MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Cooper Rush does something no one has ever done



Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush may not create a controversy in Dallas, but he has made some history.

According to he NFL, Rush is the first quarterback in NFL to win each of his first four career starts with a passer rating of 90 or higher in each of the four wins.


He also has joined a very specifically obscure club. He’s the sixth undrafted quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win his first four starts, joining Kurt Warner, Kyle Allen, Dieter Brock, John Stofa, and Mike Tomczak.

Not on that list? Former Cowboys undrafted quarterback Tony Romo. He went 3-1 in his first four starts in 2006, losing to Washington while beating the Panthers, Cardinals, and Colts.

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On the Fox NFL pregame show on Sunday, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw announced he has been battling cancer. According to Bradshaw, he was originally diagnosed with bladder cancer a year ago. He also said he had surgery and treatment and as of now is bladder cancer free.

Bradshaw went on to say in March of this year he was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer on his neck called Merkel cell carcinoma. Bradshaw noted he received treatment for it and is now cancer free from it as well.

For everyone here at Steelers Wire, we wish Bradshaw nothing but the best and hope for his full recovery.

 

Matt Eberflus confident Justin Fields’ pocket presence will improve



Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been sacked on 19.3 percent of his dropbacks this season, by far the worst in the NFL. That needs to improve in a hurry.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus is confident it will improve, but he thinks it’s going to take time.


“It’s just pocket presence as he gets more experience,” Eberflus said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “He did a nice job of riding the pocket a couple of times, staying in there and delivering the ball, for sure. We talked about those plays. . . . More experience on the job, and he’s going to get better at it.”

Fields got sacked too much last year — 11.8 percent of his dropbacks, which was also the worst in the NFL — but this year his pocket presence appears to be worse, not better. The top priority for the Bears this season is seeing Fields develop into a reliable franchise quarterback, but so far what they’re seeing is Fields taking far too many sacks.

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Joe Burrow has had in-game memory loss from head trauma, says it’s “part of what we signed up for”



The Tua Tagovailoa situation has renewed the focus on concussion in football, including most important how they are spotted (or not) and how they are properly handled (or not).

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, in an interview with Colin Cowherd, admitted that, on multiple occasions, Burrow has forgotten the second half of a game or the entire game.


Burrow didn’t get more specific as to when that happened, or at which level of football. Regardless, he understands that the potential for a head injury is part of the game.

“You can make all the rules you want to make the game as safe as you possibly can, but there’s an inherent risk and danger with the game of football,” Burrow said. “You have 300-pound men running 20 miles an hour trying to take your head off while you’re standing still trying to ignore it, and find receivers that are open. And then sometimes you’ve got to go run and try to get a first down. You run 20 miles an hour and somebody else is running 22 miles an hour, you’ve got to try to get the first down.

“That’s part of the game, I think. Part of what we signed up for. You’re gonna have head injuries, you’re gonna tear your ACL, you’re gonna break your arm. That’s the game that we play. That’s the life that we live. And we get paid handsomely for it.”

It’s no surprise that players have no issue with the possibility of suffering head trauma. The league fully and freely allowed them to accept that risk — even if already potentially concussed — until Congress made the issue a priority 13 years ago this month. Then it became, within a year or two thereafter, a major liability issue for the league. It also became an existential threat to the game, given that parents became concerned about letting their kids play at lower levels of the sport.

That’s why the league has these protocols. Even if plenty of players would gladly play despite a head injury that has not fully resolved, the league has no choice but to care about the issue more than the players do. If the league doesn’t, Congress could actively regulate the sport. More importantly, the supply of future players could diminish.

That’s the biggest practical impact of the troubling images resulting from the two occasions in the past two weeks in which Tua’s head has struck the ground. It’s also why (I believe) the league and the union swept the obvious failure of the protocol regarding Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate under the rug.

If the NFL can’t properly spot and evaluate potential head trauma as it’s happening, what hope does the local high school have at doing the same thing? That’s why the league would prefer that we quickly get back to the point where head trauma isn’t being discussed, and the league’s mishandling of it isn’t being scrutinized.

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Matt Canada: I don’t think you’ll see a drastic difference in play calls with Kenny Pickett



The Steelers have made their change at quarterback, with rookie Kenny Pickett taking over as the starter.

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada faced plenty of questions about Pickett in his Thursday press conference, notably saying the quarterback has been “as advertised” since he arrived.


But even though a different quarterback is behind center, Canada said he’s not expecting the offense to be completely different.

“I don’t think you saw a huge difference in the plays in the second half [of the Week Four game against the Jets] when Kenny was in there, as far as the play calls,” Canada said. “So, I don’t think you’re going to see a drastic difference. And again, we all have to be better for us to get there. We’ve got to score more points. Disappointing last week, we had the ball there in first-and-10 on the 31 and didn’t finish out the game, had an execution error on the toss, and then gave them the ball back. We’ve all got to be better.”

That has been the collective message from the Steelers this week — even though Pickett has replaced Trubisky, everyone on the offensive unit has to be better.

“Our offense hasn’t been scoring enough points,” Canada said. “You make a change, but it’s not all a reflection of quarterback play. Obviously, we try to do what guys like to do. We’re going to focus on what everybody does well, we hope. There might be tweaks here, like a route that Mitch [Trubisky] liked that Kenny likes different. But as a big picture, it’s going to be the same plays. We have to execute better and play better all the way around.”

That will likely be a challenge for this week’s game, as the Bills are tied atop the league with 938 yards allowed and No. 2 with just 58 points allowed this season.

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Embrace the suck Steelers fans.

 

Russell Wilson can’t be this bad, can he?

He’s playing this poorly. That isn’t in dispute. He’s completing just 59.4 percent of his passes this season and has just four touchdowns — against three picks — in five games. Thursday, Denver dropped to 2-3 after failing to score a touchdown in a 12-9 overtime loss to a hapless Indianapolis team.

It ended when Wilson apparently didn’t notice (pre- or post-snap) a wide open K.J. Hamler and instead, threw into traffic on fourth-and-1. It was batted down.

“I could have walked in,” Hamler said.

Maybe most telling is that at the end of the game, Hamler slammed his helmet in frustration in the end zone. That means a 23-year-old playing in his 20th NFL game had no problem showing up and then calling out a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and nine-time Pro Bowl selection with a $245 million contract.



That’s how bad Russell Wilson is, mired in the worst stretch of play of an otherwise impressive career. It’s possible his own teammates don’t respect or believe in him.

So yes, he can play this bad. But he can’t be this bad, can he?

As in, is this — or not much better — what he is going to be the rest of this season or, perhaps, even in future seasons?

Or to flip the question, did Pete Carroll and Seattle Seahawks recognize Wilson was on a career slide and rather than just hope he would return to form as he entered his mid-30s (he turns 34 next month) just decided to unload him while his name could still fetch a haul?

If so, quarterback-desperate Denver, perhaps believing this would be another Peyton Manning late-career jolt of talent and leadership, was the perfect unknowing mark. The Broncos sent three players and five draft picks, including two firsts and two seconds, to Seattle in exchange for Wilson and a fourth-round pick. They then signed him to a quarter-billion dollar contract.

What they have gotten so far is a shell of what they envisioned.

This is the worst completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio and the second-worst adjusted completion percentage (accounting for drops) and yards-per-attempt of Wilson’s career. In a sign of his difference-making ability, just 3.8 percent of his passes rate as “Big Time Throws” per Pro Football Focus, by far a career low and down from 8.5 percent in 2018.

Seattle, meanwhile, is 2-2 with journeyman Geno Smith, who is completing 77.3 percent of his passes and has tossed six touchdowns against just two picks. He currently grades out as the No. 1 quarterback in the league per PFF (Wilson is 26th), and while no one thinks that will hold, it’s still something.

Additionally, the two draft selections from the Broncos that Seahawks have already used look good — first-rounder Charles Cross is already a starter on the offensive line and second-round defensive end Boye Mafe has a sack and 10 solo tackles in four games.

If the trends continue, then Carroll pulled off one of the great trades in recent history.

There certainly were signs that this was possible. Most notably, Wilson had struggled of late with deep balls. The first eight years of his career, his season completion average for passes over 20 yards was 44.7 percent and was at 50.0 as recently as 2018. The last two in Seattle it was down to 38.7, and sits at just 34.5 this year.

That severely limits the offense, as does his diminishing ability to run the ball, a major weapon early in his career. Both his yards per carry (4.3) and total rushes more than 10 yards (9) last season in Seattle were the second-worst of his career. (He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry again this season.)

In Seattle, he complained about protection and usage and all sorts of things, but eventually Carroll soured on the concept of letting Russ cook and clearly decided the franchise was better off without him.

There is also the issue of age. Tom Brady (45), Aaron Rodgers (38) and a few others, such as Manning and Drew Brees, have changed the perception of just how long someone can be an elite quarterback in the NFL. Historically though, just reaching the mid-30s is an accomplishment and a slow fade in production is not uncommon.

It’s not Wilson’s fault that he may be like most players and not some of these freaks. If so, however, then Denver bought a quarterback that they may have assumed had six to eight years in him, but really doesn’t.

Who knows, though.

This is still Russell Wilson and we are just five games into him joining a new team with a rookie coach. As bad as he has played so far, and no matter how many boos that Bronco fans have rained down on him and the offense, it can always turn around.

Wilson has talent. Wilson has history.

Denver has to hope that both are still in him, which remains, no matter the early season struggles, a reasonable expectation.

Because Russell Wilson can’t really be this bad. Can he?

YAHOO
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He sure isnt the sure-fire QB I thought he would be in Denver. Its tough for me to put a finger on this situation... I thought he was going to ride into town and be the hero. That hasnt happened yet.

 

Russell Wilson flew to Los Angeles for treatment on throwing shoulder



Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was on the injury report before Thursday night’s loss to the Colts with a right shoulder injury, and after the game he traveled to Los Angeles for treatment on the injury.

Wilson had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to relieve discomfort near his throwing shoulder, according to NFL Network. According to the report, Wilson has a strain to the latissimus dorsi, the large muscle of the upper back.


It’s been an ugly start to the season for Wilson, who hasn’t played at anything close to the level that the Broncos were expecting when they traded for him and signed him to a lucrative contract extension. He’s not the only reason the Broncos are a disappointing 2-3, but his under-performance is certainly one of the reasons.

Wilson plans to play in the Broncos’ next game, Monday, October 17, against the Chargers.

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Teddy Bridgewater ruled out under concussion protocol



The Dolphins have lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the rest of Sunday’s game against the Jets.

Bridgewater went to the locker room with head and elbow injuries after taking a hit from Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner on the first play of the game. Bridgewater was initially called questionable to return, but the Dolphins have now ruled him out after a concussion evaluation.



The NFL and NFLPA announced changes to the concussion protocol for this Sunday’s game. The push for them began after Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s injuries in Weeks Three and Four. Tagovailoa is inactive with a concussion this weekend.

Rookie Skylar Thompson is now at quarterback for Miami, who fell behind 12-0 on a Michael Carter touchdown to open the second quarter. They rebounded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Raheem Mostert touchdown run that cut the deficit to five points.

Thompson is 6-of-10 for 27 yards in his first NFL action, but threw his first interception to Gardner later in the second quarter.

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Mike McDaniel: Teddy Bridgewater passed concussion tests, ruled out under revised protocol



The Dolphins’ handling of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury in Week Three led to a change in the league’s concussion protocol that cost them quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday.

Bridgewater was hit hard by Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner on Miami’s first offensive play of Sunday’s game against the Jets and he went to the blue medical tent on the sideline right way. Bridgewater then went to the locker room and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game.

After the 40-17 loss was over, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that Bridgewater showed no concussion symptoms and passed tests but he was barred from returning to the game because a spotter saw him stumble as he got up after Gardner’s hit.

The new protocol calls for any player showing signs of ataxia, which is abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue, to be ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson took over for Bridgewater and had two turnovers as Miami fell to 2-3 on the season.

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Report: Baker Mayfield has a high-ankle sprain



The Panthers will have a new head coach for their Week Six visit to Los Angeles and they are likely to have a new quarterback as well.

Baker Mayfield was in a walking boot after Sunday’s loss to the 49ers and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that tests show that he suffered a high-ankle sprain. That injury almost always causes players to miss time and the Panthers need only look at Sam Darnold on their injured reserve list as a reminder of that.



Darnold has been out for six weeks, but it is not clear how long Mayfield might be out at this point. At the very least, it looks like the team will be preparing P.J. Walker to start against the Rams this week.

That’s not an ideal situation for interim head coach Steve Wilks, who took over for the fired Matt Rhule on Monday, to make his debut, but ideal situations and interim head coaches are rarely found in the same place.

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Tua Tagovailoa not ready for “football stuff,” Teddy Bridgewater still in concussion protocol



Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel offered updates about quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater at the start of his Monday press conference.

McDaniel was asked if Tagovailoa has been ruled out for the team’s Week Six game against the Vikings because of the concussion he suffered in the team’s Week Four loss to the Bengals. McDaniel didn’t rule Tagovailoa out and said the team is constantly re-evaluating how the quarterback is feeling before adding that he’s not ready to get on a field yet.


“He’s not ready to take the step to do some football stuff yet,” McDaniel said.

Teddy Bridgewater started in Tagovailoa’s place against the Jets on Sunday, but he was knocked out of the game after getting hit by Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner on Miami’s first offensive play. Bridgewater did not exhibit concussion symptoms, but was ruled out under the revised rules of the concussion protocol that were put in place after Tagovailoa’s injury.

McDaniel said Bridgewater remains in the protocol on Monday.

“No symptoms today, no symptoms yesterday but, per the rule change, he’s being treated as if he has a concussion,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel said on Sunday that a spotter saw Bridgewater stumble and he was asked Monday about a number of videos on social media that don’t show Bridgewater stumble after getting up from the hit. McDaniel said he didn’t see Bridgewater stumble either, but added that “the rules are the rules” and that he’s “not in the business of grading and coaching spotters.”

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Luke Getsy: Justin Fields getting a little bit better each week



The Bears weren’t able to leave Minnesota with a win last Sunday, but their comeback to take the lead in the fourth quarter included a performance they hope to build on this Thursday and in the weeks to come.

Quarterback Justin Fields posted his best single-game passer rating and completion percentage as an NFL starter while setting season-highs for completions and passing yardage in the 29-22 loss. Fields also avoided turning the ball over for the first time this season and the total package left offensive coordinator Luke Getsy talking about the growth he’s seen from the quarterback over the last few weeks.


“There’s been progress, right?” Getsy said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “And we’re sticking to the plan. I thought he did a really nice job in that game in the sense of he kept his composure. They got off to a big lead, he kept the team together. . . . Then, you know, he had three or four unbelievable escapes that were ridiculous. I thought he did a pretty good job. Again, we’re getting a little bit better each week and that’s truly our purpose, that’s our goal.”

As Getsy makes plain, Fields is not a finished product and there’s still a need to show that he can consistently perform as he did last Sunday. Any signs that he can be that kind of player are going to be cause for hope in Chicago, so they’ll be plenty of people hoping Getsy’s right about each week being a little better than the last.

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"Justin Fields just may shred the Vikings secondary"

I posted that before the Vikings Bears game and it may not have been a shred game, but he definitely played very well. I am a Fields fan (except for the Bears thing) and have really been pulling for him to do well at the NFL level. I think he has the tools, talent and wherewithall to be somebody consistently good at the NFL level... but, he will need a supporting cast which is neccessary for any QB in todays high-tech game.

Fields didnt get killed out there and showed great poise even under pressure... a few of his passes were really impressive and a few were flat out dropped or he may have had even better stats... albeit at the same time he did force/misread a few plays, but very little mistakes. I think Fields and the Bears were impressive to go on the road in Minny and do what they did. Bears just need development in a few key areas and they will be ok.

 

Dolphins plan to start Skylar Thompson this weekend



Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said at a Wednesday press conference that he’s certain Tua Tagovailoa won’t be playing quarterback for the team this weekend and he shared the plan for who will be under center against the Vikings.

Teddy Bridgewater remains in the concussion protocol and will be working with trainers at Wednesday’s practice. He’ll be eligible to do a limited practice on Thursday and could be cleared in time to play this weekend, but McDaniel said the team is planning to start Skylar Thompson at quarterback whether that happens or not because Bridgewater would not have a full practice before the game.


“As long as everything goes to plan with his protocol procedure, I’m very confident that Teddy will be active in that scenario and be backing up Skylar,” McDaniel said.

When asked about going with Thompson over a cleared Bridgewater, McDaniel said he did not view Thompson as a “run of the mill rookie.” Thompson was 19-of-33 for 166 yards and an interception after replacing Bridgewater last Sunday.

 

Justin Fields: I’m hurting, but I’ve got time to heal up before our next game



Bears quarterback Justin Fields took some hard hits in Thursday night’s loss to the Commanders, both on his five sacks and on his 12 rushing attempts. But he said afterward that he’s confident he’ll play in the Bears’ next game, thanks in part to the Bears’ extra time off with a Monday night game in Week Seven.

“I’m hurting pretty good, but we’ve got a long weekend so I’ve got time to heal up,” Fields said.


Fields seemed to be more hurt by his team coming up short in a 12-7 loss that ended with a Fields fourth-down pass being stopped just short of the goal line.

“Everybody’s mad. Nobody’s happy about this loss,” Fields said. “We always get told that we are almost there, almost there. Me personally, I’m tired of being almost there. I’m tired of being just this close.”

Bears coach Matt Eberflus praised Fields for his toughness after the game. At some point, the Bears need to see Fields not take so many hits, and not need to show so much toughness every week.

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Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater both full participants Friday, but Tagovailoa won’t play



Dolphins quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater had full practices Friday, a first for both players since entering concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa will not play this week but is closer to a return.


Bridgewater, who also has a right pectoral injury, is questionable.

Coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday the Dolphins plan to start Skylar Thompson at quarterback this weekend. If Bridgewater is cleared, he is expected to serve as the backup.

Cornerback Kader Kohou (oblique) is doubtful after limited practices all week.

Left tackle Terron Armstead (toe), defensive back Elijah Campbell (foot), running back Raheem Mostert (knee) and tight end Durham Smythe (hamstring) are questionable.

Cornerback Xavien Howard (groins) returned to a full practice Friday and has no designation. Receivers Tyreek Hill (quad/foot) and Jaylen Waddle (groin) had full practices all week and are good to go as well.

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Andy Dalton starts again for Saints this weekend



There will not be a matchup of quarterbacks drafted first overall in New Orleans this weekend.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that Andy Dalton will make his third straight start in place of Jameis Winston when the Bengals visit the Superdome on Sunday. Winston returned to practice this week, but his back injury will need at least one more week to heal before he’ll have a chance to return to the lineup.


The Saints have gone 1-1 with Dalton the last two weeks. He has gone 36-of-52 for 423 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Dalton spent the first nine years of his career with the Bengals and moved on when they released him in the wake of drafting Joe Burrow first overall in 2020. He has started against them as a member of the Cowboys in 2020 and the Bears in 2021 with Dalton’s team coming out on top each time.

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Aaron Rodgers off injury report, set to start against Jets



There wasn’t much doubt that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be available to start Sunday’s game against the Jets.

But now it’s official: Rodgers is off Green Bay’s injury report and is set to play in Week Six.


Rodgers missed Wednesday’s practice with a thumb injury but was a full participant in Green Bay’s Thursday and Friday practices. He said Wednesday that he would be fine by Sunday.

Rodgers, however, will not have one of his rookie weapons. Receiver Christian Watson is out with a hamstring injury. He did not practice all week after playing 29 percent of the snaps during the team’s loss to the Giants in London last week.

Linebacker Tipa Galeai is also out with a hamstring injury.

Linebacker Rashan Gary (toe) is questionable after being a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday.

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Cowboys list Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb as questionable



Dak Prescott is not expected to play Sunday against the Eagles, but the Cowboys didn’t rule out their star quarterback Friday. The team lists him as questionable for Sunday Night Football against the Eagles.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday afternoon on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan that the team has made no “final decisions” when asked whether Prescott could dress and serve as Cooper Rush‘s back up.


Prescott underwent surgery on his right thumb Sept. 12 after injuring it in the season opener.

Owner Jerry Jones said earlier in the day that the Cowboys are optimistic Prescott can return to the lineup next week against the Lions.

The Cowboys also list receiver CeeDee Lamb as questionable after adding him to the practice report Friday with a hip injury. He did not practice.

The Cowboys added Lamb to the report Oct. 6 with a hip injury. He didn’t practice that day but returned to a limited practice Oct. 7, and although he was questionable, Lamb played 51 of 55 snaps against the Rams on Sunday.

Offensive lineman Jason Peters (chest) had limited practices all week and is questionable to face his former team, but he said earlier this week he will play.

The Cowboys ruled out running back Rico Dowdle (ankle).

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (chest) and linebacker Micah Parsons (groin) had full practices Friday and are off the report.

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