NFL - NEWS & NOTES

That Steelers game was 26-0 until the first cuts gave up 20 points in the fourth quarter.

 

The Ravens officially have matched the all-time record for success in meaningless games.

Saturday’s 20-3 win over the Panthers gives Baltimore 19 straight preseason wins, equally the achievements of Vince Lombardi’s Packers from 1959-62.

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Beavers played nearly the entire game against Miami, along with C Drew Dalman (third round pick) and G/T Jalen Mayfield (fourth round pick). He played the entire first half at left tackle, then moved to right tackle for two possessions in the second half. He was again solid, and to me that was impressive - he held his own at left tackle playing against Miami's first unit defense.

The coaching staff is giving him a very serious look, and his playing time at left tackle says that he's the top contender for the swing tackle role - at least while Matt Gono (on the PUP list) remains out.

Getting in those five games in the XFL might have done him a world of good. Until then, he had limited numbers of reps in NFL preseason games, where teams usually play "vanilla" schemes. He never made a regular roster coming out of preseason and bounced around practice squads. In 2019, he couldn't even get signed to a practice squad.

Then he got the competitive reps in the XFL, and early in the 2020 season he got signed and stuck with a practice squad, getting resigned for the following season. And now he's poised to make the roster.

That turnaround shows why NFL Europe was so helpful. All the attention back then went to the success of guys like Dante Hall and Kurt Warner, but there were a whole lot of players all over the league - particularly linemen - who got a huge step forward in their careers by getting those competitive reps.

 

if it helped him it's all good at least your giving him PT Time Mike Zimmer is so Defensive minded he kinda overlooks the O-line,if Willie Beavers has gotten better then it's the Vikings loss but when he did get playing time he was so so

 

I thought the XFL was good it gave players that didn't make NFL Rosters that year to work on there game

 

Ravens fear L.J. Fort suffered season-ending knee injury



Ravens linebacker L.J. Fort had to exit Saturday’s game against the Panthers in the second quarter due to a knee injury, and the initial prognosis was not positive.

According to Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com, Baltimore fears that Fort suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

Head coach John Harbaugh told reporters after the contest that the injury “does not look good.”

“I think it got stuck in that AstroTurf out there, unfortunately. So, we’ll get final word probably [on Sunday] with an MRI, but L.J. [Fort] has been playing great [and] practicing great,” Harbaugh said. “So, it’s going to be an unfortunate injury for him, if that’s where it turns out to be.”

Fort has been with the Ravens since 2019, appearing in 26 games with 16 starts in that span. Last season, he recorded 53 total tackles with a pair of passes defensed, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

Fort entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He’s also spent time with Cleveland, Denver, Seattle, Cincinnati, New England, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, playing 91 games.

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Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Joseph Ossai's impressive first preseason showing is unfortunately likely to be the last seen of Ossai for some time.

Ossai is scheduled to undergo knee surgery this week for a meniscus injury that is likely to be season-ending, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Sunday morning.

Ossai, a rookie third-round pick for Cincinnati, sacked Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady in the Bengals' preseason opener and had five QB pressures.

The Bengals, in a corresponding move, are signing veteran defensive end Noah Spence, Pelissero added.

Cincinnati announced the signing of Spence along with the release of five players: defensive tackle Freedom Akinmoladun, quarterback Eric Dungey, center Lamont Gaillard, tight end Cheyenne O'Gray and safety Kavon Frazier.

 

that damn injury bug

 

A.J. McCarron is having a MRI tomorrow. The team is fearing the worst. UPDATE: they've already announced it's an ACL tear. His season - and possibly his career - are over.

The injury was a bit odd. On one play he scrambled for a first down but didn't slide, taking a hit. He didn't show obvious signs of injury, went back to the huddle and stayed in for the next play. That play was a simple handoff, and he looked okay during the play. But afterwards he grabbed at his leg and ended up needing help getting off the field.

In the postgame interview, the coach referred to it as a non-contact injury. That suggests it occurred on the handoff play. The sideline commentator (an ex-quarterback) said he thought it happened on the big hit on the scramble.


That was the one true negative item from Saturday's game. The other roster candidate for the QB2 spot, undrafted rookie Feliepe Franks, is showing a lot of promise though some parts of his game need work. For me, the biggest question on him is how he'd do working with the starters rather than the scrubs (who have now dropped four of his passes in two preseason games). Hopefully he'll get reps with the first unit in practice this week.

The Player To Be Named Later has always been a contender for the #2 role. Now it's significantly more likely.

Otherwise, many of Atlanta's backups put in solid showings against Miami's starters in the first half, and it looks like the team's offensive line questions have been answered successfully. Overall it was a strong game with some good evaluation opportunities.

 

Mike Vrabel tests positive for COVID-19



The Titans are going to be without their head coach at practice for the near future.

Mike Vrabel opened a Sunday videoconference with reporters by announcing that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He is quarantining away from the team as a result of the test and said that he got tested after developing a sore throat.

The Titans played the Buccaneers on Saturday and had two days of joint practices in Tampa last week. Vrabel, who is vaccinated, said that he does not know of any other positive tests within the Titans organization.

Vrabel will remain involved with the team in meetings over Zoom and said he’ll lean on assistants Jim Haslett and Jim Schwartz taking on more responsibility during in-person work because they have both been head coaches in the past.

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TONIGHT...

 

Bengals not 'down' on Ja'Marr Chase despite rookie WR's struggles with drops

When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted LSU receiver Ja'Marr Chase with the No. 5 overall pick, there were plenty of questions ranging from his fit in the offense to whether or not Cincy should have selected an offensive lineman. However, one question no one at the time was asking was about the rookie's ability to simply catch the ball.

After several weeks of training camp and two preseason tilts, the drops are all anyone in Cincinnati can talk about now. Chase flubbed all three of his targets in Friday's 17-13 preseason loss to Washington. It seemed as though the rookie was fighting the ball.

Ahead of Sunday's practice, coach Zac Taylor was asked if Chase's confidence might be wavering.

"I don't think he's short on confidence. That's a good thing," the coach responded, via The Athletic. "Guys are building him up. Just talking to (Tyler Boyd) and all these guys, these guys all struggled with coming in as a rookie. The expectations are so high that you expect him to be a star right out the gate. But it takes work. You gotta put in the work. That consistency comes over time, and by no means are we down on Ja'Marr. He's just going through some of the things rookies go through in training camp, and we expect him to improve over the course of this week."

After Chase sat out the entire 2020 collegiate season, it shouldn't come as a total surprise that he's going through struggles as he knocks off the rust at the NFL level.

We've only been privy to the negatives regarding the rookie receiver, from reports of a lack of separation during camp practices to the drops Friday. Chase again reportedly dropped two more passes during Sunday's practice, including one that hit him right in the hands, exasperating the consternation surrounding the first-round pick.

Earlier this month, Chase downplayed his issues, noting that "Rome wasn't built in a day." Since then, he keeps dropping the stones witch which he should have been building that proverbial empire.


Chase's talent coming out of LSU was undeniable. It's the reason the Bengals elected to pair him with Joe Burrow rather than add an offensive lineman. The young receiver is simply dealing with the struggles that many rookies encounter at some point during their first season. The question is whether Chase will mentally adjust and get past the struggles or allow them to haunt him for the entirety of his first season.

NFL.com

 

Jets expect Jarrad Davis to be out through Week Six with ankle injury



Jets linebacker Jarrad Davis left Saturday’s game in the second quarter with a left ankle injury and it is going to be some time before he’s back in action.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said at a Monday press conference that the team expects Davis to be out through their bye in Week Six. That makes Davis a likely candidate to go on injured reserve, although the Jets will have to wait to put him on the list until after they set their initial 53-man roster in order to make him eligible for activation down the road.

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Winston to Callaway is working.

Callaway with over 100 yds receiving... still in 1st quarter.

14-0, Saints

 

Saints' Sean Payton plans on announcing team's starting quarterback by Saturday

Last season, Hill took over for an injured Brees and led the Saints to a 3-1 record as the starting quarterback. He completed 72.7 percent of his passes for 928 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Hill also added 457 yards on the ground with eight rushing scores.

Winston, on the other hand, saw limited action. He completed seven of 11 passes for 75 yards. However, before Winston decided to sign with the Saints last season, the year prior he threw for 5,109 yards with 33 touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He did, however, lead the NFL with 30 interceptions as Tampa Bay finished with a 7-9 record.

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I don't know what I think. If Winston can lose that pick bug, I'd go with him and let Hill run around all over the place. That was pretty effective last year. If not? give the job to Hill. He went 3-1 last year with Brees out.

 

Drew Brees is a tough act to follow!!!

 

Report: Jaguars running back Travis Etienne has a mid-foot sprain



Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne was in a walking boot after leaving Monday night’s preseason game against the New Orleans Saints early with a foot injury.

Etienne was deemed questionable to return to the contest after a brief appearance that included one rush for a yard and one catch for three yards.

Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Etienne sustained a mid-foot sprain and is out indefinitely for the Jaguars. He is expected to undergo further testing upon returning Jacksonville.

Eitenne was the 25th overall pick of this spring’s NFL Draft and was set to join James Robinson and Carlos Hyde in Jacksonville’s backfield. With just under three weeks until the start of the regular season, it seems as though Etienne’s availability for the start of the season would be in doubt.

The Jaguars face the Houston Texans to open the regular season on Sept. 12.

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