since Samuel was away from the offseason program while seeking a new contract. And he only recently started practicing after the deal got done on July 31.

“He’s done a great job these last few days,” Lance said. “Just again, the more reps we get together, the more stuff we get to watch together the better we’re going to be.”

Led by Nick Bosa, San Francisco’s defense should keep the team in most games. If Lance can get comfortable with his targets early, the 49ers could be in good shape to compete at the top of the conference in 2022.

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Browns QB Jacoby Brissett on starting role: 'I just have to be myself'

With Deshaun Watson's 11-game suspension official, the Cleveland Browns are setting forth toward the regular season with veteran Jacoby Brissett in line to start the bulk of the campaign.

"I just have to be myself," Brissett said on Friday, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "I don't really kinda try and do anything more or less. More so, I just try and be myself."

As the Browns' Week 1 starter, Brissett didn't play in the first preseason game, and head coach Kevin Stefanski is sticking with the plan not to play Brissett in Sunday's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Brissett has taken most of the No. 1 QB reps this week in practice.

"I think we have a plan and we're going along with the plan, and I'm continuing to get more and more comfortable with the offense," Brissett said. "I haven't played in a game yet, so I think when that time comes it will come and I've got to use, which I do, I use these practices, these days as my game. I go out there with the mindset that it is a game I think I'm playing every day."

The current plan calls for Brissett to get reps in the Browns' preseason finale against Chicago, per the Beacon Journal.

A third-round pick by New England in 2016, Brissett is used to getting thrust into duty. He started two games as a rookie following Tom Brady's suspension and a Jimmy Garoppolo injury. In 2017, he was traded right before the season to Indianapolis, where he made 15 starts. After backing up Andrew Luck in 2018, he was again called upon to start when Luck abruptly retired before the 2019 season. Last year, Brissett started five games in Miami.

Brissett's experience makes him confident he can start the season in a new offense without a ton of preseason reps.


"I think every day we go out there I've grown more and more comfortable," Brissett said. "Obviously, I didn't play in the game but just seeing how the game was called, and just talking to the guys on the sideline and stuff like you kind of grow more in confidence in what we're doing. So I'm just looking for that to continue to build."

With the Browns currently eschewing the idea of bringing in another vet like Garoppolo, it's Brissett's ship to pilot to open the season. Josh Dobbs remains the projected backup, with Josh Rosen also on the roster at the moment.

NFL.com

 

I hope Browns fans like smoked brisket (Brissett)

 

Matt Rhule isn’t ready to name a starting quarterback



The Panthers reportedly will name Baker Mayfield the starting quarterback, at some point. That point was not after last night’s preseason game against the Patriots.

“Not yet,” Rhule told reporters when asked whether he’s ready to name a starting quarterback. “You know, not prepared for anything right now other than watching this tape. Like I said all along, when we know we know, and we’ll announce something when it’s right.”


The time is obviously coming. The Panthers host the Browns in 22 days.

Last night, neither Mayfield nor Sam Darnold played, so the tape from the Patriots game is irrelevant to the evaluation. Instead, P.J. Walker started, and he returned after rookie Matt Corral left with a foot injury.

“The ones didn’t play and those guys [Mayfield and Darnold] are both competing to be with the ones, so we wanted to make sure they had a chance,” Rhule said. “We didn’t want to put one or two guys out there and play them behind the second offensive line.”

So it sounds as if the competition technically isn’t over. Even if, as a practical matter, it reportedly is.

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Week One of the preseason included a wicked — and late — hit by Jets linebacker Quincy Williams on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Williams drew a flag at the time, and a fine now.

It’s $10,609, the uniquely and specifically negotiated amount between the NFL and the NFL Players Association for infractions of this nature. The league essentially announced the fine on Saturday.



Of course, the league doesn’t actually announce fines. It will provide details about the fine amounts, in response to specific questions regarding whether a player did or didn’t get fined. It results in only some of the fine information ever being disclosed, since someone has to ask before the NFL tells.

Usually, the requests are made based on the penalties called the prior week. When no flag is thrown, it’s often harder to spot the violation.

One reality that recently has become apparent due to this approach is that the league apparently imposes plenty of fines on players who lower their helmets to initiate contact with the opponent. The rule changed this year to remove “initiate,” because (we’re told) that apparently had become a point of contention during the internal appeals of fines imposed for the infractions.

There should be not point of contention regarding the fine on Williams. He clearly hit Hurts late.

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Matt Corral is likely out for the year with Lisfranc injury in foot



The rookie season for Panthers quarterback Matt Corral is ending before it even begins.

Coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Saturday that the rookie from Ole Miss has a Lisfranc injury in his foot. It’s likely a season-ending injury.



It happened during Friday night’s preseason game against the Patriots.

The Panthers selected Corral after he slid to round three, at a time when the Panthers had been trying to trade for Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Obviously, the Panthers later finished the trade. Corral would have been the No. 3 option, in what essentially would have been a developmental year.

The news likely means that P.J. Walker will stick around as the third man behind Mayfield and Sam Darnold.

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Thats just too bad! Hate to see this.

 

Bummer

 

Pete Carroll: No specific date for picking between Geno Smith and Drew Lock



Seahawk quarterback Drew Lock is back from a bout with COVID, which means he back to battling with Geno Smith for the starting job.

Meeting with reporters on Sunday, coach Pete Carroll was asked about not having a clear-cut starter by the conclusion of training camp.


“I don’t think there’s any ‘date’ pressure on me at all in that regard,” Carroll said. “I’m going to take the time it takes to figure out and make sure we have all the information that we need. I can’t wait to see what happens in this game [against the Cowboys]. Geno’s done a good job and Geno needs a little more help from some guys, they got to be able to catch the football a little better but he’s handled it well. . . . He’s put some stuff on the resume out there and so we’ll see what happens this week. And we do have really good weeks of practice coming up. This week is a great one, next week is a great one and the one after is a great one so we’ll use all of that if we need it.”

Smith had his chance to seize the starting job on Thursday night against the Bears. Smith did not.

“We didn’t function very well,” Carroll said of the offense in the most recent game. “We didn’t throw and catch the ball as well as we needed to. We didn’t catch the ball. We missed a couple key third-down situations. We got a ball knocked down. We got no rhythm at all early in the game to get going. . . . We didn’t perform at all like we should.”

So now, Lock will get a chance to perform in the third preseason game. Said Carroll of Lock: “I plan on him playing a lot a lot this week.”

At that point, most of the hay will be in the barn. Either way, the one who got away will be returning with the Broncos in 22 days. Smith or Lock, the Seahawks will have their hands full.

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Report: Ravens have offered Lamar Jackson more than Kyler Murray received



The 2019 MVP could, if he wants, make more more than the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported during Sunday night’s Ravens-Cardinals pregame show that Baltimore has offered quarterback Lamar Jackson more money than the Cardinals have agreed to pay to quarterback Kyler Murray. Glazer adds that the five-year, fully-guaranteed contract given by the Browns to quarterback Deshaun Watson complicates matters.


Murray has a new-money average on a five-year extension of $46.1 million. But Murray is signed for seven years in all. Watson’s deal pays out $46 million per year over five years, all of which is fully guaranteed.

To get Jackson to $46.2 million per year on a five-year, new-money deal, they’d need to sign him to a six-year, $254 million contract, since he’s due to make $23.016 million this season.

Glazer also called it an “uphill battle” to get a deal done, given that Jackson represents himself.

The battle ends soon. Jackson has said he wants a new deal before the regular season begins. In two weeks, the Ravens will begin intensive preparations for their Week One game against the Jets.

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Crazy shit these contracts.

Just because someone else makes a better deal shouldnt matter... can Lamar sign this offer and be happy? I dont see why not. The fact the Browns threw curveball into the QB contract equation shouldnt even matter. If Lamar wants to be a Raven... take the money offered and be happy. $40M a year would make me happy for a bit.

 

He needs to look deep down into "WHO HE IS" as a QB. If he plays Lamar Jackson MVP football, he risks a lot on injury. If he takes steps to make sure he stays healthy, then his market changes. Even if he bets on himself, in that situation I don't think he gets the richest contract in history, which is apparently what he wants.

Double edge sword when it comes to contracts.

 

I will dance naked in the streets if the Ravens give Lamar anything close to 250M guaranteed.

 

Remind me to stay out of Maryland for a couple weeks if it does.. I don't want to accidentally see that.

 

lol

 

Raiders trade Nick Mullens to Vikings



Veteran quarterback Nick Mullens is on the move again.

The Raiders have traded Mullens to the Vikings for a conditional seventh-round draft pick, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.


After spending his first four NFL seasons in San Francisco, Mullens has moved around a lot, spending part of last year in Philadelphia and part in Cleveland, and then signing with Las Vegas this year only to now get traded to Minnesota.

Mullens has started 17 games in his NFL career and may move ahead of Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond on the Vikings’ depth chart as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kirk Cousins.

The departure of Mullens likely cements Jarrett Stidham‘s role as the No. 2 quarterback in Las Vegas behind Derek Carr. Stidham previously played for Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels in New England, so he arrived in training camp with a firm grasp of the offense and now will be the quarterback the Raiders turn to if Carr gets hurt.

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Kevin Stefanski: Josh Dobbs gave the guys opportunities to make plays



With Jacoby Brissett currently slated to take over as Cleveland’s starting quarterback while Deshaun Watson serves his 11-game suspension, the Browns have Josh Dobbs and Josh Rosen ostensibly competing to be Brissett’s backup.

Dobbs’ performance in Sunday’s preseason game against the Eagles may have put him firmly ahead.


Starting the contest and playing 55 percent of the offensive snaps, Dobbs finished the game 14-of-20 for 141 yards, adding four carries for 47 yards with a 3-yard touchdown. He notably had a 36-yard run, evading would-be tacklers in the backfield and tiptoeing down the sideline for the big gain.

After the contest, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Dobbs “moved around really well.”

“That scramble down the left sideline was obviously outstanding,” Stefanski said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Got us in the right plays like he does. A very intelligent young man. He gave the guys opportunities to make some plays.

“He sees it really clearly. … He’s so intelligent, but I think he processes really well. For him to get through his progressions and deliver the ball on time and accurately is what we ask him to do.”

Through two preseason games, Dobbs has completed 73 percent of his passes for 249 yards with one touchdown. He has five carries for 56 yards.

Rosen has completed 48 percent of his 27 passes for 144 yards.

With Watson out for so long, the Browns could still make another move at quarterback. But at least on Sunday, Dobbs looked like a capable backup.

 

Tampa Bay’s 45-year-old starting quarterback Tom Brady took an 11-day break during training camp, an unprecedented move for a player whose career in many ways has no precedent. While he didn’t meet with reporters (shocker), others did — including coach Todd Bowles.

Bowles was asked whether Brady got in a lot of work on his first day back.


“He did,” Bowles said. “He’s very familiar with the offense, so him coming back in and us getting back to work is kind of normal. Just getting used to the heat and getting used to the guys, but he ran the offense well.”

Obviously, Bowles was happy to get Brady back.

“Anytime you have all your guys back you feel good, you know, especially after the injury bug has hit lately,” Bowles said. “We’re happy to have him back. . . . He’s been great. He’s been great, same as when he left. He’s been fine.”

Bowles insisted that the situation wasn’t a distraction for the Bucs.

“We pretty much keep distractions out of our locker room,” Bowles said. “It wasn’t a big deal to us because everybody knew what was going on.”

Maybe everybody in the locker room knew. No one outside the team knew where he was or why he was gone. Regardless, seven Super Bowl rings helps Brady get the benefit of the doubt.

“If anyone can get away with an 11-day break during training camp, it’s Tom,” tight end Cameron Brate told reporters. “He came back firing on all cylinders again today. We are all excited he’s back, and we are ready to move on with that.”

They’ve got 20 days until Week One, when the Bucs visit the Cowboys. If Brady plays well, it’s a non-issue. If he struggles, there will be obvious questions as to whether Brady’s break is to blame.

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Sam Darnold: Competition was fair, it didn’t go my way



Sam Darnold was the No. 2 quarterback taken in the 2018 draft behind Baker Mayfield and he finds himself behind Mayfield again this year.

The Panthers officially named Mayfield their starting quarterback for the season opener against the Browns on Monday. The Panthers traded for Mayfield ahead of training camp, which many took as a strong sign that he would wind up with the job since the Panthers already knew what they had in Darnold.


At a Monday press conference, Darnold said he didn’t think the competition was slanted in Mayfield’s favor. He added that the outcome “sucks” for him, but that he’s committed to doing anything he can to help Mayfield succeed.

“We were fighting for the starting job. Every day was our game day out there during camp, especially as we got into these last couple weeks. . . . Obviously it didn’t go my way. Coach named Baker the starter. My mindset is it is what it is. For me, right now, I’m gonna do everything I can to support Baker and get him ready to play a game.”

Darnold is guaranteed over $18 million in salary this year as a result of the Panthers exercising his fifth-year option, but he’ll be cashing those checks from the bench as long as Mayfield is healthy and playing well.

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Win some and you lose some...